Consistently a pleasure! We all know that Montclair has great restaurants, but La Rocca is a standout. The Lasagna is always a treat and the other menu items are great too! I'd like to also mention the owner's daughter who was our server, she's not only a pleasure but courteous, helpful, and down to earth. Her Mom should be proud.! read more

Amazing food. Super cozy environment. One of my favorite restaurants. Definitely worth it read more

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Best Italian food I've had in the area thus far , they are truly deserving of the best of Essex reward! Been here twice and it was amazing each time. Even the people I recommended this place to loved it . From the apps to desert , you will not be disappointed. Wish I remembered to take pictures before eating , but sadly I can't help myself. A few of my favorite things were the panzella , pasta bolognese, mushroom souffle and crab & brussel sprout risotto. read more

Having lived in Bologna for 7 years and actually dined several times at San Domenico in Imola, I was looking forward to trying this establishment. Overlooking the menu prior to making the reservation and noticing a signature dish invented by the great chef Nino Bergese who put San Domenico on the map back in the 1970's made my desire to venture into this eatery even more enticing. Unfortunately, La Rocca was a disappointment. To be fair, I am comparing this eatery to establishments that I have frequented in my life that are way, way above par. I had to make a decision to compare La Rocca to these fine establishments in Europe and select areas of the United States , or establishments that are "run of the mill". After reading the website and the chef flaunting his "stage" in Italy, I decided to compare it to San Domenico. After all, he is extolling the fact of this great experience. To start, telephoning to make the reservation I was informed that my dining experience would be given a 90 minute time slot. First time I was ever reprimanded before I even sat down to a place that I was spending my money! I guess there is a first time for everything. I wondered if I should test this and wait. Would they escort me out bodily if I went over my temporal allocation or just tell me to get out? We brought a bottle of Franciacorta as there are few dishes that this wonderful Italian sparking wine does not pair with. I requested fluted glasses to the common Bordeaux glasses that one finds in most restaurants. The server brought out fluted glasses without stems; a real no-no as the proximity of ones hands to such a delicate aroma interferes with the enjoyment of this great product. I ordered two standard dishes that I use to compare the establishments I eat at. They are simple dishes but they reveal an understanding of great Italian food and whether or not I will return to experience more inventive dishes. The burrata was excellent but it lacked a key ingredient that really brings out the flavor. I had to request balsamic vinegar and place it on it myself. The vinegar was watery and not syrupy as good balsamic should be. The arugula was overpowered by very sweet tomatoes. One had to really try and search out the flavor of arugula. The second choice was my go to dish, Tagliatelle all Bolognese. The pasta was excellent and cooked correctly. The dish had an epic fail after that. Sprinkling parsley over Tagliatelle alla Bolognese is not correct. While I understand parsley has little flavor and is used primarily to pretty up a dish, a discerning palate can individuate this herb and it does not complement the dish which brings me to it's star, the ragu. It lacked depth of flavor and texture, taking second place to the remainder of the components. This eatery is popular in Montclair I assume because it is better than run of the mill. I know it is VERY difficult to own a restaurant and I admire any chef who ventures out in such rough waters. I want to make it clear I bear them no malice and wish them continued success. My sincere hope is they take this review as instructive in order to improve and actually bring them to greatness. read more

I've eaten here at least 10 times, never had a problem....tonight was different. The pasta was like chewing bubble gum. They did nothing to correct situation. Spent over $200 dollars and they offered nothing but, so sorry! I'll never return...... read more

La Rocca Osteria was great. Outdoor seating was nice and food was very tasty. I tried the Calimari fritti, Cesare salad, Tonnarelli Cacio Pepe, and orechiette with sausage and broccoli rabe. My favorite dishes were the desserts, though: Mixed Berry Tart filled with pastry cream topped with mixed berries and Pear tart with gelato were both amazing. read more

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Pedestrian at best. Over salted, over sauced, over balsamic. There are no delicacies or nuances to these dishes. They use strong basic flavors that hit you in the face. The homemade pasta is excellent, but then they ruin the experience with sauces that are dense and one dimensional. Absolutely do not recommend. read more

This place is in the same building that used to house Osteria Giotto. Very crowded on a Thursday night. Quite noisy -- which was the main problem with its predecessor as well. Service was cordial, but somewhat slow. Appetizers are very good. I was particularly impressed with the panzanella salad. Braised oxtail special was excellent, with a ton of flavor. Spaghetti alla chitarra was tasty, but my wife said "not enough seafood". Our third diner enjoyed the eggplant parmigiana. Will we come back? Yes, if we can identify a time when they're less busy -- although as crowded as it was mid-week, I'm not sure when that would be. BYOB. Make a reservation. read more

Wonderful restaurant. Hard to get in and for some reason very popular on Wednesday's! I've noticed a lot of Physicians frequent this restaurant, we were referred by one ourselves, so the caliber of people who come here are educated and classy. Food and service is outstanding! read more

I ordered dinner to go today since there is no dining in restaurants right now. The food overall is just fair. Nothing was great, but nothing was bad either. They give you onion focaccia bread which was good, but the edges were too hard. For my appetizer I had the heirloom beet salad with candied walnuts and blue cheese which wasn't good. The quality of the ingredients were low grade. The salad wasn't fresh and crisp. The blue cheese was low grade, and didn't even taste like blue cheese! For dinner I had the tagliolini with shrimp, lobster, and crab meat which was just ok. The pasta wasn't house made and the sauce had no flavor. This restaurant serves large portions, but it's quantity over quality here. read more

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I was excited to try La Rocca since we loved Giotto and wanted a nice place to celebrate my daughters birthday. The outdoor seating was lovely, tables spaced apart well and the servers wore masks. I gave three stars because: 1. The silverware and glassware were dirty. They had to replace the water glass and the forks because there was dried food stuck to them. 2. They didn't clean the table between the meal and dessert and there was a bit of food left on the table. The waitstaff was standing around talking to each other the entire time so it wasn't that they were to busy to clean up before dessert came. 3. One of the reasons we came here was for the Chocolate Lava cake for dessert- my daughters favorite. When it came out it was dry, crumbly and there was no chocolate center oozing out. Very disappointed and not the way we wanted to end her birthday. The food was good but I think there's a few minor quirks that need to be worked out before I go back and recommend friends to try it. read more

Absolutely love this place!!! I used to come years ago when it was named something else. They closed and came back... They start you off with bread and oil. I always get the calamari. It's crunchy and delicious. And the bowl it comes in is edible ("potato chips"). My go to entree is the spinach and ricotta ravioli in butter and sage sauce. Love the fresh pasta. The meal melts in my mouth!!! And wifey usually gets the cacio Pepe! No complaints. Again, fresh pasta. Unbeatable. Can't wait to go back. read more

My first time having dinner at La Rocca Osteria and it was such a great experience. Cute ambience, delicious food with so much flavor, and great service! The restaurant is cozy so I recommend making a reservation beforehand. Zero complaints! read more

The scallops tasted great and the food came very quickly (~10 minutes after placing our order), especially for a busy Friday night. We also took the tiramisu to-go, which was also delicious, not too sweet, and the perfect portion size for one person or to share with another person. read more

La Rocca Osteria - Scallops - Italian Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

Omg, the food and service is divine. I want to try everything. You don't know what to eat but the calamari is exceptional. Everything is is homemade. read more

La Rocca Osteria - Calamari - Italian Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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Service was great and the food was outstanding! This was my first time trying this restaurant and it will not be my last. Bravissima!

The pasta here is always insanely good. Cute place with nice vibes. I literally can't stop recommending this place to people

La Rocca is probably the best Italian restaurant in Montclair, which is really saying something. Everything from the plate of garlicky olives and rolls placed on the table at the start, to the pasta with broccoli rabe and sausage, the sumptuous brick of lasagna--they get everything right, even risotto, which in so many places is well-flavored mush, and here every rice grain has texture. Excellent service, too. Will never understand why the owners left the location, only to come back a few years later, but that's their business, not mine. read more

Very good and I'm happy I was FINALLY able to get in here after walking by this place for years. We were seated right away but definitely make reservations because this place is always packed. Bread was fantastic and fresh, BYOB, and we started with the octopus appetizer first - this was pretty small and a bit over cooked BUT still very good. My fiancé got a pasta dish and it was SO good and I got the halibut which was spectacular. This place gives a good Italian family vibe to it and I will definitely return! read more

This place has been around for over a decade. So I have not been here in a while. I tried making a reservation about a month ago on a Friday night and the place was packed. Recently I made a last minute attempt on a Thursday night. Guess what?! Still packed. Indoor dining was booked. I had to settle for outdoor dining close to the curb. My table location was not ideal but it was a beautiful night. My server seemed to be spread a bit thin because he was clearly rushed and had little time. The busboy was more attentive. I tried to explain my food allergies to our server but he didn't seem to be paying attention. There was no eye contact which is always worrisome. For an appetizer I ordered the rice balls which I had never tried before. It was ok. Caveat: Caribbeans are critical when it comes to rice. I must say that the lasagna was amazing. To top it off the lemon mascarpone cheesecake was delicious. It was not too sweet and balanced with dark chocolate crushed pieces. read more

Food, service and ambiance are 5 stars. Never disappointed. Food is consistently excellent.

Just ok, went back last night. Not happy. Nice hostess. Food is mediocreat best. Overpriced and underwhelmed. Ordered the 40.00 dollar rib eye steak. It was mostly fat and the meat was tough and not seasoned, no flavor at all. Overall not a good dining experience. read more

Great restaurant, delicious menu and great service. Reservations recommended. Our weekly go to.

First time ordering and it was a pick up order. Take out process was nice and smooth. Everybody was super friendly. Food taste so good in take out, I can't wait to actually eat at the restaurant. read more

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The food. Excellent. Giotto 2.0 The music- horrific. Please fix this. Oldies are diner music. Please. read more

Quite simply our favorite restaurant. The only place in the area that is ALWAYS consistent. Every single meal, every single time, is on point. Also, the only place where I try different menu items every time I go because I've never been let down. I usually settle on one of the homemade pasta dishes because they are EXQUISITE. The service is excellent and the waiters are super attentive. They also have an expansive selection of specials every night. I give it my highest recommendation. read more

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We went for a family dinner back in March to celebrate my birthday. The food, the service, everything was terrific. It was BYOB, which was okay since we called ahead and brought a nice bottle of vino to split. Highly recommend. read more

Every restaurant has good days, and a bad day now and then. Supply chain issues, staff turnover, inflation, etc, can have an impact to the finest restaurant. When we leave reviews, we should be human and consider the other humans who own or work at a restaurant. At least try to. I'm a local loving LaRocca. They crush service and food every time that I go. i keep bringing friends to introduce them and those foodies leave loving LaRocca as well!!! Does LaRocca have off days? Yes but none that are worth mentioning. Don't deny yourself a great meal, great service, and a surprisingly unpretentious vibe in Montclair. read more

This place was very busy and appeared to be very popular. The staff was very attentive. We enjoyed the appetizer, clans & mussels in a sauce. Main course was a mixed sea food (clams, mussels, shrimp, etc) over Spaghetti. It was great. My wife had the lasagna which she did not enjoy much. While I was looking forward to desert, we skipped it as we ran out of time and needed to leave. That was a real bummer as some of the desert descriptions made it tempting. In final, we were there on a Wednesday evening and did not expect to need reservations. As I said earlier, the place was busy. read more

I typically go to Enzos for Italian- but I'm glad they were closed so I could try LaRocca. From the moment I called they were very informative and they even asked what time I wanted my food delivered. The delivery came in a jeep and trucked it out into the snow for me! THANKYOU! The food came at the right temperature and it was packaged properly for a take out order. I really enjoyed the lasagna and gnocchi gnocchi. You can truly takes the freshness in every bite. THANKYOU! read more

First visit to this great Italian restaurant and it won't be the last. Hidden gem in Montclair located away from the hustle and bustle of Bloomfield Ave. This corner location offered indoor and outdoor dining and it was a beautiful night so we opted to eat al fresco and had a great table for 2 in front of the restaurant. We started off with a great app, the Polipo ally Griglia, grilled octopus, roasted tomatoes, barley, Cerignola olives, njdua. The octopus was tender and delicious. For my main course I chose the Sella di Agnello in Crosta, rack of lamb, herbed bread crumbs, garlic and rosemary. This was one of their signature dishes and well deserving of that honor. The lamb was cooked perfectly. My wife chose the Tagliolini Seafood Pasta, lobster, crabmeat, shrimp in a light cherry tomato sauce. She loved it, especially the homemade tagliolini pasta. We wrapped up the night with a wonderful dessert which might be up there with one of the best desserts we've eaten, the Lemon Mascarpone Mousse Cake, so light and delicious and the perfect way to end the evening. The service here, even on a busy night like we had, was friendly and attentive and it's a BYOB which is great. Can't wait to come back here to try some of the other amazing dishes that are available. Highly recommend this great restaurant. read more

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Always enjoy going to La Rocca, service is excellent and have never been disappointed with the food, their specials no what ever they may be and I have tried most of them, they are excellent read more

The lasagna was recommend and I ordered it I was very impressed with all the food and service The lasagna was incredible I'm not easterly impressed and I was I will differently make it bad here read more

Food was amazing, everything we order was delicious. The service was good and good atmosphere

By far, one of the best restaurants in Montclair, where I think there are 100 restaurants. The food is always fresh and tasty. We have been going to La Rocca under their previous name for over 15 years. It is a mist visit and it's BYO, what's better than that!! A must go read more

Went here for the first time not to long ago and I thought the food was really great! The only thing that was hard for me is I have a gluten and dairy allergy and they didn't really accommodate allergies. I was able to find something that could be made safe but most thing like the long hots and potatoes were already pre cooked with butter so they were not able to make them without. Yet my waitress did get me just long hots alone. The gluten free pasta is cooked in the same water as the other pasta and the options I picked all couldn't be made GF or DF. Thank God I liked salmon cause that was able to be grilled without butter and it was amazing. I would def go back. The waitress was so nice too. I just wish they were better with food allergies. Nice size portions and I love the olives they give also! read more

Great food and great ambiance. I have always had a wonderful meal and positive experience.

I had dinner here with a friend last weekend. The food was amazing and we enjoyed everything - Timballo di Gamberi, La Rocca salad, salmon, and Fazzoletti with butter and sage sauce. The service was friendly and attentive and the atmosphere is warm and quaint. Would definitely plan a return visit! read more

We dined here yesterday & previously in September 2021. The 3 of us shared the Antipaso Misto appetizer which was very good. I had the Spaghetti Alla Chitarra, my wife had the Taglietelle Bolognese, & my daughter had the Pollo al Limone. My spaghetti dish was perfectly delicious, my wife, (who is 1/2 Italian) thought the Bolognese sauce was 1 of the best she's ever had, & my daughter very much enjoyed the chicken. The place was packed & noisy but the service by our waiter Carlos was very good. My only complaint is that my wife wanted some extra sauce to add to the last 1/4 of her dinner & we were informed that it would be an add'l $5 for what turned out to be a small finger bowl of sauce. This was completely outrageous & cheap/ stingy for what presents itself as a fairly upscale establishment!! Overall, the food is great, the prices are reasonable, & the service is attentive. We'll dine here again but the stinginess of the $5 surcharge is quite aggravating. read more

Another amazing dinner at La Rocca! The panzanella salad is always so amazing and the beef carpaccio was perfect! Stracetti special is delicious with the balsamic glaze and parmigiana slices on top. The food is always top notch any day of the week. What makes it even better are the friendly faces every week-Joanne and Bella make you feel like you are coming home. All the servers and runners are friendly and happy to see you! Carlos was our waiter and he was attentive, charming and personable. The food came out on time and he checked in multiple times. I can't say enough about this amazing restaurant and the people who work there! Run don't walk! You won't be disappointed. read more