WAY. Too. Loud. Very unenjoyable experience. I last wrote a review 2 years ago and gave 5 stars. This time around the food was still pretty good (not as good as the last time), but the fact that I could not hear the person next to me was rough. We went out for a birthday dinner - would not recommend this place for special occasions on a weekend night. Lunch time or when it is less crowded is better. FYI- they have about 2 tables for outdoor seating and do not currently have any heat lamps outside. read more

Gi Gi and I had a marvelous dinner at Lupa Restauranté. Attentive waitstaff welcomes guests as family would. Unique cocktail specials like the Cucumber Royal was summer evening in a glass. GG had two(oh boy) my Jack Daniels was Sinatra neat. Thanks EZ! We started with an heirloom tomato burrata salata and the wagyu meatballs , which the latter we always order our first visit for rating purposes. 8.5 For seconde she had short rib w/ pappardelle and daddy had the Berkshire Pork Chop. The homemades are velvety smooth w/ hearty red sauce and the brined chop was tender juicy drizzled with a sweet bacon pineapple crumble. We skipped the desert an finished with a double espresso. Caio baby. read more

Lupa Ristorante - Italian Near Me - Berkeley Heights, New Jersey

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I travel to the area and have gone back four times. Each time the food has been mediocre. Last time I was there it was super hot inside. I don't plan on going back. read more

The food is high quality, served hot, and delicious. The staff is friendly and efficient. The dining room is a bit noisy but the acoustics are probably unfixable. We will be going back!! read more

Lupa is a hidden gem. The fresh homemade pasta speaks for itself and I'll let the rest of the reviews showcase that- it is as good as advertised . I'd like to highlight the fantastic Wagyu burger- Lupa for lunch is great too-think outside the box people! Try the burger with a Menabrea- if youve never had it and only drink peroni give it a shot! Recommendation: Pair one of the fantastic flatbreads with one of their many specialty cocktails while you mull over wine and the rest of the menu. Nduja with fresh burata is my go to. Doesn't matter if you stop in solo for a bite and a drink at the bar for lunch, or a table of 6 for a family dinner. You are in for a treat with an attentive and knowledgeable staff, exquisitely prepared dishes using the freshest ingredients, and a friendly atmosphere that makes you feel like family. Bottom line- details matter, Chef Adolfo and team nail them. read more

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We went for the first time to Luca last night, and it is our new favorite. One thing was better than the next! Service was great and welcoming. Our favorite was the octopus and chorizo app. We got 2 specials for an entree, the veal chop which was so tender and delicious and the Chilean sea bass that was so fresh and delicious! Lastly we got the chocolate flourless cake for dessert and it was perfectly light yet rich! Would highly recommend read more

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Visited based on reviews and was not disappointed ! Wine prices were reasonable with a decent selection. Starting off with the free bread and sauce- the best I've ever had. I could have eaten only that and left satisfied it was THAT good. Wagyu meatballs- absolutely incredible. Must have Artichoke specialty appetizer- good, not life changing. Worth a try but probably would not order again. Cacio e pepe- holy cow- they nailed it. Pasta is all home made, and it's done very well. Cooked Al dente, seasoned perfectly. A simple dish but performed exquisitely. Salted caramel gelato and cannolis were excellent. Highly recommend. We ate early when the restaurant opened and had the entire dining room to ourselves which was great. Chef was very personable and professional and came to visit us tableside twice. If you are looking for real Italian, that is executed perfectly, this is your spot. Enjoy! read more

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OK Went back again and things have changed. The food is skimpy, shrimp in shell very hard to eat. The plates are not conducive for dining, utensils kept falling off (LOL). Scallop portion small. Beet salad tiny. Lasagna was well, mushy. My martini came in a strange shaped glass and was cloudy? Most importantly, the wait staff this time was rude. read more

You must go to Lupa! The chef is extremely passionate about food, and it easily shows in the food that he crafts and serves to his guests. You will not be disappointed with his approach to modern Italian fare. In an area where Americanized Italian reigns, this is a breath of fresh air! They also hosted a private party of 25 and they were the best! We curated a menu together and down to the way things were worded on the menu, they were willing to give me the time and paid close attention to detail. Great service too! Everyone absolutely raved about the food. Thanks for a fantastic experience! You'd be remiss if you miss this one! read more

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When you're rated a 4.9 on Google, you've got a heaping pile of expectations on your plate. Every single plate that was brought out exceeded them. Went many different directions on the menu and all of them led me on a flavor safari. Meatballs taste like moms and the black squid ink pasta is a knockout. The confidence in each prepared dish is as just as impressive as the freshness of the ingredients. Mix that with an attentive and heartfelt staff and you have yourself an all around amazing dining experience. read more

Not only is this the best Italian place I've ever been to in New Jersey, the service is spectacular. There's a really popular restaurant named Lupa in the city and this blows it out of the water. Can't wait to come back, the food is delicious and pasta is fresh!! Authentic food that tastes like Italy. Telling everyone about this place read more

Lupa Ristorante - Lobster squid ink pasta & branzino. Both were excellent!!!! Not pictured- bread which was also fantastic!! - Italian Near Me - Berkeley Heights, New Jersey

Decided to check this place out due to all the positive reviews I saw for it . We ordered 2 appetizers; We had the wagyu meatballs and the polpo The wagyu meatballs were very tasty and juicy although they tasted like almost every other meatball I've ever tasted. The polpo was super tender and tasty! I didn't even need a knife to cut it with ;I just used my fork ! I would definitely recommend the polpo to anyone. Next was the main course , I had the Papperdelle . Very filling and satisfying. Not too much sauce snd just the right amount of short rib. I couldn't finish mine and had to take it home . Dessert, I ordered the tiramisu. It was good , didn't really taste the espresso coffee flavor though. But all and all it was still nice and light . I'll definitely come back to try the rest of the menu out . Not disappointed at all . FYI : This place's parking super small. You'll definitely be parking on the street or in the he lot next door read more

I have been wanting to go to Lupa for a while. Usually I'm not one to go out for Italian food. The menu is so unique and different from any place I've ever seen in New Jersey. I ordered the scallops and risotto, it was perfect. It had this delicious smoky romesco, amazing. We also got pastas that you see in the selfie photo which were excellent. Chef Adolfo is so passionate about Italian cuisine and it really shows in the food. Service was slow I'll admit. (The servers were very kind no Issues there) But these are such hard times for restaurants right now with everyone being short staffed. The food is worth the wait! My fiancé and I were happy to take it slow and enjoy the time with each other. read more

Lupa Ristorante - Just us being happy haha beautiful restaurant with great food! - Italian Near Me - Berkeley Heights, New Jersey

All the fish was extremely dry. I ended up spending nearly $70 on dry fish. Inedible had to throw out. There's a reason the restaurant was completely empty. 1 star to it being dry and inedible. I'm weary about Yelp and all the hyped reviews. Not even a really good restaurant has all 5 stars. Maybe they came on a Saturday or the weekend. I went on a Thursday and why it empty? read more

Lupa Ristorante - Branzino - Italian Near Me - Berkeley Heights, New Jersey

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Really delicious restaurant (which is why I'm giving them 5 stars for the third time). I used to get take out from them when they first opened a couple years ago and they've only gotten better. I thought about that veal chop for a week after I got it. read more

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My husband and I came here for brunch/lunch. We had a fantastic meal! The ambience was pretty, it felt like a European cafe. The service was attentive but not overbearing. The kitchen was a little bit slow but they completely acknowledged it and sent out an amuse bouche to hold us over, the most delicious fluffy lemon ricotta pancake I have ever tasted. Both egg dishes we ordered came out hot, fresh, and delicious. The cappuccinos were made perfectly and the chocolate peanut butter lava cake was amazing. The nicest part was the chef coming out to check on us and chat for a couple of minutes. We will be coming back, again, often, possibly tomorrow. Only regret is not taking photos of the food before eating it! read more

Great food, service and ambiance. Menu has a number of good choices. Highly recommended.

O Our favorite place which has never disappointed us. Go to place for anniversaries and birthdays read more

Amazing food experience. I had the red snapper, which has awaken a few dormant taste buds, yet the rest of the party, about a dozen people, had similar comments. Great service and come ambiance. read more

Everything was delicious. The service was very good also. I will definitely go there again.

Changing my review because it technically wasn't fair. The decor was very pretty. The waitress was nice and my husband enjoyed his pasta even though it was not as described on the menu. My eggplant was not done well and my lack of finishing it should have raised concern with the waitress. Overall it was a pleasant atmosphere and the wine list was extensive. read more

We come her pretty regularly and consistently have a great meal. It's not your typical Italian restaurant as the ingredients are distinctive and the preparations unique. One thing I can say is that the Chef is top notch. He regularly comes out of the kitchen to check the dining room and the guests. Last night my husband ordered a special dish and was left lacking. The food was fine but he felt there was something off about it. He didn't want to say anything because he wasn't sure what exactly it was but 10 minutes into the meal, when he still had most on his dish, the Chef came over to us and apologized that it wasn't up to his standards and would make sure that any other dishes that came out would be without fault. He immediately took the dish off the bill and was extremely apologetic. That to me is first class and we will definitely be back! read more

Best authentic Italian, period. Everything made from scratch. Superstars: squid ink spaghetti, Iberico pork rib chop (special) and brioche pecan bread pudding. Go read more

This place is absolutely flawless, finding something wrong with Lupa is harder than trying to eat everything that I ordered. The appetizers alone could have satisfied me, the fett'unta was great and contained a lot of garlic, it also was great for dipping in the sauces of the polpo and escargot The goat cheese and beet crostini was a complex but straight forward flavor, the bone marrow and octopus surprised me with their sweetness. I should have ordered those two twice. The bone marrow felt like pulled pork yet the flavor was like a dessert. The octopus at first glance looks like it's going to be spicy due to the pepper on top and the chilli bits in the sauce. This tasted like heaven in a bite. The giant ravioli was not my favorite but because the cheese was very sharp and it's an acquired taste to enjoy it thoroughly. The egg in the center was a nice touch. The escargot sauce was one of the best I have ever had. The amuse bouche from the beginning really set the standard for the rest of the meal. all of the dishes that I ordered had a very complex taste but an amazing one at that. The gnocchi was so creamy and hot, the mushrooms melted in your mouth like they were a liquid. The squid ink pasta was very al dente and the lobster in it was very fresh and the cream sauce was delicious. The Hanger steak was really good but be warned the chimichurri contains a hearty amount of cilantro so be ready for that. The steak was cooked to perfection. The bread pudding had an exquisite amount of citrus, it balanced the flavor so well and it had the salted caramel gelato on top. very strong but balanced flavors from the bread pudding. The creme brulee was the first warm one I have had in over four years, with it's crust top, it didn't taste burnt and it was so creamy. Everybody there was so friendly and welcoming. It is a very fancy and modern building but the sign is very small you have to be looking for the sign to see it. Overall a great experience that I would go to again, everything tastes fresh, this is the epitomy of Italian restaurants. read more

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My wife and I ate here last Saturday. We wanted to try someplace new in the area, and Lupa came highly recommended. We made a reservation and were seated on time. The location is just fine and we were seated at a nice table in the back. Our waiter came over immediately and was welcoming and helpful. We both ordered drinks to start and settled on sharing the truffle burrata as a starter and splitting squid ink pasta with shrimp as a second course. The burrata was excellent and the squid ink pasta was very good although the shrimp were a bit undercooked. For main courses, we both ordered seafood dishes. There were seven seafood options on the specials list, and we'd seen the reviews on yelp so we figured that this place knew how to cook seafood! My wife ordered the halibut and I ordered the orata (dorade). When we received our mains, both tasted off. My orata was incredibly fishy despite being smothered in seasoning. It was served over a mix of farro and quinoa with dried mushrooms. The seasoning was heavy on cinnamon. None of the flavors went together, but the really the main complaint was the overwhelming "fishy" taste. My wife's halibut was worse. It came with potatoes covered in tartar sauce (odd?) and the halibut itself was a thin tail piece with a cold dollop of a walnut sauce onto. The halibut was mushy and very fishy. It was essentially inedible. The chef came by shortly after and asked how our meals were. I genuinely hate to complain but neither of us could eat our meals, and I told him so. He seemed surprised but didn't say much. I assumed he would talk to the waiter. Our waiter came by 5 minutes later and asked how our meals were. Clearly he hadn't talked to the chef. We repeated the complaint and he took away the fish. At that point, he offered us desert which we declined. We'd decided it was time to leave at this point. The waiter came over and slapped the bill on the table telling us he had taken the halibut off the bill (it was $45!). This was a very strange dining experience. The first half of the meal was fine, but the second half was awful. The waiter handled things horribly and seemed angry with us that we complained. To top it all off, I ended up with a mild case of food poisoning - likely from the fish, as it struck about 12 hours later. We had high hopes for Lupa but I can't recommend this restaurant. I'm glad others have had better experiences. read more

My experience was perfection. Every dish was incredible. Delicious and perfectly cooked and presented. The best grilled octopus and Chilean sea bass I ever had and I have eaten in Michelin star restaurants. The chef visits with all of the guests. Server was helpful and attentive. Atmosphere is casual not stuffy. I highly recommend. read more

A nice cozy little place, food was decent, run-of-the-mill, nothing really stood out. Wine list is very overpriced, but the food prices are in line with similar places locally. The whipped Burrata appetizer was just a smear of what was probably ricotta on a couple of slices of toast, the octopus appetizer was excellent. Salmon was a little dry, but linguine and clams was well done. Someone at the table had the cannoli and said they were very good, no other desserts were tried. Service was efficient and friendly. read more

Lupa Ristorante - Linguine and clams - Italian Near Me - Berkeley Heights, New Jersey

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We moved here from Brooklyn this past winter and unfortunately that has truly jaded us as we sample the fare that our new area has to offer. Most of what we have tried is decent, or even good, but not great or exceptional. I mean, we lived within shouting distance of some of the absolute best food in the world. It's a fact. It is not surprising that we have been disappointed. Enter Lupa Ristorante! I began the meal with a gin and cucumber cocktail that was delicious. I asked for light simple syrup and that is exactly what I got. Light and yummy. We got drinks at the bar and were then seated at our table. We began the meal with Gorgonzola toast and a beet salad. Both delicious, restrained, and fresh. The salad had a turmeric dressing that was special. The service was also special. Nice, attentive waitstaff all around. We shared spaghetti and meatballs and their version of carbonara, which were both perfectly executed. The homemade pasta was noteworthy, as were their varied cooking temps - fettuccini softer than the spaghetti, which was al dente. Both perfect for their respective dish. The star for me was the meatballs. They were light, fork-tender, and very well seasoned. I also loved the tomato sauce. Finally, because date night is both cherished alone time with my husband and an excuse to gorge ourselves, we shared the basque cheesecake with cherries and salted caramel bread pudding with gelato. My goodness, what an embarrassment of riches. We didn't leave any over. Like, not a morsel. And we are already planning a trip back to try more things. The table of six next to us got their own entrees plus a lasagne for the table and I envied them. I will bring more people, so we can add a table lasagna to the mix next time. It's the little things.. Chef's kiss, Lupa Ristorante. You nailed it! read more

The food and the service perfect Nice place to go out and eat with ,Friend or family and the Owner very nice ..(Chef Adolfo ). Love this place. Really traditional Italian food , ambiance very nice to. do I have a full bar and great wine selection, good price. I promise you going to have great evening. requirement to make a reservation the very busy. read more

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I came here on a Friday night with a reservation at 7:45. First let me start off with the good parts. The food was delicious. Tasted very fresh and they had more authentic takes on Italian dishes. We had the orecchiette, pesto pasta, spaghetti with tomato fondue and veal piccata. The orecchiette looked more like a lumache however it did taste fresh and had a bitter vegetable taste. The pesto was delicious and very smooth. I could have done without the green beans and potatoes in it. The tomato fondue spaghetti was basically a delicious tomato sauce. The veal came on bone which was unexpected but still good. The cons of the restaurant were that we were seated at a high top near the bar so people were standing at the bar and seated so they were in our personal space. The space was very hot and smelled of cigarettes which I assume is from the apartments in the building. We were also forgotten about from our server. She was very nice but didn't see us get seated so we didn't get menus or water until 15 min after we sat down. We also didn't get our cocktails until after the first course. Overall, the food is good but don't sit on the side with the bar and they definitely have some kinks to work out read more

This place is incredible. I've been twice and I enjoy it more each time. Everything from the food, to the ambiance, to the waitstaff make this place such an enjoyable experience. If you're in the area, definitely stop by! read more

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Hands down the best restaurant in the area! The service and food were impeccable! The calamari appetizer was amazing, squid ink pasta with lobster couldn't have been more delicious and read more

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The service from the moment we walked it was terrible. The host didn't greet us, didn't acknowledge us, and we had to tell him why we were there. He sat us down and didn't even give us menus. No one else came up to us to greet us or offer us water or menus and this was on a Wednesday night when it wasn't busy. We saw the same host sit another table behind us and give them menus. As petty as this may seem, it's all about feeling welcome when you enter a restaurant and this was far from it. read more

Hard to believe this level of food is in my hometown of Berkeley Heights. Lupa is on par with many of the quality Italian restaurants you'd find in the heart of Manhattan on Mulberry Ave or Arthur Ave in the Bronx. Hospitality and food were 5/5 for me. Don't overlook this Berkeley Heights gem. read more

We've gone to Lupa Ristorante twice in the past week and every dish has been so outstanding that I feel compelled to write about it. But it's not just the food - Luca hosting at the door, Jessica at the bar making great cocktails, Brian offering insights into each dish and Chef Adolfo Marisi coming out to say hello and share how he makes the garlic infused tomato fondue completes the experience. Every one of these dishes has been delectable to the point you're savoring every bite. - Butter lettuce salad - Paglia e Fieno - Pici all'aglione de val d'orcia - Spaghettoni cacio pepe - Branzino grenobloise - Cider-brined Berkshire pork rib chop - Chilean sea bass - Halibut Just writing the names of each dish and remembering their taste is making me hungry. We'll be back again soon! read more

Absolutely love this place and the staff. Everything is always delicious. Great date night or even for big group. I had a celebration and we did a menu. Everything was awesome!!! read more

Lupa Ristorante - Squid ink pasta, spaghetti and meatballs, and pasta with anchovies - Italian Near Me - Berkeley Heights, New Jersey

This is an amazing restaurant. The food is outstanding and the people who work at Lupas could not have been any nicer. Best soft shell crabs I have ever had. Everything was fantastic. read more

Hard to beat this meal and service in NJ! Kudos to chef and staff for always making the experience great! read more

Excellent pasta, so delicate and flavorful. Creative cocktail menu and great atmosphere. Everything I've tried on the menu has not disappointed me. Service is great as well! read more

The freshest food you'll ever eat by far! This restaurant was recommended to me and wow did it exceed the hype! Since it was my first time visiting I ordered three appetizers, two entrees, drinks and of course dessert to share with my colleague. Everything. Was. Wonderful. The bread, dessert, literally everything is made in-house and sourced fresh daily. You can tell as the taste was indescribably good. I'm very picky, especially with seafood but my first visit for sure won't be my last. I would recommend the shrimp scampi, stewed calamari (and I actually didn't like octopus prior), artichoke hearts, and salmon but of course I'm willing to bet my liver everything on the menu is just as good (and I need my liver!) Also the bread, it was wonderfully crispy with the perfect amount of olive oil. I shamefully demolished it all. The servings are great, not too much but enough that you'll be satisfied. It would be a crime if you also didn't get the gelato. The crunchy, granola looking toppings on the bottom of the gelato were heavenly. You do need a reservation though, keep that in mind! They have a bar area for walk-ins, but if you want a table you need to call ahead. The ambiance and inside decor were both great. Definitely a hidden gem. If the staff and chef weren't so nice, I would gatekeep but everyone definitely deserves to experience what I did haha! I hope you enjoy as much as I did! read more

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