I've lived in Caldwell for years and have finally made the stop into Stephanie's. I wanted to truly give a2.5 review because the staff greatly helped the overall experience. The first thing I want to say is that the staff was VERY friendly & accommodating during our visit! That being said, the restaurant seemed fully booked and the patrons to staff ratio for a Saturday night was off. We did have to wait a bit for a meal to come out considering we only ordered one pasta dish and one entree. The food came out nice and hot which was well appreciated. However, the meals themselves weren't great. Both the carbonara dish and eggplant rollatini were EXTREMELY salty- coming from two people who don't mind a reasonable amount of salt. The pasta and shrimp were cooked beautifully! However, I have to note that the sauces were a bit thin and watery for our liking. All in all if you're interested in visiting, it's worth the visit- however respectfully, I probably wont be returning with so many other options in the area. read more

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Ordered the Spaghetti & the Eggplant. They both looked delicious. Unfortunately, the food was noticeably salty for both of us. As we were eating, we thought the food was fine. The pasta cooked perfect . Shrimp were a great size for the meal. The food had potential, but as we ate, we can tell the salt was heavy for both our meals. Perhaps it was just one of those nights. Staff was friendly and service was good. They were busy and it did take some time for food to come out. Not a big deal as they continued to check on us. The food did come out fresh and hott. Great ambiance outside with lights and is a good place for a quiet intimate date or with friends/family. We hope this place continues to do well as it seems calm, relaxing and a friendly place to gather for a meal and it's BYOB. Unfortunately, our meal was challenging to enjoy due to the amount of salt. By no means is this a reflection on the staff or place itself. Nor am I sharing this out of anger. Just giving an honest review. read more

Stephanie's Italian Restaurant - Eggplant - Italian Near Me - Caldwell, New Jersey

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Ate there Tuesday night and got food poisoning. Won't be going there again. Bright spot was the food server Michelle. She was very good. Unfortunately the food was not very good at all. read more

We LOVE this place and come here weekly. BYOB which is always a huge plus. Food is delish and they always make Chicken Piccata for me, which is not on the menu. Beautiful and spacious outdoor seating area. Service is great, Michelle in particular is always fabulous. Food is well priced and portions are generous. Highly recommend. read more

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I have a dear friend (named Stephanie!) with an upcoming milestone birthday (cinquanta!) and figured a gift certificate from here would do the trick. (But first I'd need to do a bit of 'recon' myself to make sure this place was legit and I wasn't sending her to some crummy restaurant that might jeopardize our friendship, you know?) It's a relatively basic/standard menu for an Italian restaurant (plus a handful of specials) and we went with some pastas, seafood and pork chops.  Everyone really enjoyed their meals.  Lots of flavor.  I'd ordered one of the specials - linguini in clam sauce - pasta cooked perfectly, plenty of sauce begging to be sopped up with a hunk of good bread.  But the sauce was oddly darker than usual and I believe it was because of a weird black stuff all over the clams - which I'm guessing was fresh basil that had been stored in the fridge/freezer before being put to use. After a meal like this my grandparents would've said, "abbiocco" - that sleepy, contented feeling that comes after eating a big meal. (Yeah, it was that kind of delicious portion of hearty food.) The restaurant is warm, welcoming and those incredible smells coming from the kitchen were divine.  (The back patio lighting while it snowed felt like a scene out of a Hallmark movie.) Our servers were super sweet (although they did go MIA for a long spell... maybe the restaurant starting to get busy was to blame). No gripes about the cost. BYO. Parking lot (in the back).Outdoor dining available (weather-permitting). I'm happy to report the treacherous journey to/from Stephanie's in the very first snowstorm of 2024 was worth the risk. (Okay, driving through Caldwell during the seasonal storm was rather lovely, to be honest.) read more

Amazing food so fresh incredible I asked for a soup and they made it from scratch per order. Never saw this before highly recommend this restaurant five stars. read more

Stephanie's has a cute outdoor sitting area when you enter through the back. The service from hostess to waitress is impeccable. The inside seating is a bit packed. I would have given them five stars but the food was a bit disappointing. The mozzarella in carrozza was delicious but the fiocchi were a bit undercooked and the accompanying sauce was lacking in flavor. I would go back and try something else. read more

Came here with a restaurant gift card. Here's a breakdown of our experience. I hope the owners take my feedback as an opportunity to improve on customer experience. 1. Because the dining room is small we were squeezed in with way too many tables to make things comfortable. As an example, where my chair was positioned I was knocked into frequently. People always apologized but it was still annoying. 2. The service was off. The wait staff were polite, they were just too busy to check on us. My suggestion would be to hire more staff, or maybe have a maximum number of diners for the night and try to stick with it as much as possible. The ratio was just off when we were there. 3. The food was, I'll say, different than what we're used to when it comes to Italian. The one meal that was really enjoyed was the Chicken Milanese. The Chicken Parm could've been less well done, but it was fine enough. The Gnocchi was different, but we're always open to new flavors & preparation. The only meal not really liked was, I think it's called, Chicken Sorrentino? My score is 3 stars. However, after seeing so many great reviews, I'm going to make a special trip for takeout to give Stephanie's another shot. Since there were so many diners, they might not have been at their best. I'll check in again with a follow-up review. read more

Great food and soft ambiance. Food was good. Portions nice size. Cozy and relatively quiet restaurant. Will definitely go back.

Was ver pleasantly surprised! Cozy authentic Italian with beautiful service! The veal Milanese is unlike anything I've ever tasted! Presentation had me very curious! Tender, flavorful, amazing texture. And the combination of the veal with the flavor and texture of the vegetables on top was surprising and perfectly hit the spot! I got the gnocchi romana pasta and the waitress suggested replacing gnocchi with fusilli. Creamy, flavorful, and not too heavy! Check it out!! read more

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I've beaten at Stephanie's twice in the last month and it was delicious. Both times I ordered the Pasta Calabrese with sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms & pesto served with beautifully prepared shrimp. I ordered it with the fresh fusilli pasta rather than the fettuccine. It was magnificent. read more

DELICIOUS!! This is our second time here and both times were amazing! Everything we ordered was enjoyed! This time we did appetizers (fried zucchini, calamari, and bruschetta), the portions were huge and all were so so good. Then we did pasta dishes and we loved all of them. I got the gnocchi romana, which was vodka sauce prosciutto and peas, literally amazing (picture below). Then we did dessert; limoncello gelato (picture below) and tiramisu, also both amazing!!! It was crowded, but it was a Saturday night. Call for reservations though because they said if we didn't have a reservation, it was a 2 hour wait. Although it did take awhile for the food to come out, there was a reason for it because it was all delicious. It's a must try for a nice night out!! read more

Stephanie's Italian Restaurant - Gnocchi Romana (vodka sauce, prosciutto, and peas) - Italian Near Me - Caldwell, New Jersey

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What a fantastic dinner tonight!! Great service and great food- we loved the small family/local feel and the food was excellent! We ordered family style house salad and mozzarella/pepper/tomato to start! For our mains a few of us ordered chicken milanese and the others got pasta- everyone loved their dish! It's BYOB and they couldn't have been nicer about making sure bottles were open and asking if we needed more glasses or ice! Now for the best part...dessert! The chocolate cake was excellent and so was the cheesecake! Highly recommend both but more so that chocolate cake!! Yum!! They also had no problem splitting the bill on multiple credit cards! We had such a great night!! Ps. The only con was parking is a bit hard, there is a lot behind but it was pretty packed. read more

Stephanie's Italian Restaurant - Chocolate cake & cheesecake - Italian Near Me - Caldwell, New Jersey

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I ate here last week with friends who live in the area. From the moment we sat down it was a perfect dining experience. The waitress Michelle was wonderful. The homemade bread was delicious. For an appetizer we shared the calamari which was fresh, thick and delicious. We had a Mista salad, and once again perfect. For my entree, I had the most wonderful pasta dish. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. It was pasta pouches stuffed with fresh pears and cheese in a lovely sauce. The combination of the sweet pears with the savory pasta, cheese and sauce was incredible. I know the menu has so many wonderful things but I think I must have this again when I go back! My friends, both have the pasta with the eggplant and mozzarella. They both loved it. For dessert I had the tiramisu. I was so full but everything was so delicious. I can't wait to go back! read more

Warm and inviting dining room but the tables can be a bit cramped together. Started with mussels in white wine and garlic. Some of the meatiness mussels in a very tasty broth. My wife had the chicken franchise and I had the chicken parm. Both were good and would order again. But we had a side of broccoli rabe, which was very undercooked as the stems were very tough. We'll come back and explore other parts of the menu. read more

Tried out Stephanie's a few times for takeout and it was great have tried: Eggplant rolls fine (3/5) all elements were great just a tad salty Eggplant Rigatoni (5/5) yum, just a simple classic dish great sauce and just enough cheese where it's not fully cheesy and overpowering Orecchiette Broccoli rabe sausage (5/5) pasta was perfectly el dente sauce was not too oily or buttery and plenty of broccoli rabe Grilled salmon entree (5/5) simple but cooked perfectly medium and melt in your mouth actually surprised for take out since it cooks more in the container Staff was great and very accommodating (my daughter has egg, peanut and dairy allergies which makes it tough!) Overall 4/5 for quality and taste it's a bit on the pricier side for a regular take out option but would likely be a nice sit down experience! read more

COVID OUTDOOR DINING REVIEW: We came here during off hour between lunch and dinner and couldn't be more pleased with the overall experience! Service and food were impeccable. Everything came out piping hot and seasoned well and I was so impressed with the quality. Our server was professional, masked, and courteous. Times between meals and clearing the plates were perfection. She even brewed a new batch of coffee for us. Their indoor dining is also open and I believe they installed some type of light that kills bacteria in the air. The restrooms were clean and smelled fresh. The outdoor dining area was cozy and had a small fountain. They had a desk by the entrance in the lot with menus and for pick up orders. It was a plus that they had their own FREE parking lot right behind the restaurant. Support this business during this time!! Food was amazing!!! Only negative comment from me would be their dated baby pink table cover, would've been nicer if they were white! Lol. read more

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Portion sizes are very large and the restaurant has a traditional Italian charm. Service was attentive and quick.

I am very sorry to have to post this about this restaurant but I must. If management would have dealt with the issue properly I would have just took the bad food as an off night for the chef. We paid the check and left. The dishes we Ordered were literally inedible. My veal saltimboca was swimming in a brown sauce that looked very unappetizing. The veal was so tough I couldn't cut it,let alone chew it. We had the salmon oreganata with shrimp. Tasteless dish, also swimming in a brown sauce. Sent it back asked for check. I did not eat my veal and I was starving. I paid for this dish. After talking to manager lady who came to our table to see what the issue was. She never returned. Not good. First time there, last time also.. left this place hungry. Not acceptable. 20 years in business? How is this possible? read more

I dined at Stephanie's for Valentine's Day and it was the most incredible meal! The service was top notch and all of the food was delicious. I love that they serve olives with WARM bread to start. For appetizers we had the Zuppa Di Clams and Rice Balls special, both of which were excellent. The Zuppa Di Clams had the perfect amount of spice and the vodka sauce on the Rice balls was a nice touch. For my entree I had the Salmon Oreganata which was very fresh and tasty. They also let me have it over some of their homemade fusilli which is a must-get!! Can't beat BYOB either- I highly recommend Stephanie's! read more

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Very good small BYOB Italian. Ate inside as the weather was not too good but outside looked inviting with heaters, small tables and a great atmosphere. Service was spot on. Food was delicious with large portions, and with all that the prices were good. We will be back again. read more

My family and I went to Stephanie's today for lunch to celebrate my birthday. As soon as we all sat down our wonderful waitress Michelle and the other staff put fresh Italian bread and water on our table - and made refilled the waters throughout the meal without us needing to ask. We started with fried zucchini (not pictured), fried calamari (not pictured), and fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, & tomato (not pictured) as appetizers - everything was delicious! The calamari is by far one of the best I've had in a long time. They gave huge portions which were more than generous - I just wish I took a picture for this review :/ Everyone's meal came with a starter salad which was brought after the appetizers. Michelle made sure to check if we wanted onions or not and to inform us that it would be in an Italian dressing. The salad was very fresh and a nice inclusion of the meal. For my main dish I got penne alla vodka (pictured) - it was so creamy. I can be very picky when it comes to this dish but they nailed it. After we finished and she packaged up our leftovers they brought the dessert menu and she read off several specials. One of them was a homemade chocolate mousse (pictured) - which is my favorite dessert and what I ended up ordering. It was so light and creamy and came with fresh whip cream, a crisp cookie straw, and juicy strawberry - it definitely hit the spot. My mom mentioned we came for my birthday as Michelle was putting down my dessert and she immediately took it back to put a candle in for the occasion - she also gave me a $10 gift certificate to come back as a birthday present. It was so sweet and generous for her to do! :) The entire experience as a whole was one of the best meals out I've had in a long time - I'll definitely be returning in the near future and I would give them over 5 stars if that was an option! read more

Stephanie's Italian Restaurant - penne alla vodka - Italian Near Me - Caldwell, New Jersey

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I've put off rating Stephanies for about 10 years up until now. Mostly out of selfishness because I didn't think it needed to get any busier. Stephanie's still is and has been my favorite place to eat for the past 15 or so years. I love all their dishes and if you are a fan of sauces, you will probably love it here too. Try the vodka sauce, thank me later :-) read more

Stephanie's Italian Restaurant - Pollo Calabrese and a side of Penne and Vodka - Italian Near Me - Caldwell, New Jersey

The Chef at Stephanie's really knows Italian cuisine. Besides just knowing how to knock it out of the park on traditional dishes, he excels at very unique specialties. I had a special homemade pasta dish with what looked like little money bags, which were filled with Marscapone cheese and a wedge of pear, all in a chicken broth reduction sauce. Amazing! The restaurant is small but cozy and impeccably decorated. The wait staff is friendly and attentive. We had the triple chocolate tort for dessert, and it was the best presentation i have ever experienced, not to mention it came with a dollop of homemade whipped cream and Mocha Gelato. I dream about that dessert. read more

Chicken soup is the best! Take out service was the best! My go to place with family but especially, when I'm sick, I get the best chicken soup there! read more

Great food, great service! I got the chicken Milanese and it was amazing. We also got calamari and mozzarella carrozza for apps and they were both great! read more

Stephanie's Italian Restaurant - Chicken Milanese - Italian Near Me - Caldwell, New Jersey

Went here for dinner with friends. One of our other friends raved about this place so I did some research and the reviews were all over the place so we figured lets try it.  I'm glad we did. They are located on Bloomfield Ave and there's  no parking on the street in front of the place, however behind the building accessable from going around the block in either direction the lot is municipal and great parking. There is indoor and outdoor seating, we chose to sit inside. The place is a little tight inside but intimate and very nice. They kitchen is in yhe dining room and not noisy at all. The staff was very attentive, patient and friendly. We like to take our time and everything came out unrushee and was perfect. Most dishes were available family style and available to order indifferent size portions. We tried a few different appetizers and all were fantastic and cooked perfectly. I tried the Soft Shell Crab over spinach special and it was a great choice. I tried some of the Scallops as well and besides being cooked perfectly they were delicious. They also allowed you to swap or substitute just about anything you wanted and were very accommodating. For dessert I tried something different, peanut butter tartufo and it was amazing. The other thing I liked the most is the place is BYOB and thats always a plus for my group. They staff let us stay as long as we wanted, didn't rush us to leave and were very cool about us being there while they were obviously getting ready to close. I definitely recommend going here, Im not sure if you definitely need a reservation but we did and had no wait.. 4 1/2 stars on the food. 5 stars for the waitstaff. We will be back. read more

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Absolutely Italicious. This place is amazing and outside dining is just beautiful. The ambiance is very welcoming as we were greeted by charming host, christina. From our appetizers to desserts, the quality, quantity both were a top notch. Chicken Giambotta might have been the best meal I have been served. Cheesecake was the cherry on top of the cake. Very friendly yet professional staffs. Michelle is the best. Hospitable host, delicious dishes, wonderful desserts, professional staffs and you add to list. They made us feel welcomed and gave us an amazing experience we had in a while. Definitely going back again. Highly recommended and a must go restaurant in Caldwell. read more

Ordered for the first time tonight. We did have a "miscommunication" ordering, but I take part the blame. Great food, will be back again.

Terrific Terrific Terrific Great Italian Food, Great People, Great Portions, Great Service, Pleasant atmosphere, Very reasonably priced. read more

Have been here twice for dinner with a coworker visiting from out of state and now it's our go-to place. I'll tell everyone who will listen how amazing the food is and the only thing that can compare is the attention and warmth from the staff. Cannot wait to go back again! read more

NO FOOD FOR YOU!! We have been going to Stephanie's for many years. But tonight was a shock. I ordered chicken giambotta, a dish that I have had several times at Stephanie's. To my surprise, when I tasted the dish it was basically very bland and lacking in flavor, unlike in the past when it was extremely savory. To be certain, I had my wife and my good friend taste the dish. They both agreed that there seemed to be something missing. I nicely asked the food runner to get someone, and Vinny, the chef, who is also the owner, came to our table. I explained to him that the dish was basically tasteless and he said "so is my life" and took the dish away. Twenty minutes or so later, I still had no food of any kind, no apology, and no explanation. My wife went to the hostess/owner (Christina) and asked nicely if I was going to get my food. She basically just shrugged and turned away, so there I was with three other people all who were basically done with their dinners and I had no main course, explanation, or apology. My wife then told Christina in no uncertain terms that we would not be paying for her meal because we came as a couple to eat as a couple and since I was not served, she wanted her meal taken off the bill, which they did, but left our appetizer on the bill. On the way out I saw Vinny the owner and asked him, "How can you do this? How can you not serve somebody and not say anything to them?" He turned away and said to Christina to ignore them, which she did. So we turned and left still in shock that my food was taken away and I was NOT asked if I wanted the dish remade, or if I wanted something else. It was patently obvious that the owners told the staff I was NOT to be served anything else and to stay away from our table. Again, no explanation no apology from anyone. Just NO FOOD! Needless to say, we will continue to enjoy the great Italian food in the Caldwells and surrounding area, but we will never set foot in Stephanie's again. read more

I went to Stephanie's for lunch recently for a special occasion and while I had a great experience several years back when I went for dinner, this time it was average at best. We both ordered the chicken parmigiana and it was overcooked and dry. The Caesar salad was heavily dressed albeit the dressing itself was decent. The soup which was served with the entrees was okay but it was lacking in flavor. For 2 lunch portions of chicken parm, a salad, and soup, $60 was quite pricey. The waitress was pleasant but it didn't make up for the quality of the food. Maybe it is because they don't do much of a lunch business (restaurant was empty) or it was an off-day but I was hoping for a better overall experience. Maybe i will try it again in the future in the hopes for a better experience. read more

We tried Stephanie's last weekend for the first time after having seen it on a Best of New Jersey post. It was a pleasant experience. There is street parking and we later realized that there is parking in the back of the restaurant. We are outdoors in a nicely decorated area. We did make a reservation. It's a BYOB so we brought a very nice bottle of wine. We were greeted by the owner and later spoke with her husband who is the co-owner and chef. The restaurant is named for their daughter. The calamari appetizer was a perfectly cooked decent sized portion. Our chicken dinners were tasty and the portions were nice (2 pieces of chicken each). Desserts were good. They serve Juniors' cheesecake plus a nice variety of other items. Our servers were pleasant and fairly attentive. All in all it was a pleasant experience and we will be back. Prices are fairly reasonable as well. read more

Came here after seeing some good reviews. They didn't disappoint. We came early after visiting a local micro brewery. They were all booked up for the evening but since it was early (5:30pm on a Saturday) they said they could squeeze us in. We were told we only had about an hour so we made our appetizer and entree choices quickly. It's BYOB so we had a bottle of red with us. Michelle our waitress was awesome! She gave us some of her favorites and popular dishes. Had the pear fiochi. It was great and so was the fried calamari. Entrees were a pasta dish and a chicken dish. Everything was very flavorful. Took dessert to go since the table was promised to someone with a reservation. Would have loved to have been able to relax and not rush through dinner but also happy we had the opportunity to dine here that evening. We will be back for sure, this time with reservations! read more

Food and service was excellent. We sat outside which was nice even though it was off the parking lot. The only downside was parking as there are other businesses and the parking area is limited we had to find off street pay parking which is annoying when you have to keep checking the meter. I would definitely come again. read more

The food is outstanding in an area that has so many Italian restaurants. The wild mushroom soup was excellent. The wait staff is very accommodating to any dietary restrictions that a customer may have. There is a large table that is round for larger groups and a lovely outdoor area. read more

I came here with my boyfriend on Friday and everything was absolutely delicious. It was busy but we had a 8:00 reservation and were seated right away. The complimentary olives were a nice extra to start. We decided just to have dinner and I am happy we did because our portions were huge. My boyfriend ordered the chicken franchise. Both dishes came piping hot, my favorite. His came with two large pieces of chicken on top of a bed of spinach and a side of pasta. He seemed very please with it. I ordered the fettuccine with Langostinos. Boy I was so happy I chose that dish. There was about 4-5 pieces of the fish every time I picked up a few pieces of pasta. There were mushrooms that gave the dish a meatiness to it and added a nice flavor. The dish was extremely well executed and I had more than half to bring home! The prices were spot on and we will definitely be back! read more

Absolutely the best Italian food in Essex County. Great service. Great atmosphere. Love it!

So my daughter requested to go here the parking is really good because it's behind the building off the main street. And the food was really amazing I had their specialty which is Knoche pear and I think ricotta. It's their specialty and it was so amazing and delicious and the serving size was way too big they could've cut it in half and I still would've took some home. And we didn't have a reservation and they still were able to seat us. I was blown away by the wait staff and really enjoyed the food and so did my husband and my daughter! read more