I had dinner at Torino on 9/29/22. I can't believe that this restaurant charges for refills on soft drinks . My pasta was terrible . I had the bolanase it was burnt and the sauce tasted old . I will say my wife had the salmon and enjoyed it . They were also out of menu items . No ravioli no asparagus . Service was so so . Goodbye Torinos read more

Me and my girlfriend went and had a really bad time, the pasta was chewy and the calamari was chewy, are you guys cooking with Gum or plastic? Please do t order pasta from here or Calamari.. read more

We were a party of 8 and they put us at a six top. When we asked for a larger table they said they were reserved. Well we had a reservation too. Service was very uneven. We ordered appetizers and they staggered out. Main courses went missing. Food was okay but mine wasn't hot. Three people ordered scallops and all three had stomach problems the next day. read more

This place is good but I am hesitant to say its great. Not all the dishes were amazing but the rigatoni with vodka really stood out. I have came back for that. Definitely a good spot to come if you want authentic Italian. read more

My friends and I came here last week for dinner and were very disappointed with the food. One of the entrees came out cold as well as the appetizer. Another entree had clams even though my friend specifically asked the owner who took our orders to make the entree without clams because he's vegetarian. The owner brought back the entree without clams and the pasta had no white sauce, just olive oil and garlic. We then asked him why there was no white sauce and he said the olive oil and garlic was the white sauce, which is the first time I've heard that. He provided a bowl of white sauce eventually. I feel like he should've just been truthful and owned up to the mistake made. There was no need for him to say the olive oil and garlic was the white sauce. After having the food there, none of us felt well the following day. I would not go back here again! read more

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Again, this place impresses. A little rough start as we weren't seated until 30 minutes after our reservation time. However, once seated, everything was golden. The food was delicious as always. The service is pleasant and on point. They were very apologetic for our initial wait and ended up not charging us for our desert as a gesture of good will. I am always impressed by the brothers' (I think they are brothers) work ethic and I appreciate their effort to make sure we were happy. This place remains as my favorite local Italian restaurant. read more

BYOB must I say more!! The ambiance was cozy, classy, and intimate. Loved everything about it. I would gladly come back to celebrate an occasion here. The waiter was so pleasant, he even smiled as he was sharing the specials of the evening. He was truly happy we were there. We had several bottles of wine and he gladly chilled some for us. I ordered special shrimp in white wine sauce and asparagus. Since we saw the plates were a big serving size. My husband and I shared gnocchi with red sauce and breaded chicken which was so darn good. For dessert we ordered the lava chocolate with vanilla ice cream. This was spectacular !! We weren't rushed to leave we took our time and almost closed the place down. I look forward to coming back and trying one of their authentic dishes. I played it save on my first visit. read more

My wife and I came to Torino for date night on a recent Friday, and the place was fairly empty. We ordered an appetizer and two entrees. The food was halfway decent. We planned to pay with a gift card that was given to us by our kids. We put the gift card in for payment when the check came only for it to be returned to us a few minutes later, with the server, saying that they no longer accept the gift cards as they were from the "old" management. The waitress said we could speak with the manager if we wanted, and we said yes. Sergio came over (who is the owner and manager) and he said as of January 1, 2023, they were no longer accepting gift cards because he lost $9,000 from people redeeming gift cards under the old ownership. After a minute or so, he walked away from our table when we were still having a conversation with him. This left us feeling like he has little respect for his customers. Nowhere is it posted in the restaurant that the place is under new ownership, or that gift cards issued beyond mm/dd/yy will no longer be accepted. However, they do advertise on their website that they've been in business since 1989, as well as on Yelp. When we told Sergio about the date on the website, that's when he reiterated how much money he lost in gift cards issued under the prior ownership and walked away. We can't support a place like this, and we will never go back here. read more

Torino 2 has lost this set of repeat customers, and hopefully everyone else who will read this tale of the vulgar display of greed we witnessed on 12/24. Twas the night before Christmas, and the manager of this spot got his Christmas stories mixed up, deciding to pivot to Ebenezer Scrooge. After having a very nice family dinner about 3 weeks ago here, we decided to make reservations with my parents for Christmas Eve (even though other friends of ours later warned us management was sketchy, and had given away their reservation recently without telling them). We were disappointed to learn when we arrived (but understood) that they limited their menu this day, which created some difficulties for my son who has some food allergies/intolerances. As a result, the only thing we were able to order for him was the calamari appetizer. After a reasonably good - but not particularly notable - dinner, to what did my wondering eyes appear on the final bill, but a ** $10 ** "sharing" fee ... for the calamari appetizer my son ate as his main course!? Totally egregious. Our waitress had even asked us if we wanted extra plates for the calamari, and we told her we didn't need them. I asked the waitress about the charge, and she apologized, telling me that she told "him' (the manager) that we hadn't shared it and it was for my son, etc. (This after she ALSO told me they had a mandatory 20% tip for 6 or more people in a party...which ended up limiting her, as I would have tipped more until the Calamari Incident). I probably should have asked to speak with the manager further, but at that point, I was so disgusted we ended up leaving. Well, I hope it was worth the $10 to lose repeat customers and get this review, whomever you are, Mr. Scrooge! May the ghosts of a greedy Christmas plague you every Christmas Eve. I'd love an apology if you wake up and the Spirit of Christmas causes you to realize what damage you've done to your reputation and your repeat customers. Bah Humbug! read more

Went to Torino 2 for the very first time last night and was not disappointed!!! Had a date night with the hubby and met up with local friends and we WILL be back! First impression walking up to your location was your outside seating and ambiance. Very inviting & comfortable. If it wasn't for the excessive heat, we would have diner outside for sure and I look forward to coming back on a cooler night to enjoy dining outside under your lights . As we went inside, we were greeted with a big smile by a beautiful young lady and were brought to a table immediately. The inside ambiance was warm, open and intimate. We were greeted by John (our friends are regulars here) and the menu is simple, interesting and classic. I wish I could have ordered everything! This location is BYOB and our wine was opened with care and chilled immediately. Service was great and patient (it took us a long time to order because we were so busy catching up with each other). We ordered crisp calamari, stuffed mushrooms, tomato & mozzarella (although our friend requested burrata in-place of mozzarella and it was no issue), linguini bolognese, chicken francaise and linguini & white clam sauce. Fresh bread was out of this world as was your dipping oil. Servings were generous and food presentation was classic, balanced and the entree was absolutely the star of the plate! Stuffed mushrooms were a bit lost on a big plate with lots of sauce - but they were delish nonetheless. I wish we had room for dessert & coffee - we will be sure to order that first next time LOL. At the end of our meal, we were offered some sambuca & biscotti and it was the perfect end to a perfect meal/night! Great company, great food & atmosphere left us relaxed and not wanting to leave (our stay was well over 3 hours) and never once were we made to feel we were "wanted" to leave. I used to work & manage a local restaurant in Metuchen and have to say Torino 2 may be my new favorite place!!! Thank you John & staff for a truly amazing time last night. WELL DONE!! It's the perfect "date night" spot and we can not wait to come back! read more

SO GOOD. We got takeout and it was the BEST vodka penne sauce I've ever had in my entire life. Even the crème brûlée was so perfect. Honestly it's so nice to finally find some good food in this town. I would easily come back here. read more

I made reservations at Torino for my birthday. I had 9 guests with me, and everyone loved it. We started with a few appetizers for the table. The calamari is AMAZING. So crispy and flavorful. I especially appreciate the spicy sauce option with the calamari as I love a kick to my food. We shared the burrata, ricotta balls, and crab cakes. I had a bite of each, and everything tasted great, but the burrata fritti was my favorite! I'm a big foodie, so I then ordered the lobster bisque. The bisque was a great portion, and I thought the lobster and shrimp meat was generous. For my main entry, I ordered the stuffed flank steak special. It was tender and delicious. The servers were attentive and really friendly. As always with a big group, there are specific accommodations and some substitutes with food, and it was never an issue. All food was served as ordered. Overall great experience, and I will be back. read more

Called and made a reservation on Friday (10/23) for the next day at 6:15 PM (suggested by the person on the phone since 7:00 wasn't available) for three, for an outside table. Showed up on time, they said there wasn't a table for us outside. Apparently many people showed up at 6:00 and we now only had the option of one table inside which was not very "distant" from the other surrounding tables. When I inquired and reiterated I had made a reservation, the Hostess and (I guess) manager/waiter shrugged and said they had nothing outside. I walked outside to let the rest of the party know we had two options: inside table or leave. I was out-voted on leaving since they were hungry and we didn't have a backup reservation. As I was suggesting we leave (again), the manager/waiter said they would set up an outside table for us. Please see the included picture, it shows the table they set up in front of the business next door (the Quick-mart!), outside of the restaurant's outside space. We had no heat, were outside of the fenced outdoor space, and were subject to people not just walking into to our table but also starring when they were going into the Quick-mart for cigarettes and lottery tickets. Additionally, the table was now close to the parking lot where cars were pulling up to pick up food from the surrounding restaurants (and since they never shut the car engines off, we ate not at moonlight but with headlights on our faces). It was very windy that night, we had to place bottles of water on the corners of the table because the tablecloth and napkins kept getting blown up. The food was cold within a few seconds. The food was okay; the goat cheese gnocchi was as heavy as a brick instead of a fluffy dumpling but the pink sauce with it was good. And... the hostess didn't know if a latte was possible, they only served cappuccinos (said she would inquire if possible and come back. Obviously it would be possible but she just didn't know much about coffee when all I was asking for was a dinner coffee (less foam is all) instead of a breakfast coffee. She never returned, we left and walked to a near by Coffee Bar and got coffee there. I will not return, drove all the way from NY to meet a relative for dinner and for a terrible experience. This awful dinning experience could have been avoided if they had honored the reservation made. Not once did anyone apologize for not having our reserved table available. A Seinfeld episode kept running through my mind, here it is (it summarizes it all): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwy36gFoTtA read more

Torino Restaurants - Our table in front of the Quick-mart instead of Torino's. - Italian Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

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We had one of the best meals at this Italian BYOB! Started with two of the appetizer specials and finished with three of the best desserts! Friendly service and although there were people waiting out front, we were not rushed at all. Will definitely return! read more

Let's start with the service... it is disorganized at best as multiple waiters, waitress, and manager all get in on the act. The food is okay for Italian restaurant in Metuchen NJ but nothing special. If you check in on yelp, they give you a free dessert, which is nice. But the main reason I gave it a 2 Star instead of a 3 Star is because the table next to us was loud and obnoxious, these college kids cursed all throughout dinner without much regard for the other patrons. The management did nothing about it which was the disappointing part. They even served extra sambuca to them. I might give it another try since I live close to the area but certainly wouldn't go out of my way to come to this place.... read more

Torino Restaurants - Italian Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

Was excellent ..,good food and excellent service Free after dinner drinks nice touch .!! Will def Return ..nice vibe .. read more

Stopped in on a busy Friday night (Christmas Eve eve), no reservation. They kindly set us a table. The tables themselves are not cramped but there is no wasted space inside - waiting can be a bit awkward and uncomfortable. Dinner was delicious and we were very glad we wound up here and decided to wait. They have a small but varied menu selection and quite a few specials (an appetizer, a fish, a pasta, a chicken, a beef). We tried the coconut shrimp appetizer special. Not the most Italian of choices. It was 3 pieces and came with avocado and corn. Avocado was fresh, corn was not (not that we expected it to be in the winter). We went Chicken Paillard, Capellini Crab, and Gnocchi mains. Grilled chicken got a thumbs up and was a big portion. Capellini was al dente with great tomato sauce and crab. My gnocchi was just ok - great sauce but the gnocchi were very dense for my taste. Service was really excellent - I think it's all family run. Cute place for a romantic evening. BYOB read more

Hi Food and service is good but not compare to what they charge.we order 2 Appetizers and according to our appetite we only order 2 entre between 4.They charged us for sharing ,its totally redcules.. read more

We love this place! Such a great restaurant. The food is consistently delicious, always hot, and super flavor. I've loved everything I've tried so far. The service is extremely nice and knowledgeable, however I have noticed that sometimes it can be a little slower . Ambiance wise I love that you see a mix of people either dressed up for a nice night out or semi-casual, coming from work for a delicious dinner. read more

Service is excellent, very accommodating. BYOB allowed. Romantic setting. The food, however, doesn't quite live up to the expectations and level of service. Unfortunately, the food, as others noted, is subpar. About half the table ate their dishes, the other half abandoned their dishes. We had a large group. The place was full. It was not cheap where you can say well, for that price, what was I thinking? read more

Torino Restaurants - Ricotta cheesecake - Italian Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

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I was happy with my experience at this restaurant. The atmosphere was nice for a date with that special person. Lighting was moderately bim, But adequate. Had the egg plant rollotini for my appetizer, it was pretty good. For dinner I had the ravioli Bolognese, which was pretty good, nothing amazing, but acceptable. One quick tip, on yelp, there is an offer for a free dessert, take it manage of that. I had the flan, it was delicious as far As flan goes. The restaurant is a BYOB which I always love, because I get to bring a wine that I know I will enjoy. It's a bonus that you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for a bottle of wine also. The service was very good Which is one of the main reasons why I get four stars, that combined with a very nice atmosphere. Pricing was reasonable, which is always a good benefit. I probably would go here again. read more

Love the food !! Beto is super helpful and hands down one of the best servers! Not to mention the desserts

I understand that people are entitled to their opinion however I have eaten at this establishment well over 30 times since it has opened a few years back and never once had an issue with any of the previously related comments that were mentioned. All I can say is that based on my experience here, the food and service at Torino 2 have been nothing short of exceptional. With that being said I will go more into detail about the restaurant. The restaurant is bring your own alcohol and features traditional Italian cuisine ranging in price for appetizers from $5-$13, and entrees range from about $15-$27. The soups and salads are on the lower end of the appetizers price spectrum and the seafood apps tend to be on the higher end. Similarly the pasta and chicken are on the lower end of the entree price spectrum while the beef and seafood are on the higher end. I recommend making a reservation here if you plan on dining here on a Friday or Saturday night because it does tend to get a little busy. There are numerous appetizers I recommend however my hands down favorite is the Portobello Mushroom. It is a generous sized Portobello cut up with red peppers served over baby spinach with balsamic reduction. The combination is outstanding and is a part of my order every time I dine here. The lobster bisque is also very tasty and you can never go wrong with the fried calamari (although sometimes it needs some added salt). As far as entrees go you have pasta, chicken, seafood, and a steak. If your in the mood for pasta I highly recommend the Linguini (with sausage and mixed vegetables). **Be careful ordering because there is another entree called Linguini Torino (with red sauce and peas). The Linguini (with sausage) is a decent sized portion dish and has a variety of things including sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, oil and garlic. It is my favorite pasta dish. For chicken i recommend the Chicken Milanese (I personally get the chicken grilled instead of fried). When ordering seafood i recommend the Bronzino which comes with a side of mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. The fish itself is amazing although they could do a better job of pairing sides with this entree. **Also worth mentioning that the bronzino is not on the menu but is often listed as a special. There is a large dessert selection and you really can't go wrong with any of the choices. The tiramisu is excellent however my personal favorite is the pistachio gelato. Complimentary svambca with coffee and espresso is always a nice added bonus. read more

I went here last night and had a wonderful evening. The wait staff were very welcoming and accommodating. Everything with a smile! I had the mixed greens to start and it was delicious. Bread and pesto was great too. For entree I had the chicken rollatini special and it was amazing!!! This was my first time here and I can't wait to go back. My chocolate soufflé was sinfully good. They have decent size portions with enough for leftovers (which I couldn't wait to eat today). The ambiance of this small place is great. Can't wait to go back! read more

Torino Restaurants - Chocolate soufflé and cappuccino - Italian Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

Love, love , love the ambience and the outside tables. It's BYOB, so we brought a bottle of wine, which is always nice. The server was prompt and pleasant and greeted us with some wine glasses and some bread and oil with herbs for dipping. We started with a scallop and spinach appetizer. Was good but a needed a little more seasoning to the spinach. For dinner we ordered a special, which was bow tie pasta with shrimp and scallops in a mushroom cream sauce. It was very good! I would say that it's a nice place to go enjoy a nice dinner. read more

What a nice evening we had! We were a party of 7 and the service was very good. We were not rushed and the meals were presented well. If you check in on yelp, your dessert is free. I had the tiramisu and as another reviewer said , it tasted different. It tasted more cinnamon-y than chocolate-y. We received a complimentary shot of anisette w our dessert. It is a byob restaurant, but we discovered that they are permitted to sell NJ wines; so if you happen to forget to bring your own, don't you fret. read more

Our server was excellent, ambiance is good. But one entrée that came out was chicken instead of fish. The replacement meal had some piece of metal in it. And I guess since we had already eaten one of the 2 fillets, they "discounted " the meal instead of not charging us at all. In most places this would get the manager to your table side apologizing and offering you a free dessert and NOT paying for the entree read more

I went to Torino 2 in Metuchen for takeout. I ordered by phone off of the website menu. When I picked up the order, the prices were substantially higher than the website menu Indicated. this is called "bait and switch" and it is a fraudulent business practice. I pointed it out to the manager and he said there was nothing he could do about it, and that he had told the owner about the website prices being way out of date several times already, but the owner won't fix the problem. This disreputable business practice left a bad taste in my mouth. The food was fine. read more

Amazing!!!! I love the vibes and the food was great. Highly recommend to those looking for authentic Italian cuisine & a nice romantic dinner out on the town. read more

Amazing amazing food, Amazing service . I sat outside and then felt cold and then they kindly seated me inside so I was more comfortable. The owners were so kind and it felt like a family warm feel. This restaurant is perfect read more

service was great. the menu was easy to read and make your pasta, chicken,veal. agnolotti was crazy good

Mediocre appetizers including tasteless calamari but the entree I had was very good. It was a seafood risotto and had a lot of tasty shrimp, scallop, calamari and octopus. Tasted fresh and the pasta was cooked and seasoned well. The ambiance was nice - great date restaurant. Located in a happening part of downtown Metuchen (who knew??). The waiter gave a passionate 10 minute speech about the specials when we sat down. That was cool, I think. Shows pride. read more

Located on a quiet street with a beautiful view to the calming plants and trees on the outside and a beautiful decor in the inside make this place the best place to enjoy a face to face conversation over lunch or dinner. Today is my 3rd visit here. Just like the first time, the service is great. The staff is polite and friendly. Their Italian recipes are very tasty. I started with salads and appetizers all of which were fantastic. Next time I will be here for dinner. read more

This is one of the best restaurants I've been to in a long time. Their food is fantastic, their service is superb and they couldn't be nicer. Even my 6 year old is giving them rave reviews. We had a fabulous Caesar salad, eggplant rolatini which was super yummy and chicken franchise which we enjoyed immensely. Dessert was also homemade and Incredible. Their outside dining area is very comfortable and I'm not an easy person to please. Patronize this restaurant because they deserve all the accolades read more

Good food at a good price pre pandemic. I hope they go back to previous prices. They've got competition in.town now. Pleasant staff always! read more

The food was amazing I had the scallops with spinach and they were cooked perfectly. Service was amazing. No complaints whatsoever about this place I will definitely come back again. Came here for Valentine's Day and it was not loud at all it was the most perfect ambiance read more

Do not trust the yelp deal. We had the displeasure of being served by a waiter who took issue with the fact that we shared our dish with an appetizer instead of buying two separate entrees and due to that did not honor the yelp deal. He argued back and forth me. Horrible service. Update: he waiter came back came back and claimed be the owner and manager and proceeded to yell at us including my parents for not following the "rules". He then proceeded to charge me $28 for my penne which was an $18 dollar dish. We were so disgusted that we chose not to argue and instead left promptly. read more

Small town Italian food. Small place that was crowded on NYE. It was my first time there. May go back during normal seating. read more

Torino Restaurants - Happy New Years Eve... Hopefully we have a great meal. Been waiting almost a hour for our 9PM seating. Watching other people get seated... - Italian Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

The quality of the food is poor - it seems to be specific to any chicken dishes. We ordered chicken fettuccine Alfredo, the chicken was rubbery. Even though they said they would delete the up charge for chicken, they did not even do that. What is even worse is they were not even apologetic. This is the second time we had a bad experience. We will not be going again. read more

Happy Easter to all , Today we had reservations to Torino group of 9 We were greeted by John very professional and attentive gentleman. We order appetizers fried calamar, eggplant rollatini , house salad all very good. For Dinners chicken Parm , chicken Francese ,seafood Rissotto ,Rigatoni Torino all excellent . Deserts also very good Cheesecake,Tiramisu,Tartufo , chocolate soufflé ,cappuccino and coffee great also the house offer Sambuca . read more