Italian Restaurants in East Hanover
Il Vicolo Ristorante
$15 for $30 Worth of Italian Cuisine at Il Vicolo Ristorante
Housemade mozzarella and flavorful sauces top authentic Italian dishes
Livingston
$30 $15
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At his namesake restaurant, Chef Ricci prepares his Italian cuisine from the highest-quality ingredients available using authentic cooking techniques. He packs each handcrafted lunch and dinner dish with flavor, from crabmeat-stuffed portobello mushrooms and homemade cavatelli to any of the chef's special entrees, such as veal florentine or the broccoli rabe tossed with shrimp or sausage by Leonardo da Vinci’s ghost. For hand-held eats, Ricci stacks a variety of hot and cold sandwiches, which pair such meats as genoa salami and prosciutto with the distinct flavors of imported sharp provolone and roasted red peppers.
Tortellini. Strawberries. Chicken marsala. You'd normally find these foods on porcelain dishware, not on top of pizzas. At Pizza Oven Mamma Mia, however, they're essential toppings to some of the eatery's most popular pies. In fact, at their glassed-in display counter, you might even see these unorthodox toppings all mingling on the same tray?a slice of penne-vodka pizza next to a slice with broccoli and onions. The rest of the menu is a bit more traditional (eggplant panini at lunch, veal parmigiana at dinner), but you can always end your meal with another of Mamma Mia's unique slices: Nutella dessert pizza with those aforementioned strawberries. Other favorites include Sicilian rice balls, fresh meatballs, breaded chicken cutlets, fresh-made sauce, stuffed peppers, stuffed eggplant, ravioli and Italian sausage, and more.
Pizzeta Enoteca dishes up Italian fare, but nothing about this eatery is stuffily traditional. Instead, the staff strives to create a fresh, hip atmosphere, one that appeals to New Jersey’s young families. The menu makes the concept clearer with its headlining pizzetas and their unique toppings. The small-serving, thin-crust pies come crowned with everything from buffalo chicken to four-cheese blends to garden vegetables, mozzarella, and garlic to mimic the flavors of caprese salad. Although Millburn-Short Hills Patch says that “pizza is the way to go at Pizzeta,” the menu boasts a slew of tasty antipasti, paninis, and pastas. It also has dessert covered. Ricotta-filled cannoli and espresso-soaked tiramisu end meals more sweetly than a hug from a waiter who happens to be a kitten.
Bensi co-owner Genci Previzi helms an immense menu of classic Italian cuisine, including hearty homestyle dishes with roots in Calabria, Italy. Entrees, joined by a house salad or cup of comforting housemade soup, range from spaghetti and meatballs to gluten-free grilled chicken in a lemon-garlic marinade served over a veggie medley. The chefs also prepare an array of specials such as pignoli-crusted goat cheese and arugula salad, barolo-braised veal osso buco, pan-seared Chilean sea bass with eggplant caponata, and nutella chocolate pizza with fresh strawberries. The dishes are served in a modern dining atmosphere where minimal table settings and simple dark-wood furniture keep the focus on the vibrant cuisine.