American Bistro
“Everything from the complimentary antipasto to the lobster raviolis to the stuffed pork chops and duck breast were great.”
“The meal starts with a complimentary antipasto which was fresh and bright.”
“I was with a party of 4 so we all had different entrees; black lobster ravioli, potato encrusted sole, veal parmigiana, and rigatoni Romano.”
American Bistro
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
7 reviews
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An Italian-American feast all about family or a little romance to possibly lead to a family! I came here with Christina R., her bf, my brother, Francis C., and his wife Bianca C. Christina, a.k.a. "work wife" recommended this place for dinner after we saw the cherry blossom trees in bloom at Branch Brook Park in Newark on a Saturday. I'm glad she did. The six of us were immediately seated and given a variety of bread and two huge antipasto plates of spicy sausage slices, different olives, and two types of cheese. After only having some of that, I already felt kind of full.
I ordered the black ravioli with a cheese-based sauce and eating it felt like a hug. The ravioli was this rich purplish, brownish-black color prepared perfectly al dente and the sauce was oh-so-dreamy nice-and-creamy. Of course, I finished it by sopping up that precious sauce with bread. I then had a pretty satisfying slice of ricotta cheesecake dusted with powdered sugar. This was accompanied by a magical platter of chocolate and traditional biscotti and fresh fruit for the table from the chef. What?! YES.
This restaurant was attended early on a Sunday night. The bar was in the front and the seating area was located in the back. There were 15 or so tables. There were pictures of the local area from years back. It was a nice atmosphere. The service was friendly and the food came out in a timely matter.
First, an antipasto plate (free of charge) and basket of bread were presented. The antipasto plate consisted of meats, cheeses, olives, eggplant, peppers, and artichokes. They were all wonderful and was a nice start to the meal.
The tripe fra diavolo ($20?) was ordered as an appetizer. I am not a huge fan of tripe to begin with, but everybody in my party loves it. I just don't think it tastes like anything. I tried it like always, but had the same thoughts. The sauce was exceptional though especially with a little bread.
I ordered the grilled duck breast ($34?) as an entrée. The boneless duck came in a port wine and fig sauce with smashed potatoes. There was also a side of string beans. The sauce was unreal. It is one of my favorite sauces of all time. I am not even sure how to describe the taste. It was a little sweet, but not too sweet, but it was really what brought the dish together. The duck was cooked to perfection with a slight burnt crisp on the ends. The potatoes were tasty too.
For dessert, a plate of fruit and cookies were brought (free of charge). The fruit was fresh and had grapes, sliced pineapples, oranges, etc. I did not try a cookie, but they looked solid. Most appeared to be biscotti.
Will I go back? No doubt. One of my favorite restaurants of all time and this time did not disappoint.
Returned on Friday night and had spotty service and not as great of a meal. There was a beard and broken bits of shell in my mussels over pasta. Nothing like a having to spit out a beard and shell into your napkin to ruin your meal. Our entrees took insanely long to come out (longer than people that were sat and ordered after us) and I think our waitress forgot we were there. My wine glass was empty for a solid 10-15 minutes before she asked if I wanted another. Bummer.
I'm not saying I'm ruling it out, but they'd have to wow me on my next trip in. Normally this would be a one or two star review from me, but my husband's meal was excellent, the real problem was the service, and I'm willing to forgive one bad apple from a hopefully otherwise good tree.
As always spot on! We had another great dinner here last Friday with friends visiting from Cali who specifically request Italian food and really like this place. I think the Black Lobster Ravioli & the mushroom ravioli are hands down my fav.
This is a nice local restaurant whose menu has alot of staples (pasta, chicken, seafood ) to interesting specials. American Bistro is divided into two rooms. There are a few tables in the bar area (crowded) and a more spacious formal dining room to the left. Alot of the times there are large parties dining there that can make service a little slow (there was a party of about 15 last night) but the servers work hard and were apologetic about our wait. I had made reservations for 8:30 and we had a choice of a very small cramped table in the bar area or a table in the dining room if we wanted to wait a few minutes. We were finally seated at around 8:50 and it took a few more minutes to get a menu but the place was full and the big party in addition to all the other tables kept the servers running. They were also nice enough to give us a table for four in the back and away from the hustle and bustle. Every table gets a complimentary antipasto to start: olives, hot and sweet peppers, cubes of Parmasan cheese, zucchini, mushrooms and delicious fresh mozzarella. Plus a basket of warm bread. Great start to the meal. I love their Chicken Pecan. A huge portion of delicious super tender chicken coated in a breaded pecan mix in a wonderful honey mustard sauce. It also comes with two vegetables, I got the string beans in oil and garlic and their signature potatoes, layered sweet and white potatoes that is excellent. Definitely get the potaoes. My Bloody Mary was delicious, full of flavor and a very generous pour. Hubby got the salmon, grilled with Canneloni beans in oil and garlic (it was also offered blackened). Hubby said it was amazing. The salmon was perfectly grilled and the beans and oil and garlic was a great combination. The portions are huge so we have never have room for an appetizer or dessert so I can't comment on that. I did catch a glimpse of the dessert tray and the table near ours ordered gelato and everything looked delicious. The decor is pretty dated and nondescript but the star here is the food. We have come here many times and never been disappointed. They are pricey but the quality and amount of food justifies the cost. Our server Donna was frazzled but apologetic but did a great job. Maria who seems to run the dining room is always sweet and accommodating and works hard to make you feel welcome.
Solid American fare in Nutley.
Walk into an eclectic bar area that turns a corner into a small dining area. Christmas decorations in April. Portugese servers that get it done, albeit slightly askew. Food that shines. That's American Bistro.
Antipasti comes out compliments of the house with cheeses, meats, assorted olives and a mix of peppers. Crusty bread comes out at the same time. Others have mentioned warm bread, but our basket was not. And pats of butter were prepackaged and cold, cold, cold. How about warm bread with olio or soft house-prepared butter? Simple details go a long way.
The stars are in the entrees, however. The stuffed pork chop is amazing, and I don't use that term loosely. Huge. Tasty. Cheesey. Worth the $30 accompanied by a potato gratin and green beans.
Chicken Della Casa is chicken tossed with sausage and potatoes, enough for lunch and maybe even dinner tomorrow. Good enough to be your regular order at AB.
Lobster ravioli is black pasta filled with luscious lobster topped by a light red sauce. Just enough for most appetites. This is a not-for-take-home dish, as the portion is just right, and you will most likely eat every morsel on your plate.
I have to disagree with a few other Yelpers regarding the sweets. The desserts were not particularly appealing except for maybe the cannoli. Order them at your own risk, but hey, you're already over-full from the great entree.
All in all, American Bistro is a nice though eclectic space, has interesting service, and features entrees that will not disappoint.
Welcome to Nutley!
This place doesn't look like much from the street, but inside it's cozy and cute. They offer antipasta and bread as free starters. I had the ravioli with marinara sauce ($15) — flavorful and creamy — paired with a Syrah. It was a perfect amount of food. It was pretty mellow on a Thursday night, with a friendly and attentive waitress. Overall, great place for a quiet, delicious meal!