Grissini Ristorante
“Even if they make a good drink, there's maybe 6 seats – not a good happy hour spot IMHO.”
“We were greeted warmly and everyone treated us like regulars even though it was our first time.”
“Ending the meal with coffee & tea and some biscotti makes me feel like I'm powerbrokering in Milan, not Bergen County.”
Grissini Ristorante
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Coat Check: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
7 reviews
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Over priced… over priced.. over priced… I have not found their food to be any better than normal American/Italian restaurants in the area.. I had better meals at Olive Garden… the parking lot is filled with luxury cars and they carry themselves like a high class restaurant… It's good for pasta and fish (whole fish)…
UM.. that's it… what happened to that HOT HOT HOT hostess that used to work there?
Just came back fro a quality dinner with my wife and family friends at Grissini's. This was our second time at Grissini's. We love this restaurant.
In the past, the table prepared bronzino, homemade pastas, filet of sol… All amazing! Tonight, 42 oz prime cowboy steak was the feature and a few plates of pasta, oysters, pizzas.
I would have loved to have snapped a few photos, but it wouldn't have been appropriate at Grissini's. The parking lot is dressed up with top notch vehicles: (tonight) a Bently, McLaren Lambo, Porsche Twin turbo, G-Wagon… People that own these cars don't snap pictures of their steak. So, neither would I.
Amazing food and attentive service. If not anything else, go for the car show. Happy dining.
Grissini is one of those places that wows you every time you drive by it and most likely, it'll intimidate you because the whole parking lot is full of black Mercedes Benzes and Porsches. I live less than a mile away from the restaurant and that's what's always prevented my family from wanting to even step foot inside. And what you don't know is that they purposely park only the nice cars up front. Apparently, they park the "lesser" cars in the back (where passer-byers can't see them).
So last year, on my parents' wedding anniversary, I decided to treat them to dinner at the Grissini, as it was close by and because we had never been. My dad whipped out the S Benz so that we could fit in with the crowd and surely enough, they valeted our car to sit out front.
As we stepped foot inside, we were really surprised. It didn't seem upscale AT all. It's also set up quite strangely and very narrow. We were led through the entrance to sit in what felt like a narrow hallway… and I firmly believe that you can guesstimate how good the food at an Italian restaurant will be by the bread that they serve.
Let's just say that the bread was a good augury of what (bad) food was to come. Our server was also not friendly or personable at all… Our individual meals were overpriced and didn't taste any better than your standard Italian chain restaurant (like Maggiano's). In fact, I think I even prefer Maggiano's over Grissini.
Conclusion: Grissini is all hype. Better save your $ and go to one of the chain restaurants at the Riverside Mall only 4-5 miles away.
I found this place online in an article about New Year's Eve events in North Jersey. It was a pre-fix 4 course meal, toast at midnight, DJ with dancing very good service!
The place: there is valet parking with high end cars in the parking lot. You drive in, give your key to the valet and proceed into the restaurant. The restaurant has three sections. One is a small seating area by the entrance, one is attached to it and has a full bar with TVs (great for watching the ball drop) and one in the back. In the evening, the place had dimmed lighting and white table cloths with small candles.
Service: the manager is there at all times and is happy to greet customers or accommodate requests. It gives the restaurant a family feel. Service varies as it is done by different waiters serving the tables at once. There is no assigned waiter.
Food: the salad I got was a bit disappointing. The salad mix was dry and needed more dressing. The pieces of cheese helped balance the dryness but it wasn't my favorite dish.
The oysters and scallops were made to perfection with the sauces giving them just the right touch of zest.
For my third course I got a chunky piece of halibut with tomato and olives sauce. It was great and too big for me to eat in one meal. I took it to go.
The dinner ended with a light and fluffy cheese cake that I literally inhaled. It must have been made with ricotta. I tried a bite and next thing I know the cake was gone…
Other: this is not the young and vibrant scene you would get in Manhattan. The patrons were mainly families and groups living in the north jersey area.
New Years: DJ was amazing. We got a lot of dancing in and had a fun doing it. I would defiantly come back here for the atmosphere and the food.
I have to say that this was a borderline 4 star for me, but it's based on the clientele it's trying to attract. I assume most clientele that this place attracts is above Yelp, so maybe you get what I mean. If you make $150k or less or appreciate value for what you pay for, this is not the place for you. In other words, find a sugar daddy or have an Englewood Cliffs address that has separate dorms for the help and your mistresses. My Hoboken address and 6'-2" meat and potatoes frame is unsuitable for the clientele they want here.
Grisini has great atmosphere though, and has an intimate presence like no one else on Sylvan Ave. I loved what I saw when I walked in. The charm is soon lost by mediocre service and portion sizes. The bill is overly surprising as well.
Bread came five minutes before the appetizers, and the apps came 25 minutes after we ordered. The drinks we ordered also came out wrong. I would suggest the saying name the drinks as they are being laid down when they can be confused easily.
The calamari was excellent, but portioned for a sorority girl after her grip on the reality of the freshman 15. The giant sea scallops were worse. Four scallops for $30; you do the math. They were good, but go down the road and save $10 and get a double portion.
This place is straight out of the Sopranos from the minute you pull up to valet you better hope your car is a luxury vehicle or at the very least washed. When you walk in you kind of get the sense that this is a members only restaurant however for the most part their staff is pleasant. Its a family and "family" atmosphere wink wink. Dress is upscale although the space itself is a bit dated. The food is incredible. There is not one thing off the menu that myself or my dinner company has disliked. It's a bit pricey but you're getting what you pay for. I've been a few times but most recently I went for Easter. My mom and I ordered the oysters and calamari salad to split. For dinner she got the lamb shank and I got the pork loin specials. Their wine selection is excellent and their waiters are skilled at pairing. I'm never disappointed when I have dinner here.
I typically don't write about free meals* – but I see Grissini could use some love!
It's true. I'm so out of place upon walking in. I have no designer bag, my hair is au natural (and usually looking like a rat's nest), my Nissan Altima looks like it's straight outta Compton not Englewood Cliffs, NJ and I've never seen an episode of Real Housewives. This however did not stop me from having a damn good meal.
Listen, this isn't your local deli where you're walking out with a $15 meal – wham bam thank you ma'am. This is where you go for a leisurely lunch, enjoy a fine red and impress whoever you are eating with and drop some money on a gorgeous meal. Linen table cloths, fine service and $25 entree's are to be expected, and that's just at lunch! I started off with a minestrone and a chicken arrabiata (spicy peppers). I was feeling under the weather and needed some sustenance.
I don't like minestrone soup, I liked this one. Slopping up the steaming broth filled with fresh vegetables with the Tuscan bread, made me feel better. The chicken entree was perfectly cooked, juicy, spiced, with sauteed peppers and onions. It was a hearty meal and it was delicious. Ending the meal with coffee & tea and some biscotti makes me feel like I'm powerbrokering in Milan, not Bergen County.
It's definitely an upscale, old school NYC/NJ style Italian restaurant. I also seemed to see a lot of business lunches going on, which makes total sense. You'll end up dropping some dough, but if money ain't a thing, or you're looking to splurge, you'll find some great fresh food here.
Pro-tips – Valet! Parking is pretty much non-existent.
Reservations – this place seems to be a fan favorite locally.
* I was treated by my lovely gal pals from a PR company and not by the establishment itself.