Queen Margherita Trattoria
“The trippa and Pollo Regina was plentiful and flavorful.”
“I have been here often- things to try are the fried calamari, chocolate pizza, Miso glazed salmon..”
Queen Margherita Trattoria
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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I had a very different experience at Queen Margherita Trattoria. I read all the reviews before going to this place and even witnessed a line when I was passing by on several occasions. I had high hopes for this place, but I was a little disappointed.
We were a party of 4 and all of us were not happy with the quality. We ordered Margherita Pizza for starter- horrible. Very watery. Foe entree, I ordered the filet mignon with a side of penne pasta. The filet was tough and bland. The penne was super al dente to the point where it was hard to chew.
Next, our server was OK, he seemed to be in a hurry to kick us out. Taking away our food, when we weren't finished yet 🙁 Perhaps, because the place was getting packed pretty quickly. Also, parking is limited, so be ready to street park.
Overall, I have no idea how they got 4 stars on yelp
I just moved to Nutley
Tried it out
I thought the service was ok
But my Coke was flat. They didn't offer unsweetened iced tea or lemonade
My sole was terrific
My opera cake was terrible.
Might return unsure
But I wouldn't recommend
My sister's birthday yesterday which means venue is her choice and she chose here. Okay, would not have been my first choice but it was close enough and they were able to handle our 8pm dinner for 10 reservation. It was with this complete lack of expectation that I made the 9 mile drive to Queen Margherita and I'm here to tell you, silly name aside, I will be doing so again very soon.
This is a fairly small restaurant with what appears to be a very loyal clientele. There are two rooms, one of which converts to a bakery when it's not a restaurant. The cool thing is that unless you knew this, you'd never know it. I literally thought I was looking at a different establishment. The walls completely retract, exposing the showcases and register area before and after restaurant hours. Very, very cool.
Now for the food and service. The staff is genuinely friendly and attentive. Our waitress, who's name eludes me, was a sweetheart. Food was excellent and prepared perfectly. Most impressive were the pasta dishes. I like mine short of au dente and I can tell you that I would actually consider ordering something like plain pasta with just oil and graded parm because, yeah, it was THAT good. Matter of fact, it couldn't have possibly been better. Prices are more than reasonable, especially considering the gargantuan portions. Just be careful with appetizers. One hot antipasto tanked three of our appetites for most of the meal. Also consider not eating the facoccia bread they put on the table or again, you run the risk of abdominal explosion. It was so good that I found it difficult to limit myself to just a few pieces, especially when dipped in their garlic/oil compote. Like most everyone else mentioned, their Nutella pizza is ridiculous, should you actually be able to cram anything more down your throat before passing into a gastronomic coma.
There was also a crooner, singing typical Italian favorites which really added to the overall ambience and gave the place a really warm and homey feel. And finally, at the end of a wonderful meal, the owner came over, thanked us for our business and offered to buy a round of coffee, hot chocolate or cappuccino for the table. Lovely gesture but by that point I was so over eating or drinking anything more that I smiled and politely declined. Perhaps next time and I'm here to tell you that next time will be fairly soon. Silly name, great restaurant. Kudos!
After a few less than perfect dinners at some local Italian restaurants, we decided to give Queen Margherita a try. We had eaten here a few years ago with a friend and we were shocked to find it packed on a Tuesday night. Even with reservations we had to wait a bit for our table. But we remembered that the food was delicious and we were ready to return. And we were so glad we did. Upon being seated we were given a basket of amazing bread. Perfectly charred on the outside, warm and soft on the inside. It was accompanied by a dip that consisted of a multiple of ingredients, alot of cheese, garlic, sundried tomato to name a few. Our server Luca couldn't have been more charming or attentive, coming by our table several times to see how we were doing. Hubby had the boneless Chicken Cacciatore with a side salad, both were outstanding. I opted for the Shrimp with garlic and butter over a bed of linguini. The shrimp were huge, fresh, firm and sweet . So different than the mushy frozen tasting shrimp I previously had another local trattoria. The linguini here was delicious, the accompanying sauce just as tasty.
While good food is always a prerequisite, it's the level of service makes the difference between a good meal and a great one. Our service was excellent. Thank you Luca. The restaurant is quite small but comfortable. , although it was not full. The outdoor patio is perfect for this time of weather. We would definitely Queen Margherita for excellent authentic Italian food that is very well priced.
Quite the little gem! I visited on a recommendation from a friend, and must say I was not disappointed! It is a quaint little place, but it is just about as authentic as you can get. They have a brick oven for pizza, everything we tasted was delicious, and they even have someone singing Italian songs as you eat. Make sure to save room for dessert; the Nutella pizza and Nutella espresso are to die for (and I'm not really a big fan of Nutella)!
Fifteen of us went here for a holiday work party. I thought the service was pretty good considering the size of our party, but in fairness, they knew we were coming. They had about 3 different servers taking care of us at a restaurant that can't possibly seat more than 30 customers.
We had made a reservation for 11:30 a few weeks prior. I was a bit thrown off by the fact that they had asked us in advance to be gone by 1:30. I get that the place is tiny and they were probably simply trying to accommodate more guests or perhaps another party after ours, but still kind of rude if you ask me.
Overall, the food was good. The calamari was pretty standard. Not too crispy. Not too salty. Just the right texture and amount of breading. The fried mozzarella was delicious. The cheese was melted nicely atop the crispy breading.
I like the marinara here. Not too clumpy. Not too watery. And just the right amount of sweetness.
My homemade sausage was a little heavy on the anise. It's almost as if they had it soaking in Sambuca before they baked it, but still good nevertheless and not dry. I also had more than a few bites of my co-worker's chicken parm, which was nice and thin and maintained its crispy breading without letting the marinara sog it all up. For side choices, the pasta options aren't too vast. You're either getting spaghetti or penne. Oh well. At least my penne wasn't over or undercooked.
The desserts we had were delicious. I tried a little bit of cheesecake and a few bites of a cannoli, the latter of which was clearly filled to order. Nice crispy shell too and I liked the addition of the dried orange. Gave it a nice citrus flavor.
I wish my espresso came with a lemon rind, but I made my own, using the lemon they served in my water.
BYOB. Street parking.
I would probably come back here, but wouldn't go out of my way to do so. Nor would I bring a large group.
came on a whim on a saturday night. called ahead for a ten minute wait but actual wait ended up being a lot longer. the man who greeted us (maybe the owner of manager?) was very nice. overall service was extremely slow though. food was good enough, but not great. the bread was actually my favorite part. my rabbit cacciatore was a bit disappointing as it seemed overcooked. fried appetizer sampler was nothing special and seemed to all taste the same. no one complained about the food but no one was blown away either (first time no one in our group finished their plate).byob is a nice touch
The takeaway from this review? Order the Nutella Pizza from Queen Margherita Trattoria. It's simply the best. Hands down. It's a life changer.
In addition, Queen Margherita has delicious food. You are in store for an extremely satisfying meal when you come here. It's the kind of place that serves bread with dipping oil. (No hate towards bread with butter, but olive oil is an indicator that a restaurant is not playing around). I've enjoyed the pork chops that I've had here (when I ate meat). My favorite dish is the Ciambotta; it's the best I've ever had.
Tip: Make sure to place a reservation if you can. My friend hipped me to this the first time I dined here with her. It got crowded almost immediately after we were seated. We were fortunate to get a table.
Also, check out the bakery side of Queen Margherita Trattoria. Lots of sweet goodies to try. Say YES to the Nutella Espresso!