Anthony Marra’s Restaurant
“The highlight is the Chicken Savoy, a holdover from Stretch's–very good rendition that's just not on par with the Belmont Tavern.”
“Let me 1st start off by saying as BYOB's go this place is as close to perfect as can be.”
“Have not dined in, however have had takeout twice.”
Anthony Marra’s Restaurant
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Dogs Allowed: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
4 reviews
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Went there the other night and was happily surprised in 3 ways. First of all the decor was beautiful. Understated and modern. Quite an improvement over what used to be there. Second, the service was attentive, friendly and efficient. And lastly, I thought the food was great and the prices reasonable. Given Livingston's fairly dismal gastronomic scene, this gem should do quite well. We will be back and soon 🙂 Thank you!
Let me 1st start off by saying as BYOB's go this place is as close to perfect as can be. With that said I truly wish Yelp had those 1/2 stars as this was really almost perfect and giving it 4 stars simply doesn't do it justice as 4.5 is more like it but you really can't miss on anything to get that elusive 5 star review. Moving forward arrive to small non descript location in Livingston with plenty of free parking in the rear of the building that can be accessed from Mt Pleasant or Livingston Ave making it easy access. We have a large party tonight 16 so thank you for accommodating us. Outside seating is nice touch but on this 90 Plus degree Humid evening inside it will be. Not much room in the main dining room as most of the place is full as we are put towards the back close to the kitchen opposite the server's station. Again with a party of this size beggars can't be choosy. On the flip side one of these biggest negatives of the entire evening was being so close to the kitchen it was really "HOT" and slightly uncomfortable, while the rest of the place was much cooler.
Carly was our server this evening along with a bevy of other helpers but when I say my family can be difficult this girl handled it like a trooper. She was spot on all night making the evening flow without much trouble. Menu is small but very diverse and there is definitely something for everyone on the menu. Prices are in short INEXPENSIVE for the quality and amount of food provided. Already stated BYOB so we are loaded with our wines and drinks for the evening, happy to provide both Red & White wine glasses a nice touch along with cold water in pitchers and soft drinks as requested.
Let's get to the food as we did everything family style if we liked something we just ordered more of it and it came out flying. We immediately put in orders for multiple pizzas including a couple of white pies just to take the edge off. They were very good with across the board. I personally would have like the crust to hold up a little better but the flavors were outstanding. Some complimentary sautéed carrots were on the table along with fresh hot bread.
Long Hot Peppers & Potatoes $9.00 were as good as it gets, very well prepared potatoes weren't greasy and everything was piping hot
Sautéed Broccoli Rabe & Sausage $10.00 was excellent as well, with the Rabe done just right and the sausage sweet a great add on to the peppers and potatoes.
The Burrata with roasted peppers and Prosciutto again were absolutely outstanding $14.00
Meatballs with Ricotta $11.00 with a little salad well in short 2nd only to my mother's really one of the best dishes on the table we just kept ordering more.
The Hotsy Totsy Shrimp "Shrimp Beeps" were simply Ok I found them slightly fishy $14.00
One problem from the food standpoint was the Calamari both the traditional and Cajun were in short not good and had to go back we declined more. Perhaps they received a bad batch of Calamari but this was the 1 mark off other than the temperature of where we were sitting.
On to the entrees:
Cavatelli & Pot Cheese was very tasty $17.00 though I thought the pasta was overcooked a bit again I may be over critical but I'm trying to be constructive.
We did multiple orders of the following as well.
Chicken Savoy $18 "Boneless" I know you're supposed to have this on the bone but this was just off the charts good the way we had it… A DON'T MISS
Equally as good was the Giambotta chicken boneless $19
Chicken Milanese $17.00 was as expected and very amble in size for the price points another truly good dish.
At this point nobody could really move but we did sample several deserts along with piping hot coffee and Espressos.
The Bill came and I forget how much the Liquor adds to other places because in short for the amount of food consumed, quality provided, service that was provided this really blew me away. Couple of small hiccups, but for the most part this is a place I could go to again and again if I still lived here in NJ. Bravo a definite repeat.
3 star restaurant, with the 4th star being for Isen. He really goes out of his way to make everyone feel welcome and makes coming here a pleasure.
In addition, they've updated the decor, giving the restaurant a much more vibrant, attractive and welcoming vibe.
It's a little pricy for good, not great local NJ/Italian food. The highlight is the Chicken Savoy, a holdover from Stretch's–very good rendition that's just not on par with the Belmont Tavern.
The hotsy totsy shrimp Ap is a winner, as are the clams oreganata.
The giambota portions are both delicious and very large.
I have to admit, I've rarely dined in at this location–both when it was Stretch's and now that it is Marra's. However, they've always done a decent job with takeout. Just be advised, they have a slow kitchen. If it's a weekend, make sure you order 30-60 minutes before you'd expect that you have to. The wait times can be substantial.
It's a BYO.
For a parking lot that doesn't usually get all that crowded, the adjacent businesses are very hokey about letting restaurant patrons park in certain spots. It's ok to park in certain spots if you're a shopper. Not ok if you're a restaurant patron.
This is a good family restaurant in town with nice ambiance and decent service. The food is pretty good, though I always seem to have trouble finding something to order. I wish the menu was a little more extensive. Along with bread, they provide you with raw carrots in an olive oil mixture which is very interesting and a turn on the average free table appetizer. The pizza is good, though I am not a huge fan of the way they do the crust. Try the daddy pizza with sausage and cherry peppers; inventive and good flavors. I have enjoyed their linguine and clams and the special they have that also adds shrimp to that dish. The penne with vodka is good but they could give you more sauce, which I am sure is an easy request. The meatball with burrata appetizer is delicious, and I am not even a huge red meat eater. I especially like the sauce. The portions are plentiful. Service is spotty. Some servers are great and very attentive, while others can forget about you until your plates are cleared. I like the way the place decorated; it's warm and inviting with nice lighting. They have outdoor seating which looks lovely, although you face a parking lot, but you work with what you've got. They take OpenTable reservations which is a plus and are kid-friendly, another bonus.