Triestina Restaurant — Restaurant in Cranford

We had gone to their sister restaurant, Il Goccino, in Madison, and enjoyed an excellent meal there; they told us their father was the chef at another location, in Cranford, and two or three weeks later we went there for an early dinner.

The owners (the father and uncle of the young men running the Madison location) were friendly, and seemed happy that we had taken their sons’ recommendation.

The premises, like the place in Madison, were very clean, and the food was amazing.

The presentation was excellent and tasted as good as it looked.

my girlfriend lives in New York City, and she has dined at many Italian restaurants there; she is very picky about food, a restaurant’s cleanliness, and food presentation- and she told me (and the owners) that their two places were the best she had ever dined in In New Jersey, and among the best restaurants she has ever eaten at anywhere.

Triestina is now our favorite local restaurant. Prices are quite reasonable, and well worth every penny. I have spent as much or more in other places and not walked away as satisfied at having had a great meal as we had here.

We saw people come in after we arrived, and most, if not all, seemed to be regulars. In fact, we overheard one man at a nearby table telling his son and (apparently) his nephew that he has been coming to Triestina for years, and boasting about how good the food is.

I almost envy him for his having enjoyed dining there for years, as I only discovered it now, despite having lived in the area for many years!

All in all, it’s a wonderful place, and I just made reservations for Valentines Day. Obviously, I highly...

It’s like it was 2003 when we walked in there. The atmosphere is absolutely terrible and eerie. It’s like this place wasn’t intended to be a restaurant at all. Why would you have carpet on the floors of a restaurant? I doubt Stanley steamers is coming every 2 days to clean that thing. This is the kind of place where you don’t go unless you’re invited. Everyone looked at us like we were aliens walking in there. Limited menu and the service was horrible. Our waitress only checked on us 3 times ( to sit us, to take the order, to give the check). We ordered 2 chicken cesar salads and it was by far the worst iteration of that dish I’ve ever had. The dressing was awful and tangy, while the chicken was obviously undercooked. All said and done, they charged us $48!! We had water and 2 salads. The owner/manger said it was mistake with the bill but everything is hand written and the waitress clearly wrote “chicken Cesar salad x2” and priced it out to $48. The salad is $12 on the menu and after asking it’s a $6 up charge for chicken. What backwards universe does that equate to $48. After complaining, they only gave me $8 back. This place is the worst dining experience I’ve ever had and they should be investigated. I’ll be coming back for my...

Current owner/manager of restaurant is rude and obnoxious. Have booked parties of 20+ in the past here with no problem. Food and service were spot on. Always confirmed our headcount and pre-ordered appetizers 2 days prior to our reservation. Booked an upcoming party for a Saturday approximately 3 weeks ago. Owner at the time questioned the last time I booked a party there. I received a call from him the Tuesday prior to our reservation asking for a final headcount. Didn't have the final number but said I would call him the next day with the number. Forgot to call and the following day I received a call berating me if we wanted to have the party or not. No customer or person should be spoken to the way this individual did. After a "spirited" conversation, it was mutually decided to take my business elsewhere. Never will I set foot or recommend this restaurant again. Had to check 1 star for posting this review however they really do not deserve a star for their rude...