Mozzarella Bar — Restaurant in East Rutherford

Extremely Disappointed – Unsafe for Anyone with Dietary Restrictions

My recent visit to this restaurant was nothing short of a disaster. From the moment my boyfriend and I were seated, the atmosphere was overwhelmingly loud, and our waiter seemed rushed, disinterested, and inattentive. He barely stopped at our table long enough to take our order, making us feel pressured to decide quickly.

I ordered the skirt steak, while my boyfriend, who has a gluten sensitivity, ordered the gluten-free fettuccine Alfredo with grilled chicken. He specifically asked the waiter to confirm the Alfredo sauce was gluten-free, and the waiter returned assuring us that it was. However, about five minutes after placing our order, the waiter returned to inform me they were out of the skirt steak. I have celiac disease and a fish/shellfish allergy, so my options were extremely limited. I settled on the gluten-free pasta carbonara, even though I was concerned about cross-contamination.

Still without drinks—despite my boyfriend ordering a cocktail and me simply requesting water—the waiter finally returned to take my new order. My boyfriend also inquired about the fried mozzarella, asking if it could be made gluten-free. The waiter said yes. A few minutes later, a different staff member brought over a $9 glass bottle of water, even though all the tables around us were receiving standard pitcher water. At no point was I asked or informed about bottled water, and it felt like an unnecessary upsell.

When the fried mozzarella arrived, we were surprised to see only two small pieces. After a couple of bites, we both commented on how unusually good it tasted for gluten-free, which made us suspicious. We waited for our waiter to return to confirm—he never did. My boyfriend had to track down what appeared to be a manager, who then informed us that the mozzarella was not gluten-free. They offered us a replacement of prosciutto mozzarella, which we did not enjoy at all.

By the time our main courses finally arrived (along with my boyfriend’s drink), our table was still cluttered with dirty appetizer plates—no one offered to clear them, and now our small two-person table was overcrowded. My carbonara came with undercooked, fatty bacon and stringy onions that looked like pasta. To make matters worse, both our meals were served with penne instead of fettuccine, which at first reassured us that it was the gluten-free version. That relief was short-lived. My boyfriend reached the bottom of his bowl and discovered a pile of fettuccine noodles—the kitchen had mixed regular pasta with gluten-free pasta.

At that point, I immediately stopped eating, already feeling the effects of gluten exposure. As someone with celiac disease, this was not only unacceptable—it was dangerous. My night was ruined, and I felt sick, upset, and defeated. I didn’t have the energy to argue with the staff, so we just asked for the bill. The waiter, once again, was nowhere to be found, and my boyfriend had to hunt him down just to pay. The total came out to over $95, which we paid in cash before leaving as quickly as possible.

I absolutely do not recommend this restaurant to anyone—especially not to those with food allergies or dietary sensitivities. The service was careless, the staff poorly informed, and the kitchen was shockingly negligent. The entire experience felt like a churn-and-burn operation focused solely on turning tables rather than providing safe, attentive service. Dining out with dietary restrictions is hard enough—we expect and deserve...

Took my Mom & Dad to American Dream with my husband Saturday 2/1. My parents are elderly & in wheelchairs and have never been. The Mozzarella Bar caught my Mom’s eye and we all agreed. I typically don’t write reviews but I am in SHOCK over the reviews for Mozzarella Bar. Did we go to the same restaurant?? 🤣 For being so busy, we had no wait and they were very accommodating with their wheelchairs. To start, the bread is SOO good. Soft & delicious. I had the ravioli, my husband had the penne vodka with chicken, mom had penne vodka with shrimp and my Dad got the eggplant parm as a dinner portion. Everything was SO GOOD!! The sauce for the ravioli was insane. My Dad, who is an Italian man that typically frowns upon every Italian restaurant, loved his eggplant parm. Ambiance is loud yes but it’s beautiful. My Mom said “this is so cool that we are just in the middle of the mall like this” lol To top it all off, our waiter James was GREAT. On the ball with every request and was super patient with my parents who take longer than most & can’t hear anything you ever say lol. Overall, we had such a great experience and very much so enjoyed our dinner at The Mozzarella Bar. I usually read reviews before trying somewhere new and truthfully, I’m so glad I didn’t before going here because these reviews are filled with liars 🤣😭 in all seriousness, give them a chance! AND request James as your waiter if you do! My Mom & my husband have requested to go back one day and we absolutely will. James- thank you so much for taking good care of us & we will be seeing...

Where do I begin. I should’ve known that the food here would be lack luster by how fast we were able to be seated compared to the other restaurants that had 1+ hour wait times. When looking at the menu, you think you’re going to eat well for a decent price but I was wrong. I forgot to take a pic of the fried calamari (appetizer) but for $17, the calamari that they serve is not worth it. Heavily fried in grease like oil literally dripping from each piece and tasted old. The fried mozzarella tasted like it was sitting in the refrigerator for longer than it should’ve and had NO cheese pull, another waste of $17. The drinks were the best on the menu. The Santa muerte had me feeling buzzed off a few sips, well worth the $16. Now onto the entree; first let’s mention how people were being seated 30-45 min after us yet their food was coming out first and we haven’t gotten our dinner. We weren’t being checked on or assured that our food was coming. Service 1/5. After waiting 45 min, the food came out and it sucked. The penne ala vodka with chicken was so bland, the pasta undercooked and the presentation was terrible. My wife got the chicken francese and, well, you can see for yourself in the pics provided. She said the only think good was the sauce used for her dish. Other than that, go to the food court instead of eating here. You won’t enjoy it, I promise. Or make reservations at one of the other restaurants to enjoy better food, this place is no good. The items listed came out to be $104, food was...