Pepper's Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Lakewood

My wife and I returned to Peppers Italian restaurant in Lakewood after nearly 20 years. We used to live on that side of town and this was a favorite place to dine when we started dating. It was recommended by my then-barber, Tom Puliafico of TD and Son on Madison Ave. The restaurant expanded its footprint in recent years and now features a separate dining room in one half of the space and a cozy wine bar in the other. Sidewalk alfresco seating is also available, weather permitting. The restaurant’s expansion was done, skillfully, and although the overall space is bigger, it still maintains the intimate family atmosphere for which Peppers was known. The wine bar on the Detroit Ave side is where you actually enter the restaurant these days and it’s a welcoming space. If you don’t have dinner reservations, you might want to hang out a while before eating, either sipping a glass of Prosecco or enjoying a draft Peroni. The dinner menu is smaller than I remember but not the portion sizes. No one will go hungry! In addition to the menu, there are several specials listed on the board in the corner of the dining room. We decided to each order the Shrimp, Scallop and Fettuccine w/seafood (Prosecco) cream sauce special for $20 and added a house side salad w/a choice of dressing for $2. A small basket of fresh, lightly seasoned focaccia bread was complimentary. Some very reasonably priced drinks and a bottle of wine rounded out the main meal. Arriving at our table; the salad was very generous, fresh and crispy. I only wish it came in a bowl instead of on a plate, to help corral its wandering contents. The main dishes, once ordered, arrived quickly and piping hot. The portions were equally generous, arriving in a sizable pasta bowl for each of us! The fettuccine tasted freshly made, smothered in a sauce that was creamy but not too thick. The scallops and shrimp were done to tender perfection, a feat not easily accomplished, especially for the scallops. Afterward, we split an order of tiramisu for dessert…the best we’ve had in recent memory! Our hostess was attentive throughout the evening and anticipated our needs (such as bringing containers for the leftover pasta she knew we’d have). Dinner for two, dessert, drinks and a bottle of wine was about $100. Not bad at all for freshly prepared food in a classy, neighborhood setting that’s closer than Murray Hill and WAY better than a chain restaurant! Despite changing owners a few times since we first went there; the Peppers name remains the same and the food remains outstanding!! It’s one of Lakewood’s culinary gems! We’ll be...

Just went for dinner and our experience was laughably bad. I’d been eager to go back to Pepper’s since the restaurant changed owners/management a few years ago. It definitely has a new, sterile look. A very similar menu as before, but in no way the same vibe or quality of food or service. We were one of two tables in there. Not concerning given we arrived an hour before closing (were out by closing time).

The entire time my partner and I were asking questions to each other like “is this a reality show?” “Is this place run by teenagers?” “Is this a front?” Because it felt like an unreal dining experience. Two younger brunette females were the servers. The one was finished with her tables and repeatedly talking loudly and unprofessionally with the kitchen staff right in the entryway / earshot of the restaurant which was funny to me. I believe our server was named Katarina. She was kind but I don’t think she understood waiting tables? She got our waters, eventually took our app order, eventually took our food order and eventually delivered the food/boxes/check when ready but those were the only times she came to the table. She never once asked how things were. Never once asked if we had questions, needed more water, anything at all, and just abandoned us alone in the one room while we needed waters, boxes, to return the disgusting mozzarella sticks 20 minutes after they arrived since she never checked on us. The mozz sticks tasted only like oil. Nothing else. Very bad. The arugula salad and Brussels sprouts were good, but my partner’s gnocchi with sausage - which I watched the kitchen pull out of a vat of hot water to serve….- was cold. And I’m sorry, storing cooked sausages like that and them being room temp/cold seems unsafe food prep. It’s that hard to cook sausage to order!? What the heck. The penne with vodka sauce was not bad but the chicken Parmesan also lacked flavor. Our server was nice and did take the mozz sticks back/off our tab (we took 1 bite only), but I will never get over what a joke of a dining experience that was! Maybe they are trained to not ask how the food/dining experience is since they know customers will have critiques? Who knows, but 10/10 do not recommend and will not be returning. Go to Bar Italia or Molto Bene for actually good Italian food...

I've been going to "Pepper's Italian Restaurant" for 13 years. I really like their cheese pizza. I was saddened to hear Pepper's was sold. I heard Pepper's is under new management and recently re-opened. I called Pepper's today to inquire about the menu and pricing. I was told the pizza's were still the same. I decided to give it a try. I ordered a medium cheese pizza and a slice of tiramisu. I was told the order would be ready in 20 minutes. I got there in 15 minutes and my order was done sooner than expected. My pizza was sitting out on the counter along with tiramisu on top of the warm pizza box. The tiramisu was warm and ruined from sitting on the warm pizza box. A dessert like tiramisu is supposed to be kept cold in the fridge until the customer comes to pick up the actual order and should not sit out getting warm and sour. Also, the pizza should be kept warm inside a warmer and not left out getting cold. The cheese and crust were over cooked. The sauce is not the same. Pizza sauce was bland and too sweet. After eating 1 slice of pizza I was not happy and could not finish the rest of the pizza. Disappointed in the prices and definately way over priced!! It was disappointing as they only have one size pizza. A medium cheese pizza was $12.00 and a slice of tiramisu was $8.00 which is rediculous for the portion size I got. This was my first time coming back to Pepper's since they closed and re-opened. I will not be returning to Pepper's!! I truly miss the "Old Pepper's" 😞 Bob's pizza sauce was the BEST!! You will...