Catherine Lombardi — Restaurant in New Brunswick

Okay, let me start by saying: Catherine Lombardi’s in New Brunswick is a must-visit if you love amazing food, impeccable service, and a dining experience so good, you’ll be trying to figure out how to sneak into the kitchen mid-meal. We were treated like royalty the moment we walked in—seriously, we had a server checking on us so often I started to wonder if she had a rubber band attached to us, ready to spring into action at the slightest glance.

The holiday decorations were absolutely adorable, with enough festive flair to make you feel like you’re dining in a cozy winter wonderland. But the real magic? The food, of course.

Let’s talk drinks first. Fun, delicious, and a little bit fancy—just the way I like them. You could almost taste the joy in each sip, and let me tell you, the happiness wasn’t just from the alcohol (but that definitely helped).

Now, onto the seafood salad. If you’ve ever had a seafood salad that made you want to call your mom and say, “Forget everything you know, this is the new benchmark for delicious,” then you understand the vibe. Best. Seafood. Salad. Ever. No contest.

For the main course, you get to choose between steak or Italian. We were feeling extra adventurous and went with the Italian side. My husband ordered the truffle mushroom pasta special, which looked like something you’d see in a food magazine (and he was basically in a state of pure bliss while eating it). I went for the six-cheese cannelloni, and let’s just say I briefly considered ordering another round, but I didn’t want to embarrass myself (didn’t stop me from almost doing it, though).

Then, of course, came the desserts. Oh. My. Goodness. The dessert menu was a literal dream. Tiramisu? Yes, please. Brownie? Why not? But we went with the berries zabaglione and Cookies & Cream Gelato (because, who are we kidding, we’re not made of stone). Both were nothing short of heavenly, and I’m pretty sure I floated out of the restaurant after that.

Bonus: The chocolate chip cookies on the menu were practically screaming my name, and if I didn’t have some self-control, I might have tried to sneak one. (I didn’t... but I really wanted to.)

Lastly, let’s talk about the venue. Yes, we had to eat upstairs (because we’re fancy like that), but don’t worry—there’s an elevator! So, no matter how much pasta you’ve consumed, you can easily get back up the stairs in the most graceful way possible (or, you know, shoot yourself up like a rubber band and pretend you meant to do that).

In conclusion: If you haven’t been to Catherine Lombardi’s, what are you waiting for? The service was impeccable, the food was beyond delicious, and it felt like dining with family (the fun, super-talented, always-there-for-you family). Will we be back? Absolutely. If I could give it 6 stars, I would. 10/10,...

They seem to be resting on their laurels and aren’t investing in the restaurant. It was dirty and the food was terrible, not worth the trip. My husband and I went for dinner on Valentine’s Day and it started with the 7:30 reservation. We were told they needed a credit card to hold the table and there was a 2 hour limit. We said fine, it’s Valentine’s Day and we were looking forward to a wonderful meal. We got into New Brunswick late and we called them to say we would be 10 minutes late. They reminded us that we would still need to be out at 9:30. I thought this was rude as he said this more than twice. When we got there, they seated us in a dirty little room with a banquette that was dusty and dirty. The seat had a ring stain as if someone urinated on it. The chairs were dirty and rickety. They need to at least shampoo the upholstery once in a blue moon! The tables were covered in dust and I wondered if the plate and utensils were placed on top of the dust, or if they were dirty as well. We notified the waiter and we were seated in the regular dining room. That was fine. The drinks (a Brooklyn and vodka martini) seemed watered down. My husband had the swordfish and I had the steak pizzaole, medium rare. The swordfish had no flavor, the steak was so gristly, I could not cut through the meat and it was rare. It looked like roadkill. The side of broccoli rabe was drowning in lemon juice and we couldn’t taste any olive oil, garlic or anything else if they put anything else in there. The owner, with an armful of dishes, came by our table and asked how everything was. We started to ask about the little room and that it was dirty and he said yes, the room hadn’t been used in a week. Ummmmm, ok, but why wouldn’t you clean it before seating customers? And customers who overpay for the food and watered down drinks? The owner clearly had no real interest in what we really thought. I told him the fireplace was very nice. I absolutely would not eat here again. I would rather have made a nice meal at home. My husband said it would have been better to have not eaten at all. We love food. I wish the chef at this restaurant at...

Hands down the BEST food in New Jersey!! We traveled from south jersey to try this restaurant and we would go back in a heartbeat!! The food is impeccable. The cocktails are some of the best we have ever had ( thank you Chris the amazing bartender). The food is all made in house from scratch. Nothing was overly salty, in fact we were amazed at how little salt there was and how much we could taste the quality of the fine ingredients. Everything was perfect. My husband and I are foodies and we frequently dine out in Philadelphia and occasionally go to New York. The food and drinks at Catherine Lombardi top any other dining experience we've had in recent years. We are steering clear of Philadelphia these days as it has become too dangerous to go there. We've had some frightening experiences trying to get to some local hot spots and it is just not worth the risk. Happy to drive to this gem of a restaurant and plenty of safe parking nearby. The staff is wonderful as well. The manager was sweet she checked on us but not too much. The waiter was nice ( keep in mind this is rutgers campus so it is mostly college students working here) these kids are all heart and they want you to have a wonderful experience. A senior bus assistant server named Jonathan stood out to us. He was professional and kind and kept a watch on our table to make sure everything was great. Victoria the hostess gave our family a great table and welcomed us. Now as for the food...... I wish I had another stomach or two to try everything. We stuck to the pasta dishes and they were all stellar. Wild Boar ravioli, Lasagna, Tortelloni, all a WOW!! classic caesar salad, gorgonzola pear , house made burrata was to die for! the coctails were divine- Chris- amazing bartender. wine list just right. the desserts all made in house. The chocolate bread pudding was awesome and classic tiramisu perfect. thank you everyone for a wonderful evening! We...