Leone’s

Walked in on a whim after another place close by had a long wait and we noticed Gluten Free pizza on the menu so why not. We were seated after about 15 minutes, which isn’t bad for a Saturday night. It’s BYO so make sure you have your wine!
Our waitress was a sweetheart and was chatting it up with us about how we were new in town how shes been in Montclair, and Leone’s, for years. Even though she was super busy with tables, which was made apparent by her yogs across the floors, she kept stopping by to tell us a story or a little fun fact. She definitely added some pizaz to our experience!
As for the food, we had the Mussels Marinara as an appetizer and they were delicious. The sauce was great for bread dipping! GF Buffalo Chicken Pizza for the boy and I was between the Meatballs Al Forno and Rigatoni Di Manzo (Short Rib Ragu). Our waitress made it seem like a no brainer; I should go with the Rigatoni. When our plates came out, I was less than excited. My plate was just dry pasta with a spoonful of the Ragu on top — all it needed was a quick stir of the pasta in the sauce to bind it all together but unfortunately, this fell a little flat. The GF pizza was a hit though, so at least one of us was satisfied!
I would consider coming back to give them another shot since some of the plates and pizzas I saw circulating around us looked better than my dinner and the service was clearly one of a kind.

Ate here tonight and I thought the food was decent enough for the prices. Montclair has better restaurants but I would come back here for Sure. The Italian bread put on the table was not the freshest and a little disappointing. The spinach salad with goat cheese, cranberries and vinaigrette dressing was very good. Additionally, I had the CAPPELINI ANGELICA– with mushroom, broccoli rabe and goat cheese in pink sauce which was very good.
Service was friendly but very slow. I think two people were waiting on all the tables. It was a Tuesday night perhaps the place is not normally crowded on this night and they were understaffed?

Good slices, both plain and the penne vodka. Not sure how they get the pie to saucy but still so crispy, but they do! Wraps and sandwiches are good too, great Parmesan fries!

It pains me to say that this was a below expectations experience for me, I was quite excited for this experience but disheartened by the results. We ordered three waters and a Diet Coke for the table and the water looked like dish water and the soda was flat. As we drank our dish like water we watched a waitress spill water at the table next to us and act like nothing happened. The pizza was also below my expectations, truly a saddening experience. We also asked for ketchup for our fries but we finished them before it even got there. Along with that we asked for bigger plates for our pizza as we never got any and the waitress was almost annoyed, truly an upsetting experience. I will not be back.

came for a quick pizza. I loved it, and the owner was very nice to us. will come back for more!

Never had a bad experience! Been here as a couple for a casual dinner night, to a large group of friends for our annual holiday dinner. Either way, the food was good and the wait staff was amazing! My go to spot for an inexpensive Italian experience.

I came here for lunch on a Sunday. The penne vodka pizza they had was delicious. Haven’t had any of their other food yet, but I will definitely be returning!

Well this is just what I had hoped for. An Italian restaurant that delivers traditional food with great service. Started with the spinach bruschetta and arugula salad followed by shrimp parmigiana and the veal special. The food was plentiful and delicious. There was a great amount of space and the staff was friendly and attentive. We will be back!

Honestly, I only ever get takeout here but the food is fantastic and it doesn’t take too long compared to other Italian restaurants I’ve ordered at. I’ve spoken to the owner on many occasions and he’s always very friendly and welcoming. Not sure how I would feel about some of the older ladies being my server if I were to ever dine-​in, they’re a little intense for customer service.

I’m on vacation and came here for some good pizza and it was excellent service was great food was out of this world can’t wait to come back for my next visit

My boyfriend and I ended up going here for dinner randomly. Being from the area, I’d always walk past Leone’s (before and after the infamous Hell’s Kitchen episode). However, I never went to check it out — until this night.
The interior is well decorated. It has a great atmosphere inside, looking both modern in terms of style, but at the same time giving a nod to the past with pictures of Mamma Leone and other black and white photos blown up on the wall.
We were seared right away and our waiter Steven was awesome (friendly and attentive). Customer service was great that night. We ordered a ’16 inch Spinach pie, which my boyfriend proclaimed was «fantastic.» I agreed. The garlic bread appetizer was very good, but the rollatini was a little disappointing (too salty and too small a portion for $ 8). But overall, the food was aces.
I’d come again for the pizza for sure. Consider checking it out. I just wouldn’t recommend the eggplant rollatini. That’s all. You’ll have a pleasant dine-​in experience!

Solidly what we wanted for ‘Italian food’. Nothing knocked it out of the park. But also nothing was bad either. If I wanted chicken parmigiano and a warm atmosphere, I definitely would go again.
The entrance was a bit crowded and hard to figure out but once seated, the staff was quick and friendly.

The food itself at Leone’s is pretty great: I’ve sampled an array of pizzas, pastas, and salads from here, and even on their not-​so-​great nights service-​wise, the cuisine is simply delicious.
That said, the service is quite inconsistent and often leaves something to be desired — while some days the servers are perfectly polite and courteous, other days your request for water might go unanswered for 30 minutes, even when the restaurant isn’t crowded.
During my latest visit, the funghi misti pizza was quite runny but delicious, and our server was alright — distracted, but overall really nice.
BUT. I asked for my pizza to be wrapped up, and when I got home, I discovered that the three slices were piled on top of each other, sandwiched between two paper plates, and tossed into the paper bag I carried it home in — which was soaking wet from the runny pizza by the time I got home.
Maybe I should have known to ask for my pizza in a proper to-​go container, or at least wrapped up in foil… but here’s hoping they’ll know better next time.

This place is by far one of the best Italian joints around town its never a bad time when i go out here with my friends and family
P. S. Service like the one this place provides is hard to come by great great place
P. S.S. Mike is a great guy no other owner Ive ever that puts themselves at the same level with their customers like him

If you want to feel like you’re in the Sopranos, this is the place to go. Décor is spot on for a family Italian restaurant. The service is brusque but fits the place to the letter. We got the penne vodka and I think it’s the best I’ve ever had. Perfectly pink sauce and delicious pasta. I definitely recommend you come for the food and the vibe.

It’s always hard to rate a restaurant when the food is good, but the service leaves much to be desired. For an app, I had the ginger calamari. The flavors were perfect! I also had the orecchiette bolognese. The al dente pasted was in a proportionately appropriate meaty vodka-​like sauce. I would definitely order this dish again. For dessert, we had tartufo. Sadly, it came out partially melted and from there it melted quite fast.
As I mentioned, the service was an issue. It seemed as though it would make sense to keep commonly requested items, such as water, or necessary items (like extra plates) in a few locations throughout the restaurant, so it doesn’t take so long to retrieve whatever a table needs. Just a thought.
I do think Leone’s deserves a second chance. I hope to be back soon.

Food 4* Service was 2*
Went for brunch yesterday. The hostess was very friendly and seated us quickly. The place was not super busy. Waitress came over took drink orders, coffee and lemonade and a glass of water. So far so good! Waited about 10 minutes after getting drinks for her to return and take our order. We got eggs benadict and a carne frittata which were both $ 9.50 and tasted good.
Whilst waiting for the food I wanted a coffee refill but no one came and noone asked. Finally I asked a food server and he said he would get our waitress. Few minutes later she comes with my coffee and I asked if she could get my wife a glass of water. She was so irate and blurted out I just came from there now I have to go back and she stormed off! We were so surpised, as not once until then had she been back to the table to ask us if we needed anything and we both thought WTF! She comes back with the water and plonks on the table without even passing a glance. I say thanks so much and was polite ever step of the way.
She ruined our brunch with her attitude. Then she brings the check and two minutes later says, have you signed it yet? A shame as the place is pretty nice but her bad attitude left a bad taste in our mouths. Not sure if we will return because of this.

It’s really 3.5, but I rounded up. I was craving southern Italian food and had my bottle of Amarone and was heading to Corso, which was closed for a private party. So tried Osteria Giotto at 7:30 w/​o a reservation and only patio seating available, so no luck there either. Leone’s was empty inside, but I knew they could deliver the southern Italian I wanted. I also knew that if everything else was bad that their calamari is great. What makes it great is not only the flavor, but that they use fresh squid. I know this because it has a lot of «squiggleys», not just the rings. Rings only is a tell tale sign that the restaurant uses frozen squid. We decided on the calamari arrabbiata and it was outstanding. I had the gnocchi with red sauce and my friend had the capellini angelica. Both sauces were very flavorful. My dish delivered what I was looking for — a simple, hearty meal.
Service is friendly and no nonsense. No superficial ass kissing here, just like the food, which is old school, authentic, bare bones, good food with a very fair price.

You know what? I love Leone’s. I know they’ve had ups and downs, but I think their food is really terrific. They must’ve listened to older feedback around customer service, who know, but everyone I’ve dealt with over the past however many months has been wonderful — from the person taking an order over the phone, to an in-​person server to the delivery person when I can’t get it together to actually go there in person.
My favorite? Orecchiette bolognese. Love that sauce; rivals mine.
I’d say, give them a try — and if you have tried them in the past and not been there in a while, give them another chance. I really think you won’t be disappointed!

I’m always shopping in the Church St. area of Montclair and I’ve passed by Leone’s a few times and I thought «Huh, I’d like to give that a shot.» WELL GUESS WHO DID, Y’ALL.
So I’m with my boo-​thing for some lunch and we made a great decision when it came to Leone’s. We’re seated in a loft area that overlooks one of the dining rooms and the place is adorable. I like to think of it as a «Bootlegger’s 1920’s Escape to Tuscany for a Sunday Afternoon». Something simple, y’know?
So we ordered appetizers and we got the Mozzarella Carrozza. This combined my two favorite things: Cheese and Carbs. It was literally mozzarella baked in between two pieces of crunchy, warm bread with marinara sauce to dip. I enjoy the simple things in life and this was perfect. I wanted a basket of these.
For the main dish we both decided to get the Tuscany Panini which was the lunch special for the day. It’s a panino with grilled chicken, mozzarella, roasted red peppers, broccoli rabe and balsamic vinegar served with a house salad. After biting into this sandwich, I could actually hear Vivaldi’s «Primavera» playing in my head. It was that good. It was crunchy, filling and it had the perfect balance of flavor between all of the ingredients. The broccoli rabe give it a little kick but the peppers and mozzarella soothed it.
Personally, I loved Leone’s and I definitely see myself going back here. Service was a little slow and that’s the reason why I’m giving it 4/​5, but honestly do not let that stop you.