Palazzo Restaurant

A hidden gem that needs to be rediscovered. Everything we tried was wonderful, portions are very generous, beautifully prepared and presented. Very friendly staff.
A note to Chef Giglio: use more social media to raise visibility. The food is the best I have ever had in Montclair (I visit often as I have friends there), yet the dining room was almost empty on Sunday afternoon. There is no liquor license, but this is common in Montclair (byob is encouraged). We shared everything seafood asparagus risotto (perfect), crab cake app special, halibut with brussel sprouts, side of spinach and a watercress pear salad. Somehow we managed crème brûlée and a semi freddo, both delicious. We picked Palazzo because of the photos here and were rewarded with an outstanding meal.

Just had a penne vodka with shrimp and chicken… simple + tasty… cappuccino + tiramisu was ok (had better hence the 3 stars)…will I come again yes love the ambiance…

Wonderful dinner and service. The CIOPPINO and penne Palazzo were delicious, as was the bread pudding. Live piano rounded out the experience. Will return soon :)

Superb! Lovely décor, excellent service & delicious food. Our meals were prepared with the variations we requested. All ingredients were fresh & the portions were large ! We loved our meal & evening & will return !

Great place to have a fantastic meal, or just a glass of wine. The staff is wonderful and the food perfect. It is great for a date or just hanging out by yourself.

We had a dinner in Palazzo very good charming place and very good food and service the manager Leo was very welcoming and polite Thank you Leo for great dinning experience !!!

Ehhh. I’ve never dined in-​restaurant, but I’ve had the lunch special takeout a few times. For $ 10, you can’t beat the pasta/​sandwich & soup/​salad combo. It’s a really good deal, and the food is pretty good. The vodka sauce definitely outshines the others, and you’ll get bread with your order that’s also pretty good. Outside of the lunch special, the rest of the food seems to be kind of expensive. While the delivery was pretty quick and I was happy with the quality & price of the food, the staff here is pretty rude. Friends of mine have had issues with the people who work in the restaurant and I’ve had problems on the phone a few times, too. They really need to work on how they talk to people if they want people to keep coming back, as the few times I’ve stopped in, the place hasn’t been packed at all.

I chanced upon this place when I was looking for a bite before the movie started. Classy, elegant fine dining but not snooty. Great place for a quiet date night or meeting friends. Upscale crowd. I tried the lobster risotto and I liked it a lot. The waitress Candy is so professional and knows the menu well. A good place to impress someone at.

OK restaurant. Cozy atmosphere. Great, friendly service. The option to bring your own wine.
The food was just OK — I don’t recommend the beef carpaccio — it was sliced very thick. A salad on the specials — kale with sliced apples, walnuts, etc. came out very dry, I think they forgot to toss in a dressing, our server accommodated us quickly with a side of dressing.
I order cod over risotto that was on the specials, the sweet pea risotto was incredible, the cod could have been cooked thru a bit more, it was gelatinous in the middle but overall it was good.
The seafood boullabaise was very good, a huge portion.
If you haven’t tried Palazzo’s yet, I’d say give it a try, based on other reviews here, its a hit or miss depending on what you order.

The food is exceptional and the area is nice. Unfortunately John is very sexual in nature very disrespectful to his employees hence why the turnover rate at the restaurant is through the roof. Some of the servers here are very nasty I.e. Candy and Megan. The décor is dirty and outdated. There are foot print on the walls. I miss the food but I don’t miss the sketchiness.

We randomly stumbled upon this restaurant last night after a show. Surprisingly, the food was extremely good.
We started off with the calamari balasmico, which was extremely delightful as it was a mix of fried calamari that wasn’t greasy and chopped tomatoes drizzled with balsamic dressing. The portion was large enough for 2 people.
As for my entrée, I got the fusilli pasta dish with shrimp, mushrooms and spinach mixed with light marinara sauce topped with shredded mozzarella cheese. This dish was marvelous as well as overly portioned. My only compliant is that they gave me 4 small shrimp on the plate. Otherwise, I highly recommend visiting this restaurant as you will not be disappointed.

The Italian options in Montclair are endless. We were drawn to Palazzo after buying a
certificate, but upon arrival, it dawned on me that it’s one of the few restaurants in Montclair that offers outdoor seating. For that reason alone, I very well may have chosen to go here sooner, but just never got around to it.
We were immediately greeted by the host and a guy playing the piano. Classy. My initial impression was that the dining room was immaculate and very well-​organized. Nice place settings and colors, giving off a very old school Italian vibe. The place was kind of empty for a Wednesday night, but that was fine by me considering the 5 star service we received.
I started with the squash soup, which I would put in the top 3 squash soups I’ve ever had. Perfect for a chilly fall night. Just the right amount of cream, just the right amount of sweet and the pumpkin seeds gave it a nice touch.
The shrimp and Italian peppers, $ 12 (Jumbo shrimp sauteed with garlic and long hot Italian peppers) was kind of ‘meh,’ but it is what it is. It’s not what I would have ordered, and I didn’t order it.
The crab-​stuffed ravioli with gorgonzola was outrageously delicious. I went with the small portion ($ 11 versus $ 19) and got 6 raviolis. That was more than enough. Combine that with the duck breast with orange glaze, mushroom risotto and spinach, and you have yourself a perfect fall menu.
My only real gripe is that the complimentary focaccia needed something, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Other than that, the place feels Italian, but the menu isn’t really all that Italian. Sure, there’s a pasta section, but if you ask me, most of the appetizers and entrees put them in that «new American» category.
Other:
— Don’t assume the online menu is all they have. They do daily specials, which is how we wound up with the ravioli and the duck.
— Street parking.
— And most importantly, BYOB!

The service & atmosphere = outstanding! The food is tasty & traditional and the menu had several interesting specials. The Price Fix dinner is a great deal & the BYOB policy saves money. I’ve held a few large parties here & it worked out very well. Palazzo is an institution that has lasted years in a town known for excellent restaurants. I hope it remains !!!

Another one star review:
I had an experience that reflects the most heartless owner of a restaurant I have ever come across. It was Valentine’s Day. I was feeling sick from the chemotherapy I had received the day before, but wanted a nice night out, even though I had very little appetite. Palazzo Restaurant had a fixed menu, which they did not disclose when we made our reservation. I asked the waitress and the manager if it might be okay to just have a cup of soup and a salad rather than the full multi-​course menu and explained my circumstances. After consulting with the owner, they reported back that no concession or accommodation could or would be made. Surprised, we asked if there was a misunderstanding and were told no, they simply would not be flexible. At that point, I was stunned, in disbelief, so we left and dined elsewhere. I cannot imagine ever going back again.

Hey Palazzo owner JOHN GIGLIO:
You may want to spend 3 hours reading
your 1 and 2 star reviews on your restaurant,
rather than spending 3 hours counting your
$$$ on a Friday night.
A happy and satisfied customer should be your #1 priority.
… A former customer.

Raising to 5 stars after 2 more visits, as every single app and entrée has been very good, substantial in size, reasonably priced, in a very nice atmosphere, with very friendly staff and BYO.
Add the veal chop, chicken with zucchini, monkfish, caramel apple tart and pre-​meal foccaccia to the recommended dishes list and praise for the staff being very agreeable to switching side dishes.
Great proximity to Welmont Theatre, the movie theater and the Fullerton parking deck.

Lovely place! We went here because we had a gift certificate from
, and we will definitely be back.
The food tasted really fresh and was presented very well. We had the mozzarella tower (fresh tomato slices and mozzarella and risotto for appetizers. Both were great, especially the risotto. I would go back just for that. For entrees, we had the chicken sorrento and New York Strip steak, which was a special. The steak was cooked perfectly.
The service was excellent. We were there on Sunday night so it wasn’t very busy (but that hasn’t stopped other places in the area from completely sucking), but everyone we encountered from the moment we walked in until we left was pleasant and helpful. Our server was on top of her stuff, for sure.
This is great date night spot, so I wish they offered more half-​bottles of wine, but it’s not that big a deal. As others have said, it’s nice they even have a liquor license (and had I known they let you bring your own bottle anyway, I definitely would have).
All in all, a great place to eat and just a great place to be. Can’t wait to go again and try other things on the menu.

This is a nice place in Montclair, and its open Mondays. Got to love that. They also have a liquor license, not always the case in Montclair. But they let you bring your own bottle too. Pretty nice. Not sure the corking fee if there is one.
The food is Italian based. Ive had a number of the apps here and find the sizes generous and plentiful. The bread they serve is good, comes with olive oil. You may have to ask for more of both.
The service is with a smile and they don’t rush you here. They will happily discuss the menu with you and make suggestions as well.
I have always stuck with specials here and can recommend those.
This is a more upscale place, cloth napkins etc. You get the idea.
Parking is street or a nearby parking lot with meters.

I went here for the first on the recommendation of our Montclair Unilocal brother Brian N. The room was not as small as I expected based on the previous reviews. All was lovely from the white table cloths and napkins to quality silverware and dishes.
The entrees suited our tastes perfectly. Pasta was the desire and our call. The small ear like pasta with hot sausage, broccoli rabe and white beans in a garlic butter sauce was flavorful, yet delicate. We had the whole wheat fettuccini with shrimp, artichoke hearts and grape tomatoes. Very mild, but lovely. We washed it down with a great Pepperwood Pinot Noir.
Our waitress was very helpful, attentive and sweet. We had a concert to attend down the street, so no dessert or listening to the weekend jazz trio. But we will be back for more soon. This time with friends. Thanks Brian.

Came here with my boyfriend on a surprise date night on Thursday.
I had already eaten a big lunch with my coworkers so we skipped the apps. I ordered the spinosini (white linguine with clams, mussels & grilled octopus in a white wine sauce). The octopus was grilled to perfection. I couldn’t finish the whole dish, so I ate half and took the rest to go. My boyfriend ordered the linguine ala nostra and he seemed to enjoy his dish as well.
For dessert my boyfriend had the tiramisu and I had the crème brûlée. Even though I felt 6 months pregnant after finishing the dessert, it was worth it.
Service was really good when we were here. Waitress was knowledgable about the menu and the specials. We were given refills of our water without having to ask, and we were not rushed into ordering anything or having our plates cleared from the table.
I’m a fan :).