Giambotta

Took a friend out to dinner for their birthday- the dish served was bland and dry. Brought this to the manager, Carmine's, attention only to be told that "he appreciated the information and would pass this to the chef". We were charged full price ($29.95) for a mediocre meal- mentioned this to our server who returned with apologies and $3 off of our total bill which was over $100. Found the Manager who then complained that he was only authorized to go up to that amount. Silly. Short sighted executive management and mediocre cooking. Ciao! Pros: no waiting for a table Cons: I know why there's no waiting for a table... more

Let's put things in context, most of the Italian restaurants I've been to in NJ have been below average. Having said that Giambotta exceeds most and is a solid average restaurant -meaning, if I am in the area I would definitely go again, but would not go out of my way to visit. Their vegetable & goat cheese pizza was a true stand out. Their chopped salad had potential but had a bit too much dressing for my liking. Had the "special" tri-colore fussilli with shrimp. The sauce was good, the pasta was right out of a box, at $23 for the family portion a bit of a rip-off. Service was also average, if a bit unpolished. Their computer lost our order and we had to wait at least 25 minutes between the appetizer and the main dish. My wife was not happy. Full bar and lounge jazzy music compliment the taverna like decor on the first floor. By the way, this is not Mexican restaurant. Pros: brick oven pizza Cons: nothing memorable more