New Jersey Monthly has recently called Florham Park the Number One place to live in New Jersey. With plenty of good restaurants, it’s easy to see why.
An especially good restaurant is Nonna’s Italian Restaurant, located at 176 Columbia Turnpike in the same Florham Park retail complex as Trader Joe’s and across the street from the Florham Park Diner.
Upon entering, my guest and I found ourselves in the bustling take-away section of the restaurant where everything from pizzas to entire dinners are available. Walking a bit further in, a friendly maîtresse d’ greeted us and escorted us to our seat. The décor was breezy — light, clean, and modern, and we soon felt right at home.
Our server was a friendly youth named Bobby, the epitome of eagerness to serve. He took our drink orders right away and speedily returned as we studied the menu.
As expected, we found affordably-priced Italian specialties as well as great salads and other items, too.
Nonna’s large menu is divided into sections: appetizers, soups, salads, pasta, pasta specialties, and baked pasta dishes. There are extensive selections listed under headings for chicken, veal, and fish.
There is another exhaustive selection of pizzas, both personal and specialty pies. Veering slightly away from this are wraps, paninis, and hot heroes in addition to desserts and beverages both hot and cold.
The tri-color salad with arugula, endive, and radicchio graced with olives and roasted peppers tossed with house balsamic vinaigrette was outstanding. The roasted red peppers weren’t mere accents but a generous element of the salad. At $8.95 for the large size, it was a meal unto itself. Delicious.
Next on the menu was Chicken Parmigiana, made with fresh tomato sauce and literally smothered with mozzarella cheese. We chose penne for our pasta. The price was $14.95.
The service was impeccable, so it was difficult to believe our server, Bobby, when he said this was his first day on the job.
Most dinners do come with a small garden salad, so feel free to order a special salad; your server will happily pack a garden salad for you to take home.
Whether you choose to dine solo, with a special friend, or a party, Nonna’s should be the place for you.
Nonna’s delivers within a specified area. It is open seven days a week until 10:00 pm evenings. There is ample handicapped parking directly in front of the entrance, something to keep in mind if one or more of your party is differently abled. Major credit cards accepted.
You can phone them at 973-410-8030 or visit their website, http://comehometononnas.com
