Family Fave Italian Restaurant Nonno’s Cucina Opens in Glen Rock

Sometimes you can come home again. After making a splash with his first restaurant, Mangia Trattoria, back in 2003, Italian food fans were saddened to say goodbye to Chef P. Nonno Petrizzo when that restaurant closed its doors. Well, get ready to say “ciao!” because Chef Petrizzo’s returned with gusto—in the same location, at the Bottle King shopping center, no less—with his newest fine-dining venture, Nonno’s Cucina restaurant in Glen Rock, NJ.

We visited for dinner on a recent Sunday evening, and the 60-seat restaurant was filled with families enjoying a relaxing meal in a simple, clean environment. After being greeted by none other than Chef Petrizzo’s wife (she’s the restaurant’s hostess), we took a seat and took in the charming décor, including the brick oven, which was in the process of baking what looked to be a perfect Neapolitan pizza. Tempting, but not enough to steer us away from trying out a few classic dishes.

We dove right into the antipasto platter ($13) and fried calamari ($11), both of which were quite tasty. For our main courses, we enjoyed the Vitello Francese ($19), the Gnocchi Sorrentino ($16) and a crispy Caesar salad with Grilled Shrimp ($18). All of the entrées come with a side salad, so by the time our entrées were ready, we had to make room for the large portions (even for a family of five) that were brought to our table by Nonno’s super-friendly staff.

As promised, the veal was well seasoned, the homemade gnocchi perfectly al dente, and the shrimp perfectly grilled. Meanwhile, the kids enjoyed spaghetti and meatballs ($7) as well as chicken fingers and french fries ($9) from the children’s menu. Bonus for you gluten-free gals: we noticed more than a few gluten-free pizza and pasta options.

All in all, a great family meal, compliments of the comeback kid.

Carla Sullivan is the dining editor for Bergen Mama and the founder of a MiniMunchers.com a foodie website for families in NYC, she lives in Ridgewood with her husband and three kids.