Best Italian Restaurants in Bernardsville

In from out of town and went for Christmas Eve dinner. Restaurant was exactly what I was hoping it would be, small family place with great service, friendly staff and delicious homemade Italian dishes. 10/10 will definitely make a point to come back next time I’m in the area.

The carbonara is my favorite pasta on the menu it did not disappoint. Had a chicken special which was also good. Regrettably it was really hot upstairs, and they don’t seem to be able to do anything about that. And I mean 79 degrees if the thermostat is to be believed. On a 20 degree night. Seems it is all one zone heat/AC.

We'd eaten at Restaurante MV the weekend before. Osteria Morini restaurant is not as pretty as Restaurante MV, but the overall quality of the food and service for us outweighed the ambiance. Between the two restaurants we preferred the cost and the quality of the food here, although it was slightly higher than a restaurant in Chester and in Lebanon we enjoy. We shared an app, a salad, each ordered an entrée and shared a dessert. We started with the Melanzana (fried eggplant balls) pomodoro, ($15.00) which was delicious and an appetizer we'd never had before. We moved onto the Romana salad which is essentially a Caesar with baked capers, adding a crunchy twist. ($16.00) From here we ordered a chicken parm. (huge portion) with the option of either garlic spinach or pasta. (no extra charge for pasta like Restaurante MV) which was cooked perfectly. ($32.00) We also ordered the short rib special. ($32.00) The portion was small, but the dish was rich with a amazing deep beefy flavor, making the size of the dish was adequate. (Nothing to take home here) For dessert we shared the donuts with toppings and ice cream. I am normally not a donut fan, but these were well worth getting, accompanied by an expresso and cappuccino. The only downside I would say was the restaurant and ladies room were so cold to the point where I ordered hot tea before dinner, instead of a bottle of wine. I didn't want anything cold which was a loss to the restaurant. We would definitely recommend Osteria Morini for a dinner out and will be back again.

Food is innovative and delicious. Certainly not run of the mill Italian. Highly recommended.

Food was excellent. Service was great. We had an early reservation and was seated at a table that was a little cramped. We felt like our meal was being rushed to make sure they had that table for the next seating. Would have liked to go a little slower and enjoy my meal. Would try to make a later reservation next time to avoid being rushed and to sit at a more comfortable table.