Welcome to Matthew's Italian Restaurant: A Dining Experience Like No Other

“ We went after a long time! They are always filled on weekends so make reservations if possible. We got stuffed articles and house salad to start. My husband got ricotta ravioli n i ordered chicken parmigiana and both dishes were really good.. i loved chicken and it was so flavorful, the best i ever had, i got penne in garlic oil as it's side and it was really good.. they make awesome pastas.. my husband like ravioli except we couldn't taste thyme in it which was mentioned in description. We ended the meal with tiramisu. We liked the food but their service was really slow, one thing that can be improved.. ”

“ We came here based off a friend recommendation, and we were certainly not disappointed. We started with the fried mozz and the tortellini en brodo. Both were very good. My fiancée went and got the scallops with risotto and I ordered a chicken parm with vodka sauce and fresh rigatoni. They make their rigatoni in house which is a great touch. Both were very good. I was super happy with the chicken parm. Service was awesome, we had an amazing waitress that was friendly and attentive. We will 100 percent be back to experience more of their menu! ”

“ Best food. Best people. Best service. Did I say best food! Matthew and his staff are amazing. It is my family's go to place. Never disappoints. Matthew's persona is warm and genuine. ”

“ If you're a fan for large portions and excellent customer service, you should definitely check them out. We were greeted and promptly seated and service was prompt throughout the entire meal. We didn't have to ask for anything they were able to read between the lines on what we needed. Bread was warm. The caprese salad was fresh was the perfect dressing to match. Had a nice tang while not being sour. The clams with the white sauce had a nice thickening sauce but in two of the clams, I got bit on some hard particles and left some dirt. Both pasta entree were large portion. The rigatoni was in various degrees of done-ness, some soft some el dente and the braciole was kind of chewy. Spicy sausage and meatballs was excellent. It took a little of time between apps and entree. We finally finished with the homemade Tiramasu and it did not disappoint. Yum! Overall, really impressed with the top notch service and would be interested in trying out some of their other pasta/meat dishes next time. ”

“ ***4 1/2 stars*** Matthew's has been on my list for literally years; it has consistently high ratings in an area of North Jersey teeming with Italians who presumably know what they're talking about when it comes to food. I don't really have an excuse for waiting this long for my debut other than that it's in one of my least favorite areas of the state - the always-congested stretch of Route 3 near Clifton Commons. This is actually located one exit away from the Commons, which helps, but be prepared for some traffic no matter what. The Millennial Chum and I stopped by for lunch yesterday a little after noon, having built up an appetite from the nearby Little Falls townwide yard sale (huge recommend - lot of high quality stuff including furniture, and the town site has a cool link where the participating yard sales show up as waypoints on Google Maps.). I was legitimately taken aback by how tiny this place is. It's not QUITE claustrophobic, but they have to get creative with their spacing for sure, including with the bathroom area, which is kind of randomly off to the side of the entryway. This is also one of the smallest bars I've ever seen (I think the only one I've encountered that's smaller is the Baldanza at the Schoolhouse in Wilton, CT, which seats one or two people); there were maybe four stools available over there. Interesting. In terms of seating/availability, this was the right time to go. There were only two other tables occupied and it was incredibly quiet (too quiet in my opinion) throughout our meal, save the obligatory low-volume Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra ditties in the background. I kept it enormously basic and went with the Penne w/ Tomato Sauce ($18). The Millennial Chum and I narrowed our eyes suspiciously at the VERY orange sauce, but it was the absolute star of the show, one of the best sauces I've encountered. It hugged the texture balance of being thick without crunchy, and tasted great - just the right amount of sweetness. The pasta was cooked perfectly, and the meatball I sampled from the Millennial's Chum was delicious as well. Super juicy and flavorful with the aforementioned sauce accompanying it. We also had a few fresh, warm rolls with butter; crispy on the outside, soft on the inside as it should be. The only downside there was we didn't get enough butter to deal with the third roll, but that's a very minor quibble (and I'm sure could have been easily rectified if we cared enough). The service was good but honestly not great. We didn't have egregious waits, but it WAS a bit on the slow side. Our waitress was pleasant/professional, but should have stopped by one or two additional times - other than grabbing the check, she never came by after the food was served to see how it was. And given that there were only two other occupied tables, there just wasn't an excuse for that. Very solid establishment overall though; I'm always into a place with white tablecloths that doesn't bat an eye when you show up in beach shorts. That's the dream. Come for the open-mindedness, stay for the tomato sauce. ”

“ Matthew's is my husband's favorite restaurant and it's ironic because he typically doesn't enjoy Italian cuisine. The owner is always there when we attend and always makes a point to say hello and ask how service was. For dinner, the restaurant is dimly lit which adds to the romantic, serene ambiance. For small parties, they do not take reservations but we always choose to wait because our experience dining at Matthew's is always terrific! ”

“ Wow, a true hidden gem in the heart of Clifton, I've been at hundreds of Italian spots in Jersey and this one is absolutely magic! The rigatoni is homemade in the house, and it definitely shows, I got mine with Cajun chicken and vodka sauce. Melt in your mouth. Delicious! My day got the shrimp Parm, with the homemade rigatoni as well, and he was in love! A full bar I will definitely be back! And a full bar ! ”

“ Excellent meal. You can tell owner takes pride in his restaurant. Went with a large group and tried a lot of things. They were very accommodating. Highlights- stuffed artichoke - the stuffing was divine and perfectly garlicky Chicken Parm - subbed vodka sauce - delicious! The chicken was perfect, sauce delicious, pasta good! Panna cotta - soooo flavorful vanilla beans in it and great texture. The stuffed mushrooms were good too. We'll definitely be back! ”