Nauna's Bella Casa

Montclair has the best restaurants and Nauna's is certainly not excluded. Their service is great! Their food and atmosphere are wonderful. The place is clean. There is also this hot waiter there. He is so cute! I love their sausage and fettucini!

great pizza and fantastic dinners served in the back! two entrances, but only one works. nice people there and the restroom rocks. doesn't matter what u order....it's all great!

One word - BLAND.
Nothing I tried had any real flavor. Go across the street to tiny Enzo's and enjoy some very tasty food.

I have been going there for years. I have always enjoyed both the food and the service. We've rented the back dining room for several successful parties, too!

Cheers,
Raymmmondo

We absolutely love Naunas. My family has been going there since we moved to Montclair 6 years ago and are always pleased. The food is great, the staff is very friendly and there is something on the menu for everyone. We've been to almost every restaurant in Montclair and Nauna's is our fav for a "family" night out.

I was there last night and had the French Onion Soup and Chicken Marsala.

The soup was a very delicious but a little salty.

The chicken was a huge disappointment. There was no taste to it - not even marsala wine.

The atmosphere was great. Our waitress was very solicitous, and the other diners were very friendly and fun.

I guess I'll go back and try another dish.

I've been going to Nauna's since we moved here 3 years ago and are always happy with the food and service. The blackboard specials are great and the seafood is always fresh. I know food is a subjective to individual taste so I can understand someone not liking food the got there or any other place for that matter, but overall I think Nauna's is the best combination of quality and value in the area, and we've been to almost every restaurant in Montclair.

Ate there last night.
Great food. Great service. Great place.
Great Price.

Will go back for more!

I hear that they're going to have a St. Patrick's Day menu --better get there early as it sold out last year!!

We eat there frequently and love the place. I think we're going to try the Irish menu this weekend. The Star Ledger ran a story on Sunday about Nauna's and the special menu they will have on St. Pats. It was a really nice article on the cover of the Essex section. Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/z2aqw

Visited for the first time tonight and was very pleasantly surprised. This is first rate Italian cuisine - delicious and carefully prepared and presented without being pretentious. Mussels Fra Diavolo were superb - very spicy without being overwhelming. Sausages escarole and beans was very flavorful - the best of this dish we have had anywhere ( and we have dined in the finest Italian restaurants here and abroad.). The chicken rollatini oreganato was also first rate - the filling was the right blend of spices. We are adding Nauna's to our list of places to be visited regularly.
Service was cheerful and attentive and prices are very reasonable.

The Montclair Times ran a story just this week and gave Nauna's glowing reviews. I agree with them and think that Nauna's is quite a gem!

http://www.montclairtimes.com/page.php?page=13146

Truly agree that Montclair has some of the best Restaurants, However, Nauna's does not meet that standard by any means. Nauna's is a GLORIFIED DINER, their pizza is garbage & the quality of their food is below par.

It's a diner?! Does it serve breakfast all day? At all? Eggs? Pancakes? Matzoh ball soup?

Scotty,

You must have been at another restaurant and thought that it was Nauna's.

The Pizza is wonderful at Nauna's and I especially like the fried zuchini.

We'll keep coming back for the great food, terrific service and serene ambiance.

I absolutely agree with Scotty's comment. "Nothing But a GLORIFIED DINER." Nauna's food is at the very tail end of Montclair's Restaurant environment. What a waste of space, should expand Quickcheck all the way through.

Nauna's pizza is not great-- I like Soho and Villa Victoria much better for their cheese, crust and sauce.

Ate at the more upscale part of Nauna's one night-- it was just OK and I've never had a desire to go back.

Why Estela, of course you'd agree with Scotty- you both have the same e-mail address.

mk2_20vturbo@yahoo.com= Estela
MK2_20Vturbo@yahoo.com= Scotty
are you both the same person or are there 2 people living in one body.

I like Nauna's - both the front pizza, snacks and sandwich room and the dining room.

The food is great and they are nice people and treat their customers well.

Went to a great party in a Montclair mansion, with great food, especially a delicious broccoli rabe. Turns out it all came from Nauna's!

Nice dinner at Nauna's tonight. osso buco was on special and it was... tangy and rich in flavor with very tender veal and wonderful potatoes.

None of that Milanese risotto for us!

My husband and I eat out a lot, probably four times a week and we have been to just about every restaurant in the Montclair area. We are so lucky to have so many great options within a mile or two from home. Nauna's is on our list of regular stops because of the combination of service, price and food quality. We always get treated well and enjoy a great meal. They have a huge private parking lot which is especially convenient when we are in a rush or the weather is bad. I hardly ever post on these internet blogs but after reading the comments from the above person posting twice under two names I wanted to chime in. If Nauna's is a glorified diner than they have the best seafood & pasta of any diner around, and they are the only diner I know of that you can't get a table unless you call day's ahead. Keep up the good work guy's and you'll always be as packed as you are now!

THIS SITE IS A SCAM..... Most posted are paid for by owner of business.

Not true at all SCAM.

I am a real person.

My wife and I have eaten there twice.
The food and service was top notch both times. I enjoy Good cooking, service and reasonable prices.

We'll be back again.

My wife and I went there for lunch one day and got a price fix type of thing. I was very impressed with the food (forgot what I ordered - was about 6 months ago) service and especially the price for how good the food was. As a result we started doing take out from Nauna's because Villa Victoria's delivery times can be 90 mins routinely - Nauna's is frequently 30 mins or less. I've given you the pros, now here are the cons: I got some dort of mixed seafood pasta and the seafood didn't seem too fresh. Since then I added shrimp once to a dish and it was good - maybe it was a 1 time thing. Their pizza (sampled recently) is lacking in flavor - not a lot of sauce, and the crust was nothing special. But at least I found a place that delivers good food quickly. Among my regular orders are the sausage parm sub, pasta fagoli, ravoli. Others I didn't like much were the mixed seafood pasta, their fried app platter including "chicken rings" (yes rings) and jalapino poppers that either had very sharp cheddar in them or were spoiled. I must admit, I have not sampled much of their higher priced cuisine, with the exception of the mixed seafood pasta.

Site is BULLSHIT.... FEEDBACK IS PAID FOR BY OWNER

hmmmm, well tell me BS...how much did you get paid to make that comment?

Right..and neither did the rest of us who made comments.

we love it there - food, service , price, ambiance

Brought some friends from NYC to Nauna's for dinner on Saturday night. It was a last minute thing and I knew we wouldn't get a table in some of our usual stops, but we order take out from Nauna's so I figured we'd give it a try. Well, I'm so happy we did. First, I didn't know they had a more formal dining room in the back that is for reservations only. The room is wonderfully designed with antiques and salvaged arcitecture and has a great ambiance. Then, I was equally impressed with the food we had. We ordered off the daily special menu that included stuffed shrimp, gnocchi, pork chops & pan seared tuna and everything was delicious. I never knew Nauna's has specials like that available, they need to advertise that. When we were leaving I spoke to the manager to tell him how pleased we were and that we would be back. It was then that I learned that they have a new head chef. I forget his name but he was the head chef at Richie Ceceres since they opened and he just started at Nauna's last month. Good move Nauna's, we will definately be back!

Inside Montclair on Tv - 34- 9th Annual Holiday Show

One of our featured segments of the special " Dining in Montclair for the Holidays ", had Chef Frank , new to Nauna's, prepare a unique Holiday feast of culinary delights.

Watch him ( and say hi to Tom too )on Inside Montclair On Tv - 34.

Mon. Wed. Fri. 8:00pm

I need the help of Nauna's customers, I consider myself a loyal customer, ordering delivery at least once or twice per week from them, usually a pie with sausage. Like I stated in another post, I hate calling to place the order. Is there anyone else that would like to be able to view their menu and specials for the day and place orders online from them? If I have written proof that their customers are asking for a service that they can easily provide, I'm sure the owners of Nauna's would be more then happy to sign up. At least when they put you on hold they give you something to listen to, even if it is an up sell. Online ordering is a win- win for everyone involved, the restaurant doesn't have to answer the phone as much, they get the order typed exactly as the customer entered it, and they have the ability to edit their menu and specials in real time. Customers are happy because we don't have to be put on hold, and can view and easily re-order previous orders without having to say the same exact info over and over. The more that respond the better.

Thanks in advance
Todd
http://www.myofo.com

Todd I would love to be able to order from Nauna's and every other restaurant online. I also think most people would agree that if they could order online and get the food exactly the way that they want it, the would prefer to do so. Calling the restaurant most of the time is not fun. I would love to see all my previous orders from any given place, also if the restaurant can see how much I spend at their establishment maybe they will treat me better via discounts and specials. Put me on the top of the list. Good luck.

It would only be good if it were reliable. A lot of things like this, half the time the restaurant doesn't actually get the download in a timely manner.

Also, on a side note, it's considered bad form/annoying to comment-spam like you've been doing on this site. Try to slow it down a bit.

Annoying? Its the most unprofessional post I have ever seen on any board..
A HUGE RED FLAG is waving regarding this company..

Red flag on the company, and on Barista, in my opinion. This stuff not only makes the site less interesting, it TURNS PEOPLE AWAY.

No problem. The only reason I didn't have a problem with posting about my business is, I have lived in Montclair all my life and have spent thousands of dollars over the years in the very restaurants that are being trashed on the site. I will be providing a service that will be beneficial for both customer and restaurants. The funny thing is, I just found out about this site through starting my business, so I have only been posting for about a week.
The person that told me about this site warned me that the site is very negative, I had no idea what she meant. The way people talk to people and about people takes a little getting used to. I thought the whole point is to stay on the topic of food, I've read post where people were calling each others asshole, jerk and
shit head because someone didn't agree with someone else?!! I talk about my company and I get "slow it down", "Red flag" and "TURNS PEOPLE AWAY"????!! No problem. This will be my last post about Myofo.com

mr. mofo:

you have lived in Montclair all your life?

what's your name??

C'mon folks..give the guy a break..what kind of welcome is that?

First of all, the vibe we show people is hard to erase..lets show the respect we would all want in starting up one's own company. Ya know, good neighbor kind of thing.

And perhaps, as already noted, there are people who feel this is a smart and helpful concept..one that , at the least, will present a visual of menues from a vast selection of restaurants, to thousands of people...who might just like the idea of ordering their food online....plus, adding another venue for Rest owners,to inform folks about their place..Win, Win, Win for all.

So...Myofo..keep on plugging away, and good luck.

"C'mon folks..give the guy a break..what kind of welcome is that?"

Agree -- Not only do Hiding and Confused come across (as usual) as arses, I respect myofo's honest and professional response. I'll be signing up today (esp now that I know this is a local biz.)

Now, back to the chow . . .

Todd Robinson

Let me state up front that I'm not a fan of the negativity that lives on this site, and have emailed the Baristas to say so on numerous occasions. That said, it seems like Mr. OFO could have gotten much more positive press by going to Barista as a story about a local new business instead of just flooding all of the food posts with his ads. Look at the article she posted about the frame store and the sushi place within the last week! I'm sure that there are a lot more readers who see the front page of the site than these food pages.

Getting back to food. Nauna's has one of the best sausage pies around (IMO). The service was good and the staff overall was friendly. A+

I've been here only once, but I really enjoyed it. The salad was fantastic, and my pasta dish was also very good. My boyfriend said he wasn't terribly impressed, but I thought both the food and the service were good enough to go back.

My husband and I ate there tonight. The food was great, atmosphere good,and help very ageeable. We will go back there again soon!!!

We had a surprise party for my mother in the dining room and could not have received better treatment or service. The food was delicious, too--impressed all of my mother's Italian family. Covers all the basics, no real surprises on the menu, but it was all good! Good family restaurant, and I really recommend it for a party.

Nauna's is to good Italian food what McDonalds is to good hamburgers. They both get the food out real fast though.

mofo spams the site repeatedly with business promos and i am the bad guy for asking who he is?

"Nauna's is to good Italian food what McDonalds is to good hamburgers. They both get the food out real fast though.

Posted by: nymets2007 | Feb 25, 2007 4:03:24 PM"

That's not an opinion that is held by most of the posters here.

Nauna's has excellent food, great service and a wonderful atmosphere in addition to abundant parking.

Are you sure that you were at the correct restaurant?

I'm sure there's some crowdhacking going on with this site's comments as with most sites like this... BUT Nauna's is a consistently good place and not Church St. snooty at all. I'm not crazy about the host/greeter (they did fine in year's past without such a person) but I like the wait staff, decent prices, specials and your choice of 2 dining areas.

Chaz,

What is your point? If you want to avoid snooty then go to Taco Bell. This is Montclair; even the owners of Great China have an attitude. Get over yourself and post something worthwhile

I find that the quality at Nauna's vacillates hugely. Over the course of the past year, I've had some very tastey meals there. I like their atmosphere and service - very pleasant and very efficient and courteous.

But, here's the caveat: , the foregoing surely does not include their pizza. I have to say that I've supped on the worst pizza I've ever tasted there - perhaps the worst pizza in all the world's history. It was like eating burnt toast with catsup and velveeta thrown on. Bleechhh!

chaz,

I like the host/greeter. He makes sure that everything is done right and that we're happy with our dinner and that we have everything we need.

In other words, he gives wonderful service and makes us want to come back again and again.

The food was very tasty last week - as it always is.

I had the fried calamari- superb!
hubby had the fresh fried zucchini- sooo crispy and sweet!

We also had bruschetta - very nice and then went on to the Steak Genovese - yumm yumm and Veal Marsala - so light and tasty.

Of course we took some home to enjoy the next day for lunch and left satiated and happy.

The host/greeter made sure that everything was to our liking and that we had a quiet time together which is what we wanted and why we go to Nauna's.

Lilly

Oh I forgot to ask.

What is crowdhacking?

I too like and appreciate the host.

Isn't he also their web site designer and the reason why their menu and specials are posted on the web.

He also sends out notices of their specials if you sign up.

Last time we went it was because he sent out a notice of a special of Filet Mignon crusted with gorgonzola. It was to die for.

I have been going to Nauna's for about seven years and always have a pleasurable experience. I find the food to be reasonably priced, fresh and well prepared. I love their pizza so I really can't understand the above comment. I can believe if someone doesn't care for it because everyone has their own taste, but the over the top negative description above is ridiculous. I haven't had better pizza since I moved to the area and we tried every place in the area until we "settled in" on Nauna's. I too like the dining room manager, he is very attentive even if he does talk too much sometimes. Overall though, I think Nauna's is a really good family restaurant.

If you would like to see Chef Frank prepare a few great specials, watch the current episode of Inside Montclair on Tv - 34. ( Mon. Wed. Fri. at 8pm )

His love for what he does, can be seen ( and tasted ) just watching him cook.

Oh, and that guy who seats you, ya just got to love him too.

Go, you'll enjoy the experince, and the food.

I think that Nauna's food is excellent and the guy who greets and seats you is always upbeat, funny and helpful.

Only someone who was miserable in their own life could complain about that?

why would anyone complain about a person who's job is to helpful and attentive and IS?

Do you go to a restarant to be ignore by the waitstaff, not seated or given a menu. Do you object to being asked if there's anything that you need and if everything is ok.

If so don't go to Nauna's.

are they spanish?

Nauna's ROCKS! Have been a fan for many years...everything on the menu is really good...ecspecially the eggplant rollatini. Never misses!

you can't beat nauna's for quality and quantity and freshness and price and neighborhood/family vibe and variety of menu and friendly service and parking!

...and shills!

Is that a new kind of fish?

shill
–noun
1. a person who poses as a customer in order to decoy others into participating, as at a gambling house, auction, confidence game, etc.
2. a person who publicizes or praises something or someone for reasons of self-interest, personal profit, or friendship or loyalty.

–verb (used without object) 3. to work as a shill: He shills for a large casino.

–verb (used with object)
4. to advertise or promote (a product) as or in the manner of a huckster; hustle: He was hired to shill a new TV show.

So, he was promoting a new kind of fish!

Was it tasty? Is it cooked Italian style? Breaded, fried, baked? I'm partial to baked myself.

What kind of vegetables go with shill when served Italian style?

You mention TV- will we see this on channel 34. Wayne Robbins show?

Has the audio been fixed for channel 34?

I look forward to seeing the show!

I ordered dinner from there last night and got sick. I was up almost ALL night. The only other food I ate yesterday was scrambled eggs at around 6 am, so I'm certain it was their food that did it.

Stay away!!!

Funny-we ordered dinner from there last night and we were all fine.

yea we order from naunas pretty often. never had a bad experience.

yea we order from naunas pretty often. never had a bad experience.

yea we order from naunas pretty often. never had a bad experience.

I too have NEVER had a bad experience eating at or ordering from Nauna's.

While my husband was taning a class we had their special pizza each Tuesday - delicious.

Posting for my two kids: they give Nauna's a big thumbs up!

My kids go to Nauna's with our babysitter all of the time. When my wife and I take them, the kids are treated like movie stars. The owners and wait staff know them by name and make them feel very special - I'm pretty sure that our kids' pictures are somewhere on the Nauna's website. It's no wonder that Nauna's is their first choice when we ask them where they want to go for dinner.

Overall, I find the restaurant to be very friendly. We eat in the informal dining area, which is pretty basic in design. I don't consider this to be a gourmet restaurant - it is a basic family-style place. The food there is decent and a very good value. We will continue to go there often.

I've been here a handful of times with friends, and am not quite sure of the draw. The food and service is decent, but nothing to write home about. I guess maybe because it's family friendly, but otherwise, it seems to be a larger version of a typical pizza parlor.

We recently ordered dinner from here.It was inedible.The "Caesar Salad" was insipid with wilted lettuce and Ken's brand dressing--pretty high class!
The pasta's all were drowning in sauce and had no flavour and the overall quality was below standard NJ pizzeria.I just don't get it!