Molinari’s Restaurant Pizzeria & Bar

My family and I have been going to Molinari’s for 15+ years. What sets Molinari’s apart from other restaurants is the consistency and price. The food is always fantastic and the price is right! The only concern is the waitresses. Unless you get a waitress who has been there a while (ie Brenda), be patient.

Decent Italian food. Service was friendly but slow. The restaurant is attached to a liquor store and bar which is interesting.

Molinari’s has good food but the service needs to be improved.
The restaurant is open for lunch at 11:30 AM but Pizza is not available until 12:00 PM.
The owner needs to be more receptive to customer feedback and also needs to give a more accurate time on when take-​out Pizza is available for pickup.

This place is attached to a Liquor store so I figured I’d kill 2 birds with one stone. I ordered one of their specialty pizza pies. It sounded good on paper, prosciutto/​artichoke hearts/​olives and fresh mozzarella. I knew I was in trouble with the first slice when I noticed that the bottom was almost black. All the ingredients were all over cooked. The were no patrons in the dining area and a few people at the bar watching the game. It was not like the kitchen was overwhelmed. I did call them and they offered me another pie but by that time I was enjoying the box it came in, it was much tastier.

This is a solid strip mall red sauce joint. The portions are generous, and the food seemed fresh. Waitstaff was very kind and helpful. I had the calzone, which was stuffed with mozzarella and ricotta. I’d go back.

Stopped in for a quick lunch and discovered the best pizza I think I ever had. I can’t wait to try the dinner meals. Very friendly and clean. If your in the area it’s a definite winner.

The food here is flat out shitty! You gotta be drunk as hell to eat here. The place it way too dimly lit which is a bad sign at any restaurant. Either they’re filthy and you’re getting all kinds of human body matter in your food or the presentation just sucks. In my case it was both. I ordered at buffalo chicken pizza, and it was burnt on the edges. Had way too much red gravy on it. I get some places make buffalo chicken pizza w/​red gravy, but it was way too much. Total disappointment. There are very very few legit good Italian restaurants in south NJ. This ain’t one of them.

My husband and I don’t eat out very often, but when we do, like as not we’ll come here. We prefer to sit in a booth in a bar, but we still have access to the restaurant menu. The food is Italian and consistently good with fresh ingredients. The waitstaff are friendly and efficient. You can also get «bar food» like burgers and wings if that’s what you want. And the bar pizzas are awesome too.

Great place with consistently great food. Besides the usual pastas and pizzas, there are a lot more authentic Italian dishes that you typically don’t find in this part of NJ. Definitely a hidden gem. Unfortunately since new owners bought the bar next door (businesses are connected), that side has gone down hill fast. Stick to the dining area of the restaurant. Also serve great burgers

My how time flies by, over four years since my review of this place and not much has changed. Gone are the burgers grilled at the bar, they are now done in the kitchen and said to be just as good, by the bar tender, but that remains to be seen. The bar and package goods store are now under different ownership although the operation is still seamless.
We opted for a sit down dinner in the restaurant and were provided decent Italian food along with rather pedestrian service. Nothing with our dining experience was bad but nothing was to rave about either. Overall they still do an OK job…

We went to Molinari’s last night after reading some of the reviews here. We almost didn’t go based on the comments and the fact that there weren’t any recent reviews. I frequented this restaurant many years ago for lunch when I worked in the area and loved it. I’m glad we decided to try it again! The food was very fresh and well prepared. The garlic knots (a must!) were just as I remembered — freshly baked and hot from the oven. The service was attentive, the prices were right, and we had a great meal. We will definitely put this on our favorites list!

Generally decent but not great Italian food. quirky in fact that its literally connected to a liquor store that looks like it got lost in time.

Update: correction 5÷25÷14 $ 1 domestic mugs only noon to 4 pm but only $ 1.75 all the time.
$ 1.75 drafts all the time and ye olé lunch specials range from $ 6 to $ 10. I had pasta with clam sauce it was pretty good, my buddy had the Prosciutto de Parma sub and he raved about it. Who could possibly complain about $ 1 domestic drafts and amazing value. The food is good and so is the service.
There is a large ovalish shaped bar w/​rolling old fashioned pleather wooden captain chairs. The bar is a wonderful sunken 1950’s retro which is absolutely awesome when you look around you even notice older décor or perhaps it is old lol, but I love it kind of a dingy Rat Pack feel.
Yes they have a separate dining area on the other side which is quiet and perfect for families. The down side of course is that the bar is connected to a Buy Rite liquor store which definitely sucks as far as atmosphere is concerned but once you enter into the bar area you get taken back to a simpler time a fun time a $ 1 draft early hh time baby.
Yes I’m a big fan and whenever I’m in that area I will pop in for a quickie and a bite.

We’ve been going to Molinari’s for a number of years. The food is always good and the service generally was as well. Of late their service has gone to hell. We went last night after taking a week off from Molinari’s due to poor service. They lowered the quality of service even further. They were quite busy and had only two waitresses on the floor and no bus people. We waited over 10 minutes to get menus! We asked for water and were told Absolutely. Still waiting! The entrée took quite a while to arrive as well. We asked for cheese for our entrees. We were told Absolutely. Still waiting! Generally we have dessert and coffee but decided to pass due to the lack of service going on. I asked for the check and two containers to take our leftovers home. After a healthy wait and no check or containers and seeing our waitress running all over the place I went up to her. I told her that I knew she was busy but my patience was at an end and that I wanted my check and two boxes NOW. She gave me the check and handed me two pizza boxes to put on entrees in. DUH. I handed the check and my card to the owner’s wife to hustle things along and told the waitress to get me correct containers for the leftovers. The reasons for this poor service are unknown to me but I’m taking at least the rest of this year off from Molinari’s. I give two stars here only because the food is good.

We have dinner at Molinari’s about once a week. We don’t go for the Pizza or even the Pasta, although he sometimes has the pasta. Their dinners are always good and the service is geverally excellent. The staff is friendly. I especially love the broccoli rabe and the chicken dishes (I have some food issues). They always accommodate special requests. The Tiramisu is excellent.

We came here twice with
coupons. Very cute & cozy inside — exceptional service (all young polite kids in their 20’s) and good (not great) pizza.