Ristorante Maietta

Wow this was a very unpleasant restaurant. I ordered calamari, which looked absolutely disgusting. It tasted like rubber bands and all the calamari was the same size and shape, so it was frozen. Fresh calamari comes in different sizes and shapes. I was unsatisfied and sent it back. Someone from the kitchen came out with an attitude and asked what the problem was. As soon as I said the calamari was frozen the staff member grew belligerent and said «it’s called knife skills», I said «listen I’ve worked in a fish market» to which the reply was «I don’t care where you worked.» The staff member actually said I’m not arguing with you when that’s all that he did, then asked for me to pay the check. He continued to argue with me and threatened to call the police if I didn’t pay and leave, when I got up to pay he actually went and called the police after he continued to argue with me. All because the calamari was disgusting and I didn’t trust them for anything else. No idea who this guy was, but he claimed to be the owner. The owner is a lady, not someone with a big attitude who has to act like a tough guy throwing people out of «his» restaurant. One of the worst experiences I’ve ever had, never ever patronize this place. Disgusting food, pigheaded workers.

I’ve lived in Englishtown/​manalapan all my life and as a little girl I always went to this place for pizza even when the restaurant was named «People’s». The original family and owner are still there and my family absolutely adores them. It’s been YEARS since I went there, and I went last week with my mother and sister for lunch. The bread was warm, I loved the waitress and my food was AMAZING!!! I got the chicken parm and my sister (whose a chef) got the eggplant parm and neither of us could be any happier !!! Everythjng was seasoned and cooked properly. I’ve been begging my boyfriend to go with me so I can have some more chicken parm !!!

I found this place through a
coupon, but it became my go to place for Italian food after our first visit. It’s a family restaurant with great specials, great service and excellent pricing. Oh, and the Sangria? Yummie.

Maietta’s is the kind of restaurant that you need to search out and support. It’s a family run restaurant that delivers well prepared, authentic Italian American food at reasonable prices served in a warm and friendly atmosphere. I worry that hidden gems like this will get squeezed out by the chain restaurants with big advertising budgets and cookie cutter kitchens. Please, skip Olive Garden and come here for the real thing. They deliver solidly on the classic dishes but often have a surprise special that you won’t find elsewhere. They have a small but interesting wine list offered at reasonable prices. Dishes are made to order with fresh ingredients which sometimes results in a wait but why rush? Enjoy the Italian music while sipping a glass of wine and chatting with their charming waitstaff. It’ll be worth the wait.

Love this place. Cozy atmosphere and reasonable prices. Wait staff are friendly and always serve with a smile. So many delicious items to choose from I must recommend them all.

Just ordered large extra thin crust pizza. Picked it up, was absolutely delicious !! You can taste the premium ingredients they use, well worth the price. Family owned and operated for 30 plus years. My only choice.

The pizza was old, cold, over-​cooked and tough to bite & chew. I’m trying to figure out how it got such a great score on Unilocal.Extremely disappointing. A normal cheese pizza shouldn’t have been that difficult.

If I could have gave this place no stars I would give it a zero. The guy is very rude and nasty. He made fun of how I talk and that I was screaming but I wasn’t screaming plus he embarrassed me he made fun of me several times and he’s a very rude person.

Absolutely excellent food. But super super slow service. We went with a another couple on a double date and had a very nice time. We just had a hard time getting refills and the food itself took while to come out. I’m sure we will be in again. At least to order take out.

What a find! I have driven by here many times on my way to other restaurants thinking this was a pizza place. Although they have a pizza, this is no pizza parlor. I had the best best best linguini and clam sauce. My husband’s Cesar salad with grilled chicken was also over the top, as was his fettuccine alfredo. This is my new favorite. Shout out to Michele, our awesome bartender. Great service.

Impressive! Average looking inside and out, but, wait until you see the menu and taste the food! Homemade pastas, hard to find sauce recipes, and of course, your standard Italian fare. Also, has a nice dessert selection, that has some unique items. Everything was fresh, service was very good. I would suggest you give this place a try.

As a relatively new resident of the area, I was happy to learn that because there is a significant Italian community here, there were quite a few Italian restaurants in the area. What I didn’t know until I actually tried a number of them was that most of them turned out to be run-​of-​the-​mill eateries at best. I was actually shocked how bad some of them were, and how mediocre a lot of them were. And some of them had the gall to be overpriced.
I hypothesized that many Italian Manalapan residents migrated from the nearby NYC boroughs (and particularly Brooklyn), all of which are relatively famous for fantastic Italian eateries. One would guess that a number of them would have moved here and brought those wonderful recipes and tastes as well. Right? Wrong.
That all finally changed when I stumbled on Maietta’s completely upon chance. On my first run, all I ordered were a couple of plain and vegetable pizzas, and just with the first bite, I knew they were the real deal. Upon a subsequent visit, I spoke to one of the owners about my previous failed attempts to find a decent Italian eatery, and while they proudly explained their family legacy there, they also knew exactly what I was talking about. Most other places just open up with a fancy name, décor or location, when it’s supposed to start with tried-​and-​true recipes, and carefully selected and prepared ingredients to make the best tasting food to make a successful restaurant. That’s what people really care about and want. That’s what Maietta delivers, and apparently so for almost four decades. It’s no wonder they’re chosen to serve pizzas for the elementary schools in the area, which all my kids love when their weekly Pizza Day happens.
I’ve only done take out or sat in the back where the pizzeria is, so I can’t comment yet on a dine-​in experience at the restaurant or the bar. But, for me, where it counts is good food at decent prices, and when you find that place, you stick to it. And for us, it’s here.
My only nitpick that is worthy of mention are the gratuities. While their iPad-​enabled register is neat, you’re presented with tipping options, even for takeout, and the smallest preset amount is 18%. It’s a little intimidating to be standing in front of the tip screen directly presented to you by the cashier, especially if you normally don’t tip for takeout, and when the tip amounts don’t even start at the customary 15%. It’s also nice when they send out coupons every once in a while, but when the bottom disclaimer says they automatically include a 20% gratuity for themselves, it probably cancels out any savings you might have gotten.

Visited Englishtown last weekend for a Girls’ Night Out and it was perfect! Comfortable, inviting family-​owned business… something that lacks in that area these days.
(In order of events)
Friendly greeting from hostess, Michelle, who ended being our attentive waitress for the entire 4-​hour eve!
For starters, decent wine selection for the price.
Good quality of meats and cheese in the Antipasto Italiano… artichokes are marinated well… (enough to even bring home a goodie bag).***The special: Ravioli Bosciaola was amazing!!!*** Sauce so rich, yet light enough to leave room for dessert. It is a must-​try :) Side note: went to The Lincoln @ Lincoln Center the week before, their pasta entrée (for double the price) could NOT compare to this dish (though not knocking their appetizers and desserts)!!!
Personal Touch: The chef/​owner came out to ensure it was to our liking… you can tell his personal touch and passion for his restaurant was made in every entrée at the table! His co-​owner and son, later came out to welcome us– as we were clearly having a good time… introducing us to their caramel cheesecake. Pastry-​shoppe quality!
Overall, great food… friendly-​family owned restaurant (refreshing), perfect for couples, «just the girls» and even families.
Already made plans to return to the area on Mother’s Day… hope they have my favorite dish again :)

I have been coming here since they were called People’s Pizza
Wonderful atmosphere… The Food is Superb …
I ordered the fried calamari and the Penne a la vodka with chicken. Delish! As usual. Will definitely come back …

Hidden gem. Came here on Saturday with a
deal, it was amazing! The chicken parm was one of the best if not the best chicken parm I have ever had. (Living in NYC, that is pretty tough to beat but they did it!) the pasta was homemade and delicious. I couldn’t believe how amazing everything tasted. Prices were great for what you got. (salad, entrée w/​pasta). The only thing I wished was different was the portions, I could’ve ate two of those dishes it was that good. definitely on the list to go back to when in the area! 5* our waitress was great and very informative and nice. I highly recommend trying this place out to anyone interested. I would disregard these stickler reviews. People only review when they are upset. I hate to see people get their great business ruined by people who are pessimists. Keep doing your thing! Great food! Great staff!

Ordered take out yesterday during snow and freezing rain storm. Driver delivered food and when leaving decided instead of asking us to move one of the cars or simply backing up, turning around and going out the same way he came in, he decided to go around the car that was in front of him (in my driveway) and drive onto my front lawn, which has a sprinkler system. When I called to complain I asked to speak to a manager or owner. I was told they would call me back because they were busy. When they called back it was the deliver guy who told me that I should have shoveled my driveway (at 6:30 at night during storm) and that he was doing me a favor by delivering to my house. This place’s food is not good enough for an attitude like that. There are plenty of better Italian restaurants in the area. Not to worry, they will not be doing me any favors anymore.

Went there for their «happy hour» the place was dark and had no one in it. There was staff in the back but no one by the door to greet you. After about 5 minutes of waiting we walked out. PLEASE NOTE, I WAS NOT THERE NEW YEARS DAY, THATS WHEN I WROTE THE REVIEW!

We went there on a Saturday night. Apparently they were very short-​handed because the service was not good at all. Drinks were half the size of other places; the waiter forgot to serve us water; and we waited a LONG time for our main course
The food was good, however.
Veal chops was good, pasta with shrimp was not..

Great food great service! I always either order the chicken francese or linguini and white clam sauce and it is always a pleasurable experience and always much better then the other 2 or 3 local pizza shops.
I took my GF into the large full service dinning room for a full sit down dinner valentines day weekend and the food and service was on point, fast and delicious. The wine list was more then ample (i had a bottle of cab) and the desert was great.
My favorite local pizza and italian restaurant by far!!!

A rare one-​star rating.
My family and I stopped for some pizza after a soccer game. The pizzeria area, which is separate from the restaurant, was dimly-​lit and just didn’t feel right. When I asked about the Unilocal deal ($ 10 for $ 20), the two men behind the counter said they had to check with the owner, then did nothing. The pizza was bland, greasy, and undercooked. My slice fell apart in my hand. I specifically asked if my slice had onions (in addition to two other ingredients that were more obvious) and was told, «I don’t think so» but it did. Is it really too much to ask that they who cook the food know what’s in it? The other slices we ordered were mediocre or worse. #FAIL