Lieto Italia Ristorante

I just went here yesterday, and it had fast service, and good food. I ordered the tortellini papalina, and it was great. My friend ordered a chicken with artichoke heart, eggplant, and other things. I forget the name, but it was also very good. The bread was fresh and we were surprised that the entrée came with a salad. Which explained it’s price a bit more.
The portions were also great, with the bread and salad neither of us could finish our whole meal.
The only complaint I have is that this place’s atmosphere and appearance is not that great. We were also significantly younger than all the other customers and I felt awkward. But the food is definitely worth it.

Found a long piece of hair in my food and the service was terrible! I would not suggest this restaurant.

I recently moved into town, and prior to Lieto’s, (despite my love of food) I never really cared for Italian. I fell in love with the chicken milanese and arugula salad. My boyfriend always gets the chicken parm and shrimp with vodka sauce, and both are consistently excellent. The food is fresh, tasty and well portioned. I highly recommend this hidden gem to anyone who wants great quality Italian food.

my parents live in bergenfield and they wanted to try this place, so they had me my wife and daughter meet them at their house at 530 to all go together… I was joking with my mom before we got to the restaurant because I drove past the restaurant before we went and it looked like a run down place from the outside, and my mom said, «oh no, every time we drive by that place is always packed, plus its been there for 30 years, I always see old people going in there in droves it must be good???» I said sure those old people have NO taste buds, they have no idea what their eating, hahahahahah! she was laughing… Anyway, the place does look like a run down hole in the wall town bar from the outside with a GIANT «OPEN» neon sign in the window (if its that good why do you need to let people know your OPEN LMAO, that is usually a no-​go for me) went inside the décor, walls, carpet, looked like it has not been updated since 1995. I’m sorry but that bothers me. Seriously. Upkeep on your business is as important as the food you put out. Inside was very barren looking, very strange empty décor. The place is a BYOB, The food was average to below average, the service was very attentive and helpful, but if your going to spend your hard earned money why would anyone go to a place where the food is at best just average, if your going to spend it, make sure the restaurant is on the money when it comes to what their serving no matter if the price point is quick $ 7 «jip joint» meal, or $ 100+ fancy sit down meal. So I would have given this restaurant 2 stars but because of the friendly and attentive staff I bump it up a star to 3 stars. Nevertheless, I CANNOT recommend this restaurant nor will I go back even if my wonderful parents pay for the meal again… If the owners are reading this maybe they will take some of my criticism and make some of the needed changes.
Matthew

My brothers and I took my mother to Lieto Italia for dinner tonight for her birthday. Everyone enjoyed their meal. I had Red Snapper. It was excellent. Our waiter, George, was friendly and very helpful throughout our dinner. He even got the staff to come out and sing Happy Birthday. I would highly recommend this restaurant!

Very good food, nice size portions and the waiter/maitre’d was so charming and very entertaining. Will definitely go back!

We came here with some friends on Sat. night and the food was just OK. However, the service was better than the food, the staff worked hard to please you. The Ambiance was fine. It is a BYOB so that saves you money on your total bill. Note, there is plently of parking on the side of the building,
We started with Fried Calamari with a side of Tomato Sauce — the Calamari was good not like rubber, and not overcooked. But, the Chicken Marsala with Wine & Mushrooms was tastless — the two piecies of chicken were cut too thin, I was looking for the meat? It reminded me of that 1980’s commercial for Windy’s when the women said «Where’s The Beef»
Where’s The Chicken” — I have had Chicken Marsala in other restaurants were the pieces of chicken had substance to them, these were pathetic looking. We did not have desert, so I cannot comment on that part of the meal. I don’t understand it, our friends eat here all the time, however I am going to suggest to them next time we get together that we all dine at another restaurant because that is the last time we ever plan on eating there again.

I’ve been here like 10 times and all 10 have been fantastic. Whether you go with the regular menu and all the classic Italian dishes, or get one of the specials (usually I get a filet mignon rare), everything is always awesome. It’s cooked to order, everything is fresh and the service is great. Another byob hidden gem in New Milford.

We used to like going to this place. We had several family parties here and its close to home. During out last visit, my husband ordered his meal and the waiter asked what side dish he wanted. On our previous visit, the meal came with rice pilaf, and he wanted that again. The waiter said «if you want rice, go to the Chinese place down the street.» That and its a BYOB place. I brought wine with me and when they cleared the table, they took the bottle. When I asked for it back (it wasn’t empty) they said they threw it away. (which I seriously doubt, I’m sure they finished the wine before we finished our dessert) The food is good but nothing outstanding or worth going back for and being humiliated by the staff.
There are plenty of better Italian restaurants than this place with much better service and nicer waiters.

I quite like this place and have come here many times. The décor is pretty plain, but the food is quite good and usually very well executed. You won’t get better Italian in New Milford. I’ve done a few group events here also and it was well done.

I can never understand why this restaurant is not usually crowded. The service is great (such friendly waiters!), the space is big, and the food is great! Each meal comes with warm delicious italian bread for the table, a salad, a bowl of pasta, and a big delicious entrée. I always get the chicken parm, and it is by far my favorite chicken parm of any restaurant! The fried calamari is also great, as is the spedini for appetizers. They are very accomodating with specific food requests, and the pricing is reasonable for good italian food. I want more people to know about this hidden gem so it will never close! It is also very reasonable and perfect for a private party, because they have a room that can be separated off.

Early bird special is where its at! Great fresh food and delicious bread. You get soup, salad, entrée & dessert for under $ 20! The staff is wonderful.

My family and I have been going here for years… and as far as italian food goes – it doesn’t get much better! Part of me wants to suggest to the owners an upgrade on the décor side (it is completely bland in the restaurant, but I know so much can be done with such a big space!!), however it is perfect for private parties. They have a separate room and I have held as well as attended multiple parties there and the guests always rave about the food and service. It is often quite empty in the restaurant, and I would hate to see such a quality place close down due to people not knowing what they have to offer!
Food suggestions:
Appetizers:
Fried calamari (best I’ve eaten by far)
Spedini (kind of like mini grilled cheeses in a DELICIOUS sauce)
Main Course:
Gotta go Chicken Parm (also the best chicken parm I’ve ever had)
Dessert:
Tartufo
Cheesecake
With you meal you also get steaming hot italian bread and butter, a side bowl of pasta (vodka sauce or red sauce), and a salad… really a nice place to go if you are looking for a spacious restaurant for a big group or for a tasty family dinner… you can also do take-​out!

My experiences here have always been with LARGE LARGE groups. I’m talking around 25−40+. And yet again today I had a dinner service with about 25 people.
Ambiance: the place is set as a fine dining restaurant and it does a decent job. No fancy chandeliers and romantic music or anything but its above a diner setting. Quiet and hardly ever full when i was there. Two sections so if you have private parties go for it. The place is clean also.
Service: the service here is pretty good. For the most part the waiters are attentive and get whatever you ask for when you ask for it. The wait for food is quite long but they give a disclaimer on their menu that says, «Everything is cooked to order, so please be patient… etc». The way its set up is by courses. So you will receive your antipasta then side pasta then salad then whatever else and then finally your entrée. they try and do a 3 course dinner experience. They clear the plates, give you new utensils.
Food: The food here is average. The menu isn’t overwhelming at all. I was able to try several appetizers: calamari, tomato mozzarella prosciutto, eggplant parm, mussels, and a few more. All of them were really good and really simple, portioned enough for two I think. There side pasta which was penne vodka was alright and the same with the salad. The entrée of salmon i had was portioned well but a bit bland. If i was in kitchen stadium id give them a 2 on plating.
The group that i go with always brings its own wine. which actually seems odd for a fine dining restaurant but whatever. The pricing for this place is average. I would say $$.
Conclusion: Like this review, the restaurant lacks a certain «WOW» factor. That’s probably the reason this place is getting only 3 stars. I enjoyed my meal and had a good time but not because of the restaurant itself. My suggestion for this place would be to remodel drastically and fix the ambiance.
Romantic Date? no. Casual italian dinner? sure In a rush to get food? no