Marie’s Italian Specialties

Delicious, enormous portions, super friendly service. The pork was fantastic! Not fancy, but a solid casual Italian restaurant with a great waitstaff!

This place has definitely made a mark on the local culinary scene. I’ve tried it many times. Regretfully, I’m not a fan. However, there are many who love this place.
I went there today to give it another shot. Since I’ve gone to vegan/​vegetarian lifestyle, I ordered a sub with eggplant and vegetables. The eggplant was deeply fried and unfortunately my body is not taking fried food well. Otherwise, it was quite tasty, if anything, a bit too large.
The ambience is unique, sort of de novo diner style, not quite Williamsburg, NY or Venice, CA, but close.
I would like to see more proactive involvement by servers, who seem to stand around waiting for customers. For example, it would be nice if they swept the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. It needed it.

Delicious food and hearty portions. Always tastes fresh. Highly recommended.

Love the Sacred Swine at the Chatham location. The cannoli is a perfect end to the meal.
It can be a little crowded and the portions seemed to have shrunk (although that’s not saying much, you still get more food than you can handle for two meals), and the staff is typically very busy, but it’s worth a visit for lunch on multiple occasions.

A downright wow place. Dishes are large and delicious. Service is great and they’re very accommodating. Recently had their chicken in vodka sauce with Prosciutto and it was EXCEPTIONAL

Laid back feel, casual dining. Homemade and never disappoints. For takeout, I love the Drunk Chicken sandwich. One of the best vodka sauces around!

I’ve never had a bad experience, the food is as legit as it gets and the owners are amazing.

I think the one star review due to the authors inability to visit the website or look at the Unilocal hours are completely unfounded and unfair.
That said– the rice balls are delicious and the vodka sauce is the best I’ve had in decades in this area. The pesto pasta is again– amazing.
That said– and I know 99% of people will think I’m insane– the portion sizes are too much. I feel badly about wasting food but when an entire lb of pasta is an entrée (with really great bread and sauces) I just will never finish it. Nor will my husband. Sometimes less is better when it’s amazing. And Maries is good but not amazing. And I hate to waste food.
Looking at the pictures on Unilocal at their new place– the serving sizes are just unreal. I hope they donate to the local food bank in the future instead of serving 5000 calorie per person dishes.

My wife and I absolutely love the both the Chatham and Madison locations! The drink chicken parm and rice balls are incredible. The owners are pleasant people and you feel like you’re eating in your grandmas kitchen.

Solid sandwiches!!! I got in late from work last Friday and read about this place on the train ride home. We wanted something fast in case my boyfriend got called in to work at the hospital. We came hungry and opted for the Drunk Chicken Parm sandwich and The Hangover along with the Arancini to start.
The Arancini arrived and the first thing we noticed was that amazing vodka sauce… No wonder this place is famous! The arancini itself was coated nicely– we finished them in no time. As soon as they took away our plate, my boyfriend got called in to work… Womp Womp… We quickly requested for the sandwiches To-​Go and our server was quick to alert the staff in the back.
Although we didn’t get a chance to eat the sandwiches fresh at the restaurant, we thoroughly enjoyed them at home! The chicken and meatballs of each sandwich were juicy and delicious. Service is really great here and we can’t wait to come back next time to try the rest of the menu without the pager.

Solid place.
We came here on a Friday night and despite making reservations for 7:30, were not seated until 8 p.m. It was packed! To be fair, there are maybe only 10 tables here and they definitely move fast with serving food, but no one seated seemed to be in a hurry to get up lol. The place is quite tiny, so once you walk in, you are basically in the middle of the restaurant. There’s no waiting area so it was a little awkward standing in between tables, trying not to give people the stink eye to get up if they had the check sitting in front of them or trying not to stare too long at their food wondering, «omg what is that, can i have a bite.»
After being seated, we immediately put in an order of arancini (rice balls) which came out with some vodka sauce and a side of two meatballs and sausages. the rice balls were HUGE and delicious. great mix of rice, cheese, and parsley and fried perfectly golden brown. the meatballs were huge as well, and just delicious. they had a little bite to them but overall, very tender and tasted great with the tomato sauce.
for our entrée, we shared the brick chicken. it was two huge pieces of chicken which were roasted then fried, and a healthy serving of both polenta and broccoli rabe. this was one of those dishes that looked too pretty to eat. and unfortunately looked better than it tasted. the chicken was a little dry but its main crime was its saltiness. the polenta didn’t really belong in the plate — i think it would have made sense if it had some sauce on it. it had a lumpy «been sitting out on the porch for a while» texture. the broccoli rabe was OK.
despite that, i think the atmosphere and the appetizers warrant a 4 star review. it seems like the drunk chicken and mac & cheese are winners here so i’ll try that next time.

This place is amazing. Came here on a Monday night for an early dinner (5:30) with the boyfriend. We had heard about it through Diners, Drive Ins & Dives — and it did not disappoint!
We started with the Spicy Mussels (15.95) — was a bit hesitant to order because of the price and sometimes restaurants give a scant portion of this dish, but I literally think we got 75 mussels in a big dish with amazing sauce. My boyfriend ended up taking the sauce that we didn’t eat home because it was so delicious!
I had the drunk chicken parm (15.95) for an entrée & he had the pesto orecchiette (can’t remember price). My dish was huge, I think there were three pieces of chicken (it comes with prosciutto which it could have done without, IMO — just not a huge fan of the meat) and was on a bed of penne vodka. I ended up only eating one piece of the chicken because I was full from the mussels! I don’t enjoy pasta so that was for my boyfriend to take home, I just wanted the chicken– but he said the penne was good, not great! His pesto pasta was delicious, and the portion very generous. He ended up taking home my dish, his pasta, and the sauce.
I believe our bill was right around $ 48 before tip, which is great considering how much food we received.
We also received 2 complimentary cannolis with our check. This place will leave you feeling very full & very in need of a nap. Will absolutely be going back!

Dinner was alright… Most of our food sat out and got cold
The mussel in the fra diavlo sauce was good, but the sauce wasn’t hot, more on the warmer side so not as enjoyable.
Had meatballs as an appetizer, the meatballs were also decent and not warm at all (but not refrigerator cold).
I had the pork ragu– it was good, nothing to ride home about… Didnt come out hot
My dad had the drunken chicken– it was good, but didnt come out hot.
My mom had the rigatoni with meatball and sausage– surprisingly thought her’s was the best because it actually came out hot!
PORTIONS ARE HUGE! Everyone had to wrap up their dinners because it was just too much to eat.
Came here once before– had the brick chicken (overrated), the pulled pork (eh).
Would i come back?
Most likely not. It’s a ²⁵⁄₃₀ minute from my house and there was nothing special about this place. I think this place is more for take out since the restaurant is small (i would advise you to make reservations).
Our waitress was very nice and charismatic! A+ for that

I had this spot bookmarked for a while and thank goodness for a mini reunion because it gave me a chance to pick the spot: Marie’s!
I always have higher expectations for places that are featured on Triple D. they were spot on with this place. The service was great. greeted when you walk in, for lunch you choose your own seating. It’s very cozy & clean. Service was on point.
The drunk chicken parm– mouthwatering, fresh, and the portion size? More than enough for a to go meal. I will definitely return when I’m in the area because I want to try some of their other popular meals. The pictures made it difficult to decide on just one.

Very homey place. Service was excellent !! Had the Drunken Chicken And Orrechiette Pesto. Both just amazingly delicious.
Will make it my now go to place for Italian.

Come hungry!
It’s not humanly possible to eat your entire meal here. Oh wow what a sacrifice to make, yummy left overs for the next three days. Your tummy will be satisfied and your wallet will be happy. I mean the portion sizes are huge and the prices are fair.
This place gets packed, make reservations if you have a larger crown, but know that the spot is hot and the space is limited. No matter how busy it is the service is consistently good. Waiters are friendly and informative, they offer great pics on dishes. We’ve never been disappointed.
Marie’s has something everybody wants, that is the 6 cheese mac and cheese! I’m not a mac n cheese fanatic, but when I tasted this one I was like my life just got that much cheesier. ⁸⁄₈ people at our table gave it ⁵⁄₅ stars fo sho. Another hit was that ZUPPA DE COZZE, these are mussels sautéed in garlic, wine, and tomato. The juice in it’s self is a delicious meal as you dunk your bread and let it soak up all that goodness. At this this point we’re all full, but in recent visits we did have MARIE’S ARANCINI which are the rice balls in pink vodka sauce and those too are a must have.
Now for the main event I ordered the EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA, this dish was perfect. They served the eggplant over spaghetti, I just had to stop. At this point I had to taste everything else on the table. There is another dish that you have to try that is the ORRECHIETTE PESTO, this dish is the best! If you like pesto you will love this one. It’s a large load so mind your carbs if you should accept this mission, but honestly you wont be disappointed.
Dessert as you’ve heard is on the house. How can you say no to a freshly made cannoli? Perfect ending to an evening of gluttony. Five stars across the board, enjoy!

Where’s my bed? I feel so warm and cozy! Marie’s didn’t have to tuck me in nor tell me a bedtime story. They FED me. Giselle and Chris took excellent care of us while we ate and then ate some more.
We started with Mac n Cheese with cubed prosciutto that had some hardcore quality cheese and creamy goodness. This is a meal in itself and the best excuse to come here. The second best reason is the Zuppa de Cozze– sweet PEI mussels in your choice of broth with bread. Sop it up!
For entrees, holy! Each entrée can feed you for three days! I ordered the Orrechiette Pesto which were like tiny pasta bowls swimming in a basil pesto cream sauce. I get hungry just thinking about it. The Pork Bracciole Ragu was a feast for the eyes and the belly– super tender shredded bracciole over rigatoni and a generous scoop of delicate, fresh ricotta.
After we packed our meals to take home, we received complimentary cannolis with a crispy shell and creamy nutty filling. F-​ing delish! What?! Who does that? Marie’s.

Amazing service, and incredibly friendly staff!
Sandwiches:
I love the the Pasquale-​Palooza. Perfect combination. Crispy chicken, salty prosciutto, creamy mozz, bitter arugula, and some tangy balsamic on an amazing sub roll.
Drunk Chicken– a great take on the traditional chicken parm.
Apps/​Sides:
Maries Arancini– good god these are incredible. The vodka sauce is insanely flavorful and rich, plus they throw in some bread for dipping. A perfect dish to share as a starter.

I came here with a buddy who really wanted to try a Guy Fieri rated place. There’s only a handful in North Jersey and picked this place due to Unilocal rating and the other 2 choices were diners.
This place is very low key for the area code. I think millionaires come here to rub elbows with the middle class.
We were fortunate to have the younger lady taking care of us. She is very calm compared to the other waitress. When I dine I like to make my own decisions and if I need help I would ask.
We ordered the rice ball to share. My friend got the sacred swine and I got the pork ragu. After we ordered I noticed the other lady was a tornado and left me very uncomfortable even though she was not our waitress, A table next to us order a bowl of mussels with sauce and the waitress insisted on putting the bib for them. I as evident that the couple wanted to just enjoy their food and be left alone.
Then a large group whom made reservation were seated. That waitress was very loud and really tried to upsell the table. She used the words, ‘The best and the best ever’ a lot. I’m not a big fan of all these NJ reality shows, She really reminded me of the moms on these shows.
Then our entrees came our and immediately we noticed that the portion is huge. At first bite I knew my pork ragu was very rich. I probably had 5 – 7 bites and felt overwhelmed. My friend had to wrap half his sandwich home. The rice ball could have coated our stomach pretty well.
This place is aight but not really traveling over 30 mins for dinner. But I should come back and give this place another try.

The flavor’s there, the friendly staff’s there, the prices are fair, the fresh cannoli are crispy outside and sweet in (& free!), but the execution was fatally flawed when we visited Marie’s on a surprisingly busy Monday eve. So 3 stars is about right for the fine food at this tiny red-​sauce joint. Ok enuf with the «f» words or you’ll drop an f bomb on me right?
Doesn’t feel like the spacious suburbs at all, visiting here is like stumbling into a little joint in Boston, packing people in for, ah, vigorous talk over classic Italian food. Really a deli but somehow they jammed in 9 wobbly tables; the music and the customers together add some stunning noise thanks to tile etc.
Arancini are spectacular, golden brown hot fried rice balls, gooey with mozzarella, riding a little flood of vodka sauce, wow, 3 flavor bombs for $ 7. (If we had stopped there, 5 stars.) A caesar salad at $ 9 was more than enough for two people, crispy romaine, plenty of grated parmiggiano, little croutons, arrived in two separate bowls which was a friendly touch, yum.
I succumbed to the persuasions of the DDD stamp of approval and ordered the sacred swine sammich. This is a steal for $ 13, it was piled high with long cooked pork (not really shredded that’s the wrong word), aggressively dressed with broccoli rabe, dabbed with polenta, cheese and vodka sauce, a killer meal. But. it arrived on the cool side of hot. And my wife’s hangover special, a meatball sub with sauce, came on the cold side of warm. No we didn’t send them back, we were too shy, too passive-​aggressive, too something. Like I said, the flavor’s there, but the kitchen just wasn’t paying attention, those subs deserved to be served smokin’ hot.
Our friendly server ran away to bring us silverware. until we flagged someone else down. And she tooled off to find water. and boxes. and other things, all of which seemed astonishingly well hidden in this tiny restaurant, or maybe she just needed to chat to people. So that was a problem.
But what seriously messed things up for us was the bread, daunting quantities of it, invariably cold, thick and dense. I agree with Jenn B.‘s review of Jan 2014. Two chunks of Italian loaf with the arancini. Two more large chunks tossed into our salad bowls. Then meat piled high on the same bread, flat-​out impossible to bite thru. Maybe if they warmed it a little, a light toast? Gotta do something. NO I don’t want cheap fluffy junk, but still.
Vegetarian rating: 4 stars. Choices include those amazing arancini, orrechiette in pesto cream sauce, eggplant parmigiana and homemade macaroni & cheese. Also caprese salad. You might get overloaded on carbs but you’ll be happy.