Torna A Sorrento Restaurant

Authentic Italian food. Great customer service. Great food. Had fried zucchini fried mozzarella chicken parm and creamy tortellini. All the food was delicious and tasted fresh.
Ordered sangria too. It was just okay had better.
Overall great place and fair prices

Looked online for an Italian restaurant for a layover dinner, as a family member was passing through via EWR. Followed advice from recent reviews. Had a reservation, table was ready. Owner very friendly and staff was just as accommodating. Everything we ordered was great, hot and fresh. Would travel here for a great leisurely dinner. Great apps, veal/​lamb/​salads…

If you live local to the Elizabeth area, and want a good, old school Italian dining experience, complete with plastic coated menu pages, this is your spot. The red sauce (aka gravy) here is quite good, if a bit on the watery side. Parking is avail right across the street in a private lot, which is good because you don’t want to be strolling through this area too much after dark.
I dined here recently with a group of (mostly Italian) friends, and all seemed to enjoy their meals — though no one raved about anything. Service is slow and uneven, with moments of friendly, warm interaction by the owner, followed by lengthy gaps between courses, and disappearing waiters. My glass of house Sauvignon Blanc was — awful, though others I was with enjoyed their red wine. I tried some of the red, and sure enough, it was quite good. Again, uneven.
My attempts at securing a gluten free dinner required a little extra effort, despite my calling ahead to inquire about GF pasta. Upon arrival I was told this would take «a long time». Huh? Okay, no worries, I was able to enjoy some chicken parm, made with grilled (instead of breaded) chicken. It was very good. Apps were out for me, since most had some sort of breading. The complimentary salad was very basic, and my feeling is that if you can’t get tomatoes that taste half-​way decent, serve something else.
So if your reference point is Olive Garden, or something similar, you’ll probably love Torna A Sorrento. And if you measure an Italian eatery by the red sauce alone, you’ll also give it high marks. Having eaten great Italian food all over the state, I can’t say I’d recommend this as a destination spot. For a good Italian, family meal on a budget though, especially if you live locally, you’ll probably enjoy every bite.

Hubby had family in Elizabeth so this has been our local authentic old school made from scratch Italian restaurant for family/​relative and friends get togethers.
We’ve been here several times for large family style meals. Depending on how many people is how we determine how many entrees etc. We always start out with about 3 different kind of wines. They have a full bar also. The waiters give each table section complete family style Italian bread, appetizers, olive/​relish tray and several entrees nicely timed out. Since our groups are large we always get an excellent variety of all fresh cooked Italian entrees. The larger the group the more variety. We’ve had some pretty incredible appetizers and entrees with the much larger groups. Sorry can’t remember everything but all the food was so delicious!
This recent time I took a few pics but couldn’t get every entrée. Some entrees and appetizers were already partially gone by the time I took the pics. Not every family style entrée came to me first. The variety of Italian entrees is quite extensive that you can order because the chef is very knowledgeable and makes everything fresh. Call ahead for a large group.
This last time we had fresh made Italian nut chocolate biscotti’s for dessert and coffee. You can order after dinner drinks also. What is nice is that you can order pretty much anything and the chef or bar can make it.
The wait staff is extremely polite and professional!!! Truly a pleasure :)!
They serve regular meals also for individuals, couples or very small groups.
Truly everything about our visits each time has been 5 star. Best place in Elizabeth for Italian food. Plenty of parking on side of building.
Unilocal Review #336

Truly a hidden gem in Elizabeth. Authentic Italian… everything from the entrees, service, and dining room. You can tell they use fresh ingredients and it truly shows in their dishes. Very reasonably priced wines as well. The owner John is a great guy too, will always greet you with a smile and ensure your dining experience is top notch. Don’t miss this amazing restaurant; perfect for lunch, family celebrations, or an authentic Italian dinner. Check it out… highly recommend!

Don’t be afraid of the whole Elizabeth thing. This place is as good as it gets. Small family owned business with a staff with longevity. I have had so many different meals there and have never been disappointed. I have also been there when someone ventured off of the menu and the staff was very accommodating. John is a great host and his staff is wonderful. I would highly recommend this place.

I was raised in Elizabeth and have been curious about the somber building on Westfield Ave for a very long time. I was told by an older coworker that he and his family frequent the Italian restaurant. So last night I decided I’d finally walk in and I’m so glad I did. The atmosphere was amazing. The Christmas lights and Italian tunes gave the place a nice ambiance. We started off with 6 dollar gin and tonics… Pretty strong ones at that. The bread and breadsticks were so good as was the small salad they serve before your meal. We ordered clams casino, which we both loved. It was about 11 dollars. I had the tortellini alla panna and my boyfriend had the veal pizziola. We enjoyed them very much. I got the half portion and still took some home. The food does take some time to come out but I loved knowing that everything was fresh and made to order. Our entire bill came to 66 dollars which is great considering we got an appetizer and 4 drinks. This place is unlike any place in Elizabeth. It was a wonderful experience overall.

I have never had a bad meal here. Family owned with authentic Italian cuisine. Personal favorites include sausage and broccoli rabe, soft shell crab, tortellini alla pana, and shrimp francese. Definitely worth checking out!

For years I drove past this place saying that eventually I would try it. It has been there forever and hasn’t changed at all over the years. It just had to be good to have survived all these years. My first time there I had the linguine with red clam sauce which was pretty good. Not the best that I have had but pretty good. My wife had the veal parmigiana which was good. Again, not world class but damn well decent. Second trip I tried the broccoli rabe and sausage special which was somewhat lackluster. I love broccoli rabe but the pile on my plate was daunting. The sausage was good but overall the dish lacked seasoning. It was all sitting in a watery oil that really had no flavor. It really needed a pasta and some salt to bring it all together. My sister in law had the chicken franchaise which she said had absolutely no flavor. My wife had shrimp scampi which wasn’t served over pasta, it was just a few flavorless shrimp sitting on a lonely plate. On this visit the food just didn’t have any flavor. On a positive note, they have reasonably priced wine by the glass and they do pour a generous glass. The place definitely has character and it was obvious that many of the customers are regulars. I wanted to love it but the food just wasn’t anything special at all.

This place is a great find! If you like great italian food, this is the place. Traditional food and very consistent. The service is also top notch. The clams oreganata are perfectly seasoned and always cooked perfectly. Ask for their homemade gnocci, its not on the menu but its one of the best pastas there, ask for them sorrentino style. The veal saltimbuca is my favorite entrée here, served over buttery escarole and topped with slices of hard boiled egg it’s always delicious. They always have great specials, try some of the fish specials in the summer, they taste like they were just caught that day they are so fresh. Also to finish my kids always get the house made tirimisu, we can’t leave without ordering it.

This is the hidden gem of Elizabeth. I’ve never been a big fan of italian food and it’s one of those things that I have to be in the mood for, but I am always down to eat at this place. I recommend this place to anyone that will listen. I love the Chicken Parm here and the Chicken Franchaise. I get one of those two things all the time. The chicken parm here is the best that I’ve had. The food takes a bit to cook but I do not have a problem with that because I know the food is made to order, not something that they have sitting in some heating dish somewhere.
The calamari is also very good and the fresh mozzarella and tomato and basil appetizer is also very good (but then again, how can you really mess that one up?)
Also the tiramisu is pretty yummy :)

John, the proprietor will warmly greet you at the door in this small family owned Italian Restaurant.
The food is uniformly above average, each dish has its own unique sauce. The ingredients are high-​quality and the food is delicious. My personal favorite is the Veal Sorrentina or the Soft Shell Crabs in season.
Sorrento’s is our family favorite.