Scalia & Co Craft Kitchen and Bar

Let me start this by saying Best of Little Italy is one of our favorite places! As a gluten free family, Best of Little Italy is Nirvana. So we went to Scalia with high hopes of a safe, gluten free dinner. The interior is really nice, but the booths are really cramped for 4 adults. I liked the foccacia that was served, (very tender) but my kids (in their 20’s) agreed they would have preferred it plain vs seasoned. We went on a Sunday, so half of us had the brunch menu, half the dinner menu. The pizza was good, we ordered an extra to go. The chicken Marsala was a disappointment (and I love Marsala), not particularly tender, sauce was meh and the rice balls were crispy, but no flavor. My son ordered the waffles, which turns out to be one small waffle. I don’t quite understand one waffle. Waffles cost pennies to make, and if you’re going to serve one it better be the best waffle ever. Sadly this little waffle didn’t fit that bill. Finally, we come to the reason we actually picked Scalia, the gluten free selection. While everything gluten free at Best of Little Italy is clearly labeled, nothing on the menu at Scalia is labeled as a gluten free option. We asked for a gluten free pizza and our server said they didn’t have any. That confused me because Little Italy carries many different kinds, not sure why you wouldn’t offer one in your restaurant. My husband chose the Bronx Bomber omelette and asked that it be made gluten free. Our server looked completely confused and said ok. Unfortunately when his order came, laying on top of the omelette was regular toast. It also came with fried potatoes which he didn’t want to chance in case they were fried in the same oil as anything breaded (cross contamination). The omelette itself was delicious, probably the best thing on the table. Dessert was also a disappointment. At 1pm they were already out of the crème brûlée. When my husband asked if they had gluten free cannoli, (we read in a previous review they did) our server looked confused again, but said she would go and check. Fortunately they did and it was also delicious. So overall I have to say we won’t be back. We were really hoping to find the gluten free Nirvana we have with Little Italy in a restaurant and this just didn’t come close.

This place is moving up in my list of local favorite places to eat. The staff is very friendly and the food came right out.
My girlfriend and I usually get the same thing (fried calamari and the Bronx Bomber pizza) and it is consistently delicious!

Our new favorite place! First time there celebrating my birthday and sooo happy we chose Scalia’s! The food –the staff– the owners TOP NOTCH truly impeccable! Rory our waiter was great — as were the chefs in the kitchen. Vito took the time to chat making us feel welcomed — Their restaurant speaks volumes showing the compassion this family has for what they do best! They sure know how to do it — Thank you all for a wonderful evening — we will be back… We can’t say enough.

Great restaurant! Food is fresh and timely. Cocktails are great! Staff is friendly. Too bad their in a shopping plaza. I would like to see this restaurant overlooking a lake with a Hudson Valley view.

After visiting 5 times and the staff knowing me I started to take a look at my bill since I thought it seemed to be very high. My last visit I asked for a plate of linguine with calamari fra diavolo, nothing fancy… the bar tender said it was not on the menu and was put off that I asked if they can make it… not an over the top request as I see it. He agreed but said if it was a busy night no can do… really???
Looking over the bill I notice they charged me $ 32.50 for a regular size portion, not like the portion I got when ordering a Chicken Parmesan or something.
When I questioned it, the waiter/​bar tender said he questioned it as well but was told to charge that and said he was sorry.
Well I am sorry as well, many other choices out there and the small carafe of wine that would equal a regular size glass of wine for $ 14 is also a bit much… this is in a shopping center not NYC or a nice town center with atmosphere… and not a very good wine! Very disappointing… last visit!

Went back after a few months break and was kinda blown away.
The seasonal items on menu sounded great and the black linguine with chilies and shrimp was seriously amazing. Best pasta I’ve had in at least 5 years, probably more. Clams Oreganata were so delicate and fresh but packed with flavor.
Wonderful service, well trained group of pros who work seamlessly with one another.
I can’t say enough about dinner tonight and can’t wait to visit again very soon!

Had a delicious lunch today in this charming restaurant! The best pizza I’ve had in a while!!! When we got there they were still preparing the kitchen to open and still they accommodated us and brought us bread while we waited. Awesome place! Will absolutely be going back Loved the food!!!

Have gone here a few times now and it’s been rough every time. The atmosphere is cool but nothing about this place is craft. The bar has the look of a nyc upscale craft cocktail bar, but they aren’t doing anything special, or fresh, or balanced. Putting out the bar books of PDT or Death and Co. does not a craft cocktail bar make. Take a page from Stockade, or Tuthill House, or Millhouse, or Atavola for the bar program. I think a lot of people are waiting for the first good cocktail bar in Orange County. The food also lacks. Service is weak and outside of service standards for the price point.

This was our third time– the first time fine, the second ok (my bolognese needed seasoning desperately), and a pizza pick-​up was disappointing, but we hadn’t been there in awhile and decided upon it for dinner.
So, our service was nice. The waitress was fine, the bus staff attentive.
I ordered the 3 course meal… I’m not a fan of the cornmeal crusted calamari, but that’s a personal preference. The aoli served with was tasty.
During my meal, I found an eyelash or eyebrow hair in my manicotti. Like, deep in the cheese.
While icky, I don’t find this a reason to give the restaurant a bad review. The chef or prep cook can’t help an eyelash falling out. You usually don’t see those things.
The waitress came to apologize and told me they would take it off my bill.
The manager (a Scalia, so maybe part owner?) came over to apologize. He offered me other things to eat, of which I passed on as I was definitely skeeved and not in the mood to eat anything else that came out of the kitchen at that moment. But, I did ask for my dessert (Devils food cake, very dry and not very good) to go.
When we got the bill, only 10% was taken off the $ 34.95 my three course cost. Yes, I ate the calamari and took the cake home, but I only ate about four or five bites (maybe one or two of the shrimp and a few bites in to the manicotti) before the eyelash was found. I had a big problem paying $ 28 for a cup of calamari and a slice of cake.
The manager came back over and took 50% off instead, which I did not continue to fight as I just wanted to get out of there. Working for Disney must have spoiled me, because I know a good guest recovery would have been to remove my meal from the bill entirely, or maybe just charge me for ½ app portion of calamari and a piece of cake and remove the offending dish entirely.
The eyelash incident would have stopped me from going to Scalia for a bit, until I got over the incident, but the lacking guest recovery will probably keep me from coming through their door again.

We came on Valentine’s weekend and we had an awesome time. Our waitress was super and the owners came around to talk to us to make sure our meals were perfect. The food was amazing and highly recommend this place. Can’t wait to go back

I absolutely love this place and rate it as one of the finest eateries Orange County has. I went there on a Saturday night. It was busy, but the waitress was able to accomodate us upstairs. To our surprise, we were sitting next to the owners. They were lovely people and it felt like I was in the dinning room of my Italian grandmother! The food was outstanding, the drinks were strong. If you want your money’s worth and more, this is the place to be!

Great atmosphere and you can count on getting a good meal! We were there last night and despite being extremely busy Vito and Denise took the time to visit and chat. These folks care about their customers and take pride in the food they serve… and it shows.
We sat at the bar this time and the bartender Ken is terrific… always engaging and on top of things.
One of our favorite spots!

Food-​spectacular. Drinks-​delicious. Staff-​unsurpassed This is by far the best place for delicious Italian food. Grandma’s Gravy, sausage and meatballs!!! I had the Salmon tonight: delicious! Not enough stars to rate this place! Thank you Scalia family and staff for always taking care of Walter and me and our friends. See you next week!

Just had disappointing dinner. The food was average at best However more upsetting was the timing of service. Spent almost $ 300 and got a bottle of wine that was not a bottle, it was a carafe. Appetizers and dinner arrived at table at the same time. Espresso was water. Turns out there was a party and they were rushing us out. Such bullshit! Never going back. However the oysters were delicious.
Next time going to Angelos in Harriman.

We ate at Scalia’s last night for dinner and had a great time. My friend had the meatball and baked manicotti and I had the Sunday meat gravy. Both husbands each had the cavatelli picante. I loved my Sunday meat gravy. It was exactly what I wanted. Everything looked and tasted great. Service was prompt and friendly. Here’s the but… though the food, environment, service were all great, I think it’s slightly over priced. It’s only place like it in the area and with the added «celebrity» from Real Housewives of NJ the extra few dollars can be rationalized which is why it’s not 5 stars. Would I return, YES. And then I would stop at the deli next store to pick up treats for home. Great food, great experience, just expect the prices to be slightly higher.

A group of friends and I traveled up to Monroe to do some quick shopping at Woodbury Common and visit Pure Terror Screampark. We finished around 10pm and were hungry so we decided to look on Unilocal to see what was still open. Lo and behold, we find Scalia & Co.
The restaurant itself is somewhat narrow; the first floor contains the bar with some tables plus there’s a second level/​loft area with more tables. When we got there, they told is the kitchen was technically closed so they could only offer us pizza and a few mains. That was okay though because we weren’t looking for anything too heavy.
They started us with some focaccia — it was okay but they were a little heavy-​handed with the salt. The pizzas are sized to feed one hungry person or two not-​so-​hungry people, so we decided to order four of them to split amongst the six of us. We went with the funghi (mozzarella, portobello mushrooms, parmesan, scallions white truffle oil), margherita DOP (basil, tomato, buffalo mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil), the Bronx bomber (sausage, pepperoni, mozzarella, garlic), and the arrabbiata (mozzarella, pecorino romano, hot sopressata, hot chile honey).
The pizzas were good — I tried all of them except the funghi. They had a good balance of flavor and were a convenient size. I want to also give kudos to the staff — they easily could have told us the kitchen was closed and turned us away, but they were accommodating and super friendly. Awesome customer service that deserves praise.
Good pizza and a great ending to our night in Monroe.

Visited this restaurant the evening of Oct 23. As we entered, we were promptly and appropriately greeted. The hostess did not ask if he had a seating preference and escorted us to the last table on the main floor (just before you get to the restrooms).
Our assigned table pretty much ruined our dinner experience. The table, located across the open/​exposed style kitchen, made it impossible to have a normal toned conversation. The clinging of pans and the constant food order call outs, towered over our conversations. If you’re looking for this type of dining experience, be my guest. For us, it was loud and distracting.
The food was good. Good enough to make us give this location a second try. The portions were generous. I had one martini which was also good. We did not enjoy our dessert (Devil’s Food Layer cake tasted bland/​stale)
The owner and his sons were very attentive and friendly. They all visited our table, separately, to introduce themselves and make us feel welcomed.
In all, the location is very nice and has a city vibe to it. Next time, I’ll insist on being seated upstairs and leave the noisy kitchen area for those who care for it.

I’m picky with my 5 star ratings for restaurants, but if there were 6 stars to give, Scalia & Co. would get them! We visited the restaurant around 5:30pm on a Tuesday and were seated right away in a comfortable booth with a view of the kitchen. The chefs in the kitchen were busy working and were just really kind to each other. We poured over the menu with mouths watering at all the delicious offerings and found it hard to choose. The waiter was very helpful and answered all of our questions. I ordered a Shandy (Peroni Beer and lemonade mixed together) and wow was that good!
For dinner we started with a caprese salad and it was just the right mix of sweetness, acidity and smoothness! Perfect start!
My wife ordered the Shrimp Parmigiana Manicotto and I ordered the Chicken Parmigiana; both were stunningly large portions and equally delicious! The sauce on both makes your mind take you to old world Italy and the savory flavors would make mama proud!
For dessert my wife ordered the Pistachio Cannoli. Now, I have to admit, I’m not the biggest fan of cannoli, and I secretly wished at first she would have ordered something else. But when it came and I took a bite,…well Scalia & Co., you made a convert of me! I practically licked the plate.
Peter Scalia was working in the kitchen and was so friendly and struck up a conversation with us. By the end of our meal, he made us feel like part of his family.
When you visit NY, it doesn’t matter how far away you are from this place,.make it a point to visit and experience for yourselves the taste of Italy that should be shared with everyone!
Boy, am I glad they gave large portions… I’ve made myself hungry again! Don’t walk to Scalia & Co’s…RUN!

Do not let the outside fool you, this place is SO PRETTY INSIDE. Beers are 10/​10, our waitress Colleen 10/​10, this place doesn’t feel like Monroe. The food was SO GOOD. The foccacia, mezzaluna frittas, holy s**t!!! The cutest little water boy filling glasses. Try the Peroni Italian beer amazing. I was floored by my experience and freshness of the seafood!

We ate here twice, once at night and another time in the day and both visits were literally like night and day. The place has a beautiful industrial/​contemporary/​Tuscan mix décor with both rust colored and brick walls, exposed pipes… The first visit was wonderful. We didn’t know what to expect, but were awestruck at the flavor, the delight by the FRESHNESS of the food we were eating! The owner came around with fresh mozzarella, the drinks were on point, the place was packed and the night was magical. It’s been a while since I’ve tasted such fresh, properly cooked food. The wood fired wings were our appetizer. I had the margherita pizza, he had the seafood fra diavolo. We vowed to return…
We came back for lunch. It was quiet, but we were so ready to revisit our previous experience. Like chasing a high. The waiter was cold. He was abrupt, and by the time we asked for our check, we’d decided he was downright rude. From bossing the rather sweet and friendly young bus boy around IN FRONT OF US (who happened to be extremely helpful btw), to making up a dumb@ss excuse as to why he didn’t bring out any rosemary ciabatta while we waited for our meal… wtf? Reading a few other reviews here and on Trip Advisor, I see others have caught on.
We stopped by a third time (not to eat though). I spied the same dude determined to squeeze a family of 4 into a corner by joining 4 stools and 2 tables even though they insisted on a dining table upstairs!
There was no 3^rd dining visit for us simply because we’d rather come out of our pockets for places that offer EXCEPTIONAL and CONSISTENT customer service– as Best of Little Italy next door does. Rude people, myself and drinks don’t mesh well. Shame.