A Mano

This place has gone totalllly downhill. My pizza was so soggy and disgusting I could hardly eat it last time I was there. Completely undercooked. This place was my favorite place to come to years ago. Not to mention they are expensive.

I ordered to go. The pizzas were all great (though cold upon pick up). The chicken Parmesan was bland and dry, request extra sauce if ordering this, though I wouldn’t recommend it. Also ordered the mussels which were bland despite all the ingredients. The calamari was basic, nothing amazing, but not bad. Very few tentacles if you like those. Lastly, we ordered the orecchiette with broccoli rabe. This was terrible– dry, no olive oil, just build pasts with some broccoli and sausage thrown in. I wouldn’t recommend anything other than the pizza and even that is a bit expensive.

Due to multiple health issues I eat a very restricted diet.
My kids were set on eating here for their pizza.
I previewed the menu and there was nothing on it that I can eat, so I brought my own meal in a small glass container.
At the end of the meal after we paid our check, a staff member came over to me and said «I hope that you enjoyed your salad, but we do not permit outside food here.» I explained that I am on a restricted diet, but damage was already done.
I have never had this experience in any other restaurant and will not be a repeat customer.
Disgusted.

Amazing brick oven pizza. The bricks that make the ovens were brought over from Italy. Gluten free crust available.

Amano is amazing! I’m GF, nut free and dairy free and as a food allergy sufferer, restaurants usually make me feel bad about having allergies or look at me like I have three heads but Amano is so attentive and willing to customize anything. They even have a whole GF dedicated kitchen and pizza oven. I’ve tried so many GF pizzas and have been disappointed with the consistency of the dough– that’s NOT the case at Amano. Their dough is light and perfect Neapolitan and every pizza I’ve tried there has been perfection! Even my non-​Gf fiancé loves all of their GF and regular pizzas! I’ve even gotten them to make me cooked doughs with no sauce or cheese to being home and use as sandwich bread for Italian sandwiches or paninis or flatbreads for apps. Their space is also nice and big so in Ridgewood, where it can be hard to get a table for dinner, Amano’s spacious restaurant can accommodate big crowds but still maintains their easy-​going atmosphere. Such a great BYOB in Ridgewood! Definitely go!

Went there last night for a retirement dinner. The sauce on the pasta was awful. I should’ve ordered something else. Who can’t make a good sauce?

Over the past few years my husband and I have frequented A Mano several times for both dine in and take out. We have always enjoyed the pizza and thought their private room downstairs would be the perfect place to celebrate our daughter’s baptism in May with a large group of 50 – 60 people. After visiting the restaurant and reviewing the menu options with the manager and staff in February, we called to confirm mid March and again prior to printing and sending our invitations the first week in April. We provided credit card information and were told we were all set, just to come by to finalize the menu.
Imagine my surprise and disappointment when I arrived at A Mano this past weekend and was told they were under new management and there was no record of my party or credit card information, another party had been confirmed the day prior for the same date and the room was unavailable. While we were offered the main dining area to have our party simultaneously to the other party, I found the entire situation unacceptable, unprofessional and frankly a little bizarre.
We will not be holding our private party at A Mano, nor will we or any of our guests be returning.

A Mano makes the best pizza (excluding deep dish varieties) I’ve had in NJ.
I was saddened that they no longer offer their pear and walnut salad. This salad was so good, other restaurants imitated it. The A Mano salad (mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, artichokes, red & yellow peppers and parmigiana cheese) is excellent. The artichokes are fresh not pickled sand the dressing is wonderful.
The seating was uncomfortable. The hostess pulled apart a tiny table into 2 tables. We were seated at one tiny table and a single man was squeezed into the other table which was uncomfortably close to us. It was 9:30 and there were lots of other tables, most of which were starting to leave.
The restroom was clean, well lit and attractive with blue and white walls, two stalls and two large mirrors.

Pizza was soggy, slipping off as you eat it. Used to like this place but not worth itanymore.

I was at A Mano this Saturday night with friends to celebrate my birthday, knowing I had been here a few times before and loved it… the atmosphere, the service and the food! Saturday night was no different… all great & everyone in the party had a great experience as well! We will all go back again soon!

I love this restaurant’s environment! Featured at the center of the main dining room, A Mano’s Neapolitan artisan-​built wood-​fired ovens immediately catch the attention of everyone inside. These ovens, constructed with stones and soil imported straight from Italy, are a symbol of the restaurant’s authenticity, remaining consistent with the Napoli-​sourced ingredients in their pizzas.
Even the simplest of orders, their margherita pizza, represented A Mano’s high standards for the food they serve. San Marzano tomatoes, homemade mozzarella, parmigiano reggiano, basil, and extra virgin olive oil produce a sizable pie for the average diner. The base price is $ 12, which is pretty standard for the Ridgewood/​New York metropolitan area. For $ 5 extra, they offer gluten-​free crust; whole wheat is also available.
The pizza itself boasts fantastic flavor, and the crust’s texture is just the right balance of crispy and doughy. I do wish that they would add more basil on top, but the lack thereof isn’t a deal breaker. Others in my party ordered the prosciutto and arucola pie, the lasagna, and the chicken parmigiana, and all of them were happy with their decision.
Overall, A Mano is a solid choice for a meal in Ridgewood. And as I mentioned earlier, the concept of a merger between the dining room and the kitchen, with the wood-​fired ovens at the center of it all, is a delightful touch to this suburban Italian eatery.

Renewed review January 2016 4 stars. Still excellent true artisanal Neapolitan pizza which has earned its certification. Pasta dishes are excellent too and ample. Amano took a hit when another very good artisanal pizza place opened in town but that one has begun to chince on their product and their prices are at crazy NYC levels for no good reason. Amano remains great value, modest price with nicely done classic pasta dishes and very good house made desserts. Server staff is ok. Ambiance here is a bit off — always has been. Almost like a chain or mall place. Other than that it’s still excellent. Order whole wheat crust on pizza if you’re into that. Made just as well as the classic crust hear. Chewy with charred edges — perfectly done in their wood ovens.

First time to A Mano. Came because of word of mouth.
Upon arriving, the staff was extremely accommodating with giving us a table and enough room for the two of us and the baby stroller .
For apps we had the mussels in white sauce which were tasty and fresh. We also had the rice balls special which was filled with ground beef and mozzarella. They were good butttt too dry for me. I make mine so when you bite into them they are nice and creamy.
We finished with a pizza. We had the ZUCCA GIALLA which has homemade mozzarella, roasted butternut squash purée, caramelized onions, crispy pancetta, spinach, gruyère, parmigiano reggiano, extra virgin olive oil. This was very unique and absolutely delicious!
The waiters were nice and got the job done but never stopped by while we were eating to make sure the food was good or even to our liking.
Overall we would definitely go back !

Had lunch with the wife, New Years Eve. What a great time to go in and have a great meal. 3 tables, and although the service was somewhat cold, the food was HOT. We absolutely love this place. This time I had the Roasted butternut squash pizza, awesome! Wife had the Christmas special pie, great combo! The flavor of the crust is the most amazing we have found, and complimented by great toppings. We will continue to frequent this restaurant.

Best gluten-​free pizza in greater NYC area. A Mano has changed the recipe according to the GM. The result is the dough you dream about if you are celiac. Perfect amount of chewy texture, not that flat, hard, crisp stuff you get at the places that use frozen dough. I have tried them all from midtown to Pizza Fusion, this is the best.
The constant weekly additions to the menu are great, outside dining when the weather is nice, and a Gelato bar. What more can you ask for?

wow! i wish i would have read the reviews before i went! Loud, vacuous space. high ceilings, no intimacy or separation between other diners. Table of 8 elementary school aged kids w/​no adults were near and the kids were literally running around the restaurant.
Waiter took 7 minutes to even notice us, let alone angrily take our order. the coke was flat and i asked him to check the CO2 mix. he gave me a dirty look. took forever for him to come back for our orders. food was marginal at best but not worth coming back for. Had to flag down the waiter for our check. Total was $ 32. gave him my CC. Rang up sale for $ 47. he never came back to the table. i had to go up to the hostess stand. owner didn’t believe me at first, but re-​ran the transaction. AVOID THIS PLACE.

Decent wood oven Napoletana style pizza. Crap service. I asked the bushy permed hair waiter if he could bring a bottle of good olive oil for our pizza (to drizzle on obviously), and he asked why. I said I like to eat neapolitan pizzas with olive oil. 5 minutes later, came back and said they don’t sell bottles of olive oil and then handed me the menu. This is unequivocally the dumbest thing I’ve ever experienced at a restaurant in my entire life. He finally realized what I needed and instead of apologizing, turned it on me and asked why I didn’t just ask for a side of olive oil. WTF? People here have severe mental issues

Man, do they need to fire some of their sassy servers!
My wife and I have had it at this place with their subpar service and crass attitudes. Even with their BOGO deals every Monday and Tuesdays (which are sloppily made and a bit of a soggy mess), this place is no longer worth it.
Note: Depending on the server, the «rules/​restrictions» on the BOGO deal varies. Pray to God that you do not end up with the larger male server – he will even come up to you asking why his tip was low as if he didn’t make us feel comfortable the entire time.
I’m a little embarrassed to be the one who had recommended this establishment to others, and invited others to join us for dinner here. This place really did leave a bad taste in our mouths the past few times.
Places like this no longer deserve my patronage.

I’m so glad I finally got to try A Mano, I heard many good things about it from several people throughout the years. Even my boss had been recommending this place to me for a long time. Did I mention I work at an Italian restaurant/​pizzeria? Yeah, it’s that good!
It doesn’t look so big from the outside, but the inside is huge. Or maybe it just feels that way because the ceiling is like 2,874 feet tall. The décor is simple and classic, there’s lots of windows to let in natural light which I enjoyed. The service was also superb, our waiter was helpful and attentive as well as personable — he even cracked a few jokes.
Now for the food: The grilled artichoke salad was so yummy I very reluctantly shared it with my fam. The artichokes were lightly marinated and came on a bed of arugula with sharp, thinly sliced parmesean cheese tossed with a lemony vinaigrette. For my entrée I ordered one of their specials, and I couldn’t have made a better choice. Get this: portabella mushroom stuffed cheese ravioli with a garlic white wine butter sauce with sauteed spinach and sundried tomatoes. Hell. Freaking. Yes. Every bite was heaven, and I never wanted it to end. On the downside, although many hold their pizza in very high regard, IMHO I thought the pizza was just okay.
A Mano definitely lives up to Ridgewood’s reputation of having lovely, but freaking expensive restaurants. Looking at the prices, I figured the portions would be bigger than they were. I’m cheaps, I probably wouldn’t go back unless Daddy was paying (again.) But as far as the food, service and ambiance goes — it’s a double thumbs up! Or in Unilocal terms, 5 stars: D

Holy Delisicousness… this is PIZZA!
We were in the area and figured we would stop and get some food. We had no plans to stop here but the huge brick ovens lured us in. Its nothing fancy or out of the world, it looks like a family owned pizza joint that serves Italian food and Pizza.
To our surprise they had a small selection of wine, bottles only. We went with the some white wine, and for an app we had a pear salad… OH MY! Salad was loaded with goat cheese, walnuts, and pear slices, it had a very light dressing which was perfect. We then ordered a classic margarita pizza on whole wheat since it was an option and the pesto sausage pie. Marghrita was standard, it was good, nothing to crave but then the Pesto Pizza took it home! Our waitress made the recommendation and it was perfect. Full of flavor and not too heavy. Without a doubt I would take a drive here just for this pizza.
After all of that, we still had room for their homemade desserts. Yes, homemade.
We had the tiramisu which we were able to sample. It was perfect! It had a little bit of a bolder mocha/​coffee flavor to it which left the dessert to have the perfect balance. Not to sweet and not to bland.
I’ll def be finding a reason to come back here!