I Gemelli

Great menu and food was wonderful ! The service was nice too but they could of been a little more attentive. We were a party of 8. Our water glasses were not all filled and we asked for more bread and never got it. This did not really affect our dining experience because the food was outstanding. We had a seafood combo appetizer which was clams, mussels, shrimp and calamari. Superb! And grilled octopus, which was delish! I had grilled shrimp over beans for dinner which was excellent and my husband had a special, black linguine with crab meat and mushrooms which was also excellent. We had ricotta cheesecake for dessert which was good, I did have better else where. I would definitely come back…

My good friend and I take motorcycle rides every year all over the USA from Iowa. On 17 May 2016 we happened to be in South Hackensack on our motorcycles around lunch. We happened upon I Gemelli’s Restaurant and decided to stop in.
We walked in with our helmets, riding gear, and maps to refold over lunch. Right away I felt out of place, because everyone in the lunch crowd were in nice dresses suits and ties. However the staff made us feel very welcome, even engaging us in conversation about our travels.
I had the Tortellini Bolognese, and it was out of this world!
Aside from Lobster on the coast of Maine this place was the highlight of our restaurant experiences for the trip.
Well done I Gemelli!

The food is fabulous. Best meal I’ve had in a while. The best BYOB Italian I know in Bergen County. Service is attentive. The only draw back — and it’s pretty major for the weekend… they do not take reservations for small parties. And it’s a small restaurant with no bar to wait in. That problem will keep me away Fri and Sat nights.

Enjoyed an Anniversary dinner last night with the hubby. Long wait one hour (arrived @730) Host took out number, so we waited in the car. At 820 he called and said our table would be ready in 5″. Great and attentive staff. Calamari was delish, marinara was pretty good, ask for red pepper flakes to spice it up. Rigatoni al Forno was fabulous. My husband loved his angel hair with seafood. Prices average. Best thing byob. Will def return.

The only bad thing about this place is that they don’t take reservations, and are completely packed on the weekends.
BUT… that is the only bad thing because the food is ridiculously on point there. Very small room but cozy and warm. The wait staff is excellent.
They have a decent selection of creative specials and will basically make anything that you request. I’ve been there about 3 times so far and have been more and more impressed with each visit.
For appetizers, we had baked clams and calamari. baked clams are in a ridiculous sauce and up there with top 5 for me. Calamari was pretty basic, nothing knockout about it.
My most recent visit I had the Crabmeat and Porcini mushrooms in a light garlic cream sauce over linguine. It was excellent. I believe they make all of their pasta fresh there. My husband had the gnocchi bolognese. I’m not a huge fan of gnocchi but theirs is on the lighter side. The bolognese was rich and very traditional. My mother had the Pappardelle special with vodka sauce shrimp and Lagostino. It was also off the charts. I can’t really comment on the desert because we are always so full from dinner.
Oh and it’s a BYOB which is always a plus in my book

I’ve been here twice and the food and service is Top Notch! For high end dishes, the food came pretty fast, which is quite surprising. The food was still scrumptious. No complaints whatsoever. An excellent place deserving of it’s Zagat award.

Highly recommend. Amazing food. Worth the wait for the food to be prepared. Would visit again in a heartbeat!!!

All the food was delicious. Especially the perfectly done calimari. Fish was excellent.

Had this spot bookmarked based on some other elite reviews, was driving on 80 West from the city on Sunday, got off the exit, picked up a bottle of wine down the block, enter I Gemelli.
This restaurant definitely has that old school vibe and you feel it the second you walk in. The brothers (I’m assuming) great you with a friendly hello and seat you in the dining room. From this point on, the service is as attentive and personable as can be expected. My mom, sister, and I decided we wanted to share everything so this is what we got:
Grilled Calamari appetizer — So rare on a menu in comparison to Fried Calamari
Pollo alla Julianna — Chicken breast stuffed with prosciutto, mushrooms, and mozzarella in a Marsala sauce
Rigatoni Vodka special — Rigatoni with langostino and shrimp in a creamy vodka sauce
LOVED the calamari! It had an amazing char-​grilled taste, which I favor in anything grilled, and a really tasty lemon vinaigrette. In between the appetizer and entrée came a decently sized salad. The chicken was really tender and juicy but overall, not really something I’d order again. Didn’t care for the sauce, it was really all about the combination of fresh mozz and prosciutto. The pasta was the star of night. Perfectly cooked pasta, huge shrimp, and a decadent vodka sauce. mm mmm mmm. Exactly what a Sunday night meal should feel like. My sister had a tiramisu for dessert, which she really enjoyed as well.
Given the location in the industrial area of South Hackensack, we felt as though the meal was a little overpriced. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the meal and recommend it to anyone looking for some delicious Italian.

Best chicken parm ever! Staff is attentive and friendly. Stuffed Artichoke special is great as well. Love coming here with my family!

We had an amazing lunch mid week. The service was attentive and knowledgeable. The menu even for lunch was extensive. We ordered buccatini al gabby and shrimp scampi which were both excellent. We split the tiramisu for desert. It was the best I have ever had. The portions were large We plan to return soon

Spent a lovely evening with my husband and parents last night. Food and atmosphere and service was by far fantastic! I want to point out that my black fettuccine with crabmeat and mushrooms was AMAZING!!! Flavor was out of sight!!! Everyone else LOVED their means and my father especially loved the pork chop special!!! The Only reason I didn’t give a 5 star review is because I love octopus and it’s not cheap… mine was over grilled and too chewy. That’s the only thing I feel needs to be addressed. Other then that, I will Definitely return and it was the BEST dining experience for sure!!!

Excellent food, great service. Dining room is small so if you go on a wknd night there is probably a wait but worth it.

Probably would have not stumbled across this place on my own, but I was given a gift certificate over the holidays. The atmosphere was cozy and family friendly. The staff was beyond nice and the food was delicious traditional Italian. The seafood tasted fresh and the pasta was homemade. Great service! Overall, family owned, family run and family friendly. 5 stars, I would definitely recommend!

Fantastic food. We went there n they were closed, but they let us in anyway. Great restaurant, management was fantastic, if I could give them 10 stars I would.

Terrific. Great mussels, had an entrée with shrimp, fava beans and shrimp which was very flavorful. Others had Bronzino. The pastas looked amazing. Great service. Nothing but high praise.

Old school. Very traditional and old school. I usually eat dinner here on Friday nights with my 80 year old father and 86 year old uncle. Not sure about the other patrons but I would suspect that they’re all regulars. Either the staff knows everyone or they do a damn good job of pretending so. Service is more than attentive with anything you need available with one or two seconds notice. Waiters are in I Gemelli uniform shirts and are exceptional at what they do. I also love it when a waiter refers to the specials in the first person, «I have a delicious veal Oscar, prepared…»
Well, you get the picture. Which brings us, of course, to the food Spectacular. I have yet to order anything that wasn’t among the very best that I’ve had. This is traditional Italian dining as it should be. Crowded tables, moderate noise and food to die for. It’s also BYO which makes it fairly economical unless, of course, you’re my uncle who likes to bring a couple of bottles of $ 300 pino. As for better Italian restaurants, meaning those who do not delve into the whole pizza/​pasta/​plus realm, this place reigns supreme. Sorry to be closed minded but if you don’t give this place at least 4 stars there’s something very wrong with you. Kudos.

A small BYOB that has amazing food. They make you feel like part of the family! The food was amazing both times I went. They are very accommodating when it comes to how you want your food. If the special is marsala style but you want oreganata style they will do it no questions asked. If you forget to BYO there is a liquor store not too far away.
Also, my friends left their bottle holder under the table when we went. We didn’t call to let them know because we knew they would find that and our unopened bottle of wine. When I went back the second time they had both waiting for us at the table.

Fantastic Italian food with great service!
The food at I Gemelli appears simple, but the flavors have remarkable depth. Calamari was nice and soft. Homemade pasta Gamberi alla francese was made just right. Lemon Pie and Tiramisu was a nice touch to end the dinner. We can’t wait to go back and do it all over again.

This restaurant has that home-​y Italian restaurant kind of feel, where the tables feel close together in a good, intimate kind of way.
Service was great, friendly and attentive – all smiles and good etiquette.
I got the grilled calamari and one of the seafood pasta dishes. First came the table bread, which was warm, soft, and delicious (I loved the bread tbh). The grilled calamari was great too. My one criticism would be that the shrimp on my pasta was a bit rubbery.

Such a great hidden gem. Delicious, authentic, just like grandma would make. I had chicken parm which was pounded out to the size of my plate and it was absolutely perfect. My husband had Pollo Juliana– chicken stuffed with prosciutto and mozzarella, with vegetables and mashed potatoes– an Italian spin on chicken cordon bleu? So so good.
It’s byob too– yay! We came on a Friday night for a late dinner. Seated quickly, and very attentive service. Will def be back!

I cannot believe it took me so long to come here. It has been on my list of restaurants to visit in the area, and this past Saturday i came, i ate i conquered!
The restaurant itself is more on the narrow side. Seating is close to other tables, if you are a large party i recommend making a reservation.
What was really nice was the staff lets you take your time. Every part of the dining experience was paced out very well.
We looked over the menu and then the waiter came and told us the specials for the evening. Our mouth starting water! For apps we got the stuffed artichoke, it was the best i had in my life! And the seafood appetizer. It was so fresh! The clams were awesome and the fried calamari was soo tender. Another best i ever had.
For my main i got the rigatoni with shrimp and langoustine in a pink sauce. Im usually not a fan of rigatoni, but i was told it was homemade so i got it anyways. It was amazing! Heavenly and the pasta melted in your mouth.
Some of the other items ordered were the salmon under the specials. She ordered it with pesto sauce and again not disappointed. The piece of salmon was huuuge! And another favorite of the table was the black linguine with crab and mushrooms. I do not eat mushrooms but i was told this was a winning dish.
I am looking forward to returning and exploring more of the menu.

I came here for lunch. It was not busy at all. The waiters are super friendly. I ordered the stuffed eggplant, which was good but I felt it had way too much cheese — both ricotta and mozzarella (many people would argue that that is not a bad thing!) My dad ordered the chicken rollatini which was tasty. I’d come back!

Where to start, first off, this place is so close to my house, that i could and should walk here more often!
My family and I were here over the weekend for my mothers birthday, 9 of us in total and not one of us had a bad thing to say! We’ve been here before, but, every time we come, it seems to get better than the last! Pretty busy for a Sunday night, not a table free!
For appetizer we had the grilled octopus, the clams in a white lemon sauce and the mozzarella corozza. All super delicious! The octopus was perfectly cooked and super flavorful! Clams were yummy as well, huge portion, and awesome sauce (which is perfect to dunk the fresh, warm home made bread in). For dinner we all got various meals, seafood risotto, osso bucco, black pasta with crab meat and mushrooms, etc. Everything was wonderful! Portions are huge though! Be prepared to take some home!!!
Foods great, service is great, and its a BYOB — Perfection!
Go and give it a shot!
Enjoy

Old school small Italian restaurant with friendly staffs. It was smaller than I thought, parking space is kinda tight to park. It was early evening on weekdays but parking was almost full and it was crowded inside.
Food was good but not fancy. Just simple authentic Italian cuisine. Loved the meat sauce tortellini, it was «wow». I Finished till the last drop of the sauce. It was that good. Pork osso bucco, I wasn’t satisfied with it. It was okay. Maybe because it was ‘pork’ not usual ingredient which is veal.
Service was fast and efficient. And food was good. Space is small but I didn’t feel tables were packed. It’s BYOB so don’t forget to bring your favorite one.