Finally made it to Mangia Bene last night. Food is on par with Rezza, just great and my whole family was bowled over. Service was good as well. Never felt rushed. I was very surprised at how small the place is, 10-12 tables depending on configuration. Did feel somewhat cramped. Sad that by 8:30 PM there was just us (6:30 PM reservation) and two other tables, both finishing up. Think maybe three tables got turned on a Saturday night.
As someone who never thought they would live in New Jersey the sheer quantity of strip malls continues to amaze me. There’s a Michael’s, Five Below, nail place, Dollar Tree, and then Mangia Bene. But that is probably how John keeps the prices down. Rent has to be much less than, say, downtown Millburn or Montclair. While driving down a road like Route 10 makes me despair for humanity, I’d rather have the better menu pricing, hah.
Will have to try both of those. Our go-to BYO in Ridgewood for years was Village Green but we lost interest and moved on. Should probably give it another go. SR Inn remains excellent and we love Viaggio in Wayne but need them to bring back the Focaccia, burrata, prosciutto, fruit apps they were a highlight
