Banchetto Feast

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  Really really disappointed with the experience. Im giving 2 stars because the soup was good but the service was really slow. Molasses slow. If youre going to see a movie in westwood after dinner think again. Youll miss your movie. Im pretty sure they are understaffed and thats the real reason why i'm writing this bad review.

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  Posted on 05.17.13 Noelle R.

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  Food was overprice and poor quality and service quality was bad. My son, 7, ordered a cheese burger and we were charged the adult price. Waiter argued with us a bit that we did not say the kid's burger. He's seven do we really need to clarify on our side? And why argue with us? The fries tasted bad. They were fried in old oil and over-salted. The dressing on the 12 dollar salad was over powering. Will not return.

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  Posted on 12.15.12 E E.

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  I have been here a half dozen times over the past 3 months. The food has always been outstanding but the service spotty.  When I had the family here with 6 or 8 people, we were treated like visiting royalty. The last two times that my wife and I went by ourselves the service was horrible. It seems that the attention to customers depends on the size of the bill. With all the Italian restaurants in the area, one would think that service would be on par with the food. It isn't. We will spend our money elsewhere.

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  Posted on 10.17.12 John Q.

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  I've been here two or three times.  We have ladies night here because it's byob, which we love.  I cannot recall any particular dish, from salad to pasta to protein, that has really stuck out in my head.  I found the food very average to just okay.  Service and decor just okay.  Just okay in my book.  With so many other italian restaurants to choose from, this one just doesn't scream out as anything special to me.

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  Posted on 09.14.12 Leslie L.

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  The food was OK, not special.  The mozzarella tower was nice but the tomatoes were a little hard and lacked taste.  It was well spiced, so that covered for some of it.  Grilled calamari was uninteresting.  The shrimp fra diavolo was plenty diavolo! I had it served on a bed of spinach rather than pasta.  It had a kick to it and it was tasty.  The pork chop was properly spicy.  HOWEVER, the service was not so good.  Our waitress couldn't describe the menu items and ignored questions about which dishes were most favored by diners.  She came to ask if we wanted dessert when one of our party was away from the table, and came over to check on us interrupting our conversation with impunity.  Over all, Banchetto is adequate but not special.

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  Posted on 07.08.12 Roger B.

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  We have eaten here a bunch of times (Westwood) and have never been disappointed. Our service was always timely and friendly, and the food has always been delicious. We even had my son's baptism here and while it was a tight fit, the food was great.

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  Posted on 06.18.12 Christie G.

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  Mr Alvarez I do appreciate your response. I meant no disrespect about your employees. I have 70 employees working for me and 65 of them are Latino. I'm fluent in Spanish and by no means meant to be racist. I was just stating a fact and that they were rude. I'm glad you've improved your service and food as you've stated. I unfourtunatly will not eat there to be the judge of that. I would also recommend anyone reading this to go eat somewhere else this place has horrible service and worst than that the food is not up to par. And as you see the owner thinks I'm disrespectful by only stating the truth. It's not that the waiters were from another country it's that they did not speak English and did not make any attempt to apologize for the food being so bad. Anyway good luck .

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  Posted on 05.24.12 Jon A.

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  I'm a big fan of BYOB places.  You focus on the food, I'll bring my favorite drinks.  I find that more often than not, BYOB restaurants have better food.  It is certainly true at Banchetto Feast.
  
  The owner was quick to greet us and was very accommodating.  Our bread and appetizers came out right away and I'm a fan of their Caesar salad.  My entree was a veal di tuscany, which I highly recommend.  Someone else at my table was a big fan of the tilapia and escarole, but I was not so enamored with it.
  
  I can recommend Banchetto Feast as a safe Italian spot in Westwood, especially if you have your wines already picked out.

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  Posted on 04.30.12 George B.

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  My friend gave me a gift certificate for this place & after reading the reviews, I feared the worst.  Well, we were feeling brave this weekend so decided to put our gift cert to use.  I don't know if it's b/c my expectations were so low, but I thought it was pretty good.  No, not the best Italian I've ever eaten, but I did enjoy it overall.  Yes, the portions were a little on the small side, but not to a major degree.  We had salmon, an eggplant pasta & pasta w/shrimp & I thought all were good.  I didn't find the prices to be outrageous either, especially for a BYO.  Didn't have a problem w/service as others have reported.  
  
  In the end, I guess I'd have to say I'm not running back there but wouldn't rule out returning.

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  Posted on 04.23.12 Lisa W.

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  The food is not bad but it is overpriced and the portions are on the small side. They also charge for a salad with your entree which I have never come across at an Italian restaurant and find ridiculous, especially when they are saving a lot of money using crappy paper napkins flimsy paper menus.  There are hundreds of Italian places within miles of this place, it is NJ after all.  No reason to go back there.

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  Posted on 03.20.12 Farrell S.

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  I was taken back by the average two-star review for Westwood's Banchetto Feast. The Italian restaurant, while not completely spectacular, is certainly not below average. I dined at Banchetto's twice: once was for a major family outing with a party of twenty plus people in a sectioned room, while the other was more intimate and situated within a booth. I recall enjoying the food, as well as the vibe of the restaurant. I also admired the outdoor-seating option. I ordered a variety of antipasti and pasta entrees.
  
  While I have no complains, I feel as though the pricing was a bit much for the portions in which we received. Looking back, I remember enjoying the food but that is about all of which I remember. In comparison to other northern Bergen County Italian restaurants and bistros, Banchetto is average. All in all, it is worth a try at bare minimum.

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  Posted on 10.11.11 Will L.

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  Feh!
  
  We had been going to Banchetto for a few years, and decided to try it again this summer for the outdoor patio.  It was a pleasant Sunday night, and the place was mostly empty.  Both our dishes were practically inedible.  My husband had pasta with broccoli rabe, chicken and fresh tomato, and asked for 2 shrimp with it.  What came out was broccoli florets, no chicken, 2 shrimp, capers (not in the dish's description), and pasta swimming in what my husband said tasted like undissolved bouillon with extra salt.  I had pasta with chicken, sausage, vegetables (primavera) and white beans in garlic sauce.  The sausage was nicely coked, but the chicken was tough, the vegetables were completely overcooked, and the sauce had not a trace of garlic and was much too oily.
  
  The waitress was new, perhaps she got the order wrong but she was very nice and earnest and really wanted to please.  So I don't think it's her fault.
  
  I don't know if it was just an off night, but while their patio is pleasant, the quality of the food has definitely gone downhill.  If I'm going to spend nearly 20 bucks on a plate of pasta, I at least want it to be what was ordered.  The owner had better get his act together at this place because he now has a highly-rated restaurant right across the street (Bibi'z) that also has outdoor seating.

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  Posted on 06.26.11 J. C.

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  Food is pretty good at the Westwood location but the service is horrible everytime!!  The wait staff never come back to check on you and it takes forever.  Next time I will just call in and pick up.

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  Posted on 05.30.11 Julie A.

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  Yikes!  I am sorry to read all the bad reviews on this place.  I've had a couple co-workers eat here with their husbands (italian ladies who like to cook!) and they came back with surprisingly good reviews.  As previously mentioned, nothing stays in this location too long, so I didn't have high hopes originally.
  
  Since they liked it, a retirement party was planned at this location for another co-worker.  I had a really good time.  The staff was very friendly and pleasant, continually refilling drinks and appetizer plates.   The food was good, I had eggplant rollitini. The party room juuuust fit our party of 40, but it was warm, cozy and an overall good atmosphere.  
  
  So in all things considered, I don't really have any complaints.  Nothing particularly stood out either way.  I have a gift certificate, so I guess I should use it to test out a meal for two (and maybe I should use it quick. As I said, nothing stays in this location for too long...)

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  Posted on 11.18.10 Kate L.

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  Just as the previous review states...
  
  I NEVER in a million years would have thought that I would ever LOVE an Italian restaurant like this in a MALL.  However, the mall restaurant stereotype of sub-par food does NOT apply at Banchetto Feast!  Everything is sooo good.  My favorite thing to order is the Banchetto Chicken... creamy, delish, and soo bad for you.  Portions here are huge.  And the owner Rigo (or Rego) is AWESOME!  A nice family-owned quality restaurant.  Prices aren't bad for the huge portions they offer.

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  Posted on 11.11.10 Carla C.

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  In the land of northern NJ there are many Italian restaurants to choose from.  This one is at the bottom of the barrel with The Mountain House but that's another review.  The food is hardly authentic and is an insult to Italian cuisine.  From the bottom up you'd have Dominoes, Olive Garden then Banchetto Feast.  
  
  If you are looking for good Italian try Granita Grille on Broadway in Westwood, Bella Campania on B'way in Hillsdale (both byob).  If you have a few extra dollars and want to have your socks knocked off then try Dinallo's in River Edge.  Hands down one of the best and most authentic Italian restaurants in Bergen County.  They even do an old world gravy every sunday.  Mangiare!

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  Posted on 08.01.10 Bol T.

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  It's true what everyone is saying about the booth seating. It is reserved strictly for regulars only. The two hostesses, if you can even call them that, are so rude it's completely uncalled for. One hostess told us the booth was reserved & no reservations ever showed up. TOTAL BOGUS, the waiters are nice but the hostess and that lady who calls herself the manager is even worse.
  
  Its BYOB & has outdoor seating and is very casual. Acoustics in the dining room are terrible if you want a quiet night out not the place. Desserts are brought in & heated up & not that great.

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  Posted on 04.20.10 Melissa N.

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  Didn't think I would like an Italian restaurant located in the (sadly deteriorating) Nanuet Mall.  As expected, it was pretty empty. The place was huge, I found they have two rooms.
  
  The menu is a typical Italian restaurant menu so nothing special or fancy.  I got the Eggplant Parm; my friend had the Penne all Vodka.  The portion was decent sized. I also started with a garden salad which was good.  The portion was big enough that you could save half and have it the next day.
  
  We ended with coffee drinks: baileys and coffee and a buca espresso.  I didn't realize how big my drink would be!
  
  Joseph was an attentive waiter and I would come back if I didn't know where else to go!

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  Posted on 09.25.09 Milee S.

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  i liked the atmosphere of the place, and outdoor seating is available.  i had the chicken mamma mia which was cooked really well though i found the vodka sauce a little lacking (maybe too creamy?  just not enough savory zing).  found a teeny tiny piece of chicken in my garden salad haha.  the servers were super nice but didn't always listen to our requests such as dressing on the side and no ice in the water.  but i'm easy to please so was able to overlook all this.  using a coupon and saving on drinks bc i brought my own bottle of wine, dinner plus tax and tip came out to $18 per person which in my opinion is very reasonable for the dining experience we had.  will return.

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  Posted on 09.22.09 Liz N.

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  We were not going to go to this restaurant because the reviews were awful.  However, it was the only restaurant in the area that served between 3:00 and 5:00 pm on a weekday night.  Our three seafood entrees were definitely fresh.  One person in the party needed the entree to be served without the wine sauce and the entree arrived prepared correctly.  We WERE able to get a booth if we wanted one but chose a table near a window, as the third person in our party needed very good light.  The only disappointment was that we did not know the restaurant was BYO, and it did take the waiter quite a while to come and take our order.  We actually had to tell the busboy to get the waiter.  We visited the restaurant on 6/24/09, and we were pleased with our food.

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  Posted on 06.27.09 Claire M.

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  DONT WASTE YOUR TIME.
  
  The sauce tasted like ketsup and the pasta was way under cooked.  The place was not empty but we were told that we could not sit in a booth because of reservations.  Not true at all.
  
  The food was not worth it, the bread was awful.
  
  Next time Im in NJ visting family, I will stay away from here.

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  Posted on 05.27.09 John C.

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  Another red sauce moves into the cursed location in Westwood.  Most recently this was the home to Backwood Barbecue which I reviewed and enjoyed but had too short of an existence.
  
  Apparently, there is a Banchetto Feast somewhere in the culinary wasteland of Nanuet, NY.  
  
  We arrived at approximately 1pm for lunch on a Saturday.  The restaurant was maybe at 15% capacity.  The two of us asked for a booth.  The gentlemen whom seated us told us that all the booths were taken for reservations.  We almost walked right out.  We should have.  Who makes reservations in Bergen County on a Saturday at 1pm?!?!?!  Needless to say all of those booths remained empty throughout our entire lunch.  I don't appreciate the lies.  
  
  Food began with the recently thawed garlic knots.  Nuff said.
  
  She had the pizza margarita.  It is described on the menu as having fresh mozzarella.  ROTFL!!!  Who are they trying to fool?
  
  I had a sandwich.  It was prosciutto, sorpresata, veal cutlet, arugula, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella (not), and pesto spread.  Plus, I was able to substitute a salad in lieu of french fries for $.99  The veal cutlet was done very well and the flavor combination of the innards of the sandwich was actually very good.  However, the bread wasn't too good.  It was old.  It was too chewy.
  
  Upon departure we commented about the still empty booths and were told they were all cancellations.  Wow.
  
  We won't be returning and look forward in the near future to the next restaurant to appear in this cursed location.

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  Posted on 05.18.09 Jon K.

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