Acquaviva Restaurant and Bar

"We always enjoyed coming here but all 3 out of 4 were disappointed with a very strong sharp cheese flavor ruining our entree. I’m not sure if there’s a new chef etc but it will stop us from returning and we were happy to finally have a decent place in Sussex county."

"6:30 reservation. Had to wait even though there were empty tables. Two empty stools at the bar which the bartender said were reserved. He didn't even offer to get us a drink. I think they need a new or second bartender. The food was good but they need either better management or to pay more for additional staff. Not in a rush to go back."

"We go because the food is great! However the service is not great. On one occasion we had 7:00 reservations, we had to wait and that was not the problem. The problem was that once seated we were ignored by every server. It was obvious they saw us but just kept passing us by. Eventually someone decided to step up and did she did apologize but come on!!! We were there for NYE. Again the food was good but the service was slow and our server left in the middle of our dinner."

"We had our 30th anniversary/vow renewal party here. The food was AMAZING! Every guest commented on how great the food was. The service was impeccable. Jana and Shannon took care of every single detail flawlessly and took very good care of us and our loved ones. They were kind, caring and warmhearted which was so wonderful in a room full of our loved ones celebrating with us! The party room is beautiful! All guests commented on how lovely everything was from the room to the food and service! Thank you Acquaviva!! 12/10 — would recommend!"

"Make sure you enter Wantage in your GPS. It defaults to Hamburg and brings you 2 miles down Rt 23. Below this is my previous review, prior to eating here. As of 7/27 I am updating my review after visiting twice. My wife and I had a few meatballs as a little appetizer. They were obviously not some frozen lumps of meat and bread that came from a distributor. These were, I was informed by the friendly waitress, award winning meatballs! Not sure the details on the award, but I understand! They were absolutely delicious and melted in your mouth. Tender and tasty. The cheese in it and/or on it was premium as well. The sauce on it (I grew up calling it gravy) was very good, and I am critical on this. For the main course I had the recommended black label pork chop. My wife ordered the Dijon Salmon. The Black Label Pork Chop was excellent. Honestly I am not normally one to order a pork chop at a restaurant, but my son said I had to try it. Glad I did! I included some pictures of it. It was firm but juicy. The gravy on it was to die for. If I had a complaint it would be that it didn’t have enough of the gravy! :-P My plate was cleaned dry of any remains with bread after I finished the meal. My wife, who always says she could eat salmon every day loved the dijon salmon, especially the dijon sauce over it. We each tried each others food, so I must say that salmon was delicious as well. My only regret was not ordering some Italian food, especially since the sauce tasted so good on the meatballs. I will next time though. I can’t say enough about this place. It is beautiful inside. The staff were very accommodating and friendly. I included lots of pictures and a couple quick videos. There is also a good sized banquet facility downstairs but as of today, it is undergoing construction. I believe it will be ready before the end of the Summer. PRIOR REVIEW: I was just reading a post about this in Nextdoor. I would not normally give a review when I haven't personally been there but in this case, I will make an exception. My son runs an Italian Restaurant in Myrtle Beach. He has been in the food industry, mostly Italian, for the last 13 years or so. Not to mention 31 years of Italian Heritage! His best friend is the sous chef here, so of course he went there on a recent visit back to NJ. He said the food is phenomenal! He knows I will not normally even eat pasta at most Italian restaurants because my pallet demands perfection in the sauce! He told me not to worry and order away. He had pork chops and loved them, along with a few samples of other items his friend brought him from the kitchen. I am hoping to get there this week and will follow up and edit this with my own personal experience, along with some pics. Please review yourself after a visit! We need to support our local restaurants! It's been tough on the industry the last year or so. All of them are struggling to get employees now as well. So any restaurant you visit right now, try and keep that in mind if things take a little longer than normal."