Prime 151

We decided to go out on the coldest Thursday evening so far in February around 8 PM. A friend had told us about a year ago that he found Prime 151 to have delicious Italian food, yet we never got there until the icy air motivated us to go out. We found the food to be very delicious. The portion sizes were large, and we brought home some to be part of our dinner tomorrow. Appetizers: the Eggplant Toscana and a fresh calamari special. Fantastic. Dinner mains: lasagna and the branzino with rabe, also fantastic. We brought a delicious bottle of red wine, and we were too full for dessert. Nevertheless the owner was very attentive the whole evening, and he was grateful to the diners who had come out in the cold. (The place only had about seven tables filled while we were there.). He brought us a small dessert sampler with amazing gelato and his Italian style bread pudding, with his compliments. Very tasty and nice. Indeed, the servers too had been excellent the whole time. Nothing like good Italian food to comfort one on a cold winter night!

My grandparents wanted to take me out for my birthday as we do every year in the Montclair area. We planned to go to De Novo, but on a Thursday night it was absolutely not going to work for conversation. I popped up Unilocal and found Prime 151, and my grandmother remembered hearing very good things from a friend, so off we went.
Well, that was a very fortuitous choice. We walked in and were immediately welcomed. The owner, V, ran the front of house and had a wonderful personality and a clear true pride in his establishment. I started looking at the menu, but then he recited the specials in a way that absolutely sold me on them. My grandpa and I both went for the lasagne, and my grandma for the bronzino; I got the thin-​sliced eggplant appetizer and my grandpa got a salad.
I noted a trend that set the tone for the evening with my starter: balance. Thin, mandolin-​sliced pieces of eggplant surrounded a cheese and light sauce filling. It was so wonderfully light, and unlike the world of heavily breaded eggplant Rolletini that dominates this market, it was a refreshing change of pace. No ingredient dominated and all worked together.
Next was the lasagne, and wow was it worth the hype. It was probably the best I’ve had in a restaurant ever, but not as good as my grandma’s or my dad’s. That is because nothing is ever better than family lasagne no matter how good it is… but this is the closest any I’ve had has come. The meat was quite clearly top shelf, and the noodles were wonderfully light as was the sauce. Again, the flavours were wonderfully balanced. The only minor flaw I could find in the entire evening was that the centre was a bit cool, but not enough to bother me to interrupt the otherwise divine experience to send it to get warmed up.
We didn’t order dessert because my grandma had made cake, but on hearing this V insisted on bringing a slice of his panettone and pistachio ice cream to celebrate in house. I couldn’t eat the ice cream due to a nut allergy (I also can’t evaluate the pesto brought to the table at the beginning of the meal due to this), but the panettone was incredible.
We will certainly return… we were made to feel so welcome, and I think my grandparents will be here quite a bit in the next few weeks as they are very excited to share this place with their friends. My grandma already made it clear she wants to celebrate her birthday in May here. I hope that my grandparents have found a favourite local Italian haunt, with the great family-​style service and incredible food that every New Jerseyite deserves to have in their town.

Terrific. Every dish was presented well and tasted great. Not a cheap spot but worth the money. Not much space where we sat, but we went a busy Saturday night. Very much recommend for all dinner occasions.

Came to this beautiful restaurant on Monday for my birthday. I was right away greeted and told I could pick any table. The ambiance was great, and the music playing made it a perfect dinner. A man came over and introduced himself, he was actually the owner! He told us of the specials and we decided to take him up on the eggplant Parmesan. I’ve never had eggplant before so I was excited yet nervous to taste this. We brought our own wine bottle of Malbec and one of the waiters served it to us. The young man also brought over fresh Italian bread and pesto sauce for dipping. My god the pesto sauce was delicious! Our eggplant Parmesan came and to my surprise it was amazing ! I didn’t want to eat to fast and saber every piece of it. For entrees my boyfriend order the Bolognese, which he said was amazing. I had a chicken plate (sorry i forgot the name). We were so stuff but the food was so good to stop eating. We finally gave in and requested to pack up our left over food. We then asked for the check and to our surprise the young man sent us a dessert and said «it was on the house.» How could I not resist this dessert?! It was a pudding like cake with pistachio ice cream. The most delicious dessert I have ever had. Overall I can’t wait to come back and find myself lucky to have found this establishment. The food is fresh and delicious.

Everything about our trip to Prime 151 was excellent. Wonderful service and the food was absolutely delicious. We had the homemade mozzarella and tomato as well as the Lasagnette for appetizer. Went with the short rib cannelloni for dinner and everything was great. Already looking forward to returning!

Absolutely phenomenal. Everything we ordered was exceptional. I cannot wait to go back. What a hidden gem. Highly recommended.

I made a reservation for a New Year’s Eve dinner. They were running behind on their reservations. With four tables sitting empty, they asked us to wait for another table to finish their dessert. When it became apparent 20 minutes later that couple was in no hurry to leave, they escorted us to a table in the back room. It was another 10 minutes before a waiter came to take our order. We waited in the hallway that linked the back room with the front along with 10 other people — rather awkward as there was no seating and we felt like we were in the way of a million waiters/​people trying to get to the bathroom.
Water and bread didn’t come until we requested them — twice. Thank goodness we brought a bottle of wine that we asked a buser to immediately open to keep ourselves from being too thirsty/​irritated. Every restaurant should have BYOB to help themselves with less-​than-​great service, but I digress…
The food was the highlight of the experience, by far. Even my husband, who was annoyed at the whole reservation fiasco, had to grudgingly admit that the pasta entrees were pretty darn good.
Throughout the whole experience, we had to continually try to wave down the waiter (water… dessert… check) and we felt like a small boat of two lost adrift among the large, noisy barge ships of New Years’ Eve carousers that surrounded us.
I wouldn’t mind trying Prime again to see if the service problems are unique to their peak dining hours, or if they are pervasive as other reviews seem to suggest. The food is great, but as far as the overall package is concerned I would rather drive an extra 10 minutes to an outstanding Italian restaurant in Clifton where I know both food and service are impeccable.

Prime 151 is an excellent Italian restaurant. It is cozy inside and the owners make you feel like you’re over for a Sunday dinner.
The standout meal here is the lasagna. It’s several layers of meat and ricotta goodness. The lasagna is something you will crave until your next visit!
I would save Prime 151 for a special occasion as it is a little pricey. It’s BYOB too which is a plus. The one thing that may throw you off is the name. At first pass, I had thought this was a steak house until researching further.

Came across this restaurant today, and how lucky we were! The food was fantastic. My mother and husband had the lasagna special and it was fantastic. The pasta was home made! I had the cannaloni and it was to die for. The service was great and the owner was so warm and welcoming. My parents actually made reservations for their anniversary on Wednesday. Can’t wait to go back. This place is beyond a home run… It’s a grand slam!

i came here with a large group early sunday evening to celebrate a birthday. we were the first group in the restaurant, so felt like we had a true private party!
the owner was actually our server, man could this guy sell. his descriptions of the specials and menu highlights came out smooth like butter and made everything sound unbelievably amazing.
he suggested we do family style appetizers. this consisted of:
tomato & mozz– tomatoes were not ripe, could’ve used some S&P
lasagnette toscana– paper thin pasta with thin slices of eggplant, cheese, and sauce, i’ve never had something like this before it was gooood
eggplant toscana– omg this was to die for, the simplicity of perfectly baked eggplant with a splash of marinara and quality extra virgin olive oil
clams casino– yum these had great flavor
everyone’s entrees were delish. my boyfriend got the chicken parm, two thumbs up! and the special of the day, homemade fusili with mushrooms, shrimp, garlic, parsley, and olive oil was simply out of this world! i got the short rib cannelloni the cream sauce was awesome, but i was a bit underwhelmed with the pasta itself as it was almost crisp… i kind of felt like i was eating an italian burrito.
oh and you must order dessert hear, everything was great. may skip tiramisu this was not made in house.
overall this place serves simple delicious food with very friendly and passionate service.

5 star experience at Prime 151!!! I came on a Sunday evening with a large group to celebrate a birthday. The owner came out to greet us and was very friendly! He explained the menu and specials in detail.
We decided to start with a mix of appetizers which included tomato mozzarella, baked clams, eggplant Toscana which was very thin slices eggplant — SO DELICIOUS and lasagna Toscana –AMAZING. I would come back just for the appetizers they were so good.
Mains included salmon livornaise, cannelloni with braised short ribs SO GOOD, chicken fiorentina also delicious.
Dessert I tried the chocolate mousse cake, and OMG THE BREAD PUDDING WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!
My family decided we all would be back 100%!! I would highly recommend it.
Also good to note it’s BYOB!!!

Had a lovely dinner here with friends. Brought two bottles on wine and they were promptly opened. The menu is tight so you’re not overwhelmed but there’s an array of options.
We got the Lasagna appetizer and buffalo mozzarella. The lasagna again is superb and I can see why it’s a house specialty. I got the the linguini Bosco e Mare and it was excellent.
Service was good, but delayed. My only complaint was we had to wait a while between courses. That was likely because there was a party of a dozen at the table behind us at this very small restaurant. I think other nights it wouldn’t have been a problem.
Its also very loud, at least in the back room. They have some padding in the ceiling I imagine to reduce the noise a little. So be prepared to speak up!

Homemade fusili pasta with filet mignon tips, portobello mushrooms, fresh basil, and shaved parmigiano reggiano in an olive oil and garlic sauce. OUTSTANDING.
Chicken Fiorentina filets with prosciutto, fresh spinach and mozzarella in a sherry reduction with a side of homemade mashed potatoes. EXCELLENT COMFORT FOOD.
Arugula salad with citrus vinaigrette. AMAZING.
Lasagnette Toscana. DIVINE.
Eggplant Toscana. SUBLIME.
Service was impeccable. Our waiter was the owner and although we were dressed casually, he treated us like 5 star guests. EXCELLENT SERVICE.
Hearing Italian spoken throughout the restaurant was refreshing and comforting. WHAT A RELIEF!
Food is authentic, organic, beautifully presented and well, it’s just the most heavenly Italian food this side of the Atlantic. The food tastes like art. I was speechless for most of the dinner.
We’ll be back to try the Bronzino.

I left hungry, I’ll start with that. The staff was very friendly. Real Italians with accents and cool European vibes. Our waiter was really nice. My only wish was that he’d been more attentive to our water replenishment. Had gone with a group of 5. Ordered the calamari, it was ok– I have had better (and for less). I ordered their fish special (I think it was Branzino). It came with choice of broccoli rabe or spinach. I had spinach. I asked if that was all it came with, he offered mash. I added mash and thank God I did. There was hardly anything on the plate! It was a thin fillet, a scoop and half of mash and maybe a ½cup of spinach. And there was nothing remarkable about my meal either. I could have made it at home (and for waaaay less). I was expecting a heartier meal, like the whole fish not some sliver of a fillet. So disappointed.
The almond cake was delicious!
When I got home I ate some leftover pasta and meat sauce to feel full.

I has a great experience at this restaurant! I had the filet mignon it was cooked perfectly and melted in my mouth. I was not a fan of the appetizer, The Spidini, with mozzarella cheese, capers, capers… It just tasted like soggy bread soaked in chicken broth. There were also no anchovies. Other than that, everything else was great! The service was great too!

First, I need to say that the food was great. I can understand why the place is full. That being said, we found the service to be very poor. I believe that the manager sets the tone for customer service and the man in charge of this place needs to work on his people skills.
The man in charge gave off such an angry, can’t be bothered attitude, it affected the whole staff.
Our waiter was decent, but disappeared a lot when we needed water, bread, the bill…
There are too many places where I feel welcome and will return, this isn’t one of them.
After posting this review, I was contacted by Matt, the owner, with a sarcastic comment Unilocal
Subject: Prime
«You do what do you do let me do what I do»
Classy

Excellent everything about it
Our waiter was the owner great guy great food
We will be returning

I agree with some other reviewers that the service is slow. Still our waiter, while less than attentive, was very pleasant. He even brought out several free desserts to apologize for our wait. It was a Saturday night and we came in right as numerous other tables were seated, which may account for the slow service. Also, it was refreshing not to be pushed out of a nice meal. We were able to linger with our friends and enjoy our evening out.
The food was very good. My husband had the special lasagna which was out of this world. The chef used a becamel sauce instead of ricotta cheese-​delicious. I had the shrimp and pasta which was also very good. The shrimp was perfectly cooked and very fresh. Our friends had a chicken dish and the salmon special, which was a little drier than he likes. Overall a wonderful experience.

I can’t get over how good the food was. Everything was truly outstanding.
The waiter (I think we happened to get the manager/​owner) really knew the menu inside and out. Every ingredient has a back story…
He tells me they have the best lasagne in the history of lasagne. So how can I not challenge this assertion? Guess what — it was the best lasagne in the history of lasagne! It was outrageous.
From a food perspective it’s on par with Osteria Giotto and LuNello — and all the other top Italians around

I wanted to like Prime 151 much more than I actually did. I went with my parents, aunt, uncle, cousin and gradmother for my grandmother’s birthday and maybe this was an off-​night for them: the gap between the quality of food (great) and the quality of service (clueless) was baffling.
Arriving just a few minutes after a long-​placed reservation for 7, our table wasn’t ready. It took a few minutes of arguing between waitstaff/​hostess/​owner before we were led to a table in the back. A table for 7 was set up, despite the waiter insisting that the table had 8 chairs (a brief count confirmed that, yes, 7 chairs were set). Throughout the meal, dishes were slow to arrive and empty dishes even slower to leave. The waiter was, however, knowledgeable amount the menu and the food was solid and, at times, creative.
Warm, fresh bread was brought to the table along with a bright pesto sauce. I went with the Prime Salad (arugula, roasted beets, and goat cheese in a citrus vinaigrette) followed by the much heralded short-​rib cannelloni. The salad’s simple description belied a complex mix of flavours. The arugula was fresh and peppery, playing off the subtle sweetness of the beets. The small round of goat cheese was rolled in blueberries, creating a flavour not unlike cheesecake and the dish tied together with the bright, tart-​and-​lemony dressing.
The cannelloni was fantastic: four small sheets of pasta rolled into tubes and stuffed with mascarpone, spinach, and braised short-​rib topped with a cognac cream sauce. The short-​rib was incredibly tender and flavourful with the sauce thankfully not to heavy, though it could’ve been a bit more assertively flavoured.
Dinner was capped with a brioche bread pudding, which was among the better bread puddings I’ve had. A fine combination of crisp top with a very tender, rich, and well spiced base was just decadent enough and it came with a scoop of pistacho gelato on the side.
Prime 151 definitely has the potential to be another star restaurant in Montclair, though their service leaves a great deal to be desired.