Nero's Grille

Just order up the outrageously priced jumbo shrimp cocktail. Excellent fresh quality (at least when I went) with a couple of nice sauces but be prepared to pay $4 for EACH shrimp.
Finish it off with the Key Lime Pie.
Then go home. Go, Go already.

Came to have dinner with the family tonight.

Addison was our server and she was unbelievably fantastic. She was very attentive and had an answer for question we had about the menu. A manager came to our table to make sure that we were OK and that is always a plus!

Our dinner was absolutely amazing... We had the sticky chicken and the garlic shrimp and let me tell you... we were not disappointed.

If you ever find yourself in Livingston, NJ... you have to go to Neros Grille.

Came here to celebrate my son's college graduation.

Caroline was our server. She is very attentive, and friendly. All the other runners/servers are very nice too. The owner came to each table to make sure that we were happy with the meal, and greeted us again when we left the restaurant.

The portions are huge! Everything we ordered were excellent. From lobster rolls to Chicken to scallops to fish, everything was well presented and the taste and temperature were top notch.

Desserts: we had no more room for the huge carrot cake...so we ordered three different things to share. The cheesecake was so good! Key lime pie was also very good. But the star was the strawberry shortcake!

The only complain is the price for soda. Each tiny bottle of coke is $5, and no free refill. The price was not listed anywhere on the menu. I will simply not order any drinks next time.

Very happy with the dinner. We will be back.

In a neighborhood where the clientele can be demanding, Nero's has delivered for decades. Solid, reliable food-but the customer service stands out. They do cater to your special requests, unfazed.

My family lived in Livingston for many years, passed by this place countless times and moved out of Livingston but have never been to Nero's. We decided to give it a try for my mom's 73rd birthday. I was a little nervous because the mixed reviews. First, it's a beautiful establishment with both indoor and outdoor seatings. Second, the service is great. I made a reservation for today but for some reason it was put in for next Sunday. They quickly put a table for us for 9 people. Now the food, it is decent but I do agree with other reviews that for the price you pay, it could be better. We asked for medium rare for our ribeye but it was well-done. We told the waitress and she was very nice and cool about it and they made us new ones. When you didn't do it right the first time, you do it very right the next time and they did. We all enjoyed the calamari a lot and the kids liked the pizza. We also brought a cake and they were nice to bring it out and give us plates and silverware even when they have a full house. Overall, it was a good dining experience.

The food was good not great but good. Drink order was gotten wrong. We were rushed out and no one appeared to be waiting for our table. It was loud. We couldn't hear table conversation amongst the four of us. It felt very claustrophobic as they've squeezed more tables into the dining room. I'm assuming to boost revenue. At one point a door must have been opened which made the dining room freezing. The food also took a long time to come to the table. There are much better Italian restaurants. The place is like a Denny's with an obnoxious, loud meet-market bar.

I don't think I have visited Nero since the 70s but still going strong food was great. Service was excellent.

I don't get it. Went for the 4th time last night. This for a co-worker's birthday. The bar area is great and the service always good. The food? Other than a few very good dishes the rest is just blah. I had the eggplant special last time and it was burnt and fairly clearly microwaved. Pasta was bland. I'm not sure if it's an Italian place, steak, or raw bar but the burger is the only standout. If I have to go back, I'll get that. Always crowded, I suspect patrons love the local feel and don't care much about the food.

Had dinner here with a couple friends. I pass Nero's daily going around Livingston checking up on my projects. Can't believe I never stopped in before. The food is top notch and the service is on point. The brisket scallion pancakes were off the charts and the special burger literally had nothing but a bun and patty but was one of the juiciest and flavorful burgers I've ever had. I was looking at some of the items other tables got and the food looked amazing. I'll be stopping by here more frequently as I want to try more of the items.

Nero's has been around forever, but it had been years since we last dined there -- and now I remember why we stopped going. Same shortcomings, only worse. In a nutshell: very good service, very mediocre food. Crowded and noisy on a Wednesday night. I'm not sure what keeps people coming here after 40+ years, but they continue to have a very loyal following, despite all the above issues. The bar scene is a big part of it, I would guess.

The "autumn salad" was very good, but expensive. The rigatoni was appropriately al dente, but otherwise unremarkable. The tuna entree was a small amount of tuna on top of a heavy Asian noodle preparation. The servers were very polite and efficient -- but the food just isn't good enough to justify the premium prices charged. Five stars for the service, one for the food -- averages out to 3.

They are popular, a 90min seating limit outside and a big lot to expand to if they need more space. Lots of space heaters outside and seating inside if you're vaccinated.

Enter though the open back space that faces the forest area and you get seated by the host. It's warm today and there are hornets all over so be careful if allergic, constant interruption to the meal.

For an Italian restaurant, they have surprisingly little in the way of pasta dishes (different part of Italy perhaps?) which I was looking forward to trying a short rib cavatelli or something similar. I ended up having to settle for the chicken franchese special and it disappointed; the chicken was cooked a little too long, pasta was too soggy, well past al dente, and the color brightly yellow which was disturbing and suggested food coloring as the butter flavor went lacking. The chicken Milanese was better as a salad plus chicken though the other diners gave up on the onions, guess a bit too strong. Bread in the table was good, but butter was rock hard and too tough to spread, no olive oil and vinegar in sight.

After lunch coffee, out of there cups, two had coffee all over the side due to sloppy pours, could have been wiped off nicely before giving to us, but a lack of detail here. Ditto the water glass which was dusty possibly from being outside.

Left feeling unsatisfied. Will have to try a burger next time, next door seemed to have the right idea there. Most of the crowd was in the older age, guess a weekday noontime is mostly a retirees crowd here or from the local elderly care home.