Coal-fired pizza in Old Tappan

Dino's Cucina, a 102-seat coal-oven pizza restaurant with a bar, has opened in Old Tappan. It's owned by a quartet of local contractors who razed the former Parmigiano's restaurant and built this in half of the mixed retail-office building that replaced it. The menu includes mostly classic pizza toppings, as well as a limited number of sandwiches and basic pastas.

Dino's is at 183 Old Tappan Road, Old Tappan; 201-297-7444

Comments

[Jim Esposito]

The coal fired oven makes pizza as good as any I have had in Italy. Superb ingredients,gourmet Italian dish selection, pleasant atmosphere & an attentive staff. This Ristorante/Bistro is well worth a 5 star rating and a very welcome addition to the community.

[The Milano Family]

Our family decided to try this great new italian restaurant. We started out with the best minestrone soup I have ever tasted. We then devoured the delicious coal fired oven pizza. The atmosphere and staff were warm and welcoming. We look forward to going back soon.

[Langella]

I tried this restaurant for lunch. Was greeted as soon as I came in the door by a friendly hostess, sat at a clean table in a wonderful atmosphere and had and lunch that would win an academy award. The pizza was suburb! The crust unbelievable. I wish the owners nothing but the best. Bravo!

[JM]

They don't have a website? Too bad, it helps business.

[Ted Shevlin]

Everything costs more in Old Tappan: gas, groceries, and now pizza: one Dino's 16" pie with a 1/2 topping cost me $17.90.

In a word, the pizza is salty; high blood pressure sufferers needn't apply. Salt aside, the sauce, spread perhaps too thinly, was delicious, and not quite as sweet as other pizza sauces I've had.

The crust was very well-formed, and thinner than average, although it's not "thin crust pizza" like Mountain House pizza, a local restaurant known for its thin crusts.

I was surprised that they skimped on the cheese: like the crust and sauce, it was also thin and formed islands on the pie, and the last inch before the edge was nearly all sauce and crust.

The pizza came with a few leaves of fresh basil on top, a very welcome surprise. I ordered a pizza with sausage as an experiment, as sausage at many pizza restaurants can be near-tasteless. I am happy to report that the sausage at Dino's does not fall into that category.

Overall, the pizza is very good, but the salt is a deal breaker for me. Add in the price tag, and I'd be hard-pressed to find a reason to return.

[robert cappadona]

the pizza is great and the entertainment is good the dessert is good the service is good i would reccomend it to any one and it does have a wedsite www.dinoscucina.com

[John Lokay]

My wife and I had dinner for the first time at Dino's this past Saturday night and we found the service and the food to be very good and reasonably priced. I should add that the pizza is outstanding. The restaurant had a nice lively crowd and we especially enjoy the folk singer. We will be back for more!!

[LifesisBliss]

Tried this place this past Saturday night. Our first clue were the empty tables at 8:00 on a Saturday night. Our second clue was the crowd at the bar - drinking yes, but noticed no food being served to them at all.
Granted, the folksy, guitar-playing singer was a nice touch, but he couldn't make up for what they were trying to pass off as good food.
Started with the chicken wings - no sauce was offered with them. Just plain old chicken wings cooked over a fire. Eh. The pizza arrived and from the looks of its hand tossed crust, we thought it would be great. We were wrong. Very thin tasteless sauce that had been dried out and practically disappeared into the crust and very little cheese at all. The crust itself was burnt - not yummy Brooklyn pizza-style burnt but burnt with no taste except burnt. Hoping this experience was a fluke - though from the looks of the empty tables, I'd guess it wasn't.

[michele]

Had the displeasure to dine there friday nite. For starters they ignore you at the door and when they finally get you a table they ignore you again. Very loud, not attentive at all. The pizza was bland and the sauce tasted like jarred. Had the psta too,that was worse. Won't be going back a second time.

[Gabriella]

WOW! I've never given a 'review' before but...I've just went to Dino's and had a Ball! I can't believe the last two comments on this great place! I loved, loved the pizza--the sauce was 'yummy' had to be San Marzano tomatoes,(I use them at home)fresh mozzarella and the crust was thin and delicious! The coal oven gives it a great flavor. My son ordered the wings and we ordered more to take home!! I don't know why anyone would want to put any kind of 'sauce' on these wings they were great and we loved the carmelized
onions on the wings. Our waitress was 'Jen' and she couldn't have been sweeter or more helpful. I can't wait to go back to Dino's with my husband and our friends. I suggest a reservation of a Fri., they do get busy! Can't wait to try their 'White' pizza and the eggplant--the people at the next table were raving!
Gabriella

[Joe and Colleen]

We have dined at Dino's three times with our kids at their request which is rare. I thought the pizza would be too gourmet for them but they enjoyed everything we sampled. The pasta, breads, wings and pizza's were all hits. The favorite was the chocolate pizza pie for dessert. That was a first for us and we all loved it. They loved the TV's and the waitress changed the channel to a kids station for us. Very enjoyable

[DB]

I was at the resteraunt on Saturday night. Our service and food was phenomenal. I started off with an order of 16oz. Porterhouse steak, potato wedges, and Cognac sauce. The steak was so good, I had to order another one. Even though it's embarassing to admit, I did finish both of them. The staff were friendly and professional and the singer was a nice touch. I definitely will be coming back.

[DC]

Our family has been to Dino's a half dozen times already and we plan on returning frequently. The food has been exceptional on EVERY occasion. The arugula pizza is amazing, the white pizza is unique and delicious, the wings are outstanding, and the eggplant is out of this world. The sauce is one of the best I've had and the ingredients are fresh and well prepared. It is such a pleasure to find a casual local restaurant with friendly, attentive service and terrific food. Add to that the throughly enjoyable weekend entertainment and we are hooked. With flat screen tvs on every wall, families can keep the kids entertained while they eat, and couples can dine while enjoying a drink and music in a relaxing atmosphere. Get the word out, it's the best thing to happen to Bergen County in a long time!

[Paul]

I miss Parmi's... great staff, great food and great conversation.

[cliffy]

I am always looking for above average to good pizza in the area. Had two home deliveries from Dino’s in the last two months. It easily beats the competition, however, I am looking for something in par with Manhattan (or Queens, where I work) quality pizza. In both instances the pizza was good although a notch below Manhattan pizzas (Had plain, pepperoni, mushroom and sausage pies, all big pies).
Finally I decided to go to the restaurant to experience the place. I ordered small pie (half mushroom half pepperoni), chicken parm hero and sausage / peppers sandwich. Also, we ordered fried calamari for appetizer. The waitress was helpful and attentive. I got my beer and the drinks in a reasonable time. The calamari arrived after a long wait, it was disappointing, very hot, too oily, saggy (not crisp) and very bland, not a good start. After a longer wait, finally our food arrived. The pizza met our expectation was crispy, thin and flavorful. The sausage and peppers was above average (Begged my son for a bite to taste it), the chicken parm was nothing to brag about. The quick lunch set us back 60 bucks (small pie, two sandwiches, one appetizer, one soda and one Coors lite + tips). So it is little pricey for a pizza joint, however I don’t mind paying if the food is very good. So far only the pizza made the cut (barely).
If Dino’s is aiming high they need to improve on their skimpy menu, you have to be very good to justify charging more than the competition , just because you are in Old Tappan does not translate into higher prices. Also, should consider serving bread or something before serving the food. All serious places in NY do that. Oh the beer selection was petatic, consisted of Coors lite and some othe drafts. When I asked for Bucks the waitress was puzzled.
Yes they are located in Old Tappan not Westwood, although Westwood and Old Tappan share the same zip code, it makes it confusing sometimes on search engines and navigation devices.

[Echo]

Dino's eggplant is the best I have ever eaten. Their sauce is simply delicious and if you are looking for a healthy alternative try their Freekeh Pizza it is absolutely amazing low carb low GI and high in fiber. Dino's has something for everyone.

[Belstaff jackets]

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