- Attraction: Calandra’s Italian Village
- Location: 234 Bloomfield Ave, Caldwell, NJ 07006
- Industry: Italian Restaurant
- Website: https://calandrasitalianvillage.com
Picture walking into a place where the aroma of fresh-baked bread mingles with espresso, where a full-service restaurant sits steps from an Italian deli, and where you can pick up handcrafted cannoli after finishing your pasta dinner.
Since 1962, the Calandra family has been perfecting the art of Italian hospitality, and their Caldwell location brings everything together in one impressive complex.
Founded by Luciano Calandra just five years after immigrating to America, what started as a small Newark bakery has blossomed into a northern New Jersey institution that’s been voted the number one bakery in the region by NJ Monthly Magazine readers.
You’ll discover multiple experiences here: Il Vecchio Café serves lunch and dinner with homemade pastas and wood-fired pizzas, La Taverna Bar & Lounge offers craft cocktails and live entertainment, the Italian Market & Deli whips up fresh sandwiches on their signature bread, and the bakery tempts with rows of pastries that look almost too beautiful to eat.
This isn’t just a meal—it’s an entire Italian village gathered under one roof, where three generations of the Calandra family have poured their passion into every detail.
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Keep Exploring →Restaurant Highlights
The Pasta Selection: You’ll find homemade pastas that showcase traditional techniques alongside creative twists. The pappardelle with duck leg ragu stands out as a customer favorite, featuring tender shredded duck over wide ribbon pasta in a rich, savory sauce.
The rigatoni arrives tossed with crumbled sausage in a pink cream sauce that balances richness with brightness, while the penne vodka delivers that classic creamy tomato flavor everyone craves. The orecchiette with broccoli rabe and sausage brings together bitter greens, spicy Italian sausage, and ear-shaped pasta in perfect harmony.
Wood-Fired Specialties: Il Vecchio Café features a stone deck wood-burning oven that produces pizzas and flatbreads with perfectly charred crusts and bubbly cheese.
The natural whole grain ingredients give the dough a nutty complexity you won’t find at chain pizzerias. Beyond pizza, this oven works magic on calzones that emerge golden and crispy on the outside while staying tender inside.
Standout Entrees: The pork chop milanese has earned a dedicated following—a beautiful Berkshire black porterhouse that’s oven-roasted to perfection and served over cannellini beans with sautéed spinach.
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Discover MoreThe chicken cutlet dishes come in several variations, from the classic parmigiana with marinara and melted mozzarella to the ortolano, where a breaded cutlet gets topped with fresh tomato bruschetta over baby arugula. Fish lovers gravitate toward the bronzino special, typically served over spinach and finished with bright, complementary flavors.
Appetizers Worth Ordering: The risotto balls are little golden nuggets of joy—crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, stuffed with beef and cheese, then served over marinara sauce. The fried calamari comes out tender rather than rubbery, with just the right amount of crisp.
The prosciutto and melon plate elevates the classic combination with local honey and pistachios for extra sweetness and crunch. Don’t skip the eggplant rollatini, which wraps seasoned ricotta in thinly sliced eggplant before being topped with marinara and mozzarella.
Tuesday Flight Night: Every Tuesday starting at 4:30 PM brings pasta and lasagna flights for just twenty-five dollars, letting you sample multiple varieties in one sitting. You’ll also get fifty percent off bottled Calandra family wines, making it an incredible value for exploring their menu.
Bakery & Dessert Paradise
Fresh Bread Every Hour: The bakery bakes fresh bread throughout the day using a recipe that hasn’t changed in over sixty years and contains just four simple ingredients. You’ll smell it the moment you walk in—crusty on the outside, pillowy soft inside, the kind of bread that makes you understand why people drive an hour just to pick up a few loaves.
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Keep Exploring →Italian Pastry Classics: The cannoli are legendary, with crisp shells filled with sweet ricotta and citrus notes that taste authentically Italian. The tiramisu layers espresso-soaked ladyfingers with mascarpone cheese and powdered chocolate in perfect proportions.
Napoleon slices offer delicate puff pastry layered with cream, while lobster tail pastries bring flaky shells filled with sweet ricotta cream. The St. Joseph’s cakes appear during certain times of year and disappear quickly once loyal customers hear they’re available.
Cakes for Every Occasion: Whether you’re grabbing a slice of carrot cake for the table or ordering a custom wedding cake, the selection impresses. The chocolate cannoli cake combines vanilla cake with cannoli filling and crushed cannoli shells in the icing.
Cherry cheesecake, blueberry cheesecake, and classic Italian rum cakes fill the display cases alongside seasonal specialties. Wedding cake tastings are complimentary, and bakers will work with you to create exactly what you envision.
Handcrafted Gelato: La Gelateria produces authentic Italian gelato using fresh milk, cream, sugars, fruit purees, and nuts. The flavors rotate, but expect everything from classic chocolate and vanilla to seasonal fruit varieties that taste like summer in a cup.
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Discover MoreThe Italian Market & Deli
Gourmet Sandwiches: The deli counter slices imported and domestic cold cuts by the pound—prosciutto di Parma, sopressata, premium roast beef, turkey filet, and an array of cheeses.
Hot pressed panini come loaded with combinations like grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, and sundried tomatoes with balsamic glaze. Every sandwich gets built on Calandra’s freshly baked bread, which makes all the difference.
Breakfast Options: Morning visitors can fuel up with fluffy pancakes topped with macerated strawberries or blueberries, French toast made from Calandra’s bread with caramelized cinnamon sugar, or classic egg platters with perfectly seasoned home fries. Breakfast runs until 2 PM, giving you plenty of time to sleep in and still catch it.
Specialty Items: The market stocks Calandra family products including their own line of olive oil, coffee, fresh pasta, and homemade sauces. You’ll find Italian specialty ingredients that let you recreate some of these flavors at home, though nothing quite compares to having it prepared fresh.
La Taverna Bar & Lounge
Happy Hour Deals: Monday brings all-night happy hour from 4:30 PM to closing, while Tuesday through Friday offers happy hour from 4:30 to 6:30 PM. You’ll find discounted beers, wines, cocktails, and premium liquors alongside a special happy hour menu. Sunday brunch from noon to 3 PM features live smooth jazz with half-priced mimosas, bellinis, and screwdrivers.
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Keep Exploring →Live Entertainment: The lounge hosts live music on Friday and Saturday evenings, featuring everything from classic rock to jazz to salsa. The outdoor patio becomes particularly magical during warm months when you can enjoy your meal or drinks with music floating through the air.
Family-Style Sundays: Every Sunday, the restaurant serves an all-day family-style meal including salad, pasta, meatballs, sausage, braciole, cannoli, and coffee—all accompanied by live jazz from noon to 3 PM. It’s the kind of Sunday dinner Italian grandmothers dream about.
Atmosphere & Setting
European Village Charm: Walking through Calandra’s Italian Village genuinely feels like stepping into a small Italian town. The bakery gleams with glass cases full of pastries, the restaurant features rustic yet refined decor, and the overall aesthetic captures old-world warmth without feeling dated or stuffy.
Spacious Yet Cozy: Il Vecchio Café manages the impressive feat of being generously sized while still feeling intimate and comfortable. High ceilings prevent the space from feeling crowded even during peak hours, and the layout accommodates both small romantic dinners and large family gatherings with ease.
Outdoor Dining: The patio area transforms the experience entirely during pleasant weather. Natural light floods in, fresh air circulates, and the ambiance shifts to something closer to an Italian piazza. The outdoor bar serves drinks while you dine al fresco, and on summer evenings with live music playing, you’ll swear you’ve been transported across the Atlantic.
Multiple Venues in One: The private wine room seats up to thirty people for intimate celebrations or corporate dinners, while the main dining room can handle larger parties. La Taverna accommodates around seventy guests, and the outdoor areas add another eighty spots. Together, these spaces can host up to two hundred people for special events.
Pricing & Practical Details
Mid-Range to Moderate: Pasta dishes typically run in the mid-twenties to low thirties, while entrees like chicken parmigiana cost around twenty-eight to thirty dollars. Some visitors note that sides don’t always come included with entrees, which can push the total higher.
However, portion sizes are notably generous—many people take home leftovers. The quality of ingredients and homemade preparations justify the pricing for most diners.
Bakery Value: Individual pastries and cookies offer excellent value for the quality. You can fill a box with treats without breaking the bank. Wedding cakes cost more than budget options, but the freshness—they bake cakes at 3 AM on wedding days—and custom designs make them worthwhile for couples who care about both taste and presentation.
Tuesday Specials: The twenty-five dollar pasta flights on Tuesdays, combined with half-price wine bottles, represent one of the best deals in the area for trying multiple dishes.
Parking Convenience: You’ll find ample parking in the large lot, eliminating the frustration of circling for spots that plagues so many New Jersey restaurants.
Family-Friendly Environment: The venue welcomes families with children, and kids under three sometimes eat free. The casual yet polished atmosphere means you won’t feel out of place whether you’re in jeans or dressed up for a special occasion.
Senior Discounts: Mondays and Wednesdays bring senior discounts at the bakery, though these don’t apply during holiday weeks.
Reservations Recommended: For weekend dinners or special events, calling ahead ensures you get seated promptly. Walk-ins are accepted, but weekend evenings fill up quickly.
Calandra’s Italian Village
📍 234 Bloomfield Ave, Caldwell, NJ 07006
