“Here’s your seat, Princess,” says the nicest man on planet Earth to my daughter as he hands us the booster seat at “our table” in the corner of Mozzarella’s cozy confines on Valley Street in South Orange.

MDP and I had been going to Mozzarella long before our little lady came along, but it wasn’t until recently that we decided to dine in (see global pandemic for an explanation). Now, it’s part of our weekend routine to stop by Mozzarella for lunch, our experience enriched not only by the top-notch, consistent food but by the lovely hospitality as well.

You know how it is in New Jersey – with Italian-American restaurants on just about every corner next to the bagel place and nail salon – but Mozzarella is serving up something special. I’ve eaten from there countless times and I cannot recall one bad meal.

In this review, I’ll guide you through the standout dishes that I’ve tried over the years. Keep watch of Mozzarella’s menu, as they’re always adding creative, delicious specials (sometimes semi-permanently it seems).

Appetizers

If you ask my daughter what the best starter is, she’ll tell you it’s the mozzarella sticks: truly fresh mozzarella covered in a lightly fried, tightly woven exterior, served with a smooth, creamy sauce – perhaps her favorite thing she’s tried in her three-ish years. The mozzarella sticks are gooey with just enough bite to satisfy kids and adults alike.

My two favorites are the white PEI mussels and garlic parmesan wings.

Who doesn’t love a good bowl of mussels? While I’ve had the red mussels at Mozzarella, my typical preference is for a white wine broth, and much like everything here, it’s rich in flavor. The mussels are always perfectly cooked, nearly exploding from their opened shells. The dish also comes with a few pieces of grilled bread slathered with a tangy, vivid pesto, a perfect vessel for sponging up the delectable broth.

With the garlic parmesan wings – one wing dish option among several – you’ll get six to the order, and I can assure you this is only sufficient for two people. They’re baked, tender, and abundant with a garlic kick. Melted butter serves as the adhesive for the double punch of garlic and salty parmesan, a recipe designed for addiction.

If you’re interested in calamari, I’d suggest the Rhode Island version, which comes with hot cherry peppers and garlic for a delightful twist.

Honey pepper brussels are sublimely roasted and doused in sweetness, an appetizer option that puts a vegetable in the spotlight, if that’s your thing.

Pizza

The perennial question who has the best pizza in SOMA? comes up every now and again on the community Facebook groups. While the locals love a Sabatino pie, just down the road from Mozzarella, I’d suggest getting pizza here any day. At Mozzarella, pizza is a work of art with flavors to match its beauty.

Typically, MDP and my daughter share a margherita pizza, which is what you think it is: fresh mozzarella, tomato sauce, and a bit of basil. The crust is pretty thin and made with a flavorful dough. Ingredients are fresh, which you experience with anything you order from Mozzarella. A+ pizza for sure.

Mozzarella recognizes the diverse palates and preferences of our community, so also offers a vegan pizza, as well as a cauliflower crust rendition. I absolutely love the cauliflower crust pizza – thin, crisp, a perfect base for their outrageous toppings.

MDP has gotten both the calzone and stromboli, and is definitely a fan of both. As noted, their dough recipe is a notch above, so even more bread-forward “pizza items” are excellent.

Sandwiches

Though it’s been a long time since I’ve had one, the chicken parm sandwich at Mozzarella is one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. The bread is crusty yet serves as a perfect pocket to the delicious pan-friend chicken cutlet with melted fresh mozzarella and bright marinara on top. The cheesesteak sandwich also uses this divine bread and delivers a scrumptious bite.

MDP has had the Nashville-style hot chicken sandwich a few times – definitely spicy thanks to the Mike’s hot sauce and turned-up mayo – and he’s always walked away a happy customer.

You may be thinking, A sandwich is a good lunch-time food. I’d note that these sandwiches are quite sturdy and robust in all their deliciousness so come hungry if you try one for lunch.

Salads

I’ve tried many salads at Mozzarella and loved all of them. My two favorites are the kale Greek salad and a special they’ve had for a bit now (possibly because I keep ordering it), the roasted cauliflower arugula salad.

With the kale salad, you get baby kale – the best kind – with ample pieces of cucumber, bell pepper, and tomato that are joined by olives and feta cheese. They don’t skimp on the feta at all, so this feels like an authentic Greek salad to me. The lemon vinaigrette is light and vibrant to increase the overall floral experience of the salad.

The roasted cauliflower on the arugula salad is so delicious, wow. This is a pretty simple salad, with only toasted walnuts and feta as the other ingredients – and as we know, often the most simple things in life are the best ones. This one comes with a sherry vinaigrette, which is a little sweeter than the lemon dressing noted above.

Typically, I order salmon with salads, but their grilled chicken is quite good, as well.

Pasta

As if you couldn’t tell so far, thought and care go into so much of the experience of Mozzarella, and that’s evident when ordering pasta. They offer many types of pasta to choose from – ranging from long ones to whole wheat ones – to fully meet you where you are when it comes to your tolerance for twirling spaghetti.

MDP has long been a fan of the simple spaghetti garlic and olive oil dish, which is so much more flavorful than it sounds.

Other standouts include the baked ziti and pesto pasta. Mozzarella says the pesto is nut-free, yet it’s a very well-rounded basil pesto that’s a bit creamier than I’ve seen at other restaurants.

Entrees

You may have caught on by now that everything at Mozzarella is superlative, and the entrees are no different. Among them, the pear chicken is my runaway favorite. The sublimely prepared roasted chicken breast’s flavor is enhanced by notes of rosemary and the tender pear. It’s accompanied by their sauteed vegetables – button mushrooms, zucchini, and carrot, all well-seasoned and delightfully tossed in olive oil – and slightly sweet mashed sweet potatoes. This dish is likely a sleeper on their menu, given the array of options, but not to be overlooked.

Occasionally, they’ll add a steak as a special and you’re in for a treat if you’re lucky enough to see it on the menu. Like all dishes at Mozzarella, sufficient care is taken with cooking the steak to your preferred temperature, and it even holds up as takeout.

Tried-and-true dishes like the chicken parm with pasta always delight. You’ll get two pounded chicken breasts that are ever so lightly breaded and pan-fried, with fresh mozzarella and their signature bright tomato marinara on top – very good.

You also can’t go wrong with any fish entrée. I’ve tried several of their salmon specials, including one with roasted tomatoes, and they’re always flavorful, with the salmon never being overcooked.

While I’ve yet to order dessert, I expect any you try are outrageous. Maybe next weekend my daughter and I can split the vanilla bean gelato.

Whether you’re in SOMA or from around the area, Mozzarella is a must-try. Their food is fresh, flavorful, and consistent, no matter how busy they are. While street parking on Valley is a bit hit or miss, you can always order takeout right from their website or delivery from one of the eats apps (expect it to be much more expensive than pick up), and I can confirm that their food is stellar no matter where you eat it.