Best Italian Restaurants in Essex

We celebrated a big birthday and it was perfect having it at CeCe’s. Everyone enjoyed their food and drink, and our server, John Michael, was exceptional. The celebration was a hit from start to finish—thank you, CeCe’s for helping to make our celebration extra special!

Went here for a birthday dinner with my wife. The food was fantastic, service was prompt and friendly, and it is a beautiful space. A little loud and a little dark but certainly not enough to spoil the experience.

From start to finish, our dinner at Tagliata was exceptional. We began with the charcuterie board, letting our server surprise us with the meat selection, and they did not disappoint. The prosciutto was especially good—not too salty or fatty/stringy—while the darker cured meat was equally delicious. The Fontina and Pecorino paired beautifully with everything. For our second course, my boyfriend had the Caesar salad, which featured fresh anchovies in the dressing, adding a great depth of flavor. I had the Brussels sprout salad, which was fresh, well-balanced, and a great choice before the main course. For entrées, I ordered the Australian Wagyu steak special with bone marrow sauce. It was cooked to perfection—tender, flavorful, and complemented by roasted veggies and mashed potatoes. My boyfriend had the rigatoni alla vodka, which he said was seasoned perfectly. To top it all off, we shared the tiramisu, and it was hands-down the best I’ve ever had—light, creamy, and full of rich espresso flavor. I didn’t get their names, but the service was attentive and knowledgeable, and the ambiance made for a perfect dining experience. Highly recommend

I stopped in today with my sister and brothe iGood food; great service

I’ve been to verde many times and had a great experience. Went with my partner on Valentine’s Day and had a bad experience with the service, although the food was great as always. My partner and I were seated at a small table by the front door, which I think led to our waitress to forget about us multiple times. Our whole stay was 2.5 hours, way longer than it should have been. The Valentine’s Day menu was a 3-course meal with a limited pizza selection on the back. I asked the waitress to see the full menu to select a pizza from the main menu for my 3 course meal (Which, by the way, the Valentine’s Day menu said you could do!) and the waitress declined with an obnoxious “NO” in a very rude fashion, which was very off-putting. I will be at verde again in the future as it’s a great pizza spot, but never again on a major holiday like Valentine’s Day.