Mangia Brick Oven Pizza and Grill provides the perfect upscale family dining experience in Bordentown. Owner Stephen Carroll provides quality food and quality products in a setting where customers immediately feel like family.

“Our staff is trained to be friendly and open. They get to know customers on a personal basis. That’s how I was raised in a big Italian family. My mother is one of 13 children.” Stephen’s family has been in the food industry for more than 70 years. Growing up his family owned many supermarket businesses in Brooklyn, New York. “Later on I learned the business from my seven uncles, my cousins, grandmother, and grandfather. I grew up in the family supermarket.” Stephen and his family had an Italian restaurant on 18th Avenue for more than 14 years as well. 

Stephen believes in serving quality food and quality products, some of which come from 18th Avenue suppliers in Brooklyn. These include his homemade pastas, brick oven bread, and desserts. His three important qualities to a successful restaurant include a good pomodoro sauce, quality, tender veal, and homemade brick oven bread. Mangia offers all of that, and much more.

Together with his partners, Sal Saladino and Vincent Minerva, Mangia has been in the Acme Shopping Center on Dunn Mills Road in Bordentown for the past seven years. They took over the store next to them three years ago to provide a larger location with more seating for their customers. With that change, they are able to provide inside catering for up to 100 people in a private dining room.

In addition to providing in-house catering for bridal showers, wedding showers, communions, baptisms, and graduations in their private room, Mangia provides off-premises catering seven days a week at your home, office, or other location of your choice.MORE

Owner Stephen Carroll shows off a pizza at Mangia Brick Oven Pizza and Grill. (Photo by Hilarey Wojtowicz.)

Local restaurant owner Stephen Carroll says there are three things that you need to have to make an Italian restaurant a success: hearty sauce, fresh bread and high quality veal. But aside from the food served, Carroll says there is something so much more important: consistency. “People know the difference, so it is all about the quality you use,” he said. “But I would say the number one thing about Mangia is the consistency that we feature here at the restaurant.” At Mangia Brick Oven Pizza and Grill in Bordentown, customers will find more than a classic Italian atmosphere—they will find a taste of home. Originally from New York, Carroll wanted to bring the Brooklyn style pizza he grew up knowing and loving to New Jersey. After partnering with two other New York natives, Salvatore Saladino and Vincent Minerza, Carroll was able to find his spot in Bordentown, which is now home to the local favorite. Celebrating its fifth year anniversary this April, Mangia is continuing to expand and offer more than just quality food to its customers. “We went from 11 original tables to a space with 26 tables now,” said Carroll, referring to the expansion of the restaurant in October of 2010. “I think we are done expanding, but we are always looking to improve and grow the business and keep it moving forward.” Mangia expanded from a corner space, taking over a second storefront in order to host larger parties and grow from a small restaurant to a full catering service, as well. Mangia now holds parties for a variety of occasions, such as birthdays, showers, graduations and more. And it is not just on-premise catering—customers can have at-home parties catered, too. Those who aren’t having a large event may also call in for take-out or delivery services. Marketing manager Heather Ransome of Full Plate Management Systems is working with Carroll to continue expanding the catering and restaurant business through marketing its Brooklyn-style pizza and pastries. “I don’t think there are a lot of Brooklyn style places in this area,” Ransome said. “The desserts are like a work of art.”MORE

Do not be fooled by the location of Mangia Pizza and grill which sits beside a busy supermarket stretch in Bordentown, NJ. It’s a thin slice of a restaurant that makes its intention of refinement and finesse evident as you enter it’s earthy colored interiors and plush upholstery.

It was Jaya’s pick for this friday and I got very excited once I saw the lunch specials. Fine italian entrees beckoned for our friday lunch – It was a balanced and delectable menu with pasta, seafood and grill options. On the lookout for healthy options, Jaya was happy to order the grilled Salmon. The shriml linguini looked good for me. While we were waiting for the food, I made a quick dash to the liquor store and got some wine for the table. (With food this good, this place so needs a liquor licence)

Both the entrees were spectacular on taste. Jaya’s salmon was a thin long slice cantilevered under a bed on salad and had a caramelized cruncy coat. The meat was soft, juicy and cooked to prefection. My linguini was cooked right, however the shrimp could have been cooked a little less. The service was excellent, Isabella was gracious in providing glassses for the wine and opening it for us. The salmon was the highlight of lunch – as we lingered late, the lunch crowd whittled and we were wondering who from the grill cooked the salmon. Marcello, it turned out cooked the salmon and the linguini and we had polished off the wine by then and swore to come back to try more of Marcello’s feats for lunch
Click here to view the Lunch on Fridays Blog.

What a spectacular treat yet again for us this Friday afternoon at Mangia’s! Having skipped breakfast amid the blur of activity to get our daughters up and running, me and Jaya ended up craving for lunch earlier that usual and wanted a “disappointment proof” destination (You know – days when you don’t want to take a chance with an untried restaurant, but instead rely on the earned reassurances of a tried & tested place) Then picking out Mangia’s at Bordentown this friday was a no brainer! Part of what draws us to this Bordentown haunt is the warmth and hospitality of the staff you don’t find around anywhere anymore. For a modest establishment in a busy stretch, Mangia goes beyond its calling to serve superior and inventive fare with consistency, finesse and panache. It was a cool autumn afternoon and Isabella welcomed us with a beaming smile as we walked in; Marcello, our favorite chef came by and said hello – we at once felt at home in our corner cozy table and felt genuinely welcomed. As is customary, Friday specials were presented in a neatly handwritten sheet and included a soup, a panini, a wrap, a pasta and a salad special. I was thrilled to see one of my favorites – Italian wedding soup on the list of specials and was eager to try it. From the regular menu, it was hard for Jaya to resist Fried Calamari from the appetizers and so we kicked off the afternoon with these two choices and were served along a basket of hearty rustic bread with butter. The calamari followed soon enough–crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, twas light as a feather and accompanied with a killer marinara sauce bursting with flavor. My Italian wedding soup was fulsome with a stock that suggested melted potatoes and butter. Wasn’t sure if they were as much meatballs as there were bits of sausage – but it worked well with the medley that also contained chopped spinach. For the main course, Jaya’s tuna wrap was tangy and tasty with tuna slivers nestled amongst an assortment of well chosen vegetables. It came as a surprise it was a cold wrap. (We had earlier enjoyed the vegetable wrap – a hot one) and our suggestion is to mention this in the menu. Of course, the star of the afternoon had to be Marcello’s spectacularly moist and juicy Alaskan salmon – grilled to perfection, perfectly finished, and presented in a white wine sauce. We’d enjoyed this entree during our earlier visit and today’s rendition was presented as artfully as before. We lingered for dessert and ordered Mangia’s homemade chocolate mousse. Boy- were we glad to try this winner! Isabella’s recommendation turned out to taste as exquisite and divine as it looked and far exceeded both our expectations (especially as contrasted against our recent chocolate mouse disappointment in another establishment of “reputation”) We both give Mangia’s homemade mousse high marks for texture, finish, freshness and taste. As for the presentation – perhaps a dash of contrasting color like the company of a bright berry? Did we mention the coffee was exceptional? (I would have enjoyed it even better with cream) We both were happy to enjoy the fresh brew that was punctually refreshed at our table. If I were to grade a restaurant, I would bet all my points on consistency of food and its ability to make its patrons feel welcomed. In our books, Mangia earns high marks – every visit for us has been memorable. Sometimes, it discourages me that institutions mouth themselves as serious and venerated establishments dressed up with accoutrements – but instead end up feeling stuffy and pretentious and serving fare not worthy of the climate they purport to create. On the other hand, Mangia in its unlikely setting far exceeds expectations with its high aspiration, star execution and consistent delivery and deserve full praise from us. Click here to view the Lunch on Fridays Blog.