Top of the Park
Updated March 22, 2023
After 60+ years in business, owner Giuseppe Barone announced that he sold Top of the Park. The business is still open and operating by the new owners.
Published May 8, 2022
On a rainy Thursday evening, my dad brought me to a new restaurant he found in Boonton, New Jersey called “Top of the Park.”
Accurately named, Top of the Park sits at the top of the Boonton hill on Main Street. It is diagonal from Grace Lord Park. It has a long store front with many glass windows taking up the corner on Main Street.
Top of the Park Interior Design
We entered the front-half of the restaurant which is the pizzeria side. It was a narrow space with a long counter running the left-side of the room. 4-person booth seating ran the length of the wall on the right. My attention went to a large net from the ceiling which was filled with hundreds and hundreds of wine corks.
At the end of the room was an archway that led into the dining room. We were the first customers in the dining room for the evening and sat down at the four-top table on the right-hand side of the room.
The room was a pretty two tone green with white accent molding. Decorative oil paintings hung around the room with stained glass light fixtures and faux floral arrangements.
Our row of four-top tables sat nearby large glass windows looking out onto Main Street. A ledge in front of the window held giant ceramic pots of plants, including huge succulents and aloe vera.
There were about 38 two and four-top tables, including our table, in the dining room. A lone waiter, a tall, skinny gentleman came by and took our drink order and gave us menus.
Menu
Top of the Park had a two page, laminated menu broken into categories. There were a variety of pasta dishes, classic Italian dinners, sections for both hot and cold subs, and a back page featuring their pizza and calzone selections.
My dad and his friends have been to the Top of the Park and tried most of their menu and specials. Today, our goal was to try their pizza and other appetizers. Here’s what we had:
Joe’s Fried Calamari | $14.95
I was surprised to see that the calamari came tossed in a red sauce. The pieces were still crisp despite the sauce, which I enjoyed. The flavor of the sauce was unique, different from a traditional red sauce, but still sweet, garlicky and overall light in its flavor. I thought the portion was good for sharing and would definitely order it again.
Cold Antipasto | $10.95
This is my favorite antipasto salad to date. A large serving is enough for 3-4 adults to share. The greens are fresh and crisp and topped with roasted red peppers, olives, onion, and tomatoes. The pinwheels of meat and cheese are great quality and enough for everyone to have one or two.
Mussels Marinara | $11.95
My dad is not normally a fan of ordering mussels, but I wanted to try them. A dish of 8-10 large black mussels arrived. I was nervous that the mussels would be chewy given their size, but they were tender! They were also properly cleaned because none of us had grit while eating them.
Top of the Park makes a beautiful sauce and we used the whole bread basket soaking up this bowl of sauce. It even had large pieces of crushed tomato, which is my favorite.
Fried Calamari | $11.95
For giggles, we wanted to compare the traditional calamari to the Joe’s fried calamari.
The traditional calamari was a good serving of thinly cut calamari. The coating on the outside was light, and the shape of the calamari was not perfectly replicated, so I wondered if they cleaned, battered, and fried the calamari in-house.
A flat dish of the sweet sauce — similar to what we had with the mussels — arrived on the side for dipping. Fans of traditional calamari will enjoy this appetizer. I personally feel there is something special about Joe’s Fried Calamari, so I would order that instead.
Zuppa Di Clams | $17.95
Our family loves zuppa di clams. We try to order this appetizer at most Italian restaurants to compare its preparation. The elements that make a strong zuppa di clams are: clean, tender clams, a flavorful, garlicky broth, and a fair portion.
Top of the Park hits all of these elements with their appetizer. The clams were the perfect size, bathed in a delicious broth (with soft slices of garlic throughout), in a big bowl enough for us to share.
Dinner
At this point in the evening, the dining room was full. A pair of older Italian men sat at the next table over. The one took phone calls in his Italian accent saying, “This is an opportunity he don’t wanna miss!” Behind them, parents with their adult daughter shared bottles of wine. An older couple sat diagonal us, against the back wall, quietly eating large bowls of pasta. Next to them, another couple ignored one another, the wife having ordered and eaten her own appetizer before the husband arrived.
Since our tables were nearest the front windows; we watched several cars double park, put on their hazards, and come inside to pick up pizzas. The takeout for Top of the Park was busy. I asked our waiter if they delivered and he said no. I was impressed, as most Italian restaurants that I knew of delivered pizza. Top of the Park must be doing well if they could be in business for 10 years and support carry-out pizza.
My dad only had dinner at Top of the Park before, so for our meals, we decided to try their pizza.
Ricotta and Spinach Pizza | $19.95
The menu offered a ricotta and broccoli pizza, which we knew we wanted to try. A small list of toppings was noted below the pizza options, but we did not see anything about spinach as an option. When our waiter returned, we asked him if he could prepare a ricotta and spinach pizza with a bowl of sauce on the side.
Surprisingly, this pizza was light! The ricotta was luscious with generous dollops across the pizza. There was a fantastic portion of spinach, which allowed you to have a composed bite each time. Top of the Park has a unique pizza crust. It is heavier, but not in a bad way, it’s chewy and crisp and fills you up!
Brooklyn Pizza with Basil, Sausage, and Garlic | $15.95+
Our waiter recommended the Brooklyn pizza, which was basil and garlic on a plain pie. He suggested we add sausage on top. We decided to follow his recommendation and try this pizza as well.
I loved the Brooklyn pizza, probably because it had all of my favorite toppings. I prefer saucier pizza to cheesy, but the Brooklyn pie had a good balance of both.
The basil added some freshness to the pizza. The addition of the sausage was tasty and there was a good amount across the top of the pizza, including the amount of garlic (my favorite). Though the size of the pizza looks a little smaller than normal, it’s more than enough considering the toppings and crust.
Dessert
At this point of the evening, the tables near us turned over. I watched as they were cleaned and reset. An elderly woman and her aide come in and sat at a large table to the left of us and ordered salads. The dining room was slowing down for the evening and the Italian music could be heard playing throughout the room.
Before we left, we knew we had to try dessert. My dad and I both ordered cappuccinos and decided to split a dessert.
Cappuccino | $4.00
Top of the Park has a beautiful cappuccino machine near the doorway of the dining room, so I was excited to try a cappuccino for dessert.
For me, the best part of the cappuccino is how hot it is. Top of the Park makes a piping hot cappuccino! It had a strong flavor and a great foam layer sprinkled with cinnamon. If you have room by the end of the meal, I highly recommend you order a cappuccino.
Cannoli | $5.50
As I mentioned in previous restaurant reviews, there is an art to making a good cannoli. The best cannoli has a crispy, crunchy shell and is filled end-to-end with creamy, fresh cannoli cream.
Top of the Park’s cannoli was glorious.
First, because it was giant. I shared this cannoli with my dad because it would’ve been too much for me to finish alone. Second, it had a crispy, fresh shell. The filling went all the way through and was a generous portion! It was light and creamy with chocolate chips. I would 10/10 recommend the cannoli for dessert.
My Recommendations
I would give our visit to Top of the Park a 9/10 for the following:
Decor and Design
Top of the Park has an old school, mom-and-pop vibe. The dining room has soft colors, classic lighting, and decorative paintings. The small staff welcome you to the restaurant as if it is their own home.
Service
Our waiter was fantastic at anticipating our needs. We never had to ask for more napkins, water, or silverware, which I appreciated. He kept our table cleared and neat. The owner’s son, who supported the service for our meal, was personable and funny. He recommended the pizza’s for our meals and customized them as we wanted.
Food
Our dishes were fresh and delicious. The appetizer salad and zuppa di clams were my favorite. I loved both of the pizzas we ordered and would get them again. Dessert was a perfect closing to the meal!
Have you been to Top of the Park?
Do you have a favorite dish from the Top of the Park? Leave a comment below with your thoughts!
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