Roman Nose, conveniently located right by the Grove Street Path, is a fairly casual and family-friendly Italian restaurant that focuses on serving authentic home-style meals. While not exactly brand-new, the restaurant still feels like a relatively new addition to Jersey City, partially because of their recent remodel. The new bar area adds a welcoming touch and the space is very nice; intimate but casual and while it can get crowded, I didn't feel like I was right on top of the other customers.
Not long ago, I stopped in for a casual dinner with some friends. We were waiting for two more people to join us who took longer than expected, but the staff was very friendly and calm about it. They went ahead and seated us and didn't act as though it was a problem which we appreciated. However, throughout the meal, I found our service to be a bit disorganized and slow. We had to ask for wine a couple of times, our food took quite a long time to come out and it felt like we were alternately being left alone for long stretches of time or checked on four times in a row by different people. Those issues aside, I found it to be a welcoming and friendly atmosphere and think they probably just need to work on organization a bit.
As for our actual meals, we pretty much stuck to the basics: salad, meatballs, and pasta although it was hard to say no to several of the delicious-sounding and much-buzzed about pizzas. I did have a glass of wine which was served in a small carafe and proved to be an exceedingly generous pour, especially for the price. While I wouldn't call the drinks menu expansive, it was pretty well-rounded for a restaurant this size and I'd say there's something for everyone.
We started with the house salad which was made with very fresh mixed greens (heavy on the arugula), cherry tomatoes, and a decent sprinkling of Parmesan, all tossed with a simple but tart vinaigrette. I'm a big fan of the peppery flavor of arugula which was complemented by the slight salt of the cheese and the vinegary tang of the dressing. I loved that it came in a large wooden bowl which felt familial and comforting and contained enough to feed a small army.
