Best Chicken Parm in Newark, NJ

Chicken parm in Newark, NJ: our top picks

Newark’s Little Italy was the old First Ward, the tenement blocks along Seventh and Eighth Avenues that the historian Michael Immerso says once held 43 bakers and pastry shops, plus restaurants like Vesuvius and Nanina Mari’s that drew diners from well outside the neighborhood. In 1953 urban renewal took it: more than 4,600 people were evicted, and Eighth Avenue disappeared under the Columbus Homes towers and, later, I-280. St. Lucy’s Church on Seventh Avenue survived. It still holds the feast of St. Gerard every October and has been his national shrine since 1977.

The community scattered across the North Ward and out to the suburbs, and some of the old businesses went along. Vesuvius moved to Bloomfield Avenue before eventually closing. Calandra’s, which Luciano and Ortenza Calandra opened in 1962, is still baking in Newark. On Bloomfield Avenue itself, Luigi’s Italian Tradition, at No. 561, keeps a menu that covers chicken, veal and eggplant parm. Bella Napoli, on Broad Street in Bloomfield, began as a 12-table place on the Clifton-Nutley line.

Farther out Bloomfield Avenue, in Belleville, the Belmont Tavern has been at No. 12 since 1967, when Charles "Stretch" Verdicchio opened it. His chicken savoy, not a parm at all, is still its most popular dish, and his daughter, Annette Wroblewski, runs the place now. Nutley’s entry is Cucina 355, a ristorante and pizzeria on Franklin Avenue. Montclair has two: Luigino’s Parmigiana, which Luigino Tripodi opened on Glenridge Avenue in 2023 in the old Salute Brick Oven Bistro space, and Palazzo Pasta Company on Walnut Street. The longest drive is La Campagnola, on South 31st Street in Kenilworth, over in Union County.

1. Luigi's Italian Tradition (Newark) — Parm Score 85. Chicken parm comes up in 2 of the recent Google reviews we sampled, and the tone is positive. It is on the menu, too. 4.5 on Google across 322 reviews.
2. Roma (North Arlington) — Parm Score 83. Chicken parm comes up in 1 of the recent Google reviews we sampled, and the tone is positive. It is on the menu, too. 4.6 on Google across 736 reviews.
3. Luciano's Ristorante & Lounge (Rahway) — Parm Score 81. Chicken parm comes up in 1 of the recent Google reviews we sampled, and the tone is positive. It is on the menu, too. 4.4 on Google across 800 reviews.

We ranked 16 restaurants within 10 miles of Newark, NJ. 13 of them have the parm confirmed, by reviewers or on their own menu, and Parm Scores run from 58 to 85. Confirmed places rank first; the rest are well-reviewed Italian spots where the parm is not yet confirmed, and pizzerias and steakhouses need a mention to appear at all. How Parm Score works.

More rankings: Veal parm in Newark, NJ · Eggplant parm in Newark, NJ · Jersey City, NJ · Hoboken, NJ · Paramus, NJ · Fort Lee, NJ · Edison, NJ · Cherry Hill, NJ · Montclair, NJ · Morristown, NJ · Best chicken parm in New Jersey