We ate here last week and had a wonderful experience. It will become one of our regular spots in the neighborhood.

The prosciutto crostini with white bean paste and arugula was delicious - the proscitto was the high quality stuff, very tender and flavorful. The shrimp scampi was perfectly cooked and the pappardelle with ragu savory and tasty. I don't remember the bill, but I think everything was fairly reasonable. We didn't save room for dessert but the menu was tempting. We might stop in one night for wine and dessert at the bar.

Although we didn't get there in time to sit outside, we enjoyed the decor and appropriately volumned music in the bar area. The staff was attentive and professional. Water glasses were unobtrusively topped off and there was no rushing of the courses. A few families with young children were also inside, as were a few tables of older, probably non-jc residents. They did a nice job with the accoustics of the place such that as it filled, we had no problem continuing our conversation.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with the whole meal!

I went to GP's last night (Friday). I'm a local, Hamilton Park'ian, since 2003. The space is interestingly designed, and I got the "Jersey" vibe, mixing a modern bar, with old school Italian colors and decor.

As one of those oddballs who doesn't eat seafood (or most pastas), I was hoping GP's would offer up variety, and it does!. I had the escarole crustini, polenta, meatballs and chicken parm. All really well done, and I'd say the polenta and meatballs were my fave. Also had a cucumber margarita, a signature drink. For desert, we had strawberry shortcake, drizzled with a balsalmic reduction. I highly recommend this desert!

The staff , including the Owner and Manager were very attentive, and loved to hear the feedback. The wait staff were also attentive, and working hard to keep customers happy.

Our meal, including one cocktail each, and a desert with tip, came to $65 each, very fair.

I noticed some Hamilton Park neighbors there, but I think people came in from elsewhere to check it out. I was pleasantly surprised that for a Friday evening, in August, the place was packed. As a NYC commuter, I'd be happy with dining at GP's occasionally, vs. the city.

And like I stated, the vibe was hip, and comfortable. Will definitely be back for more!

checked it out last night after a few good reviews from some of the people at the gym...

overall very solid would absolutely go again - food is very good - better than I expected, like the menu bc its not too overrun by the typical 20 types of pasta w 5 types of sauce but it does have a few of those classic dishes if that is what you like but enough other stuff that you don't "have" to get pasta

We did a big tasting/shared plates for the table... so we tried A LOT!

escarole & bean crostini and lardo crostini might have been my favorites - perfectly crispy thin bread w so much flavor in the toppings

also tried the beet salad and summer fruits salad - both were excellent tasting but I did think that the portion could have been a bit more generous... I mean its mainly lettuce another handful wouldn't break them (really nice presentation though so I understand what they were going for)

small plates of escarole and beans (again ... love the garlic...don't get this if you are planning on getting close to someone tonight), gorganzola polenta (really liked the crustiness of the polenta and the sharpness of gorgonzola but didn't really feel like "polenta" to me - also grilled veggies underneath were a little sad) and the fresh mozz... To Die For! must must must have - soft, fresh, melts in your mouth delish! (owner said he imports from italy)

scallops were great - perfectly cooked but potato risotto tasted good but was kinda confusing to me? why not just mash potato?

liked the zuppa de clams but they could have used another rinse since it was a bit gritty and it needs some of that nice crostini bread to soak up some of the delicious sauces - I mean you can't just leave it there!


only real "complaints" was server was nice but just kinda odd? (manager/bus boys did pick up some slack and helped make us feel taken care of though) it was busy, they are new so not a make or break but definitely have a little work to do

also bartenders seemed inexperienced (always measuring each alcohol w jigger etc) but in the end the drinks were good

also whats up w the decor - I loved the industrial thing in the front "bar" but the switch to the old school chandelier/sconces in the back was kinda odd... too small of a space to switch it up like that (IMO)

after all that food and a few round of drinks bill was about $120 which was very fair

Went there Fri. night as well and had a really good meal. We had the escarole and white bean appetizer (great) and the broccoli rabe crostini (good also but a little hard to eat with your hands due to the rabe stalks so use your fork). My wife had the scallop dish with artichoke and potato ersatz risotto. There wasn't a scrap on the plate to wrap up. I had the Zuppa di Clams with linguini. That one I thought would have been better as an app, but both parts were nice and I'm not complaining.

Desserts (almond cake and tiramisu) were good, and the macchiato coffee was very good. The cup said Danesi, so I assume that's the espresso they use.

With a couple of glasses of wine and a bottle of sparkling our tab came out to just over $100 + tip, which is pretty reasonable.

The service was attentive and good and the manager walked the floor stopping at every table at least once to make sure everything was all right.

Overall I am very happy to have a place like this in the neighborhood. Now, if they would put some tables outside (they have a HUGE sidewalk to work with) one more thing would be right with the world.

Went there Friday night and loved it. Had the white beans escarole appetizer and also thought it was delish. Food was great, from the bread to the coffee. The service was also great. You can tell they've been in the biz since 1930. We're picky about restaurants in general, but we'll definitely be back. Thank you, thank you for opening a good restaurant in the nabe!

Went there last night and had a really good meal.Chicken palm. was really good.3 pieces thin w/ spagetti.Also had the mussels as an app. 11:00 dollars which were very good.My Gin and tonic was only 8:50 which is pretty reasonable.
Wish they had tortoni or tartufo for desserts.Cappuccino was also good.
Will definitely be back.

We live in the building and have been waiting for this to open for months now.

Overall, its ok - i didn't have anything that was fantastic. Basic italian done well. We'll have to try a few more things to see how it really is. The service is great and so is the decor - did a great job for sure.

We went tonight and were impressed. Tasted the white beans and escarole, which were simple and delicious, and caponata, which had a nice kick. The mozz, tomato, basil flat bread sandwich was good, as were the meatballs. Service was excellent. No glitches at all. How refreshing! We'll definitely be back.

I went. Had a delicious meal with a few glasses of wine. Very pleased.

anyone go last night? how was it?

GP's Restaurant
236 Pavonia Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07302

201-418-8800

http://www.gpsrestaurant.com

http://www.facebook.com/GPsHamiltonPark