Anthony Venutolo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The 13 most famous Italian restaurants in movies and TV

NJ.com is currently on a quest to determine the best Italian restaurant in New Jersey — a near-impossible task in a state so rich with great cuisine.

As our judge Pete Genovese continues to visit the 40 semifinalists, we decided to take a look at some of pop culture's famous moments inside of Italian eateries — a few of which are even located in New Jersey. Let us know in the comments if agree with our rankings or if we've left out any classics.

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No. 13 - MYSTIC PIZZA (1988)

The place: A charming neighborhood pizza joint in Mystic, Connecticut served as the homey inspiration for this coming-of-age drama where sisters Kate (Annabeth Gish) and Daisy (Julia Roberts), along with their friend JoJo (Lili Taylor) sling slices of pizza while preparing to escape the doldrums of their small town.

Real or fake: Real in name only. Although based on the famous real-life pizzeria, a meticulous movie set replicated its exact look.

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No. 12 - A BRONX TALE (1993)

The place: Gino's provides the backdrop for one of the scene's best moments: Mob boss Sonny (Chazz Palminteri) explains to his loyal protégé Calogero (Lilo Brancato) why being feared is more important than being loved. And how does he prove it? By giving a beatdown to a motorcycle gang who stupidly invades Sonny's social club next door. A gangster movie scene classic...

Real or fake: Real. While the bulk of the scenes in the coming-of-age gangster drama "A Bronx Tale" were shot in Astoria and Jackson Heights, Queens, the now-closed Gino's Cafe in the Bronx provided the authenticity.

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No. 11 - DO THE RIGHT THING (1989)

The place: Sal's Famous Pizzeria was practically a character in Spike Lee's classic Oscar-nominated drama with its old-world atmosphere and black and white photos of prominant Italians on the wall.

Real or fake: Fake. One of the few Italian eateries on our list built from scratch, it was constructed on an empty lot at Lexington and Stuyvesant Avenues in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn and torn down after shooting wrapped.

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No. 10 - FELLINI'S ROMA (1972)

The place: One of the most famous sequences in legendary Italian director Federico Felinni's episodic celebration of Rome follows the action along a promenade crowded with restaurants, where the food is copious and families bicker over what to order

Real or fake: Probably fake. Although based on many familiar Italian promenades, The Los Angeles Times explains, "Fellini found shooting on location hard to control and had elaborate re-creations of famous Roman monuments — Trevi Fountain, for instance — created at Cinecittà, the studios on the southern outskirts of the city that became virtually synonymous with him."

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No. 9 - THE LADY AND THE TRAMP (1955)

The place: Tony's Restaurant is the setting for the most romantic spaghetti share in movie history. Based on "Happy Dan, The Whistling Dog," the classic Disney feature centers on Cocker Spaniel Lady (voice of Barbara Luddy) who has several romantic misadventures with scrappy mutt Tramp (Larry Roberts).

Real or fake: While animated on film, a real eatery based on Tony's is located on Main Street at Walt Disney World in Orlando.

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No. 8 - GOODFELLAS (1990)

The place: Big Apple eateries like Salerno's play a huge part in Martin Scorsese's gangster classic — especially here, in Henry Hill's (Ray Liotta) less-than-perfect courting of future wife Karen (Lorraine Bracco).

Real or fake: Real. While the Italian restaurant went unnamed in the film, it was shot in the now-closed Salerno's Restaurant in Richmond Hill, Queens. It became an Indian restaurant called Tropicana Lounge, which is also closed.

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No. 7 - ROCKY BALBOA (2006)

The place: Widower Rocky Balboa copes with the loss of his loving wife by constructing a shrine to his long lost boxing career and naming it Adrian's.

Real or fake: Fake in name only. While Adrian's appears in both "Rocky Balboa" and last year's "Creed," the eatery is actually Di Stefano's Victor Cafe, located at 1303 Dickinson Street in Philadelphia and boasts live opera sung by its wait staff.

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No. 6. - MOONSTRUCK (1987)

The place: The Italian eatery Grand Ticino in Manhattan was used as one of the backdrops when Loretta Castorini (Cher) dines with fiancé Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello). It's not long, however, before she meets his brooding brother Ronny (Nicolas Cage) and forbidden romance ensues.

Real or fake: Real. In 2001, the Big Apple institution lost its lease and was forced to close.

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No. 5 - PRETTY WOMAN (1990)

The place: The famed Los Angeles Italian eatery Rex II Ristorante provided the setting for billionaire Richard Gere to show off glammed-up working girl Julia Roberts who fought those slimy snails ("slippery little suckers...").

Real or fake: Real. While Rex II is long closed, its now the hep, art-deco delight Cicada, also seen in "Bruce Almighty," "Mr. and Mrs. Smith " "Mad Men," and "The Artist."

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No. 4 - THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW JERSEY (2009-present)

The place: LuNello, the upscale Italian eatery in Cedar Grove and NJ's Best Italian restaurant nominee, provided the episode backdrop for which angry housewife Teresa Giudice hears just one sarcastic quip too many from castmate and nemesis Danielle Staub. The result? A tête-à-tête with a dinner table. Moments after it aired, a reality star was born. Years later, it endures.

Real or fake: Real. The eatery is considered one of Essex County's premiere Italian eateries.

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No. 3 - THE SOPRANOS (1999-2007)

The place: Artie Bucco's (John Ventimiglia) was the co-owner and head chef of Vesuvio and Nuovo Vesuvio. The two Italian eateries served as both a dramatic backdrop for all of the underwood doings as well as a setting for day-to-day life for Tony Soprano and Co.

Real or fake: Fake. The bulk of "The Sopranos' interior scenes were shot at Silvercup Studios in Queens.

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No. 2 - BIG NIGHT (1996)

The Place: Set at the Jersey Shore in the '50s in the fictional Paradise Restaurant, this delightful comedy-drama centers on two Italian immigrant brothers — Primo and Segundo (Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub). In a last-ditch effort the get people in the door, they concoct a plan to get jazz singer Louis Prima to eat there.

Real or fake: Fake. Various locales and exteriors in Keyport were used for the film.

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No. 1 - THE GODFATHER (1972)

The place: Louie's is the setting for perhaps one of the most iconic scenes in film history where Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) seeks revenge for the attempt on his father's life and kills Virgil "The Turk" Sollozzo (Al Lettieri) and corrupt Capt. McCluskey (Montclair's Sterling Hayden) — the latter eating a giant 'ol plate of of pasta.

Real or fake: Fake in name. In reality, Louie's was Old Luna Restaurant, located on White Plains Road in the Bronx and closed ldown shortly after the shoot.