50 Best Italian Restaurants near Avon By The Sea

“Ate here with my family after a day at the beach. We were a loud hungry bunch and the pizza did not disappoint. The pizza was hot and very fresh and the sauce was delicious. It was not greasy and the crust was just the right amount of crunchy. We will definitely be back!! Highly recommend!!!“

“Delicious meal from start to finish! Don’t skip dessert ?“

“During our short stay in the area, we chose to dine here as it was one of the few restaurants open on a Monday. We had an excellent meal, with starter and main course which were delicious. The staff were friendly, helpful and very caring towards my elderly mother. Thank you in particular to Adam for his help with organising the taxi for us .“

“Our friend highly recommended Spanos Restutant , our first time, Was absolutely outstanding, The nicest customer service was the owner introduced himself to us with three special appetizers he made and greeted us with a Bon appétit Everything is made special to order,go go go and order there homemade bread pudding with chocolate in middle & there vanilla ice cream Thank you Mr Spano , for a special evening ??“

“Excellent food, service and ambiance. Kristin was amazing!“

“Amazing food amazing service“

“The food is outstanding!, service is awesome!. My wife and I have been coming here for years and every time is better than the last. Keep up the good work Lubranos your establishment is amazing!“

“Wow The best Italian restaurant at the jersey shore if you go Friday or Saturday you better get a reservation I would suggest you get one during the week also to be safe. Byob food and atmosphere are outstanding and the hostess waitresses and owner are so nice they make you feel like you were invited to their home for Sunday dinner with the family.“

“We are frequent diners at Piccola Italia. The reasons are: excellent food, excellent service, attentive staff & warm & welcoming atmosphere! Last evening's dinner consisted of a very creative pear & mushroom tart, a delicious beet salad, a perfectly cooked filet mignon served with a Gorgonzola cream sauce which was mind blowing & a black snapper marechiara with loads of clams. Delicious!!! We ended the evening with gelato ... vanilla, expresso bean & pistachio. The end to a delightful evening!“

“Absolutely love this place! Our waiter was amazing and very knowledgeable on everything on the menu. Yes EVERYTHING!! I personally don’t like beets but everyone I was with said they were to die for. Meatballs were amazing. The tomato sauce was so yummy. Mushrooms I would label as vegetarian steak. Beautifully charred. The sausage and peppers pasta dish is my favorite thing on the menu. I love everything about it. Pasta is always perfectly cooked. I can’t say enough good things about this place!“

“This was my first time here. I'm visiting from Pennsylvania. It won't be my last. We ordered dinner to go. We had Chicken La Nonna, and Housemade Rigatoni. Everything was light fresh and delicious. The portions were large enough to have some for lunch tomorrow. Fresh bread was excellent. Now let me tell you about the Creme Brule cheesecake. I can't. It was so good that even I am speechless. I may have to go back tomorrow for another piece. Absolutely delicious. The staff was very friendly and the service was great.“

“We've been to Flavia's several times and have always enjoyed our experience. The service is fast and attentive and has it has a super cute modern Italian interior. We always try something new each time we go and haven't been disappointed yet. This time, we had the carbonara spaghetti and pesto fettuccine and it was perfectly al dente and delicious! I can't wait to come back to try the amaretto cheesecake!“

“The food was delicious and our server was excellent. We will be going back. Plus a byob is always nice.“

“We have been getting food from here for years and it never disappoints. From the friendly delivery (our dog invites Bob in every time for pets) to the amazing pizza—you can’t beat it! Last weekend our son graduated college and we used Slices of Hope to cater our family party. Three of us, myself included, have to be gluten free which always makes getting catered food a challenge. I’ve always loved the gluten free penne with vodka here, so I went in and met with Eddie figuring I’d just get the three us the pasta and everyone else could enjoy the rest. I was so surprised when Eddie told us that he could make us everything I ordered for the rest of the party gluten free and would even keep it separate to avoid cross contamination! My mom (who has celiac) hadn’t had eggplant rollatini in 10 years and said it was the best ever! We had food for the entire weekend and I can’t thank you enough ❤️ Katy Kokolus“

“Amazingly delicious food. Friendly service“

“Great food, casual atmosphere, excellent service!“

“The food was so so delicious highly recommended. You will not be disappointed the people there were very friendly. I will definitely return.“

“What a great time! I'm not sure why some reviews say ride staff. I didn't see that at all. Tables are a little toght but not that bad. Service was exceptional and they have a TON of gluten free food. Save room for dessert. Only thing is go early or you'll be waiting even though you have reservations and BYOB. Can't wait to go back!“

“The chef knows flavor! I had a personal, white pizza with broccoli which had a wonderful hint of garlic!

I can often tell if a new place will offer good food as the yummy aroma was met when I walked in!

I'll return for sure!!
Oh, I was charged for side pasta sauce which was left out. ??‍♀️
I would've liked to taste that!“

“Great food amazing service and wonderful warm hospitality“

“Great food and nice place to be“

“Stopped by the newly opened Gigi’s in Long Branch on my way to the beach. First off, loved that they have a parking lot which didn’t stress me about finding a spot cause I was going to have that adventure when I headed to the beach. I ordered the grandma’s pie and garlic knots! The grandma’s pie had pesto on it and I am a s***** for pesto!! Love the crust style being crispy. Hands down the best garlic knots I ever had! Don’t sleep on this place. It’s 3 blocks from the beach, easy parking and they deliver. I look forward to some pasta dishes on my next visit! Other key likes of mine was the aesthetic, it’s beautiful Inside but decorated to make you feel outside. I was very impressed with the kid friendly atmosphere of the chalkboard wall, beanbag seats and they even have juice boxes on hand for the kiddos. They also accommodate our tweens and teens with a pizza wing mural for their insta! They really thought of everything. The whole staff were so accommodating and genuine. Thank you Tommy and Faye for a great experience.“

“Always accommodating! Very close to work and convenient.“

“Everything in the store that’s offered“

“We loved our dinner at Pasta Volo! You can’t beat the quality of food and speed in which they prepped it. Super friendly staff took time to explain everything on our first visit- big thumbs up from The Fantastic 4!“

“We’ve been going to Illiano’s nearly 36 years. It’s been great since day 1. We usually do takeout and find the pizza, subs and garlic knots to be the best in Monmouth County. When we moved out of town about 3 years ago we tried to find something that was comparable and closer, but that didn’t work out so make the trip back just about every Friday night. We highly recommend them!“

“I love their pizza. Great crust and toppings (sauce and peppers) Their White Pie is good. I got mine with Broccoli. The Broccoli pieces were big which I had no problem but if you prefer smaller maybe ask them to cut them smaller.I also got their Fried calamari, which I did not like too much because it was mix with Fried Octopus, I wish it had all ring Calamari .“

“Love this place!! Always an excellent meal. Last night my boyfriend had a blackened pork chop with Murphy sauce and I had Monk fish Francaise. Both absolutely delish!!“

“A great local BYOB restaurant! Service was great and food is excellent! Give it a try!“

“Took my daughters for dinner on a Sat night Oct 18th. We sat outside. Our waitress was amazing. She was always near by if we needed anything. She also suggested and off menu cocktail that was to die for. It had milk or cream in it which i normally don't like but it was YUMMY. She had long dark beautiful curls and she made our experience great.“

“We just had my daughter’s bridal shower there and everything was perfect. We chose the lunch buffet and the food was delicious. There was so much included and it was priced very reasonably. The room upstairs was very spacious for our group of 40 people. It was nice to have our own bathroom and bar. The servers were friendly and attentive and also very helpful. Thank you for making the day run so smoothly. It was perfect!!“

“Great restaurant. Beautiful setting and the staff was so pleasant and accommodating.“

“Hard to beat these Eats Beautiful restaurant“

“Absolutely outstanding!! Great atmosphere, great service, and fantastic food from appetizers to entrees to desserts! Have been to the original in Brooklyn many times over the years but this was our first time at Gargiulo’s in Tinton Falls and it did not disappoint. Spoke to Theresa at the end of the night and she was very welcoming and sweet. We will DEFINITELY be back! Not one negative thing to say about the entire experience.“

“Great food and friendly service. Local family atmosphere. Highly recommended 👌“

“Awesome food and service by Justin! Thank you!“

“atmosphere was phenomenal staff was great food was spectacular highly recommend“

“Skipped Breakfast this morning so that we could visit a new to us Pizza Joint. Once again sampling another Big Mac Pizza!!! As the Medium Big Mac Pie was made and baked, we tried a Plain and a Grandma slice. Both Kit and I enjoyed those slices. The Big Mac came out and looked delicious, this one had the sesame seed sprinkled on top of the pizza, not baked in the crust like John's Crackle Barrel in Neptune, NJ. The chop meat on this pie appeared to have been crumbled cooked beef patties, the lettuce, onions, American cheese, chopped pickles and the special sauce once again replicated the taste of a Big Mac. Here they also had added a little mozzarella cheese in the blend. This overall added to the taste and was a delight!!!“

“i was treated to a great Birthday dinner on Saturday evening. Our waitress was amazing and never stopped running. Very crowded. the shrimp scampi was delicious.“

“Great friendly good food stuff“

“Best Restaurant in New Jersey.“

“We recently have had Pastosa and Uncle Giuseppe’s open in our area and they are excellent but Nino Jr will always be my favorite. The employees are friendly and will go above and beyond to make me what I’m looking for, even if it is not in the case. Just a wonderful local business.“

“I've been going to Brother's Pizza for YEARS! Best pizza around!!“

“Just had dinner here with my husband and son. We enjoyed everything. The service was great. Everyone very friendly, welcoming, and professional. I highly recommend the Apple salad with grilled chicken! My son LOVES Benny's pepperoni pizza....We had a great time and will return again❤❤“

“Just a great dining experience….exceptional food, courteous service, friendly atmosphere Will definitely be back“

“Great food and excellent service!“

“What a find! This local Pizzeria is a gem. The quaint personalized interior is a combination of the owner's personality as well as a throwback to the 1950's when it first opened. The food is outstanding - Garlic bread - to die for!!! Verde Pie was unique and flavorful; and the naked meatballs taste like home. Our servers were attentive and friendly. Meeting the owner Christopher was the icing on the cake. He is a delightful young man that is bringing his own unique twist to the menu without sacrificing the status quo. I highly recommend and will be back soon..... Bravo“

“Award-winning food with a side of award-winning service. Cheers to you Jimmy and thank you as always!!“

“Beautiful outdoor dining.“

“Yo, yo, check it, we’re here to pasta the test,
A spot so fresh, put it to the rest,
Art Deco vibe, with that Roadhouse feel,
Bringing heat to the plate, that’s the real deal.

Chef’s got skills, classically trained,
Every bite hits, like a jazz refrain,
Menu’s got flavor, you won’t find it down the street,
Unique Italian dishes, bruschetta so sweet.

Pasta’s on fire, sauce in full swing,
Each plate’s a masterpiece, make your taste buds sing,
Small plates, big flavors, it’s a whole vibe,
Authentic Italian, no need to take a ride.

Owners putting heart in the dough, no doubt,
Every detail’s locked, they know what it’s about,
Warm service, cool ambiance, real smooth,
This spot’s got that rhythm, you’ll be in the groove.

Flavors so deep, they’ll have you in a trance,
Like a jazz solo, each bite’s got a chance,
Ravioli, you’ll be happy you came,
This place is fire, no shame in the game.

Hiku:
Flavors so sublime,
Art Deco and heart combined,
Italian dreams shine.“