50 Best Italian Restaurants near Lakewood

“Loved the food and the atmosphere here. A beautiful place to bring your family for a nice meal. The staff was so nice and took care of all of our needs. Highly recommended!!!!“

“Delicious Pizza, calzones and everything. Large seating area and great prices. Staff is extraordinarily friendly and fast, especially Levi, who rocks !! And Hemy greets everyone with a smile. Also, new Simcha room upstairs !! Perfect for ur Bris, Sheva Brochos or whatever !!“

“Great food and service. 5🌟“

“Love the gf pizza!

Dietary restrictions: I've had their gf pizza a couple times, and it's one of the better kinds I've found. Plus I've never gotten sick from it, so they must be careful about cross contamination over there.“

“Tried out of recommendation and the 2 slices I had were delicious, I came earlier in the day and definitely no rude in-counter. The sign about the bathroom requirements was abit off putting but my judgement was quickly dismissed when I was greeted and served 10/10 !“

“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!“

“I haven't left a review in while. I have been to F&R for many different occasions. My Brother in law and my wife's mile stone birthday. My own birthday 🎂 and every chance we can stop by. Love the family owned restaurant and all the people running it, front and back. Thanks to Michelle and Danielle Tonight was amazing the Tuna appetizer was tremendous and our favorite dinners were spot on. ( Chicken Papa) And filet mignon. If you have never been there it's a Must. Upscale Italian restaurant. Byo. Love it and Thank you ladies“

“Thank you Breakin Bread Eatery for the most delicious Easter meal! The stuffed artichokes were amazing! We can't wait to order again!!“

“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.“

“Another fabulous meal! Food is prepared expertly and the portions are very generous. The staff is attentive and friendly. Atmosphere is calming and inviting. Pasta is always cooked to perfection imagine Al dente pasta in a restaurant! Chicken francese was delightful. Steak giambotta was tender and huge! Perfect family destination“

“Food… Service… Atmosphere… FIVE STARS!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“

“La pizza increíble es lo más rico que he probado excelente servicio y los dinners están súper riquísimos“

“We frequently order from RIA, and the food is always delicious and service always without issues. I think I've written a review for them before but wanted to write another because of a new experience. I have an teenager with autism who accompanied me to RIA to pick up our dinner order. We're working on social interactions that happen in public in everyday tasks (such as checking out at a grocery store or, in this case, picking up an order from a restaurant), so after discussing how the interaction could go before we entered, I encouraged my son to take over the responsibility of speaking up to state he was picking up an order. Well, he stumbled through it, either not answering when he was spoken to or not speaking loudly enough for his answer to be heard. Once he finally made it through getting it across that he was picking up an order, the owner (at least, I'm pretty sure he's the owner!) took a few seconds to explain to my son how the process usually goes as a customer coming in to pick up an order. Did he recognize my son was special needs and that he was struggling with something most people his age have no problem with? Maybe not. But even so he remained friendly & patient despite doing multiple things at once, with other customers in line, while waiting for my son to answer his questions and was kind enough to give him a pointer on the interaction and in my eyes that is wonderful. So thanks Romeos Italian American for not only having great food and service always but for showing some grace to a young man working on learning how to navigate the world.“

“I took my friend out to dinner for her birthday. We had the most amazing experience at Tardis! The food was absolutely incredible and the service was wonderful! This is most definitely a 5 star restaurant in every way! Highly recommended!“

“From the minute that we got there until we left very friendly.Great service!! It was our first time there.They gave us this beautiful salad on the house! Our food was delicious! GOOD bread,Eggplant parmesan,lasagna, cavitelli and broccoli rob. The meatballs are possibly the best i've ever had out, not even kidding. The red sauce was delicious, teeny bit salty for me but by far better than what I have experienced in the recent times I have been out to eat. Can't wait to go back. Very friendly atmosphere!“

“We went on Saturday for dinner...My wife had Eggplant Rollatini for an appy and Chicken Francese for dinner...I had the Sauteed Clams for an appy and the Seafood Fra Diavolo for dinner....Everything was Excellent....Next we will try the pizza...“

“Had an amazing dinner with my family for my brother birthday everyone enjoyed their dinner and service was amazing. It’s great to have such a great restaurant close by and not have to travel far…“

“Held my daughter’s Bridal Shower here today and I can’t say enough wonderful things about it. The service and food was exceptional. Everyone was so helpful and accommodating. We were so pleased and I would highly recommend hosting your event here.“

“I have been eating here for a while now. i think it is the best place in the area. food is always fresh and hot whenever I get delivery, and the atmosphere when dining in is wonderful!“

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

“Our family had dinner there this evening. our waiter Austin was absolutely phenomenal and the food was delicious“

“Amazing! From the decor to the apps, the dinner and dessert! 10/10!!!!“

“Had an amazing dinner with my family for my brother birthday everyone enjoyed their dinner and service was amazing. It’s great to have such a great restaurant close by and not have to travel far…“

“Della Cucina in Toms River is an amazing restaurant. Not only is the food amazing, the bread fresh, and the staff kind - the entire organization is supportive of the community. Della Cucina donated to my nonprofit event, and everyone loved the food. We are so grateful for community supports like Della Cucina. Thank you for your generosity and kindness!“

“We have never been disappointed with a meal at IL Giardinello's. Always excellent food & excellent service.“

“love the food!! will eat here any time!!“

“Tonight was my second time doing happy hour at JoeBellas. The Fig and Pear martini is straight up divine. The happy hour menu is fun. I had no problem eating Parmesan Truffle Fries for dinner LOL so so yummy. My husband and I brought his cousins last Saturday for a beautiful sit down dinner and as we were being seated we saw our neighbor's from two houses over! Bought them a round of course. Everyone was very happy with their meal. What a fun local restaurant. You'll wait in the summer time of course, totally worth the wait but now that we locals have it back I'll be frequenting more often. I happen to bring a friend tonight who is now a loyal fan. #lovejoebellas“

“THANK YOU CASTERANOS 🤩🤩🤩 We had our 4th of July outdoor party catered. Food was phenomenal!!! I want to thank Casteranos for making our gathering extra special. I’m sure everyone would agree that food is a very important part of a party. Also, we had a strawberry shortcake made special for a 70th surprise birthday on the same day. Delicious, one of the best I’ve ever tasted. We received nothing but compliments from all of our guests. Will definitely recommend and be returning for future events👌👏👌.“

“We had a wedding shower today. To say we were beyond thrilled is an understatement. Everything was absolutely perfect from the staff to the food. I could not have asked for a better day and I cannot recommend them more. I will definitely do future events with you. Thank you guys so very much for absolutely everything!!!!!!“

“Review from carmine the cheesesteak guy I'd give it a solid 9.5 out of 10 one of the best cheese steaks I have had in NJ also one of the biggest cheesesteaks you go to any other pizza place and order one this is gonna be double the size of that it's as big as your whole arm from the top of your shoulder down to the tips of your fingers stacked with meat and cheese it is the best cheese steak in the Howell/Jackson area“

“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.“

“The food is outstanding! The owners are the warmest and kindest people! The restaurant is professional, serving high quality food and reasonably priced! Love me some Pat d’s! Shout out to the exceptional counter help!“

“Yesterday we had a Luau/Pool party at our new Toll RegencyFreehold Community .. we explained to Frank we had a very bad experience with a previous caterer and he promised us we would be pleased and not to worry. Well, we weren’t just pleased, we were excited and we all felt DAngelos far exceeded our expectations. The compliments kept flowing during the party… the service, setup and food was AMAZING!! Thank you Frank for an awesome job! We can’t wait to call you for our next event!!“

“A friend gifted a $100 gift card that we first used $70.01 on 7/01/2023. Went back today, 12/22/2024, and attempted to use the remaining $29.99 on part of our bill, but were advised that the card was declined. Service was good and food was good but was alarmed that $100 was paid but only $70.01 was honored. I advise beware of gift card purchases. We will not be going back.“

“This is our go to place when down the shore! I’ve tried so many dishes here but my favorite meal by far is the Chicken Marcello. Chicken strips with Vinegar Peppers & Potatoes. Outstanding! My wife got the Eggplant Rollatini, but like me has tried numerous others! Kudos to the kitchen staff! The staff is always so friendly. Highly recommend to all.“

“I have to give a huge thank you to Brooklyn Bistro for the amazing job they did for my daughters graduation dinner last night. Everything was wonderful. The food was cooked perfectly, the service was absolutely amazing. Thank you Brooklyn Bistro <3“

“Love SS House great ambiance great drinks perfect hang in the spring and summer“

“Today was Our first time at Pondrelli’s … honestly from the second we walked in Luigi was so warm and welcoming he even went over every slice and sandwich with my daughter and I. Which was amazing because I didn’t feel forced to choose something quickly like you do at most places. While we waited Luigi and Anthony both hung out and talked to my daughter and I. (We frequent pizzerias often and NO ONE does that.) They are very down to earth and nice people. Lol Even as we walked out my 10 year old was like that was super cool of them. Another plus all of the food we order was amazing!! We will definitely be back and recommending!“

“service food treated like family!AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA+++++++++++“

“Delicious pizza, crisp salad, great service, and friendly staff--all we expect. The restaurant was bustling on a Saturday night, but the vibe was lively and friendly. Warnings: 1) The two of us ordered a "small" pizza; it was huge and could easily have fed six people. 2) It was very noisy so conversation was difficult.“

“Exceptionally good food and service“

“It has been a minute since visiting Olive Garden. This Tomsriver NJ resturant was right on point. A lot of really nice people engaged with customers. A quality budget friendly dinner out. Jared was our server. He was very attentive, and professional. The salad was super fresh. I enjoyed the Pasta e fagioli and gnocchi chicken soup. I appreciated the smaller bowl size on soup, to be able to try more than one. My wife had create you own Pasta, that was a hearty Rigatoni with meat sauce. Great rich flavor. The second bowl of salad was larger than the first. Would have preffered a smaller second serving, as not to waste. The customer could always ask for more. The olives were good! This is a keynote, as every resturant I have visited in years past, had a poor variety metalic tasting black olive. Not the case this time😁 Every ingredient in the salad was fresh!! Food was hot and delicious. Probably the best Olive Garden visit I have ever experienced. Thank you!!“

“I have never been disappointed on the food quality or quantity no skimping.“

“Johnny G’s just catered our sons birthday party and it was AMAZING. Definitely recommend to anyone. Mike was awesome and very helpful. 11 out of 10 for sure!!!“

“This place is amazing. great food- very friendly staff! Some of the best Italian food in NJ“

“Great food and excellent service!“

“Always good! Always fast.“

“Met some friends and we all chose pasta dishes. I never got to ask but the pasta sure seemed homemade to me!“

“We heard great things about this new place. Not only did it not disappoint.. it went above and beyond. The pizza was perfectly cooked and delicious…the cheesesteak was heavenly. So excited to order again! Welcome to the neighborhood!“

“Out meal was more expensive than it should have been. When we reserved, we were told there was a $45 per adult minimum. We had 7 adults and 5 kids 12 and under who ordered pizza fries and pasta. The adults ordered some starters, salads and about half ordered fish. After starters and main dishes and sides were finished, the waiter informed one of the adults in the party (not the host) that people needed to order dessert because we were under the minimum, so the kids and a cpuple of adults ordered dessert although we were full, hadnt planned on it and left much of it on the table. When the bill came it was $707.00. Even taking away the 20% obligatory large party service fee, the $590 or $84 per adult is way above the $45 per adult minimum and the dessert cannot account for that, so the waiter misinformed the party and jacked up the bill. Even $45 per person for all.12 people is $540 which is $50 less than we were charged before the 20% service. If you have a large party, beware of this upsell and the mandatory 20% service fee. Great food, good service. The decor in the back room where they put us because of the kids is plain, not like the front of the restautant which is elegant, festive and lovely. If not for the jacking up the price experience, I would rate the restaurant 5 stars. The food was great and one can order a very healthy meal.as well as an indulgent one. Plenty of kid friendly food and options too. The service was also excellent as it should be for 20%.“