Cara Mia never disappoints. The food is consistently excellent, with generous portions and classic Italian flavors done right. The atmosphere is cozy and intimate without feeling stuffy, and the staff is attentive, friendly, and genuinely welcoming. It’s one of those places that feels perfect for a date night or a relaxed dinner with friends. BYOB is a huge plus, and everything from start to finish feels thoughtful and well run. Easily one of the best Italian spots in the area.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mike
Great place , would eat here every night if I could ! Prices are good , food is great and the people make you feel comfortable . 6 star place !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gary Fiore
So good! I started with the garlic shrimp appetizer and it was the bomb! My wife had the fish special and I had their signature chicken parm with vodka finished table side and both were the bomb. We finished with the chocolate chip cookie dessert and you guessed it, the BOMB! I could not be happier with the service or more importantly the food. This is my new #1 restaurant in NJ.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Red Blaze
The Chicken parm was excellent. We had the mozzarella carroza that was served with an anchovy sauce that was so unique and tasty. Of course the presentation of the Chicken Parm was top notch. The large portion size should be noted as well. Flavors were distinct and not at all generic or overly seasoned. Coffee was quality. Desert was exceptional. Very welcoming and food is top notch. Very much enjoy a meal that is hearty and as close to home cooked as you can get, only with ingredients that you’d not source yourself easily and such a spectacular visual presentation!
Highly recommend and will be returning with friends! A meal well worth the money spent. Thank you chefs and servers!
Chrystal Wright
Absolutely Amazing!!!! This is my second time coming back to Cara Mia, and it has officially become a must go to every time I’m in Jersey. They have the best spaghetti carbonara I’ve ever had. I live in Atlanta, Georgia, and I still have not found another place that comes close.
The atmosphere is intimate, quaint, and romantic, perfect for a cozy date night. I also love that they allow you to BYOB and will chill your wine for you. That alone is a huge plus.
Customer service is excellent. The staff is very attentive and makes you feel genuinely taken care of from start to finish. The spaghetti carbonara was rich, creamy, and full of flavor. Absolutely perfect. My husband ordered the 16 ounce ribeye topped with onion crisp, served with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach. Ten out of ten. Chef’s kiss.
And let’s talk about the appetizers. The fried zucchini chips they bring out are my absolute favorite. I enjoyed them so much I had two servings and have zero regrets.
Cara Mia is a true gem, and I will continue to come back every single time I’m in town.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Steven Dooling
We heard about this place from a friend. The food was as amazing as we were told, the staff were excellent & the atmosphere was also great. We will without a doubt be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Enrique Diaz Madera
From the entrance to the exit AMAZING. This is a most try restaurant
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kristin Kubas
We had a pre-holiday celebration at Cara Mia last night. Half of our party traveled over an hour for the visit and it did not disappoint. The service, atmosphere and food were top notch. HIGHLY recommend. We look forward to seeing you again soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rose Quintiliano
The place was a joyful celebration for the Christmas holidays. They bring out bread, bruschetta and slices of eggplant which were absolutely delightful. We ordered calamari, chicken and veal parmigiano, along with chicken fingers for the little one, all perfectly scrumptious. Delicious! You can also bring your own bottle of wine or beer to make the experience even more special.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joanne Preece
We love Cara Mia and have been many times. The service is always great and the food is delicious. Their homemade gnocchi is so tasty. And you can’t go wrong with any of their apps. Sadly, tonight we finally tried their famous chicken parmigiana plate with the spicy vodka sauce. It was so bad that we left 3/4 of it and didn’t take home, it was like eating fried chicken in spicy buffalo sauce. This was a shame, but we will be back. Sadly we just definitely do NOT recommend that plate.
I just adore this restaurant, the stuff and the food they give huge portions and they are all nice out there we had a blessed time and every time we go there we fall in love with the place more and more
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Christopher Caporale
We were turned onto this place by a well targeted Instagram ad… it did not disappoint! The chicken parm was amazing and the good menu choices were endless!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Steve Figurelli
We dined at Cara Mia last evening and were genuinely excited to do so! After discovering the restaurant on Instagram, we couldn’t wait to try the tableside chicken parmesan with vodka sauce. Unfortunately, the overall experience - from the atmosphere to the food and service - fell far short of expectations.
When we arrived, the restaurant was understandably busy for a Saturday night, but the tables were packed so tightly in the dining area that it was incredibly difficult to move or even hear the conversation at our own table. The noise level was overwhelming, and being seated right next to the front door meant we constantly felt a draft each time someone entered or exited.
Rather than having a dedicated server, several different people assisted us throughout the evening, which made communication a bit confusing. The server who took our order struggled to hear our requests because of the noise. The complimentary Italian bread was disappointing - brittle, stale, and lacking flavor. Our appetizers were fine, though nothing memorable.
We were most looking forward to the tableside chicken parmesan, but the experience was significantly underwhelming. The space was so tight and the food drop-off so rushed that we couldn’t really enjoy the tableside presentation, and the cheese topping was more charred than golden (burned, in fact). Though the chicken was tender, the vodka sauce was thick and bland. A request for grated cheese was misheard, and when it did arrive (after the second request), it was placed on the mozzarella instead of the pasta. We then had to ask the waiter to come over a third time because he only provided cheese to one of the three that requested it. My wife’s whole wheat penne primavera was also a miss. Overall, the pastas were unremarkable and the sauces were uninspired.
Dessert, unfortunately, didn’t redeem the evening. The portion sizes were surprisingly small for the price, especially the chocolate mousse cake. I was also excited for the chocolate fudge cake, but it was quite dry and I had to search for any layers of fudge.
We truly wanted to love Cara Mia - the social media marketing is excellent - but the food, service, and atmosphere just didn’t live up to the hype. Yet another reminder that everything on Instagram is not always as it seems.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
H Mackzz
This is one of those great restaurants that you only find out about through your local friends. We travel 1.5 hours from PA to get here to meet our longtime friends and have great food. Service has always been top notch, as if you knew the owner!
Cara Mia never disappoints. The food is consistently excellent, with generous portions and classic Italian flavors done right. The atmosphere is cozy and intimate without feeling stuffy, and the staff is attentive, friendly, and genuinely welcoming. It’s one of those places that feels perfect for a date night or a relaxed dinner with friends. BYOB is a huge plus, and everything from start to finish feels thoughtful and well run. Easily one of the best Italian spots in the area.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great place , would eat here every night if I could ! Prices are good , food is great and the people make you feel comfortable . 6 star place !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
So good! I started with the garlic shrimp appetizer and it was the bomb! My wife had the fish special and I had their signature chicken parm with vodka finished table side and both were the bomb. We finished with the chocolate chip cookie dessert and you guessed it, the BOMB! I could not be happier with the service or more importantly the food. This is my new #1 restaurant in NJ.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The Chicken parm was excellent. We had the mozzarella carroza that was served with an anchovy sauce that was so unique and tasty. Of course the presentation of the Chicken Parm was top notch. The large portion size should be noted as well. Flavors were distinct and not at all generic or overly seasoned. Coffee was quality. Desert was exceptional.
Very welcoming and food is top notch. Very much enjoy a meal that is hearty and as close to home cooked as you can get, only with ingredients that you’d not source yourself easily and such a spectacular visual presentation!
Highly recommend and will be returning with friends!
A meal well worth the money spent.
Thank you chefs and servers!
Absolutely Amazing!!!!
This is my second time coming back to Cara Mia, and it has officially become a must go to every time I’m in Jersey. They have the best spaghetti carbonara I’ve ever had. I live in Atlanta, Georgia, and I still have not found another place that comes close.
The atmosphere is intimate, quaint, and romantic, perfect for a cozy date night. I also love that they allow you to BYOB and will chill your wine for you. That alone is a huge plus.
Customer service is excellent. The staff is very attentive and makes you feel genuinely taken care of from start to finish. The spaghetti carbonara was rich, creamy, and full of flavor. Absolutely perfect. My husband ordered the 16 ounce ribeye topped with onion crisp, served with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach. Ten out of ten. Chef’s kiss.
And let’s talk about the appetizers. The fried zucchini chips they bring out are my absolute favorite. I enjoyed them so much I had two servings and have zero regrets.
Cara Mia is a true gem, and I will continue to come back every single time I’m in town.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We heard about this place from a friend. The food was as amazing as we were told, the staff were excellent & the atmosphere was also great. We will without a doubt be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
From the entrance to the exit AMAZING. This is a most try restaurant
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had a pre-holiday celebration at Cara Mia last night. Half of our party traveled over an hour for the visit and it did not disappoint. The service, atmosphere and food were top notch. HIGHLY recommend. We look forward to seeing you again soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The place was a joyful celebration for the Christmas holidays. They bring out bread, bruschetta and slices of eggplant which were absolutely delightful. We ordered calamari, chicken and veal parmigiano, along with chicken fingers for the little one, all perfectly scrumptious. Delicious!
You can also bring your own bottle of wine or beer to make the experience even more special.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We love Cara Mia and have been many times. The service is always great and the food is delicious. Their homemade gnocchi is so tasty. And you can’t go wrong with any of their apps. Sadly, tonight we finally tried their famous chicken parmigiana plate with the spicy vodka sauce. It was so bad that we left 3/4 of it and didn’t take home, it was like eating fried chicken in spicy buffalo sauce. This was a shame, but we will be back. Sadly we just definitely do NOT recommend that plate.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
I just adore this restaurant, the stuff and the food they give huge portions and they are all nice out there we had a blessed time and every time we go there we fall in love with the place more and more
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We were turned onto this place by a well targeted Instagram ad… it did not disappoint! The chicken parm was amazing and the good menu choices were endless!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We dined at Cara Mia last evening and were genuinely excited to do so! After discovering the restaurant on Instagram, we couldn’t wait to try the tableside chicken parmesan with vodka sauce. Unfortunately, the overall experience - from the atmosphere to the food and service - fell far short of expectations.
When we arrived, the restaurant was understandably busy for a Saturday night, but the tables were packed so tightly in the dining area that it was incredibly difficult to move or even hear the conversation at our own table. The noise level was overwhelming, and being seated right next to the front door meant we constantly felt a draft each time someone entered or exited.
Rather than having a dedicated server, several different people assisted us throughout the evening, which made communication a bit confusing. The server who took our order struggled to hear our requests because of the noise. The complimentary Italian bread was disappointing - brittle, stale, and lacking flavor. Our appetizers were fine, though nothing memorable.
We were most looking forward to the tableside chicken parmesan, but the experience was significantly underwhelming. The space was so tight and the food drop-off so rushed that we couldn’t really enjoy the tableside presentation, and the cheese topping was more charred than golden (burned, in fact). Though the chicken was tender, the vodka sauce was thick and bland. A request for grated cheese was misheard, and when it did arrive (after the second request), it was placed on the mozzarella instead of the pasta. We then had to ask the waiter to come over a third time because he only provided cheese to one of the three that requested it. My wife’s whole wheat penne primavera was also a miss. Overall, the pastas were unremarkable and the sauces were uninspired.
Dessert, unfortunately, didn’t redeem the evening. The portion sizes were surprisingly small for the price, especially the chocolate mousse cake. I was also excited for the chocolate fudge cake, but it was quite dry and I had to search for any layers of fudge.
We truly wanted to love Cara Mia - the social media marketing is excellent - but the food, service, and atmosphere just didn’t live up to the hype. Yet another reminder that everything on Instagram is not always as it seems.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
This is one of those great restaurants that you only find out about through your local friends. We travel 1.5 hours from PA to get here to meet our longtime friends and have great food. Service has always been top notch, as if you knew the owner!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Table side chicken parm is the way to go!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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