50 Best Italian Restaurants near Ocean Gate

“Great food! Great service. Warm and cozy. I asked for chocolate martinis, they were perfect.“

“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.“

“Went there for my first time for my birthday celebration, food was amazing, employees nice and attentive, and restaurant very clean! Can’t say enough about our time there other than I can’t wait to come back!“

“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“

“Eaten here a number of times and pizza is just outstanding!! Delicious and fresh! Nice thin crust but done to perfection. Highly recommend!“

“This restaurant was delicious!!! Everything was wonderful from the waiters to the food that was amazing. The owner Ken went around to all tables and made us feel like family. thank You Saltimbocca I will absolutely be back.“

“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!!!!“

“excellent food and service“

“Thank you Breakin Bread of Tom’s River for providing subs to a 2025 Seaside Heights polar plunge! They were fantastic!“

“Went there for the first time ever. Had to bring our phone to be fixed in the same plaza. So we stopped in for a bite to eat. Nick had a meatball empanada which was absolutely delicious. I had “the tower” two pieces of fried eggplant with layered fresh mozzarella and roasted red peppers topped with a balsamic reduction glaze. OMG it was so very light and refreshing. After the phone was fixed several hours later we went back and got more to have for dinner.“

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“Hard to beat these Eats Beautiful restaurant“

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

“Wonderful staff. Great atmosphere and DELICIOUS FOOD!“

“Generous, kind family owned businesses. Fabulous food. Imbedded within our community, year after year. To which, you will feel part of OUR COMMUNITY…. Most of all their family love..“

“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“

“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“

“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!!!“

“The best restaurant in the area the guys go every Tuesday nite u won't be disappointed. 5 stars.“

“Thank you to Ellen and her associates for making our vow renewal amazing. Food was amazing and wonderful to work with!“

“Ordered for pick up and when I received the order two of the items I got had barely any sauce in them. I felt bad calling to complain but I did and the manager Scotty was very helpful and understanding and replaced the items with extra sauce on the side and gave 2 free deserts. The staff was also very friendly and welcoming, best experience I’ve had with a restaurant.“

“Aside from the individual pizzas which are delicious. The steak salad is very good. Might be a little pricey but when you want quality great tasting food Nino's is a hit!“

“I ordered a large catering order and when I went to go pay for it, sitting by the register was spinach Stromboli's... It looked so good, I had to order one for lunch. Well, it had to be the BEST Stromboli I have ever had. If you have never tried Della Cucina, you need to because you do not know what you are missing. A BIG 5 star for this establishment and also very clean and friendly service.“

“Great food and excellent service!“

“We stopped in here after our last evening of training at OCBJJ and the staff was super friendly. The owner made our pizza and was very hospitable. I would rank the pizza we had in my top 5 pizzas of my life. Was huge, and very delicious. If local or visiting you need to do yourself a favor and stop in for the best pizza in Jersey!“

“excellent service and value.“

“Five stars all around well clean food is amazing staff is wonderful. And they’re catering they have is five stars all around very good. Anything they make is excellent. I love pondrellis pizza“

“Ordered from here when we were down 2 weeks ago. By far the best pizza in Seaside. Wish they delivered to central PA. Will be the only pizza we get while down the shore.“

“We just tried Giddy’s Toms River last night and to quote my son the pizza was “NEXT LEVEL”. Couldn’t have said it better! These guys know what they are doing and don’t play games! Pizza was incredible! Just had to share so others can be in the know! Enjoy!“

“We order from your restaurant often. The food and service has always been top notch. When 2 slices of pizza for my picky eater child didn’t come with our order, your staff handled the call nicely and the driver brought it right back out to her, hot and fresh with no issues. Thank you very much!!! Much appreciated!“

“Pies Place is the best! I have been meaning to leave a review after my son’s birthday party. We ordered a ton of food and had to decrease our order by a lot last minute because of this spring weather. Our party was rained out so we didn’t really need anything. Chris was incredibly sweet and stated although they started making some of our order he would donate what we didn’t need. Not only was the pizza delicious, it was such a nice gesture all around. 10/10 recommend 😋👌🏼☺️“

“The atmosphere Is Beautiful and the food was amazing I got the special which was ribs with mac & cheese and they were so tender, and the mac & cheese was delicious our waiter was friendly (young man with curly hair) and it felt very homey in there on a rainy day drinks were very good too“

“Exceptionally good food and service“

“The food and service is excellent. IT DEFINITLY IS MY FAVORITE.“

“Great place and another wonderful meal with great friends. Outstanding service“

“Kept driving by this place and finally got to try it out last week. As a Chicago native, I can tell you this is what I've been looking for the past 3 years of living here. The crust does not explode in your mouth like a bunch of tiny little splinters, it's softer and doughy. The ingredients and cheese are not skimped out on either, they are fresh ingredients and plentiful at that. The only thing I would change is more sauce, but I can do that myself next order on my own. Leftovers microwaved is a no go but air fried it's just like it came out of the oven all over again. In a Jersey full of Luigi's, pick Marios, you won't be disappointed. I suggest adding the wings into your order as well, best take out wings I've had from a pizza shop, super crispy breading and juicy interior.“

“We had Kate & Ally’s cater a party at our local community center for 100 people. Everything from securing the date, choosing the menu, the food, and the service was top notch! I am so happy we were able to provide such high quality and creative food, but also, to have had the opportunity to just enjoy the party while the Kate and Ally staff handled it all from set up to clean up! Huge thank yous to Dianne, Lindsay, Janet, and Rich for all their hard work to help make my event special!“

“Wow! What a nice surprise! Great food and hospitality that's rare today. Authentic delicious made-to-order food and exceptional service. As first-timers, we were treated to a taste of their outstanding penne vodka and a creme-filled zepole. Wowee! We'll be back for sure. BYOB ???“

“Brick Oven is amazing! I had my, now fiance, surprise 40th birthday there (which turned into a surprise proposal) everyone raved about the food!! We usually don't do left overs, but what was left over- we will definitely be eating! Collin was fantastic! He was very accommodating and helpful. The girls were fabulous! Very polite, sweet and never once gave me a dirty looks with all my crazy requests lol. My sister in law was the only one who needed GF and Collin made sure she got her own plate, and told me was was the better tasting GF plate they offered. She said that was THE BEST GF pasta she has had. Their service was so great, my now fiance, made sure to take care of them ontop of what I tipped them! Guest from our party were asking Collin to open up a place in Monmouth County! And asking if they would deliver there! My family and friends (who are from Monmouth County) are talking about going back there again! I will 100% recommend Brick Oven because the food was out of this world, service was top notch and everyone was so great! The only thing was it got a little hot inside, but we also had a party of 40 people.. so everyone kinda understood why it was so hot. But other then that, everything went perfectly! Thank you so much Brick Oven and staff for a very memorable day!“

“The Chicken Scarpiello and Chicken Giovanni pasta dishes are absolutely amazing! Today was our first visit. We will be back. Our son recommended this place. We see why. Friendly staff and excellent service.“

“We had our graduation dinner catered from Claudios on 6/16/23. IT WAS PHENOMINAL! Penne Vodka, Orichetti w broccoli rabe and sausage, chicken francaise, chicken parmesan, meatballs, stuffed eggplant,eggplant parm, roasted potatoes and meat lasagna were all fantastic. I was asked so many times where we got the food from so be prepared for a whole lot more business! You are now oficially my go to for catering!!! Also, the prices were very reasonable. You knocked our party out of the park with your food! THANK YOU!“

“Great food and service. 5🌟“

“Personable staff and delicious food. Definitely recommend this place for a delicious Italian meal.“

“Great thin crust pie & amazing cheese calzone. I asked for extra mozzarella in calzone & it was perfect! Sauce very good. Our first time & will now try their famous Grandma Pie. Definitely our new go to! Thanks guys!“

“We love Villaggio’s pizzeria. It’s our go to for subs, Italian hot dogs, fresh salads and pizza. Their four cheese pizza is amazing!! Have always used delivery and the service is top notch!!! Friendly drivers and super fast delivery of always Hot and Fresh delicious food. Our son loves it so much he and his friends go there for lunch on their bicycles often! Keep up the great job everyone!!!“

“I got to say for sorrows is good real good quick delivery times they're honest if they say a certain time they're there but you got to be careful because when it shows up it is real hot real hot and really good food excellent“

“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We are beyond grateful to Pies on Nine South for their incredible generosity and quick response during our Staff Appreciation Week luncheon. After unexpectedly running out of food, they stepped up without hesitation—donating enough delicious food to feed the rest of our staff and having it ready in just 30 minutes! The service was fast, friendly, and truly above and beyond. Thank you for supporting our school and helping us celebrate the amazing teachers and staff who give so much every day. We’ll absolutely be ordering from you again! Highly recommend this place—not just for the great food, but for the amazing people behind it! 💚“

“The food here is fabulous! We had Hot Honey Roni Pizza, Mikes Spicy Steak, Pepperoni Knots, White Hot Honey Pizza and the Bucatini all’Amatriciana. Everything was amazing, highly recommend! Our server, Liz, was so kind, helpful and friendly. We will absolutely be back!“

“I just wanted to reach out & thank your staff on duty from Friday 8/18 Especially Rod/Ron the Manager (my apologies I don't remember his name exactly) for outstanding customer service! We were at the restaurant Friday evening. It was the last night of our family Seaside Vacation and our first time dining at The Sawmill. We were seated promptly(young hostess with curly hair and an air cast), drinks & food orders were taken very quickly(female server with dark curly hair and an accent). Our beverages came out in a flash, and our appetizers were moments behind. When my teenage son reached across for some tasty pretzel bites...he knocked his full orange soda into his lap (and shirt) , onto the floor, & even onto me! We sent him to the restroom to try and clean himself up while we motioned for help, we didn't want anyone to slip on the wet floor! Within seconds your staff responded in the best possible way. Your manager was mopping up the floor, our server was bringing a replacement soda, one of the ladies bussing tables hustled over with towels. By the time my son returned from the restroom my husband and I were discussing how to proceed (Run back to the house to change or by new clothes on the boardwalk) when Rod/Ron appeared on bended knee next to my son with Sawmill t-shirts in tow asking his size so he could change his shirt. My son initially refused because; it was "all his fault & he didn't deserve it" but; Rod/Ron persisted and convinced my son that these kinds of things happen to everyone. A point I was just making to my child, when my son heard this he accepted. The way your staff responded in the moment took what could have been an awful end to our vacation into a very bright spot because of how attentive and supportive your staff was. It means more than you will ever know. Please take a moment & thank your staffers on our behalf. Thank you, Monica, Andy, & AJ Mossey“

“Everything was delicious. Priced great. Nice atmosphere. Great waitress“