50 Best Italian Restaurants near Ocean Grove

“everything at Tinos is usually excellent. But last nite I had pizza with a very burned crust. the sauce recipe is also different so didn't enjoy pizza?or eggplant rollatini. the bruscetta also had to be sent back because bread was extremely hard. Hoping this was just an off night and quality and taste go back to what it was. service from young man was excellent tho. will try again in future as we've been coming here since Tinos opened.“

“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 .“

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

“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!“

“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 ??“

“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!“

“The food is so good in Marandola‘s restaurant.“

“Amazing food amazing service“

“While we were too early to try anything off the menu, I wanted to thank this business for opening their doors (and bathroom!) to the people at the Pride Parade. The gentleman at the counter was sunny and kind and let everyone in. Most other businesses did not. We already have this place earmarked for our dinner after our next beach day. Thank you for being excellent humans.“

“Fun atmosphere, delicious food. Our waitress Staci was great! We will be back.“

“The perfect evening ! Food, service and atmosphere were all spot on! Chef Dimas Montalvo III your a true talent !“

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

“Great food amazing service and wonderful warm hospitality“

“I am so glad my Dad found this place!! The owners are incredibly sweet, patient and friendly. The food is made fresh, and it's affordable. DEFINITELY RECOMMEND!! Oh and the chicken parm to die for! Dessert even better!! Trying to add photos but not letting me. Place very clean!!“

“The best hospitality one can ever receive. A big shout out to the owner. A true gentlemen and a humble man. This is the definition how an establishment should be ran. The waitress was awesome. I am mad at myself for the super late review but we are here! Food great! atmosphere great! and a nice dinner experience my gf and I had. If you decided to parasail in the area and decide to grab a bite afterwards you will not regret!

Dr. Shawn approved!!“

“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.“

“Went here with some reservations; wasn't a huge fan of the former restaurant. However, Judy's is great! Amazing matzoh ball soup and a great steak, followed by the chocolate budino. Great Non-Alc drink selection as well. My husband had the fluke piccata and the salad. Cannot wait to go back!“

“Our family went for my wife’s birthday, from start to finish what a great experience. Our waiter was great, the food was fantastic. Portions are huge. Honestly very fairly priced. This was the first time any of us have been there and we will for sure be going there again. Kudos to Lubrano’s. Thank you“

“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“

“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.“

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

“We were in town due to a medical procedure and after a long day, we needed to find a place to have dinner. We stumbled upon this gem and were so glad that we did! The food was spot on and the service was great! We will definitely come back when we have to travel here again.“

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

“Amazingly delicious food. Friendly service“

“My husband and I dined on the porch. Lovely atmosphere as it’s right on Ocean Drive across from the beach. The food was exquisite. Lauren our waitress was upbeat, attentive and fun. Service was top notch all around.“

“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 food and nice place to be“

“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!“

“Ate there last night with my family to celebrate my husbands birthday. The food was DELICIOUS and the service was outstanding! Being from Brooklyn and our Italian roots we are super proud of the good Italian food we know… THIS MET THE MARK!!!“

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

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

“Been a customer for twenty years. Solid BYOB Italian restaurant with a veteran staff. Owner and general manager are always present. Ownership changed 9 years ago. Very good fresh pastas. I’m totally a fan of their main marinara sauce. Sometimes I’ve asked for it on the side. My wife and I have liked the seafood pasta panadora. I tend to order a lot of salads and I’ve tried most of them. My favorite is their chopped salad ($18). Sometimes I get it with the chicken option. I really like their own salad dressing. It’s a little different. The Greek salad is really good too. The braised slow cook short ribs are very popular; a long time specialty item. Their lunch menu is very reasonable. Surprisingly good burgers and sandwiches. I’m particularly a fan of their tuna sandwich, with several variations. I have found the service to always be excellent. I noticed their bread has been outstanding. Owner said they invested in a new ovens from Italy✅ Their homemade carrot cake is excellent, and I’m fussy when it comes to carrot cake, my favorite😀 Great location in downtown Red Bank on Wallace Street, which is not busy. There is municipal parking nearby. Keep in mind you generally have to pay in Red Bank unless you’re willing to walk a bit. Also, a special mention goes out to special events. They’re particularly good at parties. They scale well to what the needs of the event. It can be simple to full sit-down dinner or buffet.“

“Everything in the store that’s offered“

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

“I hosted a family event at Via Sposito. Everyone was very pleased with our server, Jessica and the dining experience. The food was amazing and plentiful. We have dined there a few times prior to this and were always pleased with food. At our event everything was family style and there was a variety of food. The pizza and zeppoles were also great. They worked within our budget and offered a lot of choices.“

“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!!“

“Highly recommended! This place is great!“

“Have been many times, but this was possibly our best experience to date! Josh is fantastic and always describes the menu and specials expertly. Parada appetizer was exceptional as was their tuna Crudo. The Roma pasta course is always cooked perfectly. The pork special for two won the night, however… Amazing flavor! Can’t wait to come back.“

“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!“

“Delicious food and friendly service!“

“Old world Delicious Pizza. Home made Dough not processed. Highly recommended. Sooo good !“

“Excellent service by Don. We were fortunate to be seated in front corner window which gave us privacy. Every dish ordered was excellent, including dessert. The back room includes a brick oven. Worth the 5 stars I posted!“

“We went here yesterday before a show at the theater... Food was outstanding great service and great ambience“

“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.“

“In town for a wedding and looked for a local Italian restaurant for our night before. Discovered Jimmy’s and after reading some reviews we were sold. Great local spot with wonderful ambiance and terrific food! Bernadette took care of us and did a wonderful job. Highly recommend!!“

“Great friendly good food stuff“

“Food and service were outstanding. Will definitely be going back often.“

“The service was attentive and the atmosphere was pleasant. Even though the food was good, we were surprised that the entrees did not include a pasta or vegetable.
For example, the veal parmigiana did not come with pasta and the pork chop had no potato or vegetables. The entrees were priced above average, so the least expensive components should have been included and not treated as a side for an extra charge.
For this reason, we will not be returning.“

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