50 Best Italian Restaurants near Ocean

“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!“

“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!“

“Since moving from Brooklyn I’ve missed having a classic Italian sandwich from my local pork store. I’m so happy I found Antonio’s Gourmet Salumeria because they have amazing sandwiches. Fresh bread, ample amount of ingredients, and delicious sandwiches. If you’re craving a nice hero for lunch definitely stop by and they have a bunch of other premade classic Italian food options.“

“Working Medic Unit #203, finally got a break and it's Lunch Time - Pizza Time. First slice from Rizzo's was when the Seaview Square Mall first opened in the 1970's. I have made the random stop for a Slice of Memories when in the area and they still make a fabulous 🍕. It has been over 42 year's since the first slice, each visit since still results in a delicious pizza.“

“This is a great place to sit and have a meal with a friend or family. I've been to Merendino's several times and each time I was treated with a very friendly, warm , welcoming demeanor. The staff and owners are very courteous and ready to please and serve. The food is very delicious I recommend the meatball sub with mozzarella 😎. Their pizza is very good too and tuna wrap is as well.

Kid-friendliness: Yes very kid friendly.“

“Super delicious Italian cuisine, excellent dessert menu, super ambiance, free parking and to top it all off; you can stroll the boardwalk to enjoy the cool sea breeze of the Atlantic Ocean.“

“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 .“

“This restaurant has amazing food and the waiters are very kind“

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

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

“Amazinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn💯❤️“

“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!“

“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!“

“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.“

“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.“

“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“

“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“

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

“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.“

“Great food and nice place to be“

“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!“

“Best personal pies. awesome meatballs 😋 friendly atmosphere“

“Undici Taverna rustica is literally AMAZING. It expresses the passion and the food&wine knowledge of Vic. it has been unbelievable have a dinner there, 16 hrs of flying to enjoy one of the best pizza I have ever had, even better than a lot of pizza in Italy.“

“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!!“

“Great food and service. Our waiter Tony was great“

“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.“

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

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

“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!!“

“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.“

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

“Great sandwich shop and good service. This team generally gets busy between 12:30 - 2 pm so if you’re in a rush, order earlier or wait later in the afternoon. I’ve never had any issues with my order or picking it up, and my sandwiches have always been made correctly. They use fresh produce and meats and you can tell. I recommend coming here.“

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

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

“What a phenonomal restaurant! It's truly a hidden gem. Johhny is an amazing waiter and the food was nothing short of impeccable. If your a true foodie and want a culinary experience, you MUST dine here! You won't be disappointed!“

“Amazing food, great portions and quality for price, friendly and personal able staff, quick service, clean and warm atmosphere. Highly recommend. Definitely make reservations“

“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 and the service was excellent very reasonably priced and a very nice atmosphere“

“Best Restaurant in New Jersey.“

“Food was good, service was great (Alex) . They charge you if you use your credit card and in my case my debit card. My biggest complaint is that the oysters were the size of my thumb nail, so skip the oysters.“

“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!!“