he ambiance of this place is great. It’s a real shame the food is below average at best. I ordered shrimp scampi. I was expecting shrimp and pasta in a scampi sauce. What I got was 5 pieces of shrimp. THAT’S IT!! For $40. That’s $8 per shrimp. It was not even that good. I was insulted when it came out. My wife got rigatoni. It tasted like it was jarred meat sauce. The food and value should be zero stars but the atmosphere and service were really good. It is such a shame but we will not go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Cocktails were first rate. Entrées disappointing. Small portions especially for two pasta dishes. Nearby Party of eight shouting at times- extremely noisy while watching sports on their cell phones. Server was forgetful and confused even though the restaurant was not busy. We Will not go back, sorry to say.
KWilliams
Amazing food, amazing service, amazing restaurant. Every dish was cooked to perfection, and accompanied by the most amazing and delicious cocktails. Loved every minute of my dining experience!
EugenioD
The staff was very accommodating to make us enjoy the evening. We will have to try it again for the diner of 4's We believe it is the timing for the noise level. It could be loud when all the tables had diners.
K C.
I cannot believe this place only gets 3.5 stars. The food, ambience and service are all excellent. I came here with my husband in the beginning of December for my birthday. We started off with the short-rib meatballs - delicious. I had the butternut squash gnocchi and I cannot say enough about how well the flavors blended in this dish. My husband had the veal porterhouse with the tuscan herb fries and despite my being completely fully, I could not stop eating the fries and my husband could not say enough about the veal. The ambience is absolutely gorgeous. We were in the main dining room and the glass windows that overlook the racetrack were breathtaking. Sadly, it was raining pretty hard that night so I am determined to be seated someday there under a clear night sky. And service? Exactly how it should be. I don't need anyone going out of their way. I just want someone to be timely, kind, and attentive. That's it! Check on the water. Offer another drink. Give me warm food. But they went a little extra by giving us dessert with a candle! So kind. And it was delicious! Highly recommend Blu Grotto. I can't wait to take advantage of their other specials. 4/$44. Pasta-Palooza. If these three seemingly simple dishes were this good, I can't wait to dive into the others.
bill s.
One of those rare places where everything that we had was delicious. We started with the meatballs. My wife had the gnocchi and I the veal porterhouse. The sauces on both were excellent. Also the service was outstanding which is a rarity in this post covid environment. We will be back to try more dishes on the menu.
AnnetteC
Haven't been to BG in a few months - took a friend who absolutely loved it - forgot how great the food and atmosphere was - it's always been my favorite restaurant since I moved to the Jersey Shore
FoodforThought
We returned to one of our favorite restaurants for Jersey Shore Restaurant Week- so glad we did! Dinner was amazing : spiced tuna tartare, Brussel sprout caesar salad, branzino filet, farfelle positano with sweet sausage, torta caprese ( chocolate almond cake) and affogato - all over the top delicious served with care by friendly servers in a beautiful and quiet space. ???Cudos to the chef- thank you!
TerryB
We had the greatest meal last night to celebrate the Jersey Shore Restaurant Week. It was the first time here for everyone . Everything was excellent! Our party of 4 enjoyed the appetizers: smoked mozzarella ( which smelled delicious) and the Tuna Tartar. The Branzino was out of this world! My friends were so happy to see it offered on the menu. My husband had the Farfalle with peas and sweet sausage. Dessert was split into two camps-the affogato and the chocolate hazelnut cake. Such a wonderful meal and wonderful service from all the staff! We had early reservations and it got a little loud when the restaurant filled up ( there was a large party celebrating). But we were comfortable, well fed, and enjoying the vibe! We all agreed - Definite repeat! Starting 11/15/23 there will be another special event -4 for 44$. I'm definitely coming back!
Kathy V.
I can only comment on the beer garden. The bands are excellent with no cover. The music starts at around six and ends at 10 PM so it's great for after the races at Monmouth Park. The food is generally pretty good and they have very good pizza. The only issue is that it's not staffed Enough for extremely busy afternoons , when there is a great band playing. It's pretty impossible to get a drink without standing in line for 15 to 20 minutes. once they fix that it's a no-brainer. A fun night outside on a beautiful summer afternoon.
Had an excellent experience from appetizers to drinks and dinner to dessert! Went with a group of 6 for a birthday dinner. Everyone was very impressed with their entree choices. Appetizers were also awesome- tried the Bibb Salad, General Tsos calamari and short rib meatballs- all excellent! Finished off with dessert- I tried the Sicilian icecream Sando, which was off the charts. Will definitely be coming back!
Antidory
My husband had the crab with the black spaghetti. He got very sick a few hours later. Of course, there's no proof that it was the crab, but I tasted it, and it tasted very fishy. We've gone to the Grotto many times and always love the quality and freshness of the food. I hope this is just a one-time bad experience.
CVree
A perfect evening. From the welcome at the front door to dessert. Delicious food and a great atmosphere makes for a perfect evening. The food simply does not disappoint. The Blu Grotto make a special occasion really special. We'll be back !
JLynn
This was my first visit to the restaurant. My husband and I went to celebrate my birthday, and we were not disappointed. We started with some sparkling water and meatball appetizer. We both got the shrimp scampi for an entrée and loved it. Neither one of us had any food left on our plate. We even had room for dessert, which was delicious! We will be back for sure! 
LizD
We thoroughly enjoyed dining at Blu Grotto. The food was prepared exactly as requested. The Cesar salad was one of the best i have eaten. Two of our party had the New York strip and it was done just as they requested. I had the bronzino, it had a nice crust and was served over a delicious purée. Service was excellent and not overly fussy. Our table overlooked the garden. The restaurant is tastefully designed. Upon making the reservation I noted that it was a birthday. As we were about to leave our wonderful server presented the person whose birthday we were celebrating with a small bottle of champagne. That was a charming touch to end the evening on.
he ambiance of this place is great. It’s a real shame the food is below average at best. I ordered shrimp scampi. I was expecting shrimp and pasta in a scampi sauce. What I got was 5 pieces of shrimp. THAT’S IT!! For $40. That’s $8 per shrimp. It was not even that good. I was insulted when it came out. My wife got rigatoni. It tasted like it was jarred meat sauce. The food and value should be zero stars but the atmosphere and service were really good. It is such a shame but we will not go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Cocktails were first rate. Entrées disappointing. Small portions especially for two pasta dishes. Nearby Party of eight shouting at times- extremely noisy while watching sports on their cell phones. Server was forgetful and confused even though the restaurant was not busy. We Will not go back, sorry to say.
Amazing food, amazing service, amazing restaurant. Every dish was cooked to perfection, and accompanied by the most amazing and delicious cocktails. Loved every minute of my dining experience!
The staff was very accommodating to make us enjoy the evening. We will have to try it again for the diner of 4's We believe it is the timing for the noise level. It could be loud when all the tables had diners.
I cannot believe this place only gets 3.5 stars. The food, ambience and service are all excellent. I came here with my husband in the beginning of December for my birthday. We started off with the short-rib meatballs - delicious. I had the butternut squash gnocchi and I cannot say enough about how well the flavors blended in this dish. My husband had the veal porterhouse with the tuscan herb fries and despite my being completely fully, I could not stop eating the fries and my husband could not say enough about the veal. The ambience is absolutely gorgeous. We were in the main dining room and the glass windows that overlook the racetrack were breathtaking. Sadly, it was raining pretty hard that night so I am determined to be seated someday there under a clear night sky. And service? Exactly how it should be. I don't need anyone going out of their way. I just want someone to be timely, kind, and attentive. That's it! Check on the water. Offer another drink. Give me warm food. But they went a little extra by giving us dessert with a candle! So kind. And it was delicious! Highly recommend Blu Grotto. I can't wait to take advantage of their other specials. 4/$44. Pasta-Palooza. If these three seemingly simple dishes were this good, I can't wait to dive into the others.
One of those rare places where everything that we had was delicious. We started with the meatballs. My wife had the gnocchi and I the veal porterhouse. The sauces on both were excellent. Also the service was outstanding which is a rarity in this post covid environment. We will be back to try more dishes on the menu.
Haven't been to BG in a few months - took a friend who absolutely loved it - forgot how great the food and atmosphere was - it's always been my favorite restaurant since I moved to the Jersey Shore
We returned to one of our favorite restaurants for Jersey Shore Restaurant Week- so glad we did! Dinner was amazing : spiced tuna tartare, Brussel sprout caesar salad, branzino filet, farfelle positano with sweet sausage, torta caprese ( chocolate almond cake) and affogato - all over the top delicious served with care by friendly servers in a beautiful and quiet space. ???Cudos to the chef- thank you!
We had the greatest meal last night to celebrate the Jersey Shore Restaurant Week. It was the first time here for everyone . Everything was excellent! Our party of 4 enjoyed the appetizers: smoked mozzarella ( which smelled delicious) and the Tuna Tartar. The Branzino was out of this world! My friends were so happy to see it offered on the menu. My husband had the Farfalle with peas and sweet sausage. Dessert was split into two camps-the affogato and the chocolate hazelnut cake. Such a wonderful meal and wonderful service from all the staff! We had early reservations and it got a little loud when the restaurant filled up ( there was a large party celebrating). But we were comfortable, well fed, and enjoying the vibe! We all agreed - Definite repeat! Starting 11/15/23 there will be another special event -4 for 44$. I'm definitely coming back!
I can only comment on the beer garden. The bands are excellent with no cover. The music starts at around six and ends at 10 PM so it's great for after the races at Monmouth Park. The food is generally pretty good and they have very good pizza. The only issue is that it's not staffed Enough for extremely busy afternoons , when there is a great band playing. It's pretty impossible to get a drink without standing in line for 15 to 20 minutes. once they fix that it's a no-brainer. A fun night outside on a beautiful summer afternoon.
Restaurantji Recommends
Had an excellent experience from appetizers to drinks and dinner to dessert! Went with a group of 6 for a birthday dinner. Everyone was very impressed with their entree choices. Appetizers were also awesome- tried the Bibb Salad, General Tsos calamari and short rib meatballs- all excellent! Finished off with dessert- I tried the Sicilian icecream Sando, which was off the charts. Will definitely be coming back!
My husband had the crab with the black spaghetti. He got very sick a few hours later. Of course, there's no proof that it was the crab, but I tasted it, and it tasted very fishy. We've gone to the Grotto many times and always love the quality and freshness of the food. I hope this is just a one-time bad experience.
A perfect evening. From the welcome at the front door to dessert. Delicious food and a great atmosphere makes for a perfect evening. The food simply does not disappoint. The Blu Grotto make a special occasion really special. We'll be back !
This was my first visit to the restaurant. My husband and I went to celebrate my birthday, and we were not disappointed. We started with some sparkling water and meatball appetizer. We both got the shrimp scampi for an entrée and loved it. Neither one of us had any food left on our plate. We even had room for dessert, which was delicious! We will be back for sure! 
We thoroughly enjoyed dining at Blu Grotto. The food was prepared exactly as requested. The Cesar salad was one of the best i have eaten. Two of our party had the New York strip and it was done just as they requested. I had the bronzino, it had a nice crust and was served over a delicious purée. Service was excellent and not overly fussy. Our table overlooked the garden. The restaurant is tastefully designed. Upon making the reservation I noted that it was a birthday. As we were about to leave our wonderful server presented the person whose birthday we were celebrating with a small bottle of champagne. That was a charming touch to end the evening on.