This is a small restaurant with the most incredibly fresh, homemade Italian food in Monmouth County and it’s BYOB!
I have been several times and never disappointed everything has always been so delicious but it is hard to get a reservation sometimes!
Place was very nice, food was very good and our waiter was wonderful. Definitely recommend. Will be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alfred Valli
Went there this past weekend and had a fantastic dinner! The service and the food were fantastic and would highly recommend any of the homemade pasta dishes! Can't wait to return!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Christine Collum
Great food and service
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Katherine McCormack
Amazing food! Pasta is always perfection. And the pork shank is the best.
Natasha Konczynski
This is my third time here, because I tried to give it a second chance (the food saved it that time). Don’t waste your time or money. Small place, very loud. Service is beyond slow, although staff is friendly. The pasta is okay, however I was shocked to see a microwave in the kitchen used with every dish out of the kitchen. Got a pork chop with caramelized vegetables but they were mushy and bland, seemed steamed (microwave). The pork looked fake and tasted like hot deli meat. Sorry to say I will not be coming back here.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 2
Kenneth Younghans
I am not sure how it took me so long to find this place but if you are looking for authentic Italian this is the place to go. Every dish came out piping hot so you know it's super fresh. Everything from start to finish was good. HIGHLY recommend if you want to feel like you're eating at a trattoria in Italy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lauren Guglielmo
One of the best Italian restaurants in the area. Frank puts his heart into each dish, the pasta is homemade, the meatballs are to die for. And his mother cooks the lasagna from scratch. This is a cozy atmosphere and the food is incredible. If you haven’t been here yet make sure to book a reservation and try it out, you won’t regret it.
brian sugrue
While the service was pretty good the venue is too small for as many seats as they have resulting in cramped uncomfortable placing, and the food is so so at best, although the swordfish was outstanding according to a fellow diner, my porkchop was okay nothing special
One of my favorite Italian places because it just lives very happily as a wonderful neighborhood bistro. Everything is perfectly cooked and presented without pretension. The staff are friendly and, moreover, real. You get the sense that that owner cares very much for people, which is reflected in the enthusiasm of the young waiters, even as they learn on the job.
Scott Griffith (Real Estate Agent)
Outstanding dinner with great friends.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bill C3
Most of the reviews of this restaurant have been accurate that this is a good place during the week, but avoid on the weekend. I experienced the exact same thing when we went here during the week in November and it was wonderful with good service and amazing food. For some reason I forgot about the reviews and foolishly booked this place for New Years Eve for a party of 8. When I called to make the 8pm reservation they never told me on the phone it would be a price fixed menu which included dessert. I called back again 3 weeks prior to reduce our party to 6 people and again they never mentioned their NYE price fixed menu. We always have everyone back to our house for champagne, dessert and coffee to watch the ball drop at midnight so that menu would never work for us.When we arrived at 8pm we were informed our table was not ready but should just be a few minutes because the party was finishing dessert. We were crammed standing in their non existent lobby with many other diners waiting for their table and weren’t seated until 8:45pm. When we finally sat down, the waiter informed us about the price fixed menu so I looked around for a manager amongst these high school kids and finally saw a woman off to the side folding napkins. I asked her if she was the manager and she told me she was the owner. When I complained that the employees answering the phone should inform diners of the menu change she told me that was too bad and I should have asked them. She then said they do this EVERY year. I asked her how I would know they do this every year and she gave me a dirty look and bellowed out the most insincere “sorry” I ever heard. This woman who I assume was Giorgia had a terrible attitude and couldn’t care less as people kept leaving the restaurant because they weren’t sure when or if they would ever get seated.These high school kids were very nice and were working very hard. She was doing very little to help them in any way mange the chaos she caused. If you want to do a price fixed menu and include dessert and coffee, you have to tell people when they book that you have two seatings at 5:30 or 6pm and 8pm. Otherwise they will linger and be reluctant to give up their table. These high school kids were never going to tell the earlier diners they needed the table and if they looked up and saw all of us crammed into the restaurant entrance they might have vacated their table sooner.As I mentioned, many people called other restaurants and left and we foolishly stayed and because the food coming out of the kitchen was so slow it took 3 and a half hours before we were able to leave the restaurant after arriving at 8pm. We barely got home in time to watch the ball drop. However the food was excellent, the price fixed menu was a value but the restaurant is so badly mismanaged by the owner it doesn’t meet expectations. Our waiter was a young kid who did a great job under the circumstances so we didn’t take it out on him and tipped generously. But the owner after folding a few napkins sat and had dinner with friends as her restaurant around her was in constant chaos with the few tables they have. She very obviously didn’t care and I feel sorry for these kids who have to work hard for such a narcissist. We won’t be back but if you dare to try this place, don’t go on a weekend.
Courtney Racioppi
Small, intimate and delicious. All homemade. Most days grandma Girogia is in the kitchen! Truly the best of the best we’ve been coming here for 6 years!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bogachan Ozdemir
Amazing Italian food. The service was i. trouble during covid but it’s all good now. A real Italian place. Share a pasta for mid course. Calamari on skewers was fantastic.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu, Bruschetta Contadina, Calamaretti Alla Sorrentina or Calamaretti Al Peperoncino Calabrese, Veal Saltimbocca
This is a small restaurant with the most incredibly fresh, homemade Italian food in Monmouth County and it’s BYOB! I have been several times and never disappointed everything has always been so delicious but it is hard to get a reservation sometimes!
Outstanding. Excellent food. Super-nice staff. Thank you!
Parking: Easy parking.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Place was very nice, food was very good and our waiter was wonderful. Definitely recommend. Will be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Went there this past weekend and had a fantastic dinner! The service and the food were fantastic and would highly recommend any of the homemade pasta dishes! Can't wait to return!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food and service
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing food! Pasta is always perfection. And the pork shank is the best.
This is my third time here, because I tried to give it a second chance (the food saved it that time). Don’t waste your time or money. Small place, very loud. Service is beyond slow, although staff is friendly. The pasta is okay, however I was shocked to see a microwave in the kitchen used with every dish out of the kitchen. Got a pork chop with caramelized vegetables but they were mushy and bland, seemed steamed (microwave). The pork looked fake and tasted like hot deli meat. Sorry to say I will not be coming back here.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 2
I am not sure how it took me so long to find this place but if you are looking for authentic Italian this is the place to go. Every dish came out piping hot so you know it's super fresh. Everything from start to finish was good. HIGHLY recommend if you want to feel like you're eating at a trattoria in Italy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
One of the best Italian restaurants in the area. Frank puts his heart into each dish, the pasta is homemade, the meatballs are to die for. And his mother cooks the lasagna from scratch. This is a cozy atmosphere and the food is incredible. If you haven’t been here yet make sure to book a reservation and try it out, you won’t regret it.
While the service was pretty good the venue is too small for as many seats as they have resulting in cramped uncomfortable placing, and the food is so so at best, although the swordfish was outstanding according to a fellow diner, my porkchop was okay nothing special
Restaurantji Recommends
One of my favorite Italian places because it just lives very happily as a wonderful neighborhood bistro. Everything is perfectly cooked and presented without pretension. The staff are friendly and, moreover, real. You get the sense that that owner cares very much for people, which is reflected in the enthusiasm of the young waiters, even as they learn on the job.
Outstanding dinner with great friends.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Most of the reviews of this restaurant have been accurate that this is a good place during the week, but avoid on the weekend. I experienced the exact same thing when we went here during the week in November and it was wonderful with good service and amazing food. For some reason I forgot about the reviews and foolishly booked this place for New Years Eve for a party of 8. When I called to make the 8pm reservation they never told me on the phone it would be a price fixed menu which included dessert. I called back again 3 weeks prior to reduce our party to 6 people and again they never mentioned their NYE price fixed menu. We always have everyone back to our house for champagne, dessert and coffee to watch the ball drop at midnight so that menu would never work for us.When we arrived at 8pm we were informed our table was not ready but should just be a few minutes because the party was finishing dessert. We were crammed standing in their non existent lobby with many other diners waiting for their table and weren’t seated until 8:45pm. When we finally sat down, the waiter informed us about the price fixed menu so I looked around for a manager amongst these high school kids and finally saw a woman off to the side folding napkins. I asked her if she was the manager and she told me she was the owner. When I complained that the employees answering the phone should inform diners of the menu change she told me that was too bad and I should have asked them. She then said they do this EVERY year. I asked her how I would know they do this every year and she gave me a dirty look and bellowed out the most insincere “sorry” I ever heard. This woman who I assume was Giorgia had a terrible attitude and couldn’t care less as people kept leaving the restaurant because they weren’t sure when or if they would ever get seated.These high school kids were very nice and were working very hard. She was doing very little to help them in any way mange the chaos she caused. If you want to do a price fixed menu and include dessert and coffee, you have to tell people when they book that you have two seatings at 5:30 or 6pm and 8pm. Otherwise they will linger and be reluctant to give up their table. These high school kids were never going to tell the earlier diners they needed the table and if they looked up and saw all of us crammed into the restaurant entrance they might have vacated their table sooner.As I mentioned, many people called other restaurants and left and we foolishly stayed and because the food coming out of the kitchen was so slow it took 3 and a half hours before we were able to leave the restaurant after arriving at 8pm. We barely got home in time to watch the ball drop. However the food was excellent, the price fixed menu was a value but the restaurant is so badly mismanaged by the owner it doesn’t meet expectations. Our waiter was a young kid who did a great job under the circumstances so we didn’t take it out on him and tipped generously. But the owner after folding a few napkins sat and had dinner with friends as her restaurant around her was in constant chaos with the few tables they have. She very obviously didn’t care and I feel sorry for these kids who have to work hard for such a narcissist. We won’t be back but if you dare to try this place, don’t go on a weekend.
Small, intimate and delicious. All homemade. Most days grandma Girogia is in the kitchen! Truly the best of the best we’ve been coming here for 6 years!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing Italian food. The service was i. trouble during covid but it’s all good now. A real Italian place. Share a pasta for mid course. Calamari on skewers was fantastic.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu, Bruschetta Contadina, Calamaretti Alla Sorrentina or Calamaretti Al Peperoncino Calabrese, Veal Saltimbocca
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