The hostess & waitress were very friendly & welcoming. The singer was fantastic but way too loud to enjoy a leisurely dinner with family. The bread basket was ok, but rather bland. We got the burrata caprese appetizer & it was good. One in our party got the chicken Saltimbocca, he said the vegetables were very good but the chicken was not, it had a funny seasoning that he's never had in Saltimbocca & the one piece was very rubbery. Another family member had the chicken parm & while the sauce was on the sweet side, they were happy with it & it was a huge portion. I had the penne vodka with chicken. The vodka sauce was not good & was a weird orange color. The chicken was crisp & tender. This will be a one & done for us. read more

Brooklyn Bistro - Penne a la Vodka Pasta - Italian Near Me - Toms River, New Jersey

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Food is top notch!! Best vodka sauce around!! This time waitress wasn't pleasant but food was delicious thats all I cared about! read more

Brooklyn Bistro - Mussels Marinara w white sauce instead - Italian Near Me - Toms River, New Jersey

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The food and service were great! The stuffed pepper appetizer was delicious. Our meals were amazing as well. Pictures attached. The decor is lovely too. read more

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Well for starters we watched a server empty a glass of water from a table that had departed BACK into a pitcher of water and then serve it to ANOTHER TABLE!! In the ladies room was a visible MOUSE TRAP! Never again. The water incident was told to another server. Ugh. read more

High expectations and lowly experience. We're very disappointed, dissatisfied. The dining room was simple, nothing remarkable. Dinner hour diners were few, far fewer than expected. Now we know why. The menu was manageable but inviting. That was the highlight of the dinner. For appetizers we ordered the mussels that I unfortunately thought to be larger. The sauce however was spicy and delectable. Yet, their size didn't trump the expectation. Moving to the entrees, my gnocchi served in a delicious bolognese sauce was disappointing on two levels: size of the dish and the gnocchis. For the price it was startlingly skimpy. Other dishes that included pasta and meat were unremarkable. Pastas were lukewarm and sauces peculiarly pasty. The one ice cream desert ordered seemed to be satisfactory. However, the cappuccino we all ordered were watery, no body or flavor offered in oversized cups. Mine was the most tepid cappuccino I've ever had. Exchanged for a hotter but again a forgettable taste and listless body. Overall, I can't foresee how this restaurant will survive for long. With prices averaging at the high end yet delivered at the low end this is a formula for failure. I can't imagine that coupons and discounts will make the total experience any better. read more

Horrible! I ordered chicken cacciatore hunter style which means on the Bone. It was awful! It was shredded chicken over a few rigatoni! I never heard of chicken cacciatore shredded! In addition the service was awful! This is a one and done restaurant! We also ordered a charrcuterie board, was definitely not worth $37. For Dessert on the menu was pistachio torturfo which I ordered. It came out vanilla chocolate! When I said something the waitress sId oh you wanted pistachio, I replied that is what the menu says! She did nothing about it. We were 7 people, 2 got a separate check and the tip was automatic added on. It was awful! Save your money don't go there! Horrible food, horrible service! read more

The food was excellent but the people working there were even better. Prices are not overly expensive either

BYOB Italian strip mall atmosphere. Service and food is amazing. The staff ensures your dining experience is superior. read more

Brooklyn Bistro - Asiago & arugula risotto with shrimp - Italian Near Me - Toms River, New Jersey

Contrary to many of the reviews here, the portions were huge, the food was outstanding and the service was excellent. A bit pricey but will definitely return. Probably the best Caesar salad I've had in a long time and Chicken Saltimboca which was a special, was so delicious and portion was huge. Hubby had the Sunday Gravy and said the same thing- huge portion and quite tasty. read more

They really couldn't keep us away if they wanted to. We are back again with a 10 outta 10 meal. Maybe my favorite dish so far ,pasta Arrabiata, I did get with without the sausage. So f%^€ing good and highly recommend if you like pasta with a little kick. BYOB ,vibes were great, service was great. If you still have not gone I really don't know what to tell you, best food around honestly... read more

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I had the Italian Empanadas and potato croquettes. Absolutely Phenomenal. The presentation alone is enough to make you gush. And they brought out a bread basket with four different types of breads. You can tell they put passion into every ounce of food they craft. The staff if super friendly and make you feel welcome. Theres a very old world Italian atmosphere to the establishment. They're funny too. The crew easily brings a smile to my face. This is a fantastic date spot and/or place to bring your family. I will be returning another time. The Bistro Homemade Tiramisu is so perfectly fluffy and not too sweet. read more

Food; The food was excellent. Starting with appetizers The rice balls and egg rolls were fantastic. Calamari the perfect crunch. Gumbo was so tasty with the perfect bite for New Jersey. The main course I had was Nonna's Lasagna, amazing. Paired with a meatball on the side. Oh my! Others had the chicken parmigiana sandwich's and chicken francese and raved about how good they were. We finished off the outstanding meal with cheesecake, carrot cake and a chocolate mousse and coffee. Each dessert was delicious and only out done by the homemade Cannoli. The staff and service were very friendly. I'm looking forward to my next visit. Tinking about the Crème Brûlée! read more

Food was delicious and reasonably priced. The dining room was spacious and the tables had plenty of room around them. read more

Food was extremely flavorful and very authentic italian.. Tastes like my mother used to make. Only complain I had was.The portions were very small. We watched other plates come out very full.But when we got ours , they were very , very small.. I guess because they thought we were 3 women that we couldn't eat that much.. read more

Excellent Italian cuisine with All Homemade pasta! Spacious restaurant nicely decorated with plenty of room between tables. Calamari appetizer, Fettuccine Pescatore & Fettuccine Salmone both were terrific even the next day. Friday night dinner, not all help showed up. Dave, our maitre'D, the head cook, cashier and the owner ran the night smoothly and efficiently, congrats. Wine from a NJ vineyard is offered and can be converted by Dave into a delicious Sangria or BYOB. Perfect for a quite date night! read more

The food here at Brooklyn Bistro is excellent. They sell wine but it's also BYOB. They were short staffed the night we were there, it took a while to serve us. The pasta is hand made daily. The selection of entrees and specialties is very good. We will be back. read more

It's no wonder the tables were full on a Thursday night! The food is absolutely amazing as well as the service. Will surely be back and include the irresistible NY cheesecake again! read more

ordered penne with vodka sauce to go. alum pan it came in was 1 inch deep (never saw that before) 6 inches round. Came with peas . The dish was 30.00!!! No meat or anything. two little pieces of bread. I thought it had to be a mistake. I contacted restaurant. It was not a happy ending. Off our list for sure. read more

Brooklyn Bistro - Penne vodka. 6 inches across. One inch deep. - Italian Near Me - Toms River, New Jersey

Food excellent the staff friendly and helpful . I had the Sunday gravy with meatball, sausage and Brossiole which was tasty

Had our wedding there on Saturday June 14 and the food was delicious. The service was great and everything was perfect. Thank you to the owner Maria and staff for making my day special. read more

Great hidden spot food and service on the money great deserts try the tia masu, cheese cakes

Our favorite place to go and feel special. Food is very good, love the staff. A definite place to visit.

Went there on a weekday at 3:30. We had a group of 10 and our waiter served us well. They have a large open room to accommodate larger groups and we were offered the early bird special. I had the chicken Parm which was good the pasta was a little over cooked we ordered the cheesecake for dessert which was a little pricey and was not included in the special but it was very good. Plenty of parking available, clean bathroom, friendly staff but sorry no photos read more

Garlic shrimp appy was excellent. Ambiance was pleasant. Server could have been a little more attentive. read more

Taken by friends this Labor Day weekend to this neighborhood Italian restaurant. Found the food good, especially liking their calamari appetizer but disappointed by the fact that they have removed their veal dishes which are featured on their online menu. The restaurant was filled this Sunday evening which bodes well for it. read more

Looking for a new place to go and found this restaurant nearby to our house in Seaside Park. Was not expecting anything spectacular and boy was I surprised! Every dish we had was on point. Started out with the fried calamari w hot peppers....nice and light, crispy..delish! Onto our dinner.. I had the seafood pasta which was delicious over fresh pasta my son had the kids portion of chicken parmesan again with homemade pasta the sauce was delicious and the pasta was amazing. My husband had the chicken parmesan with vodka sauce over pasta which he also raved about. For dessert we had a cappuccino and espresso and an Oreo cheesecake that my husband wanted to order another one it was that good! Definitely a Hidden Gem and we will be back read more

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I bought a Groupon but cashed it in because there would never be a time I could use it. Cannot used in Weekends or holidays or early bird. This place is NOT inexpensive. We thought the food was mediocre. I got the lasagna and wasn't impressed. I would have loved to order garlic bread, but they do not have it. The one thing I did like was the service. Lots of people working. I cannot recommend this place because of price and taste. read more

Best restaurant in Ocean County! We've been going here for years and tonight when there was tension at our table they went above and beyond to make things exceptional! The food and service is more than AMAZING!!! We will forever be thankful! read more

My girlfriend and I went here for the first time Saturday night after a friend had suggested this restaurant. First we were warmly greeted by the hostess and brought to a table in one of their two large dining rooms, which are very spread out so you don't feel like you're on top of everyone. The service the mother and daughter waitresses we had was amazing, they were so attentive and friendly and accommodating to a vegetarian. Everything from the bread, (focaccia and one of the bread had broccoli baked into it), the pasta, the desserts, Just about everything in this amazing restaurant is house made, this is true Southern Italian food. I had the homemade burrata which was incredible as well as the homemade pasta with the penne vodka, my girlfriend had this amazing pear and goat cheese salad which was so fresh and delicious and she also had the pork Milanese when she said it was the best she's ever had. Thank God we saved room for dessert, we had the Oreo cheesecake which yes guess again is homemade, and it was absolutely incredible. I can't wait to go back to this restaurant. read more

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Delicious Italian food & great atmosphere. Our waiter Dave was a great guy. Highly recommended! read more

Brooklyn Bistro - Sunday sauce - Italian Near Me - Toms River, New Jersey

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This establishment was not impressive. It was expensive and the food was not worth the price.

The place is a little dark and could definitely use a make over. For a Saturday night, they could have used additional help as it was a bit slow. When we asked for bread, the waitress snipped back "it's coming", even though we had been sitting for over 30 minutes. The meatball appetizer was not very good. They needed to be cut with a knife as they were a bit "tough". My entreè, the Chicken Bistro was very good and filing. Likely will not be back. read more

Three out of 5 were not thrilled with the food. 2 were specials, 1 was a menu item. The appetizers were good! The homemade pasta was delicious so we may try again and stick to pasta dishes. The service was fabulous and the atmosphere was warm and welcoming. Will try again. read more

Came for dinner with a large party. We made reservations but didn't need them, the place was pretty empty on a Monday evening at 5:30. That's probably the best time to go! We ordered a lot and I didn't take any pictures (I completely forgot). I had the penne vodka with a chicken cutlet on top which was really good! Everyone seemed to really enjoy their food. read more

Excellent food and. Service and ambiance. I enjoyed the mussels they were the.best I ever had

Everything we ate was very good and so was the service. I didn't know what to expect with the calamari over salad but it was delicious! The chicken parm was very good and the portion was really large. But the cheese... OMG! We plan to go one night just for dessert. Highly recommend! read more

Another restaurant week meal last night turned out to be disappointing to say the least. For starters we were seated at a table with a top that was so sticky we asked to be reseated at another table. Their small wine glasses do a real disservice if you are drinking a decent red wine so we asked for another glass, which was provided. Then we had to ask for our bread which turned out to be wonder bread in disguise served with some mediocre light weight olive oil. Yeesh - now onto the food. Apps: Nona's meatball, decent taste but served tepid and a okay caesar salad but way way too small. Mains: Pork Milanese okay and a fair portion and seafood with pasta which was way to small with tiny mussels and two skimpy shrimp in a very average tomato broth with overcooked pasta. Dessert: Slice of okay NY cheesecake and the warm bread pudding which was excellent and the hit of the meal, but unfortunately can not redeem this dining experience. Bottom line: You would think for a meal costing over $80 with tax and tip you would get a decent value but not here during restaurant week. With so many negatives it would be hard to recommend them or to go back again anytime soon. read more

Brooklyn Bistro - Bread pudding - excellent - Italian Near Me - Toms River, New Jersey

This is a BYOB. The waiter was a hard worker, very accomodating, there were also busboys coming around to refill water, clear dishes quickly after each course. I had arancini as an appetizer. They were delicious! For dinner I had gnocchi bolognese. Very good! Filling, comfort food! My husband had zuppa de pesce which they made special for him, since it wasn't on the menu. He loved it! Our friend lives the tripe appetizer since it reminds her of her childhood and Italian mother making it. You can't find that everywhere! Nice atmosphere , like being in a home eating home made meals. I just had wished there was more to choose from on the menu. They had specials also. Dessert was a great ending. I had canoli, 2 others had tartufo. It was enough to split w someone. Nice place and I am sure we will be back. read more

Food was just ok. Server not friendly at all. Restaurant was empty at 2:00 today. One other couple arrived when we were leaving. Not a welcoming experience at all. read more

Me and my husband went last week, and the service was fantastic. The food was delicious! Thank you. The cheesecake to die for! Was so great I took my mom and sister this week! Rice balls were delish, calamari so tender and the fish was fantastic. We will certainly be back. We are originally from Brooklyn so it is nice to get a meal from our roots! read more