This place is delectable. Addictive garlic knots, Grandma's pizza, thick crust that melts in your…read moremouth. Not doughy at all, amazing. Their olive oil is is remarkable. Tonight we had veal marsala that melted in my mouth. Our go to place.

We order from here quite regularly. Today I ordered 3 small subs and a large salad. When serving…read morethe subs to my visitors, we found that at most there was one thin slice of meat and cheese on each sub. In fact, on one end of a sub there was only lettuce. We also ordered a white tuna sub and it certainly did not taste or look like white tuna more like chunk light. We ended up embarrassed to feed this to our guest and tossing most of the order. Definitely very disappointment to pay for food we had to throw away. Will rethink ordering from here again.

I've been coming to Vic's Italian Restaurant for over 50 years, ever since I was a child and my…read moreparents owned a summer home in Bradley Beach. This fourth-generation, family-run gem has been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember! If you're looking for a casual, no-frills, family-friendly Italian restaurant with delicious food, generous portions, and reasonable prices, Vic's is the place! They're famous for their award-winning, thin-crust tomato pies, consistently ranked among the best in New Jersey. My personal favorite is the sausage, green pepper, and mushroom tomato pie! The menu has something for everyone, including fried calamari, calamari scampi sautéed in white wine and garlic, stuffed clams oreganata, chicken parmigiana, stromboli, calzones, sandwiches, burgers, and eight varieties of salads. I especially recommend the chopped antipasto salad, stuffed clams oreganata, chicken parmigiana, and, of course, their famous tomato pies! They also have an extensive children's menu, plenty of sides, and homemade soups and sauces available to take home, including pasta fagioli, escarole and bean, minestrone, clam chowder, marinara, and meat sauce. The staff is always friendly, and the atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming. There's indoor dining, an outdoor patio, wheelchair accessibility, and both alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. They also have a FREE parking lot conveniently located behind the restaurant! A few things to know: Vic's is open Tuesday through Sunday and DOES NOT TAKE RESERVATIONS! During the busy summer season, be prepared to wait, but it's absolutely worth it! What makes Vic's so special isn't just the food. It's the tradition, the generations of families returning year after year, and that wonderful old-school Jersey Shore atmosphere. For me, it's all of that, plus over 50 years of wonderful memories and nostalgia. Some places never lose their charm, and Vic's is one of them!

As always our meal started with their world class Chopped Antipasto. This is a layer of chopped…read morelettuce w slabs of olives, cheese, peppers and meat. It's well lubricated with plenty of Italian dressing and is always the started for our meal at Vic's. For an entry my wife had Baked cheese ravioli and a side of meatballs. The meal came with plenty of sauce with cheese on top. The side of meatballs came wit two meatballs of a generous size. What was more surprising was the cost of 2 meatballs was only $2.75. A real side bargain if you ask me. For my dinner I had the Seafood linguini. This was a plate of linguini with a pile of seafood on top. Fish, clams, mussels, shrimp and calamari in a spicy marinara sauce. The sauce was a bit thinner and saltier then typical but that's from what came out of all the sea food. And while they said it was spicy this was nothing to worry about as I didn't find it to the point where my wife wouldn't eat it. Service from Barbara was right on point as she had all the answers on menu questions and drinks were refilled in a timely manner. It was also wonderful that we got there before 5:00 pm and had a table in minutes unlike showing up at the same time in the summer. This is a very laid back restaurant with seating for couples, families and mega-families. Tonight we had a seat across from the bar and was forced to watch some football. Love this for a great Italian meal and you will never be disappointed once you suffer from a wait that might be longer then you had hoped!

Back again - this time with 4 additional Yelpers (we get together every month or so for dinner)…read more We started the meal, after opening our wines, with two orders of Polpetine di Pollo (chicken meatballs) and Fiori di Zuccca (Zucchini Flower). both were excellent ! Entrees consisted of Australian Striped Bass, Gnocchi Truffle, Pollo Impanato di Milanese, and 3 orders of the Chicken Cordon Bleu. we shared an order of Warmed Mascrapone Spinach. Everything was served in a timely fashion - piping hot. Desserts consisted of a delicious Fruit Tart, Pecan and Walnut Tart and their terrific Pistachio Creme Brulee. Espresso, Capuccino and Americano Coffees paired well with our choices. Our waiter, Cosmo, was terrific. He knows his menu and was able to guide us in making our choices. Remember, Dolce Fantasia is BYOB. The chef came to our table twice to gauge our reaction to our meals, always a nice touch. The space is decorated nicely and we will definitely return.

Asbury Park is one of my favorite food towns, and a huge reason is because it still has the ability…read moreto pleasantly surprise me. Case in point - this restaurant has apparently been in the downtown area for several years and I had no idea. I stopped by here for lunch on Memorial Day with the Millennial Chum, and in a totally risky move, didn't make a reservation anywhere and just decided to wing it. The Millennial Chum's only requirement was that it be a place neither one of us had been to before, so after a very quick search/walk, we noticed this place and also decided we had a hankering for Italian. Done. I don't know how to describe the interior, but "yellow" and "modern" comes to mind. This isn't a stodgy white tablecloth kind of place; it's vibrant and hip, I'm sure trying to capture that classic Asbury demo. Really unique. The weather was a little meh, which worked in our favor - although there was a decent amount of foot traffic in the downtown area 70% of which were pooches, only one other table was occupied in here. We were able to sit down and were served very promptly. We were both very intrigued by one of the apps on the verbal specials menu - mango burrata, which sounded like sort of a mess, but also worth a try. Definitely more of the latter. Never would have thought to combine these two ingredients together, but it was really excellent and an interesting palate pairing. The presentation was solid as well, and this...didn't last long, although given that we both ordered entrees perhaps we should have been more responsible in that regard. Something I'd recommend for the regular menu in the future for sure. A lot of the entrees looked interesting and pretty authentic; this isn't just spaghetti and chicken parm (I'm not actually sure either was even on the menu). The one that emotionally spoke to me the most was the Pappardelle (one of my fave pastas and always pleased to see it) Al Telefono Nostro. Really hit the spot, and as you can see a really hardcore portion. The tomato cream sauce was light and flavorful, and the only nitpick I had (just a personal palate preference) was the inclusion of the sliced tomatoes. I'm sure a ton of people love those, and it basically adds a level of authenticity to the dish that a barbarian like me just can't quite appreciate. I made sure the Millennial Chum had a few tomato pieces though. Really good dish and would order it again. Honestly not sure what possessed us to even look at the dessert menu much less actually order from it, but I thought Oreo Tiramisu sounded interesting, despite the Millennial Chum's yowling that she despised tiramisu. It turns out she doesn't, because once this dish arrived she happily helped herself and decided that her opinion on tiramisu was likely based on a traumatic/misleading childhood incident. Bare minimum, this place gets solid marks for rewriting history for her in the Italian dessert department. But it WAS delicious, which was a theme of our meal. The service was top-notch; our waitress was over regularly and had a strong command of the menu (which I think deserves bonus points, given that this was not Americanized and it helped to have a metaphorical lifeguard helping us navigate some of the trickier stuff; I studied abroad in Florence over 20 years ago, but you'd never know it). Very pleasant. BIg recommend; not a ton of establishments under the radar in Asbury, but this might be one of them.

I hesitate to tell everybody about this place because I really wanna keep it to myself, but I fear…read morethat most of the locals know about it already because it is packed all of the time. I mean, we walked in three minutes after they opened on a Monday in the bar was full already. On a Monday! The service is always very good. Everyone who works there has so much personality and I just love that for a jersey Italian spot. The ambience is perfect for what it's supposed to be. It's kind of like a VFW crossed with an Italian restaurant in Jersey. Nothing is too fancy, but honestly, they don't promise or pretend to be anything other than what they are. They have live music almost every Friday and Saturday and honestly everyone that I've ever heard there is quite good, so good in fact, I would almost go there just for the band. The pricing is some of the best around, in face here is an example. I went with my boyfriend and he and I shared an appetizer, each had a main meal, and three beers between us and the bill was $66. Come on where are you gonna get a price like that down the shore? So not only is the food very affordable, it is so good. Honestly, it's one of the best chicken parm in the area, sometimes, yes I'm admitting this, I crave it. I've eaten there now probably eight or 10 times and I've only not enjoyed my meal once. Their pizza is also pretty darn good and on Mondays they've got a special. During the nicer weather months, you can even sit outside on the patio and dine outside. Parking is limited in there a lot, but don't worry there's plenty of street parking around for now. If you can't tell by now, I really love this place!

I've been meaning to leave a review for this place for a long time. My wife and I eat here two or…read morethree times a month--sometimes more--and always love it. It's truly one of the "last of the Mohicans"--a classic, old-school Italian joint that you just don't see much anymore. I'm not knocking the new, modern restaurants and their creative concepts, but if you're looking for a really good, affordable Italian dinner in a great atmosphere, this is your spot. The moment you walk in, it feels timeless, which only adds to the charm. They have great live music most nights, the owners and staff are incredibly friendly, and the wine bottles are very reasonably priced. It's tucked into a unique, up-and-coming neighborhood that's a mix of industrial and residential (with some really nice new condos being built). If you want a great night out with good music, good people, and delicious food without breaking the bank, you need to check this place out.

Fabulous Food Service…read moreAmbiance ! Joe our bartender is a PRO! The best of Belmar! Two customers!!

Pretty nice place, nice beach front views, very nice ambiance, great options in wine and cocktails…read more Service was quick and friendly and prices were as expected to the area. Definitely a place to come back

Nice place Good service…read moreGood food Loved the apps: meatballs and specials apps for the night of 1/eggplant and 2/ watermelon salad Entree Dishes were enjoyable. Street parking We would come again.

Honestly, I was blown away by this humble little restaurant. It truly is a warm and inviting…read moreatmosphere with standout dishes and excellent service. It was so good that I would have returned back the very next day. We walked in and we're seated immediately with our reservation, and the experience only went up from there. There are plenty of staff around to make sure that you have everything you need without seeming to be too much. It's a cozy space, nothing super fancy, but really that's all you need sometimes in a neighborhood Italian joint. Everyone at my table raved about their food from the pasta Arrabiata, to the veal special to what I had which was the crab pasta. There was so much crab and the sauce was so light. I can't get over it. I ate my leftovers that same night. Looking forward to visiting soon again

Ambiance - perfect and Quaint Noise level - perfect! I…read morecould hear my conversation with my partner Food - Fabulous! From apps to mains and sides and dessert wonderfully delicious! We will be back

Great experience overall. Menu was the best I've seen in a long long time. From specials to apps…read moreto pasta to entrees I'd go down the line and order every last one em but you gotta focus up !! Oysters dressed like it's a black tie event with caviar and pomegranate. Chicken Savoy is the greatest chicken dish and should enter competitions. BYOB I'm with a liquor store next to the restaurant makes it easy. Check this place out. Looking forward to coming back.

What a legendary spot! After researching this place and while in the area, we knew someone in our…read moreparty had to take on the whole pie/pizza eating challenge. We came, we saw, and my husband conquered :) A few things to note about Pete & Elda's..they don't take reservations. This is an incredibly popular spot, especially in the summer months, so if this is on your Jersey summer list..block out some time for this experience. They do offer to-go if time isn't of the essence, but I do feel like if you have the opportunity to have the full experience, take it. We've never done a food challenge before, but essentially the challenge is for (1) person, 30minute time frame, conquer a full pie, receive a t-shirt and of course, bragging rights. As we were seated, we noticed several other tables had at least one or more people taking the challenge, which was super fun to see and root on. Also in the parking lot there were people taking pictures with the iconic Pete & Elda's sign with their t-shirt and friends. The pizza is like a cracker-thin crust, super yummy and shareable for large groups. We had the cheese, and others at the table ordered sausage/onions, and pepperoni. We also ordered breaded mushrooms (an NJ shore classic) and zucchini sticks for the table, a Caesar salad, and macaroni and cheese for the kiddo. FYI, the macaroni and cheese was pretty fire! I've been eating a lot of kiddo meal leftovers on this trip, and this was a standout. I love the bar atmosphere of this place too, and learned you can actually also order "bar pies" at the (bar only). Great beer selection! There are other food classics on the menu as well if pizza isn't your thing like chicken parm, stuffed shells, veal, seafood, chowder soup(s), burgers, cheesesteaks, and more. All in all, my husband got the t-shirt, finished the challenge in 19 minutes, took the picture, and we all have fun memories of this day. This seems like a spot that holds a lot of memories for families coming to the Shore, and spending summers eating pie and enjoying tradition and celebration. Can't wait to do the same next summer :)

A shore legend when it comes to pizza spots. Old school charm and decore with paper thin pizza…read morecooked to the perfect level of crispy crust. We came in a busy Saturday night this time so did have to wait, but the hostess was spot on with the quoted wait time. This time my husband tackled (and suceeded) the pie challenge by eating a full XXL pizza himself on just 30-minutes! Wow! Meanwhile my dad and I split and XL Special Pie with peppers and mushrooms.

For those of you who may not have tried Flavia's, do yourself a favor and make a reservation…read more Under the deft leadership of Chef Nicole, a Culinary Institute of America grad, the kitchen turns out authentic Roman classics and specials that titillate the senses. Restaurant is beautifully appointed and includes a service bar with a great view into the open kitchen. If you're lucky enough to have Chef Nicole prepare your dish personally, you're in for a real treat. Added bonus, BYO friendly and no corkage fee!

Face it, we all love Ocean Grove for its quaint streets, Christian roots and those tents...however…read morethe food scene is non-existent. So thank the heavens for the short walk into Asbury Park! Flavia's on Cookman Ave is beautiful for the beautiful with beautiful servers serving only beautiful Roman inspired fare. For the perfect light summer appetizer, the burrata, prosciutto and peaches fit perfectly. Light, simple and delicious. For a more hearty take, polpette con polenta, translation: amazing beef & pork meatballs on a light serving of polenta with the most amazing garlic bread. This could be your entire meal. Alla carbonara is true Roman, no heavy cream and totally delicious, at least that's what my Italian foodie friend Chris raved. All the entries surely lived up to their namesake. Ammazza com 'e bbono!

Went with a group of people to eat dinner and see Sonny Kenn play. Sonny's music never disappoints…read moreand he is always professional and respectful with his fans. The dinner was great. I ordered Veal Saltimbocca. The dinner was very good but it came with eggs on top. I had that before there and it didn't have the eggs, and I didn't read the menu this time. I have to be careful with eggs. I would recommend the servers remind the customers about the eggs in case of a food allergy.

Service from Toni was 5 star (and Nonna warmly greeted and sat us). Lovely restaurant but a few of…read morethe dishes were not great. The salad and Pasta alla Norma were the best of what we tried. Creme brulee was good also - desserts are all $10. Wish the lasagna were better - too acidic. Tasted sour. Could not eat it.