Planned to go to Judy's for a date night with wifey. Made a reservation over two weeks in advance for an early Saturday night dinner. Arranged the babysitter to watch the monster. Etc, etc. A little over a week before, received a call saying they couldn't honor the reservation due to a "booking system oversight" with Resy. They first offered to move my reservation to Friday or Sunday, which didn't fit our schedule. I requested a different time on Saturday night, and was told they were not accepting guests at all that night. Then they offered to move us to a completely different restaurant a few towns away, as in not the beach town we were hoping for. The whole experience was shady, and I don't buy the "booking oversight". It just seems like my reservation was bumped for another party or event. It would've been better to simply be honest. I understand the efforts to still get my money, but if you won't honor the original reservation to begin with, why would I trust you enough to make another one? At the very least, compensation for the disappointing experience would have been nice - drinks on the house, free dessert, anything really. I wanted to go here to try food by the up and coming Chef Viana, but it seems he cares more about being on the Food Network than his actual customers. read more

Judy's is everything you want and more for a perfect dining experience. I highly recommend arriving early to your reservation so you can also experience Harry's, the dark and sophisticated cocktail lounge directly attached to the restaurant. Here we were given a small welcome drink immediately upon arrival, which set the mood & expectations for the rest of the night. Our drinks were unique and absolutely fantastic. The manager let us know our table was ready, and carried our drinks over and took our coats. Judy's is bright and beautiful, and I loved the contrast between the two concepts. The menu is brilliant and each dish we ordered was incredible. An absolute MUST order is the latke. Another standout was the lumache seafood pasta, which had the most perfect, light yet creamy sauce. Throughout the night, service was nothing short of perfect. Special shout-out to Emily and Mike for making the night truly special. All of the staff is kind and funny and really make you feel like family. Judy and Harry's hits all the right notes and easily made a spot for itself amongst my highly recommended restaurants. read more

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My husband and I are visiting Asbury Park again and Judy's was one of the spots that we were determined to revisit. We decided to have my birthday dinner there, and it was just as exceptional as it was the first time we visited last April. We ordered the homemade focaccia, the grilled octopus, broccoli rabe, schmaltz potatoes, and steak florentine for two. They ended up bringing out some ribs in the house, which were easily the some of the best ribs I've ever tasted. Everything was delicious. The focaccia was the perfect texture and came with really lovely tapenade. The steak and octopus were perfectly cooked and seasoned. The schmaltz potatoes were ridiculous--so decadent and crispy. This place is really special and the staff members make it even better. They're so kind and welcoming. It's a truly great experience overall. Can't wait to return. read more

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Excellent restaurant with exceptional service and food! It is decorated beach chic but slightly elevated. Sat at the chef's counter. 10 out of 10 recommend booking that, but be aware it can get hot. Cannot wait to go back. read more

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This is an upscale place with awesome dishes that are seasonal and exceptionally crafted by the chef in an open kitchen. Service is friendly and attentive. Just make sure you make a reservation ahead of time bc they are always busy! read more

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We had an excellent meal at Judy's. Great service and dining-room very cozy. We started with the pork & mortadella meatballs, comes with housemade ricotta. These were so delicious! Also shared amazing fresh oysters. The Chicken Parmesan was 2 Chicken breasts and a bone-in wing. My photo doesn't do it justice but the portion is huge! Definitely enough to share. A very enjoyable meal, we will be back. read more

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We came by to Judy's again and sat at the chef's table this time. First, to mention the chef table was a cool place to sit and see the kitchen in motion. Second, it's a bit hotter sitting by the ovens, etc ( not terrible though- cool views of the outside) The chef table was more comfy than I/we expected- nice comfy chairs -not those high tops or chairs we have encountered in other places. ( where my short feet dangle) All the staff were very attentive and friendly. On a side note, My spouse noted the bolognese was a little salty- but was still enjoyable. ( I did notice after he mentioned but it was still good. ) We tried the eggplant parm this time ( for two) which we both enjoyed and like better than the Chicken Parmesan last time. We got the corn and butter pasta sides. The carrot cake was pretty good as I don't usually eat/ order that. It We were able to get street parking nearby again and enjoyed our night. Reservations can be a challenge to get- they have three areas: bar seating, chef table, and dining room. We will come back sometime soon when we can. It is a nice dining experience. read more

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Our first visit and probably the first of very many. This is the stuff Michelin stars are made of, the creativity in flavor and attention to detail in presentation that makes dining an experience. Your palate will feel something like that first time you saw Springsteen live and then "got it." Octopus and beets: octopus sliced and grilled to perfection. Crispy and pickled beets are nestled in a brown butter pepperoni sauce with bits of crispy pepperoni. This is creativity in action: that combination of crispiness, saltiness and cured meat will make me forget bacon for a few weeks. Mains: Philly Pork pasta and the Lumache pasta. Imagine a Dinic's pork sub deconstructed to its pork shoulder, broccoli rabe and provolone eigenvectors and then reassembled with perfectly cooked pasta in place of a South Philly sub roll. The provolone shows up as espuma -- foam that has all of the richness of the cheese without the heft -- and was a religious experience. It may have bent the space-time continuum. Lumache has Calabrian chili, garlic butter and shrimp that create a food symphony. Mahler would be jealous of its ability to impart emotion and perhaps make you see (or taste) a higher power. Very rarely do we find a place where we think "we have to come back until we have eaten everything on the menu." Judy's is now top of that list. read more

Judy's - Octopus and Beet salad. - Italian Near Me - Asbury Park, New Jersey

I have been a big fan of Chef David Viana since I had dined at Heirloom Kitchen and also seen him on Top Chef. So, when I saw that he had opened a new Jewish-Italian fusion spot in Asbury Park, I was naturally curious. I had plans to be in the neighborhood on a Monday evening and rushed to see if Judy's was open on that day. Sadly, it was not...at that time. About 1-2 weeks before my visit, I received an email from the restaurant's mailing list saying that they had decided to serve on Monday nights in the summer. I was thrilled and booked immediately! The restaurant was located around the back of a old home that had been turned into the cozy The St. Laurent hotel. Judy's was large, spacious, modern, and offered prime views of the swanky pool area, especially noticeable from our seats at the Chef's counter, which did not require a set menu but let us in on the action of the kitchen. Chef Viana happened to be there on the day we were visiting, which was a real treat! He was such a friendly and approachable person, and the rest of the staff was similarly gracious. In addition to the excellent service, the food and drinks were out of this world! My Bergamot Margarita was a citrusy, tangy, smokey blend of Lunazul Blanco Tequila, Montelobos Mezcal, bergamot, and lime. It was so enjoyable that I ordered a second one. My friend had also been thrilled to see that they were serving one of her favorite rose wines from the Basque region of Spain. We paired our beverages with a shared appetizer. The Latke was like no other potato "pancake" in that it was as thick as a hamburger or crabcake. It was crispy on the outside and so well-seasoned with onions on the inside. To satisfy the age-old argument of which was a better pair for a latke, sour cream or applesauce, they decided to plate it with forms of both! The patty was laid on top of a sour cream shmear and was topped with a pickled apple relish. There was also a light bagna cauda drizzled over the dish. It was probably one of, if not THE best, latke I had ever had! For my entree, I opted for the Branzino, which was almost a whole fish, but the head had been removed. It was then butterflied and grilled to the perfect char. The grill-marked fish was served over an herbaceous, salty olive tapenade. The tender, delicate branzino was another winning dish. My dining companion adored her Balsamic Skirt Steak as well. In addition to our main courses, we shared a side of Oyster Mushrooms cooked in a marsala wine sauce, which were earthy and aromatic. Lastly, we shared a slice of Judy's Carrot Cake for dessert. The tender, moist cake was layered with a light cream cheese mousse and topped with limoncello-poached raisins and a scoop of zesty carrot ginger sorbetto. The cake was fresh and delicate without being super sugary. Judy's served up one of the best meals that I had had in a long time! I cannot wait to return and also to try its speakeasy bar, Harry's, in the lobby of the hotel. read more

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I've been to Judy and Harry's several times already and for the most part the food has been OUTSTANDING especially the pasta dishes! My favorite dishes have been the chopped salad, the chicken & broccoli gnudi, butternut Squash ravioli, and ricotta ravioli. My husband and I each ordered the butternut squash ravioli tonight, and we both thought it was just AMAZING! We love starting with the chopped salad and it's large enough to share. My husband had the fluke on our last visit and thought it was very good. The one dish I was disappointed with was the halibut al cacciatore. Even though the flavor was good the halibut piece I received was far too small and thin to be enjoyed. I wish the ravioli dishes were a bit larger too, but they are just too delicious not to order. Desserts have all been amazing here, especially the cannoli semifreddo I had last month. The salted caramel gelato is also exceptional! The olive oil and pumpkin cheesecake we had tonight were excellent, but the pumpkin cheesecake was too small. I was jealous of the nice piece of olive cake my husband had. The service is exceptional, and the staff is extremely nice. I've added this restaurant to my rotation of restaurants I'll frequently visit because it's just that good! I highly recommend Judy and Harry's in Asbury Park! read more

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The moment I opened the menu at Judy's, I felt an unexpected wave of familiarity. The dishes read like something my Dad would've created himself--a beautiful blend of his Italian roots and the Jewish traditions he embraced when he married my mom and later converted. It felt like his whole story was reflected right there on the page: the food he grew up with, the food he grew into, and the love that tied it all together. The experience only deepened as we watched the chefs cooking right in front of us at the chef's counter. At times, I genuinely felt my Dad's presence--like he was guiding us toward the things he would've insisted we try. (Matzo ball soup, Latke, fluke piccata, lumache) A bonus moment? We ordered the pico sour cocktail in his honor, thinking we'd take a sip for him and leave it at that... but of course we finished it because it was that good. He would've laughed at that. Warm service, soulful atmosphere, and food that hits both the stomach and the heart--Judy's is more than a restaurant. It's an experience that stays with you. read more

I visited Heirloom 2 years ago and Judy's is the new establishment that took over! Loved Heirloom so I knew Judy's would be a must-try. We came on a Friday evening and had a reservation (a must when dining here!). We were welcomed into the waiting area and got a cocktail to start. Once we got to our table, the waitress explained the menu and mentioned we would have to put in our full order for the chef, but rest assured that all the courses came out one at a time so we didn't feel rushed. We started with the homemade bread, tuna reuben and latke, then got the Portguese vongole pasta dish and then got the eggplant parm and steak as the mains (which each came with 2 sides). Had to end with a sweet treat and got the cannoli and panna cotta which was excellent! I loved the decor and lively atmosphere--the meal truly was exceptional and would highly recommend. I've never seen such a unique menu, taking inspiration from Jewish and Italian cuisine. read more

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This was Harry's bar not the restaurant. Four of us ordered chicken parm and eggplant parm sandwiches and the Schmaltz potatoes. The sandwiches were all served on a soggy regular hamburger roll that just absorbed the sauce and fell apart. The sauce was tasteless and the cheese was almost not existent. Not worth the $18... Drinks were good but skimpy. I have been to the restaurant itself and found the food there delicious.. Disappointed by the bar food. Also automatically adding 20% tip for a party of 4 was not welcomed nor were we notified beforehand read more

Amazing dinner @ Judy's tonight. High quality, unique food with attention to detail. Amazing service by all, especially our waitress. This was our first date night in a LONG time- so glad it was worth the while! Looking forward to returning :) read more

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Nightmare. Reserved in person the day before, table for 2 for my partner's birthday. When we two seniors arrived, they pointed us toward 2 seats at the crowded bar. The staff member who took the reservation failed to, as they claimed, had written it up as a bar seating & when I angrily pointed out that was a lie or at least something they didn't telll me. Haughty demeanor, no accommodating attitude, Arrogant, perhaps based on their millionaire clientele. Happy to never go near there again -- having replaced our beloved neighborhood Tides hotel & restaurant. Don't bother; Asbury Park is full of lovely restaurants, without the snooty blame-someone-else attitudes. read more

Having dined at all of the Heirloom Kitchen restaurants, I can honestly say they never disappoint and Judy's was no exception. The staff is top-notch: professional, attentive, and incredibly knowledgeable about the menu. We started with the Fluke Crudo, fresh and flavorful and then shared three pasta dishes. The standout for me was the Spinach Mezzeluna, which was simply outstanding, though every dish we tried was excellent. Another amazing experience from the Heirloom team at Judy"s. read more

Judy's - 3 pastas to share. - Italian Near Me - Asbury Park, New Jersey

I hate to do this, but I have to be honest. The bar is absolutely beautiful, the restaurant is pretty but very noisy. The drinks were teeny and overpriced. My wine was about four sips. The food underwhelming. The caesar salad was good, the skirt steak chewy, the chicken parm dry and bland, the escerole and beans was a bowl of mushy beans with little shavings of escarole. After hearing so much hype about it, I was so looking forward to coming and saved it for my birthday dinner. The staff seemed phoney. The prices are absolutely unjustified and the 20% built in gratuity a slap in the face to patrons. We would have given 20% regardless. Pretentious is the one word I would take away from this experience. read more

Loved Judy's! This is the new experience within The St Laurent and everything was delicious! Our server made a great recommendation for orange wine, the calamari was delicious and the eggplant parm was enough to split between two. The tiramisu was also heavenly. Will definitely be back! read more

Judy's - Eggplant parm - Italian Near Me - Asbury Park, New Jersey

Yum, yum, yum! A friend took me here for an early birthday. We started with a Bellini at Harry's. That had vermouth and was not too sweet! Then, we went to Judy's. We began with the homemade focaccia with giardiniera. Each slice of the focaccia is individually crispy toasty and the olive oil to dip is fruity and the giardiniera is vinegary and it has caraway seeds and works perfectly. Then, we had the latke, which is crispy and has a good balance of salty/fatty/acidic... but it's not really worth the $24 price tag. We shared two entrees. The chicken and broccoli gnudi was out of this world. I wasn't 100% sure about celery pesto... but it was AMAZING! We also had the girello (balsamic skirt steak) - it was a flavor bomb and delicious (my only comment was that the thicker part of ours was very rare...). We each had a cocktail with dinner. I had the Negroni which was really orangey and had a beautiful crystal clear ice cube in it. My friend had the aperitivo highball which I tasted and was an amazing coffee/orange/not sweet concoction. For desert we had the tiramisu which was very light and fluffy and not traditional (my friend was in love with this). We also had the carrot cake which was out of this world. The browned butter flavor with the limoncello raisins and the sorbetto and cream cheese frosting... OMG! The restaurant itself is very light and airy. We sat at the bar right by the opened kitchen (the chefs table). The staff were really friendly and helpful and welcoming. Overall, great restaurant, well executed and tasty food, a little pricey, definitely need a reservation, amazing service... I told my husband I'm going back with him! read more

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Spectacular! Chef David & Neilly have done it again! Transforming the space to a "Torrisi experience" without having to go to NYC! Italian, Jewish and high end wines and cocktails! Just WOW! read more

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We have an amazing meal and the service was outstanding, down to comping our dessert because they asked if we could move our reservation 15min. We started with drinks at Harry's ( the lounge attached to Judy's) My husband got the Matzo Ball Soup, which he enjoyed it and I got Calamari Frito, it was the best Calamari and freshest I have ever had. It was phenomenal. For our entrees we got Judy's Pappardelle & veal ragu and my husband got the eggplant parm. Both were amazing but the eggplant was the most elevated eggplant parm I have ever had but was still gave you the classic eggplant parm we were looking for. I highly recommend giving it a try and sit at the chefs table. read more

Judy's - Judy's Pappardelle & veal ragu - Italian Near Me - Asbury Park, New Jersey

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Holy Heck! Just Great! They held themselves together on a very busy night. Classy service. Modern vibe. Every dish delicious. Crazy good cocktails. I was charmed ! read more

Sat at the chefs table, corner seats. Had a great view of the chef plating and the preparation of the food. It was a fun experience. The meal was delicious. A diverse menu. Would definitely return for more tastings. read more

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Had been to the previous iteration of the restaurant at the St. Laurent and was anxious to try their new concept, a Jewish Italian restaurant. Unfortunately, the restaurant does not live up to expectations. As in all of this couple's restaurants, the room continues to be very noisy with nothing on the walls to absorb sound. The food is beautifully plated and they say you eat through your eyes, but in execution the taste of the food falls short. My father started with the potato latke, which was more a potato croquet and the potato was under seasoned. He followed up with the chicken parm; beautifully presented and a very large portion, but again not much better than one finds at your neighborhood Italian restaurant where the price point may be better. I had the pork ribs as an appetizer, which again great presentation but a little bland. My main course was the skirt steak which was tasty but a good piece of meat is a good piece of meat wherever you get it. The desserts were quite creative and probably the best dishes. However, the best part of the meal was probably our server, Leanne, who was very knowledgeable, helpful and made one feel welcome. One other idiosyncrasy which I don't understand. The restaurant is attached to a bar called Harry's and they each have different cocktail menus and the cocktails are not interchangeable between locations; weird. read more

This is the best meal I have ever had in my life. I never make reviews. This meal was perfect. Impeccable service. Beautiful environment. Cannot recommend enough read more

Food, atmosphere, bartender. Off the hook. A repeat for sure. You could tell it was an acclaimed chef. Just perfect.

Was a little underwhelming especially after how fabulous Heirloom was. Don't get me wrong the latkes were delicious which I feel like it should be since Jewish Italian is the whole concept. But the chicken parm was a touch dry and over salted. Pappardelle was fine. They just put out a new cacio e pepe corn which was probably the best thing we had. And I get everything is just generally expensive given the whole semi fine dining experience but seriously the beer came in 5 ounces glass. For $10. read more

We loved this Judy's from start to finish! We were welcomed by the manger who encouraged us to explore the property. We sat down to sparkling water and a drink menu. From then on, the evening was perfect. The food, service, and ambiance were top notch. Honestly, no complaints. We went into Harry's after dinner and had dessert and another drink. The drinks were even differnt there. This place is special. May the rest of Asbury Park not find out about them. This could be a local hot spot. Mazel tov and Grazi and thank you. Well done! read more

First time at the new concept and we loved the other concept. My guess is they changed it to more a la carte so people can have more choices. Fyi, The lounge is great to get a drink in before dinner. Dark chic and elegant. Love it. We sat at the chefs counter which is my favorite way to dine. The chefs are moving in a well synchronized fashion. We started with the meatballs which were light and sauce had a beautifil flavor. The cheese was light and creamy. Small portion though. We also got the foccacia which was $16. It was good but hard to justify the price. The dover piccata for 2 with 2 sides ($85) was a lovely light entree with a citrus forward piccata sauce. Usually you have more lemon flavor in a piccata but it worked. The corn side was lovely and schmaltz potatoes were crispy and soft inside. Carrot cake was a beautiful finish to the meal. Cocktails and wine are on point too. This is an expensive meal but we loved it. read more

Food is delicious and menu has many interesting items to choose from. If you love Stretch's Chicken Savoy (from Belmont Tavern) you will want to try the dish at Judy's which is definitely a modern take on a classic that is difficult to recreate. read more

There aren't enough words to explain how amazing this restaurant is! We visited last night and as we opened the door we were met with a lively, music filled and boisterous spot! The service was spot on. We sat at the chefs counter and loved watching the dishes be completed at the pass. Started with beautiful oysters. Shared the chopped salad, pappardelle bolo and fusilli with pork and provolone espuma. Blown away by all. How do these people make this food taste so great!??? Dinner was Branzino crispy over sun dried tomato tapenade Chicken Savoy Pasta with Crab and Calabrian chile butter Every dish was spectacular and the jus on the chicken made me want to cry it was so good. Focaccia like a cloud. Cappuccino served in a beautiful antique cup. Desserts were the carrot cake with carrot sorbet and a chocolate situation that was wonderful too. I honestly would go back tonight if they had an opening. Oh and the sommelier was literally excited about my wine choice Fiano d'Avellino which made me proud! It's a pool house regarding tips and 20 percent is added to each check. We added some more because it was so well deserved. I do think all staff are able to share in the tips which is the way it should be. I've been a chef for 40 years and this has been some of the best food I've ever had!! read more

Be very careful. They add a 20% gratuity to the bill without your permission. I won't be returning and that's unfortunate because the food was good. read more

Visited Judy's last night with six for a special birthday. Atmosphere is nice but very loud because of the open kitchen concept. There is no glass divider so you hear pots and pans clashing which equates to hard to hear. Ordered four appetizers including focaccia and there were 5 pieces for 6 ppl. huh??? if you are going to charge $16 for bread, can you make sure there is at least one piece for everyone. Next onto appetizers, latke is not a real latke which is shredded potatoes. Every appetizer was tiny. Entrees ...tasty but very small portions. Pasta was $36, strip steak $42 ( no sides included) and most outrageous part of dinner was the dover sole was $85 and supposedly shareable. Dish was the a single portion size Manager came over and said server made an error telling us it was shareable, offered us another entree which I assumed they would charge us for so we declined. Bill came and absolutely no discount off plus they addred a 20% auto service charge. $600 bill , $100 pp. Oy vey. Save your $$, on this kind of gimmicky restaurant ( we didn't get the jewish/italian theme) and go to Moonstruck or Brandos where service is impeccable and you don't feel like your getting ripped off read more

We've previously had good experiences at Heirloom Kitchen and Lita which have the same ownership and I'm pleased to say that Judy's follows that tradition! Our party of 4 started with cocktails that we all agreed were some of the best we'd ever had. We had the opportunity to talk to the mixologist about how they made the "Garden Gimlet" and concluded that the best way to enjoy it in the future was to just go back to Judy's - amazingly complex and delicious! The Bergamot Margarita was equally unbelievable. The menu features their own unique spin on traditional dishes. We had the ricotta matzo ball soup, the "latke" and a salad. Frankly, my initial thought was that it would be hard to spin matzo ball soup to justify $16 or a latke to justify $24 and that turned out to be accurate. They were all good - just not different enough from standard fare to justify the prices. For entrees we had skirt steak, pork chop and branzino with sides of escarole & beans, broccoli rabe and potatoes. All were perfectly cooked, tasty and reasonably priced when compared to the appetizers - the potatoes were a particular standout. Service, after being seated, was outstanding! Two places where they could stand some improvement: We had 3 of the 4 desserts on the menu and were underwhelmed. The Beigne was a bit 'tough" and the carrot ginger sorbetto was an odd flavor. My other bone of contention is that when 1/2 of our party arrived early they were not permitted to sit at the bar in the restaurant while waiting. They said it was because the bar had reservations but we were there for over 2 hours and most of those seats never got filled. At the time the bar in the "Harry's" section was extremely noisy due to a class going on in there. We were asked to wait in "Harrys" after our whole party entered at the reservation time - there didn't appear to be any great reason why our already empty table shouldn't have been ready. Overall this restaurant offers great cocktails, a unique menu and solid execution of the dishes. However, to stay successful it's going to need to keep innovating because the menu is relatively small and the novelty of trying a new version of an old classic can wane over time. read more

Service and ambiance were satisfactory. Upon entering the dining room we noticed that it was very warm. It was a hot and humid evening. AC not working? Most uncomfortable for dining. Drinks were satisfactory and wine steward was helpful. The food overall was disappointing. The skirt steaks (2) were ordered medium rare, were well, well done. The house's offer to prepare them correctly, but we refused, as it would throw off the timing of others in our party. The Latkes were disappointing with them being dense and heavy, somewhat oily tasting. The focaccia bread at $16 was truly bland and lacking any flavor. $56 for a rather ordinary chicken parmesan was highway robbery! The Lumache pasta was tasty and satisfying. Corn cacio pepp was interesting and inventive. The pappardelle was light with wonderful lacy noodles but the flavor was mediocre. The 4 of us had difficulty trying to decide if we would return. We tried to justify the high prices for less than stellar food, but just could not. read more

From the greeting to the service to the food...a wonderful experience. Judy's is top notch in every way. We had been here when it was Heirloom and loved it but this is even better if that is possible. We are so lucky to be locals and come whenever we want. Don't miss the Latke iykyk. Run don't walk to Judy's (and the beautiful romantic Harry's Bar). Thank me later! read more

Dined here this week and blown away at the food and service. This may be the best service I've received EVER! They beat the Michelins - fresh plates and silverware for each course including wiping the table off crumbs. Everyone was so friendly and hospitable. Our server was amazing, I wish I knew her name, but she also served us at the st Laurent pool side. Her food recommendations were en pointe. I have never eaten branzino so flavorful. The cacio Pepe corn was such a hit. The roast pork pasta was chefs kiss. I didn't care much for the oysters but forgot about them so quickly with all the other food. The carrot cake comes with this carrot ginger ice cream, very inventive!!! I wish I lived closer to dine here more often! read more

Service and staff still top notch (and carried the night and is reason the review has 4 stars and not 3), but they need to rediscover the magic on the food side and menu - as it was underwhelming. read more

Amazing and very attentive service, lovely venue, and delicious food. The pasta dishes were superior.

This is a very expensive restaurant and my wife and I had certain expectations based on eating at hundreds of restaurants. We were badly disappointed. The place was deafening and the service sucked. The cocktails were weak and minuscule. We had to ask for ice for our water. The waiter barely acknowledged us and when she did stop by she left before we could speak to her. When I tried to order a bottle of wine from the wine list she directed me to the page with wines by the glass, which I found quite condescending. Then she showed me the bottle I had selected and immediately took it back to the kitchen to open it. When she came back I told her that I had been to some of the top restaurants in the world and all of them opened the bottle at the table to show the customer that they were getting what they ordered. She told me that they did that so they could taste(!) the wine -- again, something I had never heard of. When we got the check there was an automatic 20% gratuity, which I had never seen before except for parties of 6 or more. When the waiter came to collect the check I had 2 questions. First, when I made the reservation I filled in the "Is this a special occasion" box by saying it was our anniversary. I asked what special thing the restaurant was going to do for us. She basically said no, but we could order dessert. Then I asked if we could fill in a custom tip instead of 20% and a few minutes later a chap (apparently the manager) came by and asked how we liked our dinner. We told him some of the foregoing and he didn't apologize; he just took the check and gave us a new one and said he removed the gratuity. I signed the check and left, but when I got home and looked at the check it still had the 20% gratuity. Needless to say, it was a very disappointing dinner. The only good part was the food, but we would never go here again. read more