We are always satisfied when we eat at Theresa's and tonight was no exception. We made a reservation a few days ago and were warmly greeted and seated in the side part of the restaurant that we always sit in. The food and the service is always spot on. For an appetizer we had the crab cake that was probably the best we have ever had. The corn and the sauce just elevates it with barely any breadcrumbs and all meat. For dinner my husband has the chicken parm and I had the scallops. $55 for 6 scallop is a bit high. It said it came with broccoli rabe and corn risotto which I immediately wanted but I didn't realize the broccoli rabe would be mixed into the corn risotto. Wish it was separate, as I'm not a huge fan broccoli rabe and it kind of overpowered the taste of the corn risotto. (One star removed for the high price and rabe mixed in). For desert we had the special which was also delicious. Can't wait to go back for the summer menu. read more

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My family and I were visiting BayHead with some family friends who have a house in the area. We had a reservation for Theresa's South and I was excited because I'm a huge fan of Italian food. Right off the bat, I took note of the fact that they couldn't seat us at a table big enough for our party so we couldn't sit together. I thought that we would be sitting at opposite ends of the restaurant but they sat us at tables directly next to each other. I know that they could have easily moved our tables together but they refused to, which was honestly kind of silly and didn't set the right tone for the dinner. We weren't happy and it felt a little snooty. For the appetizers, my table split the fried calamari and I ordered a crab cake. I love crab cakes and fried calamari. I was not disappointed. The calamari was delicious and it was the perfect texture so I could tell that it was neither over or undercooked. I would have preferred that peppers were added to the dish like it would be in a traditional dish but it was pretty good the way it was too. I also loved the crab cake and the orange sauce that it came with. I really liked both the texture and the flavor. For my entree, I ordered the rigatoni bolognese. Bolognese meat sauce is my absolute favorite Italian sauce. While I think there could have been more ground beef in the sauce I still think that it tasted delicious with the perfect amount of flavor. read more

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A staple in bay head! Great food, great ambiance, friendly staff. MUST GET the eggplant appetizer - absolutely delicious!! Our favorite place to get dinner when we vacation down the shore. read more

Theresa's South - Italian Near Me - Bay Head, New Jersey

Not your average NJ BYOB Italian joint. Theresa's is fantastic, every dish I have tried has been excellent. Ambiance and service are just as great as the food! You can't go wrong with anything you order here. But I will say, the bolognese is probably the best I ever had. It's almost like a vodka sauce, which I love. It's a fairly casual spot but you can certainly dress up. Would recommend for any occasion and would also recommend reservations. read more

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My party of 4 thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Theresa's. Benjamin was great at taking care of us along with the other servers. We started with the fried calamari and it was delicious. It came with a spicy red sauce and we requested a side of marinara for my MIL since she can't do spicy. We had the flank steak, tuna, gnocchi and shirt ribs. Everything tasted great. The warm chocolate chip cookie with Baileys gelato was an amazing way to end the meal. We sat outside and the flies were annoying so I'd recommend dining inside, or come expecting flies. I made a reservation a few days ahead and was a little shocked at their cancellation policy. It was $50 per person if you canceled - can't recall timing. But things come up and people have the cancel. I think this is a bit steep and with their popularity I don't see it being difficult to fill tables. read more

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I find it absurd when check arrives Your server hands You a hand held bill pay listing your gratuity choices 20 - 25 -30% Who i do they think they are a five star New York restaurant? I did hear back from the restaurant, they stated the gratuity is pre programed. Well i suggest they reprogram to something more reasonable. The intimidating factor with your server standing over you when you add your gratity Not a good business practice. read more

First visit to Theresa's South. It's BYOB and we ran over to Burke's to pick up some wine. Ambiance and service- it was Friday night and not very busy. We were seated immediately and the server was very attentive. Food - ordered the paparadelle with lobster- actually very average. Salmon crusted pistachio- good, but the balsamic wine reduction was too heavy for the dish and it was too salty. Mashed potatoes and asparagus were good- 4 stars. The garlic bread was not very garlicky and had green bell peppers on top- not my favorite. read more

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This is our second time here and another fantastic dining experience. From start to finish the service was excellent. I love seafood and decided to try the Blackened Mahi. It was spectacular! Cooked perfectly and such wonderful flavor. My date had the Rigatoni Beef Stroganoff special. Not your typical dish at an Italian restaurant but it was delicious! The beef was so tender and had a wonderful cream sauce. Of course I tried a bite and it was great! So far, Theresa's South is two for two. We will certainly be back. Ciao for now! read more

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First timer. Great place ! It was highly recommended. Seasonal and permanent residences have their usual favorite dish and sit by their familiar server. It was two of us and this town is so friendly we were engaged with our neighboring tables. It's definitely a fun night out. It's also a BYOB! I ordered the eggplant pancake. It has so much different flavor and texture. It made my palette happy. For dinner, I ordered the sweet potato Gnocchi with braised tender short ribs. This is a winner! Immediately decided it's my favorite. It was so rich and gnocchi was perfectly cooked. I would definitely come back. read more

Theresa's South - Tender and perfectly cooked Rib eye steak - Italian Near Me - Bay Head, New Jersey

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Had dinner on a Friday night(9-12-25) for our friend's 10th anniversary. Nice corner table in the far back corner and even a last minute accommodation for our friend's baby with a high chair. I've eaten at Theresa's many times over the years and my wife has reviewed them separately and we've always been very happy with service and food. Service was spot on. This time the food just missed the mark. Shrinkflation seems to have set in here. The portions are smaller, the prices are higher and the quality is just missing the mark. $55 for a scallop meal with 6 small to medium scallops, some sautéed spinach and a potato croquette is on the upper end of price and just seemed to be a very pedestrian dish. Also the pork chop was meh. Undersized, over cooked and just lacked what you would expect from a $45 meal. Again, we have dined here many times and we did enjoy the tuna app and the eggplant pancake but $22+ for each, the servings just seemed half the size of what we used to have. It just seems like the mark was missed with these dishes. read more

Outstanding on all counts. Food, ambience and service, all impeccable. Highly recommend this fine restaurant.

Get the pasta with sausage, or really any of the pastas. They change the menu fairly frequently but keep the eggplant pancake which everyone loves. The entrees are hit or miss. I just had blackened mahi that was really overcooked. My husband enjoyed his pork chop but they tend to overdo the sauces. Great that it's byob and they have a nice patio for summer. read more

I have dined at Theresa South for many years now. All I can say is the service, food and atmosphere is outstanding. I recommend this restaurant to all my friends and neighbors. read more

Our food was absolutely fantastic. Our server was fantastic. atmosphere was quiet, quaint and beautiful. Just wish there was a little more time between appetizers and meal. 5 to 10 more minutes between appetizers and meals would have rated a 5. We will absolutely be back. read more

Five stars for excellent service from a wonderful server named Taylor! The experience was terrific! The food was really delicious. Love their tuna.. read more

Theresa's South - Tuna with soba noodles - Italian Near Me - Bay Head, New Jersey

Absolutely incredible! My boyfriend and I have been here four times and it consistently exceeds our expectations. For some reason, tonight was the best yet. They had a zucchini appetizer which I think deserves a spot on the menu because it was perfection. Their roasted pear salad is hands down the best salad and the Gorgonzola filet melts in your mouth and is so unique. Don't get me started on the whipped butter they serve their bread with! While eating outside on the patio in the summer is amazing, dining there in the winter is equally such a treat. Theresa's is a true gem! read more

What really put Theresa's over the top for me was their service. The waiters are young but so well trained, very friendly and respectful. The food came at the perfect times. It was quick but not too quick. The food was delicious. We got the beef carpaccio, tuna ceviche, and caprese for appetizers. They were all great. No complaints, extremely yummy. We completely devoured them. For entrees we got the much tagliatelle and short rib gnocchi. Both were very good as well. For dessert we got the Spanish flan and a cappuccino. As someone who had had a lot of flan in their life, I can tell you this flan was amazing. The cappuccino was also surprisingly good and great quality. The ambiance of the restaurant is really nice. I would recommend anyone come here for a nice dinner if they are in the area. read more

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We used to come here often, but in the last 2 years I feel as though this restaurant has gone downhill. I have never felt so rushed during my meal. We were asked no less than 5 times if we were done with our appetizers when there was still clearly food on our plates and we were still very much eating. No one came over to refill our waters until we asked. They also rushed us to take our orders as quickly as possible. The food is decent but nothing worth running back for especially after the bad experiences we have been having with the service. read more

Have been to Theresa South 3 times now. Great food, atmosphere, and friendly service.

Siblings had my surprise dinner here and we were rushed through our meal to get the next party in made a memorable experience sour and I was the bday girl and they brought out my candles and cake to my husband read more

This was our last visit to Theresa's South. The past few times we were there was disappointing but we decided to give it one last try. We had a party of 4 on Mother's Day. They had a set price of $80.00 for a Prix Fixe dinner. It should have been $20.00 for the meal. Besides being overpriced, the food was marginal at best. The pork chop was terrible. It was overcooked and way overpriced. Two members of our party ordered filet mignon and it too was unacceptable. The steaks were extremely chewy and had a lot of fat. When we mentioned our disappointment with the meals, our server said that he would see what he could do for us. He returned with one gift card for a free dessert on our next visit. That was an insult. We will not return there. read more

Food and service were excellent!! Will definitely be going back ! I got the penne vodka with chicken and my boyfriend got one of the specials! The eggplant tower for appetizer was delicious! read more

Dinner at one of my favorite restraints. Calamari crisp and fresh. Ahi Tuna in a soy sauce delicious. All six of us satisfied by the delicious entrees, service and seating! The one criticism was desert, chocolate labs cake, a bit dry. Five star value!! read more

Teresa's never disappoints! Love their food and atmosphere. Sometimes feel a little rushed but not too bad. Their fresh pasta is wonderful. read more

Came here last night, three of us and everything we had was superb from the Calamari appetizer to the main course my friend had the pork chops and I will be getting that next. I had the Salmon and my wife had the stuffed shrimp. We will be back read more

I ordered the penne vodka. The options were $12 to add chicken and $13 to add shrimp. I asked if I could have a little bit of both. I was told you have to pay for both. It's a good thing I didn't. For $12 I received about 4 small shredded pieces of chicken. I had to dig around to find them. For $12 there should have been an entire breast in their or at least half. My wife ordered the eggplant parm. You know when your meal looks bad it probably is bad. The giant glob of cheese on top was the focus point of the presentation. The eggplant was breaded with the skin on and over fried. She did say the pasta was very good to be fair. Server was great and the atmosphere is too. read more

First time here. Bread with whipped butter was great. Let's start with appetizers. Eggplant pancake was good. The pear salad was awesome, the artichoke soup was decent and the fried mozzarella was just ok. For dinner we got the Gorgonzola cheese fillet that was cooked perfectly and the potato croquette was delicious. That was the best meal of the group. Then we had the sweet potato gnocchi with short rib that was not good at all. The heavy brown sauce was over powering, the mushrooms were not full cooked and there was an odd sweet paste taste that didn't work. Next was the sausage gemelli that tasted like "spaghetti o's" nothing special and heavy. Last dish was the shrimp capellini. It was very tart with tomato flavor not much wine as described, more of a tomato sauce and the shrimp were tiny. Overall decent. We got one dessert which was the apple tart, which was good. The service was bleh. Not much to say as they didn't come over much nor were they super friendly. Just ok. With all the restaurants in the area that we have been to it was just ok. I was also expecting a better ambiance. Yes we had candles and it was dim but it was just ok. Overall, I would possibly return with others if asked but I wouldn't go out of my way to come again. Hyped up but not a follow through. Happy it was a byob though cause the bill was low enough to feel better about it. read more

5 stars is for the food and location. Everyone knows this food is perfect. This is BYOB. The seating is tight. We order out here an awful lot there we are in Bayhead. Everything is ready in 20 minutes no matter what your order. read more

The restaurant was decorated beautifully for the holidays inside and out. We were seated right on time and received excellent service the whole meal. the food was delicious from appetizers right through dessert. Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Beautiful baby shower for 30 Food & Service were great!! Everyone enjoyed! Restaurant made it easy read more

A quiet enjoyable Sunday dinner. The service was great and the food was delicious. You do need to bring your own alcohol though. read more

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Beet salad. Great. Linguine and clams, struck me as odd. The flavor was very good. Clams, good. Never had beans in my vongole. Don't know what I think about it. Also using out of season fresh tomatoes is never a good idea. My advice, lose the beans, switch to canned San marzano tomatoes and you got the real deal. But maybe that was the point. Not making it like everyone one else. A for effort! read more

We came to this restaurant last night with friends and have always wanted to come here. The restaurant has outdoor and indoor dining and we were warmly greeted by one of their hostesses. The restaurant is cozy and the decor is inviting. Our server could not have been more friendly and attentive. My girlfriend had the pear salad which she said was excellent, I had the eggplant pancake which I thought was great and my friend had the potato soup which he really enjoyed. Our entrées were not that great. My girlfriend and my one friend had the asiago chicken, which they said was way under seasoned and the cheese was overwhelming, I had the baked ziti with fresh mozzarella, it was also under seasoned, it was not baked, it looked like rigatoni and they threw in chunks of cold fresh mozzarella into a warm tomato sauce, not great. Our other friend had the pasta with sausage in a tomato cream sauce, she said it was OK. My girlfriend and I had the Rockyroad brownie with mint chocolate chip gelato, that was awesome. I thought the prices were adequate and the portion sizes were appropriate. I don't know if we would come back based on the quality of the entrées, and it is unfortunate because we liked all the other aspects of this restaurant. read more

One of my favourite Bay Head restaurants! I have been coming here for years and it never disappoints! Food and service is always consistent. Service is always excellent, friendly and attentive. The restaurant is always very busy and the staff is moving quickly. I enjoy sitting outside during the spring - fall months. The outdoor seating is peaceful, clean and well managed. We have ordered many dishes here. The menu always have specials and the food is local and fresh. The menu includes seafood, pasta, meat etc. portion sizes are good and priced right. Dessert- everything is delicious! I highly recommend! read more

Always great food and service. We love going there for dinner with friends and family. Whether you are inside or outside, your experience will be great! read more

We have never been so insulted in our lives! The GM, Alex who is the owners brother was extremely rude!!While trying to ascertain a reservation a week away, we were told that they would "hold" a time that we weren't in agreement with. While half the tables were empty around us, we were told that they will never take a reservation from us again! Refusing to give us a satisfactorily reservation, we will NEVER give our business to this restaurant again!! Alex needs to treat people properly, especially local residents!! read more

Had dinner last night and it was the worst experience. I have been coming to Theresas since they opened. Multiple times each summer. Last night the waitress was horrible. So rude. Never came to table except to rush us into ordering. Food came out overcooked and she was nowhere to be found. Waiting and finally flagged another waiter. My filet came back raw. They asked me to cut into it and when he saw it he didn't even say oh thats really rare. I asked for medium it was purple. So disappointed because I had friends visiting and brought them there thinking it would be a great experience. The table next to us got up to leave and they asked us if we had a good experience. They said she was rude to them to and acted annoyed that we were at the restaurant! Eventually the waitress came over and said, "Looks like you all aren't happy so we comped your meal." We were like is something wrong? She said, "well you don't seem happy so here! And through the ticket down and walked away!" Not sure I will go back. read more

Not a very good meal. The food was marginal at best. Grouper overcooked, Eggplant and meatloaf fair. Not a great value at 200 for 3 without liquor.Very few hellos or goodbyes from the staff. Won't go back for a while. Had similar experience on a prior visit. read more

Rigatoni Bolognese is to die for. 10/10 Great place for a nice occasion or dinner with the family. Service was great. Highly recommend. read more

Theresa's South - Italian Near Me - Bay Head, New Jersey

I do not recommend this restaurant. While the food was excellent, the server pressured us to conclude our dinner as rapidly as possible in order to turn over the table. There are too many other very good dining options at the Jersey Shore to put up with this unreasonable behavior! read more