Stunning beachfront atmosphere, white glove service (shout out Ariana), and delicious food. This is a lovely spot for a nice occasion. Starters: Love the complimentary house marinated olives to start--unique types and bread with olive oil. The tortellini soup on special was large and rich in flavor and creaminess. Very tasty. Fried burrata was excellently paired with prosciutto, peppers, among other accoutrements. Entrees: Horseradish salmon was the most tender, fall apart in my mouth I've ever had. My mom LOVED her chicken piccata. The mashed potatoes and veggies on the side were also so buttery and yummy. Dessert: The strawberry cake (forget the Italian name) for dessert was super light yet decadent. Chocolate cake just the same, not too heavy. It's a pricy place, but they offer 50% off entrees on Thurs (cash only) and prefixe menu before theater shows in town (before 6pm). BYOB off season / alcohol in summer. Plenty of free parking surrounding but summer may be a challenge. read more

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Everything went great at our family get together. The food is always amazing and our waitress seemed to blend with our group perfectly. I forget her name but blonde hair and a great tan and said she worked there last year also. I love the bright light coming through the windows and views depending on where you are sitting. Very quiet at first until it started filling up and then it gets a little noisy but we just blended in with the comfortable people surrounding us. The Angry lobster over squid ink linguini my husband couldn't stop raving about and he never raves about any restaurant dishes! All in all, everything was perfect like it was last year! Can't wait to make this a place we come to more often!! read more

2/5 stars. 2 stars for the location. everything is just okay/sub par. If youre a home cook and asked google for recipes. this is what you'd end up with. $50+ for chicken (not even bell & Evan's chicken) is pretty crazy. read more

Great atmosphere overlooking the ocean. I order a veal piccata and was not impressed at all. Very expensive and had really no taste to it. I was really disappointed. I compared this dish to a veal piccata at Antonios Trattoria for $29 and this dish was ten times better at Antonios not even close. read more

Food was excellent. Service very lack luster, had to request all four appetizers served at once, served to two, other two received nothing. Had to find waitress, couldn't, asked another waitress who assisted. Noise level atrocious! Can't talk or hear anyone at your own small table. read more

Our food experience was good - it took a long time to get the food. However, they may wanna consider selling water bottles that are dishwasher safe. So maybe skip the gift shop especially if you are purchasing for children. read more

Amelia’s By the Sea - Water bottles - before and after going into the dishwasher! - Italian Near Me - Spring Lake, New Jersey

We got the meatballs and baked clams as an appetizer. I thought the meatballs were pretty good; i did not try the clams, but those in our party who did raved about them and said they were fantastic. For an entree, I got the Halibut with Lemon & Artichoke Risotto. The fish itself was ok, and a little overcooked/dry. The risotto was delicious, however; there is a basil oil on the plate that works really well with the flavors, though masks the artichoke. The others at our table got the Gnocchi Bolognese, Chicken Piccata, and Veal Parmigiana. They all liked their dishes, and the person who got the Piccata was particularly vocal about how good it was (the best she'd had). It was very busy, so it was fairly loud inside. Service was a fairly slow, and after a while we did feel a bit neglected; we had to physically stand up and track down a waiter just to get the check. Overall, I'd come again, though probably on a weekday instead of a Saturday night. read more

Amelia’s By the Sea - Halibut w/ Meyer Lemon & Artichoke Risotto - Italian Near Me - Spring Lake, New Jersey

CHECK YOUR BILL TWICE!! The staff messed up the check 2x, first charging us $280 for what ultimately was a $180 check. The explanation that another server had taken over the register and started keying in additional items was a poor excuse for sloppy controls. Might have been forgotten, except the first "correction" still included extra charges. The food is good, if a bit expensive. On a hot day, make sure you sit inside where it's air conditioned. read more

Love Amelia's. Been here a few times and it's consistently good. The service is great and on Friday nights they have live music with Zack Alexander (who is incredible). The food is fresh and tasty. I don't even know what to recommend, because I've tried many items and I have liked the all. They also have a very good sushi menu. I don't think you can go wrong with anything here. Real neighborhood gem. read more

In NJ to visit family and celebrate our 26th anniversary thru a recommendation we chose Amelia's. This beautiful location across from the beach in Spring Lake gives you multiple view points of the beach within a lovely restaurant with styling in keeping with the NJ shore We arrived early for our reservation (highly suggested) and were sat with no hesitation and mulled over their wine selection. The restaurant serves all diners a medly of black/green/red olives and crusty bread -both traditional high quality and a foreshadow of the quality of your entrees For appetizer we shared the baked clams - delicious. 6 little necks full of flavor, tender with a drenched baguette slice in the center - OH MY Entrees, my wife had the Zuppe de Pesce Calamari, clams, muscles, shrimp , halibut all properly cooked and show cases the fish as they should - a strong recommendation. I had the shrimp oreganata . Fantastic, shrimp were cooked to perfection over the best whipped potatoes ive ever had and the escarole- YUM! Dessert- a pistachio canolli Thank you Amelia's for a wonderful anniversary dinner and our server Tara for her attention to our table and special moment read more

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It was my sister in law's birthday and we went here. The food was really well seasoned and prepared, attention to details. Our server was attentive and knowledgeable as we had quite a few questions. The decor was neat and clean and not over bearing. I had the pork chop Parmagianno and it was outstanding almost better than veal ! My wife had lobster ravioli and my brother in law had the scallops which were massively sized. My wife had soft shell crabs .. Apps were calamari fritti which is calamari in polenta coverings, also baked clams which were very tasty. They brought wine and champagne and for a 25$ corking fee we had our own drinks. read more

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Tonight was my birthday and I couldn't have asked for a better dinner and service. We ordered 4 different meals and all were amazing. We started off with an apple/arugula/goat cheese salad which was yummy. Then we had our entrees which were very generous portions. Lastly, I had a delicious piece of tiramisu with a huge sparkler. Service was the best and the waitress plus bus girls were so attentive. We never had an empty water cup or unwanted plate on the table. This is a beautiful location across the street from the beach. read more

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I had another expectation of the food on site a more varied menu for brunch, but the sandwiches we ordered were good flavour texture quality the same. But I had higher expectations. I love the very clean place everything was in place, the service was not bad but neither the best should improve in that aspect they were very friendly but they were never attentive to our table and did not pick me up from the table to ask for the bill I think I would have been sitting there until the service of the week. I think they could improve read more

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Excellent service, good great. This restaurant seems to get better every year. Super location on the waterfront in spring lake. read more

We loved this place so much and can't wait to come back! We wandered in off an impromptu beach day. We weren't sure what to expect and arrived at an off time about 3p. They seated us on this lovely enclosed porch with open patio doors and an ocean breeze. Absolutely beautiful experience. The bread and olives were delicious. Our tuna tartare, lobster ravioli, oysters and burrata salad were all beyond expectations. The owner or manager was friendly and funny and our server was adorable and fast. Great cocktails. Peaceful and relaxing environment. It is expensive but well worth it. read more

The food was delicious! We had the baked clams and baked oysters sambuca to start. They were both amazing. We then had the shrimp oreganata with spinach and mashed potatoes. All three were delicious!!! Definitely recommend this place for a good dinner. Ambiance was very nice as well. read more

Food and service were great. We had the lobster ravioli, chicken and cannoli for dessert. Very disappointed at the hostess for seating us at the back of the restaurant, the restaurant had just started serving dinner we wanted to seat near the water view and we were told all the table had reservations. We were ready to leave after an hr and a half and as you can see no one had started to come in that section yet. We have been here before and like it a lot ambience is great later in the evening but we wanted a quiet dinner by the ocean. read more

Amelia’s By the Sea - Great service and food. But disappointed on the seating when no one here till we we leaving. - Italian Near Me - Spring Lake, New Jersey

Service was great, ambiance fantastic, management incredible. Just don't order the eggplant parm. You can't reheat breaded eggplant covered in breadcrumbs and egg. Egg doesn't reheat. Everything else was fantastic. Surprised that the chef keeps this on the menu. read more

Great location by the beach. Ambiance was nice. Watch for shady waiter there though. Tried to slip his tables check to mine and he wasn't even serving us. Only time he even interacted with us was when we were waiting for the check. Somehow he suddenly volunteered to do our servers work for her as "a favor". Next thing I knew I'd been rung up for $555 as opposed to the $182 check we'd sent my card for. He'd been really chummy with the large group next to our table. I got the impression he was trying to impress them by "hooking them up by charging their tab to my card", so maybe he could give them the charge from mine. Total bullshit. read more

Best food in New Jersey ! Hands down Great service,friendly staff and a beautiful restaurant

I think Bareli's is my new favorite dinner spot in the area! My husband and I came here over the weekend for our anniversary and were blown away by how good the food was. Everything we ordered was impeccably delicious. - I'd suggest making a reservation in advance. We noticed a few walk-ups, and it seemed like they were turned away, as every table was full. - I'm glad we requested the covered porch seating area. The inside section was very loud because there was live music. We wanted a more relaxing, intimate ambiance, but if you want a more lively dining experience, I'd suggest booking indoors. - Service was quick and attentive. We didn't feel like we had to wait long for any of our courses; everything was well-paced. - Now, onto the food! We started with the daily oyster selection, which was from Cape May. They were flavorful without being too fishy and came with four topping options (notably horseradish, my favorite). - Lobster bisque came with a small lobster tail instead of the lobster mixed into the soup. I probably would've preferred it mixed in, but the lobster was so fresh and the bisque rich and flavorful. - Tuna tartare was delicious! We order tuna tartare anytime we see it on a menu, so we have high standards. This dish came with plenty of tuna, and we liked that the soy sauce was on the side, so it didn't overpower the dish. - I ordered the Sea Bass special as my main course. The sauce was light, and the pistachio added a nice crunch. It was served with perfectly whipped mashed potatoes and broccolini. - My husband ordered the Pork Chop Parm, and we were amazed at how large the portion was! I don't usually love pork, but the meat was tender and lightly crisped. It came with a generous portion of pasta too. - We finished off our meal with tiramisu. It's a small piece, but we were so full that it was just the right amount to share. Most of what we ordered came from the specials menu, so I'm interested to see their specials when we dine here next! read more

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I had a lovely dinner at this great little find down at the Jersey Shore ahead of celebrating my high school reunion. Everything was delightful and exceptionally delicious! read more

Amelia’s By the Sea - Crabmeat and avocado salad!! - Italian Near Me - Spring Lake, New Jersey

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Unfortunately not to our tastes and we ordered all wrong. We were trying to save money as it is pretty pricey here, so we ordered two dishes that were the least expensive things on the menu. They were entirely too rich for us (the pasta with peas and mushrooms and the chicken in a Parmesan cream sauce). We also ordered the Caesar salad to split-we were not given or offered a share plate nor were we offered cracked pepper. We waited a very long time for our meal and they were not that busy. Dining on the enclosed porch with a view of the ocean was lovely though. read more

Great place, really busy so book in advance. The server Don was courteous, friendly and knowledgeable. He split the Entrees in the kitchen bc we were sharing. He brought extra red olives. I Always appreciate great service. Food is top great. Baked clams were excellent, fresh. Shrimp oreganata cane over mashed potatoes. Drinks are strong. Deserts are a must. read more

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My Bareli's visit this weekend was my 3rd Jersey shore restaurant week dining experience. Barelis is a quaint restaurant located inside the Grand Victorian Hotel located in Spring Lake. The restaurant has indoor dining which is executed flawlessly with plastic dividers between tables. There are tables seated by sliding glass windows that on a nice day must be prime seating. Service was solid as was our 3 course meal. The highlight for me was their Chicken with Prosciutto, Mozzarella under a delicious Sherry Cream Sauce. Their Tiramisu was top notch, definitely homemade. The bar has a wonderful Bourbon, Whiskey and Scotch collection. read more

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We went for restaurant week. It was our first visit. Dishes featured were only half the size of normal entrees. This should have been made clear on promo, as other restaurants provided normal dishes as discounted for promo. Which I believe restaurants week is intended as advertising to new customers. The service was very slow. Not sure if that is normal, but it was not completely packed, maybe 80%. It took 25 minutes to serve out apps. Fried eggplant and tuna tartar. These really did not require much cooking. Entrees took even longer. Over 45 minutes after we finished apps. By that time most of the customers have already left. Disappointing. Hopefully that was just a one off experience. read more

Relaxed Sunday evening dinner with friends, but the experience quickly became a lesson in poor hospitality. Service was slow and inexcusably negligent. Simple items such as water, bread, cutlery and beverages required repeated reminders. Entrées were delayed for well over ninety minutes. Eventually only three of the four entrées were served, at which point we were informed, without prior notice that the fourth had sold out. Meal was reduced to an absurd scenario, three diners served while the fourth was left with no option but to start over. We declined, returned the dishes and addressed the matter with the manager. While food charges were removed, the fact that we were still billed for a few drinks and a cheap bottle of wine only underscored the lack of accountability. Total disregard for basic standards of service and communication makes it astonishing to us that this restaurant has received five-star reviews. What we experienced was substandard food (although we didn't get to taste much of it), disorganized service and management that gave no impression of valuing its patrons. For us, it was an evening wasted and a venue undeserving of its reputation. "Fine dining? Not by a long shot. Save your time and money for somewhere that delivers. read more

Really lovely spot for a special night out. The food is pricey but extremely high quality & delicious -- we were all very happy with what we ordered. Service was attentive and friendly. The only thing is that our table was quite small and a little crowded for 4 people with drinks and plates. However, we were all enjoying ourselves so much we hardly noticed. Highly recommend all the pasta dishes and the calamari. We will be back! read more

Amelia’s By the Sea - Spicy Clams Over Linguine Dinner Fried Calamari Dinner - Italian Near Me - Spring Lake, New Jersey

We went to Amelia's for Restaurant Week, Price Fix menu, first time going, and loved it! Party of 7, but will chat about what my wife and I had. I had the Polpo Arrosto which was quite good. My wife had the She Crab soup, loved it, I had a taste as well, delicious. Others had the Crispy Polenta Eggplant, tasty and quite a large portion. For Entrees, I had the Chicken Valdostano and really enjoyed it. My wife had the Seafood Saffron which was thick and creamy (she had it without mussels, oh well!) Others had the Filet Mignon which was done quite well, prepared exactly as they ordered. For dessert it was unanimous, Pistacchio Ricotta Cheesecake all around, delicous, along with espresso and capuccino. And incredible meal especially priced at $42.24 and at this writing it was BYOB. Service was great as well, shout out to Lauren for great service. A must try for sure! read more

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Eight of us dined at this quaint but upscale restaurant, we sat in the side porch with a very pretty setting on a Sunday afternoon. All of the staff we encountered were so pleasant, and the food portions were appropriate. I won't rehash each dish as all prior reviews already done that, the food was great! They have a big band singer for the weekend entertainment I appreciate how the menus posted online matched the actual menu prices during our visit. One thing to note is they automatically add a 2% credit card surcharge to the bill. read more

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Food was superb Drinks were excellent Very pricey; dishes were $13 higher than online menu!!! Service was comfortably slow Right on the ocean with great seating, tho noise level was high read more

I attended my niece's surprise engagement party last evening. The restaurant was decorated beautifully for the holidays. The 18 guests were treated with personalized attention. We loved the private room. The food was exceptional, and the wait staff couldn't have been more accommodating. I would highly recommend this restaurant and look forward to dining there again in the future. read more

What a lovely setting right on the beach in spring lake I love sitting outdoor on the partially enclosed terrace in the summer or fall The wait staff could not be more polite and the menu offerings quite nice. On a recent Sunday we had the brunch menu which delivered a beautiful omelet with potato, one of our party had a burger which did not present in any special manner but was absolutely delicious as it was not over cooked. The basket of Fries that comes with it are crisp, and flavorful although they did arrive on the cool side. I prefer very hot fries Cocktails were very well made and for the shore area... I find this restaurant to be very satisfying Prices are a bit high but it is after all Spring Lake and there setting is lovely so go ! read more

I was excited to try for the first time and I was a little underwhelmed. It was ok food nothing crazy different or makes me want to go again. Tables were very close together and they try to cram as many tables in as possible. I sat on the porch and I was hoping for a view but it is crowded you don't see much of the outside. Our waiter I honestly can't remember if he even said his name it was so fast paced with the wait staff they were in and out it didn't make it memorable it felt they were just trying to get you out to fit in another table. Don't think I would try again unless there was nothing else open. read more

We came to Bareli's once again with my in-laws about a year after our first experience. We came back for a second try and enjoyed our experience once again. Bareli's has a great location right near the beach. Unfortunately, you really can't see the ocean from the restaurant. The ambiance is nice with a patio and a dining room area. The ceilings are kind of low so that makes the place feel smaller but there is plenty of room. We started with the shrimp cocktail and the pasta fagioli. It was $22 for a bowl of soup but it was enough for 2. The shrimp cocktail was pretty standard. For dinner I had the chicken piccata. It was also pretty basic and is served with mashed potatoes and vegetables. It looked like something you get from a wedding. My wife got the horseradish salmon and it had the same sides. I don't know if it was a special because of Mothers day but the dishes were similar. For dessert we had the gelato and pistachio cheesecake. Cheesecake was fire! The food didn't blow me away but it does do the trick. Overall, it was a nice dinner with someone singing live sinatra songs towards the end of our meal. I will say the service was great and it was a pleasant dinner out with the family. I think 3.5 stars is fair. read more

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Wonderful experience. Celebrating my mom's 85th. The food was good, attentive service and the ocean. Perfect. read more

Amelia’s By the Sea - My mom celebrates 85 years! - Italian Near Me - Spring Lake, New Jersey

Came here for dinner before a show at the Spring Lake Theatre and loved it. Great ambience, quaint and decorated beautifully for Christmas. Really put you in to the Christmas spirit. We were seated at a nice table for two across from the bar, in a cozy room and in front of a beautifully decorated Christmas tree so we were very happy. Our server who was friendly and attentive throughout, told us about the specials and gave us his suggestions, which was great. We started by ordering a nice bottle of Italian Sangiovese wine. Now this was my only bone of contention here. After we ordered it and started drinking it, we noticed some people bringing in their own wine. Thought this was very strange since this restaurant has a full bar. When we asked what's up with this we found out that the owner was allowing it and charging a 25.00 uncorking fee. Reason being that they were allowing this during the week when business is slow tp bring in more business and then it became hard to refuse when regulars showed up on the weekend too. Wish we would have known or I would have brought one of my nice bottles of wine from home. Oh well, next time. On to the food, which was wonderful. We started with the Baked Oysters Sambuca, spinach, pancetta, Parmesan, oregano and cream. These were delicious, similar to Oyster Rockefeller but with a hint of the Sambuca. For our mains, my wife went with the Tiger Shrimp over risotto special which she loved and I went with the Fluke & Shrimp Francese with spinach and whipped potatoes which was excellent. Large tender piece of fluke and the Francese sauce was one of the best I've had. Unfortunately we didn't have time for dessert but we will certainly be back, especially in the summer months given their great location across from the ocean in beautiful Spring Lake. read more

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Amazing atmosphere, amazing food, amazing service. We came here on a Saturday night for my mom's birthday and we sat outside on the patio which was decorated with beautiful hanging florals. We started with a bottle of Textbook Pinot Noir which was one of the best red I've had. For appetizers, we ordered the little neck clams on the half shell, the fig crostini with ricotta cheese balsamic drizzle and prosciutto, and fried calamari. The clams were so fresh, the crostini was such a great combination of flavors. I got the lobster ravioli special and it was superb. My Dan was going to order the chicken parm but our server Jack highly recommended the pork parm instead..and let me tell you..best recommendation of the night! I had such entree envy I was stealing so many bites of his pork! And I'm not a pork person at all, but I absolutely loved it. For dessert I ordered the ricotta cheesecake and it was such a great end to the night. I will definitely be coming back here. It has a great romantic vibe and the view of the ocean is breathtaking. read more

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My husband and I went to Amelia's for dinner. I ordered gluten free pasta with peas and mushrooms and side of sauce. They charged me $42.00 for this dish. They said gluten free is extra, come on, give me a break. Meal came to $150.00 and it was just two of us, we split a salad, and I didn't even order a drink. The gluten free pasta was overcooked, mushy and the mushrooms tasted weird. Not going there again. So disappointed. Don't charge gluten free people extra!! read more

Nice upgrade of the menu. Excellent dining experience overall. The staff were very helpful and attentive. The ambiance is cozy and relaxing. Live soft music playing is a nice touch. read more

Amelia’s By the Sea - Italian Near Me - Spring Lake, New Jersey

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