Delicious food, very nice ambiance, and impeccable service! When the waiter described one of the specials, it brought back memories of a similar dish I cooked to impress a young lady while in college 30 years ago! read more

My girlfriend and I recently visited Albivi Brick Oven in Millstone for the first time, and unfortunately, it will also be our last. We typically enjoy an early Saturday dinner so we can spend a quiet evening together. When we arrived, the restaurant was nearly empty, so we were looking forward to a relaxing meal. Unfortunately, our experience started on the wrong foot. Our waiter greeted us without a smile and seemed unfriendly throughout the evening. We ordered appetizers, but no appetizer plates were provided. We had to ask for them because it appeared we were expected to use the small bread plates. After finishing our appetizers, the dirty dishes remained on our table for quite a while, even though the restaurant was empty. We ended up drinking our wine while looking at dirty plates waiting to be cleared. The biggest disappointment came later. A couple arrived with two young children, and despite the restaurant having plenty of empty tables, they were seated directly behind my girlfriend. One child was running around on the floor while the other repeatedly banged on the booths and walls. We have children ourselves and truly enjoy being around families, so this is not a complaint about kids. The issue was that there were many other seating options available, including another dining room with other families, yet they were seated immediately next to us in an otherwise quiet dining area. When the noise continued to escalate, I politely spoke with our waiter and explained the situation. His response was simply, "What do you want me to do?" I then asked to speak with the owner, but the owner never came out to address our concerns. By that point, we had eaten only about half of our meals. We asked for the check, and only then did the waiter offer to move us. Unfortunately, by then the evening had already been ruined. We paid our bill, left the rest of our dinners behind, and left the restaurant. This wasn't the children's fault. Children will be children. The disappointment was in how the situation was handled. When customers are spending well over $100 for dinner in a restaurant that is nearly empty, they expect a pleasant dining experience and attentive customer service. A simple decision to seat the family elsewhere or a willingness to address our concern promptly could have completely changed the outcome. It's unfortunate because the restaurant itself is attractive, and the food was good. However, good food alone cannot overcome poor service and a lack of consideration for the overall dining experience. Sadly, we will not be returning. read more

We there for the first time and were pleasantly surprised. It's located in a strip mall in Marlboro, but once you walk in, you would not know the location. It is decorated like a NYC restaurant, very contemporary and bright. The owners Colleen and Joe Pisacreta were both very welcoming. The service was very professional and Ray did an excellent job explaining the specials to us. The busboy came around a few times to make sure we had everything we needed and Ray was on top of the clean silverware. We all started off with the house salad that comes with the main meal and warm bread. The salad was very fresh and cold. I ordered Shrimp Fra Diavolo over Linguine. My husband and another guest had Linguini with White Clam Sauce and other guests had Chicken and Veal Parmigiana. At the end of the meal, some of us had coffee, cappuccino and 2 desserts of Tartufo. The homemade cream served with the Tartufo was creamy and delicious. Being that we all came upon a recommendation of one of our friends, they came and gave us biscotti with their homemade cannoli filling. At the end of the meal, the owner/chef, Joe came to our table to say hello and chatted with us a bit. He wanted to make sure that we were happy with our meals and service. read more

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Excellent service and amazing food. Ambiance is perfect for a family dinner or a date night. We will be visiting again.

There's a beautiful new Italian restaurant in Marlboro called Amorina, brought to us by the former owners of Il Giardinello in Toms River -- and it's absolutely worth checking out! The interior is all brand new, elegant, and aesthetically pleasing -- the kind of place that feels both upscale and welcoming the moment you walk in. Every detail has been thoughtfully done, and you can truly feel the love that goes into this restaurant. I started off with the Shrimp Amorina appetizer, which was so flavorful and perfectly cooked. The Pasta Fagioli was warm, cozy, and comforting -- exactly what you want on a cool fall evening. For my entrée, I was torn between a few options but ultimately chose the Grouper Oreganata special -- and I'm so glad I did! The grouper was tender and buttery, served alongside shrimp oreganata -- a delicious, light yet satisfying dish. I also sampled the Chicken Scarpariello, which was a generous portion and such a perfect cozy fall plate. Dessert was a true highlight -- a trio of sweetness featuring a crisp cannoli, a pistachio ricotta cake, and a fantastic homemade tiramisu. Everything was fresh, authentic, and made with care. Portions are generous, service is warm, and every dish feels crafted with love by Chef Joe. Since this is a brand-new spot, I highly recommend giving Amorina a try and supporting this local gem. Don't miss their Grand Opening Celebration on November 9th from 12-3 PM! read more

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Went there with my 10 yr old son we ordered a fried calamari and a chicken parm dinner the manager told me there is a $12 sharing fee charge since i was sharing an appetizer and dinner with my son What a disgrace. make sure you look at the "fake" little sticker at the bottom of the menu and check your bill for this scam read more

A lovely place inside but so disappointing. Fried Calamari app was under fried and mushy inside. The buffalo mozz salad was good. Dinner was again a undercooked mushy flounder marechiara. The other 3 dishes ordered was enjoyed by the party. Service wa fine and the owners are the chef and hostess. They are gracious hosts. . read more

This place is fairly new. We went there on a recommendation from a friend and we were looking to try something new. The owner greeted us and was extremely friendly and accommodating as we did not have reservations and all the tables were full. The food was excellent. We ordered Chicken Parm, pasta bolognese, and chicken Frances's over linguini. All 3 dishes were delicious and the portions were plentiful. The service was superb. The atmosphere was really nice despite the restaurant being on the smaller side, they managed to utilize the space in a very good way. I would recommend this place to anyone seeking really good traditional Italian and looking for something new. read more

Food was very tasty! Good portions! Had veal chop parm excellent. Chief pasta special was great. read more

We dined here the other evening from the beautiful ambiance inside to the delectable food and wonderful wait staff everything was 5 stars plus. We had a hint of what to expect since we frequented their other establishment in toms river years ago. They have gone all out with the place and it's our new go to. Chef Joe is amazing as always and we had such a fun night all around! Reasonable prices for the quality of the food that we had! Cannot wait to return! read more

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I have been to this place three times in the last four weeks. It is spectacular. The food comes out piping hot and plentiful worth the trip. Best Italian food I've had in years. read more

After a wonderful dinner at Amorina a few weeks ago, we decided to cater our Christmas party from them this past weekend. Everything was EXCELLENT! We started with baby lambchops and baked clams. Delicious and cooked perfectly! For dinner we had rigatoni with vodka sauce and chicken parmigiana, both amazing. In addition to the food quality and skills of the chef, we have to comment on the service we received from Amanda, (hostess) and Joe (owner). I can't thank them enough for their responsiveness, flexibility and professionalism. We will most certainly be going back, and use them again for our next party! Thank you! read more

Made a 5:30 reservation for a Friday evening, for 2 people. We were seated right away. It's a small place and there appeared to be only 2 tables for 2; both poorly located. I was told (when I made the reservation) to mention that it was my first time dining there. Since the owner was seating us, he saw our displeasure with the 2 tables available to us and offered us a booth. That was very nice of him. (It wasn't that crowded, and other booths/tables never filled up near us). Unfortunately, the booth seat was so low, that the table came up to my upper chest. I had to roll my coat up into a ball and sit on it to get some height. I didn't order any appetizer, however, my spouse chose the lentil soup. He prefers a thick soup, so this was not to his liking. The owner brought us a small plate of olives and beans. I don't know if that comes on a regular basis, or because it was our first visit, but that was a nice touch. The meals came with a small side salad and that was nice to have. I ordered the penne arrabiata. It was tasty, but very "soupy". Hubby ordered the braised short ribs. It came with a side order of mashed potatoes. He said that the ribs were tough and tasteless and would not order that again, if we were to return. To complete our first experience, we ordered dessert. The menu had lots of choices, but very pricey. We'll probably try it again, and see if things are more agreeable to us. read more

Colleen and Joe are just amazing, their hospitality towards all the diners was terrific, as they made their way through the tables. They made us all feel like family. From the time you walk in. I had the fish special and my wife had the Veal Parm along with Clams Oreganato as an appetizer which you need to dip your bread into the sauce. All the food was delicious and large portions, plan on a doggie bag. We look forward to going back. The restaurant itself you wouldn't have known that a pizzeria was in the space prior to the complete renovation of the store. Its strictly a restaurant and in my opinion its going to be a successful one. Check it out read more

My wife and I went to Amorina this past Saturday night with friends. The food, atmosphere, and staff were amazing. We had a delightful conversation with the owner Colleen and wished them well with this new location. Highly recommend. read more

So glad I stumbled upon this restaurant. We went to II Giardenella for years in Toms River. So glad Joe & Colleen are back! I think the food is better than ever! read more