Excellent restaurant with exceptional service and food! It is decorated beach chic but slightly…read moreelevated. 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.

Planned to go to Judy's for a date night with wifey. Made a reservation over two weeks in advance…read morefor 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.

Our first visit to Dolce Fantasia, and it will not be the last. My wife and I attended the Beer,…read moreWine and Spirits event in Asbury earlier in the day and decided to stay in town for an early dinner. Even though they only opened at 5pm, there was already a lively crowd at 5:30. We started with Polpettine Di Pollo, organic chicken meatballs with bell pepper, garlic, spinach and pomodoro. The order was large and delicious! Piping hot as well. Carol chose the Pappardelle al Telephono Nostro, house made pasta, mozzarella, tomato-cream sauce and fresh basil. this was a large order and my wife loved it. I chose the Tortelloni alla Bergamasca, veal tortellini with black truffle and rosemary veal reduction. Excellent as well! Dessert consisted. of a shared Pistachio Creme Brulee that was perfect. The restaurant is BYOB and I recommend making a reservation. Our server, Khrystna, was superb

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.

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!

This is such a cute cozy spot for a date night ! They have something for everyone as they offer a…read morevegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options. You also have the BYOB option however don't you worry if you forget your wine they have a few options on the menu. Our favorite was the Suppli which is like an Arancini with a spicy red sauce. The artichokes had a nice crunch however we weren't a fan of the sauce it came with (Thankfully it was in the side). Our favorite pasta was the Al Tartufo, they don't skimp on the cheese or the truffles! The Zucca e Noci was our least favorite. The brown butter sauce was over powering and the tiny pieces of butternut squash made you feel cheated however the walnuts added a nice texture . Overall the pasta (Gnocchi and Fusilli) was fresh as expected and had a nice bite. We will definetly go back to try other options!

I came here for an anniversary dinner and it did not disappoint! The apps were a generous portion,…read morebut the star of the show was definitely the bread with the three dipping sauces (so good I have literally come back just for that!). We also loved the mains. The pastas were a huge portion and had good al dente pasta and the dessert was such a nice touch to end the meal. Overall good attentive service and solid Italian food!

I had to be out overnight on business and I had heard about this restaurant and all I can say is…read morethat this is an experience! I didn't have an issue getting a reservation as it is winter and it is in a shore town. I arrived early, probably about 4:45 . At first, I was a little taken her back because I stood there waiting while the young lady was on the phone so I was standing in there a while, but once she was done, she led me to a table and from there everything was incredible. Let's start off with the fact that it is so tastefully decorated for the holiday season. I absolutely loved it. It was very clean very classic. Now onto the drinks. The wine menu was amazing. I settled on a glass of Pinot Grigio and then after dinner I tried one of their pistachio martinis, which was absolute heaven in a martini glass. I actually even ordered a second one because I don't know when I will ever get back down here I loved the bread service. It came with not just classic olive oil, but there was whipped ricotta cheese, and there was also some capers and olives, which were absolutely delicious. I started with the house salad. The presentation and the taste were absolutely amazing. I then had the halibut which was out of this world it was cooked perfectly . The flavor was amazing and then for dessert I had their special mini Zeppoli's half filled with Nutella and half filled with cannoli cream. I don't usually eat like this, but I figured I would treat myself for once and I enjoyed every moment of it and I cannot wait for the time when I can go back here

Solid restaurant. Came here for a birthday party we were probably the loudest in the restaurant but…read moreit wasn't too packed on a Saturday night. The chef was able to make my meal GF and switch out the sauce. They offer GF pasta too but I got risotto instead. Mussels were cooked perfectly and the chicken parm looked incredible

The food and service were okay. The Ravioli Bolognese is on the saltier side, eat it with the bread…read morethey serve. While the shrimp belmonte was okay. Then it's not as busy you can see how the waiters and waitress start to slack off. You see them chilling in the corner with their phones. One of the waitress was just chilling in the woman's bathroom by the door on her phone. I understand everyone deserves a break but don't like customers see it. My table waited for them so they can just ring the cc so we can leave. It got to the point we didn't want to wait anymore so we walked to the register instead.

I had not dined here in a few years. Went early last evening with a friend…read more Ambiance is pleasant, old school Italian. Service by Bernadette was attentive and friendly. My friend had a couple of cocktails, I had wine. We started sharing mussels; tasty. For entrees, we had sole and stuffed shrimp. Everything delicious. Will return in near future.

The waitress was "abrupt". When the food arrived she handed everyone's plate to the nearest person…read moreand was told to pass it on all while reaching over my head. The food was nothing special.It was incredibly loud and we were unable to have normal conversation. We misread the bill amount, completely by accident, and we were paying cash. Her words to us were " you shorted me". The shorted amount was her "gratuity". Not a place I would visit again.

Totally delightful. My wife and grandson went yesterday. The food was a little off beat but…read moreexcellent. The service was attentive and caring. It was a very pleasant surprise because we hadn't been to Asbury in a long time. And we only live minutes from it. We will be going back for lunch. The place reminded me of a restaurant in Boston where I ate when in law school there in the 60's

I fall more in love with this place each time I go!…read more Grabbed a Vegan Cesar and vegan hot honey pizza. Unreal! The Cesar salad was amazing - I'll be dreaming of it the next visit. The pizza, as always, a FAVORITE. Truly the best place ever!!!

Went in for a quick bite and had a great experience. The ambiance is really nice, the staff was…read moresuper friendly, and we ended up sitting at the bar. We ordered a Margherita pizza and were genuinely impressed, perfectly cheesy with a sauce that was right on point. We also had the kale Caesar salad with shrimp, which was absolutely amazing. The bartender was handling everything on his own, making drinks for both the bar and tables while also keeping things clean...so major credit to him. Hopefully he's well compensated for all that hard work! Overall, if you're in the area, it's definitely worth checking out.

Came here for dinner with friends in June. I love that they have open windows for an inside/outside…read morevibe. We were there on a Thursday around 5pm and were served quickly. They have a good happy hour menu, which included amazing chicken parm sliders. They were my favorite out of all that we ordered! We also had calamari, spicy penne with chicken, and a pizza. All had good flavors. The spicy penne was a little too spicy for our group, but overall had good flavors

I've been here a handful of times and have always had an enjoyable experience. Sitting on the back…read moreporch with live music is the best spot to dine but Porta can get pretty busy. I've sat at both the outdoor and indoor bar to avoid waiting for a table and never had an issue with the service. Even when there has been issues (forgotten order, long wait times, etc.), the staff is very considerate and definitely rectifies the issue. Love everything I've tried from here but I always come back for the Three Trees Salad and the 14 1/2 Pizza.

Visited with family tonight to celebrate my daughter's 16th birthday. Our waitress was wonderful,…read morefriendly and attentive. Food was ok but what really ruined the evening was this rude little manager. As we were closing out a very nice night and after paying our tab, the manager approaches and tells me we need to leave, he needs to turn the table and we've been there for 2 1/2hours. I get it, but to embarrass a family that was obviously finishing the evening and had just spent $1,000 is unconscionable. Customer service should be your goal. Please rid yourselves of this little troll before it's too late. No, unfortunately we will not return.

Food is delicious, and the service is friendly and attentive…read more I very much recommend visiting Skratch Kitchen and, I'm sure you will become a regular customer.

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.