We had dinner at Bocca last night for the second time this month. Once again, everything was so delicious and enjoyed by all. The new chef is a huge asset to Bocca. read more

Great coal fired pizza. I have eaten here many times and it has always been very good. Tonight my wife and I ordered pasta dishes. Shrimp and broccoli for her and flounder and with crab for me. Extremely good, well balanced with a garlic and white wine sauce. The overall meal was priced reasonably. They staff is and has been very friendly. Howard and Ryan were tending bar and they pour a good glass of wine. The Jazz music was very nice. The French Dip is new and great! read more

Bocca Coal Fired Bistro - French Dip Sandwich - Italian Near Me - Margate, New Jersey

Best meal we've had our entire stay. Not sure how it could have such poor reviews by others. Staff was great. Food was good. Prime rib special was excellent. Really nice part of town. Was refreshing to leave junky Atlantic City to come over for dinner. Would recommend read more

I have no idea what the ambiance or service is like, but the food is delicious. Lenny took his time to make a delicious seafood pasta dish for my birthday and it was greatly appreciated. He also brought home pizza and it was amazing both cold and hot. The crust was spot on, which is what pizza's all about. Thank you, Lenny. You are definitely appreciated! read more

Great atmosphere & Outstanding Food! Will definitely visit again! The employees were very attentive! Love this place!

Hope it's just the take out like this but this was probably the worst burger and fries I've ever had in my life. The burger was wet and soggy and seemed like they dipped my fries in glass of water before putting them in the tray. Even if you took the wet and soggy part out of the equation the food had no flavor whatsoever. A burnt hockey puck tastes better than that. read more

This restaurant is a roller coaster of reviews. Many bad experiences are mentioned with some mediocre experiences. I have been to Boca several times since my last review and was not pleased with my meal but did not put up a Yelp review. I heard that they changed Chefs a few times and recently got a new one. (not sure if this information is factual). I came here again with a group hoping I would like my meal selection. We ordered Cao E Pepe, Hack salad, several pizzas, Caesar salad with chicken and Chicken parmesan. Everyone was satisfied with their selection. Cao E Pepe is a difficult dish to make properly and they nailed it. Very well done. Boca is always packed with people when I visit and seems to b a popular Margate sports bar with some good live music. Average price/value relationship read more

We have eaten at Bocca over many years since they've first opened their doors. HOWEVER... This review is in reference to their "take-out" or "to-go" SERVICE. My husband, orders, on average, once a week, a plain burger: w/ sautéed onions, med. rare. and, fries on the side. He ASKS for NOTHING else on his burger ... preferring NO ketchup, tomatoes, lettuce or cheese. Emphasis on NO CHEESE!! Each time it's been ordered , he has had to call back to RETURN the order ( 50 per cent of the time!! ) because they ADD the CHEESE! Invariably, the manager has said, in the past, "next time you come in, LMK and I'll cover your cost. BUT my husband, doesn't EVER take him up on the offer. But, TONIGHT after they delivered his meal ( again, with cheese, and they forgot the sautéed onions! They returned, WITH a new burger, it had no cheese & AGAIN they did not deliver the additional sautéed onions! SERIOUSLY?? They need to improve their performance. FROM order-taking, to the finished product, to the notes in the kitchen ... somewhere along the way there's a break-down in communication. Customers should NOT have to call consistently to re-order wrongly delivered meals!! My rating is based on this poor performance, on the SAME repeated mistake on several different occasions! read more

Bocca Coal Fired Bistro - Caprese Salad tasted fresh and the balsamic glaze added just the right savory flavor! - Italian Near Me - Margate, New Jersey

Ordered cheesesteak a/k/aThe Great Josh" and it will be my last! Meat was tough and not up to par... Mentioned to waiter but that is as far as it went... read more

It pains me after a dinner out instead of sitting smiling and being satiated that I have to take to Yelp to vent about an abysmal dining experience. But this one was the worst I've had in a long time. First of all, no greetings or specials were offered other than to be flatly told that outdoor dining would not be an option. Then came the salad. The paltry portion of lettuce was jarring, not fit for an adult rabbit. Leaving the restaurant feeling satiated was starting to look like an increasingly remote possibility. Then the cheesesteak. Unlike friends of mine, I am no cheesesteak snob, and I tend to refrain from participating in the perennial parlor game about "Which is the best cheesesteak?" But this cheesesteak's meat was partially raw. And when the waitress was made aware of this fact, her indifference was concerning and disheartening. "What do you want me to do? [one Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi] Take it back?" That might have been a start. What eventually came back had astonishingly little meat on it, congealed cheese, and would not have been edible to anyone who had eaten within a week. The entire time we were hounded to order another round of beers even though we had declined to do so no fewer than four times. $59 for scraps of partially cooked food. I had no choice but to stop at a convenience store on the walk back, and the $2.29 yogurt I reluctantly selected from the dairy case there became the culinary highlight of a truly disappointing evening. read more

Beware worst visit ever. Visited in past great this time onions in soup had skins on and could not be chewed. I don't like eating out pulling food from my mouth could have chocked. Management's response horrible and did not care. read more

Any place with daily happy hour from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM is a-okay in my book! We joined our friends here for a late afternoon happy hour on a rainy Saturday. The restaurant was busy! There was a birthday party in a section of the main dining room, and the bar area was lively. The Preakness was going to be broadcast at the bar, so that likely increased the traffic. We were able to land a nice four-top in the bar section. Two things I loved off the bat - the bartender was able to make me a decaf Espresso Martini, and their house Pinot Noir was simply delicious. The happy hour menu was extensive, and we sampled a little bit of everything - cheesesteak egg rolls, buffalo tails (tenders), mussels, hummus, and some Cape May Salts (my favorite). Our server was an absolute doll. I cannot recall her name for the life of me, but she had long red hair and she checked in on us regularly. We could tell she valued her guests' experiences. She deserves accolades and a raise! There is a funny sign behind the bar that read "Welcome Eagles Fans - New York fans please use the back door". Of course. my Philadelphia sports fanatic husband had to put me on blast for being a New York sports fan, but our server chuckled and said I was welcome regardless. So, take THAT! Really fun time and a great place to catch up with friends! read more

Bocca Coal Fired Bistro - I was welcome anyway! :) - Italian Near Me - Margate, New Jersey

We were a table of six, in town for work. 50 minutes after ordering, no food. Hadn't seen the server since we placed our order. Server finally appears, we inquire about our order and are told it's coming right out. 15 minutes later still no food (it's now in excess of an hour since we ordered). We ask for the bill and to have the food boxed to go and we were promised it was coming right out. Waited another 15 minutes before it appears and we are assured it's all in the bags (five entree specials and a side). Manager (?) takes $50 off of our bill which was appreciated. We get to our work site and discover the side is missing so I called the restaurant and ask to be refunded for the missing item. The person I spoke with apologized and promised it would be refunded (check and table number were provided). Once again, empty promises. This was my first visit and sadly the last. read more

We were party of six this past Sunday, and had catering Saturday. My wife ordered well done burger, that she sent back twice.....as raw both times. She ordered a Caesar Salad after 2nd attempt still raw. Of course, the charge for the burger was taken off the bill. What was shocking was the charge for the salad on the bill. Twice, we asked the Manager to remove the salad from the bill. His reply was "you ordered it". He was asked whether that is a good decision, and commented we'll agree to disagree. So, for the cost of a $12.00 salad, I'm taking the $ 1,000 to $ 1,200 per year I've spent at Bocca over the past 8 years to Robert's or the many other dining establishments in Margate and Ventnor. Someone please give the manager a book on appropriate customer service. read more

How is this place still in business after so many poor ratings? The Bocca has sub-par food, typical for the NJ Shore. The service is surely, like the Bartender doesn't want to be there. She, the bartender literally stared as us and then turned around to we guess to speak to one of her friends. Actually, this was no big deal until 5 minutes later, she still did not approach us? The food pretty much is "Sysco" trash being resold for premium pricing. No, my money will be spent somewhere with a friendlier staff with better food. read more

Food is fair at best. Cold onion soup. Undercooked pizza. Waitress had a hard time following instructions (cocktail on the rocks came out without ice and salad with dressing on the side came out with dressing on it). Overall just a disappointing experience. read more

Don't order takeout. They NEVER get the order right. I was delivered raw burgers, and salads that are always missing most of the ingredients. read more

Great crowd, so much fun! Loved all ordered food, yummy. Great staff very clean establishment. See you soon.

Would never order from here again I ordered 2 pizzas from here the girl on the phone took my address down wrong a hour later I call back she says that I gave the wrong address I said you have caller ID correct you couldn't call my phone. She says I called your number and it was out of service mind you a number that I have had for 25 years then the owner is so rude and says that it is my mistake address this place is a joke not to mention. I've eaten here before the food is not that tasty. It's either overcooked or undercooked. It's just usually the fastest place to go, but I will never come here again. The staff is so ignorant from the girl that answers the phone all the way up to the owner steer clear of this one I actually never read their reviews until today. They have horrible reviews. If I had read this from the beginning, I wouldn't have come here to start with. read more

My turn. 1st time. I was impressed with the service it was perfect actually. Now the food, we ordered the casinos but they were out...sad. Server didn't know they were out. So we ordered Calamari, it was good but nothing special like I was hoping for after a price tag that it was one of a kind 5 stars. The beef dip was really good but needed salt. I ordered a custom pizza coal fired and it was excellent I was happy. Now the drinks were excellent and we were outside sitting because we asked for it and it was gorgeous out with a wonderful ocean breeze and the are was beautiful. I will come back only reason not giving 4 stars is the food is over priced. read more

Bocca Coal Fired Bistro - Pizza, sausage, peppers, mushroom and long fire roasted long hots! So good coal fired - Italian Near Me - Margate, New Jersey

grabbed a quick dinner at Bocca a couple nights ago! We ordered specials & had great service. Everything came out good and fast!

Came here for the Super Bowl. Food was good, service was great. Started with an appetizer- bruschetta. My only complaint is there is SO MUCH tomato and not enough bread. It kept falling off my pieces. If I had another piece of bread to put it all on it would be great. Dinner (eggplant parm) was good, husband got a chicken sandwich and liked it. Drinks were great. Server was really kind, attentive, suggested things when asked. read more

I wanted to take my whole family out for a nice dinner we first order drinks for adults, the drink came out with no alcohol in it, and it took around 20 more minutes for them to come out with a shot for it. Then around an hour later a pizza finally comes out cold, without the ranch that was ordered with it. It takes around 20 more minutes just to get ranch which they later charge us for. The rest of the food came out around 15 minutes later, the food barely had any taste on the calamari, Philly cheesesteak, and meatball sub. We were very disappointed with this whole experience so we asked for the manager, the manager took 25 more minutes to come out, and was very uncooperative and wouldn't listen to what we were trying to communicate with him. read more

I had dinner with my spouse and brother in law last Sunday night at Bocca under the tent. It's a pretty decent setup given the circumstances. They even had a singer or chanteuse which was very nice and for a change not blasting my already degenerating hearing. On this Sunday they had some scallop specials which included soup or salad, coffee and dessert. My wife and brother in law had the scallops and they were seared and cooked well. They were quite good. I chose the steamed clams and they were fine, the broth was good but they were a little on the gritty side. Bocca has a pretty large menu. Service was pretty good all night especially since it was late. The staff did a great job wearing masks and in addition, menus were contactless. There was a barcode you could scan and all menu options were available on your phone! 3.5 Yelp stars for Bocca read more

Bocca Coal Fired Bistro - Outdoor dining - Italian Near Me - Margate, New Jersey

very slow very dark nobody helpful waited 10 minutes for a waiter, order food and drinks immediately, and then waited over an hour for food read more

Pizza was great Service medium Since we did not have a reservation they acted like they could not seat us even though was mid week and there were plenty of open tables. Also be aware of service charge for credit card. read more

This spot was recommended to me by multiple friends. Every dish ordered was delicious. Arancini, garlic knots, garlic Parmesan risotto, chicken parmigiana, thin slice Sicilian pizza, and ravioli. All fresh and tasted like some of the best I've ever had. I can't wait to go back! read more

Average food. Super expensive for what it is. And AFTER you pay with a credit card there is a 3.8% extra charge! This is, and has always been a cost of doing business which now comes out of the waiter's pocket. I will not return. I will gladly spend my $ elsewhere read more

This outdoor larger patio is great and I hope it stays post covid. I know the neighbours have been complaining about the noise so it doesn't open past like 9/10pm. Thus, u must go inside - party poopers. But nothing crazy, not remarkable - solid bar food and pizza with HH everyday starting at 6pm. Come hang out with large groups at the bar on your way back from the beach on the main strip. read more

The hack salad is my favorite thing on the entire menu. So fresh and light but also the perfect amount of food.

Nothing can ever replace the Margate Pub. However, Bocca is a close 2nd. It's been around awhile and I've dined in a few times. Service was subpar for both, but the food, prices, and atmosphere made up for it. Has a big bar ready for the next big fight or game and cannot accommodate large parties near TVs too. Not bad for down da shore. Food: -Chicken Park you taste so good. Very good choice if you can't decide from their bible of a menu. -White Pizza with broccoli. Do not recommend unless you ask for well done. Found out about this well after we got the pizza. Very doughy; almost flat bread-esk. -U Peel shrimp. Must order. Very flavorful and fresh. Drink: -Ordered a bottle of Monkey Bay ($28) Best bet rather than paying 8+/glass. If I'm not into sushi or seafood down da shore, I'm hitting up this joint. No reservation needed on a busy weekend as they have plenty of tables. Our group of 5 were seated within seconds. I'll be back Bocca. read more

Bocca Coal Fired Bistro - Shrimp U-peel. - Italian Near Me - Margate, New Jersey

This place is usually solid but I'm not sure what happened this time. The busboy or whoever it was that was training (he was really young) seemed so confused and sat us at a super dirty table outside with no menus or anything. Eventually we got a menu and the table cleaned after we complained and our waitress was really sweet and bubbly. Food was good, drinks were blah. Not sure if it's because of covid times, but somethings lacking. I would come again, but maybe sit inside because it seemed very chaotic with outside seating. read more

Bocca Coal Fired Bistro - Mussels and Pizza Salad - Italian Near Me - Margate, New Jersey

Nothing wrong with this great bistro; From opening to closing The choices and flavors and personalities are exceptional; Especially on Wednesday, when Bob Sterling brings the soul of his jazz accomplishment playing and singer songwriting for his lifetime here "down the shore" listen or dance like I often do, especially when Robin or Andy compliment him ! Great bartenders and attentive staff everyone works together to keep you fed and fueled ; in season and out it stayed open during Sandy , I'm not kidding , they are keepers! read more

Came for happy hour, which seems to be offered throughout most of the actual day. Just a note, the happy hour prices aren't such a good deal, compared to the regular menu; it's only a dollar or two cheaper. I will say that it is a bit pricy here, but the food is good quality, so you get what you pay for. The 12" Nonas Pizza is your basic Margherita Pizza, but it's very good nevertheless. The Spicy Buffalo Wings had a nice kick to them, and tasty. We also tried the Gorgonzola Chicken Salad, which just a heads up, the chicken that is used is more like a deli-style chicken salad, rather than grilled chicken. I thought it was good, but for some reason, I thought it would have been grilled chicken, and was a bit disappointed to see it wasn't. This place has plenty of options, I'd want to come back and try more. Food (B+), Pricing (D), Atmosphere (B), Service (B) read more

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Went to see the Jazz band on Wednesday night and it was very enjoyable. The service was also good but the bartender never told the waitress that our beer was no longer on-tap so we waited longer for our beers to arrive. The food wasn't as good as I had hoped, so next time we'll order a pizza which they are known for. I ordered the Sesame Ahi tuna. The tuna was cooked ok but didn't have much of a sear. There was plenty of rice, but it was basically just plain rice. The broccoli was good. My wife had the crabby eggplant which she couldn't eat. She ate some of the linguine and pieces of the eggplant, but she said it was too tough. It was a large portion so we brought it home for leftovers because I wanted to try it. I tried it and discovered she was absolutely right, the eggplant was like chewing leather. I'm assuming it was the skin, but it made much of the eggplant inedible. Also, I really didn't taste any crab. read more

Tried this place for the first time. We arrived at the right time, no wait, and plenty of seats to choose from. Service was very good with an attentive waiter. He asked all the right questions: is everything alright? Can I get you another drink? Do you need a box? Anything for dessert? We don't always get that when we go out. Nice atmosphere and the bar was doing good business. I've read other reviews here before posting this. My experience was the opposite of the bad reviews. Maybe it was the time others arrived or they got a waitress/chef on a bad day... whatever. Of course, before I give anyone a 5 rating, they need consistency. Given this initial visit, I plan on returning. read more

Was very pleased with the food here. We had a party of 9. Angie was our server and was was wonderful. Dry rubbed wings me and hubby split were amazing! Tender and juicy and fall off the bone. Some pizzas, calzones, salads and veal Parms were around the table and everyone enjoyed their food. Just had a few small issues with the food, but it was fixed! read more

This was my first ever outdoor dining experience since COVID (late to the game) and let me tell you, I did not know how to act. Staff did a great job wearing masks and in addition, menus were contactless. There was a barcode you could scan and all menu options were available on your phone! There were loads of options to choose from but sometimes, I hate when the menu is as long as a book. Right then you know the food is going to be average. Anyway, I was excited to eat out so that was not going to stop me. We ordered as follows; Appetizers: - half a dozen oysters - roasted garlic scallops (sooooo good) Main: - Chicken Milano (Chicken was a bit dry) - Flounder with crab (flounder was tasty) - Crabby eggplant (Hefty portion, too heavy for me) I understand we are living in uncertain times but regardless of the food, tracking down our waitress was very difficult. It took her long to come to our table to take our orders, and very long to pay for our bill. Great place for drinks but that's about it. Food is pretty pricing for what it is. Check out my post on @gutinmybelly. read more

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Lost my faith in humanity after this experience, upon stumbling upon this restaurant on Google, and looking at its overall good rating (4.2) and intriguing menu, I decided to go with my girl. Atmosphere is the only decent thing about Boccas, the waitress was decent but didn't seem to know things about the menu. The cocktails weren't that bad, we ordered the red mussels and the prosciutto & arugula pizza. The experience went from meh to hellish nightmare as soon as our mussels were put on our table. The first muscle I ate actually tasted good, but just as fast as my hopes had risen, they had come crashing down. Sandy, dirty and lazily prepared mussels is what they had served us for Mussel Monday. Some mussels had been closed, most likely dead before cooked. Also found multiple pea crabs in a few mussel shells, yes it happens but it can be prevented with care. Not much else to add there, a gross appetizer to start us off. And just as I thought this horrid experience couldn't get worse, our frankestein of a pizza had arrived. Smelling something awful, I hesitantly started digging into the pie, where I quickly realized I was eating cardboard & arugula with prosciutto being the savior. Over-cooked, too much arugula, not over exaggerating, it was covered with a ton of arugula, slim pickings for the prosciutto and completely bland. After thinking the worst had been over, I noticed something that nearly made me hurl. Somebody seemed to have the amazing idea of adding roasted garlic CLOVES to the pizza, I didn't think the menu was literal, maybe just garlic cooked in with the sauce and or pizza, but no, literally CHUNKS of roasted garlic CLOVES on the pie. I couldn't bear the smell or the thought of biting into one of those so I needed to quickly evacuate, s.o.s, told my girl let's get the hell out of here, got the check. After paying my kidney and my girls right arm we had left. On the ride home, the mussels started to give me nausea. As I was contemplating my life, the cold sweats started to kick in. I had a feeling as if the mussels were coming alive, like the aliens from the ALIEN franchise, and ready to burst out of my stomach at any moment. After the traumatic experience we wound up making it to our motel safe, thankfully. This was the moment that I realized I must become a food critic and to try and save potential victims from these poorly run and managed restaurants, that people seem to give slack to, when in reality, darwinism should have axed them a long time ago.. so please head my warnings of this place and steer clear, and to those that enjoy it, please open your eyes to the truth. Be careful out there, ratings lie and people turn a blind eye. read more

Atmosphere is cool, waitress was nice. Other than that, not a good experience. We ordered the French onion soup for starters, very bland. We got the Habanero chicken tenders, not sure how you can mess up chicken tenders but it tasted stale and the sauce was below average. My friend got the vodka penne, it literally tasted like nothing even after we tried to save it with some salt and pepper. The steak was tough, and most of it tasted just of charcoal. I couldn't finish my food even though I was starving, could barely take a few bites. Broccoli was the only okay thing. Cheesecake for dessert, again, pretty below average. For the prices I would have expected the chef to put a little more effort on their food. Not sure if the kitchen tastes the food they put out, but I was very disappointed. For the owner/chef reading this, you can do better. At least try. I'd rather go to a Chili's or an Applebee's any day read more