Worst italian dinner i/ve had in a long time.very merigan. was expecting something that my 1st generation grandma would make instead worse then Olive Garden.we were seated at a FOLDING CARD TABLE with a table cloth.This is not high end dining.for the price they charge expected much better.I order spaghetti and meatballs and my wife had Osso Bucci.My meatballs were MICROWAVED sponge balls and pasta lukewarm and gritty.i doubt the pasta was homemade if it was it wasn't made that day.The osso bucci was 90% bone 5%fat and gristle and 5% edible meat.I had better meatballs the night before at The Mellow Mushroom.for dessert i ordered the brownie SUNDAE.so the waiter brings me a nice LONG sundae spoon.i expect a nice tall sundae glass.is that what i got NOOOOO!! I get a flat plate with a boiling hot microwaved brownie with a tiny scoop of ice cream on it.I felt silly eating it with such a long spoon but at that point i just wanted to get out of there.finally time to pay the bill and the server says they are having a raffle for dinner gift card.she says they are out of tickets and then rips up some paper and takes our info.we both hoped we don't win the the raffle.we were very disappointed had expected a much better experience.i would avoid this place.if you want a nice ITALIAN experience try VILLA AMALFE. read more

We are at this lovely restaurant in Tom's River last night with my parents, who are recent transplants from Long Island to South Jersey. We have had difficulty finding really good places to eat in that area...but no more. The service was excellent...the food delicious. I had lobster ravioli...my husband, a stuffed pork chop...and my parents both had filet mignonette. Not an enormous menu but a wide enough variety that we all found something we liked. The atmosphere is warm and cozy. We will definitely go back! read more

Visited over a half dozen restaraunts before deciding on this one for a family birthday party. We weren't disappointed. From beginning to end, everything went great. The food was amazing! The service was very attentive. Maria & David did everything possible to make our party a memorable one. We'd book with them again in a heartbeat! read more

Good food &good sevice . More for a night out alone then take kids . You will be very happy

If you are looking for an American Italian restaurant this is not the place. This restaurant is right out of Sicily! From the ambiance to the presentation of the food. The portions are exactly as they should be...not super sized like here in the states. Staff is friendly and attentive and the food is exceptional. This has become our "go to" place for home cooked traditional meals! read more

WOW finally a casual place byob that knows how to cook Italian..The chef and family from Brooklyn and know how to prepare a meal.Excellent food ,service is very good.Fresh pasta made daily.Desserts were all fresh and homemade... the cannoli and creme brulee were so good we also took additional oresers home for my family to try..probably one of the to 3 restaurants in Toms River read more

I usually do not write negative reviews but for this place I will make an exception. General environment was OK.. Jumping to the food. APP. was the Calamari: Although a bit over cooked it was prepared with red onions, marinated peppers and a basil reduction poured over. This was delicious! Only suggestion here is that they remove the stems and hard pointed pepper leaves which made it difficult to eat. These pieces made it a chore to eat and eventually may choke someone. SOUP: The pasta fagioli was not remarkable. More like a canned soup with some beans and pasta cooked in. MAIN COURSE: I chose the Osso Bucco. I say "Chose" because I never actually got it... What I did get was a giant bone with absolutely NO MEAT on it at all. The thing was almost 6 inches across and two inches thick. SOLID BONE. All I could think was that they mistakenly gave me a stock bone instead of my entree. How this EVER got out of the kitchen is the big question. After pointing out their mistake (I declined a replacement due to time constraints) the plate was removed from my table and no one of authority came to my table to apologize for the mess-up at all. Not the Chef, the Manager nor any one. (If there was actually a chef or manager in-house) Mistakes Do Happen... and I'm unusually forgiving when something happens like this BUT - It's how you deal with the mistakes that makes or breaks a restaurant... This was an epic fail. read more

Went there with a reservation 6/19/15. We were led to a table suitable only for one in a dark. Other choice was a table in the dark. I am all for ambient lighting but still want to see the food on my plate. Finally they gave us a table in whT appears to be a makeshift room. The service by our waiter was excellent. The food was sub par, I never had linguini and clam sauce that was red hot spicy. Never had a taste of clam sauce. The lasagna was just ok. The ladies room had no hand soap and I wonder if this was the restroom for the wait staff get my point. The dessert was good and the waiter was excellent. That's the best I can say. read more

This is out 2nd time at our new favorite Restaurant . I'm about good quality food, first and I truly have to say that our dinners have been amazing. I tweak all my dishes, and they always accommodate my requests. Ask for Maria, as she truly is a delight. It will be our once weekly place to go. One of the BEST restaurants in Toms River. read more

one of my favorite places to eat. since the first time my fiance and me ate there we felt at home Maria always greets us when we walk in the door and the food is out of this world. Last night I had the cheese board followed by a stuffed porkcop and ended with coffee and creme brulee cheesecake that was to die for. read more

I wish I could give this place ZERO stars!!!!! This restaurant is absolutely horrible. I went here twice for my lunch hour during the week (twice because I believe everyone deserves a 2nd chance, even though the first experience was not good at all). The first time we went there, about 5 tables had customers, so when we sat we explained that we were on a limited time schedule and we would need our food brought out asap. I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich and my friend ordered a bowl of shrimp bisque soup. It took 40 minutes for the food to come to the table, and when it did, it was nothing special. My friend's shrimp bisque soup had one small piece of a shrimp. When she questioned the waitress about it, the waitress said that they grind up the shrimp so that is why she couldn't find any other pieces of shrimp. Ridiculous. So luckily we made it out of there on time after nearly choking our food down in order to not be late back to work. Another day another friend of ours wanted to go there, so I decided to give them another chance. HUGE MISTAKE. Again, explained that we were on a lunch break and needed to be back on time. There were only 2 other tables with people at them, and maybe 3 tables outside with people at them. And again it took 45 minutes to be served (and we ordered pizza, and sandwiches, nothing that should have taken 45 minutes). When I asked the server about it, she gave me an excuse that they were busy, to which I said - no you are not, you hardly have anyone here. She gave me attitude and I explained to her that I would never be dining there again, and she didn't seem too concerned. We paid and were late getting back to work, to the point where my two friends had to have their food wrapped and brought back to work because they didn't have time to eat it. Unbeknownst to me, my mother and father and their friends went there with a Groupon and had a horrible horrible experience. They went to celebrate my mother's 70th and her 1 year of being cancer free. What should have been a memorable, wonderful experience turned out to be a nightmare. To start, they waited and waited for bread to be brought to the table and it never came. When they asked one of the servers about it, he gave some excuse that it was being baked in the oven. When it came out, not only was it not hot, it was STALE. Then they waited for 1 hour and 40 minutes for their food, and when it came out my mothers steak was COLD. The waitress/owner gave them attitude and then had the nerve to on her own add 20% to the bill for her tip. My parents and their friends refused to tip her that much due to the horrible service and horrible food. They paid their bill and as they were walking out of the restaurant, the waitress/owner chased them out of the restaurant shouting at them to never come back and how dare they not leave her a tip. I am so aggravated that this restaurant had the nerve to treat my parents and their friends like this and I WILL NEVER GO BACK. I can't wait until this place closes because it is a horrendous restaurant with horrendous service. DO NOT GO TO THIS RESTAURANT. NOT WORTH IT. read more

my wife and i decided to have an early dinner on new years eve before attending a party later on. we chose brooklyn bistro...what a mistake !!! we got there at 5pm and chose the 5 course menu. first was soup, bland and watery. next came grilled octopus, it was charcoal black and tasted like rubber, i had trouble cutting it with a steak knife..next was pasta and risotto, the papardelle tasted like paste and the risotto was clumpy and starchy not creamy at all...my chicken entree was over cooked and dry and my wifes filet mignon raw, she sent it back. it came back cooked but it was not seasoned at all. she ate 3 bites. desert was the best part of the meal most likely because it was brought in from an outside bakery...our waitress was really nice and so we tried to be cordial. we paid the bill and left. when we got home we were both sick to our stomachs and did not attend the party like we had planned...it is clear that the chef and kitchen staff were in over their heads on new years and it showed in the food..anyone who cares about this place should contact restaurant impossible and see if robert irvine can save this place from a certain dimise...anyone wanting to try this place should heed my review and save your money and digestive system...we will never be back !!! read more