Reservations are recommended--especially on weekends. The space is small, but there's seating upstairs and outdoors. The tables are close and unfortunately when it's packed - it can be distracting ... They also offer their own parking lot (it's small and will fill up fast) and it's BYOB. We enjoyed our meals - food arrived fresh and hot. read more

Buona Vita - Italian Near Me - Somers Point, New Jersey

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Lovely place and service was great. Food not so much; stale bread and cheap olive oil for dipping, wife had salmon that was not good and i thought looked suspicious , bolognese decent and plentiful but just ok, specials were all over $50 and given this mediocre experience I'm glad i didn't order one of them. Wont be going back read more

I had heard very good comments from a few of my friends that live in the area. that left me quite surprised at the low ratings, lots of one's. We decided to give this place a try despite the low reviews. We booked reservations for four on a Thursday (make reservations or wait). ENVIRONMENT: Small quaint, white tablecloth, Italian farmhouse decor. ORDERED: Arugula Pear salads, Seafood Risotto special, Salmon Livornese, Bone in Veal Chop and lots of bread (delicious bread). Tiramisu for dessert. WAIT STAFF: Very professional and knowledgeable. DRINKS: Brought our own red wine and Prosecco. WAIT TIME: Reasonable combined with good service. Okay, note sure about the low ratings (some were no shows that were charged for cancelling). QUALITY: The food was delicious. The veal chop was over the top with a delicious brown sauce. The Salmon was perfectly prepared, and the Seafood risotto was also delicious. PRICE: Somewhat on the high side, but after all you are at the beach, and they love to charge you for that luxury. Good price/value relationship. I will be back in three weeks to dine here again. It is great to have a quality meal experience near OCNJ. That is a rare occasion other than breakfast in a town with many mediocre dining experiences. read more

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Be sure to call ahead and make reservations especially if you're planning to come on a weekend. It's a small space but they have seating upstairs and outside. Nice they have their own parking lot too. They are a BYOB We came on a Saturday and it was packed. Food was good, we all enjoyed our meals. They were super busy but there was an appropriate amount of time between our courses so we never felt rushed. The staff was all very friendly and accommodating of our young children. They had chicken cutlets and spaghetti and meatballs for the kids. They loved their dinners. Worth a visit if you're in the area. read more

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First time at Buono Vita. Absolutely best! Started with grilled calamari. Flavors were delightful! Ordered specials of night. Branzino with capers artichokes and lemon sauce which was flaky and delicious. Second was homemade rigatoni with shrimp scallops in a Must lick-the-plate-clean lemoncello sauce! Topped it off with lemon marscapone and teramesu. Service was impeccable! BYOB. read more

Buona Vita - Grilled Calamari - Italian Near Me - Somers Point, New Jersey

Based on one visit but everything was great! Very cute place and we had a Romantic table for two in the front. Bread was warm. Calamari was lightly breaded and very fresh. We had the fettuccine bolognese and the penne alla vodka. Both were great but the penne vodka with peas and pancetta was the standout. Remi was handling the restaurant alone tonight and you would have never known it. Great service! Walked across the street to admire the moonlight on the bay after dinner. read more

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Extremely loud. $204 for 2 with tax & tip, no drinks. Calimare fritti. 5. Ceasars salad. 5. Bread olive oil. 5 Small tables. Small room downstairs. There is upstairs with balcony and outside in back. Lobster ravioli special with scallops shrimp in brandy cream sauce. 5. $55. Branzino special. 5. $57. Lemon sorbet. 5. $15. Great tasting food, great size portions. Fair price for high quality. read more

This is a great byob Italian restaurant by the bay! My boyfriend and I sat outside on the upstairs deck and it was a great vibe. Our pasta and chicken were delicious! Overall I would recommend this spot. read more

Went here for first time. White cloth restaurant with excellent fine dining options. Everything we had was excellent. Veal, Branzino special, Gnocchi, Chicken fingers and Risotto. Very accommodating with side items and kid friendly options mentioned and delivered early to keep kids happy. Service was slower than hoped but well worth it. BYOB makes it even better. Highly recommend! read more

My first time here and overall we enjoyed on a Friday in late August. We were seated inside. They have outside and upstairs seating too. While it is nice they take reservations, their system needs some professional tweaking. No one gets seated at reservation time. All get lined up outside and perhaps get in 20 minutes late, screamed at by one of the family members, including young ones: "Bill, party of 4. (Louder). BILL, party of 4." Bill and friends are 40 feet away on sidewalk and finally approach. Still, I salute this family business. We were finally seated in the cheerful and noisy inside room. We had an excellent server Ola. This is BYOB which is great. The Caesar salads were so basic, but fine. The eggplant appetizer was excellent. My Flounder Francese was excellent, with a great caper, butter, wine sauce over angel hair pasta. He had the veal chop special. Chop was great but side veggies just so so. She had shrimp scampi. Good pasta and sauce but barely any shrimp, 3 or 4. She raised a concern with server and hostess who said that's how they do it. That needs improvement: double the shrimp. But overall for our first night out for a long weekend together, we felt this place was festive and good enough to make us happy. Cheers! read more

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Went here for a graduation party with many people, the upstairs was reserved for the event which was nice. However I have a few things to say but must be taken with a grain of salt as we had a party of over 30 1. The food was okay- the antipastas they provided were a nice variety and tasty! This everyone enjoyed. The salads were a little sad and lacking. The entrees were tasty and I especially enjoyed my shrimp scampi dish with a red/white sauce mix. Some of the party thought their Parms (veal and chicken) were overdone. When they brought out dessert, everyone dug right in - tasty chocolate cake, lemon cake, ice cream and cannolis were for sharing with multiple plates 2. I am not as impressed with their attitude - granted we did not rent out the entire restaurant, we did have many guests and they made it very clear that we were limited to a specific time and would not provide us with enough tables to seat all of our guests. By the end, everything felt rushed. All in all, cute place but needs improvement to host large parties. read more

Buona Vita - Shrimp scampi - Italian Near Me - Somers Point, New Jersey

Great food! BUT very disappointed with lack of transparency. Not only did they add 3% to our bill for using a credit card that was not disclosed on their web site, on door upon arrival, or on menu, but they tried to automatically add a 20% tip (which they did mention on menu for parties of 6 or more) - but we were a party of 5! When we asked about it, the waitress took it off the menu. As a family, we have decided to make it a point not to patron restaurants that pass off their cost of doing business (credit card charges) to the customer. It is also not fair to their hard working wait staff. There are plenty of other places to go. Disappointed. read more

It was our first time trying Buona Vita and truly a wonderful experience -- it's a BYOB, tucked right by the water. truly fun group of three couples shared their wine & even made us a drink (!), I love that our little wait to be seated just turned into a joyful moment of community. Truly a neighborhood establishment, the crowd was bustling regardless of the rainy weather. We enjoyed the appetizers and chicken parm but the highlight of the night was definitely the seafood risotto. While we were too full to enjoy dessert for ourselves, I hope the tiramisu & cheesecake we sent over were thoroughly enjoyed. Went out to seek a great meal and we left with full stomach & full heart. Thank you for a wonderful first night: 10/10! read more

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I'm glad I read some reviews before coming here and comments about poor service didn't deter me. We made reservations for 6 people on a Wednesday at 5:30 pm. We called same day around 3:15 pm (unable to make a reservation for a group of more than 4 people on Open Table). We were told it was BYOB and cash only. The cash only part was a bit confusing, but we were able to pay with credit card - one check for our entire table. Their dining room is definitely small and it was filled by 6:30 pm. I was really happy with how accommodating the staff was. One person in our party wanted a house style salad (not on the menu) and the kitchen whipped one up. A couple others asked about meatballs (not on the menu either) and they had them too! The Cesar salad was excellent, as well as the veal parmesan. But the real star of the show was the blush sauce on the lobster ravioli. I swear I could drink it!! You can get the sauce on any item really. The lobster ravioli came with 5 ravioli, shrimp, and some lump lobster. It didn't seem like a lot, but with the salad I left with a very full belly. read more

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My family has a house on OCNJ and this is always our favorite spot to come to. The service is fantastic and you can't go wrong with anything you order. My favorite is the lobster ravioli special in vodka sauce. It comes with shrimp and scallops. I dream about this meal!!! read more

Buona Vita - Lobster ravioli in vodka sauce - Italian Near Me - Somers Point, New Jersey

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We had my birthday dinner here last night, the food was phenomenal and the service was so fast! It's a really nice Italian place. These are the best gnocchi I've ever had at at a restaurant, they taste as good and fresh as when we make them from scratch at home, they are light and fluffy and perfect! The chocolate mousse cake was amazing! I can't wait to come back again! read more

Buona Vita - Chicken parm - Italian Near Me - Somers Point, New Jersey

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Last night we dined an Buona Vita in Somers Point, NJ. Except for the somewhat crowded and hence noisy first floor we had a wonderful dining experience. The service was prompt and friendly and each of our dishes was well presented and well prepared.My sea food medley on top of home made linguine in a spicy fry diavolo sauce was superb. If you have a chance and weather permitting, try and have a seat on their balcony . This will be a memorable dining experience. read more

On a Monday evening I went down to visit my dad in AC. He suggested we go to one of his favorite spots for dinner and made reservations for 6:45 at Buona Vita. When we arrived the dining room was pretty crowded. The hostess pushed two two-tops together and brought us over. We were served water and the waiter came over to tell us about the specials. He then did not come back for a good 25 minutes to take our order. However, it seemed as though he was running the entire dining room himself. Two of us ordered the caprese salad and my dad ordered the pear salad. We also all ordered the branzino special. Our salads came out fairly quickly. The tomatoes were super sweet and fresh in the tomato salad. I have never had branzino before but my dad recommended it so I decided I should give it a try. It took a long time for us to get our food but when we did it was very good. My only criticism is it was very salty, either from the capers or added salt. Otherwise, it was good. The condensation from the air was dripping on me throughout dinner, my water glass was never refilled, we asked for cheese and never received it, but ultimately I felt bad for our waiter. He just seemed to be working so hard and I didn't notice anyone else available to help him. My dad was disappointed and said it seemed like an off night overall. Since it was my first experience I don't have anything to compare it to unfortunately. read more

Buona Vita - Caprese salad - Italian Near Me - Somers Point, New Jersey

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The food and service was very poor. The Caesar salad had packaged croutons and the $40 seafood risotto was a huge mound of rice with broth poured over it and overcooked shellfish arranged around the outside of the plate. Truly the worse risotto I've ever had. read more

Solid BYOB in Somers Point, just a stone's throw from the Intercoastal. The dining space is small, and reservations appear to be a must. They have outdoor seating both on the small front porch and in the back under a covered tent. Fried calamari and a Caprese salad were our starters, along with bread for the table and some of the best olive oil I've ever had. For entrees, three of us ordered the Fettucine Buona Vita (spinach fettucine with lump crabmeat and grape tomatoes), one ordered the Pollo Buona Vita (chicken with spinach, fontina cheese, and mushrooms), and the other ordered the Gnocchi with red gravy. I always feel compelled to order pasta for my entrée when I know it's made in-house. Frankly, it doesn't take much arm twisting for me to order pasta in general, so take that for what it's worth! The dishes arrived piping hot with plentiful portions. I was excited to have leftovers for lunch the next day. Nice flavors all around. Tartufo and a slice of rich chocolate mousse cake rounded out our experience. Service was efficient and polite. Good option for the area! read more

Buona Vita - Fettuccine Buona Vita - really good and light - Italian Near Me - Somers Point, New Jersey

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This place was delicious! We got the Bruschetta Di Pomodoro, Fettuccine Buona Vita, and the Risotto Del Mare. Everything was super flavorful and easy to eat. This place is BYOB and liquor store is down the street. Great time and great vibes. Definitely a cute place for a date night or if you would like to be a bit classy and eloquent. read more

Buona Vita - Italian Near Me - Somers Point, New Jersey

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Our first time will not be our last. Service is friendly and attentive. Fresh pastas were delicious. BYO is always a plus! Dining room isnt big but comfort level was fine. read more

Food was terrific from my lasagna that was some of the best I've ever had to my wife's Osso Bucco / risotto . We also hade fried calamari as a starter and our waitress was real nice including her recommendations! Ambiance was nice except for the very loud noise level after we sat down! Unfortunately there are people who like talking loud but thankfully by 8:00 pm the crowd simmered down. If you don't mind having dinner outside I would recommend it if you enjoy hearing each other talk! read more

Only good thing here is the service. Everything else is below average of hospitality industry standards.

Buona Vita is a fantastic restaurant. The staff were excellent, friendly and professional. The food was outstanding. Excellent quality and flavors. Pasta was better than what I had in Italy. Fish was fresh. Barata with peppers and tomatoes perfect. Arugula and Pere also outstanding. We sat on the balcony overlooking the bay but the inside ambiance was beautiful as well. This is a great place as a romantic restaurant, dinner with friends or family. read more

Buona Vita - Upstairs balcony - Italian Near Me - Somers Point, New Jersey

My recent experience at Buona Vita in Summers Point was less than satisfying, to say the least. We were eager to celebrate our anniversary there, having heard positive reviews, but unfortunately, our visit didn't live up to the hype. First and foremost, the food was disappointingly bland. For a place that boasts about its Italian cuisine, I expected flavors to dance on my taste buds. Instead, each dish lacked the depth and excitement that characterizes great Italian cooking. Even the bruschetta, a seemingly simple appetizer of bread and tomatoes, took an astonishingly long hour to reach our table. It left us baffled, as it's essentially a no-cook item. The dining room experience was another letdown. The seating arrangement was so cramped that it felt like we were practically eating on top of one another. It's not the ideal atmosphere for a romantic anniversary dinner when you can't even have a private conversation without feeling like you're sharing it with your neighboring diners. Another peculiar aspect of the restaurant was the staff ratio. It seemed there were more busboys than actual waiters. This uneven balance disrupted the flow of service and contributed to the painfully slow pace of our meal. We waited not only for our bruschetta but also for our main courses, which took an excruciating hour and a half to arrive. By the time our entrees were served, we were so frustrated and hungry that we didn't even bother inquiring about dessert. All in all, while Buona Vita may appeal to a certain demographic, particularly seniors who prefer milder flavors, it fell short of our expectations for a memorable anniversary dinner. The underwhelming food, cramped dining room, and slow service left us feeling disappointed and unlikely to return anytime soon. TLDR: Food looked good but was extremely bland. Felt like we were sitting ontop of the other diners. read more

Buona Vita - Chicken parm - Italian Near Me - Somers Point, New Jersey

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My husband and I had a delicious meal from start to finish. Caprese Starter w/burratta and topped w prosciutto. I had the signature pasta dish with homemade spinach fettuccine and jumbo lump crab. My husband had the Branzino special that was INCREDIBLE. crème brûlée and cappuccino for dessert. Our server Matt was so nice and attentive. Wonderful experience across the board. read more

Sadly our experience wasn't great and my review is solely based on the food. Service by Remy was friendly and very efficient. Food was brought out quickly. Prices very fair for portion size. That's where the positives end. I thought I was sitting in a nursery with kids screaming. Sorry this isn't a place for small kids. That's not the restaurant's fault. The noise level in there was very loud. I asked for a glass of water 3 times. I got the veal parmigiana and wife got mussels and spaghetti. I can't stand when the entree is swimming in the sauce. Always makes me think they are hiding something. If the sauce was tasty then I might overlook it a bit but it was bland. Might as well have been Ragu out of the jar. It was a big piece of veal. It wasn't the best but wasn't the worst. Sauce was meh. I didn't even attempt the spaghetti that was swimming in the sauce. Mussels and spaghetti were average because again the sauce was nothing special. On another note reserved online and was given a choice of inside or outside seating. I requested outside. When we got there was told "we really aren't seating outside ". Ok if that's the case and you know you are short on help then don't offer it onlinej read more

Buona Vita - Veal parmigiana swimming in sauce - Italian Near Me - Somers Point, New Jersey

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WED 9/25/24 - My husband & I are once again in Ocean City for the 2024 MS City to Shore Bike Ride event. We tried this BYOB restaurant last year for the 1st time and decided to take another chance on it. AMBIANCE: We arrived shortly after 6pm and there were perhaps 5 open tables in the main DR. No noticeable change to the very tasteful decor. I think I only saw 1 server (Remi) and 1 assistant. They both did an excellent job managing everyone's needs. Average age of those dining was approx 50 yrs. FOOD: Bread basket arrived shortly after we were seated. Olive oil cruet was on the table along with red flaked pepper. I would like to recommend that some rosemary and oregano be added into the olive oil cruet to flavorize the oil. My husband tried the CALAMARI FRESCHI and had it grilled. He said it was perfectly prepared and delicious. For his entree he had the CALAMARI FRESCHI (which was served over capellini). He enjoyed it very much and even had some leftover which he took home. For my entree I ordered the LASAGNA but Remi promptly informed me that they were out of it (very disappointed!) So I ended up with PENNE ALLA VODKA and I really enjoyed it! We both passed on dessert, but I did enjoy a cappuccino. THE VERDICT: My only disappointment of the evening was not being able to try the Lasagna dish. We will be returning this Saturday evening with friends and family to celebrate my husband's birthday as well as his successful MS Bike Ride. We are looking forward to it! read more

Dinner on a weekend. Bread on table was wrapped in napkin, cold, no butter & only a pitcher of mediocre olive oil on table. No season, pepper flakes, etc. Caesar salad was ok, arugula salad was disappointing. Pears so hard we thought they were apples. Came in 4 big rings. Way too many pine nuts. Had to ask for ground pepper. Bleh. Not worth $12.95.,Clams & pasta were very good, but sliced cherry tomatoes were like an afterthought. Had to ask for a fork. Spouse had spinach pasta w/ crab. Very good. read more

I give them three stars because their food is excellent. We got their bronzino, lobster ravioli, and chicken parm. The bronzino is to die for and tastes amazing. I was very impressed by the quality of their food and it was perfect! They lost two stars because we felt the waitress was overwelmed and was not very welcoming as soon as when we walked through the door. I am not sure why but we didnt have a reservation and she looked like she didnt want to serve us. We were also treated different than the rest of the tables. Waitress checked up on other tables during main course and really tried to avoid our table. I think this place would be better if they had more workers/servers so we dont feel shamed for not having a reservation. The service was a bit slow but I feel like a classy restaurant should be slower service so people can enjoy their meals and discussions for their special occasion. We enjoyed the meal because of the food. If they had more friendly staff it would give them more stars. read more

Buona Vita - lobster ravioli - Italian Near Me - Somers Point, New Jersey

The service was first rate. The food was good but very overpriced. My mistake not asking the price of the specials. The fish special was branzino, my favorite. I order it as often as I can. It was good (too salty for me). It was also $52.95! That's branzino, not swordfish. For that price it should have been topped with lobster and shrimp in addition to the crab meat. The linguine pescatore was good but If you're pushing $40, there should be crab in there. Desserts were good, not great -- again overpriced. read more

When we got there I told the hostess my name and reservation time. She said sit outside and wait for her. We walked to the outside seating area and when she came out she had this look on her face like we had committed a mortal sin. She sat us and we waited for our waiter. Remi was our waiter and he has a reputation as being one of the best waiters at Buona Vita. My girlfriend ordered the white fish meal and I got the lasagna. We both loved our meal. For desert we got the lemon cello cake. Delicious. The outside seating area was not that loud. I would recommend sitting outside if possible. read more

A great place to bring your crazy, large family! If you want to feel like you have traveled back in time to your Italian grandmothers house, this is the place. Amazing bay side views with indoor and outdoor seating. Bring your own wine (or beverages) and eat delicious food made by an authentic staff. read more

Buona Vita - Ossobuco special - Italian Near Me - Somers Point, New Jersey

If you are in the area this is an absolute must try! Delicious, super kind staff, huge portions. 10/20 HIGHLY recommend! read more

Buona Vita - Chicken Marcella - Italian Near Me - Somers Point, New Jersey

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Last summer I enjoyed every meal! This year, new management with mediocre food and service! NOT the same quality of food as last year! They couldn't even make their famous Bombe (chocolate covered ice cream ball)! It looked like someone formed it by hand, not the wonderful presentation as before. It was bad and I won't be back until management makes lots of improvements. There are too many other terrific spots in the area and I won't be spending another dime at this mediocre high priced joint! Too bad, it was one of my families faves! read more

After reading some reviews I was apprehensive about timing but everything went smoothly. We had reservations for 15, at 5:30pm on a weeknight. We were seated outside which made sense after we saw the inside which is kinda like a restaurant inside a house. Cozy and I could see it having a romantic feel for smaller groups. Outside was perfect - nice summer breeze and plenty of space for our group. The waiter was very attentive - he immediately helped us open up the wine we brought and we had our glasses filled and bread on the table within the first 15 mins. Our orders were taken and food was on our table by 6:00. Now for the food - the restaurant seemed to get reviews stating it was the best Italian food ever. I guess this is the part I wasn't totally convinced of - it was very good, but not the best ever for me. I usually give 5 stars when a restaurant has something truly unique, or above and beyond delicious. This food was very good but I wouldn't say it was the best ever. I tried the bruschetta appetizer - the tomato mixture was good but the bread was a bit charred in flavor. I had the lobster ravioli which was good but drowning in sauce so I was sent swimming to search for lobster pieces. The single shrimp on my plate was actually the most delicious part of the meal. There were no veggies - I took a few uneaten asparagus pieces from my daughters plate and dipped them in the sauce and it was pretty good - I think a few sprigs of asparagus even would elevate the dish. Other dishes from the table included the puttanesca (good, nothing amazing), lasagna, a chicken dish (good but maybe too cheesy?), Alfredo (good), and various others. Overall a solid Italian restaurant with a nice coastal flare to the dishes which is fitting for the area. Parking is limited. read more

Buona Vita - Lobster ravioli special - Italian Near Me - Somers Point, New Jersey

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Really great food but very poor service. 5 star food, 2 star service. We came on a Friday night with a reservation. We arrived early and our table wasn't ready which was fine. We were seated about 10 minutes later and waited another 10-15 minutes before a server came to greet us or bring us water. This place is a BYOB but they didn't provide an ice bucket for the white wine and champagne we brought so our wine was lukewarm. The food was amazing. We had calamari and brushetta for appetizers and for our meals my group had lasagne, gnocchi, and vodka penne. It was all incredible and I ate every bite! We also indulged in desserts and had creme brulee and cannolis, also amazing! Unfortuately our servers weren't attentive and were borderline rude, as if it was a chore to serve us otherwise I would rave about this place. read more

Waited 35 minutes from our reservation time and then waited an additional hour for our entrees. While we waited to be seated we asked to open our chilled BYOB wine and the hostess said you can open the bottle but she will not provide a cup. Can you imagine? Finally we were seated and opened our now room temperature wine, we then ordered promptly since we waited 35 min to be seated. After ordering we then waited ONE hour for our entrees and when I complained to our waitress and she called us "Shitty customers" I am 62 years old and have traveled the world eating at various restaurants. NEVER was I ever spoken to or treated with such disrespect especially to be cursed at to my face. I absolutely do NOT recommend this restaurant and I will never eat there again. Also they had run out of Italian bread which didn't surprise me because this Italian restaurant is not run by Italians!!!! read more

Charming old school Italian place. The staff is very understanding, I gave an extra star for them because they're nice. This is BYOB so definitely bring a bottle of wine , if it's white wine they'll give you an ice bucket. We started with the Calamari and an order of lobster ravioli which was a special. Definitely get the lobster ravioli if it's on the menu. I thought it was better than the Calamari and seemed to have large chunks of crabmeat or lobster on top with a tasty sauce. For main I got the stuffed tilapia but my Mom got the Branzino and that was definitely better so I'd get that next time. Tiramisu was light and airy and was better than that chocolate ice cream sphere thing . I'd skip that next time. I would like to come back here next year and try some different dishes . Pretty good and laid back . They have their own parking lot. read more

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