Service was really nice, the atmosphere was also very enjoyable.. However the food we ordered tasted like nothing and was way too expensive to be so disappointing. Should've checked the reviews before dining but our waitress was super sweet! read more

This restaurant has something rarer than bad food: an owner whose attitude somehow manages to be worse. The meal was astonishingly average. Nothing was fresh, nothing was memorable, and nothing justified the prices. If the food had even a fraction of the seasoning that the owner has ego, it might actually be worth eating. The service culture appeared to be built on tension, discomfort, and disrespect. Instead of hospitality, customers are treated to front-row seats to an owner's inflated sense of importance. It takes a special kind of talent to make people regret walking through the door before they've finished their appetizer. Restaurants succeed because they make people want to return. This one succeeds only in reminding you that there are many better options nearby. I left hungry, irritated, and genuinely confused by the positive reviews. read more

Very nice layout and seating with both indoor and outdoor seating. Great sunset views. Service was just ok. May have been a new server. The food was pretty good. Snow crab was kinda small, salmon kinda dry, chicken on salad was dry. Overall very nice pleasant space food was good but not great. Meatball app was very good and the burratta was good. read more

See all

Went here last year to try. When we arrived there was no hostess at the stand and we had to wait there for over 20 minutes. When we sat down at the table it took about 30 minutes for someone to come up to us. We had asked three separate people to please send someone over after about waiting for 20 minutes. Right then and there we knew this was not going to be good. Instead of leaving we decided to give it a try. When our waitress finally arrived she was very good and on to of it... or so we thought. We ordered the caprese appetizer which was covered in roasted red peppers (which was not listed as an ingredient) and had no tomato; this also took about 25-35 minutes to come out. We still decided to give it a try and we were disappointed yet again. At this point we were in the restaurant for almost two hours. It took almost 40 minutes for our entrees to come out AFTER the appetizer was taken from our table. I ordered the eggplant parm and my boyfriend ordered the rigatoni with meatballs. The plates were boiling hot, which is never a good sign. We knew that our waitress forgot them in the window because the the center of our food was completely cold. My eggplant was completely raw and oily at the same time? The sauce that it come with just tasted like canned tomatoes. The sauce had an incredibly metallic taste and tasted like canned tomatoes and pure tomato paste. My boyfriend meal had sliced cheese atop a pile of cold pasta with a separated sauce. It did look like the actual sauce itself was rancid. We didn't see our waitress for another 15-20 minutes when we got our food which, was to be expected. Once she did come to us she asked if we would like boxes and we both said no and then she disappeared for another half hour. This restaurant was a HUGE disappointment to us because the atmosphere is gorgeous and it is an absolutely beautiful space. We still tipped adequately because it was not the waitresses fault that we had such a bad experience. I will never recommend this restaurant to anyone. read more

We had a wonderful experience at Capitano. The food was delish, the staff was on point, and the outdoor seating on the deck offered amazing views of the sunset. To top it off the owner came to our table and sent us home with a jar of fresh home made Marinara Sauce! read more

Capitano - Sunset View - Italian Near Me - Beach Haven, New Jersey

See all

Absolutely the worst experience The owner has no concept of how to manage a restaurant in a seasonal tourist area. To run out of 1/3 of the menu early in the week is unacceptable We ended up walking out of the restaurant after waiting an hour just for our salads read more

Very poor experience. Arrived at lunch time and received dinner menus. Asked about other options but were told this was what they were offering. OK EXCEPT other tables had been served sandwiches and similar lunch offerings. Several ordered baked rigatoni with meatballs. Truly, you can't order a more simple dish in an Italian restaurant. The meatballs were burnt!! How do you send out a plate with burned food?? Server was good and the soft drinks were fine : ) read more

We were excited to celebrate our anniversary at Capitanos, but unfortunately, our experience was a huge letdown. When we arrived, the outdoor patio was nearly empty, yet the host seated us at the worst table available--tucked away by the wall near the stairs with no view and no breeze. With so many open tables, it was frustrating to feel like our placement was careless at best. On top of that, half of the table hadn't even been cleared before we were seated. Service was slow and inattentive the entire evening. Each time we made a simple request--like asking for bread, silverware, or just more time to look over the menu--it took over 10 minutes to receive anything. We waited about an hour for our food to arrive, and when it finally did, I asked for a small bowl to place my empty seafood shells in. The bowl never came. To top it off, after the meal, both of our stomachs hurt -- which just summed up the night. For what's supposed to be a nicer spot on LBI, the lack of attention and care from start to finish made the night feel anything but special. It was a disappointing way to spend our anniversary, and we left feeling completely let down by the overall experience. read more

Dont want to hurt this business. But please read reviews before dining here. I did not, but I paid the price. Waitress was kind and did her best. But after a 1 1/2 hr wait for food was enough. Saw 2 tables leave due to lack of food that came after us. We were a party of 6 and 2 of us left also, thank God. Something is off with this restaurant. I want them to succeed but 1 hour for a salad is a bit to much. read more

Just a total mess Tried twice during the season with almost the exact same results. In July is was really bumpy, but in September it just wasn't much better. I realize it was their first season, but there should be a level of continuous improvement that just wasn't evident. Service is super slow and painful Food is fair but not better Presentation is sloppy Ambiance and location is good, but super crowed mainly with renters Parking is tough Within walking distance there are 4-5 of the best restaurants on the island, so we won't be giving this a third try. read more

We we went to dinner at Capitano on July 6th, and I was great Loved our server and the food wa wonderful Good addition to the LBI restaurant scene read more

Last year, we had a very good experience at Capitano's however, this year.....We had a reservation at 7:45, seated at 8:00. Server was very friendly and took our order in a timely fashion. We waited about an hour for our appetizers, mussels were tasty in a delicious garlicky sauce. Brussels sprouts were also very good. And then we waited and waited and waited for our dinner. Finally at 9:45 we decided to leave. We asked for the manager and he/she never came over. The table behind us was also upset that they were never served their food either. We paid for our appetizers and walked out. We then went around the corner and ordered a pizza and sat right next to the people who also walked out of Capitano. Obviously, the restaurant is understaffed and poorly managed. Sadly, we won't be returning as we did love sitting outside and watching the sunset. read more

Tonight was, without question, the most unprofessional and disturbing dining experience I've ever had. My party and I had an 8:00 PM reservation and arrived promptly at 7:55 PM. We were seated right away, but then completely ignored. It took about 20 minutes for anyone to even acknowledge our table. When our server finally arrived at 8:20 PM, we asked for wine glasses, since the restaurant is BYOB. Those glasses didn't arrive for another ten minutes. From there, the experience only got worse. Despite placing our orders shortly after the server arrived, we didn't receive any food until 10:00 PM -- a full two hours after our reservation time. And even then, only three out of four entrées were brought to the table. The fourth, a simple pasta dish, took an additional 20 minutes to arrive. Over the entire course of the evening, we saw our server only twice. When I flagged down another staff member to ask if we could speak to the manager, she told us -- shockingly -- that our server was the manager. When the manager/server finally returned to our table, she was rude, dismissive, and made no effort to understand or resolve the situation. She didn't offer a single apology and made it clear that nothing would be done to make things right. At that point, another server mentioned that the owner was present and asked if we'd like to speak to him. We agreed, hoping to at least explain our experience. Ten minutes later, the owner approached our table, already visibly irritated and aggressive. From the moment he opened his mouth, it was clear he had no interest in listening. He didn't apologize or show even a hint of professionalism. Instead, he told us that June 21st was the restaurant's "first busy day of the summer" and claimed that we only put in our food order an hour and and 15 minutes ago-- an outright lie. My husband then calmly said, "Sir, it's the end of June," pointing out how absurd that excuse sounded. That's when everything escalated. Something in his demeanor shifted instantly. He snapped, yelling at us to "get the f*** out of his restaurant." At this point, I had just received my food after waiting two hours, so I picked up my plate and began walking toward the exit. That's when things turned physical. The owner aggressively grabbed my left wrist, trying to stop me from leaving with my food. After physically assaulting me, he then threatened to call the police -- despite having just laid hands on me. The situation was so alarming that a kind couple seated nearby stood up and got involved after witnessing what happened. They clearly saw how out of line the owner's behavior was and offered support. This wasn't just bad service -- it was traumatizing. I have never in my life encountered such hostility and unprofessionalism, especially from someone in a position of ownership. Adding insult to injury, the owner's online behavior reflects exactly what we experienced in person. After the fact, I looked up other reviews and was appalled to see a pattern of hostility in his responses. He routinely lashes out at dissatisfied customers, dismisses their concerns, and blames them for their experiences. What I would have initially assumed were overreactions from upset patrons are now, unfortunately, completely believable. The way he conducts himself online is a direct mirror of how he treats people in his restaurant: aggressive, defensive, and entirely lacking in professionalism. read more

EVERYTHING! Service is just straight awful. Kitchen is so sliw & then sends out uneditable food. Nobody who works. There explains why there is a delay. There are no statements when you sit down about how many things on the menu are no longer available. There isn't even the slightest bit of an apology when your food doesn't come out after 45 minutes. The staff just gets annoyed with you for asking where your food is. It's just so so bad they need to scrap everything they're doing and start over or just shut the doors which really they should probably just shut the doors and never open again. read more

Finally tried this new place in bay village in LBI. Food was really good. Fried calamari and a peach, prosciutto and ricotta dish for appetizers. 3 of us shared 2 apps and 2 entrees and it was plenty as portions were generous. We got chicken parm, and linguine with shrimp and scallops in a vodka sauce. Both were great. We were inside near bar(byob), away from any traffic which i appreciate. Our server (Emilia) was very attentive and my water glass was never empty. The prices are fair for being in LBI. read more

See all

This is actually my first ever review but felt a need to dissuade anyone from going to Capitano. The waitstaff is shockingly unattentive as we waited for near an hour and a half for our appetizers to arrive (three of which were cold appetizers that didn't require cooking). Our entrees then only arrived 30 minutes later after we pressed the non-existent server that we were leaving. The meals were poor. The staff simply cower together out of clear frustration hiding from customers who collectively are near revolt. Suggest going to absolutely anywhere else in LBI as even a slice of corner pizza would at least avoid leaving with crying children read more

The absolute worst veal parm imaginable! Chef Boyardee would be 5 stars compared to this place. They have no clue about what decent food is!

My family of four was sat at 7pm, and we didn't eat until 8:45. Service was indifferent at best. Half the order came out either cold or completely incorrect. Other tables were standing up and leaving due to the same issues. Don't recommend. read more

I would like to tell you about the food, but, we were seated for 15 minutes and weren't acknowledged by anyone. No one offered even water let alone considered taking our order. Waitstaff walked past us several times. I let the hostess know we hadn't had any service and she said she would get someone, then spent the next 5 minutes seating g other customers. Oh, and she didn't even apologize about the wait. read more

Just terrible all around. Food, service, cleanliness all subpar. Served bread and butter after about 44 minutes, but no silverware. Took about an hour and a half to get salad...two hours for entrees. Food was bland and kind of lukewarm. We ate some, paid and left. Never again. They will be out of business in a few months, thankfully. read more

Arrived to a line to check in for reservation Took 15 min to get a table. Resturant was freezing. Had to ask 3 times for cutlery and napkins. Sitting here as I type and 1 hour and 45 min in we still do not have our salads. Can't imagine when we will get our meals. This will not be a repeat visit. Someone needs to manage this place. read more

We were the only people in the restaurant and the food took 45 minutes. The food arrived room temperature with about 10 fries accompanying the sandwiches. Our waters were constantly empty. Food was not worth the cost and was bad overall. Do not recommend!!!!! read more

Amazing .. FANTASTIC views of the bay and the sunset. The food is the best Italian on the island. Great decor and atmosphere. . My third time dining here was another fantastic experience. I have not experienced any of the things I've read in the other reviews, and I've been looking for the mistakes/negetive aspects I've read about.. My server, Koren was fantastic, attentive, knowledgeable, and had a great personality which helps with the overall experience. Bob, one of the owners happen to be there and stopped by my table to make sure everything was up to his standards. I have had nothing but great experiences here.. 5 stars! read more

Capitano - Italian Near Me - Beach Haven, New Jersey

We had high hopes for our 8:30pm reservation. Ended up walking out after 1hour 15 minutes without even getting bread. The table behind us was going on 2 hours. There were no visible managers on site. Our first interaction was downstairs the hostess was having a meltdown with her iPad. The restaurant was half empt. We were seated outside enjoyed the last of a beautiful sunset, ordered beverages and opened our wine. Ordered dinner asked for bread and everything went downhill from there. I understand being busy and service might be slow, but it shouldn't be that difficult to get bread and salads to the table in under an hour. When the table behind us got up to leave without eating and said they were closing in on 2 hours and still no bread, we decided to cut our losses and leave. I can't tell you if the food is good or not but the service was not good and the lack of experienced management was evident. read more

The best fried calamari , tender not chewy. Entrees of shrimp and scallops on linguini, snow crab cluster , and braised short rib all excellent. Early in the season at a summer only business so wait staff is new, so be patient. They are friendly and trying hard. One of the few locations on the island with a water view. read more

Capitano in Bay Village has risen to the top of my list. Enjoyed a delicious dinner on Mother's Day'. The menu had several interesting dishes but I went with a favorite.....the shrimp and scallops with linguine. One of the best I've had. Atmosphere and service were on point. Looking for a water view? This is it, stunning sunsets. read more

So exciting to have a new restaurant I the heart of beach haven! They food was excellent and the staff was friendly. I highly recommend will definitely will be back soon! read more

You need to have a little crazy in you to open a restaurant in general and a bit more crazy to open on the busiest weekend of the summer season in a resort town, but kudos to this entire group and staff. We unknowingly went on the 2nd day open after we saw the new sign when pulling in our boat on the BH ramp and the chaos did not disappoint. Throw a group of people together who are short staffed, have never worked together before on a floor and kitchen they have never seen and it's instant entertainment. With all that said, the manager juggled staff, guests and the kitchen like a pro. She had a great game face amidst the chaos, firm, confident and reassuring with staff and friendly with guests. Our server, Lisa (?) was awesome, ever so gracious, continually apologizing for the slow service, but never panicked and always smiling. The floor boy/busser/food runner, (Allen, Alex?) was quick with the water refills and with the nod of head we had warm bread that kept my 2 daughters at bay until the food arrived. I'm a logistics guy, so while I was fascinated watching a new and overwhelmed staff, it might not be your idea of entertainment while waiting for your food. And you will wait a loooooong time (well over 1 hour) to be served. We're a no electronics at the table family, but I had to give in to my daughters or they may have burned the place down. The reason to come to any restaurant is the food and this menu is OUTSTANDING! We had the Mussels and a Caesar salad as apps, the girls had the Pizzettes which they devoured. The Chicken Amalfi and the Tuscan Flounder were solid 5 star. Just watching dishes come out to other tables made me want to come back. Portions are large enough to share and like everything on LBI, it's not inexpensive, but we felt we got decent value. Didn't see a desert menu, but in truth, as much as I would have liked to sample the sweets, we were there so long it felt like we moved in and we just needed to go home. We tipped heavily, feeling ever so bad for the staff and tried to slip a Hamilton to Allen/Alex that he politely refused-Here's a tip A/A, never refuse a tip With all of that said, if service improves, this is destined to become one of LBI's best restaurants and in all probability a rare (for me) 5 star Yelp review. read more

We had a great meal at Capitano the Monday after the 4th only a few days open. Food was great, atmosphere was great. I wish them so much luck in Bay Village! read more

Had dinner here tonight with my family, a party of 9. Called ahead to make a reservation, and should've known from the jump it was going to be a haphazard night. We didn't see our waitress until 20+ minutes into being sat, we brought our own wine as it was byob and didn't receive wine glasses until about 30 minutes of waiting and had no idea there was even bread service until a large party who was seated after us got bread as soon as they were sat. A bus boy who was obviously flustered that he had to take orders took our appetizer order, which we didn't see for another 40 minutes. Sadly this was the last night of our trip and it's upsetting that we ended it here. I can't say that any of it was due to them being overwhelmed and crowded, this genuinely seems like a normal experience here, especially after reading reviews post meal. If you don't mind being fed an hour and a half after being sat, feel free to come here! The food was also subpar I'm sure there's much better Italian food somewhere on the island. read more

I was very skeptical given the recent reviews and our personal experience just after they opened last year. Our dinners on 8/2/25 were very good. We sat outside and the view was obviously fantastic with the sunset. We were shocked at the amount of food that was unavailable at 6:30p on a Saturday in season. I think there were 5 or 6 items not available and included, but were not limited to, pizza, mashed potatoes, and short ribs which happened last year as well. One of the complaints that we read were the inattentiveness of the wait staff and the time it takes to get food. In our case last night, our server, Koren, was amazing. She was very attentive and always came around to see how we were doing. Our food spacing was excellent. I will say, however, that we did witness a few things last night that others have complained about in reviews and one thing we witnessed that was quite dangerous. I'm not sure if all of the dinners come with a house salad but you can upgrade them for $7 (?) to a specialty salad. The family behind us upgraded to specialty salads and not only did they arrive after the main course, they were missing some of the specialty items such as cheese. The family accepted the salads and timing rather than wait. The same family had a chicken parmigiana dish and as the lady was eating the chicken, she found shrimp under the chicken. Thank goodness she was not allergic to shellfish. To the restaurants credit, they did offer to make her a new dish which she refused since everyone else was eating already. Another family a few tables away also had a weird timing experience with dinners coming before apps. Some of the food runners were going to the wrong tables with food. We all make mistakes but we witnessed at least 5 times. Not a big deal, but some obvious miscommunication. Given the reviews and our experience last year, I consider our dinner yesterday very lucky. We were extremely lucky to have Koren as our server. My wife spoke up to make sure our salads came early after witnessing the other tables. I'm not sure that we will tempt fate again and return but at least we went back and tried again. We had a better experience than last year but while the food was certainly good, there are too many other options in LBI without worrying about poor reviews beforehand and hoping they do not happen to you. Ask for Koren as your server. She will start you off on the right foot. read more

Best Italian food ever. That guy Oggi is the nicest guy on the planet! Great Service- waitress Riley was superb! Fig Pizza? what a great idea. Loved it. Gnocchi is top notchii! Lobster Ravioli was perfection - nice touch adding the shrimp!. The sunsets, if you eat outside, are amazing! My wife had drunken eggplant and it was perfectly cooked and tasty! Cheesecake for dessert and it was amazing! THIS PLACE IS A KEEPER!!! I know you won't be disappointed. read more

A great restaurant is known by the bread, this place provides brown and serve roils with butter. Great bread with garlic and oil should be the choice, The eggplant was half inch thick, over dreaded, cardboard quality. The veal was an overcooked patty. Asked for grated cheese, served room temperature, Kraft with preserved chemicals. Noise was over powering. The plan is to provide a full pasta plate, so you have some to take home, but why would you do that? Quantity will NEVER become quality; Island people know good food. They will continue to go elsewhere. Howard read more

Just opened so hopefully will work out the kinks. Food was average at best. Disappointed. Many better places on the island.

Recently we had my son and daughter - in - law to be's wedding rehearsal dinner at Capitano's on a Friday evening. Party of 23. This was their first event of this kind. Sitting on the outside patio was lovely with a view of the sunset over the bay. Frankie our main server and her helpers were professional, attentive and friendly. The food was delicious from the appetizers to the entrees. Portion sizes were large. My Eggplant Parm was the best I ever had. I had leftovers for 2 more meals. Another guest mentioned that his Shrimp Scampi was the best he ever had. All quests raved about the food and the location. BYOB was also appreciated. Everyone had a wonderful time and we will be recommending Capitano's to all. Thank you to the owner Mr. Rossi for agreeing to host us for this memorable occasion. C.E. read more

Poor & inconsiderate service. It's "local summer" and we decided to try the new restaurant. We did NOT make a reservation & completely take responsibility for that. We made it up the stairs to the "host"/teen with iPad who ignored us. I'm on crutches with a broken leg. When the adult in the room made his way to host area (no seating here btw) he didn't acknowledge us and immediately seated the 3 people in front of us who also had no reservation. When he came back he told us to wait - we waited. Then he came back and said all he had was a high top table at the bar and could not accommodate us in the restaurant. I can't sit at a high top with a broken leg and I pointed this out. There were empty tables all around us. He repeated that's all he had. Of course I understand reservations but no consideration was made to be gracious or assist. I expect a new establishment to go the extra mile to accommodate especially when most people on the island at this time of year are locals. He lost a local customer AND a potential referral. For what it's worth, our neighbor said it's "meh". Do better Capitano. read more

Excellent food , gigantic portions , great space and view too bad parking is tough in season but we will be back many times

Made a reservation for 6PM. When we showed up the hostess brought to a random table outside between the door and the bussing station. There were 4 other empty tables along the rail and she said we couldn't take any of those because they were reserved. There were other 4 tops with only two people at those tables so it's not like they have a policy where they don't do that. She said she could seat us inside which we reluctantly agreed to. She brought us to a part of the restaurant where no one else was sitting and it was high top. We asked about any of the tables by a window and she just said no. That's when we decided to leave. I told the manager/owner that we were leaving because of bad customer service and she barely looked up and said okay. We will clearly not be going back. read more

The view from the deck is very nice. The wait staff is well trained as you can tell owners have other properties. Im very picky with Veal and this had to be the best I've had in south Jersey. The meatballs are delicious as well as their sauce. We Highly recommend this place. We are tough to please when it comes to Italian but this place is great. read more

Had an amazing time while on vacation w my family. For a brand new restaurant they seem to have everything running smoothly! My server was Riley, she was super informative on the menu and friendly ! I got 2 apps as my meal, the "Sizzling shrimp Scampi" , which was so tender and delicious and the "peaches and prosciutto", which was literally out of this world! My kids got 2 pizzettes and they loved them as well. All around 10/10! DEF will be returning! read more