DiPaolos is our go to 'celebrate' place for dinner and local bands. I made reservations for 12 there last week, we came in immediately were seated and friends showed up right behind us( they did not make us wait for the entire group to be seated). Me and my husband got our favorites and the whole table ordered different things there were 12 of us. We got the Seafood Fradiavolo- it was amazing!! And like usual we brought to go containers home and had a whole meal the next day! Everyone was happy with their entrées and the band was good we had never seen them before 'Goody Blue Shoes'. Food, drink, service and atmosphere are all five star if I had one suggestion, it would be to split the bills on bigger groups... you can still charge the gratuity on individual bills. Love this place, will be back in the next couple of weeks! read more

Di Paolo's - Six couple at DiPaolos for dinner- one first time couple all the rest of us have been many times over the years! - Italian Near Me - Penns Grove, New Jersey

DiPaolo's is our go to special occasion spot. I love good Italian food- especially when the pork free and meat free options are just as delicious and appetizing as the 'traditional' Italian dishes. This time we visited for my birthday- on a Tuesday evening, they are running a two for $60 special. You get a starter, main, and dessert. The options are plentiful for such a complete meal, and I always enjoy my company (the Mr.). I had a spinach strawberry blue cheese candied walnut salad as my starter. I ordered the chicken parm: two thinly (read: perfectly portioned) sliced chicken breasts, coated with bread crumbs and fried, smothered in the same garlicky tomato sauce folded into the most perfectly al-dente pasta noodles. The mozzarella cheese was thoroughly melted and fused into the top layer of the chicken breasts. For dessert, I ordered the lemon mascarpone cake: three layers of the fluffiest, most lemony cake I have ever had. The mascarpone cream was not sugary- again, flavorful and lemony. I always enjoy my meal when I visit and I particularly adore their tomato pie. I have a little trick to being able to score some additional pieces to the two place on your table with warm crusty bread and butter; I have no intentions of sharing my secret! I know the term 'hidden gem' is played out, but this is really one of those places where if you don't know, you will never know. If you decide to try it, it's worth the drive. I have always enjoyed my time, food, and service the numerous times I have visited. read more

Di Paolo's - Chicken Parm perfection. - Italian Near Me - Penns Grove, New Jersey

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My friend and I came here in August where they had a special on their buffet menu. It was YUM YUM in the TUM TUM. I enjoyed EVERYTHING (times 3). And the drinks were phenomenal as well. Espresso martinis and limoncello were, by far, one of the best drinks I've had in the restaurant. Service was exceptional as well. Overall, had a great time and will definitely be back. read more

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Went to visit in NJ. Lovely spot for Italian food. I do recommend to come early before the crowd. Pros: Beautiful inside. Plenty of parking behind the restaurant. Food is cooked fresh. Italian wedding soup is delicious. The bolognese was good as well. It was a little salty but overall great flavor. Great entree, dessert and drink options. Cons: It was great service overall, but we could tell that the workers were overwhelmed as the crowd grew and it took awhile to grab our payment. I would love to come back! Definitely recommended spot if visiting or if you live in NJ area. read more

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Holy $hit....this place gives a ton of food. My wife and I sat at the bar and got right in. We arrived fairly early and the people began to pile in after we were seated. We had the dinner special for two. First course: antipasto salad with broccoli rabe, chick peas, egg plant and cold cuts. Second: we both had wedge salads. Our meal was a tomahawk steak for 2 drowned with what felt like the whole ocean of seafood. For dessert my wife had strawberry cheese cake and I had the limochello cake. We couldn't finish it all and walked out with a shopping bag full of food. You know the bags you used to get before the idiot Phil Murphy banned plastic bags and now stores don't want to give you bags at all. All and all....everything was tasty, but the steak could of have been a little hotter. read more

Di Paolo's - Italian Near Me - Penns Grove, New Jersey

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Food was good.Hospitality was poor.We couldn't stay because it was miserable and hot.We spoke to the manager and didn't receive help.We tried to muster through but just couldn't.The manager was nasty and very short with us.We travelled from Delaware our first time visiting and we were highly disappointed.Do not recommend! read more

We got the family chicken Parmesan special. A lot of food, but that's really all can say. I've this before and it was good. This time not so good. Chicken was tough not dry, tough. The sauce on the spaghetti was fair at best. Tasted just like something from a jar. No seasoning. Maybe this was because of all the orders for Father's Day, but for $72 - which included an automatic gratuity and then asked for additional tip, I expected better. Cannoli was fine nothing special. The meal was hot and the woman who brought it to my car was very kind. Sadly, I won't be driving 40 minutes again to get this . read more

The pickings are slim in Penns Grove but if you can get beyond the wedding factory atmospherics, Di Paola's is a marriage between the only two things that matter when dining -- excellent food and excellent service. The place is pure glitz and while that's not my preferred habitat, the crab cakes are outstanding and the vibe is surprisingly unrushed. It's certainly a hike to Penns Grove but next time we're in the area, Di Paolo's is on our list for an old school rendezvous. Five easy stars. read more

Went here for my first time today. My sister has been speaking very highly of this restaurant and promised to bring me the next time I was in Philly to visit. She said they get really busy for Sunday brunch, so we had to leave Philly to get there in time for opening. When we got there, we were some of the first people to be seated. It was practically empty which was nice and we got seated instantly. They did give us menus to order from, but we were there for the breakfast buffet, so they quickly removed those from our tables and told us to get started when we were ready. The buffet had standard breakfast items (omelette bar, bacon, sausage, waffles, etc), but they also had Italian options like meatballs, gnocchi, ravioli, etc. In addition, there was a salad bar and dessert station, so definitely a lot of options to choose from. My first plate was Italian and I tried a little of everything. Had the meatball which was large, but good. Also, I had the eggplant Parmesan, stuffed ravioli, gnocchi, and crab cake. Everything on my plate for the first round was delicious! For my second plate, I had traditional breakfast foods. I had a waffle, bacon, Italian sausage, and I tired the prime rib. I didn't like the prime rib at all, but it was ok because everything else was really good. For my last plate, I had a salad, shrimp cocktail, and few more gnocchi. To be honest, the gnocchi were my favorite. I never had them before, but glad I ventured and tried something new. As far as ambience, it definitely has the family feel. It looks smaller on the outside than it is on the inside. The restaurant quickly filled up as the morning went on, but the service was really good and attentive. The waiters stopped by our table frequently and made small talk with us. I definitely am glad I had a chance to eat here, and would visit more if I lived in the area. To be honest, I didn't pay so I'm not sure how much the buffet is, but whatever the price is, I do think you get a lot of food for your money. read more

Di Paolo's - Eggplant Parmesan, gnocchi, stuffed ravioli, mixed vegetables, and crab cake - Italian Near Me - Penns Grove, New Jersey

"Came here on a quiet afternoon and was pleasantly surprised by how warm and polished the place felt." As this was my first time here I wasn't sure what to expect. As we were driving the town looks so country like it's not a lot of people more land then anything. Hardly any stores. We pull up to the restaurant and they have a parking lot behind the restaurant. Beautiful Restaurant the decor is so inviting. The place was surprisingly packed. The restaurant is a little tight inside but plenty seating with a bar on one side where the large dining room is. They had several different menus with so many choices. Came here for brunch with the family. We had the choice of getting the brunch buffet for $39.99, or 3 course lunch for $20.00. I decided on the 3 course lunch as it was still early. We started with tomato pie and bread for the table. I had the chilled BLT salad wedge with blue cheese dressing. "The wedge salad was crisp and loaded with flavor." Chicken marsala was tender, perfectly seasoned, and the sauce was silky, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and for dessert the cheesecake with strawberry sauce. I also ordered the rum punch drink which was ok but not as fruity as I would have liked. The food was delicious and plenty for the price. The service was great, our waiter Craig made sure we were good at every turn. I hear they have live entertainment on some dinner nights. "A true diamond in the rough. You'll definitely see me back -- next time for the chicken parm." read more

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I felt like having some prime rib, and cooking a rib roast for two people didn't make sense. I remembered that Sunday brunch at DiPaolo's includes prime rib. My wife and I headed back to Di Paolo's. Again, the food was delicious--I had both the prime rib and the filet mignon. The wait staff were attentive and friendly. My last word is--just do it! Go there for brunch and you will not be disappointed. We are already planning our next trip back. read more

This place is legendary. In Penns Grove, but could easily be in Philly or New York. Food is delicious and comes in huge portions. Half the time you'll end up taking your entree home because you'll be full on the anti pasta and bread they bring out. Service is always on point. The decor is a little dated in my opinion, but the 70's , '80's vibe really works. read more

Di Paolo's - Italian Near Me - Penns Grove, New Jersey

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First time at DiPaola's - we learned that it first started as a pizza place 51 years ago and is now a full service, large portion Italian restaurant. They have a lot of different specials such as Sunday brunch, seafood buffet Thursday nights, live music and we unknowingly went during their holiday dinner event. Our server was extremely busy when we were first seated but ended up being a delight. He gave us a full tour including the outside area. We were able to meet the Chef who was kind enough to send us all a glass of the homemade limoncello with our desserts. The portions are very large and we all ended up taking food home. The lobster Mac and cheese was a little loose and limited on the amount of lobster but had a nice flavor. The calamari was cooked perfectly with plenty of hot peppers to go around. The salads were much larger than most side salads you get at a restaurant these days. I ordered the seafood risotto which had a full order of mussels, a full order of scallops, a half order of clams and shrimp with an overly generous amount of lump crabmeat. There was so much seafood I couldn't see the rice. The portion was large enough for my dinner that night and 3 lunches the following day. Only compliant was it being a bit salty. The surf and turf was also huge. The crab cake was full of lump crabmeat. The fillet was cooked to order. The ribeye was also done right and the mash potatoes were creamy and rich. The pan seared Branzino was light and flaky. The desserts were good but hard to fully enjoy after being stuffed with so much food. It's hard to say the pricing was a downside when we did all have enough for at least another meal or two but they could back a little and have the prices reflect that. Also it's a bit of a drive. read more

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The serve was great. The hostess who seated us needs to be replaced. I will never recommend this restaurant or come back due to her. She needed to be fired. read more

Di Paolo's - This was the host who seated us. - Italian Near Me - Penns Grove, New Jersey

My parents and I come here every few months. They have a wonderful menu and a great brunch. They always start you off with a bread basket that has tomato bread. We've had the gnocchi, risotto, linguine with clam sauce and the tomahawk steak all have been delicious. read more

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Celebrated Father's Day at DiPaolo. Restaurant was crowded for Father's Day dinner. Food was delicious and portions are very shareable. The food like salad, cheese & meat board are so filling and fresh. The drink specials are delicious and $9.00. We ordered appetizers which were huge and shareable. We took so many to go containers home. We didn't order dessert since we were all full. The pricing is inline with the amount of food you receive. Service was very good for our party with about 25 people. The waitress was very attentive. I can't wait to return. I really enjoyed the restaurant, food and decor. We sat in the outside covered area which was very comfortable. Free parking in parking lot and street parking. read more

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Excellent as Always! Super Value Specials Great, relaxing atmosphere! Great Service! Go to eat, drink, and relax!! read more

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Awesome food and service. Very clean and everyone was friendly and very accommodating.

Had a reservation on a Saturday night and sat right as I arrived. It was crowded, but everything was clean and the service was very good. Ordered some drinks and the tomahawk steak for 2, which on Saturday is priced at $149. The steak was cooked nicely, but it was hard to eat and serve at the table. I would go again. read more

My first visit was prompted by comments from two very close friends who consistently raved about the old-school, exceptional quality and quantity of meals they very much enjoyed at Di Paolo's in Penns Grove, NJ. My meal in late October 2025 was no exception. It consisted of three courses: a very fresh and generous garden salad, an entree of braised short ribs and delicious, creamy risotto with roasted asparagus preceded by a slice of tasty and crisp tomato pie, and a luscious dessert of scrumptious Limoncello cake. This is sometimes offered on the menu as a choice of all-inclusive luncheon prefix specials. The meal was second to none of my previous visits to Italian restaurants in metro Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, Mercer, Middlesex, Burlington, Camden and Atlantic counties. Adequate nearby parking is available. read more

Great food, service and old school Italian Restaurant. $20 Summer Special salad, entree and desert read more

Di Paolo's - Ravioli and Meatballs - Italian Near Me - Penns Grove, New Jersey

I absolutely love this place. From the wait staff to the ambience, this is a great establishment. Now the food, it is plentiful and delicious. By the way, I arrived around 2:20. The $20 price for a three course meal was mind-blowing. read more

This place really impressed me.The service here is phenomenal. This compares two places in New York and Boston. But I also like the food around me. The aesthetics of the room was delicious. I enjoyed this meal at Cinco de Mayo. Me and my daughter go back every year. read more

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Had a 6:30 reservation today and arrived at 6:25. Checked in and was told it'll be a few minutes. After a few I asked what they meant by a few minutes and was told 10-15. At 7:00 I asked again and was told I was the next 2 top. At 7:15, the other hostess took someone else and when I asked, she said she had 2 2 tops so she'd be right back for me. The first 2 top was relatively near the entrance. The one she led us to was past there and through 2 rooms. This is important because I use a cane and clearly looked like I was going to fall down. Got seated and waited to be even greeted by the waitress. About 7 minutes later, she finally comes by. We ask what soft drinks they had (nothing on the menu) and was told they'd just run out of Coke. That was the straw that broke this camel's back. We left and will not be returning. read more

I've never had a bad meal at Di Paolo's. On this particular occasion, they had a special - Filet Mignon and crab cake with sides (pictured). They also had a special with 2 crab cakes....they were huge! Our server was a very nice young lady, and brought everything out (food, drinks) quickly and with a smile. This restaurant has a delightful atmosphere. Reservations are recommended since it can be very busy during dinner hours. I would recommend this restaurant - Try the Tomahawk!!!! read more

Di Paolo's - Antipasto platter (sans the bread and tomato pie slices). - Italian Near Me - Penns Grove, New Jersey

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Absolutely delicious! From the Old Fashioned all the way through the main courses. Our party of four enjoyed what we ordered. Our waiter was very attentive and answered any questions we had. We will definitely be back! read more

Went on a Tuesday for lunch around 2pm. This place runs scams with menus, even the employees don't know what menu to give you. Our server, Vanessa, who was terrible gave me a hard time when asking for the full menu, stating that everyone orders from the $25 lunch menu. I asked about the $50 menu, but Vanessa said she thought that started at 4pm (actually starts at 3pm). The $25 veal parm is tough and over breaded. This makes no sense to me, that I want to spend more but I can't for an hour. So the regular dinner menu has veal parm chop for $69 served with gnocchi, but the scam starts that on the $50 menu you get it with spaghetti but with dessert. This needs revamped. Vanessa has a smart attitude and clearly didn't want to work. Don't plan on the desserts looking anything like their picture on the dessert menu, that must just be for fun. Disappointed! read more

Great service while picking up gift certificates. Amazing creativity in mixology. Bartender was beyond sweet and attentive. read more

Di Paolo's - Jack Frost martini. Delicious. - Italian Near Me - Penns Grove, New Jersey

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Fantastic service and gorgeous ambiance in an area you'd never expect to be in! I love this place and it's a weekend favorite.

This restaurant and its staff displayed the worst customer service I have ever experienced. My boyfriend and I walked in at 9:30 PM -- a full hour and a half before the restaurant's posted closing time of 11:00 PM -- only to be told the kitchen was already closed because it "always closes an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes early." That math simply doesn't add up. It was obvious from the moment we walked in that we weren't welcome. The hostess didn't bother to apologize or offer any solution -- just dismissed us like we were an inconvenience. My boyfriend has been here many times with his family and always raved about the place, so I was excited to try it while visiting from California. Instead, I left shocked and offended. To make matters worse, when I called to speak to the manager, they showed zero accountability or concern. Not even a hint of an apology -- just indifference. For a restaurant that prides itself on hospitality, the complete lack of professionalism and basic respect was appalling. Do better. Train your staff. And maybe start by treating all of your guests with the same courtesy and respect. read more

Went for lunch during the wwek and had the lunch speacal $20 three course meal. The food and service was great.

Really good food with large servings but you will be paying for them. Great spot to go on a date.

This is the most "Diamond in the Rough" restaurant I have ever been to. I had this restaurant recommended to me by a friend, but I never was around this area to try it. I just so happened to be attending the rodeo down the road so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity. I thought I had gotten the address to the restaurant wrong as I was getting to close to it. It's in a little of bit of a shifty area to be completely honest; not an area I would expect this place to be in. As soon as I walked through the front doors though I was greeted by an air of elegance. The food was absolutely fantastic. I had the crab stuffed lobster and the person I was with had the lobster bisque bread bowl. We shared the calamari as an appetizer and we finished with a crème brûlée as a dessert. Everything was 10/10. Our waiter was extremely attentive and kind. I initially ordered a drink that I didn't like and he immediately grabbed me something else without a second thought. We also unfortunately were being attacked by flies having been sat by the window. The waiter immediately brought out this little table sized spinning fan device that kept all the flies away, it was great! 10/10 would totally recommend this place. You just might have to go a little bit out of you way to get to it. I would definitely recommend a reservation as well, the place was absolutely packed on a Saturday night. read more

I mean I can't believe I haven't reviewed this place yet, so good, always a hit, consistent service and food. We have dined outside and inside. Our latest stop was inside, we didn't want to be near the live band. As usual our meal came with the antipasto and bread. We opted for the dinner for two meal. It was the 3.5lb stuffed lobster with crabmeat. It came with a salad - we both did Caesar salad, I wish it was dressed instead of on the side. The side dish accompanying the lobster meal was mashed potatoes, asparagus and carrots. The stuffed lobster was basically filled with crab cakes. It was a little salty, we don't eat salty at home. Little lobster in the actual lobster, but the claws made up for that. It was $99, which wasn't bad. We ended up taking home about 1/4 of the stuffed lobster home. They packaged it up nicely in a large aluminum tin. Oh and the martinis were amazing. So smooth and delicious! We also ordered and shared a creme brûlée! Soooo good. Always room for this dessert. Call or make reservations today! read more

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Excellent ambiance and wonderful service. Food is beyond delicious. Definitely great for my Birthday Dinner and any occasion

Food,service, Ambiance, was excellent, waiters, servers was amazing on point with everything.

Came her for a work outing and thought the entire experience was fantastic! Our server was super attentive and was able to answer all of our questions. The food was incredible!! All of the appetizers we had were delish (my fav was the spicy calamari). For dinner, I was really craving alfredo sauce and they were able to alter their chicken parm to have alfredo sauce and it was absolutely delicious! The restaurant was pretty busy for a Wednesday night and they had a DJ playing really cringy music, also was super loud as we were sat right by the DJ booth! The incredible service and food made up for this though! Looking forward to going back! read more

Di Paolo's - Chicken Parm but with Alfredo Sauce - Italian Near Me - Penns Grove, New Jersey

Had an outstanding dining experience today! Our server-Jamie was absolutely the best. Very attentive. Food was super! Will be back.

I would have given 5 stars overall for the food as 3 of our party of 4 loved their food. 2 of them had the ribeye special, the ribeyes came perfectly cooked and they were huge with a mountain of crabmeat on them. The 3rd diner ordered the pasta with seafood and she loved her dish as well. I ordered the spaghetti and meatballs and I thought my main dish was ok, not great. The pasta was all stuck together and the meatballs were not very good. i thought the 'Sunday gravy' sauce was fine. The addition of the long hots and scoop of ricotta was interesting but not bad in any way. I've had better dishes of pasta however. I also had the spinach salad with dressing, nuts and blue cheese - as I am not a fan of blue cheese, I asked our waitress to have the blue cheese left off the salad. When I asked if that was possible, she said "absolutely". When I received my salad, she put it in front of me - with the cheese on it - and said, "I'm sorry, they don't speak English and so the cheese is on there, I hope it's ok". I find it hard to believe that she does not have the basic ability to say "no queso" but whatever. What was worse was she just plopped it in front of me, said "I hope it's ok" and then left. I'm not allergic to anything, but what if I was? She also let us know when our food suddenly appeared as we started into our salads that she had no idea why our food was early...and there was no room on the table as it was... The server was nice enough but at the same time, she was a bit scattered - and couldn't keep track of who ordered what nor who the credit card and bill went back to - we did leave a nice tip in spite of her lackluster performance. She was the reason I dropped 2 stars off of the review - it could have been 5 with better service. I am glad that we went, the food was perfectly fine, very good in fact - but it was not worth the 45 minute drive to Penns Grove for the meal and the service that we experienced since we have restaurants closer that offer the same level of food with better service. read more

Been meaning to try this place for a while now the distance is what stopped me. Finally made the 45 minute trek to Penns grove to see what this place was about. Had a reservation and was promptly seated at 7:00. The neighborhood is a bit sketchy but there is parking behind the restaurant although the lot was full I was able to street park. We were seated in a less lively room off to the right which felt slightly awkward only because the bar room was so different. I wished they at least were playing music you could hear to break the weird silence. The menus are quite large with a whole menu dedicated to cocktails and wine . The server came by after a long wait to get cocktail order. We started with a spicy tajin margarita and an old fashioned. The margarita came out looking good only weird part was instead of jalapeño in it there was a long hot cross section. The old fashion was nothing special booze heavy smaller drink glass. We didn't have any appetizer knowing that the antipasto and salad would be filling after reading reviews. We opted for the veal parmigiana dish with the mini ravioli and a seafood pasta is a blush sauce with crab, scallops and shrimp. Asked the waiter if we could change the pasta selection he said "no I'm sorry chef rules". That's rather annoying as this is a simple switch not altering the integrity of the dish/ingredients. The dinner is served with bread basket , tomato pie and antipasto which is a great start. You also have choice of 4 salads wedges, strawberry spinach, Cesar, or house garden. The illusion is that it comes free with your meal but trust me as the price point of the entrees clearly demonstrates your paying for that starter app and salad selection. The service improves as the meal went on. Portion sizes were generous borderline wasteful as we're bad leftover eaters. All in all the taste was good. It was a long drive for what I feel like I have closer. A definite restaurant to try. Review based on the distance, neighborhood, service , price point and inability to make a simple request . All in 168.00 for 2 people one cocktail each no appetizer or dessert. You do the math. read more

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