Best Italian food in Cape May! Its not even close! Huge portions, great service and real authentic Sicilian meals.

Dinner at Iccara is always a wonderful experience. The staff is very accommodating and friendly, the restaurant is small but comfortable. The homemade caponata that is complimentary to start is very much like my grandma use to make us. My go to dish is the vegetable pesto with orecchiette pasta as it is always hot fresh and delicious. The burrata special is wonderful. So many choices, always amazing. It is probably our favorite Italian restaurant in and around the town. read more

We loved our dinner at this restaurant. Loved the interior and ambiance and the service. We were celebrating a birthday and they were so nice about it. They serve caponata with bread, still thinking about it. Our server said, owner makes it himself. Food wise - we had mediterranean chicken, gnocchi rosso, fried mozzarella and it was all delicious. Portions were more than enough. Dessert we tried was Tartufo and it was good. read more

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Great chicken parm and eggplant agri dolce app! Good service The steamed clam app was disappointing. Tiny clams not local clams most very sandy The wine sauce very good but need local clams and purge them!!!!!!! Disappointing read more

It been quite a time since last I posted, the dinner I just had deserves to be counted from the Cape May Lighthouse! If your are lucky enough to be here when the have the Pistachio encrusted Branzino as the special or any Branzino order it, it been more than a few years since I have experienced so expertly developed taste. Best of all it was Gluten Free! (as always I have been GF the past 22 year but can handle most cross contamination.) A quick note on the service it was the most adept we experienced in Cape May! read more

Our greeter was engaging and inviting. The ambiance was intimate, a smaller quaint space decorated with family photos and a dimly lit interior. We had gluten free pasta with chicken, and the lasagna, with cappuccino and gelato for dessert. Jenna, our server was friendly and attentive. Loved it and will certainly be back! read more

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Nice little bistro style with great food. We had a reservation but need to change it to take out - don't ask! They were very accommodating and made sure our takeout order was fresh and nicely packed to go. Chicken parm was a cut above the usual. It's tucked in a shopping center near the Acme so it's off the beaten path. One note - because to read the reservation policy! read more

We loved the place! The food was delicious and the service was impeccable. Alex was our server and he had great recommendations. The atmosphere is great. They don't try to squish you into a little space like some places down here do. read more

Great little place for Italian in cape may. Not an extensive menu but what they make is excellent. Our server was very Sean. He did a great job with handling special requests. Would come back read more

This place was rather mid for us. Iccara takes reservations, sells wine, but is also BYOB. It's located in a shopping center that charges for parking after the first thirty minutes. The restaurant will only validate your parking for an additional thirty minutes, unlike the hour they advertise. To clarify, beyond 1 hour, you will have to pay $8/hr. When first seated, there was a plastic cup of some salad dressing on our table. No clue why. The hostess didn't see it so I pointed it out to the person pouring our water. She stared at it like " why are you showing me this?". When she finished pouring the water and was walking away, I asked her to please remove it. Strange start. Our server was very attentive and tried to remedy any issues we faced. This place is bit disjointed. Almost all food lacked seasoning. I had to ask for salt and pepper shakers, olive oil and lemons to season my own seafood salad. The seafood salad was also 90+ % calamari. We found a couple little pieces of octopus. The cacio e pepe hardly had cheese and had almost no pepper. Somewhat ironic. I asked someone for some fresh pepper for it...and barely anything came out of the grinder. Maybe they had a peppercorn shortage. I ordered the mussels in red sauce to be made spicy, but they weren't spicy. Some also didn't taste too fresh. The fried calamari was tasty, though not the biggest portion. This was probably the best item we ordered. We used the capers/olives on it to help season other dishes we were served. Prices here also don't seem to match what you receive. The cacio e pepe and seafood salad both cost $25, but compare the two and it doesn't make sense. See my pictures. Overall, this place has potential, but needs to work on a few things. It's nicely decorated, our server was good, but food lacks seasoning. read more

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Make resi or you may have to wait. Small restaurant, but very cute, clean, well decorated. Parking in strip mall. Staff professional and friendly. Complimentary bread and seems to be home made caponata - delish. Calamari with olives app was amazing. Mussels tasty, lobster pasta with squid ink is a must, swordfish so good. Large portions so bring an empty stomach. Service good. BYOB which you can get down the street at the liquor store. Would recommend. read more

Delicious entrees coupled with excellent service. Arancini appetizer was quite good, as was my wife's bisque. We will be back.

Charming BYOB with good food nice ambience and very nice staff. The Cacio Pepe was quite good.

Enjoyed our meal here. Quaint, quiet restaurant. BYOB. Service was very good. Had the portabello mushroom appetizer and the lobster pasta over squid ink fettucine. The lobster pasta was a large portion and very good. 4 of us in our group had it and we all really liked it. read more

ICCARA Italian Bistro - Lobster pasta - squid ink fettucine. - Italian Near Me - Cape May, New Jersey

Super disappointed. I've been here a few times went with my family a couple nights ago. With the exception of one dish, the bronzino five of the entrees were either overcooked warm, not hot or ed, for example.Scallops that were so small, they looked like nickels not sea scollops. We ordered the clams as starters. They were so small.They should not have even been served. In the past, we and our friends have had a good experience here, not this time. I even reached out to attempt to let the owner know through the website.But no one chose to reach back.So I felt it important to share. Very expensive for the experience. read more

Hostess rude Waiters .. verbatim "I know nothing about wine and nobody here does" Bread roll from Wawa cut up heated Lasagna plate full of grease I don't like writing a review but I feel people spend their money to enjoy themselves and this was absolutely horrible. I'm sorry but so many other places worth giving your money to. There was not even a manager on site to assist. It's run by young adults who know nothing about the industry nor food. Spend your money elsewhere. Ambiance is bright and energy is off. read more

We have been eating at Iccara for several years now, both at their former location and also at their new and current location. Every time we visit, the meal is great. from their pre-fixed early menu to a la carte. Service was very good, waiter was very personable, funny and attentive. We had a special appetizer the last time that was unforgettable. Always a hit. read more

We booked a reservation here during our trip to Cape May because there weren't many options left for a Saturday night. The restaurant is very fancy on the inside but unfortunately the food was just your typical Italian fare. Nothing about the dishes was exceptional to me, it was all just pretty good Italian food. I was pretty disappointed with my lobster pasta, and didn't think there was enough flavor or sauce. read more

ICCARA Italian Bistro - Special - Italian Near Me - Cape May, New Jersey

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This was our first time eating here, was very good. Went between 4 - 5 PM because seemed there were more gluten free choices for the early bird dinner, but was told can order the entrees after 5 PM, even though not listed on the menu. I had the gluten free chicken Marsala, which was very good with large portions and included soup or salad, the entree and dessert for $39, a good price. My husband had lasagna and enjoyed that. If you don't mind eating early, probably better to go early, restaurant is small and the paid parking lot there at the ACME fills early. A couple of things to note: if you want to make a reservation they require a$25 credit card deposit, we did not do that since I don't like to share that info with reservation websites. Our waitress added a 3% surcharge to our bill without asking how we were paying, she removed it after we informed her we were paying cash, but we almost missed it prior to paying, so check your bill carefully. Overall, was a nice restaurant with many gluten free options and an allergen protocol. We will definitely come back after the summer rush is over. read more

If I could give a 0 star I would. Horrible Christmas Eve experience. We arrived 20 minutes before our reservation but were told to stand outside the in the cold because they have no waiting area. We walked back in for our reservation time and were told our table for 2 wasn't ready. They then sat a 3 top and a 5 top while we waited. We were told we had to wait because the people were still at our table, whatever that means. We were standing next to multiple tables that were set and open for seating. The manager was rude and unprofessional! The wait staff made comments behind my back as I was discussing the problem with manager and hostess. read more

I know there are some mixed reviews on here, which honestly surprises me because I've been coming every summer for the past five years and it has consistently been very good. For us, the biggest priority is finding truly good gluten-free food, so we can't always afford to be super picky...but this place really delivers. That said, yes... some of the front desk ladies can be a bit not-so-friendly, which isn't ideal. But beyond that, everything else has always been amazing. The food is incredible, and a huge win is that they can make certain dishes gluten-free...and actually safe for people with celiac. They're very careful about cross-contamination, and the GF dishes still taste amazing. It's BYOB (love that), and the liquor store is conveniently right down the block. Parking can be tough, so we always just park in the ACME lot next door. It's super convenient even though it costs around $10-$15 when you're there for over an hour. The servers are kind, the ambiance is lovely...not overly fancy, but absolutely nice enough for a quality "get dressed up a bit" date night. I usually wear a dress when we go. I believe there's a cancellation fee, so definitely make a reservation, but it's worth it. Also, I saw someone complain that the staff "knows nothing about wine." It's BYOB. They only serve one in-house wine. This isn't that ultra-posh, high-end wine-service kind of place, and that's totally fine. They do what they do extremely well! read more

With great restaurants all over Cape May, this one stands out, in the ACME shopping center. BYOB and nice Italian music playing. Service was not rushed as reservation was on early side for dinner and place began filling up. Appetizers and entrees were solid although nothing ordered was too intricate. read more

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Such a wonderful experience at this Restaurant..So cozy and the food was amazing. Our Waiter Sean made it even better very professional and friendly such a nice guy very thorough!!. We will be visiting again. read more

This place was ok..... service was good, space wasn't too noisy, but crowded..... food was meh..... I had the mixed seafood, and it was in so much "broth?" Felt like a soup. It was easy to get a reservation and now I understand why..... maybe their Italian items are better, but would not recommend the seafood. read more

ICCARA Italian Bistro - Halibut - Italian Near Me - Cape May, New Jersey

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Absolutely UNREAL!!!! We just got back from a trip to Italy and this place was nothing short of authentic. From the bread dip being an original recipe from Palermo to the saltimbocca tasting absolutely phenomenal. The only complaint i have is being TOO FULL!!! Shoutout to our waiter Alexander for being so amazing. WE LOVE IT HERE!!! read more

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Terrible service. The front desk is rude.We won't be back and will not recommend to anyone. Much better Italian in other places in town. Save yourself the trip. read more

This review is mainly about the food. The service was great. The hostess was very friendly and the waiter was nice as well. Nice atmosphere with Italian music. I wanted seafood salad but unfortunately it's not available. I ordered a chicken dish with crab meat and mashed potato. There's not much much crab meat, chicken was bland, not tasty at all. The mashed potato looked like it was made from instant mix. Fried calamari: served with warm marinara. It's not crispy but perfectly cooked. My husband has papardelle with lobster. I tasted the sauce and it was sweet didn't taste homemade. The positive thing is the bread was served with tasty tapenade. Also, because it was my birthday, I got complimentary dessert and I picked tiramisu. Although it was not the best, it was delicious as I can taste the coffee in the soaked lady fingers. Overall I think it's very mediocre. read more

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Out food was amazing! I had the lasagna and it was so creamy and good! Service is phenomenal and we had Alex! Bed server ever! He was so nice and he was into it! It is such a beautiful place. It is small but it works! This was a review from the heart! Always would recommend!!! read more

Made a reservation (and the restaurant was packed, so they're needed!) They moved locations and they are now in Washington Commons. This was our first time trying Iccara and we were happy to have tried it. We were seated right away. Restaurant isn't too big, maybe about 15 tables there. For apps, we ordered rice balls and French onion soup. Both we thought were very good. For entrees, we got an array of things: Papperdelle della nonna (lobster pasta), veal parm, seafood risotto (special), and fettuccine Alfredo. The sauce on the papperdelle della nonna tasted like it was from a jar. Definitely all good, but something was missing to make it all great. Would we be back? Yes! Good place, just doesn't wow you. Service is great as well. BYOB. read more

ICCARA Italian Bistro - Pappardelle della nonna - Italian Near Me - Cape May, New Jersey

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We have been to Cape May multiple times but never tried this Italian restaurant. We have been to others and decided to try this one. To start, the place is really nice inside. We had a table in the front, that was only alright because it got a little cold everytime the door opened up. Our waitress was very kind and attentive. She brought bread, that was only alright. The best thing we ate all day was the dipping sauce that came with the bread. For appetizers we had meatballs, octopus salad, and fried calamari. The fried calamari was one of the worst we have ever eaten, it was like cardboard. The other appetizers were just okay,we would not order or recommend them. For entree, I had the pasta lobster because I saw a lot of positive rewards on it. The sauce was very very bland and it needed salt. It was not enjoyable. Everyone else just thought their meals were okay and would not recommend them. We would not return to this restaurant. One thing to note, while we were eating dinner something strange kept happening. The lights in the restaurant kept turning on really bright, and then would stay like that, and then they would dim down, then they would go bright again. This kept happening till we left. This was very distracting while we were eating and would disrupt our meal. It was like they were trying to rush us out of the restaurant. Our reservation was at 8:00 and there were other people still in the restaurant. read more

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Amazing place! So delicious! Menu is pretty large with many great options. Service was outstanding. We had to make reservation, because it's pretty busy. If you want some great seafood, this is a place. read more

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Made a reservation for a specific time and when we arrived we were told they "can't guarantee the reservation time" so we were sat 30 mins or more after our time we requested, not sure why they make you pick a time to reserve if that's the case. Also, the parking is not associated with the restaurant so we will be paying for 30 minutes to an hour of extra time on our own. read more

Delish! Our dinners were loved by all! Excellent waitstaff--thanks Shawn! Beautiful setting to enjoy food and friends! read more

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I had the seafood combo it was good except for the crab cake. My husband had the crab cake entree and basically ate the risotto and vegetables. Definitely not the place for crab cakes. All breading; didn't even taste crab. He should have sent them back. Service was good. Ambiance pleasant. read more

I don't typically like to leave negative reviews, but my experience here was not positive at all. The service was incredibly slow, the manager was so rude and condescending, and the food was not good. I ordered the cacio e pepe and it tasted off to me. I only took a few bites because something was not right. 20 minutes later I got sick and vomitted. My stomach hurt for 2 days after eating there. Sean our server was so sweet and attentive, which was the only positive of the evening. Will never go back. So many other better options to choose from! Save yourself the time and go elsewhere. read more

Truly wonderful full-service dining experience in Cape May, mouthwatering Italian dishes prepared to perfection! This was the best dinner of our summer vacation, just terrific to be able to find a five-star dining restaurant with wonderful outdoor seating in Cape May! Also this place is right in the middle of all the shopping, I would very strongly recommend making a reservation here because you can stumble out of your dinner chair and walk the streets of the popular downtown shopping area! Also BYOB!!!! OK I'd like to start with my dinner, squid ink linguini with chunks of lobster meat on top! Mushrooms as well, honestly this was one of the best dinners I can remember in a very long time! Someone else in my group got pasta fra diovlo spicy and wonderful! Another person got the filet mignon cooked to perfection even well done due to dietary restrictions. . The outdoor seating during the summer was shaded and the service was impeccable! Easy to get parking nearby as their restaurant is very close to the very large parking lot in the middle of Cape May near the popular shopping district. Extremely highly recommended, if you are going to Cape May and not sure where to eat just make a reservation here I promise you you will not be disappointed! It's a little more expensive of course for the fine dining experience but worth every penny and more! read more

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Wow the food, the service the atmosphere. All excellent. The staff went over and beyond. The spaghetti with clams was perfection. The soups delicious. The dessert was great. The staff is attentive and charming. We had a great experience; all 8 of us were in agreement. Well done Iccara! After coming to Cape May for many years, this was the best meal! read more

Went in on a whim and It was amazing!! Great pasta and this calamari was delicioussssss can't stop thinking about It! Service was also great and informative read more

ICCARA Italian Bistro - Calamari - Italian Near Me - Cape May, New Jersey

Absolutely loved this place. Friendly and attentive service. Food was authentic like grandma and her boys are working in the back cooking up the sauces and importing only Italy's finest. Just off the strip of shopping in Cape May, so it was quitter and more romantic than you'll get with the hustle and hustle of the summer tourists. read more

By far my favorite restaurant in Cape May! Food/Service is top notch! The new location is beautiful! Thank you for going out of your way to accommodate my daughter who is picky, and satisfy her on New Year's Eve. Thank you, and I wish you continued success as I will be back when I'm in CM! Anyone looking for Great Italian Food in Cape May look no further; I HIGHLY RECOMMEND ICCARA! read more