Loud, had to yell to hear each other, waiter unfriendly. Food, however, was Delicious?

If you like bugs in your food this is your spot. If i could give it zero stars i definitely would. When i was here i ordered chicken parm and there was a bug in my food then they brought me a new one but on the check the charger for both of the chicken parm's. Not to mention the people next to us also had bugs in their food. We respectfully asked if they could take the 2nd chicken parm off our bill but they refused and took a picture of our license plate. Next thing we know on our ride home a cop pulls us over for doing absolutely nothing. Definitely don't recommend this place. read more

Really great place to go for excellent meal and ambiance. The outdoor area is great when weather and sun are cooperating. Bring you own wine and enjoy the specials too. read more

Had an excellent meal! The Halibut special was exquisite. Waiter was terrific. The adults and children were well satisfied.

Just got done dinner here for a family of 9. Will say, the food is good, but the prices are insane. Ordered 1 order of butter spaghetti to split for our 7 year old twins, the price on the website was $19 for spaghetti. The server billed us $34 and said it was because we split it. $34 dollars for butter noodles for two kids?! We usually come here 1-2 times every summer but this is the last time. There are so many great places down here that don't extort patrons for kids meals. read more

Perhaps the best choice for upscale Italian food for miles. All of the pasta is homemade and having been to Italy several times I have never found a comparable pasta that was perfectly "al denote" in the US....until now. La Fontana Del Mare is one of several restaurants owned by Bajur Daku. The atmosphere is upscale and the outdoor seating is expansive, inviting, and relaxing. The food was all excellent. All of the pasta was fresh and homemade and the seafood was cooked perfectly. The sauces were elegant and complimented the dishes without overpowering them. As a bonus the restaurant is BYOB. We drove almost 40 minutes and it was well worth it. We will be back again. read more

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Orange roughfy special with crab meat in a light tomato broth sauce was excellent. Wife got capellini with crab. Loved both entrees and chocolate mousse dessert was great. Warm and friendly service from Angela. A true sweetheart read more

La Fontana Del Mare - Italian Near Me - Strathmere, New Jersey

Always come to La Fontana with my family while on vacation. Last year we had a bit of a sub-par experience (seated outside with no waiter for 15 minutes, my brothers foot went into a full meatball under the table) so we were hesitant to come back this year. The food this year was 10/10.. we were seated inside this time so might have had more to do with better attention to our table.. my only complaint is that I had a $50 giftcard sent to me from the restaurant in my Apple Wallet, and the waitress refused to let me use it. I asked her if she could at least try to scan it and she responded "I know all of those had an expiration of June 30". This is a GIFTCARD not a coupon.. her response was incorrect in my opinion as she should have at least attempted to scan it for us. So, beware if you plan to use a giftcard they might not let you. Otherwise I would say it was a great meal. read more

La Fontana Del Mare - Pasta special - Italian Near Me - Strathmere, New Jersey

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Returned for a visit and were very disappointed. Although meals came out quickly and waiter Tony was friendly and charming. There is no doubt that our meals were not scratch-made but were reheated. Quality declined significantly. 3-4 old steak fries as sides to Marsala and other chicken entree. Old - as in sat under a light - maybe - and maybe recycled from a different day. No side of pasta. No side salad. Two entrees with old steak fries and meh Caesar salad to share, $82. This is such a great location and a traditional shore dinner-out stop. I really hope they can turn things around. read more

Bugs in food. Stay away from Horrible Gross Bugs in the food very dirty and not well kept read more

Excellent dining experience, it always is. The food was great. They eliminated the "Covid" tent but still provide outdoor dining. This is the best, in my opinion, of all the LaFontana restaurants. read more

Outside dining! Always makes it a pleasure. Service is always the best ! Food is always fresh and tasty. Been a customer since the 90s. My favorite read more

La Fontana Del Mare - Artichoke hearts - Italian Near Me - Strathmere, New Jersey

Very unhappy with our experience. We ordered some noodles and sauce and each dish cost $30. For that price, the food should have knocked our socks off, but no. I appreciate how busy it can be for a waitress to manage an entire side room, but she forgot to come back and tell me they were out of the wine I ordered. But most upsetting was how she responded to my daughter's food allergies, a potential life-threatening situation. She sighed heavily, was defensive, said, "I know what's in all of those dishes, there's no peanuts or tree nuts in there." No offer to write down her allergies and check with the chef. I had to push for her to write them down, finally asking her, "Do you want me to write them down for you?" and then she hastily wrote them down. When she finally placed the food in front of my daughter, she didn't even say "the kitchen said this is safe for her." I will never go there again, and I will warn other allergy parents on a popular allergy site. This is 2025, when food allergies are well-established and it takes 3 minutes to be kind and accommodating to a customer. read more

Del Mare has declined into the familiar tourist trap abyss. The clam vongole was 6 little neck clams over dry pasta in a few ounces of butter. No clam sauce. $28 waste. Actually was offensive to receive that dish and then pay for it. The carbonara was really just Alfredo with some off colored pancetta. $27 waste. The lemon cake was sliced very thin, meant for one I suppose. $12. Best part is still the byob, which added some relief to the already $77 bill for 2 people. read more

Really wanred to like this place but they got us off on the wrong foot. Made reservation for party of 6, 2 weeks and 2 days ahead of time. Very friendly man took the res and we briefly made small talk about looking forward to busy summer, some normalcy. Arrived at rest. 10 min. ahead and were seated in a corner table for 4 with no room. Inquiring respectfully for more room and were told basically that was it. Food was fair to good. We ordered apps to dessert. Service was ok, but unorganized. Had to ask for water, silver, plates for apps. Prices were normal, byob kept bill in check to $330. Might try again down the road. read more

Service was slow, not for all tables, just our waitress. Veal chop was good and the seafood special was good but, which should have included scallops, didn't. When the bill came the special cost, $42! The waitress didn't not provide the price, we were shocked. Not coming back. read more

Visited la Fontana del mare on a summer weekend with a party of ten and had a good, but not amazing experience. Initially walking up to the restaurant, I loved the atmosphere. Their large, coveted patio is beautiful and looked like a very enjoyable place to dine on a nice summer evening. However, the inside of the restaurant had an odor of rotting fish that only got worse when we were directed to the back room reserved for large parties. The hostess was flexible and able to reseat us in the front of the restaurant where it was a little less pungent, but still definitely noticeable. The menu had quite a variety of Italian and seafood options, making it a good choice for a big group with varied taste. They had several specials that really sounded amazing. Our group started with a bacon wrapped scallops appetizer which got mixed reviews. I thought the scallop was good but the bacon was a bit undercooked. For dinner, we enjoyed a variety of entrees - I loved the Gorgonzola gnocchi which is made in house. The lobster ravioli special came with scallops and shrimp and was a big hit with our group. We also enjoyed he veal and chicken parm. The portions were very large and many of us took leftovers home to enjoy again! Overall, we really enjoyed the food but the atmosphere definitely took away from the experience. I'd go again and request to sit out on the patio. read more

La Fontana Del Mare - Gnocchi gorgonzola - restaurant makes their own gnocchi, it's delicious! - Italian Near Me - Strathmere, New Jersey

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If ZERO was an option, that would be my rating. We found BUGS in our food! We complained and they said "We can't control everything". No apologies whatsoever. The manager and owner are rude and arrogant. read more

I requested water and a lovely carafe was brought to the table. The water, however, was warm. I had to request ice. The few slices of bread in the basket were cold. The filet of bronzano had a few bones in it. We wanted coffee with half and half or creamer. They don't carry that , only milk. The food was ok but based on everything, the experience wasn't worth the cost. read more

Terrible. 130 dollars for terrible food. Francais sauce was like eating lemon concentrate. read more

If you want all of your appetizers with salads all on the table at the same time, go to this restaurant. Talk about turning a table, this was ridiculous. It took us more time to get there, then it took us to eat. A young girl kept walking back and forth to look at the tables. I don't blame her. she was obviously told to clean the table, quickly, so the next course could be brought out to diners. The management needs to be aware that fine dining with high prices doesn't need the rush job. I go to a fast food place to eat not to dine. I go to a fine dining restaurant to savor my foods, drink my wine and have an evening out with friends. Never again! read more

La Fontana Del Mare is an absolute jewel on the norther end of Ludlum Island. (Shhh) The pasta is always perfect, the salads are crisp and bright, and the Ossobuco is outstanding. The service makes you feel like family. Hands down, my favorite Jersey Shore Restaurant. read more

La Fontana Del Mare - Amazing salad - Italian Near Me - Strathmere, New Jersey

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Food deserves 4 stars, even though overpriced. The downfall of this establishment is the management. The manager stood at the front area while his workers busted their asses serving full rooms at a time. The manager never left the front podium to assist the overwhelmed servers. It was a disgrace. We waited 60 minutes for bread and 35 minutes for someone to acknowledge us at our table. I do not blame our server. He was busting his ass waiting on 20 plus tables. The problem solely rests with management. I will not return to hand my money over to inconsiderate owners. STAY AWAY and servers QUIT. read more

La Fontana was above average not great. Food was 6.5 out of 10. For what you pay for I think food should all be delivered at same time. My wife and my food came out together, the couple we were with food arrived at least 3 minutes later, inexcusable for high end restaurant. Atmosphere was nice and so was lead waitress. Place like I sad was slightly above average but overpriced. read more

Right now only the outside seating is available. The restaurant was always busy. You would think the owners could handle the people outside waiting to get in? NOPE! Tons of people outside waiting to get in. no social distancing , no masks! Owner should get control of that. I don't know, wait in your car, provide sidewalk markers, etc. will not go there for outside dining too soon. Take out could b scary too, you hve to get thru that crowd to get ur pickup? I'll wait! read more

Great selection of seafood My opinion it's ECELLENT!!! Service is outstanding!!! Our Favorite Italian Restaurant down the shore! read more

La Fontana del Mare is the original ristorante of the mini-Fontana chain stretching from Center City Philadelphia to the Jersey Shore. Located in picturesque Strathmere, it is also my favorite. A renovation a couple of years ago brought more tables than ever to this popular spot and you can dine inside or outside on their porch. The food is good. I had a very delicious Involtini di Melanzane to start with at my last meal here. The ground walnut, ricotta cheese & spinach filling was superb. For my main course I went pasta and the rigatoni Bolognese did not disappoint. Service was efficient and friendly enough. Prices are on the high side here but this is true of most of the finer shore restaurants .... especially with their very short season and high overhead. All in all, La Fontana del Mare is another feather in Strathmere's dining cap! Tip to the customer - This is a BYO establishment. The Deauville across the street sells take-out wine. Tip to the restaurant - When the wait staff is reciting the specials, give the price as well. C'mon, you've been asked to do this often and every table winds up asking you the price anyway ... especially as the specials are more expensive than most items on the regular menu. it would be appreciated by your dining public. read more

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Fantastic Italian at the beach. Authentic feeling and top notch food. Pricey, yes, but BYO levels it out. Bonus, some homemade limoncello on the house. read more

Upscale Olive Garden with terrible customer service and ownership. Take your money elsewhere.

Great service, long wait on a Saturday night, so its popular. The bronzino dish was nice and lemony. We liked the grilled calamari and the mussels in white sauce. Thanks To Todd and Igli for a wonderful meal. PS, its BYOB. We will be back! read more

La Fontana Del Mare - Waiting area is a parking lot. Hmmmm.... - Italian Near Me - Strathmere, New Jersey

The food was incredible!!--especially the gnocchi, penne alla vodka, and veal. The shrimp is large and delicious. The waitress was a bit forgetful, but the staff was all super friendly. This restaurant is BYOB. read more

La Fontana Del Mare - Gnocchi alla sorrentino with shrimp - Italian Near Me - Strathmere, New Jersey

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It was 30 minutes until our waitress greeted us at our table, then ordered calamari as an appetizer which was quite delicious. No oil or butter was provided to us with the bread and we had to ask for silverware. The shrimp scampi over pasta had 4 small shrimp and the pasta was not fully cooked. My seafood risotto had a solid amount of seafood but the risotto was drenched in liquid. When we pointed out the issues our server said "oh, that's too bad" and then did nothing. I used to work here years ago and things have gone downhill. I will NOT be going back. read more

Always great food and service. It's nice that they never rush you. Mussels in red sauce are a wonderful appetizer. Only small issue is parking. read more

The food was great but that was the only thing that was good. first off we waited 50 minutes just to get bread and our server tony only came by to talk to us three times for the 2 hours we were there. never even asked how our food came out. we had to ask other servers for drinks, bread, the check, etc because our server took forever. he was honestly kind of rude. charged me extra to add a chicken cutlet onto a bowl of PLAIN pasta which came to 34 dollars. for plain buttered pasta and a cut up cutlet. a nat in our water as well. wanted a new server very bad but the food was good and the ambiance was good very pretty. read more

Food was delicious and service was excellent despite how busy they were! Also it's great to have a nice place down the shore were you can make a reservation. read more

Went dinner here with my girlfriend because we love to go to BYOB restaurants. The food items looked reasonably priced until I got the bill. We ordered two specials which they didn't tell the price. Ravioli and Stuffed flounder. The food was ok but def had better. Then I get the bill...... $159. For ravioli and flounder stuffed with crab meat!!!!! I asked the waitress if it was a mistake and she said no. By the time I was done tipping total was 189!!!! And that's with no drinks!!!!! Save yourself and go somewhere with a view if they are gonna pull this scam! read more

Ordered takeout for three: excellent phone manners, efficient pickup and well packaged.. dinners were delicious! Left off a star for pretty aggressive menu pricing and sticking me with your cost of doing business CC fee.. petty.. read more

Great food and service. Would highly recommend. Try the Lobster Ravioli and Lagostinos!!

This Italian Restaurant is a hidden gem! We were staying nearby on vacation. This restaurant was recommended to us as true, authentic Italian. The food is fresh homemade. The service is fast and waiters very attentive. It also is a BYO which made it even better. We started off having various salads. My salad was the spinach salad with Gorgonzola, bacon, pine nuts, grape tomatoes with raspberry vinegarette.Three people at our table ordered the"rack of lamb with risotto"- and it was positively amazing. Another person had the "penne ala vodka" and you could tell it's fresh, homemade sauce. I highly recommend this place to anyone who wants a truly Italian meal. read more

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We had a very decent meal here, just before busy season. The all Eastern European waitstaff was also decent, indeed good. But it bothers me--all immigrant service staff on work visas? This is NJ shore town, and a mix of some locals or college students with the eastern euro immigrants, please. Caesar salad, fine. Eggplant rollatini 1st course, very good. We all tried a different veal entree, all satisfying. I recommend this place to folks who like decent Italian food. Just would like to see a different blended worker balance, because employee balance matters too. For our NJ-USA economy. Am thinking about immigration rules/visa allowances more than the food after. So many U.S. College students need jobs too. read more

La Fontana Del Mare - Italian Near Me - Strathmere, New Jersey

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