Five stars all the way. Secret gem on the Jersey shore. The mussels, steak, penne, coffee and cheesecake were all so mouth watering. I hope my pictures do this meal justice. Loved the atmosphere and staff too. We had a great night. read more

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As a seasoned Italian cuisine consumer- the prices are fair, the food is delicious, the olive oil is ridiculous. Service was great. Etc. I don't have anything negative to say. If they were a little cheaper for the same portion I'd give 5 stars. Never had a bad meal here (disclaimer I never ever eat seafood) read more

This place is incredible. Husband and I got their shrimp and scallop special and veal parmigiana. Everything was piping hot and full of flavor. The scallops were some of the best we've ever had. Tina was our waitress and she was so friendly and attentive. Gotta love a great BYOB place. 5 stars read more

Lubrano's 36 - Shrimp and scallop scampi special. Best scallops ever! - Pizza Near Me - Middletown, New Jersey

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If you like old school Italian. This is the place. Friendly service Is friendly. Good food good value. It BYOB

I absolutely love this place. I've already recommended this hidden gem to several people. They have the best veal saltimbocca I have ever had in my life. I dreamed about it for a week after I had it the first time! Same goes for the mussels, they're the perfect size and very tender. I've been there several times now and have never gotten even one that was gritty, they are superior quality. The bread is served with extra virgin olive oil that I believe is infused with rosemary. I truly can't think of one thing to complain about! Bravo Lubrano's! read more

Bring your own, which I love. The menu has a little bit of everything, including the traditional Italian fare, but there are nightly specials in case you feel like changing it up. What stood out the most was the owner's wife giving us a warm welcome when we walked in and then coming over to our table to see how everything was. A small gesture, but a big impact. read more

The Sicilian Pizza is awesome. I never got anything else so this is why 4 stars is given. I'm sure other items will be just as good.

I went there with a first date and the experience was pretty good. The antipasto appetizer was excellent and fresh. Lots of nicely sliced prosciutto, etc. I had a salad that was memorable which was my favorite part of the meal. It had zucchini threads, shallots and lots of other stuff. Very different especially for an Italian restaurant. Ordered chicken piccata which was good but I took most of it home. It was delish the next day. My date had the porkchop special which looked spectacular. He ate it quickly which speaks to its flavor. Drawbacks: the cappucino was weak and watered down. The service for wine (its a BYOB) was lacking. Just opened the bottle and stuck it on the table. Area where you wait for table needs some pizaz. I will go back read more

Best bolognese and linguini with white clam sauce! Their sausage and broccoli rabe appetizer is also amazing. We order from here at least twice a month. Must try! read more

Absolutely delicious! Came here on a Saturday night with friends. Food was great, service was great...would definitely come back again! read more

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I was craving a hearty pasta dish on a Saturday night and stumbled upon this place via yelp. Upon arriving we were seated immediately. While the place wasn't necessarily packed, there was a good sized crowd inside. The menus that we were given were very cheaply made and mine was falling apart. We were given bread with oil to dip in. This was served warm and was very good. I ordered the rigatoni bolognese. After ordering the food came out in about 15 min...very fast! While the dish itself was nice and hot, there was no flavor...and I mean It! How could this be? I was baffled that this food was so unbelievably bland. As I sulked and covered my food in parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes, I was heavily disappointed to say the least. While the waiter was friendly, it was hard to get his attention (due to the design of the restaurant which wraps around). So if he was not in plain sight, we were somewhat hidden away from the servers. Sadly, since there are other options nearby which I know are solid I know I will not be returning to this restaurant. There is plenty of parking in the lot behind the restaurant. read more

Two times I've been here so far and both of them were great as can be. The place is clean and friendly and the cook knows what he is doing. It's Italian and a byob. I had the chicken parm and it was delicious. The woman had chicken Marsala and also raved about it. I must say the staff is very friendly and nice. I can't wait to go back it was lovely. read more

I went here with two girlfriends. The service was super friendly, however we were disappointed it was a BYOB. We did not know and assumed an Italian restaurant would offer wine. The food was good. I honestly didn't think it was anything truly special. I've had better but I've also had much worse. I ordered an eggplant parm. We waited an exceptional amount of time, Close to 30 minutes for our meal. They say everything is made fresh to order, so I guess that explains the wait. But for fresh to order, I'd expect better. read more

Always has a great seafood special and their crab rigatoni is delish! The only downside is they use chicken tenders instead of cutlets in a lot of thre chicken meals. Even if you request a cutlet you ll get a tender. read more

We came here on a whim this evening. Early dinner around 5pm. Its an odd set up when you walk in, there were customers picking up taking out a very small sitting area and a few other people standing around. Once most of the area cleared out, we were greeted at the counter and sat rather quickly. It was myself, my husband and our 2 year old daughter. I'll just start by saying, this is not a very kid friendly establishment in my opinion. We were not offered a booster or a high chair for my daughter. There is no kids menu, nor any small side dishes listed on the menu. Granted, we didnt ask as we decided she'll just eat some of our plates. I really like that they give a little description of the chef and his cooking style, I like that they do everything in house, and it is an extremely clean place. The staff was very nice. I ordered the penne vodka and my husband ordered the rigatoni with meatballs. Our food came out very quickly. I would say less than a 15 minute wait from the time we ordered until it was at the table. The penne vodka was a nice size portion, it was tasty but nothing over the top. My husbands rigatoni with meat balls was again a decent sized portion.. the red sauce was very good, meatballs were okay. Our server checked on us multiple times throughout the meal along with the hostess who sat us which was nice. I wish for the price of the two pasta dishes that it came with a small salad. I really wanted to love this place as its so close to home and everyone raves about it. Unfortunately, we won't be returning [unless we decide to try pizza for takeout] as we typically go out as a family and this just is not a place for young kids. Tl;dr Pros: nice staff, very clean, good red sauce Cons: not young child friendly; higher cost, less food comparable to other local italian eateries. read more

Our family celebrated 2 birthdays here today 8/28. The food was good and the service was average. We had 7 adults and 3 kids. The servers took our desert order. Then they brought out 2 deserts with candles for what I thought were for the birthday people. So we waited for the rest of the order to come out. It never showed up. Then I realized these plates were not for the birthday people ( Dad and daughter) but for the other people who ordered them. How strange would a resturant use other peoples deserts to celebrate our birthdays. I find this to be just plain cheap on the part of the owners. Not to mention our tab was not cheap either. In my opinion, there are way better resturants to spend your money in. read more

My Wife and I have dined here twice thus far. Excellent both times. Caesar Salad best I've ever had...im not even kidding. Wife Had Chicken Marsala, she loved it. so far I've eaten, Veal Saltimbocca Excellent, Rigatoni Bolognese excellent as well.. We will be repeat customers for sure... Next try will be the pizza. read more

Lubrano's 36 - Back: Chicken Marsala on risotto, Front: Veal Saltimbocca, Lubranos 36 - Pizza Near Me - Middletown, New Jersey

Simply amazing I eat out at least two or three times a week and one of the best meals I've had all year Food quality presentation service atmosphere all five stars Totally newly renovated I give Lubrano's does my highest recommendation read more

We have been meaning to try this place for the past few months, always pass it on way to the beach. Went there last night n the food was amazing! Had the mussels hot and Ceaser salad too start and both did not disappoint. The entrees are a very nice size so me n my guy split the chicken Marsala and left there feeling full. Our waitress Katie was great super friendly and very attentive! It's our new go to place. Even have a room upstairs if the main area gets full, which I'm sure will be the case in the future as it really was DELICIOUS... and a BYOB. read more

Are they closed? 545 on a Tuesday night and the lights are out and pots are cold..so sad, wanted to try them

Some of the best food I've ever had. My boyfriend made reservations for us for Valentines Day (later found out they were only accepting reservations, you couldnt walk in and get a seat for this day) and even though most of the tables in my area were taken, it didnt seem crowded or rushed at all. We both got the lobster bisque, which was a special that we found out when we got our check was $12.00 ... Bit pricey but was a phenomenal dish with big chunks of meat in it. I've never seen lobster bisque that's more brown before, but the taste was perfect. One extreme let down, there was a piece of shell in my soup about the size of a quarter. Not good. I got chicken francaise for dinner and the taste of the sauce was to die for, it wasnt too lemony like a lot of places make it, and I've had this dish at many places. It was paired with risotto which was the tastiest combination I've ever had. My boyfriend had the veal saltimbocca (veal with prosciutto, mushrooms, spinach, cheese and sauce), which he said was fantastic. The bus boys made sure no finished plates were on your table for more than a few minutes. Our waitress was very attentive also. We did bring a bottle of wine, they're a BYOB too! We paid a hefty price at the end, but we were very pleased. I would definitely go back for a special occasion. read more

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Hands down best Italian food around here. Personal pies, broccoli rabe with sausage a best vodka sauce I've ever had. We order from here at least twice a month. Always great! read more

Our family stopped by this place on our way to the beach and we were blown away. We ordered take out on the phone and asked for an item that they don't have (fb photos were misleading!) and the hostess/owner kindly gave us recommendations to substitute. We were parked in the parking lot and when she heard that, she brought us napkins and forks so we could eat in the car. Amazing service and kindness!! Not to mention, the food was absolutely delicious and definitely bang for your buck as you get really good portions. Lastly, I want to point out that social distancing and masks were all followed strictly and made us feel very safe! Love it, will def come back in the future!! read more

The rigatoni with cream and asparagus was outstanding and my wife has been looking for a local place for linguini and white clam sauce, she finally found it. read more

Place has amazing food. Had the crab Rigatoni. Definitely a good Italian restaurant and everyone was very friendly

This place is tucked away and could be hard to miss driving down 36 but you won't regret going inside. It's your classic Italian BYOB. The dishes are all extremely fresh (they have no freezer so that's when you know) and all reasonably priced! read more

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I placed an order for pick up for the first time after reading all the positive reviews. I was in the mood for Italian and wanted to try somewhere new...other than my usual spot. I ordered the zuppa di clams casino, muscles with the hot sauce, and penne vodka with shrimp. I must say everything that I ordered was extremely fresh. The clams, muscles, and the shrimp...all of the seafood ordered was fresh. My only critique is that the food lacked flavor. Unfortunately the chef was very light handed with the salt. Much so that I found myself adding salt separately, which I hate. However, I am willing to try the restaurant again since the food was great quality. Prices were on the high end, but for fresh seafood...reasonable. read more

God, it was amazing! I love love love this place! I've never had a bad meal here yet!

Absolutely loved this place... we went for the first time today. The other reviewers are correct... this is gourmet, and even better than Luna's (which used to be in Little Italy)! Finally the wait is over... we've been patiently waiting for so long till Lubrano's opened again, and they're back and better than ever. Good service... I think it was Katherine we had today. Open every day except Monday they said (I'd seen a note elsewhere on the Web, wrongly saying saying they were only open weekdays). I think it's at least from 11:30am till maybe late evening? A lot of local workers getting their lunch here, I heard. We were so delighted at the decor, the owner let us look below and above at the structure. This building was built on top of the original metal diner from the 1950s! Maybe it was called Martini's at one point (when it was the shiny metal train diner building)... They have a photo at the entrance foyer. Look out for the original curvature of the train diner roof, seen at the points where the wall meets the ceiling. I wish it had a corner with the original metal walls ;-) Not cheap, this place, but definitely good value... considering the excellent food. I had Rigatoni Bolognese today. Delicately flavored cuisine... not flooded with garlic and stuff like in so many restaurants. You won't be disappointed. We will be back!!! Thanks, Lubranos! read more

I've had take out from here about a handful of times. The eggplant parm, chicken parm and chicken marsala is really delicious. The portions were all great with the exception of the Marsala. There wasn't as much chicken as there was with the chicken parm. Still and all everything I've had from this place has been excellent! I've heard they have great pizza too, so that will be our next order! Keep you posted... read more

I have been to this place twice already and each time I have had such wonderful plates. The food is absolutely delicious. I got the special shrimp and scallop dish and it was amazing! I usually have a hard time finishing a pasta dish but I just couldn't get enough of it. Then the second time I had the crab dish and as you can tell I love the seafood. I have gone with people that have had the pork chops and steak and they said they were both amazing! This place is BYOB, so don't forget to bring your favorite wine or beer! read more

Lubrano's 36 - Pizza Near Me - Middletown, New Jersey

We have been all over Monmouth County seeking out the best Italian restaurants and we found one of the best! The fresh, warm bread is great and comes with an olive oil I could drink! I got the shrimp parm which was the sweetest, most perfectly cooked shrimp I have ever tasted and a large portion. My boyfriend got the eggplant parm and it was excellent- eggplant had no breading, just a light egg wash which made it extra amazing. We are already planning our next trip! The employees, from the front desk to the wait staff are super friendly and attentive. What a gem! read more

absolutely awesome food. High quality and reasonable pricing. Everything here is make from SCRATCH from oil to deboning the chicken. You have to keep up with some specials they post on facebook because they're awesome. The lasagna is homemade pasta sheets piled high, to die for. Meatballs are HUGE and you can get as an app as well. The kitchen is absolutely immaculate, a hidden gem for sure!! read more

I am a waitress here. My mom was an Italian cook and I am blown away by the food Paul keeps producing. Sometimes you just want to go to a restaurant that has an old school mentality when it comes to cooking Italian food. He is incredibly talented. Each dish is delicious. His Sunday sauce is like your Italian grandmother's. His eggplant parm is the best I have ever had. Lubranos has an upstairs dining area that fits 40 people up there. We accommodate parties up there, family style or buffet. BYOB. Book your reservation for 6 or more today. Incredible! read more

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My new favorite restaurant. Every meal I have eaten in or taken out is better than the last. Serious good food!

Food was great and the seafood was fresh. I ordered a special which was the crab rigatoni. It contained lumps of crabmeat which were delicious. Downfall: the wait for our food was crazy long, probably would not return. To be fair, it was a Saturday night. read more

Lubrano's 36 - Crabmeat Rigatoni Special - Pizza Near Me - Middletown, New Jersey

One of the best restaurants I have ever been to. Food is made fresh to order, staff is super friendly and attentive and the menu has a lot to choose from. Truly a hidden gem right on Route 36. The crab rigatoni with vodka sauce is one the most delicious dishes I have had! And it's byob which is even better. I almost don't want t to post this so it doesn't get too crowded read more

If you're looking for a delicious Italian meal presented to you with excellent service than this is the restaurant. What the building lacks in style and ambiance the food and staff surely make up for. My husband has tried the penne a la vodka at every restaurant in Monmouth county that offers it (even a few in Middlesex county) and he believes by far Lubrano's 36 has the best. If you're a fan of clams then don't sleep on the clams casino appetizer because the broth is absolutely magical. The same servers have been working here for years which tells me they are treated well by management and the owner. If you're hungry and you want Italian, go to Lubranos. You won't be disappointed. P.s. one block away is the best ice cream in Middletown--Polar Bear Ice Cream. read more

We went to this restaurant not knowing what to expect and we were pleasantly surprised. The food was fantastic and our server, Katherine was wonderful. We will definitely return again. read more

My Wife and I split up our lunches.we had the eggplant sub and a margarita pie everything we had was great !!! The sauce was great and the pie excellent read more