We called social to make a reservation on a Friday night and the man who answered the phone suggested we try ovations. Thanks Sir! We had never been here before and glad he suggested it. It seems like it was newly renovated and they had a bunch of outdoor seating. Would be a nice place for drinks in the summer. They have a full bar and seating on one side and tables on the other. We sat in one of the booths on the bar side. The menu is a mix of American and Italian dishes. We did a mix of a few things. Rice balls, salads and a burgers. We really enjoyed everything we tried. Arugula salad had a good dressing but it was a bit too over dressed for my liking. Burger was cooked well and had a toasted bun. The bartender and servers so were so nice. We had great service the whole night. read more

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Came here on a Saturday night for a birthday dinner, party of 8. The restaurant was really nice. The service was great. And the food and drinks were good too. Everyone enjoy themselves and had a great time. read more

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The new Ovations is in the Clarion Hotel, soon to be a Marriott. Went today for a drink, Sam is wonderful! Happy hour on Monday-Friday is great, new menu. Try it out, I doubt you'll be disappointed. read more

I came here with friends it was my second time. This place has a nice classy feel to it. When you walk in your greeted by either the owner Peggy or Tony Macaroni who is bigger then life and very welcoming.He works behind the bar and is also a server. They also have Jesus behind the bar making great cocktails. They keep this place dimly lit, which I guess adds to their ambiance. It's more upscale, but casual dress. You can sit at the bar and have cocktails and a bite to eat or sit at one of there tables. FYI- They no longer have their sushi chef or serve sushi here! This is strictly an Italian style restaurant. The first time I came here I was meeting my friend for drinks and appetizers. They have a full bar and make wonderful cocktails. Chef Jimmy made me a MUSHROOM FLATBREAD- which consisted of sautéed mushrooms,shallots, hot cherry peppers, gorgonzola, and a balsamic reduction. It was delicious. The combination of the cherry peppers along with the gorgonzola cheese, mushrooms and shallots was heavenly. Fast forward to my second time here. I came with a group of ladies we were celebrating my friend's birthday. I started with their warm bread and it was served with some type of spread. I'm not sure if it was a roasted pepper hummus, it was good so we asked for another one for dipping. I was craving linguine with white clam sauce. I usually never order it out because I make it at home and I'm used to a lot of garlic,clam juice and herbs which gives it a lots of flavor. My server Tony said he would ask the chef to add extra garlic, and he did. My dish came out and it looked beautiful but after taking my first bite I thought it was very salty. I always add a little grated cheese to my pasta dishes, but it wasn't the added cheese. I had my girlfriends taste it and they thought the same thing. They said send it back which I did. Chef Jimmy was very cordial and he fixed my dish and it was much better, juicy and the way I like it. The only other issue is when my pasta was returned half of my pasta was missing. I only got 4 bites of pasta plus the added clams that were around the dish. I would've liked my full portion back because I was really enjoying the dish. One of my friends got their Chicken Francese and the other Chicken Piccata. They both liked it. My other friend ordered their Chicken Marsala. She enjoyed her food and the creamy mashed potatoes. My other friend ordered their Short Rib Ravioli. She enjoyed her dinner. This place is a bit pricey for the area. They allowed us to bring in our own birthday cake which was nice. I wanted to give the food a higher rating but when I returned my dinner because it was too salty and I lost half my meal it was disappointing. This is how I rate them: 5 stars- cocktails 4 stars- ambiance 4 stars- service 3 stars- food 3 stars- pricing read more

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Beat salad w. Shrimp & penne vodka w. Breaded chicken I suggest coming here.also go the calamari as an appetizer read more

Ovations - Beat Roasted Beet Salad W. shrimp - Italian Near Me - South Bound Brook, New Jersey

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Last night was my first time at Ovations. What an amazing establishment! From the food, to the drinks, to the service... I was completely impressed! The food was so good, the drinks were spot on and the staff was so friendly and engaging... it made for the perfect "Happy Hour" experience. I would highly recommend! read more

The ambiance is swanky. The food was a B. The service was an F! We were one of the only people there on a Friday night in and had to continually track down the bartender; and we were 2 of 4 people sitting at the bar. The owner interjected a private conversation and made it a point, unsolicited, to say he was a Trumper. I would not go back on that premise alone but the service was crap! Do not bother with Ovations, unless you crave mediocrity. read more

The only positive thing is the pleasant host. Rest of experience spirals down fast! Too many servers that didn't know their role. Yet, none of them refilled our water or checked up on us. We waited a while just for a menu. Then while in the middle of eating our appetizer, they brought out the entrees and apologized because "the kitchen is busy'. Other tables around us still had their appetizers while our entrees were laid out getting cold. How busy can the kitchen be if our entrees were ready? DO NOT get the filet mignon tips. It's not what I had in mind, and it was covered in gravy with onions and peppers. I could have done a better job at home. After we ate, they never asked if we wanted dessert, coffee, or check. We sat for an easy 20 minutes with nothing laid out on the table but empty plates. Yet, we could see a growing line of hungry patrons. The restaurant seemed overbooked and overwhelmed. We sat in the middle where tables were at an angle so the servers kept knocking into our table and almost spilling out drinks. Poorly managed and poorly trained. Ouch! read more

The Ovations staff was so incredibly accommodating of our large party on Valentine's Day. We had such a wonderful time and the food was absolutely delicious! We will definitely be returning next time we are in town! - University of Michigan Women's Gymnastics Team read more

While I would love to give this restaurant more than 3 stars I can't because of the food. I had the lobster and crab filled ravioli. I tasted NO lobster or crab. Had more of a chef boy r d taste. The Caesar salad wasn't bad but how much can you really screw that up. The service at Ovations is impeccable! The wait staff and bartenders were friendly and attentive. The ambiance and the food don't match. Ovations has a romantic intimate ambiance that would cause one to expect great food. Would I return? Yes for drinks. The drinks were great. read more

Ovations - Martini - Italian Near Me - South Bound Brook, New Jersey

Went for Valentine's Day dinner. Very busy and understaffed for the holiday. Tables were waiting for their food, to make a food order, or even to be greeted. They squeezed some extra tables in to maximize capacity, which made it a bit uncomfortable being close to other guests. The menu was a special limited menu and a bit pricey for the holiday, which is understandable. Food was tasty, including dessert, and the cocktails were also nice. In fairness, this place is probably fine on a non-holiday. Servers/hosts were friendly, it's just tough to please everyone while understaffed. read more

Food. Very good. Large portions. Take home is Enough for another dinner. Service. Very good. Waiter had personality and followed up just enough. Ambiance is ok. Dimly lit.."loungey " like. read more

Beautiful ambiance and great food. A real bang for your buck!! Hospitality is A+ (Thank you Jesus for the amazing service)!! I had never been in before and made a reservation just in case, but I don't think you really neeeed them to eat. Everything came out QUICK and HOT!!! The only thing I would recommend is stating more clearly that the happy hour is only available at the bar. When I asked Jesus about this at the table though, he assured he would make it work, and he did!! Tremendous service and the whole place is too damn cute and fancy to pass up for such GREAT prices and portions!! If you're in the area, you MUST try Ovations. They make you feel like family as well. Extremely knowledgeable staff to note as well. read more

It was my first time there. And everything was delicious from the appetizers, to the cocktails, to the entrées. I was there with a pretty big group and everyone seemed to be pleased with their order.For appetizers I had the calamari and rice balls. For the entrée had the gnocchi and filet mignon. For the cocktails I swapped out one of the vodka-based cocktails for tequila and it was still just as good. The overall space is very nice and the wait staff is nice as well. There is a small outdoor seating area that I'd like to try before the weather changes. I would definitely return and try more items on the menu read more

Ovations - Gnocchi and filet mignon - Italian Near Me - South Bound Brook, New Jersey

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Went there for valentines dinner. Had reservations but still have to wait. Food was more expensive than menu here on yelp I guess it's a valentine's special. The price of grilled salmon is 37 and seafood risotto is 38. And only seafood and Chicken Parmesan, ribs are on the menu. Not so many choices. We ordered fried calamari, seafood risotto, grilled salmon, and drinks. The waiter was so busy that we aren't able to get the bread before the appetizers. Entrees were served exactly 1hr after appetizer. Nice presentation. Less portion size expected considering it's a crowded restaurant in bound brook NJ not in New York. Taste ok but overpriced. And this is our first time seeing a waiter's hand wrote 20% tips on the recipe as well as the final price in the blanks?! Usually, there are suggested tips but I guess the waiter is too considerate that we can't calculate math. Very interesting! read more

The food was great and the hostess was very accommodating. We went on Valentine's Day. The restaurant was very busy and short staffed. The hostess made everything right that went wrong. I will definitely try again as I feel I wasn't able to take in the full experience. Had we not gone on a holiday I am sure the rating would be a 5. The decor was warm and cozy and very inviting. While they have a children's menu and children are most definitely welcomed, I found the restaurant to be more of a date night, girl's night, or networking restaurant. read more

Food and service was excellent. The chef, Tony, visited our table and made some excellent recommendations and even tailored the preparation to my wife's preference. The menu was a little pricey but the food was so good! This restaurant was an excellent choice and we will return. read more

I've enjoyed lunch here over the years and I have found that both the food and service have always been spot on. Your water glass is always filled & the interior is lovely. I used to enjoy the sushi here but they no longer serve it after the pandemic. I hope they bring it back one day! Recently I enjoyed an excellent chicken caesar salad. This place has plenty of parking. When in the area I always go here. read more

Popped in for a business dinner with the team and had a great time! Rice balls and calamari were excellent appetizer choices and everyone really enjoyed their meals: a range of fish and classic Italian dishes. Server was attentive and drinks arrived quickly. Wish it was a little cooler, because the patio looked beautiful! read more

Family received a gift card for this place so we strolled in around 9pm on a Saturday night. The mood in this place is very soft. The lights are dimmed and it gives off this romantic vibe. We were greeted and treated very nicely when we arrived. Sat at a booth on the bar side of the restaurant. Got our menus and shortly after was served complimentary bread. Ordered two miller lights, elderflower martini and a yellowtail roll and claims. We knew were just going to do appetizers so we just ordered as we went along with the night. The roll was well done. Very tiny but the fish was so fresh it was delicious. The claims were on salty side but nothing some lemon can't fix. Dip your bread into the broth oh man. We also ordered Philadelphia roll, crabstick salad, homemade eggplant rollatini, and coconut shrimp. Philly roll was good, again very fresh fish. Crabsrick salad is called Kano salad in Japanese spots, was great. The homemade eggplant rollatini was super fresh. You can tell that it's homemade for sure. The coconut shrimp were bigger than I expected which is always good. They had a great crisp to it. Food was all good. The staff is amazing. So nice and friendly. Also everyone asked if we were ok, not just one guy. Lovely place would for sure come back. read more

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My coworkers and I had been hyping up this place all week and it definitely lived up to it! Ovations is upscale yet very affordable which was great for our party of mostly twentysomethings. Outstanding food selection with very diverse options, and the staff was extremely courteous and did a great job of making us feel at home. Among other things, I went for the Hi Hater Roll, easily one of the finest sushi rolls I've ever had.Can't wait to come back again soon and see what else they have! read more

Ovations - To all the haters out there - Italian Near Me - South Bound Brook, New Jersey

Well worth the 10-15 minute drive from Hillsborough as they have better sushi than anywhere in Hillsborough. Good quality fish, well prepared, good presentation, quite tasty. The Hi Hater Roll was worth the money, a good (creative/new) combo of contents. The individual pieces were good sized, and quite tasty. Looking forward to going back and trying more menu items. read more

Horrible service, mediocre food. Requested a small side of pasta for my 1 year old which was never received. One server spilled food and liquid all over the floor and did not bother to apologize after it splashed all over the floor and onto my feet. Nor did he come to clean it right away which is a fall hazard. Instead, he blamed another server for his "reaction" in spilling the food. Meanwhile, other server decided to place a piping hot cup of coffee (which had to be requested while the entire party was offered) in front of my 1 year old. Total incompetence and just plain rudeness. I will never return to this establishment for any party again. And food definitely not worth it! read more

I returned two consecutive evenings for business with colleagues (no traffic and five minutes from office) and the waitstaff were very unprofessional. It is inappropriate to address your patrons by saying "hello boooutiful, oh, you come back again??". Please... please take note... we were a mixed party dressed in business suit and jackets. The complimentary bread with strange dipping sauce is stale, runny and strange. Please stop serving this. One of our diner was on a fruit fast, and the waiter claimed not to have anything in the menu that could accommodate us. How about the apple from the salad. Or fruit from the dessert menu? And no, we wouldn't want whipped cream served with it. *sigh*. Going downhill. Absolutely embarrassing. read more

Nothing out of this world in my opinion but solid, consistent dishes. I think the biggest plus of our meal selections was that nothing was overly salty which is usually contributes to a place being a huge hit or miss. I was a fan of the soft shell crab special (two soft shell crabs) on top of a lemony-angel hair pasta dish. Solid selection. read more

Ovations - Italian Near Me - South Bound Brook, New Jersey

I like Ovations, it is the sister restaurant to Social, the restaurant in Somerville. I frequent Social since I work close to that location. A few weeks ago, I decided to try Ovations for lunch. The menu is the same as Social, aka delicious! The only issue I have with this restaurant is the service to get the food is SLOW. Like painfully slow. As soon as we got our lunch (maybe 30-40 minutes later), I was asking for the check to head back to work. The environment has bad acoustics, it is very loud. This place would be better for a happy hour or dinner, I wouldn't recommend for a business lunch. read more

Nothing but love for Ovations! This place is consistently delicious and never disappoints. The specials are always good and all the pastas on the menu are top notch. Some of the best sushi I've ever had has been from Ovations, and literally everything this place dishes out. Favorite sushi rolls: Sophia roll, Google roll, Hi Hater roll read more

Ovations - Black pepper ahi tuna - Italian Near Me - South Bound Brook, New Jersey

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Excellent high end dinning great ambiance and amazing atmosphere good chilling spot away from the usual crowds

Love this place.. sushi is yummy! Love the HI HATER you can hate no one after eating this roll... It is super yummy The cocktails are delicious and they are very understanding with a complicated group usually me & my group Of friends... with that said great overall place for groups and sin read more

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I came to this spot with a friend for a birthday dinner. It wasn't too hard to find. There is parking, and it was very convenient. Inside place is relatively small, but I think it seemed that way since it was a party of about 15 of us. In addition to the restaurant area, there is a bar, but I did not sit there. I ordered a shrimp tempura sushi roll, which was pretty decent. The ambiance was pretty nice - dim lights with little candles on the table. For dessert, a few of us split a chocolate souffle, which was oh-so-decadent, but it was a little on the pricier side. I enjoyed this place! Definitely a good place to go for a low key get together, and not with such a large group. read more

Ovations - Shrimp Tempura Roll - Italian Near Me - South Bound Brook, New Jersey

Food is normally good, but the shrimp scampi had way too much lemon in it and the scallops overdone. And we waited a full hour for our food, never had I had such subpar service. Only thing good was the drink. This used to be our favorite place before the pandemic, but the service has definitely declined. What a shame. read more

Traveling for business and checked Yelp like i always do for great dining recommendations. True to form we were not let down. The meal was delicious and I ordered the fish special Bronzino with sautéed veggies and roasted potatoes. Great atmosphere and terrific service. Topped off the meal with a to die for caramel cheesecake even though we were full. Highly recommend this place! read more

Great spot. However, the owner needs to be a bit more customer conscious. The restaurant is fairly small and even from the back she can be heard loudly broadcasting her views on whatever. Additionally, she occasionally walks amongst the patrons, stops and stares at everyone blankly. Very unsettling. How about coming over to our tables, introducing oneself, asking how the dining experience is, instead of leering at us! Outside of her everything else is great. Jesus is wonderful and the food is terrific. read more

I would give this place a 3.5. My friend and I went for the oyster happy hour - $1.00 oysters on Thursdays from 4-7. This is a great deal, and the oysters were very good quality for that price. I would also recommend the clams oreganta, which are three for $3.00 during the HH. I ordered a Dirty Martini, extra dirty - which was okay. Not done with extra olive juice like I requested. My friend ordered a margarita which was standard. She wouldn't order it again. We ordered a sushi roll to share - we were excited about the selections on the menu. As my friend was eating, she bit into something hard in the roll. Pulling it out of her mouth, she thought it might have been a bone of some kind. It was over a half inch long and pretty thick. Whatever it was, it did not belong in the roll. She alerted the bartender who was taking care of us, and his reaction was not what it should have been when you find something like that in your food. From the beginning, he was not very friendly, and this just continued. He held it in his hand and examined it, and then brought it over to the sushi chef. He came back and said "You know what it is? I'll show you exactly what it is." And he brought over a container of jalapenos. He told us it was part of a stem from one of the peppers. He then said 'sorry about that' and walked away. It was shocking that he wasn't more apologetic or willing to somehow makeup for this. That's fine that it was a stem, but it still didn't belong in our food!! We are not one to really complain, and only let him know so it wouldn't happen again to another patron. We thought maybe at the end he would have taken the roll off the bill or SOMETHING, but nothing. Overall, the food was very good and we would definitely go back for the happy hour. But we would not want to be served by him again. The blonde woman behind the bar was extremely nice and pleasant, so I'd want her to take care of us exclusively. read more

Very cute atmosphere, but the lighting was a little darker than I personally like. The Parmesan sitting out and knowing it was freshly scraped was awesome. We got a special appetizer which was shrimp and lobster avocado, it was delicious and everyone enjoyed it. Drinks were delicious, and everyone enjoyed their food. I got the salmon with julienne vegetables and potatoes; I ate about all of it. Amazing. Friend got their homemade gnocchi and it was heaven. Dessert.... Amazing. Crème brule wasn't the best I've had, they needed to torch it a bit longer. Tiramisu was amazing. Both the lemon and mixed berry sorbets also some of the best I've had in a long time. If I lived nearby I would definitely splurge and visit this place often. read more

Ovations - Martini - Italian Near Me - South Bound Brook, New Jersey

We come to Ovations for their great friendly staff and great food. Their staff makes this restaurant a pleasure to come eat here. They are very attentive, happy, and knowledgeable. We came back because they had outdoor seating and knew we were going to enjoy great food and great service. We were seated outdoor patio which is full of pretty flower arrangements. Waiter too our drink order and another server came back with our bread basket and dip. We were expecting two more to arrive and we able to shift the table and add them in with no fuss. Appetizers were ordered, as we enjoyed small talk and enjoyed our surroundings before long the appetizers arrived. Crispy calamari, little neck clams with sautéed peppers, onion, sausage, and garlic, and homemade gnocchi ( Mac & cheese). All was very good and tasty. Sausage in the clams was really good!! Calamari were cooked perfectly. I ordered a shrimp tempura roll. Avocado and the tempura shrimp with the roe was Amazing!! Loved it!! I will be back!! read more

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Can't say it was a disappointment. Service was good. Attentive and fast for the most part. I do agree on everyone's opinion on the seafood risotto. It's missing something. Great idea for a dish , but salty & bland? Appetizers were delicious (calamari, wings) the dessert was EXCELLENT!! Try their cheesecake if you ever go. I would go back alone on cheesecake and apps. read more

I'm not sure about all these negative reviews...Before COVID-19 I was in the food industry for over a decade. I live within walking distance of this place so I frequent this restaurant quite often. The staff & management have always been so kind and attentive. Yes, COVID-19 has made things difficult but I usually order to go and sit at the bar and "observe" while I wait and I have never seen staff ignoring customers or not respecting masks. The food is great and in my opinion (not to be rude) if you don't think the tables are far enough from one another just get your food to go and eat at home or the park across the street! I do it every time! They're doing the best they can. read more

They charge a convenience fee for using a credit card. It's even more convenient for me to go somewhere else, so I won't be going back to ovations. read more

I was referred to this restaurant by a bartender at my hotel so I stopped by. The place is beautiful inside and we were seated right away without a reservation. The staff was very friendly and the food was really good. The main issue I had was the wait time for the entrees. Took about 45 minutes for the food to finally arrive and I can only imagine if it was packed how long it would have taken. The other small issue was it was a bit cold in there as the thermostat was set to 70. I would definitely go back but I wouldn't go if I was starving as I would have bugged out waiting that long. read more