they have a large menu featurng lots of Italian dishes along with fish, chicken and beef and of…read morecourse pasta's. we are pescatarians so we can't coment on meat or chicken dishes but guests we've brought have enjoyed the food and the upbeat athmosphere. we have been there about a dozen times and the dishes we have had for the most part have been good to very good and more often than not Very Good! the service is very good and the athmosphere...well, its crowed and a bit noisy but definity upbeat. in fact we are going there tonight and bringing a few guests. i have it on my list of regular places to eat each month { we go to lots of restaurants}.

I made a 7:00 PM reservation but waited 40 minutes for my mother's birthday even though we arrived…read moreabout five minutes early. We checked in with the host, who told us it would only be a few minutes. After waiting ten minutes, a group the same size as ours arrived and went directly to the owner. We then heard the owner tell them, "I wish you would have told me you were coming tonight," before they were seated while we continued waiting. He could have at least been discrete about giving away our reserved table to a friend. We then waited another 30 minutes. What was especially disappointing was the complete lack of communication or acknowledgment toward us during the delay. Neither the owner nor the staff offered an apology or any explanation for the wait. Even when we were eventually seated, there was no sense that anyone recognized the inconvenience. Delays can happen, but how they are handled makes a significant difference. Given that this was a reservation for my mother's birthday, I expected a more welcoming and attentive experience. Unfortunately, the way the situation was handled left us feeling overlooked and made what should have been a special dinner start on a very disappointing note.

Amazing food and service every time! Chicken francese is awesome. Specialty dishes are fantastic…read more Never a bad meal. BYOB is a plus! **The waitress always remembers my BF is GLUTEN free.

Food was excellent! Service was great. Carrie was our server and she couldn't have been more…read moreaccommodating. It was a very good experience. Would highly recommend!

We love this place. The food is fantastic and the service is excellent. Nice and small so you feel…read morespecial and can actually talk with your guests. Ashley and the rest of the staff are the BEST.

I honestly don't write reviews, good or bad, but I just am confused. Ordered for pick up Caesar…read moresalad and meatballs. Meatballs were fine. but the Caesar salad was so bad it was inedible. I honestly don't know how you screw up a Caesar salad, but it was swimming in dressing. I tried to eat it, and even threw some of my own lettuce in to soak up some of the dressing. I gave up and threw the rest in the garbage.

This is an amazing dining experience and by far one of the best Italian restaurants I've ever had…read morein the States. Really extensive menu with very reasonable prices for the quality and quantity of food. The spicy calamari is a must try and every entree and pasta are worth trying, too. Met one of the owners (two brothers) and this is a family run business with a benefit to the community. I will definitely come back on the next visit to Newark and would highly recommend if you're in the area (especially if you are staying at Newark airport overnight!)

Warm bread with olive oil: very good Chicken parm: chicken…read morewas well fried. The vodka pasta was slightly watery but still good Bolognese: good tagliatelle, sauce meaty and good, a little sweet Calamari: very good! Salad: solid Good service and ambiance Very large portions which makes the prices more justifiable

Just Wonderful!! Service was excellent. Food as always…read moresuperb!! Space is small and seating is limited so suggest planning ahead especially during the summer season

Came here last night. This is one incredible Italian bistro,…read moreAmazing food quality. The ambiance totally outstanding Great attention to detail. Amazing place for family gatherings.

absolutely amazing , service is top notch and the food is always outstanding from scallops brought…read morein fresh from Viking village to the burrata and jersey heirlooms the dishes just get better and better each week.

We made another visit…read more What we ordered: - Evengrow Sourdough Toast (Ricotta, Pistachio, Honey) - Marinated Zucchini (Caramelized Onions, Whipped Feta, and Bread Crumbs) - Yellowfin Tuna (Crispy Potatoes, Dragon Tongue Beans, Olives) - Viking Village Scallops (Green Curry, Zucchini) - Iberico Pork Pluma (Hot Honey, Corn Succotash) - Roasted Chicken (Stewed Eggplant, Tahini Yogurt, Shishitos) Pouring rain when we got there. One of our party went in and put us on the list and then we waited out in the car with the buzzer. We were seated about 20 minutes later. Nothing will beat experiencing this place for the first time but everything was still good this time.

Great food and service. BYOB with modern Italian classics and seafood specials that are all…read moredelicious!

Great time with our family. Food was amazing, well prepared and really fresh. We enjoyed some…read moreappetizers which were so delicious, some did not want to share. Lol. Staff were super nice, making our night perfect! Thank you Russos!

Back again - this time with 4 additional Yelpers (we get together every month or so for dinner)…read more We started the meal, after opening our wines, with two orders of Polpetine di Pollo (chicken meatballs) and Fiori di Zuccca (Zucchini Flower). both were excellent ! Entrees consisted of Australian Striped Bass, Gnocchi Truffle, Pollo Impanato di Milanese, and 3 orders of the Chicken Cordon Bleu. we shared an order of Warmed Mascrapone Spinach. Everything was served in a timely fashion - piping hot. Desserts consisted of a delicious Fruit Tart, Pecan and Walnut Tart and their terrific Pistachio Creme Brulee. Espresso, Capuccino and Americano Coffees paired well with our choices. Our waiter, Cosmo, was terrific. He knows his menu and was able to guide us in making our choices. Remember, Dolce Fantasia is BYOB. The chef came to our table twice to gauge our reaction to our meals, always a nice touch. The space is decorated nicely and we will definitely return.

Asbury Park is one of my favorite food towns, and a huge reason is because it still has the ability…read moreto pleasantly surprise me. Case in point - this restaurant has apparently been in the downtown area for several years and I had no idea. I stopped by here for lunch on Memorial Day with the Millennial Chum, and in a totally risky move, didn't make a reservation anywhere and just decided to wing it. The Millennial Chum's only requirement was that it be a place neither one of us had been to before, so after a very quick search/walk, we noticed this place and also decided we had a hankering for Italian. Done. I don't know how to describe the interior, but "yellow" and "modern" comes to mind. This isn't a stodgy white tablecloth kind of place; it's vibrant and hip, I'm sure trying to capture that classic Asbury demo. Really unique. The weather was a little meh, which worked in our favor - although there was a decent amount of foot traffic in the downtown area 70% of which were pooches, only one other table was occupied in here. We were able to sit down and were served very promptly. We were both very intrigued by one of the apps on the verbal specials menu - mango burrata, which sounded like sort of a mess, but also worth a try. Definitely more of the latter. Never would have thought to combine these two ingredients together, but it was really excellent and an interesting palate pairing. The presentation was solid as well, and this...didn't last long, although given that we both ordered entrees perhaps we should have been more responsible in that regard. Something I'd recommend for the regular menu in the future for sure. A lot of the entrees looked interesting and pretty authentic; this isn't just spaghetti and chicken parm (I'm not actually sure either was even on the menu). The one that emotionally spoke to me the most was the Pappardelle (one of my fave pastas and always pleased to see it) Al Telefono Nostro. Really hit the spot, and as you can see a really hardcore portion. The tomato cream sauce was light and flavorful, and the only nitpick I had (just a personal palate preference) was the inclusion of the sliced tomatoes. I'm sure a ton of people love those, and it basically adds a level of authenticity to the dish that a barbarian like me just can't quite appreciate. I made sure the Millennial Chum had a few tomato pieces though. Really good dish and would order it again. Honestly not sure what possessed us to even look at the dessert menu much less actually order from it, but I thought Oreo Tiramisu sounded interesting, despite the Millennial Chum's yowling that she despised tiramisu. It turns out she doesn't, because once this dish arrived she happily helped herself and decided that her opinion on tiramisu was likely based on a traumatic/misleading childhood incident. Bare minimum, this place gets solid marks for rewriting history for her in the Italian dessert department. But it WAS delicious, which was a theme of our meal. The service was top-notch; our waitress was over regularly and had a strong command of the menu (which I think deserves bonus points, given that this was not Americanized and it helped to have a metaphorical lifeguard helping us navigate some of the trickier stuff; I studied abroad in Florence over 20 years ago, but you'd never know it). Very pleasant. BIg recommend; not a ton of establishments under the radar in Asbury, but this might be one of them.

I was there years ago and wasn't posting on Yelp but when I was there, the food was fantastic. The…read moreambience was fantastic and the service was fantastic. It used to be really good when they gave coupons away for two for one, but like I say I haven't been there in a while. Definitely gonna go back and try it out again and bring my friends with me.

I used to come here with my mom and dad, and I loved it so much. I haven't had a chance to come…read moreback until now and I remember now why I loved it so much! We had the most wonderful meal. I had the paccheri with peas prosciutto and mushrooms. The pasta was cooked perfectly. The flavor was fantastic. It was creamy and cheesy. And the serving size was incredibly generous. My salad was fresh and the Caesar dressing was nice. Service was on point. The restaurant is pretty and we sat next to the fountain with a view of the rest of the dining room. Honestly this restaurant is worth the drive. Next time we are down the shore, we are coming here.

Everything was outstanding. The setting, the menu, the service, the atmosphere is the best!read more

Delightful dinner tonight. Service was fantastic. Chef stopped by with complimentary appetizers of…read moreeggplant meatballs & zucchini fritters. Entrees were delicious & portions ample. Choice of salad or soup included. BYOB!! A favorite in the area.