My chicken was so dry and overcooked. Service was so slow. I've been here before and chicken was never this dry. Such a disappointment. What was strange is that it was a Friday night and no one was eating. Just me and another table. read more

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Had an absolutely incredible meal- and experience at this husband and wife owned and operated establishment. We are here for a football camp tomorrow- (we are from MA) and I found this place in a whim- and am so thankful I did! We enjoyed the eggplant rollatini special as well as the most amazing Caesar I've ever had- (I'm 100% putting grilled red onion on my own from now on). Then my son had the hand made Orichiette pasta and I had the Filet mignon. Bout OUTSTANDING! Our server, Gina, was wonderful- as was the teamwork of all the staff working together on a busy Saturday night. I felt like I was in Nonna's dining room- it was beautiful- I only wish I lived closer so we could come back again! read more

Piccola Italia - Italian Near Me - Ocean Township, New Jersey

Food was good - calamari had a nice crisp crust. The bread was tasty. The gnocchi were well cooked and the linguine vongole was very good but a smaller portion than I'm used to. Service was excellent and it's got a nice ambiance read more

Quaint little place that we found by chance. Service was great and food was prepared very well. There were some excellent specials and the cocktails were great. Would definitely go back. read more

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Excellent!! Service Food N ambience We definitely will be visiting again and bringing some friends... read more

I am so grateful for all of the restaurants around me in my new address in Ocean. But mostly grateful for Piccola Italia being right across the street. The food, atmosphere, drinks, staff (staff especially) are all top notch, always. I try to variate what I order, their specials are always fabulous. I had zucchini flowers today stuffed with ricotta and mozzarella. I treat myself when I come here after a long work day. Quality is superb, so I don't feel guilty splurging on my meals here. My only, only ONLY gripe ... is I always crave this place on Mondays- when they're closed. But, I love that they give their staff off on Mondays after I'm sure are many many busy weekends. Jewel of the area. read more

Piccola Italia - Cucumber Martini, delish. - Italian Near Me - Ocean Township, New Jersey

The dining area is dirty and the food is over priced. Very disappointed. Over rated for sure

Great Service, Restaurant, And Food I Give It 10 Stars. The Waiter Was Great Too. The Restaurant Was Clean Too. read more

It's a rare thing these days to have a five star dining experience. Thankfully for us, Piccola was just that! We made a reservation on a Friday night around 6pm. The restaurant wasn't too busy but started to fill out shortly after we arrived. We ordered the burrata to start which was outstanding. For my main dish, I had the veal ragout with fresh pasta. Wow, was it good. We rounded out the meal with their freshly made cheesecake which was the perfect ending to the meal. Our server couldn't have been friendlier and really made us feel at home even though it was our first time here. It's been two months since my visit and I'd be lying if I said I haven't been thinking about them on a regular basis since. read more

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Good service very nice atmosphere. Food is very good. I would go there again. I've been there several times.

It has been awhile but Piccola remains a gem in strip mall clothing. You would never know from the inauspicious surroundings that world-class Italian resides inside. Everything here is homemade and is done to perfection. My Caesar and Mustard Salmon was spectacular on every dimension with service that was equal to the task. However, be aware that pricing here is NYC and beyond with simple salads almost nudging $20. Not a complaint, just an acknowledgement of the times. If you're looking for hypnotic atmospherics you won't find it here. What you will find is a superb meal. Five excellent, though pricey, stars. read more

Very pleasant early dinner tonight. The space is beautifully decorated for the holidays. Service was impeccable & our server Tawny could not have been more friendly or helpful. My daughter tried a pear martini which she loved. We shared the artichoke appetizer which was very tasty. For entrees my wife had Rigatoni with shrimp & sausage. My daughter had Burrata ravioli & I tried the Veal Ragout. All the dinners were fantastic. Overall a really nice restaurant with an innovative menu. read more

Piccola Italia - Pear Martini - Italian Near Me - Ocean Township, New Jersey

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I have been free a few times and never disappoints. Regular menu has very good variety, light or hardy, with a discerning pallet or easy going. They really present very well, and the taste stands up! From the appetizers to the awesome salads (regular menu or specials), to the fish and meat options, no other word could describe other than delicious! The service is great, it's nice to go to a restaurant down the shore, and have a good Italian or seafood meal, and the servers know when to change the silverware. The tables in some areas may be a bit close together, but overall, the staff is friendly and if you wish for a bit of privacy, just ask when making the reservation or at thd time of arrival, and they'll try to accommodate or make up for it somehow. The desert too, is great, and cocktails and she very complementary. There is a bar too if desired. It's not a loud environment, but when there is a full house, you do notice, as a patron, but it's a joyous aura! read more

Service was good, except the original order was not taken correctly, but quickly corrected. Pizza was very good but a bit expensive. Two 12 inch pizzas, one plain cheese and the other sausage and cheese plus one cannoli came to $41.00. This was for take out, so had it been eat in with drinks and tip could have easily climbed to way more. Most families may end up paying a price way above their eat out budget. read more

This is a great place for a celebration or just a quiet dinner. The bar is small and intimate and the food and service are awesome. I would say I've eaten here at least a dozen times, from date nights to family celebrations and have never, never had a bad experience. The owner and chef is almost always in the kitchen and comes out to talk to the customers regularly. Can't say enough good things about the food. Too many good dishes to list. read more

My gf and I were in the area for the weekend and I am SO happy we came across this restaurant. The food was absolutely amazing. Every single thing we ordered was delectable. I got an aperol spritz which was huge and so refreshing. We highly recommend the scallops, eggplant rollatini, and the burrata ravioli. For dessert, we got the creme brûlée which was extremely tasty. There is lights all strung up outside which made the whole ambiance so romantic. read more

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Still great! I had the Iceberg wedge, Mushroom stuffed with sausage and Shrimp Fra Diavolo which were all great! Great cocktail, too. The staff is very friendly and accomodating! I still wish the dining room had more energy. I will definitely be back! read more

My wife and I had a date night here and this is what we both thought: Ambiance: It reminds me of a diner. Price: $$$$ Food: We had the mussels as an appetizer. It was delicious but cold/warm. I had the ribeye steak cooked medium....it was medium rare. She had the rigatoni and it was delicious. For desert, we shared the apple crumb cake...it was dry...very very very dry. When we told our server he offered us more ice cream or sauce instead of taking it off our bill since we didn't eat more than half of it. Service: very friendly and attentive BUT the servers where poorly dressed...sneakers, sloppy and didn't fit the "price" of the restaurant. Over all....it was good but unfortunately I don't think we will be coming back or would recommend it to friends. The food was good but I think when you're paying $150 for date night then the ambiance, overall experience, needs to be on point. read more

Piccola Italia - Ribeye steak - Italian Near Me - Ocean Township, New Jersey

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I've read a couple reviews referring to this place as a "gem." Let me tell you, that is 100% spot on. Incredible food & service. It's an absolute pleasure to dine there whenever I can. read more

We've had several family dinners here and it's always a pleasant experience. The menu has plenty of variety, and the presentation and tastes are just perfect. Highly recommended, especially for a relaxed, lengthy, multi-course experience with plenty of discussion with family and friends. read more

Excellent restaurant. The food and service were very good. This is a higher priced establishment and it is worth the money.

This place such a great local gem I don't even want to share it with people. Food is delicious every time. The place is clean and the people are nice. It's a pleasure to have such a nice restaurant in my local town. I would rather eat here than any other restaurant in town. Good job! read more

My husband and I enjoyed a fantastic evening on my birthday with the folks at Piccola Italia and Allen Brothers Steak Bonanza! Service, food and ambience was top-notch. Never a bad night here. read more

You know, people get certain looks on their faces when they taste something exquisite. It's not the same on every person but you'll recognize it none the less. It's part ecstasy, part excitement, and part just pure enjoyment. My business partner and I walked in to this casual but upscale restaurant one recent weekday night and saw that look everywhere we turned. This was going to be good. My partner had just flown in from California and was seriously jet lagged. We didn't want a three hour dinner. We wanted some wine, an entrée, and maybe some expressos to finish. That was the plan and it worked out wonderfully here. This is a beautifully decorated space and very small with just a few tables. Although this is white tablecloth fine dining be assured that you will be comfortable in casual dress here. Expect to find a giant wine list both by the bottle and glass. Heck, this is an Italian place so the reds list is particularly massive. Note that there is a full bar for folks with other tastes. Throughout the evening our waitress was perfection. There when we needed her and out of site when we didn't. We couldn't have asked for more. My partner was in the mood for seafood and ordered classic Italian Pesce. Here it was Shrimp, Scallops, Lobster, Calamari, Crab, Fish, Clams, over Linguini, with a spicy Tomato White Wine Broth ($36.00). It was served beautifully plated and you know what happened? Now she had that certain look of pure joy on her face just like our fellow diners. I ordered the Herb Seared Filet Mignon with Sautéed Spinach, Baby Carrots, Truffle Whipped Potatoes, Foie Gras & Port Wine Reduction for $39.00. It was one of the best filets I've ever had in my life! Easily in the top three. Every ingredient was five stars. I could cut the filet with my fork. The truffle potatoes were decadent heaven. See my picture. For fine dining or especially for a special romantic dinner, it doesn't get much better than this! read more

Piccola Italia - One of the finest filets I have ever enjoyed with decadent truffled potatoes. - Italian Near Me - Ocean Township, New Jersey

My husband and I recently moved to this area so we want to try all the local places! Came here on a Friday evening for date night. We did make a reservation however they weren't overly crowded We sat in the back seating area Ambiance was perfect for a date night, romantic mixed with cozy/homey vibes. Dim lighting, sweet. We got the bruschetta and eggplant rolitini which was really delicious! They do serve bread prior to apps just FYI For dinner we had the carbonara and shrimp diavolo- both really amazing! Dessert was the Reese's ganache and tiramisu(was on the specials menu) Overall great experience, our waitress was super sweet and we weren't waiting long at all to be served. Definitely a cute date spot or group date spot. read more

We tried to have dinner Saturday night 11/18/22. They were too "snooty" for us. Besides Olivia II Pizza & Pasta was more our type of joint.

Great attentive greeting from a young (and up and coming maestro) host; further care given his mom, owner, and wife of the talented chef Brian. Just the right mix of traditional and modern cuisine, but I do mean cuisine. Squash blossom salad special was a great balanced mix of flavors. Rocket (arugula) not my favorite green, worked well with the 2-cheese stuffed squash blossoms and dressing. Dressing was flavorful without being overpowering, and not overdressed (like some places just dump too much heavy balsamic and call that flavor). The slow cooked veal ragout with grape tomatoes, with julienned veggies topped with fresh house-made? ricotta. Sauce was outstanding. Pasta cooked perfectly. Again flavors melded. Tomatoes were well sourced, firm and tasty. Veal was tender of course. Chef Brian's signature dish, sea scallops over truffles mashed taters topped with wild mushrooms and a delicious sauce (forgot ingredients) - was perfection: no mean feat with a huge 4 generation dinner party being served at same time. Risotto! Was the BEST risotto we've tasted, searching from coast to coast for authentically prepared risotto. Great place all around. read more

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We started going here in 2020. Since I'm from Manhattan, and have eaten in several hundred restaurants and am a connoisseur of good food. I was surprised at how good the food was. The waiter (since has left) Was extremely knowledgeable of the menu and excellent at appropriate wine. We went again all through 2021. I had broken up with partner in Nov 21' so hadn't gone until this last weekend 10/1/22. Well, the waiter that we had a great relationship with had left and the hostess was not only seating people but was a waitress. We ordered a Caesar salad to share (2 of us) and my Nephew ordered a Caesar with Shrimp as his main course. So our split salad was a joke, looked like iceberg lettuce and was minuscule even to my standards, with Tomatoes! Who puts tomatoes in a Caesar salad?! Especially if your an "authentic Italia restaurant" Then I ordered the Chicken Parmesan dinner and my partner ordered a vegetarian dish. It was dreadful! The chicken Parmesan was tasteless and my girlfriends Pasta dish with mushrooms and vegetables was almost in-eatable. The Salad my nephew received was the same size as the salads we got for the appetizer. So I guess they charged for 3 salads. Also, he received 4 shrimp. I think that's ridiculous! Especially for their price point. They were very nice though and asked how things were but my GF didn't want me to say anything. (I hate that). I'd rather tell you to your face that the food is garbage. There's a dine in/take out italian restaurant a 1/2 mile away and the food is 100% better and about 1/2 the price. It's a shame because they must have changed chefs and lost their knowledgeable waiter. Won't be returning now. read more

Found this place by accident and glad it happened. Restaurant is hard to see and unassuming from the street. Inside is nicely decorated and staff was very pleasant and attentive. Food was great as well. We ordered stuff zucchini flowers which were fried nicely and filled with cheese. Also ordered two of the special fresh pasta dishes. Both were cooked perfectly and portion was more than enough to bring home for another meal. Will definitely come back again when I'm the mood for good Italian food. I recommend this place for a quiet date night. read more

My wife and I have been eating here for a couple of years and couldn't be any happier than we are! Always great food and terrific service! I highly recommend going here, I know we will!! read more

Had a wonderful dinner here Friday night with family & friends. Hadn't been here in several years but decided to take advantage of a special they offered. So glad I did! Upon arriving our waitress, Robin, introduced herself. She had a fabulous personality & we enjoyed talking & joking with her. It was early enough that there were no other patrons in the restaurant. We ordered drinks & spent some time catching up with no rush at all from the staff. They do not have much on tap as far as craft beers go (my beverage of choice) so I ordered a glass of pinot noir. Very good tasting. We were each offered a fresh roll while we browsed the menu options. Robin told us about the specials which all sounded delicious. I decided on a salad with goat cheese & walnuts & the scallop dish. The salad was large enough for hubs & I to share, everything was fresh & it was delicious. My scallops came out beautifully presented in a thin, oblong dish. They were hot & some of the best I've ever had. For dessert we shared a hazelnut tiramisu. It was delicious. This place is, & has been for years, a top notch restaurant. The prices are not cheap, but their food is consistent each time I come in. The atmosphere is very nice & the 6 of us had a wonderful night. I will be back again! read more

Piccola Italia - Italian Near Me - Ocean Township, New Jersey

The food is always exceptional along with the service. We love sitting at the bar. The burrata and calamari appetizers are awesome. I had the rigatoni which is phenomenal. Next time I'm trying the scallops. The bartender makes a perfect martini!!!! My friends said the artichoke hearts are great. See you soon! read more

Great food and service. Love the value too and the friendly staff. A hidden locsl gem

Expensive, bad dinner added 3. % surcharge limited menu, no flavor, bland. Pretty place but will never go back. 360 for 4 of us and it's a 1 star. read more

To go to a restaurant multiple times and then review it tends to give one a bit more insight to that restaurant then to only go once and review; which we all do. At least that's the way I think. I've gone to Piccola Italia probably six times over the years and it has never disappointed. Located on West Park Avenue in Ocean, one is apt not to notice this gem that is set back off the road in a large strip mall. Piccola is tucked away, but it isn't hiding. Locals know it's here; you might want to as well. My brother and I decided to drop in for a couple of beers and dinner. PI has an enormous wine list but if I had one complaint about this place, and it is admittedly petty, they only have three taps. They used to have five. Most people obviously won't give a rodent's derrière about that. Two good rotating crafts and an Italian lager; Peroni. We decided to split an appy. It was a cold antipasto. Provolone, greens, roasted red peppers, soppressata, and a slab of wonderful prosciutto all covered with EVOO. Check out the pic. They couldn't have improved on this. Perfectly fresh and delicious. I opted for the tapas portion of their Rigatoni. It's nice that they offer two sizes for most entrées. As you may see from the picture the smaller portion is certainly adequate. The rigatoni which is a standard on their menu consists of that pasta covered with hot sausage, roasted cherry tomatoes, roasted shrimp, and broccoli rabe. This was better than it looks. Once again freshness is key and wonderfully tasteful. My brother ordered porcini seared sea scallops that I tried and agree with him that they were excellent. Brian the chef/owner stopped by the bar and chatted with us a bit and fielded a few questions. I venture to say if you try Piccola Italia you won't be disapponted. Don't take my word, (well you can) check out the other 50 reviews here on Yelp! read more

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It's a treat going to Piccola Italia even if you frequent this restaurant infrequently. The food is simply great-tasting. It's very well worth the price. You really get for what you pay. I can see a lot of care in their preparation and presentation. I met my bro and we sat at the bar, not wanting a table. It's been a few years since I came in here so I was eagerly anticipating an excellent experience. We both ordered a couple drinks, to a rather quiet barkeep, Joe. After discussing the time we came here to celebrate our parents 65th wedding anniversary in '05 , which was indeed a great gathering, we decided to order; difficult to choose what to eat, it all looked good. I ordered the Porcini Seared Sea Scallops w/ Truffle mashed potatoes. My bro had the Rigatoni with roasted shrimp. We also split an antipasto. All three dishes dazzled us. Brian Gualtieri, owner/chef, came out and greeted us. A nice touch! Piccola Italia does not disappoint!!! read more

Piccola Italia - Italian Near Me - Ocean Township, New Jersey

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I dined outside last evening with my husband and two other family members. Christian our server, was very attentive, accommodating, and an overall pleasure to our table, and the two surrounding us. We each had scallops and filet as our mains, the calamari to start, and a SINFULLY FABULOUS bucatini carbonara. I don't know how Chef Brian manages to out do himself EVERY TIME, but he does. Service, food, drink,ambiance, all is top notch. As a local, I'm fortunate to have the ability to dine here when the mood hits. With Covid-19 lurking around, I have not been dining out (this was only my third time), however, Piccolo and the Gualtieri family have made me feel very safe and comfortable to dine onsite during these uncertain times. Well done Chef! You are a master at your craft and I look forward to many more dinners, and private events in my future. L. Stroebel read more

Just had dinner tonight with my wife for our anniversary. Best meal I've had out in quite some time. Stuffed zucchini flower appetizer excellent. Caesar salad simple and delicious, homemade dressing and grilled red onion takes it over the top. Entrees ribeye special and wagyu strip special both out of bounds - on par or better than any steak house around. Side of onion rings best I've ever had. Would go once a week for onions rings and a beer if it were closer to home. Apple crumb dessert STUPID good couldn't stop eating it, flourless chocolate cake not far behind - strawberry sauce yum. Waitress was excellent , old fashioned cocktails excellent, 10 out of 10. Chef Brian and crew killing it read more

Best food around. Been here more than a dozen times and never once had an issue. Owners, staff, food all top notch.

As a local Ocean Township resident I have always heard good things about Piccola Italia. Finally my wife and I decided to give it a try. Don't let the location deceive you, they have a fully stocked bar and amazing food !! The staff was very attentive and accommodating the entire night. We ordered fried calamari & a special appetizer both were great ! I decided to order the lump crab crusted cod, and what a great choice ! Very flavorful and done to perfection. We all enjoyed our dinners, at the end they gave us complimentary port wine which was a great ending to the night ! I would highly recommend giving this restaurant a try, we will be back for sure ! read more