We had a very impressive meal at Porcini Restaurant. A delicious crab cake appetizer, very well prepared Osso Bucco, Chicken pounded flat deliciously coated and served with a fresh salad, hand shaved parmesan cheese topped with a balsamic glaze. This place is operated by a young husband wife team who care what they serve. And serve at a very personable level. Chris is the executive chef and Alexandria is the General Manager. Worth the trip, especially if you have been at Sandy Hook for the day. If you live in the area, check them out, their personality is as good as the food. read more

Very Good! We haven't been in years but the food is still excellent. I ordered the spaghetti carbonara which was a surprise because the bacon was quite smoky. I thought it was a little overpriced for what it was, but Porcini is a BYOB so I get it Someone else in my party ordered the scallops which came out without at least six. For the price, I thought that was pretty good and my friend said they were very good. I will probably get them on my next visit. Another person in my party ordered a halibut special. She didn't like mashed potatoes so she subbed them for a sweet potato hash, and said the meal was delicious. My wife had the goat cheese ravioli which she didn't love, but full disclosure, on our way in to the restaurant we met a couple we knew who had just finished dinner and they recommended the goat cheese ravioli! So obviously it's good but just not everyone's cup of tea. It's a small cozy room, so a little loud in there, but definitely worth going. Perhaps going during the week would be a quieter experience? read more

Three diners, three different meals, two rated solid eights and I rated it 9. Chicken parm, salmon and a duck dish. Food was great, service very good and BYOB! You should try this place! read more

Oh my god this is one little great place . Great service,warm interior, ant the food is off the chart good. All three courses were outstanding that never happens. We css as my wait to go back read more

Cute little ristorante in Highlands which was packed when I arrived. This establishment has a BYOW policy and i discovered this when I tried to order a glass for myself. I had water instead. My host, John, sold me on all of the days specials: the Mahi Mahi; the Squash soup; and the home made key lime cheese cake topped with whipped creme. Every dish was outstanding. I was eyeing the crab cake the tabled ordered next to me too, but something told me I would be over doing it. Really had a wonderful time here. Look forward to bringing la familia here too, on the next time up. read more

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Porcini turned out to be a last minute Saturday night "let's try a spot we haven't been to". It's where the Bay Avenue Trattoria used to be. The restaurant is small yet cozy. Atmosphere is low key and welcoming as is the service. Food was on point, no one had any complaints. Appetizers Beet salad Arancini Clams Entrees Halibut special Corn ravioli Scallops Dessert Apple pie Chocolate cake I was so pleased to find a good byob close to us. A nice gem in the Highlands. read more

I know everyone is different when it comes to dealing with dining out and COVID so keep in mind that there did not appear to be any COVID restrictions in place. Our server did not wear a mask and was in fact a close talker. I am providing this info as a PSA and it has absolutely nothing to do with my rating. The food is excellent. Those that had the scallops were raving about it. I started with a grilled romaine salad which turned out to be an excellent choice. For my main course I had the Monk Fish special. I have had this dish in many different restaurants as it is the "poor man's lobster" without having to fight with my food. This was a good one although maybe not as rave-worthy as the scallops. The vanilla ice cream was great. So creamy and tasty. read more

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LOVE Porcinis!!! Food is always AMAZING! Only restaurant where I try something new everytime. Service is great! Ask for Rob! Rob is the new John at Porcinis! read more

My best friend just moved to the neighborhood. Their food is so amazing!! This place deserves a good review.

We had a communion party the food was incredible as was the service can't wait to go for dinner just a gem all around please go

I feel like I'm back in Italy here. The food was amazing and the service was even better. Order the butternut squash bisque and you'll be in awe. read more

Porcini - Chicken du Jour - New American Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

Small place. Busy on a saturday night. Get reservations. Tables close to each other, but very quaint. Great service. It is BYOB. They start off serving you with bread, oil and olives. I had the clam chowder to start. Lots of clam. Very good. Then i had the fresh mahi mahi from the specials menu. Very good also. Wholesome. And my boyfriend got the veal over mashed polenta and mushrooms/spinach, also a special. Veal was delicious. So soft and tender. Both meals were $35 each. Then we got the banana PB pie, and the rainbow slice to go. It was a nice experience. read more

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Top notch dining with amazing food, "perfect" ambiance, the best service I can remember with a smaller, intimate setting!! I'm not sure you can find a better place to take a date, or go out with couples or a group, and find better food, service and atmosphere all in one place! Also it's BYOB! Recommended by expert yelper friend Jennifer T. this charming little gem knocked it out of the park for me! I loved every minute from the moment we got there. We started the meal with some appetizers including the best crabcake I have ever had and would recommend as a mandatory appetizer, a wonderful watermelon and arugula salad and others. I could write an entire review on the crabcake alone. All crab meat no bread fillings, sautéed and cooked to perfection with an amazing sauce. They get all their seafood from a local fish market down the road. Then came the entrées. I wanted to try their homemade pasta so I ordered seafood over linguini. This came with clams, scallops and shrimp over a homemade linguine. All I can say is it was heavenly and I loved every bite! Other entrées from the group included an incredible halibut entrée cooked to perfection, salmon, and a hanger steak dish cooked well done. Everyone loved their meals! For dessert we shared this super delicious bread putting with vanilla ice cream and a salted caramel swirl! A perfect ending to a perfect night! Highly recommended for an incredible dining experience in such a wonderful setting with the best food and service! read more

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Long time since Joe and Maggie occupied this same space in their Bay Avenue Trattoria and those memories are fond indeed. And, Porcini has risen to the occasion with great food and service that will match any of the fine restaurants in this part of the Jersey Shore. The price you pay however is a rather loud noise level in their smallish dining space. But, worth it none the less. We split a Caesar salad which was plenty for both of us and delicious. Then onto our main courses corvina fish and chicken milanese, both excellent. For dessert an over the top brown butter apple pie with vanilla gelato. Overall they do a great job here. We look forward to our next visit. read more

Porcini - Corvina with shrimp and white rice - New American Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

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Exceptional. The setting, the service, and of course the food, were all exceptional. Starting with the setting. Porcini is everything you want when you are going out for a nice Italian dinner. It was clean, intimate, the lighting was just right (low but too low) and the music was perfect. (Neil Diamond radio) Our server was Kendall. She was honestly one of the best servers I have had in a long time. She was attentive, and friendly. Our drinks stayed full, our food came out quick enough that we were never waiting too long between courses but we also weren't just constantly eating to keep up. Clean plates and silverware between courses. It was perfect. Kendall treated serving us as if it was her own restaurant. She took pride in balancing being professional and friendly to make sure we were comfortable as her guests. Big kudos to Kendall for completing the experience. The food was top tier. We began with the complimentary bread basket, olives, and olive oil. All delicious. We then had the homemade ricotta with olive tapenade which was better than we even expected. Delicious. For our making courses we had the spaghetti with meatballs and the spicy vodka vodka fusilli. The dishes were served piping hot and were both amazing. The spaghetti and meatballs also includes sausage in their Sunday sauce which was amazing. Just the way I make mine at home with both meatballs AND sausage. My wife had the fusilli and it was delicious and spicy. We both cleaned out plates. For desert we went with the Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding and Berry Shortbread Tart and a double espresso. Again we cleaned out plates. Porcini was all in all one of the best dining experiences we have had out in a long time. It is what you want when going out for Italian. read more

I have had Porcini on my list to visit for years. I have seen the pictures of beautiful meals fellow Yelper Jennifer T posts and I am kicking myself for not visiting sooner. I had a wonderful meal at Porcini this weekend, reservations are highly recommended as the inside and outside is very small. There might be 20 tables if that. BYOB which is always a plus. We sat outside, the tables outside have patio heaters which do a nice job of keeping guests warm. The menu is outstanding, so many lovely options, so much so that it made my decisions difficult. The Fritto Misto was delicious, perfectly deep Fried Calamari and Zucchini over greens with Peppers accompanied by a tasty marinara sauce. The clams with Pancetta were quite good. The homemade pasta with blackened shrimp was outstanding, the shrimp were cooked perfectly. It was plates with clams, sliced peppers and chorizo. It was a wonderful dish. The crab cake entree do I dare to say might be the best crab cakes I have ever had. Loaded with crab and spice, every bite was savored. Mashed potatoes and string beans rounded out the entree. Dessert is not to be missed according to Jennifer T so we made sure to leave room. She was right, the German chocolate cake was by far the best I have had. The carrot cake was very good although I found the coconut frosting too much of a good thing. I will without a doubt go back and try their Duck entree and their Scallops. The service was on point. read more

Porcini - Carrot cake with Coconut frosting - New American Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

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Quality at its best! The food the service was on point the ambience was very nice. I've repeated this Restaurant at least five times in the last three years. I have never been disappointed. Food has excellent flavor each thing you taste is totally identifiable by quality ! read more

This restaurant is small (and doesn't have parking), but the flavors produced in their kitchen are huge. We had the mushroom tart appetizer, salmon entree, scallop entree, and the carrot cake for dessert. The tart was light and flaky and the mushrooms were so delicately prepared that they really weren't earthy. The scallops were perfectly cooked and the risotto and greens paired well with them. The carrot cake was good, but I am an avid baker and prefer mine (sorry). All in all a great meal. Also- BYOB! read more

Porcini is a cozy, intimate Italian-American restaurant located on a quiet street near the shore. After a day at the beach, I was looking for dinner options and stumbled upon this hidden gem. I came here late on a Saturday evening and the restaurant was packed to the brim. The restaurant was a mix of casual diners vs others that were dressed on the fancier side. They were able to squeeze us in and we were so glad because we were famished at that point! Food was pretty solid. The bread service came with olives and EVOO. We decided to order the crab cake, grilled organic Scottish salmon and the Cajun shrimp fettuccini. Everything we tried was delicious and cooked well. The cajun shrimp was punched with flavor and the handmade pasta was absolutely amazing. The crab cake was fresh, tasty and paired with an Asian slaw. The salmon came with spinach, rice, tomato and roasted fennel. The dish was cooked to perfection, but I thought the pairing with the fennel did not go well. My reason for knocking off a star was due to the salt. If they had gone a little easier on the salt on all the dishes, it would've been perfect. Service was standard. They were extremely busy that night attending to a large party, but we received our dishes in a timely manner and had no issues with the service. Sadly, we did not have any room for dessert. It is on the pricier side (like Manhattan prices), but it's worth a try. Plus it's BYOB! Can't go wrong with that. read more

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Amazing homemade italian food with amazing service. Love coming here!! The mushroom soup is out of this world! read more

Porcini - Spicy seafood pasta - New American Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

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Went to Sandy hook for the day and Made a quick reservation for dinner at 6:15. Wait Staff was accommodating and the food was delicious. It was a little bit salty for me but the rest of my family gave it 5 stars! Seafood pasta was fresh and the crab cake was very well made. Caesar was loaded with cheese so it was a bit too salty... ask for it on the side if you order. They have at least 8 - 10 tables for outside dining in a parking lot to the right of its restaurant location. Although it is not near the water, the food makes up for the lack of scenery. BYOB ! read more

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Here at least once a week...a definite go-to! We love the fish specials, chicken parm and pastas... John is the perfect steward and it's always a delight to see him. If Porcini isn't at the top of your list, it should be! read more

Outstanding little gem of a restaurant. Small and cozy... maybe about 10 tables. Definitely make a reservation. From the moment we walked in, I could just smell all the delicious food being served. We had no doubt we were going to eat well. Servers and staff were outstanding! Super friendly and personable. Every employee assisted each other so that every table was expertly cared for. They serve bread, oil, and delicious olives as a starter. We then tried the Caesar salads and the crab cake appetizer. Both were really outstanding! For entrees we tried the NY strip steak Diane special, a halibut special, seared scallops, spaghetti and Sunday gravy, and the spicy seafood mafaldine. Again all were outstanding! Some hazelnut tart, carrot cake, gelato, and coffee finished off our perfect meal. We would 100% go back. Everything was so fresh and homemade. Definitely worth treating yourself! read more

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Delicious and great service as usual! The mushroom tart and Jersey corn risotto were the standouts for me this time. Never disappointed at Porcini! read more

Delicious food. Staff and owner are very friendly. Service was excellent. Smaller place and highly recommend reservations. The scallops over the risotto were cooked perfectly, delicious!! Tiramisu was delicious and enough to split it between us. BYOB makes it even better. read more

Food was excellent! One of the best crab cakes I've ever had (all crab, no filler). Halibut special was fantastic. Service was friendly. While the food was very good, the ambiance of the restaurant is lackluster. The prices were a bit high for the atmosphere. read more

Excellent food and service A bit pricey so I won't be a regular but I will be back Good menu choices There were 5 of us and everyone enjoyed their meal read more

Amazing food, amazing service!!! I would eat here over and over!! So delicious! If you like Italian you'll like this!!

We had no prior expectation. We just found this restaurant in Jersey shore site. What a nice surprise ! The food was superb ! Scallops were perfectly blackened outside and moist inside. Bacon jam was very tasty. Coffee gelato was home made, not too sweet, but wonderful aroma of coffee. Wait staff were nice also. BYOB read more

Porcini - New American Near Me - Highlands, New Jersey

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On Thursday 4/25 was our first time at Porcini, All we can say is WOW!! My wife got the salmon and I got the Hanger steak absolutely incredible. I would absolutely recommend this restaurant. And the service John was a professional. read more

The best meals we have had in a long time. A big Thank You to the waiters for the great service ! We will be back soon.

Amazing food, outstanding service and a great vibe. Highly recommend. Will certainly be our go to moving forward.

Excellent food and great service. The only negative was there was a long wait which given the quality of the food and the size of the place that wasn't a surprise. read more

We had a private party, awful experience, one server for 38 people, 1 plate of appetizers per table, table had to share one plate of salad, dinner was on small plates, , dinner was a sandwich or 2 pieces of chicken, or a small pasta, and that was 40 bucks a person, embarrassing, read more

I returned to porcini and I was a little frustrated this time. The chicken du jour was a chicken osso bucco with prosciutto, and I asked if they could just give any chicken dish sans pork. Unfortunately, the kitchen couldn't accommodate as they premake all of their du jour meals and didn't have any chicken that wasn't already prepared. I got the arancini again actually better than last time, so delicious and cheesy-- but when I got to my main course of risotto, it was bland and under-seasoned. It was well cooked, texturally, none of the gluey-ness you can so often get, but it was very underwhelming. I wish that they had a standing chicken dish on their menu so it wasn't so hit or miss. read more

Perfect meal! Honestly, we couldn't have asked for more we arrived around 6:15 in a Saturday night after a day at the beach so not as dressy as the other dinners (eek) but they made us feel welcomed and squeezed us in with reservations even though they were packed. Actually, by the time we were done, there was a line out the door. We shared grilled Romaine salad with blue cheese, bacon and cherry tomatoes..delish, and eggplant rollitini..very nice! For mains we had the scallops (our favorite) there are VERY few places, even seafood places who sear them so perfectly..will be back for these for sure!! Chicken Cacciatore was amazing!! The chicken perfectly cooked and the sauce, oh the sauce, we were lapping it up, it was better then the mushrooms sauce with the scallops and that was delish..this was the chicken special, if they have it, try it!! Sadly, we had no room for dessert and we felt bad taking too much time at the table as the hostess told us there was someone who at a eight pm reservation. Oh, its BYOB and there are a few liquor stores near by which was super convenient. read more

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The food here is fresh and delicious. Our waiter Rob was extremely pleasant and accommodating. Really enjoyed this restaurant because we were never rushed and felt like we went to their home. We will definitely be going back. read more

We had an early Father's Day celebration at Porcini in the Highlands in their new outdoor space. The menu was extensive and varied (oyster, crab cake, grilled romaine appetizers, duck, cod, scallop, chicken entrees and peach crumble and peanut butter banana creme pies). The food was exquisite and the service warm and friendly. COVID precautions were well thought out and they didn't miss a beat. It was a wonderful night, thank you. read more

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This place is a gem! It gives homemade Italian a different meaning! The service was impeccable is a small quiet family owned restaurant. Highly recommend. read more

We went to Porcini last week. Food and service were superb. The 2 servers were 'all over it', seating all guests without skipping a beat. Food was really good. Had the caesar, caprese, calimari and NY strip for my entree. Coffee was spot on. This place is BYOB with a liquor store on the same street, a short walk away. Cozy indoor and outsoor seating. Highlands' best kept secret. read more