Villa Rifici — Restaurant in Absecon

We recently had a graduation party at this establishment. I must begin by saying aesthetically this restaurant is pleasing. The decor and event room was appropriate and clean. However there were a few snags that were not cosmetic. For starters, he stated that he could not fluctuate the food or lower the cost since all 60 people did not come. Understandable, as we had a “contract.” Following that he told my mom, “no you said 60 people. We made food for 60 people.” His delivery was curt but I digress. We then inquired about taking the left over food with us, being that we should have had enough food spared to feed 20 additional people. Their staff informed us THEY DON’T DO THAT. SO HE CHARGED US FOR 60 PEOPLE WHEN ONLY 40 CAME AND REFUSED US THE FOOD WE PAID FOR. THATS BAD BUSINESS. I would not be returning to this establishment for that reason. Rude and short. They also quoted us a $1.50 cake cutting fee when come to find out it’s a $1.50 fee PER SLICE. I’m sure if that was adequately explained, we would have not asked for that service or even bought a cake for that matter. That should be disclosed upfront. He also attempts to charge $8 per pitcher of soda WITH NO REFILS INCLUDED. I don’t frequently throw parties, but for $8 a pitcher and $25 per person, I would think complimentary refills would have been courteous. We’re not cheap enough to try to order one pitcher for the entire party! Sorry my parents wasted their money. As an additional edit, the owner contacted my mother after seeing my original review which was a tad less descriptive. And after hearing the concerns and issues, offered no compensation after the fact.

Pros: good decor, atmosphere, attentive staff. Food was also good.

Cons: inflexibility, miscommunication, lack of clarity in...

This is an amazing restaurant! The picture attached is of the appetizer, a stuffed Italian rice ball, and it was delicious! The crust was light and savory, the middle was soft and fluffy with bits of meat, and the sauce was so good we scooped the rest up when we were done. It was topped with some sprigs of fresh bean sprouts.

Before the meal, they bring out a complimentary appetizer, toasted rolls with oil with little bits of garlic, Parmesan, and herbs. Just looking at it, I know this was a good choice for place to eat. I don't know how the prepared the bread, but it was toasted on the outside, almost like it was done in brick oven. Inside the crust, the meat of the bread was soft steamy, and cooked to perfection.

My wife ordered the spaghetti pesto. I'm not usually crazy about pestos, my aversion being that the garlic or basil is overpowering. This pesto was far from that. The flavors were balanced perfectly and it finished with a nice creamy flavor.

I ordered the Shrimp Fra Diavolo. I had no idea what I was ordering and I was pleasantly surprised. This dish was spicy red sauce with shrimp nestled in a bed of linguini. My mom used to make a spicy shrimp spaghetti, and it was one of my favorite dishes. This brought me back to those times.

Overall, this is a solid restaurant. The staff were attentive and very friendly, the service was very prompt, and it was a beautiful atmosphere. If you are in this area and have time for only one place to eat, this is the place!

The price was $88, which included two beers and two glasses of wine. The wine and beer list was...

Well where should I start... The food was very mediocre, the service was horrible to say the least. We asked if my daughter could get fettuccine Alfredo on the kids meal instead of the spaghetti with marinara, they told me yes she can. Kids meals are $6.95, they charged us $13.95 for her. For $3 more I could have got the adult fettuccine alfredo for her that came with the salad or soup too. Also they gave her spaghetti instead of fettuccine. So basically they charged us $7 for alfredo sauce. They gave up two pieces of bread to dip in olive oil for 5 people, we ask for more bread, she said she would see if you could get us some more and brought us out one more piece wow. I got the lasagna and it was as Bland and plain as you could get. one layer of noodles a thin coating of hamburger some ricotta cheese another Noodle and sauce on top... very poor Had to ask three times to get some Parmesan cheese for the meal. Overall a very poor dinner for us. in response to the owner below....Even the menu states ground beef in the lasagna. as far for my kids menu item, like I Said before, We ordered a kids FETTUCINE ALFREDO, which the server said was OK. WE GOT SPAGHETTI ALFREDO. So you charged us $7.00 to put a ladle of alfredo over top spaghetti. We got a total of 3 pieces of bread for 5 people. table next us had 5 people and had 2 full baskets of bread, many more than 3 pieces. But don't worry, we will not be back. I have left over 100 reviews and this only the 2nd bad one for anywhere....