Flavia's Cucina Romana — Restaurant in Asbury Park

Not about the food, but the staff.

Yesterday evening my friend and I walked in to just ask questions about the restaurant. The host answered the questions in a defensive way, as if we're doing something wrong. My friend asked 3 questions, "Was this the Brick Wall Restaurant, how far back does the restaurant go, and is there a side area cause the older restaurant had one?" The host, with an increase of tension per answer: "Yeah I think so, what you see is all there is, are you the owner or something." My friend turns to me and says, "I feel like this conversation is getting weird." The host says, "You're weird." My friend says, "That's not right, I wouldn't be a customer here." The host says, "Ok good, then have a good night."

After enjoying Asbury, we come back several hours later to ask the host if we can talk to the manager because our last interaction was uncomfortable and felt we had to say something. The host says, “You were here an hour ago, this is uncomfortable, you’re being shady.” He gets the manager and we explain to the manager how we were disrespected before and disrespect again just now. The manager said, "It must have been miscommunication.” We say, "We’re called weird and shady by just asking questions." We explained that all we wanted to do was ask questions about your restaurant and possibly see a menu. He said, “There's a menu as you walk in and there is really no reason to find more about the restaurant, I’m sorry but we’re busy.”

Not sure what the problem with asking questions is. Staff should be trained to have a warm greeting and the ability to just answer questions respectfully or redirect respectfully. We weren't rude, we had nice tones of voices, and to top it off, the manager just validated the bad vibe.

Having the staff trained with any of the following would have been simple and appropriate: “Hey, we’d be happy to answer questions,” or, "Welcome to Flavia's, what can we do for you," or, “We’d be happy to have you as a customer and possibly discuss this another time,” or, "We’re sorry you are dissatisfied, what can we do for you, sorry you’ve been disrespected,” or “Please take a menu or check us out online, I’m sure we’ll make it up to you with our food and service, we’ll be happy to have you as a customer, our apologies.” Takes 30 seconds to answer a few questions, and a pleasant attitude goes a long way.

Really unpolished, unprofessional, negative vibe. A hospitality business is supposed to be warm, welcoming,...

Disappointing Experience Despite Good Location and Atmosphere

We chose Flavia based on its convenient location and positive reviews, hoping to find a spot that was relatively close to our cousins. Our first impression of the restaurant was favorable; it’s well-decorated and has a nice atmosphere. However, the experience quickly soured once we looked at the menu.

Flavia’s menu mainly revolves around overpriced pasta dishes, with just four types of pasta available, each paired with a variety of sauces. Prices change depending on the sauce selection, but the menu is quite rigid—there’s no room for customization. For example, we asked for extra bread and were told it would incur an upcharge. While this wasn’t a major issue, we were taken aback by the lack of flexibility.

Things took a turn when a member of our party asked for a “to-go” order for her son who was at home. When placing the order she asked if they could substitute plain pasta instead of the potatoes and vegetables on a chicken dish. The response? An additional $16 charge for the pasta, which, according to our server, was "imported pasta." The total price for the dish would have been over $50, which struck everyone as absurd. She did not place that order. We then asked to speak with the manager, Domenick, who confirmed that no accommodations would be made—no substitutions, no adjustments.

It was frustrating to spend $1,120 on a meal for 13 people that was, at best, average in terms of flavor and portion size, only to encounter such inflexibility. For a restaurant charging such premium prices, it’s disappointing to see the lack of customer accommodation, especially from the management.

Recommendation: If you’re looking for a place with reasonable prices and some flexibility in menu options, Flavia is not the right choice. The experience felt overly focused on upcharging, which left a sour taste despite the...

As a neighbor to Flavia I was lucky enough to enjoy it shortly after they opened as well as many other times since. Not only is their food phenomenal, so is their staff, ambiance and service. My cousin was asking to have her bachelorette weekend and shower in the same weekend so I immediately thought of Flavia to host the shower. The aesthetic of the restaurant, and exceptional food was literally a no brainer. The owners were AMAZING to work with, their support staff was so kind, fun, friendly and accommodating. Coming from a big family we've hosted many parties but working with Flavia was undoubtedly one of the best experiences. The food was served family style in four different courses and holy MOLY was it good. We had caprese and meatballs to starts, gorgonzola gnocchi, mushroom rigatoni, and chicken scallopine served with mixed vegetables. The food was absolutely incredible, so much so I had 5 family members calling me this morning to talk about it. I was optimistic we'd have a good experience but truly the entire day far exceeded our expectations. The young couple are working their butts off to continue the success of the restaurant while simultaneously supporting their family so proudly. Andrea is so kind and even took time out of the busy day to help us decorate, talk to guests and check in on us. If you're looking for a romantic date night, I would 100% suggest bringing a bottle of wine and sitting along the sidewalk to people watch on a nice day or inside the beautifully decorated venue, and if you're looking to host in Asbury Park, this place is IT! Thank you to the entire team at Flavia for making our...