La Vecchia Fontana — Restaurant in Avalon

An absolute must!!!! This restaurant is awesome, and I’m writing a review to update and clarify some things. First off, currently the restaurant is open and does have outdoor seating. The seating location is actually great and we got to watch the sunset while eating dinner. It was fantastic. It is BYOB so make sure you bring a drink with you if you care for one.

I booked us for 9 people over the phone. I looked at the yelp and google reviews after and didn’t love the lack of pictures/stars, but once we were at the restaurant, I was very impressed. There were several delicious-sounding specials including burrata with prosciutto and melon, and artichokes wrapped in prosciutto in a delicious sauce. All the food we got was AMAZING and the portions were perfect, not giant but big enough. The kitchen is far from where the seating is, so the waitresses and waitors were hurrying back and forth to make sure they were addressing all needs. They were polite and able to provide everything we needed when we needed it. Definitely recommend, and nice that it’s a little out of the way so you’re not right in the downtown part of Avalon with tons of other ppl...

I understand that Shore restaurants are sometimes under staffed in September; however, we had reservations for 11 at 6:30. We were seated promptly; however, our waiter was less than pleasant. It took at least 45 minutes to take our order and simply 15 minutes to serve. No apologies. I am sure he was multi tasking, but a simple awareness that he had left us stranded would have sufficed. Numerous people were ourside our window Waiting for their seating. When the waiter began to serve our dinners, he literally threw the first plate. Never take out your frustration on a customer. Of course the gratuity was already included so there was no way to show a bit of our displeasure. The two other employees were quite lovely. Water was poured and plates...

I visited this restaurant on a Friday night, and it was packed, clearly a popular local spot. While the atmosphere was lively and inviting, the service left a bit to be desired. It took 35 minutes for our server to take our order, and over an hour for the food to arrive. That said, the restaurant is small and was juggling several large parties, so a delay is understandable, just be prepared to wait.

The real standout here is the food. Every dish we tried was superb, thoughtfully prepared, bursting with flavor, and well worth the wait. It's a BYOB spot, which is a nice bonus if you plan ahead.

Bottom line: if you’re looking for an amazing meal and don’t mind a slower pace, this place is a gem. Just bring a bottle, some patience, and enjoy...