Trattoria Mediterranea — Restaurant in Bedminster Township

My family and I came to this restaurant on a Friday night to celebrate my Mother's birthday. We were a small party of four. The restaurant staff were very polite and efficient. The food was phenomenal.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was atrocious. The acoustics were horrendous. In a small room in the front, we were situated among three other tables. Behind us was a table of 6 large, boisterous women who were drunk tipsy and loud. They were laughing and cackling at the highest possible volumes. At our table, we forced to literally shout to one another to speak. When the waiter started talking about the specials, I had to interrupt him to explain "I can't hear anything!" He apologized and said, even his wife doesn't scream like this.

The table behind us were obnoxiously loud. It was completely inappropriate. They were drunk, middled-aged, winos. They RUINED the dinner experience. The host who seated us said we were in the quietest of the two rooms. But the noise was inescapable.

The issue was not so much the one bad table. It was the whole room. The whole room was loud. There was another table next to us who were much quieter, but we could still hear everything they were saying. We, as a family, could barely communicate to one another at our own table!

On one hand, I cannot reiterate how delicious the food was. It truly was fantastic, and I give the food 5/5 stars. On the other, I cannot reiterate how bad the noise was. In fact, it was so unbearable, I vow to never come back. This would be a fun restaurant to visit during the week during a quiet lunch hour. A Friday night, really probably any dinner night, should be avoided at all costs. I am shocked the owners haven't implemented a noise dampening system of some kind. The tables are too close, the noises are just too loud.

It was my Mother's birthday. I could barely wish her a Happy Birthday. What a shame. What a terrible, terrible, restaurant, and a terrible experience. I will NEVER come back to this place again. If I can't sit down, enjoy my meal, and TALK and HEAR my guests at a reasonable level, this is not a place I want to revisit. Terrible, terrible, terrible. Avoid this restaurant...

I know this restaurant has been successfully feeding locals for 20+ years, so I want to be careful not to offended such a record of satisfaction among its customers. But with due deference, this was a disappointing dining experience. The decor is charming enough, albeit dated and perhaps even a little lazy, but certainly not bad on its own. The wait staff was polite, prompt and well-informed.

But the food got as bad as awful and only as good as meh.

The octopus appetizer was unevenly cooked and was literally wet, cold, slimy and raw on one side, and cooked properly on the other. But cold and raw or warm and cooked, it was bland and utterly forgettable. It truly did not possess flavors and I have loved octopus and squid for years. It was served on an equally uninteresting and inconsistently layered bed of arugula and other assorted salad greens that lacked presentation and creativity. In general, the plating of the food was typical of any number of anonymous Italian restaurants found in any strip plaza. My chicken was poached by the fluid it was cooked in, tore as I cut it, rather than being tender, browned and slicable with a knife. The artichokes were soggy and again suffered death by drowning in the sea of broth that the dish was cooked in. I didn't finish anything I ate, as it was just boring.

Now to be clear, this was a typical dining experience, as compared with the type of dining I expect out of these kinds of restaurants. However, I can tell the owners care and want diners to be overjoyed. So I feel somewhat duty bound to say that I am sure the owners don't think of "good enough, most of the time" is a standard they aspire to achieve. I'm sure they expect more. But they just didn't achieve more this time. I'm an out of towner, so that means I didn't come with any loyalty to this restaurant. Perhaps that''s a good thing, as it affords the owners a fresh perspective from someone who takes dining seriously and expects an extraordinary experience every time. I would concentrate on the flavors and appearance of the dishes. The flavors were not remotely pronounced, nor transcendent. And the appearance was...

01/07/2025 Back in town for a visit, and why go anywhere else. Make sure to order something with the sausage. Excellent with just a little kick. Gluten-free or any dietary constraints are not a problem. The meals ordered by everyone were excellent along with the service. The dinner selections consisted of veal for a couple of people, the Sunday gravey, which consisted of sausage, meatballs in a red gravy over pasta, risotto, and gluten-free pasta with bolognase sauce. Of course, we had antipasto platters, tuna over greens with olive oil, and a few more. All around excellent. Will return the next time I return to visit. 12/08/2023 - Another great meal and service that no one doubted would occur. Met four of the golf lads for dinner. Each packed with wine and ready for dinner. A couple of anti-pasta platters for the preliminary bulls*. Italian meats, cheeses, sausages, butternut squash, and eggplant with housemade sauce. The eggplant and sausages are excellent, and everything listed is gluten-free. Everyone was split between two of the specials. Cod with breadcrumbs in olive oil, tomatoes, and garlic sauce along with a side of escarole. Of course, the cod for me had no breadcrumbs. Melt in your mouth with great flavor. The veal chop was lightly breaded, and those who ordered were sharing with the other lads because of the large portion. Completed the meal with the house made gelato. The pistachio is the best. Service is always excellent and treated like they have known you forever. This is a must try if you have never been. I can not say enough good things. They are well versed in dietary constraints, especially gluten-free, and will make almost anything requested. Give it a try, and you will return again.

Excellent service, food, and plenty of gluten-free options. Had the sausage with cannellini beans for appetizer. Salmon special for entree and Gelato for dessert. Will...