Locale — Restaurant in Little Silver

Maybe it's me... but in a state that has no shortage of different options for Italian restaurants, there is no room for mediocrity. Unfortunately for Locale and it's patrons, that's exactly what you'll find here.

Like most others in the area, my wife and I were very excited to try a new local restaurant. During our first visit, we sat at their bar and ordered a pizza and a cesare salad to pick at, along with a few beers and cocktails.

THE ONLY REASON THIS PLACE DESERVES 3 STARS IS THE BAR. The bar feels like a secret hangout that only a local would be in-the-know of and is staffed by very personal and knowledgeable bartenders. No complaints here and definitely plan to return for drinks. However, that's about where all my good comments end.

Both the cesare salad and the pizza we received were absolutely delicious looking, but were sold at a relatively premium price that wasn't reflected in the completely unremarkable taste/quality of the food.

Ok, no problem - at least we had a nice time at the bar and we're not the type of people that believes every single place HAS to have a killer pizza. However, after the folks sitting next to us ordered and received the best looking chicken parm entrees I had ever seen. My wife and I decided we'd return for a proper meal and give their entrees a shot.

Well, lo-and-behold, the unremarkability of Locale's kitchen found itself leaving us disappointed once again. Just like everything else with this restaurant, the Chicken Parm that looked amazing turned out to be tasteless recreation of what New Jersey-ians might expect from a local Italian haunt. Again, none of this would feel like an issue except that the entree was $36 at the time of writing.

Long story short, there's better food to be had for less money and they're just as local as this restaurant hang its namesake upon. I'm sure Locale will continue to succeed just because of the importance of Little Silver having a sexy new restaurant, but for anyone with a discerning palate or wallet, this should probably be one to avoid.

Ambiance: 4/5 Service:...

On June 21st 2025 Saturday me , my girlfriend, and her son went to Locale Italian restaurant the place was decorated amazingly they have indoor and outdoor dining the staff are very friendly and polite the atmosphere in the restaurant is very comfortable the staff are very respectful and fast with making sure that the food and drinks was always came out on time and when we needed a refill on our drinks they came around and refilled our water and got new drinks for the table our waiter Alphonse was so friendly polite respectful and helpful very patient and never rushed us to order when we ordered our food Alphonse came to our table multiple times to make sure everyone at the table was satisfied with the dishes we ordered for appetizers Eggplant Tower it was one of the best appetizers on the menu plus we ordered the fried calamari that was amazingly delicious sweet and spicy and Balsamic wings that was very delicious as well for the main course I ordered Nonna Chicken Parm with side (Spaghetti Vodka) my girlfriend ordered Pacific Lane Snapper and my girlfriend son ordered Pan Seared Chicken side order (Nut/shell allergy Side Pasta the main course all of the dishes was cooked so amazing and very flavorful! And we ordered dessert 1 Tiramisu, 1 Vanilla ice-cream cook sandwiches, 1 Italian cheese cake all the dessert was made just perfect our waiter Alphonse want back to the cook/Owner of the restaurant that the food that we ate was amazing the Owner came out to our table to thank us and talk to us he was so friendly kind respectful and very esay to talk to we told him that we loved all the food that we ate at the restaurant we will definitely come back to Locale Italian restaurant for sure the staff ate...

If I could give more than 5 stars, I would. Locale in Little Silver is hands-down one of the best Italian restaurants I've ever been to!

Let's start with the food: everything is incredibly fresh, never frozen, and you can taste the difference. They source vegetables straight from their own garden, and their seafood comes in almost daily & it shows in every bite. The pizza is next-level! Perfectly crispy, flavorful, and topped with the freshest ingredients. The chicken parm? Absolutely massive and insanely delicious, easily enough for two people, and the sauce is what really makes it. You can tell it's homemade and crafted with love.

Some must-tries: the octopus appetizer (so tender and flavorful it'll ruin all other octopus dishes for you), the burrata panzanella, and the cacio e pepe or spicy vodka pasta, both are absolutely amazing. Bonus: you can order side portions of pasta, which makes it easy to try a few and share!

But it's not just the food that makes Locale so special. It's the people. The owner, Giuseppe treats you like family the moment you walk in the door. Warm, welcoming, and genuinely passionate about what they do. The servers, Axel, Alphonse, Jesus, and others are so attentive, kind, and personable. If you come often enough, they'll even remember your name and favorite order. That level of care and consistency is rare.

Locale is perfect for a cozy date night, a family dinner, or a celebration with friends. It's the kind of place that stays with you long after the meal is over. We always leave full, happy, and already planning our next visit.

10/10 recommend. This place is a...