La Lupa — Restaurant in Manalapan Township

UPDATED: TLDR; Vibe , Atmosphere, & Service first, Food below...

I wish I could gatekeep this amazing place. This was hands down one of the best overall dining experiences I have had since pre-Covid, now after so many visits it's the place I most look forward to going and am most disappointed when I have to cancel a reservation.

When you come in the place is warm, welcoming, and the lighting is perfect date night dim & you can still see your food. The music is a little on the loud side at first but you quickly pick up the vibe that it's a younger high-energy crowd based on a few things. The staff are obviously close & familiar, they're not "just coworkers" they're all friends and family working together like a band , perfectly in rhythm with each other. The clientele on a very busy Friday night is also ranging between mid 20s to mid 40s, so we're all able to enjoy high-energy & great food at the same time. Dan , Cole, & Chad had us feeling like we were visiting & meeting family for the first time at their home. Welcoming, friendly, engaging in conversation, sharing their stories and asking us about ours. All while providing the most observational service I've experienced. Bussing plates & silverware off the table and placing fresh ones multiple times, refilling wine glasses (BYOB), providing a wine decanter, & bringing our orders like it was all practiced routine and effortless work while smiling , laughing , and chatting with us never skipping a beat in the quality and the level of service but never stiff, always a fluid conversation, chatting with us while the show of food and plates simply come and go with ease. I can't say enough about how truly impressed I always am with the friendly manner & extremely high quality service plus attention to detail I experienced here on a busy Friday night or any night for that matter. Do not sleep on this place, if you're nearby and enjoy Roman Italian food make a reservation ASAP. If you're going down the shore, schedule ahead, and make it a stop along the way, definitely come here for a date night or a friends night out, the energy of this place is contagious.

Now the food... This is NOT some basic traditional Italian place to get a chicken parm, spaghetti, unlimited bread sticks, and some outsourced tiramisu that's been sitting in a freezer. Giorgio is incredible in the kitchen, many of the dishes here cannot be found anywhere because they're family recipes. If you enjoy in-house fresh made daily pasta, locally sourced meats, eggs, milk, etc and appreciate highest quality imported Italian Parmesan, olive oil, prosciutto, etc. La Lupa brings the best of what's available locally to them here in NJ and the best of what's available from Italy to combine it with a love for food, flavor, and texture that will leave you wanting to come back every night and never feeling bloated or stuffed. I feel amazing on the drive back home and even the next day no different than when I visit Europe and notice how the food there not only is delicious but sits well and leaves me feeling good & healthy. The steaks are incredible, the level of attention and consistency is unmatched. I have never, NEVER, gotten a steak here that wasn't cooked to perfection as ordered, this kitchen simply Does. Not. Miss. Since my first visit, I have come back and brought my whole family to experience it on a number of occasions. By now despite all of the seasonal plates & changes that happen to the menu around the staple items like the Gnocchi, seasonal special crudo, the steaks, and the Olive oil cake, myself and my family have litterally tried everything and we keep coming back for more. Again I say, La Lupa , hits the bullseye every time, with every dish , it's unlike any...

Have you thought about who your dollars support when you choose which restaurants you visit? We do and we are proud to support our friends Dan, Mike and Chef Giorgio, the owners and operators of La Lupa in Manalapan, NJ. They think about it too and support local small businesses, so when you pay your check you’re also supporting the local farmers and artisans that supply La Lupa. For example, Anthony of @zeraleaf grows these microgreens in Hamilton, NJ and the plates are made by @jonopandolfi in Union City, NJ. By consciously choosing to eat local you’re feeding into and growing the small businesses that our friends, neighbors, and their families work so hard at every day.

I also can confidently say that La Lupa is one of the best restaurants in the state. Chef Ceciarelli is supremely talented and an artist in his own right. This filet mignon tartar was truly perspective changing and illustrative of the dedication to flavor development that is at the core of Chef’s cuisine. Hours of prep go in to Chef’s dishes and he succeeds in introducing flavor profiles that challenge diners to question the norms and push their palates to new experiences. We have never had a beef tartar like this, with sous vide egg yolk, crispy shallots, togarashi, bonito, cilantro basil oil, and lime topped with micro Thai basil. The lime and fresh green flavors transformed this typically heavier dish into a bright summer time experience we relished despite the 90+ degree temps outside.

Chef’s creativity continued throughout the meal - our duck and halibut were dishes that we will not forget and will go back to order again before the end of summer! The flavors bursting from the expertly seasoned duck are unmatched. Chef marinated the breast for three days, then seared to a crispy skin perfection, and served over fennel purée and fennel confit, then finished with a pluot (an apricot and plum hybrid) reduction. Chef is inventive and this dish is a star.

We also ordered the halibut, Chef brings in whole halibut daily, and in this dish he showcases some of New Jersey’s best produce, summer sweet corn that is fire roasted in the wood burning pizza oven then tossed with salumi and shallot garlic confit and braised chanterelles and finished in another NJ summer staple, farm fresh tomato water. Chef’s sear on the halibut is impeccable, light and crispy from the ripping hot carbon steel pan. This, and the heirloom tomato and bufala mozzarella salad are New Jersey summer at its best.

Trust me, make a reservation as soon as you can find a table, and say hi to Dan,...

GEM IN MANALAPAN! I’ve dined here lots of times already, and I absolutely love this restaurant! Not only do I love the food here, but I love the vibe it has here as well. It’s unique from all the other restaurants in NJ. They play old school rap in the background, and I like it. I read other reviews that some people didn’t like that, but I do. When you order they bring one dish at a time as this place is made for sharing. My favorite appetizers so far are the rice balls, the fried chicken, and the Roman Gnocchi. I also love the beet salad with strawberries and tangerines. My favorite pasta dishes are the rigatoni carbonara and the Jersey corn caramelle. All the pasta dishes are home made, and they are all FANTASTIC! When they first opened they made the pasta dishes too small, but now they are a good size. That turned me into a weekly customer because I love fresh pasta for dinner. The strip steak is OUTSTANDING! It’s up there with the best steaks I ever had! It is priced at $95 which is kinda of high, but it is worth trying. The best side dish is the cacio e Pepe potatoes! They are AMAZING! They also make an excellent halibut as well. Everything here is amazing from appetizers, seafood, steak, and dessert. My favorite dessert is the chocolate chip cookie in a skillet. Tonight it was nice and thick with melty chocolate chips just how I like it. The olive oil cake can range from ok to excellent depending on the night. Some days it’s moist, and some days it can be a bit overcooked. One of the best desserts they had was banana bread, but it hasn’t been on lately. Hopefully, they will bring it back. They can use a few more dessert selections on the menu, and add a chocolate Gelato. Another thing I’d like to see on the menu is a filet mignon. The owners and waiters are all really nice here. They don’t try to rush anyone out the door which is nice. They give everyone plenty of time to enjoy their food, and the company they are dining with. P.S. Make your next reservation before you leave! I HIGHLY recommend...