Spano's Ristorante Italiano — Restaurant in Point Pleasant Beach

Returned to my Italian dream after over a year absence. I can’t find Italian like Joe and Frankie’s in Seattle. Forget about it! Warm, friendly, with food that will knock you eyeballs out, Spano’s may be the best red sauce Italian in the world. I’ve eaten at plenty. Busy every night, hey the Jersey Shore knows food, Spano’s never disappoints. Servers are trained well and know how to take care of their diners. You won’t go home hungry for food or love. Spano’s delivers on both.

OMG, I don’t know where to begin, Spano’s was an incredible culinary experience. I have eaten Italian food in the best Italian restaurants all over the world. Christmas 2019, I was in Bologna, Italy. In Rome, Naples, Florence, Milan, Venice, Palermo, Torino, New York, Paris, San Francisco, London, Chicago, Hong Kong, St Louis, Modena, etc., I have dined at the most awarded Italian restaurants, flush with Michelin stars and James Beard awards. Modest Spano‘s, in Point Pleasant, Jersey Shore, New Jersey, was as good as them all.

Specializing in Southern Italy, red sauce Italian, Jersey style, Spano’s doesn’t serve the type of cuisine used to charm the media. No foam is on your plate. This is what your Italian grandma served Sundays after church. Loosen your belt, tuck a napkin under your chin, and get ready for a roller coaster ride of great eating.

The best: Bruschetta, Hot Shrimp Molly, Pasta Ragu, Veal Parmigiana, Veal Chop Parmigiana, Bucatini, There wasn’t enough time or stomach space to order more.

We started inside at Spano’s, and eventually gravitated outside to a charming space behind the restaurant. We spent hours drinking our BYOB beverages, talking about everything, charmed by a warm and accommodating staff. I forgot their names, I think our main server was Sophia, but I will phone Spano’s later in order to get the correct information. They all deserve a shout out. I return soon to Seattle, unfortunately missing the down to earth warmth of New Jersey. You can’t hug, kiss or gesture while staring at a phone or lap top. On my next trip this summer, I shall revisit Spano’s after fasting for two days. I want my stomach empty, so I can fill it with the best Southern Italian cooking. Bravissimo Spano’s. ADDENDUM: I returned to Spano’s last night and met Joe and his wife. They are lovely and as wonderful as Joe’s cooking. Spano’s kitchen has their heart, as does Frankie, Joe’s son working in the kitchen along with his papa. The past 14 months this country has gone through hell, many of us losing faith in the American dream. Want to be uplifted? Go dine at Spano’s. Eat some of Joe’s cooking and see happy people enjoying life and each other. That’s what it’s all about. A trip to Spano’s is the best tonic. BTW, the food was even better the second night. I don’t see how that was possible. Our servers, Shay, Katheryn, and everyone else give their all and add to all the warmth and love at Spano’s. This restaurant is truly an...

We had dinner here on a Monday night in the beginning of August. After reading all the glowing reviews we expected to be blown away. Instead we will never return.

The internet describes this as a "bustling" restaurant. What we found was a relatively small restaurant where everyone was jammed in on top of each other, a noise level that made it hard to talk, and servers literally running back and forth to try to keep up with the orders. In other words, zero atmosphere, and not a relaxing place to eat dinner.

Although the place was a zoo when we arrived (and we were told it was like this every night), our 7pm reservation was honored and we were seated at a tiny table for two. Promptly we were brought complimentary eggplant meatballs, jersey tomatoes, and delicious bread. Plus it's a BYOB so we had our own wine, though no ice bucket was available (there was no place to put one). We kept the wine in our wine bag and took it out when we wanted more.

The main course took about 30 minutes to come out. The chicken giancana sounded great on the menu, but the sauce was way too thick and the dish was two small pieces of chicken and a ton of potatoes. The seafood fra diablo was tasty, with an excellent sauce, though the mussels and clams were small compared to other restaurants, and the dish had way more pasta than fish compared to other restaurants we have dined at.

My wife ordered a side of penne with her dinner, but it didn't come until she was almost done. The server claimed that pasta takes longer to prepare, which made no sense. He simply forgot to put in the order. When the pasta did come, some of it was undercooked. On my dish I had asked for linguine, but instead got angel hair pasta. Not the end of the world, but yet another misstep.

I know this restaurant is popular because it's BYOB and they offer nice complementary items before dinner. But the atmosphere is hectic, and while the food is good, there are many other Italian restaurants we go to that are BYOB that may cost a little more, but where you can hear yourself think during dinner and the food is better.

Making a reservation is a must, but you can't do it on the web. Instead you have to leave a voicemail with your reservation request and then wait for a call back. I found that annoying.

Parking on the street is very tight, but a block away is a large Dollar General parking lot with plenty of free parking.

Bottom line: Not a place we would recommend...

Attention people wanting to have a party at Spano’s: I went to try the food at Spano’s as a trial for my rehearsal dinner this summer. I loved it and discussed different options for my party with the waitress. There is an indoor room, but can only comfortably hold 20 adults and can reserve 4:30 or 7:30. That option did not work for me as we had more than 20 adults & 2 kids and timing does not work with our actual rehearsal. Our waitress suggested since our rehearsal is a weeknight that she show me the outdoor patio to reserve at any time. She explained she couldn’t do it on a weekend, but they have done similar parties during the week. I loved the idea, even though I don’t love eating outdoors, because it was private and it worked with my party size and timing. She also suggested I make my own menu since they would have guests just order off the regular menu, and I liked her idea on that as well. I wish I remember her name, she was very helpful. She asked if I wanted to pencil in the reservation and I rejected just because I had to firm up timing with my venue.

After I did that, I did confirm with my venue and called them yesterday to book the reservation. I received a call back saying that the owner said no, he doesn’t take reservations that big for the outdoor patio. The woman on the phone asked if I could do inside and I said no because of previous reasons. I was not the one who suggested the outdoor patio, I didn’t even know it existed. They have clearly done it before as the waitress would not make up the capability of having the patio on a weeknight. Their excuse was the kitchen couldn’t handle the big party. She even said on the phone that they would take reservations for outside for up to 5 people. If they book 4 tables of 5, how is that any different than a group of 20 with a fixed menu?

Clearly Spano’s has delicious food. But, the owner is not in it for customer service. I am not going to eat there again as I like to support people who are in the service industry who do serve...