La Campagnola — Restaurant in Shamong Township

After working for a week and a half helping our friends pack up for their final move to Florida, they wanted to do something special for us to say thank you. Living out in the farmland of South Jersey there is a dearth of fine dining. After a bit of thought we decided upon La Campagnola in Shamong Township. Having lived in Shamong for 20 years prior to moving 'closer to civilization' 23 years ago we witnessed and tested many of the configurations and reconfigurations of this dining spot.

The Tosti Family finally gave up the ghost after decades of devotion to this obscure location. The new ownership moved in with a complete renovation of the space and while maintaining the Italian theme developed a significant upgrade to the Italian offerings and added top notch meat and seafood entrees. The chefs are first-rate. There is a substantial bar with full service, and the wine offerings are well selected to fit a range of tastes and pocketbooks. Our food that night included two classic Italian dishes, both superbly prepared and a surf and turf of filet mignon, lobster and crab. We started the meal with a delicious Maryland crab dip and prosecco to toast the completion of our 10 days of packing.

In all our leisurely 2-1/2 hours of dining was delightful with one mishap. For dessert two chocolate volcanoes were enjoyed by the four of us, but I never received a lemon cake that I ordered. My coffee arrived but no lemon cake. I was substantially sated by the time we arrived at dessert, and the lemon cake did not appear on the check, so I did not make an issue of it.

All things considered, if you are cruising south or north on Route 206 through Shamong Township around dinner time sometime in the future a one-minute detour to the west will serve you pallete and hunger well. You will certainly enjoy...

After checking tons of reviews and looking into dozens of restaurants trying to find the perfect one to celebrate our 27th wedding anniversary (on the 27) and my husbands birthday on the 28th, I decided to try La Campagnola and it didn’t disappoint. I made a reservation prior to going and We were seated immediately. Our server Kim was awesome we never had to look for her or want for anything. The food was outstanding (lamb chops and chicken parmigiana for the entree’s, mussels and bruschetta for appetizer’s plus we were given a complimentary appetizer to help us celebrate. Portions were enormous and very reasonably priced, plus did I mention all the warm toasty bread you want with fresh herb infused olive oil and butter. Who I assume was a manager made a point to talk to the customers and make sure everything was great and up to La Campagnola standards. I just cannot say enough good things about this place. I am a huge critic when it comes to spending my money, especially on dining it has to be good food and even better service for me, however 90% of the time I leave an establishment disappointed. When I dislike something I speak up but also when it’s good, I compliment. So my compliments to the chefs, staff, owners and management of La Campagnola and a compliment to our outstanding server Kim. Thank you all for making our special evening wonderful. We will absolutely be back and recommend you to our...

Summary: A hidden gem! Great food that's more than twice as cheap as comparable high quality restaurants!

The restaurant has an upscale yet cosy feel to it. Classy and understated decor. Romantic atmosphere. Music was a great selection of mostly 40s and at perfect volume.

Appetizer: filet mignon and duck breast. Extremely tasty, very soft, and overall excellent with great wine reduction sauce.

Prime rib sandwich: very tasty, great juicy meat.

Blackened Tuna was really good. Prepared just right, rare on the inside and pleasantly spicy.

Grilled chicken sandwich. Succulent, well seasoned and tasty selection of trimmings.

Dessert: Chocolate layered cake, Apple cobbler, Tuxedo cake - all three were delightful, high quality and pleasing in presentation.

Portion sizes were generous but not too big to enjoy.

Bread basket is on request, so you don't get full by eating it before the main course arrives, which is a big plus as well.

Service was beyond outstanding, with the waitress clarifying every detail we were interested in; she even took initiative in advising against dishes that might be problematic for our dietary needs.

All in all, it's a hidden gem of a restaurant, as great as pricey high-end ones in Manhattan but with very low prices and pleasant patrons.

Anyone visiting south Jersey, I would highly...