Il Giardinello Di Bacoli — Restaurant in Toms River

Hi! I wish we could give this place five stars (because we have many kind things to share about it) but I’m not sure if we will be going back. We went in with really high expectations because of the Google reviews. The vibe was lovely, it’s a very romantic setting and we went on a weekend night. We waited 60min and we were given a seat at the bar, but we didn’t mind and still had a great time. Also, where there is a wait, a place is in high-demand!! So we were extra excited at that point. Also, sitting at the bar was actually adorable cuz one of the workers daughters was there learning how to work so we tipped her cuz she was just too cute! We would 100% go back for an appetizer and some drinks for sure. We LOVED that they served bruschetta as their table bread. We were in heaven over that. The staff was 10/10. I have some allergies to food and the staff was SOOO nice about it! I think, however, if I COULD eat dairy, that we would have given this place 5/5 (so if you’re reading this and you don’t have allergies we highly recommend giving it a try and going for a cheesy dish!!!!!!) It’s just that my food didn’t have much flavor, but as I just said, this is very biased and individualized because the restaurant’s specialty is in Italian dishes and not allergy-friendly specific dishes (so entirely not their fault). If I could though, recommend a delicious allergy friendly dish for this place, I’d recommend adding a pasta primavera made with olive oil, white wine, and chicken/veggie stock to give it more flavor !! Again, this review is clearly individualized due to allergy issues, but otherwise, we would have given it 5/5 stars!! Thank you for a...

First time dining at this wonderful Italian restaurant on Saturday March 9 2024 with friends and it definitely will not be our last! The service was impeccable from start to finish and we had one of the best dinner experiences ever! Our server Tom was very accommodating and knowledgeable about the menu offering great suggestions. Josue, our bus boy for the evening, was on point and did a fantastic job. If anyone has food allergies, no problem, the restaurant is very accommodating because everything is made fresh. The dinners we ordered were absolutely phenomenal! It was one of the best tasting Zuppa Di Pesce three friends dining with me ever had, which was in a white sauce, a recommendation of Tom. The other dish recommended by Tom was Veal Rossini, and it was made perfect and enjoyed very much. The entire restaurant team is extremely hospitable and made us all feel so welcome, not rushed at all, and made us feel like we were at their home for dinner. I live about 1.5 hours away from this restaurant, but will be back often because of how delicious the food was and how welcoming all of the staff is. Genarro, the owner, does an absolutely fantastic job with this gem of...

First off, the staff tried. Our waiter was young probably in his second week. But his inexperience showed. Both the waiter and the bus were cloying when they should have stepped back, they hugged the wall counting ceiling tiles when they should have been pouring water and asking if we needed anything.

Food, best of you don't ask. My entree was okay, but I ordered a side on brocolli rabe. If something could taste like it was canned this us it and the menu treated it like a rarity with an MP for the price. My wife had the chicken piccatte, you know, chicken in a lemon butter sauce. Except there was no lemon taste, no butter taste. The sauce tasted like a can of chicken gravy that you would find on the shelves of a dollar general store. My father in law (fil) had a shrimp dish that was simply awful. I tried a piece of his shrimp and now I'm worried about my health because it was actually mushy in my mouth. Shrimp ain't supposed to taste like plain Jane oatmeal.

The desserts were fine - nothing special that you can't get at a TGIFridays or Chili's or Ruby Tuesdays. Well maybe you can't get a cannoli bigger than a horse Johnson at...