Villa Amalfi — Restaurant in Toms River

Let me start by saying that you do not need to know anything about Italian food… you only need to know what good and fresh food tastes like, and you will right away pick up on the fact that this place’s food is horrible, old and frozen (together with the outdated atmosphere.)

I never leave bad reviews or return food, but I had such higher expectations on this place. Hubby and I would drive by all the time so tonight we decided to give it a try as it advertises as authentic Italian food (ristorante italiano.) It looks like everyone that works there is Hispanic (nothing against it at all) but when it comes to the kitchen, Italians should cook Italian food if you advertise as authentic cuisine.

First impression was the atmosphere. Very old carpet, very outdated… but that didn’t bother me as I was expecting to have a good meal.

We order wine and two of the specials: fettuccine with mushroom sauce and shrimp, and sea bass with corn risotto. Right there wrong ingredients mixed together, but I thought “hey, let’s try something different.” When the food arrived, I didn’t even have to taste it to know it was NOT going to be good. I mean, the presentation was horrible, and it looked like very cheap and not fresh at all (mind you, these are SPECIALS so should be fresh.) You can’t serve old/frozen seafood and charge $35 per plate. Come on! If I go to a diner, I probably have better food and I pay half the price.

My husband ate his dish anyways, but I really could not. I returned it and asked for a chicken dish instead. I thought maybe their seafood is the problem, but other things are better? Nope! Disappointed again, I return the second plate.

The waiter (who was very nice btw) told the host (owner I presume) and she came to the table to ask me about why I didn’t like the food. Being born and raised in Italy, I spoke to her in Italian and told her I did not like it. She was polite and said “you ordered Italian-american dishes, maybe that’s why.” No, the truth is that I have had Italian-american dishes before, and I do not mind that they are not “real” Italian dishes. The problem here was the quality and taste of the dish. It was inedible.

If I am being charged that much, I expect real food. Period. The food was not even mediocre; I would be generous if I said that. Furthermore, we got there at 5pm so the place was almost empty, so there is no excuse for the food to be that bad (and it’s a Saturday.)

I do not understand the good reviews this place gets honestly. Do people around here know what “decent” food tastes like? Or do people prefer being robbed these days? What a shame. I really thought it was...

We made the unfortunate mistake of going to this place Saturday night for my father in-laws birthday. I ordered the fra diavolo.. literally out of season red cherry tomatoes which were not cook down or rendered, then they were combined with canned diced tomatoes. ( As per the manager) I tasted some basil and garlic. But zero seasoning combined with four pieces of frozen shrimp. The bread was old and stale and the cocktails were not made right. I Told the manager and her words... I don't speak English very well.. when I heard this I was shocked! Using that as an excuse for the for poor cooking! $220 for amateur food.

**After I wrote my review.. they responded very disrespectful and unprofessional so this is my reply:

(My Reply to Manager) Thank you for your incoherent response...As with most famous dishes of Italian provenance, there is some contention as to its actual origin. While some claim Naples as the home of not only Pezza, but also the sauce that bears his name, the general consensus seems to be that fra diavolo is an invention of Italian-Americans in the tri-state area.

What does Fra Diavolo sauce mean? "among the devil"

Fra diavolo is a spicy tomato sauce served over linguine and shellfish that roughly translates to “among the devil,” getting its name from the crushed red pepper that gives it its signature heat. It's traditionally made with shrimp or lobster, sometimes accompanied by clams.

The dish is traditionally served with crushed tomatoes which tend to be a little chunky. Every chef has their own interpretation but nowhere does anyone ever use cherry tomatoes. My advice to you is if you're going to use cherry tomatoes you need to cook them down and render them..

There are many restaurants in the Toms River area that do a great dish. I suggest you visit one of these and learn how to make the dish or go back to culinary school. I'm always here for advice if you need cooking advice. Best wishes and no we will...

The staff was friendly and did a great job. On the other hand, the woman at the front desk should rethink her career - no one wants to be greeted by a miserable receptionist. If you leave the door open for longer than 3 seconds, you’ll be bombarded by her yelling at you to close it. My elderly grandma has a difficult time walking, and the receptionist yelled at her to “close the door” when she was doing her best to move quickly. If you’re yelling at an old person, you have issues. Hope someone yells at you when you stop being able to walk one day. Additionally, the food tasted old. Wouldn’t recommend coming here and definitely won’t be returning.

In response to your rude and extremely unprofessional message, you’re clearly the woman at the front desk. You should review the footage again and be honest this time, rather than lying to look better on Google reviews. You should also look back at the many full plates of the chicken dish that were untouched by the guests, and instead of sitting on the computer and responding to me, to fix the recipe. Don’t know if you own the place, and if you don’t, I feel sorry for the owner for having to deal with miserable people like you. If you look at ratings on other restaurants, the business rarely will argue with the guests about their poor experience, and apologize instead. So bizarre that you feel the need to make yourself look worse on the internet. Additionally, review the footage and watch yourself yell at multiple guests. That’s embarrassing and no way to...