La Fontana Del Mare

We had a very decent meal here, just before busy season. The all Eastern European waitstaff was also decent, indeed good. But it bothers me – all immigrant service staff on work visas? This is NJ shore town, and a mix of some locals or college students with the eastern euro immigrants, please. Caesar salad, fine. Eggplant rollatini 1^st course, very good. We all tried a different veal entrée, all satisfying. I recommend this place to folks who like decent Italian food. Just would like to see a different blended worker balance, because employee balance matters too. For our NJ-​USA economy. Am thinking about immigration rules/​visa allowances more than the food after. So many U.S. College students need jobs too.

We arrived at 6:30 for our reservation andw ere seated promptly. Waiter was a little slow on the greeting, but not too bad. I ordered the house salad which was very good and the Striped Bass special which was in a red sauce with capers. My friend ordered the antipasti and the pasta Carbonara. which he said was also very good. Parking was a little difficult. I can’t imagine what trying to get a spot at the height of the season is going to be like. Nice atmosphere and pleasant staff. One of the better restaurants I’ve been too in the area. It’s worth the short drive through Sea Isle.

The food was fabulous, but the rest of the experience really wasn’t worth it. While our arugula, beet and burrata salad and margarita, chicken picante, and Fontana pizzas were fantastic, we waited 45 minutes for a reservation (the point of a reservation is that the table should be ready when you arrive! Or at least close to it…) and when I told the hostess our party of 8 had arrived, she actually rolled her eyes.
The bus boys were perfectly fine, but the hostess who rolled her eyes when I told her our party arrived, again rolled her eyes when we asked for the brick oven pizza menu, as opposed to the more expensive entrée menu, which was beyond appropriate when you order at 10 pm when you had at 9 o’clock reservation at a brick oven pizzeria.
We literally ate potato chips in the parking lot while hungrily waiting.
Our server, Bettina, was less than thrilled with our order, and told us we hadn’t ordered enough, but having 2 people over 80 waiting this long for dinner, there was only so much to be eaten.
In the off season, if they’re open, this maybe the best place in town, but DO NOT come here with a group for dinner, especially on a big shore weekend. If you do, expect to be treated poorly and feel unwelcome, as we did… maybe try hiring some experienced waitstaff.

We had a reservation, so waiting wasn’t an issue. We sat down to a mishmash of silverware, a random half filled glass of water (which they filled, so that makes it ok…) and dirty napkins. Service was ok, the server and waitstaff were attentive (ish).
I ordered the special, lobster ravioli. I don’t know that I would suggest bothering with this dish. For $ 39.95, I got frozen cheese ravioli with 5 pieces of lobster thrown on top. My bro-​in-​law had the veal osso buco, which he described as «edible» at $ 42. My husband and his sister each had the linguini with clams dish, which they enjoyed. So, stick with the menu and go basic and you’ll be ok???
Overall, the experience wasn’t terrible. But the food is insanely overpriced for what it is and frankly, I still have heartburn.

I heard from neighbors that you can get glasses of water with your meal inside but have to purchase very expensive bottled water on the new deck (even for children). That will certainly hurt repeat customers and make for bad public relations if the practice continues.
The food is very good but pricey since everything is a la carte. I will not return there if I have to pay for bottled water. i live nearby and have been a long time customer as have my neighbors.

Three 12″ pizzas that cost $ 54 was expensive. Bottoms were burnt, taste was average. I’ll never go back

Often Jersey Shore dining is a challenge. This place was busy but they seated us within a reasonable time of our reservation. The delicious grilled octopus was accompanied by a slightly oily pesto, thankfully on the side. The fresh tomato sauce complemented the excellent cheese ravioli. The special pasta e fagioli soup was well seasoned and satisfying. The seafood with pasta selections were adequate notwithstanding a bland fra diavalo.
It is a shame the auxiliary staff of young Eastern Europeans were eagerly attentive because the waitress, Angela, was completely inadequate when she was there at all.
For the size of the place, a single private bathroom for each gender did not meet the need.

We waited half an hour to be served, and there weren’t enough menus for all of us. Once we ordered, we waited another 50 minutes for the food.
The food was decent, although the salmon and pasta were very dry. All of it was extremely overpriced. Worst of all, their pasta special was more than 50% more expensive than any other item on the menu, and they didn’t tell you the price when they mentioned it. The check was a complete shock.
The room was also too loud to hear the person next to you, and there was only one bathroom stall for a large restaurant, causing long waits.
Perhaps the restaurant was just understaffed, but we had a terrible experience and won’t be returning.

Ate here on a Sunday night. Many reviews stated poor service and long wait but we didn’t have any issues. Arrived right on time for our 6:30 reservation and were seated right away. Appetizer of Bruschetta was very good. We all loved our meals aside from my wife who ordered the basic pasta with mozzarella and basil, which she said was just OK with not much basil on the dish. The fettuccine Alfredo was good– the pasta was either homemade or top quality because it tasted fresh. We do agree with other reviews that when it gets busy it becomes extremely loud so if you are looking for a quiet dinner go earlier or sit outside. It is a BYOB so bring your own wine!

With such a large party at peak hours at such a busy place, it’s hard to say they were slow and inattentive. But they were. Everything is always tasty, but the service is lackin

The food here is amazing, my family and I have been going for over 10 years now. We drove from our Sea Isle shore house past La Fontana Coast to go to this location specifically, even though it was further. This year on our vacation we were extremely disappointed.
We arrived for our 8pm reservation and had to wait 30 minutes to be seated. Not to mention, we were seated crammed up against a pole and another table was within 1 foot of us, causing the waiters and bus people to lean over our table in passing. The table was also not set, so they began setting the table while we sat there.
We made the mistake of then just ordering our appetizers and not our entrees together. We had to ask for bread and constantly ask for our water glasses to be filled. The appetizers came out in a timely fashion, but after that we ended up waiting another 45 minutes for our dinner. The waiter barely checked on us and was not apologetic of the lateness.

I made a 8:00 dinner reservation and specifically requested outside. When my husband and I arrived, the hostesses rushed us off to a terrible table inside and disregarded our reservation. Our table was in an awkward space close to the hostess stand. It was very busy and loud. The food was mediocre, nothing to write home about.

Not impressed with this restaurant. Have eaten here quiet a few times. It is so loud that it is impossible to hear the waiter tell us the specials. Even had a hard time talking to the person seated across from you. The food was okay, but not consistent in times delivered to the table. I noticed that the 6 surrounding tables received a complementary lemoncello and our table was completed disregarded— not the first time this happened when we have eaten here.

Went for dinner after July 10,2015. Just opened outside yesterday. If you sit outside you can only choose from menu or all have to order pizza. No mixing from menus as if they are two separate restaurants. We had to ask for water & bread. Took long time for waiter to come over. I ordered shrimp scampi for$ 24.95. It came out with a pound of pasta and 4 medium shrimp. Pasta tasted like olive oil dressing. No scampi taste. When waiter asked how everything was and I said not great he gave me attitude. Will not go there again nor to one on coast. Not a great experience. Never came up to see how things were. I hope this is helpful.

Good service on a crowded July 4^th weekend. Reservation made for 7 pm and were immediately seated. Prices are what you would expect for the Shore. Chicken Parmesan was large, hot and salty.

Was there for dinner last night. No wait. Seated immediately. Unfortunately the noise level in this room was quite uncomfortable. The person 2 tables down from us was talking at the top of his voice about how loud it was to his deaf father. That person was the loudest. However we drove down from Ventnor. Definitely not worth the 40 minute drive. Twelve dollars for calamari. And a small portion. Salad was good and veal parm was mediocre. Average food. Spaghetti dry. Gelato full of sugar. Too sweet. Became diabetic by the end of the meal. Won’t be back. Nice renovation job.

I have been to this restaurant many times and have always had a great meal and good service. Was there again on Saturday evening May 23^rd with family and close friends. They have redone the entranceway and, although not finished, it looks great. The dining experience, however, was suprisingly disappointing. The chicken in my Chicken Picatta was very tough and lacking in flavor. And two guests who ordered pasta — gnocchi and risotto — ended up with dishes that had a very unappealing thick sauce. One entrée came out very late — and was served somewhat cold. Worst of all is the noise. The expanded restaurant has outrageously bad acoustics. It was incredibly loud. Guests had to scream at each other to be heard. I have always enjoyed this restaurant very much so I am hopeful they can correct things asap. Sadly, the current noise level alone makes it a poor choice as of now.

The service was excellent and the food delicious. We all had different dishes and everyone said their meal was delicious. We had two small children with us and there is not a children’s menu but they did offer chicken fingers with fries or a half size portion of a pasta dish. It was a BYOB restaurant which we did not know, but they offered white wine from the kitchen that was not very good. Bring your own wine or beer and they will put it on ice for you.
There was no view of the ocean as their website suggests. The décor is typical Italian with a fairly small dining area but it was comfortable. We would definitely return.

I have been here in the past and it was very good — the food was delicious and the service well done.
They have since upped their prices, the specials are not as good, and the service is terrible. I was rushed out of my meal and feel that I greatly overpaid for what I was given. You can go to another place in strathmere or in Somer’s point and not be crammed into a small room and rushed out.
I used to think this place offered something different than the regular old beach bar type of place but the prices and service have ensured that I probably will not be returning to this restaurant.

Took the family in for a Sunday dinner and was sadly disappointed with the service. We have been going here for many years and have never had service issues.
The appetizers and entrees came out fine then as the restaurant filled up it all went down hill. After our main course we waited 25 minutes for our waiter to come and ask us if we would like dessert. We ordered and it took 20 minutes to get our desserts then 15 minutes afterward we received our beverages.
The waiter did not return for another 15 minutes to check on us and I asked for the check. You guessed it we sat for another 20 minutes till he returned.
After looking around we realized that there were only two waiters taking care of over twenty tables.
It looks like they are under new management and based on our experience they need to make better staffing decisions to keep their customers coming back.