Best Italian Restaurants Around Long Beach Island

If there’s one thing New Jersey does really, really well, it’s Italian food. Italian roots run deep here in the Garden State with more than 50% of us having some Italian heritage, whether it’s first generation or fifth. This means we have some damn good Italian food. What makes the Long Beach Island and Manahawkin special is that our Italian food includes authentic red-sauce joints AND coastal Italian seafood spots, so you could do an entire food tour of Italy right here on the island.

Whatever dish you’re craving, you can find it at an Italian restaurant here, from comfort food like spaghetti and meatballs, eggplant parmesan and braciole to a refined linguine with clams, Mediterranean calamari and grilled whole fish.

Here’s our list of the best Italian restaurants on Long Beach Island and in Manahawkin, NJ. Oh, and don’t forget to ask for the bread basket.

Russo's

From April to September, Russo's is your go-to Italian spot in Ship Bottom. It’s a quaint family-owned business with a menu chock-full of family recipes. Get your greens in with a kale caesar salad and the obligatory order of their famous garlic rolls before you head into the main event… pizza. We recommend the Ozone pie, which is essentially a Sicilian grandma pizza with fresh mozzarella or the Red Top, a classic cheese pie with basil. For the grand finale, make sure you order their homemade chipwich featuring fresh baked chocolate chip cookies and homemade ice cream from Bassett's in Philly. 

Brazzi’s Brick Oven Pizza

Brazzi's Brick Oven Pizza offers much more than just thin crust pizza in Manahawkin. The restaurant actually has two sides, one solely dedicated to take out with a pizza shop vibe and the other is a full restaurant for dining in. If you are dining in, it is still fairly casual and BYOB. Definitely order their fried panzaerroti (a fried savory turnover stuffed with cheese and sauce - what more could you ask for?) and any of their pasta dishes (especially their homemade fusilli napolitana). If you are looking to get pizza, we recommend keeping it simple and ordering the original margherita. Pro tip - pay in cash because there is a credit card fee. 

Raimondo's

Visit Raimondo's in Ship Bottom for a traditional red sauce Italian experience in a fine dining setting. You can expect Italian food with a creative twist and many diners reserve it for special occasions. For your main meal, the veal porterhouse is a standout as well as the pork chop calabrese. If you are looking for seafood or pasta, we recommend ordering the Polpo e fregola appetizer or the seafood ravioli. It is also BYOB so come prepared with libations to enjoy with your meal. 

Stefano's

At Stefano's in Long Beach, you will enjoy a fine dining experience and upscale vibe. It serves modern, Italian fare with a heavy seafood offering and we are very into the pairing. Start with the mediterranean calamari and then eat mains like seafood a la vodka (dreams do come true!) or scallop risotto (risotto is always the answer). If you aren't a seafood fan, they have plenty of classics like chicken parm and also serve a fine garlic steak. Despite its fancy environment, Stefano's is BYOB so we recommend bringing some fine wine to go with your meal.