Ruoccos Restaurant 345 U.S. 9, Manalapan Township, NJ 07726

"Very warm and cozy atmosphere. Food was delicious! We had the eggplant stack, calamari, and meatballs to start and they were all awesome. It was BYOB which went very well with the Pink Panther entrees we ordered. Overall experience was excellent and food was phenomenal."

"Ending this year with a bang! We checked out Ruocco's Restaurant in Manalapan, NJ @ruoccosrestaurant and if you like Italian food, this place is a must try! For appetizers we got the Meatball Special, which is served with fresh Ricotta and Parmesan, Fried Calamari, and Spiedini Alla Romana. This was my first time trying Spiedini, and it was by far one of the best things I've ever tasted, I could have licked the plate. The Lobster Ravioli was so delicious, as was the Lobster Beurre Blanc and Jumbo Shrimp it was served with. The kids got the Penne Vodka, which was fantastic. I forgot to mention the bread which comes out crispy, warm, and fantastic. It was so good, and I believe it was noticed because we were quickly asked if we'd like another basket, excellent for dipping in all of these amazing sauces! We ended the night with a tartufo that was out of this world! Ruocco's is a family owned and operated business, and you can tell how much pride they put into their restaurant, this shines through with the level of quality and flavors of their food. Their food is a combination of old world comfort with a contemporary twist. The restaurant is beautiful, both inside and out, and you can tell that everyone there wants you to have a great dining experience. We can't wait to go back and experience the rest of the menu! I definitely recommend making reservations in advance. With the food being this delicious, they obviously book up quickly!"

"Calling this place, a hidden gem is not doing it justice, this is truly a diamond in the rough! I’m starting to find that all the best restaurants in New Jersey are in strip malls, because I was absolutely blown away by all the food here! Our server, Bella started us out with some bread with the most amazing olive oil for dipping, and a few other toppings if we wanted. Delicious. I then tried the artichoke oreganata, special, wow. Also tried the Philly cheesesteak eggrolls, they came with a cheese wiz sauce, definitely very tasty. I cannot resist a spicy rigatoni vodka, and this one was stuffed, very different than anything I’ve ever had, and incredibly delicious! My friend, and I were fighting over the last bites. For the main course, I tried the honey glaze salmon with roasted potatoes and spinach, I got it well done so the honey made the salmon very crisp. Oh my God, quite possibly the most amazing thing I’ve ever eaten, didn’t even need sauce! And then my best friend had the oso bucco Which was so enormous it came with a bone that was about the size of my head! Soft, tender fall off the bone, meat, and a bit of mashed potatoes underneath, I was absolutely jealous. We were offered dessert, but possibly eat another bite especially after trying Bella‘s favorite, blueberry sangria, I will absolutely be back to try the rest of the menu!"

"This place is a must visit, easily the most unique and delicious Italian food we’ve ever tried. The appetizers were fantastic, we had plenty of bread with dipping items, the gnocchi with braised short ribs was out of this world good. We somehow managed to cap our meal off with tiramisu. The service was phenomenal and the experience was just amazing! You must visit this place, we will definitely return again!!"