My wife and I celebrated our 31st anniversary at Cafe 2825 on 8/27/24. We sat at the bar and had an outstanding dinner. The food, service and atmosphere are amazing. I didn't want my entree to end. I had the MichaelAngelo. It was absolutely delicious. My wife had the Rigatoni and loved it also. Highly recommend

Headed to AC NJ? Make reservations. They open two weeks in advance. Listen to the phone recording and follow directions. No valet on a Wednesday night. Use their parking lot in the middle of the block, not the adjacent one. We "won the dining lottery" by snagging 2 of the 4 seats at the bar. Arrive early to replicate that feat. Immediately struck up a conversation with the other bar diners, and then the couple to follow. Great vibes. Very smooth cocktails and service by (Mr.) Winsome. He offered recommendations and they did not disappoint. Tableside mozzarella with roasted peppers. Tasty. Then we enjoyed the tableside Caesar salad. Loved the old school flair and flavor. THE entree to order, from all accounts, was the chicken parmigiana - said reviewers, our server, and patrons at the bar. The suggestion was right on. It is delicious. Two large and juicy chicken breasts served with Bolognese. We split it and ordered it "not spicy". In the future, I'd add a side of pasta. While we didn't have room for dessert, our nearby bar companions offered us a taste of their carrot cake. Yum. Strawberry shortcake looked beautiful, also. Hell, yes! I'll be back. I sincerely cannot wait! Café 2825 is the best Italian restaurant down the shore. Tell them Gina sent you.

Wonderful restaurant. Always a treat if you can get in. Fantastic food, great place.

First of all, the food is flavorful, period. So satisfying. Anything you order is great. We came 6 years ago and the owners were so kind, we came back this year for our anniversary. My husband is mesmerized by the fresh pasta in the cheese wheel with truffel goodness. This is an appetizer. The cheesecake is so good you forget the toppping is even there. It is silky smooth. The outside patio/greenhouse like area is adorably quaint, intimate, for date night or family time. I could see the pitter patter of gulls feet on the tarp above us. Entertainment for me with a full belly. You have to make reservations 2 weeks in advance by phone. I understand why, the place is awesome all around. It is small but a gem. We love this place.

I'm afraid to leave a review because this spot already is so acclaimed. I've been trying to get a reservation for some time and was finally able to get one so here we were. This restaurant is always listed as the best in AC and a top restaurant in the state. I usually worry that places don't live up to the hype. We hear they truly delivered and everything was better than my expectations. If you eat hear you have to do the tableside experience other wise why are you here??? Every dish was fantastic. The tableside mozzarella was a table favorite The Caesars salad was tableside and great. My personal favorite was the Cavatelli. I can't stop raving about it. Was truly the best I have ever had and this is a must get in my book of you go here. The chicken parm was great and so was the halibut We will return I know this review will add to making it more difficult to get in here but it's well deserved Truly one of my favorite places to eat now

I pride myself in seeking out mom and pop hidden gems with true authentic gourmet Italian dishes, and this establishment is undoubtedly the best both within and outside of AC. Superior quality compared to the rest! From the tableside fresh mozzarella paired with your choice of accompaniments such as melt in your mouth prosciutto and roasted red peppers, to the simple fresh ingredients highlighted in the cacio e pepe + truffle cheese pasta- DIVINE. The array of entrees we indulged in included a Veal Chop Bolognese Fra D'Avolo with the perfect balance of savory and heat, a table side prepared rack of lamb with crispy roasted potatoes, among many others. Greeted by the head chef and very well taken care of by front of house manager, the service was impeccable.

Cafe 2825 was probably one of the most frustrating reservations to get but oh so worth it. Just a heads up if you are looking to make reservations you need to do so 14 days in advanced and make sure to call. We just kept calling until someone finally picked up.. it may of took a few days but determination is key. Also there are designated parking lots for this specific restaurant as well as valet parking. Food: The food was absolutely out of this world delicious. We got 3 of the table side experiences including the mozzarella (literally still dreaming about this and would come here solely for this lol), polenta and the cacio e Pepe. We also got the meatball appetizer. Out of all the table side experiences and appetizers I would rank Mozzarella at the top, cacio, meatball appetizer and then the polenta. Everything was delicious but some things more so then others. For dinner we split the Chicken Vodka Bolognese which was sooo tender and delicious. All of the food was PACKED with flavor and I would say decent size portion sizes. Prices are comparable to high end NYC so be prepared to spend a pretty penny when you come. We ended with 2 desserts. The special crueler which was Devine and the Italian cheesecake which we weren't a fan of. We usually love Italian cheesecake and flavor was good however it was served warm and it just threw off the entirety of it. Overall everything was exceptional. Service: We thought service was 5 stars. We never needed anything. Our waitresses and waiters were on top of everything refilling drinks, cleaning off tables, making sure we were good. They continuously checked in with us at all points of the dinner. Ambiance: They look like they are renovating and added on a section in the back which is where we sat. There is in an indoor and outdoor heated room. The outdoor space was very nice and trendy however those chairs they have for outdoor are extremely uncomfortable and it does get chilly outside even with the heaters. We would of easily requested the indoor room and had no problem with spending the minimum as we had already done that without knowledge. They also do not mention no cash until you get the check. So if you are a cash person make sure to bring a credit card. Overall I do believe this place is worth the hype. It's a really great place and the food, service and ambiance deserve 5 stars. I do recommend that they alter the reservation system to not be so chaotic and give more info regarding seating when booking so we have some say with indoor/ outdoor etc. We will definitely be coming back!

If I was able to give this place more stars I would. This small establishment gives any NYC a run for its $. Got in here by chance otherwise I hear it's almost impossible. The chef/owner/server is so sweet and humble. Prosciutto bread on table was like cake. Italian bread served warm with a super dark olive oil Apps-Meatball Egg Roll -stuffed with chopped meat,peas, onions, mozz cheese with a red sauce Zucchini flowers - egg battered with lemon. Ricotta on the side. Table side prep of pasta in cheese wheel - such a treat. I've never tasted such perfect pasta and the topping of mushrooms was just beyond amazing Entrees - chick parm and a special of angry drunkin stuffed pork chop with a side of port wine apples. Desert - blueberry crumb cheesecake which was probably the best desert I've ever tasted. Most of the entrees were packed to go because we were beyond busting and wanted to have desert. Even the decaf coffee was smooth and delicious The entire dinner was an experience from start to end. The service was impeccable as well as the flavor and texture of every morsel. If it wasn't a two hour drive for me I'd become a regular even if I had to sit at the bar to dine.

Let me start off by saying, this place is amazing. However, I am going to be fully transparent and start with the cons ( you'll notice there are 5 stars so stay for the pros): 1. Reservations are nearly impossible to get if you aren't one of the people in the Cafe 2825 in crowd. If you plan to come here for a birthday or anniversary, you will have to just celebrate it when Cafe 2825 wants you to celebrate it, like at 4 pm on a random Tuesday. 2. The place is SMALL. So if you DO get lucky enough to get in, you're going to feel like you can't have an intimate conversation and you'll be seated right up against people. They are expanding, so this could improve the situations above, so let's talk about what gives Cafe 2825 five stars: Tableside experiences: The tableside burrata and tableside cacio e pepe are phenomenal. If you come here and don't do at least one of these, you are missing out completely and wasted your whole trip. They also have a ton of amazing appetizers, like a meatball egg roll, but we always get the tableside experiences because these are few and far between these days. Unique Entrees The chicken clemente is easily one of the top 5 best chicken dishes I have ever had. I dream about it. It's rare I eat something in a restaurant that I don't feel I could recreate myself easily. I am unsure if I could do this dish justice. It's basically chicken franchaise with a ricotta based béchamel sauce over garlicky spinach and its incredible. They have a dish that combines parmigiana, fra diavolo, and ala vodka all in one and it's my husbands favorite. I wish I could speak on more of the entrees, but since I only get reservations about once a year, I always go with my favorites. Desserts You may THINK you're too full. Do NOT skip on dessert. They have incredible cheesecake that you NEED in your life. If you're a foodie, you MUST make it your lifes work to get in here at least once.