La Cipollina Ristorante, Freehold, NJ:
A Restaurant Review

La Cipollina Ristorante is a long-time Freehold Italian restaurant, popular with devoted patrons who come to enjoy "Old World" style dining and amenities.

One of the first fine dining Italian restaurants in Freehold, established by founder, co-owner, and Executive chef Anthony Braica, La Cipollina is currently one of the few "Old School" family-run Italian restaurants in the Freehold area that have managed to survive the influx of new trendy restaurants, with creative, well-executed menus.

La Cipolina opened Circa 1988. In its early years, it was the top "go-to" Freehold restaurant for the ultimate fine dining experience, having received many accolades. Accordingly, today they are frequented and enjoyed by older dining patrons, and patrons craving "Old World" style food and ambiance.

While it still maintains many of the characteristics of an "Old World" fine dining restaurant (such as tuxedo-clad waiters, pseudo-Roman white columns, table linens, etc.), as a result in recent years they have fallen behind restaurant industry trends such as the movement towards casual, industrial chic ambiance, commitment to the use of meats without antibiotics and growth hormones.

The decor is "Old World" dated, though attractive with softly lit background lighting, exposed brick walls, and a walled mirror at the rear of the main dining area providing a cozy, inviting atmosphere. Tables set with white linen. The soft background music is from a past era, mainly Frank Sinatra, Louie Prima, Dean Martin, etc.

The kitchen is run by Chef Matthew Higgins who started as an 8-year-old in the shadow of Anthony Braica at the bottom of the totem pole working as a busboy, dishwasher, back waiter, captain waiter, line cook, ultimately chef, and now a co-owner with his mentor Anthony Braica.

The beginning of your dining experience starts exquisitely with a cordial greeting by servers serving excellent complimentary Italian bread.

The menu consists primarily of a large variety of traditional Italian dishes prepared with the use of "supermarket quality ingredients," though several dishes have been upgraded and introduced recently to satisfy the palettes of diners who prefer healthy, sustainable products such as wild Alaskan salmon and organic free range whole chicken. Some of the produce is supplemented from their own, small seasonal organic garden'

However, for the most part, the menu lacks creativity and consistency. There is a scarcity of fresh, homemade plates of pasta on the menu.

Service is friendly and welcoming. Consistent with "Old World" service patterns.

In the summer months, you can choose to dine in their outside Garden Cafe.

There is limited onsite parking supplemented by nearby public parking lots.

Eat-in cooking classes are offered at frequent intervals and have shown to be very popular.

La Cipollina also has banquet facilities that can accommodate private functions of up to 65 in the front dining room and 100 in either the back room or the patio in the warmer summer months.

Open for dinner Wednesday to Sunday, in addition to lunch on Sunday

(Updated September 2024)