La Finestra Ristorante

I have very mixed feelings about writing this review. I like to accentuate positives but I must also be honest. So here it is. We were a party of 8 out for a family dinner. We arrived at 4:30 and were promptly seated. At that time it was not crowded at all. I was surprised how long it took to take our orders and be served. I ordered the octopus as an appetizer which was very good. My wife and I both ordered the surf & turf. She was disappointed with the lobster which was overcooked and flavorless as was mine. Her meat, ordered medium was also overcooked. My meat was okay. Others were satisfied with their meals, but no one raved. As we were finally finishing desert we were asked to leave because they had people waiting for a table. (If the service was more prompt we would have been done sooner.) Note: The table servers were friendly and helpful. My personal opinion is that I will try other places before I give them another try. I am not saying don't go there, I just hope your experience is better than ours.

My family and I had a delicious dinner here! We all ate our entire entrees. My only critiques would be improving the calamari appetizer and the grilled artichoke appetizer. The calamari didn’t seem fresh, was a very pale (not crispy) color, and was a bit chewy. I did like the heat it had though. The grilled artichoke didn’t taste grilled and was very acidic in flavor. Other than that, we really enjoyed our food. We all were sharing bites! It was also great to have the ocean view. Our server, Katie was excellent!!! Thank you for a wonderful dinner out.

We live in North Jersey but we were down the Shore last weekend. We discovered a fine Italian ristorante at the Sea Isle City, called La Finestra. The food was delicious, the bronzino filet, the filet mignon and the chicken piccata had a delicious taste which we loved it. The Angel Hair pasta with olive oil and garlic made the difference while we were enjoying our food. The deserts were nice but I would mention the warm Brownie Sundae with ice cream on top and il tartufo ice cream. We eat a lot but we loved it very much! The Octapus is a MUST to try! Believe me, you will re-order after finishing the first Octapus... Oh, I almost forgot about the grilled shrimps - to die for! The service was On Top! The waitres was regulay checking on us while he was clean and tide, smily and friendly! The atmosphere was exceptional. We were lucky to get one of the Ocean View windows on the 3rd floor of the restaurant, which actually was packed, and besides the window view, the ceiling as well was like a sky with plenty of stars. The elegant Italian music made us feel we were in Rome. We loved it, and La Finestra will be our Favorite Spot anytime we're down the Shore. This place is a MUST go! It's worth every penny! Thank me later!

I added shrimp to my rigatoni and was charged $15 for just three pieces. They also wanted an extra $3 to add peas. In the end, two very basic meals cost over $100. The food tastes good, but it’s nowhere near worth the inflated prices.

We were really disappointed with our visit. The food took nearly 1 hour and 45 minutes to arrive, which set the tone for the evening (2nd visit same as the first). The appetizers were bland and lacked flavor. My Gorgonzola gnocchi arrived without any noticeable Gorgonzola, and my wife’s Pollo al Finestra was equally underwhelming, lacking flavor and depth. To make matters worse, the drinking glasses were dirty (see the picture). Overall, the experience fell far short of expectations, and for the price and wait time, it simply wasn’t worth it.

Terrific restaurant. Great views , great food. Great service. BYOB. Had the pasta La Finestra , their signature dish. Awesome. Highly recommend this restaurant.

Delicious restaurant in sea isle. Our party of 11 all enjoyed our meals. The appetizers, salads, and entrees were all delicious. They had some vegetarian options which is great. Nice view. Great ambiance. Will definitely return. It's really nice It's BYOB and there is no corkage fee.

The food and service were awesome! Love that it's a byob, too. I look forward to our next visit!!

Visiting La Finestra Ristorante for the first time was truly worth the wait. The food was absolutely amazing. The gnocchi Gorgonzola was out of this world; its texture and lightness elevated it to another level. Not many places know how to make proper gnocchi, but they nailed it. My main course, the lamb chops, was perfectly cooked to my specifications. Everything was incredible, and the exceptional service by my server, Emri, made the evening even more delightful. He was attentive, considerate, and truly enhanced our dining experience. I will definitely be returning and hope to have Emri as my server again.

Love BYOB places. Had reservation and was taken promptly. Great seat with view of water. Everything was absolutely delicious! Ordered Mushroom soup- Grilled artichokes-Veal La finestra-Lamb lollipops and lemoncello sponge cake. Only recommendation would be consider the bottled water as the tap tasted a little funky Would definitely return!

WED 10/2/24 (5pm), 8th wedding anniv dinner for 2. AMBIANCE: We followed a group into the elevator to the 2nd FL. After exiting, we heard a male voice call "come down to the 1st floor"! My husband & I took the stairs, walked past the elevator into a carbon copy of the dining DR we saw upstairs. A hostess told us to proceed to the table next to the window (strange that she didn't lead us with menus in hand). The aqua/grey/white decor is upscale (every table is set with glass and linen). The ocean view was good, but would've been even better from FL 2. SERVICE: Our server was very good. He told us about the daily specials, opened our wine (but did not pour it) and took our water order. We poured our own wine (this is strange for an upscale restaurant). He returned to our table several times during our meal to ensure we had everything and to inquire about our enjoyment of our food. Unfortunately there were a few things that were not up to par, and he was very attentive to our concerns. FOOD: Bread basket of rustic Italian bread accompanied by a small 3 part dish containing butter, 2 olives, and a VERY small dollop of pesto (garlic forward). I would've preferred just butter, or olive oil/balsamic. I tried the daily special salad (arugula, peaches, mozzarella, raspberry vinaigrette) and menu entree Pappardelle di Casa (chicken, spinach, cream). Salad was ok, but entree completely lacked flavor and seasoning. It also contained raw garlic and 2 small chicken bones. Husband's starter (Polpo Pizzaiolo) was perfectly grilled, but he didn't enjoy the saltiness & having it swimming in red sauce. His entree was a daily special - crab stuffed Flounder over a pesto risotto. It also contained pieces of raw garlic. He took home the risotto. OVERALL SCORE: Disappointed. Great ambiance, food was partially a hit, but a bigger miss, service was a B+ (appreciated the server's willingness to help - my meal was not charged).

I've never been to Sea Isle City before, and this restaurant seems to be one of the best in the area. I saw that they won an award for being "Best of the Shore" in 2022, however, I'm not sure why because I didn't like this place. We made a reservation at 7:30 which is the time we arrived. Parking wasn't an issue directly in front of the restaurant, but I bet this area gets crazy busy in the summer since it's next to the beach. The reception desk is located outside which I thought was interesting since it's winter & quite cold & windy. We waited for 10 minutes before anyone came to the desk. Once we got checked in, we were told to wait right inside the door & we waited for another 5 minutes before being seated upstairs. The main dining room is on the 2nd floor and had maybe 15 tables so it's not a very big place but they were all full. We waited another 5 to 10 minutes before our order was taken. I had the Insalata Mista for $12. The balsamic vinaigrette was quite plain compared to the balsamic dipping sauce that accompanied the bread & the mozzarella were cut into tiny cubes with only a few on the salad. Very basic. Next, I had the Pappardelle di Casa for $26 which had homemade pappardelle pasta, chicken, spinach & cream sauce. The chicken consisted of CARTILAGE & leftover pieces from a drumstick & was bland. Normal places put grilled chicken breast on top, so this was not what I expected on a pasta dish. The cream sauce was literally just hot cream & some lemon juice with no salt & some slivers of raw garlic. It was very unappetizing & I only had a few bites of the pasta which alone was fine. The server checked up on us once right after we took one bite & never came back to our table otherwise I would've gotten something else. After another long wait for our table to be cleared, we finally got to address the pasta dish since I refused a box for the 2/3 that I left & felt like the waiter made it our fault for not letting them know sooner. How can you address something when no one comes by? If you like absent servers, basic salads & bland pasta with chicken cartilage this is your spot lol. It's BYOB so maybe everything tastes a lot better after a bottle of your own wine.

Can't say enough about this place. We consistently go back here for incredible Italian food. It's BOYB and they serve fresh Italian bread with a pesto dip, butter, and oil. The service is always stellar. Just last weekend we had Nora as our service upstairs, and she was amazing! ALWAYS be sure to order a few specials of the night, they never disappoint. The resturant itself is classic Italian, with a second floor that you can sit on with a view of the beach, it's amazing! What we ordered: - Rigatoni Vodka - Bolognese (MUST HAVE) - Caesar Salad - Veal Parm - Seafood Pasta Special (MUST HAVE) - Deep Fried Rice Ball Special (MUST HAVE) - Shrimp Davila

Had fantastic service & food the first time in June there.. went again tonight n was so disappointed in the service n food .. 30$ for 2 shrimp Bisque which was tomato soup w shrimp added.. I don't mind spending money on food if it's good.. serving assistants kept trying to take our wine buckets away n say they were In way when other long tables had heaters n they were able to walk around .. final straw was I wanted take out containers at table since we both got special... she didn't know which one was which.. they then took takeout away when I asked numerous times for them not to.., they were insistent they make us new which was way less seafood then what I left on my original plate n same for my friend... the man in charge wouldn't listen when I said I didn't want to exit.. listen to customer I'm pissed ...

Good food and good service in a warm environment with great views of the ocean. Katie was wonderful.

The best on the island, bar none. Great food, great service and exemplary ambience. I wish they were closer because I'd go at least once a week. The seafood medley is outstanding, as is the marinara sauce. I can't recommend them highly enough.

Great experience with a beautiful view. Service was great and BYOB which makes me happy. Such fresh pasta and tiramisu were the highlights for me. Make sure you make a reservation in the summer!

Enzo & team always provide a wonderful experience for our family. Party of 10+ for the past few years with kids under 10 - along with adults. No problem for timing of apps, kids' meals, and adult entrees. Great app & entree variety - with daily specials that are consistently terrific in quality and portions. A go-to spot every time we visit Sea Isle !

I'm going to apologize in advance for not taking pictures. The service was great. We had a reservation and were seated immediately. This is BYOB! I had the veal stew over risotto. Not as heavy as I thought it may be so that was a plus. Big chunks of veal. The sauce was absolutely delicious. The risotto was a little under but still tasty. I tried a little bit of the calamari appetizer - very light breading. Cooked perfectly. The added mushrooms were a nice touch. I also had a piece of the asparagus wrapped in prosciutto and cheese. I highly recommend this!!! Big portions for the appetizers. A table for 4 was tight with four people with water glasses, wine glasses, appetizers, bread basket.

La Finestra means "The Window" and the view of the ocean is indeed lovely. However, that upstairs room has far too many tables crammed in a small room with a low ceiling. The result is a noise level I found literally unbearable. The management was accommodating, re-seating us outside, which was lovely. The food was fine, but, IMHO, not worth the price point. But again, it's a BYOB in a seashore town, so the price point is understandable. Also it's an Italian menu, but the food was not "classic" Italian. The Fra Diavolo pasta was drowning in an overly spicy sauce. It's never served that way in Italy. My artichoke appetizer, though tasty, was also not classic Italian: they're usually served with a drizzling of top-quality EVOO; these had a sweet balsamic topping. All in all, the evening was great due to the company of my friends. But manage your expectations.

Beautiful seating outside. Great service. We chose a lot of their specials. Highly recommend Superb food. Byob

I had a beautiful dinner here with my daughter. The food, atmosphere and service is exceptional!

Out of all the restaurants I had tried while in Sea Isle, La Finestra definitely topped all of them. Better than both Anthony's and La Fontana. Everything we ate was very good, I ordered the Chicken Finestra and Arugula Salad. Even after a full day of eating I cleared both plates. Atmosphere inside was great, service was very quick. Loved!

Great food , probably one of the best Italian restaurants that I have been to . The service was good and on top of things . Excellent ambiance .

Very good experience with excellent service. I enjoyed my meal and would definitely recommend this to friends and strangers. Eating outside was also very enjoyable.

Had a great dinner there last night. Beautiful view and delightful ambience. We travel a lot and visit the shore once a year at best. It's been hard to find equally good food and service and yet La Finestra offers both with top quality. The food is plentiful and fresh. The homemade pasta was superb. We had seafood, chicken, fresh pasta, split pea soup(wow), and salad. The service was prompt and attentive. Next time, we want to try eating outside. This is a top notch restaurant. Bravo to you guys for making this place a must- go down SIC.

Katie's service was phenomenal. She was attentive and so kind. The food was not good unfortunately. We started with the octopus that was really salty and smothered in sauce. Half of the mussels were not opened. For dinner the flounder special was raw and the veal was dry and seemed microwaved. Won't be coming back but Katie was great!

I've dined here multiple times and it never disappoints! The food is always consistently good as well as the service. Also BYOB and outdoor seating in the summer months

The ambiance is beautiful and the food is delicious. The service is prompt and friendly. Enzo and Katie did a great job. The restaurant is a must !

Came here for dinner with friends after wanting to try it for awhile. We were lucky to get seated right in front of the window and facing the ocean. It made me laugh everyone taking about the "oceanfront" dining here. It's basically a view of the promenade. It is nice though. This is a nice Italian restaurant. We had the calamari to start. It was delicious. For my entree, I had a pasta special with mussels, shrimp, and scallops. Everything about this dish was honestly amazing. The pasta was perfect along with the seafood. It was so flavorful. For dessert, we had the brownie sundae. Also great. Our friends had the snickers pie which I also tried and thought was really good. Service was good. Another nice thing about this place is that it is a BYOB, so you can save some money there. I really didn't think the prices were too bad here for down the shore. I look forward to coming here again.

I can not say enough about this restaurant. If I could give it more than 5 Stars, I would. Views from every seat in the house! From the moment you walk in and greeted by the lovely hostess, to the complimentary homemade limoncello, Muah!. The waiter Enzo and all of the other employees could not be nicer and attentive. The food is always fresh. Compliments to the chef on the menu and the quality of the the food. The taste Is consistently delicious. Not to mention that the owner, Ledi, is one of the hardest working young entrepreneur's that I know. He treats everyone like you are family. A true gentleman! LaFinestra is a must and I promise, you will return for more visits! (It is a BYOB!)

Let me say right up front, that I am hard to please. Especially at restaurants at the Jersey shore. I have a pre conceived opinion that they are all over priced with average food. LaFinestra, in my opinion, is absolutely fabulous. The food our party of eight enjoyed was well prepared, arrived hot, and had ample portions "Enzo" our waiter couldn't have been more professional and accommodating. The prices were a bit on the high side, but they were well worth the money. You get what you pay for. So many restaurants at the Jersey shore charge high prices, and serve you average food. Not this place. The ocean views were breathtaking. We live in Ocean City, and will definitely return.

The ambiance & view is one of the best, if not the best, in Sea Isle. The food is so good! The chicken parm over linguine with their Rosa Sauce is to die for! The manager and wait staff provide accommodating service. Highly recommend & am looking forward to going back!

Great Italian food with dynamic views of ocean. Service and family friendly byob specials and deserts are great too!

Excellent and elegant! Great food, nice atmosphere, and attentive service. My family and I came here for a nice dinner while on vacation and were met with delicious food! The appetizers are small portions so I do recommend getting at least 2 for a family of 4, but the entrees were definitely family sized. Overall, great experience and I would come back again!

First time dining at La Finestra in Sea Isle City. The food was very good, but it was difficult to enjoy it because we were freezing cold from the moment we sat down, and asked several times for the temperature to be adjusted. By the time we were finished eating, it finally felt comfortable. The group at the table next to us said they had also requested the temperature to be adjusted. Another thing to consider is the bad acoustics, at least on the third floor. It was so loud from people just carrying on conversations, that we couldn't hear ourselves talking to each other. No joke! It was that loud. We would recommend sitting at a table outside. As I said, the food was very good, but we will not be returning.

The food was delicious and I typically don't pick Italian when going out or ordering food. I was out voted and so we ordered takeout and it was probably some of the best food we have had in Sea Isle City. Would definitely go back again.

I recently returned from LA and dined at two Michelin Star restaurants. Sure, they we lavished with culinary art and ambiance but after stripping away the fluff, it comes down to taste. This where La Finestra excels. In my opinion, La Finestra can closely compete with the best restaurants in the country. Try it, you'll be very pleased you did. Capellini Alla Sardinia

Ok I like a good Italian restaurant as much as anyone else. It's so great to find another one so close to home. A friend recommended we try this place. It was a Thursday night around 5 pm when we booked the reservation on open table. We were lucky and got in at 7:30. The reception desk is located outside and the building is three stores talk. Our table was on the top floor and had to be the best table in the house. The service was excellent, even though the dining room was packed. They are byob, so bring your favorite beverage. The artichoke appetizer was delicious as were all the dinners and the desserts. Book mark this place for a return visit.

Great food. Staff friendly and helpful. Like the cleanliness and ambiance especially if seated near the page windows.

This is the best Restaurant in Cape may County. The owner is a Great man the staff is wonderful the food is amazing the location is pristine I don't know what else you could ask for. I'm

Great service and food! It a BYOB so you get great meals for very reasonable prices. I'll definitely go there again.the view is beautiful.

This was a return visit- we love the fact that La Finestra is a BYOB and the meals are always good. But when you have 5 adults ordering appetizers and full meals, please bring at least one slice of bread per person. We received 4 initially, so I asked for more. Then when the condiment dish arrived I had to ask it it was used. 2 Kalamata olives, 1 slab of butter and a little pesto. The waiter said only 3 percent of the customers eat the olives so they don't like to waste them. My suggestion- instead of olives, perhaps offer flavored olive oil or another slab of butter! Anyway, we asked for more olives and received 3 more. We are still laughing. Con- inside is always loud. Aim for an outdoor table.

Amazing food, service, views. Went for my wife's birthday and it was our first time there. Perfect spot for a delicious dinner. BYOB = awesome. Three of us ordered the crab ravioli special and it was simply perfect. Looking forward to our next time there.

starters didnt come out together, so one of us was eatimg alone. Hair in the bread. muscles and clams sandy. overall expensive, $300 with tip, and a bad meal.and loud and tables on top od each other. would never go back.

The food is absolutely delicious!! I went with a party of 8. I had the seafood special, everyone was very happy with the their meals. The staff is excellent!! I highly recommend this restaurant!!!

Lovely place. Have gone there often. This time had artichoke appetizer. Very good. I had veal Francais. Three large pieces of veal. Absolutely delicious. Husband had shrimp fra diavlo. Five good size shrimp. Very good. The only problem is they only gave me enough angel hair pasta to fit in a Spagettios can. Same with husband's. Made the plate look like a kids meal. Waiter did offer to bring more pasta which was nice. A little extra Pasta costs nothing and it would make you feel like you're getting more bang for your buck. Plus I really wanted more to sop up the delicious sauce.

Wow! This place really impressed me with the food and overall dining experience. We have our go to places in Sea Isle but we decided to go all out for the last hurrah of the season and it was a perfect choice. Our reservation was 7:45 which was a little later than we would have liked and showed up early to try to get in a little ahead of time. They didn't seat us until our time but it was worth the wait. The place is BYOB so we brought lots of wine! They also make a lot of their pastas in house. Which I love because who doesn't like fresh pasta?! We tried 4 appetizers. The asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, fried calamari with mushrooms, burrata and prosciutto (my favorite!!), and the appetizer special which was homemade cannelloni filled with crab, shrimp, scallop. The cannelloni was definitely my favorite because of the flavor and freshness of the fish but all were amazing in their own way. For the main course I got the pasta special which was homemade cheese cavatelli in a rosa sauce with fresh lump crab, scallops, and shrimp. This was absolutely delicious! I even finished the whole dish which is unusual for me because I get full fast. The cavatelli were al dante, the fish was fresh and flavorful, and the sauce was amazing too. There was definitely a good amount of fish in the dish too. So they did not skimp on that. The staff was very knowledgeable and super nice and we never felt rushed (we were there about 2hrs). The overall experience was great especially for my mom's birthday dinner and to end another great summer down the shore with family and friends! We will definitely be back.

The selling point and hype here, is the view.. 2 stars for that. About 200 yards in the distance is the ocean. The service was just ok. Our server got the job done and was there for us as needed. What turned me off, was the food, and more importantly the price. We each got the specials, and were not told the price of them, so I naturally reflected on like menu items and gauged prices that way. Stupid me. Our specials, Halibut over a warm salad, and "homemade cavatelli with seafood" were about 25% more than their comparable menu items. $44 for 6oz Halibut. $40 for cavatelli that was not cavatelli, and it was not homemade. Everything tasted ok, but the bill came with buyers remorse. None of the pasta here is actually homemade, despite being labeled that way 50 times across the menu. Very misleading and gimmicky, aimed to take advantage of the masses and their wallets. Probably will not be back. Too many other places around to try.

A phenomenal Italian restaurant with great friendly service. Beautiful views of Sea isle's beach while you eat amazing Italian food. Their daily specials are creative and delicious. It's a BYOB restaurant so bring your best complementary bottle and have a memorable meal. Mangia !!

This restaurant did everything right. The view of the ocean was beautiful and the service was perfect. Waiter Enzo and waitress Lucy excelled at their jobs. They were attentive, friendly and got every order right. They timed each course perfectly so we didn't feel rushed. Lucy delivered bowls of tomato bisque without losing a drop. Last but not least, the food was absolutely delicious with many great choices from pasta to salmon. Their dessert sampler plate was delicious as well. The best meal we've had and the best service we've had in years!

Excellent location and fantastic service. Food was tremendous and the staff is top notch especially with what's been going on in recent history with the food service industry. I highly recommend La Finestra for any 2 person or larger family dinner get together. Only negative is that pricing was a bit high - But it's well worth the cost for a top notch dinner.

Everything is wonderful here!!! My Favorite place in SIC. The staff is wonderful as well. I love sitting down on the sidewalk and having a glass of wine and watching people go by. Best food around. For sure. MK

I just had the worst dinner experience in my 50 years of coming to Sea Isle. The food was average at best and the head waitress was arrogant telling me I had to figure out my gift card on my own via the internet. The couple next to us was flabbergasted when they received their bill and found out how much their "dinner special" was. There are many better places in Sea Isle like La Fontana Coast, A Modo Mia, Basilico's and Anthony's - just to name a few. Will not be back...

My friend and I were easily able to make reservations online. We sat outside and it was beautiful as the string lights came on. Our bread came with pesto (so fun!). Main dishes were amazing, and the waiters and waitresses were knowledgeable and attentive. Perfect date night spot or cute restaurant to visit for dinner when you're in Sea Isle!

For one of the two couples it was our first time here but not our last time! We had dover sole, veal stew over risotto, capellini alla sardinia and bronzino. All were excellent including the two appetizers. We had the sole filleted (spelling?) at our table, a video of which is attached to this review. Also attached are pictures of the artichoke appetizer and the grilled polpo (octopus). Despite it being a week after Labor Day there was a good crowd on a Monday night. Service was very good.

Menu is amazing ingot their special for the evening . I would ask the price in advance next time as it was 50.00. It's byob so it saves in a bar tab . As prices are a little high that helps . The views and the room is amazing . But one toilet on the first floor for 60 people is a little stressful . They do have a bathroom on the third floor that has two toilets . But with a full restaurant that doesn't help to much .