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Tue, 3/19
8:00 PM
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PRICE RANGE
$30 - $30
CUISINES
Italian
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
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Reviews (203)
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Traveler rating
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All reviews pasta bread salmon bananas foster steak inviting atmosphere owner anthony family style appetizers private party any questions fabulous dinner delicious meal downtown freehold byob entrees maitre mouth
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Reviewed 1 week ago

Fantastic, could not have been any better. Owner is on the dining floor. He greets every table. told him it was our first time there and he asked if could indicate our main dish preferences but leave everything up to him. He then proceeded to...bring 8 rounds of appetizers and salads, like a personal tasting menu. Everything was excellent. the eggplant rollatini (which i wouldnt normally bother with) was incredible. Not fried, just super thin eggplant, seasoned, grilled then rolled around fantastic ricotta and herbs. thats what was so special. the grilled eggplant and whipped ricotta was in 3 different dishes, and they were outstanding. They made whipped ricotta on crostini with honey, lemon zest and pistachio that was remarkably flavorful- honestly one of the more notable dishes that night. truffle parmesan cheese was outstanding, making it hard to pick a favorite of the eight plates they brought over. the staff were very nice and attentive (place has a reputation for excellent service). food was just outstanding. last point, Dessert, we order a tasting option and they brought over an additional plate - cucumbers with sweetened whipped ricotta and more lemon zest. would never have thought about ordering that, but OMG was i wrong. Outstanding! fresh and light and sweet. im impressed when someone takes simple ingredients and assembles them with such care that you cant wait to go back. this place isnt cheap, but no where near the high end Freehold "main st" restaurants prices. and ist BYOB, so you save on wines. we wound up with 8 small plates of apps/cheeses/salads our entrees, and desserts for $60 per person. sounds like a lot but very reasonable the volume, variety and quality of the food. cant wait to be a regular.More

Date of visit: March 2024
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Reviewed 1 week ago

My boyfriend and I went there for dinner Saturday, early, 5:45. The restaurant is small but cozy. We didn’t make reservations but they accommodated us even though they had a 70th birthday celebration starting and obviously people who made reservations ahead of time. They had...a DJ singing which was very nice extra. Now onto the food. We started with Italian nachos . Excellent! The chips my boyfriend said were made from pizza dough. Idk, just know the chips were excellent. The best I’ve ever had. Our main meal. Mine was chicken Marsala with linguine. It was good. Not too flavorful but added more salt and it was fine. My boyfriend had a veal chop with Marsala. He said it was ok. A bit fatty though. Oh and a big PLUS, free parking in this section of Freehold do I didn’t have to deal with the annoying parking appMore

Date of visit: March 2024
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Reviewed 4 weeks ago

We had our rehearsal dinner here last week. I cannot say enough great things about the event! The staff was attentive, kind and really helpful. They even provided an extension cord so my grandpa could plug in his oxygen! The food was absolutely amazing, and...people are still talking about it a week later. I dream about the mozzarella, it is just like heaven. Everything went smoothly and it was truly a fantastic night. Anthony and Osnelly are great people, they had multiple phone calls with me to discuss everything and made me feel reassured about everything. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to host the event!More

Date of visit: February 2024
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Reviewed December 4, 2023

My wife and I loved dining at La Cipollina Ristorante in Freehold for the first time during a New Jersey Restaurant Week a few years ago. Since our first visit, we have made La Cipollina our go to restaurant for date nights every Restaurant week...since. The food, ambiance and service are excellent. During Restaurant Week you can order a 3-course meal at some of the area’s finest restaurants below the usual price – just $40 per person in 2023 – which makes fine dining more affordable. So, during the 2023 New Jersey Restaurant week in November, we booked reservations for two at La Cipollina thorough Open Table for Friday at 4:30pm. La Cipollina is located at the corner of South Street and W Main Street in downtown Freehold. The restaurant building itself is not visible from Main Street as it is well hidden behind other store fronts. But you can easily find it by an awning - with their name written across it - over a narrow pathway between The Headmaster and The Wonderland Smoke Shop buildings on Main Street. A brick walkway through this alley leads you to the front entrance of the restaurant where there is an attractive patio with tables for outdoor dining. La Cipollina is a beautifully decorated Italian restaurant ideal for a quiet romantic dinner - when it is not crowded. Its main dining room was empty when we first arrived at 4:30PM and only a few tables occupied by the time we left. The interior of the main dining room has red brick walls accented with simple artwork and white columns. Each table is decorated with a white tablecloth, large empty wine glasses and candles. To set the mood romantic music from the 50s is played in the background – a mixture of Sinatra tunes, easy listening, do wop and early rock and roll. To start our meal our waiter brought us a complementary basket of assorted sliced breads and 3 spreads (pesto, soft garlic cloves, and another I could not identify) in a condiment server along with a bottle of olive oil to flavor our bread. The bread was good, and we enjoyed sampling each spread. During restaurant week La Cipollina offers a choice of ordering from their standard menu or from a special Restaurant week 3 course menu. We ordered from the special menu. We both ordered the Lobster bisque soup as an appetizer. For the main course my wife ordered Tile Fish with clams, mussels and shrimp. Before I ordered, I asked the waiter which main dish is most popular - Braised Ribs or Veal Osso Bucco. He overwhelmingly recommended the veal which is also the larger of the two dishes. I followed his recommendation and ordered the veal. For dessert I ordered the flourless chocolate torte cake. My wife ordered the almond cake. We were both very pleased with the atmosphere, food and service of the restaurant. The Lobster Bisque was not only delicious but meaty. It was served in a large bowl with extra large soup spoons and chunks of lobster inside the soup. Sherry was also added to the soup which was very noticeable as we ate. Our main courses also hit the spot. My waiter was correct about the veal. It was huge. It was a lot more than I usually eat for dinner. The veal was served bone-in on a large serving plate sitting on a bed of risotto and spinach; and surrounded by a rich brown sauce. Inside the veal the chef placed a small spoon to pour the sauce over the meat prior to eating. The veal was so soft it fell off the bone as I pulled the meat away from the bone with my fork. The meat was so tender it shredded as a cut into it with my fork. It was perfectly cooked. There were some fatty portions, but it was easy to separate the large chunks of meat from the fat and the bone. Despite its size I was able to finish everything. My only complaint with the dish is that the brown sauce was a bit salty. My wife’s tile fish with shellfish was also a nice sized serving on a large plate. She enjoyed it and finished it all as well. The desserts also did not disappoint. My flourless chocolate torte cake was sweet and delicious served with a scoop of whipped cream. It was like eating a solid block of dark chocolate. My wife’s almond cake was also served with a side of whip cream. She very much enjoyed it. They served regular coffee in small espresso cups. Since our last time at La Cipollina a few changes have been made regarding paying the bill and parking. They now offer a no touch payment system where the waiter brings a device to the table where you can pay and leave a tip with your credit card. In addition, Parking in downtown Freehold is no longer free everywhere. Parking lots and spots south of Main Street in Downtown are now paid parking – which includes the MacGackin Triangle Parking Lot - directly behind La Cipollina - and the Market Yard Parking Lot -across South Street from La Cipollina - as well as the street parking along Main Street and South Street. You can pay for parking using either a kiosk with a credit card or the “Flowbird” parking app from your cell phone. I usually park at the Market Yard Parking lot and walk along Main Street to the front entrance of the restaurant. (While driving into town north on South Street I did see signs directing drivers to free parking spots in downtown Freehold which are located about a block north of Main Street – in the Broad Street, Lafayette Street and Court Street parking lots.More

Date of visit: November 2023
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Reviewed November 5, 2023

First time last night at this special gem of a place.Food and service were incomparable.The Chef/Owner is very attentive and personable.Already looking forward to my return trip.

Date of visit: November 2023
Helpful?1  
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Reviewed August 2, 2023

LaCippolina is Freehold's best-kept secret since my husband and I had dinner on Saturday. From the moment we walked in we were greeted with warmth and hospitality. We're always so impressed with how professional even the younger waitstaff are. Everyone is so on point and...it shows. The food is consistently amazing. I'm very picky with recipes that I make well like fried meatballs, stuffed artichokes, and riceballs so I usually don't order those things out but, I have the say your rice balls are the only ones that taste like mine... must be the risotto 😉More

Date of visit: July 2023
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Reviewed July 30, 2023

We had our children's graduation party catered by La Cipollina. The food was amazing as always, and all of our guests loved everything!! We have had our parties catered by LA Cipollina for 10 (+) years, and we will continue to use them for all...our future celebrations!! Thank you to Anthony and all his amazing staff!!More

Date of visit: July 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed April 19, 2023

Dinner was fantastic and the Banana Foster for dessert was off the hook! It was a show with dessert, so entertaining! I forgot my reading glasses and the server brought a basket of them to our table. Top notch all across the board!

Date of visit: April 2023
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed April 13, 2023 via mobile

Excellent!! The food was great. The service impeccable. The pace was great. Yes plan on being there at least an hour. Why? Because that what meals are supposed to be. Enjoy the food, the atmosphere and the family. Admittedly it is s but on the...high end but well worth it! BYOB or they offer an excellent wine as well. I tried it and it was good and reasonably priced. You will not be disappointed!!More

Date of visit: April 2023
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Reviewed February 12, 2023 via mobile

Haven’t been here in 20 years and now I know why. Came with a group of friends and appetizers came out cold. Like ice cold. Little neck clams were ice cold and both orders had to be sent back plus were terrible. Friends 2 orders...of meatballs were ice cold too. Bread was horrible. Staff was nice but very young and had little experience. Never removed dirty plates or gave out plates to share appetizers. Ordered the lobster raviolis which wasn’t good. I ate mind but my wife didn’t. Ordered dessert and this baby slice of chocolate cake came out. It was ok. I ordered coffee which came out in this tiny cup. Maybe 4 ounces. The one thing that really bothered me was the Maitre d said at least 4 times to leave a good review because he gave us free banana fosters. They should be more worried about the quality of their food than leaving them good reviews. Wouldn’t go back.More

Date of visit: February 2023
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Reviewed January 31, 2023

Would not take a simple request to put pasta in a separate dish, very unpleasant wait or and staff. Food came cold, waaayyy too salty, couldn't eat it. No value for the money. Barely found any veal in the veal saltimboca. Ice cold bread like...it was just defrosted. Wilted salad greens. God awedul tasting prosciutto. Will NEVER go back or recommend ANYONE. Sad because the place is cute and cozy.More

Date of visit: January 2023
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Reviewed December 14, 2022

My family recently had a fabulous dinner at La Cipollina. It's a little hard to find at first but worth the effort. We were a group 6 and everyone had different entrees so we compared notes but couldn't decide which was the best! Loved them...all. Very friendly atmosphere. Got to meet the owner Anthony and his lovely wife and they made our group feel very welcome.More

Date of visit: December 2022
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Reviewed December 14, 2022 via mobile

I will start by saying that the food was fabulous. Our server was great. However, there was obviously an issue in the kitchen. We were a party of 6. None of our appetizers or entrees came out at the same time. We were seated at...7:45pm. My entree was not served until 10:45pm. The restaurant did not seem overly crowded. We will probably give them another chance. Like I said, the food was really good.More

Date of visit: November 2022
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Reviewed November 30, 2022 via mobile

We had an excellent evening last Saturday night at this hidden gem. We thoroughly enjoyed a delicious meal at La Cippolina in Freehold. The servers were friendly, attentive and knowledgeable. The appetizers, entrees, and desserts were delicious and beautifully prepared. And the owner Anthony was...charming and made everyone feel like a treasured friend. We will definitely be returning. Don’t overlook this terrific restaurant!More

Date of visit: November 2022
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Reviewed November 15, 2022

I threw a private party over the weekend in the back room. From beginning to end everything was amazing. The room was spacious and beautiful. The food was unforgettable. We had Ben taking care of us that day and he truly is a gem. Always...available when I needed him or had any questions. So sweet and super attentive. The food, staff, atmosphere, and restaurant were great. I can’t recommend this place enough!More

Date of visit: November 2022
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LA CIPOLLINA, Freehold - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Order Online Food Delivery - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about La Cipollina

Yes, La Cipollina offers takeout services.

La Cipollina is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travelers:
  • Food: 4.5
  • Service: 4.5
  • Value: 4.5
  • Atmosphere: 4.5