Blu Grotto Restaurant

We have dined in their attractive fine dining room several times. Hard to find nice ones at the shore, most are like sports bars & noisey. A very pleasant experience here -food upscale Italian+, service attentive & friendly. One of the few restaurants that serves Cynar.
In that dining area you usually see patrons dress accordingly - nicely. Downstairs is casual so more jeans, shorts, Tshirts.
A couple of times the music was intrusive from outside. We prefer not to dine on the upstairs deck for that reason.
Looking forward to the spring/summer 2024 season.

This place is awesome the band is great... service is good as is the food ...wings, the classic sausage and peppers sub, great apps and of course burgers...Go early get a table...

We can’t say enough about the ambiance, food, wait staff, owner and manager…. Most especially the hospitality. We just got engaged and this was our first dinner out. Casey the manager brought us out numerous appetizers and glasses or champagne. He even sat down at our table to talk with us. We have never had an experience at a restaurant like we did here. I’ll tell you, it’s simply because Casey. He is the epitome of class, friendship, hospitality and respect. We can’t thank you enough!! We love you Casey!!!! Our serve Liz was amazing as well!!!!! The absolute best!!

If I could give this restaurant 10 stars, I would! Chef James is THE best! From beginning to end, the food and service were top notch. The ambience is warm, inviting and BLUE! We loved every minute of our dining experience. Also, thank you to our server Ulysses! We will definitely be returning again soon!

Atmosphere was wonderful, seating was no wait with a reservation. Outdoor seating was comfortable and scenic. The food was small portion but a little pricey.

Food and service were phenomenal. Management was top notch, wait staff were very knowledgeable. Great location, live music, the works! Highly recommend. I will definitely be coming back!

I’m Italian and I can say food is absolutely fantastic. Way above the average even of an Italian restaurant in my home country.
Alessandro, the manager is professional and friendly.
The experience is great.
Everything is perfect from bread and starters, to desserts.
Pics speaks for themselves.

Really nice upscale, quiet place overlooking monmouth park. Scallops and veal chop outstanding. Creative, tasty salads. Good strong cocktails.
Happy hour menu at the bar very tasty.

The Blu Grotto is so much fun. Great live entertainment, fresh sushi, pizza and drinks by friendly bartenders. The perfect Summer go-to spot at the Shore.

Great atmosphere. A little pricey but the quality is there. The staff is open and friendly. :)
Update: I'm never disappointed in the food. It's almost too beautiful to eat. Almost. Lol

First class dining experience! The atmosphere is bright and beautiful, the service is top shelf and the food is excellent. Our server Casey was very attentive ,knowledgeable and very pleasant. We have dined outside during the day awhile back and enjoyed but the inside is a total different experience. We will definitely return

Fantastic food, balanced cocktails with fresh ingredients, professional staff, and elegant decor near the race track. One of our new fav spots!

We had an excellent meal last night at Blu Grotto. I started with the fennel & orange salad and my husband had the octopus. My salad was great & My hub said the octopus was very tender. I had the Vongole for dinner with gluten free penne. My husband had the pork chop which was out of this world. We finished with Affogato & Tiramisu cheesecake. We also visited the outside bar several times during the summer for happy hour & live music. The smoked mozz/pesto pizza is amazing!

Awesome restaurant! Really good food ! A bit pricy but worth it ;)

Food was tasty and wonderfully presented. Ambiance and atmosphere were incredible - be sure to ask for honeymoon seating if coming as a couple.

6 of us sat in one of the big booths in the taverna. It was quieter than the main dining area, so we could hear. Everything we had was from the Jersey Shore restaurant week special menu, and we had everything on it. ALL was perfectly done & presented.Notable was the hot mozzarella with fig jam & speck and the branzino. Our wait staff was excellent, especially Liz, who took great care to follow up on allergies and refreshed drinks several times.

good parking space, excellent service and the food is delicious!!! everything is more expensive than the conventional, but I really enjoyed the experience and the food

Pleasantly surprised at how good of an Italian restaurant this is! Homemade pasta and mozzarella!

Compliments to the Chef and management. It is clear from when you sit to when you leave that management has each staff member prepared to provide each table a quality experience. Knowledgeable and friendly wait staff, even the bus boys. Food is done with a creative flare and of very high quality. Have been here many times and they never disappoint. Great menu and specials. Wine list is very good, and even though some wines by the glass I have not heard of... they are excellent. I can't say enough about how hard they try to please, and it is why I keep going back. Sometimes, they even bring out a small free appetizer for you to try. Lovely touch. Nice bright (and different) decor, beer garden in the summer is separate from the restaurant (haven't tried that yet), outside seating in the summer as well. My only concern is that it will be very hard to get a table during the summer season (they are right next to Monmouth Park Race Track). But good for them, they deserve the business. Give it a try!

Great place to go for excellent cocktails or a superb meal! They had some very creative and tasty cocktails that had me wanting more. The service was delightful; very attentive without hovering. Menu had lots of delicious options that I had a hard time deciding over. I had the bruschetta and filet mignon - and they did not disappoint! Dessert options were just as good. Be sure to sit in the observatory, it looks amazing!