Illiano’s Italian Restaurant

Best Sicilian in the tri-​state area. If you are looking for a good, quality meal they do it all. Been a resident here for my entire life and have never been disappointed.

Illiano’s is a traditional (old school) Italian place. If you want good food for a good price it’s the place to go. No frills and no need for them. Staff is very friendly and the owner, Fausto, is a good guy. Try the broccoli rabe with sausage. Not in the menu but they’ll make it for you.

Pizza is mediocre. The staff is a little cranky. They need a new owner to shake things up or Gordon Ramsey to slap it into shape. If the pizza was a little better i would go.

I have never been so disrespected by a restaurant owner. I have lived in the area for many years and stop here from time to time. My family (wife and 2 young kids) were trying to squeeze dinner in before my daughter’s soccer game around 330pm and we ordered dinner to go from the car on the way to soccer. When we arrived there was one table with customers. I paid the bill before the food was ready and even put a tip for the waitresses since they had to put the order together. After about 10 mins our food was ready, but since we were running late we figured lets just eat the food quick at one of the tables instead of in the car. I asked the elderly owner if he would mind. Well, he blew his top and said the tables were for dinning in only and those are the rules. I asked again explaining our situation and that I even put a tip on the cc bill. He said he did not care and said he has children too. I find that hard to believe. I said it was the late afternoon and you only have one table with customers. I could understand if the place was packed, but one table. He continued to bark and I asked him to either allow us to eat or tell us to leave, but stop insulting me and my family. He said I was insulting for asking to eat my to go food in his restaurant and he just continued. So, we packed up our food and ate in our car in the parking lot. In the end the food was average at best and mix that in with the owners attitude and we will never return. Too many other great places in the area with much better food without the disrespectful owner.

After living in the area for years, I finally decided to give Illiano’s a try. My husband and I were going to eat in for lunch, and a young waiter brought menus. After a minute, my husband told him we were ready to order, and he said he’d be back in a minute. A decent period of time passed and he still had not come back. Finally, my husband pleasantly asked the older man behind the counter if he should order with him, and the guy said, «Can you read what the sign says?» (It said «Counter for takeout only»). First off, we hadn’t taken the time to read any signs — we just wanted to eat. Then he said, «Do you want to come back here and work? I’m by myself. He’ll take your order.» We were literally aghast that any businessperson would speak to a customer in this manner. As I said, my husband wasn’t being remotely difficult; he was simply asking a question, and the guy pretty much went off on him. He could have easily said, «No, he’ll be right with you,» or «Sure, what can I get for you?» But no. I thanked him for explaining to us what the sign said and told him to have a nice day as we got up and left. He told us to go ahead and leave. I was shocked and upset that anyone would treat a customer that way. I will never go back here, and I will spread the word. There is way too much good competition to spend our money with people who disrespect us. We went a quarter-​mile up the street to Merendino’s, also for the first time, and the waitress was very pleasant and the food was delicious.

Came in the other day and tried a margherita arugula pizza, it was amazing! Light and tasty! Never had anything like it, I’m in love!

The staff here is amazing– friendly and patient with big families!
The pasta and sauces were great, but I wouldn’t say the same thing about the seafood, so I’d stay stick to Italian in an Italian restaurant :)
The portions weren’t too big, I’d say they were even small for an Italian restaurant.. Which may be good or bad news for some.
Overall it’s a great place to go dine with family and they have same tables our doors in the summer! Just the car noise from west park ave. isn’t the best.

The staff were super friendly but the penne pasta I got tasted like something I would have struggled to make at home. The sauce was very watery and didn’t have that nice Italian taste to it. I was disappointed at the taste.
The vibe of the restaurant is very chill and sitting outside was perfect. One thing I did notice is a lot of people ordering to go pizza or picking pizza. Their pizza must be amazing because I was the only person having pasta.

We’ve only gotten pizza to go from here so I can’t really comment on much of the other food or the in-​restaurant service, but what we have gotten has been amazing. We’ve ordered from here a number of times and each time we’ve been very happy with what we got. I can honestly say their pizza is hands down the best around. Growing up in North Jersey and working in NYC I can honestly say I’ve had great pizza as well as the other end of the spectrum and this is right up there with some of the best.

This is going to be a long one. If you want a brief summary — bad food, bad service, bad place. Stay away!
I have to say, this is THE worst place I have ever been to. We were the only people there on a Saturday noon, the place looked horrible and the restrooms were smelly. We sat outside and ordered 2 «speciality» dishes for me and my husband, and one dish for my daughter. I cannot even begin to describe how bad the food tasted and of course, the fact it took them 30 minutes to serve us that horrible food!
Each dish cost about $ 17, and honestly, I have no idea how the priced this, since the dishes were very poor.
The main problem was that the food really tasted bad and wasn’t fresh at all. We took one bite and asked for the check. They didn’t care why we asked for the check so soon and it took them 10 minutes to charge us. We left and swore to never come back again.
All day long we were scared that one of us might suffer from a terrible stomach ache.
Please, don’t go there.

I’ve eaten and a lot of Italian restaurants across the country, unfortunately with this one, I’m not impressed. I always like to give at least some good review so I will say that the caprese salad was very fresh. after I walked in, I decided to take my food to go because it was not as upscale as I thought it would be from the photos. When I got my food back to my hotel, the caprese salad had no dressing and the meatballs were virtually tasteless.

It’s interesting that many of the 5 star reviews are not locals. This place is nothing special when compared to some other local Italian spots on the Jersey shore. The pizza is way too cheesy and overpriced for the area. The atmosphere in the dining area is crowded and not comfortable. I don’t know what the NY crowd sees in this place.

What makes this place so special? It’s family owned and you can feel it everywhere. There is nothing like stepping into a place and feeling like you are on the other side of the world, surrounded by the smell of fresh tomatoes and about to discover a dish some old Italian grandma just cooked for her family.
The service was warm and welcoming, the food was simple and flavorful (as Italian food should be!), the prices were very reasonable, the atmosphere was comfy cozy… I always look for authenticity in restaurants, and nothing was fake here. My friends and I spent a wonderful evening.
Illiano’s was a delightful surprise. I don’t leave NYC very often, but this restaurant will be a great excuse to come back to NJ.

We had a great time here. The food was really tasty and fresh, the server was very helpful and made us feel at home and the prices didn’t break the bank.
All and all a really great experience.
P. S. The baked clams are really good.

I currently live in New Jersey and it’s tough getting my «city friends» to do the loooong journey over (as they’d say). Well now I have a way to lure them over!
Illiano’s is a gem in Jersey. They serve the most authentic Italian food I’ve had. Very cozy & impeccable service! Nothing beats a family owned restaurant as they treat you like a guest in their own home.
I’ll be a repeat customer and I’m thrilled to finally have local place to take my friends & family to!

I’m a big fan of comfortable spaces, friendly service, reasonable prices, and yummy Italian food– so Illiano’s was perfect for me. :)
I actually live in NYC, but was visiting my boyfriend in NJ when he recommended we try this place. What a pleasant surprise and we definitely plan to come back again in the near future.
Two thumbs up!

Illiano’s is one of my favourite Italian restaurants. It has a homey vibe and feels incredibly cosy, this time of year especially. Though I also enjoy heading over in the summer after a day at the beach.
I always feel welcomed at Illiano’s, the service is always incredible and the food is exactly what you want from a good Italian restaurant (and pretty good value for your money too). The lobster ravioli in vodka source has got to be the winner for me every time. Though I also really enjoy the Sicilian pizza.

Illiano’s has some my favorite Italian food, it’s always fresh & delicious, and the prices are perfect (there are plenty of places where I feel like I’m getting charged a «little too much.»)
On top of the great food, the people there are incredibly kind, with terrific service. Another plus is the warm & cozy environment, I’d recommend Illiano’s to anyone looking for an amazing Italian food experience in Ocean!

A nice place to drop by for a slice. BYO makes the place a decent value. However, do not expect q great meal. An OK meal maybe on a good day. Don’t be fooled by the rating.

I usually won’t write a bad review but after reading what people have posted about this place I have to. I apologize to the restaurant but this place is just bad.
The staff was very nice but not very skilled at being waiter/​waitresses.
The salt and pepper shakers looked like they have never been cleaned and there was crud falling from the air conditioner.
The food was straight out of the freezer section of the supermarket. Frozen shrimp, frozen ravioli and the gravy was sour. Frozen food to me is just as bad as using a microwave, just unacceptable.
They seemed to have a loyal following, but I just don’t see what people see in this place. Maybe their pizza is really good, but what we ordered was horrible. So bad that I wouldn’t even give it a second chance.
Generally I would say I caught the place on an off nite but frozen food and uncleanliness doesn’t happen just one nite.