Via Roma

I would have given Via Roma two stars because the place attempts to cater to different diets. I ordered something that seemed intriguing, Butternut Squash Ravioli in Brown Butter Sage Sauce. Unfortunately the dish was overly sweet and overly greasy and cooked with olive oil instead of butter. I was unable to eat it, even with the addition of hot pepper to counteract the sweetness. My partner had a regular Stromboli and a Caesar Salad. He enjoyed the salad but the Stromboli was greasy and unlike ones he had eaten there before. The owner came to the table and asked if we were happy with the meal. We told him of our concerns and he countered by telling us that he had served over three hundred portions of the Ravioli and it was just a matter of taste. He was equally defensive about the Stromboli. Later, the waitress, who was also defensive but not rabidly so, asked if we wanted to take the food we didn’t eat home! Then she offered us free dessert, which was nice, but by then we were not willing to eat another thing the place had produced in their kitchen. By the way, I have cooked for a living in hotels and restaurants, and the one thing you never do is question a customer’s opinion of the food.

Let me preface this review with a few things first. I’ve eaten at via Roma many times. It’s always been average at best, hence why I never left a good review. Only reason I’ve ever gone there was because of their vast vegan and gluten free menu. My gf is both and there’s really nowhere in the toms river area she can go and actually find something on the menu to eat.
Anyway. Myself, my gf and another couple went there for dinner. Of the 4 of us, I was the only person eating real food. We ordered our food respectively, apps and our main courses. One of party’s meal was made incorrectly. When we told the waiter, he seemed to almost get offended. He took the plate away in a huff and NEVER CAME BACK! We sat there for nearly (no exaggeration) 40 minutes waiting for some type of service; which only came when we flagged down a different server. When we questioned where our original waiter had gone, she said something along the lines of the kitchen being busy. The restaurant had other patrons. But… Busy might be a stretch. If you’re too busy to handle your patrons, maybe you should have more staff.
Like I said before, I’ve been here many times before. The service has never been great, but it’s never been as bad as this particular night. The other couple who went with us have never been to via Roma before… And it’s safe to say none of us ever will again.
As far as the food goes, it’s ok. Nothing life changing but it’s decent enough for a pizza place in a strip mall. Like another reviewer said, it’s not the cleanest place I’ve ever been and it’s very dated inside. If you can handle lackluster service and average food, then head on down to via Roma.

LOOOOVE Via Roma! Vegan chicken parm, vegan chicken franches, vegan chicken parm pizza, vegan mozerella sticks, ugh i love it! I LOVE being able to have old favorite veganized. Absolutely favorite place to eat, no doubt i eat here at least 2x a week :)

Great lunch salad specials with soup and bread. Very fresh and they are generous with toppings! Friendly staff!

Greatest Italian restaurant ever! Chris and Paul (the owners) are a great guys ask for him they will take care of you.

overcooked chicken

I have eaten here several times and have always enjoyed my meal. They have extensive vegan/​vegetarian and gluten free choices as well as great Italian food. This past Saturday I took a group there and while the food was quality we waited way too long for it. The time in between our salad and entrée was about 45 minutes. And it wasn’t due to an inefficient server, as the food was piping hot when it came. The food tasted great, prices are very reasonable, but I’m not sure I can persuade my group to go here again

This restaurant is great! The gluten free menu is basically as big as a diner menu. Anything you have missed you can get here. Mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, chicken franchaise, salad with croutons (and a piece of bread), anything you can imagine. My one son got a salami sub even. My complaint which is not enough to deter us is– the service is slow. If you are having gluten-​free pizza order it when you sit down it takes like an hour to make. If you bring kids get at least chicken fingers or something to hold them over. Love this place and worth the 40 min drive from my house and wait time for the food. It’s also pretty cheap and of course they have regular food for everyone else. Here you are normal. It’s great! Exit 89 to Route 70 west. Take Rt 70 and then take jug handle to cross to route 9. Its a few miles off the parkway. Use the Waze app for directions. enjoy!!!

Via Roma was delicious! Best of all extensive menu of vegan options available. My friend and I both had vegan stromboli’s and they were both out of this world delicious – very sizable portion too. I’m looking forward to going back and trying more of their delicious vegan food. YUM!

Pizza is really good. Staff very friendly.
The restaurant inside not very clean.
Dust all over woodwotk. Dirty ceilings and air vents. Would never cme here again unless they cleaned heavily.

From MA was on vacation in Jackson, NJ. I have Celiac disease which means I have to eat a very strict gluten free diet. It is very hard to find a non-​chain restaurant that offers gluten free options. I was surprised by all the choices I had here. The staff was very knowledgeable and accommodating for my dietary needs. The food was fantastic. The first time in years I was able to go out to dinner with my husband and order «normal» food. The portions were huge too. I was very pleased with our experience and can’t wait to go back.

Have tried their vegan food a few times now. It’s amazing. Can’t believe there’s an Italian place that can make vegan versions of Classic Italian food. They use daiya I think and melt it properly. I’ve had «chicken» franchaise, rolitini (amazing!), lasagna, stuffed mushrooms, pasta with «sausage», etc. very impressed. Try it!

Another great meal. I had gnocchi with dairy free cheese and a side of gluten free bread. My husband had a regular veal parm and liked it. Highly recommended for gluten free and vegans.

Such a good find on our beach trip! Extensive vegan options, great ravioli, kind and knowledgable staff that understands dietary needs. Definitely a must visit if you are vegan or gluten free.

The food is great but the gluten free pizza is super expensive. I understand gluten free is a big fad and that you have to capitalize on the naïveté of patrons but they really squeeze every last penny and that really irks me. I can’t hate on the food because it really is good I just wish their prices were a bit more fair.

First of all, the location represented on the map here is not accurate. They are actually located at 70 and Rt 9. We would not have chosen this place if we had known their actual location, as our quick pizza dinner turned into an hour to even get it. Since we searched via Unilocal’s nearby feature, this didn’t serve us well. I don’t blame the restaurant for this, but it certainly didn’t help our experience.
Second, the pizza wasn’t good. The crust was hard and flat. The dough was overworked and tough and was covered with cornmeal so it was like eating dust. The sauce was okay but the cheese and toppings didn’t taste fresh. And the sausage was inconsistent. One bite was all meat and the next would have a huge chunk of fat in it. We ate two pieces total and then threw the rest away – it wasn’t even worth saving.
The arrancini was unexpectedly huge and actually tasty considering how everything else was. There wasn’t a ton of flavor, especially for a bolognese arrancini, but it was nicely prepared and the risotto was good.
I would not go back there. It was a waste of money, of gas, of time. Save yourself the hassle and go get a frozen pizza instead, it would be better than this tenfold.

Address shown is wrong. They are in stop and shop plaza on rt9 and rt 70 toms river. Ask for Paul and tell him Ray sent you!
Great food

Great place for a family of both vegan and glutenfree and for people who eat meat and cheese and gluten.
We had a great meal and everyone was stoked. And the staff was super helpful around food allergies

Read entire review. We were visiting the shore and found good reviews for this place here. First — the portions are huge. You will not leave hungry. My wife, son and myself all left with half of our meal. Second — the prices are reasonable. I had the stuffed chicken. The chicken tasted fresh not previously frozen. It was good, not great.
For an appetizer I had the calamari. Their were only rings no actual squid. And it was plain. I love calamari and get it every time I eat out. Would not order it here again. My wife had an eggplant sub. She said it was excellent. My son had a BBQ chicken wrap. He said it was great. Service was very good and the place was clean. The night before we had a couple of slices of pizza and they were very good. So there you go.

hello vegan menu in the middle of a strip mall in rural south jersey.
The vegan pizza was great. As were the «mozzarella» sticks. They didn’t have what they needed to make the vegan buffalo wings so that was a bummer but hopefully they will be there the next time I go back.
The vegan stuffed mushrooms were okay. The stuffing didnt have any seasoning or bread crumbs and were kind of cold.
I really can’t wait to go back and try other stuff. This reminds me of a place on long island that has a full vegan menu as well. Go team vegan!