Front St Trattoria

We love coming here. The food is great and the atmosphere is enjoyable. However, I think there was only 2 times where we encountered a waitress that wasn’t rude.
Not sure why but it seems to be a prerequisite to waitressing there. The 5 stars are for the food. The waitresses get 5

4 stars, really?!
Tourist trap quality.
Food: Tacos were bland, salmon was dry and tasteless and the red sauce tasted like it came out of a jar.
Value: Expensive considering the quality.
Service: Friendly and efficient.
Atmosphere: Nice to sit outside, but the resin chairs were small and a bit uncomfortable.
Drinks: BYOB.
I will never come back.

What a perfect little Italian restaurant. I’ve never eaten in red bank before but if you’re looking for great food and great service this is the place to go. My cousin got a chipotle chicken sandwich with avocado it was to die for as well as the personal pies which were amazinggggg. Will be backkkk WOHO

I went here on a cold rainy day after a long week at work and honestly it did not disappoint in the least. Me and good friend both had the lobster ravioli and it really hit the spot. Patrick Bateman would approve.

Three things to know: bring your own booze, its BYOB, make a reservation, this place gets crowded as heck, order the pizza, its good.
I ordered a personal size of the arugula and goat cheese pizza. it was yummy and plentiful, easily could have been shared between two people.

Love this place! Val, the owner is always there with a smile and a friendly greeting. The bread to die for and don’t get me started on the calzones, the crust of the pizza, or the delicately prepared — very tasty — salads!

Plenty of options in the Red Bank downtown, chose trattoria based on Unilocal reviews which didn’t let us down. From the time we entered, to when we left, the service was prompt, friendly and accommodating. Loved the front table by the window where we could watch the world go by. Didn’t know they had not an alcohol license, so know now you can byob which appears many local frequent guests were doing so. I had the house eggplant parmigiana which was really cool. It was three slices of carefully breaded eggplant with cheese in between smothered in melted gooey cheese. Served with a little bowl of tender, perfectly cooked pasta and a tasty little anti-​pasta salad. It can get a little loud with the high ceilings, and rich wood inside, but it’s a family friendly, well done restaurant with a nice, casual menu and feel.

I was going to give Front Street Trattoria 5 stars, unfortunately our waitress Jennifer, was way too rude and had way too much attitude. Albeit our miserable experience with her on my first Mother’s Day with my new mother-​in-​law, the food there was amazing and all the other wait staff we encountered were very pleasant including the host. We almost asked to switch waitresses as to not ruin our holiday dinner. But onwards to the great food first.
App:
1) Mediterranean Platter — You must get this. The grilled artichokes were the best I’ve ever had with the perfect amount of smokiness. The ricotta with basil and balsamic was amazing, so was the grilled flat bread to dip in it.
Entrée:
1) Cauliflower crust pizza — This was unique so we had to get it, it was okay, the crust was interesting. We got the special with tomatoes, Gouda, and basil.
2) Stuffed pizza with sausage and mushroom — SO good! Especially with their amazing marinara sauce. Delish. Would def order again and try different toppings too.
3) Focaccia sandwich with chicken sausage, peppers, onions — SO good, my favorite order of the meal. Really good focaccia that was baked with all that deliciousness in it. Great flavors, would def get again. And HUGE portion.
Our Awful Waitress Jennifer:
1) We gave her a bottle of the BYOB wine we brought, after 10 minutes we asked her if she was able to get to it yet, she goes «Uhhh it’s right down here on the floor like I told you earlier.» We were all like «what the…» So much attitude! It instantly changed the mood of our meal as we were all happy when we got there. We decided to let it go and continued having nice conversation.
2) She came to ask if we could scoop all the remaining from the app platter onto someone’s plate so she could take it away. There was a lot left to scoop onto one persons plate so I asked if all the entrees were ready at the same time. She goes «Um yea, they’re all ready.» AND THEN ROLLS HER EYES! We were all flabbergasted at her attitude. I was about to ask for the manager at that point but my husband didn’t want to make a scene.
3) She brings us the 3 entrees we ordered which takes up most of the space on the table and mutters loud enough for all of us to hear «see I said I would need the whole space». Now even my husband was annoyed and he’s the nicest guy in the world.
In summary, great food and the rest of the staff that helped us were all really sweet. It was just so unfortunate our main waitress was so nasty because now we prob won’t come back, or if we do we will definitely be asking for a table specifically not waited on by her. She had a cotton ball in her ear and was almost whispering at times when she was talking to us so maybe she was under the weather, but there really was ZERO excuse for her to talk to customers like that, or anyone for that matter. This restaurant could’ve been one of our new regular favorites had it not been for her. I’m giving 4 stars because of the food and I don’t want to ruin the avg rating of a nice place because of one waitress with a bad attitude. But honestly she made it more of a 2 star experience.

A gem in the heart of Red Bank! I have been to Front St. Trattoria several times over the last couple of years and never had a bad meal!!! The food is super fresh and delicious and the waitstaff is great. If I had to list one compliant, it would be that the restaurant can get pretty loud, but honestly I think that’s just because everyone is having a great time. Other than that, this place is pretty perfect in my opinion and prices are very reasonable. I try and go here every time I’m in Red Bank. A must check out!

i’ve been going here since the mid 80’s and its still great.
there were a few new items on the menu that i haven’t had before.
for those gluten free types, we had the cauliflower tomato cheese basil gluten pie. i’m here for the stuffed pizza but it was GREAT
based on a recommendation from the waitress, we split a focaccia meatball parm, it was great and large enough to share. and share we did. i had to pull the old man card to save a piece for tomorrow

One of my favorite places to go in red Bank. Great pizza and fresh pasta. They always have great new ideas and combinations and the pizza is very creative.
The dining room is a little small and the service takes longer than expected but the quality of the food is worth the wait. I would suggest getting the chicken and Portobello dish.
This is also BYOB so if you wanna drink go down the street and buy some wine.

Allergy sufferers beware. The sesame seeds were all over the pizza we requested without sesame seeds. We asked for another pizza and the owner or chef (?) came out and made it seem like it was a big burden to make another pizza («well. I can make another if you want») the pizza was good honestly but the entire scenario left our entire table (specifically the guest who was allergic to sesame) feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable. She doesn’t choose to have allergies and we understand it’s hard to be accommodating to everyone, but it was the response that made the experience so awful.

This place has been there it seems forever and indeed Jan said to me don’t you remember we went there about 30 years ago with my brother and another couple. Me, I can’t remember where we ate last week. Anyway, I expected just a run of the mill Italian red sauce experience but much to my delight they are different in a good way as the food is more eclectic than most Italian joints in these parts.
Jan’s salmon special absolutely delicious and my pasta with vegetables delicious as well. Another couple really enjoyed their lobster ravioli and a simple meat ball dish. Shared deserts of ricotta cheesecake and a creamy mango rice pudding were very tasty. All in all, we enjoyed our meals at FST and will return for sure.

Very good food! The turkey & avocado focaccia sandwich is the best, along with the ravioli. The pizza’s are great too. Service is decent. Great place for lunch!

After 30 years of being open, Front St Trattoria is still one of the best restaurants in Monmouth County!
For starters, the owners, Val & Mike are two of the nicest restaurateurs you’ll ever encounter. Theyre always there, and they take the time to interact with almost all of the guests who come in. If you ever want to feel like you’re part of a family at a restaurant, just come here a few times. You’ll see what I mean!
The Mediterranean Platter & the Italian empenadas are wonderful apps. The platter is a feast in itself. Fresh mozz, roasted red peppers, beats, olives, grilled artichoke hearts, fresh ricotta & probably about 5 other things I’m forgetting. Usually when you get a platter like this somewhere ½ the items will be good, maybe ¼ will be ok and the other ¼ be bleh. Here its practically impossible to pick a favorite off of the platter. Each & every item has a freshness you can taste right away. It’s the perfect app!
Their pizzas are easily some of the best you will find anywhere. I simply don’t know how they get their sesame crust so wonderfully charred out of a regular pizza oven. Usually, you’ll only find a crust like there’s that’s so flavorful in a coal or wood fired oven that cranks out pies at 900. Whatever they do to that crust, its on another level.
Their tomatillo & green chili pizza is easily my favorite. It’s a flavor explosion. The goat cheese arugula pizza is also remarkable. For those less adventurous, their margherita pizza is perfection! The roasted cherry tomatoes add that extra pop of flavor that balances out the sweet sauce, fresh mozz & sesame crust!
Lastly, their lunch is a steal at $ 8! You wont find a more flavorful meal anywhere in town for that price! Their focaccia sandwiches are a feast in themselves. The focaccia, personal pizza or soup and salad are a great lunch. I think if you’re in a hurry, you can call in your order ahead of time and sit down just as your food is ready.
There’s been a ton of new restaurants in Red Bank the last 5 years. I’ll always check out a new place when it opens, but there’s a few places that keep me coming back year after year. Trattoria is one of those places! The friendliness of the hands-​on owners, the delicious food and the atmosphere make Trattoria one of my favorite restaurants anywhere!

I have eaten here before but this trip I did a take out pizza. One gluten free and one regular. I always ask for the gluten free to be cooked a little longer than normal so it is firm. Pizza is good. When we eat in the service is always good and my family really enjoys the meal, especially the eggplant dinner. It is a small place with really good food. Everyone is very friendly and nice. I will be going back as I always do.

Another restaurant that used to be a favorite but then fell of the usually place to eat list. Probably because we moved out of the area and then forgot about it when we moved back. Recently I saw that the Front St. Trattoria had made a «best of» list for Jersey Shore Pizza and I decided to give it a try again.
Pizza used to be my favorite food but it has long since fell off my list. Might be the low carb craz but who knows. My daughter and I order two small pies and I got the gazpacho too. Probably could have just split one of the small pies. Neither one .of the pies had meat and were very tasty. My daughter really liked and has suggested we go back again. We had left overs for a couple days the individual pies are that big.
I think this is the place for pizza and have never ordered any of the entres.

I reluctantly have to give this place 2.5 stars. Came here due to proximity and good reviews, on top of a big craving for Italian food.
The atmosphere reminds me of your average NY-​style pizzeria — which you can take as a good or bad thing. We opted to sit outside on the patio. Service is prompt and friendly, though it felt rushed at times. While this place is BYOB, it would be nice if they invested in some actual wine glasses rather than offer miniature water glasses to their diners who brought wine… just a little peeve.
The menu is simple, with fewer choices than I’m typically used to from Italian restaurants. At first glance, the prices appeared reasonable… until our plates arrived. The portion sizes are TINY. $ 24 for 5 pieces of lobster ravioli, $ 20 for some penne tossed with chicken?! While both dishes were good, they fell far short of amazing. Maybe the pizza would have been a better option.
We also got the tiramisu for dessert… $ 7 for a teacup sized portion. Yes, I’m sure because it was literally served in a cup and half of it was just whipped cream.
Nice place, but not worth the money. Should be categorized as «$$$» on Unilocal based on the value of the meal.

Mediterranean platter — good
Chicken sausages — great
Linguine and pappardelle — bad… Overcook. Un-​al-​dente for sure!
Meat sauce — so-​so… On the sweet side… Unusual. Not my style
Service — nice waitress but long waiting for entrées

Great reviews on Unilocal for this restaurant and since I was in this area. decided to give it a try. Great outdoor seating and lighting. Not too big on the inside yet it’s got a good vibe to it. Very NY style .
Coming to the food — tried the sausage pasta over linguine — avoid if you can .I am sure you can make better pasta at home ! Bland and hardly any taste on the pasta, though the sausage in itself was good .
Make sure you try the Mexican Pizza — it’s different ! Though cheesy yet you get the distinct flavors of all the toppings. must try
Overall an ok experience. The sandwiches looked good
Bottom line — happy to have been there once and given it a try. Move on to a new place after this !