Via45

Best restaurant in Red Bank, and beyond. The food is picked that day and cooked when you order. No heated up already prepared food. The staff… incredibly attentive, always smiling and professional. No «off the street» staff. The owners, Lauren and Claudette, are amazingly good chefs but even better people. Always take a minute to say hello and always smiling. The daily menu has all your needs: meat/​pasta/​fish and if you have certain allergies or needs, they accommodate. Even with the freshly baked bread! The apps and desserts also freshly cooked and baked daily. They are as delicious as the entrees. The décor/​atmosphere: ever walk into a place, look around and feel like you’re in your family kitchen? That is Via. Warm and welcoming from the moment you walk in until the moment you leave. My wife and I go on «date night» often. Via is always our first choice. Make a reservation today. You will not regret it.

Chicken parm was not on the menu when I came, but the chefs gladly made it for me, and it was unbelievable. Very friendly, helpful and energetic staff!

Dinner was good, service was great. Out of our two entrees the garlic cream sauce pasta was amazing. The eggplant park was great but we weren’t a fan of the tomato sauce. Overall great food tho, ridiculously hard to get a table there so we were happy to finally get a chance to try it. Def see what the fuss was about.
Pound cake was delicious for dessert btw !
And it’s BYOB which is great

First, the décor is beyond adorable (bookshelves!), and while they make the most of the smallish space I like that you don’t feel like you’re on top of other tables. The service was very friendly and prompt without rushing.
And the food was INCREDIBLE. We ordered clams with white wine, peppers, onions and bacon and it was amazing; the flavors were perfectly balanced without the broth feeling heavy handed. I had the cheese and pear purse pasta with brown butter sauce– I had to order this since I love fruit in my entrees and it was perfect. My husband had the veal chop parmigiana and it was massive and elevated the flavors in something as seemingly simple as parmigiana. The kitchen ran out of whatever potato he was supposed to have, and our server came by with a generous offering of herb roasted purple potatoes. I’m generally unimpressed with roasted potatoes but I tried one of these and have to say they were pretty awesome.
We were so full it hurt so dessert wasn’t in the cards, but certainly next time I’d like to try what they have since the food was so killer.

After hearing so much about via 45 we FINALLY made it here! The menu changes with whats available and whats in season. Additionally they do have specials. If pork chops milanese is one of the specials, jump on it! It was by far the most fabulous pork chop we have ever had. It actually melted in your mouth it was so tender!
Clams were awesome — fresh, no sand AT ALL!
Fried calamari — I don’t normally eat tentacles and was a bit panicked that there were so many, but I can honestly say I tried them and didn’t avoid them!
Monkfish — prepared with bacon… enough said :)
dessert was flourless chocolate cake — that was amazing!
Make sure you make a reservation well in advance. No chance of walking in without one.
Servie is exceptional.

Hosted dinner here for my son’s confirmation. 10 people on a Friday. The staff was fabulous in accommodating our large group. We dropped off flowers and wine/​champagne ahead and they had the flowers on the table with champagne glasses upon our arrival (we were early and they were great about that!). Staff is wonderful (Thank you Anthony!), atmosphere is beautiful and food fabulous! The only VERY minor issue was that food did not all come out together. I didn’t fault the kitchen for this as we were a larger party on a Friday pm and while some of us were early, part of our group arrived late. It is clear that the kitchen is paying special attention to every dish and I think that can slow things down a bit. Go with good friends and a great bottle of wine and you won’t notice if your food takes a couple more minutes! Via 45 ís a wonderful experience. HIGHLY recommend.

Via 45 is hands down our favorite restaurant in Red Bank. I love that the menu always offers something new, and we have enjoyed everything we’ve eaten over several visits. I just wish it was easier to get in on a Saturday night, but I guess we’re not the only ones who love this place!

Excellent! Food is very fresh and the menu is always different. The pear pockets with the brown butter sage sauce were a favorite of the table. The staff was attentive but not distracting.

I had heard good things about this place for years, but tonight was our first dinner here and I can readily say it will not be our last as the food was excellent. The menu changes practically every night using the most fresh ingredients. All four of us enjoyed our appetizers and meals.
The fried calamari was tender (I just hate so many tentacles, but it is part of the squid, so I know she works with fresh catch) and the fresh bread standard. There was olive oil on the table for dipping. My husband loved the Italian egg drop soup with melted cheese.
The salmon was presented with a mix of vegetables… it looked really good with a nice crust and tender middle. My husband had the veal chop special which he vanquished… He loved it that much. Pretty thick portion which was pounded, so wondering how thick it was before the prep. My daughter (and her father and I) enjoyed her rigatoni with sausage. I forgot to ask if they make their own or get it from a butcher. I had the eggplant parm which was presented as four thick pieces layered on top of penne. The eggplant was perfect… not a taste of greasiness. It was tender and not mushy. The penne pasta in marinara was good, but I favored the rigatoni in garlic and olive oil from my daughter’s plate.
I loved the look and feel of the restaurant. It is tight between tables, but that adds to the home like feeling. I can imagine myself enjoying a nice family meal in Tuscany.

So let down. Cozy and beautiful atmosphere but… I took one bite of my steak and couldn’t finish it; it was very bitter and almost sour tasting. They charged me and threw out the meal. Half heartedly, I said I should at least have the food if I’m going to be charged almost $ 40 for skirt steak. They insisted on cooking another steak and to still charge me. Really? To be honest no one cared for their dish… And all were very turned off by the issue with the bill :(

A really cute place. I loved the décor– small country Italian kitchen style. I could have spent an hour just looking around at all the unique knick knacks they had around. Service was impeccable– our server was very attentive and knowledgeable. The bread was delicious. The meals were unique and super fresh. Not the place to go when your looking for the classic Italian mainstays or want something specific to eat, as the menu changes daily based on what is fresh. I love the attention to detail and the quality of the fresh ingredients. It’s BYOB which is good since the dishes are more on the pricey side. The place is located right in the heart of Red Bank and this makes it easy to plan a whole night out. The eggplant parm was delicious! Crisp eggplant without the overwhelming egg batter taste that I hate that many places have. Marinara sauce was tastibly fresh! Ravioli was melt in your mouth savory. Everything was great and I would definitely recommend coming here — just RSVP early as it definitely can be hard to get a table and don’t expect to be able to just walk in.

Not as a disclaimer but rather for emphasis, I’m sort of an artist (wildlife photographer, to help you decide) who several years ago had a disappointing experience with the owners here.
So if I was going to take this review in a biased or unfair direction, I’d skew negatively, not positively.
But the fact is that the one time I visited since that experience, the food and service (and the concept (s) that govern them (keywords: fresh, health-​conscious, regularly changing menu, vegetarian and other dietary restriction and substitution friendly, made to order)), and warm, comfortable atmosphere were all exceptional. Yeah, I might have had some issues re: what was hanging on the walls at that point but, you know… artists (sort of…)…
Food-​wise, it’s always a pleasant surprise to have a mixed vegetable plate offered as it can yield both the obvious variety and, done well, bits of innovation. A caponta (I don’t recall ever seeing one offered in any restaurant ever.) stood out and got me making the dish semi-​regularly at home.
And a vegan orange-​ginger cake – something I ordered out of a sense of (albeit very modest) adventure (not like stalking a bear (’cause, scary) or lying down in front of a big snake (also scary, plus, eugh…)…) – was excellent.
My friend, not a vegetarian, was equally impressed with her meal and that dessert.
BYOB and perhaps still tough to get a reservation (if I recall hearing correctly), it’s worth the wait and bearing whatever non-​awesome wildlife photography might be on display your evening… ;)

Starting off great service, host was super friendly as our waiter and bread guy.
Clams banging
Roasted chicken sauce was original and tasty.
Pasta with eggplant came out hot and delish.
But make reservations a month in advance this is the place to be! Can’t walk in and eat!

Wonderful experience. Gd food especially the pork chop and mussels (red sauce). I also like the salmon grilled and desert. Will go again and recommend it to everyone

There are many good restaurants in the Red Bank area where you can spend about $ 100.00 for two, but VIa 45 is at the head of the list. You will have already noted the numerous 5 star reviews previously submitted here on Unilocal. There is very little that I can add that is new, but here are my highlights.
The first thing that impressed me about Via 45 is its ambiance. It’s inviting, comfortable, and as I heard one patron say to her dining companion, «this is like eating in someone’s house!» And so it is. There is a large and beautiful breakfront where the dishes are kept, a large bookcase sets off a space for a large group, art and photographs adorn the walls, and menus that are (to my eyes anyway) handwritten.
Our server, Erin, made us feel as at home with her solicitousness and recommendations as the décor made us feel comfortable.
The food, the actual reason you should go there, is, in two words: uniformly amazing. Since the menu changes frequently, there is almost no point in swooning in print over the dishes that we ordered. But I’ll just say this — The pork chop Milanese was the best I’ve ever eaten, and the Gluten free bread was as good as the wheat bread.
Via 45 is an amazing restaurant. Don’t miss it.

From the moment you walk thru the door you know something is different about this place. Different from other restaurants, it is a feeling of being in someone’s welcoming home. I loved this place and couldn’t believe it was my first time here! The tables are all beautifully set but yet so warm and inviting to sit down to have a meal with family or friends. The place is decorated perfectly from the beautiful country style tables, adorable bread plates which are all different, to brilliantly placed vases of sunflowers on the table and placemats. A lot of care goes into making sure Claudette and Lauren’s guests are happy. We were so fortunate to get to speak to Claudette who is one of the owners and cook of Via45 tonight. They take great pride in all the food they carefully prepare for everyone. When I reserved a table for 6 I was very impressed that I was asked if there was anyone with food allergies in our group. Also the waitress asked when we sat down. This was perfect because someone had a mushroom allergy and for myself I have Celiac disease, gluten allergy. Not a problem here as Claudette explained they are very careful making food for anyone with an allergy as they make it in a separate area.
So now on to the scrumptious food, we shared a caprese salad, green bean and beat salad and fried calamari. Four of us had eggplant parm with pasta and the other two had a ravioli and chicken special. Dessert was heavenly. The food is so fresh and homemade. The menu changes nightly which is so much fun to see what they will cook up next. Menu depends on what fresh, seasonal food and ingredients they pick up at the market that day. I am definitely returning to my new favorite place very soon.

Had an excellent dinner here and they accommodated us dropping off wine to let breathe ahead of dinner. Our choices from the menu were homemade ravioli with broccoli rabe and mozzarella and roasted chicken Marsala with mushroom. Both dishes couldn’t have been better and more delicately executed. Rather than taking the traditional «restaurant» style approach with décor and menu items, Via serves up a cozy home environment with cooking that rivals your Auntie Milford, always changing it up on a whim depending on what’s fresh for the day at the local markets.
This is not only a Red Bank standout, it’s a Jersey standout not to be missed.

I just got home, and the first thing I HAD to do was write a review! The whole experience was more than I could imagine. We came in without reservations and got seated right away, our salad was to die for. My boyfriend got the pork chops and I had the salmon, cooked to perfection. My boyfriends pork chops were so good he blanked out and ate it in 10 minutes. The atmosphere was warm and our server was amazing! Definitely will be there again I think we found our new favorite restaurant.

Excellent. Excellent. Excellent.
The food was fresh and cooked perfectly, the staff was attentive and kind and all this while the place was packed on a Saturday night, which in my opinion is the true test of a restaurant.
Hopefully someone considering dining at this establishment will overlook the pointless, self-​serving ramblings of «Shari W.» whom, in my opinion is exactly the type of person who shouldn’t have the right to Unilocal,or eat out for that matter.
P. S. The Ricotta Cheesecake is amazing.

Still on their game with some of the very best food, service and ambience in Monmouth county, Via45 continues to please the many regulars who dine here. Jan and I as well as the two other couples we dined with last night were very happy with our meals. Highly recommended!