A Modo Mio

Great food! Warm atmosphere and love the 40’s and early 50’s music! I had the shrimp and scallop risotto. Very light tomato sauce super delicious. Enjoy!

Pros: Great food, lots of options, usually very good service, although they do tend to rush you. BYOB. Walking distance from my house in Sea Isle.
Con: I didn’t realize until our 4^th visit that they automatically add in a 23% gratuity for EVERYONE. Party of 2? Automatic gratuity added. Since we don’t usually over scrutinize our check, especially if it is just my husband and myself, we didn’t notice until I read an online review. Went last Wednesday, scrutinized the check, and darn if they didn’t add a gratuity for our party of four. So while I do like this restaurant, I feel the practice of adding the gratuity is ridiculous for parties of less than 6. When we added our 20% tip (making it a 43% tip for the server) NO ONE said «Oh, do you realize the gratuity was already in there». So shame on us for not paying attention, but believe me we «check our checks» now much more thoroughly, especially in a beach town, especially in the summer.
To A Modo Mio, this practice makes you look bad.
Note 7÷2÷2016: We went to A Modo Mio last night with friends and again were seated promptly. The meal was excellent, service was good and we were not rushed, nice on the first night of a holiday weekend. I had advised my three companions about the automatic gratuity so they were prepared, but. .. it was not on the bill. I’m not sure if it has been removed permanently, if they take it off for busier months in the summer, or if they missed putting it on because the check was split between two parties. The mystery continues.. .

We dined at A Modo Mio (party of 6) Saturday night and it was excellent. Yes, there are other choices of Italian restaurants in Sea Isle and we have tried them all. I feel that A Modo Mio is the best. Since I am a good Italian cook, I can replicate everything at the other restaurants very easily. When I go out I want to eat something that I cannot easily whip up myself. Pasta a Modo Mio (pappardelle, mushrooms, short rib ragú) is my favorite. The Gnocchi Dolce with walnuts, balsamic reduction, gorgonzola cream sauce was very good as well (although the entrée could have been a little larger). I highly recommend this restaurant.

Food was delicious. Service was not great — we asked for Parmesan cheese for our bread dipping oil and the server brought us a dish with chunks of cheese. In addition, we had to wait to be seated because they didn’t have enough chairs in the restaurant.

Having been to the majority of restaurants in Sea Isle, I’ve almost come to expect mediocre food when going out on the island. Enter A Modo Mio to buck the trend. I heavily debated between 4 and 5 stars (come on Unilocal,give us half star options already!), but settled on 4.
The menu was that of a classic Italian restaurant, with a variety of antipasto, pasta, meat and seafood options. The place was packed, so the server was a little short with us, but the staff was readily available for a water refill, bread request, and any other interests of ours. Don’t forget to bring your favorite bottles of wine (BYOB)!
The food:
–Cozze alla Napolitana (Mussels w/​marinara): There’s a certain level of chewiness I accept when ordering mussels. This was not the case here, as they were perfectly cooked. The sauce was quite flavorful, and had some nice spice to it without actually being hot. It was overwhelmingly garlicky, and I mean that in the best way possible.
–Calamari w/​soft shelled crab appetizer (night special): The calamari was freakin amazing. Perfectly cooked with a good flavor in the breading and sauce. Squeeze some of that lemon on there for perfection! The soft shelled crab tasted like typical soft shelled crab
–Lobster ravioli (night special): Came with a rich creamy rose sauce, shrimp, and scallops. I wasn’t in love with the shrimp or scallops, but the pasta and sauce were excellent.
–Mushroom ravioli: Absolutely amazing. The base was perfectly salted and spiced, and the pasta was well prepared.
–Brasato al Barolo (braised short rib): Tender meat, tasty sauce on a rice bed.
–Veal w/​lump crab meat: Not bad, but probably the weakest of the entrees.
Overall, a great experience and will absolutely return. The highlights were both appetizers and both raviolis

Went for dinner last night. Had reservations from Open table and was greeted and seated right away. Our waitress (Maria) was so nice and cheerful and knew the specials and described them as if she made them herself. Appy’s were amazing as was the dinner and dessert. Pleasant atmosphere. Can’t wait to go back. This is a must visit when in Sea Isle

Not horrible but not worth those prices. Risotto w 2 pieces of mealy scallops and 2 shrimp was ok. Shaved veal for the veal dish. Salmon in a vinegar sauce was weird. And the chicken parm was awful. Spongy chicken is the only way to describe the taste. No need to return.

As we walked over to A Modo Mio in Sea Isle City with just about 20 people, we were excited to see how our restaurant experience turned out. This had been my first time visiting the restaurant, so I was excited for a new experience. The first thing I took notice of was the décor. We sat down in cushioned black seats and our long rectangular table was set very nicely. The black napkins were folded triangularly over our plates and the table setting was neat, and there were small candles placed around the table for decoration. Around the room there were many paintings and picture to give the room a sense of liveliness. The menus were easy to read in an organized fashion, but the dishes were listed in Italian. When the appetizers came out I already knew this experience would be worth it by my first bite. I took a bite into the calamari and it was quite delectable; the fried outside was golden and crunchy and the inside was just the right texture and chewiness. When our food came out my expectations were proven true. Our food was plated creatively and tasted as delicious as it looked. There was one member of my family who got something she didn’t want, but the restaurant quickly made her something different that she loved. The food did take quite a long time to make but it was all homemade; this always takes longer, and the restaurant advised us that it may take longer. After we had finished, eating everyone was full so we knew that there were good serving sizes.
A reservation for 20 can be hard to keep up with especially when there are also other tables that need to be served; this did not appear to be the case at A Modo Mio. The waitress and waiter, we had two, often checked in with us to make sure we were doing alright, and kept us posted on the status of our food being cooked. Also since the majority of the table had glasses of water a waiter often came over to fill our glasses without us even having to ask. Another helpful thing was, our servers were very helpful with helping everyone pick out a meal they would enjoy. The atmosphere of the restaurant was relaxing and welcoming. As we entered A Modo Mio, the staff showed us our seats as if welcoming us to their home. Later in the meal the waitress came around to light the candles on our table which gave the restaurant more of a calming touch, to make our experience more enjoyable.
Skinny: Overall, I was happy with my experience at A Modo Mio. The homemade food was delicious, even if it took a long time, and there was excellent service. This restaurant would not be good to visit often because it is pricey, however it is a good once-​in-​awhile dinner at the shore. If you are looking for a great Italian restaurant in Sea Isle City, I would totally recommend A Modo Mio.

We went there for New Years Eve and was really impressed! The service was outstanding, the food was delicious, Great prices, friendly, and we had a great time! I did not expect it to be that perfect because it was packed but they outdid themselves again. I can not wait to go back! One of my favorite places!

I had the best calamari ever here. Seriously special and full of flavor.
For an Italian place, it is not family friendly at all. They gave my 3 year old a wine glass for water. They have no to go cups or other beverage cup suitable for a child.
The waitress was polite enough but not friendly. She didn’t tell us anything about the menu or try to engage us at all.
Might get take out but won’t ever go back in the place. They think they are special.
The next night we went to Marie’s and had the most warm and fun dinner with my family.

Good was good, fresh seafood, small portions, service was mediocre. Just fair all around.

Food is absolutely fantastic, but the service is what makes this review a 2 out of 5. Our salads took about 30 minutes to come out and we didn’t get our entrees for about 2 hours. Our server never came to check on us — we received better service from the water fillers and table busers. When we asked how much longer our entrees would take, our server rudely said that she would check with the kitchen. You would think if it routinely took that long for food to be prepared and served, that the server would mention that it is made from scratch and may take awhile at the beginning of service — not avoid the table, then rudely respond when the table asks how much longer their food will take. Every table around us asked why it took so long. When one gentleman complained at the hostess stand, the manager and server were very rude with their response. I have never experienced such pompous, rude and arrogant behavior from servers — especially when the bill automatically added 23% gratuity. The space is very small, causing it to get very loud at times.

I was a little worried when I saw this place only had 3.5 stars but then realized that was only because there were 10 reviews. Let me tell you, this place was excellent! I went we a large group of people (8 guests) and couldn’t have had a better time. The service was great. The server and bus people were all on top of the game.
I can see why some people may give it an average rating. This place isn’t expensive, but its not cheap either. Its definitely more high end, but the food quality matches the price. I didn’t notice any wait, but I think my standards of what I consider a wait different than most people’s. I come to places like this to relax and take my time. I don’t want to be out the door in 30 minutes. So if you think the wait for food is too long, just know that the food is worth the wait.
As for the food. Hands down some of the best food I have had in a while. Here’s the list of everything I had, all of which I would recommend in a heartbeat:
Appetizers: Meatballs, Mozzarella Fritta, Calamari (cooked perfectly, not chewy or rubbery at all)
Dinner: Halibut with crab meat, spinach, cherry tomatoes over pasta with a garlic saffron sauce (delicious)
Dessert: Some sort of peanut butter chocolate ball sealed in more chocolate. I don’t actually remember all the levels of chocolate that were part of this, but it was so good.
Can’t wait to visit Sea Isle again and eat at this place!

Good food but a little over priced for what you are given. The calamari as our appetizer was amazing and I would definitely recommend it. I would return but I wasn’t blown away

Service was great food was absolutely excellent atmosphere was nice prices were exactly what we expected.
They could do with removing the gratuity on the bill that just simply upsets most people. But, I usually tip over 20% anyway so it wasn’t even a big deal to us.
Whatever faults other reviewers mentioned were made up for with how good the food was, It really was great.

Food was good, service was mediocre. The pasta dishes were quite heavy with garlic but the pasta itself was very homemade and very good.

«Best new restaurant in Sea Isle!»
Was surprised to see a pretty full dining room on a Monday night, pre July 4^th. Went with a party of 6 people and we all left raving about our meal. The portion sizes were adequate (I actually took half home) and the salads creative and shareable. The black squid ink lobster ravioli with seared scallops was unique and delicious as were the ample sized veal parmesan with homemade pasta and red sauce that I actually enjoyed. (don’t usually eat red sauce (gravy) out). The desserts were heavenly and the meal was topped off with my fave, lemoncello, compliments of the house. Our server, Maria was great as was Eric, the owner. The dining room is a little noisy, but I found that in many other restaurants in Sea Isle. (wonder why???) Street parking may be a problem so allow 15 mins before your reservation to find a spot which may be a block or more away, but well worth the effort!

23% tip included in check! That’s ambitious at best!
Billed for item not ordered.
Service marginal.
Food OK.

This is the second day in a row that we’ve ordered take out from them. I have found it challenging to find decent food in Sea Isle City. Most of it is disappointing and others are just terrible. I hope that people give this place a try because so far every single dish we’ve gotten from them has been delicious. We’ve ordered the lentil soup, roasted beet salad, eggplant appetizer, mushroom risotto, fettuccine with mushroom, rigatoni with sausage and mushroom, spaghetti and meatballs, veal francese and the florentino paninni. Not sure if I spelled any of that correctly but you get the idea. The point is, it was all really excellent. The simple fact that the majority of their pasta is HOMEMADE is a win for me.
I hope this place does really well and is here next summer when we come down.

Plenty of Italian restaurants in Sea Isle. I ordered all 3 specials. It took over 20 minutes for the Mushroom soup to arrive as well as my wife’s salad. The soup was barely warm and not special. The salad was drenched in dressing. The Tuna Tar was basically bread, guacamole and a little tomato but almost no tuna. My spinach seafood special was also drenched in sauce. We skipped desert ad I’m sure we would still be waiting for it. It’s not even the season yet and this was a disappointment. Sorry!