Top 10 Restaurants in Howell, New Jersey

Christie’s Italian Seafood Grill offers a large menu of traditional Italian cuisine. The restaurant is headed by Chef Rosario Colandrea, who learned to cook while growing up in a small town on Italy’s Amalfi Coast. Classy yet inviting, the restaurant’s interior features low lighting and elegant curved archways. The menu includes a variety of pastas and meat entrées, but seafood is the restaurant’s speciality. Try the shrimp fra diavolo, which consists of gulf shrimp sautéed in a mix of olive oil and fresh basil, then served on linguini with a spicy red sauce.

As its name suggests, Asian Harbor specializes in Asian-inspired fare for lunch and dinner. Opened in 2012, this low-key restaurant is located in Howell’s Aldrich Shopping Center. Sample some of the restaurant’s imaginative sushi, such as the Boston roll made with shrimp, avocado, cucumber; or the godzilla roll with deep fried roll salmon, white tune, red snapper, stripe bass, and special sauce. Alternatively, opt for one of the restaurant’s Thai entrées, like the Thai yellow curry which is made with coconut milk, onions, broccoli, potatoes, and a choice of meats.

Rivoli’s Grill & Chill offers a crowd-pleasing menu of burgers, steaks, and sandwiches, in addition to gourmet pizzas, pastas, and seafood dishes. Owned by a group of family and friends, the restaurant’s rustic interior includes wooden flooring, exposed brick walls, and plenty of sports memorabilia. The bar balcony offers great views of the restaurant’s high definition TVs, which are often tuned to UFC events. Diners can also enjoy shuffleboard and pool, or check out the restaurant’s regular line-up of live music. Stop by during Happy Hour for excellent deals on drinks, as well as snacks like cheeseburger sliders, tacos, buffalo wings, and veggie potstickers.

The unassuming exterior of Season’s Coal Fired Bistro gives way to a lovely interior with marble-topped tables and earth toned décor. Diners are likely to spot the restaurant’s coal fired ovens set near the entrance, the secret to its crispy crust pizzas. Unlike traditional gas ovens which can only reached temperatures of around 500 degrees, temperatures can get as high as 1000 degrees in coal fired ovens. The result is perfectly-cooked pizza. In addition to pizza, the restaurant also offers a wonderful selection of pastas, sandwiches, meat and seafood entrées, as well as a full bar menu.

Vietnam Bistro offers modern interpretations of Asian cuisine in a bright, no-frills setting. Founded by Phil Ho, the restaurant offers eat-in, take-out, and delivery options. The large menu includes a variety of noodle and rice dishes, as well as meat and seafood entrées. Pho, a Vietnamese noodle soup, is an ideal option for first-time diners, particularly those new to Vietnamese cuisine. Opt for the house special, pho dac biet, a beef soup made with tender brisket and rice noodles. Save room for a scoop of kem chien (fried ice cream) for dessert.

Specializing in Brooklyn-style pizza and other Italian cuisine, Red Moon Restaurant & Pizzeria takes its name from an old Italian song called Luna Rosa meaning ‘red moon’. Opened in 1968, the restaurant’s original owners came from Brooklyn, bringing recipes that have since been passed down for three generations. The menu includes a wide selection of pastas, sandwiches, wraps, as well as meat and seafood entrées, but loyal customers would agree that the restaurant’s pizzas are the highlight. Go for the Milano Pizza, topped with Portobello mushrooms, roasted peppers, fresh mozzarella, margherita sauce, and fresh basil.

Juanito’s II is a family-owned restaurant that offers classic Mexican dishes in a colorful, eclectic setting. Owner Jorge Torres grew up in Jalisco, Mexico and the menu features dishes based on his family’s traditional recipes. The combination platters are a perfect option for diners who want to sample a few different dishes, pairing mains like burritos and flautas or enchiladas and tamals, alongside rice, refried beans, and sour cream. The restaurant is BYOB, with diners welcome to bring a drink of their choice to enjoy with their meals.

The Chapter House offers a large, seasonally-changing menu of affordable sandwiches, pastas, burgers, seafood, and steaks. Open for lunch and dinner, the restaurant’s casual interior features high ceilings and wood-paneled walls. Diners can enjoy their meals in one of the two dining areas, or at the bar where the atmosphere can get quite lively. The bar menu includes microbrews and known beers, in addition to wines, cocktails, and specialty coffees. For a meal, go for the hearty Texas chili, or one of the 8 oz beef burgers served with a deli pickle, coleslaw, and potato chips.

Federici’s South specializes in pizza as well as veal, seafood, and chicken entrées. This family-owned restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, with home-made, cooked-to-order dishes served in its modest interior. Take out and delivery are also available, and guests are welcome to bring their own wine and spirits to enjoy alongside their meals. Go for the spat federici’s pizza; a thin crust pizza topped with eggplant, sliced black olives, and prosciutto. The restaurant offers budget-friendly daily specials, and there is sometimes live music.

Ottimo Café takes its name from an Italian expression meaning ‘excellence’. Headed by Chef Jason Cappetta, a graduate of the prestigious Johnson & Wales University College of Culinary Arts, the restaurant offers kosher certified Italian and American cuisine. The pappardelle is amongst the restaurant’s most popular dishes: homemade tomato herb pasta in a sundried tomato cream sauce with roasted red peppers. The restaurant’s sleek, contemporary interior features a mainly black-and-white color scheme, with eye-watching, wave-like designs decorating the walls.