Nettie’s

There’s a special nostalgia that Italian Americans have for that wood-paneled, slightly musty corner red-sauce joint of our childhood. These local spaghetti joints offered not only those giant meatballs made by someone’s nonna, but also a whiff of seamy Mafia past, forbidden and dangerous. Hilariously, the art on display is a painting of a man in a rowboat with two dogs, as seen in the mob classic, Goodfellas. Tinton Falls Nettie’s House of Spaghetti falls into this category of eatery.

A couple of lawyer friends recommended Nettie’s to us when we first moved to the Jersey shore three years ago, and we have eaten there at least a half-dozen times now. And while there were individual dishes that didn’t make the grade, I can’t say that I ever had a bad meal there in all those visits.

You’d be forgiven if you blew right past the outpost, located on Route 130 on the corner of Asbury Avenue. Contrary to rumor, which has its origins as either a rest stop or a gas station, depending on who you ask, the spot was built 60 years ago as the pizza joint Luigi’s Tavern. They closed in 2018, and the building was purchased in November 2019 by Chris and Tania Calabrese and dubbed Nettie’s.

Since then, Chris Calabrese has continued to work his magic in the kitchen, serving up a very vegetable-forward take on Italian cooking. The chef changes things up often enough that there’s no way to focus on anything but the current menu.

The place is decorated in warm wood tones with a charming old-style phone booth at the entryway, where a hostess will greet you. Two antechambers to the right offer table seating for larger parties. On the inner wall are booths and small two-top booths, with a long, mirrored bar opposite. (Bar seating is a hot option for individual diners).

Nettie’s is known for its impressive Negronis menu, including the Nettie’s with Boodles Gin, St. Agrestis Bitter and Carpano Antica on tap. The Classic subs out Campari for the bitters; then there are four other variations: Saffron, Mez-Calab, Bergamot, and Barrel Finished Gin. They also offer a botanically enhanced menu of Nettie’s Originals, drinks made with saffron-infused mexacal and pistachio, or beet and purple basil, or cinnamon and citrus. They even have a handful each of spritzes’ and non-alcoholic cocktails. Take a look at the menu below.

Their wine list is an Italian-focused selection grown by family-owned vineyards. It includes organic, biodynamic, and natural wines. There are enough good wines available by the glass on any given night that even fussy drinkers won’t have reason to grumble.

Once you’ve ordered your drinks and eyed up the cadre of attentive young hotties always on the ready to clean up your dishes and crumbs, turn your attention to the dinner menu. Our waitress Kyanne (like the spice) competently listed the daily specials with a smile—very Brooklyn, but without the attitude.

We ordered the appetizer special Arancini, recalling fondly a December trip to Palermo during the Feast of Santa Lucia, when arancini are eaten to commemorate a famine-ending miracle. I guess it’s a little unfair to compare Nettie’s arancini with those crafted in Sicily, but despite having a nice crust and being served with a tasty red sauce, they were ultimately a bit too salty and cheesy for our taste. Other appetizer options include cheese and crackers, whipped house-made ricotta, salumi, olives, and house-made giardiniera.

In past visits, I have cannibalized Nettie’s Vegetables & Sides menu for apps, including a delicious Caesar Salad, a very garlicky chopped broccoli rabe, and unfurled Brussels sprouts with chickpeas. On our first few visits, I also tried their Fried Mushrooms, with hen of the woods and shiitake mushrooms fried, dusted with za’atar, and squirted with lemon. I kept willing them to get it right but each time, the mushrooms proved over-fried—so hard that they passed the enjoyable mark. It would be great to see this promising dish reach its potential.

But no matter! We enjoyed the impeccable vibes and listened to deep cuts of disco by Chic while we waited for our (also off-menu) entrees. I got the Garlic Green Pasta, which was very light and simple, comforting rather than the acidic or astringent you might expect from green garlic. It was kind of like if movie popcorn was a pasta. The wife got a very basil-forward, fork-tender chicken parm. It was perfect, and we wondered if the basil came from the ample supply in the flower boxes that line the front door.

Nettie’s menu also offers three dry pastas: Lamb Trofie, Spaghetti Arrabbiata with spicy Calabrian chili, and Spaghetti & Meat Sauce. They also have three fresh pastas: Spinach Ravioli, Fettucine Amatriciana with house-cured bacon and Nettie’s Spicy Crunchy™, and a semolina Casarecce Limone. Many choices are vegan or gluten-free.

The Meat & Fish menu has delicious giant meatballs, hot or sweet Italian sausage (note: I have gotten sick on this dish, undercooked, in a past visit), Tuna Steak Frites, Red Snapper, Prime Flat Iron steak, and Nettie’s Lemon Chicken. All the dishes are pretty good. The Dessert Menu is short: Sicilian Orange Cake with olive oil whipped cream and sea salt is a good choice.

In reading over this review, I can’t help noticing that my overall history at Nettie’s has been uneven, at best. Yet I still consider it one of my favorite places to eat—the restaurant I want to go whenever there’s a birthday or anniversary to celebrate. So, I guess that says something about the impression Nettie’s has made upon me. It’s not particularly close to our home, it’s hard to get a reservation, individual dishes are sometimes not great, but I keep going back.

Nettie’s made some waves in 2023 when they banned children under 10 years old from dining there. I understand wanting to bring your precious spawn everywhere you go, but some places—like higher-end restaurants people celebrate special occasions in—are not an ideal place for your crying babies. And if Nettie’s isn’t exactly upscale, your bill will be large enough for it to qualify as upper scale for sures. So, take the wee ones somewhere they can get the chicken nuggets and fries they adore, and save this one for adults. It’s okay sometimes to say no to kids. Our parents did it all the time, and we ended up not totally the worst.

It’s hard these days to find a restaurant that’s even trying to do something new or innovative while still operating from a strong foundation of culinary excellence. In that way, Nettie’s is an outlier. They’re willing to splurge on the best ingredients or even make the menu items themselves, the chef isn’t afraid to take some risks that maybe don’t always pay off, but they always are ready to pivot, all in the service of offering diners something that’s becoming more and more difficult to find these days: a truly delightful, unexpected dinner.

Nettie’s
5119 Asbury Ave.
Tinton Falls, NJ 07753
732-922-9799
Nettiesrestaurant.com

Wednesday-Thursday 5-9 p.m.
Friday-Saturday 5-9:30 p.m.
Sunday 4-8:30 p.m.

Save a Few Clams

Nettie’s has a revolving Wednesday pasta special (like homemade ricotta gnocchi in kale pesto, or spaghetti pomodoro), and a Saturday special Eggplant Rollatini.