On a typical family night, it wouldn’t be a surprise to find us at Uncle Bacala’s. There’s a very comfortable, family-oriented, and yet classy feel to the restaurant. The table wear is typical Italian red and white cloth, and there are decorative lights all over inside and out. The outside patio in the back is very nice to sit in the summer, and is right next to a gelato place that makes you feel like you’re in Bayville. The staff is very friendly, often cracking jokes or giving the impression that you are their family.

  

 

   
My opinion on their food changes a lot. There are dinners where I feel like the food is nothing impressive, and then dinners where I feel that the food was some great traditional Italian. It really varies dish to dish. Uncle Bacala’s is considered a seafood restaurant, but honestly, I don’t particularly love their seafood. The only exception I make is for a crab-stuffed filet of sole special that they frequently offer, which is honestly quite good and has a load of flavor and crab. Their salmon dish, however, was the opposite for me, and I’m not a very big fan of it. Their pasta dishes are almost always well-made and satisfying, and therefore, I don’t think one can ever go wrong getting pasta from there.

They have a great antipasto appetizer, and I’m always a fan of a good Caesar salad I also regularly get their eggplant rollatini. Their dishes all look very good, but sometimes they truly do look better than they taste. 

Their desserts are very satisfying, with a unique peach ravioli and an incredible warm pecan pie dessert that is to die for. The portion sizes overall at the restaurant tend to be on the larger side, so I almost always bring half my dish home. 
 

 

  
 
 
My family loves the restaurant overall, but I find myself more drawn to the atmosphere more than anything else. I will admit that there are plenty of pretty good dishes, but I can’t say that anything served at the restaurant is over-the-top impressive, including their pasta dishes. If it wasn’t for my family always deciding to go, I’m not sure if I would really initiate ever going myself. 

Regardless, it’s a very comfortable and enjoyable place to enjoy a good Italian family meal, and I really do love that outdoor patio in the back.