Secondo

My daughter found this restaurant after getting off the Ferry ride! All I can say is the food was so good. Hot fresh focaccia bread with garlic & herb infused olive oil. Just delicious!! My husband had salmon with a potato pancake my children order pizza. No complaints from my kids and they can get very picky! Let me just say.. my food was Amazing! I ordered Eggplant with Peso sauce. Whewwwww!! Every bite was so delicious. Great outside service for social distance! Perfect view! Great service. I would recommend and come back again. Happy 2 hours drive home.

Secondo Panicos is U Do It approved! Mrs U Do It and I celebrated our 25th anniversary here and it was wonderful! We arrived for our resetvation 15 minutes early and we had drinks at the bar while we waited for them to open for dining. Our waitress was super friendly. We had calamari and fried mozzerella for the first course. We love it here!

Every time my sister travels to Cape May to visit this is her 1st stop, she looks forward to it every year. The service is always top notch, cocktails and food are so good! One of the best spots in Cape May!

Food and atmosphere was great! I went with a party of 15 and they were able to accommodate us. ( make a reservation 2 weeks ahead)

Food and service were great! Tons of specials to choose from. They must have had at least 7 entree specials. Definitely going back in summer.

This place is off the beaten path and worth it. No issue with parking like in town. AJ was a great server and food was great. Ceasar salad was the best I've had. Be sure to make a reservation in advance.

Excellent time! Great apps and entrees and drinks! Staff were attentive and friendly. First time here and will be back!

It was not my first experience at Secondo but it was my first time to sit at the outdoor bar. Bartenders, Kevin and Jackson answered all my questions about the drinks and the glassware, no plastic cups here. If you go definitely engage Kevin in conversation his voice tone is special. I had a strawberry margarita which was tasty but going to return for the espresso martini.

Delicious food and wonderful service on a busy 4th of July weekend! We were 30 minutes late because of being held up by an accident on the bridge nearby but they were still kind enough to seat us immediately when we arrived. Best fra diavolo we’ve ever had, the battered tomato with crab and blue cheese was incredible, the fried calamari was tender, don’t sleep on the specials/additions! Thanks Secondo staff for a great evening!

Food and service was exceptional. Our server was Tom and he was on point 👉 Will definitely be returning soon.

Every meal we've had here is delicious. Even with their excellent and varied menu, we always end up getting one of the specials (the pork loin and gnocchi are amazing and the mahi special was incredible). The service is a great pace and you don't feel rushed through your meal. The restaurant is a little darker and atmospheric - great for a nice dinner with friends or family. And a cocktail in the bar while waiting for a table is a great little addition to a delicious dinner!

We are still at this amazing place & I am writing this review, the bread, salads, pasta, burrata everything we ordered is unbelievable! Tom our server for the evening took such good care of us, he understood our vegetarian needs and made the right recommendations. We loved the freshness of salad, unique taste of bruschetta. The pasta sauce for papardelle was superb. We will definitely return!

Chicken parmesan was the best I've had in a very long time. Wonderful owners, beautiful atmosphere, always good drinks. They are also open year round which is pretty exceptional in a coastal town. #ilovecapemay

The pork chops special with ravioli was outstanding and one of the best meals I have ever had. The lamb chops were cooked perfectly and the side of pasta was delicious. The stuffed flounder my fiance and her mom both loved with lemon rice. Plus they went out of their way once my fiancés mom told them we just got engaged. Our waitress was friendly and visited the table often always in a great mood. The star of the show. The sausage peppers and onions dip appetizer.

What they serve is always the best of the best. You can spend a lot but you can also get plates that are under 40 per plate. Drinks are delicious and they don’t skimp. It’s a hot spot so make the reservation

Amazing dinning experience. The dinner fare is top notch and the atmosphere is very nice with available outdoor seating with entertainment as well. Setting is on a wharf of the back bay and adds to the ambiance. Our server "Jeff" was outstanding which is why he naturally got 30%. I would have given it 5 stars if the dining room seats were more comfortable, wooded seats do not make for comfortable dining.

The food was delicious. For the appetizer we had crab balls followed by our dinners which included pizzas for the girls, Maui Maui for me covered in crab meat and a chicken Parm for my buddy. The music was so loud that you couldn’t hear yourself chew much less have a conversation with anybody including the waiter who by the way was very efficient but somewhat difficult to understand as he was new to our a great land. Perhaps if the speakers weren’t turned up so loud On the gent playing the keyboard outside. With 10 less decibels in the dining room I think five stars would’ve been in order.

We spent NYE 2026 here. The food and drinks were pretty decent. The waitress/service wasn't great. They have a back bar and dance floor.

We were a group of four on a Saturday night. Service and atmosphere were very good. Food was average but my wife’s chicken parmigiana dish was a bit dry and chewy. Probably a one and done thing.

The restaurant offers a lively atmosphere with a live band. The food was tasty and flavorful, though the service could use some improvement. Our orders were served quite slowly, which was somewhat frustrating. Additionally when i discovered hair in our oil and informed the staff, I was disappointed that no apology was offered - only the dish was taken away and replaced. My husband was also very disappointed when the waiter told him that the Sunday dinner was only available on Sundays, yet he saw another table being served that dish. It would have been better if the waiter had simply explained that the dish had sold out Overall, its good spot for ambiance and food but the service needs to be more attentive

June 2025: Not bad, but not great. Live music paired well with dinner on the hot patio. A few fans might help cool off the servers dripping in sweat. Service was simply okay. The margarita flight was delicious but the wine was served very warm. Hats off to the chefs. Food was good and presented well. Enjoy! Side note: The parking lot is not paved. Clean cars, shoes, and clothing will depart covered in concrete/road dust. It is difficult to create a “fine dining” experience when you arrive clean but leave dirty. Strollers and wheelchairs should be dropped off at the door. In my opinion, this restaurant lacks the attention to detail to be considered fine dining. However, this restaurant is great for beginners. Cheers!

Service was fantastic and location is beautiful. However, food was pretty average especially for the price with exception of the raw oysters which were amazing and that hot sauce they serve with it is a must. The bruschetta and spanakopita needs more salt.

Food and service were very good. We were there on a pleasant, breezy summer evening so we ate outside. The building and hedges blocked any breeze, still pleasant tho. Then for some crazy reason they fired up 10 foot long gas fireplace with foot high flames and soon the guests were fanning themselves and the waiters were sweating bullets. It's 80 plus degrees out, for the love of all things holy turn off the giant outdoor fireplace!!!

Excellent complimentary fresh baked bread, the service was rushed and I feel the waiter had too many tables. The scallops were fresh and cooked properly but the sauce was too sweet. Did not have the artichoke on the app. menu so we got the grilled oysters which were just OK. The eggplant was under cooked, the red sauce on the pasta was too sweet and the pesto was just full basil leaves on cheese. This was a Thursday night and I feel they could have done better.

The food is good and our waiter was equally as good, however we had a 730 reservation and were not seated until after 8. They were supposed to text me when our table was ready, but that didn't happen. I had to ask again about seating. They have no comfortable place to wait either, no seating outside and only 2 or 3 seats inside. My husband had recently back surgery so it was a difficult wait. Parking is awful. Not nearly enough parking for the size of the restaurant. It's located on a major roadway between cape may and wildwood, so parking in the street is not a viable option. The place is very loud and noisy, not a relaxing atmosphere at all. Their other restaurant, Panicos, has a much more appealing atmosphere and decor. Sorry to say that I will probably not return to Secondo, it was not an enjoyable experience. Even though the food is very good, and our waiter Andrew was wonderful, the rest was a turnoff. Panico has basically the same food and a more pleasant experience.

7pm reservation. Not seated until 7:45. Out of oysters. No anchovies for Cesar’s salad. Food good. Waiter good. Overall average.

For hearing how great this place was from a very good friend I must admit I was disappointed (and trust me I didn't want to be). I order two appetizers...calamari and something they called battered layered jersey. I've ordered calamari from many different restaurants and they always have a dipping sauce. Well there's a first for this one...no sauce. It also seemed very greasey to me...like it came right out of the fryer and was dumped in the bowl. The battered jersey did have a nice taste. It was crab between tomato with a sauce. It had layers and was also deep fried. I go to cut into it and had a difficult time. I start pulling it apart to find out the tomatoes still had the core attached. I tell the waiter and he said he would take it off the bill...the classy thing to do if he would have. For my main meal I had spaghetini.. Very thin spaghetti with two shrimp (they had nice flavor), four mussles (later found one of the broken pieces of shell in my mouth), four calamari rings, two little neck claims and a nice piece of salmon. Except for the shell in my mouth (which can happen...you as a chef just have to be careful and pay attention) this was good but not $34 good (maybe $26 to $28). No offense but I don't think I'll be driving that far again for an average meal.

Secondo is Stinko. We did not like anything about this very popular place. Tables are crammed together, the one hostess is not warm or friendly, the black & white decor is trendy but leaves a lot to be desired, the lack of upholstered chairs, window treatments, carpeting makes for a very loud, noisy atmosphere. The windows should be covered since they don't look like they've been washed/cleaned since 1978. That was my view the entire 1.5 hours and it drove me wild. Not a good look. There are dozens of large flies whirling around the interior constantly-one landing in my husband's water glass and he didn't realize it-he almost drank it. He pointed it out to the server who looked at the glass laughed then walked away. Our server never cleared it from our table. We had to look at it until we left. Disgusting, unsanitary and unprofessional. My stuffed flounder dish was a dud. It was overcooked, hard and tasteless-I have a feeling it was a pre-made frozen entree purchased from their food service. My husband had the Bronzini-they deep fried the entire fish-including the head and tail. Half was inedible. The zucchini appetizer were squished pieces of zucchini deep fried-the only redeeming quality was the tzatziki sauce to smother them in. If you love overcrowded, loud, overpriced inferior food this place is your destiny. We loved the Blue Claw that once was an establishment at this location. This is NOTHING like the classy, fine dining experience we would enjoy at the Jersey Shore. They made sure they decimated any remnants of those glory days.

The air conditioning was clearly broken and the hostess did not let us know when we checked in - she offered us a table in the bar area first but we had wanted to sit in the main dining room little did we know that is where the air conditioning is broken and she never let us know - if she communicated this we would have gladly sat in the bar area as I have blood pressure issues and my body does not regulate well in the heat - how can you not communicate and make it like we’re the crazy ones? Food itself was very good - but they were out of the appetizer we wanted. Waiter tried to see if they could put the air conditioning on but did say they were having issues with it - get it fixed and if it’s not be clear with customers on the situation!!

Secondo Panicos was a remarkable disappointment considering I have been to Panico's Bistro in Cape May, which is outstanding, multiple times. On June 10, 2025, with my mother and girlfriend, we wanted to try a new restaurant in Cape May with a couple who live near Harrisburg, PA, for a birthday dinner. We first sat at the bar and had a nice chat with a female manager and a female bartender. I made reservations, so our table was ready at 5:00 PM. Our waiter, Jeremy, was very professional, personable, and attentive. The nightmare started when our friends both ordered a gin and tonic, and instead got gin and club soda. Jeremy quickly corrected the error, which they appreciated. We ordered calamari, which we have had at dozens of restaurants over the past thirty years, and it was in the top three worst ever. Large rings of chewy squid, overly battered. My mother and my girlfriend tried one piece each and were unable to chew it. I managed to eat three pieces, but the work I had to put into it wasn't worth it. We told Jeremy it was inedible and he took it off our bill. My mother and my girlfriend ordered the char-grilled Branzino, which was excellent, equally as good as the Branzino at Panico's Bistro. Our friend's wife — it was her birthday — ordered the salmon special, which was extremely bland. Her husband and I both ordered the stuffed flounder, a special of the evening, which included a vegetable — we chose broccoli — and rice. The flounder itself was fresh and had a good appearance, but the so-called crab imperial stuffing had little taste and had a brownish color to it, something I've never seen before. The fish was topped with some kind of sweet ginger(?) glaze, which overpowered the fish and probably helped the taste of the crab imperial. The rice was cold, dry, and tasteless and the broccoli was fresh and perfectly steamed. For dessert, our friends ordered an extremely rich peanut butter chocolate ball that they were very satisfied with. My mother, my girlfriend and I ordered tiramisu, which was god awful. It didn't even resemble tiramisu and tasted lousy — hard to believe they could even serve this. A Tastycake cupcake is ten times better. My girlfriend and I are foodies and have been to multiple Cape May restaurants, but Secondo is hands down the worst we have visited to date. The staff was great, but the food was reminiscent of a diner besides the branzino. I would put it in the tourist trap category. When in Cape May looking for a dining experience, do yourself a favor — go to another restaurant! I recommend Panico's Bistro as an alternative.

MIA , our waitress was very good. She was very attentive. She explained all the specials. She was the only thing that was good about the dinner. We told her that we were going to write a review My dinner was good, but my husband paid $64 for the filet mignon and he couldn't eat it. It was tough and he wanted medium but it came rare had a hard time cutting and when he did cut couldn't eat it. This happened before and the problem was in the kitchen. Someone changed purveyors and never told the owner. You should check the kitchen because that filet was not from WESTSIDE

We are regulars of Secondo and have recommended this restaurant to family and friends. Our experience tonight leaves. very bad taste in our mouths. First let me share our bill was over$400 for three adults and one seven year old. My wife ordered the shrimp cavatappi but requested no shrimp as she does not eat sea food. The dish is $36.00 and calls for shrimp, pancetta and peas. When we got the check it said $36.00. I asked the server bout the charge and she informed us that they do not make adjustments. She apologized and said that she should have mentioned the price would not change. I requested to speak with the manager because not only was the meal missing shrimp (our request), there was no pancetta and only five peas. The manager said there would be no adjustment and if there was a problem with the dish we should have sent it back. Again, we are spending over $400 and the manager can’t make an adjustment on the dish for no shrimp? We were mot asking for a free meal and our server recognized us as regulars. In our opinion, this was truly a poor business decision.

Hostess and "owner" ruined night... rude!!!! Seated us very late and "owner" tried to argue about minutes... our reservation was at 8:45 seated at 9:10 "owner" tried to argue it was 7 minutes not their fault we came early....we complained seated almost 30 minutes late all they could do is argue and do incorrect math .. horrible customer service...just say sorry! Don't argue with customers!! Other guests complained about hostess with blonde hair in blue dress then pregnant "owner" I use this term looslely in a hoodie very unprofessional... Such a shame they ruined what could have been a lovely evening. Oysters were swimming in water because sat out so long ice melted... sent them back. Pork chops were amazing. Could not do a proper review when witches are guarding the door. Sent salmon back unimpressed. I hate to give them a bad review, but had a very bad experience. Would not come back.

I recently dined at this restaurant and was left utterly disappointed. We waited over an hour for our food, and when it finally arrived, it was not worth the wait. The lobster was overcooked, bland. It was obviously so understaffed our server being so busy he couldn’t come check on us, leaving us feeling neglected. We talked to the owner and she pushed blame on us and told us to not disrespect her. With so many great Italian places out there, I won't be returning to this one. Save your time and money!

I’ve been here before and had a positive experience, this visit was different. Waited 90 min+ after being seated to receive an entree that was flavorless and overcooked. Expressed concerns to the owner/chef who responded defensively and pushed blame on us. I rarely go out of my way to write reviews but felt it necessary to leave this. I would not return after my experience this evening. I can only hope they were having an off night because if not some serious introspection is needed.

Made reservations at 8:30. arrived at 8:20 they told us the table will be ready soon. we sat at the bar for the time being. 8:30 rolls around, nothing. 8:45 nothing, 9:05 nothing. so i asked and they said we can seat you outside. places order with server after about 15 more minutes. At 10 we finally got up and left without eating. Paid for the one app and left. Food never came out. They over book themselves and dont care about the reservations. book with caution here or book elsewhere. many other better options nearby.

Absolutely terrible, an hour and a half wait for food, and what arrived at the table was overcooked and just not good. To cap it all off, when we tried to calmly explain to the “owner” that the food and wait were not a great experience, we were angrily told not to disrespect her. One of the worst restaurant experiences I’ve ever had without a doubt.

I can't believe this place calls itself Italian. Maybe for Iowa but it's awful for NJ. It's the first time in my life that I've ever complained about my food at a restaurant. It was inedible. And on the way out in the restroom I saw a waiter or food runner go to the bathroom and then not wash his hands. Disgusting

I rarely leave reviews, but our experience here was so disappointing that I feel it needs to be shared. We made a reservation for a party of 10 at 6:00pm and arrived on time, expecting to be seated shortly. Instead, we ended up waiting over 40 minutes with no table prepared for us. For a reservation that was confirmed, this was extremely frustrating and showed a lack of organization and respect for our time. What made the situation worse was the way it was handled. Instead of an apology or effort to make things right, the owner was dismissive and rude. At one point, they even called one of our group members a “toddler,” which was unprofessional, unnecessary, and frankly insulting. We were shocked at the lack of customer service and courtesy. The next day, we followed up to calmly talk about what had happened and hopefully clear the air. Instead of any accountability or understanding, we were told that we are no longer welcome at the establishment. This response confirmed how little the restaurant values its customers and their experience. We had been looking forward to this evening, but instead left feeling disrespected and upset. With so many other restaurants that value their guests, I cannot recommend this place based on the way we were treated

Absolutely horrible I truly hope this review helps anyone considering booking a dinner party at this establishment. I was searching for a restaurant to host a small, intimate dinner following my husband’s and my wedding ceremony. We had a party of 20 and were not looking for anything elaborate—just a slightly private/quiet space for a celebratory dinner. Based on their website and offerings, Panico’s initially seemed like a great fit. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I was in contact—though often unsuccessfully—with Theodora, the owner’s wife. Given her position, I expected a basic level of professionalism and courtesy. Sadly, my experience was quite the opposite. Communication was extremely difficult; emails would go unanswered for weeks at a time, and phone calls were never returned. On several occasions when I called, I was told she was unavailable, despite clearly hearing her in the background instructing staff to say she was not there. This occurred multiple times and was both frustrating and disappointing. When she did respond, the tone of her communication was dismissive and rude, as if my inquiries were an inconvenience. At one point, she stated that the restaurant does not handle weddings or function as a wedding banquet facility. This was confusing, as their website includes a wedding option in the booking dropdown, which is what led us to inquire in the first place. To clarify, we were not requesting a traditional wedding reception—just a simple dinner with no DJ, minimal décor, and a few tables arranged together for our group. Due to the unprofessional communication and overall lack of respect, my husband and I ultimately decided to cancel our reservation. We did not feel comfortable moving forward with a business that treated potential clients in this manner. Interestingly, our photographer later informed us that we were the third couple she knew of who experienced similar issues and also chose to cancel. I wish we had known this sooner, as it would have saved us a great deal of stress. I hope this review helps others avoid a similar experience.