OCCASIONALLY, in the serendipitous search for good food, an oasis is chanced upon. And so it is with pleasure that we report such a discovery in the South Jersey resort city of Wildwood, which can boast that it not only has the widest cleanest safest beach’s in New Jersey, more attractions and rides than Disney World and Ravioli House as well.
The Oldest Italian Restaurant in Wildwood, NJ
From left: Jennifer Hughes, pastry chef, Owner Teresa DeSanctis, Myra Mercado, Takeout Department head.
In the past 43 years not much has changed at Bennett and New Jersey Avenues in Wildwood. The Ravioli House and Pastry Shop is an Italian family restaurant with a complete take-out service. It still owned and operated by the DeSanctis family. Antonio and Teresa went to Philadelphia from Italy to live with relatives. Every summer their families would travel to Wildwood to stay with Antonio’s aunt, who owned a building where she made homemade pasta. Teresa loved the idea of owning a restaurant, and in 1970 the Ravioli House opened its doors for the first time.
In the Ravioli House kitchen in the 1970s, left to right: Uncle Vince DeSanctis, Teresa and Tony DeSanctis
The Ravioli House provides a warm and inviting ambiance with beautiful murals of towns and villages in Italy. Customers enjoy authentic Italian cuisine to the soundtrack of soft Italian music. At the Ravioli House, everything is homemade, even the pasta, just like eating in your grandmother’s kitchen. Choose from spaghetti, linguini, fettuccini, angel hair, rigatoni, gnocchi, potato gnocchi, and cavatelli. Then select one of 10 sauces to enjoy a pasta feast just the way you like it. Pasta selections don’t stop there. Try the stuffed shells, manicotti, baked ziti, and ravioli, or try “The Trip Around Italy” for a true taste sensation.
The Ravioli House family takes great pride in their food. The eggs are cracked by hand. The cheese is mixed by hand. Up to 1,500 pounds of meatballs are rolled at a time – all by hand. While a few machines have made it into the mix over the years, the results have not changed. The quality of the homemade sauce, the hand-cut fresh chicken, and the delicious ravioli are the same as they were 40 years ago. Wish you could enjoy homemade pasta like this every day in your own kitchen? The Ravioli House take-out shop offers a variety of frozen, homemade pastas to go. Homemade soups such as Escarole, Chicken Pastina, and Pasta e Fagioli are also available for takeout. A full menu of wine by the glass or bottle, beer, and after dinner cocktails is available. The pastry shop cases are filled with beautiful and delightful pastry cakes and pies. It will be so hard to choose from that vast selection. One taste of the Ravioli House and Pastry Shop will have you salivating for more. Bon appetite!
Visit the Ravioli House on the Web at www.raviolihouse.com