Little Buca may be NJ’s best hidden Italian restaurant

You know when you walk into a restaurant and within about 30 seconds you already know?

Like … yep. This place gets it.

That was me at Little Buca in Little Silver.

And listen, New Jersey is not exactly short on Italian restaurants. We all have opinions. We all have “our place.” Somebody’s uncle swears one spot in South Jersey is the best he’s ever had in his life and then another person says no, this neighborhood place is the best. They might all be great. But have you ever walked into a place and just knew the minute you walked in it was different? That’s how I felt at Little Buca.

Why Little Buca feels different from other NJ Italian restaurants

I promise you, you will feel the vibe right away. It’s hard to explain, but it’s warm. Without trying to be. Stylish, but not trendy. And just special and comfortable. (And by the way, special and comfortable is not an easy combination to pull off!)

And then there’s the food.

Because, let’s be honest, a beautiful restaurant means absolutely nothing if dinner disappoints.

It didn’t.

Little Buca is the kind of place where everybody kind of stops talking for a minute because they really want to concentrate on the food. The food tastes like someone cared when they made it. And everything feels kind of elevated, but not pretentious at all. The owner is an amazing guy who may come out to greet you. Like in the olden days, lol.

This Little Silver Italian spot works for date night or a random pasta craving

This is the kind of place you go for date night, birthdays, girls’ night, or one of those random Thursdays when you just decide life feels hard and pasta sounds like the answer.

And to me, one of the best parts is that it’s in Little Silver, which somehow still feels like one of those towns people forget to talk about enough when it comes to restaurants.

So yes, I’m saying it:

I think Little Buca may have quietly become one of the best, if not the best, Italian spots in New Jersey.