Craving Italian food?

Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top Italian spots around Cape May, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of the best places to meet your needs.

1. Tisha's Cape May

Topping the list is Tisha's Cape May. Located at 322 Washington St., the spot is the highest-rated Italian restaurant in Cape May, boasting four stars out of 319 reviews on Yelp. Located on the Washington street mall, Tisha’s is celebrating 30 years in business and offers both indoor and al fresco dining for lunch and dinner.

Menu options include Filet Au Poivre, pepper-crusted and grilled to your liking, set on mashed potatoes and green beans, topped with crispy fried onion frizzles and finished with blue cheese butter and demi glace; Chicken Pasquale served with proscuitto, assorted mushrooms and baby spinach saute in madeira cream sauce; and Seafood Risotto with jumbo shrimp, local sea scallops, littleneck clams, assorted mushrooms, toasted pignoli nuts and baby spinach sautéed in a sherry cream sauce. (Find the full menu here.)

2. Mario's Pizza and Italian Eatery

Next up is Mario's Pizza and Italian Eatery, situated at 315 Ocean St., Unit 7. With four stars out of 114 reviews on Yelp, the Italian spot, which offers pizza and salads, has proven to be a local favorite. Diners can expect homemade dough and sauce, garlic knots, wraps, homemade paninis and more at this family-owned restaurant.

Pasta dinners include spaghetti and meatballs, spaghetti and sausage, penne with broccoli rabe, chicken and eggplant parmigiana with pasta, chicken marsala, linguini with white or red clam sauce and more. (Find the full menu here.)

3. Godmothers Restaurant

Godmothers Restaurant, located at 413 S. Broadway, is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the Italian spot four stars out of 79 reviews. According to its website, the eatery — housed in a building that has been around since 1924 —became Cape May's first Italian restaurant in 1983. 

Appetizers include Godmothers' meatballs, marinara and garlic crostini and steamed Prince Edward Island mussels with garlic, fresh herbs, white wine and lemon. Entrees include eggplant rollatini filled with spinach, ricotta and mozzarella over spaghetti marinara; fettuccini Alfredo; and gnocchi arrabiata tossed with spicy tomato basil sauce. (Find the full menu here.)

4. Iccara Italian Bistro & Seafood

Iccara Italian Bistro & Seafood is another go-to, with four stars out of 60 Yelp reviews. On the appetizers menu, find options like grilled portobello mushrooms topped with fresh lump crab meat; Sicilian calamari tossed with garlic, olive oil, Kalamata olives, capers, lemon and Italian chili peppers; and littleneck clams simmered with fresh herbs, garlic and white wine​.

For your entree, try the garden vegetable pasta and the Pappa Delle Nona — pasta ribbons tossed in creamy lobster marinara and served with whole lobster tail. Head over to 311 Mansion St. to see for yourself.

5. Cione

Then there's Italian dessert shop Cione, which has earned four stars out of 29 reviews on Yelp. The spot is helmed by Milan-based lawyer Fabio Cione and his sister Monica, and features gelato flavors like dark bittersweet chocolate, frutti di bosco made with Jersey fruits and the nutty Sicilian pistachio. Mix-and-match options are available. You can find the gelato destination at 315 Ocean St., Unit 10.