Stumpo's, Cape May

This down to earth Italian restaurant in the centre of town was mentioned favourably by several of the people who’d left recommendations in the book provided for that purpose at the Shore S Cape, so we decided to give it a try. I have to say that we were probably less impressed than they had been, though it did have its plus points. We received a very off-hand greeting from the young girl acting as hostess, who was clearly more interested in playing her computer game than serving customers. She told us she’d been instructed to send people round to the back section of the restaurant but when we checked this out it was deserted and looked very unwelcoming so we returned to ask about getting a table in the main part, where space was clearly available. She shrugged her shoulders, said “well, I tried”, and showed us to a table just where we would have chosen to sit in the first place! This set the tone for some decidedly amateur, though not unfriendly, service throughout our visit.

Favorite Dish: Luckily the food was better than our welcome and the rather basic décor might have suggested. We shared the complimentary garlic dough balls and a huge platter of antipasto, with cold meats, olives, peppers, cheese, vegetables etc. (check out the picture on this website). In addition to this I had a small cup of clam chowder which was included in the price of my pasta dish. Chris then had a very good pizza while I enjoyed my Penne Arabiata, which was fresh tasting and spicy. Portions were large so we had no room for dessert, and as we hadn’t realised that Stumpo’s was a “bring your own bottle” place without its own liquor licence, we had just a bottle of sparkling water to accompany the meal. As a result we paid a very reasonable $46. So, not the best meal we had in Cape May, but very good value if you’re not too fussy about the quality of the service.