Lita, Aberdeen NJ: A Restaurant Review
The Lita: Restaurant Highlights
Fare: Modern Iberian
Price: Very Expensive
Food Quality: Exceptional, well-executed offerings are highly creative and gorgeously plated, with many interesting, unusual ingredients and unique flavor combinations.
Service: Friendly, helpful, and extremley knowledgeable about the menu.
Ambiance: Upscale casual, trendy, upbeat.
Overall Rating: 3 1/2 Stars.
Classified as Chef-Inspired Casual Dining
(* See below How Do We Review (analyze) Restaurants)
Note: Four-star Rating System from 1/2 star = poor to 4 stars = Best in Class
Noise Level: Moderate-loud
Dress: Casual
Recommended For: Diners who enjoy eating at a restaurant with an acclaimed chef committed to using organic, locally sourced produce, dairy, grains, poultry, and meats in prepararation for well-executed Iberian food.
Not Recommended For: Budget conscious diners with taste preferences for a traditional menu with heavy sauces served in huge portions.
Recommended dishes: When available, The Carne de Porco "Alentejana" with iberico pork secreto, little neck clams, pickles, potatoes; The Feijoada de Pato duck, with white navy beans, smoked pork belly, Iberian chorizo; and The Paella do Dia for Two (vegan paella is an option).
Liquor: Full-service bar and cocktail lounge
Restaurant Review
The Lita Iberian Restaurant is one of the best restaurants in the central Jersey area. Opened in April 2023, it has immediately succeeded as one of the top new, must-visit dining spots in New Jersey. it is an extraordinary culinary experience!
The Lita is co-owned by Executive Chef David Viana, Neilly Robinson, and Ricardo Rodriguez, and is the creation by acclaimed Chef David Viana who is also the Co-owner and executive chef at The Heirloom Kitchen in Old Bridge and The Heirloom at The St Laurent in Asbury Park, NJ.
Chef David Viana received his formal education at the Institute of Culinary Education and later honed his culinary skills under many acclaimed chefs and restaurants including Bobby Flay, Anthony Bucco, and Michael White, and worked in the kitchens of highly rated restaurants including the Madison Park in NYC, and Two Star Michelin restaurants, and the Villa Joya in Portugal. In New Jersey, Chef Viana also served as executive chef at The Kitchen at Grove Station, and chef de cuisine at Ryan DePersio's Battello, both in Jersey City. and as chef de cuisine at Daryl Wine Bar in New Brunswick under Zod Arifai, before opening the Heirloom Kitchen in Old Bridge, NJ.
Chef Vianna also appeared on the TV cooking show "Top Chef" and in 2018, was nominated for the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic region.
The innovative Iberian-influenced drink program is managed by Ricardo Rodriguez, who also runs 'La Otra' the cocktail lounge connected to the restaurant. Their cocktails are unique and creative and enjoyed by many.
Acclaimed Chef Viana, a first-generation Portuguese American, has creatively introduced flavors from the Iberian Peninsula into his dishes. Influenced by his grandmother's Iberian style cooking, he has incorporated ingredients from her recipes into his dishes, combining them it with NJ fresh ingredients, and modern techniques, to produce a well-executed, creatively prepared, modern Iberian menu.
Lita serves a three-course Prix Fixe menu with choices offered for each course.
The interior has been beautifully refurbished and modernized with high exposed ceilings, giving off a fresh open, trendy feeling.
The centerpiece of the dining area is the open kitchen with a custom-built, 900-degree, charcoal-burning hearth that is used to heat most of the dishes.
Tables are adequately spaced apart, with Iberian music in the background.
The bar area also has counter seating for cocktails and dining.
Service is professional, welcoming, and extremely knowledgeable about the menu. Every team member is fully cross-trained and rotates between front-of-house and back-of-house positions on a weekly basis. A unique approach to service --- your server is also a chef, and can tell you more details about your dishes.
Not recommended for children
Lita is open five days/a week for dinner Wednesdays - Sundays.
Updated November 2023
How Do We Review (analyze) Restaurants?
New Jersey Leisure Guide strives to provide analytic restaurant reviews.
The methodology used is research, analysis driven --- as opposed to that of a single restaurant critic or a social media platform, viewer comment posting board.
