1st Jimmy was our waiter, so nice ! The food is amazing, we had the Nona's Rigatoni with sausage, meatball and the best breasaola. The pasta was cooked perfectly. I had the evening special, Pork Chop Scarpariello ! So tender, great flavor not too hot as I requested. The bread is fresh, the wine list was extensive. Don't leave without trying the Cannoli, the shell was perfect and cream was great. We ordered a Gluten Free Pasta with Gorgonzola Sauce and grilled chicken to go for our daughter. You will love this spot ! read more

We decided to try Antonio's and we were very disappointed. The takeout service was very slow. I was told 20 minutes and I ended up waiting 45. By the time the pizza came out the calamari was cold. The calamari-there were 13 pieces of calamari. Almost more cherry peppers in the container. For $18, I expected a good size portion. Seemed like the ambience in the restaurant was nice and the Staff was welcoming but the wait was ridiculous. Way too slow for takeout. The pizza was a small size for $23. Being that it was buy 1 get 1, spending $44 dollars on a small pizza and puny sized calamari was outrageous. read more

We discovered this place on Yelp. The staff was so warm and welcoming, and the food was amazing! We had the lamb lollipops, caprese, pear and arugula salad, the clam pasta, and the seafood pasta. Everything was prepared fresh and cooked to perfection! Pasta was al dente as it should be. They were also very accommodating to modifications. We especially appreciated our server's wonderful service. We will be back! read more

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What an amazing time we had at Antonio's. We had a lovely seat at the window. The space is beautiful and a nice change for Darien restaurants. Our servers Juan and Julian were so perfectly attentive, funny and friendly. The food: I need to come back and try more things!!! The 3 of us split 5 apps/ small plates. The Burrata and lamb were delicious. And the octopus had great flavors. We also got them to cut us a piece of tiramisu even tho we missed the cut off for the kitchen. And I heard they opened another location in lake George! The rose was delicious too!! read more

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So happy to see this spot absolutely packed on a Saturday night! It's upscale but also casual. Lots of groups and dates. Definitely need a reservation for weekend nights. The menu is extensive with so many options to choose from with Italian classics and creative additions. Waiters (and back waiters) were super attentive and made the experience seamless. Into food... every dish we ordered was fabulous. Limoncello was delicious and superbly boozy. Can't wait to go back :) read more

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Came to Antonio's after reading about the restaurant It was Kathy's and my anniversary. The restaurant just opened outside dining which was so pleasant We were the only couple and the servers were wonderful. We had clams oreganota (which were quite different) which were excellent The Tuscan beans were very good For dinner we had the halibut another excellent choice and I had chicken scarpiello which was also great. The owner or manager brought us a piece of cake for our anniversary We will surely be back read more

Antonio's Italian Bistro - Italian Near Me - Darien, Connecticut

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LOVE this place! The food, the drinks, the atmosphere! 100% would recommend. Can't wait to go back! Perfect date night spot, dinner with friends, or take the family with you! The service was professional and well informed on specials and which wines paired well with certain foods. read more

I stumbled on Antonio's while hunting for a parking spot off the post road in Darien last week. It looked attractive from the rear patio, so I quickly perused the interior. The old world charm of the restaurant, with tables artfully draped in white tablecloths adorned with bud vases and with waitstaff in traditional black and white outfits, was immediately captivating. Not long after on a sunlit evening, I took my wife there for dinner. We sat under the arbor in the outdoor patio. And we were charmed and pampered with attentive service and wonderful Italian food. What could be better than to discover a new and pleasing restaurant so near our Stamford home? read more

great addition to the area [especially as the place directly across the street has sunk into less than mediocrity]. the service felt very personal and the food was excellent. they are new and I hope they survive read more

Food is delicious, service exceptional , ambiance lovely, loved the tablecloths and everything was perfect

Enjoyed this new Darien restaurant that serves classic Italian. The dining room is a bit cramped but looks beautiful with nice hard wood floors and high ceilings. There is a lively vibe that teeters a bit on the loud side which made conversation tough. The music wasn't loud but somehow patron voices carried making it loud. Whatever happened to soft jazz? I'm not a fan of the seating near the wall causing one part of the party to have a view of the wall but maybe that's a personal preference. I like being able to see the restaurant itself not just the wall. The limoncello martini was fabulous though slightly on the small side. We had the octopus as an appetizer and it was flavorful and tasty. I had the Halibut which was brilliant. Paired with spinach and tomatoes it was an A+. My dining companion had the Fettuccine Tartufate which was good but not great. The Ricotta and Pistachio cake was wonderful. Our server and his helpers were efficient and pleasant. read more

What a great restaurant! Not only was the food good but the service was excellent: a true dining experience We had made a reservation (always a good idea) and were greeted by the host who took our coats and led us to the "honeymoon suite", a cozy secluded deuce under a stairwell off the main dining room. It was great. The restaurant is noisy, as others have noted, but not to the painful level of, say Molto (the other new Italian eatery in town). Caesar salad was chopped and lightly dressed with a cheese crouton perched on top. My pasta was great and my wife's gnocchi also as requested (vegan style, marinara sauce no meat or cheese. Her broccoli soup was stellar. Didn't have room for desert, "an excuse to return another time " said the waiter. The service was gracious and unhurried Really impressed with Antonio's and we will be back! read more

Antonio's Italian Bistro in Darien is by far, one of the best restaurants in town. I have been coming with my family every week, for going on two years. When you come to Antonio's, you can expect top service, excellent food, and staff that is both professional and welcoming. Abe and Pete are both cornerstones at the restaurant - they are a sure asset to the establishment. When we dine at Antonio's, we feel at home. With two small children, they are always accommodating and we are never worried about the absolute mess the kids make. All in all, Antonio's is an anchor in the Darien dining scene, and we enjoy every experience while there. We will be coming here as long as the restaurant is around. read more

Antonio's is amazing. The restaurant is pretty and well decorated, and the staff are amazing. Abe makes everyone feel welcome to the point where you might leave with a new friend after visiting, and when we left a letter behind he went out of his way to call us to make sure we got it back. The service is quick and personal, and everyone is kind and helpful. The food is also excellent, everything on the menu is amazing, and they have creative and delicious drinks as well. I can't recommend Antonio's enough! read more

Absolutely worst meal and service I have had in Fairfield County in 30 years. Ordered lamb chop entre at the waiters strong recommendation - specifically based on how well ( medium rare) the chef does it. The first time it came out so over done it was like leather. I sent it back - which I have done maybe twice in my life. Then it came back essentially uncooked - cold in fact. The owner took attitude with me essentially blaming me saying "at least someone in the kitchen had a good meal." No doubt, once they finished cooking it. While they took the entre (s) and wine off, it still cost $186 for two tequila drinks, two Miller Lites and a double espresso. Do not waste your time here. 1020, The Goose, Sails and Rowayton Seafood all understand the importance of customer service. They deserve your business. The owner of Antonio's. Does not. read more

We had dinner last night at Antonio's. What a fabulous evening. Not only is the food delicious but the service is remarkable. The clientele is very upscale and the restaurant was packed full of people truly enjoying themselves. We can't wait to go back. Thank you to Abe and Antonio for making us feel so welcome read more

This place has a lot of potential, but ultimately fell short. I assume their many glowing reviews are from loyal patrons who come here regularly. My friend and I had dinner here, neither of us had dined here before. The service started out excellent. Very old school and attentive, we loved it. But things rapidly deteriorated from there. The table bread was underbaked - so obviously so that there was a dense raw dough line along the base of the slices, and the underside was pasty. When the waiter came to check on us we mentioned the bread, and he seemed taken aback and a bit defensive. We reiterated we just wanted to let him know, and that we did not need more bread. He seemed miffed when he left our table, and after that he never checked on us again. Our plates and glasses set empty. After a long wait we had to flag him down to ask for dessert menu, and again for the check. I can forgive spotty service bc people get busy and overwhelmed and that's understandable, but the food was just meh. My fish was overly oily, the asparagus was mushy from the grease, and it all lacked flavor. My friend also found her seafood to be forgettable. The best thing we had was the arugula salad. It's sad when the highlight of the meal is the simple greens. We really wanted to like this place but ultimately it fell short. There is much better Italian fare in the area - skip this one. read more

Fantastic ambience, service and food. Will be be back soon. Antonio was great. Am glad he and his staff came to the neighborhood.

I went to lunch today at Antonio's and loved it the minute I walked in. Antonio is charming and very welcoming!! Stefan was delightful and so gracious, the food superb and I consider myself and excellent cook especially Italian food! We had a quiet little alcove which I would welcome in the evening when it can get noisy. I plan on this being my neighborhood go to restaurant. Thank you for coming to Darien! read more

We decided to go on New Year's Eve and try a new spot. It was excellent. The service was very professional and well done. We had a complimentary glass of champagne brought to the table which was very nice and then some bread, olives and a very good extra virgin olive oil. The drinks were also very good. We shared a crispy gnocchi that was unusual but very good. The octopus was so tender and the octopus was very tender with nice pieces of chorizo and potatoes- very enjoyable. I had the salmon over risotto with pieces of apple to cu t into the richness of the risotto which I thought was an excellent idea. My husband had the surf and turf and my daughter had the black linguini with seafood that also was very good. The kitchen was churning out the food that all looked so good around us. For dessert, we ordered the ricotta and pistachio cake that was very light and very good. My husband had the tartuffo and the capuccinos were well done also. The ambience was nice and celebratory . The room is inviting and it made for an enjoyable evening. We will be back! read more

We had dinner there last night with 4 other people. The waiter we had was so poorly trained. He had no good idea what food was gluten free & became very dismissive of our request. My wife ordered clams oreganato and got clams over pasta. When we complained the waiter did little. My spaghetti with tomato basil sauce was poorly done. Lots of liquid sauce in the bottom of my bowl. Again the waiter was dismissive. I asked for a small fork & he brings spoon! The noise level is so loud we had to all yell at each other. Need to put in barriers to awful noise. We will not go back. We used to be in this business & appreciate good food & service. Not here! read more

This used to be Chinese (steam) and then a ramen place I believe - both closed/failed as they weren't good For this new Italian they've placed as many tables in as possible - it's quite a sterile white walls/hard floors and the sound here is something quite shocking - you struggle to talk to people at your own table without having to shout Service was appalling it's was so slow when we went - and it's not from lack of staff or maybe it was lack of staff that didn't know what to do We waited 50 minutes before we could give our drinks order - it wasn't from lack of trying - our server for the night was in his own world not really sure what he was doing and another staff member kept saying 'he's coming'... but he wasn't When the wine came they put a corked bottle on the table unopened (whilst one was screw top so that was ok!! For half the table anyway) - another time lapse ensued and before they took our food order - by the time we got our starters we were nearly 2 hours in... Starters / calamari a bit hard, lamb lollipops medium but seared on the outside and you could taste the chargrill which wasn't right Mains - 2 pastas, salmon and sea bass - all 'ok'.... For Darien.. I miss properly cooked Italian food which you get traveling abroad We ordered 2 deserts to share and coffee/lemonc - the coffee was Luke warm and they mixed up the lemonc with a lemonc desert - so we had 3 deserts... we said leave it's ok - by that time we were approx 3 hours in... (no lemonc drink given.. but then we'd have had to wait another 30 mins!) They desperately need to sort out the staffing - apart from a few of the more senior folks (Peter, etc) many were zombies doing very little and as a result our experience which should have been 1.5 hours max ended up being just over 3 hours This place has potential... but our first outing here was poor Would take some of the other reviews skeptically - they either are the owners/related somehow or they came at a quieter time with less service/noise issues. Either way based on the overall food taste this will never be a 5 star place! read more

The ambience is great - a bright space that isn't overly noisy given its size. The staff were pleasant although our waiter tried to rush us. Avoid the cacio e pepe - it was so bland that no amount of parmesan, salt and pepper could rescue it. Desserts were very good! read more

We had a beautiful dinner. Every member of the staff was gracious and the interior of dining room is lovely and well-appointed. Our dinner was delicious and the beverages quite well-paired. We look forward to incorporating into our routine. read more

Fresh and delicious. A bit pricey but worth it. White tablecloth and linens. Had homemade pasta and fish, really well done, and our server was a character (fun)! read more

Food was totally mediocre and overpriced. I think the building itself is jinxed. Several restaurants have failed there. If the food doesn't improve then they are next read more

Food and service was great! It's a little tight in there and no actual bar to sit at. But they do serve alcohol at the table. Very good we will definitely be back read more

Terrific everything -- food, service, variety, ambiance. Also, the servers are all real characters -- both attentive and fun.

Great food, service, ambiance. A gem of a place. Good menu - short but varied. Do not tell everyone!

As with all new Italian restaurants near where I live, I was anxious to try out ANTONIO'S ITALIAN BISTRO. I first went by myself for lunch last week and loved it. Had the goat cheese app., cup of zuppa del giorno (Stracciatella) and the swordfish special. Definitely needed a to-go box. It was all "delizioso"! I went back again this time with my wife and some friends who had just moved into the area from Brooklyn. They had lived in the same neighborhood where they filmed the famous "Moonstruck" film starring Cher. Safe to say that they know good Italian food when they see it. We all had a tremendous dining experience. The place was packed and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. We had drinks by the open area near the service bar while waiting for our table as we arrived early. My Negroni was done to perfection. After being seated we all shared in a variety of appetizers which did not disappoint. Had to get the goat cheese again, along with an order of meatballs And the muscles. Dinner soon came and we were all very happy with our Entrees. Wait staff was attentive and patient and at no time did we feel that we were being rushed or ignored. I did not have desert but the espresso was just like the very many I had during a very recent trip to Italy. The unanimous verdict from our group was "LOVED IT". So, if you are looking for a new and very nice Italian dining experience, be sure to go to Antonio's Italian Bistro. The food and wines are excellent, and the prices are surprisingly reasonable for the quality of the food, service and ambience. Can't wait to back again. Buon appetito a tutti. Johnny "Sunshine", Esq. read more

Overall great experience. I've been a few times now. Food was delicious, service was excellent and ambiance was spot on. Darien needed a nicer Italian restaurant like this, so well done to the team. Best of luck - I'll be back and highly recommend. read more

The food the service and the ambiance were wonderful. My husband and had just finished up a 7 hour drive and were delighted to walk in and be seated right away. Our waiter was very attentive and our food delicious! My husband liked it so well that he organized a guys lunch. He said his group totally enjoyed every bite of their meal! We will definitely be back soon! read more

i have a feeling most these 5 star reviews are friends/family of the owners bc i found the food extremely mediocre and the atmosphere wasn't the best. read more