I had a special occasion come together on very short notice, and this restaurant went above and beyond to accommodate my large party. From the beginning, the staff was incredibly kind, flexible, and helpful in making everything work seamlessly. Not only was the service exceptional, but the food was absolutely fantastic. Every dish was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully prepared, and the entire staff made us feel genuinely welcomed and taken care of throughout the evening. It's rare to find a place that delivers both outstanding hospitality and amazing food, especially under a tight timeline. We are so grateful for the memorable experience and will definitely be back. Highly recommend! read more

Returned hoping for a better experience because my extended family heard good things and we were celebrating a special event. It had been over a year since our last bad experience which we had said nothing and went along. Big mistake huge, once again a bad experience bad food slow, service was poor and disappointing. We had children with us and after waiting 40 minutes without food I asked if the kitchen could at least get their spaghetti out? To be clear they don't have a kids menu either. Platitudes were given and it was at least another 20 minutes before the kitchen finished any entree. Sadly the food was not worth the wait the food was bland and not at all worth the premium price and it is definitely pricey. At this point they were closing which was fine with us called it a night and never returning. read more

We have been here several times and the food has always been good to very good with the pasta dishes leading the way. Caesar salad is a standout as well. Service ranges between slow and glacial so plan accordingly. read more

I've been to Artas with my wife twice - once last winter and again very recently, and this is a gem that too many people are missing as it's not downtown Brighton! The service has always been fantastic and everyone in the restaurant has been attentive and really want to make dinner a special time. The staff is also trained in wine and not afraid to make recommendations if you'd like, which is a nice touch that's harder and harder to find. The food is incredible. Apps, salads, mains - you can't miss. There are other Italian places in the area that are likely more popular that do not have as good of food or as varied of a menu. I had Branzino most recently that was prepared perfectly, each bite was delicious! Pasta is done well and the flavor is outstanding. They also have an extensive wine list by the bottle, with selections for all different tatstes and budgets. The only downside is it is a bit pricier than some other restaurants in the area, but with the food being this good, it's absolutely worth it for a date night or special occasion! The ambiance is quiet, but nice, dim lighting and soft music. All in all, if you've been skipping Arta's, stop waiting and go! read more

We have friends that live in Brighton so we went to Arta's for dinner. We were a party of 4. We ordered drinks and started with the Gambretto Di Avolo-tiger shrimp. It came with four pieces and was slightly spicy, very tasty. Bread was served before the appetizer and since we used our bread plates for that, new plates should have been offered for the shrimp, they were not. Two in our party ordered Ceasar salads, one misto salad and the caprese salad. All cold and good portions. Flavor was great. We then had entrees of lasagna, chicken Parmesan and Capesante Proscuitto( scallops wrapped in prosciutto di Parma), This scallop dish was actually an appetizer but was more than plentiful, with four scallops and a healthy portion of polenta. I needed to season my scallops but all of the other dishes were seasoned well. Some empty glasses were left on the table after new drinks were delivered but there were only 2 servers in the restaurant for approximately 20 tables of people. The host was helping clear tables, and our server was also mixing the drinks. One more person would have helped. Our experience was good. We would come back. read more

See all

Arta's has the best Italian food in town. No one else compares! I highly recommend. Impeccable service too. Five stars.

We had a great meal and great service at Arta's on a Friday night. Food is always great when we go there but service can sometimes be a little slow, but lately they have done a much better job. Keep up the good service. read more

We've been there twice. The first time we walked out after 45 minutes having been served a glass of water and never even receiving a menu to look at or a server returning to our table. Several years passed and we decided to give it another try. We made a reservation for our daughter's birthday dinner! We waited 53 minutes for a glass of water. Another 30 minutes passed before our order was taken and yet another 40 minutes for our food to be served. That meal took over 3 1/2 hours to complete! Seriously??? The food was excellent, but the four of us decided that, even though we'd love to go back for the quality of the food, the service has been abysmal and none of us would recommend this restaurant nor return ever again unless the service issue was addressed! Get your servers trained or hire more people to take care of your patrons! read more

Excellent food! This was our 2nd visit to Arta's. From appetizers to dessert the food quality is exceptional. This is definitely the place to come if you are looking for a high quality dining experience at a respectable price point. We will be making Arta's a regular spot for our dining out. read more

I don't think Arta's was anywhere near as good as I was led to believe by my acquaintances. It has the aesthetic of a diner. It was just ok but I won't be back. People told me to prepare to be there a long time, everything's made from scratch so you'll be there for hours. It was nothing like that. I'm not blaming Arta's but we were misled. It was very average but the lack of aesthetic was disappointing. When my dinner came, I had to ask our server for Parmesan. That should've been automatic in an Italian restaurant. When we walked in, a hostess took my husband's coat but when we left, a bunch of employees were at the hostess stand chatting and not one person stopped to grab his coat for him. He awkwardly had to go past them to get it himself when they were two feet away. It was just strange and really inappropriate. They didn't even stop chatting to ask us how our dinner was, to thank us for coming or wish us a good night. If they were my employees they'd all be escorted out the door. Food was okay but nothing memorable. Service was lackluster. Ambiance was diner. I don't like diners. read more

Three of us tried this restaurant tonight and enjoyed our dinner. We had an appetizer, salad, soup, entrees and dessert, everything was delicious. Clean silverware was given after each course. We enjoyed the ambience and had great service. read more

We come to Arta's once or twice a year, but always on our wedding anniversary for the past few years. Never disappointing until this time. The food and experience was always very personal and amazing. Sam (owner) is super awesome and always makes you feel like an old friend. We came back for our 30th anniversary for dinner and it was one dumb thing after another - waited 25 min for our drinks, received the wrong appetizer, had to proactively go to the bar to get my second drink after 20 more minutes of wondering where our server was, etc. We didn't even know there were specials today, until we overheard another server discussing with another table. This was a train wreck on all fronts. Not sure if it was because the owner wasn't in town and running the show, but the inmates ran the asylum today. We did finally get the right appetizer but after everything else, we got up and walked out. The server makes a difference - she was either new, unknowledgeable or just didn't care. We actually did some coaching and some early warnings with her, telling her this was going downhill fast and we were starting to get unhappy. It didn't get any better and in fact, had the opposite affect - she disappeared completely, assuming she wasn't going to get a big tip. It ruined our anticipated, great anniversary dinner. We will come back here, as the food is usually very good and the service normally is on point. We will however, wait until Sam is back in town again, as this would have never happened on his watch. read more

Our over all experience was excellent. Seated quickly and great time was taking by our waitress to determine the best wine for us. Keep in mind that this a dinning experience and not a fast food restaurant. Your food is made to order and takes time. My meal was fresh, hot and delicious. I will be back. read more

Arta's Italian - a bottle of wine and two glasses of wine - Italian Near Me - Brighton, Michigan

Our wine, a Chianti. recommended by that bartender was superb. Our waitress, Azhanae, was knowledgeable, kind and sterling. Then came our Bruschetta - Penne Vodka and Lasagna Florentine... all filled with aroma and savory taste. We will be going back!!! read more

See all

If you have heard about Arta's 'You are missing. The food,service and white cloth ambiance is top notch. You also dont have to deal with traffic in downtown Brighton. read more

Make reservations! Plan on being there for a bit to enjoy the ambiance. Definitely a date night place. Everything is made to order so it's takes longer but so worth it. Being Italian, I'm very picky about sauces & I'll say the tomato sauce here is pretty good. Warm bread is served with oil & balsamic vinegar. Our bruschetta was good. I enjoyed my chicken parmigiana. Wish they had put a bit more pasta with it but it was filing. Husband thought the veal was a bit tough but did like his meal overall. Tiramisu was not the best I've had but it was alright. The wine list is huge. It was busy in there & the few girls working were running their rears off. Bring money & patience. All of it still made for a good dining experience & we will go back. ( I want to try their risotto) read more

See all

Great romantic Italian restaurant Highly recommend I have passed this restaurant several times and didn't realize this hidden gem if your not closely looking you will miss this place when passing through Food is all handmade, service was great I arrived at 5pm no reservations place was packed at 5:30pm Would recommend early arrival We had calamari, cap-rise, Bolognese, carbonara, tiramisu All were excellent and forgot to take pictures :-( Will come back to try out their specials read more

We were a party of four and had an awesome dinner last night. The mushroom risotto is the best I've had, my wife's Chicken Parmesan was delicious. All pastas are made to order which takes a bit longer but the quality shines through. The food only tells half the story, our waitress Azhanae was amazing, she explained the specials in detail and answered all our questions. She recommended a delicious Cabernet, and checked on us throughout the evening. To top off an already great night, she brought the chef/owner, Max to our table with a delicious desert he was experimenting with... Nice Touch. read more

Arta's Italian - Delicious and affordable Cabernet. - Italian Near Me - Brighton, Michigan

Outstanding food and great service. Good drink selection. A bit pricy though but worth it read more

We have no issues paying higer prices for a good meal but this Place is awful. Every item that came out was just off. Nothing tasted fresh, either over seasoned or under. One of the mains was disgusting. A duck dish that was a special. Think it was spoiled the taste was so rank. Never again. read more

Food was mediocre. Slow to come out and over priced. Their cc machine was down so I was required to write my cc number on the back of my check so they could process it at a later time. This happened at another local Italian restaurant a few months ago and they comp'd our meal. Do better Arta. read more

We had reservations on a Friday at 5:00 The restaurant was empty because it just opened. Our party of 12 were seated, Drinks were served and orders taken. The restaurant was not busy, less than half the tables were occupied. Our waitress was very attentive. Still, our meals weren't delivered until 7:45 (orders were in at5:30. ). No explanation for the 2 hour wait. My dish of gnocchi was cold. My neighbors eggplant was under cooked. (We didn't return the dishes as we had commitments at 8. ). We will not return. read more

My wife and I had dinner there last night and it was our first time there. We had 7:00 reservations but it took a while to be seated due to a distracted and seemingly disorganized host. While service was cordial it was extremely slow and inattentive. We were seated for 15 minutes before our server acknowledged us. We didn't get our wine until 25 minutes after being seated. 30 minutes after that, we finally were able to put in our food order. It took a ridiculously long time for the food to come out despite the fact the restaurant was nearly empty at that time. Finally, the server did acknowledge the slow service and offered us a desert to split. The ambiance was good, the food was very good, and the Executive Chef stopped by our table which was a nice touch. This place has great potential, but they really need to address the service issues or it will never be any better than mediocre. read more

Worst food and service in a very long time...bread was literally burnt, paper menus...lights out in fixtures, and had to almost beg for a new napkin?...chicken dish ordered was informed would take 40 minutes? At least we were told but was mediocre at best! Experience was horrible especially with the pricing! Make sure and ask the cost of the specials....I have NEVER IN MY LIFE hand a 14oz POORLY COOKED tasteless steak cost me $95....i had to salt the thing to eat! Staff stated they are instructed NOT to inform of the cost of the ribeye unless asked.....and no specials menu is available....they play on ppl not being comfortable asking cost, i feel they actively try and skirt the cost...then charge over double! I have eaten at some nice chop houses etc and NEVER paid as much! I followed with a call to complain and the owner said "shame on me for not asking the cost" of the dish and was basically verbally assaulted, called me a name and hung upon me...NOT A PROFESSIONAL PERSON ......season the food...make it a fair price and maybe ppl will return? Would never ever return NOR suggest anyone be subjected to that experience read more

This place is a hidden gem between Howell and Brighton. Authentic cooking, pasta is spectacular, service is fabulous, knowledgeable and friendly. I highly recommend!!! read more

So disappointed; I thought this was what we needed close to home. From the different reviews and menus, this was approaching fine dining. Wrong, the waitress had just started at Arta's but was trying to help us. So we waited for our pretentious salad that was almost inedible, sharp, hard to chew, and spiny greens with dressing. We waited again for our entrees that were not fine dining fare, just so so or below. The chef and owner customarily walked through the dining area to say hello. But when he was informed of our dissatisfaction, he was nowhere to be seen. We were offered a free dessert, but the whole meal could have been better prepared we declined. Not a thing was said to us, no apology. read more

Hidden gem!! Pleasantly surprised, I am so happy I stopped in. Great atmosphere, pleasant staff and not enough can be said about the food! Very delicious. I recommend the Chilean sea bass, if available however really everything on the menu sounded great. Can't wait to come back and try everything else... ****must try the espresso martini**** you will not regret it! Enjoy! read more

We're there on a week night after our reservation for 6 was canceled at another restaurant. Our server was very attentive despite being solo & acting as the bartender as well; had a wealth of knowledge about menu offerings. I had the Salmon in Parchment, hubby had Chicken Marsala. Both entrées were excellent! The quality of the food was a amazing and reminded me of our trip to Italy - a slow paced dining experience, allowing you time to savor each sip of wine, every morsel of food. Do yourself a favor and make a dinner reservation that will transport your to Italia. read more

Had dinner there for the first time tonight - wow wow wow! They were able to accommodate my gluten and dairy allergy very well. 10/10 we will be going back. read more

After waiting for 2 hours for my dinner I left! I was not anticipating it was an investment in my time sitting in an uncomfortable chair to get dinner. read more

We Had a reservation for Valentines dinner, place was pretty empty when we got there sat us by the door & it was very cold, we asked to be moved, they said they could not accommodate us because we didn't pay a deposit? ? They did not call us ( said they did but did not leave a message) & reservation did not ask for a deposit which seemed to have nothing to do with being moved? The worst part was many of those tables stayed empty that we asked to sit at instead of keeping their customers happy and accommodating our request they left us by the door. Knowing we would have a difficult time finding someplace on Valentine's Day we ended up staying. we felt bad for the waiter. It wasn't his fault. He was very nice. They should've had a manager come over and explain why they couldn't move us when the restaurant was pretty empty initially , it did fill up, but many tables still empty when we left, they could've moved us to. A fixed menu, very pricey, for what we had The pastry puff shrimp was overcooked, had tails left on inside the pastry puff so when you cut into it did not know that were tails on the shrimp and bit into them. Arugula salad was pretty plain not a lot of ingredients mostly arugula. Bronzino was very good but the lobster pasta, tagliatelle the sauce was broke down and watery and barely warm when it came out. Raspberry mousse dessert was very good. Had also called to ask if they would allow us to bring in an alcohol free wine since they did not carry any and they said they would charge us $25 corking fee, which seemed high, considering they did not carry it as an option on their menu and twice as much as a bottle of non-alcohol wine cost, overall not worried about keeping customers happy. We typically are very easy and do not like to complain as we grew up in food industry and know how hard they work. read more

Pricey! The food was ok. We had a long wait for food. I have had better Cesar salads and the pasta e Fagiole was bland and no Parmesan cheese was offered to add flavor. My wife really enjoyed the chicken parmigiana. Nice wine selection however very weak beer selection. Service was pleasant and the decor was basic. In summary I expect more for my money. read more

Went here with a gift card for a birthday dinner. It was not even crowded and we had a 6:30 reservation. The waitress recommended an appetizer with our drinks. The appetizer had absolutely no flavor and it looked like a murder scene with the beets. We ordered pasta for our main course. We did not get our meal until 8:30 ish. Our waitress hardly came by. We had to ask the hostess for bread. We kept asking how long our food would be and she said they have to make the pasta from scratch. Umm no it was barilla pasta for sure. They had no manager. Gordon Ramsey needs to help this place if they want to survive. Not to mention it was freezing in there and there was a hole in the bench. We will not be returning. Arrivederci. read more

Hmmnnnn- Artas is tucked back into a business park on Grand River so pay attention as it's upon you in a flash after passing through the traffic light but don't be put off by it's location....the food is very good. It was a cold, wet late spring Thursday evening when I stopped in. I ordered the chef soup of the nite - a delicious puréed mushroom with truffle oil.....very tasty. I followed it with an inexpensive pasta carbonara that was loaded with pancetta - and equally delicious!!! The sauce was silky (not eggy) and well seasoned - sublime! They have a fine dessert menu to match - in short I agree with others that this place is a little gem with an extensive bar and wine offerings and a nice jazzy undertone playing in the background. I'll be back to further explore the menu as I hear theare very good as well read more

My boyfriend and I went on Valentine's day thinking we would have a nice dinner at a new place. The service was extremely slow. The food was nothing special. We made a reservation and we're told we would have a wait when we saw multiple open tables. Would not recommend. read more

Had dinner with friends there last week. Outstanding food, ambiance, and service!! I had lobster w/ cream sauce over linguine...Delicious!! Going there again tomorrow night! Highly recommended. read more

I am very sad to leave this review. I have been to our does twice before when Max was the chef but he was not tonight and it clearly showed. I really want them to succeed, but they are going to have to fix things in the kitchen. We ordered octopus, which was as tough and chewy as a tennis ball. ( not that I try to tennis ball that you get the gist.) the calamari batter was not crispy and flavorless. I asked them to take a couple of things off the bill. They said they would, but they were on the bill when it came so it had to be readjusted . I just didn't want to continue complaining to them so here is where it lies . I asked for angel hair they gave me regular spaghetti , the veal was as tough as shoe leather . I didn't mention it because again, I just want to go on and on . I will say the wait staff was excellent and the owner Max is very nice and they were very accommodating for any tweaks to their menu items. Unfortunately, I will probably not be back for a very long time. read more

Dinner at Arta's has been our very special treat since we first became aware of this extraordinary restaurant a few years ago. Dinner was another great experience for its food, intimate atmosphere and friendly, capable service. Arta's dining experience is something we look forward to and we have never been disappointed! read more

Update - 2/3/2020 Amending my review to 5 stars! This is the first time I have been back since the below and it was amazing! Flavors were still there but everything was cooked perfectly and tasted so good! Fresh al dente pasta, beautiful sauce, perfectly cooked lobster (and plenty of it), lovely grilled shrimp, etc. This just moved to the top Italian place in town for us. ---- I look forward to trying this place again, the first visit was really a pleasant surprise. Service: 5-stars - attentive, kind, just the right speed and checking in. Sam stopped by a couple of times early on and you can see how much he loves the place. Portions: 5-stars - perfect portions, not too much or too little. Food: 3.5-stars - honestly the flavors were some of the best I've had at an Italian restaur. Everything was seasoned perfectly. Unfortunately everything, and I do mean everything, (the crostini on the Caesar salad, the calamari, the veal Marsala and my stuffed pasta) was over cooked by 2-3 minutes. My pasta was stuffed with sausage so fortunately it was alright, but had it been a cheese based filling it would have been mush. That said, the sauces were so delicious. A couple of minor things - the "lemon aioli" that was served was more like a hollandaise sauce. Way too lose, not sure it actually had the right ingredients to be an aioli. Second - my stuffed pasta was served with a sage cream sauce (which was amazing) but with raw sage leaves on top. I'd recommend crisping those up in a little butter and it would be perfect. We didn't get to try dessert as we had to leave for another commitment. In general just need to back off the cooking times slightly and it would have been perfect. We will be back! read more

It would be a absolute shame if you did not order the mushroom risotto, always on time, great taste!