Good food and customer service. I really like the home made spicy mix. It packs heat. Great ambiance for dine in. Love the place. However food price is really high compared with the food quality and portion sizes. Free parking is available behind the restaurant. read more

A hidden gem in Sault Ste Marie. I didn't expect such a very good Italian restaurant in Ontario. The look and fell give you the impression you're somewhere in Toronto or Montreal. The food is superb and tasty. The service is excellent and fast but pretty good. A real pleasure in. read more

If you are in the area this is a must for a fantastic meal! The pasta is amazing. There were 6 of us and we all enjoyed our dinners. The owner, Thomas, was our server. He gave excellent recommendations from the wine to the entrees. Can't wait to go back. read more

The food was ok, but nothing special. At this price point I would expect perfect Italian flavours and my dinner, while was decent, could not tell if this was Italian or not. The service was good, the server was polite and friendly. I was there on a quiet night after rush hours, the ambiance was nice, but I can't say this restaurant took me to Italy. To summarize my experience, it was an overpriced comfort dinner. read more

BOTTOM LINE: Decent but overpriced. What's priceless, however, are the filtered reviews, and the arrogant/petulant replies by management. Small town politics narrated on Yelp, but hidden by Yelp's mysterious filtering system. Lengthy 1-star reviews were posted in the summer of 2013 after what appeared to be a private dining event with numerous guests. Management decided to respond to these claims in an even lengthier fashion, but in doing so, made me question their professionalism. Here's my unsolicited advice on how NOT to manage PR with the community (as taken from the management's responses): 1. Starting your response by bragging about yourself doesn't help: "Our family has been passionately (maybe too passionately) running restaurants in Sault Ste Marie for decades, more importantly on a continuous upward trend of success and expansion at every interval". 2. It's probably not a good idea to call your customers "addicts": "The lack of food delivery at the end of the evening was for obvious reasons. At that point I think its rather obvious that our willingness to supply "munchies" to those guest who need them as a byproduct to their addictions was rather low on our scale of things to do" [Of note, this appears to have been edited by management, but I remember reading this, and a follow-up review quoted this statement as well]. 3. It's hard to take you seriously when you end your defence not only by touting a business expansion, but also using LOL - "I may as well take this time to promote my mobile catering unit lol!" 4. Given the aforementioned PR FAIL, it's hard to imagine that the subsequent 5-star reviews by newly created 1-review Yelpers were legitimate [and neither did Yelp for that matter, and were filtered as well]. Well Yelpers, if you're still reading my review, you'll be happy to know that the food here is actually pretty good, though you better bring that corporate charge card. The portions are huge and ordering just one main will likely make you uncomfortably full. I've had their ESCARGOTS, which I highly recommend. Probably one of the best value items on the menu. Their VEAL MEDALLIONS MARSALA was tender, juicy and winey. I've been here on other occasions, but can't remember exactly what I ordered, but I was never disappointed. I'm giving these guys 2-stars mainly for their poor PR management; otherwise, they'd be a solid 3-star, or even 4-star if money is no object. read more

Arturo Ristorante - Italian Near Me - Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Amazing! One of the best places to dine in the Sault! Incredible experience; whether it's off the menu or you let the chef prepare you a special meal. The service is outstanding. Always inviting, friendly and you feel like you're remembered. Very special place. read more

Located on the Main Street in downtown Sault Ste. Marie. Cozy restaurant with warm decor. Note that the restaurant is very small, and a locals favorite, so reservations are recommended. The menu has interesting options and all the dishes we ordered were well prepared and tasty. Prices are moderate/high. There is complimentary bruschetta before dinner and then complimentary bread with dinner. The salads that come with the dinner entrees were delicious and well dressed. The Gamberoni fra diavolo was very tasty and it had enough spice to add flavor but not so much to make it impossible to eat . Papperdelle allo zafferano was delicious and well prepared. We asked our server to change the papperdelle for angel hair and they were gracious to do it. read more

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Overall a good experience. Staff friendly and efficient. Steak and shrimp special cooked perfectly. And appetizers of scallops and spinach delicious. However, Caesar salad was limp and lifeless. Red wine served a touch warm too. read more

General: Food 5 stars - Service 5 stars The following review is based on my last seven visits in 2013 and is showing the continuousness of highest food quality and waiter service. The restaurant resides on Queen Street in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Behind the restaurant is a huge parking lot that can be used (during day time for two hours). Please be aware there are some lots only for residents, but if you see the signs you know where to park. Ambience: The inside of the restaurant is typical Italian style, romantic, comfortable and family style at the same time. All tables are covered with white tablecloths, silverware and glasses. The noise level is more on the quiet side and you can enjoy your visit here. Every time we went in we had best service from greeting and bringing us to our table to get seated. Beverages: The drinking list shows a wide range of red and white wines and liquors / cocktails as well. Since we are in an Italian restaurant we ordered every time red wine. The last time we decided to have an Amarone red wine and were more than satisfied with our decision. If you do not want to spend a lot money for your beverages - no problem - they also offer a red and white house wine. Other beverages without alcohol are also available and you can order delicious espresso, cappuccino and regular coffee too. The wine was served in a decanter by our waiter. He was very attentive and refilled our glasses every time in a perfect manner. Food: The menu is short and this is like it should be. Additional to the regular appetizers, salads, pastas, entrees and desserts there are always specials available. Before you get your ordered food served you get some slices of Bruschetta, Olive spread on bread and fresh bread with butter. We already tried different appetizers like the Scallops, Escargot and the smoked Duck. All appetizers are so good, it is hard to choose a favorite. If I had to, I would take the smoked Duck with the blueberry port wine sauce. For the entrees we had the rack of Lamb, Gamberoni, Saltimbocca and the Veal Pizzaola from the regular menu and different Fish specials. Every part of the entrée was cooked to perfection and we never had a complaint. Our son always got his favorite noodles with tomato sauce. The same for the entrees as for the appetizers. It is a hard decision to choose my favorite here. Every meal was so delicious... Also eating a dessert is a must for us. We have eaten different kinds of icecream and Key Lime Pie, Rocher cake and Tiramisu. Conclusion: In this restaurant you get authentic Italian food on a reasonable price niveau. If you are looking for cheap low quality food - this is not the place for you. But if you can deal with the expression "food culture" - you are right here. I am rather paying for high food quality and amazing taste instead of having every day something cheap just to satisfy my hunger. And for myself it is worth every time to pay two times the bridge toll and answering two times the questions at the border control, because I am not living in Canada. There was only one restaurant in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan that I accepted for having good food. But a year ago the quality went down and since this summer they changed their menu more to the Fast Food side. So there is now only one choice for me for having good food in going across the border to Canada. And my favorite here is Arturos Ristorante. Thank you for serving me in the past and in the future. read more

My wife and I have been to Arturo's 4 times in the last year. We just relocated to Sault Ste. Marie and enjoy the fine dining experience. We enjoyed our first three visits but our fourth was a total disaster with the ambiance. The tables next to us were vulgar and out of control. I politely asked our waiter to address the issue with management which he quickly responded in a positive manner. He returned one minute later and told us there was nothing he can do as instructed by the owner. We finished our meal which was outstanding including service (generously tipped for). The waiter was extremely apologetic and we accepted his sincere apology. It was obvious he was embarrassed, but he could not make those decisions. I decided to call the owner the next day. A week later I reached him. I mentioned to him the wonderful meal that we had but that it was ruined by other vulgar patrons in his establishment that night. He responded that he knew these patrons. They were his best customers, instrumental in building his business and that he would never do anything to upset them. Several other fine dining patrons that night were very annoyed and commented on the situation during there meal. I concluded that nothing would be done and ended the call in a polite manner. The owner called back ten minutes later and offered a gift certificate for $100.00 to return at a later date, and asked me if that would be acceptable. After pausing for a few seconds thinking this doesn't address the issue, I agreed but started commenting that the language was still inappropriate. He stopped me in my tracks and went into a verbal cussing abuse telling me every swear word he heard that night and offered again the one hundred dollars. I will never return to that establishment. Fine dining, is quality of food, service, and ambiance. When one fails, the experience fails. read more

Had a very nice evening out. The decor was very nice as well the restaurant wasn't that loud, so one was able to have a conversation over dinner. The meal was the special - Sea Bass. It was done superbly very moist an not dry. As the side salad I had the Arturo's salad which is an appetizer but they did it up as my side salad for the special. Excellent salad. read more

Decided to treat myself when in the Soo and so we went to Arturo`s - great choice! Classic Italian fare in an upscale environment. The wine list is small for the menu, but the few choices are thoughtfully selected, and they do carry a couple of nicer bottles not on the list. This is a family run place, and they are very friendly and laid back. They are also willing to modify dishes a little, change the sauce, that kind of thing, so if the exact thing you want isn`t on the menu, ask. We started with the smoked duck - excellent! The blueberry port sauce is a delicious accompaniment. I had the seafood risotto in a white wine sauce - excellent, with plenty of mussels, clams, shrimp and scallops all properly cooked and very tasty! My wife had the squash ravioli special in a rose sauce and she absolutely loved it. My son had the gamberoni - jumbo shrimp in a white wine lemon sauce and he thought they were fabulous too! The richness of the dishes (and probably that bottle of wine also) didn`t leave any room for dessert, but I watched some go by to another table and was somewhat envious. This may have been the best meal I have ever eaten in the Soo, and I will definitely be back the first chance I get. read more

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Whatever Happened to Customer Service? Six people reserve a table at Arturo's while 20 - 30 other invited guests wait in another reserved room of the restaurant for a private function. Over the course of dinner one of the six diners has an entire pitcher of water spilled over her shoulder and on to her lap. The guests shrug that incident off as somewhat humorous. Another of the dining guests, who frequents Arturo's on a regular basis notices that her appetizer is not quite up to its usual standards, makes a comment to the other dining guests and lets the issue go. The same dining guest then receives a salad that is missing one of its key ingredients, again makes a comment to the other dining guests, but doesn't find it necessary to raise an issue with the server. Three of the dining guests order identical meals and all three diners are not satisfied with the dish and choose not to finish their servings. No comments were made, in fact, there was no follow up from the wait staff to even inquire about the meals at all. One other diner's meal was too over-cooked, but again opinions were kept to themselves. The other two diners were satisfied and enjoyed their meals. As the diners neared completing their meals, the cook/co-owner of Arturo's made a point of visiting the table to see how everyone enjoyed their dinner. At first, it seemed like a kind gesture. Once he noticed that half of the meals were not consumed, he inquired if there was an issue with the meals. After several attempts by all of the diners to politely avoid expressing their true feelings about their dining experience, the cook/co-owner insisted on prodding for an answer as to why the meals were not eaten. Finally, one of the diners spoke up and informed the cook/co-owner that the seafood within the dish was not fresh and somewhat distasteful. It was quite evident that something was not right with the meal, as all three diners with the same order had removed the seafood from their plates. Although this diner was expressing the issue with those particular dishes, he did also mention that he was quite happy with his own meal that was ordered. Instead of considering, respecting or just going along with his customer's comments, the co-owner took offence, picked the seafood off of the plates of his guests, ate it in front of them and insisted that his (over)paying customers didn't know what they were talking about. When the commenting guest remarked that the seafood just wasn't fresh, the co-owner not so jokingly replied with, "Those are fighting words!" The co-owner grabbed the plates, marched to his kitchen and doors were heard slamming and plates crashing. This was a man who opened himself up to comments and perhaps some criticism by addressing the table of guests and insisting to know why they were not eating their meals. Based on this display of complete unprofessionalism, immaturity and an absolute lack of respect for not only this table of customers, but those at adjacent tables, it was quickly decided that perhaps dessert was not going to be an option on this evening. But, it doesn't end here... Awaiting their bills, the guest who commented on the dissatisfaction with the meals went outside for a smoke. The co-owner pursued him outside and verbally assaulted his guest, while he had two enlisted "thugs" stand nearby in case his attack on his customer escalated to anything further. The barrage of screaming from the amateurish business owner could be heard from inside the restaurant. One would think that settling the bill and dropping the matter would close the book on this episode. One would think that, but it doesn't end here.... Against their better judgement, the six dining guests joined the other 20-30 invited guests in a privately booked room of this same restaurant. After all, this was an event that was several months in planning and a sullied cook shouldn't ruin an evening for so many people. The party could still go on by leaving the past events in the past. Unfortunately, about fifteen minutes later, the incensed co-owner found it important enough to come and crash the private party and openly discuss with his business partner that, "He didn't want any of these people here." With an absurd display of substandard business ethic and perhaps a bruise on his cooking pride, he felt the wise decision to make at that moment was to p*ss off all 30 people attending the private party, instead of tending to his kitchen and perhaps the remaining diners in the other portion of his restaurant. Maybe at this point, both owners should have been questioning why they had not delivered the food to the 20-30 waiting guests, that had been pre-arranged by the original six diners weeks ago. Nope, apparently it makes more business sense to tell a decent sized gathering of people that they are worthless and that Arturo's doesn't need their business. read more

Excellent authentic Italian cuisine in a warm inviting environment. The owner, Thomas, took time to say hello and engage with our table. Attention to detail and timing was perfect. Can't say enough about the spinach and scallops appetizer - simply remarkable. Off the well-lit beaten path in Sault Ste. Marie, but worth it. read more

Amazing! Rivals any fine restaurant in NYC! Had the Zucchini Flower Fritter appetizer to start with, it was so good. The veal chop dinner was inventive and delicious, You won't be disappointed. read more

Outstanding food and service, what a treat to eat here. Authentic Italian food, Osso buco special was amazing. We went early on a Friday nite after a long car ride, all four diners loved their meal. We will be back. read more

Outstanding food...Outstanding atmosphere and excellent Service make this a must visit experience

I recently had Arturo's Restaurant cater my wife's 60th. birthday party which was a rather special day. I had met with Thomas to pick the menu which included prime rib, seafood, pasta, various salads, breads etc. The meal for an expected 45-50 guests was delivered to our home on St. Joseph Island for a 6 pm Saturday dinner. The meal was prepared fresh that day and as promised Thomas delivered it hot and on time. To say the meal was fantastic would be an understatement. Everything turned out perfectly including a special order of scallops which Thomas threw in simply because he knew they are one of my favourite seafood dishes. There were nothing but rave reviews from all the guests and the leftovers, of which there was a lot, were enjoyed by many the following week. I can't compliment Thomas and his staff enough for the effort they put into this meal from helping me decide the menu to making sure everything was done to our complete satisfaction. I would not hesitate to recommend Thomas and his Arturo's staff to cater any type of function and I will definitely use them again for any future special events. Kudos Thomas, and once again thank you very much for making a special day even more special. Mike Prpich read more

I must admit, I happened across this review and discussion intentionally. Since I had been arriving to meet up with another guest to say a quick hello as I was passing through town. I have to say that I was a bit bewildered at the goings on I was observing in the brief time I was actually in the restaurant. Since it was a bit of a show, I wanted to see if anyone had chimed in on the night. It had been in a bit of shock seeing the chef take something off of a guests plate and eat it with his hands!!! I confess curiosity has the better of me. So I've read the review and response from the said customer and chef or owner. So here's my take on what I saw. I guess I should mention, I do not know the people in the party or the owners of this restaurant. To the owners and chef I would have to say, regardless of your apology, I would imagine you would understand being you've been in the business as long, that no matter what you've said in reflection of your actions it will still leave a lasting impression with the general public. First off, the cook followed one of the diners outside to further escalate the tension and didn't remain in control of himself as a seasoned professional. Two, regardless of your "passion", taking a customers comment so personally regarding the quality of food no matter what words were used is quite an amateur response. Especially when you had gone over personally to ask how everything was. Did you really not want to know? As the saying goes "Don't ask a question you don't want the answer to." Why not just say "Thank you I'll take that into consideration, sorry for your disappointment." and leave it at that. Seeing as you have said you've been in the business so long, one would think you would also master the art of self discipline and remove yourself from the matter so as to avoid any more conflict or distress to yourself and the other diners! Did I mention I'm a chef at a very long standing restaurant outside of the Sault? Okay now I did. I also in reading the response from the owner wonder to myself how is it an apology to any of the people he described he was truly sorry to? At the end of it all you put in a shameless promotion for his new catering?! Kind of a backhanded apology if you ask me...but no you didn't so I hope I don't get an angry chef coming to grab food off my plate, follow me outside of his restaurant to further the bad experience the next time I frequent a restaurant owned by your family..if in fact when I do return to the Sault, I am unknowingly eating at one of your establishments. I certainly won't be taking myself there for any other meals. Nor will I give any recommendations to my guests when they ask me where to go to eat when passing through Sault Ste. Marie. I'm giving this two stars purely for the entertainment and wow factor of this situation. Regarding the chef's response to my review: Thanks for the proof reading from the respondent and I believe chef of the restaurant so that I could clarify that I was not actually dining just popping in. I"m sure you;ll receive more jobs for catering. Its the Sault. The choices are slim. You take what you can get sometimes. Seeing as you've had bad press I"m sure some people would take into consideration that hopefully you'll pay extra attention to the next job. Seeing as you have had the bad press. Trying to resurrect your reputation is number one. Lets just see how far that takes you. Wish you the best in your personal struggle with Ego. Seriously though if your so professional and seasoned as an owner then just suck it up and apologize. We as chef's absolutely have to have some level of EGO. It's a tough game but in the end it will always be our down fall if we don't practice self control and be a bit humbled by these constructive criticisms. read more

My fiance and I were incredibly pleased to find this excellent Italian restaurant in The Soo! We travelled to Venice, Rome and Tuscany last fall and would rate this restaurant as equivalent to some of the best meals we had there. Tomas prepared some amazing appetizers, grilled fresh, local whitefish and a delicious pasta with clams. An excellent meal after a long day on the Agawa Canyon Train Tour. Wish I had room for dessert, but the portions were generous and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal. read more

My family has been visiting Arturo's for years and we have NEVER been disappointed! Some of our favourite dishes include the scallops over spinach, the chicken marsala and the escargot. Recently, however, our main attraction has definitely been the cheesecakes. They are homemade and are an excellent way to end a delicious meal. The service is always fabulous when we visit and I cannot wait to dine there again. read more

would like to reply to the owners comment, first off I was one of the guest upstairs waiting for the 6 people to come join a suprise party thrown for the man you got into and incounter with. They had this planned for a long time and worked very hard in setting it up and picked your place to host it. Why well that's there reason, they must of thought you were the best choice. That being said, its very dissapointing to read this. "The lack of food delivery at the end of the evening was for obvious reasons. At that point I think its rather obvious that our willingness to supply "munchies" to those guest who need them as a byproduct to their addictions was rather low on our scale of things to do" none of us are anything CLOSE to an addict we were there for a mans 40th birthday party and his children where there aswell, as about 20 customers that payed to drink your booze and await the guest that's what u refer to us as? everyone had drinks that were being surved from your bar. You clearly didn't want to make the food we had ordered because you were upset with the main guest that the party was for. And instead of you doing the many things you would rather do the reason you couldn't make the food., you came upstairs to the room that they had rented from you to just complaine and crash the party some more. That had to of been the lowest and most immature thing I have ever seen, when you get into a conflic with a guest esspecially over a complaine on your food, witch you admited to being a bit off you simply brush it off and move on. Some people need to learn how to take criticism (helpfull criticism if that, he wasn't being a complete dick about it) and move on and learn from it, and you are deffinitly one of them. I'm extremly dissapointed about this and I have and will tell more people about what I had witnessed. And its rather sad that when you came upstairs, the man you got into a conflict with brushed it off ignored you and tryed to make the best out of his night. And you sadly couldn't. read more