I don't normally love going out for Italian but I'm glad we came here - so delicious!…read more I ordered the carbonara which comes with a fried egg. Ive never heard of that before and am a big fan - I might even ask for a second next time! Great smokiness to the pasta, and it's not like others I've had where there isn't sufficient protein. I took leftovers home. Husband ordered the agnolotti with a side of two meatballs and he really enjoyed it, saying it reminded him of his childhood. The bread served upon sitting was soft and a great vessel for their olive oil and balsamic glaze mix which they add garlic to for a tangy taste. The golden beet salad was also delicious and tasted very fresh. I kind of wish it came prepared in a bowl, whereas this one seems a bit deconstructed, but that's a small thing. Dessert was a ricotta cheesecake with strawberry syrup that was also great. Good slice size, too. Service was good, environment was nice and very busy (saturday night) outdoor patios seem great for the cooler season but was still too hot during the summer evening.

The food never disappoints! The best Italian restaurant. From the appetizers to entrees and their…read morepastry chef desserts, the pope pillow yum !! It's better than 5 stars !

Dominick's is a cute hole in the wall. It's found in a strip mall, but once you walk in, the…read moreelegance of the restaurant makes you forget where you are. The hostess was so kind and sweet when she greeted us and showed us to our table. Our waiter JR popped up within seconds with water and greetings. We were given garlic knots to start. We ordered our drinks and garden salad to begin. Our salad arrived and it was beautiful and a good size for sharing. The drinks arrived and were delicious. Our entrees came after and were just as good. We were too stuffed to get dessert.

Dinner for 3 last night. Haven't updated my review in a decade, thought it was about time…read more.. As always the side/starter salads were wonderful. I had the Caesar and the romaine was nice and crispy, the croutons were crunchy and the dressing was not overdone. The free garlic knots are sinful! I had the pasta carbonara off the Specials menu. After a loooong wait for our entrees, my generous portion arrived (see photo). Lots of pancetta made it very filling and tasty, but I thought the sauce was a little dry. One of my companions had the shrimp scampi - he always orders this here and loves it. My wife ordered the pasta rustica which came with lots of black and green olives and a good amount of capers. She thought it could have used a little more flavor, maybe some more garlic? Overall we had a very pleasant evening, service was great. The decor here might be getting a little dated - the indoor seating is quite dark, especially when you come in from the blazing Arizona sun!

My son chose Vivace for his birthday dinner, and once again, this restaurant reminded us why it's…read moreone of our absolute favorites in Tucson. We like to switch up our appetizers every visit, so this time I tried something new, the escargot with artichokes. If you've never had escargot before, this is the perfect beginner dish. The escargot was buttery, tender, and packed with flavor. Paired with the artichokes and toasted bread, it was absolutely incredible. I almost ate the entire order by myself because I simply couldn't stop! We also ordered the shrimp and crab cakes, and wow, these were phenomenal. The outside had the perfect crispy crust while the inside was tender, flavorful, and full of seafood. The accompanying sauce tied everything together beautifully. For our entrées, we had the seared tenderloin over creamy polenta, cooked medium rare. It was perfection. The tenderloin was incredibly tender and flavorful, the wine sauce was rich without being overpowering, and the polenta was creamy and comforting. The portion was also very generous. We also shared the rigatoni with braised short rib, and I honestly can't stop thinking about it. The short rib was melt in your mouth tender, juicy, and so flavorful that I'd happily order a plate of just that! Combined with the perfectly cooked rigatoni, rich sauce, and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan, it was one of those dishes where every bite was better than the last. Our server was fantastic, attentive, friendly, and full of great recommendations without ever making us feel rushed. The restaurant itself is always beautiful and has such an elegant atmosphere. Since we were celebrating my son's birthday, I was hoping we'd get one of the tables with the city view, but honestly, the outstanding food and exceptional service more than made up for it. Vivace continues to be one of Tucson's best dining experiences. Every meal here reminds us why we keep coming back. Highly recommend!

When a dining experience is SO excellent in SO many ways, where every little thing goes well, it's…read morea rarity. Let alone a birthday dining experience where you go in with high expectations and can easily be let down when something goes wrong. This was one of the most memorable birthday dinners I've ever had.Vivace did so many things well. Let's start with the fact that not only did they seat us at noon when I'd made a 12:30 reservation (and the place was pretty busy, particularly for a routine Monday afternoon), but pleasantly and at a quiet, roomy 4 person table. And they acknowledged my birthday (not only at the host/hostess station but by the server AND with a delicious dessert)!Our server, Jemeella (I hope I spelled it correctly) was just phenomenal! Such a pleasant disposition, and she was so helpful with the menu, and she made sure to check on us to see how we were doing through the experience, and she was funny and just elevated the whole experience for us. I mean, the food alone stands on its own as among the finest, to me. And I'm not the easiest person in the world to please, either. The delicious bread with pesto (not long ago I thought "nobody serves pesto anymore!") and the mixed green salad alone had me hooked before we even got to the entrees! That salad is something we're still thinking about. How does a simple salad leave such a remarkably pleasant impression? The greens were just very fresh and tasty? The dressing was so citrusy vinegary delicious? The little fried potato sticks gave it a crunch (we initially assumed they were not gluten-free, but they were, just potato, so BONUS!). I don't know what it was about that salad but it was delicious!I usually go with chicken piccata generally as my first dish at an Italian restaurant I haven't tried yet (no, NOT parmesan, although in fairness, boy the chicken parmesan looked good too!). But the chicken Marsala looked pretty appetizing and it did not disappoint! In fact, it exceeded my expectations! The sauce was just perfect in both flavor and consistency, and the chicken itself was delicious - plump, tender, just the right thickness (I think it's redbird?) and the pieces of mushroom were great (not overwhelming but subtle). Admittedly, II didn't really know what the "vegetable pasta" that accompanies it is, I could guess it's some version of primavera. That pasta side was ALSO outstanding! I don't remember if they make their pasta in house, but it was like a fettuccine type of noodle, with small pieces of vegetables (squash, I think crunch green bean maybe, thinly sliced red pepper? Not sure) and the pasta soaks up that delicious sauce, so it was perfect. Jemeella said "you good with the vegetable pasta that comes with it" and I said "sure as if I knew what I was talking about. Just figured if that's what they do, let's go with it. Silky, delicious, fresh pasta side. Right on. My wife got the steak. Sunken gently in a mashed potato. With a delicious sauce again. With fresh spinach. Another total winner. It's so easy when the other person orders steak and it's not done to the desired temperature for that to ruin the timing of the meal if it has to be adjusted. But this was a perfect medium well, straight up. AND they didn't deliver the dish and run away so if you DID have an issue with doneness, it just sits there getting cold. NOPE. Perfectly done and delicious as delivered!Now, with service, you usually only pay attention to the server. But I have to say, the bus staff was also really great. They refilled water glasses, removed plates, and boxed up our leftovers for us (I know that doesn't seem like a big deal, but there are plenty of restaurants, even high end, that just give you a container and have you do it yourself. And get this - I felt a little sheepish about wanting to take the couple of remaining pieces of fresh bread home, and not only did the bus guy box it up, he gave me EXTRA pieces of bread! You think that's lost on me? I'm gonna remember that. Also it should be noted that the service was outstanding on a day that - despite being a routine Monday roughly noon - was pretty darn busy at this place! Which says a lot. They even comped my birthday dessert (crème brûlée) and it was yet another winner! Perfect consistency, smooth, not pasty, sweet but not too sweet, and the perfect thin caramelized sugar topping (without making a fuss with the blow torch at the table, which is fine by me, just serve it as it will be eaten). Wow. Wine list was REALLY reasonably priced. And my wife and I both ordered after dinner drinks, both of which were great. Not only was the wine just reasonably priced, but overall, when the bill arrived, I thought it was a great value. High quality food, superior service, great view, easy parking.I'm just upset it took us so long to get to Vivace. Don't wait for a special occasion to try this place. I know we're not gonna wait. We're going back soon!

For whatever reason, I haven't been here in nearly ten years, and my dining companion had never…read morebeen. So we journeyed out on Memorial Day for a grill-free dinner. The space is lovely of course, with tons of courtyard view windows. We did run into a broken chair when we sat down, but that was easily remedied (hopefully it was permanently removed from the floor). Our server was also tending bar, so he was stretched a bit thin, but overall the service was solid. He happily went back to the kitchen in a couple of questions he couldn't answer, but was overall very knowledgeable. He recommended a white wine made by a relative of the restaurant owner and it was lovely. We started with the octopus. I didn't expect this starter to be cold, but the tender octopus, fingerling potatoes and olives were a great combo in the acidic sauce. Would most certainly order it again. My main was the short rib. Short rib is always a heavy dish, but the vegetable risotto and asparagus helped lighten it a bit and it was tender and delicious. I probably ate 1/3, but I'm not sad to have generous leftovers. My dining companion had the veal, which was also excellent. I finished my meal with the crème caramel, which was very traditional and exactly as expected (which is what I want in a dessert like that). I'm very happy to dine here more often than every ten years.

Great experience here today. I stopped in for a quick meal before I hit near by art galleries…read more Tavolino is located in a beautiful plaza with a lot of parking. The restaurant is clean and beautifully decorated. Today I ordered their caprese burrata. It was unbelievable, creamy and fresh. Service was a little slow but super friendly.

Excellent Staff and food! Very friendly people. Made me feel welcomed. The food quality is top…read morenotch and worth the price. I highly recommend if you haven't tried it. Do so.

The restaurant is most definitely tiny , the staff and the food are top notch. It feels like one of…read morethose great neighborhood cafes that the staff go out of their way to make you feel welcome , the Food is 10/10 . Exactly what it says it is . Definitely get the meatball sub and the lasagna !

Tonight, we are meeting friends we haven't seen in a while in northern Tucson for dinner. Cafe…read moreTorino is one of their favorites and it is not to loud so we can catch up on time that flies by. Reservations were made as this place is a local watering hole in the area. The place was packed and we ordered the Ceasar's salad to split and the mussels in a white wine and garlic sauce. The salad was fine and enough for us to easily share. The mussels were good, tasty broth, and grilled bread to soak up the sauce. We also ordered a tagliatelle bolognese that was fine, decent taste, hot and a generous helping. Our server was on the spot with making sure we were happy, drinks filled and yet did not interrupt our conversation. To the Cafe Torino staff, we never felt pressure to dine and dash, thank you. The food was fine but not remarkable. Obviously, the crowds love this place. You should make a visit to Cafe Torino and make your own decision.

This was my first time here and let me say I truly enjoyed the restaurant. The waitress I had was…read moreso sweet and attentive, she also told us about the history of the restaurant. This is a wonderful family business and look forward to returning. The food was amazing as well as the wine that I tried. The eggplant with rigatoni was amazing. The pasta was cooked well and the sauce was filled with amazing tastes. The egg plant had an amazing consistency and the vegetable sauce was packed with different notes of herbs and spices. 8/10 The hamburger torino was tasty and cooked nicely, not dry. The honey balsamic barbecue sauce was an amazing sauce to add to the burger. 4.5/10 burger I'm not sure of the name of the Toscana wine that I tried, it was the 3rd or 4th option down the list of red wines. This wine had earthy notes and was not too sweet. This wine was recommended by the waitress and it did not disappoint. 7/10 Overall I truly enjoyed my visit to this restaurant and will be recommending this to my friends and family!

Wow wow wow I love this place it's so cute on the inside. Has a little area for the kids to play…read morewith toys and it gives clean mom and pop. I got the small 7 dollar bowl and that is definitely plenty of food but I guess if you're totally American you want that big portion there is the 10 dollar bowl option. But I am plenty full off the small bowl. The pesto bowl tie with grilled chicken and roasted veggies is what I got and it absolutely SMACKED! Pesto definitely was not from a jar and if it was you fooled me. But I will be back to try all the versions of pasta and sandwiches!! So glad I took a chance on this local eatery!! It's right next to the Starbucks in the Target parking lot. I was also graced with a cannoli and that too was great!! Highly recommend this place for good comfort food! The owner was very nice and let me know that if you order to go the drink is a bit cheaper! So that was cool!

This place has that family owned business kind of vibe to it. As you walk into the restaurant, it…read morehas a very simple decor, there is no menu board on the counter. And their take out boxes are just exposed in the open behind the counter. Most of the staff are young boys, very polite, but never ever once checked on us, after our food was served. This place just opened end of January 2023. So probably they will make some improvements on the interior of the establishment. The food was priced decent, if you're on a budget, and craving for pasta, this is the place for you. I noticed most of the costumers are young. There are 2 size options for their serving. Then choice of pasta, sauce and sides. They have salads and sandwiches. Food is not bad, but nothing special about it, either. We got curious and I'm sure a lot of people will, too.

To those who overlooked this beautifully tucked-away gem at a unique Tucson mountain resort--what a…read moremiss! From the first bite, my palate came alive - layered with the delicate fragrance of fresh herbs, florals, and something even rarer: genuine care from both the chef and the staff. Every dish felt intentional, like it was crafted, not just prepared. Passagio strikes an elegant balance between traditional Italian roots and the bold, sun-kissed soul of a Sonoran trattoria. It's the kind of place where flavors don't just sit on your tongue, they move, evolve, and stay with you long after the meal is over. If you're searching for a refined, intimate escape; perfect for two (or a small group that truly appreciates the experience)...Passagio deserves a top spot on your "go-to" list. Returning will not be a pleasure, but a must. 100% worth your time. Bravo to Chef and the team. The bar scene is absolutely epic and the vibe is absolutely different.

Had a great experience here and was so excited to hear there were gluten free options! They're not…read morelabeled on the menu but the waitress let me know they have gluten free pasta ! I didn't try all of these but this is what the said was gluten free: the appetizers octopus and the chef salumi one, all of the sides, all of the salads besides croutons, entrees the steak, the sea bass, and all of the pastas had a gluten free option. We had the Di casa with shrimp and pasta à la primavera, both were fantastic paired with wine. My mom loved the tiramisu which I've tried prior before I was gluten free and it is so delicious. It wasn't too busy but best to make a reservation since they have happy hour in the wine bar. Service was great and prompt as well.