I found this place through DoorDash and I'm really glad that I did. I ordered the vodka penne pasta, added sausage. Hell I haven't ate to that level of fullness in years. It was just simply amazing. I told my son about it in Michigan and he's excited to try it when he comes and visits in a couple weeks. Looks like a really nice restaurant on the inside when I picked up the order. The college chap working the front was super nice. Great food 5/5 read more

Castello of Niantic - Vodka Penne - Pizza Near Me - Niantic, Connecticut

II previously gave this restaurant an excellent review. It was one of our favorite restaurants for special occasions. Last week we went for lunch instead of dinner. We will not be going back. We found out that they don't offer bread with your entree before five o'clock, because they wouldn't be baked yet (our server did manage to get us some garlic rolls while we were eating). We didn't get salad either. Whatever you do, don't order anything with the pink sauce, it's awful. I had the Bolognese and IT WASN"T BOLOGNESE! It came with a pink sauce and instead of ground meat sauce it came with chunks of sausage. I coulnd't eat it. By the time I got home I was physically sick. Our server is a wonderful woman, but this place has changed. read more

Cheese pizza was sloppy and soggy, Hawaiian pizza was sloppy and soggy, chicken parm pizza was sloppy and soggy. Tried this place for the first time, and last time, terrible presentation and taste for the overpriced pizza. Plenty of other places in town, don't bother going here . read more

This is one of my favorite restaurants in the area! The food is always amazing! The waitstaff are so personable and funny. And the food is very good I LOVE the Tuscan chicken pasta and lemoncello cake read more

Castello of Niantic - Tuscan chicken pasta - Pizza Near Me - Niantic, Connecticut

We booked for 9 people to celebrate our friend's birthday. The atmosphere is great. I ordered the seafood mix grill, one of the expensive menu items. I expected it would taste great but the risotto was bland. Didn't actually enjoy my meal. But acceptable because I was starving. One of my friends didn't make it due to a parking issue. Parking is horrible. They don'thave much parking available. If you're booking for a party of numerous people don't pick this restaurant. You will be disappointed. The server was very patient and friendly. That's the only good thing I could share. read more

Well my favorite restaurant has gone downhill ! Such a disappointment ! Arancini were cold ! Bolonaise was not bolonaise !!! It was like someone threw meat in a light sauce I've had it here many times but this was awful Never going there again read more

Great food and fantastic cocktails. One of the bartenders is amazing. The other makes a good drink, but flirts with every guy. Even those with dates. I guess when you work for tips it helps, but we just skip when she is working (his choice not mine). That aside we keep coming back as the food and ambiance is wonderful. And you can get other items that are not on the menu if you know what to ask for. read more

I really don't understand the mixed reviews, maybe the ambiance is terrible, I've only ever picked up food here, and it's always been very good. Pretty pricey for the location, and the pizza is nothing to write home about, but the actual Italian pasta dishes are some of the best in the area. The staff are always very friendly, and it seems like the parking lot is always full for the dinner rush. read more

So I have gone to this restaurant 4-5 times for their lunch special but decided to try dinner one night. It's a small modest classic Italian American restaurant but has a quiet intimate vibe. The bar area is cute - probably 8 -10 bar seats altogether. I sat at the bar & the bartender brought water & a menu over immediately. She then took my drink order. I decided on wine & she was happy to offer me a tasting. After reading over the menu, I decided on the chicken Marsala which is one of my all time favorite Italian dishes. The photo on the website showed the classic preparation of chicken in a reduction sauce of Marsala wine, butter, veal stock, parsley & mushrooms. I asked very graciously if they would mind serving it over mashed potatoes (I know - sacrilege! My apologies!). She checked with the chef & they were gracious & obliged which I really appreciated. They brought out garlic knots which were perfectly fine but not particularly notable. They also brought a small dinner salad. The ingredients were very fresh & had a nice simple balsamic vinaigrette on it. About 10 minutes later, my entree came out which didn't give me any real time to dine on my salad. I was hungry. I looked at the entree & was a little confused. It was covered in TOMATO SAUCE with mushrooms. The entire dish. I reluctantly took a few bites of the mashed potatoes with the red sauce & sure enough it was TOMATO SAUCE. So This completely bummed me out bc the dish was not TRADITIONAL CHICKEN MARSALA. Nor was it the traditional preparation of chicken Marsala depicted in the photo on the website menu. So I reluctantly asked the bartender & she had the mgr come over. The Mgr proceeded to tell me that she would give me a discount on the entree bc I had eaten 1/3 of the entree which was completely false. I had 3 bites of the mash with sauce bc I was trying it, hoping it actually might be enjoyable so I wouldn't have to call a staff member over & order something else. In the same breath as she was telling her staff to give me a discount for the dish, she insisted that some restaurants prepare dishes differently. WTH? The photo on the website & traditional Chicken Marsala DO NOT HAVE TOMATO SAUCE IN IT - AT ALL. NOT A WHIFF OR A SCOCH ANYWHERE. So not only did the Mgr insult me with saying I ate 1/3 of it which clearly I did not (bc i didn't like it & it was NOT what I ordered). But then to have her defend the fact that THE KITCHEN SCREWED UP & PREPARED IT COMPLETELY WRONG. WHO DOES THIS? No one in the restaurant industry that I know of. I was completely dumb founded. I bit my lip & just decided then & there - I will never dine at this place again. She could've been nice, gracious & kind about it. Just replaced the dish with something else but instead she was rude, defensive & lied. Game over. Never again. BELOW is the TRADITIONAL & STANDARD PREPARATION FOR CHICKEN MARSALA from the NYTimes Food Section. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/7344-chicken-marsala-and-mushrooms?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share read more

Have been here multiple times and the food is generally good, however the server we seem to always get (Lisa), is generally rude and loud, and unprofessional. Today I ordered a build your own panini for take it and this is what was built...looks thrown together, not heated as a panini should be. Also I asked for mozzarella, thinking it would be fresh and was given to thin/transparent slices. I think it's time to write this place off my list for good. read more

Castello of Niantic - Pizza Near Me - Niantic, Connecticut

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I ordered the scallops. Five little scallops, bacon grease, some orange-colored risotto, and a few asparagus that were inedible. $32. Everything on the menu overpriced. read more

I have given them so many tries. We live close by so it is convenient but they just can't get it right! The pizza is so inconsistent! The pictures on line are not what you get 80% of the time! It's not that hard to make a pizza well done... and the staff brutal! The answer for the pizza not being cooked correctly for take out was "it's not my fault, it's the kitchens."How about an offer for a resolution. Sorry guys, we will definitely not be back! read more

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Ordered a Cheesesteak "Paninni" at least that's what they say on their menu. Not only did it tast awful, it wasn't even a Paninni. It was a soft white grinder roll and not toasted. If your selling sandwiches say so! read more

So far so good. I stopped in on a whim. I'm happy I did. I'm not disappointed. It's a quaint yet classy establishment. I ordered an old fashioned first off. Pretty tasty I must say. My starter was the arrincini . Super tasty for sure. For the encore I ordered a meat lovers pie on a cauliflower crust. Not too bad. It was kind of salty for my taste but still tasty. I'd come back. I like the ambiance. My server was super friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. Great job read more

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Good food, pretty patio area. Lots of free parking available - can park at the school across the street if their parking lot is filled.

On our way to the Niantic Children's Museum, we passed their sign for 2 slices of pizza and a soda for $5. First of all, the slices are huge. Second of all, they are delicious. They have a thin, crispy crust. The sauce is really good. The service was excellent and we would be regulars, if we didn't live so far away! read more

Castello of Niantic - Pizza Near Me - Niantic, Connecticut

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First time back this summer season! We were greeted by a new face, my kids immediately asked "where's our girl" and thankfully our favorite server walked out of the kitchen!!! 50 cent wing Wednesday were a huge hit! And my most craved hot salami pie was just what I wanted! The bourbon sweet tea was strong but delish! Looking forward to many more visits this summer. read more

Decided to try Castello for restaurant week (RW) with a friend. It was really busy on a Friday night. The small parking lot was packed. I had to park a street away and walk over. FYI: Over flow parking is at the Niantic Center School. We went for RW but then, we changed our mind and ordered from the regular menu. We both got cocktails and they tasted yummy. For entrees, it was eggplant rollatini and cavatelli with short rib ragu. Both was delicious. I had the cavatelli and it was tasty - rich and a bit greasy. I wished it had a bit more acidity from the tomatoes in the sauce. The onions was chopped up a big big, too. For dessert, it was molten chocolate cake and peanut pie. I had the peanut butter pie. It was perfect - creamy and nice balance of peanut butter and chocolate. Our waitress was nice and attentive. No complaints there. We noticed it was a packed house and didn't have any lag in service. We made reservations but ended up with a table right by the door so that was a bummer. As for the crowd, it seems to be an older crowd. Solid. 3.5 stars. read more

Castello of Niantic - Short rib cavatelli - Pizza Near Me - Niantic, Connecticut

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The food is fine. The service however truly ruined our experience. Our server, Lissa, was, without any hyperbole, deranged. So to not think we set too high expectations, or were not understanding of the situation, let me put that all to bed. Everyone at that table were veteran restaurant workers and just in general very patient, nice people. We gave this woman so many opportunities to correct her behavior and she seemed determined to make us all completely uneasy and miserable. She was nasty to us when we got there, but we didn't think much of it. We ordered drinks from her. She brought out 1 water and nothing else (there were 4 of us, 3 of us had also ordered other drinks. When I politely asked her if we could get waters for the table she, without any exaggeration, snapped at me. When she brought the drinks, she then forgot one of our drinks entirely. When one of us asked if she was aware that she had given her water instead of Sprite, she snapped again claiming it was on its way all along, which was BS. The real kicker though was when I asked how the chicken parmesan was. She went on this tirade of how only a "chicken" would come to an Italian restaurant and order a chicken dish. We guessed she was implying that that was a boring choice, even though their menu is really just basic Italian dishes. We suspected that she just was wildly overestimating her understanding of Italian cuisine in addition to her being completely out of her mind, but it was so out of left field nuts, that we couldn't figure it out. We ultimately decided it was that she thinks she's funny and doesn't understand that she's not, but again, hard to tell because it was so weird. At this point we discussed leaving, but made the mistake of deciding to stay where she continued to make things as hard and weird on us as she could. Numerous other things happened, but suffice it to say, we had an awful time. I empathize with hospitality workers, but all the other mistakes aside the very least she could have done was just stop harassing us and just bring us our food. Of course we will never go back there again and would suggest others avoid the same issue. read more

The seafood risotto is WOW!! I mean mind-blowing, holy f'ing mouthgasm amazing!! Service is also fantastic. I could not be happier about my experience. read more

The best thing about dinner was the half off bottles of wine on Mondays. (2nd star) We did not receive a single refill on our water, the walls had unpainted patch jobs, the table was peeling, and the music was pretty random. The worst part was the food tasted like canned sauce with ingredients added last minute instead of trying to incorporate flavors. For the cost of the meal and the reviews we expected a lot more. read more

Great food with great flavors. We had the Chicken Frances and the Castello Bolognese. They were Perfectly sized portions and tasted unexpectedly good. The lemon, butter and garlic mix on the fettuccini was delicious and the bolognese had a good kick of flavor from the sausage and onions (among the other ingredients). We had a good time and the service was awesome. read more

Castello of Niantic - Chicken Francese - Pizza Near Me - Niantic, Connecticut

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Food great, wait staff fun, Ambience wonderful. It's a place where "everyone knows your name", a nice neighbor joint!

I've been here twice now and each time they've greeted us in such a friendly and welcoming way. The staff is amazing and the food is equally as good. read more

Castello of Niantic - Mixed green salad - Pizza Near Me - Niantic, Connecticut

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I ordered 2 large pizzas. The margarita had so much cheese and garlic it was inedible. I thought it was going to be a traditional margarita. I will not return. When I think of Italian style pizza this is not it. Both pizzas went straight into garbage. read more

My husband and I brought his Dad and Step-mom to Castello's on Saturday, August 14th. They go here a lot and this was our second visit. It was outstanding. I was craving a really good Margherita Pizza. They did not disappoint me. I ordered a large in case my hubby or in-laws wanted some. I left my in-laws three pieces to take home! Our apps were calamari and fried ravioli...both were fantastic! We'll be back. read more

Great menu and portions outstanding. Everything was delicious and the service was excellent. Cozy little place to enjoy friends

Have driven past the place a million times but gave it a try today. Ordered a beer and my wife got a water. After a little while I got my beer, but as opposed to my wife getting a water, the server had a beer for a different table. After another 5 or so minutes, her water came out. That's not how to bring beverages to multiple guests at a table. We ordered the Castello special pizza. Sounded good on the menu. Lots of vegis and Meat, but when served, it was quite sparse. I didn't even know there was bacon on it until my wife pointed out 1 piece. Tonight I'll add more items and reheat it.. It's really too bad because the crust and sauce were spot on. Lack of toppings blew it. As for service, overall, it was slow. The kicker was the place only had 2 or 3 people in the restaurant. read more

Horrible food ever! The linguini was so sour and cooked with too much vinegar with no sense at all. I strongly doubt the cook mistaken the vinegar to the White vine. It's my first time dine inbut second time consume. Neither get a yummy food. Will not recommend and won't come again unfortunately. read more

Castello of Niantic - Little Necks & Linguini - Pizza Near Me - Niantic, Connecticut

Delicious. We had this for a friends party that we flew in and attended. Great selection and the owners were so nice

This was one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had. When we walked in there were only 3 other tables occupied- on a Tuesday. After we ordered our drinks, I requested straws and she said she didn't have any and she'd have to go see- like it was a huge inconvenience. Really? We ordered 2 salads and a small plate of mussels. Nearly one hour later, no food and she had not been back once to our table to either check in or explain why the food was not still out. She was very close by and clearing plates from another table. I tried getting her attention, but to no avail. I refused to have to chase after her to find out where the food was. We got up and left. On the way out I said "We have waited nearly an hour and we're leaving." No apology, nothing. We went to Dev's on Main instead. Best decision. I'll never go back. It wasn't just the agonizingly slow service, as much as the fact that we were ignored by incredibly rude staff. read more

Castello's is a Niantic experience. Our server was clearly at full capacity on a September Saturday evening and in a direct, slightly cheeky, New England way asked for a little space. We are local and gladly granted it. The bait at Castello's is the garlic knots. We were hooked. Yum going down. A bit gassy later in the evening. My companion and I enjoyed the Caprese salad which was presented with roasted peppers in addition to what you'd usually expect. It worked well. The menu looked great, especially for such a small place. The chicken Parmesan was a solid offering that my companion enjoyed. I had the salmon. Our server was clear - medium or well only for the cook. I stuck with the dish although I prefer rare. The chili sauce was too hot. The risotto cake had captured me, and it was yummy. We declined dessert...any restaurant in Niantic faces strong competition from the many ice cream options - plus very soon we will have our own Sift. I'd love to go back and try the pizza. This is the first place that's been successful in this location, and there was a lively buzz in the bar. Definitely worth a try! read more

Went with the family. Garlic knots were hard and microwaved to warm them. Appetizers of calamari and honey ricotta. Sounds good but not homemade. The family enjoyed the calamari. I didn't. I had the short rib (the special beef) with homemade cavatilla. Eh... husband had Tuscan chicken with cavatilla...said too many overpowering flavors. Daughter had seafood grill dish...watery scallops. Granddaughter hD stuffed shrimp...lots of stuffed....loads...mashed potatoes boxed and string beans were stringy alright. Her entire meal was horrible!! She wanted to go out. Poor thing. Waitress was sassy but efficient and a good server. Atmosphere meh. I won't go again. Service good ambiance noted. read more

If you're looking for a pizza it's delicious if you're looking for something else you might want to go somewhere else. They were out of it most items I asked for on the menu that's all I had not very good and they refunded me half of it. Service was excellent! read more

This was wonderful homestyle Italian cooking! Lovely service too. Even bread with chopped garlic & EVO was special. Cannoli shell was crisp and crunchy, filling so good you had to savor it. read more

Don't let these negative reviews sway you. Castello has excellent service, absolutely DELICIOUS Italian fare, that frankly in unrivaled in the area. I can't think of a place anywhere in New London county that does Italian dishes as well as they do, truly. The environment is cozy and adorable with friendly and attentive staff. The mixed drinks are also really good, although not very strong. This tiny little place has been my go to for dates and special occasions since my boyfriend and I discovered it for our first anniversary years ago. Cannot recommend it enough. I think that maybe these others reviewers just wanted to be petty because they didn't get a yes to an impossible request. read more

Awesome grinders. They use really good grinder rolls and the quality of the meats, cheeses and produce is great. I'm usually picking up for takeout but the decor inside is really nice and obviously they did a great job utilizing that space outside all summer and making it visually appealing. read more

Absolutely not impressed unfortunately completely unimpressed! Stopped in for lunch, ordered a bowl of pasta e fagioli... it was like water with a few beans, zero flavor Then I had the penne Bolognese, hoping for the bounce back from the kitchen once again not impressed. You could have literally called this dish penne with broken meatball. In other reviews I'm reading about the wonderful olive oil and garlic served with bread apparently the lunch crowd isn't worthy because that never came to the table. I left feeling ripped off. I'm sorry but there will be no second chance at this establishment. read more

The calamari was like rubber bands coated with stale breading and deep fried...I've never had worse!! The sauce that the drunken mussels came in was mediocre and it was the best part of the meal. The garlic bread that came with the mussels was horrendously stale. So disappointed with this place. We chose this place based on reviews. It fell so far short of our expectations read more

Bad experience Took forever to get the order to the table and they were slow. Garlic knots were oily and some were tiny. They nickel and dime you for soda and never tell you until the end. No free refills here. Our family ordered soda and refills and I could have bought a case for what they charged. Ordered a white pizza. Got a soggy sauce pizza. They admit the mistake. What do they do? It's late a night. Looks like the world closes by 8:45 at night. Can't get another pizza quickly. Will take a while for another. So, they give me 2 free mini cannoli. I told them I hate cannoli. Walk out $100 plus dollars lighter after pizza, soda, salad, and pasta. And the pizza sucked. I suggest another pizza joint so you don't get hosed. read more