Oh, Chiaparelli's. What's to be said about you? You're a fixture in Little Italy, and together with Sabatino's, you make up the great either/or Italian restaurant debate of Baltimore. Your house salad is the yin to their yang, and while I like them both, my unhealthy-salad-eating heart belongs to you. I don't know how you make it or what exactly is in it (though I suspect crack). I might even be hard pressed to call your salad "delicious," but every so often I just have to have one. You, Chiaparelli's, are the White Castle of Italian house salads. Beyond your salad, I'm afraid things aren't always perfect here. I ordered the sausage and peppers appetizer the last time I was here, and the dish arrived SWIMMING in grease. My grease tolerance is significantly higher than most (note my reference to White Castle above), and it was too much even for me. Another time, I ordered the orchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe and had the dish come from the kitchen with so much water left on the pasta that I watched the waitress drain it again before serving it. At its best - and other reviewers are correct that some of the homemade pasta can be quite good - Chiaparelli's serves solid Italian standards. The prices for those solid Italian standards always shock me, but they're in keeping with the other restaurants in Little Italy, so it's hardly fair to complain. read more

I stumbled upon Chiapparelli's by accident and really wish I hadn't. As other Yelpers have said, the house salad was amazing (because it was drenched in unhealthy dressings). Unfortunately, the salad was the highlight of the evening. There were two employees in the lobby who didn't even acknowledge our party when we entered. We had to get their attention and then ask to be seated. Our waiter was visibly stretched because of the crowd, but he was working hard to be attentive. The food, which is arguably the most important part of a Yelp review, was so forgettable that I'm putting at the very end. My pasta looked and tasted like Kraft Mac-n-Cheese. The gnocchi was bland and only the clams in the clam pasta were eatable. Apparently this place has a good reputation, but I can't see why. read more

Who would have thought you could go wrong at an Italian restaurant in Little Italy that was established in the 1940's. We didn't but we did. The house salad is complementary with all meals. It's a cheesy Cesar salad. Of the four plates we received not two of them were the same except for the wilted lettuce. One had red onions, another had pepperincini's, one was only lettuce and the fourth was ... different. We didn't understand the hype surrounding the salad. Either way this lack of ability to toss a salad set the tone for the evening. The calamari was average. The marinara dipping sauce was bland. If we weren't sure we ordered manicotti we would have thought it was the lasagna. The Judge Alberto's Clams (linguini and clams) was flavorless. The few clams that came with the dish were cold and overcooked. The plate even included two empty shells (sadly I looked but didn't find any clams hiding in the dish). I can't even remember what the other two entree's were but they were obviously unmemorable. The one nice thing was we had a relaxing dinner not hurried to order, eat, pay and leave. The downside to that was dinner took close to three hours. Other tables around us were seated, ate and departed before we received our entrees. We were seemingly caught between server and kitchen mismanagement. In the end we departed with an overwhelming feeling of disappointment. Sad as we were all looking forward to a good Italian dinner. Hopefully, Baltimore's Little Italy has better to offer but we won't be going out of our way to find out. read more

What a great experience. The staff, even when swamped were on their game and still very friendly. The owner talked to us like he had known us for years. Finally, the bartender, Matao was top notch and did a fantastic job! We will be back! read more

We held our small company party here and the service was good, the food was good and the atmosphere was overall very nice. Food prices are reasonable, drinks were a little high but overall I'd go there again. read more

I really enjoyed the food here. My friends and I ate at Chips before a concert and I think I was full for more than 24 hours after I ate. The salad that comes with every entree is delicious, yes it is drenched in dressing and cheese. So maybe it should really be called a cheeseburger or a milkshake for its outrageous caloric content but it is seriously amazing. I had the lasagna with meat sauce as my entree and it was quite tasty. While the dish was a little bland it seemed that all the ingredients were very fresh. Randomly, our waitress never refilled our sodas but whatever. This place is a little old school but the food is great. read more

I absolutely loved this place. It has been around for 70 years and I can see why. The food was top notch, the service was impeccable and they have valet parking! You will find this lil (big) gem in the heart of Little Italy on South High Street. It offers homemade pasta and fresh homemade bread!!! I had the Penne con Vodka - an absolute 10. After I eat this dish at other Italian restaurants, I usually feel overly stuffed. But that wasn't the case here. The dish was much lighter than other places. Friends had the Tour of Chiapparelli's - fettuccine alfredo, lasagna and eggplant parm - she gave it a 10 saying the lasagna was the best of the three dishes. Other friend had chicken parm - she rated it 8 outta 10. The garlic bread was a hit also. Try to go early as the restaurant gets packed during dinner hours. Reservations definitely recommended. Plan to spend the $10 for valet - parking stinks otherwise. Have fun and go hungry! read more

What a disaster. I was not impressed by the restaurant from the minute I walked in. The cliche Italian music, the dirty carpets and the lack of attention by any sort of attendant made me ask myself why I ever walked in. We had an attendant ask for our drinks, meal selection and if we needed our bill. That was it. The house salad was overdressed and the Besto Pesto was bland and too oily. The spaghetti with meat sauce was terrible too. And to add insult to injury, it was pricey! I will not be going back or recommending this spot to anyone. read more

A friend suggested we get together at Chiapparellis (Chia). I was not excited about this prospect. The last time I was here was 30 years ago and even though my palate was not very sophisticated then I still found the place exceptionally dull. Dull food, dull ambiance, dull menu. Well 30 years later nothing has changed. Yes the house salad is huge and drenched in artery clogging goodness. It tastes good but even there the quality control was lacking. All I had was lettuce. That is it. Others at the table had peppers in their salad and lots of them. The bread is still served cold. It is bland as could be. The calamari appetizer isn't quite as good as you could get frozen from Costco. I got the Pesto Pasta with Shrimp. Funny thing about this is that I could not distinguish either garlic, oil, basil or pine nuts. The Pasta was smothered in this green sauce that tasted like nothing. Sorry but this place is just stuck in a time warp. There is not even a nostalgic quality about it. Go elsewhere. read more

I love the salad The best chicken Parmesan we've been coming here for the last 20 years really good food would recommend to anyone and the service is fantastic we had a waitress that look like Elizabeth Taylor she was very nice read more

All I know is this place knows how to host a party. I guess it helped that we knew one of the chefs, but I digress... I was here last Saturday night to reunite with my mother's family and we had a blast. Even though the service was a little slow and I didn't get a knife, it was still okay. Our server Randy was SOOOOOOO hot, by the way. I kept trying to give him "the eye" and I felt a chemistry. Sorta. I gave up after a while and looked for another conquest (again, I digress...). The salad wasn't very good and tasted bland. I took Randy's recommendation for my entree and it was one of the only non-pasta dishes available. Pretty good. Everyone else seemed to LOVE their food and I suppose that's all that matters. read more

We had a group of eight people in town for the Preakness. I called the restaurant for a reservation based on a recommendation from my sister a lifelong Baltimore resident. Even though it was 6:45pm, the restaurant promptly offered to squeeze us in at 8 PM. This worked well for our group which had been grazing at the race track all day. We arrived in after a short wait we were at a table in the bar, again perfect for our group. We all ordered various dishes and lots of wine and had a great time. The food was spectacular the service was great and I highly recommend this restaurant. I can't remember the bartenders name but he made a great drink and the service was fast and always accurate. Kudos to the team on duty last weekend, see you again soon! read more

We ordered the sausage and peppers appetizer.. Very tasty .. Lots of bread and butter at the table.. The salads are huge, so save room for you main meal.. The pasta is homemade and a nice portion.. read more

Chiapparelli's Restaurant - A loaf of bread and house chianti - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

We decided to eat here before seeing the Avett Brothers concert at Pier 6, it was delicious. It was simple good food, a nice atmosphere, and great service. For those who said Chiapparelli's was bland and boring, what places do you prefer for Italian? The bread was not warm, but it was still good. It was quality Italian bread - plain and simple, and that was fine with me. The salad was delicious, and I loved the fact that they did not ask- they just delivered. OK, so it was iceburg lettuce and it was drenched in cheese, I'm a spring mix/arugula kinda girl myself, but i grew up on iceburg lettuce, and I really enjoyed it. Yum! In fact, I can't wait to go back simply for the salad. Appetizer- Arancine (order them!) I had only had these once at a place called Joes Italian Kitchen. When I saw them on the menu, I did not think twice about ordering (which never happens). How can you go wrong with fried balls of Arborio rice? They were served with a marinara sauce and were top notch. Entrees: "Drooling" Gnocchi & Grandma's Ravioli Drooling was an understatement...The BF got the ravioli, (we ended up splitting it because we had so much food) it was perfect- light pockets of spinach and ricotta cheese nestled in fresh pasta. I had a few bites of the Gnocchi, it was a little rich for me. I should have known better than to order something with the name "Drooling" in the title. My dish came out piping hot, with bubbling cheese and cream & tomato sauce, and the portion size was huge. The Gnocchi were a little dense, again nothing to complain about. The flavor totally made up for it. We ended up taking it home and splitting it for lunch and it was still delicious. Overall, we will return. I can't wait to bring my family in for dinner. And by the way, parking was not a problem. By the way, ask for a table for two, by the window on the second floor! read more

After flying from NH to BWI, we went to Little Italy to find food. We were hungry, and this was the first place we saw. It worked out great. Nice carafe of red wine, excellent chips salad and an order of Pescatore (shrimp, clams, mussels & calamari, homemade marinara, over linguine). It satisfies. Will go back again to try the other items that all sounded great. Nice stick-to-your-ribs food. read more

I think the salads at Olive Garden are about a C+ now compared to the A+ Chip's salad. The dressing is perfect and it is a meal in itself. We love going to Little Italy and this is definitely a favorite spot. read more

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I had high hopes.... Family told me that I should try Amiccis, but this one looked more appealing from the outside. The waitress wearing a black PGA shirt was miserable. I mean....miserable. We were afraid to ask for things cause she's snap at us - and occasionally faked a smile before crashing things in the corner. Our salad had an awesome taste for sure, but I get the other reviews - it was soggy. Never had a soggy salad before. My chicken louis was unbearable - had a charred taste and was gross. Didn't dare send it back. I sopped up the sauce though (tasty) and made the stale bread taste not-so-stale. I'm 100% italian and think this place has potential - but honestly don't think they care for feedback - It's packed on a Friday night.... Seems to be working for them anyway. read more

Service was incredibly slow for just 2 people on Easter lunch. Food was not that good for the time we waited. Plates were sloppy and actually dirty (under the plates as a result of dirty serving trays or lazy dishwashers). We are still waiting for our waiter to give us our check (as I'm writing this review) so we can leave and enjoy the our day. I've heard good things about this place but I can't say one good thing about our experience read more

I would not know if the food is good or not because they did not manage to get me what I ordered even after I waite an hour!!! And I had take out. I drove my butt home before I looked to see it was wrong. First rule of business, if the customer specifically says 25 times be sure there is no meat in it, then you might not want to give the customer meat when the customer waited for hour. Where is customer service in Baltimore? read more

This is a funny place, a favorite of many of my Baltimore-raised co-workers. As an outsider, with little to no appreciation of the history of this place, let me give a review of my multiple experiences here. The decor is dated. The carpets are threadbare. It would be interesting to know when this place was last updated. It is clean, I'll give it that, even with the old worn carpet. The restrooms are well kept though small and again, dated. Several of the people you will encounter are family members, there are almost always family member around, waiting tables, seating customers, greeting people. Very warm and friendly. Really, all the staff I've encountered have been friendly. I've had a variety of items form the menu. Starting with apps, they may be some of the best items on the menu. There is a shrimp app that's to die for. Not so much the shrimp themselves but the broth is yummy. Use some of that fresh bread they drop on your table and soak up that goodness. The bruschetta is always nice. Very fresh. The calamari is outstanding and served with a nice red sauce. The clams are really good, again, yummy broth. And then there is the famous chef's salad. A perfect meal at Chipparelli's is a couple of apps and that salad. That's all you need. First of all, it's huge, even the one that comes with an entree. And it's yummy. Tossed with their house dressing, topped with parmigiana, tomatoes, and peppers, it's the star of the show. From there (sorry Baltimore) it goes a little down hill for me. I've had ravioli, the lasagna, the chicken parm, the steak, the salmon, and probably some other stuff. This is an old school place, hey, they advertise fresh pasta and I don't doubt that they make all their recipes themselves. It really depends on your expectations. Most dishes are indistinguishable when they arrive at the table. Just a big goop of red sauce. Portions are huge. Don't even try to finish an entree. In fact, the best way to enjoy an entree at Chiapparelli's might be to share it. You'd both be full. I would have to advise you avoid the steak. On a recent visit I tried the rib eye just for something different. It was thin, a bit overcooked, tough as nails, and had a weird burned taste to it. Just a really bad cut. I didn't eat half of it. The risotto it was served with, however, was some of the best I've ever had. I could eat a bowl of that stuff alone. If you're looking for a fantastic foodie experience this may not be your place. However, if you're looking to say "Hey, I ate at a cool, old school Little Italy Baltimore place" then great, you'll leave full and have an interesting story to tell. And the food is not bad. In fact, some of it is very good, you just need to ask for recommendations. Prices aren't too bad, from around $18 to $30 for entrees. Typical for the area. Again, if you're sharing an entree it starts to look pretty good. read more

If you like Caesar Salad this is the place for you because you get about a head of lettuce with your salad. It was huge! Place was clean and the food was average. Couldn't tell if they were happy for us to be there or not. Definitely nothing to really complain about but definitely nothing to write home about. Sauce was plain.. could have come from a can and was a bit on the tart side. Everything was pretty much average. read more

Ya not ordering from here again. expensive and not worth it and driver forgot my coke and had to come back. The good stuff: Caprese- yes delicious! Cheese pizza- good/ok not the best not the worst I have had and I wouldn't order it again. The bad stuff: Spaghetti- no salt and didn't taste fresh- could've made better at home. read more

The Italian was good, but I've experienced better. It's an average traditional family style italian restaurant. Here's what we ordered: Calamari- Good. They take a more puritan approach and don't really season the calamari (leaving it all up to the tomato sauce which is actually very good) but I found the calamari itself bland and needing salt and/or other seasoning. The gnocchi bolognese (although fresh) was tough and had a texture that makes the dumplings stick to the roof of your mouth. The meat sauce was good, but also seemed to lack a little flavor. The lasagna: Was a bit dry, but the tomato sauce was fresh and delicious. The salad- Now THIS I LOVED. Seriously, the dressing will knock your socks off. Someone in a previous review had complained that it was an iceberg salad, but the texture of this particular lettuce with the dressing and cheese is juuuuust perfect. i don't think romaine would carry it as well. A+ on the salad. Leave room for it, it's huge and I believe it comes with every meal... One thing that Chiapparellis does do very well is tomato sauce. I found each tomato incarnation to be excellent. Wonderful garlic flavor. read more

Food was good but the 3 hours to get food was not! Not even sure who our waiter was since we seemed to have 4 ? When we asked the hostess who it was she just shrugged at us! She had absolutely no personality at all!!! Why is she even there if you don't like your job! We got lots of water refills!! The salad was limp like it had been sitting..my seafood ravioli was not what I expected but good! The basic cheese ravioli with the seafood in the sauce not inside the ravioli!!! My husbands veal was good but a bit thick...my tiramisu was yummy but not very cold and my hubbys lemon cake seemed gummy!!! read more

Went to this place with my sis to try something different! Born and raised in Baltimore, Little Italy is a place we have frequented but never been to Chiapaparelli's. The building is beautiful on the outside, and inside is nice as well. Got seated promptly, wasn't too busy when we got there. Server was very attentive. Food was not even mediocre, unfortunately. Clams Casino were inedible. Almost tasted spoiled. Shrimp appetizer was ok. The white wine sauce was the bomb! We dipped our bread into that. Salad was pretty good. I got Veal Marsala, sauce was so watery. Sis got seafood ravioli. They were entirely too fishy tasting! Pink sauce they were in was ok. I guess we lucked out because we went for lunch. Server told us all the dishes are much cheaper at lunch as opposed to dinner, and are the same portion size! I don't know if we ordered the wrong things and that's why it sucked, or if the place just sucks! But we will def not be going back. I HATE chain restaurants, BUT Olive Garden would be better than this place. And if you really are still willing to waste your money, go for lunch at least! read more

Fun place Great food Our waitress should be doing stand up Big thank you attended with a big group and it was amazing They kept wine coming and food was really tasty read more

I love to cook Italian food and I love to eat Italian food. But what I don't like is the version of "New York Italian" that is featured in many Italian restaurants in the USA. I probably should should have turned around once I saw that they had Clams Casino as an appetizer, but I decided to give it a try anyway. Started with the Bruschetta Trio, which tasted like it was popped in the microwave. I then skipped over the "Besto Pesto" and "Drooling Gnocchi" and went for the Penne con Vodka, which resembled something out of a Stouffer's box. Sorry to say that my dessert was not much better. I must admit the restaurant was filled with what looked like happy customers. But for anyone who is a fan of Big Night, this was truly a nightmare. read more

We stopped by before going to the airport and this place was incredible. We're all vegetarians and there are plenty of options. We ordered the bruschetta, and the arancine delicious! For entree we had the tour of Chiapparelli's with eggplant parm, the penne pesto and traditional pizza. Everything was incredible. The service was excellent. read more

I was seriously underwhelmed by this place. It was sort of like the Italian version of Red Lobster- supposed to be serving "fancy" food but does it in a really generic, poorly executed way. The salad was doused in dressing, and would have been much better served if they had allowed any other flavor come through at all. And it was HUGE! The salad itself was more of an entree size. I ordered the seafood ravioli which was supposed to be filled with shrimp and crab. Whatever they actually filled it with had an overpowering "fishy" taste that I just couldn't get past. (Full disclosure- I really like fish and sushi so this isn't me just being finicky about fish in general). The sauce was decent, and the ravioli shells were handmade which was a nice touch... but that fishy taste made it very difficult to enjoy anything else about it. My husband got the veal ravioli... and while he said that he too enjoyed the sauce that came with his dish, the veal was incredibly tough! Veal should never be tough! That's pretty much the only reason why you get veal! I would not go back. read more

My Aunt took me here once and as she lives right outside of Little Italy, she's become more or less of a regular. To be fair, we did not order all that much- we shared a huge house salad (which was to me, very good) and some apps. I'm from the NYC/New Jersey area so I've had some amazing Italian food, and this didn't absolutely blow me away. The scene was what my aunt described as a very Baltimore-italian scene, which I thought added some charm. Overall I think I would go again to try some of their dinner entrees. read more

I went to Chiapparelli's last night for dinner with some business partners. There was a total of eight of us at the table. Our waitress seemed completely out of it. She had trouble hearing us so we had to talk loudly to her and point to things on the menu. On some items, she didn't even know what they were and stated that "they keep changing the menu on me". There was bread on the table that appeared to be sitting for days. It was very dry and seemed like it was purchased at Giant. We all got salads which came with the meal. A pile of iceberg lettuce with four grape tomatoes and a couple of red onions. The lettuce was soggy as if it were soaking in the dressing. The dressing had so much Parmesan cheese that clumps of it were clinging to the lettuce. I ordered the Penne con Vodka and it was bland. I didn't finish and my stomach gave me some problems later that night. Fortunately the bill was picked up by our vendors but the cost of that experience was certainly not worth what we were charged. All in all... not a fan of the restaurant and will not go back. read more

Old school Italian at its best. Now, I never watched the Sopranos, but I would certainly imagine them meeting in a place like this. It can get crowded though, so plan ahead. Good old fashioned pasta, nothing trendy and goofy. And a really good house salad that they bring you as part of your meal. Also good calamari. Heck, they still have newspaper clippings up in the lobby from when Jimmy Carter visited back in the day. read more

Chiapparelli's Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

This place sucked. I took my parents here after a co-worker recommended eating here. My father said that Olive Garden is better than this place. I mean, how low can you go when you compare supposed real Italian to Olive Garden??!?!?! I order the Veal, and it came out too salty, my brother order the chicken which was just as salty. The bread was stale and the waitress had an attitude problem. I won't come here again! I just had high expectation especially after going to Amicca's. read more

I've been going to Chips for awhile. We order Mother's Day dinner and it was a disappointment. The salad is normally so good. The dressing was on the side but missing ingredients. It was only oil and a few seasonings. I think the biggest stand out was the vinegar that's was missing. Unfortunately we didn't realize this until after dressing the salads. At that point it is too late. I called the restaurant and the woman (owner) was very rude. She completely dismissed me and then hung up. I just thought they should know they are handing out premade dressing that isn't their signature dressing. She literally hung up on me. I won't be back. That isn't acceptable and there are too many other businesses who will be kind. Do yourself a favor and go to another restaurant. read more

I don't know how this restaurant is getting such good reviews. My family and I went hear yesterday and not one of us enjoyed one thing about this place. This is the restaurant that finally turned me off on Little Italy Baltimore. Olive Garden is 100 times better than this restaurant. There is not one redeeming quality here at all. The service is sub par, the food is wretched, and the price is far too high for their attempt at Italian food. I was a waiter at Germanos while in college and they served great Italian. I don't know what this place thinks it serves. read more

My boyfriend and I went to this restaurant for the first time today and will be sure to return the next time we visit the Baltimore Little Italy area. Reasonable prices, wonderful ambiance and delicious food! Their meatballs are the best I have ever had (besides my moms)!! Our server Ida was fantastic and made the experience even better. There were soo may places to choose from in Little Italy...we literally went to several to look inside and review the menu. We were both so pleased with our choice!! read more

i came here with a groupon and it was a good experience! there are plenty of great italian places on this block and while this wasn't the best, it still was really good. Food: - the bread... i always love it when the place has good bread to start with and the bread came out warm and toasty. i wish they had some real homemade butter but oh well... - calamari - i thought their calamari was their best thing i had. really well seasoned and the sauce was good too. - house salad - i almost never order salad, but i tried some of my friend's and it was really good. love the cheese on it - penne a la vodka - good stuff - meat sauce/ marinara spaghetti - this was just average. I would recommend this place to others. would i go back though? probably not because there are so many other places in little italy to try! read more

I have been eating here when here in Baltimore for years. The Chip's Salad has always been a must for me but this time i was disappointed. The salad has chopped egg in it normally but this time it was mashed egg. It really made the salad much less appealing. The rest if our food was very good read more

Chiapparelli's Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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I hosted a birthday dinner here this last weekend. Our party had 15 guests and we needed our own room because we having a "murder mystery" dinner which included props, an actor etc. (NOTE: the restaurant does not offer the murder mystery, we hired an outside company to set it up and just used the restaurant as a venue). Ashley was really helpful and reserved a room upstairs in the restaurant for our party without an extra charge. A few complaints I had were with service, it was really slow. We received no refills at all for our drinks, I had to flag the server down to get our entree orders and also our server was just not checking up on our table at all. Other than that- the food is great, the restaurant is pretty , and they are accommodating to larger parties. They also offer valet! read more

My wife and I ate there Oct 12 2019. I ordered the cheese ravioli, which were about 2.5 inch square. There were 5 of them. I had two. They were like eating paste. Very little cheese and the pasta was not rinsed. My wife had the seafood ravioli. Same but the seafood was not to be found. Their sauce was very bland. Very disappointing as I ate there about 8 years before and it was great. Will not be back read more