I have been to Ciao Amici's one time before and had a great experience! I went back this weekend while in town visiting family, and the food was just as good as I remembered but the service was a lacking. We had maybe four different people come to our table before our ACTUAL server arrived. Not to mention that the two individuals who set the table didn't say a word to anyone and ackwardly tried to work around us. The manager took our drink orders and he was great. He was professional and polite. Our server kept mentioning that he had about 17 other tables when he would take too long or give a plate to the wrong person. I would rather a server not say anything than thry to make excuses! The food was outstanding and the atmosphere was great, so I will definitely be returning. Hopefully the service will be a little better on my next visit. read more

First let me say the service was wonderful and that got this place two stars... the food OMG we ordered the Fettuccine (over cooked) special with chicken which tasted and had the consistency of beef jerky. The individual portions were enough for a family of four wonderful if it was a tasty option, but mostly adding insult to injury. Why anyone would even serve anything like this is beyond me. Possibly other items on the menu are much better as this was my only and hopefully last visit. Please taste the food you serve. read more

This place is awesome... Being born on the east coast (Philadelphia/South Jersey Area), we know Italian food and I've been missing it since we moved to Michigan; not anymore... This place has the best food we've eaten in Michigan, in addition, the service is excellent, the staff is friendly and welcoming, and the menu selections are excellent. This place is number on our list for Italian food here in Michigan! read more

Came for lunch. Cocktails are strong and good. Bread is amazing, soft and fresh, served hot. Clam chowder was excellent, very flavorful not too heavy. Panini's were very disappointing. I had portobella one and it was incredibly dry and tasteless. Husband had chicken one that was so dry he couldn't eat it. Having said that, the pasta at the tables around us looked good and we'll be back to try it. read more

I've been here a few times and I'm always on the fence about this place. I'm Italian, I love the food and cooking it. Do I consider this the best.... No of course not. It's not the worst though. The one thing that is consistent is that everytime I'm here the service is between horribly slow/rude and subpar. The last time we stopped in we were greeted by the manager I believe (in a suit) and he was rude and made us feel uncomfortable and unwelcome When we asked to be seated in the bar area by the window. When we went to find out own seated as you can seat yourself there it took 10 minutes to get a glass of wine by a very rude older woman in the bar area. The other night, after a long girls night of shopping, we stopped in because we were in the area and starving. In my opinion there really aren't any great choices in Brighton so it's pretty much which is worse. Again, service was slow. I waited awhile for a drink and it wasn't really busy as it was later at night. One girl helped us and then we never saw her again. Bread came 20 minutes after we sat down and the dipping sauce arrived. My friend asked repeatedly for it as I don't eat it. The dipping sauce could really use improvement. The oil, vinegar and herbs are not emulsified. So you can't get all of the flavors onto your bread, and where is the parmesan? I ordered the Veal which was good. it came with mashed potatoes which was odd. Every Italian restaurant I've been to, which is a lot, always serves Veal and Chicken dishes with a pasta side. Not a huge issue since they were accommodating in letting me switch. It also came with a seasonal vegetable however it was literally 5 small slices of a zucchini squash mix. My friend had the Butternut Ravioli which she enjoyed. I thought it was good as well. Expected a little more sweetness which surprisingly it was more on the savory side. All in all the entrees we ordered and food I have gotten in the past has been decent. It definitely could be better. More original and fresher ingredients. Service and attitudes of staff really could use improvements especially with the front of house people as they are the first people customers deal with upon entering. read more

We have been to Ciao Amici's many, many times mainly for Dinner. The staff are always friendly, attentive, and work hard to make sure that you and your guests are enjoying a non-rushed enjoyable evening. I have personally closed more than just a couple of business deals over a meal here. I have also surprised my Wife on our anniversary with a reservation and a flower arrangement set up beforehand that went off perfectly for a memorable evening. The food is as good if not better than in restaurants in major cities such as NYC, Chicago, or Atlanta. In all the visits over years I cannot recall 1 complaint about the food from any of my guests. As a matter of fact, most are complimentary. Some have said that they are surprised that there is such a high quality restaurant in small town Brighton. read more

Italian isn't my favorite food yet we decided to try their steaks. Upon arriving, we were greeted quickly & seated in a booth as we requested. Our server Tiffany, approached us with a smile & when we asked about the specials, she was informative and answered all of our questions. We told her we were celebrating my birthday & our 51st wedding anniversary. We both started with shrimp appetizers that were done to perfection. Shrimp was large & very tasty. Our salads were cold, crisp with just the right amount of dressing. Our steaks .....absolutely phenomenal !! They have their own zip sauce which only added to the flavor & not overly seasoned as so many places do. Grilled as we requested. By this time we were stuffed but no, as Tiffany came by telling us the owner wanted to treat us to a dessert. Naturally, we couldn't say no & glad we didn't. Hubby had the lemon cream cake while I had their homemade creme brulee. Both were "to die for." We are already planning our next visit there as we want to try their veal dishes. Maybe for hubby's birthday ! read more

First, the food was spectacular. The service was great. The Gorgonzola was quite mild, but good nonetheless. Prices were average for a nicer restaurant $16 for a pasta dish, salad and breadsticks. Yum. The cons: the bathroom was gross. The toilet lid was up; I wish I hadn't put it down. It appeared as tho they had NEVER done so themselves to clean it. Also, for a nicer restaurant the presentation was no existent. The minestrone (NON vegetarian) was delicious but looked like something out of a can the the way it was plated. I was prepared to give this 4 stars UNTIL my credit card numbers were STOLEN by someone at this place. I hadn't used the card before, only used it here & PRESTO fraudulent charges on Amazon the day after we went. Thankfully, discover card fraud caught it, but they tried two more times after that. BEWARE! Enjoy the food, but pay cash! read more

Great location downtown! Service was extraordinary! Really nice old Italian feel to this establishment. We came on a Saturday & were quickly seated. I ordered a cucumber martini which was strong & very good. Calamari appetizer was not overly coated or fried & came with a fresh side sauce. Daryl was our server & was right on top of things, frequently checking back & making sure we had all we needed. Our only place of dissatisfaction was in our entree. I ordered chicken marsala & my husband ordered veal marsala (what can I say?). We both stopped at the same time & said it was very bland, not like other marsalas we've enjoyed. I almost asked the waiter if my chicken was frozen because it tasted very rubbery, but my hubs tasted it & said it seemed just over-tenderized. I did point out to Daryl that my chicken wasn't trimmed well, there were bits of fat & grit that could've been cleaned off & he apologized. Overall, the establishment itself is lovely, service was more than great, and drinks and apps were quite enjoyable. We will definitely be back to give it a second try & taste something else on the menu. read more

This is one of our favorite restaurants in Brighton, we go there for special occasions and just when we are craving an excellent meal. While the reviews of the brunch buffets and events are useful, they are not terribly indicative of the day-to-day service and food. This restaurant does two things very, very well (like better than most places in SE Michigan): their soups (Minestrone is to-die-for and the dujour is usually interesting and good) and their fish. They usually have fish specials and we have found that this is where the best dishes usually are. Excellent grilled calamari (if you have only had it fried, try grilled!) and great salmon. These folks either partner with or own a farm because they use a lot of fresh, local produce and there is always a farm stand outside in the summer and fall. The one complaint here is the "traditional Italian" dishes (more like Americanized Italian dishes) like spaghetti with meatballs or chicken picata. They are good, but not fab. Go for the specials and the meats/fish. Prices usually between $15-$25 for a main. read more

We got married in Howell and decided to have our rehearsal dinner here. We initially came in and tried the dinner. We spoke to the manager about our rehearsal dinner plans and didn't charge us for our dinners. On the dated of the rehearsal we ended up getting the chicken parmesan and flank steak buffet style; also there delicious bread rolls. Tiramisu for dessert. The food was Fantastic and service was great. We enjoyed the food here more than on our wedding day! Can't wait to come back next year for our one year anniversary! read more

Wonderful experience with family last evening. Nice atmosphere, great service, and excellent food ranging from salads to steak. Obviously their specialty is pasta and the sauces (red to white) were creamy with impeccable flavor. Son-in-law had steak which was also satisfying and cooked to order. Prices were a bit high for pasta and salad but we plan on going back for special occasions. read more

Always good. Really feel 3.5 is the correct rating, good not great. I get chicken parmigiana and it is tasty. The sauce is a bit bland, for me anyway. I think it would be better with meat sauce instead, that's me though. Caesar salad is really good, too many other restaurants drown them in dressing. We like to sit in the bar, it's busy there and things can get overlooked, but it is worth it. I think the bar tender pulled half a beer by accident and gave it to me as I was drinking that brand. That boosted up to 4 stars for me! I recommend it for a bit of an upscale night out. Service is always great. read more

i will give them 2 star. 4 star for their food and 1 star for their service. we ordered meat source spaghetti. the presentation is so so but the flavor oh man is right on spot. also the crab cake for appetizer, very delicious. but the service, not so much. the waiter and waitress served us today seemed to have two faces. after we sit down around the table we were asked if we would like some wine, we told her we will decide later she seemed very disappointed and was acting rude all night. i won't come back read more

I'm not sure why people like this place as much as they do.... the food is average, comparable to olive garden. I will say that I did enjoy the bar for drinks, our bartender was hilarious. Other than that I was not impressed and my bill being 50 for two drinks and an appetizer.... I wouldn't have minded if the food was high end. read more

I'll start by saying the wait staff is great! The food is just ok. I've been there a handful of times because some people I know like it. I don't get the hype. There were flies and it was not worth the money. I can cook better at home for a fraction of the price, and no flies! read more

Brighton is the halfway point between me and a friend, so it is often where we meet to have dinner. We've been to Ciao Amici's twice now and I enjoyed it both times. The servers are friendly (despite the sour-faced and seemingly unintelligent hostess who greeted me) and the food is good. My friend and I both enjoyed the pasta dishes we selected on our second visit better than the chicken and meat entrees we had the first time around. Their dessert tray looks fantastic, but we've never had room to sample anything from it! I'm sure we'll be back. read more

We had a table of 7 with amazing service, ask for Merrill, he was very attentive and knowledgeable of the wine and menu. I got the short ribs and butternut squash. My mom got the pork chop and it was the best she has had and she is on the forever search for a great pork chop. read more

This year, we spent our first Christmas Eve 'out' at Ciao Amici's and had a fabulous dinner! Since it was a holiday and we wanted to go to church later, we went early and boy was that a good idea! The dining room had beautiful Christmas decor and the staff was courteous and quick. The food was very good too! I had the Sea Bass and it was perfect! The mill pond view with all the colorful Christmas lights of downtown really added to the atmosphere! Overall, Cioa Amici's helped us have a great Christmas Eve experience in downtown Brighton! We'd been here many times before but not for a holiday and they did a great job given the size of the crowd that filled the place to overflow by the time we we finished! Thanks for a nice holiday dinner folks! RZ read more

Had our 37th anniversary there. What a fantastic place . 9 of us including 3 young children. They have no kids menu. They just bring a small portion and charge less. Nobody had any thing but praise. We all tried each other'so food. I could not find any thing I didn't like. Service is great. Frendlly, helpful staff. Don't miss this. read more

Mmmmmmm very nice restaurant. Great atmosphere. Great food. Great service. Nice location to walk to in downtown Brighton during the summer. Cozy in the winter. Love this place. I would recommend reservations, they are busy. I really like the butternut ravioli. read more

We used to come here about once a month it was always pretty good but never great. New owners took over in Sept or Oct, they have been making changes slowly. I have been here once since the new owners took over. I would say it is an improvement over the previous owners. I am going to try it again and will post another review at that time. read more

Not the best service, food wait was long, waitress only showed up to table two times, had to go get drinks from the bar, food came out cold.. Used to love coming to this place, never again.. Unfortunately we will never return. read more

This happened a year ago on August 29th 2015 and the menu has changed. That being said: It started when our server told us that they did not have vanilla shakes even though my wife and I and the kids order them every Saturday when we have dinner there. They have milk as a drink option and they offer vanilla ice cream for desert. We ended up with water. The kids and I always order Veal Piccatta with double portion veal and double portion capers. It wasn't on the menu, but we order it every saturday and it's not that big of a deal since they sell veal Marsala and chicken piccata. The server did not check with chef or anything she just said no. I tracked down the manager and we got our veal Picatta, but if I wanted to work this hard just so I can have a vanilla shake and veal piccata with my family we could just make it ourselves and it wouldn't have those disgusting breaded dried onions on it as a topping which did make it on to the new menu. We haven't been back since and I advise people when they ask about this place to go elsewhere. This place isn't cheap either. read more

AMAZING!!! My mom works here, but that doesn't matter..the food is great a little pricey but its a fancy place so.. but anyways, I tried the chicken Parmesan: Excellent! and the ceaser salad: Amazing! and i'm very picky about my salads and the taste of the dressing. The ice tea is really good btw. and the cheese cake is super fantastic. This is also a great place to have parties at too(: The bread they serve out while you're waiting for your food is awesome and the dressing it comes with is great also! I would make this place one of my faves! ;D read more

My girlfriend, father and I went to Ciao Amicis on a Wednesday night I believe. We went in to downtown Brighton to walk around as it was quite a pleasant night. We decided we wanted to eat and one of the restaurants with outside seating and decided on this restaurant after viewing the menu they had posted outside. Unfortunately the prices they had listed turned out to be $2 less outside than the actual inside menu. We pointed this out to the waitress and she said the menu outside must be old and they would change it. We were slightly upset at this since the posted prices for pasta were in the $10.99 area but more like $12.99 once we were seated. I know everyone has a different budget for eating out but I just don't like spending much more than $10 for spaghetti. We decided to stay and were seated on the patio outside which was basically a sectioned off area of the sidewalk. The chairs were metal and not the most comfortable but acceptable. Our server and the trainee with her were courteous and our service for the meal was good. I ended up ordering the Gorgonzola chicken with green beans and garlic mashed potatoes. My girlfriend got the fettuccine alfredo and my father got the salmon I believe. We all got the house salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. The salads were good although we all agreed the vinaigrette tasted different than other balsamics we've had. They provide complimentary bread baskets which was very good. It comes with an olive oil with seasoning which was OK. As for the entrees: my Gorgonzola chicken, green beans and garlic mashed were all very good. My girlfriend and I both thought her alfredo was pretty mediocre. It just didn't have much flavor. My father's salmon was quite good and I don't even much care for fish. It had nice seasoning. Overall we were pleased with the meal but I think the pricing was a bit high. read more

I have always had great experience at this restaurant, however i have heard from my friends and neighbors that this particular bartender is by far the worst. Colleen only pays attention to the customers that she knows, and the ones she doesn't they don't matter. Such a shame for this amazing place to employ this person to bring their ratings down. I was very disappointed with the way i was treated and the drinks! read more

I have been coming here for years. I absolutely love this place. The service is always prompt and kind, they always cater to the needs of every guest, they're very helpful with any questions or concerns, the food is delightful, and the dessert menu (I should say a dessert tray, as they just bring out a tray and show you them all!) looks fantastic! I rarely get dessert as I am so full from the entree but friends sometimes do, and I sneak bites of theirs. The atmosphere inside is gorgeous, and the patio seating outdoors has a nice awning and beautiful view of the Mill Pond and Main Street. I always enjoy coming here, and I continue to come back. read more

This ones a true "meh". Nothing to get excited about. We got the butternut squash ravioli and eggplant parmesan. The squash ravioli filling was fairly bland and smothered in cream sauce that was fairly bland too, covered in "exotic mushrooms" which looked like baby portabella. Eggplant Parmesan was decent but on a bed of overcooked pasta. Not terrible, but not worth $30+ for the two entrees. read more

Great place and atmosphere. It is a little pricey but it's worth the trip. Every time we go there never been disappointed starting with the drinks and all the way to the tiramisu. I would definitely recommend this place read more

I went here for Easter brunch with my girlfriend and her parents during my first visit to her hometown. We had the buffet, which was all-you-can-eat and they had a very nice selection of food and desserts. (I had way too much to eat as usual). But the best part was when we were seated, our waiter came to our table to give us menus and said "welcome to Ciao Amici's" -- and then my girlfriend's mom interrupted him by saying, "Happy Easter!" ... and the waiter, without responding to the greeting, said "My name is Mahmoud and I'll be your server today"... It was embarrassingly hilarious! read more

I had the Penne Palomino and thought it was fantastic! The wine was great, bread was great and salad before the main course was great! The staff were very helpful, giving recommendations, letting us try two different wines before we ordered to make sure we enjoyed it and not being over bearing. you know, the type that constantly come by and check and see if you want to order more or to make sure if everything is ok for the 12th time? I can't stand that! At Ciao Amici's, it is a very relaxed intimate setting to enjoy a nice dinner with family, a spouse, or a date. Definitely would go back! read more

This place is so amazing! The food is life changing. Had the fresh perch panini and the bread with olive oil/balsamic and whatever other magic they add to that mix I just wanted to eat it until I exploded. The minestrone soup was to die for. I love this place for lunch, and dinner. Service is phenomenal also, we love sitting at the bar and having a glass of wine or two and eating there also. They have a great wine selection. Robin is a great server! read more

Great food! Everything we have had from here is great. Beware the drinks seem to come a little strong. Everything is so reasonably priced we love this place! The bread is awesome!!! read more

Loved it. Bread was perfect. Polenta appetizer was great. Ordered da Vinci entrée and seabass entree. Both were awesome. Great atmosphere. very Fresh. Save room for tiramisu-they make it in house and its really good! read more

The food was great, my veal parm was yummy and the squash with it was just right. My friend enjoyed her meal as well, and the gnocci was top notch. The lower rating is due to the atmosphere. First, there were tons of little fruit flies around, and second, there seems to be a dance club nearby because you could hear and even slightly feel the bass rumbling the restaurant - at 7:00 at night!?! The restaurant itself is loud(ish) and with that extra club noise, we couldn't talk at a normal level. Service was very good. read more

Really enjoyed the food. One member of my party had a problem with a dish which was quickly corrected and replaced. Nice ambiance while still being family friendly. read more

Expensive for the food and drink served. Wait staff was pleasant. Decor is attractive. Calamari app was expensive @ ~ $10 and small and over cooked. House chianti was $8 for 4 oz...expensive. Lasagna was adequate, not not memorable. read more

I absolutely love this restaurant. It's expensive, but worth the money. I have always had nice servers, sometimes even willing to go the extra mile after lunchtime since my favorite salad is only available during that time of day. They put the PERFECT amount of sauce on their pastas, and they're all deliciously creamy. The only thing I would say to watch out for is in the summer when you sit outside, it's hard to get a servers attention since they aren't out there all the time. I never go without a full drink or a smiling server. In the summer the people watching is great, it's right downtown across from the pond so you have a nice view, and there's plenty to do if you're not quite ready to go home after dinner. read more

Don't go anywhere else in the area for Italian - sure it's not the cheapest place, but it's worth it. The food is always fantastic, the atmosphere is always nice and the service top notch. We had our rehearsal dinner in their downstairs private room a few years ago and it went flawlessly. All in all, if you want a nice night out and are OK spending a few bucks, this is the spot! read more