Ed D.

Our expectations for Cicchetti were wine bar with light bites. Wow were we amazed! We had a later reservation and weren't expecting it to be packed but the hostess and manager walked around both restaurants and bars and tried to find a spot for the two of us to squeeze in but it wasn't happening. We hung out about 15 minutes and a 2-top finally opened up. They have a nice wine selection and we were enjoying the setting, service and wine so much that we ordered another bottle - very rare for us. All of of our dishes were fresh, perfectly seasoned and perfect for sharing. Eddy our server kept us entertained as the place cleared out and the GM checked in a few times (told them we were hurricane refugees) to ensure that everything was OK. We love these pleasant surprises when visiting a new city.

Kerri B.

My friend and I were in search of more of an upscale location to share some great Italian food and wine, and Cicchetti exceeded these expectations! Sister restaurant to Aria, you may order off both menus. Arriving only an hour before close on a Saturday night, the bar manager was so gracious and kind, offering advice on the food and wine. We stayed right till closing to finish the Dodger game (which he had turned on for us), and could not have had a more wonderful experience - the food, wine, and conversation was top notch! Thank you for a wonderful meal during our Charlotte visit!

John H.

Been meaning to check out Cicchetti for a while now, but glad I got to check it out before a show. Super easy to make a reservation for four (super early) on OpenTable. We had some last minute plan changes so it was easy to update the reservation and we were off to the races. Our reservation was a bit early, but it was nice to take our time and not have to rush to the show later. All of us had not been to Cicchetti, but it's an "offshoot" of Aria - maybe even shares the same kitchen but a smaller menu, with super shareable small plates and WINE. The only (minor complaint) comment I had was the table we were given was a half-bench and two chairs with the table turned at a diamond angle so one person on the bench was nestled in a corner and the other person had a strange seat off the bench without a way to lean back and sit near the table (that person was me). But it worked out in the end because it helped with my posture and engaging my core muscles for the evening. We started with a bottle of wine (that was picked off the shelf). I think most people don't think that this is an actual wine/bottle shop, but it is, and the prices are marked on the bottle. Saves them from having a huge list they have to update all the time. We built our own board of Rosemary Ham (awesome), Prosciutto di Parma (always a good go-to), Montasio Fresca, and the pickled veggies, honeycomb, and grissini that came with the board. We added the Focaccia (at the server's recommendation and we were NOT disappointed. It was so good. After the board, we ordered one order of the Croquette (YUM!) and Italian Egg Salad Bruschetta. Our server was good about telling us how many pieces each thing was so there wasn't any awkward sawing/splitting at the table. We also ordered Gnocchi (YUM), Polenta Fries (EXTRA YUM). Finished the meal with Zeppole and Scookies... though the Zeppoles stole the show. Everything was so good... and the portions were not crazy so we all didn't fall asleep at the show!

Danielle V.

Everything slapped here, as the kids say!!! From the service to the drinks to the food. I'm still salivating over it! I started with a salad. Pretty basic and hard to mess up! Our appetizer was tomato braised meatballs and they melted in my mouth! My entree was the Hanger Steak cooked perfectly and a risotto. I think our menu was special since it was a private event but judging from the food we had, their regular menu is probably stellar as well!!

Charito S.

We came to Cichetti bc Aria was full. Aria recommended their sister restaurant. Service was lacking-- they were not prepared for the overflow from Aria. We sat for more than 10 mins before the co-owner came to check on us; I think there may have been one server or barback; while the bar tender was acting as server as well. Food was decent- the charcuterie board was better than mimosa grill. I would recommend the prosciutto and parm, but the smoked duck that was recommended by the co-owner tasted more like simple ham. Wagyu burger was a good portion and tasty; the chicken cacciatore was ok, the tomato sauce had a ketchup taste and consistency, polenta was nice and smooth.

Vanessa E.

Arrived for our 6 pm reservation before Belk theater event at 8 pm. Ambiance was delightful, May need a small lamp on the table for those with aging eyes! Staff was stretched thin, bartender was also waiting tables, so service was delayed. Food was fine, were out of 3 wine choices i selected, so had water. This was my first visit. Paying our bill was delayed due to staffing, so we had to rush to our event.

Peter M.

Pandemics ruin everything . . . almost. When it looked like they couldn't keep the doors open, Cicchetti took a pause and hunkered down. Now they are back and I'm happy for it. Neat! Located inside Aria (or sort of next to it), is this beautiful, Uptown gem serving up little portions of Italian goodness. Cicchetti, which means savory snacks or small side dishes, is the Italian version of Spanish tapas cuisine. And they know how to roll the dough, too. Our party of 14 was expertly served by just two servers who not only knew the ropes but the passwords to nearly all the hidden spots in town. Yeah, they were that good. Happy, happy, happy. We ordered the Bocconcini small bites. At $16 it was quite a bargain with fried oysters, calamari, shrimp, and a few other things that delighted us. Of course, we lubricated with plenty of wonderful wine. Cool. Several in our party ordered gnocchi and oohed and awed and gasped in delight. If my dish was not so delicious, I would have felt slighted. Next time, though, it's an order of gnocchi for me, too. BTW they have a wonderful little pantry of pastas, sauces, etc., which I purchased. Molto bene! What more can I say? Raises the flag all the way up on my "Give 'em a whirl" meter. Dine here. Grazie!

Elizabeth D.

Really enjoyed having wine and small bites at Cicchetti! My husband and I actually had our wedding reception catered by Aria (Cichetti's parent restaurant), so I was excited to try this little spot with my mom :) We did have to wait a while to be seated (even with a reservation) due to the pre-theater crowd, but the hostess was exceptionally nice about it and ended up giving us a gift card when we left because of it (so kind!). The wine list is extensive and impressive, and the small plates are yummy (not super filling, but great for light bites). Our favorites were the meatballs (both chicken and beef) and the bruschettas (the pesto + sundried tomato one and the roasted leek + goat cheese and pistachio one). I'd definitely go back here again soon!!

Tony M.

Full bar. Erwin makes a mean dirty martini. On his suggestion, I tried the Ragu Modenese. It did not disappoint. With one bite I was transported back to Italy.

Angela L.

Popped in here for a quick bite before a show at Blumenthal. It was the last restaurant I dined in before the pandemic and hadn't been back in here since then...until now. Happy to see they made it and even happier to report that the food and service have held up! Just returned from Italy in September and love that this atmosphere reminds me of my trip. Wonderfully chic and artistic. Perfect for a fancy dinner or just to lounge with a glass or two. We sat at the bar and had a variety of small plates. The polenta fries were crispy outside and tender inside and the truffle aioli was a great accompaniment to them. The potato croquette were impossibly creamy inside, especially given the perfectly golden brown exterior, and came nestled atop roasted tomato aioli with parmesan shavings. I also enjoyed the ricotta + tomato basil pesto bruschetta while my friend swore by the prosciutto + robiola olives bruschetta. I will definitely have to come back when I have time to sample something more substantial. Our bartender Robin (?) was a delight and very knowledgeable. TIP: Half off bottles of wine Tues-Thurs from 5-7pm. Cheers!

Jordan E.

Visited for the first time for dinner before a show at the beautiful Knights Theater. Four of us ordered about 85% of the menu. Check out my photos for evidence. The food was my least favorite thing about Cicchetti. It's the only reason I would not return to or recommend this restaurant. We loved the atmosphere, decor, artistic dishes and bar ware, and we especially loved the extensive selection of half priced wine bottles which they offer Tuesdays-Thursdays from 5-7pm! The bartender made a great dirty martini and an old-fashioned so she won us over on two classics. The limoncello and aperol spritzes were both on the official cocktail menu (which to my knowledge only had 3 offerings though i never saw a full bar menu) and they were both average at best. No one ordered a second round. Instead we switched to a delicious half priced bottle of barbera d'alba. If only the "Italian" tapas style food had been as delicious as the Italian wine. I could pick apart each dish that we tried one by one but nobody would want to read a review that long... Suffice it to say that everything was blah. It was SUPER oily, salty, and nothing tasted fresh. It was fun to order tins and chips which were served with an Italian hot sauce (see photos for brand) and maaaaybe if I was invited back here with a friend, I would be happy at the bar with wine and sardines... but the mussels tin was just baaad. Imported supposedly but I have lived in Italy three separate times for over a year and I never had anything like those. Yikesssss. If I had to pick a best dish of the night it would've been the polpette baccala (salt cod meatballs). If I had to pick a worst dish it would be the shrimp on polenta. Please see photos - the picture is worth a thousand words. On visual alone, I didn't even want to try the shrimp... it was... crumbling? I also think Italians would be ashamed at the Mortadella and the cheeses served on the antipasto plate. Flavorless. To be fair, the presentation was beautiful and the pickled red onions were nice. But nobody wants to pay for pickled red onions and flavorless cheese. The zeppoli were actually pretty well done, although I would've loved to see them dusted in confectioners sugar rather than white sugar. The prices were great and the service was decent but not notable. As I said at the start, the only thing that would keep me from ever returning is the food. It just wasn't good and if I didn't know that it was supposed to be an Italian small plates style restaurant I'm not sure I would've recognized the food as Italian at all except for in name only. Lots of other options uptown now and I hope Cicchetti can change things up perhaps seasonally or with new ingredients sourced from more authentic Italian flavors. Otherwise I can't see them thriving.

Meena P.

Second time here on our way to Blumenthal to see a show, it's changed a bit inside since it opened pre pandemic. Layout etc. menu has a couple of new things, wish it had more desserts! Everything we had was great though. Had the polenta fries again, those were delish with the creamy garlic aioli. The chicken meatballs were one of my favorite, nice sauce, and cheese in top. The beef meatballs I didn't try but everyone said they were good too. The shrimp was interesting, lots of different flavors , but big shrimp! The bruschetta we got the tomato and ricotta one and the goat cheese roasted leek, the tomatoes was awesome, great roasted tomatoes. The leek one was ok, not to much going on. The antipasto was a great variety, tomato mozzarella , artichokes, grilled eggplant, salami, olives, giardiniera, sopresa, lots to pick at, great for veggies. The croquettes come out crispy with lovely potato ,herby, Parmesan filling with pesto on top. Loved this. Definitely all small plates so we had to reorder some to have enough for our group of 8 . The zeppoles were so yummy, crispy got vanilla donuts, with a fruity dipping sauce. So good. Was half price wine by the bottle on tuesdays. So we got a couple of nice bottles the Paul Hobbs Pinot noir, was a hit, and I loved the Heitz cellar Cabernet , very smooth wouldn't pay $90 for it normally, but was great at $45! Also threw in a bottle of Prosecco to share across the table, really nice bottle. Our server was great as we told her we would need to leave by a certain time because of theater. Another great experience at Cicchetti, really like this place. They validate parking too for Bank of America corporate center parking deck! Great pre theater spot, very convenient.