Fantastic! What a great find. Actually, it was recommended to us by the concierge at the Price George. He was dead on. If you want great, fine italian dining, go here. Service outstanding. Food was delicious. Even wines by the glass were decent, but I'd consider ordering by the bottle if you'll drink it all. read more

We went to Da Maurizio for Valentine's Day last night. I must say, that time and time again the food is wonderful and service is impeccable. They keep their staff for many, many years. After dining at Da Maurizio for over a decade, I have never had a bad meal! Wonderful for that special night out. read more

Since this is the first review I write, it may as well be of one of my favourites. Had dinner here to celebrate my Birthday a few days ago with my wife and daughter and once again the food and service was top notch. The calamari was crisp and fresh with a nice bite to the sauce.My main was the lobster fettuccine that was really good. The creme brulee trio finished it off with 3 stars. read more

I can only afford to go here once or twice a year but on my birthday or when celebrating a special occasion, my husband and I usually head to DaMauritizio's. The atmosphere is so classy and the food is rich and delicious. The lemon gnocchi and the lamb were to die for. The calamari is the best I've ever tasted and I always leave this place feeling like a million dollars. It is expensive but worth the price! read more

Amazing food! Large party in the resturant so very very slow service, waiter Sean was amazing though and the kitchen bought us 4 deserts for a table of 3. The tiramisu is worth any wait it's amazing, best ever. Stepmom been to Italy many times and it was the best ever for her! Amazing restaurant ! read more

Been here twice in last month - had to go back because the first time blew my mind the tastes where plentiful - it wasn't a dream the second visit was just as good. The calamari is the best I have ever had - I have tried 6 of the appetizers in those 2 visits - all where top shelf. My main entrees where the steak and penne, both to die for. The staff was also very pleasant and service was A1, everyone chips in to help each other. Cozy atmosphere and your made to feel right at home. read more

If you go to this restaurant, just be aware that the meal you receive might not match what you expect based on the menu. Had dinner here and ordered what appeared to be a vegetarian pasta with some vegetables and finished with Parmiagiano on top. Menu description was as follows: "Fettucine al funghi: Fettucine sautéed with a variety of wild mushrooms, roast garlic and spinach, finished with Parmigiano and drizzled with truffle oil." After taking a bite of the meal I received, I found pieces of beef in there. I asked staff if there was meat in the dish and told them I was vegetarian. I was told that it was demi-glace made from stock and bones so was "not really meat" and that I hadn't told the staff I was vegetarian. They politely re-made the dish, which I expected to match the description on the menu this time. Instead I received a pasta in a heavy cream sauce (not ideal for someone who is lactose-intolerant!). Unfortunately the whole experience was ruined by these two menu mix-ups. read more

May be the best meatballs and homemade pasta with bolognese I've ever eaten. And the mussels were amazing. All in a great atmosphere with excellent attentive service and a most friendly welcome and check in by the manager. read more

We're on vacation and after checking in at the Courtyard, we saw the place and my daughter searched for reviews. Since they were great, we decided to go. They were nice when offering to seat us, but our guess is that since we were dressed in jeans, instead of suggesting that they have a dress code, they offered us a table inside the main dining room, but that we could have it once the party there was done, or seat us in a booth that looked close, or a table downstairs, where we'd be the only ones there. We went for the booth, which unfortunately we did not notice was right next to the lavatory door, so we had more frequent visitors than from our waiter. His service was snobbish but adequate, until we did not order cocktails. Then it became cold. He took the wine list away from the table before I even had a chance to look through it, so I decided to stick to our sparkling water. Nevertheless, credit is due where it's due; the food was excellent! We did not get to try the desserts either because, as was the case throughout the meal, we were in a corner, and even though we could see our waiter idling by the bar, we did not warrant his visits. so after waiting over 10 minutes after he dropped off the dessert menu, and by which time we had run out of beverages for over 20 minutes, we decided to just go. I know how hard it is to get a business to shine, but a restaurant which has no trouble making great food to have such snobbish and cold service at this price range is totally unacceptable in these economic times. read more

I went to Da Maurizio for Open City and I waited in line to get the scrumtaculous gnocchi bolognese. There's no photo to post because I wolfed it down, thanks Tanya and Andy! read more

This is the closest thing to authentic Italian dining you will find in Halifax (that is coming from someone who used to live in Italy). I've been at Da Maurizio for dinner on three separate occasions (couple, party of 5, group of 16) and have thoroughly enjoyed each visit. The menu is extensive, diverse, and in true Italian fashion (antipasti, primi pasta dishes, secondi entrees, etc.). Highlights of our last meal included the Foie Gras with Prosecco Strawberry Compote, the monstrous Polpette Meatballs in Tomato Sauce, delicious house-made ravioli, and the decadent Duomo di Ciccolato dessert. The pasta portions are very generous and enough to fill a healthy appetite, and they are always willing to accommodate dietary restrictions. The wine and spirit list is meticulously curated and the service is attentive and professional. My only suggestions would be to 1) reserve several days ahead, and 2) give yourself lots of time, especially if dining on a busy weekend night. We were there for 3 1/2 hours last time, which was a lot of waiting between courses (even though the staff made sure we were well taken care of). You can also really choose your budget here - you can spend $30 a person or $150 a person, depending on how much of the menu you'd like to explore (and how many drinks you order!). read more

Even though the Bertossi's have long since moved on, Da Maurizio remains as a steadfast provider of quality Italian food. We've been there 30-40 times over the years. Their strong suits are the calamari, soups, Italian style salads and pastas. Their weakest suit are their mains. Our usual practice is to share a calamari, each have a soup or salad, a pasta and split a dessert. With a glass of wine, we have a great meal, not too much and out of there for roughly $130. My sole gripe has always been the same - their mark up on wine is obscene. read more

Was there Friday August 2nd with 3 of my friends. I have been there many times and everything was perfect every time I visited this restaurant. We had a 4 course meal and everything was tasty, served at the proper time. Definitely recommend this place for an exceptional dining experience. It is not noisy or pretentious like The Bicycle Thief or the new La Frasca. This is a classy non pretentious place with good food. read more

Just have to say first time there the food was superb. The wait staff were spot on knew exactly when to be present and when not. They are truly a fine tuned system from seating until Cheque. Sure hope the owners appreciate the wonderful job you guys are doing. Now the food was recommended by my daughter as the best in Halifax and this did not disappoint. Was superb. The only thing we had to ask for was water at our table other than that just wonderful. Will be going back again in may for another special occasion . read more

I went for dinner with a larger group. The place was nice but noisy. I had salad, which was small, a plate of spaghetti a s the first course, also small but tasty. I had haddock and lobster with broccoli I and a Lille mashed potato for the main course. It was very tasty. Sheer ice seemed good, hardly noticeable, as I was engrossed in conversations. There was lots of wine and it was tasty but I don't know what kind it was. I cannot comment on the bill as someone else paid. Overall without drinks I guess the meal was64 dollars. It's a nice place, and I would go back if someone else was paying. read more

We are visiting from Ontario and wanted to try a restaurant that served options other than the regular wharf fare of lobster rolls, mussels etc, We found this fabulous restaurant using Yelp and would return in a heartbeat. The food is beyond description in that the flavours are authentic and the ingredients fresh. To start I enjoyed a warm radicchio salad it was like nothing I've ever had before. I had the homemade gnocchi that literally melted in my mouth like marshmallows. My friend had the shrimp scampi risotto and it was the most incredible risotto I have ever tasted. It was made brilliantly with asparagus and lemon, so creamy and cooked to perfection that I asked our server if I could have a tiny side plate of it. They graciously brought me this amazing extra treat at no additional cost! I would have paid willingly for this outstanding dish. Certainly one can tell this is food prepared by a real chef. They are the true definition of authentic, real, true blue quality dining and as such worth every cent. I have never been bothered by paying a little extra for quality when you can easily drop almost as much cash and end up with deep fried this or that with fries. Can't wait to come back sometime soon and visit this lovely gem tucked away in a plaza which was worth the search. Enjoy ! read more

We recently hosted a lovely dinner at DaMaurizio's in their private dining room, with just over 30 guests including three small children. This was a family celebration with guests from across Canada and the US, and it was the perfect location. The service was attentive but unobtrusive, and the food was top of the line (fresh, delicious, perfect quantities and beautifully presented). We had a four course meal and Tanya worked with us to have options that would suit our guests' special dietary needs. The room included a balcony where we could relax with before-dinner drinks, and also a private bathroom (actually two private bathrooms) which also made for a stress-free evening. Altogether it was a wonderful evening of fine dining. We were impressed and so were our guests. read more

We went here to celebrate our daughter's 13th birthday. After being seated a server walked around the dining room and lit all of the candles on the empty tables but did not light ours. I asked another one of the servers if she could light ours and she sharply replied that "he'd be around soon." We all thought that was strange. We noted the decor was very tired and dated(not in a good way) Our daughter and her friend had the insalatta contessa. They enjoyed it. My daughter's friend said she liked the lemon and olive oil vinagrette type dressing and the goat cheese. They each had a Shirley Temple which they said was pretty. My wife and I split the Melanzane alla San Daniele. It was good. I liked the sauce, although it was very rich. After we finished our appetizers and the accompanying bread basked (which did not have enough portions of the flatbread for 4 people) we waited quite a long time. My beer was empty by then and the girl's drinks were empty. We were not asked if we wanted more. When I asked the server if we could have a bit more bread as we were getting bored and hungry she replied "I will see what we can come up with." What was that supposed to mean? They have servers carrying bread to tables all night. Where did she think that she would find said bread? Was she planning to dig through the pantry out back and see if she could find some scraps? Another server came over without us asking and left bread on the table. Finally our meals arrived. My daughter had spaghetti with tomato sauce which she liked. It was a basic spaghetti and tomato sauce. Nothing really stood out as being good or bad. It was ok. She liked it though and that''s all I cared about. Her friend had gnocchi, I had halibut and my wife had linguine with shrimp. My halibut dish, Rombo alla Giovanni, was excellent. I liked the beet infused orzo and the roasted fish tasted fresh although I think it was a tad overcooked. I would've preferred wilted spinach to fried spinach but that's a personal preference.The lemon butter sauce was nice and light. I am glad they didn't use to much of it as it would've overpowered the orzo. I was suprised by the pleasant and unique taste of the caviar as it complemented the halibut. My wife's meal was actually horrible - Almost to the point of being inedible. I believe the chef went a little crazy with the chilli peppers(or chilli pepper flakes?) It was so spicy that you literally couldn't discern any other flavors. The description of the dish on the menu is deceiving which was disappointing. It makes it seem like a wine based sauce like a vongole - actually that's exactly what my wife thought it would be but it was more of an extremely rich rose' sauce. We actually hated this meal. The dish was so spicy and rich that it overpowered the 6 shrimp in the dish. If it is supposed to be hot and spicy the description should've said so. We didn't complain or send it back because we didn't want to put a damper on our daughter's birthday celebration. Oh - the huge piece of parsley as a garnish on the top was just strange and very 90's! Same as the giant piece of chive on the gnocchi. If the owner of the restaurant reads this review, please tell me that dish is not supposed to be burning hot. The best part of the dinner was my daughter's friend's meal the - Gnocchi al Pomodoro. The gnocchi was pillowy in texture and the sauce was creamy and smooth. We all agreed her meal was the best. The service was extremely slow and not the friendliest in the world.Also the over annunciation of the Italian accent was over the top and funny. At the end the server presented our bill and left again for a long time. We were pretty anxious to get going by that time. I was really disappointing with our dining experience here and would likely not go back again. The quality of food, service and ambiance for value just isn't there. read more

The amazing staff at daMaurizio made our wedding day dreams come true by preparing the most sumptuous reception meal we could have wished for. Every bite melted in our mouths, rendering us speechless, and the carefully selected wines complimented our menu perfectly. The service was also world-class, with the owner herself caring for our family and friends, and anticipating their every need. We cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough and plan to return often! read more

Although the food was good, I found the servers to be mildly condescending when explaining certain menu items and the host who sat us at our table made it seem like we were unwelcome even though the restaurant it self appeared to be rather empty. read more

Look I'll just tell you how it is. Restaurants are hard to give genuine reviews for if you haven't worked there, which I have. They use microwaves for the appetizers and the sides )mashed potatoes), which may not seem so bad to you, but charging the prices they do... that is unacceptable and should not be considered as "fine dining". The greens for the salads are rarely washed and if you know what is good for you... stay away from the meat. I have seen meat thawing above the kitchen for over 3-4 days (not food safe). The kitchen is dirty and the menu is very outdated. The walk-in fridges are no stranger to holding pans of raw meat and fish far beyond saving, resting in pools of blood for several weeks. May I also add that they prepare food for some prep schools and they let that food rest right near those pans of disgusting meat. I will say though... the pasta is amazing here (homemade gnocchi), although not amazing enough to block out all of the rest of their shortcomings. There is no passion in this restaurant, plain and simple. Go to the Bicycle Thief (I've worked there too) or The Henry House... the Bicycle Thief is clean and they give a sh** about their food and reputation. You won't find a microwave there. You can take this as a review from a disgruntled ex-employee (which I am not) or take it for what it really is... the naked truth. Seldom will you find fresh food there... even the baguettes are frozen, needing to be de-thawed in the microwave and put in the oven... what a shame. The old owner of this restaurant would burn this restaurant down if he knew how things work there now... please people stay clear of this place ! Save your money and perhaps your good health. Go and enjoy REAL fine dining in halifax and not this pathetic attempt at luxury. read more