We loved this small family style restaurant. The decor is simple and service warm and welcoming. So…read moremuch to choose from on the menu it can be overwhelming so just plan to come again. I was craving the eggplant parmigiana and was told the eggplants had been delivered to the owners home and therefore, was not available. Funny! So we settled on the shrimp and chicken dish - apparently a fan favorite- and chopped salad. Both delicious with ample portions for two to split. Interesting note - they offer cauliflower crust pizza- a must try next time. Enjoy!

I've been to Italy--including Sicily--more times than most people have left California, and my…read morepartner even holds an Italian birth certificate. With that context, we don't take Italian food lightly. That's exactly why Ippolito's Trattoria stands out. Nick, the owner, is there seven days a week. Whether he's running the kitchen like a true master or walking the dining room checking in with guests, his presence is constant. His wife is often by his side, and together they've built something that feels less like a restaurant and more like a family. The staff reflects that--welcoming, attentive, and genuinely warm. Now, the food. The chicken parmigiana is massive--easily two meals--and executed perfectly. The chicken is tender, well-seasoned, and balanced. We usually start with calamari or a shared salad, both consistently excellent. I'm especially particular about carbonara, and this is the only place in Sacramento that truly gets it right. No shortcuts. No cream. No smoked bacon. They respect the tradition--using proper ingredients like guanciale or pancetta and incorporating the egg the way it's meant to be. It's easily the best carbonara I've had in years. The arancini are another highlight. If you've ever made them at home, you know the effort involved--this is the real deal. Crispy outside, rich and flavorful inside, and absolutely authentic. The bread is baked fresh daily by Nick, and it shows. The pasta is artisan-quality, also made fresh, and sourced from a trusted local partner. Every detail reflects care and intention. Dessert is not an afterthought here. The tiramisu--made in-house--is flawless. And the cannoli? Outstanding. The shells have the perfect crunch, and the fillings are rich without being overpowering. Even the pizzelle cookies are done right. It's no surprise they've earned recognition, including: Best Italian Restaurant in Sacramento Best Restaurant Overall in Sacramento Beyond the food, Nick is active in the community and gives back, which only adds to the experience. We've enjoyed this place so much that we've chosen them to cater my 60th birthday for 20 very discerning Italian family members--many of whom we've already brought here, all with the same glowing reactions. If there's any criticism to address, it's usually from people saying the food isn't salty or herb-heavy enough. That misses the point. This is balanced, authentic cooking--where ingredients shine without being masked. I've been to Papa Gianni's in Cameron Park dozens of times over the years, and it's a great spot. But when it comes to the Sacramento region, Ippolito's Trattoria is my go-to, without question.

Came for midweek work lunch around noon, got sat quickly inside…read more Service was quick and restaurant was clean and not crowded. 5/5 Spaghetti carbonara! This dish is absolutely amazing! Crispy bacon and rich sauce. Generously seasoned with red pepper flakes, Parmesan and some salt. Added a side salad but it was moderately portioned and pretty lackluster. Passable next time. The garlic bread is also not my favorite but it comes with the pasta so that's a nice plus.

update: it has been 3 years since we dined here last. It…read morewas my son's birthday celebration and he wanted to go to paesanos. So we invited a few friends and came on a friday evening. Ambience: very comfortable, although very loud inside the dining room-background music along with many patrons conversing. But our wait staff was great. Friendly and engaging - but not over bearing. In fact, i gave this place an extra star just for the wait staff. Other than that, i would rate their entrees...as decent, but there is room for improvement to help raise the bar. Hence 3.5 stars overall Appetizers: 1) fried raviolis - not bad, filled with spinach and ricotta and arrived with marinara dipping sauce 2) fried calamari- too much coating which over powered the delicacy of the squid. Plus, it arrived cold. It came with two dipping sauces which helped. Entrees: 1) Two pies: Sicilian and soppresaata & hot honey: both pies were decent, arrived straight from the oven 2) farmers market salad: very fresh greens, tender pieces of chicken but was missing the fresh corn. 3) spaghetti w/meatballs: nice entree with a mild sauce, but meatballs tasted more filler than actual meat. And the garlic bread was cold 4) rigatoni aka vodka: very nice entree and our diner ordered it with gluten free pasta 5) spaghetti parmesano: entree looked great when it arrived- mild sauce w/al dente noodles but the chicken was over cooked and even dry with a layer of mozzarella that didn't help. And again arrived with cold garlic bread. Would i return? in a few years. but the service was good which made our evening. However i wish all the pasta entrees and calamari appetizer were as good as their pies. Again, little details with their appetizers, pasta, and salad dishes would have made our dining experience more enjoyable.

Attended a ravioli pasta making session with friends and hosted by chef Giovanni at Adamos. What a…read morefun experience making pasta, learned some fun trivia and made a new friend with Giovanni. His knowledge and life experiences were a joy to learn about and the food was fabulous. Enjoyed 3 fine wines and some excellent olive oil. Highly recommended for a nice evening meal and pasta making with friends. Cheers!!

Delicious! Friends shared the summer arancini, and it was kind of a play on an elote. I ended up…read moreordering 2 apps as my mains: The meatball and the octopus. The meatball was HUGE, and the app comes w two. Def a good sharing option for 4 people if actually eating it as an app. The octopus was also delicious. Perfectly crispy and comes w the best potatoes. The only thing was the chimichurri type sauce was pretty spicy (not mild). So definitely beware. I also tried a bite of my husband's bolognese and it was light and refreshing. The flavor of the vegetables come through nicely along with the meat sauce. It feels ironic to say, but if you want something lighter, that's a good option. Would recommend making a reservation, as the restaurant space is small and definitely filled up on a Sunday evening.

Pazza Notte is definitely busy for a reason! We came here for a birthday dinner and had the best…read moretime. The staff here is very friendly and attentive. We got seated pretty quickly and immediately ordered drinks. The Martinis are delicious and they give you shaker with them so its essentially two drinks in one. We have tried pretty much all the flavors and you cant go wrong. Now for the food, the burrata appetizer was absolutely delicious. The sundried tomato and chilli on top cuts through the creamy burrata and is such a great way to start your meal. We also ordered the classic penne vodka and fettuccini pesto. Both were delicious. What really stole the show for me, though, was the mushroom pizza. So simple but so delicious! The roasted portobello was earthy and warm and the truffle oil was a great addition and not overbearing. Overall, we had such a great time here. Will definitely be back!

2nd time here & wouldn't come back - ordered $8 chicken to add to my pasta (see photo) & was…read moreconfused as to where the chicken was. confirmed with server/chef they only add 4 ounces, but from the photo it looks like nothing. they were kind enough to offer a whole order of pasta to go. food 5.5/10 - caesar salad was tasty - free bread is always a plus - calamari breading is very heavy + not much flavor, the side sauces save it service 7/10 - server was kind, checked up on us regularly - waited 30 min for 1 plate of pasta ambiance 5/10 - very hot inside - went on saturday morning & they leave the door open, so i kept swatting flies

How did I only discover this amazing place?!?! This was by far the best food I've had in a very…read morelong time. We ordered the cheese bread as an appetizer and the cheese pull was insane. It was pure perfection. Just all around perfect. Lunch was Tuscan Chicken Penne and my friend ordered mussels. The presentation of the meal was beautiful. And the taste - on another level. Absolutely blown away. Now on to the dessert which we picked Tiramisu. I was pretty stuffed from lunch so we decided to split it. I'm kinda mad I didn't have the whole thing for myself because it was so good. Not only was the food amazing but the service was too. Just an all around great experience and I can't wait to go back and try something else.

We wanted a nice dinner and decided to come here. I made a reservation ahead of time. It was not…read morebusy for a 6pm Saturday dinner. It looks like an office building from the outside. It's next to a dealership. The space once you enter, is really nice and open with a full beautiful bar. They also have a cute seating area. The server gave us the menu and gave us tile to review. Pretty easy to look over as they have your Italian basics. We opted for a cranberry and blue cheese salad with candied nut's. We ordered a full to share. I wish we were told it was too big for just 2 people. It's good for about 3-4 people. Without knowing, we also ordered Brussels spouts, which again is for 3-4 people. As for my entree, I ordered the chicken rigatoni. I didn't get to really enjoy it because I was super full by the time it came out. It was saucy and tasted good with the chicken bites. My husband had their famous lasagna. It came out hot so they must bake it as you order which is great! I will say, he said it was extremely cheesy. He had to look for the pasta in it. He did enjoy the flavor. Circling back, we got full with the salad and a small portion of the Brussel sprouts. We had to take our entrees to go. The waitress noticed and said she should have told us that the portions to the appetizers were large. I would have just ordered 1.

Last night was our first time at Piatti. I am giving them 5 stars because Piatti really made it…read moreright and ensured I was taken care of after getting my dietary restrictions incorrect on my order. I asked for zero butter/oil/dressing on my SeaBass and my steamed veggie entree; unfortunately it came out incorrectly but my server Ashley and her manager made sure to correct this mistake and make it right! This truly showed the level of care Piatti has for their customers. Ashley made us feel well taken care of and made sure we had a wonderful dining experience at Piatti. We will absolutely be back to Piatti for the delicious food, fantastic drinks, and amazing dessert!

Cold bland food no no no If you can't make pizza give it up…read moreI've had better food by a long shot

We ate here last Friday night and then came back only a few days later. Great service. Great food…read more Great atmosphere. The chef (owner?) is awesome. He went out of his way to make sure we were satisfied. I highly recommend.

First time visiting this restaurant, and I have to thank my cousin for the recommendation--thanks,…read moreCousin! Everything was fantastic, from the food and service to the wonderful Italian atmosphere. We had a table reservation but decided to sit at the bar instead, and I'm so glad we did! The bartender was incredibly friendly, helpful and gave us some great recommendations (Fried Calamari, Steak Putanesca & Prawn Linguini), all of which were delicious. He made a killer espresso martini with tequila...yummy There were three of us, and we decided to order just two plates to share. There was more than enough food, and everything was absolutely fantastic. They was no rush and took our time I'm already looking forward to coming back and bringing some other friends so they can enjoy this place too!

Came in for the first time with friends who are regulars. Came in on a Saturday for 5:30…read morereservations. This restaurant is kinda small but we had reservations so we got a table right away. Our server was very attentive and even gave us a few tastes of the beers on tap so we could decided. There were specials so we ordered the Mary special bacon wrapped chicken with a white wine sauce served over mashed potatoes. It was delicious!! Also ordered a special beet salad with arugula, feta cheese almonds figs and a blueberry dressing - FABULOUS!! Also tried a bit of our friends red cabbage and spatzel - both were good. Also tried a couple of the Czech dark beers. They were great! Definitely want to come back and try more of the food items!! Parking can sometimes be an issue but today we were able to get a street spot just a few spaces from the front.

Went there on a Sunday because we were visiting the hospital one of the few places open for lunch…read more The service was 1st class the food was delicious oh then we had chocolate vanilla and chocolate covered ice cream absolutely delicious. I think it was a bindibom.

First time diner. Came in to celebrate a double birthday with my husband. Most of my professional…read morelife has been in the restaurant world, so I don't say it lightly when I say that the food experience here was outstanding. Starters we had were the scallops and meatballs. Both were flavorful and perfectly cooked. My husband had the pollo al Mattone (chicken under a brick) and I, of course, had to try out the 12-layer lasagna. The chicken was delicious. But the lasagna... oh man. I'll be dreaming about this. I have family in the mountains of northern Italy in Sestola and on a visit they made lasagna like this and it RUINED me for lasagna anywhere else. To think I have a restaurant in Sacramento where I can find one that comes even close to that one... I am over the moon. So yes, we will be back. I want to try more, but it will be difficult to not order the lasagna again first. Kirsten took amazing care of us and Cindy is fantastic as well. We look forward to coming back!

Delicious semi fine dining Italian! Thanks to all the fellow yelpers who gave amazing reviews, this…read moreplace is a gem. Tried the special ravioli - lemon seafood, also got the lasagna and the calamari. All were really delicious, and the service was A+. Food: 4.5 Service: 5 Ambiance: 4.5 Value: 3.8 Marcels foodie score: 4.5

Il Fornaio is a beautiful restaurant to dine at that has a nice high end feel. Pricing-wise, I'd…read moresay the food is mid-high in tier, but doesn't reach the cost of other such places - which is a great thing as Il Fornaio is a wonderful place to hold a special event or celebration. You'll definitely enjoy the elegant decor and picturesque dining room. As the name suggests, Il Fornaio is an Italian restaurant that serves pasta dishes, salads, soups, and other Italian fare. The food is well presented and and the quality is certainly there. It didn't disappoint, but I personally wasn't blown away by it either. It's just very solid you get what you pay for food. Usually that means you buy cheap food and you get cheap tasting stuff, but here you pay a good amount and you get pretty good food. We came on a pretty busy evening and service took a little longer than I expect that it typically would. But overall it wasn't bad... just very busy. I do think that Il Fornaio does get pretty busy regularly because it is a popular restaurant in Sacramento. Just keep that in mind on busy nights like weekends and special dates.

I wasn't expecting good Italian food in Sacramento, so when a colleague suggested this place for…read moredinner, I agreed. Im also not much an Italian food fan really. Crazy I say this as I was in a serious relationship once with an Italian lol. I know I sound like a miserable wretched human being, but its quite ubiquitous and a lot of it is not too hard to make. But I do like a good pizza and there are Italian dishes I like (ones I cannot make like Sardinian wild boar or squid ink pasta). First, this dining room is gorgeous, the bar space is really nice. Saw a handsome gent in a nice suit sitting at the bar, which was a nice accessory to an already elegant and dare I say sexy bar? I had a drink here and then our party moved to a table when everyone arrived. My colleague did us the favor and ordered some antipasti dishes for us and made good choices. The carpaccio was great (and I loved the grana padano cheese - one that I can have) and also enjoyed the tartara di tonno - which is seared ahi tuna. Both with copious amounts of arugula (my favorite). Great choices as I love raw anything that's well made. Since it was Tuesday, one of my colleagues ordered the pasta trio which is a special for Tuesdays. No idea if it was any good, but colleague cleaned the plate. My other colleague ordered the risotto (which looked great and I love risotto and can make it myself), large portion size and she had a good portion leftover for another meal. I had the branzino in crosta. The portion size for my dish was ridiculous. Fish was decent, but I have had better (in Italy fresh caught). Rooted veggies were probably my favorite (I'm a rabbit and love veggies) and the grilled polenta was so-so. My colleagues ordered panna cotta al limone and it was excellent. I am used to a denser consistency panna cotta and this one was lighter one but well made. I love limoncello or anything with lemons, so this was just lovely. There is only one kind of tiramisu (more pudding style) I like which is made by North Italia and the one here likely was the traditional tiramisu so I declined to get dessert. Overall, a very good choice for a business dinner. Food was good. I deducted one star because I am not much into chain restaurants and prefer to support mom and pop type places. I deducted another star because the service was so SLOW and while we ordered some sparkling for the table, some of us did not get still water and I recall not having much water to drink and its summer. Also, I think the New Yorker in me just doesnt have much patience, but it does seem the cadence here was a different speed I am used to. I'd definitely return to have a few cocktails at the bar, and come back for their HH specials too. This location is in a beautiful setting and I'd come back just to sit at the bar and quietly ogle which cutie might show up...