We came for the 1st time to try it. I got the Parmesan broiled haddock. My daughter got the chicken parm. (Gluten free fre We sat outside as the weather was perfect. There was live music, an older man singing and playing the piano. He was ok, The waitress seemed very friendly. Ok my fish was delicious the potatoes augratin and the summer squash was really delicious. Her chicken was very dry and very thin. Some pieces were just breading, she said it was still good and very few places have gluten free chicken parm, so she was still very happy. I wish I had my camera with me when I went to the ladies room. It was so cute. We will come back again. The zitis that came with her chicken were so good. For desert we had. The pistachio ricotta and she had the gluten free chocolate cake. Oh wow my pistachio ricotta was so good. Hers was ok. Gluten free deserts are never delicious usually just good or edible. It's a pricy place. I will be back again. read more

See all

Despite having lived in Colchester, I'd never visited Fornarelli's. Then we happened to see it featured on FOX61's Foodie Friday, and decided to check it out. Since their website suggests reservations, I guess I assumed it's a fancy date spot. It's not. It's one big room with tables along the perimeter, and every time the door opened, we were hit with a blast of cold air. The bar is located in the same room, with just a low partition separating the areas. The polenta fries were the star of the show; not a trace of grease and served with two dipping sauces. The meals were surprising. We were expecting pasta and received potatoes and vegetables. The chicken piccata was heavily acidic. I like lemon, but this was a bit much. Service was friendly and I guess I'd return if I was in the area, but I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to visit again. read more

See all

Last time my husband and I went and it was ok, thought we would try it again. We recently went back and I was so in the mood for a good spaghetti and meatballs, I was a bit confused when I got it. It was made with a brown gravy like liquid I was told that's how they make their marinara sauce, needless to say it was not to my liking. We will not try a third time. read more

One of my favorite places the lemon chicken is the best. It's a family restaurant and the owners are amazing as well will be back!

I have eaten here twice in the last week. Today I brought our friends from Florida. He is a retired chef. Everyone loved the three veal dishes and swordfish special.... Great restaurant in Colchester, ct read more

Good decent selection of Italian food. It was Cinco De Mayo when we went here that night. They had Mexican choices that day. The burrito was good, as well as Italian foods such as Eggplant Ricotta dish and Lobster Ravioli. They have arcades which you play but you have to bring in quarters if you want to play and have fun. There may be loud music but in the basement where arcades are, it's a little more cozier there. There's outdoor seating too for quiet, beautiful experience. It's all awesomeness! read more

See all

The food was amazing! We dined at Fornarelli's for a family dinner. We all had Italian entrees that were delicious and the portion sizes were such that we all had leftovers to take home. Our server was great. It's a family owned business that definitely takes pride in the family name on the restaurant. We will definitely return.. read more

The shrimp appetizer was so good. Bartender was so nice and attentive. We will be back. read more

Came here for happy hour and everything was phenomenal! From the start, the inside was huge with a large bar. service was great and we started out with some happy hour drinks. For food - no complaints about anything. The common wow factor was definitely the marinara sauce, it made every dish delicious. My favorite was the chicken parm sliders, though I would order everything again. The owner was also at the restaurant and coming around to check on everyone's satisfaction which I thought was nice. Took a peak in at the lounge downstairs and it looked super fun! Can't wait to go back. read more

See all

Went to comedy night with the family. There was 5 of us. The food was fine, the service was good and the comedians were ok. Unfortunately towards the end of the show, the last comic was trying perform but some local folk came in and sat down at the bar. They were loud and disrespectful. When my cousin asked them to please lower their voices they became hostile and that's when the Amazonian tattooed bar tender stepped in and tried to remove my cousin from the property. Unfortunately the comics were correct.... Colchester is a hole in the wall where the dregs of society conjugate. read more

The food was good, unfortunately the service and the ambiance are so lacking I couldn't ever imagine going back except for takeout. The prices for the setting are pretty ambitious. read more

We met our friends today for lunch and our server, Sunny, was excellent! She was very helpful with all our questions about the lunches. The food was delicious and such good sized portions. Highly recommend! Will definitely be back! read more

Really great experience for our first visit! The staff was super friendly and the atmosphere was really great. There's a nice patio outside and the dining room has great wood tones and a beautiful mural on the wall. We had the calamari for an appetizer, delicious and it was our first taste of their tomato sauce, yum! I got the cheese ravioli, there are plenty of other items on the menu I'd like to try, but nothing reveals the quality of the pasta, sauce and cheese like a classic cheese ravioli and I was not disappointed! Hubby got the beef raviolis and really enjoyed them, and my father-in-law got the spaghetti with meatballs (which came with a big scoop of ricotta on top) and loved every bite. We had cannoli's for desert (don't be afraid to ask! haha they weren't on the menu). They have a few local beers, so ask about rotating can selection. I meant to poke my nose into the bar area but forgot, so I guess I'll have to visit again. read more

Fornarelli's - Cheese ravioli with a little fresh Parm on top. - Italian Near Me - Colchester, Connecticut

See all

Unfortunately, inconsistent poor quality and service prevent me from allowing my usually stellar review of a place delivering such yummy Lobster Bisque. The (watery) cream based clam chowder was not part of MY order, so I'll leave THAT for my dining partner to review. My Lobster Ravioli, ordered with the Vodka sauce arrived drenched in an acidy heavy marinara nightmare. When I mentioned this to my server, it took a second ask to discover it was the chefs "OOPS". There was no offer of recompense, replacement or apology. I ate only 1 1/2 of a ravioli pillow and became I'll....departing hastily in search of a clean and private restroom. I've eaten here previously, during the week, and my experience was worlds away different. In both customer service and food quality. I doubt I'll ever return and would certainly NEVER recommend. My regret greater that the cost? That I ever tried the Lobster Ravioli at all! It's hours later-and I'm still sick. read more

See all

I'm a seafood junky, I try to see if I would like to eat at a restaurant by the menu. I picked this restaurant for their frutti de mar. It offered shrimp,scallops, calamari, and lobster. I searched but found zero lobster. I also ordered fra di avlo, I got jalapeño peppers in it. Not very happy. This is a lower middle class restaurant. read more

Went for lunch and was very pleased with the service and food! My margarita was amazing! Sandwich was served on homemade focaccia bread which was so fresh and tasty! Will definitely be back! read more

We tried the restaurant based on the reviews-we are not from this area. I had the clams and linguine and my husband had spaghetti and meatballs. Very good and will come again. read more

I really enjoy this place. We are regulars. Food is excellent service is great. My only concern/petpeeve is their deception with liquor. I have yet to figure out how to get whisky at the price quoted on the menu. Order it neat ... extra $3 .... Order it on the rock ... extra $3 .... Tell me again how I can get it at the price on the menu ??? read more

Tried for the first time, here's our straight up honest review! We had the arancini and fried artichokes for an appetizer. Arancini were good, about a small tennis ball size portion (2 to an order). Did not notice much prosciutto or prosciutto flavor, sauce served with it was a little watery and was a run-of-the-mill chunky sauce. Not too bad, but this is also $9 for the app, so 4.50 per ball. I do need to note that the risotto was cooked properly inside. Cheesy and came out hot. It was good. The fried artichokes came out at the same time however appeared to be canned/jarred artichokes (there were about 7 1.5" halves in this portion) that were dried off, battered and fried on a bed of mixed greens, served with warm red sauce (the same loose marinara as the arancini) and an aioli that was more mayo tasting than lemon. They were super soft and a little squishy so not much texture outside of the fried exterior. For $12 personally, I would skip this unless fried canned/jarred artichokes are your thing. Next we had our entrees. We chose the calamari and the chicken parmesan 2.0. The calamari was a healthy portion, with plenty there to eat. Have to note - some of the hot (and I mean hot) peppers look similar to the calamari so be careful. The description doesn't mention hot peppers so be aware. However, these calamari were cooked properly, not rubber bands so it was good! Standard calamari. This was $16. My "chicken parm 2.0" visually looked great! Big, flat piece of chicken dominated the plate. It was about 1 small chicken breast that was pounded out extremely thin, about 1/8-1/4 of an inch. Super thin. Fried up right to the edge of it being overdone but it wasn't. It was a little dry, but not too bad. Covered in a thin layer of sauce with a little cheese on it. It was served with a pile of linguini pasta that was tossed in some sauce. The pasta was wildly overcooked with a pool of water in the corner of my plate. It was cooked so much, I'm surprised it held up when being tossed in the sauce. I immediately recognized the chef that cooked the pasta, Chef Boyardee. It was flat out gross. Ate 1 bite and that was it, yuck. Yikes. The menu noted that the entrees are served with a vegetable and starch of the day, but those never came out (probably for the better, to be honest). So I ate the chicken and left the pasta. Server asked if I wanted to take it home and I very kindly said no thank you, it's way overcooked and was not palatable. She said sorry and took it away. This dish is a whopping $25 to boot. Server offered to give me a dessert for the error from the kitchen, I appreciated the gesture but declined - she insisted that I take something to go, so I chose the Boston Cheesecake. She came back and said they were out but picked out the Mississippi mud for me already bagged up, so no alternative options on my part (I would have tried the pistachio dessert or cheesecake). $8 piece of basically super dense cake with mousse. It says layers of mousse and cake but it's only 1 of each. It was a very small piece for $8. I tried it when I got home and it was very dry and got Sara Lee vibes from it. It was very apparent that this has been sitting in the cooler for a while, like a week. Wish I could have picked something different, but again, everything happens for a reason I guess. I genuinely appreciate the gesture but we both looked at each other and agreed that the desserts were pretty small and underwhelming for how much they're charging. Let's also note that I just paid $25 for a paper thin piece of fried chicken breast, and this was my compensation. So bill came, $61 for dinner for 2. Plus my take home dessert which got tossed. We've eaten at other Italian spots in Colchester and had way better food. Like way better. Also this is more of a bar scene here than a dinner/restaurant scene. We could barely hear each other talk or converse with the sever because of all the drunks yelling at each other on the other side of the room. This is also Thursday at 6p too, not a Friday or Saturday night. I don't see us coming back, unfortunately. Had high hopes because it's on the newer side and always saw a full parking lot. Now I know why the lot is filled - it's filled with bar flies lol! read more

Had a great date night with my husband sat at the bar Andrew took good care of us the drinks and food was delicious read more

Fornarelli's - Italian Near Me - Colchester, Connecticut

If you love Italian food, you NEED to go here! The fried artichoke hearts are amazing and we get them EVERY time we go there. Everything we've had was delicious! The staff is knowledgeable and friendly. You get the impression that THE ENTIRE STAFF truly cares about you having a good experience there. This was one of the first places we tried when we moved to the area and we've been enjoying it regularly ever since! LOVE THIS PLACE! read more

This was our first visit to Fornarelli's after seeing it reviewed online. We sat out on the deck and my wife enjoyed the Call Me Barbie martini. We had the polenta fries for an appetizer. They were lightly fried and delicious! My wife had the Butternut Squash Ravioli, and I had the pappardelle bolognese. Both meals were fantastic! We'll be back again to sample something else next time. Our choices were a toss up because so many things looked good! Enjoy! read more

Fornarelli's - Call Me Barbie martini - Italian Near Me - Colchester, Connecticut

Food okay, nothing to write home about. Ordered food at the bar, No salt or pepper handy. Served day old beard. Ambiance looks like a cafeteria. Lights keep flickering. Long straight bar with 4 seats on the end. Not a professional bartender, had to ask for drinks. We were just drinking beer. There is a bar downstairs that has bands. That's about it. Meh!! read more

I'm just going to get to brass tacks. The bread was stale. The polenta fries smelled and tasted funky. Meaballs had no flavor. Whatever meat that was braised in the sauce they put on the meatballs was dry. The best part was the rancid clam chowder. The server said the cooks put lemon juice in it. Then the owner came to the table and said the chowder was made the day before, and they use lots of different fish. That is how he explained the rancid chowder. The chowder smelled like it spoiled three days ago. I've had better italian food at a Burger King. read more

This was our second time to Fornarelli's. The first time we got take out and it was good. This time we dined in and let me tell you the experience was amazing. There outside dining was perfect, peaceful, and comfortable. The staff was incredible, attentive, and the service was quick! The food was absolutely the best Italian food I've ever had. I ordered the caprese and my husband ordered the fried calamari for appetizers. When I tell you we've had fried calamari everywhere this has to be in the top two places with the freshness of the calamari. For our entrees my husband had the broccoli rabe and I had the spaghetti and meatballs. It was all to die for! We will definitely be going back again soon! Having them in Colchester is a huge asset to our town! read more

Fornarelli's - Broccoli Rabe and spaghetti and meatballs - Italian Near Me - Colchester, Connecticut

See all

Went there solo on a Saturday...traveling and wanted some decent Italian food. Restaurant upstairs, bar restaurant downstairs--I went downstairs and sat at bar. Music venue was setting up--I like that. Interesting menu --I ordered pasta (rigatoni) with their "beef" meatballs. As I sat there--right next to me a guy got their chicken parm special with spaghetti. (I immediately noticed the pasta swimming in leeched water.) Common error from not finishing pasta in sauce. My plate came out--no issues. Pasta cooked perfectly and the meatballs were very good too. Different. They were seasoned beef and probably fried or baked and then covered in sauce.( I surmised this because one of the meatballs was medium rare.) No worries--they hit the spot. No bread or salad accompanied the entre. The music was very good (I stayed for a set) and the atmosphere, people were very nice--an older crowd. I'll be back. read more

I've been dying to try the prime rib here. Let me tell you, it amazing prime rib ! I'd post a picture but I ate it too fast. read more

Fornarelli's - a plate of food and a martini - Italian Near Me - Colchester, Connecticut

We had a large family dinner and it seemed ok at first. Prices are steep to be Frank. A side salad was $10 for lettuce, one olive and some thin cucumber and tomato slices. Then the bolognese. What were they thinking??? Huge chunks of celery, half moon carrots and cubes of beef, all not thoroughly cooked was the base of their bolognese sauce. I have never been so disappointed in a pasta dish. Disgusting to say the least. The chicken parm looked ok, but family said it was so thinly pounded out that all they tasted was the breading. The portions were not worth the $25+ price tag. And then the band started playing in the bar downstairs and we couldn't even talk to each other without yelling over the noise. No compliments to this place. read more

Had Saturday lunch in lower level bar area. Reasonable portion of fresh fish & chips nicely breaded and lightly fried along with long string French fries. Tasty, and also fresh, cannoli for desert . Great service from our knowledgeable server, Ali, was a bonus. Looking forward to trying dinner sometime soon! read more

Fresh quality food. Finally, a top quality Italian restaurant in Colchester. The freshest seafood you can get. Everything was excellent. read more

See all

I'm pretty pissed to be honest. We went in tonight with a party of 10 (decreased from our original party for 20) for my grandfathers 93rd birthday. All was fine when ordering, server was cute and friendly - they even came over to help sing HB to him. Food was mediocre at best but we had fun with it. THEN. Upon asking for the check (to which just the cc slips came - no itemized bill because my aunts info had already been entered in online when making the resie) she says the amount so we can figure out how much to tip. We all kinda look at each other like that's a lot but ok maybe tips included. We ask the girl if the tip is included, and not only does she outright say that it is NOT included. But she she makes up a whole lie about our party size decreasing so there was no need and since you're only 10 and not 20 blah blah blah. WELL. My aunt then asks for an itemized copy of the bill (because one was not provided) which i also find weird bc when u ask for the bill lol like. That's the itemized one. Anyway. She tells my aunt "we don't usually give those out." On what planet sweetheart? I'm so confused. Either way, you guessed it. Get the itemized and tip is on there. And $150 one so nice try my dear. Not telling us it's included is one thing but bold face lying about it is quite another. It's stealing. Don't be a thief or a liar my girl. Not a good look. read more

10 out of 10 for food and service! Then we headed downstairs for live music and a cocktail. Amazing night, can't wait to go back. read more

Service was excellent. Great variety of food. A little too dark. Overall, no complaints.

Come in here all the time. Food is amazing as well as the service. Friendly staff with great ambiance. Ate on the outside patio last time and they had band! 5 stars. Great addition to Colchesters restaurant scene. Highly recommended read more

Yummmm. Fantastic fresh ingredients, amazing soups and other food. Don't expect some pound of pasta slapped on a plate with oily sauce dripping off, it's not anything like that! Ambiance is ok, service good. Food..I'm sure I need to try it again, 6 or 12 times to be sure, but everything was good and everyone was happy. read more

Found this great Italian spot after hitting up Priam Vineyards- and we loved it! Delicious food- and SUCH fresh, quality ingredients. We got the eggplant rollatini and the marinara was outstanding- complete with fresh basil. The salads were unique and so fresh - and the blackened shrimp on the side was perfectly cooked. My friend had the cheesecake, which looked divine! read more

My second visit with friends and family to listen to music this visit was definitely better than the first. Tried quite the variety of appetizers. My favorite was probably the eggplant rollatini. A happy hour special, so a small portion just right for sampling. The eggplant was tender and flavorful, the filling to die for, and the marinara was delicious. And meatball sliders were also delicious, topped with wonderful parmesan and more of the fantastic marinara. Our friends ordered the fried artichokes, polenta fries and arancini balls, all of which were full of flavor. It was a cool spring night so I opted for veal saltimbocca. The sage marsala sauce was perfect and the veal was melt in your mouth tender. It was served with creamy scalloped potatoes and totally satisfied my craving for good Italian. The wine selections were good and I thoroughly enjoyed the montepulciano as a change from my Pinot noir. It was also a nice change to start out with Gavi, a wine I usually have at home. read more

Went for dinner last night about 530pm and sat at the bar downstairs. Food was okay, not great. Bartender was drinking alcohol while working pouring vodka in her personal mug. As a fellow restaurant owner, I spoke with the manager which told me it was allowed. A bartenders job is to make sure their patrons drink responsibly to protect not only patrons, but also the business and themselves. Judgement goes out the window allowing bartenders to drink on shift. Will not be back. read more

Good prices and plenty of seating available. Food was mediocre at best yet the service was great! Ambiance was pub like and menu had lots of options. The waitress was flying solo at lunch which was not quite fair to the staff. I hope they get more help in the future. read more

went there because of good reviews. maybe an off night... ap: clams casino.......BURNT entree: veal marsala and rigatoni with vodka sauce.....both "gravy "dishes served in one plate. Sauces ran into each other and did not taste good. Both gravies even on there own did not taste good. read more

Fornarelli's - Italian Near Me - Colchester, Connecticut