Restaurant was very nice, tables presentable and service was great. Drinks were recommended and specials were presented from waiter. Wife ordered beef Bolognese looked good, however after a couple of minutes of it being at table the sauce started to separate and appeared like there was a lot of grease in the meal. I had the gnocchi was cooked well, just felt there was too much of the same flavor and nothing to help get the palate change ended up stopping at half my meal. read more

I really enjoyed this new Italian restaurant. I ordered the Tortelloni w/ fresh asparagus and ricotta. I found out that Tortelloni is different than tortellini. It's larger! It was delicious! My friend ordered the Stratucci (sp?) chicken w/sauce and veggies. At first when it came out .. I thought it looked just like home cut chicken breast nuggets. but, the lightness of the breading and oil they used was exactly as described by Carlo, one of the owners... light and delicious. It was great to hear the story behind the 2 owners and each part of Italy they came from to form these dishes and sauces. Carlo is super welcoming and goes around chatting with all of his customers. The decor is very clean. They open at 4 pm and we did not have a problem being seated at 5:45 pm. They've only been open for 2 months and had repeat customers already when we were there. I will definitely be back! Please go and support this locally owned mew spot! Footnote: Carlo also owns Cornucopia health store! read more

See all

Great service, great wine selection just ask the owner about foreign wines, waiter was fantastic and according to the two women I was with (Claudia and Kristy) I quote "not bad to look at" we had the calamari, delish! Bread come out warm with a tapenade sauce, such a surprise, very good! Wine selected by owner see photo. We will be back read more

See all

Great service and great food. The most authentic Italian food in the area. Will definitely be back.

Haven't been here in a while. The service as always was great and the food was incredible. They offered breaded artichoke balls as a appetizer. They were amazing. Light and crisp with an excellent flavor. If you haven't been here, you must try. Plus, they take reservations.!!!!. read more

See all

Would love to give GI more stars because it deserves it. Good food, decent atmosphere, Elliot, the server was knowledgeable and attentive. So what's the BUT...the owner, understand her name is Misty, never came over to greet her guests. Instead, she sat 100% of the time I was there, at the bar, enjoying her beverage. It made me very uncomfortable. I made it clear to Elliot that I was a first time customer, one would think if an owner of an establishment, who really cared about the business, would relish the opportunity to welcome her customers, particularly a first timer. Oh well! read more

Definitely the best authentic Italian in Modesto! The service is exceptional as well!

Food was not good and greasy. Service was slow and not attentive. Manager was in the building but more concerned with bookings and appointments than the current customers. Would not recommend and food was overpriced read more

We had date night dinner out with friends. It was EXCELLENT. Two of us had the petrale sole fish special. Wonderful. The mashed potatoes are flavorful and creamy. The gnocchi dish is delicious. The best dish at our table was the lasagna. They add Gorgonzola cheese which makes it an especially flavor packed dish. We ended dinner with 3 different desserts, the torta pistachio, the torta limoncello and the tiramisu. All were excellent with the tiramisu being the winner. My husband and I try tiramisu at every Italian restaurant we visit. This restaurant has the hands-down winner.... Ever! The restaurant is small and intimate. You do not have to feel underdressed if you come casual. Carl, the owner visits every table and introduces you to the restaurant, the southern Italian food and the menu. Our waiter, Bryce, was friendly, informative, attentive and professional. We will definitely be back again and again. read more

The best Italian restaurant in Modesto. If you're looking for delicious and authentic food try this place. The service was great too. Warm and welcoming place. read more

Where do I start.. we ordered caprese appetizer! Perfect amount of oil, balsamic, and good serving size!(maybe they can add fresh basil next time that would be a great touch) my boyfriends family comes from Sicily and he really enjoyed it. For dinner we ordered hand and homemade gnocchi with creamy tomato sauce and chopped mushroom! We also enjoyed the ravioli stuffed with sausage and broccoli (this is going to be my go to!) Thank you to the staff and owner I didn't catch their names but we had such great conversation! grazie melli! read more

See all

The food and service were excellent. My husband had the filet of sole special which he liked. I had the bacala. It was very good, however, the expected salt cod had been substituted with fresh cod. It was not what was on the menu and expected. read more

The food is delicious, the customer service is excellent, and the price is definitely worth the experience. I will definitely be back soon. My new favorite Italian restaurant in the valley. read more

Genuine Italian cuisine. Personal service from the owner. 10 stars. 20 stars. 100 stars.

The menu was lacking but the service was worse. We were seated at the uncomfortable bar seats and not given a menu, then when we ordered, i didnt get my wine until my dinner was served. Even though the waiter was standing around. Remember the only way to get a table is to have a reservation. Lets talk about the "Special" 4 Scallops and 3 sprimp, and a table spoon of something that looked like a mash potato with a generic greek salad for $44 wowza! Definitely didnt blow me away. Sad to say a place i was so excited to try and im still hungry. read more

This is the first time I've been here. We were looking for a new place that we have never been too. It said online that it was best to make a reservation. We called and were met with a friendly person who got us right in. We quickly received bread and water. So far so good. After looking at the menu, it was noted that the food prices overall are around 25-35 dollars on average. My initial reaction seemed to be it was a little on the pricier side for the location and ambiance. My party ordered lasagna and the chicken strips. The portion size was average but for the price I would have liked to see a little larger serving size. I feel like the price for the chicken strips, served with peas and carrots was absolutely outrageous. $27.00 for chicken strips? That was more than the lasagna!Not reasonable in the Central Valley. It was not worth more than $16.00. The lasagna was pretty good actually. It was like a marinara and Alfredo mix. The chicken strips had some slightly spiced seasoning and was average, especially for the price. Also, it was noted in the menu that if you order a soft drink, there are "no refills". If you are going to a sit down restaurant it is common practice to offer coffee, tea and soda refills. I don't think I would have mentioned this if it had said 2 refill max. Disappointed about that. Would like to have seen a second basket of bread offered, we had to ask for it. All in all, the food wasn't bad. The lasagna was tasty, and was served at a proper temperature. The chicken strips were average, especially given the very high price for basically a child menu type selection. read more

Gusto Italiano - Lasagna - Southern Near Me - Modesto, California

See all

The food was excellent and their service was on point. Please do yourself a favour and eat here.

First of all, the food and service were excellent. There were four of us and all of our food was very good. However, we did not appreciate the 4% charge for using our credit card. They didn't say a word but the charge is on our statement. Not a good business practice. read more

Italian is no way of eating I love food sometimes when it's just lightly seasoned or more just the same ingredients but more flavor t adjust the taste. read more

Wonderful food is created here! It's really the best quality of Italian food in Modesto. It's also authentic, as the chef is from Italy. The service is also good and they are very friendly. read more

First time here what an amazing experience the staff are so friendly the chef is unbelievable the food was awesome. Highly recommend it absolutely deserving of five stars..!!! read more

Gusto Italiano - Lasagna with Gorgonzola unbelievable. - Southern Near Me - Modesto, California

See all

Thus far, the food has been 8/10 every time we have been there. While the pricing for the items on the regular menu are just a bit above fairly priced so score for items on regular menu 6/10. I feel like their specials are HIGHLY OVERPRICED so score for items on specials menu 4/10. Service is where things really fall apart. I would score service at 3/10. When you combine these scores and run percentages back to only being able to give a five-star rating, these three starts are rounded up from 2.6 stars. This review is focusing more on specials menu pricing and service. - SPECIALS PRICING - while the specials have been EXTREMELY tempting the couple of times I have been here, the pricing has deterred me from trying any of them. I'm a seafood fanatic and when you throw Southern Italian inspiration into it, I almost never resist the urge no matter what the price...but really....this place takes the trophy for keeping me from being a foodie just because of their pricing. This is coming from someone who has worked at a Southern Italian with typical patronage dining downstairs and fine dining upstairs. The pricing is OUTRAGEOUS. -SERVICE - there is no question that the owner highly values his customers. The two areas where things fall short are 1) the ability to correct course when something goes wrong and 2) serve staff cohesiveness. 1) a specific example of course correction -My roommate and I ordered from the regular menu. The arrival of the plates were timed perfectly, but my roommate was presented with an incorrect dish. Having been in restaurant hospitality, I immediately spoke up before the plate hit our table in case it might have been for another table. NOPE...someone messed up - whether it be the server who entered the order or the kitchen staff fulfilling the order. Other restaurants would have immediately notified the manager/owner resulting in a COMPLIMENTARY MEAL with a) offer to re-fire the correct meal; and/or b) offer to bag the incorrect meal and re-fire the correct meal with thinking that the customer might be able to try another delicious dish for future return to the restaurant. Neither of these things happened, but the waiter did admit it was his fault when he entered the order. 2) a specific example of cohesiveness - I called in an order for pickup - the woman who answered was very kind, polite and attentive. She was able to fulfill my request for olive oil and vinegar for dipping sauce for the bread at no extra cost. When I arrived to pick up my order, the lady I spoke to was attending to a table of two - OBVIOUSLY ON A DATE. I walked in thinking I could just speak with bar staff (who usually deals with pick-up orders along with other staff who are not actively attending to a table). When I said I was there for a pick-up, not only did the hostess-server interrupt her interaction with the seated customers right in the middle of the specials spiel, the bar staff pointed to her and just folded their arms. This got even more awkward when the owner attempted to acknowledge me from across the room a couple minutes later and I again had to let him know that I was there for pickup and the server-hostess AGAIN interrupted her interaction with the table to indirectly acknowledge my presence. This made me feel bad for the seated couple. ADD-ON - prepare to pay cash - we were surprised during first visit of the extra charge to use a charge card - so I agree with others - PREPARE TO PAY CASH - but reading these other reviews, I do feel like other patrons - staff should be trained to disclose these costs to include an uncorking fee - I guess the next best thing is to act like a cheapskate and keep asking if there are extra fees attached to everything and anything at every step of the way....but who really wants to do that...when enjoying nice night/lunch out I don't understand why not a single other staffer could have pitched in to help with a simple pick-up-and-pay order. I don't understand why the hostess/server could not have only had to interrupt her service just one time and requested for a team member to take care of me. Yes....the owner is always attentive, but there were only two tables at that time, a better approach may have been just to walk up to me and have an aside conversation that did not disrupt the couple's dining experience. It was very awkward just to experience a pick-up order. read more

Went with my family for My dads birthday, the staff was very friendly and attentive. we each got something different and everything was absolutely amazing, i had the Penne with the crab and it was fantastic. Would definitely recommend but you need to make reservations because it's small and they are usually full for dinner. read more

Gusto Italiano - Penne with crab and tomato sauce - Southern Near Me - Modesto, California

Updated to 5 stars since they fixed my one issue. Best Italian food in town! ....................

Really good traditional Italian food. The raviolis are amazing and so is the salmon. The restaurant is small but it has a good family feel. 10/10 would recommend. read more

Gusto Italiano - Salmon - Southern Near Me - Modesto, California

Excellent Italian food! The best I've ever had! I normally feel acid reflux after eating most Italian food. Didn't feel it at all after eating here. The ingredients are truly excellent quality. read more

The owner is welcoming and takes the time to explain the preparation of the specials. Ariel and Bryce have both waited on me and they are attentive, knowledgeable of the menu, and always take the best care of my husband and I. This is our go to date night spot. The food is amazingly fresh, generously portioned, and I can tell love and thought is put into everything brought to my table. My husband switches it up and will order either the Seafood Risotto or one of the Specials. Most recently he ordered the Halibut special. Nice flaky chunks of Halibut in a light caper sauce with Kalamata olives, assorted veggies and creamy mashed potatoes. He raved about it and there were no leftovers. I never deviate from the Fettuccine Al Formaggi (Fettuccini Alfredo if I may.) The pasta is perfectly cooked, the sauce is TO DIE FOR. Creamy, cheesy, silky smooth. I would drink it if that was acceptable. When he orders the Seafood Risotto he asks to switch out the risotto to a spaghetti pasta and the result is a delicious plate full of mussels, shrimp, and clams tossed in a light tomato sauce. For appetizers we love the soft Burrata & Prosciutto and the Calamari (not pictured because we always devour it so fast that a photo is an afterthought) Try the spicy marinara offered as a dipping sauce option. The minestrone soup of the day is light with bright carrots, peas and small beans. Not overly filling and a big enough portion to take some home. We like to finish off with either a cappuccino or a double espresso and the rich chocolate cake dessert with vanilla bean ice cream is an absolute must. Even if you think you don't have room..... yes you do!! Gusto is a 10/10 A++ read more

See all

Excellent food and service. The owner, Carlo, walks around the restaurant to meet and discuss the menu with each table, which we love. He is so friendly and makes all feel welcome. After visiting Italy earlier this year, we really wanted to find a true Italian restaurant and this is it! The owner and chef are Italian. Cannot recommend it enough. Our new favorite date night spot! read more

What a wonderful dinner! We stopped by hoping they weren't too busy. The bread was warm and delicious. Soft inside crusty outside with fresh topenade. The calamari was absolute perfection. Lightly breaded and perfectly cooked. Rings, tentacles and a few shrimp. My husband had a very meaty delicious rigatoni bolognese which he loved. I had a clam spaghetti. It was incredibly flavorful and fresh. The portions were great. Left room for dessert. I was excited to see Mango Panna cotta on the menu. It was so light and sweet and refreshing. My husband had a limoncello cake, if I wasn't enjoying mine so much I would have taken his as well. Our server was great, very attentive. Authentic Italian food made with love from actual Italians. We're very excited to come back and try more dishes! read more

Gusto Italiano - Clam spaghetti - Southern Near Me - Modesto, California

See all

Although this restaurant is only a few feet away from a gas station, Gusto Italiano is sure to exceed your expectations. FOOD: The menu may be small, but each dish is bursting with such flavor. On my first visit, my partner and I decided to split the bolognese as the portions are generous. We added peppers for only a dollar or two more, as suggested by our water. We were amazed by the richness and depth of flavor of the sauce. The peppers added a nice heat and was a great suggestion. Lastly, the noodles were perfectly Al-dente. On our most recent visit, we celebrated our anniversary. We got our own entrées that night. We decided on the specials; lobster ravioli with shrimp, as well as a halibut dish with mashed potatoes. Both dishes were equally delicious. My partner loved my sauce so much, that he decided to scoop it up with the bread. Be sure to order the calamari! The batter is so light, and they pair it with a spicy sauce if you mention you love spice. STAFF: We have been here twice, and each time there were only two waiters/waitresses. However, if they are both highly attentive and knowledgeable. They make excellent food and wine recommendations. Our waiter was a younger gentleman with curly hair. I forget his name, but his service was above and beyond. He went into depth about the dish we ordered, and gave us amazing history behind the chefs story. This restaurant is small and has an open kitchen. You can see the chefs actually tasting the food ( clean spoon of course) and adjusting the flavor as needed. Which to me is always a great sign. ATMOSPHERE: This is a rather small restaurant, but it's pleasantly home-like. The open kitchen is a nice touch as you can see the chefs preparing the dishes, which is always fun as you can see the passion that goes into the food. This establishment is nice and clean. OVERALL: I would give this place 5 stars all the way. It is nice to see a small business making food delicious, yet still affordable. Nothing pretentious about this place. From service, to the food, they are sure to please! read more

Is the best Italian restaurant original Italian the tiramisu is super fantastic Pappardelle al cinghiale de are unique e the espresso is better the Italy everything is super good Italian 100% very good service and very friendly people you guys need try this place I'll go back for sureI'll do 5 star cause the really deserve you guys are the best Italian restaurant read more

Very pleased with our meal; and everything I saw coming out of the kitchen looked delicious. On top of that, the staff was super friendly and made great recommendations. It's a small room, and it seems to fill up regularly, so I recommend making a reservation. read more

I came to this restaurant off a recommendation from a friend. I was not disappointed. It is a family owned restaurant with staff that care about what you actually want to eat. The owner came to every table and made sure to make everyone feel special. As well as the servers and chefs. The food was outstanding with unique homemade sauces and noodles. It hit the spot for my noodles and seafood cravings. The dessert was a nice ending to an already amazing meal. I will be back! read more

See all

First Time coming here I called before to ask what the cork fee is and they said $20 we made a reservation once the bill came they charged us $25 cork fee we mentioned it to them and they said they couldn't do anything about it an offered to give us a free dessert instead if discounting the cork fee and they new it was our first time there I'm all about honesty and the owner didn't own up to it and said he couldn't change the cork fee will never return, plus my chicken fettuccini was way over cooked. read more

We ordered raviolis and they were delicious! The services were very good as well. I highly recommend.

The food is amazing! Best pasta I've had outside of Italy! You definitely need reservations as there is very little seating.

We ate here on Saturday and I can honestly say this is the best Italian food I've ever had! I didn't even take a picture because I just wanted to eat my food. The owner is so nice and inviting. Every one was super friendly. The food was amazing! They give you bread as a starter. We got the artichokes for an appetizer. I had the lasagna. Every thing was top notch We will definitely be back on our carb days!! read more

Watch out for extra charges without being told. The waiter asked if we wanted the spicy marinara instead of the regular and then charged us an extra $1.00 three times for each item they added it too. They also charged an extra $2.50 for more bread. Service was also lacking. The waiter was nice, but never took away dirty plates even before bringing our entrees. The food was decent but pricy. Probably won't go back as there are better places that don't charge for every little thing. read more

Amazing food! This will definitely be our new spot! I can't believe I didn't know about it!

I've been back several times and still disappointed with the inconsistency of their dishes ... sometimes they are great and sometimes they are sub par . read more

Gusto Italiano - What I got for my Cesar salad - Southern Near Me - Modesto, California

See all