I had the Chicken Scarpariello. The dish tasted like it was prepared days ago. It came with 3 legs and 3 thighs and several pieces of breast. Enough to feed 4 people. It tasted off to me. I prefer quality over quantity. Won't be back. read more

I have been a frequent diner at Adrianna's (Gabbiano's sister restaurant) This is where Gabbiano manager Jamie was for years as a server and front of house At Gabbiano now their manager he mishandled a situation to a person who has been a steady customer The food at Gabbiano is not even close to the quality of Adriannas and Jamie should be ashamed of himself If a customer who especialy knows food is telling you how awful the food and presentation is you dont argue He has forgotten the genuine nice man he was By the way if you're manager clean the place, its filthy, even outside looks like unkept He needs to review how he is managing this place read more

That place needs a new owner! Better management! New trained staff! Go there for the views! Not the food, drinks or service our you'll be quite disappointed like I was. Our appetizer came before the bread! My drink gave Starbucks on crack. Steak was giving diner steak. Oh my server lazy slob! The owner hey racist! read more

We are a little miffed...feeling like we got scammed, but our food was delicious. This ad popped up (see Ladies Night photo) prompting my group of girlfriends to change our plans at a different restaurant and visit Il Gabbiano instead as it seemed to be a great deal! I also called the restaurant on Sunday to confirm that they do, in fact, have this ladies night...the man confirmed. I called the next day and made a reservation. Well...tonight they inform us they do NOT have a ladies night but attempted to appease us by offering a different menu (the restaurant week menu). Which is nice-but it was much more costly and didn't have ANY drink specials. Our server was wonderful and so sweet (Mauricio) but service was slow in general. We waited a while to be seated, though the restaurant was not too busy. Portions were very large which was nice. In the end, we had a great meal but paid so much more than we anticipated. read more

IL Gabbiano - Ladies Night ad that doesn't really get honored or exist at restaurant. - Italian Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

A beautiful Mediterranean Italian Restaurant located in Long Wharf overlooking the sound. Our table had the most picture perfect view of the New Haven Oil Reserve tanks. Service was wonderful from the start to the end. Greeted with a hello and welcome, true service with a smile, along with great memory as there was a book of specials. Portions? Huge!!! I could make 4 meals out of one plate. I ordered the Garganelli Pizzaiola- handmade pasta with filet mignonette tips in a red sauce. Sooo good, if I wasn't looking to have a dessert, I definitely would have had more. The mate, who's birthday we we're celebrating, had pappardelle Gabbiano. He also took some home, and he can eat!!! Dessert- what I was waiting for Crème Brûlée for me and Tiramisu for the Mate. I ate all of that. Highly recommend. I am actually going to recommend Il Gabbiano to my mom who is planning my dads 80th bday. read more

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This was their first New Year's Eve celebration. It was an extavaganza! Bosco our waiter was full of excitement for the evening. He and the other staff were really pulling out all the stops for a fantastic evening. There were beautiful decorations, a dj, and champangne for midnight. The owner even did a raffle for a bottle of wine towards the end of the night. It was a great atmosphere to spend the last year of the night. The food.... Absolutely delicious! Gorgeous sexy food coming out of the kitchen. It toik so much self control not to go to the tables around me and take pictures of their food too! Lol!! We began with drinks ($15) I had the Lavendar French Martini and my husband had the Confetti CheerCocktail! Both delcious and a great pour! There were fresh sliced Italian bread and olives on every table. We ordered the Ceasar Salad to share. It was well dressed with housemade dressing and huge pieces of parmigan cheese. We finished the whole salad. Our entrees came and I was impressed with the portion size and the plate presentation. Ribeye ($46) was full of flavor and perfectly prepared with a side of potatoes and mixed vegetables. The special was Halibut ($49) with couscous which was very special! The couscous had carrots, spinach, and onions which made it a beauty to the eye and delectable to the palate. The Halibut was so good. Every bite melted in my mouth like butter. Can you believe we had dessert? We couldn't resist! Everything was so good and desserr did not dissappoint! Cheesecake and Chocolate Mousse cake were mouth watering, clean your plate, savour every bite delightful! HAPPY NEW YEAR! Well done Il Gabbiano! See you soon! read more

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I'm so sorry to say that this was bad... way bad. I need to be clear our server, Isabella, was WONDERFUL...but something is going on in the back of house. We entered coming directly after a nice beach walk in a nearby town thinking we could get a quick lunch on the water. We'd come here pre-Covid and I didn't recall it being so fancy. Well folks, the front of house is FAN-CY. We were informed that no outside service was available as the restaurant was waiting on reservation for a party of 20. Okay, fair enough. There are tons of folks dressed to the nines and we've dropped in beach gear casual. Grateful to get a table we sat where we were quickly informed of the specials and even got a reference point as a gentleman behind us had ordered the fish special I was interested in. We ordered a bottle of wine, the spicy meatballs and burrata/tomato salad appetizers. We were seated at a small table and this food comes out on HUGE family style plates.... Issue #1 we are out of table space already. I didn't get grab an image of the apps but it became pretty clear that the issue at Il Gabbiano is steeped in the age old conundrum of quality Vs. quantity. The 4 meatballs come out and they are HUGE, flavorful but a touch dry. The burrata salad was fine but the plate choice for a 2 top is mind boggling. This plate literally took up half the table. More small annoyances... Bread, no olive oil, etc. Before we can finish these gargantuan apps entrees arrive. THIS IS MY NUMBER ONE PET PEEVE. This happened recently at Steak Frites Bistro in Chelsea but the Cote de Boeuf was actually worth it... sadly, these entrees evokes the exact opposite feeling. Again, HUGE portions, low quality/taste and there was an ungodly amount of breading on this fish special. The other entree was the Branzino which presented better but was chock full of oil and accompanied by instant mashed potatoes... there's nothing nice to say about instant potatoes (ask the French). Typically I play nice but I couldn't hold this. We let Isabella know what we thought of the food, paid the bill (with tip) and promptly left NO BOXES NEEDED. Of course the hostess asked what we thought and we let him know we thought the food was awful and that we wouldn't be back. He was gobsmacked - I couldn't care less. Oh the other turn off, which had nothing to do with our table was witnessing a group of 10+ still wrapping their brunch and the staff sweeping and vacuuming loudly before the party had even vacated the table completely. And that party of 20 who were to take up the outside were no where to be found before our departure. Good luck Eww Gabbiano! read more

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We went in on a not so busy Saturday afternoon. This is a sister restaurant to Adriana's in New Haven. Looks as if the owners have spent some time improving their operation. The chicken parm was huge-3 full sized tender chicken breasts topped with a freshly made marinara, somewhat heavily seasoned but still tasty. The penne alla vodka was perfectly cooked, had a great bite to it and tasted wonderful. Bosco, our server was efficient, had a great personality and did a fine job. The portions are no joke. My chicken parm had 3 full sized cutlets topped with cheese and sauce. The penne was probably close to a pound of raw pasta. Great place. I'd come again. read more

This new Italian restaurant is located in the former Lenny & Joe's Fish Tales. The atmosphere couldn't be better as it's located directly in front of Long Island Sound. The service was lovely and provided by an young Italian man who didn't necessarily understand my jokes but put up with them anyway. The meal started with a blood orange martini and a watermelon cosmopolitan. We were serviced large red and green olives in a delicious marinade. My eating partner did have any because he didn't want to deal with the pits. The bread was excellent. Our entrees arrived and we were both flabbergasted. The portions were immense. I had chicken francaise that included 3 large pounded chicken breasts in a delicious lemon sauce along with garlic infused spinach and beautifully presented mashed potatoes. Rob ordered chicken Milanese which had an equal amount of chicken breasts and a beautiful salad that filled the plate. Admittedly, we barely made a dent, but we loved every mouthful and the leftovers. read more

IL Gabbiano - Chicken Francaise - Italian Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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This was our third time here - each time we come they outdo the last . We had surf and turf that was amazing - ribeyes and full lobsters - my wife's and her sister had Branzine - portions were huge-pasta dish was homemade also outstanding- service was exceptional-George accommodated us with a special request an egg plant tower not normally on the menu - others had pasta dishes read more

Terrible service. Waited exactly 30 mins to see the face of our server and waited 45 mins for the food which was absolutely disgusting. We literally took couple of bites and asked for check. Eating that Pasta would be a torture. Finally manager came out and he didn't ever bother to listen to us fully that why we didn't like it and why we wanna leave right after taking two bites, he just said he will take it out of the check and rudely left without even listening what we were saying. We drove 40 mins and waited over an hour for food. It was waste of time and money. It was complete torture !!! read more

We managed a last minute valentine reservation. We had not been here, yet. There was plenty of parking and we were greeted at the door. The manager sat us along side the windows, where the deck is lit up and overlooks New Haven harbor. The inside was dimly lit, with twinkle lights and candles. The menu was a prix fixe menu, choose 3 items for $49.95. They also had Valentine themed cocktails. We both got the BAEcation, which was a coconut rum drink. It was light and delicious. My husband had 2. Bread was left on the table, but no butter or oil. We both chose an appetizer, a cesar salad and the caprese and prosciutto. Both very good. The salad was topped with fresh parmasean and the dressing light and not strongly flavored, as some are. Dinner was pappardelle and chicken cordon bleu. My husband enjoyed the pappardelle. The sauce was very good, which says a lot coming from an italian who only likes his mother's sauce! I got the chicken, because the only other options were fish or pasta. I try not to eat too much pasta and I don't eat fish. So chicken it is! It was crisp and the sauce was delicious. It was also very large, enough for 2. Its seems they used prosciutto instead of ham. I am not a fan of prosciutto. Its a bit tougher than ham. Over all, it was pretty good. The potatoes were very creamy and seasoned well. The veggies were standard. I would've preferred to order off the menu, rather than the prixe fixe. Dessert was also included. Cannoli and tiramisu. The cannoli was fresh, creamy, and tasty! The tiramisu was a pretty big piece and also delicious. I cannot wait to go back and try more off tve menu! read more

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The food was decent and the view was beautiful. However, the night we were there in August, there was a gentlemen signing VERY loudly. No band. Not karaoke. Just one guy with a mic and some tracks. It was jarring and so loud that even from the outside, we were having trouble hearing each other or staying in tune (pun intended) in conversation. I'm not sure if that's a regular thing but it would definitely keep us from going back. read more

What a Beautiful and Amazing Resteraunt!!! Valentino Does it again, with a menu that will blow your minds, succulent flavors, enormous portions, amazing staff from Jaimie, who runs the restaurant, to excellent waiters waitresses, one of most beautiful bars you'll ever see overlooking the water!!! This place is a must see and enjoy, you will not be disappointed!!! With an extensive seafood options, shellfish, steaks, one of the most delicious pork chops you'll ever try, not to mention their pasta dishes, Cachio Pepe in a cheese wheel that will lift you out of your chair when it hits your mouth!!! You can count on this review, as my word is everything as everybody knows!!! read more

Amazing Atmosphere! The food comes out quickly and is very delicious. In addition, the bar is very lively with a great group of servers the owner often circles the bar and check in on the patrons the outside view absolutely gorgeous. Lastly, there's plenty of parking so you're not fighting like downtown New Haven I would recommend and will be back. read more

This gets a 5 stars I was taken here with some wonderful friends to celebrate my birthday the place is amazing and where we sat was great we had a great view of the rest of the restaurant. The staff was very nice the ladies who brought the breads, water etc. Our waiter Raphael was amazing he did a great job from beginning to end. Raphael was very sweet, and friendly and made sure we had everything needed he would check on us to be make sure we did not need anything as for the food it was delicious and the portion definitely fix the price. Recommend this location and will be back. Thank you Raphael he is a keeper to your establishment. read more

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it's crazy because I only READ horrible reviews. We had a reservation and when we got there they were awesome...as soon as we sat down we were given the bread oil and olives and water and within literally two minutes we had a waitress. She was one of the best waitresses ever...food didn't take long, plates were HUGE Like insanely huge...! wasn't expecting that. prices weren't low but the quality was 10/10 and worth every dollar and more. We were given complimentary champagne...and desert was amazing too. To me it's a 10/10 I think the bad reviews could have contributed to the staff fix because everyone was great. whoever had a bad experience I highly recommend trying it again read more

IL Gabbiano - Italian Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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Tried this restaurant tonight for the first time. Overall great experience. Food was wonderful. Service was outstanding. Our server, Melissa and the manager, Jaime, were both extremely attentive. If I have one negative thing, it's the noise level in the dining room. If you want quiet, sit outside or ask for bar seating. Believe it or not, the bar dining area was quieter than the DR. read more

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My family decided to dine at this place to celebrate our grandmother's 90th Birthday. First and foremost our wait staff was amazing and patient and really tentative to our party. One waiter in particular Marcio(I hope I'm saying it correctly). Marcio was the most authentic and genuine strangers I have met, and made our experience one to remember, He's family now. The food, service and drinks were all worth it. Thank you for creating a Pri Fix menu and adding a favorite of our 90 grandmother's that was not on your menu just for us. Thank you IL Gabbiano read more

I was hesitant due to the mixed reviews but glad I gave it a shot...... Looks are deceiving, don't let the outside of the restaurant deter you. This inside was very nicely done, clean and spacious. My husband and I sat at the bar for lunch I ordered a guava margarita, was a bit on the strong side which is never a bad thing lol. The bartender was great, food came out fast. The chicken Ceasar salad was delicious. Chicken was seasoned well and not dry at all. I will be returning to try more items on the menu * The restaurant being right on the water I would suggest installing docks for a "dock and dine" it's a great opportunity during the summer to drum up business from local boaters and jetskiers. read more

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Superb service and food. Portions are insanely large and food was all amazing. Drinks were excellent as well. read more

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Food was fantastic! Huge portion, so I took home a Tommy bag. Service was perfect. The setting is unparalleled in New Haven. I can't wait until I get back there. read more

Visited this past weekend and it was the most amazing experience. The food was top notch. When I tell you the risotto could feed 4 people, I'm not exaggerating! So yummy. The sea bass was so flavorful and moist. The best Italian food I've had in New Haven for a long time! The chef came to say hello and thank the guests for dining with them! How special. Emily was our server and she really took the evening from good to GREAT! We cannot wait to return! read more

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The food was extremely good , large portions that could feed two people easily . Their specials gave us many options besides the regular menu. Our server was Gabriella and she was wonderful , she was attentive and extremely pleasant . Ambiance was really nice and probably would have been nicer if the weather was better, because of the rain you couldn't get the full feeling or enjoy the outside seating . I highly recommend this resturant we were there on Saturday and they had live music , the gentleman singing was really entertaining. We can't wait to go back ! read more

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Went there last night with my wife for an anniversary dinner. It was just ok, we were hoping for better. The food was bland. I had the Spaghetti Carbonara which I could easily have made better at home. It was spaghetti with a white sauce and some pancetta mixed in. And there was so much spaghetti, at least enough for 2-3 servings. Some people might like that, but I'd prefer a more more normal portion and some spices, flavor and maybe some parsley garnish. My wife's was equally unimpressive and massive. The ambiance was not our style, but it may be suited to others. The restaurant is bright with lots of lighting. It was very noisy and it was a little hard for us to hear each other even though the place was only 1/2-3/4 full (a Wednesday night). I think it's noisy because it's all hard surfaces... nothing to absorb the sound so it just bounces around. On a weekend night I'd guess it would be difficult to hear others at your table, especially with a larger group. The other issue was housekeeping. We were sitting in a seat by the window, and the interior windowsill, next to our feet, was really gross. There was old food down there, some spider webs and a little bug crawling around. Cleanliness and housekeeping is very important to me in restaurants and hotels, my #1 concern, and this place failed that test. When I see that kind of thing in the public spaces, it always makes me wonder about the places we can't see, like the kitchen. The waitress was very nice but obviously stretched very thin. At one point as she was rushing by I asked for a glass of Chardonnay. She said ok and kept going, never asking what kind I wanted. I got the house brand which was ok, but the service at an expensive italian restaurant like this should be thoughtful and considerate, not so rushed. But I'll cut them some slack on this as I know all service-based businesses are having trouble finding employees. Overall, I doubt we'll go back as there are many other great places around. This place was too noisy, the food was meh, and the windowsill thing was just gross. read more

New restaurant that took over Lenny & Joe's Seafood location here at Long Wharf. This place was opened by the owner of Adriana's in New Haven. My SIL & her husband recommended we try it. So glad we did! Wow! Such a beautiful place to go for dinner! Beautiful from the mirror floors to their gorgeous chandeliers! Great water views with a huge custom made stone bar area. We tried the Chicken Champione & Linguine with Clams (white). Food was fabulous! Our server, Tyler was spot on & very friendly. They served bread with delicious marinated olives when you sit down, which I love! I was disappointed the bread wasn't hot. The pieces were skinny & didn't seem as fresh & soft as I hoped. Only a small little loaf & they never offered more with dinner. Nothing for my hubby to sop up all his clam juices up with was a bummer. I wanted my chicken dish served over Cappellini instead of getting the potato and vegetable it came with and there was a $6.00 up charge which I thought was insane! I still opted for it & was glad I did, but pasta is $1.00 a pound folks. Want to charge $2.00, but $6.00 I thought was really a gouge. The Lemoncello cake was a bit dry, we've had better on this one elsewhere, but the Creme Brûlée was so yummy. Dishes are pricey, but portions & quality fare are worth it. You are also paying for all this beautiful ambience and they have stellar table service. They have waitstaff, bar runners, food runners, bussers, & they have hostesses. So you're paying for an evening of dinner magic! I will definitely be back! Btw the leftovers were even better the next day! read more

Excellent service. Place has beautiful views and decor. Food was excellent. Went to the bar for a drink and was served by Anna. She's amazing. read more

Stopped for an early dinner. Great atmosphere, except the guy in the bar who thought he was on a job site lol! Salad awesome calamari delish could have used some cocktail sauce though. Service forgot about us until dinner arrived but it was amazing dairy free as requested and plenty to take home. Definitely will return! read more

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Hosted a work event last night and was extremely pleased with everything! Service was fantastic and Jamie was a pleasure to work, ensuring our guests were satisfied and everything was perfect from start to finish. He went above and beyond to make our group happy and would recommend him and his staff over and again. Looking forward to the upstairs room being renovated and holding future events there! read more

Recently my husband and another couple went to try out this restaurant. The service was horrible. After asking a few times, when is our dinners coming, we asked for the manager. We waited almost 2 hours, so we left without eating. I don't think they cared to make their customers happy. We will never return. read more

It was just ok. They need to change the acoustics. The more crowded it got the harder it is to hear. Concrete floor , no tablecloths or curtains- nothing to absorb the sound Our waitress was fabulous but the food was Luke warm not hot when it came out. read more

The food is really great at this restaurant. But unfortunately the delayed service outshines the great meals. If you plan on visiting, make sure you plan to spend 2 1/2 to 3 hours at dinner. Might be ideal for an adult night out, but didn't work well for a large family dinner with our children. This has been my third visit and the experience has been the same every time. read more

Second visit and as good as the first. The portions are quite large, the service is prompt, the food is delicious, and the view is wonderful. Oh and plenty of parking! read more

We had a fantastic lunch meal out on the deck by the water, overlooking New Haven harbor. Beautiful nice warm & sunny late September day really helped the experience too. Waiter brought a nice complimentary dish of mixed olives and fresh bread with olive oil while we reviewed the menu. For appetizers we had the Il Gabbiano Salad (mixed greens, green apple, craisins, walnuts, gorgonzola cheese, balsamic vinaigrette) and the Burrata special (with fresh figs, fig jam, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, covered with very generous cuts of prosciutto, on arugula). Both were delicious and very generous portion sizes, could actually have shared either one (took half to go home). For our main entree, we both had the Seabass, sautéed in a tomato garlic sauce with capers & olives. Again, perfectly prepared and delicious. For dessert we split the Tres leches cake. Yum! Our server was very attentive, polite, and helpful. Overall experience was great, will definitely be back. read more

Great place!! My wife and I went here for lunch and we're very happy with our choice! The restaurant is beautiful, and the outside seating is on the water which is very nice. The staff was very polite and professional, taking very good care of us. The service was prompt without being pushy, we were given time to relax and enjoy our meals without feeling rushed. The timing was really perfect. The food was amazing! We both had pasta dishes (mine with seafood) and they were both great. The sauce had fantastic flavor, something that's often lost at restaurants. Potion sizes were quite large, we didn't leave hungry and took some food home. All in all a great restaurant, worthy of our time & money. read more

This is a must miss in New Haven. $54 filet served with cold vegetables and mashed potatoes but the filet was good. Then seafood medley, you would think scallops mussels clams shrimp fish NOPE how about salmon ? And scallops served in a red sauce. Salmon in red sauce?? Seafood medley and just salmon and shrimp The cocktails were not that great either but on the VFW OK list read more

Have been coming here for years. But today is my last time. Came in 2 hours before closing to see a fairly busy restaurant and the host tells us that they're not busy enough to keep the restaurant open, so the kitchen can make our food but we cannot dine in. They just want to cut customers off so they don't have to work, 2 hours before closing!!! I bet if management was aware of this they'd make some changes. read more

The food was not bad but not as delicious as I expected, especially for the price. I've had better tasting food in other places that are not high end. The view and servicer were nice. The lava cake was delicious and cheesecake good. Don't care to return. read more

Maybe this restaurant is good during the week, however we went on a Saturday night and it was a complete nightmare. Bottom line is we had reservations for 6:30 and did not even get our main course until 9:45. Yes, you read that correctly. We are full time working women and thought we would be home in bed by 9pm and not waiting for our food. To backtrack, two different wait staff took our drink orders but after waiting 45 minutes with NO drinks my friend went to the bar and got our drinks. The appetizers were small portions and nothing fantastic. The waiter kept apologizing for the long wait but assured us that are food was coming. Really? The 2 tables next to us got up and left because they had no patience left & I don't blame them. We were celebrating a birthday so we just kept waiting but with every passing moment we grew more frustrated. When the food arrived (at bedtime) it was not good...at all. My homemade pasta was hard - like not cooked crunchy. It was inedible. Trust me that it was NOT "just al dente". The chicken Milanese was ok-ish. The ambiance is the only pleasurable element of this restaurant. We were going to ask to speak the the manager but he was grumpy from all the complaints. I overheard him grumbling to a waiter about another unhappy customer. Please don't waste your night waiting for your dinner like the four of us did. read more

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This Italian restaurant is known for its fresh pasta and seafood dishes. The menu changes seasonally, but you can always expect to find delicious specials read more