Renée's was such a great experience from the moment we walked in. The atmosphere is warm, intimate,…read moreand inviting without feeling overly formal. It's the kind of place that works perfectly for date night, a special occasion, or even just treating yourself to a really good meal. The hospitality really stood out to me. Everyone was welcoming and made the entire experience feel comfortable and thoughtful. And the food was easily the highlight. Everything we tried was packed with flavor and tasted fresh. I also really appreciated having options for different lifestyles. If you're looking for something lower carb, definitely check out the zoodle dishes. They still had so much flavor and didn't feel like you were missing out on anything. My personal favorite was the pesto ravioli. The pesto was so flavorful and it's absolutely something I would order again. If you're in Tucson and looking for a cozy spot with great hospitality, an intimate atmosphere, and genuinely delicious food, Renée's is definitely worth checking out. Perfect for your next date night or a treat yourself evening. I'm already looking forward to going back!

It was okay. I'm not a huge fan of Caesar salad not tossed and dressing globbed on the top…read morecafeteria style. Pizza wasn't very good. Just like the salad the pizza sauce was globbed on the top of the pizza over all the ingredients. Maybe that's the style but not mine. Lasagna wasn't very okay-good. Focaccia was good. Price didn't match quality in my opinion. Staff was nice. Nothing bad just expected a little more refinement.

Tried the know better now cocktail and it was good. It came with a sidecar of champagne, so it was…read morea decent sized cocktail by the time you get both. It was smoky, sweet and refreshing. Very well balanced, a lot of effort went into it. We had 30 min wait in small upstairs area for our table on a Thursday night. They don't have much waiting area, most nights you have to wait outside. It was over a 100 after the sun went down, so I'm glad there was room available. Ordered the vodka chicken Parmesan and the burrata. They were both amazing. The pasta that came with the chicken Parmesan was super tender light, tasted fresh. Their pasta is all handmade daily. All the ingredients were simple and fresh for the burrata. The pesto was chunky and gave a good texture contrast. The tomatoes were very flavorful, olive oil and balsamic were all high quality. Very flavorful dish. I liked that you could order a half order. We wanted to try it, with two entrees a full order would have been too much. I would definitely return for both. Tried the pepperoni, sausage and jalapeño pizza and it was good as well. It's very toasty and dark on the crust, made in a a very high temperature pizza oven. We had some leftover pizza to take home. I was definitely more impressed with their pasta, good handmade pasta at an affordable price is hard to find. Would definitely go back if we are ever in the area and try other items. My sister ordered a salad and she had to modify some things due to her auto immune condition. It got screwed up, but the server was so apologetic and they fixed it. It wasn't the end of the world to us. She kinda deals with this all the time since her diet is super restrictive. Everyone was very friendly and helpful, checking in with us. This place is a true gem. It's not cheap, or expensive. Mid range, but feels like you get a good value for the quality and quantity.

I stopped into Penelope Pizza on Sunday, August 9, and grabbed a seat at one of the high-top…read moretables. One thing I really liked was that there are plenty of servers working the floor, rather than having just one person assigned to you. Multiple people help with the menu, drinks, food, and whatever else you need, which made the service feel especially attentive and seamless. I originally went in planning to get pizza, but then I spotted the vegetarian lasagna and immediately changed my mind. Ten layers of vegetables and ricotta between homemade pasta? Instant winner. It was honestly the best vegetarian lasagna I've ever had--and the best part is that I got to enjoy it without spending hours making it myself! I also ordered the bread with olive oil, garlic, and green onions as a dipping sauce, along with a glass of their house wine during happy hour. Everything was delicious, and the whole meal felt like such a treat. If you're looking for a great meal at Penelope Pizza, don't overlook the vegetarian lasagna. It absolutely stole the show for me!

Oh my goodness, I forgot how much I miss woodfired pizza. I used to live in New Haven and this used…read moreto be my favoriteeee style of pizza. After grabbing a drink next door at Sidecar, I was pleased to see that Falora was open just a few steps away. It's a tiny place, but we were able to be sat immediately at the communal table. We ordered a couple of drinks and started with the butter pecan salad. This was so yummy. I loved the goat cheese and the apricot dressing. It was definitely a refreshing choice for this hot summer day. We also split a couple of pizzas: the marinara and the Margherita. Both of these were topped with fresh basil and the crust was perfect perfectly crispy. Like all woodfired pizza, it does have a little bit of a char to it, but I love that. Overall, the service here was great and I would definitely come back. It also looks like you can order pizza to go and take it to the cocktail lounge next door. There's plenty of parking here, but it does get packed on a Friday night. There's some outdoor seating but on a rainy night it can get pretty cramped inside.

I am a big fan of this plaza and the surrounding businesses…read more My husband and I have made it a mission to try all pizza spots in town so this was next on our list. We made reservations and I'm glad we did as this is an extremely small space. We were seated at the bar where they have their kitchen. Generally we don't like sitting at the bar but it was nice to watch the crew make food. It's impressive what they can do with this small space. Very small menu- My husband and I are sober so we are always looking for spots with good NA/ mocktail options but it fell short here so we just got a bottle of sparkling water. We ordered the butter pecan salad which was amazing. Loved everything about it, I was hesitant that they only had butter lettuce but I think I appreciated the soft lettuce with the crunch of the apple and pecans in it. The dressing was phenomenal. For a pizza we got just the pepperoni, I saw a lot of margarita pizzas with pepperoni being made and I think we would've liked that option better with the fresh chunks of mozzarella. The cheese they use for the regular pizza is a very strong flavor, probably a nice aged parm so that really came through. We are sauce people so it was hard to appreciate the sauce with the strong profile of the cheese which is why I think we would've liked the margarita pizza better We had the panna cotta for desert and my husband LOVED it. They prep it in advance in cute little mason jars. Overall not a bad spot. Service was great, salad was phenomenal. I think if we would've had a table and maybe tried a different pizza this would've made our top 5 spots for pizza.

For whatever reason, I haven't been here in nearly ten years, and my dining companion had never…read morebeen. So we journeyed out on Memorial Day for a grill-free dinner. The space is lovely of course, with tons of courtyard view windows. We did run into a broken chair when we sat down, but that was easily remedied (hopefully it was permanently removed from the floor). Our server was also tending bar, so he was stretched a bit thin, but overall the service was solid. He happily went back to the kitchen in a couple of questions he couldn't answer, but was overall very knowledgeable. He recommended a white wine made by a relative of the restaurant owner and it was lovely. We started with the octopus. I didn't expect this starter to be cold, but the tender octopus, fingerling potatoes and olives were a great combo in the acidic sauce. Would most certainly order it again. My main was the short rib. Short rib is always a heavy dish, but the vegetable risotto and asparagus helped lighten it a bit and it was tender and delicious. I probably ate 1/3, but I'm not sad to have generous leftovers. My dining companion had the veal, which was also excellent. I finished my meal with the crème caramel, which was very traditional and exactly as expected (which is what I want in a dessert like that). I'm very happy to dine here more often than every ten years.

Great experience here today. I stopped in for a quick meal before I hit near by art galleries…read more Tavolino is located in a beautiful plaza with a lot of parking. The restaurant is clean and beautifully decorated. Today I ordered their caprese burrata. It was unbelievable, creamy and fresh. Service was a little slow but super friendly.

I don't normally love going out for Italian but I'm glad we came here - so delicious!…read more I ordered the carbonara which comes with a fried egg. Ive never heard of that before and am a big fan - I might even ask for a second next time! Great smokiness to the pasta, and it's not like others I've had where there isn't sufficient protein. I took leftovers home. Husband ordered the agnolotti with a side of two meatballs and he really enjoyed it, saying it reminded him of his childhood. The bread served upon sitting was soft and a great vessel for their olive oil and balsamic glaze mix which they add garlic to for a tangy taste. The golden beet salad was also delicious and tasted very fresh. I kind of wish it came prepared in a bowl, whereas this one seems a bit deconstructed, but that's a small thing. Dessert was a ricotta cheesecake with strawberry syrup that was also great. Good slice size, too. Service was good, environment was nice and very busy (saturday night) outdoor patios seem great for the cooler season but was still too hot during the summer evening.

The food never disappoints! The best Italian restaurant. From the appetizers to entrees and their…read morepastry chef desserts, the pope pillow yum !! It's better than 5 stars !

Food was fresh and made to order. First time, so we tried a lot and packed up most of it to go…read morehome. Here's the misses and hits: Misses: Wasabi ranch dipping sauce for toasted ravioli? Uh, no. It tastes like tartar sauce and is extremely unappetizing mixed with warm cheese rav's . 0/10 do not recommend, would not ever taste it again. Caesar salad dressing. Listen, I love me some anchovy paste in my homemade Caesar salad dressing but this was way too much. And where is the lemon to brighten it up? 5/10 would order again if they brought out a small cup of their Caesar dressing to taste beforehand. Calamari. Husband got the calamari and said it was just ok, but definitely not worth the price. Too much $$$. Salsiccia pizza. Fresh, delicious, just severely lacking in cheese. A little more generous portion of that divine homemade mozz would be nice. 7/10, would definitely ask for extra cheese when ordering. Hits: Toasted rav's appetizer. 10/10 would get again, however when I look at the price ($18) and you only get 6 ravs plus dipping sauce (marinara and that horrendous wasabi ranch), it really doesn't feel like a good deal. Yes delicious, but $3 per 1"x1" square rav?? Too much money in my book. Tomato bisque. While not quite fresh, it was divine. The toast piece that came with it was rubbed with garlic and oil and grilled to the perfect texture and then partially dipped in the soup for playing, amazing 100/10 would get again, but this time request just a little more fresh basil. Highly recommend. Caesar salad. Though the dressing leaning too far into fishy tasting (too much anchovy paste), the overall salad was fresh, albeit extremely small for the price you are paying. Checca pizza. Warm, garlic olive oil as the base, homemade mozz and basil and tomatoes, all wonderful EXCEPT what monster in the kitchen is using chopped salad tomatoes as a pizza topping? Hideous. Looked like a circle k pizza, at best. Tasted great, except for those tomatoes - were they San marzano?? Overall, we would go back, but try different dishes. Ambiance was warm and friendly, service was not great. Hoping it was just a one off, but by the looks of the other reviews, it's hit or miss with the wait staff, which is unfortunate. Edited to add: We also ordered the tiramisu and the siciliani cannoli - very generous portion of tiramisu, cannoli are only three small 3" pieces. Tiramisu good, would order again, cannoli is quite delicious - hubs said for sure would order again. 10/10 recommend and would re-order.

Well, not really sure where to start on this review? It was a very sad experience from previous…read morevisits.I will start with me calling all day (2) weeks prior trying to make a dinner reservation for a party of six for dinner on Sunday night. Even though the restaurant was open for business they did not answer the phone! Warning! I finally had my call answered in the evening and made our reservation and informed them that we were interested in the 'Cheese Wheel Linguine' as you are required. We were then informed while ordering that they would not be doing the 'wheel' due to 'callouts' that night. OK, so I tried to order (4) different bottles of Chardonnay and they were out of three of them. We started with an appetizer of 'calamari' and it came 'burnt' and like rubber. We also ordered their famous Caesar Salad and were never served. We then decided to order a pizza which was served to us cold, uncooked and doughy. The poor wait staff and cooks are not managed correctly and were well over whelmed with no help. I was informed that the restaurant has 'new ownership' as they were purchased by 'Flying Leap Vineyards' and have been recently having staffing issues, inventory issue's and the new owners have cut back on everything. They did credit us on our bill for the cold uncooked pizza and the burnt calamari that was not edible. Our waiter felt so bad but, as we told him it was not his fault we were leaving without eating dinner 90 minutes later. Flying Leap Vineyards needs to somehow overcome this type of quality and improve things in a hurry otherwise ' just shut the doors' and sell Wine!

My son chose Vivace for his birthday dinner, and once again, this restaurant reminded us why it's…read moreone of our absolute favorites in Tucson. We like to switch up our appetizers every visit, so this time I tried something new, the escargot with artichokes. If you've never had escargot before, this is the perfect beginner dish. The escargot was buttery, tender, and packed with flavor. Paired with the artichokes and toasted bread, it was absolutely incredible. I almost ate the entire order by myself because I simply couldn't stop! We also ordered the shrimp and crab cakes, and wow, these were phenomenal. The outside had the perfect crispy crust while the inside was tender, flavorful, and full of seafood. The accompanying sauce tied everything together beautifully. For our entrées, we had the seared tenderloin over creamy polenta, cooked medium rare. It was perfection. The tenderloin was incredibly tender and flavorful, the wine sauce was rich without being overpowering, and the polenta was creamy and comforting. The portion was also very generous. We also shared the rigatoni with braised short rib, and I honestly can't stop thinking about it. The short rib was melt in your mouth tender, juicy, and so flavorful that I'd happily order a plate of just that! Combined with the perfectly cooked rigatoni, rich sauce, and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan, it was one of those dishes where every bite was better than the last. Our server was fantastic, attentive, friendly, and full of great recommendations without ever making us feel rushed. The restaurant itself is always beautiful and has such an elegant atmosphere. Since we were celebrating my son's birthday, I was hoping we'd get one of the tables with the city view, but honestly, the outstanding food and exceptional service more than made up for it. Vivace continues to be one of Tucson's best dining experiences. Every meal here reminds us why we keep coming back. Highly recommend!

When a dining experience is SO excellent in SO many ways, where every little thing goes well, it's…read morea rarity. Let alone a birthday dining experience where you go in with high expectations and can easily be let down when something goes wrong. This was one of the most memorable birthday dinners I've ever had.Vivace did so many things well. Let's start with the fact that not only did they seat us at noon when I'd made a 12:30 reservation (and the place was pretty busy, particularly for a routine Monday afternoon), but pleasantly and at a quiet, roomy 4 person table. And they acknowledged my birthday (not only at the host/hostess station but by the server AND with a delicious dessert)!Our server, Jemeella (I hope I spelled it correctly) was just phenomenal! Such a pleasant disposition, and she was so helpful with the menu, and she made sure to check on us to see how we were doing through the experience, and she was funny and just elevated the whole experience for us. I mean, the food alone stands on its own as among the finest, to me. And I'm not the easiest person in the world to please, either. The delicious bread with pesto (not long ago I thought "nobody serves pesto anymore!") and the mixed green salad alone had me hooked before we even got to the entrees! That salad is something we're still thinking about. How does a simple salad leave such a remarkably pleasant impression? The greens were just very fresh and tasty? The dressing was so citrusy vinegary delicious? The little fried potato sticks gave it a crunch (we initially assumed they were not gluten-free, but they were, just potato, so BONUS!). I don't know what it was about that salad but it was delicious!I usually go with chicken piccata generally as my first dish at an Italian restaurant I haven't tried yet (no, NOT parmesan, although in fairness, boy the chicken parmesan looked good too!). But the chicken Marsala looked pretty appetizing and it did not disappoint! In fact, it exceeded my expectations! The sauce was just perfect in both flavor and consistency, and the chicken itself was delicious - plump, tender, just the right thickness (I think it's redbird?) and the pieces of mushroom were great (not overwhelming but subtle). Admittedly, II didn't really know what the "vegetable pasta" that accompanies it is, I could guess it's some version of primavera. That pasta side was ALSO outstanding! I don't remember if they make their pasta in house, but it was like a fettuccine type of noodle, with small pieces of vegetables (squash, I think crunch green bean maybe, thinly sliced red pepper? Not sure) and the pasta soaks up that delicious sauce, so it was perfect. Jemeella said "you good with the vegetable pasta that comes with it" and I said "sure as if I knew what I was talking about. Just figured if that's what they do, let's go with it. Silky, delicious, fresh pasta side. Right on. My wife got the steak. Sunken gently in a mashed potato. With a delicious sauce again. With fresh spinach. Another total winner. It's so easy when the other person orders steak and it's not done to the desired temperature for that to ruin the timing of the meal if it has to be adjusted. But this was a perfect medium well, straight up. AND they didn't deliver the dish and run away so if you DID have an issue with doneness, it just sits there getting cold. NOPE. Perfectly done and delicious as delivered!Now, with service, you usually only pay attention to the server. But I have to say, the bus staff was also really great. They refilled water glasses, removed plates, and boxed up our leftovers for us (I know that doesn't seem like a big deal, but there are plenty of restaurants, even high end, that just give you a container and have you do it yourself. And get this - I felt a little sheepish about wanting to take the couple of remaining pieces of fresh bread home, and not only did the bus guy box it up, he gave me EXTRA pieces of bread! You think that's lost on me? I'm gonna remember that. Also it should be noted that the service was outstanding on a day that - despite being a routine Monday roughly noon - was pretty darn busy at this place! Which says a lot. They even comped my birthday dessert (crème brûlée) and it was yet another winner! Perfect consistency, smooth, not pasty, sweet but not too sweet, and the perfect thin caramelized sugar topping (without making a fuss with the blow torch at the table, which is fine by me, just serve it as it will be eaten). Wow. Wine list was REALLY reasonably priced. And my wife and I both ordered after dinner drinks, both of which were great. Not only was the wine just reasonably priced, but overall, when the bill arrived, I thought it was a great value. High quality food, superior service, great view, easy parking.I'm just upset it took us so long to get to Vivace. Don't wait for a special occasion to try this place. I know we're not gonna wait. We're going back soon!

Came here for happy hour and dinner with a friend, and we were seated right away. It's a total…read morehidden gem right behind Putney's, and honestly might be my new go-to happy hour spot! The restaurant has a beautiful interior and offers outdoor seating, but since it's the middle of summer in Tucson, sitting inside was a must! We arrived just in time for happy hour. Most of the appetizers on the regular menu were marked down to $9.75, and the happy hour drinks were the same price. We ordered the stuffed mushrooms, steamed mussels, a dirty martini, and a grapefruit cosmo. Everything was delicious, but the mussels were our absolute favorite. The broth they came with was delightful, and we used the complimentary bread to soak up every last drop! Even though the appetizers filled us up, we still ordered dinner. I got the Pesto Penne Pasta and my friend got the Chicken Marsala. My pasta was incredibly flavorful with just the right amount of chicken in every bite. My friend really enjoyed the Marsala too. The portions were great, and we both had enough leftovers for another meal. I definitely plan on coming back when it's cooler to enjoy the patio, which sits nicely between the restaurant and the boutique across the way. The view looks great, and I heard they sometimes have live music. Highly recommend!

I was really looking forward to dining at Giuseppe's on Oracle Rd. Great reviews, loved the photos…read moreI saw online, good happy hour, and gluten-free options. I even called ahead of time and spoke with someone about the gluten-free options (David, who turned out to be our server) and he was very helpful and pleasant on the phone. But the dining experience was sorely disappointing and I'm not sure whether we would return or not based on that experience. David's service was attentive and pleasant, the wine was really good, and my pork carbonara dish was pretty good - the pork chop itself was delicious and perfectly seasoned and perfectly cooked; the pasta was creamy and pretty good, but just lacking a bit in flavor (cheese?). I'm not a fan of cherry tomatoes in carbonara but no big deal, still overall, it was a very good dish. But here is where it went wrong. My wife ordered the grilled pork, which according to the menu is slices of pork topped with spinach and mozzarella served over linguine with red sauce. She asked if they could switch the red sauce out for another (non-red) sauce. David suggested either Alfredo or a white wine sauce, and my wife asked for the white wine sauce. And gluten-free pasta.Since I had called earlier to ask about gluten-free or gluten-sensitive options, and they said they have GF pasta and GF pizza crust, David let the kitchen know to start the pasta water (which is a nice accommodation) as soon as we arrived - although my wife wasn't sure yet, having not looked at the menu, whether she really did intend to have a dish accompanied by pasta. But that's fine if they want to start it early. We sat there for a good 25-30 minutes after ordering, wondering what was going on with the food, since we were one of only two tables at the time. We tracked David down and he apologetically told us there had been some kind of issue with the chef "getting the dishes switched around" (??) and that they had to start the order over again, and that he appreciated our patience. After a while, the entrees arrived. My pork carbonara looked good. My wife's pork dish, even after waiting that long and having them re-do the entrees, had a few issues - 1) it was served with pasta with red sauce, not the white wine sauce she'd asked for; 2) uncertainty over whether the pasta is indeed gluten-free because it's possible that they have GF spaghetti, but in our experience, it's very unusual for a restaurant to offer GF spaghetti. Usually it's penne or a similar shape. But David did double check and said it really is GF spaghetti. I was suspect myself when I tasted the dish, because GF pasta has a tendency to fall apart or dry out and I couldn't really tell that this was GF pasta. So maybe it was just really good GF pasta; and 3) the pork wasn't sliced, it was whole. And possibly breaded. When we noted the dish was supposed to be white wine sauce over GF pasta, David again apologized and said the chef was "flustered" (his word, not mine). Not sure how a whole 2 tables flusters a chef, but okay. At this point, after all this time, and my dish being served correctly and hot, we were not about to send the dish back AGAIN while I sit there eating mine while it's still hot. We had originally thought, when first seated, that we might order dessert or at least the good looking after dinner drinks. But we just wanted to get the heck out of there as fast as we could. And to their / David's credit, they did comp the pork dish, which is nice. Not sure we'd return.