One of the top 10 meals of my life (and I live to eat). Anelle was fantastic, the food was amazing, and the wine pairings were perfection. I am a vegetarian and that didn't even cause my server, Anelle, to blink an eye. Once we established my dietary preferences, and I shared my extreme love of all things pasta, she planned out a spectacular 7 course meal for me. It started with an amuse bouche, then came 6 savory courses, and finally a sweet finish. I will definitely be back with my husband to share the experience with him! read more

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My wife and I did the nine-course tasting menu with wine pairing at Luciola, which came to about $930 all-in. At that price point, expectations are naturally high--this is firmly Michelin-star territory--but unfortunately the experience didn't come close to delivering at that level. The food ranged from very mediocre to slightly above average, with nothing that truly stood out or felt memorable. There was nothing inherently wrong with any dish--no major execution flaws--but also nothing that made us pause, talk about it, or think about it the next day. For a tasting menu, that's a problem. The wine pairing was fine but unremarkable, and didn't meaningfully elevate the courses. Overall, the meal felt more like a competent neighborhood restaurant trying to play in the fine-dining space, rather than a destination tasting experience. In short: Michelin-star pricing without Michelin-star impact. At nearly $1,000 for two, there are many restaurants in NYC offering far more creativity, precision, and wow factor. Luciola isn't bad--it's just badly priced for what it is. read more

Important to know this fine dining restaurant is $$$$$$. I thought it was casual Italian as my daughter V and I tried on a recommendation from a friend, without much detail. The ambiance is casual elegant and space is small. This restaurant is all about wine, the best ingredients, and tastiest and most creative Italian food V and I have ever had. This casual outing turned into a night we won't forget, ever. These surprise situations are the best. The chef is very committed to exceptional ingredients, such as lemon caviar, amazing white truffle, duck eggs, etc. The preparation of the food is passionate, time consuming and expert. The result is flavors and textures like we have never enjoyed before. The menu is about 50/50 prix fixe or à la carte, and since V was in the mood for steak we ordered à la carte. With some guidance from Alexandria, the Maitre D', we selected Roman bread and chef substituted Jamón ibérico. I was suprised they would do that in a 5 star place like this. The chef must be a wine reps dream. Every square inch of the restaurant is storing amazing wine, mostly from Italy. If you love wine as we do, this is a must go. Next time we will do prix fix wine pairing and menu. The service starting with my phone reservation to Alexandria was excellent. When we arrived, Alexandria patiently walked us through the food and wine menu and the wait staff was in lock step. I suspect they often have people like us walking in thinking they are stopping in for casual and good Italian family fare. This is more like a top 100 restaurant in the world. We will definitely be back. Oh yeah.... Value. Bill for two was $620 USD with tip & tax. This is a lot and more than I spend for two, 99.8% of the time. However, I often spend $200 - $350 for two and forget about it as soon as I walk out. This meal with my V was special and worth every penny. Bon Appetit! read more

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A cozy spot in UWS. It's a very small space with a handful of tables but wow, our party had an amazing time. The waitstaff was extremely delightful and really elevated our dining experience. I tried the Parmesan espresso martini and it was such an interesting/delicious flavor. We had some champagne to accompany our dinner as well. Our party ordered à la carte & everything was delicious. Would visit again, this place is a hidden gem. read more

Lucciola Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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Last minute birthday meal was absolute perfection! Took a chance on getting a reservation and at first they had nothing, but minutes later Alexandra called me back and squeezed us in, and it was delicious! Went with my kids who tried everything and really enjoyed themselves! It's a cozy unassuming spot with only a handful of seats so the service was impeccable too! Definitely worth it for special occasions or just because! read more

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Ridiculously priced for the neighborhood. Full of self-important posturing. Before the Pandemic it was an enjoyable $30 a plate neighborhood spot that transformed overnight into $300 a plate faux fine dining establishment. What you get at Lucciola is decorative mediocrity dressed up as luxury. Don't be fooled by the gastronomical pretense. The only memorable item on the menu is your wallet. read more

It used to be an amazing restaurant before it started the tasting menu. The risotto didn't have the fois gras, and when I asked about the guanciale, I was told they swapped it for pancetta( which was also missing from the dish.) it's deceptive if they list it on the menu as ingredients, and hope the guest will not notice. and don't get me started with another weird practice: apparently, the system automatically adds the 20% tip. it's not worth it. read more

Mid week work meeting ended and drove on the upper westside, parked and saw the restaurant without any prior review, recommendation what so ever. Asked for a table of one in the tiny empty dining room and was offered a table for two literally behind the entrance where the host stands - No thank you I delicately implied. I was sat on the other side of the room which was fine. Young server brought a menu which was limited in choices but certainly not in price. It appears they drive you to the way too costly tasting menus and offer limited a la carte items. While my $59 2.5inch beef square was very good on top of some bland au gratin cheese potato - it was too small for the price A salad of endive, walnuts and blue cheese was not on the menu and when asking for a salad was shocked when they priced it on my bill for $29!!! Oh and when I asked for bread and butter I received four finger sized pieces of focaccia for $15! Overall value is non-existent. Kudos to the chef and owner for agreeing not to charge me for the overpriced salad & bread. He passively aggressively wanted me to understand his restaurant is slightly different in experience... I smiled and said "yes, it sure is." Pro-tip: looking for a different and pricey experience? Come eat here ... read more

Lucciola Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

TLDR - Not worth it Pros - Polite service, tasty wines, creative cuisine, dog-friendly Cons - Food is bland and heavy... portions are small, but they put a lot of caviar or truffles on most dishes, if that's your jam. Very expensive for what you get. Desserts were bad. read more

We had a great time at Lucciola! Our server, Alexandra, was very nice and welcoming. As for the food, we got the 7 course "No menu" option which was $149 pp. I requested a specific pinsa (forgot the name), and I'm so glad I did because it was my favorite course by far -- it was honestly one of the dishes I've ever had!! Their dishes were unique, and I LOVED the different handmade pastas they made. Sadly, they used the same parmesan reggiano cheese in nearly every dish. After the 3rd or 4th dish with the cheese, it began to taste very stinky and repetitive. I wish they used different cheeses or didn't have it in every dish since it has such a strong flavor. read more

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The restaurant is a good date night spot on the UWS. The interior design is chic and upscale but the food is definitely overpriced. I've been to most of the upscale Italian restaurants in NYC and this one I'd vote for their vibe but not the food. They have beautiful wine wall decorations with their wine picks from more than 1000 wineries worldwide. Food-wise, they do highlight a lot of high-end luxury elements such as caviar, truffles, etc. However, the portions are really small and most of the dishes are overpriced. Our servers were nice and friendly. They gave us some good recommendations on what to order and was pretty friendly throughout the whole time. Overall: 3.5/5 food 2/5 price 4/5 service 4/5 vibe read more

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Service was excellent. The ambiance was okay but the walls were cracked and needs some upkeep. I was expecting something more elegant since their website says jackets are recommended. The food, although very good, was a huge let down. The portions were not small, they were minuscule. On average if you have a six course meal and one cocktail it would cost $300pp. Keep in mind each course fits on a tablespoon so as long as you know before making a reservation then you'll know what to expect. read more

My husband and I dined at Lucciola last Friday for my birthday and our experience was wonderful. This restaurant offers an "experience" while dining with the different presentations and tasting menu options. We chose the classic 6 course tasting and each plate tasted delicious. I overheard the table next to us switch from the 6 course to the 9 course because they loved their first dishes so much. They also treated me with a lovely birthday extra dessert. read more

Lucciola Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Ambiance - Lucciola is a small restaurant on the UWS with a dimly lit dining room, the walls of which are lined with wine bottles. We really appreciated the white table cloth. The restaurant is really charming. Service - Service was not super smooth. We were served a salad before we had a glass of wine, and our glasses of wine to be had with dinner came after our pasta dishes. I complained that our pasta dishes were not hot, the chef explained why that is the case for the spagghetone which is made with a confit egg and I understand that; however, the gnocchi was also not hot when brought to the table. Overall, service was not bad at all, but not prompt and smooth which we would expect in a nice place like Lucciola. Cuisine - The stars of the show nonetheless were the pasta dishes, which were both absolutely fantastic with a heavy serving of truffles - which never goes wrong. We appreciated the presence of the chef in the restaurant, which makes the place feel familial. We have to agree with previous reviews when it comes to prices - Lucciola is very expensive restaurant. read more

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Lucciola is exceptional. From the atmosphere and decor, to the food and service. The restaurant is elegant and beautiful, and yet feels warm and intimate. The setting is perfect for a romantic dinner, a special occasion, or just a nice night out. Best of all is the food. I want to say it's delicious, but that is not adequate. Let me say instead, that the food is intensely flavorful. I started with a 30 month old prosciutto di Parma, and honestly I have never tasted prosciutto that good, that flavorful. I almost felt like this must be a different kind of prosciutto, because it was so much better than any I had ever had. The prosciutto was accompanied with a 36 month old Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Again, delightfully flavorful. Next was Zucchini Parmigana with Burrata. Maybe the highlight of the meal, if there could be one. Amazing flavor. Absolutely wonderful. This was followed by a special, spaghetti "misto mare' with saffron. Again, wonderful. Meanwhile, the service was attentive, friendly, professional, charming. I knew immediately that I was in good hands, so I was completely at ease the entire evening, knowing that I would be taken care of. Overall, I have to say Lucciola is exceptional. Every part of my experience there was absolutely wonderful. So of course I plan to go back. But actually, I can't wait to go back! Five Stars - easy! read more

Lucciola Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

So. Very sorry to say not only did the prices get crazy expensive but we waited and waited and waited for our meal. They said they were under staffed but at these prices they should have plenty of staff. The food was very very good but overshadowed by the hour wait after getting appetizers No matter how good the food is they need a serious readjustment if they want to keep up these prices. . Also our first dish came out solo and it was cold. And each plate came out separately so we didn't get our food at the same time. I also wish the management came by to apologize but they never did. read more

Lucciola Italian Restaurant - Truffle Filet Mignon - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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We had a wonderful meal here! We started with the truffle and burrata pinsa, which was AMAZING. Very memorable. We both got the tagliatelle w/ mushroom and truffle for our main dish and loved it. We tried both the chocolate pudding and the creme brulee for dessert - they were both good but the brulee was better! We got a bottle of Nebiolo that was delicious as well. Overall, a great experience. Very intimate ambiance. Our server, Elio, was delightful. We will be back! read more

Lucciola Italian Restaurant - Tagliatelle mushroom and truffle - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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Food- food is great but the price is way too high for the food they are serving. Service-if you make last min reservation, there is stiff cancellation fee of $150. Be aware before you make the reservation. When i found out abt 60 dollar pasta and like to cancel, it was too late. Only option they offer is to change the reservation. This way they make you come to the restaurant. Ambiance- it is not ambiance for $60 past and $150 testing menu. There are small tables surrounded with wines and located in residential area of upper west. read more

Lucciola Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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You need to go to this restaurant. It's a once in a lifetime experience of flavors, food, atmosphere, and service. Make sure you go with the 7 course meal. A choice you will never regret. read more

My friends and I debated whether we should try this place or not because of the extremely mixed reviews - there are so many 5 stars reviews but some 1-2 star reviews that questioned the 5 stars reviews. If you're on the same boat....i can confirm that this place is not worth your money. Also, there's 1.5k++ reviews on Google but only ~30 on yelp? Sus. Here's what we ordered: 1. Charcuterie ($50): Cheeses and meats were good but there was nothing sweet on the board to balance it out. We even asked the server if they had some and they didn't have any jams or honey... 2. Tortellini ($59): pasta was al dente and cooked nicely but the sauce was so underwhelming...you had to get a spoonful with a lot of cheese to get a good satisfying bite 3. Spaghetonne ($49): in the name it mentioned it has uni but it doesn't LOL there was only 4 pieces of bottarga idk we felt kinda cheated. Flavour was just ok too. 4. Porterhouse (~$120): Probably the best thing we had! Cooked nicely and the meat was pretty tender and flavourful. Overall!!!! super disappointed with our experience here and we definitely won't be back. read more

Lucciola Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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Dining at Lucciola transports you to Italy with its intimate & traditional decor, passionate service and the many ingredients that are imported straight from Italy. High quality and authentic experience! Extensive wine list and food menu. We were overwhelmed with options, but the staff kindly guided us towards a perfect order. Our waitress spent time educating us about the wine & food with thorough descriptions & explanations. As for the food, each dish was something out of this world! For starters, we enjoyed the fresh truffle and burrata DOP fasano pinsa.. this was essentially an extra truffley and gooey flatbread and I could have easily had another 1-2 of these because they were heavenly! For mains, we shared two pasta dishes - handmade tortellini from bologna and tagliatelle white duck ragu caviar and truffle - both unique, rich, and definitely some of the best homemade pasta I have ever had. Lucciola is a bit on the pricier side, but worth every penny.. they don't hold back on their ingredients, layering on imported parmesan, truffles and caviar. Beautiful place for a celebratory dinner or date night. Will defiantly be back! read more

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I was invited here on a date. Best experience ever!! Service, food, drinks, all were excellent. Great place for a one on one enjoyable night. I give this place 5 stars read more

Not bad. Although they boast of having very exclusive/imported ingredients, I was expected to be blown away but unfortunately was not. It was still very good. My party and I did not go inside so I don't know what the interior is like but the igloos were nice. The igloos were not right by on the sidewalk so it didn't feel like walkers were on top of you. I got the lobster pasta which had 8oz of lobster, they didn't skimp! I got a tail split into 2 as well as big pieces of lobster tossed in with the pasta. Lobster was cooked very very well, it was plump, tender, and perfectly seasoned. The red pasta sauce left little to be desired, it was too sweet for what I was eating in my opinion. I understand what they were trying to do with the nice salty lobster and the sweet tomato sauce but it was a little too sweet for my blood. Also still bottles is $9 so fair warning! read more

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Came here with my husband to celebrate my 30th. We are being extra careful with dining experiences because I'm 9 months pregnant and there's a surge in Covid cases. Luckily Lucciola comes equipped with beautiful igloos for an intimate dining experience that I felt comfortable with. What can I say about this amazing restaurant? The first spoonful of the zucchini parmigiana tasted as if I was back in Italy and having a home cooked meal by a relative. It was so flavorful and you can taste love in every bite. The gnocchi with alba truffles was the richest and most delicious truffle experience I've ever had. My husband got the A4 wagyu nerve ends and said it was one of the best meals he had, down to the side salad. Let me Tell you, my husband has never been one for tomatoes and he couldn't stop talking about the tomato in the salad. His Negroni looked amazing with a side of parmigiana which was definitely a unique worthy experience. I had a little extra room for a macchiato which came with a lovely side of complimentary Bon bons which melted in our mouths. Even after all of this splendor, we can still add another highlight in our effervescent waitress Anelle (sp?). She was a pleasure to interact with and while this restaurant is definitely a higher end experience than the average, we felt like we were sharing a lovely evening at our local trattoria. I highly recommend this lovely restaurant and hope to experience it again! read more

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We were looking for authentic Italian food and accidentally ended up going here - to a Michelin star restaurant. *face palm* Of course the prices are high, but I have to say the pasta was excellent. My SO ended up getting caviar as well. The staff are very nice and the seating is cute. If you're looking for a deeeep splurge on some very authentic Italian food, this will fit the bill. read more

Lucciola Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

My brother recently graduated from college and we celebrate at Lucciola with the whole family. Let me tell you, it is not disappointing! The wine list is so extensive that I was able to find one bottle that I had in Italy years and years ago. I couldn't believe it! Alex, our great server, paired with great steak and meat based pasta. We will remember this special occasion for a very long time.  Not to mention our hostess Eleonora she was very welcoming. read more

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We had a great experience! Good was REALLY good, the quality of the ingredients you can taste is top quality! Service was great. Huge wine list with great prices! They sat us in a bubble tents with Air Conditioning! These guys are doing a great job. We had the spaghetti with bottarga, tagliatelle with duck caviar and truffle with a bottle of Grillo, one of my favorite wine from Sicily, I was surprise to have found it! Amazing! Highly recommend? read more

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Real experience.... They know exactly what they are doing, from wine, to menu, to dessert. Spend time, this is the spot, enjoy a night out. Best Italian in NY read more

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The Instagram photos do not do this place Justice and the photos are good. First, the restaurant is beyond accommodating. We had a 6:30 reservation that they moved to 8:00 because I had to work. This attitude permeated the evening. Elio and Alex were excellent. Now to the food. We had the zucchini parmesan with burrata. Unexpectedly, as good an Italian bite I have had in some time. It was served with a beautiful thin bread. Then was pasta, beans, and mussels in a red sauce with saffron. Delicious. Next, spaghetti with caviar, tuna, and sea urchin. Close your eyes and taste the ocean. And finally, pasta with prosciutto and red sauce, which was earthy and with just the right amount of tomato. The bonus was the house wine, a pinot noir from Italy. Reasonably priced and paired very well. I would come back. read more

My last visit here was pre-pandemic, and the restaurant has clearly tried to move itself significantly more upscale since then. But it misses the mark. To put it directly: the quality to (high) price ratio was not good enough. $55 house-made tortellini was a plate of pasta shells in a cheesy white sauce; it tasted good, but not distinguished. The $29 pasta with Bolognese sauce was also good--but really a starter-sized portion, not a full entree. The truffle-and-burrata starter was nice, but was just four small dollops of burrata; again, it tasted good but not worth a repeat. There are some creative cocktails, but a limited list of wines-by-the-glass list. Perhaps the experience is different if you do the tasting menu, but then they should just do a tasting menu and not offer other options. I am happy to pay more for an outstanding meal--and do, regularly. But last night's experience was not that and I don't expect we will be back. read more

Omg this place was soooooooooo good! I went with my sister and a friend of mine. The food is expensive but really well worth the price. I had the carbonara and it was the best I've ever had. I can't wait to go back. Everything from the food to the decor to the service, outstanding! read more

Lucciola is all I can ask from an Italian restaurant in NYC: Great food, awesome atmosphere, wide selection of great wines and a kind and attentive service. Went with the fam and got the Fiorentina to be reminded of home paired with a great Brunello from Tuscany during Brunello week! I will be back during the summer since I just discovered that their plastic pods have A/C in it, for the hottest days in NYC summer nights! Grazie Chef Michele! read more

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I was drawn to this restaurant by the 5 star reviews. I should have looked deeper. Our meals tasted good but were extremely small portions and overpriced. When I say small, I mean SMALL. There is also a repeated push to order truffles. There were plenty of clues that the restaurant was not a five star establishment. The restaurant and the outside bubbles were empty at 7:00 pm. Other neighborhood restaurants were hopping. Ordering an appetizer was repeatedly suggested. Several of the reviews have the same writing style and similar praises. read more

Luciolla is an AMAZING restaurant to come to when looking for authentic Italian cuisine. Each dish is made with as much passion and care as I could hope for. I love the variety of dishes they offer from Italian pasta to Japanese steaks AND another NEW MENU with seafood dishes made into Italian cuisine!!! You can tell all the ingredients are all high quality as well. I brought some close friends of mine and they enjoyed every moment. The waitress Alexandra walked us through the entire menu and was so kind and helpful. She even presented us an Ice Wine from Romania! The energy was amazing. You can tell that the staff OVERALL really LOVE what they do in the hospitality industry. Luciolla is definitely a Michelin Star worthy restaurant! I can't wait to come back and bring family! Here are some photos for reference. Love this place!! read more

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amazing restaurant, incredible service! Food was incredible delicious with 20 people sitting. thank you Alexandra and Chef Michele! read more

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I have waited several weeks to write a review because I wanted to see if the experience stayed with me. I am happy to report it has. It is a bit surprising from the outside to envision what is going to unfold over the following couple of hours, rest assured it is amazing. Every course - and I recommend letting the staff guide you - is filled with accurate and pointed flavor and texture. For example, the foie gras isn't like any foie gras I have ever had. I also suggest the wine pairing, though the staff is more than happy to accommodate those who don't want to go down that path. Could the chairs be a little more comfortable? Yes. Could the space be slightly bigger. Yes. But those are after thoughts by the time you get to desert and cheese. Is it expensive? Yes. I've never spent this much for a meal. Have I been to various Michelin restaurants around the world? Yes. You can't really compare the food, because each is great. But the experience with the wonderful staff marks Lucciola as the one that comes out tops. Many thanks. read more

This was offensive. 6 of the tiniest courses you've ever seen. A friend of mine went a few years ago and back then it might have been an okay value but one of the courses was, I kid you not, a single tortellini. Another was a noodle in some throughly mid chicken broth. I think the only reason people can tolerate this place is they try to get you so drunk on the wine that you lose track of time and space and imagine that this isn't one of the worst rip offs conceivable. To add insult to injury that add a few percent non optional "charity addition" to a $500 meal for 2. It's not charity if it's not optional. To boot the food was not very good. Claiming a slide of mortadella on a plate with some balsamic is worth $100 tests the bounds of reason. Would not recommend to my worst enemy. Especially considering the dust and dirt everywhere and decor expected in a delicatessen. This is a true emperor has not clothes situation. The serving staff was very polite and attentive. read more

Ok, so 3/5 will be a controversial rating. I've been several times and conclude that Lucciola is interesting, good cooking that at times is excellent. Most important, it is just overpriced. And it is very heavy. So yes it is good food, but I won't be back soon because I just think it is too expensive for what it is. read more

Beyond rude, really, almost humiliating! I have never been treated with such disrespectful service! I came with a friend. The waitress asked if I have any questions on the menu and I said no. But then she had the AUDACITY to emphasize to me that "the prices on the menu are for one-person portion"! Are you serious? What kind of comment is that????? I don't understand where this is coming from. Was it because she assumed that we can't afford the food? Or was it because I'm Asian and she assumed that I have never had Italian food or a tasting menu? Unbelievable! Pleeeeeease! Don't say that to any other customers! (Unless they raise the questions on the prices) Before that, the host also had me looked at the prices before giving us the table. I mean, I came in dressed nicely, I was willing to pay hundreds for a good experience, why did you give me such a degrading treatment? I get that this place is trying to become "upscale". But I have been to places like Per Se and Le Bernardin and they never treat you in any way to make you feel less. The food was ok but not great, and a lot of things they do was to put caviar or shaved truffle on top of mediocre food to make them look fancy. That might fool some people, but if you've been to some truly great places you'll know the difference. All in all, please don't be fooled by the 4.8 reviews. I don't know if they are real. I have to say they did a great job at marketing, and I respect the hard work in the kitchen, but that was it. I had read some other reviews and I had to warn that you may not be treated equally based on whatever judgement they made upon you. (If you know what I mean) read more

We arrived early, and everyone made us feel comfortable and appreciated. Elio carefully reviewed the menu and options. He shared Italian stories about many of the menu options which were helpful and entertaining. The food lived up to his lively and personalized suggestions. Yes, it was pricy. Yes, we overtipped. And yes, we will come back. read more