Omg fabulous, fabulous, fabulous. This restaurant saved my wife's birthday. After being treated extremely poorly at Pomodoro's ( they misplaced our reservation and then refused to serve us I guess because we complained) Macaluso's came thru. a last minute table for 7 miraculously was made available. the hostess and servers were highly knowledgeable and helpful. And the food.......oh the food! It was excellent. Pizza, cippopino, fettuccine. A wonderful calamari appetizer. Bread and oil and some great wines. I recommend the margarita pizza. very good. Every one was happy and full. I thought it was a good value read more

Amazing dining experience! Ambiance, great service, delicious food....doesn't get much better than this. Looking forward to the next time!

really good service and tasty Italian... good meal all around. Will be back when in Tacoma

Enjoyed a quiet date night here. There is street parking for free, didn't really see a parking lot associated with the restaurant. One weird thing- they called me after I made my reservation and said "Sorry, our internet is down, so you will need to pay cash. I appreciate the heads up because I know I don't keep cash on me. But when the bill came, there was no mention of that at all. Ok, now the food and service. Our server, Elle (I think) was really personable and nice. In the beginning when pouring us water, both glasses were dirty and the water had stuff in it but she was quick to make adjustments. For drinks I enjoyed the Macaluso Margarita and it was good! Pretty sweet, if you're into sweet drinks. We enjoyed calamari for the table which was lacking salt but otherwise cooked well. I had the gnocchi with homemade pesto sauce and Italian sausage. The gnocchi does, in fact, melt in your mouth... but that's because it's a little overcooked and the pasta disintegrates in your mouth. My date had the Macalusco Alfredo and the sauce was good but needed more. Overall, nice, quiet, intimate spot to enjoy dinner near the water. read more

Great food, awesome service, and ambiance is fantastic. Food and drinks are great! Took mom there last time I was in Tacoma (first of August). read more

I wish they had half stars in Yelp. Because I'm bordering on three and four stars. I was really excited coming here for dinner this evening. It heard a lot about this place and I love Italian food. First, the good points. The atmosphere is fun and there's even some outdoor dining. The employees couldn't have been nicer and everyone was very attentive. My cocktail was exceptional. The entree came piping hot and the quality of the ingredients was excellent. Now for the flip side. My waitperson offered me homemade focaccia bread with olive oil balsamic and I gladly accepted. What I didn't know until I got the bill was it was an additional $4. It's not on the menu, nor did she mention that there was a cost involved. Four dollars isn't a big deal, but it's something that I would have liked to know as a courtesy. It made me feel like it was a way for them to make a few more bucks. I ordered the casa salad as the ingredient list sounded mouth watering. It was supposed to come with pepperoncinis and olives, plural, but sadly only came with one of each. I also found the vinaigrette rather bland so I added some of the balsamic that came with the focaccia bread. Ordered the Arrabiata for my entree and although I like spicy food, to me, it was a little heavy-handed with the chili flakes, but I know everyone has a different perception of spicy. Loved the pancetta in the dish as it was still crunchy, but would have enjoyed more of it. Overall I thought the dish was excellent! On to the dessert menu. I have to say I hate looking at a menu with no pricing and then have to ask. It makes me sound cheap. But I would at least like to know if a dessert is $6 or $12, not that it would stop me ordering it. I just don't like the element of surprise. Lastly, I've read some very constructive comments from other reviews here and I've never been a fan when management says, "we'll work to correct those and invite you to come back again." If patrons take the time to give well-rounded criticism, why not foot some of future bill when inviting them back? Don't really understand that. I had a very nice lengthy conversation with the owner last night and gave my same points of view. When someone takes the time to have a sincere heartfelt talk about suggestions or things that might be lacking, do what you can as far as customer service in order to bring them back. I was in Customer Service for 37 years and let me tell you, it goes a long way! read more

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Excellent service. Accommodating menu for all tastes & dietary limitations. Delicious food.

Just incredible. I have never had such a warm, welcoming experience like I felt at this restaurant this evening. I was telling my wife that I couldn't wait to get home and write this review for Macaluso's! I ordered the Featured Ribeye special, with seasoned potatoes and fried veggies, and I had the Bread Appetizer. My wife got Vomgole Saltate as her appetizer, with a house salad, and she ordered the Aglio Olio (Shrimp sauteéd in olive oil, garlic, chili flakes, fresh herbs, lemon and parmesan tossed with spaghetti.) Let me first start off by saying, the seasoning on my ribeye and veggies was absolutely spot on, never have I tasted such a good well prepared steak from any restaurant aside from Macaluso's, HIGHLY recommend that dish. My wife felt the exact same with every single order she requested, and had a smile on her face the entire time from how delicious everything tasted. The wine we got was BTL Willamette Valley (Pinot Gris), and she loved the light taste to it, so she could comfortably drink it with her meal and not feel like it was overpowering. Perfection on both of our meals for taste, texture and fulfillment. The wait staff was absolutely amazing, so respectful and kind. Our waiter was Williams, a young gentleman. He was by far my favorite waiter I have ever had in a restaurant. My water glass was never empty, always ensured we were taken care of. They were extremely busy tonight but still managed to get all the food out in a timely manner, we didn't mind waiting a little longer because we had such good conversation with Williams! This was bonafide Italian cousine, and let me tell you, whenever we're feeling Italian, our first choice will always be Macaluso's. For the hospitality, kindness, fulfilling flavors, and ambience. Thank you Macaluso's for a wonderful evening, my wife and I look forward to our next visit! read more

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We were craving Italian again and decided to jet over before last seating which is @9pm. We were greeted by a friendly face, Kelby, who was quite amicable and attentive. This go, we shared caprese and arancini balls! The arancini balls were crunchy and cheesy, accompanying a sauce that went perfectly with focaccia bread. I liked how crispy the Chef's special dessert was, but highly suggest it to be shared since it's quite large! Also brought back some tiramisu for family and tried a few bites before my family devoured it. I'm almost done working on my lasagna leftovers it's so good. This seems to be one of our new favorite Italian spots in the area. read more

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My husband and I had an amazing experience at Macaluso's for date night! Don't skip the house made focaccia, it was so fluffy and light and went perfectly with our meal. We got the arancini, linguine con gamberi, and the chicken parm. Everything was absolutely delicious, and the service was fast and attentive as well. We also took a tiramisu to go and it did not disappoint! read more

Macaluso's Italian Restaurant - HOUSE MADE FOCACCIA BREAD with a smile - Italian Near Me - Ruston, Washington

Amazing! One of the best restaurants in T Town. The lemon cello cake is a must have, if you like lemon. read more

Damn, we were really looking forward to trying this place. In their defense we didn't make a reservation and fully expected to not get a table in the dining room (I did try to call to make a reservation but it went straight to voice mail) The hostess condescendingly recommended we try the bar one door down.. I thought "really across from the antique sandwich and the chevron station in Ruston? and this is the attitude?!" We were fortunate enough to find an empty table in the bar and the bar tender was quite friendly brought us water right away.. my wife ordered a house wine and I a cappuccino while we perused the menu. The wine came fairly quickly and we decided to go ahead and order. The table next to us were having the arancini balls and they looked delicious so we asked for those to start and ordered entrees as well... still no cappuccino. another 10-15 minutes go by, sever shows up with my coffee, but no appetizer.. finally I slide my bread and butter plate over in front of me to hint, and I see him look but the light didn't come on. At this point we've been sitting here for at least a half hour with nothing in front of us but our drinks (this is an unforgivable sin in my book) Another 10 minutes go by wife orders another wine. Then the entrees show up.. I say "so you forgot our appetizer that must be why it took so long!" Wife asks for Parmesan the woman who brought the meal says "okay" brings pepper, walks away never to be heard of again. About 5 minutes later the server comes over and asks what our app was, I tell him he's quite apologetic "we'll take care of that for you and get it going right away" So we eat our pasta... finish our pasta, he comes and says "so sorry do you still want your arancini or should we box it up?" I'm like "just box it up" so we get the check, pay the check, meanwhile the people sitting at the bar get their order of arancini balls and we wait... finally he shows up with our appetizer. In a bag. Apologizes some more, tells us good bye and he hopes to see us again soon.. Yeah, that ain't happenin. We don't go out as much as we used to, but we've been to the nicest places in Tacoma often, and most of good places in the region.. I can only call this experience stressful.. So our impromptu date night was kind of ruined by the new hoity toity Italian joint in Ruston.. the food was fine.. I guess. Oh well. read more

When I checked the place out on Yelp, it said reservations recommended. I was delusional enough to think they weren't necessary at 4pm on a Saturday. I was wrong. The place was full, but we were lucky enough to get seats at the bar. Start to finish this was excellent. We had calamari as an appetizer, which was offered fried or sautéed. We ordered the latter, which came in a flavorful creamy tomato sauce, served with toasted baguette to sop up the juices, which we definitely wanted to do! Then my husband ordered the shrimp and grits -- large shrimp and Polenta with pecorino. I of course got a bite, and agreed that it was one of the best I'd had. I ordered the gnocchi with chicken. Arguably the best gnocchi I've ever had. Perfectly prepared, flavorful sauce, tender chicken. We had it with the house Chianti, which was definitely a cut above usual house wines. The service was efficient, bar staff was willing to engage in conversation while they worked. Overall a wonderful experience, and I would highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Everything. Excellent service and food. Great atmosphere. Didn't have to wait too long for our reservation.

My boyfriend and I ended up up coming here for the first time due to all restaurants being booked. Technically they were all booked too, but thankfully had open tables outside. Everything was stellar. From the service, every encounter with every worker there, to the food, top down all amazing! Our water was always full, we got extra bread which was delicious! They boxed up our food for us, and even gave us extra bread to-go. Also, the seafood pasta I got included two huge pieces of scallop and it was reasonably priced. My boyfriend loved his dish. He said was smoky, spicy and included all the meats he loved; spicy sausage, pancetta.. We will be back! read more

Macaluso's Italian Restaurant - scallops and pasta - Italian Near Me - Ruston, Washington

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For whatever reason we had not made time to dine here. It took a number of friends telling us we needed to go here. Hind site, a big mistake!! Their food was absolutely great and the service was spot on. Clearly we will be back! read more

Me and my husband always choose Macaluso's when we very seldom get to sneak away for a bite without our littles. The food is amazing, the service is great, and I like the size/ambiance of the restaurant; small, cozy and not overstimulating. read more

Located near Point Defiance Park at the corner of Pearl & 51st Street, Macaluso's Italian Restaurant is a new hidden gem in the Ruston / North Tacoma area. You will enjoy the ambience, friendly service, and great selection of pasta and seafood dishes. Recommendation: Try the Gnocchi with Pesto, so good! read more

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Not only was the food amazing but Evan was the best! I had the clams and linguini, daughter had the special- gnocchi and scallops, and husband had spaghetti and shrimp. It was all delicious. read more

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Food was amazing and service was excellent! The choices of entrees made it very difficult to decide. All 5 of us loved our meals. The soup was excellent and the blackberry crisp with a fabulous gelato was so yummy. It served the five of us perfectly as we all had plenty with our entrees. But it was perfect to end the meal with a small amount of sweet treat! Delicious! read more

Excellent service and the food was excellent too! Great atmosphere, nice and intimate. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Fantastic food. Omg. I had the chicken parm, it was perfection. The hubs had the seafood pasta dish, he kept raving about the scallops and the way they were prepared. All in all we were lucky as we had no reservations but were really early so the bar had a table. It's small, make reservations. But if you end up in the bar the service is equally as good!! Sweet corner. Not a lot of parking and it's street parking so be prepared, but we didn't need to walk far. read more

Our favorite #1 cuisine Italian Restaurant, great atmosphere where we love to take family and friends, outstanding flavors in all dishes that have the freshest ingredients, from the best meatball & sausage marinara, calamari, mussels, caprese salad, incredible clam pizza (best ever), to the baked rigatoni chicken parm, chicken marsala, sea bass, yellow fin tuna w spinach, ravioli, fusilli, cavatelli - all our favorites... we have always had superb service, excellent drinks in the upstairs bar, and every time we go we can't wait to go back!! Our favorite #1 cuisine Italian Restaurant, great atmosphere where we love to take family and friends, outstanding flavors in all dishes that have the freshest ingredients, from the best meatball & sausage marinara, calamari, mussels, caprese salad, incredible clam pizza (best ever), to the baked rigatoni chicken parm, chicken marsala, sea bass, yellow fin tuna w spinach, ravioli, fusilli, cavatelli - all our favorites... we have always had superb service, excellent drinks in the upstairs bar, and every time we go we can't wait to go back!! read more

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We went for my twins' 16th birthday and it was heaven on a plate. We felt so cared for and the food was so very good. It's an amazing spot! Thank you for helping me celebrate my girls read more

Amazing food! One of the best Italian spots in Tacoma. Everytime I come here I always enjoy my experience.

Yum! I have been to so many Italian restaurants in several cities over the past month and was disappointed with most of them; the sauces have been very bland and the bread was okay at best. I was so happy and relieved to find excellent tasting Italian food and a great menu! It was delicious! The bread was amazing! I had the chicken parmesan and I cannot wait to eat the leftovers for lunch today. The service was excellent. Our server was very kind, generous and knowledgeable and she made great recommendations and she was a lot of fun. read more

This place never disappoints. Small area but well worth the wait. The welcoming atmosphere is only beat out by the amazing flavors of the food. The staff always ensures that your experience is superb. Definitely worth it! read more

I'm so bummed! THIS FOOD IS AMAZING! this was our first time coming here and I ordered the Alfredo with no mushrooms and got it and it had mushrooms on it, my boyfriend took it back for me and they apologized and remade it for me no problem! ( thank you again :) ) But we got home and a quarter of the way through dinner there was a hair in my food You guys know how that can ruin a meal, and it sucks cause this is the BEST Italian food I've had and everyone was so nice. But dang 2 things on my first visit. read more

Macaluso's Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Ruston, Washington

I was told by the owners sister that tbe food is great and the sevice is fabulous. I agree with her. It's one of my favorite spots .

Went for the first time and it was amazing. I'll definitely be returning to try out different menu items. From the moment we were seated until we left service was top notch. The perfect amount of attentiveness. The restaurant is cute but small. We did not need reservations on a weeknight, but would recommend for weekends. I had Chicken Marsala - delicious and had left overs for the next day - score! My friend had Risotto and she thought it was a bit bland. But everything else from the Brussels Sprouts to dessert was very, very good. It was hard not to have food envy as we saw other dishes coming out of the kitchen - more reasons to go back! Parking is street parking, so on a busy weekend it may be more difficult to find a spot. It is a bit more expensive than other local restaurants, but the food quality and service allow for that. It is a special occasion, or splurge meal type of place (at least for me). I highly recommend! read more

I dropped my kid off at college (#ups-2026). I was sad and needed to drown my sorrows in lasagna. I got the last one and it was the drug I needed. Also the cute decor, the tiny dining area and bar all felt like a warm hug. Great Chianti by the glass and very friendly service. read more

Macaluso's Italian Restaurant - My view - Italian Near Me - Ruston, Washington

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Now serving lunch! We got the $25 lunch combo. The Italian grinder sandwich and truffle fries were amazing. Service is always friendly, ambience is nice, and the food is better. read more

Macaluso's Italian Restaurant - $25 lunch combo with the Italian grinder sandwich and truffle fries - Italian Near Me - Ruston, Washington

You can not go wrong with Macaluso's. If you dine in the food is amazing, if you order takeout the food is amazing. If you dine in the service is amazing. This is one of Tacoma's finest! read more

Caprese Salad: the motzerella cheese was hard & rubbery. Aranchini: the unseasoned rice was over cooked. But it was wonderfully stuffed with cheese & lightly coated with bread crumbs. And the marinara sauce was silky smooth. Lasagna: WONDERFUL. The traditional bechamel was a wonderful surprise. read more

We recently ate here to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. Great table, great food and our server Natalie was also great. If I had to give them an opportunity, I think it's a bit slow. Not a huge deal, but it's quite a while between everything, I think we were there for 90+ minutes for just two people. read more

Great Italian food. Pasta is cooked al dente, flavor profiles are super savory. Even basics like lasagna are AMAZING. It is a fancier type Italian restaurant so dishes are going to be more upscale. Note your basic spaghetti, although they do have that. But most dishes kind of have a twist to them. I think my son is a little more basic when it comes to Italian food so it wasn't his favorite. Service was super friendly. They are very busy, seriously make a reservation. Small place and they are that busy. We got there early so actually stopped at the bar next door and had a drink while we waited for our table. They allow kids inside read more

Authenticity at its finest. With new limited menu, seating and reservation times, it's definitely a quieter experience. But the waitstaff is just as attentive if not more. Everything is handled with such finesse. The dining room looks as if it seats about 15 tables, with a row of pew seating across the back wall. I'm not sure if they are using their outdoor seating option, but they have a few tables out there, as well. We were assisted by multiple employees through our visit, but Kayla was our main attendee. She was so very personable and offered wonderful and honest recommendations. We started with a Sophia Loren and The Don for drinks. Can you get much more Italian than that?? Both were super well made and on par for what we had expected from this place. We ordered fried calamari at the recommendation of Kayla, though it does come sautéed as well. This plate could have been a single meal. The portion was large and offered both traditionally served parts of the calamari. The garlic aioli and pickled vegetables that were paired with it were perfect for the summer day. As for dinner, I had the Tagliatelle Pesto with Prawns. Having a pesto option on the menu and actually a good one is a huge win for me. The shrimp was plentiful, tails on, and the pesto was rich, bright and fresh. Not from a jar nor greasy. The pasta was impeccably made and dare I say hand-cut and handmade? My husband ordered the Garganelli Arrabiata which was packed full of flavor and spice. The pancetta was cooked well and actually noticeable. Everything was so filling and satisfying. If only we had room for dessert. Perhaps next time we will try their great takeout options while they're still there! read more

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Took my cousin here for her birthday along with my boyfriend, appetizers were delicious, Steamers were finger licking good. Octopus Carpaccio : absolute must. Do not question me. My boyfriend swears by the Carbonara so he refused to get or look at anything else. I had the Alfredo Macaluso, such a big serving! Server was very nice, attentive and knowledgeable. Drinks were really tasty, doubles were good pours. It's definitely a small corner spot so make a reservation, because it gets full quick and it's worth the wait. The table settings are simple and clean, very open but not bright because the natural light seems to be the main source. We will definitely be back. My cousin had a great night. read more

Macaluso's Italian Restaurant - OCTOPUS CARPACCIO MUSSELS SALTATE - Italian Near Me - Ruston, Washington

Macaluso's is a great addition to a part of Ruston on Pearl near Point Defiance that is becoming a trendy spot. The food is very good and definitely more sophisticated than my basic palate. Yet the restaurant is not snobbish or alienating. The staff are excellent and offer very professional service. The ambience strikes that balance that is welcoming for those who want to impress a date to regulars who know their Italian cuisine and want something a little more elevated. read more

Food was incredible and the waitstaff was excellent. Best Italian food in the area by far. We will absolutely be bac read more

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