We had friendly and attentive service. I really liked the atmosphere. It was bright and had a fun vibe. The spritz mocktail was excellent. The mushroom pasta dish was quite heavy, and it wasn't my favorite. I would like to try one of the other pasta dishes next time. The bundino was rich, delicious and more than enough to share. read more

Osteria Novella - Pasta Shops Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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We had such a wonderful experience at Osteria Novella! We grabbed seats at the bar and started the evening with several beautiful craft cocktails....each one perfectly balanced and thoughtfully made. To start, we had the sourdough topped with buffalo mozzarella, Piennolo tomatoes, and prosciutto... absolutely incredible. Fresh, flavorful, and the perfect way to kick off the meal. For our mains, we shared a scallop dish that was cooked to perfection and a gluten-free pasta with porcini mushrooms that was rich, earthy, and deeply satisfying. Every bite of both dishes was divine. The new build-out is stunning....warm, stylish, and inviting without feeling overdone. And the service? Truly impeccable. Attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely welcoming. Highly, highly recommend Osteria Novella. We'll definitely be back! read more

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I was super excited to try Osteria Novella as I love Bar Corallini, though the experience was quite average. I made a reservation online and was seated at a table in the corner. The tables are quite close to each other and even though we were at a table for four it still felt extremely crowded for the two of us. Also my seat faced the street and every time a car drove up the road across the street it blinded me. I will say that I enjoyed the dim lighting and the music. We started with the La Radice and Isola Calda signature cocktails which were just fine. There were so many ingredients in them everything kind of blended together and nothing stood out, definitely not worth the price. I asked my server for a wine recommendation as well and ended up with a pretty bland wine, so I'd suggest asking for someone who has a deeper wine knowledge. For appetizers we got the ahi tuna tartare and the crostone. The tartare was very good and even though it didn't come with enough crostinis our server asked if we wanted more of them before we even mentioned it. The crostone is one of the best foods I've ever had. The burrata was spectacular and the chili honey really made the dish. For our mains we got the fettuccine scampi and the cavatelli. The actual pasta in the dishes was fantastic, though the sauses were way too rich. For the price point I was expecting something a little better. I'm wondering if maybe ordering off of the vegan menu and getting a different pasta dish would improve the experience. For dessert we had chocolate sorbetto and the budino. The whipped cream and caramel on top of the budino were too intense, so I scrapped them off. The rest was okay. The chocolate sorbetto was fantastic and I'd come back just for this. Parking is hard due to the location, though we got lucky. I'd be willing to try something else on the menu and maybe have an improved experience for the price. read more

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Actually decent food though, they could benefit from AI waiters. Service was good besides the aforementioned changes. The ambiance consisted of a restaurant. read more

I used to come to this location when it was Novanta Pizzeria. So, I'm familiar with the space. My problems with it: 1) The waiter lied, and that's a hard pass. I asked for a Barolo (looking for a more full bodied wine) and the waiter brought a Chianti and said "Here's your Chianti". I told him I ordered a Barolo and he then said "This is a Barolo, I said Chianti because that's my favorite". Clearly lying because I could tell from the color and smell, without even testing. Did I say that I work with wines for a living? So, I know a few things about them. I decided not to ruin the experience and left it at that, decided to drink it. Well, when the bill came, sure enough it had Chianti listed there. I pointed him to it, and he acknowledged he lied. I told him a mistake is OK, lying is not. I would have expected a serious restaurant to not charge me for that, but that's a different story. My low review is solely based on this issue. read more

Overall, it was a good experience. The atmosphere was pleasant and inviting. I liked the open kitchen concept. The server was kind but didn't seem to know a ton about the wine. The pacing on clearing dishes and refilling drinks could've been more seamless. We started with the tuna tartare. Truthfully, this was my favorite dish of the night. The hazelnuts were a wonderful contrast and the flaky salt was perfectly rationed. I liked the size and crispiness of the crostini, although it was admittedly awkward to share 6 tiny pieces amongst our group of 4. The eggplant fritters were quite nice. They reminded me of an arancini. I ordered the shrimp scampi. The shrimp was beautifully sweet and wonderfully cooked. I loved that it was cut into bite-sized pieces and tossed throughout the dish. The homemade pasta was good, but nothing special. I asked if the chef could throw some red pepper flakes in with it and the waitress told me no, but she'd bring them on the side. I didn't find my request so egregious, but I was told the chef is "particular". My friend's pesto dish was rich and the cavatelli had a nice texture. I didn't care for the zepoli. While I liked the lemon zest flavor, I expected it to be lighter and fluffier. Overall, I am glad I tried the new restaurant and would gladly return if asked. I'd like to try the pizza. For such a small menu, I just didn't find anything that jumped out to me. I felt the same way at bar Corallini. For all of the hype it's received, I'm not dying to go back. I also found it "iffy" how much food my friends took home as leftovers. Perhaps I'm holding the restaurant to too high of a standard. Hats off to the chef for a successful launch, but I'm just not blown away. read more

I was very happily surprised with this place! I had my doubts because I think the only good thing at Bar Corralini is their apps and Mufaletta, but let me tell you they upped the quality here for pastas. We started out with drinks and found that they are very 'bitter' friendly here. Lots of ingredients add to the cost of it, but they all blend well together. I could see myself going to their bar with a friend to have a nice drink before moving on to downtown. The ambiance was a little cramped. They are definitely trying to make the most of the space they have but turning a 4 top to a 2 top might be better as I felt a little like a sardine while there. Now, as mentioned the food was good! We had the following: -Eggplant Fritters: They're more like fried eggplant balls and were a perfect starter. I would have liked them to be more crispy on the outside, but it had good eggplant flavor and went well with the ricotta. - Finocchio: tasted hazelnuts and a lemon vinaigrette, what is not to love when combined with some nice char and fresh fennel. It was the perfect freshness and acidity that we needed between the rest of the dishes. -Pesto Pizza: All the flavors worked well with each other and the crust was delicious. They imported their oven from Italy and you can tell. -Pappardelle ai Porcini: House made pasta indeed. Perfectly cooked with just the right chewiness texture, alongside the sausage and mushrooms in a nice tomato ragout. -Bundino: FANTASTIC. I'm a chocolate girlie and loved this. You can really taste the burn in the caramel, which added a nice depth to the flavor -Cannoli: Great, classic, loved the combination they chose to serve it with. A very solid italian spot for Madison and one I would consider contends with Lombardinos and Osteria Pappavero! read more

Our first visit to this restaurant was really delicious, so we were looking forward to trying more of the menu, and planned a special date night to return. But overall, we left thinking we are already done with this place, with an overall bland let down. Cocktails were pretty one-note, despite the descriptions - needed more freshness, more acid, more bitter. Fennel salad was good and crunchy, with a great mix of ingredients (hazelnuts!) but lacked salt and acid again, was a bit too lightly dressed, bordering on just raw veggies. Roasted vegetable platter felt like pre-grilled and reheated veggies, not freshly cooked. And the cold tomato sauce with hot oily random vegetables (one carrot, a ton of green beans, two zucchini, some steamed cauliflower) was weird - could have again used fresh herbs, more seasoning and something to make it stand out - the crumbles of cheese read like tofu. Mushroom & sausage pasta was oddly too heavy but also watery, gloppy instead of creamy and rich - the pasta itself was very toothsome - and the flavor was again very one-note, lacking herbs and spice, and a touch of acid which would really wake things up. Pepperoni pizza was doughy and undercooked, with pretty light toppings, but the spice and flavor was good - a sprinkling of fresh basil or herbs to finish could go a long way. Desserts were pre-made and refrigerator cold - cannoli and pudding, and are forgettable. The room feels overly crowded, but service was really attentive and kind, until the end when we felt rushed out. We went home with our hair and clothing saturated with the smell of fryer oil and have to get things dry-cleaned to get rid of that unpleasantness, feeling like we just wasted $150+. We loved Corallini, especially the pizzas and the stuffed dates appetizer - may try going back there next time. read more

Some of the best food I've ever eaten! The crostone was not only beautiful in presentation but absolutely delicious. The fettuccine scampi was equally delicious. The complexity of the flavors is what sets Osteria Novella apart from others. The chef imports many of his ingredients from Italy which contributes to the authentic dining experience. Loved it!!! read more

loved the food, portions were great. loved the service, and the ambiance was nice loved that you can buy their products. read more

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Well, it's a real pleasure to report that my first trip to Osteria Novella blew me out of the water. I went in with a friend for an early dinner the day after Thanksgiving. It was easy to secure a reservation online, and the restaurant, located on University and Ridge, is easy to get to. We each had a cocktail before our light dinner. I had a Hemingway Daiquiri that was perfect as a lead in to the meal that followed. My friend had an Espresso martini that he also raved about. He followed his drink with a hearty-sized individual Margherita pizza and I selected the Pappardelle ai Porcini pasta. His pizza looked fantastic, and my pasta could not have been better. You can certainly tell the chef's specialty is pasta. It really was perfection. On top of the food, I can't say enough about the atmosphere of the place. The general manager, Evan, was at our table several times, asking how we liked the food and drink, and expressing real warmth towards his customers. The waitperson, Hannah, was knowledgeable and friendly about all the menu items we asked about. I am certainly planning on a return visit... soon. read more

Awful food, terrible. We had the eggplant fritter which had not much eggplant and the seats we had was so dark - we couldn't see what we were eating. The special for the day was a pasta with pork belly and I could smell the pork... they didn't think of washing it? After coming back, I had to shower and wash all my clothes which smelled of the restaurant. Not worth the money. read more

Finally got a chance to come here. A couple of us started with the La Radice drinks and they were very good. One person had the Isola Calda and he also liked his but he liked my La Radice better. We then shared the Ahi Tuna Tartare and we all loved it. We also shared their salad on special which was a spinach salad and it was good. Next time I definitely want to try the Finocchio as I love fennel. For our mains, I had the cavatelli and it was really good and I would order again. 2 people had the special pappardelle and it was also really good. My last friend had the pollo saltimbocca and she enjoyed it. We shared 2 of the Budinos at the table. It was good but not quite as creamy as some that I have had or made myself. I think that was my only disappointment. The tables are a bit tight but I will definitely come back as I really enjoyed my meal. Our server was pretty good; he may have been a bit new but he did ok. Overall great drinks and food. read more

Wait staff untrained on wine and menu. The salad choices were not tasty. Pasta dish was good. Sat us in an area that was very cold. Tables too close together read more

Ambience and food was delicious. My group agreed the Crostone was the best. We also tried the Insalata di Cavolo, pappardelle ai porcini (very mushroomy), and the mezze maniche genovese. Our waiter, Drew, was very helpful because we were feeling very indecisive about what to order. These were all things he recommended. They also made mocktails based on our preferences, for example fruity, sour, minty, etc. We will be coming back again soon! read more

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Do yourself a favor and get to Osteria Novella soon. First of all, make a reservation as this place is busy, but don't let that discourage you because they will take very good care of you and your dining companions. I'll make this simple. Welcoming hosts, timely and outstanding service, and delicious, authentic cuisine with very sizable portions and very reasonable prices. Combine all of that with a lively yet warm bistro type of atmosphere and a solid cocktail and wine list of mostly Italian wines, and what you get is a fantastic dining experience. Can wait to get back soon. A very welcome addition to the Madison dining scene. Oh by the way, do yourself a favor and order both the Crostone and Eggplant fritter appetizer! Cory and Heather. read more

Great drinks, delicious pasta, and attentive, friendly service. Super addition to the Madison dining scene!