We love everything about Manalu! The food is absolutely delicious! Without a doubt, they have the…read morebest Chicken Parmesan we've ever had. The chicken is hands down, the most tender chicken we've ever experienced in an Italian chicken entree! All the servers are really good, but if we had to pick a favorite, it would be Fernando. Enrico is a most gracious host, and is always welcomig, too. Normally, we would be the last people to want to have the servers sing "Happy Birthday," to us, but we so look forward to being serenaded with the accordion and the servers singing in Italian. Manalu gets a 10 out of 10!!!

This is my second time coming here. We were celebrating a birthday and the service was amazing. Our…read moreserver helped us with all we needed for the cake and he was very attentive with our plates. The music at the restaurant is nice and the food was just amazing. The best plates we had was the calzone, which was HUGE, and the lasagna. Even just the normal American pizza had an amazing taste. Additionally, we tried a wine cup and let me tell you, it was so delicious.

We met a friend here, each driving an hour and 15 minutes each, a midpoint between us. What a find…read more A Saturday afternoon found Pistarro's busy, but not overly so. It's retro with exposed brick walls and large screen televisions. Our server was very sweet, personable and professional. (I'm so sorry, I forgot her name.) We shared appetizers, calamari, fried perfectly along with eggplant Parmesan. Both winners. For entrees, I had the meatball hero, stuffed with well seasoned and sauced balls of deliciousness. My wife had the gyro served in three pieces of pita (on a taco stand). Not only spiced well, but NOT the usual mess with tzatziki sauce and cut chopped tomatoes spilling everywhere. Our friend had the salmon and he was impressed. For dessert it was gelato for two and I had the affogato. Sinful, the whipped cream seemed to have a little more sugar than normal, but it made the dessert that much more decadent. If you live in Frederick or are just passing through...recommended.

Came here on a Saturday night without a reservation. We were sat at the pizza bar in plain view of…read morethe pizza making operations. Oddest part was while we sat there - there was a 2 top table free almost the whole time we were eating. So - we could have easily been waited on in a normal setting. Nice place overall - different areas to sit, outside dining, etc etc. Service however was atrocious. It may be the fact they don't have enough people in the wait staff, but our waitress was as absent as it gets. Asked for a refill, took forever - after ordering appetizer it would have been good to then put in our entree order - but wasn't until the pizza came out 25 min later that we could do that. Asked for bread, she remembered after our entrees came out 45min after ordered - 4 small cubes. You would think when you're struggling at waiting on a table, you'd try and make up for it. Pizza was good. We got a Margherita pizza - standard and fresh as we watched them make it. For my entree I got the penne vodka and added a meatball. Lol. No sauce on that meatball and it was cold. Flavor was good on entree. The next time the waitress came back I begged for the check - to which we paid and got out of there as "quick" as we could. Food 4/5 Service 1/5

Saturday evening dinner while in the area. Parked the next block over and walked in. We don't have…read morereservations but we were given a tip to come around 6:30pm for a table of 2. We took a table in the rear enclosed patio area near the bar. To start we ordered the meatball sliders. Two come with an order and they were good. I liked the toasted slider rolls, the tangy sauce and the spiciness of the meatball. Recommend cutting it in half to eat it without it flying out of the roll. Overall a good start. I ordered the gnocchi primavera which really wasn't in the traditional sense - as the vegetables were puréed together into an orange sauce. Had a good flavor and was served with burrata. Starters and entrees came out very close to each other which wasn't a bad thing. We also added a margherita pizza to share which looked weird - but tasted great. Nice crisp to the crust and thin. I usually think of a doughier crust with this kind of pizza but still good. Dessert was the fudge cake - rich in flavor, adding a coffee. Overall - would have loved to sit inside and get that experience but still good considering we didn't have a reservation. Our waiter - younger guy out back we good, though at times we leaned on the other bartender to help get refills.

I think this is one of those places that people don't know about in downtown but a great spot with…read morea cozy outdoor seating in the back - the food is solid- I don't think the pasta is homemade but I enjoyed everything we ordered. We really enjoyed the Cristina pizza and refreshing orange crush! The bread is that crispy thin crust with a warm soft inside accompanied with homemade whipped butter. This is a great place for a weekend lunch or dinner.

Great food, great service, great environment, one of our favorite places to eat on special occasionsread more

He food was wonderful. Our waitress was not the best. She only checked on us once. Didn't offer to…read morerefill drinks. Didn't offer dessert. She seemed overwhelmed.

For a lot of reasons, none of them allergy-related, I don't eat bread…read more 1. The table bread was served. It looked good, so i sampled. Oh my, that was really good bread. 2. The foot was presented well, and honestly was epic. The goal was a simple Italian meal, exceeded! The Ravoli was pronounced amazing! Spaghetti and meatballs were incredible (although if you are a fan of The Big Bang Theory, it wasn't real Italian, there were no little hot dogs cut up in it). Overall, Il Porto made our places we will wander to again list. Great overall, and the bread, oh my.

This was my second time visiting Il Porto, and I'm really glad I decided to give it another try…read more The first time I came, I honestly wasn't impressed and didn't think I'd return. But after hearing good things, I figured it deserved a second chance -- and this time it delivered. I ordered an apple martini, which was really tasty, and the fettuccine Alfredo with added chicken and shrimp. The dish initially came out with just shrimp, but when I mentioned the missing chicken, they handled it kindly and quickly. They let me keep my pasta and brought out a nicely grilled piece of chicken topped with Alfredo sauce. It ended up being very flavorful and satisfying. My friend ordered a sausage pasta dish and thoroughly enjoyed it -- he said it was very tasty. He also had two smoked old fashioneds and really liked them. The restaurant was pretty empty when we arrived, but it still had a cozy atmosphere. The only downside was that staff members were having a very loud conversation in the dining area, playing music, and even watching something on a phone at one point. Since there weren't many customers yet, it stood out more. I'd suggest maybe keeping that to a back area or lowering the volume while guests are dining. Overall though, this visit changed my mind. I would absolutely go back.

My friend, her boyfriend, and I had a wonderful dinner at Ricci! We were initially seated near the…read morepizza oven, which made things a little too toasty for our liking, but the staff was incredibly kind and accommodating and happily moved us to a more comfortable table. The meal started with some of the softest bread I've had in a long time. It was warm, fluffy, and perfect for dipping into the olive oil. We could have easily eaten an entire basket! My friend and I shared the filet mignon with whipped potatoes and asparagus. The steak was cooked beautifully, the potatoes practically melted in your mouth, and the asparagus spears were fresh and flavorful. We also split the seafood pasta, and the portion was enormous! Loaded with seafood and packed with flavor, it was just as impressive as the steak. My friend's bf got gluten free pasta-- they have gluten free options! My friend ordered an espresso martini, which was smooth, delicious, and the perfect complement to the meal. By the end of dinner, we were absolutely stuffed and couldn't even make room for dessert--which is probably the best sign of a satisfying meal. Great food, generous portions, attentive service, and a welcoming atmosphere. We'd gladly return!

Our first time here. Came for an early dinner with no reservations. Gave us a table on the covered…read morepatio. The food and the service were great. The table was not. It was a warm day out and the patio area was stuffy and kinda hot. And the table was on a 10% slope to one side. I measured it. We asked for another table and they said their only alternate table was in an area that was just as warm. The food was good...

Such a gem, this place! I've driven by this corner leaving downtown MANY times and we finally had a…read moremoment to grab a meal. At Tempo Di Pasta, the food and staff were just amazing. Their pasta is made in house and it's deliciously fresh. Perfectly cooked. The ambiance was just a cool vibe. Food Pictured: Ravioli di Funghi (wild mushroom ravioli, tomatoes, fontina sauce, parmigiano (v)) Arrabbiata with Campanelle pasta (shrimp, spicy Pomodoro sauce, scallions, lemon bread crumbs) Bucatini Nero with squid ink (bucatini, calamari, octopus, shrimp, pomodoro sauce, calabrian peperoncino)...I ate it ALL and I'm still full. Bread to grab that sauce

Fantastic and authentic. Tiny restaurant with limited hours -- This is probably the best Italian…read morefood in the area. The ingredients are fresh, the service is friendly and gregarious, the food is delicious and exceptional. I have enjoyed several different dishes on multiple occasions now and can say without question that this food is exceptional and rare outside Italy. Everything in this space is authentic, from the relatively short menu to the service it is a treat to have such an excellent meal for what amounts to a very good price. No question, in Frederick this is consistently the best Italian food served with care and pleasure. I have not had a single issue with anything over perhaps 6 dining experiences here. It is an absolute pleasure to enjoy a lovey glass of wine with the outstanding pasta dishes! If Fredrick needs anything, it is more small and outstanding restaurants like this where quality and value are in harmony.

Honestly super underwhelming. Agree with the others that have rated the place as mid. It's hidden…read morein urbana that's before all the new developments. Cute outdoor patio and that could be a nice space. The inside is normally decorated restaurant space. The service wasn't too bad, attentive at first and then she disappeared for 10 min and then took our orders. Afterward she didn't even bother to ask how the food was, if she did I would've told her how disappointed I was with the dish that was recommended as, "oh you can't go wrong with eggplant parm! It's great!" Needless to say that it was an overpriced mush of a dish. There was no texture to the dish. At first sight it looked like a generous helping of food, about 6 pieces of eggplant with spaghetti. However, there was no texture to the deep fried eggplant, no crunch, no flavor, disappointing. Spaghetti was normal, nothing special. The pizza. Not shown, was also disappointing. There's so many other better options close by, prob won't come back.

This places has such mixed reviews that we thought we would give it a try…read more The verdict: Overpriced mediocre Italian and overall, an underwhelming experience. This was the most I have ever paid for eggplant parm ($25) and I've have only not taken the leftovers one other time in my life. The pasta that was served with it was spaghetti ...and did not taste freshly made (but maybe others were referring to a pasta of the day?) Go about eight minutes more north to Manalu's. This place was depressing on all accounts.

I had a great first experience at Laurienzo Brick Oven Cafe. From the moment we walked in, we were…read moreinstantly greeted by the staff, which made us feel very welcome! The place itself has a really cozy vibe--dim lighting, colorful décor, and everything was clean and well put together. We ordered a medium pizza, half pepperoni and half cheese, along with wings, all for a very reasonable price--and it was absolutely worth it. The pizza quality was outstanding: crispy crust with a slight char from the wood-fired oven that really elevated the flavor and it just tasted really fresh compared to a lot of other places I've tried. During our visit, Linda came by while we were eating and was incredibly friendly, polite, and charismatic. She made sure we had everything we needed and created a very warm, welcoming experience. You could tell she cares about the customers and the people she works with! Overall, everything--from the food to the atmosphere to the people--was excellent. I'll definitely be coming back again!

The pizza was delicious. We ordered a pizza with pepperoni and sausage and it tasted great; hot and…read morecrispy, fresh toppings. And it was fast! The Caesar salad was dressed generously and tasted perfect. We ordered the salad with grilled chicken but the chicken was meh. Tasted like Perdue shortcuts heated in the oven with a brown sauce. My main issue is the menu. All the pizzas are build your own, with a base price of $16, and each topping $2.50. So if I want a pizza ($16) with garlic ($2.50), onion ($2.50) , sausage ($2.50) and pepperoni ($2.50) those add up quick and become expensive ($26) . Why not have signature or specialty pies with a little of this and that? Also, no fountain soda and the can from the fridge was warm.