It was my wife's birthday and I needed somewhere close by, upscale but not extravagant. I checked out the website , looked nice, they took reservations so sure let's give it a try. Reservations at 8, right on time. Walked in seated right away by the hostess. The standard server will be with you shortly here are your menus. Our waitress Summer had the timing down. Just as we figured out what we wanted from the drink menu she arrived. An old fashioned is our go to so two Seasonal Old Fashioned to start. We also ordered the baked Feta for appetizer. The interior is warm and open. Tables and chairs have plenty of room We sat overlooking the bar area (the bar is at a lower level). Only thing I would change is sitting at a table vs a High top. Drinks and appetizer arrived promptly. The baked feta was so good warm and creamy, tomatoes and seasoning provided depth. Summer provided the specials of the day as well as her thoughts on various entree. My wife originally was looking at a pasta w shrimp. Summer brought to our attention the pork chop - she said I know you think of how good can a pork chop be but ours is really amazing. So my wife changed her mind and went with the pork chop. I elected for the Red Fish atop orzo. Entrees arrived and wow they looked perfect. That pork chop was thick, nice crisp sear topped with apples ( sautéed perfectly not soggy). My red fish was well seasoned and tasted great. What amazed me was the spinach and tomato orzo! So creamy and subtle it complimented the fish so well. You can't have a Birthday without desert. Again Summer provided great recommendations and insights. Salted Caramel cheesecake for the birthday girl and I had the crème brûlée cheesecake cake. Both were very good not too dense and not fluff. The flavors were not overpowering so you enjoy the flies well as the taste of cheesecake. Price was what I expected, it's not bar food , priced appropriately. Remember I said reservations were at 8 ? They close at 9 and not once did we feel rushed. The staff, especially Summer treated us like the first customer of the evening. My wife digs the whole singing happy birthday , the dessert had the happy birthday message and Summer discreetly asked if she would like the happy Birthday song. They did, and looked like they had fun doing it. Awesome place we will definitely go back! read more

See all

The building is kinda cool, old solid construction, etc. Walking in to meet our party, 1st thing I noticed was a server bringing a guest a fly propeller for their table to keep the flies off their food. Yes, we had to ask for one when our food came, too. Our party of 12 had a variety of dishes, everyone seemed to enjoy their choice. The lasagna was nothing special, I make it better at home. Rolls? Sister Schubert. Not made in their kitchen. Had to ask twice for crushed red pepper & Parmesan. It's the little things that kill an established business. 5-star prices for 3-star food. Our bill for 4 people was almost $200. No alcohol. Maybe again, but not likely. read more

Went to the Mother's Day Brunch at Ricardo's. We'v been there many times for dinner and the brunch did not disappoint. The variety of food was excellent. Ricardo and his family always makes you feel like you are at home. read more

First visit after a glowing recommendation. Unfortunately, it will be our last visit. In summary the service, food, and value were well below minimal expectations. We were perhaps the 2nd diners arriving soon after opening on a Saturday afternoon. After explaining to the server we'd never been there before and needed some time to look over the menu, she showed up what seemed like every 30 seconds until we'd ordered drinks, appetizers, and entrees. Not sure of the rush, other than to get back to the rest of the staff standing in front of the kitchen to continue whatever conversations were going on with the staff. Ordered 2 'Dirty Martini's' that were delivered by the bartender. A few sips in and realized there's no 'Dirty' in the Dirty Martini. With our sever nowhere to be seen we went to the bar directly and were informed the order was not for a dirty martini. Bartender offered to make new drink, but we were fine and just took a glass of brine to add to what we had. Walked right by the gaggle of servers (ours included) with the brine and not word or asking if everything was ok, nothing to interrupt what we verified as staff gossip. Food is delivered by a runner and literally 20 seconds later with our first bite in our mouth, our server appears to ask 'how's everything tasting?'. Really? We can't answer as our mouths are full and finally say "our first bite" with a reply to the effect of 'OK, let me know if you need anything". Again, really? My wife ordered the Shrimp Santorini (our friend recommended) and it resembled an assembled dish with no creativity, little flavor, and a massive disappointment. Literally looked like angel hair pasta that was over cooked with boiled shrimp on top. No grilling, sauteing no nothing to the shrimp. Literally they could have been pulled out of a frozen Costo bag, dropped in some hot water and thrown on top. I would challenge you to convince me there was any effort or skill used to put that dish together. I ordered the Lasagna. I generally expect lasagna to have some structure to it but the lasagna was flat, and not even warm in the center (at least it wasn't cold/frozen). The marinara had no substance and came across as a quickly assembled tomato base, again following a theme, little flavor. Very disappointing. Desserts looked good (we're slow learners) and the peanut butter pie noted that it was light & fluffy, and an 'award winner' so we thought that would be our best shot of some redemption. When asking the sever if it's made in house the answer was "I dunnnnnooooo, but it's an award winner". Got it. Sums up the entire experience. We asked the same question to the runner who delivered the pie and at least he could respond to the effect that it's brought in from an outside party. While the peanut butter pie wasn't light & fluffy it was good and we definitely enjoyed it. Interesting at the end when our server brought the bill she asked how everything was and my wife responded, "it was ok". Didn't even phase the server as she dropped the check and returned to the gaggle of staff in front of the kitchen. Interesting that we saw several other servers going back and forth to tables, delivering food, and checking with diners. Ours seemed to have other priorities, and clearly, we weren't one of them. Overall, truly a disappointment. Clearly, they have been successful, and I wish everyone success, but it won't be on my dime again. read more

Ricardo's Kouzzina - Dirty Martini without the 'Dirty' - Italian Near Me - Madison, Georgia

See all

Our favorite restaurant! Every time someone comes to visit us, we bring them to Ricardo's. Angie is a great waitress, and we often ask for her. Ricardo, the owner, comes to the tables to greet the customers often. My husband always orders the pork chop dish. it is awesome! read more

Ricardo's is in a beautiful building. The main dining area is a large room with a sunken bar area. This was once a favorite that declined with covid as did most restaurants, bounced back with a few glitches and has seemed to struggle returning to it's former excellence. We reserved a table for 6:30 on a Saturday night. Of course it was Master's Week which may account for the less than ideal dining situation. The hostesses were debating over where to seat us and I discovered immediately after sitting down that our table was directly in front of an AC vent blowing underneath the table. Meat locker cold. Seriously, boots, thermals and a down coat might have made it tolerable. We were moved but the hostesses didn't like it and placed us at a table in a high traffic area which was much better than freezing. The nicest part of the evening was our server, Mirabel. She was pleasant while functioning in a overwhelming, fast paced environment. Cocktail was passable. Fried calamari with the cilantro marmalade sauce was wonderful as always. My husband's meal was a shrimp and pasta dish. His was good. I wanted to try something different and chose the grilled Barramundi. It was filling but I wouldn't order again. I'm sure we will give Ricardo's another chance but we will be more strategic by avoiding the Friday/Saturday evening dinner hours. read more

Ricardo's in Madison offers a wonderful dining experience. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, the staff is attentive and welcoming, and the food is absolutely outstanding. Every detail--from service to flavor--was exceptional. Highly recommend! read more

First off, DELICIOUS! I've been craving for Calamaris for a week now and I finally got it. From the breading to the dip, perfectly cooked and serving size-PERFECTION! I also got the Meatball Marinara. Pasta was al dente! The sauce flavorful, perfect tomato kick. And the meatball, savory perfection. I'm raving and I'm not sorry! I totally enjoyed my orders. I can't wait to order again and try other dishes! I highly recommend this place! Two thumbs up! First off, DELICIOUS! I've been craving for Calamaris for a week now and I finally got it. From the breading to the dip, perfectly cooked and serving size-PERFECTION! I also got the Meatball Marinara. Pasta was al dente! The sauce flavorful, perfect tomato kick. And the meatball, savory perfection. I'm raving and I'm not sorry! I totally enjoyed my orders. I can't wait to order again and try other dishes! I highly recommend this place! Two thumbs up! read more

See all

Came on a Satruday evening around 530pm. All seats were either taken or waiting for parties to arrive for reservations, so my husband and I sat at the bar. We had excellent service by the owner's son. We enjoyed his friendliness and personable demeanor; he made us feel welcome. Our dinners came out very quickly. I ordered lasagna ($22), and it was flavorful and almost melted in my mouth. The homemade rolls are served warm, and they, too, seemed to melt in your mouth. Not only is the service and food stellar, but the building is historic and nostalgic. The location was an old ice house that fell into disrepair over the years. Now, it offers exposed brick, dark wood, and an inviting atmosphere. If you are thinking of dining on Friday or Saturday evening, make sure to make reservations. Highly recommend! read more

Ricardo's Kouzzina - Lasagna (I forgot to take a photo before I cut it up) - $22.00 - Italian Near Me - Madison, Georgia

See all

One of our absolute favorite places to go in Madison. We drive 45 minutes just to go to Ricardo's. Fantastic atmosphere, food, and the service is amazing. read more

Nice place, great atmosphere, food was delicious, service was prompt. Highly recommend!

Dinner was delicious. Angie recommended the redfish and the mushroom ravioli. Did not disappoint! Great service good atmosphere love dining here! Ended the evening with key lime pie and cheesecake. Until next time read more

Ricardo's Kouzzina - Mushroom ravioli with a cream and pesto sauce and tomatoes. Light and filling at the same time. Fresh and delicious. - Italian Near Me - Madison, Georgia

Absolutely superb food served professionally, quickly, and with class. Best in Madison for sure. Will come back next time we are anywhere near Madison. read more

Great service as always. Tremendous food and atmosphere. Good cold martinis. This is the place read more

Ricardo's Kouzzina - Calamari and martinis - Italian Near Me - Madison, Georgia

First time here and it was excellent on so many levels. The food was fantastic as was the service and atmosphere. We had the fried ravioli for an app along with the lasagna and Santorini shrimp over linguine entrees. Perfection across the board. Abby O was an attentive server who made our experience top notch. Looking forward to coming back many times. Kudos to the entire staff read more

Our bartender Hailey was amazing, she made a good Old Fashioned and made us two skinny habanero margaritas that were delicious, we sat adjacent to the bar downstairs. We started with the calamari appetizer and we ordered two ribeye special medium rare which were a bit over cooked. Our waitress a petite young lady was accommodating and hustled to try to make our experience as nice as possible. read more

Absolutely the best pork chop I have ever tasted I have brought several friends and it was a hit The building is beautiful and the service was good Highly recommend read more

The actual menu is not the same as the one online, some of the menu items are available but most aren't. While everyone around us received a bread basket, we didn't, even though we ordered wine, salads and entree's. When we asked, the waitress told us it was because we didn't ask for one, the people at the table next to us said they didn't either but was one was brought out for the waitress decides what a customer gets and doesn't get. Which was very apparent when the shrimp linguini I ordered wasn't linguini but penne pasta instead and the Santorini shrimp my friend ordered had no artichokes or pesto. The waitress told us they'd run out of penne so just made a substitution, without asking, and that the pesto was just a "garnish." There are plenty of other options in Madison that will actually serve what you ordered without any excuses to choose from and I suggest you go to those places. read more

I would have liked to try their food, but the server I had was asked to switch out areas (to the back) so someone else could serve someone, who is a regular, at the next table. After that no one came to my table. I waited until after the table beside me got their salads and wines and apps and placed their entree before I decided to finally leave because it showed me how much they don't care about you if you're not a regular. Never did get to try it, but I guess what can I expect at a place that sells $17 cheese burgers. Please pay your staff more so they can do better. The 1 star is because the water was nice, cold, and crispy. Starbucks didn't have ice. read more

Classy restaurant. Friendly/warm greeting on arrival. Arrived 15 mins early with reservations and was seated promptly. Service was good. I did have to ask for refill but otherwise attentive. Food presentation was nice. The baked feta (appetizer) was rich & flavorful. My wife ordered the surf & turf (shrimp & steak medallions) & I ordered the "Ribeye" Special. Neither of us finished our plates. Neither finished their steak. Really kinda bland in flavor. Not horrible, just very bland. Also, as a former butcher, the "Ribeye" was not a ribeye. Looked more like a low quality, thick cut sirloin. Overall, I may consider returning to try other menu items but do not recommend the beef. read more

We happened by, around 6pm, with no reservations. The host politely informed us that due to being extremely busy, they could seat us. We were fine with that and started to leave. Then, a young hostess, spoke up and said that a larger party had just called and cancelled, and they could break up that table for us. Our waitress, Summer, was fantastic and so was our dinner. Great service all around. read more

The food, ambiance, and the service were all so awesome! Sommer was our FUN server & handled us all so well! We loved every single thing - the calamari and toasted ravioli for appetizers were ::chef's kiss:: !! read more

Ricardo's Kouzzina - Crème Brûlée cheesecake. - Italian Near Me - Madison, Georgia

See all

We enjoyed a get-a-way weekend and could have stayed anywhere. I chose Madison because I had a very good dining experience here at Frank's in the past and wanted her to experience it. The atmosphere was fine, a little loud but everyone was enjoying themselves. The service was off the chart good. My wife and I enjoyed her serving of Shrimp Santorini very much. Up to now, the rating bestowed by previous Yelpers is well deserved. The problem............. Take a look at the picture of my Fried Grouper Platter. Keep in mind that my expectations were set by the menu item name. Unfortunately, the "platter" didnt meet my expectations. I removed a 3oz serving of tartar sauce and a 3oz serving of cole slaw before I took the picture because i had no expectation of either., otherwise, it is as presented. I didn't realize that Management was planning to make its financial margins for the entire evening on my order of the Fried Grouper Platter. The fish was perfectly fried. A remarkable feat based on how thin it was. The breading on the Grouper was bland but would have showcased the Grouper beautifully but what it was on was really Grouper vapor more so than actual fish. The fries were sincerely outstanding. Unfortunately I ate a few before it occurred to me to count them. They are unmolested in the pucture and you can count them if you like but don't bother, there aren't enough to make it worthwhile. Once I accepted my role in the restaurants profit margin for the evening, we enjoyed each other's company, my fries and her Shrimp Santorini very much. Chic-fil-A on the way back to the hotel kept my stomach from complaining until this morning. Let me know if you think this review touting many positives and a single critical failure is overly harsh. If you make a thoughtful case, I'll consider modifying it. read more

Ricardo's Kouzzina - Our receipt. - Italian Near Me - Madison, Georgia

See all

The food was excellent. I had the Barramundi from the special menu, and it was devine! Served on top of melt-in-your-mouth cheesy grits, with grilled shrimp on top, and surrounded by a pablano sauce and a pesto sauce. We all shared a couple of desserts that were really good, too. For as busy as they were (it was Prom Night) the service was amazingly fast and spot on. read more

Ricardo's Kouzzina - Grilled shrimp atop Barramundi with cheesy grits, pablano sauce and pesto sauce - Italian Near Me - Madison, Georgia

The atmosphere is inviting, great drinks, and the food is always delicious. The wait staff are very nice and helpful.

The service was wonderful and my grilled salmon was superb. My husband's Lasagna was fantastic..the presentation of each dish was amazing. I would totally recommend it. We are from out of town. read more

Enjoyed the food, service and company tonight. Bartender had great personality. Shrimp and grits was good, but salted Carmel cheesecake was wonderful way to end my night. read more

This place looked great online, but we were super disappointed in person. The biggest issue was that our table was directly in front of the world's strongest AC vent. It literally had our hair whipping around our faces and items blowing off the table. Our server's response was "Yeah, I hate that." The baked feta dip came wrapped in a ball of aluminum foil and was sitting in a literal pool of oil. And it hadn't even been baked long enough to be hot all the way through. The fish was flavorful but overcooked. And of course everything got cold immediately due to our AC vent friend. Would not recommend. read more

Not impressed.. Came here for my inlaws anniversary (party of 9 with reservations). Guy bringing the water managed to drop the tray on the table and spilled all over 3 of the guests. Never really apologized.. I had to help clean and put fresh tablecloths on the table.. Expected a manager to come by to check on us or apologize... Nope.. Food was OK, some hot, some cold.. After meal came, waiter disappeared until it was time for the check.. He was nice enough, but the service does not match the caliber they are attempting. Will not come back. read more

Amazing lunch at this spot today! We started off with the calamari and tomato bruschetta. The honey cilantro citrus sauce on the calamari was something so different than any other calamari sauce I've ever had and it was absolutely incredible. It married so well with the calamari I recommend this to anyone who enjoys seafood. The bruschetta was super fresh as well and paired with the pita perfect. Next was the apple walnut salad! So great I couldn't even wait to take a picture! Next was the Chilean Sea Bass with orzo. I get sea bass every time I see it on the menu and this one did not disappoint. It was seasoned perfect and went incredibly well with the orzo. To finish off I got the gelato. OMG the pistachio and hazelnut were out of this world! This gem in the heart of Madison, GA is so worth the stop! Highly recommend!!! read more

pork chops are amazing but strip steak was a 1 on 10 scale. service was excellent steak was flat tough and zero flavor

We love Ricardo's!! The food is amazing. Service is good. And restaurant is historic and amazing.

This one of the best places to eat in Madison. The quality of the food, presentation, and taste is great but also affordable. The service is really good and the overall experience is pleasant and enjoyable. The atmosphere is great and to a higher standard. read more

Food is pretty bad. We've been twice... we assumed the first time we caught them on an off night. Figured out tonight that we didn't. I wanted the Santorini Shrimp, but they couldn't hold the capers. This is usually a sign of frozen food. I then got the butternut squash ravioli. It was okay but no better than the Lean Cuisine raviolis. My husband got the rainbow trout. The fish was okay, the mashed potatoes were gross and sour tasting. Not sure how you do that. I don't see how this restaurant has the reviews it does. The food does not justify them. read more

My husband and I ate at Ricardo's last week. It was absolutely delicious! We both had different fish dishes (mine salmon) and they were both 5 stars! I can't wait to go back again!!!! read more

Impromptu road trip to Madison and we just happened to drop in for lunch. Who knows if it's the music or the decor. We loved the vibe of this place. Our server was nice and cheerful. The food was awesome! I had picked from the lunch menu. My Burger was cooked perfectly. The cheese sauce was just the right amount. My husband opted for the Creamy Tilapia, and that was superb. We're definitely coming back for more of what they're cooking. read more

Ricardo's Kouzzina - Creamy Tilapia - Italian Near Me - Madison, Georgia

See all

Fantastic restaurant, the shrimp pasta was amazing. Great atmosphere, great food and the service was bar none! Will be going back read more

Enjoyed our lunch here! We had the hummus plate and I had the Greek salad with grilled chicken. The chicken was cooked perfectly!!! It was moist and tender, not dried out precut strips like you have a lot of places. The bar area was downstairs and looked really nice. We will have to come back sometime to enjoy the libations! read more

Found this little gem thanks to Yelp on drive back to NC.. Nice people, great food, very comfortable space, and good prices. Wish it were closer... read more

See all

We had a wonderful meal at Ricardo's. He greeted us at our table and is on point for running a wonderful restaurant. Plenty of help, great servers and your food is whisked out to your table piping hot. They take reservations which is nice as well. All of our meals were wonderful: shrimp pasta dish, beef medallions, chicken pesto dish and lasagna. Great salads as well and warm toasty bread. Love the atmosphere too. One of our new favorites! read more