I recently filled in a major gap in my CNY dining résumé with a visit to Rosalie's Cucina. I had been reluctant to try it because most places that are hyped as much as Rosalie's has been over the past 30 years tend to disappoint, in my experience. Nope, not this time. Rosalie's is the rare exception that lives up to the hype and more. We arrived early for our reservation to enjoy a cocktail at the bar. From my brother's well-made Manhattan to my perfectly balanced Sidecar, the barmaid had some serious chops. And the impossibly long, thin, and crunchy breadsticks were unlike any I'd ever had. Addicting. Although it bills itself as an "Authentic Tuscan dining" restaurant (which the décor lives up to), the menu at Rosalie's is more Tuscan-influenced or maybe Tuscan-adjacent than strictly authentic Tuscan cuisine. There were grilled polenta and grilled, prosciutto-wrapped shrimp panzanella appetizers (which my sister-in-law ordered for her entrée; see below), but no baccalà or cacciucco or polpo. There was veal piccata, but also Sicily's veal Marsala and Southern Italian/Italian-American staples like manicotti and pizza margherita. I mention this to inform prospective diners, however, not to warn them off. The food at Rosalie's is amazing. One word to the wise: the serving portions are enormous. We were a party of three and ordered the carpaccio and grilled polenta appetizers and the antipasto affetati e formaggio as starters. That could have been our entire meal and we would have been very happily well-fed. We literally had trouble fitting all three on the table. The carpaccio was a huge portion and came on a gigantic plate. It was amongst the best I've ever had. The polenta had a perfectly char-grilled crust, yet remained nicely moist inside. But the antipasto easily stole the show. It came on a giant board that took up a quarter of the table and had enough "nibbles" to feed a family of five. Everything was superb, from the cured meats to the aged and fresh cheeses to the massive mound of shelled pistachios, but the little jar of honey was exceptional, especially when slathered on a hunk of the oven-fresh loaf of bread that was brought to the table as soon as we sat down. For the primi piatti we skipped the insalata and went with the zuppa del giorno, a deliciously rich cream of wild mushroom. The funghi were puréed, not whole, and the layers of flavor (was that a hint of sherry?) were sublime. That soup could easily do double duty as a sauce for game dishes, like venison or wild boar. For the secondi piatti, my brother and I went with the Maiale alla Milanese (pan-fried pork loin, roasted fingerling potatoes, wilted spinach, prosciutto, oven cured tomatoes, green beans, with a Dijon crab cream sauce), whilst my sister-in-law chose the Gamberi Grigliati di Panzanella appetizer (three grilled prosciutto-wrapped shrimp, panzanella salad with tomatoes, onions, olives, anchovy croutons, feta cheese, basil, lemon vinaigrette) mentioned above, which was easily an entrée-sized serving at most restaurants. The pork cutlets were served hot and had a perfect crispy crust while remaining juicy and tender inside, which is hard to pull off with cutlets hammered to a centimeter thick. My sister-in-law reported that, like the polenta, the shrimp had a nice char from the grill, but remained tender and succulent. My brother and I are notoriously big eaters, but we had already been served so much food that we needed to take home half our entrées if we were to have dessert. And you MUST save room for dessert! Alas, although we originally intended to try a selection of desserts, like the rest of the dishes, the portions were ginormous, so the three of us split a banana budino...and ended up taking half of it home! A word about the budino: although I was accustomed to budino being a cross between a soufflé and a lava cake (with lemon curd or gooey chocolate filling) cooked in a Bain Marie, this dessert was more akin to a mousse. Described as a house-made cinnamon-sugar phyllo shell filled with layers of fresh bananas, banana cream pudding and almond cookies, finished with caramel sauce and almond cookie garnish, the best word for this is decadent. The best word to describe the ambiance at Rosalie's is vitality. While some people think it is "loud," I think that's overstating it. The restaurant is small and is bustling with life. There were couples dining alone and two large, multi-generational families filling long tables set for ten and fourteen, respectively. Between the décor, the exceptional service (thank you, Eric!), and the other diners, I felt like I was back in Northern Italy for a few hours. This was one of the best meals I've had in my life and I strongly recommend you go out of your way to dine at Rosalie's. read more

Rosalie's Cucina - The decadent banana budino dessert. - Italian Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

Not sure what happened but the water tasted terrible. It smelled and tasted like chlorine. Absolutely disgusting water. They honored our reservation and the Service was very good. I loved the Christmas decor. There is a parking lot with ample parking. The writings on the wall are of people that dined there over the years. We ordered the brick oven pizza and it was tasteless. Not as good as tiktok said it was, I would not recommend. read more

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Service and ambiance very good - food starting with salads poor then both entrees were well below a level of quality that is expected from what is presented as an upscale restaurant! Certainly not worth the price! Unfortunate for a restaurant with a historical great reputation! read more

I've been waiting years to try Rosalie's and was disappointed. I ordered the braciole which was described as "a Scaloppine of prime sirloin" but was served as 4 meatballs falling apart with 6 pieces of gnocchi for $40? It wasn't bad but I wouldn't hold your breath for excellence read more

Rosalie's Cucina - Braciole - Italian Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

First, Rosalies has always been a place my friends and I love to stop to get a drink, share some apps, and always get a dessert. So I knew we had to bring all our closest friends and family here from out of town for our Rehearsal Dinner. BEST DECISION EVER. Service was outstanding, the process was simple, and the food never stopped (family style service). Everything was beyond delicious and we even had a couple compliments made that it was the best Rehearsal Dinner meal they had ever had. Cherry on top was getting to be in a gorgeous private room with all our family and friends who then all got sent home with the leftovers to enjoy all weekend! Thank you to all the Rosalies staff for such a greta experience! read more

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Unfortunately Rosalie's, though a central New York staple, disappointed. The service was excellent and the vibe and ambiance is on point. But the food was poor. I ordered the sausage and meatball penne and it was flavorless. Very bland. My wife ordered Frutti de mare and couldn't eat it because the fish was rubbery and clearly days old. Not fresh whatsoever. The wine was good and the bread they serve before the meal is the highlight. Unfortunately, while I hate giving my hometown establishments bad reviews, I have to with this one. read more

Usually our go to, but disappointed last night. The Caesar salad recipe has changed, and there's not a lot of Caesar left with a ranch tasting dressing, tomatoes and corn. ‍ a southwest caesar? The maiale was greasy, tough and had no flavor Just very unimpressive. I'm saddened that all the 'wow' is gone. read more

the appetizers are to die for, We have never had a bad meal here. The bread is baked fresh and the staff is amazing. read more

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Our server was Theresa who was very helpful, friendly and professional. My husband and I were celebrating our wedding anniversary. From the bar staff to our server was excellent. My husband had the tagliatelle with polpette and I had the roasted pork with cannelini and escarole. The dishes did come out quickly, but hot. Both of our dishes were delicious. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

I want to start out by saying I love this place. The food is great and I love the vibe. I would give it a 5 star review but the new bar manager is very off putting and unfriendly. She could warm up the bar some and make it more friendly like it used to be. I would love to see her help her staff succeed! read more

While this used to be a fabulous restaurant, the noise level and lack of menu change has made it "so-so". Our meals were very well overly cooked and rushed. Very sad. We won't be back. Our waitress was as terrific as she could possibly be in this mess!! read more

We have been here several times since and always have a great meal! The food is amazing. We came on 11/6 and I was a bit put off by the server at the next table (dark hair in a short pony, glasses, older,) loudly proclaiming her preference for Trump's policies (not the time or place, especially on the clock,) but I can't say anything negative about our server or the food. I had the ribeye which was deliciously charred and flavorful with a fig demi, whipped potatoes, and asparagus. I finished the meal with a crème brûlée and espresso martini, both of which were delicious. We will be back and hopefully this server will keep her political beliefs to herself since most people go out to get away from stress. ;-) read more

3.5/5 stars + cute interior, people sign the walls! Wish I had brought a sharpie + chowder was very good! Super flavorful, but it could have been served much hotter in temperature (served lukewarm at best) + our server was friendly, but we were slow to get served. It took a full hour from time of ordering, to get our food + raspberry mule was very good! - scampi alla rosalie was underwhelming for the price ($38) Serving size was average to small in my opinion. The shrimp were HUGE (giving very GMO shrimp) which I personally don't love, but if you like a big shrimp this is a plus! - leftovers were wrapped in a tinfoil "swan" I sent the photo to my husband and he said, "not sure what I'm looking at" it feels like they're trying to be up class, but doesn't come off that way - atmosphere was VERY loud, which is fine for larger groups, but would not be ideal for a 1-1 date when you want to have a conversation - dark interior lighting (in the afternoon at least) folks I was with had trouble seeing the menu clearly - my cousin got a pasta dish, which was perfectly al dente, but lacking in quantity of ricotta cheese I would go again, but try a different time, and an alternate dish (evenings seem to be very busy) read more

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After driving past Rosalie's for years and having been to their bakery several times, we finally made it over here for an anniversary dinner. The ambiance is cozy, maybe not as formal as I was expecting but that was absolutely okay with me. The fireplace is beautiful and open kitchen I really enjoyed. Most of the staff were warm and welcoming, our server was okay. The food was good. My salad di Alicia was excellent and mannicoti was solid. Again, the bread is amazing and was a highlight with the dipping oil. My spouse didn't entirely enjoy his mahi mahi, the spices were a bit too much and fish overdone. I think the prices are very reasonable. Overall it was a good experience and we'll visit again. Quick note, the guest bathrooms are in the basement so stairs are involved. read more

Rosalie's Cucina - Mahi mahi special entree - Italian Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

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I wish I took pictures before eating, but we did take out and I just don't think it would do it justice. My mother in law has dined here several times and has attested to the plating being very nice, as well as the service. Upon arrival, we entered through a. Separate door for take out orders. I really liked the set-up and organization. We were in and out. I ordered the scallops with Angel hair pasta (I forgot the name of the dish). The scallops were cooked perfectly, the Angel hair pasta al dente (hard to do, it cooks so fast), and with simple garlic and oil sauce it created a dish that really spoke to me. My husband opted for a rib eye, cooked medium rare, which came with asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes. There was some kind of balsamic reduction on top of it that worked really well. The asparagus was also cooked well and had a very nice flavor. The garlic mashed potatoes, great - it's really hard to mess these up. Overall a great dish. We finished our meal with the cannolis. Far from traditional, they were still very good, but again, not traditional. The cream had more of a whipped consistency and the shell was rather fragile and lacked a rich depth of flavor, but the dish worked. It was a light(er) desert and was appreciated after the meal. One thing I want to make note of is the portion size. I've noticed recently that a lot of restaurants portion sizes are shrinking, even ones where quality is lacking. This was not the case at Rosalie's. I really appreciated the balance of quantity with quality. Is this the best restaurant in Skaneateles? You be the judge, but I believe it needs to be in all conversations about Skaneateles' best. We will be back. read more

Food was pretty solid Italian food. I got the tagliatelle with meatballs, and my boyfriend got the rigatoni. The tagliatelle was definitely better and the meatballs were delicious, but the rigatoni was just ok. Service was fast (weirdly fast)- we got our pasta in 5 minutes. And our server Theresa was very helpful and attentive. It was a cool environment, but pretty loud for a quiet date out. It seemed like a bigger group of people would have an enjoyable time. They packaged up our food in their famous aluminum swans, and even gave us extra bread to take home for leftovers, which was a nice touch. read more

Rosalie's Cucina - Italian Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

This is one of the best Italian restaurants I have been to. We had reserved our dinner for 4 a couple of months earlier. We arrived at Mirbau Spa few hours earlier and we were eagerly waiting for our dinner here as we had heard nice things about this restaurant from our family. The entrance is very nice. Very picturesque. Definitely take some photos especially next to their Christmas tree. Then we walked in and we were seated our table by the hostess. Our waiter then recommended us some of their specials. We ordered their halibut special along with scallops and veal Marsala. Everything was very delicious. Veal was cooked to perfection. Scallop were very flavorful. For desserts, we ordered banana budino which is one of their famous desserts. Highly recommend this place if you're planning a visit to Mirbau spa or Skaneateles. read more

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Amazing food with phenomenal service. Tried the 'primavista' and it's something you won't regret if you like creamy pastas. Finished our meal with the phenomenal 'banana budino'!!! 10/10 as always for atmosphere, food and service! read more

Rosalie's Cucina - Menu - Italian Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

Very fancy, authentic Italian restaurant. The waitress was super friendly and welcoming. Food was great! I recommend the manicotti for an appetizer (we ate it too fast to take a picture). Very nice place for a fancy date night or family dinner. read more

Rosalie's Cucina - Italian Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

Came here for dinner on a Thursday night; the place was pretty busy. Its vibe is dimly lit inside. The bread was delicious and I filled up on it way too much. The tagliatelle with meatballs was delish and the breaseola was ok. We split a lemon sorbet for dessert which was served inside a frozen lemon and was a refreshing way to end a big dinner! read more

One of my favorite spots in Skaneateles. Cozy outdoor fireplace as you walk in, amazing food, gluten free options and terrific atmosphere. Our server was really friendly and my espresso martini was spot on. read more

Rosalie's Cucina - Italian Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

What can I say about a restaurant and hostesses that take care of customers. We made a reservation for the week following and thought we changed it to week earlier same time luckily 530pm. Showed up we either never made the change or they never made the change but a table became available and so happy it did. Food and service was excellent, Peyton was professional and on the ball for non rushed service. Their bread picked up 4 loaves prior to take home. It's hard but don't fill up on bread, we did. Ps too many great entree choices to choose from. ARROSTO DI MAIALE CON ESCAROLE, MOSTARDO DI PERA Slow-roasted pork with braised escarole, cannellini beans, hickory bacon, mustard-preserved pears and goat cheese crostini was fantastic with an amazing flavor. Of course leftovers which were also still good. RIBEYE Char-crusted boneless ribeye, garlic mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, house-made fig steak sauce was also excellent and enough for another meal or two. Wish this restaurant was closer I would weigh 600 lbs on bread plus 200 more on their delicious food. Yes, Peyton, we will ask for you and suggest you do as well. Highly 120% Recommend. read more

Rosalie's Cucina - Amazing pork dish - Italian Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

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Great food & top notch service. Wonderful ambience. Cozy and not pretentious. Thoroughly enjoyed my brasciole and oh the bread, nice wine list & drink menu too. read more

My boyfriend and I had a great dinner at Rosalie's! The staff was very nice, but we did wait a while between seeing our waiter at times. The food was delicious! The bread was amazing. It was warm and soft on the inside with a bit of crunch to the crust. We ate so much bread, we were almost full when our main dishes came! The farfalle and tagliatelle with meatballs dishes were very good. I also loved how the left overs were packed into an aluminum foil swan! I would definitely go back and would recommend others to go! read more

I cannot recommend a restaurant enough. Each time I go they outdo the last time. The food is consistently delicious. The service is always impeccable. The restaurant is clean and cozy. In the summer there is beautiful outdoor dining options. The bar is well stocked and speciality cocktails, delicious. Can't go wrong with their aperol spritz. The carpaccio is to die for, I haven't found one better. An enjoyable dining experience is the restaurants goal and they certainly fulfill it. read more

My wife and I had dinner at Rosalie's last Saturday. We were spending the weekend in Skaneateles as a "getaway" and had never eaten there. My wife made reservations online, well in advance of our visit. We arrived on time and made our way to the host station. we were greeted by a rather stern woman who asked if we had reservations. We said yes and gave her the information. They had no record of the reservation and we were asked if we had an email confirmation. I felt like I was in a courtroom. We said that we did not. The restaurant was busy but it is off-season at 6PM and it was just the two of us. The hostess turned to a server and said would you find a table for them? We were taken to the worst table (high traffic, in front of exterior door which is opening frequently). I can't speak to the difficulties of doing her job. But I do know that if you are going to seat us anyway, why not smile and make an excuse about the finicky on-line reservations instead of judging us and making us feel bad? The restaurant is loud, better suited to tables of 4-6 than a romantic dinner for two. Our server Fallon was great. The menu was excellent, with a broad range of food at prices to suit everyone. I'd say the same about the wine list. My wife ordered the braciole and I ordered the 8 oz filet with veggies. We ordered a bottle of Magnificat for $95, which I thought was an excellent price. The warm bread came with olive oil, grated cheese, red pepper flakes and ? It was excellent! it took a bit for the meals to come out but not a problem as long as the bread and wine held out! Both meals were disappointing. My filet was under-seasoned but no big deal. The veggies, which included fingerling potatoes, were barely identifiable and hardly edible. My wife found the braciole a bit tough. it came with gnocchi's but there were only a smattering. The wine was excellent! All said, Rosalie's is a popular restaurant so make sure that your res is in order. Go there for a raucous dinner with friends and don't expect a gourmet meal. read more

Perfect places for an anniversary or special occasion. Also, great just for a date night. I love the filet! It is my go to main course. Their bread is so delicious too. You can get it fresh daily from their cafe located in the back of the restaurant. You must try the cafe's cookies as well. They are addicting! read more

Rosalie's Cucina - Filet mignon - Italian Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

We went there for the first time as we were visiting from Buffalo and the food and service was amazing!! The bread was so good before our meal.. shrimp scampi was delicious and desserts.. I can't say enough about this restaurant.. we will definitely be back! read more

We made a reservation for Sunday night and thank goodness we did because the place was packed. There was music playing in the parking lot which was cute but the pavement was icy and they really needed to salt out there. Food was phenomenal overall. Bread arrives warm but unsliced (bring hand sanitizer for the table). Raspberry mules were a cool new tWe each got pasta dishes that really hit the spot and chocolate cake for dessert. Will definitely be back! read more

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I live this restaurant. I have eaten here several times and they never disappoint me. The food is outstanding and everything is fresh made. The service here is exceptional. It can get a little noisy but that is just from all the people having fun. You will need reservations to get into this place. Without a reservation you will be lucky to get a seat at the bar. But even that will require a wait. This is a very popular restaurant. read more

Rosalie's Cucina - TAGLIATELLE E POLPETTE Meatballs, spicy sausage, house-made tagliatelle pasta - Italian Near Me - Skaneateles, New York

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When driving to Skaneateles I'd always stop for cookies and bread, they have the BEST oatmeal raisin cookies NOT anymore, WHAT HAPPENED??? They used to be over sized and soft, NOW they are very small, in fact all the cookies are smaller guess I no need to make the extra stop anymore your just like everyone else's. BYE !! read more

Homemade bread sticks... amazing.!!!! Service was fantastic and the bartenders were friendly and nice. We ordered the Charcuterie Board and bowtie pasta with peas and chicken which was more than enough for the two of us. Super and Delicious. Make sure you make reservations WAY IN ADVANCE/ like days to weeks/bc even though this restaurant is off the beaten path everyone knows it's wonderful. A secret gem read more

Went last night for my birthday and was very excited. Our first experience there about a year ago was excellent so I truly looked forward to it. Went to the hostess who very gruffly asked if we had a reservation. I told her yes, gave our name so she took us to our table, which by far seemed and felt like where you would put someone when it was a last resort. The restaurant was fairly empty and there were plenty of seating so not sure why we got the worst seat. Closet to the door and it was freezing. Would have been nice to sit near the warm fireplace. And a table in the corner sat empty until we left. Meanwhile we felt like we were in the way. Our server was unfriendly, just going through the motions, our bread was just plopped on our table cloth, nothing under it. It was delicious but that seemed tacky. I could barely hear him when he spoke and he never smiled. We got apps to share and when we did see him he just kept asking if we wanted entrees. We did not. The food was pretty good, but definitely not as wonderful as the hype. cute in there but we felt so uncomfortable and awkward where we sat. Not sure that we would ever go back and I was freezing through most of dinner. Huge disappointment not sure I would ever bother going back. read more

Five stars on all levels! The scallops were cooked to perfection and the banana boudino might be the best dessert I've ever had. The salads were also delicious and had very thoughtful selections of ingredients. This is a must visit restaurant! The swan to go boxes take this restaurant even beyond five stars! LOVE LOVE LOVE! read more

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Meh. Rosalie's has opted for "fancy" food over good food. My tagliatelle e polpette was barely edible. The meatballs were good but the tagliatelle itself was a gloppy, sticky mess. Even worse was the sauce, which for some reason was sweet. A little sweetness can be good in a red sauce (and the tomatoes will give it some sweetness anyway). But this tasted like they put sugar in the sauce - WAY too much sugar. The service was attentive and friendly, so no complaints there. But the food was a huge disappointment. Expensive and not very good. read more

Simply amazing Italian food in Skaneateles. I would highly suggest making reservations even though this place is good sized it seems to fill up quickly. GREAT portions and the execution was simply amazing. Also, I didnt find the prices - especially for what you got - awful at all. Service was great too. Absolutely give it a shot if youre in the area! read more

Have heard wonderful things about this place for years. Reservation's are recommended. The inside of restaurant is nice but a little too dark for me. Dark restaurants just aren't my vibe but if you are looking for a romantic setting this is it. My wife and I ordered 2 entrees and pretty much split them. I had the lobster tail with risotto. I would say the risotto was excellent and the lobster was pretty good. My wife had the stuffed braciole that came with broccolini. This dish was ok. The broccolini was raw. I would skip this if I came back. Service was excellent. We received drinks and our food very quickly. read more

Great spot to go for a special night out. Our waiter Matt was so attentive and helpful with recommendations. The bread & oil is heaven and you can't go wrong with any of the pasta dishes. Save room for dessert! Will definitely be back! read more

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Hostess was extremely rude. We walked in and asked if they were accepting regular dinner service"walk in". Was told yes then asked if I reserved. I said no was to they were booked for the night. Should have been told that from my first question. I asked when the next opening was and was met with a condescending tone that they were booked all weekend... I stated ok so I asked when the next opening was. And finally was told next Wednesday. So if you go here just remember the hostess with the MOLE ON HER FACE. Is less than welcoming and not helpful read more

Our daughter's wedding was catered by Rosalie's Cucina. It was amazing! Thank you, Marc, for making her wedding so incredible. Your staff is the best. Every morsel of food was delicious! read more

Rosalie's Cucina - a table full of food - Italian Near Me - Skaneateles, New York