My wife and I dined here for a nice dinner out and had a wonderful experience. We started with the calamari which was crispy and tender (not over cooked!), and the batter was very well seasoned. Next up was the peach salad from the summer menu. A great salad with sweet grilled peaches, bright acidic vinaigrette, and crunch pecans. Highly recommended. Entrees were the Bistecca with Pistachio Gremolata and Shrimp Carbonara Pasta. I had the steak and it was AMAZING. Seriously: One of the top three steaks of my life. The skirt steak had a nice sear with good seasoning and was cooked perfectly to temp (med rare). But what took it over the top was the gremolata. Roasted pistachios, olive oil, parsley, chile pepper, lime... crazy good. I ate the whole thing without batting an eye (of course I let my wife have some too :P). The shrimp carbonara pasta was well made and creamy with beautifully tender shrimp. The only criticism I have is that the pancetta was not crispy so it made for a very chewy fatty bite. Suggest making it crispy and putting it on the top once the rest of the dish is completed. The service was fantastic and we even got to chat with the owner at the end. Highly recommended for upscale Italian cuisine in Wilmington. It has all your classics and great modern Italian as well. Go now! What are y'all waiting for?? read more

Tarantelli's is as good as it gets when talking about fine Italian dining in Wilmington. The service, ambiance, and food was great and they accommodated our large party excellently. Everyone genuinely enjoyed their meal! read more

This is a little taste of home. Being from NY I unfortunately consider myself an Italian food snob and judge a place based on their ability to make marinara sauce. If their sauce is poor usually the rest isn't great. Well Tarantelli's sauce is top notch along with everything else on the menu. Pasta always cooked to perfection and their menu has something for everyone. A lot of times you can't even make it to the menu because their specials sound too good to not try, and I haven't been disappointed yet. The service is great everyone is friendly and offers up recommendations from apps to wine. Hands down the best Italian in Wilmington! read more

Cocktails were great, food was mostly good, service was abysmal. I risked eating indoors in a restaurant for the first time in months because of a special occasion and the waiter just could not be bothered. It wasn't overcrowded, they weren't understaffed, I would have understood that. Just plain old crappy service. Disappointed and we won't be back. read more

Just fantastic- you can tell as you enter that this is a true Italian kitchen. Roasted garlic and oil served with the bread. Garlic well done on the pasta too. I'm not really eating pasta so asked for the shrimp fradablo with veges - no problem. So good! Ended with apple pie, gelato and coffee. Highly recommend. read more

Tarantelli's - Kicking off our getaway. - Italian Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Very unprofessional and rude. We had a reservation for over a week and were sat at the worst table in the house. We asked the waitress to be moved and we were told that there was nothing she could do about it. I turned my head to look around the restaurant and saw open tables. At this point I was very disappointed in her lack of empathy for my situation. She came back and asked what we would like to order and we simply sat the menu's down and left for another restaurant. I'm extremely disappointed in the way they handled the situation. There is always another option. read more

The food here was amazing! The place had been highly recommended by our airbnb hosts, so we went in with high expectations. The food definitely lived up to the recommendation - I enjoyed their homemade tagliatelle noodles in a tasty carbonara dish. It seemed to be a recurring theme that we had sub-par service during our stay in Wilmington over the holiday weekend, so I am taking our poor service there that evening with a grain of salt and guessing maybe they were understaffed. There were too many service fumbles to list, but by the time he brought us our check, he was blatantly saying "I know I have given you sub-par service tonight," but that was the extent of his resolution. That being said, the food and the atmosphere still made for a great evening. read more

Best Italian restaurant in Wilmington, NC. Fantastic food and service!!! Had the pasta cheese wheel and it was as good as we had anywhere. Calamari was prepared perfectly and the dipping sauce was great. Will definitely return to try their other menu items. read more

I have had the joyous experience of dining at Tarantelli's. While comming to North Carolina on business i was craving spaghetti and meatballs so we found this restaurant. Let me just say my co worker and i came back 3 more times. The food was just delicious to the point were we did not get the same dish twice to test the consistency of the food delivered to us. Everything had the right blend of flavors and you can tase everything they used to make their dish tast naturally flavorful. From the spaghetti and meatballs to the grilled peach salad, the whit Russian, or the tiramisu and the goodfellas coffee... it was all amazing. You also do not get shorted on the meats where to some restaurants leave you feeling you could of got more bang for your buck .. Tarantelli's makes sure you leave there satisfied. Brian was our wonderful host all three times and bro you were amazing on suggestions and a pleasure to get to know. I will return one day . If you want to go on a date , take your mother or parent out or are just craving spaghetti and meatballs this is the place to go you will not be disappointed. read more

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Wife and I went here for our anniversary. The food here was probably the best meal we have had in Wilmington. Everything was spot on. Got a fillet bruschetta for an appetizer. AMAZING. She then got baked ziti and I got the homemade ravioli. Both were really good. No complaints at all. read more

We were given a gift certificate to this restaurant and honestly after eating there I have to say the food was a huge disappointment Better to go to Boca Bay or Osteria if you want a good quality dinner Our waitperson was really terrific but it isn't going to change this review We ordered calamari that arrived cold and soggy and over salted, somehow the chef decided to mix in cut up peppercini which tasted awful When asked how it was we complained and it was replaced with another order of calamari and it was just as bad and even more salty Our main courses of scallops and vongole with pasta were both unedible due to over salting and risotto with the scallops had so many garlic cloves it overpowered the dish, I tasted just a few spoons of it for hours afterwards! We will not go back for another try, overpriced and I can cook better food in my own kitchen read more

Steak bruschetta amazing... unfortunately the place looked closed down the last time i visited

First time here and EVERYTHING was amazing! Ambiance , music, staff, owner very hands on, finally the food! We came to NC from NY 7 months ago and have tried to find a good Italian restaurant, being raised Italian it has to be authentic and delicious- well we found it here at Tarantelli's! read more

My first visit was Christmas Eve while my mom was in town for the holiday. The service was a bit rough at first (it took a bit longer than 10 minutes after we were seated and given water until we saw our server again). Once we placed our order, the meal proceeded at a good, leisurely pace that gave time for each well-prepared course to digest. The warm, crusty bread with rosemary and garlic-infused olive oil was a wonderful starter. The pasta fagioli was the best I've had, well worth the price, and would have made a nice meal itself. The chicken parmigiana (my entree) was served with house-made peppardelle pasta in a rich marinara and simply delicious. My mom had the rigatoni with prosciutto and rich, creamy béchamel sauce which she also very much enjoyed. Tarantelli's wine list offers a nice selection of wine by the bottle or glass without being overwhelming. It's terrific to have an excellent, upscale Italian restaurant in our little city. Some may balk at the prices or find the pace of service a bit too leisurely. For our part, we found it refreshing to be able to enjoy top shelf Italian food here in Wilmington without feeling like we were just another table to be turned over. The staff and owners were warm, friendly, and worked hard to make us happy. I can't wait to return and relax over my next fine meal at Tarantelli's! read more

As my mother's maiden name was Melarangi, her family coming from the Cassini, Italy, we grew up savoring the glorious food Mom made in the kitchen. Several times a year we would experience what we kids called the Italian Pig Out, where Mom and Dad would invite the parish priest in (who also invited the Bishop from Raleigh) and lay out a cornucopia of Italian deliciousness. Having said all that, my expectations were high and the chef, waitress, and entire staff did not disappoint. Glorious food with a wine that complimented it nicely; as General Douglas MacArthur once said, "I shall return!" read more

Amazing food, amazing drinks and amazing service. The only hard thing was deciding what I should order. I wound up leaving it up to my server. Had the shrimp scampi over risotto. Two enthusiastic thumbs up!! read more

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Disgusting! Pasta was so over cooked that when I picked it up with my fork it fell apart. It was alike eating a wet paper towel. They couldn't even mix in the sauce!? Only had the courage to spoon a helping in the middle. Sausage and meatballs were bland with little flavor. There were 5 people in the whole restaurant.had 3 different glasses of wine, Chianti and Barbara tasted very cheap and warm. Bartender was wearing workout pants. Save your money! read more

Tarantelli's - Pasta was over cooked. It was alike eating a wet paper towel. Sausage/ meatballs were bland with little flavor. - Italian Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

The giant wheel of parmesan was both beautiful and delicious. I am more satisfied with my service and food here than I have been with any man. read more

If you have t been here yet......you're missing out! We had our Wilmington Housewives Girls Night Out Networking & Social here and everything was amazing!! Real Italian family recipes! I enjoyed my pizza(which is amazing and comes with scissors....yes!, for real) and my bottle of wine because in Monday's it's half price bottles. Get down there and try it out! You won't be disappointed. The food, atmosphere, and service were spot on!! read more

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Great homemade pasta. Spaghetti & meatballs are delicious! Only got 4 stars instead of 5 because the bread was not great. Owner is attentive and wants your input. Great bar area too. read more

Food is amazing! Owners are even more impressive! I went in late this past Saturday during Covid -19. The town was empty. They were past closing and sitting down to a family dinner. Instead of turning me away the Chef created me a feast for four to take away. I had a chance to chat with the owners (six feet away of course) and the care and love they put into this place is incredible. You must go here, eat the food and soak in the history and inspiration behind it all. Hint...there is a card playing Sicilian grandfather in the story along with a pulpit. Ciao! read more

Very nice Italian restaurant with a multitude of dishes and wine list. Reservations are required or you can eat at the bar. On a Friday night the place was packed by 6:30. The food is exceptional and ambiance very nice. read more

BEWARE!!!! Such a scam!!! My mother and I visited the beach before she has a total knee replacement. On Friday night we stopped in to have dinner, we were told they had no reservations/availability. We inquired about making reservations for Saturday night, and we were instructed to go online to do so. I went online (open table) and made a reservation for two people for Saturday night. It prompts you to put in a credit card for the reservation, that states no shows and same day cancellations are subject to a $25 per person charge. Shortly after that, I found out a friend would be in the area and wanted to join us for dinner. I tried to modify my reservation through the OpenTable app, it stated any reservation changes or cancellations had to be called into the restaurant. I tried to call the restaurant to adjust my reservation, and they did not answer many times throughout the rest of the evening. I left a message stating I needed to change my reservation. The next day I called multiple times, and there was no answer, I left a message. Later in the day, I missed a call from the restaurant and they left me a message stating that my reservation was CANCELED. I called back to clarify if my reservation was changed or canceled, no answer. Eventually I was able to clarify there was a misunderstanding and my reservation was canceled, and they were unable to accommodate a party of 3. Ok fine, no big deal, or so I thought until a $50 charge showed up on my credit card several days later. I tried to call and inquire about this, again no answer, left a message. Eventually received a call back where I was told this was due to a same-day cancellation and how OpenTable has a disclaimer. I tried to explain the situation, how this was a misunderstanding, and how when I spoke to them no one mentioned that I would be charged. OpenTable states you are subject to be charged, to me, I assumed, because there was a misunderstanding and difficulty with getting in touch with anybody that I would not be subjected to charges. I was told that they would let the owner know, I have not heard from them since. It's not like I prevented them from filling that table, it was already filled! There's also constantly people wanting to walk in and they don't accommodate that. read more

Wow! Great food, great service, very nice wine list. Brian was our server for the pasta served in parmigiana wheel. I would visit Wilmington again just to go here. I only wish they had a place in my neck of the woods, I would be a regular, no doubt. Highly recommend, have some wine and enjoy the fantastic authentic Italian food. 5 stars for sure! Thanks Brian and Ryan!!1 read more

Tarantelli's - Italian Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

This food was just not very good. Especially for the price. One of the most expensive Italian restaurants I've eaten at and honestly I was not impressed. The breading on my chicken was very heavy. The steak tasted like it had zero seasoning and we found ourselves having to add salt to all the food. My dish came with a side of homemade pasta and the noodles were all clumped up and stuck together. Also our waitress never came back to check on us so we never got a water refill. Won't be returning. read more

Tried Tarantelli's for the first time, and can honestly say it it now my favorite Italian restaurant in the Wilmington/Cape Fear area. The casual atmosphere started the evening off on a good foot. The fried calamari appetizer was cooked perfectly and portion was very generous. The beef braciole was excellent and the fresh pappardelle pasta complemented it well. We also had the Raviole special was very good. The evening was capped off with their home made Napoleon cake and one of the best cappuccino's of all time. We will definitely be making regular stops to this fine dining establishment! You can not go wrong it's giving this restaurant a try! read more

Over priced and over spiced Fra Diavlo pasta was also dry and sparse on the seafood side. The cannolis were also too creamy and lacked sweetness. Service was great but the food was disappointing. read more

Magnificent food, crisp service a great dining experience. Visited twice with friends and it exceeded my expectations. Each time I had a different fish special; Exquisitely prepared, on point with the proper accompanying pasta. read more

We've been going to Tarantelli's for years and it was one of out favorites. We hadn't been there in a while and went the other night and have to say....very disappointed. read more

My partner said his pasta tasted like it was just butter and chicken, no other flavor. The broccolini was soaked in wine that wasn't cooked out in the slightest. Some people may like that I guess, but it was inedible to me. Our salads had a bunch of really wilted leaves. I also had the ginger lemonade, which I was really excited to try, but it was disappointing. It just tasted like Minute Maid lemonade, vodka, and water. No ginger at all. There's a lot of different takes on Italian, this just wasn't the one for us. Owner was friendly, servers were always smiling and on top of things, decor was nice. read more

First time we tried to your restaurant ~ came in for a lite dinner and have to say how disappointed we were. The waitress was pushing the brushetta for an appetizer after we had already decided what to order for dinner. After her asking us several times, we agreed ~ big mistake. We received 6 tiny pieces of bread with the brushetta on them. So small, that my thumb was bigger than any piece on the plate. Every piece was overloaded with garlic, to the point where my husband and I had to clench to swallow. Extremely disappointing, especially when we received the bill ~ $12 for the brushetta ~ SERIOUSLY. My husband ordered the seasonal shrimp/ GAMBERI E PESTO PANCETTA CARBONARA roasted garlic sautéed jumbo red tail shrimp and crispy pancetta tossed in a rich carbonara sauce with green peas, fresh basil pesto and shaved asiag Not good ~first, the jumbo shrimp were not jumbo, and were not sauteed more like boiled. The pancetta was supposed to be crispy. No ~pancetta was in large chunks with no flavor or crispness whatsoever. That too seemed to be boiled. With pancetta, you would think the dish would have more flavor ~ NO l The dish had no flavor. On a good note, I had the FIORENTINA MELANZANE FRITTE which was the perfect size and the best thing I ate last night. For an Italian restaurant, your prices are also outrageous on many items, especially wine. I would take a second look if you want to succeed. read more

We've been back to Tarantellis several times now and have not been disappointed yet. The calamari is the best in town. So glad we finally have a decent choice for authentic Italian cuisine in Wilmington. Love this place! read more

SO my mom is "right off the boat Italian" and we tried this delightful restaurant twice this past week (Friday - pizza and Sunday - Mother's Day Feast) did not dissappoint! Due to COVID we had to do the "curbside" delivery. My mom said the eggplant parmigina was top notch and perfect. The sauce was incredible light and legit marzzano tomatoes. The filet was nirvana - done just right and the sides were heavenly - clearly all their food is made with love and just the right amount of spice - not over garlicky but amazingly flavorful. Our whole experience was first rate from the frequent updates via text about our food and "reservations" to the very sweet gentleman who delivered our food curbside. Do NOT miss this authentic Italian experience. You will not be dissappointed! thank you to everyone for making our otherwise "meh" Mother's Day into "marvelous!!" B read more

The pasta is very good! Which is great because that's what we showed up for. We ordered the Spaghetti and meatballs and the homemade pasta with porcini mushrooms and cream sauce (half order). Both were unbelievably good. The spaghetti sauce had a really lovely thyme flavor. I got a side for myself to add to my cream sauce. Perfecto! Not an impressive wine selection but that's what wine bars are for. The atmosphere is nice and the service is warm. It's a bit on the fancy side. I love the food at fancy places but the atmosphere can be a bit stuffy sometimes, which is why we usually sit at the bar. Maybe we'll try that next time. I will also try the rigatoni with bechamel next time and see how it compares to Il Forno's bechamel. read more

Excellent foods, service, atmosphere... fairly large room that was full but the ceiling tiles apparently contain the noise level.

Overall underwhelming. The ambiance and atmosphere in the restaurant was amazing. The food did not impress us. The only food item that did was the calamari, which was perfectly fried and absolutely delicious. We ordered the Fettuccine con Salsiccia e Salvia Fritte and the ravioli special. The fettuccine was over cooked and the sauce was a bit salty. The ravioli special had more cheese then ravioli and the sauce was suppose to be a bolognese but it was a marinara. read more

We stopped by after walking the River Walk on a whim after reading some yelp reviews. It was on a weeknight and not busy. We were seated immediately and the waiter was polite and made a good recommendation. I tried something I haven't had before and it was delicious. We both had shrimp pasta dishes and they were great! Really good portions too. The owner came by to make sure that we were happy with our dinner-and we were more than pleased. The only problem was that we were too full to try out any desserts-so we look forward to that for our next trip there! Nice quiet atmosphere in an industrial styled building! read more

Tarantelli's is a great place if you are looking for Italian food in Wilmington. Took my wife here for her birthday and it did not disappoint. The service was amazing and the food was the best I have had since visiting Italy. We ordered the pasta that is prepared in the giant cheese wheel. The cheese is melting with flaming whiskey, it is as awesome as it sounds. read more

Been here several times, the last being Christmas Eve. Great ambiance, great food, love this place. Our go to when we have visitors come in. Baked Ziti is awesome, their homemade pasta is perfect and the specials are alway delicious. They adhere to social distancing and staff are in masks. Felt as comfortable as could be during these times. read more

We had a reservation for 7:45 and it wasn't ready. They suggested sitting at the bar. It took 15 mins before they even took our drink order. Bartender was rude when asked if they had Dr. pepper and she brought my dad the wrong drink. At this point it was after 8 and still no table so we sat at a table at the bar. We placed or order and waited. And waited. A half hour later, they delivered one salad for one person. 40 mins after that, we just gave up, paid for the salad and left. Inattentive staff and disinterested management. Couldn't tell you how the food was because it never came. They didn't even comp the salad. read more