The ambiance is very sophisticated with a nice sense of hominess too that makes you feel comfortable. You can tell from the front of house to the back that the beauty of a family owned restaurant is the care and love that is able to exist without the hustle and bustle of a mainstream restaurant. They make you feel like one of their own with how personable the staff are! I've met a lot of regulars that have been going for years which that and in itself shows value in what this place has to offer! The martinis are sooo good and they definitely don't under pour which is nice since you feel that you're getting your moneys worth. The serving sizes are huge - many other places you are paying the same or more for half of what the Colosseum gives you! The chicken parm is soo thin and it's hard to find that anywhere else! Their homemade tomato sauce is perfection. I love their eggplant alla romana (rolantini), calms casino, and their Italian (French) fries! My favorite dish is the chicken vinegar and fries which you can't find anywhere but deep in the north end- typically it's made with a pork chop which they also have but it's nice they offer the chicken because I prefer that. They also have a special salad only posted online and it's their version of a chopped salad called the Sal-ad and it comes over their amazing chicken cutlet!! So so good! Can't say more about this family or the restaurant in total!!! read more

First time in this restaurant the food was excellent. Fresh great service the shrimp scampi was awesome the shrimp is huge good portions the chic palm is very good read more

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What a most wonderful dinner, service and ambiance! Our table ordered fabulous clams casino, calamari for appetizers; all could not do without their famous and unbeatable caesar salad; ea entry was perfetto! Egg plant with ( of course home-made) squisito pappardelle; chicken parm with ( ofc home-made) delizioso gemelli; just absolutely gustoso ricotta/ langostino- stufffed breast of chicken with that delizioso pappardelle. Then, creamy, dense, delightful ricotta pie for dessert.. Just an exquiste evening hitting every mark and then some! read more

Nice dinner spot serving traditional Italian entrees in a cozy setting- Tables, booth and bar seating all available.,Came on Friday with my bf and we had fettucine alfredo, ravioli, and oreo crust cake, good service- waitstaff was hospitable and friendly and the food was very tasty. Definitely on the pricier side. But great place to splurge/treat yourself. read more

We had a 5:00 reservation for 16 for a family celebration with kids. We all arrived on time and everyone was seated by 5:10. The service went down hill fast from that point. Drink orders were missed, forgotten and incorrect. Appetizers were not ordered properly or taken from everyone at the table. Asked for meatballs for the 1,2&3 year olds and it took an hour to get them. Meltdowns started for the kids while waiting. 45 minutes after we arrived another table of 10 sat in our area and before we even ordered our dinners they were eating their dinner. The meals were excellent but the service was horrible. They have now lost 16 repeat customers from ever coming back. On top of that they stuck us with a 20% tip for garbage service. Buyer beware. They don't care and don't take care of their customers. Happily we learned of the new baby coming. It should have been a much better evening. read more

Got sat fairly quick but ended up sitting at the table for 35+ minutes without anyone talking to us. We were given bread and water and were never even asked if we wanted any drinks or appetizers. read more

What's there not to say I'm there at least once a week!! Foods always on point and everyone is always friendly. They go out of their way and make me a special dish ever since I was introduced to it. read more

The Colosseum Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Salem, New Hampshire

Food was great, gluten free dish was very good. They need to offer gluten free bread. I would be willing to pay for the bread but now adays it's so easy to get. Please add it to your menu. Bread is a necessity with pasta. Take care of us celiacs. Thank you. read more

Fantastic food - love the chicken parm! Their homemade pasta (gemelli, I think) is excellent. Sal, the bartender, is great as well! Very friendly and always remembers your favorite drink! read more

Hi, really good and had Easter there. Its also been recommended my friend the former wrestler the iron messiah. great atmosphere and service read more

Just a great all around Italian restaurant... Love to hang out at the Bar and chat it up with Sal.... He makes a great martini. Food is great, love the blue point oysters, chicken parm, and a few of the veal dishes. read more

On a trip back from Boston Logan Airport I was craving Italian and found this place on Yelp. We were seated right away and the server came right over to give us water and take our drink order. We started with calamari and stuffed mushrooms they were both delicious, but the mushrooms were next level delicious!! For dinner we had lobster ravioli, seafood pasta, colosseum gnocchi, and spaghetti with sausage. Everything was hot, well prepared and very tasty. Service was excellent and the drink/wine list had a little something for everyone. We will definitely be back. read more

The Colosseum Restaurant - Stuffed mushrooms - Italian Near Me - Salem, New Hampshire

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On October 15th, 2023 my family and I went to the Colosseum Restaurant in Salem, NH for a family birthday party. Our server, Claudia, was wonderful and very attentive. We had planned to go to the Wasabi Steakhouse (down the road from the Colosseum Restaurant) but they were awful to us and wouldn't accept our Groupon certificate! That ticked us off and we walked out. The Colosseum Restaurant was very accommodating! They sat us immediately and gave us very kind attention. First we shared platters of Arancini balls (awesome! Hot! Delicious!), Caesar salad (freshly made and wonderful), and garlic bread. I can't drink alcohol for medical reasons, so I ordered black tea, which they very thoughtfully kept hot and fresh for me. Others ordered red wine and their house red is very good. When our meals came, they were obviously right-off-the-stove, because they were incredibly hot. I loved the Fettuccini Carbonara that I ordered ($16.95). My mother ordered the Lasagna ($16.95) and she loved it. My eldest daughter ordered the Penne pasta with Chicken and Broccoli ($17.95) and just loved it. For desert ..... My father and mother shared a piece of the Pistachio Cake ($8.95). With alcohol, tip, and tax, the bill for six people for Sunday lunch was $250.00. We would happily go to the Colosseum Restaurant again. It was really good! read more

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I went in on a Saturday and had Cole as a server. He was funny at first, and then it went downhill. Not only did he get snarky with me and my husband but also just straight-out rude when I told him my eggplant parm was dry. I heard him whisper "bitch" under his breath as he walked away and was just ready to leave after that. I will never be coming back; this was the worst experience I have ever had with a server. read more

I thought the food was great and service was very attentive. Our server was definitely new but we could tell he was trying his best. I got the double pork chop and it was to die for. read more

Last week while on vacation we found ourselves in Salem, NH. We went to The Colosseum and from the time we were greeted until we left was a fantastic experience. We were greeted warmly, served timely, attended to intently but not intrusively. The food was delicious, especially the bruschetta which was some of the best I have ever had. The table and seating was comfortable and private. I strongly recommend this restaurant as an excellent place to dine. read more

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I had chicken cutlet with eggplant with spaghetti. I thought it was very good. Good portions good service love the menu cause it's so much to pick from all Italian meals. This was my first time so I didn't know what to pick from but very good choices and the prices are good read more

Worst Eggplant parm I have ever had in my life. it did not even remotely taste like eggplant. It looked like they took the eggplant and mashed it up and then put cheese over it (it was just mush). Thank God there was tomato sauce because otherwise there would have been no flavor. It was served with a horrible braided-type pasta that was too hard. I will not be back! Not sure how you can mess up eggplant parm but they managed to do just that. read more

The colosseum is absolutely fantastic! The food was beyond delicious. The seafood stuffed mushrooms are to die for! The service was amazing from the second you walk in. The server was attentive, nice, and very helpful. The ambiance was great too! Even with a packed restaurant it was still not very loud. Oh and before I forget, you must try the dessert ever was beyond delicious!! read more

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Disappointing and expensive, this was not a $130 plus dollar meal. Went there on the recommendation of some friends. Found the waitstaff was awesome, our waitress was engaged, helpful, and very pleasant. The atmosphere was just average and the food expensive and not nearly worth the bill for two that arrived. The meatballs were hard as baseball (and about the same size). The pasta was forgettable. Overall the Colosseum lived up to its name, old, tired, and destined to be history. read more

My wife and I have been going to the Colosseum for at least ten, if not fifteen years. There was always a good meal to be had. I don't know what happened: Maybe Mama is gone? I don't see her anymore. This place has plummeted from a 5 to a 1 and I have to guess that whomever is cooking now has no clue how to make Italian food. Just plain terrible! Now that the Capital Grill is open we'll be going there for our special dinner nights. read more

Amazing service, amazing food, dessert and drinks. Creamy espresso martini is a MUST!! Susan O is fabulous so definitely request her! Perfect weekend dinner spot!! read more

It's pub food with an Italian flag hanging... watery tomato sauce and overcooked chicken parm drenched in cheese to hide the flavors. Not worth the drive or the money. It's not authentic Italian, it's the same crap you get at Olive Garden with Italian theme ribbon. I prefer more seasonal European dishes - the Italian pub meals never go over well read more

By far the most amazing Italian Restaurant we have ever been too. Amazing food, knowledgeable and courteous staff with a very romantic feel. Definitely not what you would think from the "strip mall type setting ". Nothing is cheap here but is definitely worth every penny!! read more

Surprising find on the way back from NH to MA. Searched for an Italian restaurant and found this. It is Boston North End quality - al dente pasta texture, fresh ingredients, strong portions. Decent wines. Not cheap but not super extravagant. Would definitely go back, and so happy we stumbled into the Colosseum! read more

I had Thomas as a waiter and he was phenomenal. Best of the best truly. The food was great and so was the service.

Service poor- rarely saw our waiter. My husbands steak requested his steak medium- came out very rare. Sent it back to cook and was warmed a bit but still very rare. Waiter had no interest in this. Took the steak home to cook. Will never return !! read more

The food was good! Service was okay and the atmosphere was good! My cousin loved it !

Overall food and dining was very good, excellent martini pour. The clam casino appetizer was weak, 1 of 5 not ever seen a clam that small that was stuffed, pass on this one. Linguini with white clam sauce was 4 of 5 not the best I've ever had but good enough to order again. The veal francese 5 of 5 that good and absolutely delicious would definitely recommend. read more

Ordered take out. Text came in at 8:02 that it was ready to pick up. Arrived 8:05. Nobody would even look at me, while I waited at the host stand. Hostess and multiple servers walked right by multiple times not even asking what I was there for, despite my trying to stop them. One told me the hostess would be right back, which took 7 minutes. Hostess returned and didn't even look up, just started spraying menus down. I'm okay waiting, 100%. I'm not okay with ignoring. Tell me the text estimate was wrong, food taking longer - all good. But not interacting or even acknowledging when I'm trying to just tell you my name and that I'm there to pick up food is not okay. Ultimately left at 8:35. Food was decent. But it's hard to overlook service above. read more

The food was horrible. Pasta that was so "Al dente" it cracked like it just was poured out of the box. The marinara sauce was orange and had an odd taste to it. The eggplant was all bread, couldn't find the eggplant. The bathroom was clean, well designed, service is good. Eat elsewhere. We paid our bill and opted to not take leftovers home. We won't be back. read more

We had reservations at Colosseum tonight. We were seated promptly, and the service was great as usual! I highly recommend their Veal Francese. My husband eat his entire lasagna. read more

Attended a private function of about 40 people. We had half the restaurant; not a private room but our own space. The space adjoins the bar and it was noisy and well attended when we arrived. I think we drove out those customers with our celebration. Food was good and plentiful. Most of the steak eaters had leftovers. Wait staff was great, very attentive. Drinks were very heavy pours. We all had a great time. read more

The Colosseum used to be one of the premiere restaurants in Salem NH. Recently, We booked a reservation for eight people for the first time in many years. The host was accommodating and the server meant well. However, when the food arrived my father's meal was undercooked and my brother's meal was left off altogether. We were charged full price regardless of the error and a bit shocked at the bill. Overall, I was disappointed with the mediocre food and the inflated price tag. It's too bad how this restaurant has changed. Overpriced- under delivered. read more

Ordered the spaghetti Carbonara. What I got was real thick undercooked spaghetti, regular fatty bacon and not guanciaile, and too much olive oil. It did have cheese on it but they omitted the egg which Carbonara gives it its signature flavor. The meal was $20, the portion was small, and only included a little small piece of bread. No salad or anything else, REALY !!! I won't be going there again... read more

I really wanted to like this place they have several items on the menu that are hard to find, but the service and quality have suffered over the years. The last time I was in my medium steak was still raw/blue inside. Very poorly cooked. Not a good experience at all. We were a party of 4 on another occasion and the waiter added her own tip to the bill? I would have given more - but since she decided on an amount for me I gave her what she wanted. read more

Haven't been at this place for a long time, had reservations for seven people but got there early and sat at the bar and waited for ever just to get a beer! Terrible waitress and bartender. Got seated way in back and waited forever again to get noticed by this awful waitress. Waited forever again for drinks. We finally all ordered food and the food finally came minus one meal. She obviously forgot one meal. It finally showed up and she said it was late because it wouldn't fit on her cart????? I'll never go back !!! Worst service I've ever seen!!!! read more

Had my first dining experience in a while here, and had high expectations. The Colosseum pulled through with its best-they-could parking lot atmosphere and electric playlist. I ordered the French martini, which at first sip I wasn't sure of. Rest assured, the drink was strong enough and got better with each sip. Our waiter was very helpful as we struggled to figure out what entrees and appetizers we wanted, deciding on the calamari, stuffed mushrooms, and then gave us a free stuffed artichoke because we asked about it earlier and were told they were out. Definitely a memorable touch. The order of calamari was smaller than i expected, but I loved the dipping sauce. The stuffed mushrooms were okay. I ordered the seafood pasta entree with clams, lobster, and shrimp. The shrimp and lobster shined, but the clams were a bit chewy. The light red sauce and pasta were decadent. The service again was great, with the waiter accommodating to my questions about dairy in the dishes. The menu is huge with enough vegetarian options. The prices are what you expect for Italian food of decent portions (I had leftovers enough for another dinner). It's in a weird '60s feeling strip mall, but don't discount this place based on appearances. read more

The Colosseum Restaurant - Seafood entree with a French martini - Italian Near Me - Salem, New Hampshire

I know how to cook so I take things literally. I ordered a dish with Bolognese and gnocchi . I have made a true Bolognese sauce many a time. I was served a simple meat sauce with my gnocchi and it was horrible. On the children's menu it is meat sauce and spaghetti but they change the name to Bolognese when they want it to sound fancy. They gave me a cup of marinara to augment the meat sauce but that was not a great red sauce either. My Gnocchi was overcooked also. Nice people pleasant restaurant just don't order the red sauce or the "Bolognese". I'm done too many better Italian restaurants in the area to go back there. read more

We were a party of 10 with reservations this past Friday night. We were seated promptly and the waiter was very nice. The restaurant is very clean. That is the extent of praise for this restaurant. When we arrived there was a band playing in the lounge area and as the evening progressed, the music got louder and louder, to the point where it was difficult to hear any conversation at the table. I ordered veal cutlet and eggplant parmigian. The veal was as thin as it possibly could be and had no taste. Frankly, it was like eating cardboard with sauce and cheese. The SAUCE. It tasted like the sauce from canned ravioli and looked the same. I was very disappointed, and would not go back. read more