Im so disappointed in our dinner and service tonight. One steak over cooked, water spilled in my lap, table crammed by upstairs corner wall... the waitress crearly overworked and no time to ensure good experience. I know this is not typical for the cafe but it was a special occassion and we were diappointed. Consider cramming less people in and when the little girl is helping (10 year old we guess) give her oversight read more

One of the few restaurants in Boone that was around when I was in school at App State. High quality Italian food in a friendly atmosphere. The menu is pretty comprehensive. Always a solid choice for dinner when in Boone. read more

Not the greatest Italian dishes, as a whole. We had four hungry post-hike appetites and service was also pretty slow. We were seated about 15 minutes late for our meal, and our server was not quick to serve us. Once food arrived, the service was not bad, though. The vodka sauce wasn't loved and the alfredo seemed a little off, too. Not terrible Italian, just not a group favorite. And paired with the service and our fatigue, not the best. read more

Stopped here on a whim & what a fantastic choice it was. Our waitress suggested the Saltimbocca Piemontese, which was beyond excellent. Also had the Caprese Salad, which had the best balsamic reduction I've ever tasted. Service was great! read more

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Luckily I saw this restaurant when searching Google maps while staying in Boone North Carolina. This should have a five star. Excellent Italian American food. Excellent service excellent salad full bar and easily located. read more

Great food and excellent cocktails and wine selection! We were in Boone two nights and had such a great experience Friday night that we decided to go again Saturday night- we've never done that ! My husband and I are foodies and enjoy our cocktails..... we loved this place. Nothing fancy but extensive Italian selections and great service! We ate at the bar by choice (our usual preference) and so glad we did because we got to chat both nights with Logan, the bartender, and the general manager, Kristy. Logan, a graduate student at App State, was an incredible mixologist. He was also very knowledgeable about the food and wine. Logan was engaging (and patient) with us as we interrogated him about the food, drinks and his personal life. Kristy was also very accommodating and super friendly! If you're looking for a reasonably priced restaurant, great service, extensive choices and satisfying food, plus absolutely some of the best cocktails I've ever had, then this is your place. We also met the owners, who were so nice. This is a family owned restaurant for over 30 years. Patronize them! read more

Arrived a little bit early for reservation time. We waited at the front desk for about 10 minutes before anybody even acknowledged us. We finally got so tired of waiting that we called the restaurant front from where where stood inside the restaurant to see if anyone was ever going to seat us. As the phone rang 2 workers meandered to the desk to answer. It stopped ringing by the time they finally reached the desk. But we were hopeful because they finally seemed to see us. Each of them asked if we had a reservation which we did. And we were finally seated. Hope the food is better than the service. read more

We were in town with a group of 30 people for marriage retreat for our church. As soon as we walked in, we all felt very uncomfortable, everyone was staring at us. I know a group of 30 African American men and women can be a little intimidating to some, but there was no need for the stares. We reserved our space ahead of time, so we had a room in the back. We waited about 15 min before the waitress came to the back to introduce herself and take our drink orders, she was a very nice, and sweet young lady. The drinks and bread came out in a timely manner. The bread was delicious and I loved the oil and vinegar that it was served with. We did however wait about 45 min for our food to arrive. When we finally received our food, it was not what we were expecting. The food was cold and was not very good. The majority of our party did not eat their food. You could tell our food had been sitting for a while before being brought out. I feel as if no one wanted to complain about our experience because we felt as if people were expecting us to cause a scene anyway. We politely paid for our food and left the restaurant. What initially was suppose to be an exciting night with some good Italian cuisine, quickly turned into uncomfortable stares, empty, growling stomachs and a quick run to Wendy's. read more

Not a family friendly establishment. At least not a baby/toddler friendly place. The food was mediocre at best. The service, also mediocre. Having worked in the restaurant industry for over a decade, I understand babies can be difficult. We were visiting from out of town, there aren't a ton of food choices, so we picked this place. The overall feeling was one of they were doing us a favor by allowing us to eat there. When it came time to order drinks, the waitress didn't even acknowledge my 8 year old son. She walked away and he even said 'she skipped me'. Our second round of drinks took an outrageous time to arrive. If you don't want children in your establishment then make it an 18 an up! To the waitress, service 101, if you're given cash don't ask if change is needed. Every aspect of the experience felt like an inconvenience. It was obvious they did not want us there. Our one year old was definitely not on his best behavior, although how are children supposed to learn to behave in a restaurant if they don't go? So if you're traveling through with kids definitely don't stop here. If you're without children, don't expect to be overwhelmed by the food, again mediocre at best. read more

Well, it says it's Italian-American--truth in advertising, as it certainly isn't Italian. Mediocre, clumsy food. The worst was the "tiramisu." Are you kidding? Not even a passing resemblance. Pretty sure tiramisu doesn't involve pudding. The service is friendly, and that's the only good thing I can say. read more

While the food was marvelous, our service lacked severely. There is too much to be said than to attempt to fit into a small tidbit here. Perhaps she was new and needed retraining? Perhaps the other server at the table next to us also needed retraining...Perhaps, I'll just order take out next time. read more

Went here for the first time in person (not catered event) this past weekend. Decor was okay, kind of log cabin crossed with christmas lights, def not the modern. I had the simple marinara over pasta, it was pretty good, but nothing exceptional. Menu is fairly pricey, but service was good. Great wine selection. read more

Excellent food and service! My husband had the filet special with Pina sauce. He said it was the best sauce he had ever eaten. My food was equally delicious. read more

I am sorry, but I am in shock with the 4 and 5 stars. My shrimp alla vodka was plain and cold, by husbands NY strip... No comments... I should have taken a picture. We ate a little and were looking at each other just regreting. Bad U$40 wine as well. More than U$100 to eat tastells food. Next time we're in town, we'll go to a Mc Donalds. Sorry. read more

Still very good after all these years. I stopped in after not being here for about 2 years and it was just as god if not better. Good service, simple Italian food made and presented as it should be. read more

My family and I along with friends have been here twice. The food has been very good, as has the service. If you like Italian this is the place to go in the Boone area. read more

Being from New Orleans we have high expectations. We were not disappointed! From salad to dessert. Delicious! Great staff.

I made a reservation at this restaurant 4 months in advance of Parents Weekend at ASU so I would make sure I had a place to eat with my family. They called me less than a month before this reservation and tell me they are cancelling my reservation for that night. I asked them why and got two different answers when I pressed. First answer is that they just don't have enough staff. I said, then I assume that you will be closed that night. The next answer was that they had 2 private events that night that they recently accepted. So just tell the truth---you can make more money with the 2 events vs. individual tables for the night. Don't lie about it. I have spent a lot of money at this restaurant over the years and I will not be returning. Very rude on the phone when they called and certainly do not appreciate the consistent business. Now I will find a better restaurant for dinner that night in Boone! read more

Quaint Italian restaurant. Great bread, great salad, but my chargrilled chicken alfredo was VERY char-tasting. Tasted like I was eating the scrapings off my BBQ grill grates. Sauce was good though. Hubby had Dijon chicken which was excellent. Great service. Even on a Sunday night I recommend getting a reservation. read more

Came to Boone for a misweek vacation. Stayed at the comfort suites and saw this Italian restaurant 100 yds away. Figured we try it. I am Italian originally from NY and was pleasantly surprised with the restaurant, the service, the wait staff very friendly and the food. Oh the food. The mozzerella stack was delicious, the salad dressing,(balsamic vinergerette ) was creamy and was delicious. I had Veal Marsala.veal was very tender I could cut it with the side of my forl. The flavor of marsala sauce terrific. My husband had seafood fra Divalo over linguini clams mussels shrimp and enough for left overs. I would recommend this restaurant to everyone visiting the Boone area. My complements to the Chef. read more

Despite the 1970s vibe, the meal was wonderful. Service was attentive. Meals were tasty -- chicken piccata, chicken marsala, chicken cacciatore, salmon (they ran out of veal so this was a second choice) and filet. Don't miss the Sweet Basil Vinaigrette ... they should bottle this and sell it. read more

This is my favorite restaurant in Boone. The telephone reservation was easy and polite. We were greeted warmly. The wait and server staff were professional, friendly and served our table of four perfectly. The dinners were excellent, hot and exactly as described in the menu or by the waiter. I had the chicken scampi and it was delicious grilled chicken, in a lemony, capered, white wine sauce over linguine and was delicious. The other diners were very satisfied with their dinners. The portions were generous with several people taking home portions. The bread served before and during the meal was hot and fresh with crispy crust. We had a delicious Fantini Sangiovese that was perfect with each plate. Ample, easy parking. The interior of the restaurant is rustic, with a large stone fireplace that warmed us, just looking at it. read more

Food was good. Service was slow. I had the chicken parm and it was lightly breaded which was great. The caprese salad was very good too. Really liked the bread. Would definitely go back. Make sure you have a reservation! read more

Our reservations were on Saturday night, May 25, 2019. Server informed us that they ran out of Blue Moon (at 6:30 on a Saturday night?), which is the beer my husband ordered. Maybe an employee could have made a quick trip to Ingles to buy a couple of cases when the restaurant started to run out......it's about the customer right? If you love vinegar, this is your place to eat! Although the greens in their house salad were fresh, the dressing was strong vinegar tasting, no flavors but pure vinegar. The breads in the basket were fresh and warm. However, the dipping oil, again was a strong vinegar taste, barely any olive oil or any flavors, no herbs, garlic, pepper...nothing but strong tasting balsamic vinegar. As for service, I had to ask for water refills at least twice even though our server walked by our table several times. Once, our server brought water without me having to ask for a refill! Great! But the water was lukewarm to hot.....not even room temperature, straight up hot! It was as if they had hot water, put ice in it and the ice melted, making the water temperature warm. Our entrees tasted good, but not exceptional. Our server did not bring an extra dish or bowl to put the many small empty clam shells after eating. Lastly, our server asked if we wanted coffee or to see the dessert menu. We replied yes and ordered coffee. She came back with coffee, no creamer and no dessert menus. We prefer to drink the coffee with our dessert, not before the dessert. Also, cream would have been a great option for our coffee. She never brought any and by the time we would have asked her to bring the cream, our coffee was cold. Every time during the course of our dining experience when she came to our table, it was as if she was in a hurry and wasn't interested in serving us. We were extremely disappointed with our dining experience here tonight. Casa Rustica has always been one of our top 10 restaurants in the high country to visit and in the past we brought many friends and family here to dine. Not anymore. Their customer service has gone downhill as well as the food. Don't waste your time or money. Go somewhere else. read more

We had a reservation but upon arriving we still had to wait for our table. When our table was finally ready, there were missing silverware and some were not completely clean. We waited about an hour before our orders started coming out. No one at the table liked their meals and within 10 minutes of receiving our dinner, the waitress started asking if anyone needed boxes. We felt rushed to get out of there. read more

The only reason it's a two star is the service. The apps and soup were mediocre at best, but then it got worse. I love Chicken Marsala and have never had a place where it wasn't good until now. This was the worst Marsala I have ever had. On top of that the penne pasta I had as my side was not drained and therefore the marinara was watery and bland. I heard people around me saying the steak was good but I would be wary of going back to try. Positive is the service. My waiter was attentive and suggestive. I just wish the food had lived up to the hype. read more

Make reservations a day ahead! We had to wait an hour and heard all these people coming in with reservations. They were super busy which made our waiter less attentive and food took awhile to come out. I ordered chicken parm. It was baked not fried so less crispy and not much pasta or sauce with it. Ok place but not worth $18 for chicken parm. read more

I was very pleased. Some of the best sauces I've had in a while and the pasta had a great "toothiness", a nice bite. Very affordable as well. Good service, because of the university, all the servers we've had have been students. read more

Wow! Amazing. meal once again! My wife and I with our daughter and son in law had a spectacular meal. Everything from start to finish was top shelf. Service, menu, drinks, dessert. Veal Marsala is worth a trip. Time honored recipes from an amazing 2ND generation family eatery leave you dreaming of your next time back. Thank you Erica for your perfect service! Thank you owners for continuing to provide the high country with such amazing food! Highly and strongly recommend! Don't miss this one! read more

I can not say enough great things about Casa Rustica! I was a little unsure of how our meal would turn out, as it took a few minutes for the waitress to get to us. We were ready to order by the time she did. However, her attentiveness after that and the impressive quality and tastiness of the food quickly made up for it! We ordered stuffed mushrooms, salad, soup and two different chicken dishes. Every single item was fresh and delicious! I've never eaten crispier lettuce! The chicken saltimboca was the best I have ever had!! We will absolutely be visiting here again!! read more

I used the catering service for a family reunion (27 people) last weekend and the food was plentiful and delicious. I've had salmon dinners in restaurants that were overcooked and not nearly as tastefully done. It was perfect, as were the vegetables. And the chicken was well seasoned and very tasteful. The salad was delightful with the best variety of greens! We all enjoyed it so much! The attention to detail in the food and sauces was clearly evident. Oh, the cheesecake too....non cheesecake lovers liked the creaminess of the cheesecake along with the sauces you graciously provided. Yummy. read more

We selected this restaurant for its Italian menu. Unfortunately, the food was very mediocre. Chicken Parm was basically just a double chicken breast with cheese on top, tortellini marinara was just OK. Service was fine, wine a little too expensive for the menu- they really need an inexpensive house wine selection. read more

This joke of a restaurant is a disgrace to any human who dare enter its distasteful building. From the cheap, plastic-tasting bread to the gelatinous excuse for a dessert, this place exhaled CHEAP from ceiling to filthy-carpeted floor. The marinara sauce (tomato paste and water) looked like highway run-off and the veal was mallet-flattened rubber. If you enjoy resting your elbow in your neighbors chicken marsala (Franken-chicken with sour gravy sauce) then direct yourself to this dive because you will be eagerly escorted to a table close enough to the next that your neighbor will know how many freckles you have on your left arm. The service was pathetically submissive and sheepish. I pity the fool who blows hard earned cash on this over-priced cave. You'd have more authenticity and satisfaction at an Olive Garden. read more

We had a great visit as we felt like VIPs from the time we walked in. Even though the restaurant was packed we were able to get a seat and quick service. The owner took time to come by and talk with us several times. We will definitely visit again! read more

I visited here for dinner on day 3 of a business trip and after having a couple of bad eating experiences so far. I was staying at the Fairfield Inn and asked the girl at the front desk for a dinner suggestion. I got here a little early, which was good since by the time I left around 730 the place was getting pretty full (which was surprising for a Tuesday night). I had the fried mozzarella for an appetizer. Delicious. For my entree, I ordered the chicken marsala. You can choose to have a pasta side, so I selected the penne. Apparently they put red sauce on the pasta and asked if I wanted it on the chicken marsala. Uh, NO. I just want the pasta under the chicken. No sauce. The waitress was extremely confused by this and asked if I wanted it on the side instead. I thought she was referring to the sauce so I said sure. Instead my pasta came on the side, which was fine, especially since I had to clarify a couple more times, NO SAUCE. Thankfully there was no sauce on my pasta. I got dessert to go - an almond amaretto slice of cake - which would have been good if it hadn't been kind of hard/stale already. I don't know if this was because I didn't eat it immediately or if the cake had been sliced already in the back and was just sitting around, but the waitress had said it was very moist and light. This was not moist. I would visit again if I was in the mood for italian when in Boone. The service was also very good despite the waitress being very confused that I didn't want sauce on my pasta. read more

My wife and I decided to try something new. I'm glad she saw this place on Yelp. The restaurant was pretty busy on a Saturday night, but I tend to think that is proof of quality. We did make reservations, so we only had to wait a few minutes. We had the seafood alfredo and French onion soup. Both were delicious. We will certainly return. My only gripe was the tight parking lot. read more

This wasn't our favorite experience on our recent vacation to Blowingrock. My parents really like this restaurant and go each time they are in the mountains. We were there with a big family vacation, that included three very young children. We thought it would be good for the kids. It wasn't. Perhaps because we were there on a weeknight, but the place was full of older groups and the restaurant was very quiet. The tables were very close together and the service was very slow. If I had been there with an adult group, the slow service would've been fine as I hate being rushed through courses. But with young children it was horrible. They don't bring anything out quickly enough to keep them fed and entertained and the snacks we brought with us were quickly done. My parents had told us this was a family restaurant, but it didn't seem to be the case that night we were there. Each couple in our family also decided to share a salad appetizer and entrée, which we do frequently so that we can try different things and not over eat. Perhaps we missed it on the menu, but the restaurant charged four dollars a person split charge to do that. Salads and appetizers were not split, but the entrée was. In the future if we were to ever go back I think I would order an appetizer and a salad as my meal and let my husband order an entrée and we just try a little. We ordered several bottles of wine and kids meals for all the kids. We certainly weren't sharing to be cheap. We had the chicken marsala and I wasn't very impressed. Salads and appetizers were good though, and it seems like their red sauce was good as well so perhaps we just made a wrong choice. Perhaps the mistake was us in assuming this would be a good choice with young children.... back to Chick-fil-A for us :/. read more

If it weren't for our amazing server, Matt, I would be rating this experience one star. We were excited for the main course since the appetizers were fairly enjoyable. However, to our disappointment, the same could not be said about our entrees. It was incredibly overpriced and underwhelming! My Dijon Chicken pasta was very bland and my girlfriend's steak was mediocre. On the menu, the Filet Mignon was advertised as $26.99, while the steak special came out to $45 (which In our opinion was extremely over priced for what was served). It was served with lousy asparagus, a potato, and minuscule pieces of tasteless lobster meat. If it wasn't already past closing time I would have said something but we were ready to go ahead and leave. read more

I absolutely loved this place!! The waitress was very sweet and attentive and the food was very good! There lasagna was some of the best I had and it was a great overall experience. It was a small dining area though so you may want to make a reservation! read more

My wife and I tried this establishment and were pleasantly surprised by the quaint and calm ambiance. The food was very good, though a chose a dish that made more mellow flavors than, making me wish I had ordered something else. Our meal was not rushed at all. We were alloted ample time for appetizers, soup/salad, entree and dessert. Where this establishment lacked was in the service. Our server seemed more attentive to the four top tables who were consuming wine, than our lowly two top table with water and unsweetened tea. Speaking of the tea, my only refill had to be sent back because it came out sweet instead of unsweet. But when it came back to the table my straw was still in the glass. Did my server move my straw to a new glass for me? Did she open a new straw for me? There is no telling. But I do know I didn't drink from a straw the rest of the night. Finally, for dessert we split a Tiramisu. As it came out from the kitchen I noticed it on a tray of food for another table. Our server stopped at that table first. No big deal. Their food was hot. The issue is that the server took the dirty and used plates and utensils and placed them on the same tray as our Tiramisu then carted it all over to our table. That is definitely a health code issue. read more