Haven't been here in years so thought we'd give it a shot since Buon Gusto closed. It was EXCELLENT all the way around. Our server, John, was top notch and the food was incredible. Such big portions! We will be back!!! read more

Ciao Amici's - Italian Near Me - Brighton, Michigan

Hello, Thanks for checking out my review. Food is my favorite hobby, I do not cook at all, so I'm constantly on the hunt for something amazing to eat and writing about it is my second favorite hobby.... I hope it helps you as you find your next meal. Enjoy and good eating!! I always rate a place by 5 categories ranging from 1 - 5 stars and why. (Atmosphere, Service, Food, Price & Overall Experience). Atmosphere: 3 For an Italian place you think warm friendly cozy and it was a little more banquet style seating which doesn't give a hold lot of private dining. Service: 3 they were a little slow and not that tentative. Food: 3 this was the most surprising I was expecting greatness and some the dishes were ok not the flavorful. Price: 2 being that I didn't think the food was that great for the price was ridiculous Overall Experience: 3 It was okay nothing great and will not be going back. read more

Is this a true 5 star restaurant - not even close. Is this the closest thing to fine dining in Brighton - absolutely. They truly endeavor to give Brighton a slightly upscale dining option. So I rate them on a Brighton scale. Ambiance is that of an older, slightly upscale Italian place. Dimly lit, but nicely decorated. Date night type of place. Service has been good each visit. Most servers have been there a while. Workforce stability is a good sign. The wine list is a bit diverse and not very pricey. They have a dining room manager very familiar with the wine list and willing to open a bottle to let you try. They have a wider selection of very drinkable inexpensive wines. Markup is modest. Food has been solid. Nothing fancy, nothing high end, but definitely better than chain Italian. Surprisingly I like their meatballs. And try their Gorgonzola salad. A few times the food could have been warmer. Price point is about what I would expect. Decent value. I like this place. read more

Well, it was fine. But I can't picture myself returning. Here's why. We walked up with no reservation and were told that there would be a 30-45 minute wait. Ok. That's fine. So we stood outside in the unheated vestibule because we didn't visit the bar. (People who visited the bar could wait inside without being chastised by the hostess.) We finally were seated just inside the dining room, next to the kitchen. The veal was fine. Overpriced and wildly overrated but tender. The Gorgonzola cheese sauce was gloppy and reminded me of cream of mushroom soup but it was edible. But for a $65 meal (incl 2 glasses of meh wine) you sort of expect flambé or flying wait staff. Remember, I literally stood in the cold for 45 mins like a concert junkie. My impression was that Ciao Amici didn't give any consideration to the fact that their guests are not obligated to eat there. They have other choices. I've eaten at many other restaurants where the staff is extremely gracious and grateful that you're there, eating at their establishment. Those are the restaurants that I'll return to, and invest in. read more

Excellent ambience, food and service. Ask to sit in the front room. The back room has a great view of the restrooms

Excellent meal. Birthday dinner. Everyone enjoyed. Fish, lasagna and short ribs all excellent. read more

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Came here for two birthdays as well as our early wedding celebration. The staff is always attentive and kind. We all got various dishes. My fiancé just got a Caesar salad with chicken, but it looked delicious. I got the pasta primavera. I love this and get it every time I come. Pasta is always perfectly cooked and the veggies are fresh and flavorful. The art on the walls of Bacchus/Dionysus is awesome and gives a great ambiance to the place. Nothing like the god of wine/pleasure joining you for your meal. But for real, this place is awesome and so worth the price. read more

This is one of the best Italian restaurants in the area. The food is comparable to some of the best I've had in Chicago. The service is always top notch and when I order lasagna and a tiramisu for carryout they always take incredible care of me. I love this place, I've taken family members here for dinner and lunch and they rave about it. The ambiance in the bar is great as well. Thanks for the hospitality, it seems to be a rare thing these days. read more

I was visiting a friend from out of town. We were on our way, walking to the bourbon place in town and smelled the garlic wafting out of the building. We quickly changed our plans and stopped in for dinner here instead. We were seated right away on a Saturday evening (8:30 pm) and promptly assisted by two separate servers (better than none). The confusion was cleared up immediately and our service was amazing! But the food. Oh the food. The shrimp app was delicious but I would skip in the future just due to the amount of food that the entrees provide. The Gorgonzola salad was so fantastic. Simple but so good. And the Diablo ravioli. So so so good. I added Italian sausage but it was fully unnecessary. I can't express how delicious this dish was. The sweet peppers, the spicy sauce, oh so good. I would come back here again and again if I lived nearby. read more

Love! LOVE!! LOVE!! Ciao Amici's has been a family favorite FOREVER!! We've celebrated Baby Shower, Communions, Birthdays, YOU NAME IT!! The food is phenomenal, and speaks for itself EVERYTIME- (YOU GOTTA TRY!) - I've not ever been disappointed -- But I also cannot say enough about the service EVERY TIME we've visited..The ambiance/atmosphere is warm and inviting!! We've done carry-outs for "surprise" visits from family/friends - and they've ALWAYs come through.... Ciao Amici's is always top on our list - -And the Owner, (Super warm and very classy!!), is always there, checking on everyone, and certainly sets the tone for an exceptional dining/party experience!! We were there a few weeks ago with our Grandson (8 yrs old). We were coming from his soccer game where is scored a goal - -The owner stopped by our table, as he typically does. My Grandson told him about the goal, and after dinner, the biggest - most colorful SURPRISE ice cream Sundae was delivered right to our table - - ON THE HOUSE!! My Grandson felt like a ROCKSTAR!! Still talks about it!! You made His WEEK!! read more

Love the Gnocchi. This time got the chicken capri for lunch and it was excellent. Went for a business lunch today. Great for lunch. Great for a special occasion dinner as well. read more

Went here for dinner tonight and will not be back. Server Abby was sweet as pie, very attentive and did a great job. Food though was extremely subpar. Lasagna had no flavor and neither did the chicken piccata. Fettuccine alfredo that my oldest got was flavorful but did not have a good alfredo taste and being an Italian restaurant shocked that they did not have alfredo noodles. $15 for four pops/ice teas is insane. Talk about over charging for them. Atmosphere was nice which was the only other redeeming quality along with the service. Extremely disappointing experience. Do NOT recommend. read more

Been here twice already and going back 3rd, always a GNO with permanent makeup artists dinner gathering. Love the food and service, I'm happy they're allowed us staying there for 5hrs just talking and catching up with friends that travel far to meet at the restaurant. Very nice service with all the staffs and waitresses. My favorite part where the waitress brings a tray sampler tray of desserts round 3 at my fav Italian restaurant! read more

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Had a fantastic dinner here tonight. Service was excellent. Starters included martinis, calamari and bruschetta which were all great. Entries were chicken Marsala and veal piccata which were excellent. Definitely will be back! read more

Came here to celebrate my sister's birthday. Have to say one of the classier places to go to dinner in the Brighton area. I loved the ambiance. Very upscale but also very intimate. The staff was more than accommodating with the balloons we put up at our table. And it was great we were able to do reservations. Let me start by saying quite an impressive wine selection. There were so many to choose from and both wines I had were excellent. For our appetizers, we tried the bruschetta and calamari both were good but I would say the bruschetta was more of the stand out dish. The entrees i was able to lividly remember were the lamb, scallops and gnocchi. My brother in law said the lamb was done really well. My husband had the gnocchi and said it was not good at all. It lacked any flavor. I loved the scallops with the bacon spinach risotto. If we come back here I am definitely getting those scallops again. Paired with the risotto the flavor was incredible. I was so happy I had leftovers. Overall an enjoyable dining experience and I would like to come back and try some of their other dishes. read more

Ciao Amici's - Scallop - Italian Near Me - Brighton, Michigan

We were out in Brighton for and after a youth football game we decided to dine here. Everyone loves Italian food! We had a party of 5. My son and I ordered the chicken piccata. We were so disappointed... we ate it and did not complain at the time. The sauce had a "film" on it. Had to tell my son that when it sits for a bit, it creates a skim on the top. The texture was of the chicken was so strange. Rubber/chewy texture. We did not get bread until our dinner was served. It came with a balsamic dipping oil. Our table did not like it. Would prefer butter. There were other issues I am not going to pile on... I only ate half my meal at the restaurant. I have the rest of my meal in the "take away". As I am typing this debating if I should eat it...or discard. I am being very honest; it was such a letdown. read more

We met some relatives at Ciao Amici's yesterday for lunch, there were eleven of us. We asked that our group be separated, because of the pandemic and Nick was very good doing that and making sure we were well taken care of. Our waitperson was nice and catered to two very young guests very well. The salads with the house balsamic dressing were a notch above excellent. Everyone was happy with the meals they ordered. I got lasagna and it was wonderful and the quantity was more than enough for two meals. The bread baskets were superb and the "herb, spice, balsamic" dip was the best I ever had. The park-like entryway, with a small farm market area was a really nice idea. Would we go back again? Absolutely! read more

I am torn because I have only done to go orders from this place. Literally, they might have the best eggplant parm I've ever had in my life. The calamari is good, mid portions tho. Don't get the chicken Marsala not worth it. Very disappointed in that one. Place is good but dishes are hit and miss. read more

Overpriced. Impossible to find a parking spot. Breadsticks are more like french toast than garlic bread, too sweet. No tomatoes in side salads. Never again. read more

We love this restaurant. However,we haven't been here in a few months. Must be a new chef, the Pollo chicken and chicken abd chicken marsala was sooo bland. These are our favorite dishes, no flavor what so ever!! Very disappointed. read more

Fantastic dinner, pasta and appetizers tasted very fresh, service was excellent. Classic environment and clean. read more

Ciao Amici's - Pasta Davinci Dinner - Italian Near Me - Brighton, Michigan

4.5 stars tbf. Summer 2023 and downtown Brighton is all torn up. We only chose to eat here because we couldn't get to anywhere else but we were glad with our choice. This is a really classic, old school Italian restaurant. Everything you'd expect. Good, unhurried service. The minestrone soup tasted just like the one I ate in childhood. Chicken picatta was nice. Bread amazing. Tiramisu was banging. Half a star off because the cannoli was only filled at the ends, empty in the middle, schoolboy error. Server boxed, wrapped, and labeled our leftovers - really nice touch. read more

Highly recommend the mango teardrop dessert. The service was incredible as well. We got chicken parmesan, eggplant parmesan, chicken picatta, and pasta con pollo. read more

We REALLY loved this place, very flavorful, nicely prepared presentations and better than expected dishes. This restaurant is well operated, offers a clean environment including in the dining area and bathrooms. We ran into a (new) bartender that was not as experienced as he could have been, but with a little help, we got him straight on how to mix Our Martini's properly and how to make an "Old Fashion" which the youngster said he never heard of. Tolerable. read more

The best restaurant in Brighton everything is clean, great food, service was excellent!

Excellent food, great service and enjoyable relaxing ambiance! Our go to place for Italian food close to home.

Hmmm . . . what did I miss? When in Brighton, we generally dine at Buon Gusto, but this time we decided to come to Ciao Amici's based on Yelp reviews and the 4 star rating. We had a reservation for 7:30, and were seated at 7:40. Not bad! The interior is inviting, with frescoes covering the walls, unique woodwork, and muted lighting. So far, so good. The only part of dinner we were completely satisfied with was the complimentary warm bread served with an oil, vinegar, and a spice blend, and the key lime martini. Both phenomenal! Salads came with our pasta dishes, and when my husband asked and was told anchovies were only. 50 extra, he ordered them on his Caesar salad. It came with a decent portion for a fair price. What none of us noticed was that the Caesar and gorgonzola salads were an extra $3.29 each. Maybe it's me, but wouldn't you think if a guest asks if anchovies cost extra, as a waitress, you might want to mention that the salad they just ordered costs extra? We were not happy when we got the bills. Back to dinner . . . Again, based on reviews, two of us ordered gnocchi. Neither of us was satisfied. It was so insanely rich I had to exchange it for something else. Before my replacement dish even came out, I had tremendous heartburn from the gnocchi. My friend couldn't eat half of hers, and tried to drown out the creamy, rich flavor by adding a ton of pepper, and trying to eat the gnocchi with none of the melted cheese topping, and as little cream sauce as possible. Still too rich. So, I replaced the gnocchi with lasagna. Usually a safe choice at an Italian restaurant. It was mushy, with no definition of flavors or texture between layers, and the parmesan cheese overpowered the flavor of the sauce. I took 90% of it home, and pray it tastes better the second day when I don't have a tremendous stomach ache. My husband's chicken parmesan was moist, and the flavor was enjoyable. However, instead of serving it with a side of pasta like 99% of other Italian restaurants, they served it atop mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes that made the bottom of the chicken parm mushy. So, again, not impressive. Our other friend ordered penne with Italian sausage. The pasta was served al dente, so thumbs up. The sausage was chewy and hard to cut. So, thumbs down. We skipped dessert, but the guys wanted get another beer after dinner. The waitress brought our bill to us the first time before we were done ordering. Soon thereafter, she delivered a pilsner and claimed it was Bell's Amber, only to go check with the bartender and discover that she was wrong. She brought the bills back a second time shortly after the drinks. There's something about a member of any wait staff picking a check up before guests leave a table that really gets under my skin. Ours tried to pick my check up twice before I'd even looked at it. Then came back a third time and asked for the check when I was deliberately resting my hand on top of it so she wouldn't ask for it again. Unprofessional. This is the first time in years I haven't left more than 15%. I left less than 15%, and discovered on the way out that our friends left even less than we did. I feel bad in a way, but this was just a bad night all around. Ciao Amici's will never see the four of us again. read more

Ciao Amici's - Nice interior - Italian Near Me - Brighton, Michigan

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GREAT place for a dinner out -- possibly best in-town! Our group started with a few appetizers (Shrimp Luca, Calamari, and Sausage Rustica) and gobbled them up pretty quickly. Interestingly, most of our group was not a fan of onions yet adored the flavor in the Sausage Rustica. For entrees we had mussels and a variety of the other seafood dishes - raving reviews from around the table. Personally, I chose a pasta/seafood dish called Pasta Davinci after a recommendation from the waitress. And HOLY SMOKES was it delicious! The seafood was cooked perfectly but what really made it was the flavor in all aspects of the dish. The sauce soaking the mussels and shrimp was spot-on and the pasta itself was incredibly yummy. After all the apps I swear I was on the brink of popping my stomach because it was so darn hard to set down the fork!! Certainly a large enough portion was leftover for lunch the next day -- an added bonus in my eyes Overall, service was attentive and happy to provide recommendations. That came in handy when picking from the large wine menu! I had a few questions regarding their "Special Wine" section and Nick the owner came to our table to help! Overall good experience and would recommend despite being a little pricey. read more

Everyone at this restaurant was working super hard, all professional, and polite. Had great service and food was delicious.

the chef I would marry lol I loved the seafood pasta I can't even critique so good !!!!!

I am truly a fan of Ciao Amici's though it's an hour drive for me to and fro. Been here twice, and twice, I have been served by the two most wonderful waiters ever in America. Adam and Daniel(I don't know if I remember it correctly but fear not, I am coming back for a 3rd visit). This place is truly a 5 star in terms of hospitality and service. Food wise, it's a 4 and 5 depending on what you order. I'd say most stuff on the menu is amazing. I had mostly appetizers on my 1st visit and it was all 5/5. 2nd visit, I had main courses and they were nice except the chicken diablo was a lil bland to my liking. Drinks, cocktails, wine list- AMAZING. If you're in Michigan and craving for great, food that doesn't suck, give them a visit. read more

Everything is amazing! From the outstanding food, service, ambiance, it's perfection! 10/10 I couldn't recommend this place enough!

Quality italian restaurant in the heart of Brighton. Establishment was clean, with a classy decor. One of the walls was lined with portraits of well known italian-american actors. Our waitress was very attentive and professional. Checked on us regularly to make sure we had everything we needed. Very good service. As for the food. Table bread was delightful...to the tune of two baskets. Fresh, warm rolls that were completely addicting. The burrata plate was amazing. Fresh burrata cheese with grilled italian bread, fresh prosciutto, arugula and roasted red peppers. The cheese was creamy and fresh and paired perfectly with the prosciutto and grilled bread. For an entree I ordered the gnocchi with gorgonzola cheese sauce and added italian sausage. One of the cheesiest dishes I have had in my life but it worked. Very, very rich, heavy dish. Cheesy gnocchi topped with a slab of baked cheese...decadence defined. Menu is filled with all of the standard italian fare with a nice steak and seafood selection as well. Very good italian restaurant that I have no problem recommending. read more

Ciao Amici's - Italian Near Me - Brighton, Michigan

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Ciao Amici's is our "go to" for great Italian food OR if you want a perfectly done Filet Mignon, OR if you want a great wine selection. Can't say enough about this place. read more

We love this place and have dine here numerous times. Great food. Great service. Great atmosphere. Who could ask for more?

Dined here a couple nights ago, it was good, but if you're looking for yummy Italian food I RECOMMEND Arta's which is near by as well!

We went for lunch and I was super impressed with how many gluten free options they had for an Italian restaurant. Service was great, fresh bread for the non gluten free folks was very warm and tasty. Salads very yummy, chicken Marsala was also tasty with a good portion. A little pricey for lunch, but the servings reflect dinner sizes. The restaurant itself was cozy and beautiful. Nice and clean, classically decorated. read more

My Husband and I have been a couple of times now, and both times have been equally amazing. The food is superb, the service is great and the overall ambiance is exactly what you'd expect out of an Italian restaurant. Easily our new date night spot, but I would definitely recommend making a reservation- especially if you want to go on the weekend. read more

My recent lunch experience for a nicely prepared and presented salad was excellent. . Five Star Service, Ambience & Setting; Kindness & Courtesy; Food Quality, Preparation.and Presentation. Alleluia. Ciao Amici's provides a welcome respite from the national chain restaurants which are increasingly unappealing for me. If you like music volume you have to shout over which leaves you with a headache, go there. If you seek a civilized place to enjoy a nice meal and conversation, I think CA is worthy of consideration. read more

We have been coming to Ciao's for years! This is a classy restaurant with great staff, drinks, and food! Highly recommend to anyone looking for a good first or 100th date. read more