Hidden in the low rise office buildings lies Ciao Ragazi - A hidden gem. You would not expect a nice sit down Italian restaurant at a location like this. And you certainly won't expect it to be this busy especially on Fridays and weekends. They were quite busy on a lazy Thursday as well.
There was not an item that we've tried that disappointed.
The margherita pizza was one of the better ones I've had in recent memory. The cheese had a good dairy taste and the sauce gave off a refreshing tomatoey flavour. The crust was a good marriage of doughy chewiness and slight crunch.
All the pastas were homemade with an al dente texture. It really didn't matter if it's a cream based sauce or a tomato sauce, the flavours are on point. Out of all of the pastas I've tried, the wild boar which was part the day's special was the one that I'd least prefer. It's not bad, but I wouldn't say the taste of the meat was special in any way. And it was more of a ground up wild boar as opposed to chucks of meat. Would have preferred the latter. I really love their lasagna. Hearty, savoury and done right the Italian way. Pappardelle bolognese was equally nice. They also make a mean mushroom risotto.
I have no clue why I spoke about main course first, but I can assure you that's not the order they were served.
The arancini were a bit pricey, but again delicious. Caesar salad was solid, but would have preferred a bit more cheese shavings.
I've never had dessert here so I can't comment on them.
It was tempting to give Ciao Ragazi a 5 star rating, but the service was incredibly slow the first time I was there. I think the kitchen staff was just overwhelmed since the Asian gentleman in the open kitchen was responsible for salads, pizzas and desserts.
Also, if they can tone down the sodium level by a pinch, it would have made their food near perfect.
I'm a big fan of Ciao Ragazi and so is my family and as a result we've returned several times, both for dine in and takeout. read more