Came here for the first Monday of restaurant week after we saw a stellar review from another Yelper earlier in the weekend. However, our experience was overall mediocre. We had reservations and were sat relatively quickly, but towards the back of the restaurant in a hall-like area. That would've been fine, but our service was slow despite the restaurant not being full, which might have something to do with us being tucked out of the way. I also was not impressed with the alcoholic beverage options. Being an Italian place, I was thinking to maybe order a glass of wine, but when I saw that Apothic Red blend was $10 a glass, I couldn't bring myself to spend that much on cheap wine. They also offered a restaurant week wine pairing of Canyon Road, which was also not impressive. Call me a wine snob, but I don't go out to eat hoping to order a glass of wine that costs more than the bottle at Harris Teeter. Cocktail options were nice, but nothing terribly unique. As for the food, the hubby and I shared almost everything. We started with the octopus and the elk meatballs. Both were overcooked. The octopus was chewy and the meatballs were dry (the sauce was good though!). For the main course, I ordered the squid ink pasta with lobster, which was very well done and what pasta should be. However, the hubs got the duck and there were portions of it that weren't even cooked. Very rare meat... yuck. For dessert, we got the tiramisu, which was very good (as it should be) and the chocolate risotto, which was fine, but lacking a bit of flavor in comparison. I know they are a relatively new restaurant and restaurant week can put a lot of stress on places, but overall, even menu wise, I was underwhelmed, so I'm not sure I would return when there are so many other good places around to visit. read more

forchetta - Elk meatballs - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I wanted to love this place, I truly did. We dined at Luca last year during their last week of operation and were blown away. Probably one of the best meals in our time here in Charlotte. So naturally, when The Lady and I heard that Chef Luca was opening up a new place AND they were doing a restaurant week special, we had to check it out. The restaurant is pretty small, with a large dining room and a smaller hallway attached - we were seated in the hallway so we really did get the ambiance experience that the rest of the place did. I guess that happens when you're a table of 2 though - the remainder of the dining room is reserved for larger tables (4 or more). The cocktail AND wine menu are relatively uninspiring - although they do have a selection of Martinis and Mules that I thought were interesting. But having the wine menu for an Italian restaurant include Apothic Red for $10/glass? Really? So we didn't get anything to drink - that's okay. We start off with our appetizers: The Lady ordered Elk Meatballs and I got the Octopus with Cannellini beans and grilled peaches. Both protiens were overcooked unfortunately - the octopus was bordering on rubber and the Elk meatballs were dry. And the grilled peaches and beans? Well. It was a quarter of a peach. Thrown on a grill. That's it. The sauce for the meatballs was delicious though. Mains: The Lady ordered the Squid Ink Fettucine, which was awesome. Best dish of the night, IMO. Tons of lobster, great flavors, perfectly cooked pasta. I got the Duck Breast, cooked medium rare, but it was a bit undercooked with certain parts that I couldn't eat because it was *that* red. And the skin was rendered, but it was served skin side down so it was no longer crispy :( The parts that I could eat though were tender and flavorful! Dessert: I ordered the Chocolate Risotto which tasted like an unsweeted Snack Pack chocolate pudding with al-dente rice thrown in there. It just didn't seem cohesive to me. The Lady ordered the Tiramisu, which was AWESOME, but it came with one DOT of this Raspberry Sauce and we both wanted so much more!! Overall, the restaurant week preparation for Forchetta didn't impress us, and I'm not sure if we'll be back to try other stuff. We've loved Chef Luca's restaurants in the past, but this seems like a bit of a misstep. They've got some time to add consistency into their game though, so I'm not opposed to trying it again down the line, but maybe we'll wait until a group wants to go. read more

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Let me start off by saying I've thoroughly enjoyed Chef Luca's food at Passion8 and Luca in the past. My wife and I decided on Forchetta for our anniversary tonight (and one of our final meals in Charlotte). They've been open for a few days now, and somehow I get the honor of the first yelp review! The food was quite good in general. Appetizers: Octopus with peaches and cannellini beans - octopus was good, peaches an intriguing pairing and the beans were decently textured, but lacking flavor and felt somewhat out of place. Pork belly with English pea mash, roasted pear and blueberry gastrique - pork belly could have rendered a bit more, but was good. Enjoyed the pea mash and gastrique. Pears were good. May have been better with a fresh pear or apple to get some textural contrast, but that's being picky. Lobster crepes with vodka sauce - this was show stoppingly fantastic. If the portion was bigger, my wife would have totally had this as an entree. Could have used a bit more lobster, but the sauce was amazing. Entrees: Chicken scalopini with prosciutto, mushrooms, cheese, zucchini, polenta cake and wine/butter sauce - chicken was a bit over cooked, prosciutto was good and the sauce was bonkers. Loved the mushrooms. Got a piece of unpeeled but roasted garlic that wasn't supposed to make the plate. Carbonara - 1/2 portion of this was available, great option! This was quite good, pasta was done perfectly. A tad salty but overall great. Papardelle with rabbit genovese - 1/2 portion as well. Excellent pasta and sauce was good. Dessert: Peach crostata - crust was okay but could have been flakier, was underbaked and could have used a little more sugar. Filling was good. Tiramisu - solid. Had strawberry sauce on it, which was a bit weird, but worked okay. Service: Polite. Clearly a new restaurant. They are eager, but still learning the menu. Expect that in a few more days they'll be on point. Ambiance: Pleasant decor, comfortable seating. Doesn't feel like a restaurant in a Holiday Inn. Menu: Some solid favorites and interesting pairings that Luca is known for. A couple of burgers and wings on the menu too--probably to appease the bar food crowd as this is located in the Holiday inn. Overall: Food had a few small missteps but flavors were there. As things move along, I bet that gets even better. Service was good and will be great in short order. Bottom line: Go. It's good. read more

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I'm a big Italian food fan...after all I am Italian. I've also been a fan of Chef Luca for quite some time! My husband, a couple friends and I experienced Forchetta for dinner. We all decided we wanted to try a bit of everything. Ordering several appetizers and entrees to shared amongst the table. We all split the Gnocchi, Charcuterie and Calamari to start. Let me start by saying Chef Luca makes all of his pastas and sauces in sauce so I was beyond excited to try his gnocchi which exceeded expectations. It's also prepared vegetarian for all those vegetarians out there so you don't have to miss out on this phenomenal dish. The assorted cured meats and cheeses were absolutely delish, I just wish they would have provided more of a crostini option instead of standard crackers. The calamari was also out of this world! There's a hint of spice to it so if you enjoy a spicy dish this is right up your alley. I tried eating around the spices and succeeded to an extent. Onto the entree round...my husband ordered two side portions of the pasta dishes and I ordered the duck. The pastas did not disappoint as usual neither did the duck. It was super flavorful and tender. The cocktails were also delicious! They were very refreshing and tasty. At any new restaurant you go through some speed bumps and you could tell the servers were still learning. They still had excellent customer service skills replenishing water, checking in on the table, etc. If you haven't tried Forchetta yet, go...right now! read more

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Forchetta has a great team and Chef!!! The squid ink fettuccine is fantastic- super flavorful and the pasta is made onsite. I literally can't wait to order it again. I also enjoyed the burrata with beets which was delicious, bright, sweet, tangy- pretty much a flavor explosion. For dinner, the grilled lamb is bursting with flavor and the roasted onions added a sweet richness to each bite Let's not forget dessert, the Coconut Pineapple Panna Cotta is a perfect end to the meal adding a light and refreshing taste, similar to a yogurt/custard. read more

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If you want authentic Italian food in Charlotte this is the place to go. Chef Luca grew up in Italy and makes all of the pasta fresh in house. My favorite things I tried were the Gnocchi Siciliana and the Carbonara. The Carbonara is made with pancetta but they left it out for me since I am vegetarian. They are willing to modify any dish to accommodate dietary restrictions! There is a great selection of wine and cocktails and the dessert was incredible. Crème brûlée is my favorite dessert of all time and it definitely did not disappoint! The space is intimate and elegant. It would be the perfect choice for a business dinner or a date night. Don't be deterred because this is located uptown - if you park in the Wake Forest Parking Garage they will validate! Chef Luca has a clear passion for food that comes across in all of his dishes. I really enjoyed dining here and can't wait to go back! read more

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I wanted to like this place. But unfortunately I probably won't return. As a new restaurant they have a lot of little details to work in. To start, the tables are veryyyy close together. We made the most of it and ended up having conversations with two tables around us and even gave one of them some of our food lol. I feel as though they can remove the rather large sitting area and move some tables over there. On to the food. Every course (queens feast) lacked salt and a little umpf. I had the octopus to start. The beans tasted straight from a can. No flavor and they brought out, without the grilled peach. They did end up bringing it once I asked. Next was the squid ink fettuccine. A lot of lobster so that was nice. However, once again, needed salt. Also, the noodles stuck together while cooking, making them a little too Al dente for my tastes. Lastly, coconut pana cotta. I loved the cookie that came with it but the actually pana cotta was grainy. Flavor was there but texture was off. I also chose to do the wine pairing they offered. 2 wines, full pours, your choice, $18. A) what a great bang for your buck. B) HOWEVER, three glasses of wine at dinner is a lot, even for me a 25 year old who likes to have a good time! C) I feel like they should have suggested wines for you. I know a bit about wine because of my college classes, but for those who don't, you are kind of shooting in the dark picking what you want. D) I feel like it would be a better idea to do less wine and lower the price for the future. Overall, as a new restaurant, I need to see a lot of fine tuning in order to go back. read more

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To say that this was an amazing experience would be an understatement! Excellent service, nuanced spins on Italian classics, & a sleek atmosphere with all the marble, low lighting, & well-thought out accents one could want--Forchetta is a true treat for all the senses! I thoroughly enjoyed everything that I tasted but definitely recommend the clams, squid ink fettuccine, lamb, panna cotta, & tiramisu. Buon appetito! read more

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I came to Forchetta during Queen's fest and had been looking forward to having Chef Luca's famous calamari. Unfortunately they didn't have any and were only serving off of the restaurant week menu. I decided to have the BLT salad, squid ink pasta, and calzone with Nutella. For an extra $15 I was able to have a glass of wine of my choice with each course. I felt like that was the highlight of the night. The salad was dry and bland. I couldn't even taste the squid ink pasta noodles and I had to ask for a knife to cut into the thick tough crust of the Nutella calzone. It was a very disappointing experience from a restaurant that's supposed to have a fantastic chef. I ate at Chef Luca's old restaurant and really enjoyed it but this was nothing but a disappointment. To top it all off I parked in the wrong parking deck and they wouldn't validate my parking so I had to pay $10 to park for dinner. I don't think I'll be back to get that calamari that I originally went for. read more

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A mixed bag at Forchetta. The visit started on an off note with staff somewhat confused about our confirmed reservation, and chairs that felt oddly low. The menu sounded appealing, except for the wine list (more about that later). The food when delivered was very good, although not outstanding. My calamari appetizer was served with a quite interesting honey butter jalapeño dressing...but the calamari rings themselves seemed more like the extruded onion rings at Burger King. The Pappardelle Pasta was a quite large portion served in a dramatically flared bowl... but it's delicious shrimps, crab and house made pasta were negated by a too tough lobster tail and an undistinguished red sauce. Other entrees at the table included lasagne...again, a large portion but no one was prepared to rave about it. So while the food was good but not great, the wine list was a real let down, with a pretty undistinguished list of regular wines and a half dozen reserve selections that were badly over priced. So...an off night for Forchetta? Possibly, as we have friends who like it there pretty well. Probably worth a visit, but don't go with expectations of a " wow" experience. read more

$31 for two basic drinks. RIDICULOUS!! We are out of town visitors and we're shocked by the price! WILL NEVER RECOMMEND THIS PLACE! read more

Forchetta was one of the restaurants featured for restaurant week. We made reservations for an early dinner Sunday. The restaurant is on the smaller side, but never felt too crowded. You also get a nice view of the kitchen. Service was very friendly and attentive. I ordered the octopus, squid ink fettuccine w/ lobster, and coconut pineapple panna cotta. My girlfriend ordered the elk meatballs, lamb, and tiramisu. All of the items we ordered were excellent. Serving were also very generous. The pasta came with a ton of lobster trunks. The lamb dish came with three nice portions of lamb. Pacing of the meal was also perfect. I would definitely come here again. I'm curious to try other items on their menu. Forchetta is an easy five stars for me! read more

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Wanted to post about lunch buffet... Simply put, great. We had chicken cooked with olives and a light tilapia with a true lemon sauce and several salad options available with a great Italian wedding soup, sauteed green beans and really good roasted potatoes Service was spectacular and everyone was happy to tell about the food and.. It was just perfect all around. 12.95 including tea or soft drink. The menu items others ordered looked good, but it's hard to beat a great buffet read more

forchetta - Buffet Olive chicken, tilapia, Greek salad, potatoes and Poppy seed roll - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I had the most amazing experience here. Luca came out to our table and welcomed us and suggested different items. We put ourselves in his hands and have no regrets. We are in the traditional Italian style with courses served family style. Everything was outstanding. I will definitely go again and again. read more

Came for our anniversary and restaurant week and it wasn't a good experience. The squid ink pasta sauce was tasteless, portions were small, and the fish was over salted. My wife told our server to just put her pasta into a to go container and she'd try to fix it at home. I don't think she understood because she just said ok. Wouldn't come back and disappointed that a chief that won chopped had this level of food / service read more

forchetta - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Absolute perfection. Chef Luca's passion for creative food really comes through. Even during the busy Queen's Feast, he offered so many delicious options, while most restaurants only provided a few, and each dish was masterfully prepared. We can't wait to come back! read more

I'm sorry but looking at all the reviews I'm amazed. Service was poor. My server Arturo was very inappropriate with young ladies. The dishes lacked flavor and the most important ingredient LOVE!!! Short rib was dry surprised if it was cooked in a JUS. It was served with a sweet sauce and sweet mash. Too sweet honestly. The dish was no cohesive at all. I had to return it then I was rudely told that I was responsible for the dishes I ordered. Which should never be told to the costumer. If a guest does not like a dish it is the restaurants duty to make that right!!! It was my graduation dinner and it honestly was one of the worst meals I've had in a long time. So disappointed I never do reviews but I spent way too much to be disappointed. read more

Really great service and tasty dishes. Came in for restaurant week and was not disappointed. First, shot out to Thomas who was one of only 3, that's right, 3 servers working for the night. They did not miss a beat and Thomas was extremely pleasant and attentive. We ordered the octopus, charcuterie plate, and the rabbit for our appetizers. The octopus was amazing. It was so smoky and flavorful. The charcuterie was light and refreshing. I didn't taste the rabbit, sorry lol. For entrees we had the bone in pork chop that came with a nice arugula salad. It was moist and tender. We closed out dinner with the olive oil cake and Nutella pastry. I ate the olive oil cake. It comes with peach preserves and is really good. We were seated near the kitchen window and the chef spoke with us after dinner to ask how we liked our meal. We were introduced to his sous/pastry chef and they were both very nice and we could tell they love what they do. This place was pretty great. Everyone from the host, to the bartender, to the servers, to the chef, etc. made our night. I highly recommend this place and I'm sure I'll be back. read more

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No go!! Food is average at best. Pasta did not seem freshly made in house as advertised, and part of our order sat in the window for at least 5 minutes. Service is up to Holiday Inn standards, so if you like dining in 2--star (?) hotel restaurants/dining rooms, then go for it. There was one other adult couple and a prom-aged couple at 7:30 on a gorgeous Saturday night in uptown Charlotte, and after a Belk Bowl football game. Our only salvation was the server's suggestion to order the half portions. Sauce tasted canned, pasta, from a box, and temperature was suspiciously hot (we assume it was microwaved). read more

This can be a amazing restaurant but they need to get their act together regarding the service or it will never survive uptown. The wait staff needs trained on the menu and how to provide top notch service when they have a chef of such caliber. We went on a Saturday night. We had reservations. The restaurant was all but dead. Mostly bar traffic from the hotel. We were seated quickly in an a weird hall like area that led outside. People coming in and out from the patio was annoying. The food was great. Our starter was the calamari. For our mains, between the four of us we had the carbonara, lamb, rabbit and messy burger. Dessert was the tiramisu. Our waiter looked the part but could not answer any questions from beers on tap (they were described by color, pale, amber, dark) to details of the menu. We had two allergies at the table, so we needed to know the ingredients or a situation would occur. I would consider going again. They are new and just need to work on the details read more

Great experience! I made a reservation & we were seated right away! The ambience was great. Low lights & great decor. Our server was great! We were also waited on by other servers which made the experience that much better. They made sure our water stayed full as well as our wine. The setup was a "3 course meal" deal that was $35 a piece. I honestly don't remember the meals names. I just know I had something that included Marsala and my partner had something with Branzini. They both were delicious!! We got our desserts to go because we were full from appetizers, the entree and wine. I tried to add pics but the site wouldn't let me. I would definitely recommend! Great job to Chef Luca! read more

Excellent gnocchi, excellent atmosphere, excellent service. Really enjoyed the experience!

Great food and atmosphere. The veal was very good. Location off college street. Prices were reasonable also.

Never been so disappointed. Asked the server for a recommendation on greens (as in salad), and he brought out some soupy cheese with capers and tomatoes and NO greens. And I have no idea how you can mess up Burrata but with chunks of beets?? Not good, and I like beets. I won't go back. read more

Took over 1 hour to get any food. The bread which was the only thing they brought was terrible. One of the people at my table said it was worse then week old Harris teeter bread. The pork belly appetizer was really good but I'm not sure if it was because I was really hungry or not. The rigatoni was good as well but waiting over an hour for the first course means I can't give a good rating. read more

The food was fresh and tasted like heaven. We had the pork belly appetizer, rigatoni, and the bottle of Cabernet. Our waiter Thomas was very helpful in giving recommendations and checked in on us so much. This was our first time here and I will go back the first chance I get! read more

We tried them out during Charlotte restaurant week and it was great. As of 7/26 they have been open for three weeks, upscale menu and ambiance. Our waiter Thomas was great. Knowledgeable about the wine and food list. I tried the Octopus which was phenomenal. Main course was T-bone lamb pops which were great and finished with the Tiramisu. My friend had the veal which was the winner. Will definitely be back. Also the restaurant validates your Holiday Inn parking ticket. read more

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Wow! I tried the fagottini from this place for lunch and it was amazing! The pasta dishes are made from scratch and you can taste that it is a true Italian dish. The decor is beautiful and the seating is comfortable. The servers are pleasant and quick to serve! read more

Got the Genovese pasta here and it was completely under cooked and the sauce was not appetizing. The service was great at the bar however. The bartender was super nice, social, and knew his stuff. read more

forchetta - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

this place is going to become our go to place. We went during restaurant week and then went back last weekend. Food and service are absolutely amazing. Great ambiance and amazing food/drinks Try it you will love it. Chef Luca won chopped and his dish is on the appetizer menu. Amazing. Nice upscale restaurant -- we loved it. read more

My husband took me here for my birthday dinner. Nice atmosphere and the food was really good. I enjoyed their Squid Ink Pasta. It needed a pinch of salt but overall was absolutely delicious! The hubby had the Veal Shank which he thoroughly enjoyed down to the bone! I couldn't get a picture because did not waste any time digging into his dish. The desserts were a perfect end to dinner. read more

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We Used to frequent this restaurant prior to Covid, however today's dinner was very disappointing. The pork chop was dried out and had no flavor the dessert was inedible. Don't think we will be going back. read more

Where do I begin! This whole experience is not your normal restaurant experience. Chef Luca and the team here at Forchetta provide so much more than good food. From the mood music, to the perfectly dim lighting, the staff were incredible and polite, the restaurant itself was clean, the ambiance overall just provided the perfect dinner experience. The food...if there were a perfect adjective that existed I would spell it out for you, but I am still searching through the English dictionary. I don't think I've ever been to a place, tasted so many new dishes and still feel like I can't wait to go back for the first time. Literally, EVERYTHING was good. If I could have eaten my napkin I would have but it wasn't edible. I was able to try Clams, Octopus, and Lamb all for the first time and all were remarkable. It made me realize how great of cooks the team here at Forchetta really is. I don't like beets, but they found a way to make even the beets taste good! I am unable to speak on the prices as I was here for a paid event but in my humble opinion, whatever the price is for Forchetta, I KNOW it's worth it! You are not just paying for your food here, you are paying for the experience, which is well worth any amount of money! I will definitely be visiting Forchetta and Chef Luca again soon! I will be recommending this place to EVERYONE I know, and EVERYONE they know! Thank you Forchetta and Chef Luca! read more

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I heard about this from a colleague and the reviews looked decent so figured I'd give it a try. The most redeeming thing about the experience was the bread and olive oil they serve at the beginning. The lobster bisque was fine but unremarkable. The squid ink pasta was repulsive. This is something I seek out on menus and was really looking forward to. The pasta may have been made in house but then they used coagulated Alfredo sauce that could have come from a jar. There were fried things on top I had to fight through, not sure what the point was. Squid ink pasta is normally a fresh healthy delight, and it's like the chef did everything possible to make it disgusting and unhealthy. I had 2 bites. I should have stopped there but thought maybe there would be something redeeming in the desert menu. I got the creme brûlée. It was covered in nuts to the point I had to break through 2 crusts (brûlée top then nuts!). There was "grilled fruit" on top which was rubbery and tasteless. I had two bites. The waiter noticed I didn't eat and seemed unconcerned. To add insult to injury, I was up literally all night with an upset stomach despite only eating 2 bites of entree and dessert. I hope people read this and decide to eat elsewhere as there appear to be better more palatable options in the downtown area. read more

Maybe I'm not Italian enough. But I ordered off yelp yesterday and I was craving a chicken Alfredo. So I ordered from this restaurant hoping that it would be satisfying but my noodles were hard like they weren't boiled long enough and the Alfredo sauce had no taste what so ever and the chicken texture is unexplainable . The only enjoyment of my meal was the bread . Me an my husband couldn't eat it all.. waste of money read more

forchetta - Rigatoni Chicken Alfredo - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Ok, got the rave review from the front desk about the chef so figured why not just stay at the hotel. Was originally thinking a pasta dish, but after my workout the Messy Burger sounded pretty good. All expectations were exceeded! HUGE! AWESOME! MESSY! You get the idea. Slight heat with the jalapeños, sweet with the bacon jam. I even just ate the onion rings on the side, the burger was too big to add them. The fries had amazing seasoning too. Can't go wrong with this one. It was definitely a 'messy' burger. Kudos chef, it was fantastic! read more

Went here for restaurant week. I'm positive the sauce on my first course was the same as the second course. I ordered the chicken for three second course and it was raw so asked for the pasta dish instead. The samesausage was used in each and it wasn't very good. My friend ordered the lamb shank and was told that they switched to short rib instead until she brought it out. Also the tiramisu for restaurant week did not look anything like the other pictures of their tiramisu here Overall, service pretty poor, food really poor, atmosphere give it the one star because it iss nice and clean looking inside. Go to another Italian restaurant for good food. read more

This is one of the few consistently excellent restaurants in Charlotte - and definitely the best Italian. All courses are creative, attractively presented and delicious. To attest to his talent, Chef Luca was the winner of an episode of Food Network's Chopped last year. This restaurant is a hidden gem in Uptown Charlotte. Give it a try - you won't be disappointed! read more

I had high hopes when I saw this restaurant had fresh pasta. It was meh at best. The pasta I had very fishy lobster in it.

Worth a try for sure , the highlight of the night was the orange ginger cake, it was fantastic! Tasted like Christmas on my plate! PUT IT ON THE NORMAL MENU PLEASE! Also try the parmigiana zucchini and the pomodora sauce with pasta was delicious! Giving a 4 star bc my hubby's food was ok. The trout needed salt and the carrot wasn't cooked enough also the risotto was not risotto it was undercooked rice. Risotto should be creamy and indulgent. His app was the mussels and they were cooked perfectly however I wasn't a fan of the sausage in the dish. I prefer a more delicate mussel dish but if you like big and bold with mussels try it. And lastly the tiramisu was just eh. Not bad not great but again the orange ginger cake, I will dream about that for my whole life and have already requested a pan of that for my Christmas dinner this year! Wonderful service great staff, super friendly. Need a new bartender, drinks were very very weak. Pretty sure I was served cranberry juice and sprite instead of the hi tea, hubby got a gin and tonic. The first one was weak so he ordered a double next time. It was still only tonic. Drinks were not cheap either to get them so weak. All that being said it was a lovely meal and I would return! Give it a try read more