Always heard what a great restaurant this was. It's better than that. [[HIGHLIGHT]]What I did not know is they have a beautiful patio. The tables were not jammed together, you could actually relax and enjoy the meal.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] And what a meal!! Everything was fresh and well prepared. The ragu for the delicious pasta was key. Many places put some meat in a marinara and call it a ragu or a Bolognese. It's not and you can taste when a meat sauce is prepared separately and cooked slowly that develops flavor. Perfect here. Kitchen clearly pays attention to details. Cannot wait to go back. read more

Tried L'Orcio for my birthday and was really impressed. We had the formaggi and everything was delicious, especially the goat cheese and fruit bread. For dinner, we ordered several pasta dishes including Gnocchi alla Boscaiola , Pappardelle Al Ragu, a special and Cavatelli Alla Norma. Everything was incredible, and the handmade pasta really stood out. The gnocchi were especially memorable, very soft, pillowy, and perfectly seasoned. You can tell the pasta is made fresh daily. The staff were kind and welcoming, and [[HIGHLIGHT]]the atmosphere felt cozy and charming.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Would absolutely return to try more!! Would also love to take a pasta making class if the chef is ever offering read more

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REALLY GOOD!! [[HIGHLIGHT]]The ambiance, vibe , service and food were all spot on![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] My gnocchi in a red sauce with sausage and mushrooms was outstanding , wife had a nice salmon dish.... Other notable was the tiramisu Prices were fair as well read more

I absolutely love this place. I've been here three times and each time I'm blown away by the gnocci. It's handmade and ricotta based so it's pillow soft and almost melts in your mouth. I get the gnocci with the vodka sauce and add sausage which I find delicious. My friend ordered the gnocci alla boscaioli and loved it, but after trying hers I still preferred the vodka sauce. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The ambiance is so cozy and I recommend highly for a romantic date night.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] They have a good selection of wines to accompany the meal. Also, the staff here is very nice, attentive, and accommodating. read more

L'Orcio - Gnocchi alla vodka with sausage - Italian Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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Make reservations! Online is for indoor only. You'd have to call if you want outdoor seating, which is so aesthetic during the spring. Came with a friend and we both loved it. The food was great and as someone who isn't usually a fan of gnocchi really enjoyed this dish in particular! Service itself was mediocre. We got the following: - Burrata ($13) - Carpaccio De Manzo ($15) - Chef's Handmade Ricotta Gnocchi alla Vodka ($24) - Pappardelle con Funghi ($24) - Torta Al Cioccolato ($12) - Pinot Grigio ($10/glass) read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]Amazing ambiance, quality, and flavor.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Fantastic service and staff. What a gem. :) read more

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Finally made it to L'Orcio for my friends birthday. Service was great and accommodated our party of 8. They also allowed for us to bring in our own birthday cake, served, and cut it for us. Food was delicious! I ordered the salmon with ricotta gnocchi with a peppercorn sauce. read more

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L'Orcio is a family-owned Italian restaurant located that founded by husband-and-wife team who moved from Florence, Italy, to New Haven in 2002 to open this place. The food is very authentic to what we ate in Italy. We started the meal with bread and oil -- Incredibly high quality. Main dishes were also delicious. The restaurant was busy and our server was working very hard. This place is the real deal if you want actual Italian food, not just American-Italian cuisine. ***Highlight: [[HIGHLIGHT]]The outdoor patio area in the back is very beautiful and such a nice vibe in the summer![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

L'Orcio - Pappardelle Al Ragu and Agnello - Italian Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Excellent spot. Homemade pastas are VERY strong. More importantly - [[HIGHLIGHT]]the vibe is quiet and lovely. One of the nicer ambiances on the street.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Great service. Some of the best. Everyone is very nice and always on point! Sit at the bar! read more

A local gem! L'Orcio is the kind of spot that makes you excited about simple, well-executed food. [[HIGHLIGHT]]We came on a rainy day and had to sit inside, but the patio looked gorgeous.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The steak with arugula honestly blew me away. It was just one of those dishes that you keep thinking about later -- super fresh and perfectly dressed. Same with the Brussels sprouts (simple but oh so delicious). My boyfriend and I shared two of the pasta dishes. Both were homemade (big points for that), but flavor-wise neither truly wowed me. I'll definitely try a different pasta dish next time. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Overall, a cozy spot, solid service, and definitely a place I'd come back to -- especially for that steak and arugula salad.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

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This used to be my favorite place. I don't know why they took the chicken Parmesan off the menu. It was old-school tender and fantastic in the state. read more

I've been to L'Orcio many times before, and never had a bad meal. This time, bad. I ordered the branzino off the regular menu. My meal arrived to the table cold, the fish was overcooked, the potatoes were dry and the spinach was soggy. Very disappointed. It was inedible. Our server acted as though this was the last place on earth that she would rather be. Never checked back after the meal was served, nor did she ask if anything was wrong with my food, since I wasn't eating. So I played with my phone for 30 minutes until she came to clear my plate. Again, no questions, no apology or asked if I wanted to take it home. Blank face. If I wanted to be served by a zombie, I'd go see Night of the Living Dead. Gave it 2 stars because my table mates had the ravioli and veal, which were good. read more

Yummy Italian place. Hanging with a group eating many things. Chicken picatta and the Madeline desert were yummy. Great service avd wine. Worth the trip. read more

L'Orcio - Madeline - Italian Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

So good. SO GOOD! We had our 6 Year anniversary dinner here. We got the special olive oil and a crostini appetizer and the gnocchi. It was all so delicious. Gnocchi is made with ricotta, so it is like melty and soft. If you're a cheese person who loves soft pillowy dough of gnocchi that melts in your mouth, this dish is for you. The service was great and they did the dessert with a candle which was fun and thoughtful. We got the crème brûlée and good sweet lord it was the best crème brûlée of my life. I get this desert often when I go places, and this was top notch. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant is cozy warm vibe with a garden out back and an upstairs.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] This will certainly be an anniversary tradition for us. We live out west but visit CT in summers. read more

The staff was A+! Our server, Adonna, went above and beyond in every way...including asking the chef if he'd make my son something that wasn't even on the menu! Our meals were exceptional. The Brussels sprouts were cooked to perfection. The gnocchis were melt in your mouth delicious! My husband got the salmon dish and the cream sauce on the accompanying gnoccis were to die for. My son had the chicken parm and said it was hands down the best he's ever had. We will be racing back to L'Orcio! read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]I'd like to start off by saying how nice their patio out back is. It's so pretty back there.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I love the food too! The gnocchi is definitely some of the best I've had. It's so light, I've never had anything like it. I wouldn't get a steak there again though, it was just okay. Everything else I've had is good! Their service is great as well. We've celebrated a few birthdays here and will definitely be returning. read more

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We had a 5pm reservation and were the first one's there. The restaurant was not busy at that time, at least not for the wait staff. We were a party of eight gathered from various states for a small reunion. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Our table was wonderful, nestled by the front window.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Our meals were delicious, just as we enjoyed during our trip to Florence. Unfortunately, the experience with the service was not what we expected from a restaurant of this caliber. Waiter was curt and abrupt. We had to repeatedly request water replenishment from other service employees. Once our dinner was served, we were almost done with our meals before our waiter returned to check on us; again, we requested service from other personnel as needed. [[HIGHLIGHT]]At the end of the day, we enjoyed our dinner. I just hope our experience was an isolated situation because the food and location were great.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Sometimes restaurants have bad nights. This is a bad restaurant. Apparently, the chef no longer cares about the product going out of the kitchen. It shows. The octopus was burned not charred. The eggplant appetizer was so burned there was an unrecognizable cinder. The pesto cream with the appetizer was broken. The veal was tough and had so much sage it bordered on the inedible. The lemon tart crust was soggy. The menu said with mixed berries. It was a drizzle of red something, not berries. Never going back and would recommend those considering it to pass on it. It was that bad. read more

We totally regretted visiting L'Orcio. The food was sub-par at best, the prices were ridiculously high given the quality of the food, and the staff was inattentive and rude. Tip: The ambiance on the patio looks like it would be nice in the summer Several people I know recommended this place, but they were dead wrong - there are simply too many good restaurants in New Haven, so visit one of them instead of coming here :-( read more

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I last ate at L'Orcio several years ago, also on the magical patio. Tonight, with my brother and sister-in-law enjoyed a wonderful meal from start to finish, everything delicious and prepared with care. The octopus primo was perfectly cooked, and the tonno carpaccio delicious and well balanced with the accompanying arugula salad. Our entrees of homemade pastas and the Mediterranean seabass were outstanding. The desserts, exquisite. The waitstaff were attentive, polite, and friendly. We could not find anything at fault here. L'Orcio has been around for so long that it's not in the list of trending restaurants that seem to do wonderful things and then flame out after a year or two. L'Orcio has been around for over two decades and still doing good things. read more

Food took our party of 3 50 minutes I think they forgot we were there and sub-par is putting it nicely over priced and there was almost no one there that should have been a red flag from The beginning read more

New Haven is saturated with Italian restaurants, but L'Orcio remains our favorite time after time. Most spots we frequent can be hit-or-miss when we branch out and order new dishes. But at L'Orcio, taking that leap of faith just unveils yet another delicious item to add to my notes. They also have a very cute patio in the back that is perfect for nice summer evenings. As for noteworthy favorites, the list could go on, but I'll keep it to a few highlights: casarecce con funghi, house-made ravioli (even the broccoli rabe ravioli blew my mind), and the tiramisú. But go crazy! Order something new! Chances are they'll nail that too! read more

L'Orcio - Casarecce con Funghi & Spaghetti Carbonara on the Patio - Italian Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

A friend recently recommended L'Orcio to me saying it is "never less than delightful" -- pleased to say that's an accurate description! Five stars for atmosphere - the restaurant is in an elegant, quiet brownstone with a spacious and also quiet backyard garden/courtyard (unlike so many "gardens" it has actual flowers/greenery and a fountain). The back area outside is a particularly lovely setting with string lights and it's so nice to not be crammed on top of other diners. We ordered two pastas -- the papardelle ragu and papardelle osso buco special -- the branzino and the lamb chops. Pastas are definitely the way to go; handmade, big portions, and sauces are really delicious and fresh tasting. Other dishes were good too, just not quite as "wow" as the pasta (the lamb chops I ordered medium were not pink at all, and also pretty puny in size). Appetizers also very good; the grilled veggies in the "erbivoro" were especially standout. All in all, a really nice feel for a chill evening in New Haven with family and friends. read more

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Excellent authentic Italian, great sauce. Lots of classic dishes and several specials on the menu. Good wine list, both by the bottle and the glass, great cocktails. Service was friendly and very knowledgeable. read more

Never disappointed. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The food, the service, and the ambience leaves little to be desired.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]

Food was a winner. Appetizers were great and everyone at the table (9 of us) cleaned their plates. Service was spotty. Started off with one server and then had another. Even with 2 of them we felt ignored. Had to constantly search for them. I was expecting to be paid more attention to but can't let that take away from a fabulous meal. read more

We came here during Restaurant Week because we'd never been and boy were we impressed! The decor was lovely and subdued, as was the old school standards (think Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, and Billie Holiday) playing during our meal. Our server greeted us right away and took our order for a bottle of Malbec, which was very nice. To start, I ordered the fried eggplant Napoleon, which was heavenly. The breading was nice and light and the tomato sauce accompanying it was fresh and tasty. My husband chose the pane cotta, which was delicious and hearty. We also really liked the bread they served with a dipping oil. For entrees, my husband ordered the salmon with gnocchi. The salmon was done well with a nice cream sauce with green peppercorns, and it was over the lightest and fluffiest gnocchi I've ever had. They almost melted in your mouth, they were so good. I chose the chicken scallopini with spinach and roasted baby potatoes, which was also delicious with a bright lemony sauce and velveted thin filets. For dessert we ordered the chocolate mousse cake and the lemon tart. Both were fantastic. The mousse was light and fluffy with a good dark chocolate taste. The crust on the lemon tart was okay, maybe a little soggy but the lemon curd was excellent and it more than made up for the minor crust issue. Overall, the presentation was lovely for all of these dishes, and the service was helpful and attentive without being intrusive. They have a patio out back that looks like it'll be great on good-weather days. We will definitely come back here again. read more

L'Orcio - Special menu for Restaurant Week - Italian Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Came here again and it was as great as last time. We sat in their back garden outdoor seating this time and it was lovely and well decorated. Would again recommend for date or celebratory meals. read more

L'Orcio - Italian Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Food: Artichoke appetizer was the smallest artichoke I've ever seen -- served with oily greens. Sea Bass was less than a half-inch thick -- covered with shavings of ??? Lemon tart -- crust was not fully baked and bland A friend at my table had pasta that was definitely not made "that day" -- tough and chewy [[HIGHLIGHT]]Ambiance: not inviting or warm[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Service: Wrong dinners set in front of my table. Not attentive -- saw our waiter to take initial order and to give the check. I would not spend money here again -- yes I know it was restaurant week but it's a chance for a restaurant to WOW customers so they return read more

Truly outstanding dinner following a Yale hockey game, with excellent appetizers, then the branzino special for me and vegetarian boscaiola and burratta for my guests. Wonderful texture and taste to all dishes, with efficient service in a homey venue. So pleased to discover this gem, within walking distance of our hotel. read more

I had to up my rating of this restaurant because everything about the experience from beginning to end is fantastic. The service, atmosphere, food. Everything is fresh, great portions. A great date night or family restaurant. This has easily become one of my favorites in New Haven! read more

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First time here. Server was Alexis. She helped us make choices off the menu. Shared a Mediterranea Salad... fresh greens & perfect dressing; one Pasta Carbonara & Cavatelli alla Norma; two glasses of Montepulchiano & chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Good food. Good service. Look forward to coming back. read more

My favorite Italian in New Haven, a true standout. Everything is always cooked to perfection, and their fresh pastas are so simple and delicious. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The garden area is a little oasis.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Top three spot in town. read more

Always a great experience, the food is delicious and the service is excellent. Always listen to the specials, there are usually interesting options. [[HIGHLIGHT]]A very nice ambiance, not stuffy but upscale[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]. A well thought out wine list at fair prices. We have been going for years, always excellent read more

Absolutely delicious italian food in the heart of East Rock! The linguine con vongole was filled with fresh clams and a hearty broth. The whole menu looks delicious and I'm eager to return to try more! read more

L'Orcio - Linguine con Vongole - Italian Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

L'Orcio is an authentic Italian gem in the heart of New Haven -- they serve outstandingly delicious homemade pasta dishes, the service is great, and the ambience is fantastic. Looking forward to trying the whole menu read more

L'Orcio - Pappardelle al Ragú - Italian Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

This is a tough review to write. L'orcio is a comfortable restaurant that's been around for 19 years they squeezed us in but reservations are recommended. We sat at the bar and our bartender, Adonna, was incredible. She knew the menu very well and was so charming and fun. I'd give her own 5 stars. I started with a bean soup which was very thick, had a nice flavor but could have been better. I always write about cooks tasting food before sending it out, not sure the soup had been tasted all night. It was salty but lacked the kick a great soup has. For dinner I had chicken Al Limone, a classic Italian version of what we would find at most Italian Americsn restaurants- Chicken Piccata. The chicken was plentiful but dry and probably seared for too long. The sauce was light and tasted like just fresh lemon juice. This is in fact how Italians cook: clean and simple but I'm programmed to like a sauce that's more structured. Overall a good restaurant, I just wanted it to be a little better. Hats off Adonna! 31/2 stars. read more

L'Orcio - Bean soup - Italian Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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Love love love L'Orcios especially when you can sit out back in the grotto. Food service ambience all spot on making for a great place to gather w friends and family. Get the homemade pasta. read more

We tried L'Orcio for New Haven Restaurant Week 2020. I have been wanting to go here for a while to try it out. The story behind the restaurant convinced us that we would be treated to a delicious meal. The RW menu was nicely curated offering choices for a three course dinner. I made a reservation for two and anxiously waited for our night out. We arrived early and found a waiting line which was no issue. We were seated shortly then waited for water as we perused the wine list. We decided on the one and only Chardonnay offered and when Our server came back for our drink order he provided little to no help on the decision. When our server returned, he asked if we were ready to place our order, we had a couple of questions but the waiter did not engage in any sort of conversation with us, he seemed preoccupied and offered little assistance, he just wanted to take our order. So order we did. I settled on the fried artichoke with arugula and he settled on the meat and cheese appetizer. I selected the stuffed chicken breast and he decided on the fresh lobster ravioli. For dessert I ordered the raspberry blood orange sorbet and he the tiramisu. Upon taking our orders the waiter moved on and our meals were served. The appetizers were delicious. Again, our waiter did not engage in any way. No return visit to see how we liked our choices. The lobster ravioli was superb. The chicken breast was moist but salty. The tiramisu was not cured enough to absorb the expresso but still good. The sorbet was refreshing. Overall our meals were good and the wine was ok for our only choice in Chardonnay. Our only complaint was that our waiter was totally unfocused about being our server. He didn't put any effort into making us feel welcomed or even to discuss the food. read more

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We were a party of 5 on a Sunday night. Charming covered patio was terrific because it started to rain. Starting with the good, the food was delicious once it arrived. My 3 year old grandson was with us as my family was visiting from out of state. The food took almost an hour to arrive after appetizer was served promptly. Maybe there was a problem in the kitchen. It was fairly busy and it seemed like everyone was waiting for their main course. The waitress was not communicative about the wait and why. I would not recommend bringing small children here. Summing it up, great food choices and ambience, reasonably priced,maybe a bad day in the kitchen. read more