Went to dinner with some friends and this gem is exquisite! The taste of the pasta was amazing,the ambience was great and the server was excellent ! read more

Macaluso’s Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Aiken, South Carolina

I regret not taking photos of our food, so you'll just have to trust me when I say it was delicious! Make sure you save room for dessert and coffee- you need the ricotta cake in your life. read more

The place is beautiful and unique. If you want to break away from the routine and the ordinary, I highly recommend this experience, as it's staffed by excellent employees who guide you through the menu--which is prepared daily by the chef--making for a truly special evening. It's a cozy spot where you can enjoy a special dinner with your partner to celebrate a special occasion or simply to treat yourself to an excellent meal made with exquisite ingredients. My experience was exceptional. I highly recommend it. read more

I will preface this by saying this has always been our favorite restaurant in Aiken. A "go to" for every big event. Went tonight to see my daughter off to college. Our kids first time there and we were SO EXCITED! First off, they lost their liquor license. Not a big deal, just means beer or wine. Would not have even cared. Second, we looked at the menu for almost 15 minutes because our server was awful (in a restaurant with 15 tables and three servers). And had made up our minds. She arrives and begins with, "hello, would you like flat water or sparkling water?" - verbatim. We say, flat, thanks. Comes back with that in a refillable open bottle (important) and we are ready to order. Son orders a pizza (this menu is only one page long with maybe 25 items, all encompassed). She says, "we only have pizzas in the winter". (Literally half the menu is pizzas) We order mussels app, same answer.... We finally figure out what 10 items on the menu are available and order four of them. Takes forever. Understandable for quality, but during this experience it feels annoying. Finally comes. Haven't seen our server since we ordered. Order more bread and more water from the food runner. Server checks on us with STACKED EMPTY PLATES and just walks away. Server finally visits and comes with bill and tries to just take my card and put it in mobile reader. I know this is odd but we are all becoming used to it so I try to be "cool". Ask to review receipt and we have been charged for two bottle of "still water" at $8 each. Revert to original greet, which was verbatim. No suggestion of tap water or no water choice; just still or sparkling. On top of terrible service for a $hit ton of money, I am not having it. Question server and she offers no solution. Suddenly Michael, who is an amazing chef and business owner - albeit arrogant a$$hole - comes storming out of the kitchen and tells me he teaches his servers to upsell!! Love that journey for any server, but this was NOT upsell, this was a scam.... He immediately writes my name on a post it note and tells me I am no longer allowed in his restaurant. So, there's that. Food - amazing. Buyer be ware... Such a shame.... read more

The hostess sent us up to the new bar upstairs that just reopened today. Come to find out they only serve wine and champagne. We ordered a half bottle of champagne come to find out when we got the bill it was $98 ? We were not told! Total bill $111.00 plus tip really? Don't think that this bar will make it! Then went down for dinner. Salad was good but the pasta we ordered was very under cooked. Sauce was tasty but pasta rubbery. Would not go back or recommend. read more

Overpriced southern Italian peasant dishes (pasta and pizza) cooked up by an arrogant misogynist with an anger problem. Seventeen dollars for a meatball ?? Romaine lettuce salad with a chopped hothouse tomato for two at thirty-two dollars?? Servers who act like automatons and who are instructed to NOT ask diners how their meal is after serving ?? Asked for a meal to take home and were told "We don't prepare meals to go". " WHAT?? Where's the Osso Bucco, the Braciole? Fiorentina? Granted, it's tough to find properly prepared Italian in the South though next time we want Italian, we'll cook this type of fare at home for a LOT less and not deal with the noisy atmosphere and the nasty owner AND absurd prices. read more

"I think you should leave too..." This is how the post-meal conversation ended with chef/owner of Macaluso's. It has been several years since our last patronage and decided tonight was the night for a nice romantic dinner over a bottle of wine and some pizza and pasta. The evening started out on track with lovely waitstaff who graciously seated us even without a reservation on a rainy Thursday evening. We began our meal with a bottle of Sparkling Water & Sangiovese and the $27 Salad for Two (sans salami). Ok salad...nice portion...could have used some fresh black pepper. Our meal progressed with the Spinach & Mushroom Pizza, but were told they would not add Broccoli Rabe or prove Broccoli Rabe as a side because the chef will not do "substitutions." We also ordered the Penne with Onions & Peas...Not Good. The Penne was swimming in a watery "broth" (if you can call it that) and topped with canned peas. Yup, a $24 dish of boxed pasta & canned peas. We ate our dinner quietly and upon receiving our dessert menu were asked how we enjoyed the dishes. We replied politely and said the pasta was not good. Our server returned to the kitchen and some time later the chef/owner came out with a can of peas to "chef-splain" his dish. Note: if you have to "chef-splain" the dish, it is not good. Apparently he "invented" the dish, which consists of: Boxed penne, canned peas, canned pea "broth", olive oil, and chicken broth. Which is when we interrupted the diatribe to ask why chicken broth was included in a vegetarian dish. This was apparently the type of question to illicit the response of "well, we can't read your mind." Um...if there is a vegetarian dish in the menu (I.e., penne with onions & peas), we vegetarians expect the dish to be vegetarian and get upset when post-meal it is not and then get scolded for "spilling all of the secrets." Long story "short" we ended the discussion by saying..."We'd like to leave." Which prompted the response "I think you should leave too." Needless to say, we won't be back and are frustrated with the ~$160 we spent to be scolded about how we don't understand what turns out is just plain bad food...and neither should you. We read more

Macaluso’s Restaurant - Crazy bill for sub-par Italian food - Italian Near Me - Aiken, South Carolina

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Decided to give this place another try...Not a good decision. Wait staff was nice enough, but the whole atmosphere felt in fear of the wrath of the chef/owner. We ordered a bottle of wine, shared salad, pizza & vegetarian pasta dish. Wine, salad & pizza were "fine"...nothing special or memorable. The item that was memorable (for the wrong reasons) was the pasta dish and chefs response to the leftovers that came back to the kitchen to be boxed up for the dogs. When the Penne with Onions & Peas arrived, the initial visual was less than appetizing. We opted not to take a photo because the dish looked so bad (soupy "broth" & gray canned peas). It was not until the completely unexpected & unprofessional interaction with the chef/owner that we opted to leave a review. We poured (yes, poured) out a "broth" from our pasta dish. We later learned this mess was comprised of canned pea "juice", oil, and chicken broth. GROSS!!! We anticipated this dish would be light, bright & fresh - NO. The peas were canned (and the owner even brought a can out to tell us how we were wrong for not liking the dish he "invented" - Penne w/ Peas & Onions). The whole experience was surreal. We had planned to just "chalk it up" to a weird experience, but no...the chef came out to berate us in how we were wrong for not liking his dish and that it couldn't possibly be made with fresh ingredients. I do t know about you, but if I'm paying $160 for a nice Italian meal for 2, I expect my ingredients to be fresh, pasta to be homemade, and vegetarian dish to be void of chicken broth. Not the case here. Do yourself a favor & skip this place. Go to Casa Bella or even Olive Garden to get you pasta fix in Aiken. read more

Macaluso’s Restaurant - Exorbitant bill for cheap products - Italian Near Me - Aiken, South Carolina

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I found this restaurant less than optimal, especially given the expense. I have no problem eating at pricey restaurants, in fact, I just had a wonderful meal at Per Se in New York last month. However, the food is not exceptional, the restaurant doesn't even have a full liquor license, and when we asked for separate checks (2 times) we were not accommodated. I had the garlic and oil pasta, but the garlic was overwhelming. No other taste could come through because of the excessive use of garlic. The pasta was overcooked - certainly not al dente. I will say that their salad greens were exceptionally crisp. Sorry, but I cannot recommend. read more

Great Italian food with excellent service. Love the decor and ambiance. It's rather small but a really intimate dining experience. Reservations are a must. We started out with the meatball appetizer which was delicious. We also had a single salad that was large enough to share. Our entrees were chicken parm with ravioli and staton island baked rigatoni with chicken parm. Both were tasty and highly recommended! Great evening for sure! read more

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Had a terrible experience at Macaluso's this evening. Had to ask the waitress where our drinks were because she forgot about them. We then waited for almost 30 minutes for our main course. Normally, that wouldn't upset me. But, at the 50 minute point, while my wife was still finishing her wine, we were rushed out the door apparently because they over booked and "people are waiting'. You get a more relaxed dining experience at McDonalds. Strike Macaluso's from the list of places to eat in Aiken. read more

The overall dining experience was amazing, from the time we entered the restaurant until we departed. The atmosphere, service and food were definitely first class! My Wife and I would recommend to any couple looking to spend quality time together while sharing a great meal!! read more

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We have been meaning to try this spot since it opened and finally got around to it. Upon first entering we noticed it was very loud. Also noticed the $2.99 boxed pasta they that use which you can buy at Kroger is on display which is strange. We ordered two glasses of wine from there small list of by the glass options. My sav blanc was fine but the Chardonnay my mom ordered was disgusting and tasted like it had been sitting and was stale. The menu is very basic and not many vegetarian options. When asked what the "pizza of the night" was we were informed that they had NO pizza because the chef was out of dough and it was a long process to make more.... It's Friday night? And pizza is half your menu... plan ahead? When I asked if I could add shrimp to the $21 dollar pasta and oil dish, I was told the chef wouldn't do it but I could order the $23 shrimp scampi appetizer and mix them together myself. So for $44, I'm supposed to make my own dish at the table? No thanks. I will say our waitress was very pleasant and understanding so that was a positive. We ended up paying for the one glass of wine that wasn't disgusting and headed to The Wildemount instead. (Which was lovely!) read more

I heard way too many folks talking about this "new Italian place" that I had to visit! I'm glad I did. This family owned restaurant/kitchen has a homey feel to it as soon as you walk in. The red walls with the black and white family photos bring you right into into the home of Macaluso's. The wonderful smell of marinara and garlic hit me as soon as I walked in. I would have given 5 stars, but with the way things are, the tables were too close for complete comfort. I wish they had more outdoor seating. I hear this may be coming soon. I messaged in advance to see if the menu had any vegetarian options. That made my mouth water in anticipation. They had several appetizers, pizzas and pastas that were vegetarian or could be made that way. We ordered sautéed spinach and broccoli rabe for a starter and pasta for dinner. The starters are definitely sharables... we only ate about half of each to save space for pasta. Oh, and they have a pasta tray where you could choose your pasta by sight. Neat! While we waited we had bread with some delicious peppered olive oil. I had the long fusilli with marinara. Very yum! A perfect helping of sauce with perfect al dente pasta. I added a sprinkle of parmesano and mixed it all together for a fantastic meal. The chef actually sells his marinara...it's that good! I opted out of dessert because I was so full, but they provided a tray to see the offerings for the evening. It all looked pretty good, but I couldn't eat another bite. I will be back soon to try their pizzas and other vegetarian dishes. read more

Macaluso’s Restaurant - Broccoli rabe. - Italian Near Me - Aiken, South Carolina

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I was so excited to visit on my birthday with my husband, but by the end we wished we had gone elsewhere. Basically, if you are not a regular you are literally forgettable. My husband made a reservation 2 weeks in advance and the restaurant called one week previous to confirm. Despite this, when we arrived, the hostess told us that we must have told them the wrong day (isn't the customer supposed to be right?). We were sent upstairs to the bar to wait. We ordered cocktails, but I could have made better at home. We waited 45 minutes for our reserved table and not once did anyone apologize whatsoever. This set us behind on the rest of our evening plans. Our waitress was one bright spot, as she did take great care of us. The bread was unimpressive for an establishment such as this, it seemed stale and the oil that accompanied it was plain (no seasonings aside from pepper). Our entrees were delicious, but what soured everything for me was how we were treated. We noticed over the course of our meal how the staff went above and beyond for the regulars, but it seemed like everyone else translated as an afterthought or even an inconvenience. Italian restaurants that I have frequented elsewhere in the world have had a wonderful, welcoming atmosphere for all. We did not get this feeling from this restaurant. Needless to say, we will not be back and we will not recommend it to friends and family. read more

Food is great ambiance is perfect for the town and service is solid. Highly recommend

This restaurant is situated in a beautiful old home in downtown Aiken. There is a small parking lot on the property and street parking available. There is limited seating; however, there are some tables on the front porch and it appeared that there are some tables in a garden behind the restaurant. We arrived just before opening and went upstairs to the Rose Bar. This bar is a dimly lit space with candles and exposed wood. It is a wonderful space; however, we decided to enjoy our drinks in the rocking chairs on the upstairs porch. This is a great option! After a cocktail, we went downstairs to the restaurant. This is a fine dinning experience. The service was attentive and the experience was great. We started the meal with Sinatra Spicy Shrimp. I highly recommended this dish, especially if you like spicy foods. The flavor is great and it has the perfect kick of spice. I then enjoyed the chicken parm. My guest had clams with pasta. We finished the meal with mascarpone cheesecake. I would definitely recommend this restaurant for a special occasion or to just enjoy some cocktails of that great upstairs porch. read more

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Outrageous prices for obviously boxed pasta and desserts that appear to be frozen. . . Service was scattered and unorganized to say the least. . . Seems the owner has a long history of lawsuits for not paying his employees and other labor violations, even taking out PPP loans during Covid and using the money to leave town and start this location. I will NEVER support this kind of operation. . . read more

Food and staff were fantastic. There were six of us and service was great and the food was amazing. Will definitely go back. My family loved the homemade meatballs and the salad was delicious and crisp. Pasta and sauces were out of this world. read more

The ambiance! The staff! The food! Do not pass go, do not collect your $200 unless you try this place on the boardwalk! It's delicious! The staff is very attentive! The chef knows what he's doing, I mean, I can go on and on and on... but then you won't be able to stuff your face with the meatball appetizer! I ordered the chicken parm and let me tell you, didn't leave my seat until it was clean! If you're in SC, Aiken.... You can not pass this by! Oh, Liza with a Z was our server and she delivered the best of the best! Gosh, just try it! read more

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So amazing !!! Best Italian restaurant Augusta/Aiken!!!!! Can't wait to return! Date night favorite! read more

Macaluso’s Restaurant - Yummy - Italian Near Me - Aiken, South Carolina

​We went to Macaluso's to celebrate our anniversary. Ordered the Vito Salad for two which we intended to be our main meal with appetizers on the side and wine. The salad was delivered and my husband and I portioned it up on our plates, it was at that point we realized the salad was missing the salami, cheese and other primary ingredients. Asked to speak to our server who was also the owner and questioned the salad. She admitted to mistakenly giving us the house salad instead that consisted only of lettuce and a tomato. She did not offer to fix the problem, I had to suggest she exchange the salads and she refused, said that because we had touched the house salad she couldn't take it back. The attitude was unaccommodating, uncomfortable and she seemed to be angry. She finally agreed to grudgingly bring us some salami to add to the salad we did not order! ​We will not return. read more

Omg this place is adorable! The drinks were amazing the atmosphere was amazing, the food was absolutely spectacular and the staff were so kind and efficient! Hands down THE BEST ITALIAN FOOD....EVER! read more

The food is delicious! We sat at the bar upstairs while we waited on our table. Courtney makes very good cocktails. Very nice atmosphere and friendly staff. The food...wow! read more

Macaluso’s Restaurant - Meatballs on ravioli - Italian Near Me - Aiken, South Carolina

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Very very small dining area but good food! Bar is upstairs Must plan in advance to dine there read more

Best Italian in the greater Augusta area.. I don't make the rules. As a NY'r - this is the real deal. The bolognese, the drinks, the ambiance, shout out to the best server Lorna. You don't want to miss this fabulous establishment. Definitely try the Vito salad for two and bolognese people! read more

Macaluso’s Restaurant - Vito salad for 2 - Italian Near Me - Aiken, South Carolina

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Great food. Great service. Great wine couldn't be better. I have a restaurant in Chicago I was very very impressed

Love Italian ? We do and we LOVE Macalusos! Chef Michael Macaluso does an amazing job with tantalizing even the most discriminating of Italian eaters! His dishes are fresh, innovative yet traditional and never disappoint. When you step inside you realize as your taste buds begin to tingle that you are about to go on a wonderful food journey. Every time I eat his spaghetti and meatballs I go to my happy place ! Yes such a simple dish but with a well guarded family meatball recipe it is a delight. Although we've tried mini dishes on the menu it's one I always return back to! It's easy to see why there are so many orders on the other tables! NOTE: they do not take reservations and get quite busy, and the wait can be awhile. They have an upstairs bar but do need to get some outside benches so you don't have to stand while waiting in the garden. We have found coming early for dinner 5-6 to be a easier time to get a table. read more

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made reservations at least a week in advance for a particular table. I was assured the table was mine. Got there table not available for some reason! this is the second time this has happened! ordered a drink, bar not open! ordered a particular wine, Chardonnay, not available. last time for Macalusos read more

Great server, delicious appetizers (meatballs, Sinatra shrimp and sausage and peppers). Dinner portions are large and easy to share. We had the MACALUSOS CHICKEN PARM OVER PASTA and Staten Island Baked Ragatoni with Chicken Parm. Both very tasty. We will definitely eat here on our next visit. read more

They take no reservations. When we arrived at 6:40, we were told it was a 45 minute wait, and were sent upstairs to the bar for a cocktail. It was very cold; there was one other patron waiting for a table (that was empty when we arrived, but when we asked for it we were told "someone upstairs was waiting for it, and they couldn't overload the kitchen "...with one more two top?) But ok. There were four tables in the bar. The bartender was nice but it took her ten minutes to find the wine we ordered, she was clearly inexperienced and did not keep an eye on her three customers . For a bar with wines ranging from $45 to $200 we would have liked a person who knew the wines and how to serve them. But she was nice and it was good wine. Unfortunately no food was offered in the bar and after an hour and twenty five minutes we were getting pretty hungry. The other person waited 45 minutes for that empty table. After we waited an hour and 30 minutes my husband went downstairs....the hostess said "oh I was getting ready to come get you." He felt she had clearly forgotten us. She took us downstairs and seated us at a table right by the door to the outside. I asked if we could be seated somewhere not by the door, because I was already freezing, and she said they would move us in just a minute to an empty table. They never did. A hroup of three that came into the bar over an hour after us were seated right after us and were served bread, water and salads before we were given menus or water. They had a waitress. There was apparently no waitress for our table, the hostess person did bring us some bread. A The bread was burned on the bottom but it was food, and by then we had been waiting an hour and forty five minutes. The olive oil served with the bread was ok, but not great. No salt or pepper or spices with it. We ordered pizza. Almost half of the menu was pizza. We were told there was no pizza tonight. I ordered a salad and my husband ordered pasta. The food was absolutely delicious. 20 minutes after being seated downstairs we were offered water, which we grateful accepted. We enjoyed our food, and the actual waitress finally got free, came over and offered us dessert/coffee which we ordered. The desert was mediocre chocolate cake, and the coffee was wonderful. When the waitress came back over with our check, we chatted for a moment. I told her the food was wonderful but the verbal experience not so much. She replied, "so the food was wonderful, but the service sucked." My response was, "pretty much," which just pissed her off. But it was the truth. I did tell her it wasn't her service, which had been fine, but she didn't want to hear it and turned and left. I guess you shouldn't ask questions you don't want to hear the answer to. She muttered something about being short handed,,and in the times of Covid people should be sympathetic. I get that, we left a twenty percent tip in light of that, but the truth remains, the service was crappy, and no one ever offered any kind of apology at any point in the over two and a half hours we were there. read more

They have a lot of rules! No kids under 12...forget this place. Not a family friendly place.

just nowNEW-Write a review Truly OUTSTANDING!!! Was recommended by locals & It made a perfect evening. Husband & wife owned and carrying on their family traditions. He was the chef and she the hostess. The decor and music was perfect for an Italian restaurant. Our food was literally the BEST Italian we've ever had. Our waitress(Lorna) was exceptional, was friendly, efficient and made the experience so enjoyable. She said the secret salad dressing was amazing and she was correct. We had the ravioli with the roasted red pepper meatball (delicious) and the sausage with pasta (also great).Bread was excellent. We didn't have dessert because we were too full. I would definitely recommend & look forward to eating there again the next time we visit Aiken. Restaurant has limited seating (cozy) but they do take reservations. read more

The most amazing Italian I have ever had in my life. I have been to Italy myself and this food is just as fantastic. I am shocked that Aiken has been able to support a restaurant as good as Macaluso's. Wonderful environment, pleasant employees, and simply amazing food. Never ever disappoints! We have gotten close with the owners from eating there at least once a week, and they are some of the sweetest people. The Italian is amazing, the best around. The perfect ambiance for a date night, get there early to enjoy a drink upstairs at the bar. You can't go wrong with anything you order on the menu. It is a 5 star for sure! read more

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Amazing spot for a date night. Nice Italian feel and overall very clean restaurant. Hostess is very nice and helpful and waiters were very knowledgeable of the menu. My wife ordered the Chicken Parm and I got the Bolognese. So much flavor and each plate done so well that we were just blown away. Nice list of wines that were paired with our main course. Very nice experience trying something different and almost like we were eating on vacation. Don't skip the ricotta cake, I may ask if I can get the whole dessert to keep at home. read more

If I could give this beautiful restaurant a 6.... I would! The building is beautiful. The service was amazing. The food was unforgettable. Please do yourself a service and disregard the ridiculous reviews that say otherwise. We were in Aiken visiting our kids and happened to decide on this beautiful restaurant. Yes.... I watched his Instagram video before we ventured in. Do it. We ordered a smattering of everything including:the meatballs, a sausage pizza, the clams and linguine, and the raviolis. All of those were magnificent. I didn't love the chicken artichoke dish but I still enjoyed bites. Our wine was out of stock but the one recommended was amazing. The desserts weren't amazing....except for the cannoli which I probably could have eaten 5 of by myself. Do not skip this gem in downtown. We really enjoyed ourselves out on their patio. read more

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Second visit as good as the first. We sampled a few more items from the menu and brought some family to join us. Everyone was pleased with their food. The bar upstairs provides a great spot to enjoy a drink until your table is ready. Brenda takes care of all your drink needs with her exceptional service. read more

Macaluso’s Restaurant - Chef Michael is a welcome addition to the Aiken food scene. - Italian Near Me - Aiken, South Carolina

This place is unreal. Being from Long Island this is the first place outside of New York that competes as being one of the best Italian joints I've had. Make sure you get there 30 minutes early to hit the rose bar upstairs before your reservation. The service and staff are top class and the food and wine just makes the experience that much better. If in Aiken you need to go. read more

Overall, we had a nice evening and our server, Farren, was great, but they really need to turn down the music. It was so loud that all the customers had to almost shout to be heard above it, which of course made it even louder. As for the food, I thought it was good, just not worth what they charge for it. Disclaimer: I'm married to a 100% Italian who can cook, so I might be a bit biased. I had the chicken Parmesan on ravioli and it was good, but not exceptional. Definitely not worth what they charge for it. My wife had just penne pasta with marinara sauce. Again, it was good, but nothing special. The couple that was with us seemed to like their orders better, although he was surprised that he couldn't get regular spaghetti noodles with his meatball order and she thought the bread was too tough. I doubt that we'll go there again, at least until I hear that they've solved the sound problem. read more

We were a party of three. The restaurant is in a cute, remodeled house and the atmosphere is quite charming. We went up stairs to the bar and had a cocktail while waiting a good 30-40 minutes past our reservation time. Finally seated, we each ordered a glass of wine and shared the Vito's Salad for two. One in our party had the linguini and clams, which was pretty good, but she didn't love the fact that the clams were all finely chopped up in the dish, and there were very few of them and not any whole clams served with it. One person had the muscles and they were pretty good, but were not served with bread, so we had to ask for that and it was not served warm. The third person in our party had the Macaluso's sausage and meatball. Both the meatball and the sausage were excellent and the best part of the dinner. The marinara sauce was good, it was not as great as one would have expected it to be. The real disappointment is that the pastas were not homemade. Not sure if they do any handmade pasta or not, but certainly would've expected it. The main server was great, very knowledgeable and on top of it, the second server was clueless about even pouring water. On a sidenote, we left a message to get a reservation and they are very specific about what you can and can't do. For example, don't bring your kid unless they're over 12, don't bring your American Express card either. Don't even think about wearing a T-shirt or a baseball cap. I just found it odd that they would leave such an aggressive message on their answering machine and then reiterate it when they returned the phone call. Overall it was just ok but expensive! 3 cocktails = $47, dinner for three with 2 glasses of wine each = $250. Not a great bang for your buck, in my opinion. read more