We had my mother's 80th birthday lunch at Michael's Trattoria today, and it was a great time. The food, from our appetizers to mains, was very tasty across the board. A favorite app was the fried Mozzarella, prepared differently than we have had anywhere else. As for the mains, a number of our group had the Chicken Parmesan. The chicken was very tender and the whole fish was delicious. We especially enjoyed our server, Debbie, who had us laughing and joking with her, and helped make the day even more special. And when it came time for the cake, which they graciously let us bring in, the owner, Michael himself, was cutting and serving it to us! No cake cutting charges or anything. All this at a very affordable price too! On our ride home back to Massachusetts, my wife and lamented that we don't have a restaurant like this one near us. You should check it out and ask for Debbie! read more

I went to Michael's for the first time. To celebrate my daughter birthday. I was told it was good. I made a res, arrived and was told there was no room in the main dining room. We were led to the back room which Was dingy and had dead flowers in the table in gross water. We stayed against my better judgement. We got the burrata special, it was good, main course was chicken and artichoke.. it was very unappealing. All piled in a plate with tons of tomato sauce on it, could even see what was eating. And was charged more for swapping the past for vegetable. $30. For a chicken dish that sucked. It kind of ruined the vibe of the night. I will never go back. Too many other actual good places. Service was okay but they didn't care I was disappointed. Sorry but this is an honest review. Food, service and ambiance can all be improved on. Best of luck to them read more

My wife and I eat here somewhat often because we live locally. The food is generally good, better than most Italian places in town. But we have definitely found the service to be better if we eat at the bar. At the bar, Faster service, food is warmer, and the wait/bar staff older and more professional. Wife and I ate here on a Sunday night with our kids, bar pretty full but only a couple people in the dining room. Waited nearly 15 mins for drinks. The meal took nearly 2 hrs. Our waitress was young, but friendly. Overall, the service was SLOW and she always seemed busy, but not helping us! At the end of the dinner she was "dealing with a problem " while we waited seemingly a LONG time for our check. Your mileage may vary, but for us, we're getting tired of this same experience each time we dine here. read more

On Saturday July 25th we had a Milestones Celebration. Our decision to host it at Michael's was spot on. We found the planning to be extremely easy with Ryan as a contact point. The staff could not have been more accommodating and helpful. A huge shout out to Anya, Sandra, Haylee and Haley! They were attentive to all our needs and went out of their way to help unload decorations from our cars and assist with the set up.The food was excellent and service outstanding. The room was private and perfectly set for our party. Should we do another party we would absolutely choose this place again. We would highly recommend Michael's Trattoria for your celebration in the Wallingford area! Kudos to Michael's. Well done! read more

Straightforward Italian fare with a great group of locals posted up. Stopped in during the daytime on our way North. Fried Calamari Sicilian Style - Spicy red sauce & tossed with hot peppers was the go-to order since I can't find it that way down here in ATX. Kelly at the bar is what sets places apart, hospitality coupled with scrumptious food. The Perfect combo! read more

Michael's Trattoria - Espresso Martini - Italian Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

The seafood dishes we selected were good well seasoned, traditional and properly prepared. The service was good. The atmosphere was great for dinner (early evening) dining areas limited necessitating that tables be closer and smaller than ideal. While not comparable to italian restaurants in NYC Newark or Boston where stiff competition breeds excellence this is one of the few restaurants in town that are not continental cuisine in town. Hopefully the ethnic south American restaurants that opened in the area over the last few years will increase competition and motivate Michael's Tratoria to fine tune their offerings and achieve true excellence. read more

I met an old friend from high school at Michael's. From the start, Mara was amazingly attentive and at our disposal. Offering delicious bread and drinks. We both had the lemon chicken which was cooked perfectly. Highly recommend. Melissa. read more

Two adult couples had a reservation for dinner and we were immediately seated in their small room with 6 tables. Music from the larger dining room ...recorded and then live ... was pleasant and gave us enough distance so we could talk with each other throughout our 2 hours there. Servers were personable, knowledgeable, energetic, humorous, and efficient. We 4 ordered four different meals that were attractively presented, arrived simultaneously, were prepared as we requested, and delicious. Our entrees were sizable and resulted in 4 to-go bags. Service staff even joined us with a delicious, candled-dessert and sang "Happy Birthday!" We will return to Michael's Trattoria soon. read more

Ordered eggplant rollatini. Tasted off. Had my friend try it. She said it was rancid. Told the waitress. Says the chef offers apology and they would take it off the bill. Really? I would sure hope they would take off the bill. Horrible to think they would serve rancid food. Left a bad taste in my mouth literally. Would not return. read more

The escarole is fantastic (5/5) The meatballs are good (3/5) The place needs curtains to absorb the sound of people talking.Thank God there isn't any "boom boom boom" annoying music played which many places do that have no concept of what the addition of background dinner music could do for ambiance. The decibel torture would be 10x worse if they made that mistake. Service is pretty good 3/5. The salmon was very good 4/5 but it should have been with some delicious risotto instead of basically tasteless wild rice. It's an ok place to try once but I wouldn't go out of my way. Oh, the apple crisp dessert is actually very good. read more

Michael's Trattoria - Crab crusted salmon. - Italian Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

I had my birthday dinner there on Thursday night. It's beautiful on the inside with the new addition. We had a big party 5 adults and two kids 7,10 . We all had a variety of food my granddaughters split the seafood over linguine they loved it one person had the salmon special. 2 had the chicken artichoke in red sauce . I had seared scallops it was a little burnt and the spinach and sun dried tomatoes were floating in too much oil . But I ate it . I will say my niece had a big seafood with lobster which was very tough . I feel it was extremely pricey but a decent amount of food . Our waitress was very nice and attentive. If you're an Italian food person you will love it .. Enjoy Chris M read more

We had such a great meal at Michael's Trattoria. Our waitress was the best. She was kind and helpful with suggestions. The food was delicious and everything was cooked perfectly! I don't know why it took me so long to discover this place. Can't wait to be back! read more

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Ambiance and setting was comfortable, albeit a bit dark. Unfortunately we walked out due to the long wait for service. Which is especially frustrating as we were very much in the mood for some italian cuisine. read more

First of all pizza was very cold and it took forever to get us we would expect it to be at last warm because they took 25 minutes would I go again . No I would not go again pizza wasn't even cut good they rushed on it .i would not recommend going to Michaels trattoria. read more

Michael's Trattoria - Dunkin dounts - Italian Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

The food here is excellent and the atmosphere especially after the expansion is as well. 4 of us went and enjoyed our meal greatly. We felt the meal prices were fair as was the quality and amount of food. We do have one gripe though.. The drink prices are ridiculous. A cheap glass of wine is $10 as was a can of micro brew beer. There is also no prices on any drinks except the wine. Its becoming more and more common place for restaurants to use these tactics. In our case though they lost business as we all opted not to order a second drink. It just really sours an otherwise good meal when you feel you are being ripped off for something the restaurant didn't even make. We also opted out of dessert as we decided to call it a night. Michaels really is a great place for good food but honestly I wish they didnt over price the drinks. read more

Food was ok but service was slow. We arrived at 6:00 and didn't get served until 7:40. This place is LOUD. So loud, in fact, you need to yell to be heard by others at an our table of 4. They did move us twice to get us to a quieter place, which we appreciated. The waitress was new, but it not incredibly attentive (took almost half hour to get water). We will not be back. read more

I took my wife to Concert at Oakdale and thought let's get top notch itialian. Omg I was so embarrassed. Her lasagna was cold and like previously frozen or something. Like layers of plastic meat and pasta with melted cheese on top with jar ragu sauce. They delivered a brown pomegranate martini and my ceasar salad was wilted. My sea bass while not bad at all was more like trout. I felt really bad cause we are used to Salute in Hartford and Rocky Hill. The place was packed. What are all these half baked Americans thinking that they know how to cook itialian? No. read more

I don't usually dine in Wallingford because the town is NOT welcoming to outsiders who happen to be of a different hue than the majority that live there. When my friends who aren't from New Haven county told me they were eating there, I was very hesitant to join them. I actually did a quick prayer before I left because I didn't want us to have a bad experience because of what we looked like. I got there a little after them so they were already seated. When I walked in, the staff was very welcoming and pointed me to the back area where my friends were already seated. I noticed they had already ordered so I picked at their meal. They got the mozzarella sticks, egg plant pasta and something else (which I've forgotten). As soon as I tasted the mozzarella sticks, I immediately ordered my own, along with a martini. My appetizer came quickly and was so delicious, especially because it was hot! The drink was also really good and our waitress was personable and would chat us up when she came to our table. We had such a great time there and stayed for about 2 hours. I'm so happy we had a positive experience here. I can't wait to go back and have a real meal. read more

Michael's Trattoria - Yummm - Italian Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

Wow! What a busy, bustling restaurant! We made reservations for the back room hoping it would be more intimate, but it was extremely loud! We could barely hear our conversation or our server. We needed a megaphone to talk, but we just kept repeating "what?" "Beg pardon?" over our table conversation. It was pretty cramped, the person's chair behind me kept bumping into mine, and the party of 6 next to us was obnoxious. Our server, Gabby, however, handled the mayhem with poise and grace. She was very attentive and efficient. She apologized for the confusion. I ordered the fettuccine Alfredo which was unlike any I had ever had. That's my "go to" dish at Italian eateries! If you are expecting a creamy, white cheese sauce, think again. This interpretation had a Spicy reddish sauce with way too much paprika. Quite different than the traditional Alfredo. I ate a few bites, but left the majority of it untouched. I was thankful for the house salad to curb my appetite. The garlic bread helped, although it was average. My hubby ordered the chicken Marsala, which he found satisfactory, but he said the presentation was a bit unappealing and messy. The chicken was tender and the sauce was rich and flavorful with lots of mushrooms. We had lovey wines with our meals, he had a Malbec and I chose a Rosé. For dessert we ordered the cheesecake and the cannoli, which were the best part of the entire meal! We endured the meal through the noise, but this isn't the spot for a quiet, romantic dinner. They did have some outdoor seating as well. I'd mostly likely give Michael's another try and order some different entrees to see if our next experience is better! read more

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Would not recommend salmon with dill sauce! It was vodka sauce! Veal Marsala was good and the bread was fabulous. Probably the best part was the warm bread! read more

I've been here before and given good reviews but last night's experience was awful, despite our waiter's best efforts to fix it. We started with drinks - my 93 year old mom likes a Manhattan now and then and it needs to be right. Well, it came out and wasn't even the right color. Our lovely waiter said he knew it looked wrong and would make it himself - he confirmed the ingredients with us. Forever later he comes back and says the bartender won't let him do it but another is coming. Finally 1/2 hour or more into appetizers (just calamari which was good but not off the charts) he presents a Manhattan that is accurate (he managed to make it himself). Mom and I ordered the veal piccata to split as we know their portions are huge. My son got the Saltimbocca, which was good. We subbed potatoes for the penne. Well the piccata comes with spinach - except ours didn't. We tracked down the waiter who eventually brought the missing spinach when the meal was about over. And mom's portion of the veal was very tough. Mine was good but she wouldn't let me trade her. Mom also commented that the service was very slow - but not because of our waiter's best efforts who was very attentive. The kitchen was very slow and the restaurant was busy but not overflowing. Mom also commented that she thinks they care more about their liquor license and the drinks than their food service, which given the rowdiness of the bar on a Wednesday night, and my mom's sharp mind, and the less than stellar food, I think she's right. We usually come here as a treat when we come visit mom from Florida every month. But we won't be back next time. Quite sad because our previous visits were very lovely. read more

We have been living in Cheshire so mostly dining out at Viron. Food cannot even touch this place! From start to finish! The infused oil, bread, salads, Chicken Parmesan , fra Diablo, crème' brûlée...YUM! I took 1/2 my dinner home! Our waitress (Julianna)was great! We are moving to the area and our friends recommended your restaurant. I loved everything! Thank you for a great dinner! My only suggestion would he to have a few craft cocktails! Anyone would rather pay more for 1 specialty cocktail! Like a seasonal Sangria read more

Doesn't look like much when you drive by but this little gem is absolutely spectacular! From the atmosphere to the service to food and drinks--it could not have been any better! It was the best penne a la vodka I ever tasted and was just as delicious as leftovers! Lemon drop martini was perfectly made and went down way to easy. The waiter was attentive, funny and made great conversation. The owner even stopped by to be sure we were satisfied. Such a great spot. Can't wait to go back!!! read more

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This place is awesome. I try to get her every few months. I always order the meatballs and calamari appetizers. They are my favorite items there. I tried the fillet mignon with veggies. This was so good. The staff was nice and friendly. read more

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The service and the food were excellent! Great bar and resale vibe! It's a welcoming place where everyone seems to be family. It has a Cheers Vibe when you walk in. Michael is extremely welcoming and treats everyone like family. Whenever I am in Wallingford I always come to Michael's and I am never disappointed! read more

The food at Michael's is mediocre at best. We had the meatball appetizer, and while the sauce and flavor of the meatball were adequate, the texture was like unto a golf ball. It was heavy, dense, and unappetizing. The chicken piccata was lackluster. The chicken was tough and dry and the penne was undercooked. I don't mean al dente. Under. Cooked. The sauce had no flavor of capers, the capers were just dumped in a pile at the side of the plate. There was another dish on the table, but I didn't taste it. The service was decent, except the server didn't check back after delivering the meal to find out whether we were satisfied. We weren't. Finally, the atmosphere was just fine. White tablecloths, nicer cloth napkins, and no shrieking children (thank the stars) made for a pleasant lunch environment. The tompe-l'œil on the wall of the second dining space was appealing and suggested an authentic Italian venue (if you squinted). On balance a C- experience at a B+ price. read more

Been coming to Michael's for years. The new bar and lounge are LOUD, but a great layout. We went for pizza and cocktails and loved it even more. read more

Meh. Honestly disappointing to be truthful. Nothing was HOT. Everything was warm. A bit bland, uneventful, just Meh. The fried mozzarella was delish, but it's bread with mozzarella inside and broiled. Was great for our 6 year old who said it was a fancy grilled cheese. Hubs had eggplant parm, it was warm not hot. I had shrimp scampi, same. Banana cream pie was also just meh. Top layer was hard as a rock, bananas in center were mushy and base was soft. Just.... Odd. A few things to note: Caesar salad is an up charge, and they tell you and offer it up. But they don't say it's $5. They don't have free refills but offer to refill your drinks. At $3 a pop. Coffee was also warm. No one wants warm coffee. They're a one and done for us. read more

The newly renovated Michael's delivers ....well nothing really. Party of 4 seated for 20 minutes without even being attended to while the waitress keeps walking by avoiding you. Wanted to eat, so we got up and left. Nothing to report back. Work on your customer service. read more

Pretty straight forward Italian food. Meatball app was good but the fried mozzarella was a grilled cheese sandwich which was strange and unexpected. The entrees were good and portions were fair. Service was very good. read more

Went here for the first time last Monday 8/19/24 party of 5 for dinner for my father's birthday. Service was slow, food was good but nothing to write home about. Weirdest thing was that I ordered the "Fresh clams linguine over white sauce" and my partner also heard me ordering that. When my entree came out, it was the "seafood linguine" instead.. which also had the shrimp and mussels that I didn't care for. When I informed the waitress that I ordered the fresh clams linguine and I don't think this is the right order, she looked down at her notepad and said "Yes this is it". She placed the entree in front of me and then scurried off. Didn't check on my party on the rest of the meal either. My brother and partner both asked for seltzer and extra water and no one ever came with that. read more

I thought that the food was okay. Nothing to write home about. The atmosphere was very loud and we had a hard time hearing each other. We I go there again? Probably not read more

This was my first visit to this restaurant. Our party of five all enjoyed our meals. The atmosphere was warm and inviting. The staff were all very friendly and efficient. It's always great to see staff work well as a team helping each other with their tables. We sat in the dining room adjacent to the bar. I was surprised how busy it was for a Tuesday evening. The noise level in the room unfortunately was so loud that it was difficult to hear the conversation at the table unless sitting directly next to the person speaking. I wish there was some way to reduce the noise level. I will return if there are perhaps just two of us and check out the bar, but I would not recommend sitting in that room as it was impossible to carry on a conversation with my friends who were getting together to visit and catch up. read more

Great place for Italian cuisine. Michael a great host and if you go on a Monday or Tuesday Dusty is the barkeep behind the bar and makes your visit memorable. read more

Food was really Great! We had a clam, garlic and bacon pizza with red sauce, DELICIOUS! Service was great and the drinks for the bar totally HIT!! Ambiance was nice. We sat in the Bar section of the restaurant, this room can fill up fast for being in a small town, best to make a reservation to secure seating. We'll be going back there for sure. See you then read more

Michael's Trattoria - Clam Garlic & Bacon Pizza traditionally is served at Michael's with white sauce. This was a special request by Me. - Italian Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

Great authentic Italian food. Amazing wine selection. Awesome staff. This particular dining experience was during the summer. A great hole-in-the-wall italian spot in Wallingford. A must try. read more

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The food was really good. Came out piping hot. We were a table of four and everyone thoroughly enjoyed their dishes. The service was a tad bit slow. We arrived at 6 and let them know we were attending a show at the nearby oakdale. We were unable to order a dessert since it took about an hour for our main courses to arrive. read more

For a last minute dinner we were able to get a 6 PM reservation at the central location for a family meet up. I was a little nervous upon entering as it seemed small with no place to wait. But we were seated quickly and the seating opened up into another room. I wish I could remember the waitress' name , she was new but awesome. For appetizers we had rice balls and calamari. Both were flavorful. Our dinners were Zuppa Di Pesce, which included a lobster tail and full of shrimp, calamari, clams and mussels over white wine sauce. Both my dining partners had salmon over penne. The size of both dinners was huge. We will definitely be back! read more

Michael's Trattoria - Zuppa Di Pesce - Italian Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

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Overrated. First time decent, second time extremely disappointing. Food was blah, service was horrible, and we were seated in a dark area -- cold chilly and uninviting. I will not return too many other better options. read more

Food. It could do better. Had eggplant dish, too much breading and not fried enough. They need to improve the meals, as they are too bland. It's too bad. I've tried a few times and often find myself disappointed that I couldn't enjoy a meal I paid for. read more