We received a gift from some friends to try this place out. I'd never been, so I was excited to try it out. The outside is deceivingly run-down, so don't get scared; the inside is cozy and the perfect date night destination. The service was amazing. Our waitress answered every question we could have had about the menu, and was extremely happy to be there. Also, anyone that walked past our table made sure to check in with us. When it comes to food, everything was amazing. You know it's going to be a good meal when your side salad puts a smile on your face. It's that good. We had calamari as an appetizer, then ordered a steak and scampi combo, and one of their house specialties "Chicken Rossini". The steak was a touch rare, but the chicken was easily one of the best dishes I've had in some time. Side note: the calamari was perfection. In an age where service at restaurants seems to be slipping, Nello's can proudly set the mark for what a restaurant is doing right. read more

My brother and I ate here two years ago and we still can't stop talking about it. It was just like at home, we fought over the Manicotti. The food is outstanding. The truth is, Italian food in California is usually a huge fat disappointment. I think there are too many Northerners here. (I save all my pasta points for when I fly back East.) But Nello's is the real deal, and the best Italian I've had since West of the Mississippi. Is it worth the drive from Oakland? Well, add a trip to Mt. Lassen or Whiskeytown, and then YES. I'm not usually one for tradition, but I like the style at Nello's. Like how come they're the ONLY restaurant that has spumoni? Like if you don't have spumoni on your dessert menu, why do you even bother? The spumoni is great, the cherries jubilee, another classic, is better here than at fancy pants Corso in Berkeley. All I'm saying is, if you're looking for food on I-5 do yourself a favor and head to Nello's. read more

Honestly I felt this place was a bit disappointing. I was so excited to come here and try the food by the ratings. The bread they bring is great and hot! I actually found the main entree' wasn't as good as the salad and other courses. I ordered the veal because it was recommended by the server and was actually disappointed. It was salty and had sauce similar to a roast and a red sauce pasta on the side. I would have actually put the pasta on a separate plate so it would compliment flavors better. It was pretty pricy. If you like those kinds of flavors you may enjoy this place but I wasn't impressed with what I had. The chocolate cake was very good which I'm glad be abuse it helped in not being very happy about the entree' read more

Don't let the outside fool you. In a seedy part of Redding, in a run-down strip mall, but well worth it once you get inside. Interior is fairly dark, the bar actually being the lightest part of the restaurant, but not too dark (just romantic). Visited the restaurant on a Thursday evening for a date night out, went into the bar area for a drink before dinner. Bar looked like it had been recently updated compared to the rest of the restaurant, it was very nice and classy. Bartender seemed to know about the drinks we asked for, and also had some good suggestions. read more

Sitting at Nello's! Took over a 1/2.hour to get our main entree for dinner, than it arrived cold. Never got water refilled. Service got worse the more we sat here! Will never be back! Host was seating people with no menus no water, clearly owners are skimping on service, the food was good but the service ruined the experience! Sophia did a great job, she explained no one wanted to work and they had new staff! Shame on the owners for not providing adequate staffing! the host allen needs some customer service training. When we arrived there was no hello good evening welcome to Nello's. Took us two and a half hours to eat our dinner, glad we didn't have anything else planned for the evening! read more

Never disappoints. Server was top notch, great friends, great place, great food! Love the booth seating and a little bit of standards music playing, dim lighting make this a perfect Friday night with my sweetheart! Heavy on the pasta dishes but great seafood alternatives! If you're not into salty stuff or salads drenched in dressing be sure to let them know to "go light". read more

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Nellos is my place for a great date night. A bit dark and dingy but I call that ambiance. I have eaten here on many occasions and all but 1 visit have been perfection. Perfectly prepared food- classy service. Try the Steak Diane prepared table side. Minus one star for the top of the wine list. The food is not about to lay down to any simple grape so save a couple of bucks and order the House Selection. read more

I love Nello's. Have been going there for years. Both my boys have been head chefs there, Brandon, then Cory, then Brandon. I would recommend Nellos to all. Christi B. read more

Nello's is now added to our list of Must Stops on our way down I-5. Yelp rightly steered us to it. We knew the portions were large so we ordered the Caesar Salad for 2 and it was perhaps the best Caesar I have ever had, a little different and all good. Then we shared the veal piccata/shrimp entree. It was a huge serving with vegetables and pasta. The only shortcoming was that I would have preferred rice to soak up the yummy sauce of the veal. The pasta was in a marinara sauce and not right with the delicate veal. The service was impeccable and SO much more than I expected from a funny strip mall location in Redding. Kyle our waiter properly directed our wine choice and was attentive to just the right degree, a real professional. I cannot wait to stop again on the way back home. read more

Classic old school Italian restaurant. We are from the Napa Valley which is known for great food and wish we had a place like this at home. Prices a great since antipasto and salad or soup is included with all dinners. Service is great and the cocktails are old school simple and strong. read more

Nello's Place - Wonderful bottle of wine! Just wish they had decanters. - Italian Near Me - Redding, California

Very disappointing. I took my girlfriend on a date there and we had to wait over an hour for the for to arrive and when it came the chicken fettuccine tasted like uncooked watered down noodles with plain cheese on top. Also the salad was super plain and overall the food was too expensive for pasta I can make better from a jar at Winco. read more

Had dinner here heading back from Oregon to Sacramento. There is nothing worse then wanting to be home, stopping to take the time to eat and it was not worth the time and money. Nello's did not let us down. Very nice place, food was hot and delicious with nice presentation. Only four stars because the service lacked a little and yet the place was not that busy but that would not keep me from going back. Flower was a nice touch at the end of the dinner. read more

Love this place my wife and I had our first formal date here. We have our anniversary here, 24 years. read more

Excellent food! And plenty of it... wonderful atmosphere... excellent service... and real Italian fare... a little pricey but definitely worth it... my dad did have only one meatball with his spaghetti and meatballs... but plenty food for him... a must if ever in the Redding area and are craving authentic Italian food... enjoy! read more

Nello's Place - Italian Near Me - Redding, California

Stepping into the place out of the bright afternoon sun was like stepping back in time. Until my eyes adjusted, it seemed like a dark bar. Red leather booths and muted walls, low level lighting, Sinatra playing in the background, the wait staff in black vests and almost exclusively male gave the place the feeling of a bygone era. I'm not complaining. It actually recalled other past treasured occasions. The wait staff were everywhere moving quickly and efficiently. Water always attended to - a team effort. The salad prepared at the table was another reminder of a time past. The salad was, as a result, fresh and crisp. The "primi" course we chose was manicotti and we were a bit confused. No pasta just filling but it tasted good. My spouse had a steak that she enjoyed. Flavorful and tender. I ordered the veal "rolltini" or involtini. Two stuffed veal rolls arrived on a bed of mushroom gravy. The first was tough but I managed to saw my way through but I couldn't manage the second. My knife literally couldn't cut it. I told the busboy I needed a more tender piece of meat or a sharper knife! This sort of thing can happen. My dish was comped - a perfectly satisfactory resolution. I can only imagine what that calf must have been doing before its demise! One last thing. It must be a thing these days to serve warmed vegetables that are still raw. Broccoli and zucchini both raw not crisp tender. They definitely forgot about the tender part. I prefer my crudités with ranch. read more

We eat here for special occasions. Halibut Italian style is our favorite dinner. Pasta and sauces are great. They make the best tuna salad on their antipasto plate. read more

I'm not picky when it comes to Italian. Give me some pasta, slap on a couple meatballs and I am a happy camper. Nello's was my home during those week long swim meets. I needed a carbo load, and I needed it fast! Nellos delivered with their prosciutto and melon, Spaghetti & Meatball and Homemade Stuffed Lasagna (all with a couple sides of meatballs of course). For dessert, you can't go wrong with Tiramisu. I loved the atmosphere of this place: dark, warm, good waiters and I even remember getting a rose after dinner. What a great idea. Icing on the cake in my book! read more

Having just read all of the reviews here I must ask myself, 'ARE THESE PEOPLE SERIOUSLY ON DRUGS??" Because you'd have to be sucking back some serious weed to give this place a positive review. Our experience was absolutely God awful. Firstly, the place stank like it hadn't been cleaned since it opened and the food was beyond poor. Service was ok and thus the 1 star. People around Redding are clearly starving (literally and figuratively) for decent food, and therefore must have completely lowered standards regarding what actually is palatable food in order to give this place any more than two stars. Unimpressive and overcomplicated menu which didn't include Italian classics such as Spaghetti Bolognese or Carbonara. What we did order tasted nasty. I ordered Spaghetti Marinara and honestly the Costco Jars of mass-made tomato slop tastes better than the congealed mess that was placed in front of me. My husband ordered Spaghetti Meatballs. The hilarious part of this is that is should have been called 'Spaghetti MEATBALL'. One meatball people! One! For the price I'd definitely expect a few more of the un-tasty morsels. I also cannot state more clearly how dirty the place was. I felt like I needed to walk out of the restaurant, and head straight to the closest cleaning plant for a solid de-lousing. God only knows if I'll recover from this meal without breeding some new strain of salmonella in my lower intestine. Would never go there again by choice. Dodgy all round. read more

I was able to finally try this place."Been hearing abt it a lot just never got the time" and man the TORT PESTO is to die for. and not only that it was busy and i mean BUSY and our food came out on time nice and hot. Keep up the good work Nellos Place! read more

My sister and brother in-law treat my husband and myself out to dinner for my bday. It was my first time going to nellos ( it's my sisters fav ) and I was pleasantly surprised. The prices are a lil on the high side but the food is amazing. Our waiter was very attentive and kept drinks full. I LOVE the dim lighting! It felt more relaxed and was easy on the eyes. I also like how it's one of those places that you CAN dress up if you want or you can just go casual read more

My wife and I went here last night to celebrate Valentines Day. We had reservations and were seated immediately upon our arrival. It took a while to decide because so many things looked delicious. As you can imagine, it was very busy, but the service was still EXCELLENT!. Although the many Italian dishes sounded wonderful, we both ordered Filet Mignon, because it is our favorite. We always get the larger offering so we can take half home for the next day, which is tonight, and my mouth is watering just thinking about it. The full dinner comes with an antipasto for 2, house salad (with as much bleu cheese as you want, a small portion of manicotti or cannelloni, as well as a small pasta and vegetables with your main course. We split a piece of chocolate cake with semi-sweat pieces for desert. ALL Were EXCELLENT. It was a great night because of the wonderful dinner and fantastic service. read more

Wow! Fresh Italian food..great friendly service. Jordan was awesome. Couldn't ask for better service. Look forward to cherries jubilee next time. read more

Once again, visited the best and favorite restaurant. Great service and wonderful food. I didn't want the evening to end so I splurged on cherries jubilee. I'm telling you, you got to go. read more

After eating here for years, and finding it decent, I went last week and found it uninspired and tired at best. Redding lacks good Italian food which is too bad for a town it's size. The fare at Nello's on my last visit was bland, and my compatriot's meals were said to be the same. I post this review not as a warning to others, but more in hopes they turn it around. read more

We were so impressed this place!!! We fell upon it and were thrilled with the service and the food was amazing. It has a fabulous old school feel. The salad with the shaved blue cheese was to die for. read more

We are visiting Redding for a day and one of my sons was craving for Italian food, thank goodness there's Yelp that we were able to find one in no time. Though there were couple of Italian restaurants around we decided to try Nello's. It is true that it is somewhat dark and outdated but sometimes patrons doesn't look nor mind the interior as we want to taste and enjoy good food. All my kids were satisfied with the food and the service was excellent. Sophia was our server - she was really attentive and took time to tell us about the menu and their specials for the evening. I could have given a 5 star review BUT the steak I ordered was not cooked the way I wanted it. I don't want a chewy rubbery steak but I also don't want a bloody steak. Did not get the chance to tell Sophia about it as one of the waiters already took our plates to make room for the desserts. Despite of that, we had a wonderful dinner and enjoyed the rest of our meal. read more

This spot is a great concept but fails to deliver. Old world 70's style Italian is great but has its issues. Sat down party of five and was well greeted and ordered wine witch was a good list although they were out of Pinot noir so we ordered a liter of Cabernet. Our water glasses had lipstick on them so ordered another. That also had lipstick on them so gave up on water. I ordered the spaghetti and meatball (one) for $19.50! Looked like a side order. Taste was there but why would you break the spaghetti in haft? Could not spin it on spoon since each noodle was 5" long. I been in hundreds on Italian Resturant's that's my thing and all I order is spaghetti and meatballs to see if they can get that right and this place is not the place to order this. Speaks volumes on everything else. My wife ordered fettuccine Alfredo and that was bland. Lacked garlic and cheese. Guessing sauce is already made on they just add in to noodles. Not made to order. They do a lot of table side and this is one of the easiest but they don't. I m sorry for the bad review and was not my first time there. Been here about 8 years ago and had a good dinner. Don't know what happened but never again. Might be better to go to Olive Garden. read more

We were driving from Alabama to Seattle and found Nello's. What luck. Great food, great atmosphere, and very friendly staff. Large portions. They cooked the steaks and make some of the salads right at your table. We would highly recommend dining here. Michael, Julie, and Annabelle Jacobson Tuscaloosa, Al Roll Tide Roll read more

So awful! The worst food I've had in a long time. The bread had mold, my veal was sour. I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

If you are out of town do not eat from here!! Watered down pasta sauce, old bread, nasty as hell! Eat at home.

The chicken fettuccine was terrible it was to runny and did not tast good and garlic bread was burnt I've been there quite a few times the first time it's been bad read more

I come here all the time with my husband. The salmon and scampi are a couple of our favorites. Amazing !!! The owner and waiters are so nice and very good at their jobs, amazing service. Very good. I highly Recommend Nellos. read more

Very good. We had the Steak Dinner. We will go again. I especially like the atmosphere. I want to take my family when they come to visit. Enjoyed speaking to the waiter who just graduated from Shasta College on his way to University. read more

Best Italian food in town. VERY consistent food and service. It's locally owned and is one of our constant go toos. If you have not tried it it's a must. read more

Food was good, well-prepared and delivered timely. But it wasn't spectacular, I expected more flavor and uniqueness for the price. And where are the women servers?? Don't tell me you can't get some female servers as good as the men working there tonight! All those guys are making bank tonight, a Saturday night, and not a woman in the bunch. read more

Great food,worth the wait. Out of the ordinary which is nice. Darker setting W lighting definitely romantic or close family and friends love it! Anything but traditional make reservations if you can! The chicken cacciatore and the evening dinner special of a NY strip loin was soo tender!!! Delicious!! Tonight was busy and we waited awhile for our food but between OUTSTANDING service, wine,bread & the anti-pasta plate no complaints here. One star that the booths are my favorite seat yet the tablecloths are long when your trying to get out the tablecloth comes with you Lol read more

We are never disappointed with Nello's! Tonight we had the pleasure of sitting in Jake's section. Amazing service, never had to ask for a thing! On top of the wonderful people that work at Nello's the food is always prepared to perfection. If there is ever a question on where to eat, Nello's is it! Thank you Nello's staff for yet another great experience. read more

Nello's Place - Pepper Steak mmmmmm :-) - Italian Near Me - Redding, California

This is an unassuming little place, with traditional Italian decor and very dim lighting (don't forget your phone light in order to read the menu). Sinatra playing in the background an ideal spot for date night. We had the whole family here for my wife's birthday. Our servers were on top of things. Refilling drinks, bringing more bread. Every item tasted homemade and was truly enjoyable. From the sourdough bread, light antipasti, salad, soup, pasta and dessert each course was perfectly portioned, not too little and not too much. Our food was so good we started passing around our plates so we could all taste each other's dishes. We watched as servers provided tableside salads and flambed desserts. Staff sang Happy birthday to my wife with a lit candle and each female member of our party received a Carnation. This is the best customer service we've had since moving to Redding! I definitely recommend and will return again and again. read more

Nello's Place - Tortellini Pesto - Italian Near Me - Redding, California

The kitchen regularly screws the wait staff with lengthy waits and uncoordinated food delivery. The food itself is ok but not fantastic. I'll likely skip this place for awhile. read more

Mom said if you don't have anything nice to say..... A very busy rainy Saturday night found our party of three trying out this well regarded Redding institution. They were packing people in at it was overly crowded. Too many people makes for very loud restaurant. I ordered the table side Cesar salad with thoughts they would actually make it within my view. No such luck on this night. The wait staff was over worked and the kitchen was very slow. The Fettuccine Alfredo was forgettable, the Calamari was so so and the New York steak was just okay. I always give a restaurant of this caliber two chances. I'm hoping my next visit can mirror some of the other Yelpers. read more