Drinks: Pinot grigio Rosé Apps: Bread and oil Seafood bisque Risotto bites with spicy blush sauce Nani's meatball w ricotts Entrees: Chicken parm Crab stuffed salmon Dessert: Red velvet Espresso Martini Limited menu for the holiday, sat us upstairs in what appeared to be a banquet hall. Essentially Set up patio furniture and folding chairs to add additional tables to squeeze people in. To their credit, they curtained off each table to make it seem fancy, added a red table cloth and gifted us a tulip. The set up ended up being very nice. Everything tasted pretty good. The only glaring issue was that most items that came out did not seem to be particularly hot. It was busy for the holiday so can't be too mad about. Bread and oil was standard. Meatball was great. i loved the risotta bites sauce - very peppery. Bisque was fine - the croutons were excellent, just needed it warmer. Chicken parm was large portion (this came out hot). Salmon and mashed were good, white wine sauce was very tasty. Again Just needed the fish to be a touch warmer. Pretty well done for a nice Valentine's day dinner. read more

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This was a delicious meal. Interesting restaurant inside an older home. Service was goods

If I could give this place seven stars I would. I had the clam and scallop linguine and it was fantastic - served in a light broth pan sauce. The scallops and clams were cooked perfectly. The food was delivered piping hot yet nothing was overcooked. It was all perfectly cooked to what it should've been -the pasta was al dente and the clams and scallops were perfect and soft- just wonderful. I loved my experience there. We spoke to one of the longtime employees at length and it's just a wonderful cozy atmosphere filled with a lot of good food and good smells. read more

This was my second time coming back here. The first time I came was right around the time that they first opened. So it has been quite a while. We had early dinner reservations, restaurant was pretty empty. We started off with some cocktails & appetizers. We opted for the focaccia and calamari, both of which were delicious. For dinner we had the Osso Buco and spaghetti and meatballs. My husband enjoyed his osso buco, on the other hand I thought the spaghetti and meatballs was just average. I wish it had a more flavor. I'm also not a huge fan of sweet sauce. I prefer a vinegar-based marinara sauce. Aside from that, I thought overall it was just okay. I will say the bar was pretty nice. There were some folks sitting there having cocktails. The dining room was pretty empty when we got there and people started to filter in shortly after we sat down. read more

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This was my second time back at Osteria and I have to say I had a completely different experience. Pros: the Caesar salad was light and pleasant. Husband really enjoyed the dressing. -the bread with different spreads was delicious! Bread was warm and fluffy! Spreads each had their own unique taste. Cons: - the waiter brought out our bread and spreads then started to rush away without describing what each of the spreads were. I was able to stop her before she was going to rush away and inquired. She was able to name 2 of the 3 but not with confidence. She had to go and ask about the third. Turns out the spreads are artichoke, roasted red pepper, and cauliflower. -the menu says they have a "scallop" entree. This is falsely advertised in my opinion. The scallops were 5 bite sized BAY scallops that were bacon wrapped. The menu said nothing about bacon. I cannot eat bacon anymore due to health reasons unfortunately and so I had to give them to my husband. If the menu says my entree will be the scallops, I expect to have the scallops as the heart and center of it. This was not the case. The corn was most of my plate. There also were barely any potatoes. Literally 2-3 small bite sized chunks of potato. I'm telling you, the CORN was the focus of the entire dish. I unfortunately left hungry and was looking forward to some thick, nicely seared sea scallops with hearty potatoes on the side. As advertised, the dish seemed promising. But unfortunately missed the mark by a lot. To conclude: -I did tell our waiter about our thoughts on the "scallop" entree. He was kind and understanding enough to go back to speak with his manager. He was able to credit my husband and I back the cost of the entrees and apologized for our experience. He handled the situation very well. Although I left hungry still....they remedied the situation successfully. Now I just hope they fix this menu item for future customers! read more

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Warm and cozy little place on a cold wintery night in downtown Buffalo. Bread and spreads came with three delectable spreads. The spinach and artichoke was solid, roasted red pepper was great, but the best was a sweet raspberry spread. The bread was so warm and fluffy. We also ordered some poutine from the special list and it stole the show. They used truffle fries, with melted mozzarella instead of cheese curds, the gravy was thick and flavor able, and they topped it with short rib. For entrees Brooke got an eggplant parm. She raved about the sauce. I got the clam and scallop linguine which was excellent. Highly recommend this place! read more

Osteria 166 - Eggplant parm - Italian Near Me - Buffalo, New York

They left us at the entrance waiting to seat us for 20 minutes knowing we were there for our table. It wasn't overly busy but there was only 1 server doing all the tables. It took a while to get drinks and in between courses. We sat by the back door so anytime people exited the cold air rushed in. The Brussel sprots were a little hard for our liking, the buffalo calamari were so good with the blue cheese crumbles. The risotto bites were unique and very tasty. The Alfredo sauce on the special was very sweet and watery and not good. The food was hit or miss not consistent. The server seemed to be bothered if we had questions or was just overwhelmed. It was an ok experience. We wouldn't rush back any time soon. read more

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Had a late dinner. Service was great. Our waitress was friendly and attentive. Had some focaccia and burata. An Italian Pinot Grigio and chicken Milanese. Everything was delicious. Really enjoyed the meal and atmosphere. Will be going back. read more

While aimlessly wandering the streets of Buffalo, Beloved and I happened upon Osteria, and as we were getting hungry we stopped in. We were both given a warm greeting and I was immediately struck by the fact that, from all appearances, Osteria, was a warm and friendly neighborhood place. We selected a high-top seat with a good street view, albeit that the street was under construction. I ordered a glass of their house red wine and looked at their menu offerings for lunch. Basically, it was a good assortment of the usuals with burgers, sandwiches, and pizza. But also, some unlikely surprises such as BANANA PEPPER with ricotta, mozzarella, pepperoncino, marinara, parsley, breadcrumbs, and a SAUSAGE AND CAMPANELLE with what they say is their world-famous house-made sausage, broccolini, and a rosé sauce which I ordered while Beloved merely went for a burger. Though I doubt that their sausage is world famous, I must say it was delicious and their rise sauce, was the perfect enhancement. My only complaint was that the amount of sausage in their dish was rather miserly. However, I totally enjoyed it. It was most delicious. Beloved was also delighted with their HALF POUND "NICK" BURGER. read more

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Great food, amazing service from the bar to the dining room. Great drinks, wonderful food for everyone. My husband had gnocchi and Sunday sauce that was wonderful. We shared a bag of bread, it was so delicious with the olive oil and garlic salt, a must have. I was hesitant at first but get it!!! Ricotta bites were delicious as a starter. My lobster, and shrimp over pasta was so good. I have never had better tasting shrimp!!! Will definitely be back. For two of us with drinks, wine and food it was $147.00 that is a bargain for that kind of experience. You can make reservations online or call. Don't miss out on this great Buffalo restaurant experience. read more

My boyfriend loves Italian food and Osteria 166 was in the area and had good reviews. We came during dinner time and were seated quickly even though it was a pretty packed room. I will give props to the bust boy for coming out so quickly with water and just throughout the night for refills. For appetizers we got the Focaccia Al Forno and the special of oysters. I ordered the Cavatelli which has porchetta, basil pesto, cherry peppers, Parmesan, roasted garlic and shallot, saffron broth. My boyfriend got the Bucatini Alla Carbonara with chicken cutlets. The bread came out shortly, but everything else took over an hour to come out. The oysters came out maybe 2 minutes before our entrees. Was really not pleased with how long the food took to come out. They also forgot my boyfriend's chicken cutlets, but were able to bring it in less than 5 minutes. The bread was decent. Tbh we were shocked bread wasn't on the house after being to so many Italian places that have it on the house. The oysters were my favorite. They were extremely fresh and smooth. We thought the pastas were good, but they weren't anything special. The chicken cutlets were perfectly crispy and the layer of breading to the chicken was perfect! No gabs at all. They took the chicken off the tab which we really appreciated. In addition, I originally asked if they give complimentary desserts for birthdays and was told no, however, they ended up offering one to my boyfriend. He picked the tiramisu cake and our waiter even got candles and sang. Overall, the food was decent and the food took very long, but the service was great when trying to make up for mistakes and lateness! I would probably suggest coming at not a such busy time. read more

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My favorite is the pizza but the bread with the oil dip is amazing the oil dip is amazing. I just wish that they would open during my lunch hour and not so late. read more

I can't believe I've never been here before! I became a huge fan after one good dining experience. My boyfriend and I started with the stuffed banana peppers bread. I've definitely had better stuffed banana peppers but they weren't bad at all, I would say 3/5. The star of the show was definitely my chicken parm. The chicken was fried to perfection and the parmesan on top was delish! I also really enjoyed the sauce and spaghetti that accompanied my dish. My boyfriend got the spaghetti and meatballs and he really liked his as well. Our server Mike was great -- he was attentive and came around often to make sure we were doing ok. The ambiance is a little bit in between casual and classy. Kinda gives me a Tappo vibe. Would def visit again. read more

Osteria 166 - Italian Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Went here for culinary school years ago ! Met the grandmother , watched her make homemade foods , seen a full pig in the cooler , this place is fantastic and the food is good too ! read more

This is my first review. I hardly review as I do not eat out much. I'm not sure why this restaurant has such high reviews. Upon arrival, myself and my partner were seated right next to a talkative group when plenty of other options were available. I kindly asked to move but was denied as it would mess up our reservation, which we had made weeks before and were not notified about seating options. Another concern with service was that a bus boy spilled water onto the table while refilling and never cleaned it up. I had to use my napkin and was therefore left without one to keep clean while eating. The ambiance was alright, though I couldn't hear my partner due to the seating arrangement. Music was interesting. The food seemed on par with basic, Americanised Italian cuisine. Gluten free bread and pizza crust was obviously reheated from a frozen package, so there's definitely room for improvement. Likely ordered from US Foods rather than being made fresh. Perhaps this is to avoid contamination issues, but many other places where I am from have done it. I was given janky kitchen scissors to cut it... awkward presentation. Overall, this experience just makes me more grateful for the other options I can trust. read more

Maybe I missed the memo? Not sure. I had high expectations for this place, only because the locals and others seem to love it but I whole heartedly do not get the hype. I came here to celebrate my birthday (today) and had the most mediocre service ever. The hostess had an attitude because maybe we interrupted her viewing of the live band that was playing or maybe she is just having a bad day, whatever. Our server literally seemed disinterested in serving us and wouldn't really swing by to check up on us. Anyway, we ordered the bread and Brussels for our starters and the food came out literally room temp as if it was sitting out. Not a big deal, can't really complain, the bread was good and accompanied by a good olive oil with parm. Entree I ordered the meatballs and spaghetti. The food again felt as if it was sitting out for a while. It was all room temp. The spaghetti tasted like it was from a box (not being dramatic). Luckily the meatball was absolutely fabulous! The sauce on the spaghetti was soaked into the pasta and again basically room temp if not cold, didn't seem to have much flavor to it. My boyfriend ordered the rose pasta sauce (forget the name) and the pasta was also served cold and the pasta tasted from a box. I tried a bite of his and the Italian sausage was really good but the rest was lacking hard. I am really trying hard to think of a positive but I am really struggling here. Would NOT recommend coming here if you are looking to enjoy your meal. The drink menu was taken from us before our entrees came out so I didn't have the opportunity to enjoy a birthday drink. Luckily I was with good company and the ambiance was nice so I was able to still have a good time. ...minus the service and food. Really dislike leaving reviews like this but I sincerely was let down by this local favorite. Could be that I am from California and we value the personable touch from a small business but everywhere else in this area has not treated me this poorly. Food 1.5/5 (not good, not worth the value/price point) Ambiance 3/5 (good for dates) read more

Osteria 166 - Sausage & Campanelle - Italian Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Guess what's back?! Chicken Lasagna! Hats off to the Chef ‍! So much flavor and such an creativity combination of textures. This meal hands down is going to be the #1 asked for menu item this spring and summer! read more

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Love Osteria! Second time coming. First time was for lunch with my coworkers. I recently had my birthday dinner here on a Thursday night around 6pm. Food is great. The menu had a good amount of options, including appetizers (and an interesting cocktail menu!). I think both times i ordered spaghetti, which comes with a giant meatball. The staff is very friendly and professional. They also take reservations which is great. However, when I went on Thursday there was absolutely no wait. Litterally there were maybe 3 other groups there. They have a really good deal currently going on that I recommend. Its on their website as a "summer special" or something like that. An appetizer, entree and dessert for 30$! Seriously can't beat that. Anyways, definitely worth a try. Enjoy. read more

Osteria 166 - The Family's Spaghetti and Meatball - Italian Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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This restaurant experience was absolutely fantastic. Osteria has been a great restaurant in the city that admittedly we forgot about but shouldn't have. It has been a few years since we dined here but as other restaurants have increased prices and decreased quality and service Osteria has done the opposite. The food from the appetizers to all of our mains were quickly served and of the highest quality. Far exceeding our expectations was the burrata if you need help choosing from the excellent small plate choices! We got three and each was delicious. The mains were high quality, well portioned, well seasoned and exactly what we expected when we ordered. To cap it all off the service was top notch. There are not many places in the city that give you this level of a night out for the cost anymore. We highly recommend you check them out! read more

After calling about 10 other places for a Friday night reservation and no luck, Osteria came to the rescue and got us in! At 6:45pm, the place was very busy. There's an area to eat and also a bar and they have live music playing at times (started up while we were eating). The atmosphere is cozy. I wouldn't say there's a dress code, but everyone there was dressed pretty nice in button up shirts and such. I wouldn't come wearing hoody, but it's not like you'd be denied service for wearing one either. The aroma was very strong; you could tell you would be served Italian food! If you're like me and care to know if it's coke or Pepsi products, it's Pepsi. But there's no Mountain Dew. I don't like Pepsi so I ordered a Shirley temple which was delicious but they forgot the cherries (no biggie, but they're a nice treat haha). My friend and I both ordered the chicken parm. It was very good! The sauce is NOT a sweet sauce if that's what you prefer. I like a sweet sauce but this was still excellent and I ate every bite. The chicken cutlet was nice and crispy. They do have dessert here but I was too full ... I'm not sure what all of the options are but it did look like the couple next to me was sharing a cannoli dip with cannoli chips. The thing I didn't like was how loud it was in there. You can hear everyone talking and hear the band playing in the bar. I like a more quiet atmosphere when I'm dining. Service was pleasant. read more

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Manager was super great. Very attentive and hospitable. Food was delicious. Will definitely be back read more

Osteria 166 - Chicken Parmesan and Chicken Milanese - Italian Near Me - Buffalo, New York

10/10 like always! The food and service is the best in town! I highly recommend the garlic bread, chicken parm and definitely the spaghetti and meatballs! read more

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Best boxed lunches EVER!  My union ordered a variety of sandwich/wrap lunch boxes from Osteria.  I think there was roast beef sub, ham sub, chicken caeser wrap, turkey club wrap, and hummus with roasted vegetables wrap.  I split the turkey wrap and hummus wrap with a friend.  These wraps were easy to eat, had plenty of flavor, and were nice and filling. My favorite part of this meal was the chips.  They are the absolute BEST - so crunchy and salty!  Way better than any other homemade chip or bagged chip I ever had. To finish off the boxed lunch, it came with a chocolate chip cookie or chocolate cookie.  Perfectly soft and sweet.  I could have eaten a few of these. If you're ever looking for catering/boxed meals, be sure to check out Osteria. read more

I don't always eat Italian, but when I do, I have to eat at a place with a near-perfect meatball. Luckily Osteria 166 fits the bill. We snagged reservations here for a nice Friday night dinner and we had a pretty stellar meal. The restaurant wasn't too busy and our server was wonderful. We started with the bread service -- four pieces of focaccia bread served with oil. The bread and oil were delicious, but the bread was served in a brown paper bag which we found sort of odd. It didn't take away from the flavor or anything, I've just never seen that done before! I ordered the spaghetti and meatball for my dinner. The noodles and sauce were a-okay, but the meatball was the real star of the meal. It had full-bodied flavor and the serving size was pretty large. I probably could've made a meal off the meatball alone. My boyfriend had the steak sandwich. If he could design his dream meal, I think it would be something like this sandwich. It came topped with a stuffed banana pepper and served on garlic bread. He got a side of truffle fries and I could tell he was in utter glory. I would definitely come back. While Italian isn't my go-to, Osteria 166 had some delicious offerings in their lineup, and I'd love to try a pizza of theirs someday. read more

Osteria 166 - Spaghetti and Meatball - Italian Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Classic Italian food. Came here with a girlfriend to catch up. The restaurant's pretty packed and loud, so just to note! Service was warm and nice. Got the chicken parm and the lasagna and both were gooood!!! read more

On reading other reviews - We must have ordered wrong for our palates. I ordered the shrimp/scallop scampi special which had way too much lemon rind. The pasta also felt over cooked. My husband ordered the ragu which had a ton of cinnamon or nutmeg (or both) in it. The meatball appetizer was really good (which kept this rating from being lower). read more

The first time I was here was restaurant week. My boyfriend and I came back here for our anniversary dinner. We really wanted to try the food on the regular menu. I called and made reservations which I highly recommended. We went kinda of early for dinner but by the time we finished our food, it was getting busy. We ordered the Meatball and the risotto bites for our appetizers. The meatball is a must try in my opinion. It is so good! For our entree, I ordered the pork tomahawk. It was so good and the portion size was big. The sauce was on point. Highly recommend! My boyfriend ordered the rigatoni bolognese and he enjoyed it. But I have to say the pork tomahawk came out on top. read more

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I have been back a few times since my first review to Osteria mainly because it's a convenient spot for office lunches. If it weren't for the office lunches I would not have gone back but I am glad I did. The food and service are very good and they change it up enough to keep it interesting while also keeping some favorites. I hope they never stop offering the eggplant sandwich which is my go to order for an office lunch. However I did choose the fried Brussels sprouts recently and was not disappointed. I might possibly return for dinner sometime but it can be quite noisy in the dining room and most of the time I like to have a relaxing evening meal more than boisterous. read more

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Have been 3 times, all times were fine. Good food, but nothing exceptional. Decent wine selection, good service. The last 2 times I went it was a weekday lunch and it was completely dead. read more

I was with a larger group that came for a birthday dinner. The food was good and came out quickly. We all enjoyed our meals, and I would say the portion sizes were perfect. I ordered a caesar salad to start, and had the Carl for my dinner (despite it being an appetizer.) It was all very tasty. I would come back again based on the food. My only complaint was we were rushed out to accommodate another group (which I know happens) but considering we were a large group with a large bill and were in the building for less than 2 hrs, it was kind of unexpected. read more

It was great to get back to Osteria. I hadn't been since before the pandemic, but they finally opened one day a week for lunch. The sandwiches are delicious. I'd highly recommend the Woppy Joe, if available. The dinner entrees are divine, too, but I have not had them since before lockdown. read more

Osteria 166 - Woppy Joe Sandwich - Italian Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Shannon, the Chef and the Food Excellent. I highly recommend the pastas ,mashed potato are the star of the table. The service AAA. I tried 3 more Italian restaurants in Buffalo, but this one was my favorite. Prices are good Portions are good All come to our table on time ,hot, etc. read more

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I hadn't been to Osteria in maybe 5 years! Went for dinner with a girlfriend and it was wonderful. They had wine and menu item specials. I love a place I can make a reservation. We got there at 6 and it was pretty quiet, but by time we left around 8 most of the tables were filled, so I'm glad I made a reservation! We started off splitting the stuffed banana pepper which was delicious. I had the carbonara and she had the ravioli. The best carbonara I've had in Buffalo. Flavors, pancetta, egg, it was all so well done. My friend enjoyed her ravioli with a home made meatball, made by the mother of the owner! We shared the tiramisu for dessert which was also incredible. Really impressed with the attentive service and the care / presentation put into the meals. Would definitely go back again soon! read more

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My husband and I planned a night out with another couple and chose this restaurant based on recommendations from others. The service was good; ambiance was unexpected- rustic vibe in downtown Buffalo. The food- much less impressive. I ordered Eggplant Parmesan and my husband, the Chicken Milanese. My eggplant was crispy, just the way I like it. Unfortunately both our pastas were lukewarm with bland sauce. We were anticipating another great taste experience from a Buffalo eatery but were disappointed. For the price, we could not recommend this. read more

Well this was a wonderful surprise! I was walking to a business appointment in Buffalo and since I flew in early i had not had breakfast, I decided to get my GF lunch. I saw this place and stopped in. Well this is my new favorite place in Buffalo. I had a delicious Gluten-Free pasta carbonara! Fresh prepared carbonara may be one of the best dishes to break fast with. This one came with a delicate egg yolk waiting to be broken in the dish. I sat at the bar and the bartender was a joy and very attentive. Cannot wait to be back on my next trip! read more

Osteria 166 - Gluten-Free pasta Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Ambiance was really cute. It was full and you could tell everyone whether at a table or the bar was enjoying themselves. Food was good, portions were generous. The service was busy but extremely kind and welcoming. Would recommend for sure. read more

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We had a group of 12 in town for a festival and made last minute reservations after another restaurant was forced to close. Our server was really on top of his game throughout the evening, ensuring we had everything we could possibly need and answering any questions about anything on the menu. The food was really great, from the different parmigianas (chicken and eggplant), Bolognese pastas, and the Bucatini which is what I had. It was super rich and delicious, the portions were large and I couldnt even finish! It was a really a great dinner experience for a larger group and I would definitely return! read more

Just waited at the bar to make a to go order and watched the bartender play on her phone for 5 minutes so I left. Nobody else in the restaurant acknowledged me either. I stood by the hostess stand and the waitress walked by and nothing. There were only 7 people eating in the restaurant. That's all I needed to see. read more

Came for a work lunch with several other people. The service was wonderful and the restaurant is beautiful and cozy. I wish they offered more than just their house dressing on the side salad that came with my lunch. I took off a star because I ordered one of their lunch specials, their baked chicken alfredo pasta, and it was SO BLAND. I mean, truly, very flavorless. I rarely if ever add salt and pepper to my meals, but this was SCREAMING for it. Everyone else at my table raved about their meals (especially the eggplant sandwich) so maybe it just wasn't a hit with this specific lunch special. read more

I really enjoyed this place! I came here with my mom and 2 sisters for a celebration dinner. We had visited Villagio (the sister restaurant in Ellicottville) and knew that we had to try this place as well! We were greeted right away and sat at a table since we made a reservation (highly recommended for a weekend). The bread and oil they served was OUTSTANDING!!!! Best bread ever. We ordered wine and that came quickly as well. My one sister did wait a while for her drink from the bar but the bar was packed on this particular Saturday night. For dinner we all ordered something different. I had the ravioli special, which was just okay. The meatballs were amazing but the ravioli was just average. We also ordered chicken Parmesan, veal Parmesan, and classic spaghetti and meatballs. We ordered Alfredo sauce on the side but it was not good. It tasted like jar sauce :( My mom's veal was a bit over cooked and the owner came over and provided us a whole new meal to go! That was so appreciated and demonstrated great customer service! We also ordered the canoli dip to try which was a nice treat for the end of the meal. Overall I am very pleased with this place. I would come here again. The meatballs area must have! The bread is also something to enjoy at dinner. read more

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