Came here on a date! Service was cool but the ambiance was ruined bc we were seated with a VERY…read moreLOUD GROUP. Idk what the hostess was thinking seeing a couple that has come in for a nice dinner and seats them next to a large party. It really killed the atmosphere. I opted for a glass of Chardonnay which was fantastic! I really enjoyed it. Really everything you want in an American Chardonnay. It was fruity, complex, oaky just perfect. For the app the bruschetta was messy to eat, and was underwhelming. Way too much tomatoes and it was just not a sexy thing to eat. I got the chicken and that was delicious. The broccolini and the polenta made for a perfect place of food. My date got the lasagna which was just ok. It was very very tomato forward and acidic. I prefer my sauce to be milder and not so sour. Dessert was mind altering. That pistachio ice cream was sooo good. Amazing. No notes. The tiramisu was classic. It was light, fluffy, airy, good coffee and liquor flavor. I was impressed.

We had a wonderful meal here from start to finish. The atmosphere was incredibly warm and…read morewelcoming, creating a really nice environment for a night out. Every dish we ordered was absolutely delicious--authentic, freshly prepared, and full of flavor. The waiting staff were exceptional as well: very attentive, friendly, and mindful without ever feeling intrusive. The prices felt completely fair and aligned with the quality of the food and service. The only reason I'm giving four stars instead of five is that they don't offer a complimentary basket of bread for the table--you have to order it separately. Aside from that, everything was fantastic, and we will definitely be back!

I keep reading about this place, so my wife and I say to try here. We started with the homemade…read morefocaccia bread and decided to order the Motown Classic Pizza. Wow wow wow, the focaccia bread was fantastic. The pizza was super crispy on the bottom, just the way I like it. You can tell the fresh ingredients that they used. Because of the level of the food quality, this is not the cheapest place to eat however, it is absolutely fantastic and so tasty. We will be going back very soon.

I really wish this review could be about the pizza. Instead, we left before ever ordering because…read moreof how incredibly unwelcoming the experience was. We arrived at Renee's with our boys on a 90+ degree Arizona day, hot, hungry, and excited to celebrate them after their first flag football game. Instead of sitting down to enjoy a meal, we were told that families with children are only allowed to dine on the patio. Meanwhile, the air-conditioned dining room was completely empty. Not "almost full." Empty. I understand that businesses are allowed to have their own policies, but expecting families with young children to sit outside in 90+ degree heat while an empty, air-conditioned dining room sits right there is certainly a choice. And not a particularly welcoming one. Apparently, celebrating your kids after their first flag football game meant sweating through dinner on the patio while an entire empty dining room sat comfortably indoors. With the temperature over 90 degrees, that was not a reasonable option for our family. Needless to say, we left. Tucson has plenty of wonderful restaurants where families can celebrate, cool off, and enjoy a meal indoors without being limited to the patio simply because they brought their children. So no, I can't tell you whether the pizza is good. We never got that far. I can tell you the hospitality left a bad enough taste that we won't be back to find out

Talk about GENEROUS toppings and rich, balanced flavors!!!! It's really challenging to keep…read morefamiliar flavors while inserting a new, fun element, and both pizzas I tried at Penelope's did just that! Hot honey pizza has the most perfect hint of sweetness without becoming desert, and the lemon-arugula-ricotta one was so addictive. Cute spot for date night with minimalist decor and fast service! Pro tip: get a side of the marinated olives to soak up with your crusts :)

Place : Loud , somewhat sterile eating area. **The pizzas are clever with good combinations**, that…read morebeing said they're inconsistent in crust, especially for takeout. It is a great crust, not quite as good as Luna's was (RIP), IYKYK, their pies edged this place out in consistency and crust flavor with that special yeast. The pies are somewhat expensive, which is fine, but really the toppings are scant considering. And the aforementioned inconsistency, - slightly higher prices are fine , but they should be consistent. Make it feel worthwhile. The service is a joke, sometimes someone will greet you, sometimes maybe not. It used to be you could walk into a place, even 15 minutes before they closed, and order food. Not so much with this place( and it's a pizza place ?!!?)-which is odd because you'd think they want money. I digress. I've gone in, in the past, half hour before closed, and been told they were out of dough! Pizza place out of the main ingredient. Obviously bad meal prep, planning, mgmt, -however you want to plate it. -Now-, there's an ordering system online to , idk, 'help things be orderly ' , maybe. You can't even go on 50 minutes before they close and place an order. What a joke. ...Likely to put out that image of high demand, the rarest , most prized, kneaded dough by Swedish monks,, that you must plan a day ahead if you want to partake in. More likely, they'll start tagging on service charges and having slightly inflated prices through online ordering. BET.

Absolutely Worth the Drive!…read more We were visiting from West Phoenix and decided to try Falora Pizza, and I'm so glad we did! This place is definitely worth the drive. It's a smaller restaurant, but it's beautiful inside and has such a cozy, inviting atmosphere. The music was lovely, and the whole place had a really nice vibe. We ordered the Margherita pizza, Bianca pizza, Gnocchi, Piastra zucchini noodles, two sodas, and a Prosecco. Everything we tried was so good! The pizza crust was one of my favorite parts. It was cooked perfectly and had that nice little crunch without being too hard. The Margherita was delicious, and the Bianca was just as good. The Piastra zucchini noodles with house-made pesto, heirloom cherry tomatoes and spinach were AMAZING! I'm honestly still thinking about them. The Gnocchi with shiitake mushrooms, vegetable broth and ginger glaze was also delicious and something a little different. We had four dishes, drinks and Prosecco, and our total was under $99, which I thought was a great price for everything we enjoyed. I also thought it was really cool that when you check out, there's an option to claim a neighborhood reward through Cash App that can be used with participating local businesses or toward coming back to Falora. I love seeing ways to support local businesses and the neighborhood. Overall, we had such a great experience. Great food, beautiful atmosphere, delicious pizza and a crust that was cooked just right.

Oh my goodness, I forgot how much I miss woodfired pizza. I used to live in New Haven and this used…read moreto be my favoriteeee style of pizza. After grabbing a drink next door at Sidecar, I was pleased to see that Falora was open just a few steps away. It's a tiny place, but we were able to be sat immediately at the communal table. We ordered a couple of drinks and started with the butter pecan salad. This was so yummy. I loved the goat cheese and the apricot dressing. It was definitely a refreshing choice for this hot summer day. We also split a couple of pizzas: the marinara and the Margherita. Both of these were topped with fresh basil and the crust was perfect perfectly crispy. Like all woodfired pizza, it does have a little bit of a char to it, but I love that. Overall, the service here was great and I would definitely come back. It also looks like you can order pizza to go and take it to the cocktail lounge next door. There's plenty of parking here, but it does get packed on a Friday night. There's some outdoor seating but on a rainy night it can get pretty cramped inside.

I would say the food is really good, and probably the biggest tortellini I have ever seen!…read more My only issue is that when we went to the restaurant, it may have just been the particular day, but there was some sort of issue with a bad smell that was going on that night. Hopefully that was resolved because the food quality was good! They also have a good amount of vegetarian options.

For whatever reason, I haven't been here in nearly ten years, and my dining companion had never…read morebeen. So we journeyed out on Memorial Day for a grill-free dinner. The space is lovely of course, with tons of courtyard view windows. We did run into a broken chair when we sat down, but that was easily remedied (hopefully it was permanently removed from the floor). Our server was also tending bar, so he was stretched a bit thin, but overall the service was solid. He happily went back to the kitchen in a couple of questions he couldn't answer, but was overall very knowledgeable. He recommended a white wine made by a relative of the restaurant owner and it was lovely. We started with the octopus. I didn't expect this starter to be cold, but the tender octopus, fingerling potatoes and olives were a great combo in the acidic sauce. Would most certainly order it again. My main was the short rib. Short rib is always a heavy dish, but the vegetable risotto and asparagus helped lighten it a bit and it was tender and delicious. I probably ate 1/3, but I'm not sad to have generous leftovers. My dining companion had the veal, which was also excellent. I finished my meal with the crème caramel, which was very traditional and exactly as expected (which is what I want in a dessert like that). I'm very happy to dine here more often than every ten years.

Bottega Michelangelo Bottega Michelangelo is a casual…read moreSouthern Italian neighborhood kitchen and pasticceria located in Oro Valley, Arizona. Everyone is understaffed, so I always appreciate the service staff who are working. Remember they're busy because they're good. This restaurant still has that old time feel it's a definite classic type vibe. This is with a modern look of high ceilings and wide open space. It has indoor dining, a cozy lounge, a front patio, and a bar patio with both table service and walk-in café options I was here in the winter many times over the last four years. I really enjoyed the food and staff. I went last winter and forgot how much I love the food. Happy hour really embraces the needs of people of a certain age (older) in the sense that it starts at 4pm and goes until 7pm. So if you come at 4pm you can drive home before it's dark. (No daylight savings in Arizona.) My favorite dish during happy hour is the lamb lollipops. Just love them and the second favorite dish is the Pistachio encrusted baked goat cheese with there great bread. Those things with a nice brown lager (kilt lifter) are a wonderful dinner for me. There's plenty of space for groups to have fellowship together. And some wonderful dinner options as well. It's almost always crowded. It also operates partially as an Italian pastry shop (pasticceria) with in-house desserts like tiramisu cake, cannolis, and the Lemon Blueberry Duomo This Italian family has own this restaurant for over thirty five years.... It's been in a couple locations but moved to where it is over 30 years ago It has good food that is high quality. It has that atmosphere of any old school restaurant in any major city. Instead it's tucked in near a shopping mall in Oro Valley. It has a wonderful outdoor seating area. It has great parking. I can't recommend this restaurant enough.

Honestly, I really don't see what the hype is about this place. Maybe it's because I'm snobby and…read morehave been to Italy, but the food here is not really authentic Italian food. The highlight was the meatball appetizer. These were huge and the sauce was delicious. Unfortunately, that's where the good vibes ended. I got the agnolotti and it was covered in parsley and a little flavorless. Just not great. I'm not saying it's bad, but these days when I want to spend my money on a nice meal, I'd rather go somewhere where I feel like it's worth the expense. Bottega Michelangelo was just perfectly mid. Not bad, not great, just average.

Food was fresh and made to order. First time, so we tried a lot and packed up most of it to go…read morehome. Here's the misses and hits: Misses: Wasabi ranch dipping sauce for toasted ravioli? Uh, no. It tastes like tartar sauce and is extremely unappetizing mixed with warm cheese rav's . 0/10 do not recommend, would not ever taste it again. Caesar salad dressing. Listen, I love me some anchovy paste in my homemade Caesar salad dressing but this was way too much. And where is the lemon to brighten it up? 5/10 would order again if they brought out a small cup of their Caesar dressing to taste beforehand. Calamari. Husband got the calamari and said it was just ok, but definitely not worth the price. Too much $$$. Salsiccia pizza. Fresh, delicious, just severely lacking in cheese. A little more generous portion of that divine homemade mozz would be nice. 7/10, would definitely ask for extra cheese when ordering. Hits: Toasted rav's appetizer. 10/10 would get again, however when I look at the price ($18) and you only get 6 ravs plus dipping sauce (marinara and that horrendous wasabi ranch), it really doesn't feel like a good deal. Yes delicious, but $3 per 1"x1" square rav?? Too much money in my book. Tomato bisque. While not quite fresh, it was divine. The toast piece that came with it was rubbed with garlic and oil and grilled to the perfect texture and then partially dipped in the soup for playing, amazing 100/10 would get again, but this time request just a little more fresh basil. Highly recommend. Caesar salad. Though the dressing leaning too far into fishy tasting (too much anchovy paste), the overall salad was fresh, albeit extremely small for the price you are paying. Checca pizza. Warm, garlic olive oil as the base, homemade mozz and basil and tomatoes, all wonderful EXCEPT what monster in the kitchen is using chopped salad tomatoes as a pizza topping? Hideous. Looked like a circle k pizza, at best. Tasted great, except for those tomatoes - were they San marzano?? Overall, we would go back, but try different dishes. Ambiance was warm and friendly, service was not great. Hoping it was just a one off, but by the looks of the other reviews, it's hit or miss with the wait staff, which is unfortunate. Edited to add: We also ordered the tiramisu and the siciliani cannoli - very generous portion of tiramisu, cannoli are only three small 3" pieces. Tiramisu good, would order again, cannoli is quite delicious - hubs said for sure would order again. 10/10 recommend and would re-order.

Visited this place for the first time. I'm pretty new to the area and read that this place had…read moredelicious Italian food. We came in at 8pm without reservation, but online it shows reservations are till 8:30p. The hostess was really sweet and friendly. We asked to be seated outside since it was a cooler night. The server was really nice too and brought us water upon greeting us. We ordered 2 glasses of wine Pinot Noir - old soul and super Tuscany - insogilo that came chilled. The Pinot was very full bodied and juicy. The Insogilo was a lot lighter refreshing and more enjoyable. These glasses didn't arrive until our entree came. The half Caesar salad came with a little piece of French bread instead of croutons. I enjoyed the flavor and amount of dressing was perfect. The entrees came out hot and fresh. We ordered one of their top dishes - the baked linguini marinara, this was really good and the marina sauce was nice juicy and a lil spicy. The linguini was cooked not to Al dente which was perfect. I came for the cheese wheel, but unfortunately our server told us they ran out and they needed to order a new one that will come in a few days. So I opted for the fettuccine Alfredo, so yummy and saucy my favorite type of pasta. However, after a few bites the pepper was a little too overpowering for me and kinda ruined the dish. While we were enjoying our meal the door slamming on the brick was little annoying, luckily our server was pretty considerate and brought up how loud it was too. Although the service was great it felt a little rushed like they wanted us out before they closed. I definitely would like to enjoy what they're known for; the cheese wheel so I'll keep this in my restaurant rotation.

28 years ago my craving for my pregnancy was Vivace was crab filled chicken. My husband joined me…read moreevery day as we got it. We'd walk in and the staff would start making it I still love it, what a magnificent dish! Why is it so good? The crunchy chicken? The tender crab filling? The amazing vegetable rice and sauce? There are many amazing dishes here, but at least once, try this dish. One of my favorites of all time.

My son chose Vivace for his birthday dinner, and once again, this restaurant reminded us why it's…read moreone of our absolute favorites in Tucson. We like to switch up our appetizers every visit, so this time I tried something new, the escargot with artichokes. If you've never had escargot before, this is the perfect beginner dish. The escargot was buttery, tender, and packed with flavor. Paired with the artichokes and toasted bread, it was absolutely incredible. I almost ate the entire order by myself because I simply couldn't stop! We also ordered the shrimp and crab cakes, and wow, these were phenomenal. The outside had the perfect crispy crust while the inside was tender, flavorful, and full of seafood. The accompanying sauce tied everything together beautifully. For our entrées, we had the seared tenderloin over creamy polenta, cooked medium rare. It was perfection. The tenderloin was incredibly tender and flavorful, the wine sauce was rich without being overpowering, and the polenta was creamy and comforting. The portion was also very generous. We also shared the rigatoni with braised short rib, and I honestly can't stop thinking about it. The short rib was melt in your mouth tender, juicy, and so flavorful that I'd happily order a plate of just that! Combined with the perfectly cooked rigatoni, rich sauce, and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan, it was one of those dishes where every bite was better than the last. Our server was fantastic, attentive, friendly, and full of great recommendations without ever making us feel rushed. The restaurant itself is always beautiful and has such an elegant atmosphere. Since we were celebrating my son's birthday, I was hoping we'd get one of the tables with the city view, but honestly, the outstanding food and exceptional service more than made up for it. Vivace continues to be one of Tucson's best dining experiences. Every meal here reminds us why we keep coming back. Highly recommend!

Came here for happy hour and dinner with a friend, and we were seated right away. It's a total…read morehidden gem right behind Putney's, and honestly might be my new go-to happy hour spot! The restaurant has a beautiful interior and offers outdoor seating, but since it's the middle of summer in Tucson, sitting inside was a must! We arrived just in time for happy hour. Most of the appetizers on the regular menu were marked down to $9.75, and the happy hour drinks were the same price. We ordered the stuffed mushrooms, steamed mussels, a dirty martini, and a grapefruit cosmo. Everything was delicious, but the mussels were our absolute favorite. The broth they came with was delightful, and we used the complimentary bread to soak up every last drop! Even though the appetizers filled us up, we still ordered dinner. I got the Pesto Penne Pasta and my friend got the Chicken Marsala. My pasta was incredibly flavorful with just the right amount of chicken in every bite. My friend really enjoyed the Marsala too. The portions were great, and we both had enough leftovers for another meal. I definitely plan on coming back when it's cooler to enjoy the patio, which sits nicely between the restaurant and the boutique across the way. The view looks great, and I heard they sometimes have live music. Highly recommend!

I was really looking forward to dining at Giuseppe's on Oracle Rd. Great reviews, loved the photos…read moreI saw online, good happy hour, and gluten-free options. I even called ahead of time and spoke with someone about the gluten-free options (David, who turned out to be our server) and he was very helpful and pleasant on the phone. But the dining experience was sorely disappointing and I'm not sure whether we would return or not based on that experience. David's service was attentive and pleasant, the wine was really good, and my pork carbonara dish was pretty good - the pork chop itself was delicious and perfectly seasoned and perfectly cooked; the pasta was creamy and pretty good, but just lacking a bit in flavor (cheese?). I'm not a fan of cherry tomatoes in carbonara but no big deal, still overall, it was a very good dish. But here is where it went wrong. My wife ordered the grilled pork, which according to the menu is slices of pork topped with spinach and mozzarella served over linguine with red sauce. She asked if they could switch the red sauce out for another (non-red) sauce. David suggested either Alfredo or a white wine sauce, and my wife asked for the white wine sauce. And gluten-free pasta.Since I had called earlier to ask about gluten-free or gluten-sensitive options, and they said they have GF pasta and GF pizza crust, David let the kitchen know to start the pasta water (which is a nice accommodation) as soon as we arrived - although my wife wasn't sure yet, having not looked at the menu, whether she really did intend to have a dish accompanied by pasta. But that's fine if they want to start it early. We sat there for a good 25-30 minutes after ordering, wondering what was going on with the food, since we were one of only two tables at the time. We tracked David down and he apologetically told us there had been some kind of issue with the chef "getting the dishes switched around" (??) and that they had to start the order over again, and that he appreciated our patience. After a while, the entrees arrived. My pork carbonara looked good. My wife's pork dish, even after waiting that long and having them re-do the entrees, had a few issues - 1) it was served with pasta with red sauce, not the white wine sauce she'd asked for; 2) uncertainty over whether the pasta is indeed gluten-free because it's possible that they have GF spaghetti, but in our experience, it's very unusual for a restaurant to offer GF spaghetti. Usually it's penne or a similar shape. But David did double check and said it really is GF spaghetti. I was suspect myself when I tasted the dish, because GF pasta has a tendency to fall apart or dry out and I couldn't really tell that this was GF pasta. So maybe it was just really good GF pasta; and 3) the pork wasn't sliced, it was whole. And possibly breaded. When we noted the dish was supposed to be white wine sauce over GF pasta, David again apologized and said the chef was "flustered" (his word, not mine). Not sure how a whole 2 tables flusters a chef, but okay. At this point, after all this time, and my dish being served correctly and hot, we were not about to send the dish back AGAIN while I sit there eating mine while it's still hot. We had originally thought, when first seated, that we might order dessert or at least the good looking after dinner drinks. But we just wanted to get the heck out of there as fast as we could. And to their / David's credit, they did comp the pork dish, which is nice. Not sure we'd return.

My family and I had dinner here, and everything was absolutely delicious! We loved the salad, and I…read morehad the shrimp Alfredo--it was amazing! That sauce was definitely the highlight for me! The facilities were clean, the atmosphere was welcoming, and it was nice and cool inside, especially with the Tuscan heat outside. It was also very kid-friendly, which we appreciated. We had a great experience and would definitely recommend this place to others!

Caruso's Italian Restaurant is an old time favorite that I've been going to since I was a girl. We…read moreabsolutely love their antipasto salad with no meat/cheese. Sometimes we just get the salad and sometimes I'll also order the Eggplant Parmesan with no cheese. Caruso's is consistent and has a beautiful outside patio if weather permits. The wait staff is almost always great. We always bring our own glass water bottle since we don't drink tap water. Prices are reasonable and the atmosphere is perfect. One of our favorites.