I went to red for a birthday dinner, and the staff was so kind and welcoming. The food was filling and delicious, we got an array of food and every one was generous in flavor. The banana fosters show was captivating and the spinning glasses are fun. Everyone is given a conversation card to create an open light environment. Would definitely go again. read more

What an incredible meal! We had reservations at Red: Italian tonight. Make sure you get a reservation as I think max capacity is around 50 people. When we checked in we were offered a glass of Rose. Great touch. We started with the bread, which was honestly better than Palladino's -- that's saying something. The meatballs were a perfect blend of sweet and savory. Great appetizer and perfect for 2 people. For entrees, the Cacio e Pepe had the best flavor of anything we tried -- rich, peppery, perfectly balanced. The Chicken Piccata was light and tasty, and we swapped the potatoes for linguine, as our waiter Logan suggested. Dessert was a toss-up between two winners: the dark chocolate mousse was good, but the cheesecake might be the best I've ever had. Genuinely that good. I think every table was opting for the bananas foster. On top of the incredible food, we got to meet the owners, Mike and Victor. Victor runs the bar. They have a Sarti Spritz on the menu -- the hot drink in Europe this summer and first place I have seen it in Denton. They promised to have Sambuca ready for us next visit. That kind of hospitality makes you want to come right back. Can't recommend this place enough. We'll be regulars. Already got reservations booked for the rest of the year and next time we plan on stopping by Ruby Rodeo upstairs for a pre dinner cocktail. read more

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Opening night at Red Italian and we were actually the FOURTH guests they served! Red has taken over the basement space where the old Andy's used to be, and the minute you head downstairs, it has that intimate, tucked-away speakeasy vibe that feels perfect for a night of Italian food, cocktails and bourbon. Naturally, we grabbed seats at the bar--and that was absolutely the right move. The bartenders were fantastic. Knowledgeable, welcoming and happy to guide us through both the cocktail menu and dinner. Now let's talk bourbon. The bourbon list is wide and approachable, with something for just about everyone. But the bourbon cocktails? NEXT LEVEL. Their Old Fashioned was out of this world, and the Paper Plane had a twist that took the classic in a slightly different direction--and absolutely worked. These weren't just cocktails with bourbon in them; they were thoughtful, balanced drinks that made sitting at the bar part of the experience. Dinner was fantastic, and by the end we were completely full...which became a problem when we watched the Bananas Foster being prepared tableside nearby. Instant regret. We WILL be saving room for that on visit #2. For opening night, we were seriously impressed. Great food, talented bartenders, next-level bourbon cocktails, plenty of whiskey to choose from and an underground atmosphere that feels like one of Denton's little secrets. Welcome to Denton, Red Italian. You definitely speak our language. Who remembers the old Andy's space? And who's ready to head downstairs and check out Red? read more

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This is me being nitpicky, but the food was good--if it says spicy, it IS spicy! The space was crowded for our group of 5, and once it filled up, it was pretty loud and difficult to talk. The space doesn't help the restaurant and that's beyond their control. Service could use a little more attention to detail. A few small things: the birthday name was still incorrect after I verbally corrected it, we were unsure whether we were supposed to grate our own parmesan (the server left the cheese grater on our table and told us it was like the one at Olive Garden), we were asked if we needed another wine glass when switching bottles, and there was some miscommunication about the check. Gratuity is also included for groups (just a heads up). None of these were major issues individually, but they added up. Overall, good food, but the service left me wondering if I was expecting too much or if they just need a little more experience. read more

Red Italian - Lasagna - Italian Near Me - Denton, Texas

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What a special night! We celebrated a 60th Bday and we chose perfectly. The experience is so wonderful and intimate. Our small group all had different meals and each one was amazing. Highly recommend the Bruschetta appetizer to start. The restaurant was full but, service was still nicely timed. Thank you to everyone at Red! read more

Red Italian - Italian Near Me - Denton, Texas

Food: exceptionally executed and beautifully presented. Service: you can't say enough good things about the fantastic service- from the hostess, to the bartender, the servers (even the ones who aren't your server- still helping and making you feel special), the manager. Top notch all the way. Ambience: unique, classy, cozy, intimate, inviting Details: cacio e pepe was creamy and rich and loaded with sharp cheese (can't recall if it was parm or romano). Full of flavor and somewhat different (in a great way) in how creamy and rich it was. The meatballs-- where have they been all my life? Exceptional. They were tender and soft and packed with flavor and incredible seasoning. The sauce and the shaved parm on top were the icing on the cake. Cocktails: nice cocktail menu as well as wine menu and mocktails. You can't go wrong with any of them. Highly recommend the beautifully presented Bellini as well as the espresso martini. The Valpolicella by the glass was quite a treat. Stop reading! Just go. It's fantastic! (But you may want to make a reservation) read more

Highly rated, great food, amazing service and got to meet the owner. Ambiance was great and we will definitely be back!! Thanks Red team!!! read more

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We tried Red Italian tonight, a new restaurant with an upscale Italian concept. The cozy ambience was top-notch, and the menu is unique, but the execution fell short. The stuffed mushrooms were tiny, the bruschetta had a tomato paste heavy flavor (not traditional),and the Garlic Sun pasta had barely cooked tomatoes, the same tomato-paste flavor and cold burrata. Chicken Marsala was just okay, and his pasta arrived cold. The Peppercorn, Iron and Romano, essentially a Cacio e Pepe was a very small portion of bucatini and the portion didn't meet expectations. Look of an appetizer rather than an entree. Overall, the temperature, portion sizes and execution missed the mark, and the meal didn't live up to the upscale concept. read more

The appetizer was tiny and had no flavor. The food took over an hour to come out. The lobster risotto was cold and lumpy-however the lobster was good. The margarita was very good. The restaurant is very loud. I would go again for drinks but not food. read more

Fun atmosphere and a terrific menu! Do yourself a favor and find a way to make Red your next date night spot!

My fiance and I came for dinner last night. This was an amazing experience! The atmosphere is beautiful and lively with rich history and tasteful decoration. The food is sublime! The flavor is out of this world and the quality of ingredients outstanding. I finished my entire chicken marsala dish and did not have the uncomfortable overfull feeling I get when I cook with cheaper ingredients. Our server was Christina (apologizes is different spelling) and she was phenomenal. We never lacked for anything during our whole visit and she complemented my shoes which honestly made my day! If you go, i highly recommend the banana foster dessert! The tableside service makea it extra special and it is incredibly delicious! read more

We spent a very enchanting evening on a Tuesday night at one of the most fun new restaurants in Denton, with our good friends and neighbors. We weren't sure what to expect, but the restaurant is On the Square, downtown Denton. Once you arrive at the designated corner, you have to look for a small sign on an awning that says "Red", and arrows that point downward to old concrete steps. You walk down the steps to a big solid black door and open it. It really reminded me of being in NYC where someone recommended the place, and you have to know someone to get in. When you walk in, it takes a minute to adjust your eyes to the low light. It's a long narrow restaurant with a long narrow bar. It's filled with tables for 2 and 4, with lighting that resembles modern torches on a rock wall. The waiter greets you with an excellent wine list, and a superior menu that resembles a small red book. There are other nice little touches that you should experience yourself. We all enjoyed the stuffed mushrooms that were expertly prepared with mouth watering unique flavors. Every person selected a different dish, and everyone said their selection was the best! I had Chicken piccata, and appreciated the fact it had a mashed potato option, which satisfied my gluten-free preference. The mushroom rich lemon sauce with plenty of capers will keep me coming back. We had the cheesecake for dessert and a very special Banana Foster served flaming with Grand Mariner by the owner, Mike Church. This was the end to a perfect evening. We can't wait to go back. Make sure you get a reservation, so you won't be disappointed! read more

I was so incredibly excited to try this place and it just fell flat. It was not terrible but it wasn't great. We were sat in The larger private dining table for our party of four which was wonderful. We were greeted promptly but it was as if the service didn't match the sophistication that the interior was trying to give off. We had mentioned it was our first time but there was no walk around the menu, simply a "take your time and let me know if you have questions" nothing bad but definitely nothing going over the top to explain to us what red is. We ordered the stuffed mushrooms and I thought they had decent flavor but was lacking in salt, where as the focaccia bread that was set down after we ordered drinks had a thick layer of flakey salt to where it was too much. We ordered the cacio e Pepe, chicken piccata, lasagna and the sea bass. The cacio was a nice flavor but tasted like Alfredo, not cacio and had a thick layer of congealed cheese mixed in with the bucatini pasta. The chicken piccata with linguini was decent and a good traditional chicken piccata. The lasagna was the best thing we had that night and I thought it was very flavorful but the sea bass was so disappointing and flavorless. The filet had a thick layer of gray and was cooked fine but had no flavor and the risotto was a flavorless mush and it broke my heart because that fish is why I wanted to visit Red. We were not impressed so we did not stay for dessert but we also understand it just opened and they will hopefully grow in the right direction. This place has so much potential and we thought the manager was the best part of our experience, he was extremely accommodating and was one of the only reasons we really felt like we were at a white table cloth restaurant. Also absolutely adored the conversational cards at the table and it was my favorite part of the entire experience. I would recommend wiping them down and they were greasy and had food on a large majority of them. We're not sure if we will be back but definitely think they're a good addition to the Denton food scene that I would hate to see fizzle out. They have the potential to be amazing and I hope they get there! read more

A new hidden gem on the downtown Denton square...small, cozy and below ground with a definite Speakeasy vibe. Four of us were lucky enough to score a reservation on opening night for my wife's birthday (reservations are definitely the way to go, as it's small and will probably fill up fast). We started off with wine. They didn't have an extensive selection, but they did have the basics in both red and white, all reasonably priced. Next we shared an order of Bruschetta (with whipped goat cheese) that was delicious. Then we moved on to the main course. My brother had the Chicken Piccata and my SIL ordered the Gnocchi. The birthday girl got the Lasagna and I ordered the Cacio e Pepe. Everybody agreed that the entrees we tried were top notch. For dessert we shared an order of Panna Cotta, a perfect finish to a wonderful meal. The service was attentive without being obtrusive...a plus in this kind of setting. We'll definitely be back! read more