I realize this location is new but there are major issues. This could be a very nice place. My wife and I arrived around 9:30 without a reservation. We asked for a table for two and were led to tables and chairs outside. The hostess should have asked if outside was OK. I would have probably said yes but they should have asked. The outside area looked nice although the tables and chairs were cheap. The music was nice but the traffic sounds from York road could be pretty intrusive. Our waiter was a pleasant but inexperienced young man. He tried hard. Bread and water took too long. Interestingly, i watched the kitchen folks deliver meals in a disorganized way consistently. They apparently lack a system so that they know where the dishes are to go. The delivery staff is forced to walk around the 20 table outside area asking each table if they ordered the _____. We were asked about other folks meals 4 or 5 times. It just seems inefficient and unprofessional. Service as a whole was slow. No specials were offered and we forgot to ask. Now to the food - The Caesar salad needs work. The lettuce was mostly the green portion at the top of the romaine leaf. A great Caesar has more of the heart of the romaine leaf. The dressing was very bland although the sprinkled on cheese was good. Overall the salad was a D. (If ownership wants to sample a really good Caesar go to the place I mention at the end of this review.) The good news is the main courses were pretty good. My Chicken Marsala featured properly cooked and tender chicken. Not overcooked and tough as you often see. The sauce was tasty. The pasta was very good. If they want to make this dish perfect I'd do two small things. First, I'd serve a bit more chicken - it came with three small chicken medallions - maybe 4 - 5 ounces total. Chicken is cheap. The second thing I'd do is serve bigger pieces of mushroom instead of the slivers in the dish. These are minor issues and I'd give the dish an A- or B+. My wife's Margarita (sp?) pizza was very tasty. I liked the sauce and the crust. I'd give this an A+. By the way, while we didn't drink alcohol, the wine list look extensive and pretty cheap. We go out a lot and live close. We'll give this place another chance in a few months but right now it doesn't compete with nearby places like Vito's Cafe. Scott Rifkin, MD
(3)
Rose M.
Ew. This place is sub-par at best with mediocre food priced above it's value, and staff who are too cool for school. Decor is decent, but that's about it. They should just bring back Piv's to that space. Piv's was terrible, but at least they had a cool patio, bro.
(1)
Fraeda L.
Delicious food. Shrimp fra diablo was excellent - large shrimp. Sauce was nice and spicey. Veal was a little chewy, but Marsala sauce was excellent. Whole wheat pasta was very good. Cannoli was not very good. Service was terrific. We were not rushed at all. Nice liquor selection.
(4)
Kyaw M.
It has been a long time since I visited the fazzini's in its new location. Last time I was here, I was a little underwhelmed by the service, and wasn't a total fan of some of the changes. I am glad to say that the service has improved greatly and they seem to have switched back more to the great food that was served in the old location. Pasta as always is freshly made and the alfredo sauce is now creamy and artery-cloggingly rich again. The sausage is still very flavorful with a spicy kick as usual. One of their new appetizer is fried polenta and it was as billed; crispy with a cteamy core and a nice dip to go with it. We also had a kickass scallop pasta dish with some of the best executed scallops I've ever tasted. Fra diavolo definitely has a kick; in fact, be careful because it is the spiciest fra diavolo I've ever eaten. All in all, the place has redeemed itself as a solid italian joint north of the city.
(4)
bb k.
Two comments. Order traditional Italian only. I ordered the salmon and it turned out to be a poor choice. Part of the problem was our inept waiter whose communications were all double talk. Secondly, the owners need to invest in lights for the parking lot where it is pitch black!
(3)
Keith C.
I am sad to report that the new location pales in comparison to the old Fazzini's location in Cranbrook Shopping Center. We went to dinner at 7:30pm to find the place packed and was told it would be a 20 min wait or we could sit in the bar area and be seated immediately. We took the bar area and the host seated us and provided menus, the waitress appeared promptly. We ordered iced tea, which was delivered but there was no sweetener on the table and had to ask and wait a good bit to get sweetener. We order 2 bowls of crab soup ($8), chicken pesto pizza and veal marsala ($22). The crab soup was delivered promptly, but we weren't given any spoons to eat it with. So, once again we had to wait another 5 minutes to get the staff's attention to bring us spoons. When we finally ate the soup, it was fair, rather bland, not much crab and served in a shallow crockpot (definitely not worth $8). The pizza was bland as well, my wife mentioned numerous times she wish she had some garlic to give it some taste. The veal marsala had 3 pieces of veal, not pounded and breaded properly as the breading was thick and all you tasted. The pasta which was homemade, may have been homemade, but probably made on Monday as it tasted like it had been in a freezer all week. Again disappointing as it was very bland in taste. The restaurant was dimly lit and smooth jazz was playing rather loudly, which is usually a sign a restaurant is trying to be high end when it isn't. They even put tap water in glass bottles and served it, please, lame. So, after getting a bill for $65, I left very disappointed since the food and service were not up to the price paid. The old Fazzini's was a hole in the wall location, but the food and service were excellent. I miss the old Fazzini's and as for the new location, best of luck as I won't be back and I am sure others will avoid this place after giving it a try once.
(2)
Constance K.
A delightful dining experience. Three of us dined on a rainy night and the crab soup, mussels, and eggplant parmesan hit just the right notes. The restaurant was busy but the service was flawless. Our server, Kate, was friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient. One of our appetizers was not quite right and in a flash a refired dish appeared. Great save. We will return to this gem.
(4)
Anne V.
The food may be decent Italian, but the host and hostess were extremely rude. Usually we've had good service, but not tonight. I was taking my 76-year-old mother and her friend to dinner. It was late in the evening by the time we were seated-- close to 8:30-- and they seated us in the middle of the room under harsh spotlights. I asked if we could move to the adjacent empty booth. The hostess said all the tables were plotted out and we couldn't move. We asked if she could check as there were 7 or more open tables. No biggie, just wanted to sit somewhere a bit less out in the open with no spotlights. We noticed the booth got filled so we figured we weren't going to get another table. Meanwhile, we never had a waiter stop by the table. We finally see him and ask for water and he told us he was "cut off" for the night and wasn't serving anymore. I don't even know what that means. Long story short, we were just getting our water glasses filled while the people seated at the booth were already done their appetizer and were being served entrees. An odd, odd night. Definitely not going back. Would rather head to Little Italy. Everyone is much nicer there.
(1)
Evan R.
I don't understand the low reviews here, and apparently neither do most customers. We had a reservation for 5 on a Thursday night and needed it, the restaurant was packed and had a 45 minute wait for walk-ins. Do yourself a favor and make your reservation soon, Fazzini's combines great food with reasonable pricing to give a terrific dining experience. Fresh italian and focaccia bread combined with some kind of garlic and olive oil blend to give a wonderful start to our meal. A few of us ordered Greek salads which were made just right. Most of us got some sort if pasta dish as Fazzini's makes it fresh daily, and you can really taste the difference. My red clam sauce was outstanding. Others got marinara and ravioli, all positives. Portions were too large for us to get desert, whoever was complaining about quantity must only dine at The Cheesecake Factory. We'll certainly be back. Fazzini's goes into our regular dining rotation.
(5)
linda f.
We arrived about 4:30 on a Tuesday afternoon. Aside from my husband and me, there was only one more table with patrons. My husband ordered the cream of crab soup. It was very "watery", and about one spoon of canned crab meat in it. It tasted like a canned soup. We ordered a pizza to share, and lasagna to share. The rest of the food was ok. This was our 1st visit here, & we had a $5 coupon, if you spend $20 or more. We spent $42.00. The waiter came over and said we could not use the coupon because it was for lunch. I asked to speak to the manager. i explained that I could not read the small print about lunch only. I told him this was our 1st visit, and the cream of crab soup was sub par. He basically told us that is the rule ! I told him he should have honored the $5. since I would tell my friends about his place. He did not care. I would not ever go there again, there are too many other places. By the way, we left at 5:50 pm, and still NO Customers in this place.
(2)
Quintin P.
Food is good, portion size is small. I'm an old customer from the old Cranbrook location. Ambience is nice, good wine store , staff is trained.
(3)
D C.
So, I went there last week and ordered two pizzas to go. They were delicious! Will be back!
(4)
Melissa C.
After several awesome visits to Fazzini's I finally decided to write my review. I am usually there for happy hour and I must say that the cocktails are great, staff is friendly and accommodating and the food is top notch. The view from the bar shows a wood burning pizza oven from which all the food I have ordered has been amazing. Shrimp in garlic sauce, baked goat cheese in marinara and the wood fired pizzas are my favorites but everything else has been great. I highly recommend to anyone reading that they go for casual happy hour or to the dining room for a special occasion!
(5)
Edward M.
Ate there Oct. 25. The hostess was inappropriately dressed in a short tight red skirt, sleeveless top with bra straps showing...she looked like a hooker! The food was mediocre at best. The eggplant parm. was too cheesy and the chicken Marsala was not good and did not taste like it should. The service was fair, but it was very busy. We were given a lemoncello at the end of the meal...a nice gesture, but it tasted watered down and not good. Needless to say, we will not return.
(2)
Jennifer S.
OK boys get a clue. Food that you have is great, But everyone in our party has to be in the mood for pasta or pizza. That rarely happens. We would be there three times a week if you would offer some Light fare or at least a burger for people who don't want to smell of garlic. How about a sandwich out of that bread you make? Buy the way, deep frying chicken breasts and then smothering it in sauce is like cutting into old tennis shoes. Yuck! Pizza yum.
(3)
Amy B.
We had the most adorable waiter here - he was helpful with the menu, provided great service, and stuck out as a hardworking kid. We got the margarita and crab pizzas and both were absolutely delicious. The white sangria - which was suggested by the waiter, but not on the menu - was fantastic! Will definitely return!
(5)
Christopher S.
I am not sure why reviews are only a 3. This was the best pizza I've had in long time. Chicken pesto....mmmmm. Crust was delish! I had pasta fusilli soup, hubby had cream of crab. Service was excellent, hostess was very pleasant. Great dining experience.
(5)
A. C.
(8/15/2014) We were longtime fans and regulars at the old Fazzini's, which many reviewers apparently were. We do miss the old Fazzini's, too, but no going back, and no point belaboring comparisons. If you're jonesing for the old menu, get the carryout. We came for Restaurant Week, but only one of us got the RW options. The draw of the wood-fired oven led us to pizzas, the Arugula and Prosciutto and the Pampered Kale and Garlic. Both were very salty, the Prosciutto especially so. Pizza crust was very chewy, kind of too, solid crusty exterior, A little bit of sooty char on the bottom. Possibly our pizzas were a touch overdone, cheese seem dried and tough (no strings, the best part about cheesy pizzas), "runny farm egg" not runny, kale done until crispy (like chips). We definitely missed the red sauce, will remember that next time. The Chickpea Fries (Panelle) were, um, interesting, but not unpleasant. Was described by our jaunty server as "deep-fried hummus sticks." They were molten, right out of the fryer, creamy, cumin/curry flavored, came with some kind of lemony-garlic mayo dipping sauce. Off the RW menu the entree Grilled Salmon was deemed good, flavorful, moist, paired nicely with fresh corn and a very wet looking couscous. Tiramisu was not as expected and really, really boozy (someone's got a heavy pour). A Caprese Salad was OK, only disappointing in that the tomatoes were not very ripe, which is a shame since it's tomato season right now. Regular menu is a touch pricey for what it is. Service is very present (and unfortunately so when you're the table right in front of the service station (they are literally looking over your shoulder all the time). You can see everyone's trying really hard to make it great and we appreciate that, will give them another shot just out of loyalty.
(3)
Glenn S.
We had a wedding rehearsal dinner here over the weekend. I didn't even know this palce existed until we pulled up. The two guys who brought out our appetizers and the food were super friendly. The food itself was really really good. I wasn't expecting that to be honest. We had chicken parm, baked ziti, ceasar salad and veggie risoto. All of them were great. The chicken parm was nice and juicy and the baked ziti had the perfect ration of sauce/cheese. I'd definitely like to come back for a full meal sometime.
(4)
Jonathan P.
This is my first time in their new location. There a lot of windows which give the interior a nice open / airy feel. Our server was nice. As an appetizer, I had the French onion soup. It was amaaazzzing!! Probably the best I've ever had. For the main course, I had the lasagna. It was good as well but the French onion soup was filling so I didn't have much of the lasagna. My wife had the chicken salad sandwich. It was bland and I wouldn't recommend that meal. This place is an Italian restaurant so I would stick with pasta and pizza.
(4)
Deborah G.
Fazzini's has worked out some of its new location issues but still needs to improve on the food. The first time we dined I wanted pizza so we had the basic tomato and cheese pie with mushrooms. The pie was beautiful to see when it arrived at our table, however, the crust was thick and tough for us to chew. There is nothing more to say about the pizza as it was disappointing but I decided we would come back to try other items on the menu. After reading the Sun review I made a reservation to try something different and give them a second chance. We started with the shrimp in butter sauce. There were only four medium shrimp in a large casserole and the butter sauce was baked hard onto the bottom. A little more sauce and a few more shrimp would have made this a better appetizer for two adults. They also topped this with more of their bread which is not very good. It tastes like bread from a plastic bag. Why serve such a mediocre bread to your customers when you want to be a better restaurant on busy York Road? I had a side salad which was large, fresh and very tasty. Even though the dressing was sweet I liked it. It made for a nice opener to the meal. Then I had the mushroom ravioli. Just like the pizza, the dough was too thick. Ravioli should be thin and not chewy. I cut my pasta bags with a knife. Good thin ravioli needs only to be cut with a fork. The marinara sauce had lumps of tomato in it and was not tasty. Sorry I make tomato sauce better than this sauce. There was no distinctive memorable flavors from this meal. My husband had the chicken marsala with rigatoni. He gave me a taste of the chicken and this was tender and tasty. This and the salad are 4 star items. The shrimp is a 3 and my ravioli was a 2 star. We had great service from our waiter and he got the order right without us asking over and over. Also our water bottle was filled so we never went dry. I like the interior as it is spacious and more modern than the little hole in the wall it had at the strip shopping center on Cranbrook. I am hoping the owners can get this restaurant on track.. The menu needs some work to make it more interesting. I will return in a month or so to see if they can make additional improvements to the food.
(3)
Brian P.
I attend a monthly meeting here. The food is outstanding especially the pasta dishes, the wood fire pizza is also very delicious. They have a crab dip pizza that is excellent. Would recommend to anyone
(5)
Thea L.
I'm an Italian transplant from NYC and I took some visiting family to Fazzini's for dinner. I reserved a table through OpenTable and we were seated within 10 minutes of arrival, even with the place being pretty busy. Our waiter, Erik, was extremely knowledgeable about the menu and was very attentive. We started with the baccala fritters. I never had better baccala in my life (don't tell my grandmother)! For my entree, I had the risotto with roast pork, arugula & green apples and it was amazing. I tried my mother's house-made gnocchi and it melted in my mouth. The drinks were excellent and the beer selection was well thought out and had quite a few craft beers that you do not usually find on a menu not at a bar. The wine menu looked extensive, but I am not a big wine drinker, so I cannot speak to it. Just a note- the children's menu items are a bit small, especially if you have a kid that likes to eat. Usually New Yorkers always have a place back home that is better than anywhere you take them, but everyone agreed that it was just as good, or better, than what they can get in New York. Which is really saying something. This was my first time here, and I foresee myself becoming a regular.
(5)
Becky M.
Mmm mmm good. I went about 2 weeks ago with a friend to try out the new location. We had no idea they had moved! We had a Caesar salad to start, then Grilled Pork Risotto and the evening's special, NY Strip, asparagus, and truffle fries. OH how I love truffle fries! Not too many places in the area have truffle fries. The food was great, the service was even better. Our server was on point, not too pushy, filled glasses & cleared plates, but he was very down to earth, personable, and had a sense of humor. There were quite a few desserts we wanted to try, but the pink cheesecake came with a donation to the Susan G Komen Foundation (we went during October/Breast Cancer awareness month), so we couldn't opted for cheesecake! I thought this was a really neat idea! First time I've seen a pink food item come along with a donation. Parking was easy - big log in the back. And access in/out was easy, it's right off of York Road. I could see Fazzini's as a versatile place, I would feel comfortable going in jeans and sitting at the bar watching a football game OR dressing up a bit and having a nice date night. They had a wine shop on the side, which we did not get a chance to check out, but looks like there is quite the selection!!! I think they also have online ordering for take-out, which I am a huge fan of. I love online ordering for when I have groups of people over, and I just pass the computer around and have each person add what they want. Can't wait to go back, there's a ton of items on the menu I'd like to try (PIZZA!), plus I need to check out their wine shop!
(5)
Dawn D.
We have been here twice in about two weeks time and consider this our new favorite place on the York Road corridor. And maybe even beyond. Terrific service on both of our visits including two different manager type people coming to chat and make sure we enjoyed our meals, which always just makes you feel so appreciated, you know? Diverse menu with entrees that vary from the more casual but delicious wood fired pizzas to handmade pastas to higher end grill type items like a veal chop, etc. I can't get out of the pasta menu to even look at anything else because their homemade pasta is so wonderful and fresh. On our first trip I had the gnocchi, which was perfect, light and fluffy, yet comforting, served with perfectly cooked shrimp. Last night I had the lasagna which was just what I wanted on a snowy December night...warm and cheesy gooey with homemade lasagna noodles and delicious sauce. We've tried many of the apps, and though all were great, we really loved the polenta fries, which were crunchy crispy and well seasoned. We also are totally addicted to the meatballs which are dense and meaty. (insert dirty joke here) Funnily enough, both of our visits included quirky requests since I, who rarely has any changes and want my food as the chef intended, seem to eat with people who are, well...quirky. First we had my crazy mother request the risotto of the night that featured fried oysters, mushrooms and all other kinds of awesome stuff...but my mother, requested it sans risotto. And sans everything else. She just wanted the fried oysters. And darn if they didn't accommodate her. They even custom made her a sauce to go with them! Then, 2 weeks later, my pasta hating husband asks for a "bowl of meat sauce with meatballs on top." Yeah. Read that again. Welcome to my world. But darn if they didn't accommodate him. Though I am a little bit nervous to even contemplate what crazy request my next dinner companion might come up with, you better believe that I will be back to eat their fabulous food.
(5)
Nikeita P.
Two stars only because the Customer service here is very good. To be honest, I've never enjoyed Fazzinis. I've dined in the past and present location however for some reason I haven't found one item on their menu that was slightly appetizing. It's not disgusting but it is always bland to me - this coming from a girl who rarely uses salt and sugar in the preparation of anything. Hubby wanted to grab something to much on so I decided I would give them another shot. This was my second time in their new location and we decided to try their calamari. Like I stated before, it was bland and unappetizing but my husband loved it. We typically order water and lemons for our drinks and I noticed immediately that tap water is served in their glass bottles.
(2)
Louise B.
Wow! Just walked out. Pull up and 4 cars in parking lot. Looking forward to a nice comfy both and a plate of pasta. Instead the hostess walks up from a different room, literally eyes me up and down and takes us to the worst smallest corner table as usual. I had on cute shorts and a cute button down. Did I or does anyone really deserve to be looked up and down at any restaurant. When I declined the table she rudely said she would find another, took us into the other room past booths and directed us to another small 2 top. I declined and said I would leave. She rudely said "fine" and turned on her heels as I asked for the owner or manager. Ari came over (who wrote apology previously seen below). I explained how many times this has happened to me and I keep returning because I do enjoy their food but this time I just was leaving. He did apologize and said this was an ongoing issue and would address it. 4 tables in the restaurant on a Sunday at 6 pm. Not a good sign. I left and enjoying burgers somewhere else. Last couple of time good food, better portions but every time I go (probably 4 or 5 times) the hostess attempts to seat us in the worst spot possible. Dining room practically empty. Ask why every time and they say they save the other tables for people who may come in later. Hint- your restaurant has never been even 1/2 full. Appreciate the people who are there and stop worrying about future customers who may or may not show up.
(1)
Lily R.
Not sure why the recent reviews have been so bad- I went to the new Fazzini's location recently and the food was as good as the old location. Maybe they have been working out some quirks, but things seem to be back to normal. The new building is much more modern and elegant, but the atmosphere feels pretty informal. The soft bread was delicious as always, served with roasted garlic cloves in olive oil. I had a Caesar salad as an appetizer, which was nothing special. The Caesar dressing is particularly tangy and citrusy, where I prefer mine creamy. They must put a lot of lemon in it. I had the eggplant parmigiana entree, and it was really good. They slice the eggplant very thinly here, and assemble it in a sort of tower in a ramekin with tons of cheese. I think it was actually called the eggplant tower at the old location, but they have classed up the menu names in the new restaurant. My fellow diner had the roast pork risotto, which she enjoyed immensely, and noted it was one of the most creative and new dishes she had had in recent memory. It had tender pork, apples, arugula (?) on risotto. I had the tiramisu for dessert, and it was good but I wasn't overly impressed. They sprinkle it with cinnamon instead of cocoa, which made the taste a bit weird to me, when combined with the coffee flavor. My co-diner had the chocolate gelato, which was a huge portion served with a biscotti (biscotto?) and tasted like fudgesicles.
(4)
Sara K.
We were big fans of the previous location and I enjoyed the new, more upscale atmosphere. The decor is very nice and our server, Bethany, was excellent. We started with the arancini and unfortunately they left something to be desired. I found them nearly flavorless and while the sauce had a good flavor, its chunky consistency made it not ideal for dipping. Next we were served bread, which was okay. I have never thought Fazzini's bread was particularly great/flavorful, but I really enjoyed the new seasoned/infused olive oil brought with it. I ordered the baked rigatoni for my entree. Fazzini's still has the homemade pasta, which I love for its great al dente texture. The flavors and temperature of the dish were perfect. One other thing I want to mention is I did not like the music that was played and I hope they will change it. It was mostly John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, and slow Maroon 5. I would really prefer to hear maybe some older music like Sinatra because what was played didn't really fit with the vibe of the restaurant. Overall I will continue to come back for the fresh pasta but I hope they will make a few changes as mentioned above.
(4)
dane h.
This place did nothing for me on first visit. I had the special -- a scallop/mushroom/goat cheese/sun-dried tomato risotto. I did NOT like the flavor of this dish at all! Too much sour from the goat cheese and sun-dried tomato. The scallops were the worst seafood I had in a week in Baltimore. I expected much better from a place that bills itself as high-end Italian. Waiter was weird and we hardly saw him. He never asked if we wanted salads with our entrees.
(2)
Jessica S.
I hosted a bridal shower for 30 people here last weekend and it was awesome! We had it in the private party room. The decor was neutral so it was perfect for adding our own person touches. Ari, the owner/event planner was super helpful from beginning to end in the planning process. I had never been to eat here before so it was a bit of a risk to have a party here, but I couldn't have been more pleased! A few of my friends and I went a couple weeks before the party so test of some of the options on the party menu so I could choose a delicious menu. Everyone was very accommodating and gave us suggestions on their favorite dishes. We ended up doing Caesar salad (amazing! Not over dressed and nice crisp romaine), rigatoni with basil pesto cream sauce (heavenly, my favorite dish), the famous lasagna (famous for a reason!), and the veggie risotto (creamy but not too heavy with the addition of big chunky veggies on top). We brought our own desserts and there was no fee which was great! We were able to come an hour before the party to set up and everyone was very helpful! I would definitely recommend having a party here! Or just going for lunch or dinner! Oh, and for brunch! The blood Mary is delicious! Thank you to everyone who helped make this "the best bridal shower I'd ever been to!" -words from the bride to be!
(5)
Spencer D.
I love Fazzini's Taverna. My favorite Italian place in the Towson area. The food is fantastic! I frequent here a lot and I have never had a bad experience. It's my go to place for a date. The food always comes in big portions. The layout and style of the place is very beautiful. It's a popular place so I recommend getting a reservation way in advance. Other than I have no complaints about Frazzini's. I highly recommend this restaurant.
(4)
Micah K.
My family have been patrons of Fazzini's Taverna since I was a kid and it was in its old location in the shopping mall. A few weeks ago we went to its new location for the first time for my mom's birthday and I am happy to say that it is just as good (and in some cases better) than it has ever been before! Now, right off the bat, I will say that despite having a reservation we did have to wait an extra 30 minutes to get seated but management apologized multiple times and this is to be expected on a Saturday night. And while I do feel bad for the people who walked in off the street and were told it was a two-hour wait to be seated, isn't this a good thing for the restaurant? Doesn't this mean the restaurant is good? Wouldn't you rather eat at a restaurant that has a long wait versus a restaurant that is completely empty? Plus, you walked in off the street at 7:00 on a Saturday night - what did you expect?! As for the food, I only have one disappointment - my favorite menu item from the old location did not make its way to the new one. I used to always get the frutti de mare dish and on this visit had to find something new to eat. But I decided to order off the Restaurant Week menu and I was very happy with my choice. For my main course I got the baked lasagna and it was delicious! And when I made my reservation I had told the hostess that it was for my mom's birthday and I guess she told our waitress because at the end of the meal they brought my mom a huge dessert lit up with a candle that we did not get charged for. I am extremely happy for the owners because I think the move to their new location only means bigger and better things for them and the restaurant, which in turn translates to an even better restaurant for all of us. I do miss being able to bring in my own beer or wine and I do miss the frutti de mare but otherwise this restaurant gets the same five-star review I would have given it at its old location.
(5)
Shawn P.
Overpriced and way too much cheese on everything we ate. Better options out there for Italian.
(3)
Stephanie R.
Overpriced mediocre food. Got attitude when I sent back a cocktail that tasted like pure alcohol. Tried to sit on the deck during the summer and was underneath a bee's nest. Happy hour specials are unimpressive.
(2)
Casey S.
Wood fire brick oven pizza is such a soft spot for me and maybe that is why im addicted to the kale pizza with the running farm egg in the middle. But who knows! I have eaten at this spot several times and always had a pleasant experience. I will say that their is a server their named Jay that is by far the "perfect" waiter i have ever had the chance to have serve me. My water level was never below half full, all special requests were welcomed with open arms ( my friends can be picky eaters), all delivery pipping hot! You should definitely try to meatball appetizer, mmmmm mmmm good! I absolutely love support local business and Fazzini's Taverna is owned and operated by a great family LOCAL team.
(5)
Frank L.
We thought it was great. I read some bad reviews, but we had a juice experience here. Nice decor, good location, attentive staff. The calamari is crispy and fresh, the chicken piccata was out of this world, the risotto of the day was really nice with big shrimp and a light sauce. The ice cream cones in crocks like they use for. French onion soup, so two can share dessert.
(5)
Jarrod F.
I came here last Sunday with my family. We were a party of 16 (if I remember correctly). The restaurant is new but I see big potential. The place is really clean. The menu is smart and the owner is a very nice guy. The food was pretty good. Sure their could be improvement however the pizzas were crisp and thin... The chicken parm was plump and the pastas are homemade. I thought the salads were fair but they were side salads so I can't be too harsh. What I like about this place is that the owner cares about his customers opinions. He is determined and had a great staff. Is the food excellent? Not quite there yet but I see a lot of promise and I like the concept.
(4)
C P.
Great service (Kim), delicious meal served quickly plus manager made sure everything was exceptional. The grilled salmon was fantastic! Slightly crispy outside while perfectly tender inside. The accompanying cous cous was a tangy complement. My son didn't want to leave the last piece of pizza. Insisted we take it home. That was a first.
(5)
S K.
This was our first time at the new location and I have to say it doesn't seem like they have quite gained their footing yet. We showed up on a Saturday night without reservations just two of us and were seated in the bar area which was fine. What was disturbing was the reservation they could not find for another party. There were several people in on this issue. The man operating the computer, multiple hostesses and instead of just apologizing and setting up something for this party they left them standing there for 20 or so minutes while there were tables available. The reason I feel this was an issue in addition to the poor way it was handled was there was a man in this party obviously affected by a stroke or illness who needed a cane to stand or walk. Instead of their bumbling, just apologize and work quickly to seat them! I was bothered by the whole situation. Okay off my soap box and on to the food. Our waiter was Mike one of the bartenders. Happy and positive so not one complaint about our service or server. Bread arrives. It was cold. I don't mean room temperature but cold. I watched wait staff line up bread on the bar in front of the pizza oven. Six seven tables worth at a time. It never seemed to come from the oven. We ordered the mussels appetizer to share. Plenty for the two of us with two slices grilled Italian bread. This would have raised the bar minus some insufficient cleaning of the mussels hence grit sand. When we ordered dinner I asked specifically if the fruit de marra was spicy. Mike said no. The menu described mussels shrimp scallops and calamari in a tomato based sauce over pasta. Upon arrival a fair amount of mussels, two shrimp, two scallops, no calamari. Pasta way under cooked not even close to al dente. Spicy. Close to fra Diablo spicy. I was able to eat about a quarter of it before my stomach protested. Mike did comp our dessert and offered coffee or a drink to compensate but my stomach won. Could only bear two bites of my dessert. My husband enjoyed the rest. He now also has a nice lunch to enjoy while I suffered with an upset stomach. He enjoyed his meal of scallops and homemade fettuccine. I am saddened that this establishment has succumbed to quantity over quality. Thanks Mike for trying.
(3)
Melissa F.
My family hosted a baby shower for me at Fazzini's in May. Ari was very easy to work with when planning the shower and he accommodated any special requests we had. The food was excellent and the staff were professional and friendly. Our guests really enjoyed the private room and food--I would gladly recommend Fazzini's to anyone looking for a private dining space.
(4)
Sung C.
6/13 First time dinning inside the restaurant. Food is AMAZING and service was PHENOMENAL! What a difference! Really love everything about Fazzini's. Hope to come back soon :) 6/6 Update Seems like Fazzini is finally getting the hang of the new location! To be honest, I was pretty skeptical about going back but I thought I would give it another go. This time, since I had such horrible service over the phone I decided to walk in and order. As I was walking in, all the customers who was leaving had nothing but good things to say about this place! I was quite impressed by it and I felt more reassured taking another chance at Fazzini. I could definitely notice the improvement, staffs were lot more friendlier and seemed in control of what they were doing. Service was promptly managed as well. Only down side was the portion... I don't know, is it just me? Each visit, my order seems to get smaller and smaller. At least the taste hasn't changed which is important. Still serving the most delicious food in town! Overall, despite the smaller portion of the food I'm quite satisfied with my experience tonight. I'm really glad things are looking up for Fazzini because I really love their food~! Keep up the good work! By the way, Thanks for the reply Ari (Owner) I really appreciate the fact that you are reading these reviews and making improvements. Kudos to you! Now if we can get food portion to increase a bit and start delivering these delicious food! ;)
(5)
Matthew C.
We had high hopes for this place. Nice exterior and an interesting menu. We showed up for a late lunch (1 pm) with a party of five, plus two kids. All the adults order a soup/salad and an entree. The soups/salad came out fairly quickly and was decent. Then the wait started. And continued. And continued. And continued. None of these were complicated items (two we're cold cuts). After over 50 minutes of politely waiting we pressed our waiter who told us there was "a large party". So we continued to wait. We asked to see a manger. None arrived. When the food arrived, the kids meal came out, then two meals came out, followed by two more five minutes later, followed by one more five minutes after that. The food, after arriving, was so-so. It certainly was not worth an hour plus of awkwardly trying to make eye contact with the staff. The cheese steak lacked cheese, the fries were lukewarm, and the pizza was ho-hum at best. When a manager arrived at the end of our meal, he was dismissive of our issues saying "we have a large party and are backed up". Will not be returning.
(1)
Nathan P.
Went in for a pizza and a beer on their happy hour. The pizza was fantastic, authentic wood-fire-oven Neapolitan pizza- very good. Can't wait to go back.
(5)
barbara m.
When in for lunch with the thought in mind that this was the kosmokos. We would go there specifically for the Greek salad they were the best anywhere the place really is beautiful inside and the waiters are super friendly the bread is to die for but the salad I had with chicken on top had to be the worst piece of chicken I've ever had I couldn't cut it I couldn't get my fork through it and I could barely chew it. So while there are a few restaurants out there that will keep you coming just for the salad this ain't one of them
(2)
Hayley H.
Our meal at fazzinnis was outstanding. The strawberry basil lemonade and Moscow mule drinks were refreshing. The tuna tartare and hummus were delicious and super fresh, the caseys baked rig was huge and cheesy and yummy. The kale and garlic pizza with runny egg was beyond anything I could have asked for and the egg was perfectly cooked! We couldn't finish it all because portions were huge! We did order the tiramisu and were so happy because it ended the meal on a perfectly sweet note. The house made limoncello was also a nice surprise! We can't wait to get home and have the leftovers as a midnight snack! Can't wait to go back to fazzinnis really soon and try something new!
(5)
Crystal A.
Bellissimo! I am an Italian who knows good Italian food, and I am telling you this is the real deal here!! The gnocchi may have even been better than my Nonna(God rest her soul) . Very accomodating for special requests. Our waiter was excellent. Owner present walking among tables. I cannot wait to return to try the other offerings. MANGI GODONO!
(5)
Matt H.
Let me start by saying this review Is low for 2 specific reasons. This place is bright, clean, great me u and good beer selections. 3 of us showed up for lunch the bartender picked up on this and said he would see everything came out fast. After his 5th horrible pun joke we started to ignore him completely. When our food came (in not what I would call was fast) one of our orders was completely wrong. Reg. cheese instead of chicken cheese steak but we did not have the time to wait for it to be remade. The kicker is we were charged full price. Would I go here again? Yes, but if Mike the bartender is working I will walk right out and go somewhere else. Mike and the unapologetic wrong order drove this review from a 4 to 1.
(1)
Mark S.
Best I can do is 3 stars. We ate at a bar table with two friends. I ordered a draft beer, my wife ordered a Pino wine. The waiter came back and told her they were out of Pino wine so he suggested another type. He came back with that and she said it wasn't very good. He took it back then came back and said he made a mistake, they did have what she wanted. He was a new waiter I think. I ordered rigatoni in marinara with meatballs. The sauce was tangy and good. The homemade pasta was over-cooked. The meatballs, small little golf balls were tasteless. Throw in some garlic and oregano in those will ya guys? One friend had veal Marsala which he said was just so-so. Other friend had shrimp friviolo (sp?). She said she didn't like the sauce. My wife got soup and a garlic shrimp app. She said they were good. Most annoying was the charge of $9 for the smallest amount of wine my wife has ever had. When she asked the waiter about this he said they fill the wine up to the Fazzini label on the glass. That label was less then a fourth of the way up the glass. At $9 that's a ripoff. Oh, and the waiter asked if she wanted another glass of wine after finishing the first. She asked him to bring it with her meal. He showed up with it when she was 1/2 way finished her meal. Had a party of 8 or so rowdies next to us which didn't help matters. No one said anything to them. Don't think we'll be back.
(3)
Jill A.
Update: The owner sent me a very rude and aggressive private message because I had the audacity to not like his restaurant. We will never go back to Fazzini's, and that's a shame. I am really confused. My fiance and I loved Fazzini's (you can read my original review about it here: yelp.com/biz/fazzinis-it ...). It was a diamond in the rough - cozy, great service, insanely delicious food. It was the sort of place you couldn't believe you stumbled upon in a strip mall. When they announced they were expanding and moving into a more prominent location, we were genuinely excited for them because it would give them more exposure and hopefully it meant they were doing well enough to warrant the big upgrade in location. We went to check it out last night and were disappointed to discover that along with the new location they now have a completely new staff, a new chef, a new vibe and a totally new menu. Any trace of the old Fazzini's is gone. I don't know what happened, or why they would change so much about such a great restaurant, but it is no longer Fazzini's, despite the name. It's hard to compare the two drastically different eateries without expressing my sincere disappointment in the direction they've gone in, but I'm going to try to be objective in my review without dwelling on how much I miss the old Fazzini's. The decor is really lovely. The coziness of Fazzini's is gone, in its place is a dark, more modern upscale feel. It's a much larger space, and the bar is pretty big. The music was droning new age stuff that seemed really out of place. In fact, a group of customers near us actually asked them to change it to something less... depressing (they didn't). The menu is completely different from the old Fazzini's. It's more expensive with fewer items and has some strange options, like hummus and falafel. It would be hard to define the new Fazzini's as an Italian restaurant when it lacks direction in the wine and food (wines range from Argentina to Israel, the food is more all-encompassing Mediterranean than Italian). We ordered the tomato crostini (more on that below), the gnocchetti marinara, and a margherita pizza. The pizza was pretty good, and they have a proper oven for it. I wasn't expecting a white pizza, but it turned out to be the best thing we ordered. The gnocchetti was a little gummy, but the sauce it came in was reminiscent of the old Fazzini's sauce. The sausage we ordered with it was fantastic. We had to ask for it a few times, but the bread they brought out was similar to the old Fazzini's as well, minus the yummy roasted garlic that used to come with it. The service left a little to be desired, but since the location is new and they're clearly still working out some kinks, I can't be too hard on them for it. However, one thing that jumped out at me was when we had a problem, it was handled in a really bizarre way. Our appetizer, which was meant to be warm, came out freezing cold and rock hard as if it had just been pulled from the fridge without being warmed. When we asked about it, the bartender who served us didn't believe us that it was cold, she insisted it was warm (without trying it), and sort of acted like we were just being picky. She walked away for a while, and when she came back we kind of mentioned it again because she really did not believe us the first time. She deferred to the man who had been sitting next to me at the bar the entire time, who turned out to be a manager-type. So a manager was about a foot away and overheard our complaint, saw her ignore us and walk away, and then listened to us discuss how awkward the situation was and how we couldn't eat the appetizer because it was ice-cold, yet just sat there silently without saying a word until the bartender brought him into the conversation? It was weird. All in all, it was not the Fazzini's that everyone knew and loved. If you go there expecting the old Fazzini's, like we did, you're going to be disappointed. Like I said, it was hard to be objective when the old Fazzini's set the bar so high. While we probably won't be back very soon, I would be curious to see how they're doing in a few months when they've had time to redefine themselves and settle in.
(2)
Greg P.
I am surprised to read a lot of the negative reviews about Fazzini's on Yelp. With any restaurant the first few months you have to work out the kinks in terms of training servers and delivering consistent quality dishes. With that said, my wife and I went last night at 7 and the place was busy. We were seated immediately and our service was exceptional. Our dishes came out timely and everything either met or exceeded our expectations. Our favorite items from the night were the Eggplant Parmesean, Asparagus and bread with garlic oil. Maybe it was because we were hungry but my wife and I ate two servings of the bread, outstanding! The Eggplant Parmesean was up there with the best I have ever had and the portion was large enough that I had a snack size leftover for the next day. The Asparagus was cooked perfectly and served with an olive tapanade that I was basically licking of the plate. We also split the the calamari and my wife had the pizza, both were good but the Eggplant was definitely the star. Our server, Ian, was very attentive and did a great job to consistently check back on us. The timing of all of the food was perfect and we experienced no delays, which I was expecting from other reviews and because it was crowded. The interior and ambiance of Fazzini's is very nice - clean, modern, and spacious. The bar area is a nice spot to drop in and have a few drinks/apps/pizza. I was impressed with our first dining experience and Fazzini's is now in our rotation of places to dine in the area.
(4)
Marcella S.
The food was very good. The ambience was superb. My waitress Lindsey was the very best. She was very attentive and knowledgable about the food and drinks. I would definitely visit again.
(5)
Ash P.
The new Fazzini's earns one star for the goat cheese and marinara appetizer that came with bread - it was delicious. The cheese had a pleasing soft texture and bread was fresh. Upon asking waitress a question about a menu item, she said it was "exactly what it sounds like" on the menu. Thanks for the help. Blood Orange margarita, which is a drink listed on the menu, was served unshaken/unmixed and was too sour. Moscow Mule was at least drinkable. Our waitress repeatedly said she was bringing us bread and did not bring it until we received our appetizer, which already included it's own bread. We were the only table in the restaurant (4pm on a weekday) so I can't imagine that she was all that busy. The bread thing wouldn't bother anybody if it wasn't for what happened afterwards. I ordered the capellini (angel hair pasta) in tomato cream sauce with meatballs and my boyfriend ordered the sausage and pepperoni pizza. Pizza had okay flavor but was seriously greasy. We've had better from the old Fazzini's. My pasta, however, was bad enough to send back to the kitchen after only eating a few bites. Meatballs, more like MeatSquares, tasted like old frozen hamburger meat, pasta was overcooked, and sauce was bland. Sent back at the end of the meal and the waitress "apologized" for it and handed us our bill. Spent over $60 for bad drinks, bad service, AND a pasta dish that was NEVER taken off the check. At that point we just wanted to escape the bad experience. We payed the check, left, and will not be returning. Again, one star for the appetizer. Minus four stars for a really bad dinner all around the board.
(1)
Pam D.
My husband and I and two friends returned to Fazzini's last week for the first time after 3 months. Our prior two experiences at the new location had not been good. We loved the great food and the service at the prior location so we really are rooting for the restaurant to do well. In our opinion, the service issues continue to be a huge problem. There are servers everywhere but our experience was yet again, the service was painfully and inexplicably slow. If the floor managers/owners could just get the service glitches straightened out, things would be much better. Ratings for our visit last week: food - 4 stars, decor - 4 stars, service - 1 star, value of the portions to price - 2 stars. Overall: 3 stars FOOD: - A friend and I both had lasagna. The sauce was still a little acidic. Taste was excellent. Portion size was generous. As others have noted and we agree, $18 for a wedge of lasagna when there is no accompanying salad or side is steep. - Hubby had chicken piccata. He normally has veal and in our prior two visits, his veal and pasta arrived completely cold with no sauce and the server and floor manager vaporized and were no where to be found. Hubby's chicken piccata this visit was piping hot and Ari, the owner, even asked our server to confirm with hubby that he wanted chicken, not veal as Ari correctly (and to his credit) remembered that hubby normally ordered veal. The piccata was well sauced as hubby had requested and he felt the flavor was quite good. Portion size was on the small size. - Another friend had the risotto special. Portion was small and he said he would definitely not order it again. He felt it was bland and just not appealing in taste or appearance so that item was the food dud of our evening. SERVICE: Here are the specifics of why we felt the service is 1 star. - We arrived at 7:25 for a 7:30 reservation on a Tuesday night and were seated promptly which was good. We waited and waited and waited for a server. At 7:55, a server named Lauren and someone tagging with her who must have been a trainee, arrived at our table and filled our water glasses. Lauren told us she was not our server and our server would be over soon. No drink orders were taken but at least we had water. (although we had no bread and that would have been nice). - At 8:00 (35 minutes after we sat down), our server, Johnny arrived to take our drink orders. We asked Johnny if we could have some bread and he said bread was served with entrees. That made no sense to us and we asked if he could please bring bread prior to the entrees. I told Johnny we were so hungry we were literally ready to chew the corners of the table. Didn't understand why we couldn't get bread prior to our entree. We waited and waited and waited and finally our iced teas arrived. Johnny took our orders and finally, after another 10 minutes, another server brought us some bread prior to our entrees. - Meals did arrive within a reasonable time period after we ordered which was good. Our iced tea glasses were empty and oddly, Johnny leaned over and asked me if I would like a refill (which I accepted) but did not ask my dinner companions if they wanted refills. He came back with my refill and my companions asked him if they too could have refills. My companions commented they felt it was very odd Johnny asked me if I wanted a refill but did not ask them when their glasses were empty. A couple of admittedly minor service nits. Our server had sunglasses perched on top of his head. Why? He referred to me as "dear" and my male dining companions as "my friends". While he was a personable gentleman, I don't really think it is appropriate to refer to a customer as "dear". He just wasn't particularly attentive at all. This is a beautiful restaurant and we continue to cheer for its success. The service issues really need to be addressed.
(3)
Linda S.
The foods was tasty, but the service was dreadful. One main dish was not prepared as ordered, we had to ask for bread and no one offered us refills on beverages or inquired if the food was good. No one thanked us for coming as we left, although there were 4 employees at the desk by the door. At the prices they charge, you expect better. Don't they care if people come back? Apparently not.
(2)
Kelly C.
We went for dinner last Friday night, first time since Piv's, and wasn't so good. No more game room which our kids loved, but loved the pretty makeover anyway. Waitress was not very knowledgable on most of the menu, had to keep running back and asking questions (I have a gluten allergy). We ordered the mussels which were less than fresh...downright questionable. I wanted to order a glass of wine when I scooped a rather foul little mussel but waitress was nowhere to be found. I had to drink hubby's glass to wash away the taste after spitting it out. My Caesar salad was just ok and hubby's steak was super good but served lukewarm. We may or may not return...nothing really stands out here.
(2)
Michael L.
I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed. I've been here twice, once for lunch and once for dinner. Like many others, I was a huge fan of their Cranbrook location. Let's get the good down first: The food was pretty good. For lunch we had their calzones, which were awesome, and for dinner I had the lasagna, and the pappas bravas. All were pretty tasty. The lasagna was slightly above average and the pappas bravas were a bit better than that. The location is very nice, well appointed and all. Now for the not so good: No calzones for dinner! This is a crime. The prices are pretty crazy. 18$ for an above average lasagna with no side salad or anything? The entire menu is ala carte, no side salads or included sides. At those prices, it feels a bit exorbitant. I got a beer that I'm pretty sure was in a 12 oz glass, instead of the standard 16 oz. We came in at 5 on Sat with no reservation, the restaurant was basically empty and we were offered only a hightop or outdoor seating. It did fill up later, but there were still a lot of empty booths when we left. The bread was odd. It wasn't particularly good, we got two servings of it, and they were different kinds of bread. Also, there was a dude just tearing up bread for these at the bar. That's kind of a kitchen thing, I think. This is a minor nitpick, but I hate that style of placard menu. There's no place to put it and it's far too big. I know, I'm being picky. I get the feeling that they have overreached in a lot of areas and have lost the things that made their old location great. 'Fine dining' plus 'carryout' plus package goods, it seems to suffer from a lack of focus. It also seemed awfully overstaffed. Three hostesses on duty seem like a bit much. I know this location is fairly new, and there's a lot of tweaking to be done. I hope they get to the point where they can serve the fans of their old style and expand into the new 'finer dining' style they aspire to. I won't be back for dinner for months, but I may stop in for a lunch. Maybe they'll improve. Here's hoping!
(2)
Amy G.
What a wonderful dinner for our group of 25! The management was wonderful to work with as we planned our end of the year dinner. The food was fantastic and the waitstaff was very attentive. Mike T. the bartender is out of this world. We all plan to come back to Fazzini's for more good times.
(5)
Krista C.
Actually went to the old location looking for some good local Italian food. Was sad it wasn't where I remembered. Saw they moved and went to their new location! Felt like VIP, greeted by the owners, very friendly and well trained staff, food was amazing!! Best of luck in your new location!!!
(5)
Jason L.
As a long time customer of Fazzinis, we were excited to try out this new concept. We came on a Friday night. We didnt have reservations, so were informed there would be a 25 minute wait. No problem. We got a drink at the bar. The drink menu is great, and the bartenders were attentive. Unfortunately, the bar was where the good service ended for us. We probably should have just ordered carryout, or ate at the bar. After 40 minutes, we began to wonder what was up. We checked in with the hostess, who said we were next on the list. So, we went back to the bar, and waited... And waited. In the bar area, there was an open table which was sitting there for at least 20 minutes. After another 15, we were finally seated at this table. It took another 10 minutes (which seemed like forever) to be acknowledged by our waiter. We ordered some wine. After 20 minutes with no wine, or water, I decided to grab one of the bottles of chilled water myself and had to pour our own water service. Nobody seemed to notice or care that I got out of my seat and had to pour my own water. Multiple times we had to check with him to see where our drinks were. When the waiter finally showed up with the wine, we clearly knew what we wanted to order. We had a pizza, salad, meatballs, and baked rigatoni. (We were starving by this point). After 30 mins or so, the food came out. It was decent, which is why I am giving 2 stars. The meatballs were from the brick oven. Sauce was great. Rigatoni was average at best. They give you bread and olive oil, but the olive oil isnt mixed together properly with the garlic. Honestly, the food was ok, but nothing special, certainly not worth the wait. Carryout is probably the way to go, or eat at the bar. It took another 20 minutes to get the check from our waiter. And then 10 more for him to pick up our credit card. The whole time, there were 3 or 4 manager/owner types standing around talking to each other. Not once did anyone come over to check on us or ask if we needed anything. That alone would have helped. I know this is a new place and they are working iut their kinks, but it seems like the employees had an attitude, and the place just opened. That plus a lack of customer service by the managers, failing to even wish us farewell upon exit, made it unlikely for us to come back here or refer this place to our friends, which is a shame.
(2)
Liver P.
The old Fazzini's is gone, and the new Fazzini's is not very good. I am SOOoooo disappointed. Old Fazzini's had been at its old location for almost 30 years. In 2010 they sold the business to a new owner. He kept the same menu, maybe the same cooks. Everything is fine until he gets a grand idea go bigger and better.....BUT Every-single-thing that we ordered was not very good. The salad was warm. The Cesar dressing tasted like it was from the bottle. The calamari was VERY skimpy, more peppers than squid. The Alfredo sauce was gummy/sticky... like it was made in a large batch? Room temp tap water poured from bottles?? I guess that is supposed to be European?? And... no bread. That's right. They do not bring bread. I checked. None of the tables had bread. And they dont ask if you want bread. It seems like they spent a ton of money putting this restaurant together. I am in no hurry to go back anytime soon. I am mourning the loss of one of my favorite restaurants. The new owner should not have kept the Fazzini name. People expect a certain quality and are then disappointed.
(2)
Ann F.
I have to say, we were very happy with our experience at Fazzini's. We made a reservation later in the evening for six of us. The first thing that impressed me was the fact that they called to confirm said reservation. I respect that! After reading the reviews I came extremely close to canceling and moving on. I'm glad we didn't. I will say two of our six dropped out. We made a plan B in case we needed it and forged ahead. We were greeted at the door with a big smile (a little more clothing on the hostess would have been nice but hey, if I had a cute little shape I wouldn't wear much either). Off to the bar to wait for our friends. Mike was our bartender and was great. On task and kept the drinks flowing. We got to our table and we were greeted by Johnny, an obviously professional server. He paced us well, answered all of our questions and made sure we were well taken care of. Our water was always filled and our drinks were always filled before we ran out. Appetizers were great. Who knew chick pea fries were even a thing? They are amazing. I will be making those at home. I had the salmon over cous cous. I have to say the cous cous was ice cold. I chose not to send it back because it wasn't a deal breaker. I'll just make sure I mention to check the temp next time to the server. Our food was excellent. We were some of the last folks there and didn't feel rushed. The manager came by at one point to check on us and Johnny was always available. We will be back and we will recommend to friends. Hopefully next time we can get all six of us there.
(4)
Gina A.
Everything about our meal was wonderful. You could definitely tell that everything was fresh and handmade. Sausage meatball appetizer was small but excellent. House-made lemonade was delicious! Our server Chad went out of his way to make sure everything was perfect. Definitely going back.
(4)
Christina E.
I was excited when Fazzini's moved to their new home on York road. The decor is very nice, the servers are polite and helpful and the package store has a great selection. That being said I truly miss the old Fazzini's. It had a very welcoming and homey feel and the first time you ate there you knew you had found something special. Now the menu is very limited and honestly while the food is good it doesn't taste as good as it used to (my favorite was there calzone which was seriously amazing and I found out when I got there it's now only a lunch item.) I had the baked rigatoni which was good but not nearly as tasty as the calzone. If you don't have the old Fazzini's to compare it to, definitely try it out. For me I'm a little too nostalgic.
(3)
Paul B.
Haven't been there yet, but I am saddened by these reviews. This was the BEST little place and I was so looking forward to the new place. The chicken par was so outstanding I never order it anywhere else. Now what will I do? Has anyone who can compare old and new had the chicken parm. Can I go and try it. What should I do???
(3)
Kristen S.
My husband and I took our 3 children here last night for the first time. The decor and menu are lovely, but we thought it was VERY pricey for what is supposed to be a family friendly restaurant. Entrees on the menu come with nothing--no salad or bread. Sorry, but if I am being charged $16 for meatless pasta, I think you can throw in a house salad. The food was good and the kids meals were decent. The server was attentive and helpful. However, we spent $95 with tip for 3 adult meatless pastas, 2 kids meals, and 4 drinks (non-alcoholic). Too much.
(2)
Jeff K.
I had been to original Fazzini's location off Cranbrook a few times. Quite honestly I didn't care for the food or dining experience much. Now Fazzini's is in a new location, formerly PIV's off York Rd in Cockeysville. I decided to try the new location out to see how things have changed for hopefully the better....I was pleasantly surprised! THE GOOD... -plenty of parking -waiter was friendly and efficient -bread was served warm -pasta tasted really good -water was refilled promptly (glass is a bit small) THE BAD... -canoli's were just ok...I don't think I'd get them from here again though as the shells didn't taste that great -need either bigger water glasses or maybe a glass pitcher on the table Overall I enjoyed my return to Fazzini's. It's definitely different than before which is good. I'd return.
(4)
Jude T.
Great, just like their old location! Great Italian-style pasta dishes full of deliciousness and you definitely get your money's worth when you come here. Service is wonderful. The new location is much fancier than the old one, but not much else has changed, and that's perfect!
(4)
Ulrike R.
Love the service!!! Mike was great and told us jokes all night!!! Greek salad was the best I ever had and crab dip pizza was delicious!!! Can't wait to come back and try all the other food!
(5)
Jennifer W.
We had Fazzini's cater our school teacher lunch and it wasn't bad, so I went with my parents and three year-old daughter. All around, extremely disappointing. The guy next to us sent back his salad twice and his soda, so things didn't look good right off the bat. I ordered spaghetti and meatballs for my daughter, who loves meatballs. It was overcooked, sticky pasta, with one extremely overcooked meatball that she couldn't even bite. We all tried it, and agreed it was the worst we ever had. My dad and I both had the Italy salad which wasn't bad to be fair. My mom's "thin crust" pizza was doughy with a huge crust. Fair at best. The worst part, was our waiter. Don't know his name but he is the awkward, 6'9" guy, you can't miss him. The moment we sat down, he asked us if we needed another minute. Heh? We hadn't even ordered drinks or looked at the menu. He also took our entire meal order before the drinks. i think he was nervous and confused. He came back about 15 times during the meal and awkwardly asked us numerous times how we were doing. It's fine to check in, but not twice when you only have water! Then, we didn't have 30 seconds peace before he was back again. He brought my daughter's lemonade in a huge, wet glass, and she almost immediately dropped it all over herself and us. He brought a side of sauce and commented how hot it was and that he was afraid to put it down. Again, what?? I finally just took it from him, and put it on the table. The same happened with the girl who brought the pizza. She was very concerned about the heat and putting it down. It was fine, but what the heck? Just tell us it's hot, and give the regular deal about touching it. Instead everyone just stood there with it in hand. The servers seemed uncomfortable with every request we had, which were few. He was very nice, just a terrible waiter. The food was not good. I really wish it was. It will remain crowded for a while since it's new, and people are dying for a good Italian place. Hopefully, the food will improve, and the servers will figure out how to do their job. Maybe some extra training and some refinement of the menu will help. I would try again in a few months to see.
(2)
Y M.
1st time visiters my wife and I last night., to celebrate my 60th b day .Made 7 pm reservations, had an hours drive from Abbottstown pa (uggg,, no resturants here). WE arrived at 7 and were kindly seated at a nice comfy booth at the window. Our server Megan was an articulate, bubbly, gem, who knew the menu like the back of her hand. We started with the brick oven meat balls to share, with a glass of our very reasonablely priced bottle of Puglia region Italian Red. I mean 22 bucks for a bottle of good red, in Hunt Valley , Amazing. Meat balls , tender , sauce, bright, rustics and full flavored. WE then ordered our dinner, wife had a ceaser salad and I had the chicken franciase, which i asked could i get with Risota, and Megan cheerfully said, no problemo. Wife shared some of my chicken and it was also deliciousus, with a velvetty sauce of lemmon, wine, butter and capers on a bed of tender asparagras. Jeb, the owner came to our table to greet us and ask us how we were enjoying our visit, and he was very freindly, and you can tell with his personality it shows the ambiance of Fazzinis. I mentioned it was our 1st visit and my b day and he quickly said desets on him so we had an enormous layered Tirimissu which was a hevenly layered treasure of the best Italian standard in desert nurvana. THank you Megan, Jeb for a great dinner out, We;ll be back...
(4)
Elliott P.
Dinner with friends was spectacular. Not too casual, not too stodgy. Server was attentive and friendly, and the food was VERY GOOD. Our next dinner out will be here.
(5)
Terry B.
Sometimes bigger is not better...We were frequent patrons of the old place and gave the new one a try shortly after they opened. It was extremely disappointing. We gave them 6 months to work out the kinks and went back. It was still not very good. We ordered some of the old favorites and they just didn't taste the same. At inflated prices, the old quality wasn't there. And the service was reminiscent of Applebees. It's just not worth it.
(2)
S K.
This was our first time at the new location and I have to say it doesn't seem like they have quite gained their footing yet. We showed up on a Saturday night without reservations just two of us and were seated in the bar area which was fine. What was disturbing was the reservation they could not find for another party. There were several people in on this issue. The man operating the computer, multiple hostesses and instead of just apologizing and setting up something for this party they left them standing there for 20 or so minutes while there were tables available. The reason I feel this was an issue in addition to the poor way it was handled was there was a man in this party obviously affected by a stroke or illness who needed a cane to stand or walk. Instead of their bumbling, just apologize and work quickly to seat them! I was bothered by the whole situation. Okay off my soap box and on to the food. Our waiter was Mike one of the bartenders. Happy and positive so not one complaint about our service or server. Bread arrives. It was cold. I don't mean room temperature but cold. I watched wait staff line up bread on the bar in front of the pizza oven. Six seven tables worth at a time. It never seemed to come from the oven. We ordered the mussels appetizer to share. Plenty for the two of us with two slices grilled Italian bread. This would have raised the bar minus some insufficient cleaning of the mussels hence grit sand. When we ordered dinner I asked specifically if the fruit de marra was spicy. Mike said no. The menu described mussels shrimp scallops and calamari in a tomato based sauce over pasta. Upon arrival a fair amount of mussels, two shrimp, two scallops, no calamari. Pasta way under cooked not even close to al dente. Spicy. Close to fra Diablo spicy. I was able to eat about a quarter of it before my stomach protested. Mike did comp our dessert and offered coffee or a drink to compensate but my stomach won. Could only bear two bites of my dessert. My husband enjoyed the rest. He now also has a nice lunch to enjoy while I suffered with an upset stomach. He enjoyed his meal of scallops and homemade fettuccine. I am saddened that this establishment has succumbed to quantity over quality. Thanks Mike for trying.
(3)
Crystal A.
Bellissimo! I am an Italian who knows good Italian food, and I am telling you this is the real deal here!! The gnocchi may have even been better than my Nonna(God rest her soul) . Very accomodating for special requests. Our waiter was excellent. Owner present walking among tables. I cannot wait to return to try the other offerings. MANGI GODONO!
(5)
Jeff K.
I had been to original Fazzini's location off Cranbrook a few times. Quite honestly I didn't care for the food or dining experience much. Now Fazzini's is in a new location, formerly PIV's off York Rd in Cockeysville. I decided to try the new location out to see how things have changed for hopefully the better....I was pleasantly surprised! THE GOOD... -plenty of parking -waiter was friendly and efficient -bread was served warm -pasta tasted really good -water was refilled promptly (glass is a bit small) THE BAD... -canoli's were just ok...I don't think I'd get them from here again though as the shells didn't taste that great -need either bigger water glasses or maybe a glass pitcher on the table Overall I enjoyed my return to Fazzini's. It's definitely different than before which is good. I'd return.
(4)
Jude T.
Great, just like their old location! Great Italian-style pasta dishes full of deliciousness and you definitely get your money's worth when you come here. Service is wonderful. The new location is much fancier than the old one, but not much else has changed, and that's perfect!
(4)
Ulrike R.
Love the service!!! Mike was great and told us jokes all night!!! Greek salad was the best I ever had and crab dip pizza was delicious!!! Can't wait to come back and try all the other food!
(5)
Nikeita P.
Two stars only because the Customer service here is very good. To be honest, I've never enjoyed Fazzinis. I've dined in the past and present location however for some reason I haven't found one item on their menu that was slightly appetizing. It's not disgusting but it is always bland to me - this coming from a girl who rarely uses salt and sugar in the preparation of anything. Hubby wanted to grab something to much on so I decided I would give them another shot. This was my second time in their new location and we decided to try their calamari. Like I stated before, it was bland and unappetizing but my husband loved it. We typically order water and lemons for our drinks and I noticed immediately that tap water is served in their glass bottles.
(2)
Louise B.
Wow! Just walked out. Pull up and 4 cars in parking lot. Looking forward to a nice comfy both and a plate of pasta. Instead the hostess walks up from a different room, literally eyes me up and down and takes us to the worst smallest corner table as usual. I had on cute shorts and a cute button down. Did I or does anyone really deserve to be looked up and down at any restaurant. When I declined the table she rudely said she would find another, took us into the other room past booths and directed us to another small 2 top. I declined and said I would leave. She rudely said "fine" and turned on her heels as I asked for the owner or manager. Ari came over (who wrote apology previously seen below). I explained how many times this has happened to me and I keep returning because I do enjoy their food but this time I just was leaving. He did apologize and said this was an ongoing issue and would address it. 4 tables in the restaurant on a Sunday at 6 pm. Not a good sign. I left and enjoying burgers somewhere else. Last couple of time good food, better portions but every time I go (probably 4 or 5 times) the hostess attempts to seat us in the worst spot possible. Dining room practically empty. Ask why every time and they say they save the other tables for people who may come in later. Hint- your restaurant has never been even 1/2 full. Appreciate the people who are there and stop worrying about future customers who may or may not show up.
(1)
Lily R.
Not sure why the recent reviews have been so bad- I went to the new Fazzini's location recently and the food was as good as the old location. Maybe they have been working out some quirks, but things seem to be back to normal. The new building is much more modern and elegant, but the atmosphere feels pretty informal. The soft bread was delicious as always, served with roasted garlic cloves in olive oil. I had a Caesar salad as an appetizer, which was nothing special. The Caesar dressing is particularly tangy and citrusy, where I prefer mine creamy. They must put a lot of lemon in it. I had the eggplant parmigiana entree, and it was really good. They slice the eggplant very thinly here, and assemble it in a sort of tower in a ramekin with tons of cheese. I think it was actually called the eggplant tower at the old location, but they have classed up the menu names in the new restaurant. My fellow diner had the roast pork risotto, which she enjoyed immensely, and noted it was one of the most creative and new dishes she had had in recent memory. It had tender pork, apples, arugula (?) on risotto. I had the tiramisu for dessert, and it was good but I wasn't overly impressed. They sprinkle it with cinnamon instead of cocoa, which made the taste a bit weird to me, when combined with the coffee flavor. My co-diner had the chocolate gelato, which was a huge portion served with a biscotti (biscotto?) and tasted like fudgesicles.
(4)
Terry B.
Sometimes bigger is not better...We were frequent patrons of the old place and gave the new one a try shortly after they opened. It was extremely disappointing. We gave them 6 months to work out the kinks and went back. It was still not very good. We ordered some of the old favorites and they just didn't taste the same. At inflated prices, the old quality wasn't there. And the service was reminiscent of Applebees. It's just not worth it.
(2)
Jarrod F.
I came here last Sunday with my family. We were a party of 16 (if I remember correctly). The restaurant is new but I see big potential. The place is really clean. The menu is smart and the owner is a very nice guy. The food was pretty good. Sure their could be improvement however the pizzas were crisp and thin... The chicken parm was plump and the pastas are homemade. I thought the salads were fair but they were side salads so I can't be too harsh. What I like about this place is that the owner cares about his customers opinions. He is determined and had a great staff. Is the food excellent? Not quite there yet but I see a lot of promise and I like the concept.
(4)
Pam D.
My husband and I and two friends returned to Fazzini's last week for the first time after 3 months. Our prior two experiences at the new location had not been good. We loved the great food and the service at the prior location so we really are rooting for the restaurant to do well. In our opinion, the service issues continue to be a huge problem. There are servers everywhere but our experience was yet again, the service was painfully and inexplicably slow. If the floor managers/owners could just get the service glitches straightened out, things would be much better. Ratings for our visit last week: food - 4 stars, decor - 4 stars, service - 1 star, value of the portions to price - 2 stars. Overall: 3 stars FOOD: - A friend and I both had lasagna. The sauce was still a little acidic. Taste was excellent. Portion size was generous. As others have noted and we agree, $18 for a wedge of lasagna when there is no accompanying salad or side is steep. - Hubby had chicken piccata. He normally has veal and in our prior two visits, his veal and pasta arrived completely cold with no sauce and the server and floor manager vaporized and were no where to be found. Hubby's chicken piccata this visit was piping hot and Ari, the owner, even asked our server to confirm with hubby that he wanted chicken, not veal as Ari correctly (and to his credit) remembered that hubby normally ordered veal. The piccata was well sauced as hubby had requested and he felt the flavor was quite good. Portion size was on the small size. - Another friend had the risotto special. Portion was small and he said he would definitely not order it again. He felt it was bland and just not appealing in taste or appearance so that item was the food dud of our evening. SERVICE: Here are the specifics of why we felt the service is 1 star. - We arrived at 7:25 for a 7:30 reservation on a Tuesday night and were seated promptly which was good. We waited and waited and waited for a server. At 7:55, a server named Lauren and someone tagging with her who must have been a trainee, arrived at our table and filled our water glasses. Lauren told us she was not our server and our server would be over soon. No drink orders were taken but at least we had water. (although we had no bread and that would have been nice). - At 8:00 (35 minutes after we sat down), our server, Johnny arrived to take our drink orders. We asked Johnny if we could have some bread and he said bread was served with entrees. That made no sense to us and we asked if he could please bring bread prior to the entrees. I told Johnny we were so hungry we were literally ready to chew the corners of the table. Didn't understand why we couldn't get bread prior to our entree. We waited and waited and waited and finally our iced teas arrived. Johnny took our orders and finally, after another 10 minutes, another server brought us some bread prior to our entrees. - Meals did arrive within a reasonable time period after we ordered which was good. Our iced tea glasses were empty and oddly, Johnny leaned over and asked me if I would like a refill (which I accepted) but did not ask my dinner companions if they wanted refills. He came back with my refill and my companions asked him if they too could have refills. My companions commented they felt it was very odd Johnny asked me if I wanted a refill but did not ask them when their glasses were empty. A couple of admittedly minor service nits. Our server had sunglasses perched on top of his head. Why? He referred to me as "dear" and my male dining companions as "my friends". While he was a personable gentleman, I don't really think it is appropriate to refer to a customer as "dear". He just wasn't particularly attentive at all. This is a beautiful restaurant and we continue to cheer for its success. The service issues really need to be addressed.
(3)
Sara K.
We were big fans of the previous location and I enjoyed the new, more upscale atmosphere. The decor is very nice and our server, Bethany, was excellent. We started with the arancini and unfortunately they left something to be desired. I found them nearly flavorless and while the sauce had a good flavor, its chunky consistency made it not ideal for dipping. Next we were served bread, which was okay. I have never thought Fazzini's bread was particularly great/flavorful, but I really enjoyed the new seasoned/infused olive oil brought with it. I ordered the baked rigatoni for my entree. Fazzini's still has the homemade pasta, which I love for its great al dente texture. The flavors and temperature of the dish were perfect. One other thing I want to mention is I did not like the music that was played and I hope they will change it. It was mostly John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, and slow Maroon 5. I would really prefer to hear maybe some older music like Sinatra because what was played didn't really fit with the vibe of the restaurant. Overall I will continue to come back for the fresh pasta but I hope they will make a few changes as mentioned above.
(4)
dane h.
This place did nothing for me on first visit. I had the special -- a scallop/mushroom/goat cheese/sun-dried tomato risotto. I did NOT like the flavor of this dish at all! Too much sour from the goat cheese and sun-dried tomato. The scallops were the worst seafood I had in a week in Baltimore. I expected much better from a place that bills itself as high-end Italian. Waiter was weird and we hardly saw him. He never asked if we wanted salads with our entrees.
(2)
Jessica S.
I hosted a bridal shower for 30 people here last weekend and it was awesome! We had it in the private party room. The decor was neutral so it was perfect for adding our own person touches. Ari, the owner/event planner was super helpful from beginning to end in the planning process. I had never been to eat here before so it was a bit of a risk to have a party here, but I couldn't have been more pleased! A few of my friends and I went a couple weeks before the party so test of some of the options on the party menu so I could choose a delicious menu. Everyone was very accommodating and gave us suggestions on their favorite dishes. We ended up doing Caesar salad (amazing! Not over dressed and nice crisp romaine), rigatoni with basil pesto cream sauce (heavenly, my favorite dish), the famous lasagna (famous for a reason!), and the veggie risotto (creamy but not too heavy with the addition of big chunky veggies on top). We brought our own desserts and there was no fee which was great! We were able to come an hour before the party to set up and everyone was very helpful! I would definitely recommend having a party here! Or just going for lunch or dinner! Oh, and for brunch! The blood Mary is delicious! Thank you to everyone who helped make this "the best bridal shower I'd ever been to!" -words from the bride to be!
(5)
Spencer D.
I love Fazzini's Taverna. My favorite Italian place in the Towson area. The food is fantastic! I frequent here a lot and I have never had a bad experience. It's my go to place for a date. The food always comes in big portions. The layout and style of the place is very beautiful. It's a popular place so I recommend getting a reservation way in advance. Other than I have no complaints about Frazzini's. I highly recommend this restaurant.
(4)
Jonathan P.
This is my first time in their new location. There a lot of windows which give the interior a nice open / airy feel. Our server was nice. As an appetizer, I had the French onion soup. It was amaaazzzing!! Probably the best I've ever had. For the main course, I had the lasagna. It was good as well but the French onion soup was filling so I didn't have much of the lasagna. My wife had the chicken salad sandwich. It was bland and I wouldn't recommend that meal. This place is an Italian restaurant so I would stick with pasta and pizza.
(4)
A. C.
(8/15/2014) We were longtime fans and regulars at the old Fazzini's, which many reviewers apparently were. We do miss the old Fazzini's, too, but no going back, and no point belaboring comparisons. If you're jonesing for the old menu, get the carryout. We came for Restaurant Week, but only one of us got the RW options. The draw of the wood-fired oven led us to pizzas, the Arugula and Prosciutto and the Pampered Kale and Garlic. Both were very salty, the Prosciutto especially so. Pizza crust was very chewy, kind of too, solid crusty exterior, A little bit of sooty char on the bottom. Possibly our pizzas were a touch overdone, cheese seem dried and tough (no strings, the best part about cheesy pizzas), "runny farm egg" not runny, kale done until crispy (like chips). We definitely missed the red sauce, will remember that next time. The Chickpea Fries (Panelle) were, um, interesting, but not unpleasant. Was described by our jaunty server as "deep-fried hummus sticks." They were molten, right out of the fryer, creamy, cumin/curry flavored, came with some kind of lemony-garlic mayo dipping sauce. Off the RW menu the entree Grilled Salmon was deemed good, flavorful, moist, paired nicely with fresh corn and a very wet looking couscous. Tiramisu was not as expected and really, really boozy (someone's got a heavy pour). A Caprese Salad was OK, only disappointing in that the tomatoes were not very ripe, which is a shame since it's tomato season right now. Regular menu is a touch pricey for what it is. Service is very present (and unfortunately so when you're the table right in front of the service station (they are literally looking over your shoulder all the time). You can see everyone's trying really hard to make it great and we appreciate that, will give them another shot just out of loyalty.
(3)
Glenn S.
We had a wedding rehearsal dinner here over the weekend. I didn't even know this palce existed until we pulled up. The two guys who brought out our appetizers and the food were super friendly. The food itself was really really good. I wasn't expecting that to be honest. We had chicken parm, baked ziti, ceasar salad and veggie risoto. All of them were great. The chicken parm was nice and juicy and the baked ziti had the perfect ration of sauce/cheese. I'd definitely like to come back for a full meal sometime.
(4)
Deborah G.
Fazzini's has worked out some of its new location issues but still needs to improve on the food. The first time we dined I wanted pizza so we had the basic tomato and cheese pie with mushrooms. The pie was beautiful to see when it arrived at our table, however, the crust was thick and tough for us to chew. There is nothing more to say about the pizza as it was disappointing but I decided we would come back to try other items on the menu. After reading the Sun review I made a reservation to try something different and give them a second chance. We started with the shrimp in butter sauce. There were only four medium shrimp in a large casserole and the butter sauce was baked hard onto the bottom. A little more sauce and a few more shrimp would have made this a better appetizer for two adults. They also topped this with more of their bread which is not very good. It tastes like bread from a plastic bag. Why serve such a mediocre bread to your customers when you want to be a better restaurant on busy York Road? I had a side salad which was large, fresh and very tasty. Even though the dressing was sweet I liked it. It made for a nice opener to the meal. Then I had the mushroom ravioli. Just like the pizza, the dough was too thick. Ravioli should be thin and not chewy. I cut my pasta bags with a knife. Good thin ravioli needs only to be cut with a fork. The marinara sauce had lumps of tomato in it and was not tasty. Sorry I make tomato sauce better than this sauce. There was no distinctive memorable flavors from this meal. My husband had the chicken marsala with rigatoni. He gave me a taste of the chicken and this was tender and tasty. This and the salad are 4 star items. The shrimp is a 3 and my ravioli was a 2 star. We had great service from our waiter and he got the order right without us asking over and over. Also our water bottle was filled so we never went dry. I like the interior as it is spacious and more modern than the little hole in the wall it had at the strip shopping center on Cranbrook. I am hoping the owners can get this restaurant on track.. The menu needs some work to make it more interesting. I will return in a month or so to see if they can make additional improvements to the food.
(3)
Brian P.
I attend a monthly meeting here. The food is outstanding especially the pasta dishes, the wood fire pizza is also very delicious. They have a crab dip pizza that is excellent. Would recommend to anyone
(5)
Thea L.
I'm an Italian transplant from NYC and I took some visiting family to Fazzini's for dinner. I reserved a table through OpenTable and we were seated within 10 minutes of arrival, even with the place being pretty busy. Our waiter, Erik, was extremely knowledgeable about the menu and was very attentive. We started with the baccala fritters. I never had better baccala in my life (don't tell my grandmother)! For my entree, I had the risotto with roast pork, arugula & green apples and it was amazing. I tried my mother's house-made gnocchi and it melted in my mouth. The drinks were excellent and the beer selection was well thought out and had quite a few craft beers that you do not usually find on a menu not at a bar. The wine menu looked extensive, but I am not a big wine drinker, so I cannot speak to it. Just a note- the children's menu items are a bit small, especially if you have a kid that likes to eat. Usually New Yorkers always have a place back home that is better than anywhere you take them, but everyone agreed that it was just as good, or better, than what they can get in New York. Which is really saying something. This was my first time here, and I foresee myself becoming a regular.
(5)
Micah K.
My family have been patrons of Fazzini's Taverna since I was a kid and it was in its old location in the shopping mall. A few weeks ago we went to its new location for the first time for my mom's birthday and I am happy to say that it is just as good (and in some cases better) than it has ever been before! Now, right off the bat, I will say that despite having a reservation we did have to wait an extra 30 minutes to get seated but management apologized multiple times and this is to be expected on a Saturday night. And while I do feel bad for the people who walked in off the street and were told it was a two-hour wait to be seated, isn't this a good thing for the restaurant? Doesn't this mean the restaurant is good? Wouldn't you rather eat at a restaurant that has a long wait versus a restaurant that is completely empty? Plus, you walked in off the street at 7:00 on a Saturday night - what did you expect?! As for the food, I only have one disappointment - my favorite menu item from the old location did not make its way to the new one. I used to always get the frutti de mare dish and on this visit had to find something new to eat. But I decided to order off the Restaurant Week menu and I was very happy with my choice. For my main course I got the baked lasagna and it was delicious! And when I made my reservation I had told the hostess that it was for my mom's birthday and I guess she told our waitress because at the end of the meal they brought my mom a huge dessert lit up with a candle that we did not get charged for. I am extremely happy for the owners because I think the move to their new location only means bigger and better things for them and the restaurant, which in turn translates to an even better restaurant for all of us. I do miss being able to bring in my own beer or wine and I do miss the frutti de mare but otherwise this restaurant gets the same five-star review I would have given it at its old location.
(5)
Shawn P.
Overpriced and way too much cheese on everything we ate. Better options out there for Italian.
(3)
Stephanie R.
Overpriced mediocre food. Got attitude when I sent back a cocktail that tasted like pure alcohol. Tried to sit on the deck during the summer and was underneath a bee's nest. Happy hour specials are unimpressive.
(2)
Casey S.
Wood fire brick oven pizza is such a soft spot for me and maybe that is why im addicted to the kale pizza with the running farm egg in the middle. But who knows! I have eaten at this spot several times and always had a pleasant experience. I will say that their is a server their named Jay that is by far the "perfect" waiter i have ever had the chance to have serve me. My water level was never below half full, all special requests were welcomed with open arms ( my friends can be picky eaters), all delivery pipping hot! You should definitely try to meatball appetizer, mmmmm mmmm good! I absolutely love support local business and Fazzini's Taverna is owned and operated by a great family LOCAL team.
(5)
Frank L.
We thought it was great. I read some bad reviews, but we had a juice experience here. Nice decor, good location, attentive staff. The calamari is crispy and fresh, the chicken piccata was out of this world, the risotto of the day was really nice with big shrimp and a light sauce. The ice cream cones in crocks like they use for. French onion soup, so two can share dessert.
(5)
Y M.
1st time visiters my wife and I last night., to celebrate my 60th b day .Made 7 pm reservations, had an hours drive from Abbottstown pa (uggg,, no resturants here). WE arrived at 7 and were kindly seated at a nice comfy booth at the window. Our server Megan was an articulate, bubbly, gem, who knew the menu like the back of her hand. We started with the brick oven meat balls to share, with a glass of our very reasonablely priced bottle of Puglia region Italian Red. I mean 22 bucks for a bottle of good red, in Hunt Valley , Amazing. Meat balls , tender , sauce, bright, rustics and full flavored. WE then ordered our dinner, wife had a ceaser salad and I had the chicken franciase, which i asked could i get with Risota, and Megan cheerfully said, no problemo. Wife shared some of my chicken and it was also deliciousus, with a velvetty sauce of lemmon, wine, butter and capers on a bed of tender asparagras. Jeb, the owner came to our table to greet us and ask us how we were enjoying our visit, and he was very freindly, and you can tell with his personality it shows the ambiance of Fazzinis. I mentioned it was our 1st visit and my b day and he quickly said desets on him so we had an enormous layered Tirimissu which was a hevenly layered treasure of the best Italian standard in desert nurvana. THank you Megan, Jeb for a great dinner out, We;ll be back...
(4)
Elliott P.
Dinner with friends was spectacular. Not too casual, not too stodgy. Server was attentive and friendly, and the food was VERY GOOD. Our next dinner out will be here.
(5)
Jill A.
Update: The owner sent me a very rude and aggressive private message because I had the audacity to not like his restaurant. We will never go back to Fazzini's, and that's a shame. I am really confused. My fiance and I loved Fazzini's (you can read my original review about it here: yelp.com/biz/fazzinis-it ...). It was a diamond in the rough - cozy, great service, insanely delicious food. It was the sort of place you couldn't believe you stumbled upon in a strip mall. When they announced they were expanding and moving into a more prominent location, we were genuinely excited for them because it would give them more exposure and hopefully it meant they were doing well enough to warrant the big upgrade in location. We went to check it out last night and were disappointed to discover that along with the new location they now have a completely new staff, a new chef, a new vibe and a totally new menu. Any trace of the old Fazzini's is gone. I don't know what happened, or why they would change so much about such a great restaurant, but it is no longer Fazzini's, despite the name. It's hard to compare the two drastically different eateries without expressing my sincere disappointment in the direction they've gone in, but I'm going to try to be objective in my review without dwelling on how much I miss the old Fazzini's. The decor is really lovely. The coziness of Fazzini's is gone, in its place is a dark, more modern upscale feel. It's a much larger space, and the bar is pretty big. The music was droning new age stuff that seemed really out of place. In fact, a group of customers near us actually asked them to change it to something less... depressing (they didn't). The menu is completely different from the old Fazzini's. It's more expensive with fewer items and has some strange options, like hummus and falafel. It would be hard to define the new Fazzini's as an Italian restaurant when it lacks direction in the wine and food (wines range from Argentina to Israel, the food is more all-encompassing Mediterranean than Italian). We ordered the tomato crostini (more on that below), the gnocchetti marinara, and a margherita pizza. The pizza was pretty good, and they have a proper oven for it. I wasn't expecting a white pizza, but it turned out to be the best thing we ordered. The gnocchetti was a little gummy, but the sauce it came in was reminiscent of the old Fazzini's sauce. The sausage we ordered with it was fantastic. We had to ask for it a few times, but the bread they brought out was similar to the old Fazzini's as well, minus the yummy roasted garlic that used to come with it. The service left a little to be desired, but since the location is new and they're clearly still working out some kinks, I can't be too hard on them for it. However, one thing that jumped out at me was when we had a problem, it was handled in a really bizarre way. Our appetizer, which was meant to be warm, came out freezing cold and rock hard as if it had just been pulled from the fridge without being warmed. When we asked about it, the bartender who served us didn't believe us that it was cold, she insisted it was warm (without trying it), and sort of acted like we were just being picky. She walked away for a while, and when she came back we kind of mentioned it again because she really did not believe us the first time. She deferred to the man who had been sitting next to me at the bar the entire time, who turned out to be a manager-type. So a manager was about a foot away and overheard our complaint, saw her ignore us and walk away, and then listened to us discuss how awkward the situation was and how we couldn't eat the appetizer because it was ice-cold, yet just sat there silently without saying a word until the bartender brought him into the conversation? It was weird. All in all, it was not the Fazzini's that everyone knew and loved. If you go there expecting the old Fazzini's, like we did, you're going to be disappointed. Like I said, it was hard to be objective when the old Fazzini's set the bar so high. While we probably won't be back very soon, I would be curious to see how they're doing in a few months when they've had time to redefine themselves and settle in.
(2)
Scott R.
I realize this location is new but there are major issues. This could be a very nice place. My wife and I arrived around 9:30 without a reservation. We asked for a table for two and were led to tables and chairs outside. The hostess should have asked if outside was OK. I would have probably said yes but they should have asked. The outside area looked nice although the tables and chairs were cheap. The music was nice but the traffic sounds from York road could be pretty intrusive. Our waiter was a pleasant but inexperienced young man. He tried hard. Bread and water took too long. Interestingly, i watched the kitchen folks deliver meals in a disorganized way consistently. They apparently lack a system so that they know where the dishes are to go. The delivery staff is forced to walk around the 20 table outside area asking each table if they ordered the _____. We were asked about other folks meals 4 or 5 times. It just seems inefficient and unprofessional. Service as a whole was slow. No specials were offered and we forgot to ask. Now to the food - The Caesar salad needs work. The lettuce was mostly the green portion at the top of the romaine leaf. A great Caesar has more of the heart of the romaine leaf. The dressing was very bland although the sprinkled on cheese was good. Overall the salad was a D. (If ownership wants to sample a really good Caesar go to the place I mention at the end of this review.) The good news is the main courses were pretty good. My Chicken Marsala featured properly cooked and tender chicken. Not overcooked and tough as you often see. The sauce was tasty. The pasta was very good. If they want to make this dish perfect I'd do two small things. First, I'd serve a bit more chicken - it came with three small chicken medallions - maybe 4 - 5 ounces total. Chicken is cheap. The second thing I'd do is serve bigger pieces of mushroom instead of the slivers in the dish. These are minor issues and I'd give the dish an A- or B+. My wife's Margarita (sp?) pizza was very tasty. I liked the sauce and the crust. I'd give this an A+. By the way, while we didn't drink alcohol, the wine list look extensive and pretty cheap. We go out a lot and live close. We'll give this place another chance in a few months but right now it doesn't compete with nearby places like Vito's Cafe. Scott Rifkin, MD
(3)
Rose M.
Ew. This place is sub-par at best with mediocre food priced above it's value, and staff who are too cool for school. Decor is decent, but that's about it. They should just bring back Piv's to that space. Piv's was terrible, but at least they had a cool patio, bro.
(1)
Fraeda L.
Delicious food. Shrimp fra diablo was excellent - large shrimp. Sauce was nice and spicey. Veal was a little chewy, but Marsala sauce was excellent. Whole wheat pasta was very good. Cannoli was not very good. Service was terrific. We were not rushed at all. Nice liquor selection.
(4)
Michael L.
I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed. I've been here twice, once for lunch and once for dinner. Like many others, I was a huge fan of their Cranbrook location. Let's get the good down first: The food was pretty good. For lunch we had their calzones, which were awesome, and for dinner I had the lasagna, and the pappas bravas. All were pretty tasty. The lasagna was slightly above average and the pappas bravas were a bit better than that. The location is very nice, well appointed and all. Now for the not so good: No calzones for dinner! This is a crime. The prices are pretty crazy. 18$ for an above average lasagna with no side salad or anything? The entire menu is ala carte, no side salads or included sides. At those prices, it feels a bit exorbitant. I got a beer that I'm pretty sure was in a 12 oz glass, instead of the standard 16 oz. We came in at 5 on Sat with no reservation, the restaurant was basically empty and we were offered only a hightop or outdoor seating. It did fill up later, but there were still a lot of empty booths when we left. The bread was odd. It wasn't particularly good, we got two servings of it, and they were different kinds of bread. Also, there was a dude just tearing up bread for these at the bar. That's kind of a kitchen thing, I think. This is a minor nitpick, but I hate that style of placard menu. There's no place to put it and it's far too big. I know, I'm being picky. I get the feeling that they have overreached in a lot of areas and have lost the things that made their old location great. 'Fine dining' plus 'carryout' plus package goods, it seems to suffer from a lack of focus. It also seemed awfully overstaffed. Three hostesses on duty seem like a bit much. I know this location is fairly new, and there's a lot of tweaking to be done. I hope they get to the point where they can serve the fans of their old style and expand into the new 'finer dining' style they aspire to. I won't be back for dinner for months, but I may stop in for a lunch. Maybe they'll improve. Here's hoping!
(2)
Amy G.
What a wonderful dinner for our group of 25! The management was wonderful to work with as we planned our end of the year dinner. The food was fantastic and the waitstaff was very attentive. Mike T. the bartender is out of this world. We all plan to come back to Fazzini's for more good times.
(5)
Krista C.
Actually went to the old location looking for some good local Italian food. Was sad it wasn't where I remembered. Saw they moved and went to their new location! Felt like VIP, greeted by the owners, very friendly and well trained staff, food was amazing!! Best of luck in your new location!!!
(5)
Kelly C.
We went for dinner last Friday night, first time since Piv's, and wasn't so good. No more game room which our kids loved, but loved the pretty makeover anyway. Waitress was not very knowledgable on most of the menu, had to keep running back and asking questions (I have a gluten allergy). We ordered the mussels which were less than fresh...downright questionable. I wanted to order a glass of wine when I scooped a rather foul little mussel but waitress was nowhere to be found. I had to drink hubby's glass to wash away the taste after spitting it out. My Caesar salad was just ok and hubby's steak was super good but served lukewarm. We may or may not return...nothing really stands out here.
(2)
Keith C.
I am sad to report that the new location pales in comparison to the old Fazzini's location in Cranbrook Shopping Center. We went to dinner at 7:30pm to find the place packed and was told it would be a 20 min wait or we could sit in the bar area and be seated immediately. We took the bar area and the host seated us and provided menus, the waitress appeared promptly. We ordered iced tea, which was delivered but there was no sweetener on the table and had to ask and wait a good bit to get sweetener. We order 2 bowls of crab soup ($8), chicken pesto pizza and veal marsala ($22). The crab soup was delivered promptly, but we weren't given any spoons to eat it with. So, once again we had to wait another 5 minutes to get the staff's attention to bring us spoons. When we finally ate the soup, it was fair, rather bland, not much crab and served in a shallow crockpot (definitely not worth $8). The pizza was bland as well, my wife mentioned numerous times she wish she had some garlic to give it some taste. The veal marsala had 3 pieces of veal, not pounded and breaded properly as the breading was thick and all you tasted. The pasta which was homemade, may have been homemade, but probably made on Monday as it tasted like it had been in a freezer all week. Again disappointing as it was very bland in taste. The restaurant was dimly lit and smooth jazz was playing rather loudly, which is usually a sign a restaurant is trying to be high end when it isn't. They even put tap water in glass bottles and served it, please, lame. So, after getting a bill for $65, I left very disappointed since the food and service were not up to the price paid. The old Fazzini's was a hole in the wall location, but the food and service were excellent. I miss the old Fazzini's and as for the new location, best of luck as I won't be back and I am sure others will avoid this place after giving it a try once.
(2)
Kyaw M.
It has been a long time since I visited the fazzini's in its new location. Last time I was here, I was a little underwhelmed by the service, and wasn't a total fan of some of the changes. I am glad to say that the service has improved greatly and they seem to have switched back more to the great food that was served in the old location. Pasta as always is freshly made and the alfredo sauce is now creamy and artery-cloggingly rich again. The sausage is still very flavorful with a spicy kick as usual. One of their new appetizer is fried polenta and it was as billed; crispy with a cteamy core and a nice dip to go with it. We also had a kickass scallop pasta dish with some of the best executed scallops I've ever tasted. Fra diavolo definitely has a kick; in fact, be careful because it is the spiciest fra diavolo I've ever eaten. All in all, the place has redeemed itself as a solid italian joint north of the city.
(4)
bb k.
Two comments. Order traditional Italian only. I ordered the salmon and it turned out to be a poor choice. Part of the problem was our inept waiter whose communications were all double talk. Secondly, the owners need to invest in lights for the parking lot where it is pitch black!
(3)
Jason L.
As a long time customer of Fazzinis, we were excited to try out this new concept. We came on a Friday night. We didnt have reservations, so were informed there would be a 25 minute wait. No problem. We got a drink at the bar. The drink menu is great, and the bartenders were attentive. Unfortunately, the bar was where the good service ended for us. We probably should have just ordered carryout, or ate at the bar. After 40 minutes, we began to wonder what was up. We checked in with the hostess, who said we were next on the list. So, we went back to the bar, and waited... And waited. In the bar area, there was an open table which was sitting there for at least 20 minutes. After another 15, we were finally seated at this table. It took another 10 minutes (which seemed like forever) to be acknowledged by our waiter. We ordered some wine. After 20 minutes with no wine, or water, I decided to grab one of the bottles of chilled water myself and had to pour our own water service. Nobody seemed to notice or care that I got out of my seat and had to pour my own water. Multiple times we had to check with him to see where our drinks were. When the waiter finally showed up with the wine, we clearly knew what we wanted to order. We had a pizza, salad, meatballs, and baked rigatoni. (We were starving by this point). After 30 mins or so, the food came out. It was decent, which is why I am giving 2 stars. The meatballs were from the brick oven. Sauce was great. Rigatoni was average at best. They give you bread and olive oil, but the olive oil isnt mixed together properly with the garlic. Honestly, the food was ok, but nothing special, certainly not worth the wait. Carryout is probably the way to go, or eat at the bar. It took another 20 minutes to get the check from our waiter. And then 10 more for him to pick up our credit card. The whole time, there were 3 or 4 manager/owner types standing around talking to each other. Not once did anyone come over to check on us or ask if we needed anything. That alone would have helped. I know this is a new place and they are working iut their kinks, but it seems like the employees had an attitude, and the place just opened. That plus a lack of customer service by the managers, failing to even wish us farewell upon exit, made it unlikely for us to come back here or refer this place to our friends, which is a shame.
(2)
Anne V.
The food may be decent Italian, but the host and hostess were extremely rude. Usually we've had good service, but not tonight. I was taking my 76-year-old mother and her friend to dinner. It was late in the evening by the time we were seated-- close to 8:30-- and they seated us in the middle of the room under harsh spotlights. I asked if we could move to the adjacent empty booth. The hostess said all the tables were plotted out and we couldn't move. We asked if she could check as there were 7 or more open tables. No biggie, just wanted to sit somewhere a bit less out in the open with no spotlights. We noticed the booth got filled so we figured we weren't going to get another table. Meanwhile, we never had a waiter stop by the table. We finally see him and ask for water and he told us he was "cut off" for the night and wasn't serving anymore. I don't even know what that means. Long story short, we were just getting our water glasses filled while the people seated at the booth were already done their appetizer and were being served entrees. An odd, odd night. Definitely not going back. Would rather head to Little Italy. Everyone is much nicer there.
(1)
Evan R.
I don't understand the low reviews here, and apparently neither do most customers. We had a reservation for 5 on a Thursday night and needed it, the restaurant was packed and had a 45 minute wait for walk-ins. Do yourself a favor and make your reservation soon, Fazzini's combines great food with reasonable pricing to give a terrific dining experience. Fresh italian and focaccia bread combined with some kind of garlic and olive oil blend to give a wonderful start to our meal. A few of us ordered Greek salads which were made just right. Most of us got some sort if pasta dish as Fazzini's makes it fresh daily, and you can really taste the difference. My red clam sauce was outstanding. Others got marinara and ravioli, all positives. Portions were too large for us to get desert, whoever was complaining about quantity must only dine at The Cheesecake Factory. We'll certainly be back. Fazzini's goes into our regular dining rotation.
(5)
linda f.
We arrived about 4:30 on a Tuesday afternoon. Aside from my husband and me, there was only one more table with patrons. My husband ordered the cream of crab soup. It was very "watery", and about one spoon of canned crab meat in it. It tasted like a canned soup. We ordered a pizza to share, and lasagna to share. The rest of the food was ok. This was our 1st visit here, & we had a $5 coupon, if you spend $20 or more. We spent $42.00. The waiter came over and said we could not use the coupon because it was for lunch. I asked to speak to the manager. i explained that I could not read the small print about lunch only. I told him this was our 1st visit, and the cream of crab soup was sub par. He basically told us that is the rule ! I told him he should have honored the $5. since I would tell my friends about his place. He did not care. I would not ever go there again, there are too many other places. By the way, we left at 5:50 pm, and still NO Customers in this place.
(2)
Quintin P.
Food is good, portion size is small. I'm an old customer from the old Cranbrook location. Ambience is nice, good wine store , staff is trained.
(3)
D C.
So, I went there last week and ordered two pizzas to go. They were delicious! Will be back!
(4)
Constance K.
A delightful dining experience. Three of us dined on a rainy night and the crab soup, mussels, and eggplant parmesan hit just the right notes. The restaurant was busy but the service was flawless. Our server, Kate, was friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient. One of our appetizers was not quite right and in a flash a refired dish appeared. Great save. We will return to this gem.
(4)
Melissa C.
After several awesome visits to Fazzini's I finally decided to write my review. I am usually there for happy hour and I must say that the cocktails are great, staff is friendly and accommodating and the food is top notch. The view from the bar shows a wood burning pizza oven from which all the food I have ordered has been amazing. Shrimp in garlic sauce, baked goat cheese in marinara and the wood fired pizzas are my favorites but everything else has been great. I highly recommend to anyone reading that they go for casual happy hour or to the dining room for a special occasion!
(5)
Christina E.
I was excited when Fazzini's moved to their new home on York road. The decor is very nice, the servers are polite and helpful and the package store has a great selection. That being said I truly miss the old Fazzini's. It had a very welcoming and homey feel and the first time you ate there you knew you had found something special. Now the menu is very limited and honestly while the food is good it doesn't taste as good as it used to (my favorite was there calzone which was seriously amazing and I found out when I got there it's now only a lunch item.) I had the baked rigatoni which was good but not nearly as tasty as the calzone. If you don't have the old Fazzini's to compare it to, definitely try it out. For me I'm a little too nostalgic.
(3)
Paul B.
Haven't been there yet, but I am saddened by these reviews. This was the BEST little place and I was so looking forward to the new place. The chicken par was so outstanding I never order it anywhere else. Now what will I do? Has anyone who can compare old and new had the chicken parm. Can I go and try it. What should I do???
(3)
Kristen S.
My husband and I took our 3 children here last night for the first time. The decor and menu are lovely, but we thought it was VERY pricey for what is supposed to be a family friendly restaurant. Entrees on the menu come with nothing--no salad or bread. Sorry, but if I am being charged $16 for meatless pasta, I think you can throw in a house salad. The food was good and the kids meals were decent. The server was attentive and helpful. However, we spent $95 with tip for 3 adult meatless pastas, 2 kids meals, and 4 drinks (non-alcoholic). Too much.
(2)
Jennifer W.
We had Fazzini's cater our school teacher lunch and it wasn't bad, so I went with my parents and three year-old daughter. All around, extremely disappointing. The guy next to us sent back his salad twice and his soda, so things didn't look good right off the bat. I ordered spaghetti and meatballs for my daughter, who loves meatballs. It was overcooked, sticky pasta, with one extremely overcooked meatball that she couldn't even bite. We all tried it, and agreed it was the worst we ever had. My dad and I both had the Italy salad which wasn't bad to be fair. My mom's "thin crust" pizza was doughy with a huge crust. Fair at best. The worst part, was our waiter. Don't know his name but he is the awkward, 6'9" guy, you can't miss him. The moment we sat down, he asked us if we needed another minute. Heh? We hadn't even ordered drinks or looked at the menu. He also took our entire meal order before the drinks. i think he was nervous and confused. He came back about 15 times during the meal and awkwardly asked us numerous times how we were doing. It's fine to check in, but not twice when you only have water! Then, we didn't have 30 seconds peace before he was back again. He brought my daughter's lemonade in a huge, wet glass, and she almost immediately dropped it all over herself and us. He brought a side of sauce and commented how hot it was and that he was afraid to put it down. Again, what?? I finally just took it from him, and put it on the table. The same happened with the girl who brought the pizza. She was very concerned about the heat and putting it down. It was fine, but what the heck? Just tell us it's hot, and give the regular deal about touching it. Instead everyone just stood there with it in hand. The servers seemed uncomfortable with every request we had, which were few. He was very nice, just a terrible waiter. The food was not good. I really wish it was. It will remain crowded for a while since it's new, and people are dying for a good Italian place. Hopefully, the food will improve, and the servers will figure out how to do their job. Maybe some extra training and some refinement of the menu will help. I would try again in a few months to see.
(2)
Becky M.
Mmm mmm good. I went about 2 weeks ago with a friend to try out the new location. We had no idea they had moved! We had a Caesar salad to start, then Grilled Pork Risotto and the evening's special, NY Strip, asparagus, and truffle fries. OH how I love truffle fries! Not too many places in the area have truffle fries. The food was great, the service was even better. Our server was on point, not too pushy, filled glasses & cleared plates, but he was very down to earth, personable, and had a sense of humor. There were quite a few desserts we wanted to try, but the pink cheesecake came with a donation to the Susan G Komen Foundation (we went during October/Breast Cancer awareness month), so we couldn't opted for cheesecake! I thought this was a really neat idea! First time I've seen a pink food item come along with a donation. Parking was easy - big log in the back. And access in/out was easy, it's right off of York Road. I could see Fazzini's as a versatile place, I would feel comfortable going in jeans and sitting at the bar watching a football game OR dressing up a bit and having a nice date night. They had a wine shop on the side, which we did not get a chance to check out, but looks like there is quite the selection!!! I think they also have online ordering for take-out, which I am a huge fan of. I love online ordering for when I have groups of people over, and I just pass the computer around and have each person add what they want. Can't wait to go back, there's a ton of items on the menu I'd like to try (PIZZA!), plus I need to check out their wine shop!
(5)
Amy B.
We had the most adorable waiter here - he was helpful with the menu, provided great service, and stuck out as a hardworking kid. We got the margarita and crab pizzas and both were absolutely delicious. The white sangria - which was suggested by the waiter, but not on the menu - was fantastic! Will definitely return!
(5)
Christopher S.
I am not sure why reviews are only a 3. This was the best pizza I've had in long time. Chicken pesto....mmmmm. Crust was delish! I had pasta fusilli soup, hubby had cream of crab. Service was excellent, hostess was very pleasant. Great dining experience.
(5)
Dawn D.
We have been here twice in about two weeks time and consider this our new favorite place on the York Road corridor. And maybe even beyond. Terrific service on both of our visits including two different manager type people coming to chat and make sure we enjoyed our meals, which always just makes you feel so appreciated, you know? Diverse menu with entrees that vary from the more casual but delicious wood fired pizzas to handmade pastas to higher end grill type items like a veal chop, etc. I can't get out of the pasta menu to even look at anything else because their homemade pasta is so wonderful and fresh. On our first trip I had the gnocchi, which was perfect, light and fluffy, yet comforting, served with perfectly cooked shrimp. Last night I had the lasagna which was just what I wanted on a snowy December night...warm and cheesy gooey with homemade lasagna noodles and delicious sauce. We've tried many of the apps, and though all were great, we really loved the polenta fries, which were crunchy crispy and well seasoned. We also are totally addicted to the meatballs which are dense and meaty. (insert dirty joke here) Funnily enough, both of our visits included quirky requests since I, who rarely has any changes and want my food as the chef intended, seem to eat with people who are, well...quirky. First we had my crazy mother request the risotto of the night that featured fried oysters, mushrooms and all other kinds of awesome stuff...but my mother, requested it sans risotto. And sans everything else. She just wanted the fried oysters. And darn if they didn't accommodate her. They even custom made her a sauce to go with them! Then, 2 weeks later, my pasta hating husband asks for a "bowl of meat sauce with meatballs on top." Yeah. Read that again. Welcome to my world. But darn if they didn't accommodate him. Though I am a little bit nervous to even contemplate what crazy request my next dinner companion might come up with, you better believe that I will be back to eat their fabulous food.
(5)
Sung C.
6/13 First time dinning inside the restaurant. Food is AMAZING and service was PHENOMENAL! What a difference! Really love everything about Fazzini's. Hope to come back soon :) 6/6 Update Seems like Fazzini is finally getting the hang of the new location! To be honest, I was pretty skeptical about going back but I thought I would give it another go. This time, since I had such horrible service over the phone I decided to walk in and order. As I was walking in, all the customers who was leaving had nothing but good things to say about this place! I was quite impressed by it and I felt more reassured taking another chance at Fazzini. I could definitely notice the improvement, staffs were lot more friendlier and seemed in control of what they were doing. Service was promptly managed as well. Only down side was the portion... I don't know, is it just me? Each visit, my order seems to get smaller and smaller. At least the taste hasn't changed which is important. Still serving the most delicious food in town! Overall, despite the smaller portion of the food I'm quite satisfied with my experience tonight. I'm really glad things are looking up for Fazzini because I really love their food~! Keep up the good work! By the way, Thanks for the reply Ari (Owner) I really appreciate the fact that you are reading these reviews and making improvements. Kudos to you! Now if we can get food portion to increase a bit and start delivering these delicious food! ;)
(5)
Matthew C.
We had high hopes for this place. Nice exterior and an interesting menu. We showed up for a late lunch (1 pm) with a party of five, plus two kids. All the adults order a soup/salad and an entree. The soups/salad came out fairly quickly and was decent. Then the wait started. And continued. And continued. And continued. None of these were complicated items (two we're cold cuts). After over 50 minutes of politely waiting we pressed our waiter who told us there was "a large party". So we continued to wait. We asked to see a manger. None arrived. When the food arrived, the kids meal came out, then two meals came out, followed by two more five minutes later, followed by one more five minutes after that. The food, after arriving, was so-so. It certainly was not worth an hour plus of awkwardly trying to make eye contact with the staff. The cheese steak lacked cheese, the fries were lukewarm, and the pizza was ho-hum at best. When a manager arrived at the end of our meal, he was dismissive of our issues saying "we have a large party and are backed up". Will not be returning.
(1)
Nathan P.
Went in for a pizza and a beer on their happy hour. The pizza was fantastic, authentic wood-fire-oven Neapolitan pizza- very good. Can't wait to go back.
(5)
barbara m.
When in for lunch with the thought in mind that this was the kosmokos. We would go there specifically for the Greek salad they were the best anywhere the place really is beautiful inside and the waiters are super friendly the bread is to die for but the salad I had with chicken on top had to be the worst piece of chicken I've ever had I couldn't cut it I couldn't get my fork through it and I could barely chew it. So while there are a few restaurants out there that will keep you coming just for the salad this ain't one of them
(2)
Marcella S.
The food was very good. The ambience was superb. My waitress Lindsey was the very best. She was very attentive and knowledgable about the food and drinks. I would definitely visit again.
(5)
Jennifer S.
OK boys get a clue. Food that you have is great, But everyone in our party has to be in the mood for pasta or pizza. That rarely happens. We would be there three times a week if you would offer some Light fare or at least a burger for people who don't want to smell of garlic. How about a sandwich out of that bread you make? Buy the way, deep frying chicken breasts and then smothering it in sauce is like cutting into old tennis shoes. Yuck! Pizza yum.
(3)
Ash P.
The new Fazzini's earns one star for the goat cheese and marinara appetizer that came with bread - it was delicious. The cheese had a pleasing soft texture and bread was fresh. Upon asking waitress a question about a menu item, she said it was "exactly what it sounds like" on the menu. Thanks for the help. Blood Orange margarita, which is a drink listed on the menu, was served unshaken/unmixed and was too sour. Moscow Mule was at least drinkable. Our waitress repeatedly said she was bringing us bread and did not bring it until we received our appetizer, which already included it's own bread. We were the only table in the restaurant (4pm on a weekday) so I can't imagine that she was all that busy. The bread thing wouldn't bother anybody if it wasn't for what happened afterwards. I ordered the capellini (angel hair pasta) in tomato cream sauce with meatballs and my boyfriend ordered the sausage and pepperoni pizza. Pizza had okay flavor but was seriously greasy. We've had better from the old Fazzini's. My pasta, however, was bad enough to send back to the kitchen after only eating a few bites. Meatballs, more like MeatSquares, tasted like old frozen hamburger meat, pasta was overcooked, and sauce was bland. Sent back at the end of the meal and the waitress "apologized" for it and handed us our bill. Spent over $60 for bad drinks, bad service, AND a pasta dish that was NEVER taken off the check. At that point we just wanted to escape the bad experience. We payed the check, left, and will not be returning. Again, one star for the appetizer. Minus four stars for a really bad dinner all around the board.
(1)
C P.
Great service (Kim), delicious meal served quickly plus manager made sure everything was exceptional. The grilled salmon was fantastic! Slightly crispy outside while perfectly tender inside. The accompanying cous cous was a tangy complement. My son didn't want to leave the last piece of pizza. Insisted we take it home. That was a first.
(5)
Greg P.
I am surprised to read a lot of the negative reviews about Fazzini's on Yelp. With any restaurant the first few months you have to work out the kinks in terms of training servers and delivering consistent quality dishes. With that said, my wife and I went last night at 7 and the place was busy. We were seated immediately and our service was exceptional. Our dishes came out timely and everything either met or exceeded our expectations. Our favorite items from the night were the Eggplant Parmesean, Asparagus and bread with garlic oil. Maybe it was because we were hungry but my wife and I ate two servings of the bread, outstanding! The Eggplant Parmesean was up there with the best I have ever had and the portion was large enough that I had a snack size leftover for the next day. The Asparagus was cooked perfectly and served with an olive tapanade that I was basically licking of the plate. We also split the the calamari and my wife had the pizza, both were good but the Eggplant was definitely the star. Our server, Ian, was very attentive and did a great job to consistently check back on us. The timing of all of the food was perfect and we experienced no delays, which I was expecting from other reviews and because it was crowded. The interior and ambiance of Fazzini's is very nice - clean, modern, and spacious. The bar area is a nice spot to drop in and have a few drinks/apps/pizza. I was impressed with our first dining experience and Fazzini's is now in our rotation of places to dine in the area.
(4)
Matt H.
Let me start by saying this review Is low for 2 specific reasons. This place is bright, clean, great me u and good beer selections. 3 of us showed up for lunch the bartender picked up on this and said he would see everything came out fast. After his 5th horrible pun joke we started to ignore him completely. When our food came (in not what I would call was fast) one of our orders was completely wrong. Reg. cheese instead of chicken cheese steak but we did not have the time to wait for it to be remade. The kicker is we were charged full price. Would I go here again? Yes, but if Mike the bartender is working I will walk right out and go somewhere else. Mike and the unapologetic wrong order drove this review from a 4 to 1.
(1)
Edward M.
Ate there Oct. 25. The hostess was inappropriately dressed in a short tight red skirt, sleeveless top with bra straps showing...she looked like a hooker! The food was mediocre at best. The eggplant parm. was too cheesy and the chicken Marsala was not good and did not taste like it should. The service was fair, but it was very busy. We were given a lemoncello at the end of the meal...a nice gesture, but it tasted watered down and not good. Needless to say, we will not return.
(2)
Mark S.
Best I can do is 3 stars. We ate at a bar table with two friends. I ordered a draft beer, my wife ordered a Pino wine. The waiter came back and told her they were out of Pino wine so he suggested another type. He came back with that and she said it wasn't very good. He took it back then came back and said he made a mistake, they did have what she wanted. He was a new waiter I think. I ordered rigatoni in marinara with meatballs. The sauce was tangy and good. The homemade pasta was over-cooked. The meatballs, small little golf balls were tasteless. Throw in some garlic and oregano in those will ya guys? One friend had veal Marsala which he said was just so-so. Other friend had shrimp friviolo (sp?). She said she didn't like the sauce. My wife got soup and a garlic shrimp app. She said they were good. Most annoying was the charge of $9 for the smallest amount of wine my wife has ever had. When she asked the waiter about this he said they fill the wine up to the Fazzini label on the glass. That label was less then a fourth of the way up the glass. At $9 that's a ripoff. Oh, and the waiter asked if she wanted another glass of wine after finishing the first. She asked him to bring it with her meal. He showed up with it when she was 1/2 way finished her meal. Had a party of 8 or so rowdies next to us which didn't help matters. No one said anything to them. Don't think we'll be back.
(3)
Liver P.
The old Fazzini's is gone, and the new Fazzini's is not very good. I am SOOoooo disappointed. Old Fazzini's had been at its old location for almost 30 years. In 2010 they sold the business to a new owner. He kept the same menu, maybe the same cooks. Everything is fine until he gets a grand idea go bigger and better.....BUT Every-single-thing that we ordered was not very good. The salad was warm. The Cesar dressing tasted like it was from the bottle. The calamari was VERY skimpy, more peppers than squid. The Alfredo sauce was gummy/sticky... like it was made in a large batch? Room temp tap water poured from bottles?? I guess that is supposed to be European?? And... no bread. That's right. They do not bring bread. I checked. None of the tables had bread. And they dont ask if you want bread. It seems like they spent a ton of money putting this restaurant together. I am in no hurry to go back anytime soon. I am mourning the loss of one of my favorite restaurants. The new owner should not have kept the Fazzini name. People expect a certain quality and are then disappointed.
(2)
Ann F.
I have to say, we were very happy with our experience at Fazzini's. We made a reservation later in the evening for six of us. The first thing that impressed me was the fact that they called to confirm said reservation. I respect that! After reading the reviews I came extremely close to canceling and moving on. I'm glad we didn't. I will say two of our six dropped out. We made a plan B in case we needed it and forged ahead. We were greeted at the door with a big smile (a little more clothing on the hostess would have been nice but hey, if I had a cute little shape I wouldn't wear much either). Off to the bar to wait for our friends. Mike was our bartender and was great. On task and kept the drinks flowing. We got to our table and we were greeted by Johnny, an obviously professional server. He paced us well, answered all of our questions and made sure we were well taken care of. Our water was always filled and our drinks were always filled before we ran out. Appetizers were great. Who knew chick pea fries were even a thing? They are amazing. I will be making those at home. I had the salmon over cous cous. I have to say the cous cous was ice cold. I chose not to send it back because it wasn't a deal breaker. I'll just make sure I mention to check the temp next time to the server. Our food was excellent. We were some of the last folks there and didn't feel rushed. The manager came by at one point to check on us and Johnny was always available. We will be back and we will recommend to friends. Hopefully next time we can get all six of us there.
(4)
Gina A.
Everything about our meal was wonderful. You could definitely tell that everything was fresh and handmade. Sausage meatball appetizer was small but excellent. House-made lemonade was delicious! Our server Chad went out of his way to make sure everything was perfect. Definitely going back.
(4)
Melissa F.
My family hosted a baby shower for me at Fazzini's in May. Ari was very easy to work with when planning the shower and he accommodated any special requests we had. The food was excellent and the staff were professional and friendly. Our guests really enjoyed the private room and food--I would gladly recommend Fazzini's to anyone looking for a private dining space.
(4)
Hayley H.
Our meal at fazzinnis was outstanding. The strawberry basil lemonade and Moscow mule drinks were refreshing. The tuna tartare and hummus were delicious and super fresh, the caseys baked rig was huge and cheesy and yummy. The kale and garlic pizza with runny egg was beyond anything I could have asked for and the egg was perfectly cooked! We couldn't finish it all because portions were huge! We did order the tiramisu and were so happy because it ended the meal on a perfectly sweet note. The house made limoncello was also a nice surprise! We can't wait to get home and have the leftovers as a midnight snack! Can't wait to go back to fazzinnis really soon and try something new!
(5)
Linda S.
The foods was tasty, but the service was dreadful. One main dish was not prepared as ordered, we had to ask for bread and no one offered us refills on beverages or inquired if the food was good. No one thanked us for coming as we left, although there were 4 employees at the desk by the door. At the prices they charge, you expect better. Don't they care if people come back? Apparently not.
(2)
Fazoli's is an Italian-American fast casual restaurant chain headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1988and is now owned by Sentinel Capital Partners. As of 2015, there are 213 Fazoli's located nationwide. The restaurant chain specializes in Italian cuisine and dishes. Carl Howard is the company's president and CEO. Fazoli's offers a menu of traditional Italian favorites — highlighted by our famous, mouthwatering, garlic bread sticks — combined with a service experience not typically found in the QSR industry and served in a newly re-imagined restaurant environment. And it's all available to our guests at a great price and value. With over 200 restaurants, explosive growth and a booming sales trajectory, Fazoli's has established itself as a leader in the Quick-Service Restaurant segment.
Today, Fazoli's menu consists of classic Italian dishes, baked pastas, their signature Submarinos sandwiches, and other foods, such as:
Twice Baked Lasagna Chicken Parmigiano Italian Deli Trio seasonal salads Turkey Mozzarella Fresco Meatball da Vinci The Primo Italiano Cheese or Pepperoni Pizza New York Style Cheesecake Baked Spaghetti Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Classy Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
Scott R.
I realize this location is new but there are major issues. This could be a very nice place. My wife and I arrived around 9:30 without a reservation. We asked for a table for two and were led to tables and chairs outside. The hostess should have asked if outside was OK. I would have probably said yes but they should have asked. The outside area looked nice although the tables and chairs were cheap. The music was nice but the traffic sounds from York road could be pretty intrusive. Our waiter was a pleasant but inexperienced young man. He tried hard. Bread and water took too long. Interestingly, i watched the kitchen folks deliver meals in a disorganized way consistently. They apparently lack a system so that they know where the dishes are to go. The delivery staff is forced to walk around the 20 table outside area asking each table if they ordered the _____. We were asked about other folks meals 4 or 5 times. It just seems inefficient and unprofessional. Service as a whole was slow. No specials were offered and we forgot to ask. Now to the food - The Caesar salad needs work. The lettuce was mostly the green portion at the top of the romaine leaf. A great Caesar has more of the heart of the romaine leaf. The dressing was very bland although the sprinkled on cheese was good. Overall the salad was a D. (If ownership wants to sample a really good Caesar go to the place I mention at the end of this review.) The good news is the main courses were pretty good. My Chicken Marsala featured properly cooked and tender chicken. Not overcooked and tough as you often see. The sauce was tasty. The pasta was very good. If they want to make this dish perfect I'd do two small things. First, I'd serve a bit more chicken - it came with three small chicken medallions - maybe 4 - 5 ounces total. Chicken is cheap. The second thing I'd do is serve bigger pieces of mushroom instead of the slivers in the dish. These are minor issues and I'd give the dish an A- or B+. My wife's Margarita (sp?) pizza was very tasty. I liked the sauce and the crust. I'd give this an A+. By the way, while we didn't drink alcohol, the wine list look extensive and pretty cheap. We go out a lot and live close. We'll give this place another chance in a few months but right now it doesn't compete with nearby places like Vito's Cafe. Scott Rifkin, MD
(3)Rose M.
Ew. This place is sub-par at best with mediocre food priced above it's value, and staff who are too cool for school. Decor is decent, but that's about it. They should just bring back Piv's to that space. Piv's was terrible, but at least they had a cool patio, bro.
(1)Fraeda L.
Delicious food. Shrimp fra diablo was excellent - large shrimp. Sauce was nice and spicey. Veal was a little chewy, but Marsala sauce was excellent. Whole wheat pasta was very good. Cannoli was not very good. Service was terrific. We were not rushed at all. Nice liquor selection.
(4)Kyaw M.
It has been a long time since I visited the fazzini's in its new location. Last time I was here, I was a little underwhelmed by the service, and wasn't a total fan of some of the changes. I am glad to say that the service has improved greatly and they seem to have switched back more to the great food that was served in the old location. Pasta as always is freshly made and the alfredo sauce is now creamy and artery-cloggingly rich again. The sausage is still very flavorful with a spicy kick as usual. One of their new appetizer is fried polenta and it was as billed; crispy with a cteamy core and a nice dip to go with it. We also had a kickass scallop pasta dish with some of the best executed scallops I've ever tasted. Fra diavolo definitely has a kick; in fact, be careful because it is the spiciest fra diavolo I've ever eaten. All in all, the place has redeemed itself as a solid italian joint north of the city.
(4)bb k.
Two comments. Order traditional Italian only. I ordered the salmon and it turned out to be a poor choice. Part of the problem was our inept waiter whose communications were all double talk. Secondly, the owners need to invest in lights for the parking lot where it is pitch black!
(3)Keith C.
I am sad to report that the new location pales in comparison to the old Fazzini's location in Cranbrook Shopping Center. We went to dinner at 7:30pm to find the place packed and was told it would be a 20 min wait or we could sit in the bar area and be seated immediately. We took the bar area and the host seated us and provided menus, the waitress appeared promptly. We ordered iced tea, which was delivered but there was no sweetener on the table and had to ask and wait a good bit to get sweetener. We order 2 bowls of crab soup ($8), chicken pesto pizza and veal marsala ($22). The crab soup was delivered promptly, but we weren't given any spoons to eat it with. So, once again we had to wait another 5 minutes to get the staff's attention to bring us spoons. When we finally ate the soup, it was fair, rather bland, not much crab and served in a shallow crockpot (definitely not worth $8). The pizza was bland as well, my wife mentioned numerous times she wish she had some garlic to give it some taste. The veal marsala had 3 pieces of veal, not pounded and breaded properly as the breading was thick and all you tasted. The pasta which was homemade, may have been homemade, but probably made on Monday as it tasted like it had been in a freezer all week. Again disappointing as it was very bland in taste. The restaurant was dimly lit and smooth jazz was playing rather loudly, which is usually a sign a restaurant is trying to be high end when it isn't. They even put tap water in glass bottles and served it, please, lame. So, after getting a bill for $65, I left very disappointed since the food and service were not up to the price paid. The old Fazzini's was a hole in the wall location, but the food and service were excellent. I miss the old Fazzini's and as for the new location, best of luck as I won't be back and I am sure others will avoid this place after giving it a try once.
(2)Constance K.
A delightful dining experience. Three of us dined on a rainy night and the crab soup, mussels, and eggplant parmesan hit just the right notes. The restaurant was busy but the service was flawless. Our server, Kate, was friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient. One of our appetizers was not quite right and in a flash a refired dish appeared. Great save. We will return to this gem.
(4)Anne V.
The food may be decent Italian, but the host and hostess were extremely rude. Usually we've had good service, but not tonight. I was taking my 76-year-old mother and her friend to dinner. It was late in the evening by the time we were seated-- close to 8:30-- and they seated us in the middle of the room under harsh spotlights. I asked if we could move to the adjacent empty booth. The hostess said all the tables were plotted out and we couldn't move. We asked if she could check as there were 7 or more open tables. No biggie, just wanted to sit somewhere a bit less out in the open with no spotlights. We noticed the booth got filled so we figured we weren't going to get another table. Meanwhile, we never had a waiter stop by the table. We finally see him and ask for water and he told us he was "cut off" for the night and wasn't serving anymore. I don't even know what that means. Long story short, we were just getting our water glasses filled while the people seated at the booth were already done their appetizer and were being served entrees. An odd, odd night. Definitely not going back. Would rather head to Little Italy. Everyone is much nicer there.
(1)Evan R.
I don't understand the low reviews here, and apparently neither do most customers. We had a reservation for 5 on a Thursday night and needed it, the restaurant was packed and had a 45 minute wait for walk-ins. Do yourself a favor and make your reservation soon, Fazzini's combines great food with reasonable pricing to give a terrific dining experience. Fresh italian and focaccia bread combined with some kind of garlic and olive oil blend to give a wonderful start to our meal. A few of us ordered Greek salads which were made just right. Most of us got some sort if pasta dish as Fazzini's makes it fresh daily, and you can really taste the difference. My red clam sauce was outstanding. Others got marinara and ravioli, all positives. Portions were too large for us to get desert, whoever was complaining about quantity must only dine at The Cheesecake Factory. We'll certainly be back. Fazzini's goes into our regular dining rotation.
(5)linda f.
We arrived about 4:30 on a Tuesday afternoon. Aside from my husband and me, there was only one more table with patrons. My husband ordered the cream of crab soup. It was very "watery", and about one spoon of canned crab meat in it. It tasted like a canned soup. We ordered a pizza to share, and lasagna to share. The rest of the food was ok. This was our 1st visit here, & we had a $5 coupon, if you spend $20 or more. We spent $42.00. The waiter came over and said we could not use the coupon because it was for lunch. I asked to speak to the manager. i explained that I could not read the small print about lunch only. I told him this was our 1st visit, and the cream of crab soup was sub par. He basically told us that is the rule ! I told him he should have honored the $5. since I would tell my friends about his place. He did not care. I would not ever go there again, there are too many other places. By the way, we left at 5:50 pm, and still NO Customers in this place.
(2)Quintin P.
Food is good, portion size is small. I'm an old customer from the old Cranbrook location. Ambience is nice, good wine store , staff is trained.
(3)D C.
So, I went there last week and ordered two pizzas to go. They were delicious! Will be back!
(4)Melissa C.
After several awesome visits to Fazzini's I finally decided to write my review. I am usually there for happy hour and I must say that the cocktails are great, staff is friendly and accommodating and the food is top notch. The view from the bar shows a wood burning pizza oven from which all the food I have ordered has been amazing. Shrimp in garlic sauce, baked goat cheese in marinara and the wood fired pizzas are my favorites but everything else has been great. I highly recommend to anyone reading that they go for casual happy hour or to the dining room for a special occasion!
(5)Edward M.
Ate there Oct. 25. The hostess was inappropriately dressed in a short tight red skirt, sleeveless top with bra straps showing...she looked like a hooker! The food was mediocre at best. The eggplant parm. was too cheesy and the chicken Marsala was not good and did not taste like it should. The service was fair, but it was very busy. We were given a lemoncello at the end of the meal...a nice gesture, but it tasted watered down and not good. Needless to say, we will not return.
(2)Jennifer S.
OK boys get a clue. Food that you have is great, But everyone in our party has to be in the mood for pasta or pizza. That rarely happens. We would be there three times a week if you would offer some Light fare or at least a burger for people who don't want to smell of garlic. How about a sandwich out of that bread you make? Buy the way, deep frying chicken breasts and then smothering it in sauce is like cutting into old tennis shoes. Yuck! Pizza yum.
(3)Amy B.
We had the most adorable waiter here - he was helpful with the menu, provided great service, and stuck out as a hardworking kid. We got the margarita and crab pizzas and both were absolutely delicious. The white sangria - which was suggested by the waiter, but not on the menu - was fantastic! Will definitely return!
(5)Christopher S.
I am not sure why reviews are only a 3. This was the best pizza I've had in long time. Chicken pesto....mmmmm. Crust was delish! I had pasta fusilli soup, hubby had cream of crab. Service was excellent, hostess was very pleasant. Great dining experience.
(5)A. C.
(8/15/2014) We were longtime fans and regulars at the old Fazzini's, which many reviewers apparently were. We do miss the old Fazzini's, too, but no going back, and no point belaboring comparisons. If you're jonesing for the old menu, get the carryout. We came for Restaurant Week, but only one of us got the RW options. The draw of the wood-fired oven led us to pizzas, the Arugula and Prosciutto and the Pampered Kale and Garlic. Both were very salty, the Prosciutto especially so. Pizza crust was very chewy, kind of too, solid crusty exterior, A little bit of sooty char on the bottom. Possibly our pizzas were a touch overdone, cheese seem dried and tough (no strings, the best part about cheesy pizzas), "runny farm egg" not runny, kale done until crispy (like chips). We definitely missed the red sauce, will remember that next time. The Chickpea Fries (Panelle) were, um, interesting, but not unpleasant. Was described by our jaunty server as "deep-fried hummus sticks." They were molten, right out of the fryer, creamy, cumin/curry flavored, came with some kind of lemony-garlic mayo dipping sauce. Off the RW menu the entree Grilled Salmon was deemed good, flavorful, moist, paired nicely with fresh corn and a very wet looking couscous. Tiramisu was not as expected and really, really boozy (someone's got a heavy pour). A Caprese Salad was OK, only disappointing in that the tomatoes were not very ripe, which is a shame since it's tomato season right now. Regular menu is a touch pricey for what it is. Service is very present (and unfortunately so when you're the table right in front of the service station (they are literally looking over your shoulder all the time). You can see everyone's trying really hard to make it great and we appreciate that, will give them another shot just out of loyalty.
(3)Glenn S.
We had a wedding rehearsal dinner here over the weekend. I didn't even know this palce existed until we pulled up. The two guys who brought out our appetizers and the food were super friendly. The food itself was really really good. I wasn't expecting that to be honest. We had chicken parm, baked ziti, ceasar salad and veggie risoto. All of them were great. The chicken parm was nice and juicy and the baked ziti had the perfect ration of sauce/cheese. I'd definitely like to come back for a full meal sometime.
(4)Jonathan P.
This is my first time in their new location. There a lot of windows which give the interior a nice open / airy feel. Our server was nice. As an appetizer, I had the French onion soup. It was amaaazzzing!! Probably the best I've ever had. For the main course, I had the lasagna. It was good as well but the French onion soup was filling so I didn't have much of the lasagna. My wife had the chicken salad sandwich. It was bland and I wouldn't recommend that meal. This place is an Italian restaurant so I would stick with pasta and pizza.
(4)Deborah G.
Fazzini's has worked out some of its new location issues but still needs to improve on the food. The first time we dined I wanted pizza so we had the basic tomato and cheese pie with mushrooms. The pie was beautiful to see when it arrived at our table, however, the crust was thick and tough for us to chew. There is nothing more to say about the pizza as it was disappointing but I decided we would come back to try other items on the menu. After reading the Sun review I made a reservation to try something different and give them a second chance. We started with the shrimp in butter sauce. There were only four medium shrimp in a large casserole and the butter sauce was baked hard onto the bottom. A little more sauce and a few more shrimp would have made this a better appetizer for two adults. They also topped this with more of their bread which is not very good. It tastes like bread from a plastic bag. Why serve such a mediocre bread to your customers when you want to be a better restaurant on busy York Road? I had a side salad which was large, fresh and very tasty. Even though the dressing was sweet I liked it. It made for a nice opener to the meal. Then I had the mushroom ravioli. Just like the pizza, the dough was too thick. Ravioli should be thin and not chewy. I cut my pasta bags with a knife. Good thin ravioli needs only to be cut with a fork. The marinara sauce had lumps of tomato in it and was not tasty. Sorry I make tomato sauce better than this sauce. There was no distinctive memorable flavors from this meal. My husband had the chicken marsala with rigatoni. He gave me a taste of the chicken and this was tender and tasty. This and the salad are 4 star items. The shrimp is a 3 and my ravioli was a 2 star. We had great service from our waiter and he got the order right without us asking over and over. Also our water bottle was filled so we never went dry. I like the interior as it is spacious and more modern than the little hole in the wall it had at the strip shopping center on Cranbrook. I am hoping the owners can get this restaurant on track.. The menu needs some work to make it more interesting. I will return in a month or so to see if they can make additional improvements to the food.
(3)Brian P.
I attend a monthly meeting here. The food is outstanding especially the pasta dishes, the wood fire pizza is also very delicious. They have a crab dip pizza that is excellent. Would recommend to anyone
(5)Thea L.
I'm an Italian transplant from NYC and I took some visiting family to Fazzini's for dinner. I reserved a table through OpenTable and we were seated within 10 minutes of arrival, even with the place being pretty busy. Our waiter, Erik, was extremely knowledgeable about the menu and was very attentive. We started with the baccala fritters. I never had better baccala in my life (don't tell my grandmother)! For my entree, I had the risotto with roast pork, arugula & green apples and it was amazing. I tried my mother's house-made gnocchi and it melted in my mouth. The drinks were excellent and the beer selection was well thought out and had quite a few craft beers that you do not usually find on a menu not at a bar. The wine menu looked extensive, but I am not a big wine drinker, so I cannot speak to it. Just a note- the children's menu items are a bit small, especially if you have a kid that likes to eat. Usually New Yorkers always have a place back home that is better than anywhere you take them, but everyone agreed that it was just as good, or better, than what they can get in New York. Which is really saying something. This was my first time here, and I foresee myself becoming a regular.
(5)Becky M.
Mmm mmm good. I went about 2 weeks ago with a friend to try out the new location. We had no idea they had moved! We had a Caesar salad to start, then Grilled Pork Risotto and the evening's special, NY Strip, asparagus, and truffle fries. OH how I love truffle fries! Not too many places in the area have truffle fries. The food was great, the service was even better. Our server was on point, not too pushy, filled glasses & cleared plates, but he was very down to earth, personable, and had a sense of humor. There were quite a few desserts we wanted to try, but the pink cheesecake came with a donation to the Susan G Komen Foundation (we went during October/Breast Cancer awareness month), so we couldn't opted for cheesecake! I thought this was a really neat idea! First time I've seen a pink food item come along with a donation. Parking was easy - big log in the back. And access in/out was easy, it's right off of York Road. I could see Fazzini's as a versatile place, I would feel comfortable going in jeans and sitting at the bar watching a football game OR dressing up a bit and having a nice date night. They had a wine shop on the side, which we did not get a chance to check out, but looks like there is quite the selection!!! I think they also have online ordering for take-out, which I am a huge fan of. I love online ordering for when I have groups of people over, and I just pass the computer around and have each person add what they want. Can't wait to go back, there's a ton of items on the menu I'd like to try (PIZZA!), plus I need to check out their wine shop!
(5)Dawn D.
We have been here twice in about two weeks time and consider this our new favorite place on the York Road corridor. And maybe even beyond. Terrific service on both of our visits including two different manager type people coming to chat and make sure we enjoyed our meals, which always just makes you feel so appreciated, you know? Diverse menu with entrees that vary from the more casual but delicious wood fired pizzas to handmade pastas to higher end grill type items like a veal chop, etc. I can't get out of the pasta menu to even look at anything else because their homemade pasta is so wonderful and fresh. On our first trip I had the gnocchi, which was perfect, light and fluffy, yet comforting, served with perfectly cooked shrimp. Last night I had the lasagna which was just what I wanted on a snowy December night...warm and cheesy gooey with homemade lasagna noodles and delicious sauce. We've tried many of the apps, and though all were great, we really loved the polenta fries, which were crunchy crispy and well seasoned. We also are totally addicted to the meatballs which are dense and meaty. (insert dirty joke here) Funnily enough, both of our visits included quirky requests since I, who rarely has any changes and want my food as the chef intended, seem to eat with people who are, well...quirky. First we had my crazy mother request the risotto of the night that featured fried oysters, mushrooms and all other kinds of awesome stuff...but my mother, requested it sans risotto. And sans everything else. She just wanted the fried oysters. And darn if they didn't accommodate her. They even custom made her a sauce to go with them! Then, 2 weeks later, my pasta hating husband asks for a "bowl of meat sauce with meatballs on top." Yeah. Read that again. Welcome to my world. But darn if they didn't accommodate him. Though I am a little bit nervous to even contemplate what crazy request my next dinner companion might come up with, you better believe that I will be back to eat their fabulous food.
(5)Nikeita P.
Two stars only because the Customer service here is very good. To be honest, I've never enjoyed Fazzinis. I've dined in the past and present location however for some reason I haven't found one item on their menu that was slightly appetizing. It's not disgusting but it is always bland to me - this coming from a girl who rarely uses salt and sugar in the preparation of anything. Hubby wanted to grab something to much on so I decided I would give them another shot. This was my second time in their new location and we decided to try their calamari. Like I stated before, it was bland and unappetizing but my husband loved it. We typically order water and lemons for our drinks and I noticed immediately that tap water is served in their glass bottles.
(2)Louise B.
Wow! Just walked out. Pull up and 4 cars in parking lot. Looking forward to a nice comfy both and a plate of pasta. Instead the hostess walks up from a different room, literally eyes me up and down and takes us to the worst smallest corner table as usual. I had on cute shorts and a cute button down. Did I or does anyone really deserve to be looked up and down at any restaurant. When I declined the table she rudely said she would find another, took us into the other room past booths and directed us to another small 2 top. I declined and said I would leave. She rudely said "fine" and turned on her heels as I asked for the owner or manager. Ari came over (who wrote apology previously seen below). I explained how many times this has happened to me and I keep returning because I do enjoy their food but this time I just was leaving. He did apologize and said this was an ongoing issue and would address it. 4 tables in the restaurant on a Sunday at 6 pm. Not a good sign. I left and enjoying burgers somewhere else. Last couple of time good food, better portions but every time I go (probably 4 or 5 times) the hostess attempts to seat us in the worst spot possible. Dining room practically empty. Ask why every time and they say they save the other tables for people who may come in later. Hint- your restaurant has never been even 1/2 full. Appreciate the people who are there and stop worrying about future customers who may or may not show up.
(1)Lily R.
Not sure why the recent reviews have been so bad- I went to the new Fazzini's location recently and the food was as good as the old location. Maybe they have been working out some quirks, but things seem to be back to normal. The new building is much more modern and elegant, but the atmosphere feels pretty informal. The soft bread was delicious as always, served with roasted garlic cloves in olive oil. I had a Caesar salad as an appetizer, which was nothing special. The Caesar dressing is particularly tangy and citrusy, where I prefer mine creamy. They must put a lot of lemon in it. I had the eggplant parmigiana entree, and it was really good. They slice the eggplant very thinly here, and assemble it in a sort of tower in a ramekin with tons of cheese. I think it was actually called the eggplant tower at the old location, but they have classed up the menu names in the new restaurant. My fellow diner had the roast pork risotto, which she enjoyed immensely, and noted it was one of the most creative and new dishes she had had in recent memory. It had tender pork, apples, arugula (?) on risotto. I had the tiramisu for dessert, and it was good but I wasn't overly impressed. They sprinkle it with cinnamon instead of cocoa, which made the taste a bit weird to me, when combined with the coffee flavor. My co-diner had the chocolate gelato, which was a huge portion served with a biscotti (biscotto?) and tasted like fudgesicles.
(4)Sara K.
We were big fans of the previous location and I enjoyed the new, more upscale atmosphere. The decor is very nice and our server, Bethany, was excellent. We started with the arancini and unfortunately they left something to be desired. I found them nearly flavorless and while the sauce had a good flavor, its chunky consistency made it not ideal for dipping. Next we were served bread, which was okay. I have never thought Fazzini's bread was particularly great/flavorful, but I really enjoyed the new seasoned/infused olive oil brought with it. I ordered the baked rigatoni for my entree. Fazzini's still has the homemade pasta, which I love for its great al dente texture. The flavors and temperature of the dish were perfect. One other thing I want to mention is I did not like the music that was played and I hope they will change it. It was mostly John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, and slow Maroon 5. I would really prefer to hear maybe some older music like Sinatra because what was played didn't really fit with the vibe of the restaurant. Overall I will continue to come back for the fresh pasta but I hope they will make a few changes as mentioned above.
(4)dane h.
This place did nothing for me on first visit. I had the special -- a scallop/mushroom/goat cheese/sun-dried tomato risotto. I did NOT like the flavor of this dish at all! Too much sour from the goat cheese and sun-dried tomato. The scallops were the worst seafood I had in a week in Baltimore. I expected much better from a place that bills itself as high-end Italian. Waiter was weird and we hardly saw him. He never asked if we wanted salads with our entrees.
(2)Jessica S.
I hosted a bridal shower for 30 people here last weekend and it was awesome! We had it in the private party room. The decor was neutral so it was perfect for adding our own person touches. Ari, the owner/event planner was super helpful from beginning to end in the planning process. I had never been to eat here before so it was a bit of a risk to have a party here, but I couldn't have been more pleased! A few of my friends and I went a couple weeks before the party so test of some of the options on the party menu so I could choose a delicious menu. Everyone was very accommodating and gave us suggestions on their favorite dishes. We ended up doing Caesar salad (amazing! Not over dressed and nice crisp romaine), rigatoni with basil pesto cream sauce (heavenly, my favorite dish), the famous lasagna (famous for a reason!), and the veggie risotto (creamy but not too heavy with the addition of big chunky veggies on top). We brought our own desserts and there was no fee which was great! We were able to come an hour before the party to set up and everyone was very helpful! I would definitely recommend having a party here! Or just going for lunch or dinner! Oh, and for brunch! The blood Mary is delicious! Thank you to everyone who helped make this "the best bridal shower I'd ever been to!" -words from the bride to be!
(5)Spencer D.
I love Fazzini's Taverna. My favorite Italian place in the Towson area. The food is fantastic! I frequent here a lot and I have never had a bad experience. It's my go to place for a date. The food always comes in big portions. The layout and style of the place is very beautiful. It's a popular place so I recommend getting a reservation way in advance. Other than I have no complaints about Frazzini's. I highly recommend this restaurant.
(4)Micah K.
My family have been patrons of Fazzini's Taverna since I was a kid and it was in its old location in the shopping mall. A few weeks ago we went to its new location for the first time for my mom's birthday and I am happy to say that it is just as good (and in some cases better) than it has ever been before! Now, right off the bat, I will say that despite having a reservation we did have to wait an extra 30 minutes to get seated but management apologized multiple times and this is to be expected on a Saturday night. And while I do feel bad for the people who walked in off the street and were told it was a two-hour wait to be seated, isn't this a good thing for the restaurant? Doesn't this mean the restaurant is good? Wouldn't you rather eat at a restaurant that has a long wait versus a restaurant that is completely empty? Plus, you walked in off the street at 7:00 on a Saturday night - what did you expect?! As for the food, I only have one disappointment - my favorite menu item from the old location did not make its way to the new one. I used to always get the frutti de mare dish and on this visit had to find something new to eat. But I decided to order off the Restaurant Week menu and I was very happy with my choice. For my main course I got the baked lasagna and it was delicious! And when I made my reservation I had told the hostess that it was for my mom's birthday and I guess she told our waitress because at the end of the meal they brought my mom a huge dessert lit up with a candle that we did not get charged for. I am extremely happy for the owners because I think the move to their new location only means bigger and better things for them and the restaurant, which in turn translates to an even better restaurant for all of us. I do miss being able to bring in my own beer or wine and I do miss the frutti de mare but otherwise this restaurant gets the same five-star review I would have given it at its old location.
(5)Shawn P.
Overpriced and way too much cheese on everything we ate. Better options out there for Italian.
(3)Stephanie R.
Overpriced mediocre food. Got attitude when I sent back a cocktail that tasted like pure alcohol. Tried to sit on the deck during the summer and was underneath a bee's nest. Happy hour specials are unimpressive.
(2)Casey S.
Wood fire brick oven pizza is such a soft spot for me and maybe that is why im addicted to the kale pizza with the running farm egg in the middle. But who knows! I have eaten at this spot several times and always had a pleasant experience. I will say that their is a server their named Jay that is by far the "perfect" waiter i have ever had the chance to have serve me. My water level was never below half full, all special requests were welcomed with open arms ( my friends can be picky eaters), all delivery pipping hot! You should definitely try to meatball appetizer, mmmmm mmmm good! I absolutely love support local business and Fazzini's Taverna is owned and operated by a great family LOCAL team.
(5)Frank L.
We thought it was great. I read some bad reviews, but we had a juice experience here. Nice decor, good location, attentive staff. The calamari is crispy and fresh, the chicken piccata was out of this world, the risotto of the day was really nice with big shrimp and a light sauce. The ice cream cones in crocks like they use for. French onion soup, so two can share dessert.
(5)Jarrod F.
I came here last Sunday with my family. We were a party of 16 (if I remember correctly). The restaurant is new but I see big potential. The place is really clean. The menu is smart and the owner is a very nice guy. The food was pretty good. Sure their could be improvement however the pizzas were crisp and thin... The chicken parm was plump and the pastas are homemade. I thought the salads were fair but they were side salads so I can't be too harsh. What I like about this place is that the owner cares about his customers opinions. He is determined and had a great staff. Is the food excellent? Not quite there yet but I see a lot of promise and I like the concept.
(4)C P.
Great service (Kim), delicious meal served quickly plus manager made sure everything was exceptional. The grilled salmon was fantastic! Slightly crispy outside while perfectly tender inside. The accompanying cous cous was a tangy complement. My son didn't want to leave the last piece of pizza. Insisted we take it home. That was a first.
(5)S K.
This was our first time at the new location and I have to say it doesn't seem like they have quite gained their footing yet. We showed up on a Saturday night without reservations just two of us and were seated in the bar area which was fine. What was disturbing was the reservation they could not find for another party. There were several people in on this issue. The man operating the computer, multiple hostesses and instead of just apologizing and setting up something for this party they left them standing there for 20 or so minutes while there were tables available. The reason I feel this was an issue in addition to the poor way it was handled was there was a man in this party obviously affected by a stroke or illness who needed a cane to stand or walk. Instead of their bumbling, just apologize and work quickly to seat them! I was bothered by the whole situation. Okay off my soap box and on to the food. Our waiter was Mike one of the bartenders. Happy and positive so not one complaint about our service or server. Bread arrives. It was cold. I don't mean room temperature but cold. I watched wait staff line up bread on the bar in front of the pizza oven. Six seven tables worth at a time. It never seemed to come from the oven. We ordered the mussels appetizer to share. Plenty for the two of us with two slices grilled Italian bread. This would have raised the bar minus some insufficient cleaning of the mussels hence grit sand. When we ordered dinner I asked specifically if the fruit de marra was spicy. Mike said no. The menu described mussels shrimp scallops and calamari in a tomato based sauce over pasta. Upon arrival a fair amount of mussels, two shrimp, two scallops, no calamari. Pasta way under cooked not even close to al dente. Spicy. Close to fra Diablo spicy. I was able to eat about a quarter of it before my stomach protested. Mike did comp our dessert and offered coffee or a drink to compensate but my stomach won. Could only bear two bites of my dessert. My husband enjoyed the rest. He now also has a nice lunch to enjoy while I suffered with an upset stomach. He enjoyed his meal of scallops and homemade fettuccine. I am saddened that this establishment has succumbed to quantity over quality. Thanks Mike for trying.
(3)Melissa F.
My family hosted a baby shower for me at Fazzini's in May. Ari was very easy to work with when planning the shower and he accommodated any special requests we had. The food was excellent and the staff were professional and friendly. Our guests really enjoyed the private room and food--I would gladly recommend Fazzini's to anyone looking for a private dining space.
(4)Sung C.
6/13 First time dinning inside the restaurant. Food is AMAZING and service was PHENOMENAL! What a difference! Really love everything about Fazzini's. Hope to come back soon :) 6/6 Update Seems like Fazzini is finally getting the hang of the new location! To be honest, I was pretty skeptical about going back but I thought I would give it another go. This time, since I had such horrible service over the phone I decided to walk in and order. As I was walking in, all the customers who was leaving had nothing but good things to say about this place! I was quite impressed by it and I felt more reassured taking another chance at Fazzini. I could definitely notice the improvement, staffs were lot more friendlier and seemed in control of what they were doing. Service was promptly managed as well. Only down side was the portion... I don't know, is it just me? Each visit, my order seems to get smaller and smaller. At least the taste hasn't changed which is important. Still serving the most delicious food in town! Overall, despite the smaller portion of the food I'm quite satisfied with my experience tonight. I'm really glad things are looking up for Fazzini because I really love their food~! Keep up the good work! By the way, Thanks for the reply Ari (Owner) I really appreciate the fact that you are reading these reviews and making improvements. Kudos to you! Now if we can get food portion to increase a bit and start delivering these delicious food! ;)
(5)Matthew C.
We had high hopes for this place. Nice exterior and an interesting menu. We showed up for a late lunch (1 pm) with a party of five, plus two kids. All the adults order a soup/salad and an entree. The soups/salad came out fairly quickly and was decent. Then the wait started. And continued. And continued. And continued. None of these were complicated items (two we're cold cuts). After over 50 minutes of politely waiting we pressed our waiter who told us there was "a large party". So we continued to wait. We asked to see a manger. None arrived. When the food arrived, the kids meal came out, then two meals came out, followed by two more five minutes later, followed by one more five minutes after that. The food, after arriving, was so-so. It certainly was not worth an hour plus of awkwardly trying to make eye contact with the staff. The cheese steak lacked cheese, the fries were lukewarm, and the pizza was ho-hum at best. When a manager arrived at the end of our meal, he was dismissive of our issues saying "we have a large party and are backed up". Will not be returning.
(1)Nathan P.
Went in for a pizza and a beer on their happy hour. The pizza was fantastic, authentic wood-fire-oven Neapolitan pizza- very good. Can't wait to go back.
(5)barbara m.
When in for lunch with the thought in mind that this was the kosmokos. We would go there specifically for the Greek salad they were the best anywhere the place really is beautiful inside and the waiters are super friendly the bread is to die for but the salad I had with chicken on top had to be the worst piece of chicken I've ever had I couldn't cut it I couldn't get my fork through it and I could barely chew it. So while there are a few restaurants out there that will keep you coming just for the salad this ain't one of them
(2)Hayley H.
Our meal at fazzinnis was outstanding. The strawberry basil lemonade and Moscow mule drinks were refreshing. The tuna tartare and hummus were delicious and super fresh, the caseys baked rig was huge and cheesy and yummy. The kale and garlic pizza with runny egg was beyond anything I could have asked for and the egg was perfectly cooked! We couldn't finish it all because portions were huge! We did order the tiramisu and were so happy because it ended the meal on a perfectly sweet note. The house made limoncello was also a nice surprise! We can't wait to get home and have the leftovers as a midnight snack! Can't wait to go back to fazzinnis really soon and try something new!
(5)Crystal A.
Bellissimo! I am an Italian who knows good Italian food, and I am telling you this is the real deal here!! The gnocchi may have even been better than my Nonna(God rest her soul) . Very accomodating for special requests. Our waiter was excellent. Owner present walking among tables. I cannot wait to return to try the other offerings. MANGI GODONO!
(5)Matt H.
Let me start by saying this review Is low for 2 specific reasons. This place is bright, clean, great me u and good beer selections. 3 of us showed up for lunch the bartender picked up on this and said he would see everything came out fast. After his 5th horrible pun joke we started to ignore him completely. When our food came (in not what I would call was fast) one of our orders was completely wrong. Reg. cheese instead of chicken cheese steak but we did not have the time to wait for it to be remade. The kicker is we were charged full price. Would I go here again? Yes, but if Mike the bartender is working I will walk right out and go somewhere else. Mike and the unapologetic wrong order drove this review from a 4 to 1.
(1)Mark S.
Best I can do is 3 stars. We ate at a bar table with two friends. I ordered a draft beer, my wife ordered a Pino wine. The waiter came back and told her they were out of Pino wine so he suggested another type. He came back with that and she said it wasn't very good. He took it back then came back and said he made a mistake, they did have what she wanted. He was a new waiter I think. I ordered rigatoni in marinara with meatballs. The sauce was tangy and good. The homemade pasta was over-cooked. The meatballs, small little golf balls were tasteless. Throw in some garlic and oregano in those will ya guys? One friend had veal Marsala which he said was just so-so. Other friend had shrimp friviolo (sp?). She said she didn't like the sauce. My wife got soup and a garlic shrimp app. She said they were good. Most annoying was the charge of $9 for the smallest amount of wine my wife has ever had. When she asked the waiter about this he said they fill the wine up to the Fazzini label on the glass. That label was less then a fourth of the way up the glass. At $9 that's a ripoff. Oh, and the waiter asked if she wanted another glass of wine after finishing the first. She asked him to bring it with her meal. He showed up with it when she was 1/2 way finished her meal. Had a party of 8 or so rowdies next to us which didn't help matters. No one said anything to them. Don't think we'll be back.
(3)Jill A.
Update: The owner sent me a very rude and aggressive private message because I had the audacity to not like his restaurant. We will never go back to Fazzini's, and that's a shame. I am really confused. My fiance and I loved Fazzini's (you can read my original review about it here: yelp.com/biz/fazzinis-it ...). It was a diamond in the rough - cozy, great service, insanely delicious food. It was the sort of place you couldn't believe you stumbled upon in a strip mall. When they announced they were expanding and moving into a more prominent location, we were genuinely excited for them because it would give them more exposure and hopefully it meant they were doing well enough to warrant the big upgrade in location. We went to check it out last night and were disappointed to discover that along with the new location they now have a completely new staff, a new chef, a new vibe and a totally new menu. Any trace of the old Fazzini's is gone. I don't know what happened, or why they would change so much about such a great restaurant, but it is no longer Fazzini's, despite the name. It's hard to compare the two drastically different eateries without expressing my sincere disappointment in the direction they've gone in, but I'm going to try to be objective in my review without dwelling on how much I miss the old Fazzini's. The decor is really lovely. The coziness of Fazzini's is gone, in its place is a dark, more modern upscale feel. It's a much larger space, and the bar is pretty big. The music was droning new age stuff that seemed really out of place. In fact, a group of customers near us actually asked them to change it to something less... depressing (they didn't). The menu is completely different from the old Fazzini's. It's more expensive with fewer items and has some strange options, like hummus and falafel. It would be hard to define the new Fazzini's as an Italian restaurant when it lacks direction in the wine and food (wines range from Argentina to Israel, the food is more all-encompassing Mediterranean than Italian). We ordered the tomato crostini (more on that below), the gnocchetti marinara, and a margherita pizza. The pizza was pretty good, and they have a proper oven for it. I wasn't expecting a white pizza, but it turned out to be the best thing we ordered. The gnocchetti was a little gummy, but the sauce it came in was reminiscent of the old Fazzini's sauce. The sausage we ordered with it was fantastic. We had to ask for it a few times, but the bread they brought out was similar to the old Fazzini's as well, minus the yummy roasted garlic that used to come with it. The service left a little to be desired, but since the location is new and they're clearly still working out some kinks, I can't be too hard on them for it. However, one thing that jumped out at me was when we had a problem, it was handled in a really bizarre way. Our appetizer, which was meant to be warm, came out freezing cold and rock hard as if it had just been pulled from the fridge without being warmed. When we asked about it, the bartender who served us didn't believe us that it was cold, she insisted it was warm (without trying it), and sort of acted like we were just being picky. She walked away for a while, and when she came back we kind of mentioned it again because she really did not believe us the first time. She deferred to the man who had been sitting next to me at the bar the entire time, who turned out to be a manager-type. So a manager was about a foot away and overheard our complaint, saw her ignore us and walk away, and then listened to us discuss how awkward the situation was and how we couldn't eat the appetizer because it was ice-cold, yet just sat there silently without saying a word until the bartender brought him into the conversation? It was weird. All in all, it was not the Fazzini's that everyone knew and loved. If you go there expecting the old Fazzini's, like we did, you're going to be disappointed. Like I said, it was hard to be objective when the old Fazzini's set the bar so high. While we probably won't be back very soon, I would be curious to see how they're doing in a few months when they've had time to redefine themselves and settle in.
(2)Greg P.
I am surprised to read a lot of the negative reviews about Fazzini's on Yelp. With any restaurant the first few months you have to work out the kinks in terms of training servers and delivering consistent quality dishes. With that said, my wife and I went last night at 7 and the place was busy. We were seated immediately and our service was exceptional. Our dishes came out timely and everything either met or exceeded our expectations. Our favorite items from the night were the Eggplant Parmesean, Asparagus and bread with garlic oil. Maybe it was because we were hungry but my wife and I ate two servings of the bread, outstanding! The Eggplant Parmesean was up there with the best I have ever had and the portion was large enough that I had a snack size leftover for the next day. The Asparagus was cooked perfectly and served with an olive tapanade that I was basically licking of the plate. We also split the the calamari and my wife had the pizza, both were good but the Eggplant was definitely the star. Our server, Ian, was very attentive and did a great job to consistently check back on us. The timing of all of the food was perfect and we experienced no delays, which I was expecting from other reviews and because it was crowded. The interior and ambiance of Fazzini's is very nice - clean, modern, and spacious. The bar area is a nice spot to drop in and have a few drinks/apps/pizza. I was impressed with our first dining experience and Fazzini's is now in our rotation of places to dine in the area.
(4)Marcella S.
The food was very good. The ambience was superb. My waitress Lindsey was the very best. She was very attentive and knowledgable about the food and drinks. I would definitely visit again.
(5)Ash P.
The new Fazzini's earns one star for the goat cheese and marinara appetizer that came with bread - it was delicious. The cheese had a pleasing soft texture and bread was fresh. Upon asking waitress a question about a menu item, she said it was "exactly what it sounds like" on the menu. Thanks for the help. Blood Orange margarita, which is a drink listed on the menu, was served unshaken/unmixed and was too sour. Moscow Mule was at least drinkable. Our waitress repeatedly said she was bringing us bread and did not bring it until we received our appetizer, which already included it's own bread. We were the only table in the restaurant (4pm on a weekday) so I can't imagine that she was all that busy. The bread thing wouldn't bother anybody if it wasn't for what happened afterwards. I ordered the capellini (angel hair pasta) in tomato cream sauce with meatballs and my boyfriend ordered the sausage and pepperoni pizza. Pizza had okay flavor but was seriously greasy. We've had better from the old Fazzini's. My pasta, however, was bad enough to send back to the kitchen after only eating a few bites. Meatballs, more like MeatSquares, tasted like old frozen hamburger meat, pasta was overcooked, and sauce was bland. Sent back at the end of the meal and the waitress "apologized" for it and handed us our bill. Spent over $60 for bad drinks, bad service, AND a pasta dish that was NEVER taken off the check. At that point we just wanted to escape the bad experience. We payed the check, left, and will not be returning. Again, one star for the appetizer. Minus four stars for a really bad dinner all around the board.
(1)Pam D.
My husband and I and two friends returned to Fazzini's last week for the first time after 3 months. Our prior two experiences at the new location had not been good. We loved the great food and the service at the prior location so we really are rooting for the restaurant to do well. In our opinion, the service issues continue to be a huge problem. There are servers everywhere but our experience was yet again, the service was painfully and inexplicably slow. If the floor managers/owners could just get the service glitches straightened out, things would be much better. Ratings for our visit last week: food - 4 stars, decor - 4 stars, service - 1 star, value of the portions to price - 2 stars. Overall: 3 stars FOOD: - A friend and I both had lasagna. The sauce was still a little acidic. Taste was excellent. Portion size was generous. As others have noted and we agree, $18 for a wedge of lasagna when there is no accompanying salad or side is steep. - Hubby had chicken piccata. He normally has veal and in our prior two visits, his veal and pasta arrived completely cold with no sauce and the server and floor manager vaporized and were no where to be found. Hubby's chicken piccata this visit was piping hot and Ari, the owner, even asked our server to confirm with hubby that he wanted chicken, not veal as Ari correctly (and to his credit) remembered that hubby normally ordered veal. The piccata was well sauced as hubby had requested and he felt the flavor was quite good. Portion size was on the small size. - Another friend had the risotto special. Portion was small and he said he would definitely not order it again. He felt it was bland and just not appealing in taste or appearance so that item was the food dud of our evening. SERVICE: Here are the specifics of why we felt the service is 1 star. - We arrived at 7:25 for a 7:30 reservation on a Tuesday night and were seated promptly which was good. We waited and waited and waited for a server. At 7:55, a server named Lauren and someone tagging with her who must have been a trainee, arrived at our table and filled our water glasses. Lauren told us she was not our server and our server would be over soon. No drink orders were taken but at least we had water. (although we had no bread and that would have been nice). - At 8:00 (35 minutes after we sat down), our server, Johnny arrived to take our drink orders. We asked Johnny if we could have some bread and he said bread was served with entrees. That made no sense to us and we asked if he could please bring bread prior to the entrees. I told Johnny we were so hungry we were literally ready to chew the corners of the table. Didn't understand why we couldn't get bread prior to our entree. We waited and waited and waited and finally our iced teas arrived. Johnny took our orders and finally, after another 10 minutes, another server brought us some bread prior to our entrees. - Meals did arrive within a reasonable time period after we ordered which was good. Our iced tea glasses were empty and oddly, Johnny leaned over and asked me if I would like a refill (which I accepted) but did not ask my dinner companions if they wanted refills. He came back with my refill and my companions asked him if they too could have refills. My companions commented they felt it was very odd Johnny asked me if I wanted a refill but did not ask them when their glasses were empty. A couple of admittedly minor service nits. Our server had sunglasses perched on top of his head. Why? He referred to me as "dear" and my male dining companions as "my friends". While he was a personable gentleman, I don't really think it is appropriate to refer to a customer as "dear". He just wasn't particularly attentive at all. This is a beautiful restaurant and we continue to cheer for its success. The service issues really need to be addressed.
(3)Linda S.
The foods was tasty, but the service was dreadful. One main dish was not prepared as ordered, we had to ask for bread and no one offered us refills on beverages or inquired if the food was good. No one thanked us for coming as we left, although there were 4 employees at the desk by the door. At the prices they charge, you expect better. Don't they care if people come back? Apparently not.
(2)Kelly C.
We went for dinner last Friday night, first time since Piv's, and wasn't so good. No more game room which our kids loved, but loved the pretty makeover anyway. Waitress was not very knowledgable on most of the menu, had to keep running back and asking questions (I have a gluten allergy). We ordered the mussels which were less than fresh...downright questionable. I wanted to order a glass of wine when I scooped a rather foul little mussel but waitress was nowhere to be found. I had to drink hubby's glass to wash away the taste after spitting it out. My Caesar salad was just ok and hubby's steak was super good but served lukewarm. We may or may not return...nothing really stands out here.
(2)Michael L.
I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed. I've been here twice, once for lunch and once for dinner. Like many others, I was a huge fan of their Cranbrook location. Let's get the good down first: The food was pretty good. For lunch we had their calzones, which were awesome, and for dinner I had the lasagna, and the pappas bravas. All were pretty tasty. The lasagna was slightly above average and the pappas bravas were a bit better than that. The location is very nice, well appointed and all. Now for the not so good: No calzones for dinner! This is a crime. The prices are pretty crazy. 18$ for an above average lasagna with no side salad or anything? The entire menu is ala carte, no side salads or included sides. At those prices, it feels a bit exorbitant. I got a beer that I'm pretty sure was in a 12 oz glass, instead of the standard 16 oz. We came in at 5 on Sat with no reservation, the restaurant was basically empty and we were offered only a hightop or outdoor seating. It did fill up later, but there were still a lot of empty booths when we left. The bread was odd. It wasn't particularly good, we got two servings of it, and they were different kinds of bread. Also, there was a dude just tearing up bread for these at the bar. That's kind of a kitchen thing, I think. This is a minor nitpick, but I hate that style of placard menu. There's no place to put it and it's far too big. I know, I'm being picky. I get the feeling that they have overreached in a lot of areas and have lost the things that made their old location great. 'Fine dining' plus 'carryout' plus package goods, it seems to suffer from a lack of focus. It also seemed awfully overstaffed. Three hostesses on duty seem like a bit much. I know this location is fairly new, and there's a lot of tweaking to be done. I hope they get to the point where they can serve the fans of their old style and expand into the new 'finer dining' style they aspire to. I won't be back for dinner for months, but I may stop in for a lunch. Maybe they'll improve. Here's hoping!
(2)Amy G.
What a wonderful dinner for our group of 25! The management was wonderful to work with as we planned our end of the year dinner. The food was fantastic and the waitstaff was very attentive. Mike T. the bartender is out of this world. We all plan to come back to Fazzini's for more good times.
(5)Krista C.
Actually went to the old location looking for some good local Italian food. Was sad it wasn't where I remembered. Saw they moved and went to their new location! Felt like VIP, greeted by the owners, very friendly and well trained staff, food was amazing!! Best of luck in your new location!!!
(5)Jason L.
As a long time customer of Fazzinis, we were excited to try out this new concept. We came on a Friday night. We didnt have reservations, so were informed there would be a 25 minute wait. No problem. We got a drink at the bar. The drink menu is great, and the bartenders were attentive. Unfortunately, the bar was where the good service ended for us. We probably should have just ordered carryout, or ate at the bar. After 40 minutes, we began to wonder what was up. We checked in with the hostess, who said we were next on the list. So, we went back to the bar, and waited... And waited. In the bar area, there was an open table which was sitting there for at least 20 minutes. After another 15, we were finally seated at this table. It took another 10 minutes (which seemed like forever) to be acknowledged by our waiter. We ordered some wine. After 20 minutes with no wine, or water, I decided to grab one of the bottles of chilled water myself and had to pour our own water service. Nobody seemed to notice or care that I got out of my seat and had to pour my own water. Multiple times we had to check with him to see where our drinks were. When the waiter finally showed up with the wine, we clearly knew what we wanted to order. We had a pizza, salad, meatballs, and baked rigatoni. (We were starving by this point). After 30 mins or so, the food came out. It was decent, which is why I am giving 2 stars. The meatballs were from the brick oven. Sauce was great. Rigatoni was average at best. They give you bread and olive oil, but the olive oil isnt mixed together properly with the garlic. Honestly, the food was ok, but nothing special, certainly not worth the wait. Carryout is probably the way to go, or eat at the bar. It took another 20 minutes to get the check from our waiter. And then 10 more for him to pick up our credit card. The whole time, there were 3 or 4 manager/owner types standing around talking to each other. Not once did anyone come over to check on us or ask if we needed anything. That alone would have helped. I know this is a new place and they are working iut their kinks, but it seems like the employees had an attitude, and the place just opened. That plus a lack of customer service by the managers, failing to even wish us farewell upon exit, made it unlikely for us to come back here or refer this place to our friends, which is a shame.
(2)Liver P.
The old Fazzini's is gone, and the new Fazzini's is not very good. I am SOOoooo disappointed. Old Fazzini's had been at its old location for almost 30 years. In 2010 they sold the business to a new owner. He kept the same menu, maybe the same cooks. Everything is fine until he gets a grand idea go bigger and better.....BUT Every-single-thing that we ordered was not very good. The salad was warm. The Cesar dressing tasted like it was from the bottle. The calamari was VERY skimpy, more peppers than squid. The Alfredo sauce was gummy/sticky... like it was made in a large batch? Room temp tap water poured from bottles?? I guess that is supposed to be European?? And... no bread. That's right. They do not bring bread. I checked. None of the tables had bread. And they dont ask if you want bread. It seems like they spent a ton of money putting this restaurant together. I am in no hurry to go back anytime soon. I am mourning the loss of one of my favorite restaurants. The new owner should not have kept the Fazzini name. People expect a certain quality and are then disappointed.
(2)Ann F.
I have to say, we were very happy with our experience at Fazzini's. We made a reservation later in the evening for six of us. The first thing that impressed me was the fact that they called to confirm said reservation. I respect that! After reading the reviews I came extremely close to canceling and moving on. I'm glad we didn't. I will say two of our six dropped out. We made a plan B in case we needed it and forged ahead. We were greeted at the door with a big smile (a little more clothing on the hostess would have been nice but hey, if I had a cute little shape I wouldn't wear much either). Off to the bar to wait for our friends. Mike was our bartender and was great. On task and kept the drinks flowing. We got to our table and we were greeted by Johnny, an obviously professional server. He paced us well, answered all of our questions and made sure we were well taken care of. Our water was always filled and our drinks were always filled before we ran out. Appetizers were great. Who knew chick pea fries were even a thing? They are amazing. I will be making those at home. I had the salmon over cous cous. I have to say the cous cous was ice cold. I chose not to send it back because it wasn't a deal breaker. I'll just make sure I mention to check the temp next time to the server. Our food was excellent. We were some of the last folks there and didn't feel rushed. The manager came by at one point to check on us and Johnny was always available. We will be back and we will recommend to friends. Hopefully next time we can get all six of us there.
(4)Gina A.
Everything about our meal was wonderful. You could definitely tell that everything was fresh and handmade. Sausage meatball appetizer was small but excellent. House-made lemonade was delicious! Our server Chad went out of his way to make sure everything was perfect. Definitely going back.
(4)Christina E.
I was excited when Fazzini's moved to their new home on York road. The decor is very nice, the servers are polite and helpful and the package store has a great selection. That being said I truly miss the old Fazzini's. It had a very welcoming and homey feel and the first time you ate there you knew you had found something special. Now the menu is very limited and honestly while the food is good it doesn't taste as good as it used to (my favorite was there calzone which was seriously amazing and I found out when I got there it's now only a lunch item.) I had the baked rigatoni which was good but not nearly as tasty as the calzone. If you don't have the old Fazzini's to compare it to, definitely try it out. For me I'm a little too nostalgic.
(3)Paul B.
Haven't been there yet, but I am saddened by these reviews. This was the BEST little place and I was so looking forward to the new place. The chicken par was so outstanding I never order it anywhere else. Now what will I do? Has anyone who can compare old and new had the chicken parm. Can I go and try it. What should I do???
(3)Kristen S.
My husband and I took our 3 children here last night for the first time. The decor and menu are lovely, but we thought it was VERY pricey for what is supposed to be a family friendly restaurant. Entrees on the menu come with nothing--no salad or bread. Sorry, but if I am being charged $16 for meatless pasta, I think you can throw in a house salad. The food was good and the kids meals were decent. The server was attentive and helpful. However, we spent $95 with tip for 3 adult meatless pastas, 2 kids meals, and 4 drinks (non-alcoholic). Too much.
(2)Jeff K.
I had been to original Fazzini's location off Cranbrook a few times. Quite honestly I didn't care for the food or dining experience much. Now Fazzini's is in a new location, formerly PIV's off York Rd in Cockeysville. I decided to try the new location out to see how things have changed for hopefully the better....I was pleasantly surprised! THE GOOD... -plenty of parking -waiter was friendly and efficient -bread was served warm -pasta tasted really good -water was refilled promptly (glass is a bit small) THE BAD... -canoli's were just ok...I don't think I'd get them from here again though as the shells didn't taste that great -need either bigger water glasses or maybe a glass pitcher on the table Overall I enjoyed my return to Fazzini's. It's definitely different than before which is good. I'd return.
(4)Jude T.
Great, just like their old location! Great Italian-style pasta dishes full of deliciousness and you definitely get your money's worth when you come here. Service is wonderful. The new location is much fancier than the old one, but not much else has changed, and that's perfect!
(4)Ulrike R.
Love the service!!! Mike was great and told us jokes all night!!! Greek salad was the best I ever had and crab dip pizza was delicious!!! Can't wait to come back and try all the other food!
(5)Jennifer W.
We had Fazzini's cater our school teacher lunch and it wasn't bad, so I went with my parents and three year-old daughter. All around, extremely disappointing. The guy next to us sent back his salad twice and his soda, so things didn't look good right off the bat. I ordered spaghetti and meatballs for my daughter, who loves meatballs. It was overcooked, sticky pasta, with one extremely overcooked meatball that she couldn't even bite. We all tried it, and agreed it was the worst we ever had. My dad and I both had the Italy salad which wasn't bad to be fair. My mom's "thin crust" pizza was doughy with a huge crust. Fair at best. The worst part, was our waiter. Don't know his name but he is the awkward, 6'9" guy, you can't miss him. The moment we sat down, he asked us if we needed another minute. Heh? We hadn't even ordered drinks or looked at the menu. He also took our entire meal order before the drinks. i think he was nervous and confused. He came back about 15 times during the meal and awkwardly asked us numerous times how we were doing. It's fine to check in, but not twice when you only have water! Then, we didn't have 30 seconds peace before he was back again. He brought my daughter's lemonade in a huge, wet glass, and she almost immediately dropped it all over herself and us. He brought a side of sauce and commented how hot it was and that he was afraid to put it down. Again, what?? I finally just took it from him, and put it on the table. The same happened with the girl who brought the pizza. She was very concerned about the heat and putting it down. It was fine, but what the heck? Just tell us it's hot, and give the regular deal about touching it. Instead everyone just stood there with it in hand. The servers seemed uncomfortable with every request we had, which were few. He was very nice, just a terrible waiter. The food was not good. I really wish it was. It will remain crowded for a while since it's new, and people are dying for a good Italian place. Hopefully, the food will improve, and the servers will figure out how to do their job. Maybe some extra training and some refinement of the menu will help. I would try again in a few months to see.
(2)Y M.
1st time visiters my wife and I last night., to celebrate my 60th b day .Made 7 pm reservations, had an hours drive from Abbottstown pa (uggg,, no resturants here). WE arrived at 7 and were kindly seated at a nice comfy booth at the window. Our server Megan was an articulate, bubbly, gem, who knew the menu like the back of her hand. We started with the brick oven meat balls to share, with a glass of our very reasonablely priced bottle of Puglia region Italian Red. I mean 22 bucks for a bottle of good red, in Hunt Valley , Amazing. Meat balls , tender , sauce, bright, rustics and full flavored. WE then ordered our dinner, wife had a ceaser salad and I had the chicken franciase, which i asked could i get with Risota, and Megan cheerfully said, no problemo. Wife shared some of my chicken and it was also deliciousus, with a velvetty sauce of lemmon, wine, butter and capers on a bed of tender asparagras. Jeb, the owner came to our table to greet us and ask us how we were enjoying our visit, and he was very freindly, and you can tell with his personality it shows the ambiance of Fazzinis. I mentioned it was our 1st visit and my b day and he quickly said desets on him so we had an enormous layered Tirimissu which was a hevenly layered treasure of the best Italian standard in desert nurvana. THank you Megan, Jeb for a great dinner out, We;ll be back...
(4)Elliott P.
Dinner with friends was spectacular. Not too casual, not too stodgy. Server was attentive and friendly, and the food was VERY GOOD. Our next dinner out will be here.
(5)Terry B.
Sometimes bigger is not better...We were frequent patrons of the old place and gave the new one a try shortly after they opened. It was extremely disappointing. We gave them 6 months to work out the kinks and went back. It was still not very good. We ordered some of the old favorites and they just didn't taste the same. At inflated prices, the old quality wasn't there. And the service was reminiscent of Applebees. It's just not worth it.
(2)S K.
This was our first time at the new location and I have to say it doesn't seem like they have quite gained their footing yet. We showed up on a Saturday night without reservations just two of us and were seated in the bar area which was fine. What was disturbing was the reservation they could not find for another party. There were several people in on this issue. The man operating the computer, multiple hostesses and instead of just apologizing and setting up something for this party they left them standing there for 20 or so minutes while there were tables available. The reason I feel this was an issue in addition to the poor way it was handled was there was a man in this party obviously affected by a stroke or illness who needed a cane to stand or walk. Instead of their bumbling, just apologize and work quickly to seat them! I was bothered by the whole situation. Okay off my soap box and on to the food. Our waiter was Mike one of the bartenders. Happy and positive so not one complaint about our service or server. Bread arrives. It was cold. I don't mean room temperature but cold. I watched wait staff line up bread on the bar in front of the pizza oven. Six seven tables worth at a time. It never seemed to come from the oven. We ordered the mussels appetizer to share. Plenty for the two of us with two slices grilled Italian bread. This would have raised the bar minus some insufficient cleaning of the mussels hence grit sand. When we ordered dinner I asked specifically if the fruit de marra was spicy. Mike said no. The menu described mussels shrimp scallops and calamari in a tomato based sauce over pasta. Upon arrival a fair amount of mussels, two shrimp, two scallops, no calamari. Pasta way under cooked not even close to al dente. Spicy. Close to fra Diablo spicy. I was able to eat about a quarter of it before my stomach protested. Mike did comp our dessert and offered coffee or a drink to compensate but my stomach won. Could only bear two bites of my dessert. My husband enjoyed the rest. He now also has a nice lunch to enjoy while I suffered with an upset stomach. He enjoyed his meal of scallops and homemade fettuccine. I am saddened that this establishment has succumbed to quantity over quality. Thanks Mike for trying.
(3)Crystal A.
Bellissimo! I am an Italian who knows good Italian food, and I am telling you this is the real deal here!! The gnocchi may have even been better than my Nonna(God rest her soul) . Very accomodating for special requests. Our waiter was excellent. Owner present walking among tables. I cannot wait to return to try the other offerings. MANGI GODONO!
(5)Jeff K.
I had been to original Fazzini's location off Cranbrook a few times. Quite honestly I didn't care for the food or dining experience much. Now Fazzini's is in a new location, formerly PIV's off York Rd in Cockeysville. I decided to try the new location out to see how things have changed for hopefully the better....I was pleasantly surprised! THE GOOD... -plenty of parking -waiter was friendly and efficient -bread was served warm -pasta tasted really good -water was refilled promptly (glass is a bit small) THE BAD... -canoli's were just ok...I don't think I'd get them from here again though as the shells didn't taste that great -need either bigger water glasses or maybe a glass pitcher on the table Overall I enjoyed my return to Fazzini's. It's definitely different than before which is good. I'd return.
(4)Jude T.
Great, just like their old location! Great Italian-style pasta dishes full of deliciousness and you definitely get your money's worth when you come here. Service is wonderful. The new location is much fancier than the old one, but not much else has changed, and that's perfect!
(4)Ulrike R.
Love the service!!! Mike was great and told us jokes all night!!! Greek salad was the best I ever had and crab dip pizza was delicious!!! Can't wait to come back and try all the other food!
(5)Nikeita P.
Two stars only because the Customer service here is very good. To be honest, I've never enjoyed Fazzinis. I've dined in the past and present location however for some reason I haven't found one item on their menu that was slightly appetizing. It's not disgusting but it is always bland to me - this coming from a girl who rarely uses salt and sugar in the preparation of anything. Hubby wanted to grab something to much on so I decided I would give them another shot. This was my second time in their new location and we decided to try their calamari. Like I stated before, it was bland and unappetizing but my husband loved it. We typically order water and lemons for our drinks and I noticed immediately that tap water is served in their glass bottles.
(2)Louise B.
Wow! Just walked out. Pull up and 4 cars in parking lot. Looking forward to a nice comfy both and a plate of pasta. Instead the hostess walks up from a different room, literally eyes me up and down and takes us to the worst smallest corner table as usual. I had on cute shorts and a cute button down. Did I or does anyone really deserve to be looked up and down at any restaurant. When I declined the table she rudely said she would find another, took us into the other room past booths and directed us to another small 2 top. I declined and said I would leave. She rudely said "fine" and turned on her heels as I asked for the owner or manager. Ari came over (who wrote apology previously seen below). I explained how many times this has happened to me and I keep returning because I do enjoy their food but this time I just was leaving. He did apologize and said this was an ongoing issue and would address it. 4 tables in the restaurant on a Sunday at 6 pm. Not a good sign. I left and enjoying burgers somewhere else. Last couple of time good food, better portions but every time I go (probably 4 or 5 times) the hostess attempts to seat us in the worst spot possible. Dining room practically empty. Ask why every time and they say they save the other tables for people who may come in later. Hint- your restaurant has never been even 1/2 full. Appreciate the people who are there and stop worrying about future customers who may or may not show up.
(1)Lily R.
Not sure why the recent reviews have been so bad- I went to the new Fazzini's location recently and the food was as good as the old location. Maybe they have been working out some quirks, but things seem to be back to normal. The new building is much more modern and elegant, but the atmosphere feels pretty informal. The soft bread was delicious as always, served with roasted garlic cloves in olive oil. I had a Caesar salad as an appetizer, which was nothing special. The Caesar dressing is particularly tangy and citrusy, where I prefer mine creamy. They must put a lot of lemon in it. I had the eggplant parmigiana entree, and it was really good. They slice the eggplant very thinly here, and assemble it in a sort of tower in a ramekin with tons of cheese. I think it was actually called the eggplant tower at the old location, but they have classed up the menu names in the new restaurant. My fellow diner had the roast pork risotto, which she enjoyed immensely, and noted it was one of the most creative and new dishes she had had in recent memory. It had tender pork, apples, arugula (?) on risotto. I had the tiramisu for dessert, and it was good but I wasn't overly impressed. They sprinkle it with cinnamon instead of cocoa, which made the taste a bit weird to me, when combined with the coffee flavor. My co-diner had the chocolate gelato, which was a huge portion served with a biscotti (biscotto?) and tasted like fudgesicles.
(4)Terry B.
Sometimes bigger is not better...We were frequent patrons of the old place and gave the new one a try shortly after they opened. It was extremely disappointing. We gave them 6 months to work out the kinks and went back. It was still not very good. We ordered some of the old favorites and they just didn't taste the same. At inflated prices, the old quality wasn't there. And the service was reminiscent of Applebees. It's just not worth it.
(2)Jarrod F.
I came here last Sunday with my family. We were a party of 16 (if I remember correctly). The restaurant is new but I see big potential. The place is really clean. The menu is smart and the owner is a very nice guy. The food was pretty good. Sure their could be improvement however the pizzas were crisp and thin... The chicken parm was plump and the pastas are homemade. I thought the salads were fair but they were side salads so I can't be too harsh. What I like about this place is that the owner cares about his customers opinions. He is determined and had a great staff. Is the food excellent? Not quite there yet but I see a lot of promise and I like the concept.
(4)Pam D.
My husband and I and two friends returned to Fazzini's last week for the first time after 3 months. Our prior two experiences at the new location had not been good. We loved the great food and the service at the prior location so we really are rooting for the restaurant to do well. In our opinion, the service issues continue to be a huge problem. There are servers everywhere but our experience was yet again, the service was painfully and inexplicably slow. If the floor managers/owners could just get the service glitches straightened out, things would be much better. Ratings for our visit last week: food - 4 stars, decor - 4 stars, service - 1 star, value of the portions to price - 2 stars. Overall: 3 stars FOOD: - A friend and I both had lasagna. The sauce was still a little acidic. Taste was excellent. Portion size was generous. As others have noted and we agree, $18 for a wedge of lasagna when there is no accompanying salad or side is steep. - Hubby had chicken piccata. He normally has veal and in our prior two visits, his veal and pasta arrived completely cold with no sauce and the server and floor manager vaporized and were no where to be found. Hubby's chicken piccata this visit was piping hot and Ari, the owner, even asked our server to confirm with hubby that he wanted chicken, not veal as Ari correctly (and to his credit) remembered that hubby normally ordered veal. The piccata was well sauced as hubby had requested and he felt the flavor was quite good. Portion size was on the small size. - Another friend had the risotto special. Portion was small and he said he would definitely not order it again. He felt it was bland and just not appealing in taste or appearance so that item was the food dud of our evening. SERVICE: Here are the specifics of why we felt the service is 1 star. - We arrived at 7:25 for a 7:30 reservation on a Tuesday night and were seated promptly which was good. We waited and waited and waited for a server. At 7:55, a server named Lauren and someone tagging with her who must have been a trainee, arrived at our table and filled our water glasses. Lauren told us she was not our server and our server would be over soon. No drink orders were taken but at least we had water. (although we had no bread and that would have been nice). - At 8:00 (35 minutes after we sat down), our server, Johnny arrived to take our drink orders. We asked Johnny if we could have some bread and he said bread was served with entrees. That made no sense to us and we asked if he could please bring bread prior to the entrees. I told Johnny we were so hungry we were literally ready to chew the corners of the table. Didn't understand why we couldn't get bread prior to our entree. We waited and waited and waited and finally our iced teas arrived. Johnny took our orders and finally, after another 10 minutes, another server brought us some bread prior to our entrees. - Meals did arrive within a reasonable time period after we ordered which was good. Our iced tea glasses were empty and oddly, Johnny leaned over and asked me if I would like a refill (which I accepted) but did not ask my dinner companions if they wanted refills. He came back with my refill and my companions asked him if they too could have refills. My companions commented they felt it was very odd Johnny asked me if I wanted a refill but did not ask them when their glasses were empty. A couple of admittedly minor service nits. Our server had sunglasses perched on top of his head. Why? He referred to me as "dear" and my male dining companions as "my friends". While he was a personable gentleman, I don't really think it is appropriate to refer to a customer as "dear". He just wasn't particularly attentive at all. This is a beautiful restaurant and we continue to cheer for its success. The service issues really need to be addressed.
(3)Sara K.
We were big fans of the previous location and I enjoyed the new, more upscale atmosphere. The decor is very nice and our server, Bethany, was excellent. We started with the arancini and unfortunately they left something to be desired. I found them nearly flavorless and while the sauce had a good flavor, its chunky consistency made it not ideal for dipping. Next we were served bread, which was okay. I have never thought Fazzini's bread was particularly great/flavorful, but I really enjoyed the new seasoned/infused olive oil brought with it. I ordered the baked rigatoni for my entree. Fazzini's still has the homemade pasta, which I love for its great al dente texture. The flavors and temperature of the dish were perfect. One other thing I want to mention is I did not like the music that was played and I hope they will change it. It was mostly John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, and slow Maroon 5. I would really prefer to hear maybe some older music like Sinatra because what was played didn't really fit with the vibe of the restaurant. Overall I will continue to come back for the fresh pasta but I hope they will make a few changes as mentioned above.
(4)dane h.
This place did nothing for me on first visit. I had the special -- a scallop/mushroom/goat cheese/sun-dried tomato risotto. I did NOT like the flavor of this dish at all! Too much sour from the goat cheese and sun-dried tomato. The scallops were the worst seafood I had in a week in Baltimore. I expected much better from a place that bills itself as high-end Italian. Waiter was weird and we hardly saw him. He never asked if we wanted salads with our entrees.
(2)Jessica S.
I hosted a bridal shower for 30 people here last weekend and it was awesome! We had it in the private party room. The decor was neutral so it was perfect for adding our own person touches. Ari, the owner/event planner was super helpful from beginning to end in the planning process. I had never been to eat here before so it was a bit of a risk to have a party here, but I couldn't have been more pleased! A few of my friends and I went a couple weeks before the party so test of some of the options on the party menu so I could choose a delicious menu. Everyone was very accommodating and gave us suggestions on their favorite dishes. We ended up doing Caesar salad (amazing! Not over dressed and nice crisp romaine), rigatoni with basil pesto cream sauce (heavenly, my favorite dish), the famous lasagna (famous for a reason!), and the veggie risotto (creamy but not too heavy with the addition of big chunky veggies on top). We brought our own desserts and there was no fee which was great! We were able to come an hour before the party to set up and everyone was very helpful! I would definitely recommend having a party here! Or just going for lunch or dinner! Oh, and for brunch! The blood Mary is delicious! Thank you to everyone who helped make this "the best bridal shower I'd ever been to!" -words from the bride to be!
(5)Spencer D.
I love Fazzini's Taverna. My favorite Italian place in the Towson area. The food is fantastic! I frequent here a lot and I have never had a bad experience. It's my go to place for a date. The food always comes in big portions. The layout and style of the place is very beautiful. It's a popular place so I recommend getting a reservation way in advance. Other than I have no complaints about Frazzini's. I highly recommend this restaurant.
(4)Jonathan P.
This is my first time in their new location. There a lot of windows which give the interior a nice open / airy feel. Our server was nice. As an appetizer, I had the French onion soup. It was amaaazzzing!! Probably the best I've ever had. For the main course, I had the lasagna. It was good as well but the French onion soup was filling so I didn't have much of the lasagna. My wife had the chicken salad sandwich. It was bland and I wouldn't recommend that meal. This place is an Italian restaurant so I would stick with pasta and pizza.
(4)A. C.
(8/15/2014) We were longtime fans and regulars at the old Fazzini's, which many reviewers apparently were. We do miss the old Fazzini's, too, but no going back, and no point belaboring comparisons. If you're jonesing for the old menu, get the carryout. We came for Restaurant Week, but only one of us got the RW options. The draw of the wood-fired oven led us to pizzas, the Arugula and Prosciutto and the Pampered Kale and Garlic. Both were very salty, the Prosciutto especially so. Pizza crust was very chewy, kind of too, solid crusty exterior, A little bit of sooty char on the bottom. Possibly our pizzas were a touch overdone, cheese seem dried and tough (no strings, the best part about cheesy pizzas), "runny farm egg" not runny, kale done until crispy (like chips). We definitely missed the red sauce, will remember that next time. The Chickpea Fries (Panelle) were, um, interesting, but not unpleasant. Was described by our jaunty server as "deep-fried hummus sticks." They were molten, right out of the fryer, creamy, cumin/curry flavored, came with some kind of lemony-garlic mayo dipping sauce. Off the RW menu the entree Grilled Salmon was deemed good, flavorful, moist, paired nicely with fresh corn and a very wet looking couscous. Tiramisu was not as expected and really, really boozy (someone's got a heavy pour). A Caprese Salad was OK, only disappointing in that the tomatoes were not very ripe, which is a shame since it's tomato season right now. Regular menu is a touch pricey for what it is. Service is very present (and unfortunately so when you're the table right in front of the service station (they are literally looking over your shoulder all the time). You can see everyone's trying really hard to make it great and we appreciate that, will give them another shot just out of loyalty.
(3)Glenn S.
We had a wedding rehearsal dinner here over the weekend. I didn't even know this palce existed until we pulled up. The two guys who brought out our appetizers and the food were super friendly. The food itself was really really good. I wasn't expecting that to be honest. We had chicken parm, baked ziti, ceasar salad and veggie risoto. All of them were great. The chicken parm was nice and juicy and the baked ziti had the perfect ration of sauce/cheese. I'd definitely like to come back for a full meal sometime.
(4)Deborah G.
Fazzini's has worked out some of its new location issues but still needs to improve on the food. The first time we dined I wanted pizza so we had the basic tomato and cheese pie with mushrooms. The pie was beautiful to see when it arrived at our table, however, the crust was thick and tough for us to chew. There is nothing more to say about the pizza as it was disappointing but I decided we would come back to try other items on the menu. After reading the Sun review I made a reservation to try something different and give them a second chance. We started with the shrimp in butter sauce. There were only four medium shrimp in a large casserole and the butter sauce was baked hard onto the bottom. A little more sauce and a few more shrimp would have made this a better appetizer for two adults. They also topped this with more of their bread which is not very good. It tastes like bread from a plastic bag. Why serve such a mediocre bread to your customers when you want to be a better restaurant on busy York Road? I had a side salad which was large, fresh and very tasty. Even though the dressing was sweet I liked it. It made for a nice opener to the meal. Then I had the mushroom ravioli. Just like the pizza, the dough was too thick. Ravioli should be thin and not chewy. I cut my pasta bags with a knife. Good thin ravioli needs only to be cut with a fork. The marinara sauce had lumps of tomato in it and was not tasty. Sorry I make tomato sauce better than this sauce. There was no distinctive memorable flavors from this meal. My husband had the chicken marsala with rigatoni. He gave me a taste of the chicken and this was tender and tasty. This and the salad are 4 star items. The shrimp is a 3 and my ravioli was a 2 star. We had great service from our waiter and he got the order right without us asking over and over. Also our water bottle was filled so we never went dry. I like the interior as it is spacious and more modern than the little hole in the wall it had at the strip shopping center on Cranbrook. I am hoping the owners can get this restaurant on track.. The menu needs some work to make it more interesting. I will return in a month or so to see if they can make additional improvements to the food.
(3)Brian P.
I attend a monthly meeting here. The food is outstanding especially the pasta dishes, the wood fire pizza is also very delicious. They have a crab dip pizza that is excellent. Would recommend to anyone
(5)Thea L.
I'm an Italian transplant from NYC and I took some visiting family to Fazzini's for dinner. I reserved a table through OpenTable and we were seated within 10 minutes of arrival, even with the place being pretty busy. Our waiter, Erik, was extremely knowledgeable about the menu and was very attentive. We started with the baccala fritters. I never had better baccala in my life (don't tell my grandmother)! For my entree, I had the risotto with roast pork, arugula & green apples and it was amazing. I tried my mother's house-made gnocchi and it melted in my mouth. The drinks were excellent and the beer selection was well thought out and had quite a few craft beers that you do not usually find on a menu not at a bar. The wine menu looked extensive, but I am not a big wine drinker, so I cannot speak to it. Just a note- the children's menu items are a bit small, especially if you have a kid that likes to eat. Usually New Yorkers always have a place back home that is better than anywhere you take them, but everyone agreed that it was just as good, or better, than what they can get in New York. Which is really saying something. This was my first time here, and I foresee myself becoming a regular.
(5)Micah K.
My family have been patrons of Fazzini's Taverna since I was a kid and it was in its old location in the shopping mall. A few weeks ago we went to its new location for the first time for my mom's birthday and I am happy to say that it is just as good (and in some cases better) than it has ever been before! Now, right off the bat, I will say that despite having a reservation we did have to wait an extra 30 minutes to get seated but management apologized multiple times and this is to be expected on a Saturday night. And while I do feel bad for the people who walked in off the street and were told it was a two-hour wait to be seated, isn't this a good thing for the restaurant? Doesn't this mean the restaurant is good? Wouldn't you rather eat at a restaurant that has a long wait versus a restaurant that is completely empty? Plus, you walked in off the street at 7:00 on a Saturday night - what did you expect?! As for the food, I only have one disappointment - my favorite menu item from the old location did not make its way to the new one. I used to always get the frutti de mare dish and on this visit had to find something new to eat. But I decided to order off the Restaurant Week menu and I was very happy with my choice. For my main course I got the baked lasagna and it was delicious! And when I made my reservation I had told the hostess that it was for my mom's birthday and I guess she told our waitress because at the end of the meal they brought my mom a huge dessert lit up with a candle that we did not get charged for. I am extremely happy for the owners because I think the move to their new location only means bigger and better things for them and the restaurant, which in turn translates to an even better restaurant for all of us. I do miss being able to bring in my own beer or wine and I do miss the frutti de mare but otherwise this restaurant gets the same five-star review I would have given it at its old location.
(5)Shawn P.
Overpriced and way too much cheese on everything we ate. Better options out there for Italian.
(3)Stephanie R.
Overpriced mediocre food. Got attitude when I sent back a cocktail that tasted like pure alcohol. Tried to sit on the deck during the summer and was underneath a bee's nest. Happy hour specials are unimpressive.
(2)Casey S.
Wood fire brick oven pizza is such a soft spot for me and maybe that is why im addicted to the kale pizza with the running farm egg in the middle. But who knows! I have eaten at this spot several times and always had a pleasant experience. I will say that their is a server their named Jay that is by far the "perfect" waiter i have ever had the chance to have serve me. My water level was never below half full, all special requests were welcomed with open arms ( my friends can be picky eaters), all delivery pipping hot! You should definitely try to meatball appetizer, mmmmm mmmm good! I absolutely love support local business and Fazzini's Taverna is owned and operated by a great family LOCAL team.
(5)Frank L.
We thought it was great. I read some bad reviews, but we had a juice experience here. Nice decor, good location, attentive staff. The calamari is crispy and fresh, the chicken piccata was out of this world, the risotto of the day was really nice with big shrimp and a light sauce. The ice cream cones in crocks like they use for. French onion soup, so two can share dessert.
(5)Y M.
1st time visiters my wife and I last night., to celebrate my 60th b day .Made 7 pm reservations, had an hours drive from Abbottstown pa (uggg,, no resturants here). WE arrived at 7 and were kindly seated at a nice comfy booth at the window. Our server Megan was an articulate, bubbly, gem, who knew the menu like the back of her hand. We started with the brick oven meat balls to share, with a glass of our very reasonablely priced bottle of Puglia region Italian Red. I mean 22 bucks for a bottle of good red, in Hunt Valley , Amazing. Meat balls , tender , sauce, bright, rustics and full flavored. WE then ordered our dinner, wife had a ceaser salad and I had the chicken franciase, which i asked could i get with Risota, and Megan cheerfully said, no problemo. Wife shared some of my chicken and it was also deliciousus, with a velvetty sauce of lemmon, wine, butter and capers on a bed of tender asparagras. Jeb, the owner came to our table to greet us and ask us how we were enjoying our visit, and he was very freindly, and you can tell with his personality it shows the ambiance of Fazzinis. I mentioned it was our 1st visit and my b day and he quickly said desets on him so we had an enormous layered Tirimissu which was a hevenly layered treasure of the best Italian standard in desert nurvana. THank you Megan, Jeb for a great dinner out, We;ll be back...
(4)Elliott P.
Dinner with friends was spectacular. Not too casual, not too stodgy. Server was attentive and friendly, and the food was VERY GOOD. Our next dinner out will be here.
(5)Jill A.
Update: The owner sent me a very rude and aggressive private message because I had the audacity to not like his restaurant. We will never go back to Fazzini's, and that's a shame. I am really confused. My fiance and I loved Fazzini's (you can read my original review about it here: yelp.com/biz/fazzinis-it ...). It was a diamond in the rough - cozy, great service, insanely delicious food. It was the sort of place you couldn't believe you stumbled upon in a strip mall. When they announced they were expanding and moving into a more prominent location, we were genuinely excited for them because it would give them more exposure and hopefully it meant they were doing well enough to warrant the big upgrade in location. We went to check it out last night and were disappointed to discover that along with the new location they now have a completely new staff, a new chef, a new vibe and a totally new menu. Any trace of the old Fazzini's is gone. I don't know what happened, or why they would change so much about such a great restaurant, but it is no longer Fazzini's, despite the name. It's hard to compare the two drastically different eateries without expressing my sincere disappointment in the direction they've gone in, but I'm going to try to be objective in my review without dwelling on how much I miss the old Fazzini's. The decor is really lovely. The coziness of Fazzini's is gone, in its place is a dark, more modern upscale feel. It's a much larger space, and the bar is pretty big. The music was droning new age stuff that seemed really out of place. In fact, a group of customers near us actually asked them to change it to something less... depressing (they didn't). The menu is completely different from the old Fazzini's. It's more expensive with fewer items and has some strange options, like hummus and falafel. It would be hard to define the new Fazzini's as an Italian restaurant when it lacks direction in the wine and food (wines range from Argentina to Israel, the food is more all-encompassing Mediterranean than Italian). We ordered the tomato crostini (more on that below), the gnocchetti marinara, and a margherita pizza. The pizza was pretty good, and they have a proper oven for it. I wasn't expecting a white pizza, but it turned out to be the best thing we ordered. The gnocchetti was a little gummy, but the sauce it came in was reminiscent of the old Fazzini's sauce. The sausage we ordered with it was fantastic. We had to ask for it a few times, but the bread they brought out was similar to the old Fazzini's as well, minus the yummy roasted garlic that used to come with it. The service left a little to be desired, but since the location is new and they're clearly still working out some kinks, I can't be too hard on them for it. However, one thing that jumped out at me was when we had a problem, it was handled in a really bizarre way. Our appetizer, which was meant to be warm, came out freezing cold and rock hard as if it had just been pulled from the fridge without being warmed. When we asked about it, the bartender who served us didn't believe us that it was cold, she insisted it was warm (without trying it), and sort of acted like we were just being picky. She walked away for a while, and when she came back we kind of mentioned it again because she really did not believe us the first time. She deferred to the man who had been sitting next to me at the bar the entire time, who turned out to be a manager-type. So a manager was about a foot away and overheard our complaint, saw her ignore us and walk away, and then listened to us discuss how awkward the situation was and how we couldn't eat the appetizer because it was ice-cold, yet just sat there silently without saying a word until the bartender brought him into the conversation? It was weird. All in all, it was not the Fazzini's that everyone knew and loved. If you go there expecting the old Fazzini's, like we did, you're going to be disappointed. Like I said, it was hard to be objective when the old Fazzini's set the bar so high. While we probably won't be back very soon, I would be curious to see how they're doing in a few months when they've had time to redefine themselves and settle in.
(2)Scott R.
I realize this location is new but there are major issues. This could be a very nice place. My wife and I arrived around 9:30 without a reservation. We asked for a table for two and were led to tables and chairs outside. The hostess should have asked if outside was OK. I would have probably said yes but they should have asked. The outside area looked nice although the tables and chairs were cheap. The music was nice but the traffic sounds from York road could be pretty intrusive. Our waiter was a pleasant but inexperienced young man. He tried hard. Bread and water took too long. Interestingly, i watched the kitchen folks deliver meals in a disorganized way consistently. They apparently lack a system so that they know where the dishes are to go. The delivery staff is forced to walk around the 20 table outside area asking each table if they ordered the _____. We were asked about other folks meals 4 or 5 times. It just seems inefficient and unprofessional. Service as a whole was slow. No specials were offered and we forgot to ask. Now to the food - The Caesar salad needs work. The lettuce was mostly the green portion at the top of the romaine leaf. A great Caesar has more of the heart of the romaine leaf. The dressing was very bland although the sprinkled on cheese was good. Overall the salad was a D. (If ownership wants to sample a really good Caesar go to the place I mention at the end of this review.) The good news is the main courses were pretty good. My Chicken Marsala featured properly cooked and tender chicken. Not overcooked and tough as you often see. The sauce was tasty. The pasta was very good. If they want to make this dish perfect I'd do two small things. First, I'd serve a bit more chicken - it came with three small chicken medallions - maybe 4 - 5 ounces total. Chicken is cheap. The second thing I'd do is serve bigger pieces of mushroom instead of the slivers in the dish. These are minor issues and I'd give the dish an A- or B+. My wife's Margarita (sp?) pizza was very tasty. I liked the sauce and the crust. I'd give this an A+. By the way, while we didn't drink alcohol, the wine list look extensive and pretty cheap. We go out a lot and live close. We'll give this place another chance in a few months but right now it doesn't compete with nearby places like Vito's Cafe. Scott Rifkin, MD
(3)Rose M.
Ew. This place is sub-par at best with mediocre food priced above it's value, and staff who are too cool for school. Decor is decent, but that's about it. They should just bring back Piv's to that space. Piv's was terrible, but at least they had a cool patio, bro.
(1)Fraeda L.
Delicious food. Shrimp fra diablo was excellent - large shrimp. Sauce was nice and spicey. Veal was a little chewy, but Marsala sauce was excellent. Whole wheat pasta was very good. Cannoli was not very good. Service was terrific. We were not rushed at all. Nice liquor selection.
(4)Michael L.
I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed. I've been here twice, once for lunch and once for dinner. Like many others, I was a huge fan of their Cranbrook location. Let's get the good down first: The food was pretty good. For lunch we had their calzones, which were awesome, and for dinner I had the lasagna, and the pappas bravas. All were pretty tasty. The lasagna was slightly above average and the pappas bravas were a bit better than that. The location is very nice, well appointed and all. Now for the not so good: No calzones for dinner! This is a crime. The prices are pretty crazy. 18$ for an above average lasagna with no side salad or anything? The entire menu is ala carte, no side salads or included sides. At those prices, it feels a bit exorbitant. I got a beer that I'm pretty sure was in a 12 oz glass, instead of the standard 16 oz. We came in at 5 on Sat with no reservation, the restaurant was basically empty and we were offered only a hightop or outdoor seating. It did fill up later, but there were still a lot of empty booths when we left. The bread was odd. It wasn't particularly good, we got two servings of it, and they were different kinds of bread. Also, there was a dude just tearing up bread for these at the bar. That's kind of a kitchen thing, I think. This is a minor nitpick, but I hate that style of placard menu. There's no place to put it and it's far too big. I know, I'm being picky. I get the feeling that they have overreached in a lot of areas and have lost the things that made their old location great. 'Fine dining' plus 'carryout' plus package goods, it seems to suffer from a lack of focus. It also seemed awfully overstaffed. Three hostesses on duty seem like a bit much. I know this location is fairly new, and there's a lot of tweaking to be done. I hope they get to the point where they can serve the fans of their old style and expand into the new 'finer dining' style they aspire to. I won't be back for dinner for months, but I may stop in for a lunch. Maybe they'll improve. Here's hoping!
(2)Amy G.
What a wonderful dinner for our group of 25! The management was wonderful to work with as we planned our end of the year dinner. The food was fantastic and the waitstaff was very attentive. Mike T. the bartender is out of this world. We all plan to come back to Fazzini's for more good times.
(5)Krista C.
Actually went to the old location looking for some good local Italian food. Was sad it wasn't where I remembered. Saw they moved and went to their new location! Felt like VIP, greeted by the owners, very friendly and well trained staff, food was amazing!! Best of luck in your new location!!!
(5)Kelly C.
We went for dinner last Friday night, first time since Piv's, and wasn't so good. No more game room which our kids loved, but loved the pretty makeover anyway. Waitress was not very knowledgable on most of the menu, had to keep running back and asking questions (I have a gluten allergy). We ordered the mussels which were less than fresh...downright questionable. I wanted to order a glass of wine when I scooped a rather foul little mussel but waitress was nowhere to be found. I had to drink hubby's glass to wash away the taste after spitting it out. My Caesar salad was just ok and hubby's steak was super good but served lukewarm. We may or may not return...nothing really stands out here.
(2)Keith C.
I am sad to report that the new location pales in comparison to the old Fazzini's location in Cranbrook Shopping Center. We went to dinner at 7:30pm to find the place packed and was told it would be a 20 min wait or we could sit in the bar area and be seated immediately. We took the bar area and the host seated us and provided menus, the waitress appeared promptly. We ordered iced tea, which was delivered but there was no sweetener on the table and had to ask and wait a good bit to get sweetener. We order 2 bowls of crab soup ($8), chicken pesto pizza and veal marsala ($22). The crab soup was delivered promptly, but we weren't given any spoons to eat it with. So, once again we had to wait another 5 minutes to get the staff's attention to bring us spoons. When we finally ate the soup, it was fair, rather bland, not much crab and served in a shallow crockpot (definitely not worth $8). The pizza was bland as well, my wife mentioned numerous times she wish she had some garlic to give it some taste. The veal marsala had 3 pieces of veal, not pounded and breaded properly as the breading was thick and all you tasted. The pasta which was homemade, may have been homemade, but probably made on Monday as it tasted like it had been in a freezer all week. Again disappointing as it was very bland in taste. The restaurant was dimly lit and smooth jazz was playing rather loudly, which is usually a sign a restaurant is trying to be high end when it isn't. They even put tap water in glass bottles and served it, please, lame. So, after getting a bill for $65, I left very disappointed since the food and service were not up to the price paid. The old Fazzini's was a hole in the wall location, but the food and service were excellent. I miss the old Fazzini's and as for the new location, best of luck as I won't be back and I am sure others will avoid this place after giving it a try once.
(2)Kyaw M.
It has been a long time since I visited the fazzini's in its new location. Last time I was here, I was a little underwhelmed by the service, and wasn't a total fan of some of the changes. I am glad to say that the service has improved greatly and they seem to have switched back more to the great food that was served in the old location. Pasta as always is freshly made and the alfredo sauce is now creamy and artery-cloggingly rich again. The sausage is still very flavorful with a spicy kick as usual. One of their new appetizer is fried polenta and it was as billed; crispy with a cteamy core and a nice dip to go with it. We also had a kickass scallop pasta dish with some of the best executed scallops I've ever tasted. Fra diavolo definitely has a kick; in fact, be careful because it is the spiciest fra diavolo I've ever eaten. All in all, the place has redeemed itself as a solid italian joint north of the city.
(4)bb k.
Two comments. Order traditional Italian only. I ordered the salmon and it turned out to be a poor choice. Part of the problem was our inept waiter whose communications were all double talk. Secondly, the owners need to invest in lights for the parking lot where it is pitch black!
(3)Jason L.
As a long time customer of Fazzinis, we were excited to try out this new concept. We came on a Friday night. We didnt have reservations, so were informed there would be a 25 minute wait. No problem. We got a drink at the bar. The drink menu is great, and the bartenders were attentive. Unfortunately, the bar was where the good service ended for us. We probably should have just ordered carryout, or ate at the bar. After 40 minutes, we began to wonder what was up. We checked in with the hostess, who said we were next on the list. So, we went back to the bar, and waited... And waited. In the bar area, there was an open table which was sitting there for at least 20 minutes. After another 15, we were finally seated at this table. It took another 10 minutes (which seemed like forever) to be acknowledged by our waiter. We ordered some wine. After 20 minutes with no wine, or water, I decided to grab one of the bottles of chilled water myself and had to pour our own water service. Nobody seemed to notice or care that I got out of my seat and had to pour my own water. Multiple times we had to check with him to see where our drinks were. When the waiter finally showed up with the wine, we clearly knew what we wanted to order. We had a pizza, salad, meatballs, and baked rigatoni. (We were starving by this point). After 30 mins or so, the food came out. It was decent, which is why I am giving 2 stars. The meatballs were from the brick oven. Sauce was great. Rigatoni was average at best. They give you bread and olive oil, but the olive oil isnt mixed together properly with the garlic. Honestly, the food was ok, but nothing special, certainly not worth the wait. Carryout is probably the way to go, or eat at the bar. It took another 20 minutes to get the check from our waiter. And then 10 more for him to pick up our credit card. The whole time, there were 3 or 4 manager/owner types standing around talking to each other. Not once did anyone come over to check on us or ask if we needed anything. That alone would have helped. I know this is a new place and they are working iut their kinks, but it seems like the employees had an attitude, and the place just opened. That plus a lack of customer service by the managers, failing to even wish us farewell upon exit, made it unlikely for us to come back here or refer this place to our friends, which is a shame.
(2)Anne V.
The food may be decent Italian, but the host and hostess were extremely rude. Usually we've had good service, but not tonight. I was taking my 76-year-old mother and her friend to dinner. It was late in the evening by the time we were seated-- close to 8:30-- and they seated us in the middle of the room under harsh spotlights. I asked if we could move to the adjacent empty booth. The hostess said all the tables were plotted out and we couldn't move. We asked if she could check as there were 7 or more open tables. No biggie, just wanted to sit somewhere a bit less out in the open with no spotlights. We noticed the booth got filled so we figured we weren't going to get another table. Meanwhile, we never had a waiter stop by the table. We finally see him and ask for water and he told us he was "cut off" for the night and wasn't serving anymore. I don't even know what that means. Long story short, we were just getting our water glasses filled while the people seated at the booth were already done their appetizer and were being served entrees. An odd, odd night. Definitely not going back. Would rather head to Little Italy. Everyone is much nicer there.
(1)Evan R.
I don't understand the low reviews here, and apparently neither do most customers. We had a reservation for 5 on a Thursday night and needed it, the restaurant was packed and had a 45 minute wait for walk-ins. Do yourself a favor and make your reservation soon, Fazzini's combines great food with reasonable pricing to give a terrific dining experience. Fresh italian and focaccia bread combined with some kind of garlic and olive oil blend to give a wonderful start to our meal. A few of us ordered Greek salads which were made just right. Most of us got some sort if pasta dish as Fazzini's makes it fresh daily, and you can really taste the difference. My red clam sauce was outstanding. Others got marinara and ravioli, all positives. Portions were too large for us to get desert, whoever was complaining about quantity must only dine at The Cheesecake Factory. We'll certainly be back. Fazzini's goes into our regular dining rotation.
(5)linda f.
We arrived about 4:30 on a Tuesday afternoon. Aside from my husband and me, there was only one more table with patrons. My husband ordered the cream of crab soup. It was very "watery", and about one spoon of canned crab meat in it. It tasted like a canned soup. We ordered a pizza to share, and lasagna to share. The rest of the food was ok. This was our 1st visit here, & we had a $5 coupon, if you spend $20 or more. We spent $42.00. The waiter came over and said we could not use the coupon because it was for lunch. I asked to speak to the manager. i explained that I could not read the small print about lunch only. I told him this was our 1st visit, and the cream of crab soup was sub par. He basically told us that is the rule ! I told him he should have honored the $5. since I would tell my friends about his place. He did not care. I would not ever go there again, there are too many other places. By the way, we left at 5:50 pm, and still NO Customers in this place.
(2)Quintin P.
Food is good, portion size is small. I'm an old customer from the old Cranbrook location. Ambience is nice, good wine store , staff is trained.
(3)D C.
So, I went there last week and ordered two pizzas to go. They were delicious! Will be back!
(4)Constance K.
A delightful dining experience. Three of us dined on a rainy night and the crab soup, mussels, and eggplant parmesan hit just the right notes. The restaurant was busy but the service was flawless. Our server, Kate, was friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient. One of our appetizers was not quite right and in a flash a refired dish appeared. Great save. We will return to this gem.
(4)Melissa C.
After several awesome visits to Fazzini's I finally decided to write my review. I am usually there for happy hour and I must say that the cocktails are great, staff is friendly and accommodating and the food is top notch. The view from the bar shows a wood burning pizza oven from which all the food I have ordered has been amazing. Shrimp in garlic sauce, baked goat cheese in marinara and the wood fired pizzas are my favorites but everything else has been great. I highly recommend to anyone reading that they go for casual happy hour or to the dining room for a special occasion!
(5)Christina E.
I was excited when Fazzini's moved to their new home on York road. The decor is very nice, the servers are polite and helpful and the package store has a great selection. That being said I truly miss the old Fazzini's. It had a very welcoming and homey feel and the first time you ate there you knew you had found something special. Now the menu is very limited and honestly while the food is good it doesn't taste as good as it used to (my favorite was there calzone which was seriously amazing and I found out when I got there it's now only a lunch item.) I had the baked rigatoni which was good but not nearly as tasty as the calzone. If you don't have the old Fazzini's to compare it to, definitely try it out. For me I'm a little too nostalgic.
(3)Paul B.
Haven't been there yet, but I am saddened by these reviews. This was the BEST little place and I was so looking forward to the new place. The chicken par was so outstanding I never order it anywhere else. Now what will I do? Has anyone who can compare old and new had the chicken parm. Can I go and try it. What should I do???
(3)Kristen S.
My husband and I took our 3 children here last night for the first time. The decor and menu are lovely, but we thought it was VERY pricey for what is supposed to be a family friendly restaurant. Entrees on the menu come with nothing--no salad or bread. Sorry, but if I am being charged $16 for meatless pasta, I think you can throw in a house salad. The food was good and the kids meals were decent. The server was attentive and helpful. However, we spent $95 with tip for 3 adult meatless pastas, 2 kids meals, and 4 drinks (non-alcoholic). Too much.
(2)Jennifer W.
We had Fazzini's cater our school teacher lunch and it wasn't bad, so I went with my parents and three year-old daughter. All around, extremely disappointing. The guy next to us sent back his salad twice and his soda, so things didn't look good right off the bat. I ordered spaghetti and meatballs for my daughter, who loves meatballs. It was overcooked, sticky pasta, with one extremely overcooked meatball that she couldn't even bite. We all tried it, and agreed it was the worst we ever had. My dad and I both had the Italy salad which wasn't bad to be fair. My mom's "thin crust" pizza was doughy with a huge crust. Fair at best. The worst part, was our waiter. Don't know his name but he is the awkward, 6'9" guy, you can't miss him. The moment we sat down, he asked us if we needed another minute. Heh? We hadn't even ordered drinks or looked at the menu. He also took our entire meal order before the drinks. i think he was nervous and confused. He came back about 15 times during the meal and awkwardly asked us numerous times how we were doing. It's fine to check in, but not twice when you only have water! Then, we didn't have 30 seconds peace before he was back again. He brought my daughter's lemonade in a huge, wet glass, and she almost immediately dropped it all over herself and us. He brought a side of sauce and commented how hot it was and that he was afraid to put it down. Again, what?? I finally just took it from him, and put it on the table. The same happened with the girl who brought the pizza. She was very concerned about the heat and putting it down. It was fine, but what the heck? Just tell us it's hot, and give the regular deal about touching it. Instead everyone just stood there with it in hand. The servers seemed uncomfortable with every request we had, which were few. He was very nice, just a terrible waiter. The food was not good. I really wish it was. It will remain crowded for a while since it's new, and people are dying for a good Italian place. Hopefully, the food will improve, and the servers will figure out how to do their job. Maybe some extra training and some refinement of the menu will help. I would try again in a few months to see.
(2)Becky M.
Mmm mmm good. I went about 2 weeks ago with a friend to try out the new location. We had no idea they had moved! We had a Caesar salad to start, then Grilled Pork Risotto and the evening's special, NY Strip, asparagus, and truffle fries. OH how I love truffle fries! Not too many places in the area have truffle fries. The food was great, the service was even better. Our server was on point, not too pushy, filled glasses & cleared plates, but he was very down to earth, personable, and had a sense of humor. There were quite a few desserts we wanted to try, but the pink cheesecake came with a donation to the Susan G Komen Foundation (we went during October/Breast Cancer awareness month), so we couldn't opted for cheesecake! I thought this was a really neat idea! First time I've seen a pink food item come along with a donation. Parking was easy - big log in the back. And access in/out was easy, it's right off of York Road. I could see Fazzini's as a versatile place, I would feel comfortable going in jeans and sitting at the bar watching a football game OR dressing up a bit and having a nice date night. They had a wine shop on the side, which we did not get a chance to check out, but looks like there is quite the selection!!! I think they also have online ordering for take-out, which I am a huge fan of. I love online ordering for when I have groups of people over, and I just pass the computer around and have each person add what they want. Can't wait to go back, there's a ton of items on the menu I'd like to try (PIZZA!), plus I need to check out their wine shop!
(5)Amy B.
We had the most adorable waiter here - he was helpful with the menu, provided great service, and stuck out as a hardworking kid. We got the margarita and crab pizzas and both were absolutely delicious. The white sangria - which was suggested by the waiter, but not on the menu - was fantastic! Will definitely return!
(5)Christopher S.
I am not sure why reviews are only a 3. This was the best pizza I've had in long time. Chicken pesto....mmmmm. Crust was delish! I had pasta fusilli soup, hubby had cream of crab. Service was excellent, hostess was very pleasant. Great dining experience.
(5)Dawn D.
We have been here twice in about two weeks time and consider this our new favorite place on the York Road corridor. And maybe even beyond. Terrific service on both of our visits including two different manager type people coming to chat and make sure we enjoyed our meals, which always just makes you feel so appreciated, you know? Diverse menu with entrees that vary from the more casual but delicious wood fired pizzas to handmade pastas to higher end grill type items like a veal chop, etc. I can't get out of the pasta menu to even look at anything else because their homemade pasta is so wonderful and fresh. On our first trip I had the gnocchi, which was perfect, light and fluffy, yet comforting, served with perfectly cooked shrimp. Last night I had the lasagna which was just what I wanted on a snowy December night...warm and cheesy gooey with homemade lasagna noodles and delicious sauce. We've tried many of the apps, and though all were great, we really loved the polenta fries, which were crunchy crispy and well seasoned. We also are totally addicted to the meatballs which are dense and meaty. (insert dirty joke here) Funnily enough, both of our visits included quirky requests since I, who rarely has any changes and want my food as the chef intended, seem to eat with people who are, well...quirky. First we had my crazy mother request the risotto of the night that featured fried oysters, mushrooms and all other kinds of awesome stuff...but my mother, requested it sans risotto. And sans everything else. She just wanted the fried oysters. And darn if they didn't accommodate her. They even custom made her a sauce to go with them! Then, 2 weeks later, my pasta hating husband asks for a "bowl of meat sauce with meatballs on top." Yeah. Read that again. Welcome to my world. But darn if they didn't accommodate him. Though I am a little bit nervous to even contemplate what crazy request my next dinner companion might come up with, you better believe that I will be back to eat their fabulous food.
(5)Sung C.
6/13 First time dinning inside the restaurant. Food is AMAZING and service was PHENOMENAL! What a difference! Really love everything about Fazzini's. Hope to come back soon :) 6/6 Update Seems like Fazzini is finally getting the hang of the new location! To be honest, I was pretty skeptical about going back but I thought I would give it another go. This time, since I had such horrible service over the phone I decided to walk in and order. As I was walking in, all the customers who was leaving had nothing but good things to say about this place! I was quite impressed by it and I felt more reassured taking another chance at Fazzini. I could definitely notice the improvement, staffs were lot more friendlier and seemed in control of what they were doing. Service was promptly managed as well. Only down side was the portion... I don't know, is it just me? Each visit, my order seems to get smaller and smaller. At least the taste hasn't changed which is important. Still serving the most delicious food in town! Overall, despite the smaller portion of the food I'm quite satisfied with my experience tonight. I'm really glad things are looking up for Fazzini because I really love their food~! Keep up the good work! By the way, Thanks for the reply Ari (Owner) I really appreciate the fact that you are reading these reviews and making improvements. Kudos to you! Now if we can get food portion to increase a bit and start delivering these delicious food! ;)
(5)Matthew C.
We had high hopes for this place. Nice exterior and an interesting menu. We showed up for a late lunch (1 pm) with a party of five, plus two kids. All the adults order a soup/salad and an entree. The soups/salad came out fairly quickly and was decent. Then the wait started. And continued. And continued. And continued. None of these were complicated items (two we're cold cuts). After over 50 minutes of politely waiting we pressed our waiter who told us there was "a large party". So we continued to wait. We asked to see a manger. None arrived. When the food arrived, the kids meal came out, then two meals came out, followed by two more five minutes later, followed by one more five minutes after that. The food, after arriving, was so-so. It certainly was not worth an hour plus of awkwardly trying to make eye contact with the staff. The cheese steak lacked cheese, the fries were lukewarm, and the pizza was ho-hum at best. When a manager arrived at the end of our meal, he was dismissive of our issues saying "we have a large party and are backed up". Will not be returning.
(1)Nathan P.
Went in for a pizza and a beer on their happy hour. The pizza was fantastic, authentic wood-fire-oven Neapolitan pizza- very good. Can't wait to go back.
(5)barbara m.
When in for lunch with the thought in mind that this was the kosmokos. We would go there specifically for the Greek salad they were the best anywhere the place really is beautiful inside and the waiters are super friendly the bread is to die for but the salad I had with chicken on top had to be the worst piece of chicken I've ever had I couldn't cut it I couldn't get my fork through it and I could barely chew it. So while there are a few restaurants out there that will keep you coming just for the salad this ain't one of them
(2)Marcella S.
The food was very good. The ambience was superb. My waitress Lindsey was the very best. She was very attentive and knowledgable about the food and drinks. I would definitely visit again.
(5)Jennifer S.
OK boys get a clue. Food that you have is great, But everyone in our party has to be in the mood for pasta or pizza. That rarely happens. We would be there three times a week if you would offer some Light fare or at least a burger for people who don't want to smell of garlic. How about a sandwich out of that bread you make? Buy the way, deep frying chicken breasts and then smothering it in sauce is like cutting into old tennis shoes. Yuck! Pizza yum.
(3)Ash P.
The new Fazzini's earns one star for the goat cheese and marinara appetizer that came with bread - it was delicious. The cheese had a pleasing soft texture and bread was fresh. Upon asking waitress a question about a menu item, she said it was "exactly what it sounds like" on the menu. Thanks for the help. Blood Orange margarita, which is a drink listed on the menu, was served unshaken/unmixed and was too sour. Moscow Mule was at least drinkable. Our waitress repeatedly said she was bringing us bread and did not bring it until we received our appetizer, which already included it's own bread. We were the only table in the restaurant (4pm on a weekday) so I can't imagine that she was all that busy. The bread thing wouldn't bother anybody if it wasn't for what happened afterwards. I ordered the capellini (angel hair pasta) in tomato cream sauce with meatballs and my boyfriend ordered the sausage and pepperoni pizza. Pizza had okay flavor but was seriously greasy. We've had better from the old Fazzini's. My pasta, however, was bad enough to send back to the kitchen after only eating a few bites. Meatballs, more like MeatSquares, tasted like old frozen hamburger meat, pasta was overcooked, and sauce was bland. Sent back at the end of the meal and the waitress "apologized" for it and handed us our bill. Spent over $60 for bad drinks, bad service, AND a pasta dish that was NEVER taken off the check. At that point we just wanted to escape the bad experience. We payed the check, left, and will not be returning. Again, one star for the appetizer. Minus four stars for a really bad dinner all around the board.
(1)C P.
Great service (Kim), delicious meal served quickly plus manager made sure everything was exceptional. The grilled salmon was fantastic! Slightly crispy outside while perfectly tender inside. The accompanying cous cous was a tangy complement. My son didn't want to leave the last piece of pizza. Insisted we take it home. That was a first.
(5)Greg P.
I am surprised to read a lot of the negative reviews about Fazzini's on Yelp. With any restaurant the first few months you have to work out the kinks in terms of training servers and delivering consistent quality dishes. With that said, my wife and I went last night at 7 and the place was busy. We were seated immediately and our service was exceptional. Our dishes came out timely and everything either met or exceeded our expectations. Our favorite items from the night were the Eggplant Parmesean, Asparagus and bread with garlic oil. Maybe it was because we were hungry but my wife and I ate two servings of the bread, outstanding! The Eggplant Parmesean was up there with the best I have ever had and the portion was large enough that I had a snack size leftover for the next day. The Asparagus was cooked perfectly and served with an olive tapanade that I was basically licking of the plate. We also split the the calamari and my wife had the pizza, both were good but the Eggplant was definitely the star. Our server, Ian, was very attentive and did a great job to consistently check back on us. The timing of all of the food was perfect and we experienced no delays, which I was expecting from other reviews and because it was crowded. The interior and ambiance of Fazzini's is very nice - clean, modern, and spacious. The bar area is a nice spot to drop in and have a few drinks/apps/pizza. I was impressed with our first dining experience and Fazzini's is now in our rotation of places to dine in the area.
(4)Matt H.
Let me start by saying this review Is low for 2 specific reasons. This place is bright, clean, great me u and good beer selections. 3 of us showed up for lunch the bartender picked up on this and said he would see everything came out fast. After his 5th horrible pun joke we started to ignore him completely. When our food came (in not what I would call was fast) one of our orders was completely wrong. Reg. cheese instead of chicken cheese steak but we did not have the time to wait for it to be remade. The kicker is we were charged full price. Would I go here again? Yes, but if Mike the bartender is working I will walk right out and go somewhere else. Mike and the unapologetic wrong order drove this review from a 4 to 1.
(1)Edward M.
Ate there Oct. 25. The hostess was inappropriately dressed in a short tight red skirt, sleeveless top with bra straps showing...she looked like a hooker! The food was mediocre at best. The eggplant parm. was too cheesy and the chicken Marsala was not good and did not taste like it should. The service was fair, but it was very busy. We were given a lemoncello at the end of the meal...a nice gesture, but it tasted watered down and not good. Needless to say, we will not return.
(2)Mark S.
Best I can do is 3 stars. We ate at a bar table with two friends. I ordered a draft beer, my wife ordered a Pino wine. The waiter came back and told her they were out of Pino wine so he suggested another type. He came back with that and she said it wasn't very good. He took it back then came back and said he made a mistake, they did have what she wanted. He was a new waiter I think. I ordered rigatoni in marinara with meatballs. The sauce was tangy and good. The homemade pasta was over-cooked. The meatballs, small little golf balls were tasteless. Throw in some garlic and oregano in those will ya guys? One friend had veal Marsala which he said was just so-so. Other friend had shrimp friviolo (sp?). She said she didn't like the sauce. My wife got soup and a garlic shrimp app. She said they were good. Most annoying was the charge of $9 for the smallest amount of wine my wife has ever had. When she asked the waiter about this he said they fill the wine up to the Fazzini label on the glass. That label was less then a fourth of the way up the glass. At $9 that's a ripoff. Oh, and the waiter asked if she wanted another glass of wine after finishing the first. She asked him to bring it with her meal. He showed up with it when she was 1/2 way finished her meal. Had a party of 8 or so rowdies next to us which didn't help matters. No one said anything to them. Don't think we'll be back.
(3)Liver P.
The old Fazzini's is gone, and the new Fazzini's is not very good. I am SOOoooo disappointed. Old Fazzini's had been at its old location for almost 30 years. In 2010 they sold the business to a new owner. He kept the same menu, maybe the same cooks. Everything is fine until he gets a grand idea go bigger and better.....BUT Every-single-thing that we ordered was not very good. The salad was warm. The Cesar dressing tasted like it was from the bottle. The calamari was VERY skimpy, more peppers than squid. The Alfredo sauce was gummy/sticky... like it was made in a large batch? Room temp tap water poured from bottles?? I guess that is supposed to be European?? And... no bread. That's right. They do not bring bread. I checked. None of the tables had bread. And they dont ask if you want bread. It seems like they spent a ton of money putting this restaurant together. I am in no hurry to go back anytime soon. I am mourning the loss of one of my favorite restaurants. The new owner should not have kept the Fazzini name. People expect a certain quality and are then disappointed.
(2)Ann F.
I have to say, we were very happy with our experience at Fazzini's. We made a reservation later in the evening for six of us. The first thing that impressed me was the fact that they called to confirm said reservation. I respect that! After reading the reviews I came extremely close to canceling and moving on. I'm glad we didn't. I will say two of our six dropped out. We made a plan B in case we needed it and forged ahead. We were greeted at the door with a big smile (a little more clothing on the hostess would have been nice but hey, if I had a cute little shape I wouldn't wear much either). Off to the bar to wait for our friends. Mike was our bartender and was great. On task and kept the drinks flowing. We got to our table and we were greeted by Johnny, an obviously professional server. He paced us well, answered all of our questions and made sure we were well taken care of. Our water was always filled and our drinks were always filled before we ran out. Appetizers were great. Who knew chick pea fries were even a thing? They are amazing. I will be making those at home. I had the salmon over cous cous. I have to say the cous cous was ice cold. I chose not to send it back because it wasn't a deal breaker. I'll just make sure I mention to check the temp next time to the server. Our food was excellent. We were some of the last folks there and didn't feel rushed. The manager came by at one point to check on us and Johnny was always available. We will be back and we will recommend to friends. Hopefully next time we can get all six of us there.
(4)Gina A.
Everything about our meal was wonderful. You could definitely tell that everything was fresh and handmade. Sausage meatball appetizer was small but excellent. House-made lemonade was delicious! Our server Chad went out of his way to make sure everything was perfect. Definitely going back.
(4)Melissa F.
My family hosted a baby shower for me at Fazzini's in May. Ari was very easy to work with when planning the shower and he accommodated any special requests we had. The food was excellent and the staff were professional and friendly. Our guests really enjoyed the private room and food--I would gladly recommend Fazzini's to anyone looking for a private dining space.
(4)Hayley H.
Our meal at fazzinnis was outstanding. The strawberry basil lemonade and Moscow mule drinks were refreshing. The tuna tartare and hummus were delicious and super fresh, the caseys baked rig was huge and cheesy and yummy. The kale and garlic pizza with runny egg was beyond anything I could have asked for and the egg was perfectly cooked! We couldn't finish it all because portions were huge! We did order the tiramisu and were so happy because it ended the meal on a perfectly sweet note. The house made limoncello was also a nice surprise! We can't wait to get home and have the leftovers as a midnight snack! Can't wait to go back to fazzinnis really soon and try something new!
(5)Linda S.
The foods was tasty, but the service was dreadful. One main dish was not prepared as ordered, we had to ask for bread and no one offered us refills on beverages or inquired if the food was good. No one thanked us for coming as we left, although there were 4 employees at the desk by the door. At the prices they charge, you expect better. Don't they care if people come back? Apparently not.
(2)