Reviews for Al Dente Ristorante in New Milford, CT
What could be better? The food was outstanding and portions were large. The owner/chef really cares. And, the waitstaff,... including some of his adult children are friendly, efficient, and delightful. Pricesare reasonable. This location is now in it'seighth or ninth life! The restaurant has been nicely redesigned. We'll be back often. Read more
We have been to Al Dente's 4 times now and it's become one of our favorite local restaurants. We've sat inside and outside and... both are lovely, although I prefer the outside dining so I can feel the downtown vibe. So far we've had the meatballs -we havethem as an appetizer (absolutely delicious), Pollo al Cardinale (my husband had it 3 times in a row!), Lasagna (best I've everhad) and Zuppa di Pesce (husband was practically weeping with happiness while eating it.) Their sauce is the best I've evertasted and everything is absolutely fresh. The prices were very affordable and the portions generous enough to squirrel aportion away for lunch the next day. The warm bread they serve is addicting. It's true they are short handed sometimes howeverthis is absolutely everywhere. Go in there wearing a cloak of patience and kindness. If you aren't noticed in 10 minutes or so,kindly ask someone. It's never intentional. The family is the wait staff and it's in their best interest to have the bestcustomer service but if it gets very busy this gets hard. They do their best. I read another review and it makes no sense to sitthere for an hour without asking for help. They're very kind and they will quickly correct the mistake. I hope to see thisfamily owned restaurant thrive and grown. They have one of the best spots in the downtown area and it brings me great joy to seeit filled with diners every night when I pass after work. I wish them all the best! Read more
Beautiful restaurant in town. Outdoor space is extra lovely. Dinner was fresh, flavorful and delicious. Swordfish over... julienned vegetables was wonderful. Generous portions. Comes with fresh bread and a fresh salad! We highly recommend and lovethis spot! Read more
Stopped in around 8PM on a Friday night without a reservation and we were seated immediately in the covered outdoor dining area.... Servers were prompt, professional, and friendly. The calamari fra diavolo was excellent; portions were generous and prices werereasonable. Will be back for sure! Read more
I eat out at restaurants all over in the USA and NYC and at Michelin star restaurants all the time. I have to say this place is... one of the best Italian restaurants I have been to in my life. ALL the food was delicious and generous portions?from the breadto the appetizer main course dessert everything is DIVINE. Their salad w House Italian dressing is to die for. Must try!! Alsoa plus: their prices are soooo reasonable! Read more
We have been to the restaurant 3 times, and while we are very understanding of staffing shortages, service was always an issue... but given the food was good we kept coming back. That said, each and every vist service degraded substantially, most recentlyit was so bad that I am compelled to offer this one star rating. Issues we experienced - we arrived for our reservation, wereseated, and then waited FOR OVER AN HOUR AND 10 MINUTES BEFORE "ANYONE" CAME TO OUR TABLE to table to take even a drink orderand/or provide us a table setting (table was bare). Bread was delivered after about 30 minutes, but no bread dishes, no waterand still no place settings. Finally after 90 minutes someone came to the table to take our order. Worth mentioning we weregiven 2 menus upon being seated which we discovered, had differing specials listed so we collaborated on both menus includinghaving backup selections if our chosen entree was not available. When we were finally waited on we were told neither ourprimary nor backup entrees were available as both special menus we were given were wrong. Now we had to decide, do we hastilymake entree selection with the just offered correct specials or risk an even longer wait should we let the waitress go withouttaking our order. Now 90 minutes since arrival we took the next 30 seconds to simply get an order in for drinks, appetizer,entree. Appetizer arrived and salads (now 2 hours since our arrival) and finally the entrees (by now restaurant was down to 4occupied tables). What makes this most frustrating is that it was NOT just staffing shortage driven, it was lack of focus - forexample, as we sat waiting endlessly, we watched one older waitress "socialize continually" with patrons at 2 tables. Its afamily run business and I have a real appreciation for this, but not taking the time to prepare and ensure correct menus, andthe display of total unawareness to guests not being waited on is simply inexcusable and not accepta Read more
Nice friendly place that is family run. We tried a number of appetizers to get a sampling of different dishes. The hot long... peppers stuffed with sausage covered in sauce was outstanding, the peppers were hot. The clam casino, vongole clams, shrimptempura, and the tortellini soup were outstanding. We also got an antipasto salad to eat later at home. I also tried their madefresh daily chocolate mousse. The menu is extensive with many choices. The prices are very reasonable. Highly recommend. Sincewe first came here I wanted to provide an update. The food is still outstanding. I love the fresh oysters as an appetizer (youmay not notice it on their menu, it doesn?t jump out). The food is excellent. We go to many places in the area and it?s verygood. You?re gonna want to try this place. Read more
Stopped in without a reservation on a Friday evening and they were able to seat my wife and I promptly. Service was outstanding... and so was the food. Highly recommended. Read more