Scotti's Italian Restaurant

02/28/2008 Posted by KSWA

I am sick and tired of reading all the bad reviews about Scotti's. It is one of my favorite restaurants in the country. I had an entree in Lombardo's in Albany NY..... Scotti's was so open minded that they didn't even flinch and duplicated it from my description. It was great. The price is reasonable. Whenever I am there, the service is excellent. The family members who run the place are soooo nice and friendly that they make me feel at home. that I live out of town, I miss the place. Whever I go back to Cincy, I will ALWAYS make a stop at Scotti's. Good work guys. Keep it up. Swa.

Pros: Nice setting, strange decor(Tiles)

Cons: Street parking, tables too close

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

02/10/2008 Posted by Sarita8503

I have to agree with the most recent review - this place is over rated and over priced. My husband and I went here with another couple and were excited to try Scotti's, especially my husband who is Italian and lived in Italy until moving here 4 years ago. Service was bad from the moment we walked in the door - my friend was scolded about not giving the correct name for the reservation (they had it under her first name only and she gave her last.) Our waiter couldn't have had less personality, shoving menus in our faces the second we sat down and never cracking a smile the entire time we were there. All four of us had a glass of wine and pasta plates - none containing meat. We also had a tiramisu and 3 cannolis for dessert. Our total was almost $150.00 without the tip. The pasta was mediocre and a medium-sized serving. All pastas came with soup and salad, and clearly the salad had been made and dressed hours ago, if not the day before, and the lettuce was soggy and soft (all iceburg, too.) I have never had a vegetarian pasta dish that cost over $20 and served only one person. All in all, Scotti's is mediocre, Americanized Italian that is incredibly over priced. For that price I expect great food and great service - neither of which we experienced here.

Pros: Interesting Decor

Cons: Crowded, small, bad service, over priced

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful

02/09/2008 Posted by ruffed

Went to Scotti's based on a recommendation. Soup was fantastic! Most of our party enjoyed their meal (a bit pricey $21+ a plate). Quarters were a little cramped and we sat by the door which got a little cold. The female owner was the rudest server I have ever encountered! WARNING: If you have any food allergies, do NOT trust the menu. You must explicitly state which allergies you have and specifically ask if that menu item is free of that food (regardless of what the menu says). We had someone in our party with an allergy who ordered according to the menu (apparantly this food was stated in fine print however I still have yet to find it on the online menu). The gentleman working at Scotti's tried to make it right and tried to take care of our friend. The female owner was very specific and very loud in making sure everyone in the restaurant understood that "He" ordered improperly and that it was his responsibility to ALWAYS alert any server of any allergies regardless of the menu. He tried to explain that he read the menu and it was not stated and she offered no support! When it was time to pay our paying member asked to speak with the manager and explained that he thought it was poor service to attempt to embarrass a customer. She again reiterated that he was wrong and should have informed her of his allergies (again loudly). She also stated rather egotistically that she "has been doing this since she was twelve;" she "could run this business blindfolded;" and that "everyone loved her." We informed her that we did not "love" her and she proceeded to tell us that she didn't care and that she "has plenty of business." After all that he asked for the meal to be taken off and she proceeded to tell the paying customer that if he would have let her finish she would have told him that she did. Everyone in the restaurant heard these "conversations" and we received many words of support, including a regular couple who informed Scotti's they would not return!

Pros: Great soup!

Cons: Customer Service!!!

08/23/2007 Posted by jbaonmain

I ate at Scotti's last year when in town and thought it was the best place I have ever eaten ! I loved it !!! Service was GREAT, food was...well, so good I would drive the 7 hours to get there from my home just to eat at Scotti's again! I have told everyone I know about it! Can't wait to get back to Cincinnati !!!

02/22/2007 Posted by laurenrad

Very romantic small Italian resturant that serves the most AUTHENTIC Italian foods I have ever tasted in this area. Definitley does not have an American spin which is probably why some of the reviews are negative. The price is a little high, but you are paying for the quality and EXPERIENCE...which you can't get at say, Olive Garden. It was like we were in Italy! And did I say the food was amazingly good!

Pros: Authentic and delicious!

Cons: small area.

01/25/2007 Posted by jenfergie

I was so excited about going to this place becuse I read some great reviews but I left feeling jipped and disspointed. The prices in this place are outrageous for a checkered table cloth dining experience. I had a pasta that was a nice size serving, but for the price that I paid it should have been. I've never heard of a tomao based pasta with veggies costing over $22 with no salad included in that price! Actually later that night I felt quite sick and I'm pretty sure if was from the food. I would only reccommend this place if you feel like paying $22 for a bowl of pasta and that's it. Service was ok, they never came back to check on us to see how the meal was. Actually after we got our food we didn't see the waitor again untill the check came. Very over-rated and over-priced.

Pros: Good location if you are styaing downtown

Cons: price, price, price

11/30/2006 Posted by dolemikeog

need i say more..... ......... ......... .... ........... ....... ........... ........ ....... ............. ........ ................ ................. ......... ........ ........... .......... .......... .......... ........ ........ ........... . .............. .............. ...............

Pros: great food

Cons: small serving area

11/13/2006 Posted by roonerz

The 2 really bad reviews are the same person. The "Awful" review 7/15/06 and "Not Very Impressive" 2/19/05...this person may be bad mouthing other fine Cincinnati establishments! Watch out :)) !!

10/16/2006 Posted by marlalorraine

I had never been to Scotti's until two nights ago. It was a Saturday night and I had made reservations, which I had to change twice by the time we arrived. The restaurant was full but not crowded and the staff welcomed my party without any discontent regarding my changing reservations. We ended up with only a party of 3 seated at a table that I had reserved for 6. The waiter was very pleasant, offering suggestions for his favorite dishes and fully willing to serve a bottle of wine that we had brought ourselves. The food was excellent and largely portioned. The atmosphere is quaint and lovely. My husband and I spent some time touring Italy last year and this restaurant truly offers the authentic feel and taste of the country. Please try this restaurant before taking on the more recent negative opinions provided in other reviews. You will certainly enjoy your meal.

Pros: food quality, quantity and authentic-ness, ambiance

Cons: on the pricey side

07/15/2006 Posted by mdpfirrman

Went here years ago and liked it. The restaurant used to be run by an Italian lady and her kids. I think the kids have taken over. It was by far the worst Italian meal I had in years. The food actually tasted premade and microwaved. My eggplant parmesian was cold around the edges and hot (microwave hot) in the middle. Tasted like it had been made a week ago. If I did not pay 50 for two dinners, we would have not eaten any. Bad.