We had a family dinner at this restaurant, and overall, the experience was enjoyable. The food was excellent, and our server was outstanding—demonstrating great knowledge of the menu and suggesting a well-curated, family-style course that suited our group perfectly. I must note that there were instances ”two times” where the server made comments on our private family conversations, which I found inappropriate for a high-end establishment. While such casual interactions might be acceptable or even appreciated in a local, informal restaurant, they felt out of place here. After the server added Parmesan cheese to our pasta, I requested to have the cheese left at the table. The server laughed and remarked, “Haha, it’s kind of empty—do you still want it?” This response struck me as unprofessional, especially given the setting. I politely asked for the cheese to be left on the table, a request that should not have been met with amusement. Having traveled extensively in Italy, staying in 11 cities so far, I have never encountered such a reaction to a simple request.
That said, the food quality and the overall atmosphere ensured I had a pleasant evening. Despite the minor issues, I will definitely return in the future.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Seafood Linguini, Tiramisu
Varga5
Centini is my go-to for client meetings, and it’s always a hit. The food is incredible, the atmosphere inviting, and the service flawless. Every client leaves impressed and with a business card in hand. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Reuben Ndulor
Food was so-so. Our portions were quite small. Flavor was good but my wife ordered the seafood linguine and all of the seafood was way overcooked and rubbery. Hard to enjoy. For what you pay it was a bit disappointing.
We might have just been on an "off" night.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Fabian Rietmann
Nice Italian upscale restaurant. Everything was very good, just not especially outstanding - except the veal tortelloni, they were fantastic. The interior is more or less what you'd expect from an Italian-style restaurant. Only the cocktails were a bit disappointing, quite bland. Better stick to the wine. Still, a good recommendation if you're looking for a good quality Italian dinner.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Veal Tortellini
Dawn Magrath
Was invited here for a meeting and immediately have made plans to return! Orange roughy was absolutely delectable as well as the soup made from fresh ingredients and cooked to perfection! Chef’s kiss 👌🏻
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mags
Service was subpar - we had to keep asking for our waiter as he was gone most of time. We waited 50 minutes for our menu . Food was amazing hence the 3 stars .
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
Alina Saran
My new favorite restaurant in
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Worn Leather Media
Top notch experience with great food, service, and atmosphere. Had the bar to ourselves on a romantic Friday night, couldn’t have picked a better spot to relax with my wife. Highly recommend, will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Linguini, Lemon Tart, Tiramisu
I/we have dined at Centini many times, usually having great experiences, however, the last two experiences were sub par at best, but the last time 9/28/2024 was unacceptable. Rushing us to order, over one hour to get our food, food was average at best ($60 halibut was 1 out of 5). At one point they rushed the entire staff to the kitchen. I'm sure for an urgent summit as they seemed to be losing control of the restaurant. Gotta say I'm very disappointed, won't return soon and will not refer any contacts to Centini any longer. Too many quality high-end choices within steps to be treated like the four of us were at a B or C Grade establishment, and it was happening all throughout the main dining area. Sad to pen this but it's entirely up to management if they are ok with a service and quality decline. :(
Still Calgary's best Italian Restaurant for an upscale, excellent evening out. The restaurant was very busy and our server had only been there for two weeks, but he was very accommodating and really worked to give us a great experience. The food was excellent and while the meal took a bit longer than normal, we all agreed that the wait was worth it.
Sandy
Perfectly located, especially if you are attending a CPO concert at the Jack Singer or Theatre Calgary--just steps away. Lovely small, intimate restaurant with interesting art work and a relaxing and stressless atmosphere. Service is exceptionally friendly and professional and our waiter made excellent recommendations.
Carole
Rahul was an excellent server. Really knew about wine & made good suggestions for pairing. Food was good, overall, but not as good as it has been in previous experinces over the years at this restaurant. The dessert: profiteroles were kind of soggy & the sauce was watery, as though they had been just defristed.
Evan
Food was simply, amazing, authentic, Italian food, and well worth the price. We sat at the bartop tables overlooking the kitchen and it was an awesome experience! The owner was in the kitchen the whole time he is a lively character, lots of fun watching him and his staff work. Would highly recommend and go back in the future!
Matt Formagin
Weird place where u see and hear owners yelling at staff and probably has highest turnover in city. Weird weird place.
Good food, reasonable prices
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu
We had a family dinner at this restaurant, and overall, the experience was enjoyable. The food was excellent, and our server was outstanding—demonstrating great knowledge of the menu and suggesting a well-curated, family-style course that suited our group perfectly.
I must note that there were instances ”two times” where the server made comments on our private family conversations, which I found inappropriate for a high-end establishment. While such casual interactions might be acceptable or even appreciated in a local, informal restaurant, they felt out of place here.
After the server added Parmesan cheese to our pasta, I requested to have the cheese left at the table. The server laughed and remarked, “Haha, it’s kind of empty—do you still want it?” This response struck me as unprofessional, especially given the setting. I politely asked for the cheese to be left on the table, a request that should not have been met with amusement. Having traveled extensively in Italy, staying in 11 cities so far, I have never encountered such a reaction to a simple request.
That said, the food quality and the overall atmosphere ensured I had a pleasant evening. Despite the minor issues, I will definitely return in the future.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Seafood Linguini, Tiramisu
Centini is my go-to for client meetings, and it’s always a hit. The food is incredible, the atmosphere inviting, and the service flawless. Every client leaves impressed and with a business card in hand. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was so-so. Our portions were quite small. Flavor was good but my wife ordered the seafood linguine and all of the seafood was way overcooked and rubbery. Hard to enjoy. For what you pay it was a bit disappointing.
We might have just been on an "off" night.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Nice Italian upscale restaurant.
Everything was very good, just not especially outstanding - except the veal tortelloni, they were fantastic.
The interior is more or less what you'd expect from an Italian-style restaurant.
Only the cocktails were a bit disappointing, quite bland. Better stick to the wine.
Still, a good recommendation if you're looking for a good quality Italian dinner.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Veal Tortellini
Was invited here for a meeting and immediately have made plans to return! Orange roughy was absolutely delectable as well as the soup made from fresh ingredients and cooked to perfection! Chef’s kiss 👌🏻
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Service was subpar - we had to keep asking for our waiter as he was gone most of time. We waited 50 minutes for our menu . Food was amazing hence the 3 stars .
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
My new favorite restaurant in
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Top notch experience with great food, service, and atmosphere. Had the bar to ourselves on a romantic Friday night, couldn’t have picked a better spot to relax with my wife. Highly recommend, will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Linguini, Lemon Tart, Tiramisu
I/we have dined at Centini many times, usually having great experiences, however, the last two experiences were sub par at best, but the last time 9/28/2024 was unacceptable. Rushing us to order, over one hour to get our food, food was average at best ($60 halibut was 1 out of 5). At one point they rushed the entire staff to the kitchen. I'm sure for an urgent summit as they seemed to be losing control of the restaurant. Gotta say I'm very disappointed, won't return soon and will not refer any contacts to Centini any longer. Too many quality high-end choices within steps to be treated like the four of us were at a B or C Grade establishment, and it was happening all throughout the main dining area. Sad to pen this but it's entirely up to management if they are ok with a service and quality decline. :(
Restaurantji Recommends
Still Calgary's best Italian Restaurant for an upscale, excellent evening out. The restaurant was very busy and our server had only been there for two weeks, but he was very accommodating and really worked to give us a great experience. The food was excellent and while the meal took a bit longer than normal, we all agreed that the wait was worth it.
Perfectly located, especially if you are attending a CPO concert at the Jack Singer or Theatre Calgary--just steps away. Lovely small, intimate restaurant with interesting art work and a relaxing and stressless atmosphere. Service is exceptionally friendly and professional and our waiter made excellent recommendations.
Rahul was an excellent server. Really knew about wine & made good suggestions for pairing. Food was good, overall, but not as good as it has been in previous experinces over the years at this restaurant. The dessert: profiteroles were kind of soggy & the sauce was watery, as though they had been just defristed.
Food was simply, amazing, authentic, Italian food, and well worth the price. We sat at the bartop tables overlooking the kitchen and it was an awesome experience! The owner was in the kitchen the whole time he is a lively character, lots of fun watching him and his staff work. Would highly recommend and go back in the future!
Weird place where u see and hear owners yelling at staff and probably has highest turnover in city. Weird weird place.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 2
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