50 Best Italian Restaurants near East Haven

“I have been ordering from Minervini's since I moved to Branford and I never had any issues! Always a great service and delicious food!“

“The Pane Cotto was delicious, and the Chicken Barsi was out of this world. Highly recommend.“

“We had a picnic wedding celebration for our daughter and son-in law at our home. They had gotten married in Italy a few months before. The pizza choices were amazing and delicious, never a line. Salad, gelato and expresso were all a hit with our guests. I would recommend using them. Luigi is wonderful and easy to work with.“

“I honestly am ashamed to say that I’ve lived in East Haven for 22 years and have never had Tollis pizza. Some friends and I were getting together and we were talking about restaurants to go to, and I had mentioned that I had never tried Tollis. We decided to give it a go. And I have never been happier with a decision ever! We had the white clam pizza, we had the Amalfi pizza. And I couldn’t decide which was my favorite. My friends had the Bolognese sauce, which the waitress brought a little bowl so they could try it with some bread before they ordered their entrée! Nice touch! It was fantastic! Our waitress was super attentive, very friendly, we were near where they were making the pizzas and it was fun to watch. An all-around great experience highly highly recommend.!!!!!“

“My wife and I lived in New Haven for 4 years and ordered many a delicious pizza from Anthony and his great crew. We retired to Florida and I returned for a visit and ordered two pies. How lovely that they comped me, and the pies were amazing! Thank you ! Vange and Lori“

“The food is out of this world!!!!!!“

“Tried Consiglio's for the first time last night. Inside was full at 7PM - and unfortunately very loud. They did have seating available out back al fresco. Beautiful area with another bar, string lights, propane heaters...very romantic ambiance and MUCH quieter! Food and service were excellent; the special butternut squash stuffed tortellini with pesto cream and sun dried tomatos was to die for! Great wine selection - even by the glass. Highly recommend this restaurant...we will be back.“

“Fabulous food and amazing staff“

“Awesome hospitality - great people - excellent food and fantastic family!“

“Every bite was delicious!“

“This is our favorite reataurant in Ct ..the pasta fagioli is the best anywhere just like eating in Italy..they have live music Fri and Saturday and we sit outside eat ? drink and ? ?..it is hard to get in make sure u reserve in advance

Parking: right by the restaurant or across the street plenty of parking“

“2024. Still stop here when i can. Still amazing. Still delicious!

WOW. I just moved to Branford and a local friend took me here. Everything Italian! Prepacked dinners of various sizes. Cookies, AMAZING gelato, arancini, donuts, squid, meatballs, cappuccino...and more! I'll be back for more.“

“It is such a cozy friendly vibe♥️♥️Tge staff are so friendly . the food is so good♥️♥️Our favorite spot in New England ♥️♥️♥️“

“I have been ordering takeouts at Il Forno for the past seven. I started with bacon and onions pizza which was great. I then changed to eggplant pizza and it has to be the best I have ever had. Now I have moved on to shrimp marinara with linguine and I can't tell you how great this dish is. The shrimp are so large and fresh and the sauce is excellent. The filet of sole must weigh at least 2 pounds and my husband gets it every week. The filet is enough for two meals and so is the shrimp. Thank you Il Forno for making our Friday takeout a special treat.“

“We had a fantastic meal at Caffe Bravo! We ordered the arancini and buratta for appetizers. The arancini reminded me of what you get from an authentic, local Napolitan eatery in Italy. The buratta was creamy and super fresh. For dinner we had freshly made gnocchi , the linguine and vongole, and the grigliata di mare. The gnocchi were like fluffy pillows that were made moments before getting to our table. The homemade linguine was perfectly cooked with plenty of clams. And the seafood was grilled to perfection with a tasty farro rice as a side. And then for dessert we had the homemade tiramisu and chocolate lava cake that put us over the edge. Can’t wait to go back and bring friends so they can experience for themselves. 💯 🇮🇹 #caffebravo #forzanapoli“

“Modern Apizza is our favorite pizza restaurant. Always a must when we are in New Haven. Nothing comes close in Florida“

“This is REAL NEOPOLITAN PIZZA. I went there recently with my cousins, who are from Naples, and they said it was as if they were back in Italy. Forget the cardboard Americanized pizza. This pizzeria is authentic and the owner is genuine. Cannot recommend enough.“

“Delicious seafood and steaks! Excellent martini's!!“

“We stopped in for some stuffed breads and tried some italian pastry.They where all excellant and be back for sure.“

“Excellent food, good service.“

“We dined in last night (10/12/23) we had a party of 5. Our server was top notch, our meals were extremely delicious and outstanding in their presentations. The photos do not do any justice. I had Shrimp Fra Diavolo, Pinot Grigio White and my wife and I shared the Carrot Cake.“

“I have dined in and gotten take out… never have I had a bad experience either or. So glad to have a great establishment right down the street. Cocktails and craft beer selections are great too. Kudos to whoever does the cocktails. That watermelon one is on point.“

“I came from Virginia to visit my sister and kept hearing about it and wanted to try it. The Fresh Tomatoes Pizza was excellent! The staff was very friendly. Loved it!!“

“I give Villa Lulu a solid 4, bordering on 5, but I'm so fussy, it's probably a 5. I save 5's for something so amazing I just can't describe it. After a brief snafu with who our waiter was, the staff was super accomodating with everything. They kept their promise to get us to the show on time. So, service ended up a 5 but started as a 2 or 3. Food, we had a variety of salads and appetizers, two main courses for 4 of us. All were very good., to excellent Atmosphere, 4, and I only detract because we had to walk up a steep flight of stairs to the dining room, so if you are physically unable to make the stairs, your options will be limited. There is al fresco dining but it was too cold. I am sincerely looking forward to returning and trying more options at a more leisurely pace because it's the type of place where you can actually carry on a conversation without the clatter of dishes and the intrusion of others' conversations. It's very warm and cozy and would be good for a romantic dinner. Reminds me of "The Big Night" kind of vibe.“

“Always an amazing meal. Fresh. Hot. Delicious.“

“. .“

“Great atmosphere, great wait staff and fantastic food. The portions are large too!“

“Awesome foods, staffs very friendly and accomodating.“

“FABULOUS FAMILY ITALY ALWAYS“

“The best place to go for a night out! Great atmosphere and great service! Mama’s cooking is the best!“

“The best Restaurant in CT. A combination of good food, price, and attention, among other things, the kindness of its Staff. A great experience. I recommend it, you won't regret it!!“

“On Saturday, June 11th after my Mom’s Memorial service I brought 35 people to lunch. The waitstaff was well organized, very attentive, not to mention the food was OUTSTANDING!! Everyone ordered off the menu, drinks were served along with appetizers and dessert. We all ate at the same time which is hard to do with that many people. I would highly recommend Cafe Fiore in Branford, CT to anyone who is looking to have an event or just a nice lunch or dinner. They staff worked so well together that I gave them a 30% gratuity. WELL DONE CAFE FIORE!“

“fried mozzarella r banging, get garlic bread with it to start off, after that whatever u feel like having, it the oldest spot around with one of best food in west haven“

“The staff and owners are awesome. And the dessert was amazing.“

“Gabrieles was the venue for my son and daughter in laws rehearsal dinner and it was fabulous, the food was delicious and the staff friendly and accommodating highly recommend“

“Excellent menu, food, staff and ambience!“

“I absolutely love this salad bar. It's always fresh. The food is outstanding and I NEVER buy premade meals. However, this is my go-to. Anything I've ordered here is delicious and made with good ingredients. I highly recommend. Staff is always friendly and helpful!“

“Best restaurant ever. Every visit was great! Food Great! Service great! Atmosphere great ! This is our go-to restaurant. Highly recommend !“

“Every single time we go to Encore the experience is impeccable. The food the service and the ambiance. Chef Gerry and Andrea thank you for your hospitality and always making the experience amazing .“

“I’ve gone here a few times but every single time was great! The food is always delicious and very interesting my bf has an extreme shellfish allergy but they’re very accommodating to it. The dining room echos conversations a bit but everything else about this place is amazing lol we’ll def be monthly regulars☺️“

“Ordered the blackened salmon. It was cooked perfectly. The onion rings were great. My salad was cold and crisp and the garlic bread was very tasty. The veggies that came with it were reminiscent of the frozen mix my mother used, and the dull part of the meal. My Server was attentive and on top of everything.“

“Fabulous quality, delicious and authentic Italian food. We opted for the veal parm and fettuccine Alfredo. Fresh, hot, aldente’ fettuccine noodles topped with chicken. Cream sauce was amazing. Very pleased. Veal was perfect! We will definitely be back.“

“Came here on a quiet weeknight and was amazed by the authentic Italian cuisine. Started off with a wonderful Burrata then I had the Rigatoni Bolgenese with was really good. We also bought a loaf of the Italian Bread to bring home. That bread with some Cabot butter and you are on to something!! Would visit again.“

“incredible sandwich and service. super fresh ingredients and maybe the best bread I've ever had. highly recommend.“

“Great squid among other foods“

“We had dinner tonight at Nikki and Frankie's on Route 80 on the recommendation of a friend.. the eggplant was fantastic and made the right way the good old-fashioned Italian way.. the meatballs were legit the sauce was delish and couldn't be any fresher... we were welcomed like we were walking into aunties dining room and the place was clean as a whistle.. A must go to !“

“It’s bright and so clean and there are white linen tablecloths. Food was steaming hot when brought to our table and delicious too. Not expensive and everyone was pleasant. Other diners looked very happy too! This is our new “go to” restaurant. They serve those delicious warm garlic knots and homemade bread and olives before meals. We had chicken contadina, and linguine with bolognese sauce.

Parking: We did see spaces marked for disabled.“

“I won a gift card to La Lupa at an animal rescue event that they donated to the event. We ordered the Panna Cotto, broccoli rabe & sausage & the squash flowers. The food was amazing & the portions were generous. We will definitely be back because of the food & because of their support for my pup’s rescue.“

“We were a large party of 8 with no reservation for my son's birthday. We didn't have to wait for a table so that was amazing. The bar was backed up, so we got our salad before our drinks even though our drink orders were placed before our dinner orders. My mom and I both got the garganzola steak Alfredo dish. We were so looking forward to it, but it was over cooked so we were bummed. We didn't even take the left overs because they were too over cooked to reheat. We celebrated my son's 4th birthday, he said it was the best birthday ever 😆 so he loved his meal and the tablet at dinner.“