20 Best Italian Restaurants near East Lyme

“Ate here a few days ago! Everything was excellent! The Pomodoro Caprese Salad was good and the Veal Parmesan was excellent! Would definitely order it again! Raspberry Sorbet was amazing!!!! Staff is very friendly and wonderful! Definitely will eat here again! Great first time experience! ❤️❤️❤️“

“We had a two delicious meals. The duck was crisp and not fatty. I had the special with roasted potatoes and spiraled veggies with a delicious sauce. My husband thought his paella was very good. This new restaurant’s staff and owners try very hard to please their customers. We will definitely be back!“

“Highly recommend!! Best Italian food around! Waitstaff is amazing as well, which makes for an even better dining experience! You won’t be disappointed!!“

“Our family loves going to celebrate after games, report cards, etc and our son usually picks The Plum Tomato, East Lyme. Great pizza by the slice - old school pizza shop with limited dine-in seating.

Kid-friendliness: Great place for kids! Small birthday party location too“

“If you’re going to have a drink, have it before you go. We went there last night and had two glasses of house wine each and they were literally as much as our entrees. We eat out all the time and have never seen anything like that anywhere.“

“Ninos provides amazing food and customer service. We are regulars when it comes to their pizza, grinders and pasta. Last night they catered for our gender reveal party and we had assorted pizzas, a 3 foot long steak and cheese grinder, garlic knots and focaccia bread. Everything was great and our guests really enjoyed the food!“

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“Ordered a couple pizzas and enjoyed a beer at the bar while waiting. Staff was great, and the pizza is the best. Will go back often!“

“We would like to extend our gratitude and appreciation to Mike and Sara for hosting our Work party. The food was delicious and the service was excellent. Thank you again for working with us as we had a few dietary restrictions in the group. Everyone had a great time. We look forward to coming back.“

“great food, great staff! Only pizza we ever get!“

“I frequent this particular olive garden so I have plenty of experience with them. I will say, while the staff is friendly and normally attentive. Like anywhere else, it can be hit or miss. 2 visits ago was supurb, with a waiter that really seems to be into his job. Friendly and helpful were the order of the day. Whereas my most recent visit wasn't great. It took 15-20 minutes to get seated despite not being very busy. The seating was only available in the bar area which we could've sat ourselves had we known this. It took 3 more minutes to get a menu, 10 more minutes to get silverware, and then they finally asked us for our drinks and food order.

Like I said, it's usually a good time. But sometimes, even the best run places have a rough day.

Vegetarian options: There are options for vegetarian individuals. But being based on an Italian restaurant, a lot of things offer meat.

Dietary restrictions: There are gluten free options for those that need it.

Parking: There are many many spaces in all directions around the building as it tends to seat quite a few people.

Kid-friendliness: There are menus and items for children upon request. The staff tends to treat children fairly and as individuals.

Wheelchair accessibility: A lot of flat surfaces and plenty of handicapable parking.“

“service and food are amazing“

“The ratings for La Luna's should be a five. The food is delicious and visually appealing. The staff is excellent. The meals are freshly made . There are not that many Italian restaurants without having to drive a distance, that can live up to the quality of their meals. The owner , chefs and staff are very accommodating.“

“We've always loved this place. They are known for the best prime rib.
Clean. Family oriented. Food is always tasty and always feel full after. Sometimes too full ??.
Waitresses are always kind and patient.
You won't be disappointed.“

“I had bunny chow and my best friend had Jollof rice and egusi soup. We didn´t have anything to say besides that the food was amazing!!!!!? Also the staff was PERFECT MOSTLY THE OWNERS KID JULLIAN MATEO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!“

“Pizza is great they are very friendly“

“Love Ballo but really disappointed with how much the menu keeps changing. They charge now for house bread and took off the garlic bread. Got rid of shrimp scampi. Now got rid of chicken francaise which was Amazing there and our go to. Also used to have an amazing cheese and meat platter appetizer and that was removed. Wish some of those would be put back on. With so much change there really isn’t anything appealing to me now. This was our spot for anniversaries, birthdays, and lots of date nights.“

“Ate there recently and had a great meal! And our server Lisa was so sweet and the service was perfect.“

“Wanted to try the offmenu mac and cheese prepared tableside in a cheese wheel. The experience did not disappoint and the drink selection was nice. Food was excellent and arrived quickly. Would definitely return as service was great as well.“

“My wife and I had the Tuscan Table. The food was wonderful, and the wait staff was great. The waterfall is always a problem due to the sound, so we always eat inside. Choice of background music could have been better, but I'm sure it kept the staff "movin and groovin". Great value -- Thanks!“