26 Best Italian Restaurants near Waterford

“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.“

“We had an absolutely wonderful dining experience tonight, all thanks to Melanie! She was incredibly friendly, warm, and attentive from the moment we sat down. We never felt rushed, which allowed us to truly relax and enjoy our evening. Melanie is a fantastic server, and her lovely attitude made our night special. We will definitely be back and hope to be seated in her section again!“

“We had a great experience eating here last night! The food was excellent and the service was exceptional! Would highly recommend their pizza and garlic knots!!!“

“I love PP and Chicken Diablo is my FAV!“

“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! ❤️❤️❤️“

“stumbled across this place about a month ago and we now order frequently (the alfredo 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩) we dined in for the first time today and it was great. the staff seems to remember our faces and are all very kind, definitely look forward to eating here every time thank you! ❤️🤞🏽“

“I made a discovery at The Recovery Room !!! A masterpiece !!!“

“I’m not one to go to Italian restaurants because my expectations are elevated and I’m usually disappointed, but this one is truly my first chef’s kiss! 👨‍🍳💋 If you go, be prepared… it’s a little pricy, but I’ve no issues with paying for an exemplary meal. -Veronica makes both red & white sangrias and they are the BEST in SE Ct!! -every dish, and I mean every.single.plate is made by one chef, Carmine (not a team of kitchen staff) so you’ll be waiting a bit, but I promise, it’s worth the wait. -the menu is authentic Italian cuisine. We tried the octopus salad, spaghetti carbonara, chicken marsala, penne boscaiola, and Sam had penne & meatballs. All of these dishes were fresh and clean tasting and full of flavor. You can honestly taste the love. We all felt as if we were in their home. -get the tiramisu! With the first bite, you can tell it’s homemade and literally, it’s phenomenal! Veronica & Carmine are a beautiful, talented couple from a tiny island off Sicily. They both worked in restaurants in New Haven and brought their culinary expertise to Groton. I don’t do restaurant shout outs often, but this one deserves all the business!! Get the word out and go! ❤️“

“If you're looking for delightfully authentic Italian food with friendly, efficient service, all wrapped in a wonderful throwback atmosphere surrounded with great period music from the '50s and early '60s....the run, don't walk to Tony D's. You will NOT be disappointed.“

“the best italian grinder in SE CT“

“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!“

“Not much to look at from the outside, but very deceiving. Our dinner was excellent. My husbands muscles were served perfectly. And, I had the best and most unusual salad. And our server, Adam, was by far the best ever. Olio is lucky to have him.“

“I got takeout so I can't much speak to service or atmosphere.
The place was clean.
The person who took my order and the person who checked me out where both polite and efficient.
My natural bridge without olives was an excellent choice and an excellent sandwich.
Packed with flavor this half flatbread sandwich really hit the spot with a creative combination of flavors on perfectly tasty flat bread.“

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

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

“Ordered online for this one. Pizza was fantastic. So happy that they offer vegan cheese and a vegan sausage. We ended up choosing those toppings as well as hot peppers. Absolutely delicious. Thank you for having vegan options, we will 1000% be getting pizza here again(definitely as a dine in next time) 🍕🌱💕✨“

“I have eaten at most of the restaurants in Southeastern CT, and have found that LA LUNA RISTORANTE & LOUNGE in New London is head and shoulders above the rest! The menus is diverse, and food and drinks are always good and presented professionally. The dining atmosphere is pleasant with table cloths, and low lighting on each table. Plus they have live music on most Fridays from 6-9 pm. Try them out...you won't be disappointed!“

“Sapore just catered an event for my family. The food was absolutely delicious, hot and plentiful. They can also deliver. Highly recommend. Can't thank everyone at Sapore enough. Love their food💕“

“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!“

“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.“

“I really enjoyed my visit to this spot because it had such a nice neighborhood feel to it. The menu has a great mix of classic comfort foods, and I was pleasantly surprised by how well everything was prepared. The service was friendly and efficient, so I never felt like I was waiting too long for a drink refill or my food. It is the perfect kind of place to grab a reliable meal when you just want something tasty without any fuss.“

“I recently tried the Italian Combo at Golden Pizza Restaurant and it absolutely delivered. The sandwich was loaded with fresh deli meats, perfectly sliced cheese, crisp lettuce, and ripe tomatoes, all brought together with just the right amount of oil and seasoning. Every bite had great flavor and balance.

What really stood out was the size. This thing was huge and easily one of the most filling sandwiches I’ve had in a while. You definitely get your money’s worth.

If you’re looking for a classic, no nonsense Italian combo done right, this is the spot. I’ll definitely be coming back.“

“Just heaven. Recipes that haven’t changed in 60 years. Always look forward to my first watermelon“

“love their subs. also always very friendly“

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

“new menu from Ballo is good. went with skirt steak and it was really good. the potatoes were good as well. tried the olive oil cake for dessert sort of blah. Will was our server--- best part of the night! great service and even been personality !!!“