50 Best Italian Restaurants near Ballwin

“Dining at Mia Sorella was a great experience. The service is wonderful and everyone seems genuine and friendly. All the food tastes fresh and made with quality ingredients.“

“Outstanding flavor! Loved the sauce and the cheese...everything!“

“Everything!!!Great dinner, drinks and atmosphere! Bartenders are on point!“

“My husband has been dying to try Katie's for some time now. We made our way here excited to experience real, fresh, delicious Italian food. Instantly walking up there's a nice outdoor vibe, not overly fancy, but very pleasant with outdoor lights, plenty of shaded area, plants for decor, and seating for various group sizes. The inside is also a fresh and modern decor. You're instantly greeted to be seated inside or out. I noticed right away their branding, pasta to cook at home and sauces for sale. The pasta is near white, which you know means it's real! So we knew we were in for a treat. Upon being seated we looked over the menu and couldn't decide what to try (note: there is a lot of Italian lingo on the menu). Luckily, with the help of our very friendly and sweet waitress, she was able to give us her recommendations and explain some of the other options to us. We decided to go all out and get started with bread service and the cheese sticks (note: some names of items were more Italian-I'm giving you the English cliff note version). That bread is AMAZING!!!! So fresh and delicious!! I loved the airy texture and simple but yet delicious flavor of the simplicity of fresh ingredients and love. The flake salt on top just hit the nail on the head. As for the cheese sticks, the breading was a softer texture but crispy from the cook. They were very large in size with a fresh cheese inside. Hot and delicious. The theme to this review is definitely how much you can taste the freshness and overall care and dedication this chef has to their food. It comes served with a side of marinara. There were 6 sticks total (our picture was a little late). We ended up choosing a pepperoni pizza (just plain style not the ezzo on the menu with spice and honey-my husband let me have my way), the fiama Marla bolognese, & the kids marinara spaghetti. The pizza was everything and more! Thin but fluffy crust, tons of flavor, cheese was the perfect ratio with a good amount of pepperoni too. It is not overly sauced, which we both enjoyed. Again, super fresh, perfect consistency on the crust and delectable flavor! My son (pickiest eater alive-meaning we had to flip the spaghetti over so that it hid the Parmesan Romano) LOVED his spaghetti! The noodles were more al dente than I cook them, but yet it tasted perfect! Both the hubs and I said we'd totally get the spaghetti with meatballs on our next visit. Now, as for the bolognese, we actually did not care for this one. It had a different, almost bitter taste we couldn't identify. The noodles in it though, so fresh and cooked perfectly!!! Plus, they were thick and delicious like no where else in St. Louis. All the portions were large, even the kids! They are also sauced in the best way, not overly sauced. I think what we figured out was that this place doesn't have to over compensate for anything because they use quality ingredients that they let shine in their cooking-it's that freshness and care that they are able to share the story of real Italian food! We loved that! It definitely shines at Katie's! Our waitress did a great job to come back and check in with us about flavors and any needs we might have-even with two young kids with us, she acknowledged them too. To our surprise when we advised at the boxing stage that we just didn't care for the bolognese, she had her manager come out and he apologized, even though it was our taste we made clear that was probably the issue, not them. In the end, he still comped that plate-not at all necessary, but overly gracious and it really shows of how much their service matters to them. That in itself rates high with us! You just don't find that kind of hospitality anywhere now days. We really felt like we were part of a family coming here to eat. That's just how they treated you. In addition they have a ton of Italian desserts we saved for the next trip, as well as a great wine list and Coke products for drinks. The restrooms were clean and everything was well kept. We couldn't be “

“Great food, fair prices, friendly vibes.“

“Incredible evening celebrating wife’s birthday and our anniversary. Calamari, caprese salad, house salad, veal cutlets, lamp chops. Simply delicious. Love the ambience of Paul Manno’s and our server Avery provided outstanding service. We will be coming back again and again.“

“Excellent food, service and people. We had a terrific dinner there last night with friends. The halibut was fabulous, the Benedetto farfalle with pink sauce was yummy! We will be going back.“

“We had a lovely dinner at NOTO last night. One thing I like about NOTO is their menu changes seasonally which keeps it fresh and exciting. They have amazing Neapolitan pizza which was certified by AVPN in Italy. Service was spectacular. Charming atmosphere. I started off with NOTO house salads. Chefs kiss. Mortadella is a no-brainer for me. My partner got the Salsiccia. They were absolutely delicious. The whole experience definitely brought us back to Italy. We also liked the patata a lot. I did make a reservation one month in advance but it’s worth the wait. Highly recommended!“

“I took my wife here for our anniversary. This place was also recommended by to me by a couple of other people. The place is amazing! Cozy atmosphere, our waitress was very professional and the food was excellent! I highly recommend this place.“

“Thank you sauce on the side Wentzville for great customer service. I appreciate you guys going above and beyond during my last visit. due to the nature of my order takes a little longer to make. You’re so kind to offer a free soda while I waited. Something so small can make a visit and await so pleasant. Thank you for helping me work through my order“

“This was our first time at the restaurant and it was absolutely one of the best meals I have had and I long, long time! The calzones were absolutely delicious and enormous compared to the price- far away, one of the best value meals you can get.“

“Always a great experience enjoy Jimmy as your waiter such good food and reasonably priced“

“We had a great anniversary dinner!“

“We love Viviano’s, great for lunch or dinner, great happy hours! The mushroom Brie soup is wonderful! And the workers are super sweet ❤️“

“Thank you sauce on the side Wentzville for great customer service. I appreciate you guys going above and beyond during my last visit. due to the nature of my order takes a little longer to make. You’re so kind to offer a free soda while I waited. Something so small can make a visit and await so pleasant. Thank you for helping me work through my order“

“Always a great experience!! Food is excellent , service is always great and atmosphere fabulous!! OH and can’t say enough about the MARVELOUS bartender “Kevin”😘“

“Today my boyfriend and I went to this location and he ordered a steak medium rare. It came out VERY rare, but without us even saying anything our waiter notified the manager who came over and offered us a refund (we had already paid on the tablet) and 2 free desserts. Quality service.“

“Really hard to find a good Penne Marsala these days, but Joe Boccardi’s is amazing! We are never disappointed. Finer dining, but also kid friendly and not nearly as steep as some of the others places. I also appreciate that alcohol sales aren’t pressured.“

“We love Viviano’s, great for lunch or dinner, great happy hours! The mushroom Brie soup is wonderful! And the workers are super sweet ❤️“

“Always fast, friendly service! The food is amazing! Definitely a stop every time in St Louis, MO!“

“Love love loved the service and food at this location! Our host and waitress were beyond hospitalible, and the manager even came to check in on us a couple of times to ensure our dining experience was amazing. The lunch special was delectable and we enjoyed every bite of our fresh food. We came in to celebrate my father's birthday and they made it a memorable one, even giving us a dessert on the house!“

“New York Strip steak awesome ,very tender cooked to perfection and great price. Tortellini was the best I've had. Eggplant awesome also. highly recommend this restaurant. Clean and friendly staff and service.“

“Amazing pizza! Best lasagna! Great staff! 5 Stars!“

“me and my boyfriend came here for our anniversary dinner and absolutely loved it!! our server was very kind and helpful. our food was served quickly and was delicious. we loved everything about our experience! special shoutout to the worker that was happy to take our picture before we left!“

“Amazing pizza! Best lasagna! Great staff! 5 Stars!“

“The service is exceptional. We visited tonight. Carl was our server and he was stellar. Great atmosphere, excellent food, and again service was outstanding.“

“Pasta House catered our wedding, and they did an amazing job!!! They made the whole day a breeze! The food was delicious and we had plenty of leftovers!!! My husband and I wanted ice cream for dessert. They placed the order with Ted Drewes, picked it up, and brought it to the venue. They even let my baker bring the cake to them the day of, and they handled it from there. The bar was awesome!! The drinks were delicious and ll the staff from serves to bartenders were so friendly! Our wedding was at the World's Fair Pavillion which has some stricted guidelines/rules which we were worried about. Pasta House took care of all of it and didn't let us worry once about it. They were a dream to work with and I would recommend them to everyone for a delicious and stress free wedding or event!!!“

“Late dinner - we were in the mood for something Italian - food is fabulous - we choose lasagna and risotto - both dishes were yummy and plenty left over for lunch tomorrow - FYI: Their salad are the best!! Kayla and the house staff were fabulous as well… we will be back soon…“

“MAAAAAAN LISTEN GO DOWN TO JOEY B'S AND YOU WANT BE DISAPPOINTED. The food is delicious The Employee's are on point. I LOOOOOOOOOVE JOEY B'S. And I love the good vibes and the good atmosphere. When you come to st.louis or you are in st.louis go to joey b's

Joey B's Food & Drink Manchester
14445 Manchester Rd, Manchester, MO 63011.

If Joey B's called me to do a commercial I will do it! GOOOO JOEY B'S 🎉🎊🎉🎊🎊🥳“

“Nice atmosphere, good food and our server Dina was the best!“

“We went because I remember going to a restaurant they had many years ago on St Charles Rock Rd. The food was as good as I remember. Everyone loved what they had. We will definitely be going back.“

“I want to start by saying I LOVE GIOIA'S.... However they did something today that is totally wrong. I had placed a four sandwich order with work colleagues. My order was a roast beef sami with AU JUS... with out the AU JUS the sandwich is dry and not very desirable. It was delivered by door dash and the AU JUS was forgotten. I asked for a refund and was told that they are not able to do this as the AU JUS is complimentary. WTF is that !!! You guys are better than this and I would expect for you to make right on a mess up that YOU made. I think it will be a while before I order with my colleagues from Gioias. Its a shame because we were going there at least once a week.“

“We came here for lunch with a big group. As soon as we walked in with a table for 8, another group of 6 immediately came in and behind them was a group of 9 or 10. With it being lunch time, they had a small staff. The host and the waitress welcomed everyone in with smiling faces and pushed tables around to make room for all parties. The kitchen got our food out quickly and we were all very satisfied with our meals. They have a great staff and I am very happy we chose Babbo’s for our lunch!“

“Food was great. We arrived around 5:15pm and it was pretty empty. We ate out on the patio. Service was pretty good too. However the patio is in need of some maintenance. Broken light bulbs, peeling paint, cobwebs, and general cleaning all around is needed.“

“Best pizza I have found since moving to STL four years ago! But not just the best here. One of the best ever!“

“Excellent quality of food. Great service and nice ambiance.“

“It's no secret that their name often comes up in lists of the best St. Louis style pizza.
But I'd like to add that their service might even be better. At least it was on a busy Saturday night.
They did a great job advising us up front about the wait, and then checking in with us as we ate our app and salad.
Really impressed with their FOH.“

“The service was awful. The waitress screwed up our appetizers order. She didn't offer me a salad. She was very slow on serving our food. The only good about this visit is She didn't charge us for either of the appetizers she brought.“

“Always the best sandwich’s, especially my favorite, the salami. The hoagie bun compliments everything perfectly and holds up the way a bun should. Only thing better than this sandwich is the Italian Sausage Soup. This soup is a religious experience. If you haven’t had it you need to. The Maryland Heights location is just a pickup location so that’s why atmosphere gets a neutral 3 stars. The staff was efficient and friendly, checked to make sure I got everything.“

“When I walked in, I realized the place was packed, but we were hoping the wait wasn't too long, they quoted 45 minutes, which was a little too long for us. There was 5 of us and we decided to sit at the bar. And I'm sure glad we did. We had a bartender, I forgot her name, but she had purple hair, she was the absolute best. Not only did she make amazing drinks, she made sure our food came out right and hot. She also entertained us the whole time we were there, by engaging in conversations. You don't see that very much these days. If there was a word better than perfect, that's how I would describe it. I'll definitely be sitting at the bar more often.“

“Pasta House catered our wedding, and they did an amazing job!!! They made the whole day a breeze! The food was delicious and we had plenty of leftovers!!! My husband and I wanted ice cream for dessert. They placed the order with Ted Drewes, picked it up, and brought it to the venue. They even let my baker bring the cake to them the day of, and they handled it from there. The bar was awesome!! The drinks were delicious and ll the staff from serves to bartenders were so friendly! Our wedding was at the World's Fair Pavillion which has some stricted guidelines/rules which we were worried about. Pasta House took care of all of it and didn't let us worry once about it. They were a dream to work with and I would recommend them to everyone for a delicious and stress free wedding or event!!!“

“Amazingly positive and great staff, cracking jokes and gave us free drinks as well as great service. The food was amazing as always and the atmosphere of this place was incredible!! 10/10 I would make the drive just to come again. Keep it up y'all are awesome.

Kid-friendliness: Very kid friendly, arcade games and aquariums as well as TV.“

“They catered a Christmas event I attended. The food was presented professionally and tasted absolutely delicious! 5⭐️“

“Terrible service from EJ. He never checked to see how our food was, not once, after salad or entree. The food was okay. Parmesan would have helped maybe. We had to ask for more water. We had a gift card from our kids to use, but EJ said the internet was down and we couldn't use it. We asked for a manager, and he said he was the manager, which is really surprising considering the lack of service we received. He finally took the gift card off of our bill. He was not a good server or manager in our opinion. Bus boy was pretty good. We would not recommend this place. EJ shouldn't be serving!! We still gave him a 15% tip, which was more than deserved. Usually, we give much more.“

“Great place! Will definitely be coming back“

“Have had their pizzas before and were very good, but tonight we got a large sausage/pepperoni but it was not good. The crust was thicker and tasteless. Very skimpy toppings. Not at all like I remember.“

“I live in the middle of Ohio around several amazing pizza places and I don't think JJ's normal double decker pizza was that good.
I wish I would've tried one of their specialty pizzas or just a different local pizza place when I was in town.“

“I VERY rarely give 5 stars. I ordered the Sweet Heat pizza and was blown away. This was easily top 5 pizzas I've ever had. I genuinely can't wait to come back to the St Louis area just for the pizza. If you are in the area, this is a MUST GO!“

“I was in St. Louis, tried pizza in this place, the wait, the service and a lot of positivity from the people who work there. One of the best pizzas served in St. Louis is located at this address. I recommend this place to everyone, and special thanks to the manager Anthony and the pizza makers Colin and Rachel, and everyone else.“

“Great meal today. A chef salad with THE BEST dressing. We try to make it here every time we’re in the area. ❤️ Always enjoy my meal no matter the choice.“