We were lucky enough to get a reserved spot at the bar. Maggie the bar tender was amazing! The food was delicious the goat cheese, bacon and leeks bruschetta was out of this world. Only negative was the customers were very rude and seemed to be very entitled. Not sure if that’s just an Exeter thing but Maggie did amazing dealing with those people.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Skye Baldassarre
We had such a great experience at Cornicello and will absolutely be back. We made our reservation a few weeks ahead after hearing from friends whose taste we really trust that it was excellent Italian. We are Italian ourselves, so our expectations were high, and I can honestly say they were met.
From the moment we walked in, the staff was welcoming and we were seated right away. Our waitress was very attentive and kind throughout the meal. We also really appreciated the pacing of the evening. We never felt rushed at all, and the food came out at exactly the right pace. It was not too quick in a way that felt pre prepared, but not slow either. It felt like everything was being made fresh, and at no point did we feel like we were waiting around.
The restaurant itself is beautiful inside, with warm lighting and an amazing view overlooking the Exeter River.
We know the menu changes often because they use local ingredients, which we really appreciate, so what we had may not be available when you go. That said, it seems like some staples stay in rotation. For starters, we had the Classic Bruschetta with added Lioni ciliegine mozzarella and the Funghi bruschetta. Both were delicious, but the Classic Bruschetta was our favorite. It was incredibly fresh, bright, and flavorful, and the added mozzarella made it even better. The Funghi was also excellent, rich and savory, and I can understand why it is so popular.
For my entrée, I ordered the Tagliarini al Limone with no prosciutto and added grilled shrimp, and it was amazing. The portion was generous, the pasta itself was delicious, and the sauce was lemony, basil scented, and absolutely wonderful. It felt fresh, balanced, and full of flavor. My husband ordered the Genovese Napoletana con Pera, and he really enjoyed it. The sweet and savory combination made it a unique dish that stood out.
For dessert, we had the cannoli of the night with a rum ricotta filling and the pistachio cake. My husband especially loved the cannoli, and we both loved the pistachio cake. That was a standout for us.
The drink options were also a nice surprise. I really appreciated that they had Peroni non alcoholic, which felt much more fitting with the meal than the usual limited non alcoholic beer choices. I also had the blueberry lemonade mocktail, which was refreshing, delicious, and not overly sweet.
It was definitely lively inside, but in a good way. There was a real energy throughout the restaurant, and it felt like the sound of people genuinely enjoying themselves. It did not feel unpleasantly loud. They also have sound panels on the ceiling, which seemed to help soften some of the noise.
Overall, everything felt thoughtful, fresh, and well executed. Between the food, the service, the atmosphere, the pacing, and the view, it was an experience that fully lived up to the hype.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Debbie Dunn
Visited this amazing restaurant on Saturday with 3 friends. From the moment we were greeted and brought to our table (that overlooked the falls) we had a fabulous experience. The staff was very friendly and attentive...always checking in to see if we needed anything. We had one friend who has very severe food allergies and just came along to celebrate all our birthdays, knowing she wouldn't be able to order anything. They were very kind and had no problem at all with that. What can I say about the food. We started with the funghi Bruschette which was amazing and not like any Brushette that I have ever had. I had a homemade tagliatelle with prosciutto crudo and prosciutto cotto (two new words I learned). One friend had risotto and I forget what they other one had. We all loved our meals. The portions were perfect. I even took a little home. The Olive Oil Pistachio cake was so delicious and moist. Very flavorful. I love that they have a different menu every day which insures you are getting fresh local ingredients. Susan and Tim were both so nice. Susan came over to our table and chatted with us like we were old friends. Tim was working hard getting the meals out but took time to speak with me about an unhappy reviewer he had responded to. Not sure what she was talking about because we did not have one negative thing to say about the entire experience. Will definitely be going back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rachel Sullivan
I have no words. Just unreal. Absolutely delicious and cannot get over the atmosphere. My husband and I came for dinner and sat at the bar upstairs. Service was wonderful, so friendly. Food was to die for. We got the traditional bruschette and ragu to start. Our main meals were incredible. Mocktail was so delicious! We went downstairs to the speakeasy after, SO COOL! Just wow, what a spot. Absolutely loved it and can’t wait to come back. We recently moved to Exeter and are so in love we have this spot to visit whenever we want.
Sottocello is incredible! We kept failing to make a reservation for Cornicello, but the downstairs bar, Sottocello, doesn't take reservations and we managed to just walk in on a (cold, snowy) Saturday night without issue. The menu is the same - absolutely incredible, and the drinks are perfection! The vibe is also great, I enjoyed talking to the bartender and nearby people, it's the perfect layout for that. My favorites were the funghi bruschetta and the duck pasta entree. We will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alyssa M
We have come here several times and had a great experience with delicious food. We recently came again at the request of our son for his first visit for his birthday celebration and it was a disappointment.
We made reservations and when we arrived we found out we were being seated in the basement section at the community table. Apparently the basement doesn’t have the same menu or drink menu, so we couldn’t get the same cocktails and there was no beer on tap— not sure why they wouldn’t just get some from upstairs. That was a bummer especially since there was no warning about that during our reservations.
The music was so loud that half our table couldn’t hear each other or the waitress. The wait staff wasn’t super attentive, it seemed like we had a couple different people assigned to us but no one was quite taking ownership of checking in on us.
The food wasn’t nearly as good as it had been in visits past. Dry, not was warm, and not as flavorful. Nothing terribly wrong but just not amazing like we’ve experienced here before.
We all left our dinner experience feeling bummed at the quality of the food and mediocre service especially for the small portion size and the price. It didn’t feel worth it.
Half of our party had been regulars here and we all left feeling like it wouldn’t be worth coming back. Seems like a classic case of quality going downhill with an expansion, which is a bummer.
Also to note, we had gluten free members in our party and while they do offer GF options, it seems like there is some cross contamination based on stomach issues following the meal. Maybe there’s so much flour floating around from making pasta that it gets contaminated.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Nicole Francischelli
Last minute came across this restaurant while searching for an Italian restaurants for Valentines Day. To no surprise, there were no available reservations for the foreseeable future. I discovered they have a downstairs location, Sottocello that is a “speakeasy” restaurant in the downstairs area of Cornicello that serves the same menu as the restaurant above. No reservations, first come, first serve. We decided to give it a shot to see if we could get a seat. Since it was Valentine’s, they did have the majority of the tables at Sottocello reserved but they had one large table (seating for 8) that was a “community table” for people who arrived on a walk-in basis. That is where we sat, at first hesitant, we came to really enjoy our stranger’s company and towards the end of our meal became friendly with the others at our table. We started our meals with the brushette which was ample amounts of tomato, and for $2 more, added mozzarella which seemed to lack in quantity of the cheese. For the entrees, I ordered the rigatoni dish with short rib and my boy friend a nother pasta dish with ground duck. We both very much enjoyed our meals, although the pasta was a bit more on the al dente side than I would’ve preferred and wished the servings were bigger for the pretty penny the meal cost us. We enjoyed the wines we ordered for our meals and ordered their pistachio/olive oil cake for dessert which was not too sweet. We were impressed with our meal and hope to return back again but
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Warren Gardner
I have a $150 gift certificate, and recently made a reservation. Unfortunately, I was informed by a manager that the business was recently sold, and the new owner will not be honoring gift certificates. Well, that's one way to clear up business debt. So although I never ate here, this restaurant left a bad taste in my mouth.
Todd Campbell
Great spot. Fresh pasta. Wild boar was excellent. Ample serving size. Fair price for quality and location/style.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
FreeSpirit Wine (Step Sinatra)
Just ok…nothing special at all. Tried 3 dishes and each one was an average 5-6 out of ten. Classic cheap restaurant technique of cooking proteins earlier and then reheating…was cold on the plate. Wouldn’t go back
Incredible meal and service from beginning to end.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Janine Mallison
This was one of our worst dining experiences ever. We were seated around the bar area served by a young, inexperienced bartender. The sourdough toast accompanying the bland starter arrived blackened. I mentioned that it looked burnt (it definitely was) and the reply: “this is how we cook our toast to make it crispy”! Both starters and main courses were very much below average and disappointing. My husband and I dine out frequently but will definitely not be returning to this overpriced, inadequately staffed restaurant.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Kai Eathsong
Truly exceptional fresh pasta in a beautiful dining room. The atmosphere is warm and inviting. The view over the river is beautiful. My wife and I went for her birthday last December and are making a tradition of it - this time we’ll come with a group of friends.
It is some of the best pasta I have had in the US and the presentation is impeccable.
Book a reservation far in advance!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Agnolotti Del Plin Alla Tartufata, Carbonara Al Limone Con Capasante
Surya Sripada
Don’t even try food here if you have any food allergies. Even after telling about allergies multiple times, when the server got the food he said the allergies was not written on the note and he went and checked with chef and said food is good to eat. After one bite, my daughter ended up in emergency after taking 3 epipens. Don’t trust the food here if you have allergies
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Kelley Anne
The food is outstanding and the staff is very friendly and helpful!
We were lucky enough to get a reserved spot at the bar. Maggie the bar tender was amazing! The food was delicious the goat cheese, bacon and leeks bruschetta was out of this world. Only negative was the customers were very rude and seemed to be very entitled. Not sure if that’s just an Exeter thing but Maggie did amazing dealing with those people.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had such a great experience at Cornicello and will absolutely be back. We made our reservation a few weeks ahead after hearing from friends whose taste we really trust that it was excellent Italian. We are Italian ourselves, so our expectations were high, and I can honestly say they were met.
From the moment we walked in, the staff was welcoming and we were seated right away. Our waitress was very attentive and kind throughout the meal. We also really appreciated the pacing of the evening. We never felt rushed at all, and the food came out at exactly the right pace. It was not too quick in a way that felt pre prepared, but not slow either. It felt like everything was being made fresh, and at no point did we feel like we were waiting around.
The restaurant itself is beautiful inside, with warm lighting and an amazing view overlooking the Exeter River.
We know the menu changes often because they use local ingredients, which we really appreciate, so what we had may not be available when you go. That said, it seems like some staples stay in rotation. For starters, we had the Classic Bruschetta with added Lioni ciliegine mozzarella and the Funghi bruschetta. Both were delicious, but the Classic Bruschetta was our favorite. It was incredibly fresh, bright, and flavorful, and the added mozzarella made it even better. The Funghi was also excellent, rich and savory, and I can understand why it is so popular.
For my entrée, I ordered the Tagliarini al Limone with no prosciutto and added grilled shrimp, and it was amazing. The portion was generous, the pasta itself was delicious, and the sauce was lemony, basil scented, and absolutely wonderful. It felt fresh, balanced, and full of flavor. My husband ordered the Genovese Napoletana con Pera, and he really enjoyed it. The sweet and savory combination made it a unique dish that stood out.
For dessert, we had the cannoli of the night with a rum ricotta filling and the pistachio cake. My husband especially loved the cannoli, and we both loved the pistachio cake. That was a standout for us.
The drink options were also a nice surprise. I really appreciated that they had Peroni non alcoholic, which felt much more fitting with the meal than the usual limited non alcoholic beer choices. I also had the blueberry lemonade mocktail, which was refreshing, delicious, and not overly sweet.
It was definitely lively inside, but in a good way. There was a real energy throughout the restaurant, and it felt like the sound of people genuinely enjoying themselves. It did not feel unpleasantly loud. They also have sound panels on the ceiling, which seemed to help soften some of the noise.
Overall, everything felt thoughtful, fresh, and well executed. Between the food, the service, the atmosphere, the pacing, and the view, it was an experience that fully lived up to the hype.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Visited this amazing restaurant on Saturday with 3 friends. From the moment we were greeted and brought to our table (that overlooked the falls) we had a fabulous experience. The staff was very friendly and attentive...always checking in to see if we needed anything. We had one friend who has very severe food allergies and just came along to celebrate all our birthdays, knowing she wouldn't be able to order anything. They were very kind and had no problem at all with that. What can I say about the food. We started with the funghi Bruschette which was amazing and not like any Brushette that I have ever had. I had a homemade tagliatelle with prosciutto crudo and prosciutto cotto (two new words I learned). One friend had risotto and I forget what they other one had. We all loved our meals. The portions were perfect. I even took a little home. The Olive Oil Pistachio cake was so delicious and moist. Very flavorful. I love that they have a different menu every day which insures you are getting fresh local ingredients. Susan and Tim were both so nice. Susan came over to our table and chatted with us like we were old friends. Tim was working hard getting the meals out but took time to speak with me about an unhappy reviewer he had responded to. Not sure what she was talking about because we did not have one negative thing to say about the entire experience. Will definitely be going back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I have no words. Just unreal. Absolutely delicious and cannot get over the atmosphere. My husband and I came for dinner and sat at the bar upstairs. Service was wonderful, so friendly. Food was to die for. We got the traditional bruschette and ragu to start. Our main meals were incredible. Mocktail was so delicious! We went downstairs to the speakeasy after, SO COOL! Just wow, what a spot. Absolutely loved it and can’t wait to come back. We recently moved to Exeter and are so in love we have this spot to visit whenever we want.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pistachio Cake, Classic Bruschette
Sottocello is incredible! We kept failing to make a reservation for Cornicello, but the downstairs bar, Sottocello, doesn't take reservations and we managed to just walk in on a (cold, snowy) Saturday night without issue. The menu is the same - absolutely incredible, and the drinks are perfection! The vibe is also great, I enjoyed talking to the bartender and nearby people, it's the perfect layout for that. My favorites were the funghi bruschetta and the duck pasta entree. We will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We have come here several times and had a great experience with delicious food. We recently came again at the request of our son for his first visit for his birthday celebration and it was a disappointment.
We made reservations and when we arrived we found out we were being seated in the basement section at the community table. Apparently the basement doesn’t have the same menu or drink menu, so we couldn’t get the same cocktails and there was no beer on tap— not sure why they wouldn’t just get some from upstairs. That was a bummer especially since there was no warning about that during our reservations.
The music was so loud that half our table couldn’t hear each other or the waitress. The wait staff wasn’t super attentive, it seemed like we had a couple different people assigned to us but no one was quite taking ownership of checking in on us.
The food wasn’t nearly as good as it had been in visits past. Dry, not was warm, and not as flavorful. Nothing terribly wrong but just not amazing like we’ve experienced here before.
We all left our dinner experience feeling bummed at the quality of the food and mediocre service especially for the small portion size and the price. It didn’t feel worth it.
Half of our party had been regulars here and we all left feeling like it wouldn’t be worth coming back. Seems like a classic case of quality going downhill with an expansion, which is a bummer.
Also to note, we had gluten free members in our party and while they do offer GF options, it seems like there is some cross contamination based on stomach issues following the meal. Maybe there’s so much flour floating around from making pasta that it gets contaminated.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Last minute came across this restaurant while searching for an Italian restaurants for Valentines Day. To no surprise, there were no available reservations for the foreseeable future. I discovered they have a downstairs location, Sottocello that is a “speakeasy” restaurant in the downstairs area of Cornicello that serves the same menu as the restaurant above. No reservations, first come, first serve. We decided to give it a shot to see if we could get a seat. Since it was Valentine’s, they did have the majority of the tables at Sottocello reserved but they had one large table (seating for 8) that was a “community table” for people who arrived on a walk-in basis. That is where we sat, at first hesitant, we came to really enjoy our stranger’s company and towards the end of our meal became friendly with the others at our table. We started our meals with the brushette which was ample amounts of tomato, and for $2 more, added mozzarella which seemed to lack in quantity of the cheese. For the entrees, I ordered the rigatoni dish with short rib and my boy friend a nother pasta dish with ground duck. We both very much enjoyed our meals, although the pasta was a bit more on the al dente side than I would’ve preferred and wished the servings were bigger for the pretty penny the meal cost us. We enjoyed the wines we ordered for our meals and ordered their pistachio/olive oil cake for dessert which was not too sweet. We were impressed with our meal and hope to return back again but
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
I have a $150 gift certificate, and recently made a reservation. Unfortunately, I was informed by a manager that the business was recently sold, and the new owner will not be honoring gift certificates. Well, that's one way to clear up business debt. So although I never ate here, this restaurant left a bad taste in my mouth.
Great spot. Fresh pasta. Wild boar was excellent. Ample serving size. Fair price for quality and location/style.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Just ok…nothing special at all. Tried 3 dishes and each one was an average 5-6 out of ten. Classic cheap restaurant technique of cooking proteins earlier and then reheating…was cold on the plate. Wouldn’t go back
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
Incredible meal and service from beginning to end.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This was one of our worst dining experiences ever. We were seated around the bar area served by a young, inexperienced bartender. The sourdough toast accompanying the bland starter arrived blackened. I mentioned that it looked burnt (it definitely was) and the reply: “this is how we cook our toast to make it crispy”! Both starters and main courses were very much below average and disappointing. My husband and I dine out frequently but will definitely not be returning to this overpriced, inadequately staffed restaurant.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Truly exceptional fresh pasta in a beautiful dining room. The atmosphere is warm and inviting. The view over the river is beautiful. My wife and I went for her birthday last December and are making a tradition of it - this time we’ll come with a group of friends.
It is some of the best pasta I have had in the US and the presentation is impeccable.
Book a reservation far in advance!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Agnolotti Del Plin Alla Tartufata, Carbonara Al Limone Con Capasante
Don’t even try food here if you have any food allergies. Even after telling about allergies multiple times, when the server got the food he said the allergies was not written on the note and he went and checked with chef and said food is good to eat. After one bite, my daughter ended up in emergency after taking 3 epipens. Don’t trust the food here if you have allergies
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
The food is outstanding and the staff is very friendly and helpful!
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