I know that everyone saids it's a hard place to get into, but the I had I would happily given up my seat to the next person. The restaurant is very nice, but I had the worst seat in the place. I spend the night with my back to everyone behind the bar, staring at a window and my reflection. If that wasn't the worst, having to twist to talk with our server left me with a twisted neck. My girls meal was exceptional and the bruschetta was the best I ever had. I would recommend that you take the table and cut it in haft, so a couple can face each other. You could have two tables for couples in that corner.
Nicholas Nooney
This is the kind of place you go for anniversary celebrations, birthdays, or other special occasions. The menu changes daily, and every dish served is delicious and prepared excellently.Make a reservation weeks in advance; it's a small restaurant with tables for 2 and 4.But it's definitely a top place to dine in Exeter and the seacoast area.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kyle M
Fantastic little spot. Handmade pasta daily. Sign me up. We booked reservations at the bar. Checked in 10min prior and we were seated pretty much right away. Staff was very attentive, friendly and knowledgeable about what to recommend.We ordered a blueberry and goat cheese bruschetta, meatballs in broth, and I had ravioli while my girl had the braised short rib and pasta choice. And we had their olive oil cake. Flavors were awesome, everything just melted in your mouth. I really don't think you would find anything you don't like on this menu or that isn't prepped, cooked, and constructed with precision and thought.Street parking wasn't an issue. The atmosphere is cozy, fairly low key, quiet, and relaxed. 7tables and the bar seating keeps it that way.Book ahead of time they seemingly are booked out weeks/months.If you get a chance, stop in. If you like authentic Italian cuisine, you will be pleased.
We finally had an opportunity to eat here and it was well worth the wait. Small and intimate, the restaurant is located on the river in downtown Exeter. Our waitress was the ultimate professional balancing a personal touch while ensuring our experience and food exceeded expectations. We tried a bread, appetizer, main course x2 and dessert x2. It was all fantastic. The food was perfectly portioned and presented and the flavors were outstanding. Similar to others before us, we booked a reservation for 2024 before leaving. :)
Ross L.
Great food, ambiance, and servers---but I'd advise you to pay with cash to avoid the Credit Card Processing fee of 3.5%. While I understand why they must add it, nothing on the menu or anywhere in the restaurant warns you about the fee. It's just a lovely surprise on the final bill.
Jim Hager
Sharing what many others have said - absolutely a fine Italian restaurant. Before your dinner, you can watch the kitchen staff from the sidewalk preparing pasta, or ravioli from scratch. This was our first time visiting with friends, it was superb with delicious flavors. Great appetizer selection, main course and salads were excellent. Don't forget to save room for pistachio cake. And if you are lucky, you will have Lisa C. as your waitress. She's got a great sense of humor - I promised her 5 stars and here it is.
Hands down the best Italian restaurant around. The food and service is always outstanding. The menu changes regularly based on local in-season ingredients, ensuring that every meal is a new experience. The pastas are all made in-house and always incredibly delicious. You will be happy with whatever you order! I always look forward to our visits to Cornicello!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michael
I think it's important to be clear this restaurants lack of consideration is worthy of a demotion to any and all reviews you will read. I came in here alone having called and driven 15 miles from a few towns over as I was in town for a marathon. I wanted a pasta dish to carb up and the reviews were worthy. I was turned away for a seat at the bar simply told they just sat a few people. When I asked to wait or come back I was flat out told no. The disrespect of this family business is disgusting they are not a NH family. If you are reading this they never reached out to take control of their feedback.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Luna Moon
Absolutely wonderful ❤️ The food was fantastic, drinks were delicious and the service was top notch. I went last night, 09/09/23, to celebrate my cousins birthday. The view was beautiful. Everything about my experience is a great family memory now. Thank you to our server (I'm so sorry, I cant remember her name) for being educated about the menus and her professional but fun attitude. This is a must go to spot!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rose M.
Wonderful little gem in town of Exeter. I've lived in NH for a bit and have never ventured out this way. The town is adorable and you could make a day out of exploring all it has to offer. This establishment is situated off the river. Small and quaint space that provides a picturesque view of the river while you dine. You can be casual or dress up for a romantic evening. Reservations highly recommended and can be placed on Resy. I went on a wait list and was fortunate enough to be called when someone cancelled. The food was out of this world amazing. All ingredients were fresh and perfectly combined so one ingredient did not hide the flavor of the other. The combination of flavors on my palate were absolutely divine. Small list of white wine. I believe they only had 2 selections. They do have Prosecco on tap. Large list of red wine. If you are a Negroni fan then they have a list where you can choose your ingredients. Full bar so feel free to ask the bartender to make your favorite drink. They have many options of bruschette. We went with the classic broo-ketta. Three garlic scratched breads covered in marinated yellow cherries, EVO, vinegar, garlic, and basil with a touch of sea salt. We added the leon celeigine mozzarella. Shareable with 1-3 people if each wants to have a piece. The flavors just popped in your mouth. The hint of sea salt came through so slightly at the end. My husband had the ragu alla bolognese and pretty much licked the plate clean. The pastas are fresh and seem homemade like no other that I have consumed. I had the linguine come crema di pomodorini ed aragosta. Maine lobster with a tomato cream vodka sauce, spinach, multi colored linguine and pea tendrils. Left me speechless really it was that good. Dessert was a pistachio cake that melted in your mouth and made me feel like someone's beloved grandmother was hiding in the kitchen making this, perhaps, family recipe. We are very much looking forward to returning.
Amazing!! Looking forward to going back for more. Drinks and food and service and location is excellent
shelly g.
Unique food, warm friendly service and community atmosphere Lovely addition to food scene in our small community
Konstantine Karahalios
Was very excited to eat here with my lady last night, we had to reserve our dining experience 3 weeks in advance, this alone led us to believe it was going to be an amazing night out. We were almost instantly let down. Upon arriving we ordered our first drinks, not great, unbalanced and just not very good. I will say the pasta itself was good, as they make it there, but that is the pasta itself. The sauces were bland and lacked flavor. We were really bummed out. An evening we had been looking forward too for so long fell so flat. Side note, it was weird as they had what we considered a very racist poster representing a caricature of an Asian person eating a giant bowl of noodles, kinda weird and uncomfortable ambiance. Too bad, but live and learn. Hope this is helpful as this seems to be like one of the many places popping up that is popular just because it is "exclusive" and doesn't need to deliver on the other aspects of dinning like...food. The waitress was very kind as a side note.
I know that everyone saids it's a hard place to get into, but the I had I would happily given up my seat to the next person. The restaurant is very nice, but I had the worst seat in the place. I spend the night with my back to everyone behind the bar, staring at a window and my reflection. If that wasn't the worst, having to twist to talk with our server left me with a twisted neck. My girls meal was exceptional and the bruschetta was the best I ever had. I would recommend that you take the table and cut it in haft, so a couple can face each other. You could have two tables for couples in that corner.
This is the kind of place you go for anniversary celebrations, birthdays, or other special occasions. The menu changes daily, and every dish served is delicious and prepared excellently.Make a reservation weeks in advance; it's a small restaurant with tables for 2 and 4.But it's definitely a top place to dine in Exeter and the seacoast area.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fantastic little spot. Handmade pasta daily. Sign me up. We booked reservations at the bar. Checked in 10min prior and we were seated pretty much right away. Staff was very attentive, friendly and knowledgeable about what to recommend.We ordered a blueberry and goat cheese bruschetta, meatballs in broth, and I had ravioli while my girl had the braised short rib and pasta choice. And we had their olive oil cake. Flavors were awesome, everything just melted in your mouth. I really don't think you would find anything you don't like on this menu or that isn't prepped, cooked, and constructed with precision and thought.Street parking wasn't an issue. The atmosphere is cozy, fairly low key, quiet, and relaxed. 7tables and the bar seating keeps it that way.Book ahead of time they seemingly are booked out weeks/months.If you get a chance, stop in. If you like authentic Italian cuisine, you will be pleased.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pistachio Olive Oil Cake, Pistachio Cake
We finally had an opportunity to eat here and it was well worth the wait. Small and intimate, the restaurant is located on the river in downtown Exeter. Our waitress was the ultimate professional balancing a personal touch while ensuring our experience and food exceeded expectations. We tried a bread, appetizer, main course x2 and dessert x2. It was all fantastic. The food was perfectly portioned and presented and the flavors were outstanding. Similar to others before us, we booked a reservation for 2024 before leaving. :)
Great food, ambiance, and servers---but I'd advise you to pay with cash to avoid the Credit Card Processing fee of 3.5%. While I understand why they must add it, nothing on the menu or anywhere in the restaurant warns you about the fee. It's just a lovely surprise on the final bill.
Sharing what many others have said - absolutely a fine Italian restaurant. Before your dinner, you can watch the kitchen staff from the sidewalk preparing pasta, or ravioli from scratch. This was our first time visiting with friends, it was superb with delicious flavors. Great appetizer selection, main course and salads were excellent. Don't forget to save room for pistachio cake. And if you are lucky, you will have Lisa C. as your waitress. She's got a great sense of humor - I promised her 5 stars and here it is.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bruschetta Olio Nuova, Pistachio Cake
Hands down the best Italian restaurant around. The food and service is always outstanding. The menu changes regularly based on local in-season ingredients, ensuring that every meal is a new experience. The pastas are all made in-house and always incredibly delicious. You will be happy with whatever you order! I always look forward to our visits to Cornicello!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I think it's important to be clear this restaurants lack of consideration is worthy of a demotion to any and all reviews you will read. I came in here alone having called and driven 15 miles from a few towns over as I was in town for a marathon. I wanted a pasta dish to carb up and the reviews were worthy. I was turned away for a seat at the bar simply told they just sat a few people. When I asked to wait or come back I was flat out told no. The disrespect of this family business is disgusting they are not a NH family. If you are reading this they never reached out to take control of their feedback.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Absolutely wonderful ❤️ The food was fantastic, drinks were delicious and the service was top notch. I went last night, 09/09/23, to celebrate my cousins birthday. The view was beautiful. Everything about my experience is a great family memory now. Thank you to our server (I'm so sorry, I cant remember her name) for being educated about the menus and her professional but fun attitude. This is a must go to spot!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wonderful little gem in town of Exeter. I've lived in NH for a bit and have never ventured out this way. The town is adorable and you could make a day out of exploring all it has to offer. This establishment is situated off the river. Small and quaint space that provides a picturesque view of the river while you dine. You can be casual or dress up for a romantic evening. Reservations highly recommended and can be placed on Resy. I went on a wait list and was fortunate enough to be called when someone cancelled. The food was out of this world amazing. All ingredients were fresh and perfectly combined so one ingredient did not hide the flavor of the other. The combination of flavors on my palate were absolutely divine. Small list of white wine. I believe they only had 2 selections. They do have Prosecco on tap. Large list of red wine. If you are a Negroni fan then they have a list where you can choose your ingredients. Full bar so feel free to ask the bartender to make your favorite drink. They have many options of bruschette. We went with the classic broo-ketta. Three garlic scratched breads covered in marinated yellow cherries, EVO, vinegar, garlic, and basil with a touch of sea salt. We added the leon celeigine mozzarella. Shareable with 1-3 people if each wants to have a piece. The flavors just popped in your mouth. The hint of sea salt came through so slightly at the end. My husband had the ragu alla bolognese and pretty much licked the plate clean. The pastas are fresh and seem homemade like no other that I have consumed. I had the linguine come crema di pomodorini ed aragosta. Maine lobster with a tomato cream vodka sauce, spinach, multi colored linguine and pea tendrils. Left me speechless really it was that good. Dessert was a pistachio cake that melted in your mouth and made me feel like someone's beloved grandmother was hiding in the kitchen making this, perhaps, family recipe. We are very much looking forward to returning.
Restaurantji Recommends
My absolute favorite restaurant on the seacoast! I cannot recommend it highly enough!! ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pistachio Cake, Lobster Ravioli, Chianti Butter Bruschetta, Classic Bruschette
Superb food, flavorful, nicely presented. Helpful but unobtrusive and friendly wait staff. Party of 6 - everyone loved their meals.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pistachio Olive Oil Cake, Classic Bruschette
Amazing!! Looking forward to going back for more. Drinks and food and service and location is excellent
Unique food, warm friendly service and community atmosphere Lovely addition to food scene in our small community
Was very excited to eat here with my lady last night, we had to reserve our dining experience 3 weeks in advance, this alone led us to believe it was going to be an amazing night out. We were almost instantly let down. Upon arriving we ordered our first drinks, not great, unbalanced and just not very good. I will say the pasta itself was good, as they make it there, but that is the pasta itself. The sauces were bland and lacked flavor. We were really bummed out. An evening we had been looking forward too for so long fell so flat. Side note, it was weird as they had what we considered a very racist poster representing a caricature of an Asian person eating a giant bowl of noodles, kinda weird and uncomfortable ambiance. Too bad, but live and learn. Hope this is helpful as this seems to be like one of the many places popping up that is popular just because it is "exclusive" and doesn't need to deliver on the other aspects of dinning like...food. The waitress was very kind as a side note.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 4