We love this restaurant and when we’re here in Ruidoso, this is one of our favorites! The food, atmosphere and service are always wonderful and tonight our server Teddi was awesome. This is a great place for a nice meal but you will want to make a reservation. Thank you Michael J’s for yet another superb meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Clay Jones
Honestly, this has to be the best restaurant in Ruidoso. It was a little involved making a reservation, but the effort was well rewarded. Our server, Evelyn, learned it was our anniversary and did everything to make it special. She was great and we're going back to see her in a couple of days. The food was spectacular! I had the Carmella, which was superb, and the wife had the house lasagna. Both were memorable. And a surprisingly good wine list made the meal perfect. If you order the chocolate torte for dessert, you might want to split it. It's not huge but it is very rich and dense. And amazing! This is the place for a great meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lasagna, Fettuccini Carmella
John Silva
First time here was recommend by my airbnb host and was truly amazing phenomenal flavors the chicken Piccata is just out of this world and the desert was so good and service was just amazing definitely recommend stopping here and grabbing a bite. 10/10
The food was very good. Unfortunately, we caught them on a night when they were overbooked.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Veal Parmesan, Lasagna
Moriah Brady
We had a most amazing Valentines date! The food was amazing, so delectable and savory! And for desert... the pears and pastry ??!! Not to mention the romantic and cozy feel of the place!!! I love when the server comes to check but doesn't bug! We will be going back for sure!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Caprese Salad, Garlic Bread
Richard Houston
this is a reputable Italian restaurant that does not seem to understand Italian cuisine. No fan of Italian food orders eggplant parmesan and wants to be served a dish that is barely warm. Italian food must be served HOT. I sent it back to get it hot. It was served a second time lukewarm. I could not eat it. Perhaps the chef was distracted or does not understand how to make / serve Italian food ???
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Jean Philippe Guy
We were a little late to make reservations for a Saturday night, and unless we wanted to eat later, the only availability was in the bar. We arrived promptly at 6:30pm for our dinner reservations. We were greeted warmly and led to the bar, where we opted to seat close to the fire. My wife was not in the mood for alcohol, but they have a fairly extensive wine list- all pretty main street. I opted for one of their draft beer. Our server/ bartender took our order quickly, and it wasn't long before we got our food. Kitchen was pumping out food that evening. I started out with their side Caesar salad that I added to my entree. Dressing was excellent. I followed with Fettuccini Carmella in a rich tomato cream sauce loaded with chicken, prosciutto, spinach and a couple large shrimp. It was extremely flavorful. I truly enjoyed it. My wife ordered the Chicken Parmigiana and her only complaint is that the bread crumbs coating were too mushy- pasta and sauce were good. Our bartender/server Shawn was very personable, efficient, and gave us excellent service - which is always a nice plus to a good meal. Very enjoyable dinner and a must try.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Caesar Salad
laura vielledent
Perfect night for an anniversary, food , atmosphere and music , until hostess asked us to leave one and a half hours after sitting down . We were asked to leave before finishing our drinks. There were many empty tables around us and we can’t control the time it takes forthem to serve food . Good food but NEVER coming back .By reading reviews owners don’t care .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Matt Bignall
Not gonna lie had better service at chow halls in Afghanistan.
Service: 1
Alejandra “Alice” Gutierrez
Went for my anniversary. The service was amazing and great for two. My husband and I had an amazing dinner. The linguini had an amazing taste. The wine our server suggested was amazing. But if you get anything chocolate for dessert I recommend a dry wine. I had a sweet wine and It didn’t pair well. That was my fault though. Overall recommend 100%Dietary restrictions: Gluten Free
The food was amazing but it was extremely hot. You had to ask to put the AC on.
Brooke Stein
Meh, extremely overpriced for the small protein portion on top of a small portion of pasta. Family of 5, no alcohol, bread appetizer and mid range entrees & dessert to share, cost us $280 with tip. We were all so hungry when we left, we drove 20min to get burgers at the only spot open on a weekday in this tiny town. Was not planning on spending over $300 total that night, but small town, places close early if open at all.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Rebekah S
Had reservations and got seated instantly. Was a little long to get waited on after we were seated but have come to expect that here in New Mexico. Once we first got waited on, our server was attentive. Food was delicious and came out quick.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Lasagna
Are Anayaui
Didn’t answer orders during serving
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Madison Loflin
This place was absolutely amazing!The best Italian food I’ve ever had, the service was on point and environment was so cozy.Highly recommend!
We love this restaurant and when we’re here in Ruidoso, this is one of our favorites! The food, atmosphere and service are always wonderful and tonight our server Teddi was awesome. This is a great place for a nice meal but you will want to make a reservation. Thank you Michael J’s for yet another superb meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Honestly, this has to be the best restaurant in Ruidoso. It was a little involved making a reservation, but the effort was well rewarded. Our server, Evelyn, learned it was our anniversary and did everything to make it special. She was great and we're going back to see her in a couple of days. The food was spectacular! I had the Carmella, which was superb, and the wife had the house lasagna. Both were memorable. And a surprisingly good wine list made the meal perfect. If you order the chocolate torte for dessert, you might want to split it. It's not huge but it is very rich and dense. And amazing! This is the place for a great meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lasagna, Fettuccini Carmella
First time here was recommend by my airbnb host and was truly amazing phenomenal flavors the chicken Piccata is just out of this world and the desert was so good and service was just amazing definitely recommend stopping here and grabbing a bite. 10/10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Parmigiana, Chicken Picatta
The food was very good. Unfortunately, we caught them on a night when they were overbooked.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Veal Parmesan, Lasagna
We had a most amazing Valentines date! The food was amazing, so delectable and savory! And for desert... the pears and pastry ??!! Not to mention the romantic and cozy feel of the place!!! I love when the server comes to check but doesn't bug! We will be going back for sure!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Caprese Salad, Garlic Bread
this is a reputable Italian restaurant that does not seem to understand Italian cuisine. No fan of Italian food orders eggplant parmesan and wants to be served a dish that is barely warm. Italian food must be served HOT. I sent it back to get it hot. It was served a second time lukewarm. I could not eat it. Perhaps the chef was distracted or does not understand how to make / serve Italian food ???
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
We were a little late to make reservations for a Saturday night, and unless we wanted to eat later, the only availability was in the bar. We arrived promptly at 6:30pm for our dinner reservations. We were greeted warmly and led to the bar, where we opted to seat close to the fire. My wife was not in the mood for alcohol, but they have a fairly extensive wine list- all pretty main street. I opted for one of their draft beer. Our server/ bartender took our order quickly, and it wasn't long before we got our food. Kitchen was pumping out food that evening. I started out with their side Caesar salad that I added to my entree. Dressing was excellent. I followed with Fettuccini Carmella in a rich tomato cream sauce loaded with chicken, prosciutto, spinach and a couple large shrimp. It was extremely flavorful. I truly enjoyed it. My wife ordered the Chicken Parmigiana and her only complaint is that the bread crumbs coating were too mushy- pasta and sauce were good. Our bartender/server Shawn was very personable, efficient, and gave us excellent service - which is always a nice plus to a good meal. Very enjoyable dinner and a must try.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Caesar Salad
Perfect night for an anniversary, food , atmosphere and music , until hostess asked us to leave one and a half hours after sitting down . We were asked to leave before finishing our drinks. There were many empty tables around us and we can’t control the time it takes forthem to serve food . Good food but NEVER coming back .By reading reviews owners don’t care .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Not gonna lie had better service at chow halls in Afghanistan.
Service: 1
Went for my anniversary. The service was amazing and great for two. My husband and I had an amazing dinner. The linguini had an amazing taste. The wine our server suggested was amazing. But if you get anything chocolate for dessert I recommend a dry wine. I had a sweet wine and It didn’t pair well. That was my fault though. Overall recommend 100%Dietary restrictions: Gluten Free
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Minestrone Soup, Caesar Salad
Restaurantji Recommends
The food was amazing but it was extremely hot. You had to ask to put the AC on.
Meh, extremely overpriced for the small protein portion on top of a small portion of pasta. Family of 5, no alcohol, bread appetizer and mid range entrees & dessert to share, cost us $280 with tip. We were all so hungry when we left, we drove 20min to get burgers at the only spot open on a weekday in this tiny town. Was not planning on spending over $300 total that night, but small town, places close early if open at all.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Had reservations and got seated instantly. Was a little long to get waited on after we were seated but have come to expect that here in New Mexico. Once we first got waited on, our server was attentive. Food was delicious and came out quick.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Lasagna
Didn’t answer orders during serving
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
This place was absolutely amazing!The best Italian food I’ve ever had, the service was on point and environment was so cozy.Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Marsala