50 Best Italian Restaurants near Rensselaer

“Fantastic subs and salads with delightful and friendly guys putting them together. I hope it never changes because the quality of everything they offer is excellent. The price of the food is very fair compared to other shops. I don’t want cold cuts everyday but I only purchase the Boar’s Head brand that is used for their subs.“

“Best Pizza in town! As a certified pizzaholic, I should know!“

“Absolutely wonderful experience! I took 12 employees out to celebrate the holiday season and see a show in Albany. From the time we called for a reservation, right through dinner, the entire staff, and especially our server Casey were so welcoming and accommodating. The drinks, food, and service were all superb! Casey made us feel like we were the only thing that mattered in the restaurant, while the kitchen and bar handled some special requests with ease! In a world where the meaning of hospitality seems to have been forgotten by so many, this restaurant still knows what it means, and executes flawlessly. I highly recommend, and will definitely be back when in the Albany area. (I may even have to make a special trip back just for this restaurant!)“

“We stumbled on the place by chance and were not disappointed. The bartender, Jill was very friendly. Our meals were full of flavor. My husband got the chicken parm and I the barramundi. Finished by a tiramisu martini with a side of tiramisu. Sooooo good. We will definitely go back! Oh! The fresh bread and olive oil topped with tapenade was delish as well!“

“The owner Ali was wonderful. The staff was very courteous working together to make this experience amazing. Isabella served us with a smile. The food, 0h! The food is delicious and plentiful. Such a great authentic taste in each bite. Desert was yummy I had the canoly and the room transformed, I swipe a piece of my partner’s cheesecake and wow! 10 out of 10 I recommend. Thants Ali I didt fogey my food. Happy New Year“

“Grappa 72 has always been my favorite. ❤️here’s why. I hadn’t been in awhile- used to go frequently, so I grabbed a to-go order of their excellent fettuccini bolognese and some bruschetta to take home after a very long drive- ❤️❤️❤️and had a glass of wine at their friendly and comfortable bar while I waited. It’s 100 degrees outside- so I wasn’t dressed (shorts and an ocean city tee lol) but it was early.. so I popped in to wait for my order. From reception to bar to the chef popping out with my order- to the other lovely guests who were popping in as well and enjoying banter and kind conversation.. the bartender primo making everyone happy- I can’t tell you how much that atmosphere warms my soul. Good people, great food, no pretensions, phenomenal service.. and I can attest from so many previous visits- a warm and inviting dining room where when they have music you never want to leave. Soooo well done from every aspect. Thanks Grappa!!! I’ll be back soon, I’ve missed you while I’ve been away! Did I mention the bolognese? It’s better than my own- and that’s saying a lot! 😉Sincerely, Mary“

“Bacchus has been the best most under-rated pizza in the area…in NY..for years. However something changed recently. I don’t know if it was a one-off but their flour or dough changed. Not in a good way. What happened?!?“

“I finally found an eggplant parm that can hold a candle to my Nonna's. Leftovers are even better the next day. The tomato bisque was delightful as well. Service was on point, very friendly. Great date night.“

“Paolo Lombardi's Ristorante exceeded our expectations during our first visit this evening. The Marsala was flavorful, and the rest of our meal was equally satisfying. We will definitely be back. The only drawback, was not visiting this restaurant sooner!!!“

“Pollo alla Rusa, perfection, bread and butter, perfection, vegetables, perfection, portion sizes ample. BYOB Chef seasoned my meal expertly! Atmosphere could use a bit of upgrading. Best real Italian meal I have had in Florida.“

“BEST ITALIAN FOOD IN THE NORTEAST ,“

“The staff is absolutely awesome. Make sure to get a reservation as the place fills up fast. The place is nice but by the time we were nearing the end of our dinner, the place was packed and conversation was near impossible. They need to install a noise-absorbing ceiling or something to help minimize that.“

“Great menu....great food... courteous service....fair pricing...Great people! I've never been disappointed with my meal.“

“Best coffee in Albany, flavor and comfort guaranteed!“

“Thank you! For a great take out order!! For my Mother on Mother’s Day! Delish! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I will be back!“

“The food, service & ambience were all superb!! 5⭐️“

“Just this evening, I ordered take out from the wrong location. I called Stuyvesant plaza instead of Slingerlands. When I called Stuyvesant about the mistake the manager said, “ No problem”. What’s your address ? I will drive it out to you. Within a 1/2 hour this awesome guy Justin pulled into my driveway with all our food. Hot food and cold salad !! Thank you. Way to go!!“

“Been seeing the shop. Finally ordered tonight. Chicken parm sub and a buffalo chicken wrap. Fresh ingredients. Hand cut fries. Excellent. Now my go to for to go.“

“Thank you! For a great take out order!! For my Mother on Mother’s Day! Delish! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I will be back!“

“A great place for a fancy dinner with friends and family. They have great selection of wines and spirits that pair well with the pastas and other entrees. The wait for a table is short and the atmosphere feels like you’re in the middle of Tuscany. We got the French Onion Soup and Mozzarella Caruso for apps which were delicious. For entrees, we got Pesce Alfredo and Linguini Alle Vangole that hit the spot. Great service as well. Will come back again.“

“What special family-owned Italian restaurant - definitely a local favorite. Menu is dizzying, offering 3 dozen or more Italian dishes with the option to customize pasta & sauces, American classics to include seafood and steak. Great beer and wine selection. Definitely a home vibe in an actual home converted to restaurant and bar. Noted that all of staff really cared about service, down to the bus boy! Great to see frequent customers warmly greeted and saying their farewells to waitress, when leaving.“

“My son goes to RPI and we discovered Moscatiello's Italian Restaurant two years ago. We love going there for dinner. The food is great, the menu is HUGE and the customer service has always been excellent! It is our go to restaurant in the Troy area.“

“Sat at the bar and was served by Vinnie. Vinnie was super nice and we had great conversations. Gabriella was also very smiley and friendly (she drinks a lot of water lol [inside joke]). I ordered the veal cordon bleu and my adult son had the lasagna. I’ve been to Italy and this meal was just as good, if not better, than some of the food I ate in Rome, Gaeta or Naples. The food was nice and hot, the bread was perfect and the everything was tasty. Great job we will definitely be back!“

“just finished my leftover cheese ravioli with mozzarella and marinara that I ordered last night when I was in for dinner. I don't know why this is my first experience with this place, but it certainly will not be my last! excellent food from start to finish. finish. friendly atmosphere. outstanding waitress whose name escapes me now. (I know she's super friendly and efficient, and I know she has three or four kids!). anyway, we had an outstanding meal. also had chicken marsala over fettuccine, which was wonderful as well. all very reasonably priced. strongly recommend!“

“Our new place to go. We did the family meal takeout. It was delicious, everything was great. We even added meatballs and sausage, plus canoli's for dessert. The price was more than reasonable for the amount of food. Top notch all the way!!!“

“Fabulous food and friendly people! Lots to look at while you eat or wait. Thanks everyone! ❤️🥰“

“So this was my first time here…we had a birthday celebration for my boss! About 13 people. Reservations were for 6:00pm. I came about 15 minutes late, and some people had drinks already. We waited for our waitress to return and it was almost 1/2hr. She took our second drink order, and seemed annoyed. The restaurant was very busy (which we were told by other servers) another 1/2hr pasted and finally she took our food orders. At this point, we were very hungry and disappointed-I guess our server had another big table.. So our salads were dropped off but another female server (who seemed very professional and much nicer than our original server) After that things seemed better. Food was good! I just thought about the customer service of the first waitress. She seemed like she didn’t want to be there. I work in customer service (which is very important especially for first impressions) would i recommend this restaurant yes, food was good. Service was not so great.“

“Oh my!!! I've been going to Red Front for over 55 years. I've lived in Vermont for over 30 years now, and have made several trips to Troy just for Red Fronts COB pizza. I can't tell you how much I love Red Front. Great food, staff and service.“

“Last night we played trivia and we had a new waitress named Abby. I want to give a shout out to Abby and Romo’s management for hiring her. She is amazing! I wanted to tell management in person but it’s busy on a trivia night. Abby was so friendly and attentive. She checked backed in with us several times during the night. She’s got a great personality and she knows how to manage her guests. Thanks Abby! You’re the best!“

“Even on a busy night like New Year’s Eve, Jacob and Anthony’s Italian Restaurant delivered. The bar was packed, yet the bartenders were great—friendly, efficient, and truly attentive. Service never slipped despite the crowd. The drinks were well made, and the appetizers impressed. The meatball was fantastic, and the calamari was cooked perfectly. A lively atmosphere with service that doesn’t miss a beat“

“Just today we had a holiday luncheon of 25 people. Our servers were excellent and everything went smoothlyrics. Everyone loved the food and drinks! I thank the staff for accommodating us!! I am a regular there already but I recommend this restaurant to anyone looking to have a great meal in a great atmosphere. Thank you olive garden gang!!“

“Great place to stop when passing through Albany for some quick fresh Italian food take-out for the whole family. Seriously, forget the Thruway rest areas. If you have kids whose staple food is boiled noodles and butter, no matter the time nor the day, Bellini's will satisfy, and won't break the bank. Without a Noodles & co around for at least 100 miles, Bellini's has you covered, and is a must-stop for us. I can also recommend the meatballs and sausage.“

“Thank you for everything. I placed a large order a day ahead of time and everything was delivered perfectly. It was on time, hot and delicious. Your antipasto is the best I’ve ever gotten and the wings were huge! Everyone was so happy and full. Great job!“

“We went to Milanos for the first time today, and we’re never going back. To say that the service was terrible would be an understatement. Ordered a large pizza and watched it sit there on the counter getting cold because the server was MIA. I was going to walk over there and pick it up myself, but I flagged down the other server who did it for me. Same thing when I asked for the check. I could see if the place was busy and they were understaffed, they weren’t. As far as the food goes, mediocre at best. The “large” pizza was actually small and we left there hungry. We should have eaten at the burger place a few doors down.“

“We travel 30 miles from Vermont often just to have Testos baked haddock. Absolutely the best as well as their Pasta sauce. Been going there since 1968. Consistently great ! Not fancy just plain good!“

“Solid and reliable! Always good food and great portions- easily accommodated our large party and super attentive staff.“

“All of the food here is amazing! Wonderful family and wonderful food!“

“Hands down best Italian mix sub I've ever had!!! The care and time that they put into their food and customer service is exceptional! Owner, Jason, recommended hot peppers on it 👌😋🔥 all about it!!! If you haven't visited this local business what are you waiting for!? They cater too!“

“Me and my hubby had a wonderful meal , excellent service and definitely going back again .“

“Thanks for the pickle pizza!! You made this pregnant lady very happy 🥰🥒🍕“

“My husband and two of our friends went for dinner tonight. The drinks were on point, our calamari was delicious, I had the chicken Milanese which I loved, my husband had the casarecce. Our friends had the bolognese pasta dishes and we were all quite satisfied. Can’t wait to come back and try the pizzas!! Highly recommend!“

“Where do I start...several things make a restaurant great. Good grief our waitress TAMMY..ran her srl ragged,with a smile no less, to make sure we received top notch service...hats off to you Tammy! It was appreciated by our whole group!!! The food!!! To die for! I'm Italian and give it 10 stars in all categories!! So great chef! Frank. the owner, came to our table just to socialize...thankyou! Can't give Taste of Italy enough thumbs up!!!!“

“I visit there about 4-5 times a month to grab a bite to eat, I usually get the lasagna dinner or their hot subs. Hands down the best in the area. The staff is always friendly and helpful. when in the area a must stop it won't disappoint!“

“I've lived here my entire life, and we used to love Little Anthony's Pizza—until they closed. Finally, there's a place that truly fills that void. We just ordered for the second time to see if they could deliver that same top-tier pizza experience—and they nailed it. Absolutely spot-on. Hands down the best pizza in the Capital Region. 10 out of 10. The three of us couldn't find a single thing wrong. Please don’t change a thing“

“The best pizza I've ever had! (I'm old and have had pizza from MANY different places) I've enjoyed everything I've ordered, which has been most of the menu. They care :) The downside is that I'm within walking distance from them LOL!“

“I frequent here often and the food is delicious- reviewing the posts here all I can say is because the food is soooo good I can see them struggling with deliveries occasionally- they're that popular!!“

“Just this evening, I ordered take out from the wrong location. I called Stuyvesant plaza instead of Slingerlands. When I called Stuyvesant about the mistake the manager said, “ No problem”. What’s your address ? I will drive it out to you. Within a 1/2 hour this awesome guy Justin pulled into my driveway with all our food. Hot food and cold salad !! Thank you. Way to go!!“

“I have ben to few Sbarro's, as far away as Nassau, Bahamas. the producte are consistent. I do like the pizza, new york style and Sicilian . Usually when. in colonie center I get ziti to go . After I pay I usually look at the wide pizza selection and enjoy it vicariously . The other things look good. As a good italian, who has done many reviews. As many as I come across. Sbarro's new ork style is quite good and if I was hungry for pizza, I would not pass it up .“

“I can’t recommend this place enough! It’s not just a pizza place—it’s a haven for anyone who loves delicious artisan food. Their pizzas are phenomenal, with a variety of creative and flavorful options that cater to all tastes. But it doesn’t stop there! Their Mediterranean bowls and dishes, like the Gyro and meze platters, are equally amazing—fresh, flavorful, and perfectly seasoned. I order from them at least four times a month, sometimes even more, and they never disappoint. The food is always delivered on time, piping hot, and exactly how I want it. Their attention to detail and commitment to customer satisfaction truly set them apart. Nasıl? The quality of their ingredients is exceptional, and everything is so clean and fresh. Whether you’re in the mood for a quick snack or a hearty, healthy meal, this place has it all. I genuinely look forward to every order. Fast, reliable, and absolutely delicious—this restaurant is a gem!“

“I attended a fund raising event today.The staff was extraordinary!The food was in generous and delicious portions,and the pastry table prior to the event was luscious especially the cheese danish. Food was served experty.I had a wonderful time and thank all the staff for a job very well done!“