Macaluso's Italian Restaurant

Pros:
-I got the vegan lasagna, it was amazing, so cheesy, hot and delicious, exactly what I was hoping for. Often places that serve mostly meat think vegans want healthy vegetable heavy dishes so I was delighted to see heavy cheese and plant based meat, so good!
- My vegetarian partner got the Porcini Ravioli, they said it was good but disappointed the noodles were not made in house
- My carnivore mother-in-law got the spaghetti carbonara and said it was good, right amount of salt but wished she had ordered my lasagna (she had a bite and had no idea it was vegan 🤫😘)
- our server was very nice and calm, thankful we had her and not this super loud animated guy that everyone else seemed to have
- My partner said their cocktail was very good

Cons:
- very expensive, definitely a place you go only on special occasions
- my partner asked the person who first came to our table to pour our water if Macaluso's made their pasta in house and she said, yes. Then our server came and we asked again and she said no, only the gnocchi is made in house. We wondered why the prices were so high for pasta that is not made in house. We were definitely disappointed to hear they don't make the pasta.
- I didn't feel 100% confident that the staff knew what was vegan and what wasn't. I wanted to know what else was vegan in case I didn't want to get the vegan lasagna (only thing marked vegan so only thing I was confident about but glad I did) and it didn't seem like the server was too informed on what could be made vegan on the menu.

Also, definitely need to make a reservation on a Friday night. Very busy!

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3

Macaluso's is very consistently excellent. We go here for special occasions that matter. I just had my anniversary dinner here, and the food is great with a busy, great atmosphere, highly recommended. It's a bit of a splurge but well worth it.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Very attentive. Awesome food

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This place is small and it was very full so we waited for a long time for the food but, it was SO worth the wait. Just make sure to bring your patience and make reservations! Trust me the food is worth it. Our server was amazing but I can not remember her name.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Caesar Salad, Classic Chicken Parmigiana, Spaghetti Carbonara

Food was great, staff was awesome and my Old Fashion was wonderful

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Ordered the vegan lasagne and the first bit made me regret my choice - it was too salty and overall, it was nothing special very disappointing. Also the brocollini was so hard and tough It was literally inedible and flavored with some very odd spice that made it just taste awful. They must consider a decoration for the plate. We were there for a wedding dinner. My daughter, the bride got her food late and without the bread that was supposed to come with it. By the time she got the bread, Her meal was no longer hot And she didn’t eat any of it. The service was terrible - We had to ask the waitress to brink the bread which took a while and had to flag her down for more coffee and then she only poured coffee for the two people closest to her and didn’t ask whoever else wanted coffee so they didn’t get a refill. Also, we thought this was a nice restaurant. People were dressed like they were at a McDonald’s and so the atmosphere did not feel special in anyway. We will never go back

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Tonight was our fourth time eating at Macaluso's, and the first 3 times were wonderful. Tonight we came in with our 2 granddaughters who were visiting from the East Coast, and it wasn't the same at all. Maybe there was a different chef, but the food wasn't nearly as good, the service was very slow, and mistakes were made in our orders. I felt bad for the servers, as they were really trying to make things right, but there was definitely a bad vibe. We will try again, but I wish I knew what happened tonight to the friendly workers and the not so delicious food.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 2

Service: 2

A bit speedy but everyone was vwey nice.I would stop by just to get the $16 Affagatto. It was delicious with the salted caramel gelato. Outside seating was a little noisy.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Today I had the distinct pleasure of being introduced to this AMAZING restaurant. Not only is the service impeccable and the atmosphere cozy and jovial, the food is truly some of the best I have ever had in my life. They make everything to order and are happy to make sure you try exactly what you want. I am typically not a huge fan of focaccia bread, but their house made bread had me reaching for seconds. I had the chicken marsala with their gnocchi. Chicken is the only meat I eat, so I KNOW chicken and I have never tasted anything like this. It melted in my mouth. The gnocchi as light as a feather and so flavorful. The arancini balls were heaven in my mouth. Tonight they also had seared scallops and crab cakes and I have never tasted either as good anywhere else. The house made Tiramisu was the perfect end to an already perfect meal. I plan to come back here over and over and over again.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

What a great place, the manager is aawsume.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Adorable little Italian spot! We walked in at about 630 with no res and it was very busy but they managed to get us a table for 730. They have a nice bar area you can sit at and have a drink while waiting. They do accept reservations so would recommend making one ahead of time.

Food was fresh and delicious. We split a Cesar to start & it was perfect. For dinner I had the chicken parm and my husband had the lasagna. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals and felt the prices were very fair. Our service was exceptional despite how packed the restaurant was.

Highly recommend for a delicious and elegant meal if you’re in Tacoma !

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I took my wife out to dinner here last night for her birthday. This was my second visit to this restaurant. My first was on Father’s Day with my daughter, and it was brunch on a Sunday.

This first time the food was good and the service was exceptional. So thought I would good place to have my wife birthday dinner.

Macaluso did not disappoint. My wife had the OSSO Bucco, which was seasoned perfectly and the meat was very tender. I had the Alfredo Macaluso. This was the most delicious pasta dish I have ever had.

Besides the food being over the top with both taste and portions, the services were excellent. Our waiter was willing to answer our questions; he checked on us regularly, and he never rushed us with ordering or our meal.

Our waiter separated our leftovers into individual boxes, labeled them with the restaurant's name, and labeled each box with the contents.

If you're searching for a small, quaint restaurant with excellent food and exceptional service. This is where you should explore.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This food was not good. The pricing was very expensive. Our waitress was fun, though.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 5

We had such a great experience here. The Brussels sprouts were seriously next level—so crispy and flavorful. Every dish we tried was delicious (we cleaned our plates), and the drinks were so good. You could tell everything was made with care. On top of all that, the service was incredible—super friendly and on it the whole time. Highly recommend this spot. We’ll definitely be back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Linguine Pescatore, Portabello Ravioli

Came here to celebrate our intimate wedding, and from the moment we walked in, it felt like visiting a friend’s home. They brought champagne to the bar while we waited for our table and snacked on arancini and focaccia.

We shared several dishes between the four of us—Linguini Pescatore, Penne Arrabbiata, the 22oz Bone-in Ribeye, and the Short Rib special. Finished with Tiramisu and Limoncello Cake. Everything was delicious, and the service (shoutout to Tommy!) was warm and thoughtful. We’ll definitely be back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5