Amici

What can I say? Hands down the absolute BEST gnocchi I have ever had in 50 years on this planet. Light, fluffy, flavorful. Unbelievable. Would you expect such a high caliber entree from a location tucked into a strip mall alongside 290? No of course not, BUT within 5 minutes of exchanging small talk with the very welcoming female owner, I learned that the place has a serious LEGIT provenance as the family had a well-established restaurant in NYC for years. You can tell. From the first bite of gnocchi I knew she was absolutely telling me the truth. Where this place excels - cozy up to the bar and enjoy a glass of wine with the best Italian food in Hill Country - maybe even all of Austin. It has that cozy family feel at the bar. Dining room looked little sterile and loud, but the service appears on point. They are clearly doing the best they can with the space. The bar section and takeout is where I'll no doubt be regular. I think the prices show value for portion size and given that everything is homemade with top notch ingredients. This is quality Italian. NOT Olive Garden darlin. Bravo to the owners and staff. This place is a welcome addition to Dripping Springs / Hill Country.

We searched all over town for a reasonably priced Italian restaurant so that our son could carbo load the night before his Marathon and came across Amici. We called for a last minute reservation and thankfully we were able to get a table. Hostess was sweet and our server was adequate. The complimentary bread was freshly made and soft. I ordered the sausage with penne, peppers, and mushrooms. It was ok... I found the tomato sauce to be runny, thin, and lacked flavor. A hearty tomato sauce sprinkled with red chili flakes would have rocked it. We tried to order the chicken piccata, but were told they were out of it... it's dinner hour and you're already out?! Oh well. Others ordered the bolognese and meatball appetizer- both were ok. Overall, it did its job, but I've had better..

2/5 - Disappointing Service & Limited MenuI was really looking forward to trying Amici, but unfortunately, our experience fell short.From the start, service was slow--no one checked on us for the first 10 minutes, and when a server finally did, they jumped straight to asking what we wanted to eat without even taking our drink order. Another five minutes passed before we were finally able to place our meal order.I originally wanted the chicken parmesan, and my boyfriend ordered the lasagna, but we were informed that they were out of the chicken parm, lasagna, chicken piccata, and another dish. We needed a few minutes to rethink our order, and when we finally settled on the Bolognese pizza, the waiter told us they were out of that too. After some back and forth, he said he'd ask the kitchen if they could make it--and luckily, they did.When our food arrived, we had the Bolognese pizza and the Sunday Sauce, but the latter was missing the short rib. The food itself was just okay--definitely not worth the $20+ price tag.Between the long wait times, poor service, and the fact that they were out of half the menu, I won't be coming back. There are much better options for the price.

Solid food, I enjoyed everything I ordered (penne with arrabbiata, garlic knots, lemon sorbet). The aesthetic is nice but the room was a little cold, which would be nice on 99% of Texas days, but wasn't when I was there. Our server was in training but everything seemed ok there. I was on the border with three stars but it was a nice time so four it is.

Nice cozy Italian outside of Dripping Springs. Plenty of parking and comfy seating. We all had homemade pasta with great sauces. Lasagna was the star of the night, but don't skip the desserts! I had the excellent Shrimp Diavlo over homemade fettuccine. The Chicken Piccata looked awesome. Friendly and attentive service. Not much of a wine list but decent prices for some of the Italian varieties. Glad it's here!!

Good food, great service and not much ambiance. This small cafe shares the same eat in space and counter as Stony's Pizza. Due to this, it is a bit crowded, very little seating if it is very busy at all and conversations from other tables can dominate your own. There is not much that can be done about this as long as they share space.The food is very good and we've already been several times and will go again to continue trying more of the many delicious pasta offerings. Oh! And for now it is BYOB, until they get their liquor license or at least beer and wine license. Gotta love that! I wish it could always be that way! We would go even more often. We met one of the owners and she is extremely friendly and down-to-earth.This place is a definite recommendation!

I'm so excited to see real Italian food in SW Austin / Dripping! The decor and vibe was modern and casual, staff super friendly (particularly our server). I thought the food was great - got the carbonara and the oil they serve with the bread tasted good. I will def be back to try more items and really look forward to seeing the joint get perfected so i can update with a 5 star. Maybe a fountain for soda too instead of cans. But overall great casual local Italian spot!

We thought the food was great. The meal began with some nice bread and an olive oil / garlic dipping that was very good. It tasted lemony, but the staff told us there was no lemon in it. Your table is given glasses for water and much like Naples, Italy, a bottle of water is left at the table to fill as you like. We had the spaghetti carbonara and the spaghetti & mussels. Both dishes are excellent. The carbonara was light and very tasteful. The mussels were fresh and I truly enjoyed them.Both plates were plentiful. We took half the carbonara home to enjoy for lunch today.The staff is great. Always attentive to our needs and very friendly. I had lived in Naples for a few years so we were able to speak with them in their native language. Food is quite authentic.The location is ample. Apparenly being shared with Stoney's Pizza (space only); Amici makes their own pizzas. It is difficult to get out of the parking lot going back west, but doable. It is only open in the evenings.Well worth the stop and taste. You won't regret it.

Delicious food. It all tastes so fresh and homemade. We had the carpet salad which the flavors and portions were perfection. The Gaelic cheese bread was my favorite. Actual chunks of garlic and the sauce to dip was so delicious. I had chicken parm which was perfectly moist and tasty and my husband had the pepperoni pizza. Orange sorbet for desert. We loved it and will be back soon.

Wow! Small strip center location with great food and service! Boyfriend custom ordered a 16" pizza that was really good. I had the pasta puttanesca which wasJust right. Love this place!