Sammy's Trattoria II

4 stars but it could be a 5 any other night. Service is awesome when you get it. So to be clear, on this Saturday night the waiters were in the weeds and none more than ours. The host is top notch but our waitress was running so crazy that we had to grab her for drinks 3x along with our check and take home boxes. Dinner was great, appetizer meat balls and Sally Salad were amazing. Dinner of veal Marsala and Seafood FraDiablo were delish but the chef forgot the crab. That stunted dinner progression. Desert was a Tiramisu Old Fashioned that was powerful. I'd be remised if I didn't mention the bread and dipping sauce which is what I will miss the most. No joke that garlic, pesto, Parmesan pepper crack sauce was freaking the best I've ever had! Those meatballs tho!! Great dinner but we will chalk the weeds up to just being a few hands on this night. #meatballapp

My husband & I came to Sammy's for a date night and he already been there a couple of times. Love the ambience and the service. It was my first time and I have to say I was really impressed. The Samantha and Mimi's pizza was incredible. I'm not a fussy eater normally but I have some small issues with The texture of eggplant and Sammy's made the best fried eggplant I've ever had on pizza or just in general. The "Don's Charcuterie Board" was flavorful & inviting. My husband's chicken Calabrese was also beautifully done and very flavorful. We will definitely have to go back and I will take better pictures. I apologize for the paper plate as that was some of the leftover pizza because I still wanted to take a picture of how beautiful it was after we brought it home, but Sammy's is definitely worth an in person visit.

Located on the top level of a large shopping center, it's a must stop by place for lunch or dinner. The restaurant is huge so it can accommodate large parties. It also has an outdoor parking lot so no need to worry about that. In terms of service ... OMG, our server knocked it out the park! It was pretty busy and while at times it felt like it was rushed and she didn't stop to hear us she managed to get it all! She also came back and thanked us for our patience once it calmed down. She also managed to check in on us several times! The food was also delicious!! I got the Toni&Tina chicken with lump crab meat. We also got several appetizers and I think the calamari was the best! It was lightly spiced and with a squeeze of lemon, it was the chefs kiss ! The crab toast was also very good! Very big pieces of lump crab meat and very creamy !

TLDR: Great Italian restaurant perfect for family/large group gatherings. Diverse menu with family style serving available. Come for the pasta dishes!Vibe: 5/5 - Located on the top floor of the Hunt Valley Towne Center (near the movie theater), Sammy's II has a prime location. Only steps away from a large parking lot, this is perfect for elderly and handicapped diners that require ease of accessibility. Sammy's II has a large footprint, complete with a bar area as well as main and large group dining areas. The fact that you can dine with a table of 20 or a table of 2 is very accommodating. Decor is modern with some Italian flair as well as nods to their Baltimore roots. Service: 3/5 - My table of 12+ had reservations for Saturday dinner service at 6pm. We arrived a little before 6pm and were seated immediately in the large group dining area. Acknowledging that we were at peak dinner rush, the restaurant was busy in all 3 areas. It took a few minutes for our server to appear, and when she did, you could tell she was a bit overwhelmed. Food and drink orders were somewhat rushed, as you could tell our server was preoccupied with other tables. However, she was very kind and efficient at providing decent service. Empty drink cups sometimes went untouched for long periods of time throughout the meal and it was a bit of task to track her down for the final bill. The restaurant seemed understaffed for the volume of tables seated, so I don't entirely blame our waitress.Food: 5/5 - Very impressive selection of Italian eats from start to finish. Our large table ordered a menagerie of foods, ranging from apps such as calamari fritte, Stanwick's crab toast, Rich's Mozzarella in Carrozza to mains like rigatoni amatriciana, lobster crab ravioli and filet Vivi (surf turf filet and crab). All dishes were prepared perfectly and came out piping hot. Standouts were all of the pasta dishes, including the rigatoni side pastas served with Secondi mains. The chicken Toni and Tina, a breaded cutlet servied with jumbo lump in a parm spinach sauce took best in show for the dinner. Portion size was also generous, with everyone leaving with to go containers. Bar program was also decent, with your standard selection of classic cocktails , wine and beer all at reasonable prices for the area. Overall, Sammy's II is the perfect restaurant to dine at with a large group, as their menu is well balanced, hearty in portions and at a good value.

Great place: wait staff and food! I always look forward to going here for dinner or happy hour.

Semi's are really good their food tasty the location in Baltimore city on the corner of Biddle Street and Charles Street the atmosphere is very nice is very cozy inside pricey but it's worth it. I wish they could expand that store on Biddle Street and Charles Street make it bigger but they're really nice. Great restaurant.

Very nice and clean establishment. We came during later hours and it was rather quiet for a Sunday. We had amazing service from a young lady who was quick and attentive. Our food was very delicious. We tried a little of everything off the menu for appetizers. I think the biggest hit was the meatballs and carpaccio. Our table ordered pizzas and pasta plates to share. We have no complaints but the portions are larger so do come hungry. We will be back when we visit the area again!

Our party ordered a bottle of red wine, arugula salad, Julia salad, salmon, rigatoni alla vodka, bucatini pesto, and capellini Lula. Everything was delicious, and the service was top notch.

Waiter was very nice. The soda, water, and bread are first-class. Unfortunately I have no clue what the food's like. We ordered it almost an hour ago. When I asked I was told they are short-staffed in the kitchen and they've been backed up all night. I wish they told me before ordering, maybe I could gone to one of the other dozen restaurants next door and be finishing up my meal now instead.

(N.B. I originally posted this review on the page for Sammy's Trattoria. That was an error on my part, abetted by Yelp putting it first when I searched for 'Sammy's Cockeysville'. This review is for Sammy's II at Hunt Valley Towne Centre in Cockeysville.)I did not have a good experience at Sammy's.One cannot help but be impressed by the way this restaurant, located in the former Bar Louie space, has attracted in a clientele in a fairly short time. The night I went the place was rocking.I was told I could not be seated at a table despite visible empty tables. Perhaps this is the short-staffing problem one sees these days. Do I make allowances for that? Not really. I can't grade on a curve.Sitting at the (gigantic) bar, my drink came quickly and was fine, but the trouble started right about then. Everything seemed _slow_. Getting the menu. Getting my order taken. Receiving my order. The place was very busy and that may have been the reason, or perhaps short-staffing again. I don't know.Busy-ness does not explain the strange service, though. How did the bartender stand chatting with the people right next to me for a couple of minutes and not notice my empty, ready-to-be-taken plates sitting just to his right? Why did he not ask if I wanted a second drink? Why did the person sitting to my left have to wait an extraordinarily long time for an appetizer? Why wouldn't the bartender let me help him put my plate down, choosing instead to literally fight with me over it as I tried to take it to set it down? And how do you serve a full dinner to someone without serving water, or at least asking if they want something more than their cocktail to wash it down? Weird.As to the food . . . my veal francese would probably have been really good had it not been too salty. The mussels were a bit better than mediocre, and served with white beans, which I found odd. The highlight of the meal, funnily enough, was the free bread and garlic / olive oil sauce, which was delicious.A friend spoke quite highly of this place, having eaten there a day or two before, so it's possible I simply fell on the left side of the bell curve. Based on my experience, however, I cannot recommend Sammy's.