Buona Sera Ristorante

After driving by a few times on Darby Road, we decided we'd like to try this little place for our anniversary. I'm sad to say that they successfully managed to mangle our anniversary dinner. The very first off-putting thing was that they required a credit-card for a reservation, with a $15 no-show fee, but no clear cancellation policy. It should have been a red flag right there.Let's start with the ambiance. It was what you'd expect for a small mom & pop restaurant. The bar was pretty low, so they exceeded expectations with it being open and airy feeling. Alright, except it was a bit noisy. Maybe some decorative sound dampening material on the upper half of the walls would help.The service was what you'd expect. It was on the slower side, but I would have expected that for any Mom & Pop Italian restaurant that's going to make things from scratch. Due to the noise, we had to listen to the waitstaff at other tables repeat the specials about four times before either of us could hear the whole list. We're not hard of hearing and should have been able to hear it the first time. Other tables around us were also celebrating their anniversaries, so it kind of set the expectation that maybe we would also get the same level of service or recognition. Nope! Our server didn't even acknowledge it.On to the food - the part you're probably here for. It was okay, not good, not great, just okay. We ordered the appetizers - Grilled Calamari and Shrimp & Polenta with Mushrooms. The mushroom sauce with the polenta was amazing, and probably set the bar too high for the rest of the meal. The asparagus with the Grilled Shrimp and Calamari was also sweet and tender regardless of being 1/2 inch thick.Main course? The Risotto was definitely not risotto. It was on the dry side and most definitely not the correct rice. Not creamy, more like a cajun shrimp over rice. The Veal alla Cardinale? The combination of swimming in a sauce that was way too sweet, and very sweet roasted peppers really reminded me of a pizza. It was just too much sauce. I took it home but ended up tossing it because I didn't want to eat it again. Even dessert wasn't so great. I had a double shot of the bitterest espresso I've ever had. I ended up having to thin it with water to make it barely drinkable. The "Ricotta Cheesecake" was not. It was just a (still frozen) New York Cheesecake. The "homemade creme brulee" was either plain old vanilla pudding (think box from the grocery store) or a very poorly executed creme anglaise topped with some carmelized sugar.All this for the meager price of $142. (or $148 if you wanted to pay with a credit card). I won't get fooled again.

Food is consistently excellent. The service is great. On a busy night, the place is buzzing with chatter!

The food is very good. I'm so happy we had dinner here. If you're looking for good food, but want to avoid the city and parking, I recommend you come here. Service is excellent, and we will be coming back.

Food is good (not amazing)Service is good,friendly people Ambiance is nice a tad on the noisy side Close seating Here's my beef with this restaurant Looked at menu online prior to making reservation because we got a courtesy call from another restaurant that they were having only fixed prices for New Year weekend So the misses calls and asked if they were doing the same and they said they weren't Got there looked at menu old sideWent in got completely different prices Bad bad badPressed to return Principles rule always See yaDisappointed in your backyardPsCouple sitting next to us first time visiting said same thing as we were leaving found out we frequented same BYO's

We were able to get reservations for a Friday night. When we walked in, the restaurant was packed and noisy. After being greeted and waiting a minute or two, we were seated in the back. So, what did we like? We appreciated that the restaurant seemed to be trying. The waitstaff was dressed professionally, the tables were covered with linens, and it was, most importantly, a BYOB. What didn't we like? The food was nothing special. The bread was cold with no butter or olive oil. The stracciatella soup with spinach, egg, and parmigiana was just ok. The red snapper with clams, shrimp, and garlic was good, but nothing special. We regretted not going to Fellini in Media. Once the tables changed next to us and an obnoxious man with a booming voice sat down, we knew it was time to go.

This is Italian fine dining at its very finest. The table service was crisp, efficient and professional. The meals were superb. We need more BYOBs like this one.

A flawless authentic Italian meal. The pasta dishes are all amazing. The veal and fish as well. Just as important is the excellent service. We will be back soon.

Rene was super kind and attentive even though they were very busy. The appetitizers were already filling and the entrees were huge! Such a cute little town; will definitely be back to try other foods. I think next time I will be ordering every appetizer on the menu because they were all so good and different in so many ways.

DO NOT EAT HERE OR MAKE RESERVATIONS WITH THIS RESTAURANT! I booked a 12:30 pm lunch reservation for July 21st. My guests heard where I booked and did not want to dine there. I called prior to the reservation to cancel and double checked/ASKED if it was okay to cancel and to make sure I wouldn't be charged. She said "It is okay to cancel, you won't be charged. You were the only reservation anyway." THEY CHARGED ME $45 and will NOT refund my money despite telling me there wouldn't be any financial consequence for doing so. The owner said due to the "Open Table" policy, there was nothing he could do and would just "talk to the woman" about why she said this. Meanwhile, the owner and restaurant is the only one in control of the financial transaction and he tried to blame Open Table for the charge.This restaurant LIED to me, took my money, won't return it, and did nothing to fix the situation. I told the owner if she confirmed on the phone that I would be charged, my guests would have gone there to eat so I wouldn't lose money. They lied and won't return my money. This will be reported to the Better Business Bureau. DO NOT GO HERE!!!!

Good food but a bit pricey. Great service. Family business that is a nice place for a fancier dinner