Roberto's Ristorante Italiano

"As many of you (me when I come back and read this later) are aware, my wife and I take our date night locations seriously and a few nights ago we went out on a limb and decided to try Roberto's on our most recent outing. You're always taking a risk when you go to a restaurant when you're not able to pronounce half of the things on the menu. Some might say that's a sign of authenticity...some might say that's a recipe for embarrassment. Either way, we gave Roberto's a shot and, overall, we're glad that we did. I'm not an Italian expert by any stretch of the imagination, but even my uneducated palate could have told you that this place was miles better than 80% of the other Italian restaurants I've been to in the past (Olive Garden included, I'm sad to say). From the outside, Roberto's is a pretty cool looking place. The restaurant is pretty small, but the large Italian flag waving out front gives away its location pretty easily. We made a reservation online pretty easily. Overall, we had a really good experience here, but walking in almost ruined it for us. When I had booked our reservations, I did not anticipate bringing our children with us (both under 2). When we couldn't find a baby sitter, we called an audible and brought them along which I thought would be fine because they're literally like 20 pounds combined. When we came and checked in we were almost instantly greeted with a pleasant, "You know we don't have high chairs, right?" Which I didn't know (not sure how I would have). There was a minute or two of adjusting because we had two extra "people" with us who didn't take up chairs, but we were then pretty quickly led to a booth. I had made a mistake and maybe I was just getting a taste of Italian hospitality, but I was a little unhappy about that first impression. Nevertheless, from that moment on everything got much better. The main dining area of the restaurant is essentially a large room with tables laid around the walls and a big serving section right in the middle where the waiters grab supplies and things. That was a cool layout that I hadn't seen before, it also meant that we were helped pretty quickly. We had our water within a few minutes and fresh bread only a few minutes later. Not unlimited, but unlimitedly delicious. After a few minutes of translating the menu my wife and I ordered. I went with the Fettuccini (because it was literally the only thing I could pronounce) and my wife ordered the gnocchi. Within a few minutes, my wife's food was out and my pasta had made its way to the center island thing in the restaurant. From there, the owner of the store (or manager?) put the pasta into a giant wheel of parmesan and personally created the alfredo sauce in front of us while explaining the process, that was pretty cool. The food itself was incredible. Both the gnocchi and the fehttuchini alfredo were wonderful. The portions were a little smaller than I would have liked, but enough to leave you feeling like you were satisfied. We ended the meal with a little espresso and chocolate gelato which, I kid you not, is the best I've ever had. While the hospitality coming through the door wasn't great, our servers were wonderful the whole time. They were attentive, helpful and kind. I was also impressed to see that the owner/manager/woman in charge made her way around to each table to check in on folks and make sure they were enjoying their meal and have a short conversations with them. That was a nice touch that, honestly, hasn't happened to me in a long time. The last thing I'll discuss is the price. You're getting good quality food but you're not paying Olive Garden prices for it. Both my wife and I's dishes sat around $30/pop. For a group, you're talking some big money. Would I come back to Roberto's? Yes. Would I recommend it to others? Yes. Would I come back often? If I was rich...maybe. It's a fun place for a date night, but probably won't be our regular haunt unless we come into a windfall of money. All in all, well worth a visit."

"By far one of the best dining experiences I’ve had in Vienna. Went on a Tuesday night, and they were fairly busy (reservation recommended). They had given out samples of pasta for the Church Street Stroll, which is what prompted us to visit (marketing works!). Everything here was enjoyable. Our table ordered fettuccini, rockfish, duck ravioli, squid, two orders of kids pasta, and the lobster and crab salad. The fettuccini was prepared table side, and included a 50lb wheel of cheese, and a blowtorch, so someone at the table definitely has to order that. It was good, my wife thought it was too rich, but not me. The duck ravioli was something magical. Tasted fresh, good flavors, and I’d definitely order it again, and again. Really unlike anything I’ve had before. Lobster and crab salad was also very good, and worth trying at least once as an appetizer. The kids pasta wasn’t a hit this time around, so we brought it home, and it was eaten pretty quickly by me. Tiramisu was texturally very different, but the flavors were all there, and I highly recommend it. Bread pudding was also unexpected, and wasn’t too heavy. Got a cappuccino, and it was prepared perfectly. Like I said, one of the best dining experiences I’ve had in Vienna. Wait staff was very attentive, and friendly. Excited to try the French Bistro down the street."

"Looks nice but it tastes sooo bad. The sea food paste is so salty it is not edible. We have one bite of the salad and spits out. The halibut is only thing barely edible. Won’t come back. Not recommending."

"Another lovely evening @ Roberto’s! Staff is professional, friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the menu. Food is beautifully crafted with an ever revolving menu. We’ve enjoyed many many special meals here & def recommend!"