Casa Nova Italian Restaurant & Bar, Honeysuckle 1 Honeysuckle Drive, Newcastle, New South Wales 2300

"Very easy to book, nice venue w’ a view. Service a little slow to start but think they were short staffed. Wine list & menu very good, the Gnocchi was fabulous-so good! Would recommend a visit!"

"We stopped by during a walk along the water and ordered some snacks and a whine. The bruschetta was quite nice, sizeable portion and well roasted bread. The tomatoes were not the most aromatic ones I've ever tasted, however for the time of the year quite good. Unfortunately they did not really seem to care about the garnish... the basil was full of brown dots and half dried out... better leave away at all. Service was "professionally fast" but a bit unpersonal, the free table water did not seem to have been filtered properly... a light taste of chlorine... not so good with the wine. The wine however was quite good. All for a reasonable price. We'll come back if we are in the area."

"Sadly have to say not that happy. The number of people there made me think the other reviews may not have been accurate but I didn't look until we had already started with the drink orders so we took a chance. We got the bruschetta to start. Sadly one side of one piece of the toast was very over cooked to the point of burnt but only on one side (refer to image). The dressing was only put on a very small portion of the tomatoes and and onions as seen in my picture. Taste was nice but not enough dressing and this left it wanting. I ordered the Beef Tenderloin. I was fascinated by what was listed with it so thought it was worth a try. The person taking our order was friendly enough but when I order steak I expect them to ask me how I want it cooked. I didn't correct them as I can eat from Rare all the way to well done so I thought I'd just leave it for interest. The steak was medium rare but unevenly cooked as one side was cooked longer. That was fine the cut was lovely. The potato mash with parsnip was quite interesting and the sauce fairly unique but the texture of the fried leek was very different but it had no flavour so could only be mixed with the mash. Overall it was different and that's what I ordered but not knowing what my steak was going to be definitely isn't something that a waiter should repeat. My better half got the pasta Carbonara. She asked the waiter what they would recommend for pasta. Aka asking them what is their favourite pasta there. This is a pretty common thing for her as she likes to try things that are different and what they love. The waiter said "all the pasta is fresh"... Yeah OK that's fine but that's not what she asked. So she ask for what sauce he would recommend. His answer "red sauce and white sauce whichever you prefer"... What I'd have expected was "I love the red sauce because it is done with a such and such wine and it goes very well with either this pasta or this pasta." and then I'd ask for a wine that would go with it as well... Yeah she looked lost and just ordered her safe dish and no wine. The staff needs to know the menu preferably by taste or at least know what is popular and why. The pasta sauce was quite watered down and not flavoured that well. The atmosphere was quite loud both in the kitchen and in the dining area but it was busy with 3 large family groups there on long tables so raised voices are required to be heard and the kitchen being right beside us means that all noises got raised. We did eat our meals so obviously I paid and the $100 isn't something I'll be spending again. This was a birthday dinner so spending money was not the issue. When I arrived and checked the reviews last night it was at 4.0 stars and has already hit 3.9 as I type so I'm not sure what is slipping but it definitely needs to be addressed. When we first started the look of the pizzas made me think I should take a meat lovers home for my boys but by the end the $31 price tag and the disappointment we already had made me rethink the choice."

"Really nice place, the food was delicious, Paola the waitress was very kindly and friendly, great dessert and they have Segafredo my favourite coffee!!!"

"Delicious oven baked traditional Italian pizza! Incredible crispy crust which was perfectly baked with fresh topping. Trendy restaurant with modern interior design and picturesque details. High quality cutlery and comfortable, minimalistic chairs. Accommodating and good customer service from the staff. Highly recommend!"