Il Cornicello

"This is the kind of place you go for anniversary celebrations, birthdays, or other special occasions. The menu changes daily, and every dish served is delicious and prepared excellently. Make a reservation weeks in advance; it's a small restaurant with tables for 2 and 4. But it's definitely a top place to dine in Exeter and the seacoast area."

"Fantastic little spot. Handmade pasta daily. Sign me up. We booked reservations at the bar. Checked in 10min prior and we were seated pretty much right away. Staff was very attentive, friendly and knowledgeable about what to recommend. We ordered a blueberry and goat cheese bruschetta, meatballs in broth, and I had ravioli while my girl had the braised short rib and pasta choice. And we had their olive oil cake. Flavors were awesome, everything just melted in your mouth. I really don't think you would find anything you don't like on this menu or that isn't prepped, cooked, and constructed with precision and thought. Street parking wasn't an issue. The atmosphere is cozy, fairly low key, quiet, and relaxed. 7tables and the bar seating keeps it that way. Book ahead of time they seemingly are booked out weeks/months. If you get a chance, stop in. If you like authentic Italian cuisine, you will be pleased."

"Sharing what many others have said - absolutely a fine Italian restaurant. Before your dinner, you can watch the kitchen staff from the sidewalk preparing pasta, or ravioli from scratch. This was our first time visiting with friends, it was superb with delicious flavors. Great appetizer selection, main course and salads were excellent. Don't forget to save room for pistachio cake. And if you are lucky, you will have Lisa C. as your waitress. She's got a great sense of humor - I promised her 5 stars and here it is."

"Hands down the best Italian restaurant around. The food and service is always outstanding. The menu changes regularly based on local in-season ingredients, ensuring that every meal is a new experience. The pastas are all made in-house and always incredibly delicious. You will be happy with whatever you order! I always look forward to our visits to Cornicello!"

"We saw this restaurant on NH Chronicle and we’re super excited to try it! My husband cooks Italian including homemade pasta and we have visited Italy. We also eat out often and are always looking for new places. We weren’t able to get in for about six weeks, but that’s OK, if it’s good and worth the wait. We were terribly disappointed! We ordered the bruschetta for an appetizer and also the Panzanella with peaches. The bruschetta was a disappointment as the bread was soggy in the middle. I enjoyed the Panzanella, but my husband did not. The bread and oil we ordered for the table was awful - the bread was dry and the oil bland. For our main meal I ordered the bolognese and my husband the deconstructed eggplant parmigiana. The star of my bolognese was the pasta which was home made and cooked perfectly, but the bolognese was dry and bland and no tomatoes! The eggplant was thick and mushy but did have a nice crust. The pasta served under the eggplant was not cooked right, some pieces being mushy and others crunchy. Zero complaints about the dessert! They only had 2 choices, but the pistachio olive oil cake was amazing! The staff was wonderful- smiling, welcoming, attentive. But, I think the next time I’m craving Italian food, I’ll ask my husband to cook for me or head to our favorite Italian restaurant in Manchester, Piccola"