Just came back from dinner with my friend Betsy at Italian Osteria! What an incredible meal! Met Chef Giustino who came out to our table to greet us. Incredible Breaded Eggplant appetizer with cannelini beans, spicy peppers and olives in a garlic sauce.

The Chicken French had just the right amount of lemon and flavoring ( I tasted Betsy's and it was some of the best I've had!).. I had the Veal Saltimbacca - also incredible.

Sharon, the hostess/owner was very friendly. Our servers were attentive but not invasive. The price was fantastic.

All in all, one of the best meals I've had in a LONG time!

I arrived at this Restaurant at 5:05 pm on Saturday May 3rd 2009 with my fiancé and his son. Only one table was occupied when we arrived. The waitress made a big production out of the fact that we did not have a reservation which I thought was silly since the place was practically empty. They were not expecting anyone else until 5:30. They could have sat us at any table and we would have most likely been done before people even started arriving. And not to mention I'm sure that at least one of those reservations showed up late. The waitress then went to discuss this with another waitress. As they both looked back at us, then turned away to whisper among themselves, we walked out. To say they were rude is a major understatement. I grew up in an Italian family in this City and I know what real Italian hospitality is like. This restaurant should be ashamed of its behavior. We left Italian Osteria and went to Del Mares on East Ridge Road where the service was great and the food even better.

this is for jean who came in on may 3rd 2009,
italian osteria takes reservations on friday and saturday. we only have 17 tables and if we had reservations and not able to seat you them we must have been booked the nite you came in. there are many nites our resturant is booked and if someone walks in with out a reservation we are not able to seat them many times. sometimes we do have many tables empty and people get upset, but if you came in at 530 and tables were reserved for 6pm then we would not be able to seat you. i am sorry this happen to you! i hope you will give us a call and make a reservation and please give us a chance to make it up to you. please ask for sharon, you will not be sorry, the food is GREAT!! thank you

My daughter and I stopped in on a Thursday night. We were asked if we had reservations and we did not. There was no problem at all....we were seated and I must say we had one of the best Italian dinners in a long time. The price and amount were very reasonable. I found out later from my daughter that her friends aunt owns the place and this is not why I am writing this review. The food and staff were great and it is nice to find a new place in our town that hopefully will be here for a long time. This place is a "must try" so put it on your list and I know we will be back.

The exact same thing that Jean wrote, happened the same way to us, almost exactly. Except we didn't walk out, mostly to spite her. The waitress that waited on was nice. It was the older women at the door that acted entirely rude. She really can't be Italian. What an embarassing rude person.

I must begin by saying that I have never bothered to write a review for a restaurant until today. I have to tell you that my friends and I were overwhelmed by the fantastic service, the amazingly magnificent and authentic Italian food, fair prices and the great atmosphere, not to mention very convenient and ample parking and a great, easy to find location! We have visited this exceptional restaurant every Friday (yes...reservations are necessary) since our first visit and we have told everyone we know about it! Sharon (the owner) and Guistino (the exquisite chef) are wonderful, friendly people who deserve to be applauded for their hospitality and superb establishment!!! Visit soon and you will definitely agree!

I'm from New Jersey and I had dinner here with my sister and her friend at the end of September. We had no reservations. Service was great and the food was simply spectacular. The place is small, but very intimate. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening, and I recommend it very highly.

My husband and I went on a Tuesday night just to give it a try. Well, it is now Friday and we are returning with a party of 9. While the decor is simple, the service was friendly, and more importantly, the food is unbelievable. My husband order Calamari Mike, and the look on his face with his first bite told me that although I'm not a "fan" of calamari, I would be forced to sample it. The combination of flavors was quite simply amazing. I ate more than my fair share of it. I judge a restaurant by whether or not I think I could match or surpass it at home. I couldn't even hold a candle to the food at Italian Osteria. You must give this place a try - just make sure you have reservations on the weekend!

The restaurant itself is simple and basic, with the view from any seat either Seabreeze park across the street or a glimpse of Lake Ontario. The measure of any restaurant however is the food, and you simply will not find any better in Rochester, a town with many excellent Italian eateries. The wait staff is friendly and efficient, and the only problem is what to order, as everything is excellent!

I've eaten at this restaurant many times, as well as the predecessor owned by Giustino - and I have never experienced or seen Sharon be rude to anyone. She is a friendly, matter-of-fact person and not one to act fake and fawn over people - so if that's what's important to you when you walk into a restaurant, you're not going to find it. The servers here are very down-to-Earth and real - and as friendly as you are to them, they are in return - something I personally value.

I also feel the need to point out that whenever you walk into ANY restaurant without a reservation, you take the risk of not being seated. Even though they know our faces there, we make reservations every single time we eat at Osterio, because we don't want to take a chance on missing out - the food is THAT GOOD! The menu has several unique entrees you won't find elsewhere, even in the pasta section, each one better than the next. Giustino's marinara and red sauce are beyond incredible, and his French sauce is amazing - not just gobs of butter and enough lemon to pucker your mouth.

I can honestly sasy we have NEVER had a meal there that wasn't incredible - and neither has anyone we've ever brought there with us - and we've brought many friends over the years. Not to mention the portions are enough to get really full, PLUS have enough left over for lunch the next day, when they taste even better!

My sister, Pat and I go out with our hubbies about once a month and usually 2 other couples also go with us..She has been to your restaruant and raved and raved about it, so we decided ths was the place for this month. Jan 22...She called at the beginning of the week to make reservations for us. The girl on the phone said the only time they had was 7:30 which is alittle late for us than usual but took that time..Her husband also was standing right there next to her and heard the whole conversation even listening while she spelled her last name to the girl . We arrived at the place at 7:15 and were told we HAD NO reservations for 8 for her name and they could not all night accomodate 8 people because they were extremely busy..Needless to say, we all made quite a scene to no avail to the lady there and also said alot of people answer the phone so she couldn't tell us who took it in the first place...I can assure you that this will be one place we will never even think about dining there especially after the rude, rude explanations we got for not having on the list...No matter how many people rave about this place it will be one place we shall never go to or try to go to again....Very very disappointed in this place of business.

this review is for Barbara DeMarco, I am truely sorry for what happen to you. i would like to invite you and your 7 guests back for diner and your wine and desert are on me,sharon russo. i make no excuses for what happen and am very sorry this happen to you. please call and ask for me and book a reservation,you will not be disapointed

This is where other chefs go to eat Italian! Food is excellent and service is great. Been there three time with no regrets.Last time was with my brother and sister in law from Spain who frequently work in Italy. They were more than impressed. Very charming, Sinatra in the background, sipping great Chianti and hanging out with Giustino. I hope he stays a long time...and yes folks it's a small place and you will need reservations.

We had Jaime and Langa's rehearsal dinner here and it could not have been more perfect. We were not rushed. The food was incredible and plentiful. We brought home leftovers and enjoyed it all again the next day. Chef Giustino came out and entertained us with his jokes. Sharon could not have been more hospitable. Our waiter was fabulous. Did I say how delicious the food was? Everyone enjoyed the entire evening. A perfect night!

Our 5th visit and it just keeps getting better. Small, not pretentious and excellent food. Great view of the lake (if you are on the right side). And the wait staff is quite well versed.
Chef is also very accommodating when it comes to dietary concerns. Owner Sharon is down to earth and friendly.

WOW!!!! This is truly Rochester's best kept secret!! My whole family is from the Abruzzo region of Italy and we just had a great meal there. It's very hard (even with all the Italian population in Rochester) to find authentic Italian cuisine. No shredded Mozzarella on this menu. We had a party of four and ordered Veal, Chicken, Calamari, the special and a seafood dish. The music was so NY and Jersey, Sinatra and Deno. Service was good and there was olive oil (good olive oil) for bread dipping. We waited about 25 minutes for entrees but they were busy and it was well worth it!. Good food takes quality time. Two of my relatives were from Manhattan and they have stated that this is a required stop the next time they are in town. This is not like any "red sauce joint" that you will find in Rochester.

Read an article on the internet about how good the food was and I have to say we were not disappointed. Best Italian food I've had in Rochester. I'm very fussy, especially when it comes to red sauce and it was excellent. I have since taken other family members and so far everyone loves it. I also had coupons from my discount book...better yet!!! My new favorite Italian restaurant and I've been telling everyone about it. The employees are very nice and I like that it's a small, quaint, non-commercial restaurant. Definitely on my list of favorite places to eat. I hope the Osteria is going to be around a lonnnnnnng time!!

I called a 5:00pm to ask for a reservation and the woman who answered the phone basically hung up on me. I drove 50 minutes to get there and when I arrived the woman at the front rudely told me she was booked until 8:30. There were probable 8 empty tables. I don't get it.

My name is Sharon Russo. I am the owner of Italian Osteria. There are rumors floating around that we are closed, or are planning on closing. These rumors are completely false!! We are open and plan on staying open. Our hours of operation are Tuesday-Thursday from 4pm-9pm and Friday & Saturday from 4pm-10pm. Reservations are strongly suggested on the weekends. Everything is made to order and we would be happy to take special requests, just let us know in advance! We offer weekly specials from homemade lasagna and stuffed peppers, to grilled salmon and various seafood dinners. We hope to see you soon!

Despite the owner Sharon Russo's own review, Italian Osteria is not open for the hours she states. I went with a guest to dine there on Saturday June 18th at 9PM. It was 1/2 full and I was told that they closed (presumably last seating) at 8:30PM. I told the cashier that the advertised hours were until 10pm, she said she didn't know anything about that, then I pointed out that a few feet from where she was standing at the front door was a sign stating that Saturday hours were until 10pm, she said she said that didn't matter, they closed at 8:30pm.

A friend and I were in tonite, and went over and over the bill in our heads. We know we were overcharged 10.00 the waitress said we were short. I had the shrimp fra for 18.95 and she had the chicken french for 16.95. and 2 soda for 200 each. I had a coupon for 25.00 off of 45.00 so we ordered a 5.00 dessert. The bill was 44.90 plus 3.60 tax and 8.75 for the waitresses gratuity added. This gives me a total of 57.25 minus the 25.00 coupon should of been 32.25. When we went to pay that the waitress said we owed 10.00 more. I think you owe my friend 10.00 back. If we went in such a hurry I would of straightened this out then, but the waitress got my friend all flustered. We do enjoy coming in there and would appriciate it you would refigue this bill. thanks

I called and talk so thank you for taking care of the bill mix up.

I have been reading reviews on this place all day. Every magazine that has reviewed this restaurant's FOOD has been excellent. The service seems to be the problem. I've been comparing this to many Italian places around and would like to give it a try, but am nervous to even make a reservation for fear that I will be told I do not have one, or to receive lackluster service, or to be overcharged. Nothing is worse than great food and terrible service, both of those things need to be on point for anything to be successful. I'm hoping it gets better as I would love to try it out! I will definitely be keeping an eye out on further reviews.

I feel compelled to leave this review because I have now been there many times. I too read the reviews prior to going and most of the negative comments were about not having reservations so we called a couple of hours prior and made reservations. The restaurant is small and very popular so it is the best way to assure you can get a table. The food is wonderful and the eggplant Alan appetizer is the best! I have never had a problem with service there, they have always been pleasant and efficient. It is a wonderful neighborhood Italian restaurant, I say try it and make a res. before you go!

This is a true italian kitchen. The food is the best I have ever had. I have tried at least 10 of the entrees and they are all very good, which makes selecting what to eat difficult. I usually get the chicken parm and gnocchi's w/ eggplant alan as an appetizer. Seeing some comments about the seating problems concerns me. Most people are used to walking into a chain like Olive Garden and getting seated right away. Since this is very far from chain food, the seating is a bit more limited and reservations are highly recommended. I hope everyone will understand this and not to take it personally if you cant be seated. It is so worth the phone call. Most of the time, I call in a few hours before and they usually can get you in. Guistino is the best Italian cook in town.

Italian Osteria is our favorite restaraunt in Rochester. It is different from all other Italian eateries. The first time we went there, despite the fact that the tables were all reserved, we were seated without issue. The staff is amazing and attentive. Chef Guistino delivers a culinary punch with everything he makes. All of the soups I've tried are great- homemade, judging by the flavor. Shrimp Tony is delish- an appetizer with shrimp, asparagas, mushroom, tomato, bread, and a perfect marsala sauce. My husband prefers the veal scallopine, my son loves the chicken parm, as do I. The chicken parm is not mushy- it has been pounded to perfection, generously breaded, and cooked just right! The crispiness lasts throughout the meal. The desserts, shipped from Italy, are the perfect way to end the meal! Profiteroles, cappuchino gelato( with little rispies on top and filled with fudge sauce), lemon gelato ( prepared the same but with lemon sauce inside), hazelnut gelato, and chocolate bomba....I structure my meal around dessert. My fav is cappuchino gelato. The first bite is heaven!
We have never had a negative experience at this restaraunt. We keep going back and leave with a smile on our faces each time. ( but certainly make a reservation- there is no waiting area and tables do fill up quick!)