This cozy trattoria brings a hearty taste of Italy to the downtown area.

• “Glad I gave Sagra another try”
• “Best Brunch Ever…......All you can drink mimosas”
• “Good pizza, ambiance – mediocre appetizers”
• “Great food, ambiance and staff – We will be back!!”
• “Great italian”

Tips: With only a handful of tables, this busy spot can easily fill up. Consider making reservations ahead of time or, at the least, call ahead for availability.

Sagra
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Inventive Italian cuisine in a setting reminiscent of a neighborhood trattoria.

• “LOVE!”
• “Nice place for a date, night out, etc”
• “it’s okay, too moo much hype”
• “Best Italian in Austin”
• “Terrible! What gives?”

Tips: Daily specials run almost as long as the regular menu and merit a good perusing, since they draw on what’s fresh and in season.

Vespaio Restaurant

Attentive service complements the northern Italian cuisine.

• “Strip center restaurant with ugley decor”
• “Flawed service”
• “Austin’s Best Kept Elegant Dining Secret”
• “Best experience ever”
• “VERY SLOW & TASTELESS”

Tips: Ask about daily specials.

Andiamo Ristorante
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Pastas, salads, wrapped paninis and vino are served at this casual metropolitan Italian cafe and bar on East Eleventh Street.

• “wonderful food and great service !”
• “Worst service and snobby atmosphere”
• “Food is lovely, service kills its edge”
• “The last time I had pasta this great I was in Tuscany!”
• “A Delightfull Evening”

Tips: Grab a seat at the bar for a glass or bottle from the hand-picked wine selection, a microbrew beer on draft or your favorite cocktail.

Primizie Osteria Italian Café & Wine Bar
email Primizie Osteria Italian Café & Wine Bar

Traditional, provincial Tuscan cuisine in a Hill Country setting.

• “Great food, small portions”
• “Yummm!!! Best Italian in Austin!”
• “SIena has jumped the shark”
• “Exceptional food, average service, bad parking”
• “Parking is atrocious every evening except Friday and Saturday”

Tips: A private room can be reserved for a special night out—the wood-burning fireplace creates a romantic setting.

Siena Ristorante Toscano
email Siena Ristorante Toscano

Get cozy with friends and family and enjoy an Italian feast at this loved-by-locals restaurant.

• “Worst dining service experience ever.”
• “Fun”
• “Don’t Order Take Out!”
• “Terrible management, mediocre food, good server”
• “Fun Place, Great Food”

Tips: If you have a large party, reserve the circular “Pope’s Table.” Special occasion? Request the kitchen table, where diner’s can watch all the behind-the-scenes restaurant action.

Buca di Beppo
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This casual, Italian bistro anchors the sparkly, new Second Street district.

• “Horrific service”
• “lukewarm mimosas, shotty service if you don’t fit “the look””
• “Good drinks and that’s about it.”
• “Rudest Manager and Terrible Service”
• “Taverna …...Treat your tastebuds to some sophisticated morsels!”

Taverna
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Local fave Vespaio opens the doors on a simpler cafe cousin right next door.

• “Good Food, Poor Service”
• “just as good as vespaio”
• “YUCK!”
• “Best italian food anywhere in Texas”
• “Great bar, awesome patio, amazing service & incredible food”

Tips: The cafe offers a nice selection of wines, with varietals hailing from Venice, Sicily, Piedmont and Abruzzi in Italy; and Bordeaux, Burgundy, and the Loire Valley in France.

Enoteca

A family style Italian grill with traditional pastas, freshly baked 15-layer lasagna and chicken parmigiana.

• “Bad Italian”
• “chec – boy – r – dee is better”
• “TAKE OUT SPAGHETTI”
• “Stouffers makes better lasagne”
• “This Is The Best In Austin”

Tips: To make the meal even tastier, pile your plate high with the unlimited salad and fresh-baked sourdough bread.

Spaghetti Warehouse

Congress Avenue’s hottest table serves seasonal Italian.

• “Great Restaurant”
• “Loved it!”
• “Absolutely Delicious”
• “Horrible Service, Great food”
• “Anyone open for Italian?”

Tips: Two of the best wines by the glass are the Tomasi pinot grigio, great with the calamari puttanesca, and Le Calcinale Chianti to complement the spaghetti bolognese.

La Traviata

A mature, cosmopolitan crowd enjoys simple, Old-World Italian fare at this train depot-turned-restaurant.

• “OUtstanding Food & Service!!!”
• “Perfect Evening!”
• “Agree with “Very Impressive””
• “Very Impressed!!”
• “Just Awful”

Carmelo’s Italian Restaurant

This downtown Austin restaurant captures authentic Italian hospitality by serving fine authentic cuisine to its patrons.

• “Not an experience we want to repeat”
• “Best Italian in Austin!”
• “Best Italian in Austin!!”
• “Best Chef in Austin”
• “You Won’t Be Disappointed! “

Tips: Reservations are highly recommended.

Ristorante Bellissimo
email Ristorante Bellissimo

Traipse back in time with old-fashioned Italian comfort food.

• “Could Italian in Austin be more exquisite?”
• “Everything Panned out to be just OK”
• “Best Marsala On The Planet!!!”
• “manager need better attitude”
• “Worst Experience!”

Tips: A fair-sized wine list features several Italian and California favorites, about half of which are available by the glass.

Tree House Italian Grill

Casual, dependable Italian featuring thin, crispy New York-style pizzas and fresh homemade pasta.

• “Closed on Memorial Day?”
• “Great Lunch!”
• “My Cloak of invisibility”
• “SMALL Pizzeria – BIG on Taste!”
• “Totally tops pizza parlor”

Tips: Try one of the tasty $5.50 weekday lunch specials from 11am to 2pm. For dinner, have the two-for-one $7.95 veggie pizza special.

Frank & Angie’s Pizzeria

Traditional East Coast pizza pie invades this hip SoCo neighborhood.

• “GREAT EXPERIENCE!! Great food & fast service!!”
• “Pizza is so-so”
• “Very good pizza, may be the best in town but not close to the best I’ve ever had”
• “The White Pizza!!”
• “The Real Deal Pizza”

Tips: Whole pies are only served until 11pm weeknights, until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and until 10pm on Sundays.

Home Slice Pizza

Homemade pasta and novel Italian dishes are served up nightly in this charming eatery tucked away just east of I-35.

• “Some of the Best Italian In Austin”
• “Italian food as good as my grandmother’s”
• “Italian comfort food at its best”
• “Consistency should NOT be expected”
• “Good food, cheap prices”

Tips: Whet your appetite with the tart, colorful and popular balsamic beats—a signature dish.

Stortini

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