Criallos Restaurant & Bar

Angelo’s Bistro, an Italian restaurant and steakhouse serving lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch, opened last week in the space formerly occupied by Criallo’s in Cool Springs.\r \r The piano bar atmosphere of Criallo’s has been revived, as has the full bar.\r \r The restaurant is owned by Angelo, who also owns the Italian Style! casual dining restaurant on Hwy. 96 East in Franklin. He has 34 years in the restaurant business, including experience with Disney, Marriott and the Wyndham Union Station hotel in Nashville.\r \r Angelo’s advertises black Angus steaks, fresh seafood, chicken and authentic Italian dishes, as well as vegetarian and gluten-free options.\r \r The restaurant is behind Cool Springs Wine and Spirits and Woody’s Smokes and Brews. more

The food is not bad, but is overpriced and the food presentation and service is sloppy at best. I had a reservation, was the third customer of the night and was offered a table stuffed into a corner. Timing of the courses were not considered, servers did not clear the previous course before entrees were presented. To sum things up, service was equal to ""Cracker Barrel"" and food was very similar in price and quality (temperature and taste) to room service menu at mid priced hotel. Forgetable and not at all worth the price, I would not call this upscale, the neon ""open"" sign is a dead giveaway more

I wish I had thought about writing this sooner, but here goes...My wife and I used to go to Criallo's for every special occasion...Anniversaries, birthday's, etc. Then about a year ago, my mother came to visit from out of town, so we took her to Criallo's. The food was very good as usual, but then the owner came over to our table to ask how our food was. He bragged that he had purchased the restaurant recently, but hadn't gotten a chance to taste all of the dishes yet. To make a long story short, he was cocky, arrogant, and rude. He even insulted me...he called me insecure because I didn't talk much (I had just gotten over the flu and still wasn't feeling very well!) He turned a pleasant evening into an uncomfortable experience. Needless to say, we will never go back there again. We had to find a new restaurant for special occasions. I also heard through a good source that 3 chefs quit during his first 6 months as owner...I guess we aren't the only ones who think he is a jerk!!!! P.S. I would have given this zero stars if I could! more

My husband and I went to Criallos for New Years Eve 2009 and had a wonderful experience - great food, great service, nice atmosphere. We returned for Valentines Day 2011 and were sorely disappointed. Although the quality of the food remained satisfactory, the service and the atmosphere had clearly deteriorated. First, they forgot the soup course for my husband. As he was about to dive into his salad anyway, they wisked it away without asking him if he would like the soup served after the salad. We were never offered cracked pepper for our salads even though the pepper grinder was sitting at a serving table right next to us. We were NEVER given bread even though the bread plates remained on our table all night. When my husband finished his entree and I was still in the middle of mine, the waiter started questioning him about dessert. I felt very rushed at that point. The owner of the restaurant strolled through the faciltiy about every 10 minutes but never once stopped at our table. With prices in the $$$ range, I expect not only good food but also a reliable waitstaff. We will never return and will give it a negative recommendation to our friends. more

We live in the Franklin area and really enjoy the intimate atmosphere this restaurant has to offer. Sometime the food is devine....other times not. Same with the music. The wonderful soups that made the restaurant special have mostly been removed from the menu, by the new owner, Steve. The chefs seem to change frequently. When the food is good, it is superb! Our number one complaint is the owner hanging over the tables, always using inappropriate sexual terms with the women. Several of our women friends refuse to go there anymore because of his suggestive flirting. Even asking women to ""Have a threesome"" ! Jeez! how disgusting. This could be a great restaurant if he would just stay home during dinner hour. He seems to lack a vocabulary devoid of sexual terms. Not cool, Steve! more

Used to love this place, but it now has a new owner and our last 2 experiences have not been good. Owner hangs out at our table making inappropriate comments and we feel harassed! Food quality is ""fair"" and not a good value for the $$$. Great atmospher if not for the owner trying to pick up the women. The only positive is the music and the great bartender named Shane. As long as the owner is stalking the patrons, we will not be returning. more

6 of us decided, without hesitation to meet here from all over the globe. Very high ranking Nissan Executives. Server greeted us and we thought all was well. Salads and apps were good but it went quickly downhill from there. Soups were delivered cold, the first entree delivered was Salmon ordered mid-rare. It was burned so badly on the outside that it smelled up the entire end of the restaurant. As 2 more improperly prepared dishes arrived the server's trips to the table all but ceased so we sat, and sat. Tough shrimp, raunchy oysters and cold temps. I exchanged the salmon dish for the mushroom soup because of the time to re-cook the salmon . . . it was cold. The server apologized as he promptly presented the bill for the other items on the check. Under the circumstance and how the dinner was totally ruined for half the table, there should have never been a check issued at all except for the alcohol. Very embarrassing night salvaged only by the company at the table. Horrible food, marginal service, at best. Totally unacceptable from an establishment posting these prices. FAR better choices in this area with 3 times the value. more

Tried Criallos tonight for our 8th Anniversary and really had a bad experience. I ordered the bacon wrapped filet with asparagus. The 8 oz.filet had little flavor and more on par with a chain restaurant. Ordered medium rare and had to send back. At $31.00 a major letdown. My wife ordered Trio of Scallops, Shrimp and Lobster. Shrimp was tough and had a funky taste, not spoiled but unpleasant. Scallops not edible, and lobster tough. The side of zucchini, broccoli, carrots were quite good. Our waiter was top notch and empathized with us, because he could tell how bad our experience was. Criallos does not have an email on their website to contact. Needless to say we won't be back and won't hesitate to let folks know about our unfortunate dining experience. Save your money, at $40-50.00 a person without drinks, their are much better choices in the area. Pros: Salads Cons: Price vs Caliber of food more

My wife and I visit this restaurant 8 to 10 times a year. It is a little on the high end for us or we would go once a week. The menu has unique and excellent selections. We have had most everything on the menu and all of it is very good. I lean towards the beef dishes and my wife enjoys the different fish dishes. Hard to single something out because it is all very good.\r \r What sets this restaurant apart for us is the ambiance. We thoroughly enjoy having a glass of wine and listening to the piano. What a wonderful stress reliever.\r \r It has been amount two months since our last visit but we are planning to go this Friday or Saturday. Looking forward to it.\r \r I would highly recommend this restaurant. \r Pros: Excellent food, Fantastic service Cons: None that I know of more

I truly love this restaurant. I feared its stabiity due to its unusual location. My favorite time to go is later in the evening, when they've got live, mellow jazz playing by the bar. The pianists are always an absolute joy, and I've sat at the bar for extended amounts of time with several of them after their performances. On several occasions, I've shut the place down ;) If you're looking for an interesting menu (both larger and small plates) and a great wine list, I highly recommend this incredible establishment. It has the perfect blend of new trend, an old-school approach, and staff friendliness that you would expect from a top-notch restaurant. Never a dull evening at Criallos! Pros: Incredible menu, great music, great service Cons: location (hard to find for a first-timer) more

I tried this restaurant again for the first time in over a year...I am soooo glad I did! First off, Chef Jose is back in the kitchen! The food was delicious as expected when Jose is the cook! We had Osso Bucco which was his special and it melted in your mouth and was soooo flavorful. My wife had the beef wellington which was hands down the best we have had. I don't even normally write reviews however this restaurant deserves attention and is sometimes overlooked do to its location off the beaten path. Pros: Great service & food, live music Cons: Location...hard to spot unless you know its there more

We recently visited Criallo's after hearing many of our friends rave of the place. We walked in and were immediately greeted by the hostess. We were surprised how busy it was for a weekday night so we went over to the bar where Barry took amazing care of us! We had a drink at the bar before being sat in our booth...we never felt rushed and enjoyed listening to the piano player. The staff was extremely friendly and knowledgeable about the menu and wine. They were able to pair my lamb chops (which were to die for) with an amazing glass of wine. Chef Jose stopped by our table to check and see how we were doing. I was shocked by our experience here. I can't believe we didn't try it sooner. I will definitely be back soon! Pros: Friendly and knowlegdeable staff more

The Happy Hour is one of the best in Williamson County. $2.00 off all glasses of wine, and 1/2 price appetizers. The bartenders are friendly and the ambiance is warm and inviting. Pros: Good wine selection, easy parking, lve music Cons: alittle pricy more

This restaurant is extremely overrated. They charge a premium for average to below average food in my opinion and I have eaten almost everywhere in Nashville. Myself and two others had dinner and we all agreed this was not somewhere we were likely to return. The atmosphere was ok and the service was fair also. There are much better restaurants in town and in Cool Springs. Don't waste your time. Pros: Can't think of much Cons: The food, the price, the ambiance more

WE LOVED THIS PLACE!!! What an excellent experience all the way around. The food was absolutely the best and we want to go back soon. My filet was perfect (and that's hard for me to say) We were very surprised and delighted with all the service, especially the FOOD!!!! Thanks for such a wonderful experience!! more

I just recently re-visited Criallo's and their new menu is INCREDIBLE! Not only do they have live music every night, they have 2 (yes TWO!) Happy Hours! I had Swordfish and my boyfriend had Shrimp, Lobster, and Scallops. We shared both and couldn't decide which one we liked the best. The service was wonderful, the atmosphere was very comfortable, great live music, and the food was even better than I remember! We will be back Criallo's! Pros: 2 Happy Hours, Live Music, Excellent Service, Best Food In Tennessee more

When my husband and I moved here, this was just the type of place we were looking for. Ambience is contemporary yet cozy. The menu allows for variety and is familiar but not stale. The food was really good especially the Haystack Crab Cake appetizer. Our server was attentive, helpful, and fun. She helped us pick out a fabulous Riesling. I had the pork loin which was juicy and flavorful. My husband had one of the specials with lobster and really liked it. This will be a definite place to go back for our date nights. Pros: Ambience, food, wine Cons: Location in strip mall, price more

I've eaten at Criallos on many occassions, am never disappointed and for me, it's the best food around. Reasonable pricing, excellent service and great food make it my pick. Pros: Ambience, service, food more

We ordered the Calamari Appetizer and it was very good. Accompanying it was a simple, tasty marina sauce and a sweet Mango Salsa with lots of cilantro and green onion - both very good pairins with the lightly breaded, delicately fried Squid.\r Next course was the Criallos salad. A salad with the Restaurant's name should be great. It consists of Spring Greens, Diced Pears, Candied pecans, blue cheese, and a poppyseed dressing. The Dressing was great, but the pears were essentially slightly sweet potatos - no flavor at all. It hurt the salad badly. It's fall - Pears are in season - there's tons of excellent pears to put with these other ingredients to make the salad a star. It was a woeful flop.\r My wife's main course arrived, a Trio of Scallops, Shrimp, and Lobster in an Amaretto/chili sauce. Thank god for the slightly sweet, spicy sauce which helped to overcome the rubbery texture of the shrimp and lobster. The scallops were cooked well and was the best of the 3, but the dish was a dissapointment. It was served, like nearly 50% of Criallo's entrees, with a side of ""Sticky Rice"" and vegetables. Essentially ""Sticky Rice"" is a nice term for big huge glob of unsalted, unseasoned pasty, gummy rice. Horrid, horrid side dish. the vegetables were good, but totally ordinary. \r My entree was the bluecheese encrusted Halibut with the Mashed Potatos and vegetables. This was quite frankly the absolute worst food pairing I've ever had in my life - the bluecheese overpowering the white fish in a bad bad way. Avoid this dish at all costs. The fish itself was overcooked and dry. The potatos were good, but potatos as potatos. The vegetables again, good but ordinary. The service and ambiance were good, but when you pay this kind of money you expect much better food. Criallo's fails to deliver. Pros: Decor, Service, Ambiance Cons: Poor execution of the main entrees, the same poorly done side dishes for all entrees, the food quality as a whole. more

Most people might not know about this restaurant but it's well worth seeking it out! The menu is very extensive and all of it looks fantastic! It's not cheap but there are specials you should ask about - either at the bar or for dinner! The portions are a nice size and the variety is definitely there. Nice wine list, full bar and a nice cozy atmosphere! The only problem we had was with our waiter - although he was very nice and helpful, he didn't know how a fish dish was prepared and felt it was ok to leave it at ""I think it's baked"" when in fact the fish was pan seared when we prompted him to please ask...and the restaurant was having a month long special that our waiter did not know about which could have cost us $15 on our bill. Pros: Cozy, nice decor, friendly staff Cons: in a strip mall, waiter somewhat unknowledgeable more