Fontanella Italiano Ristorante

Thanks for the great service, food and hospitality this past Friday evening. We hope we were not too loud for you!! Our waiter, I believe was Edwin [I apologize if I did not get his name right], was EXCELLENT! We sure kept him busy and on his toes! Extend our thanks to the chefs/cooks as well - we only had one person who was not 100% satisfied; the pasta fagiole was not as our mama used to make, so she was a bit disenchanted -- but, we gave her a few more drinks and a cannoli and she was pacified!!\r \r Thanks again for giving my family an evening of relaxation and good food when visiting from up north for a wedding. more

Best Italian in Charlotte! I must say this place is great! I had the Pork Chops for dinner on Sunday and they tasted fabulous. I definitely will be back. It is wayyy better than Carraba's and Olive Garden. more

Crappy service and even crappier food. If you like a hostess with a bad attitude, warm ceasar salad, meatballs tasting exactly like they came out of a Chef Boyardee can and chicken so dry and over cooked that you literally can't cut it with a knife and get charged out the wazoo for it, by all means...go to Fontanella's. I'm not exaggerating. I ordered a chicken dish, supposedly stuffed with Prosciutto and mozerella, breaded and served with Marsala sauce. Sounds good, right? When I first tried to cut in to the first piece, my knife wouldn't even cut through the chicken, I thought maybe it was just the end that was overdone or maybe it was the cheap silverware that was bent and looked like if came from a soup kitchen. I was very tired and hungry and decided to make the best of it and continued to try and cut through the chicken, basically I ended up tearing apart the chicken to get to the center ""stuffing"" which in no way, shape or form had prosciutto or mozerella in it, just some kind of mushroomy paste. I dug though and basically ate the edible pieces of chicken and mushrooms from the sauce. The second piece was even worse and by this time I was too far in to send it back. Basically, I'm pretty sure I was served food from yesterday or even older that was heated through and camoflouged with a mushroom sauce or previously frozen. Honestly, I can't believe they actually put this on a plate and served it, then charged $16 for it. It was truly disgusting and inedible. The side of meatballs my boyfriend ordered for $4 consisted of two pre-packaged meatballs, again YUCK! When the waiter came and asked how my food was, I told him I could only eat the inside and he was clearly embarrassed at the site of the leathery remains. I DO NOT RECOMMEND. Was a huge waste of money on what was supposed to be a treat for us after a long work week, I doubt they will be in business much longer. more

You know, when I saw Restaurant Critic 59's review below, I went through the trouble of registering for this site simply because I had to counter it. I stumbled upon Fontanella's years ago--so many I'm not sure exactly how long it's been but definitely over 5 and possibly as long as 7--and it's been my favorite restaurant in the Matthews area since then. To give you some idea, I've been going to Fontanella's for longer than some of the weekend waitstaff have been working there. Both the owner and the regular waitstaff recognize me. I've never been mistreated by the owner or any of the waitstaff. In fact, one day when I arrived just around closing time (which is 10:00pm and not the later 11:00pm time that used to be listed on their website), the owner recognized us, told us they were about to close, told us we could come in and sit at the bar, and asked if he could get us anything to go. He personally went to the kitchen and fixed it for us. Obviously I wasn't there for what happened in the other reviewer's case, but I can tell you that throughout the years, I've spent well over $118 at Fontanella's, and it was money well spent. Everyone wants to go home at night and, yes, there used to be outdated or incorrect closing times listed on their website, but I can only assume based on my *years* of good experience with this restaurant and the owner that there must have been another variable at play here if the other reviewer felt the owner was short with them. I've experienced nothing but personalized service and great food. Treat them well, and they will certainly treat you well! So to those considering Fontanella's, I'd ask you to also consider the experience of someone who's been a regular for years. You won't know what you're missing unless you try it! more

The staff and the owners are all very rude. more

Went to Fontanella's for a nice dinner Friday evening with my husband, daughter, and sister who was in from out of town. We arrived around 9:30. We asked our server what time they closed and she said 11:00. (website listed 11:30, but we figured we still had time for dinner). We ordered appetizers and drinks and a carafe of wine. We noticed upon arrival there was a group of people at the bar and one behind the bar with a glass of wine in his hand. There was only one other table occupied. We ordered our entrees, were served, and were finishing up our wine at around 10:55 when we noticed the lights went up and music was turned off. A man who we later discovered was the owner came over and very rudely told us it was time to go. My husband, who just finished paying a check for $118 was floored. We are not used to being treated so inconsiderately so my husband spoke up and asked the guy if he was the owner to which the man replied he was. This man's actions were totally uncalled for, and inappropriate toward a paying customer. We told him we would not be back and he called my husband a nobody and stated he did not need our business. We will never step foot in this establishment again and it appears the owner needs to have a few less glasses of wine if he is going to be handling customers. Cons: Owner belligerent more

2 words: Fried Cheese!!! Plus the only manicotti worth eating. There's no sauce this place hasn't mastered... more

Just a note to thank the Fontanella Staff for the professionalism in hosting my parents 40th wedding anniversary party! We all had a wonderful time and look foward to visiting the restaurant again soon. Much Thanks. Pros: Food, Service Cons: N/A more

Im from NY and Italian, and I am VERY picky with my Italian food. It was delish. We will be back again. Service was great, staff was VERY friendly. NY right here in little old Matthews NC. What a pleasure. Finally great italian food in the south. more

Good service and great food! Staff is very friendly and food is good. Plenty of variety so everyone in your group will find something they like. The rolls are wonderful! more

This place has true Italian food! The servers are nice and well rounded. It is a family owned restaurant that has been in business for over 30 years. The owners are friendly and always welcoming. They go completely out of their way in order to please their customers. We were originally waiting at Carrabba's but the wait was ridiculous as usal. So we left and discovered Fontanella's. We were so pleased with the entire experience that my family and I are now regulars at Fontanella's instead. By the way, you must try their desert. Pros: Great for romance or for a family night out. more

Our group of 10 folks were serviced by a delightful server. The food was hot and well presented after a short wait. The server made sure our drinks were full throughout the meal. A good time was had by all. more

We visited Fontanella's for the first time last Saturday evening with about 20 others. They couldn't have been more accommodating, cheerfully re-arranging tables so we could have groups, including a separate table for the pre-adults. The service was wonderful, but the real draw was the food. The seven at our table shared four courses and couldn't have been happier. Personal favorite: eggplant parmesian that was rich but still light and crisp. Savignon Blanc and Chianti by the glass were delicious. Altogether, a wonderful, unhurried meal. Pros: Food, Service, Wines more