Visconti Ristorante

i came to this resturant with high hopes, having being reccomended to me by a freind. but i am dissappointed to say it did not live up to my expectations. initially i was surprised to walk in with out a resorvation and get a table with only about 15 minutes wait, which was great, espically on valentines day. good selection on the menu. but when we got our food, it seemed almost too simple, and should i say, bland? service was mediocre, our watriess came back only about twice the whole time and refilled our water only once. In all this place was "ok" but not something to write home about. maybe ill try to give it another chance sometime, I left feeling like i could have made something just as good at home for less. Pros: garlic bread. salad dressing. Atmosphere Cons: small portions for price. bland. coscto-like salad. service more

A great place to take your date. Very good food and great atmosphere. more

We had 2 great italian dishes- both were very good- the limoncello dessert was awesome! Good service-- First time since they opened the new digs!!! Pros: Great variety of italian food & desserts Cons: little too loud when is crowded... more

This was a huge disappointment. They've moved to fancy new digs, and with all the fuss, we decided to give it a try. What a disappointment! Soggy pizza! Can you imagine? At an Italian restaurant? Bland pasta, boring salad. You'd be better off at Spaghetti Factory, seriously! At half the price. The couple at the next table each took one bite of their food and put down their forks and called for the check. We were hungry so we ate ours, but we certainly understood them! Yes, the owner jumps around smiling and shaking hands with everyone like he's some sort of rock star. Please. That act is played! Better he should look after the kitchen and get that squared away, and let me eat in peace! Pros: Good garlic bread Cons: Everything else more

We have eaten at Visconti's several times in the past and have always had good food with good service. After going there tonight (Sat 9/20/08) we won't be going back anytime soon. Our server (very possibly the owners daughter) was more interested in socializing and visiting with her friends who were in the restaurant, than waiting on her customers. We were completely forgotten about after getting our salads and waited for more than a half hour for our appetizer. Only after asking another server to check on our meals did it become apparent that she not only forgot about us, but she never even submitted our orders to the kitchen. The food might be good, but we will look elsewhere for a restaurant to spend our hard earned cash at! more

I wanted take-out spaghetti and meatballs. Simple, huh? Inexpensive it was not. Over 18 dollars for a single serving. I t was supposed to be a dinner, but the side salad was missing completely. and there was no parmasan cheese to complement the spaghetti. The sauce was too sweet for my taste and the meatballs were bland. Won't be getting food there ever again! more

Food: Appetizer was tasty, mussels? marinara was wonderful for being so far from the ocean, Salads were skimpy but creamy Italian dressing was best I?ve had in years; entree came after enough time to digest, but not long enough to get filled from the wonderfully tasty but burnt garlic bread. (One piece cut my gums enough to hinder enjoyment of my meal); the high ticket item was worth its twenty dollar price, except the seventy-nine cent spaghetti as side pasta, the lower ticket twelve dollar item was exceptional however the meatballs were fit for the kids portion. All in all the sauce hits the spot as an interestingly sweet take on traditional sauces, The sugary taste overpowers the spices or the meat mixed in, so it tasted like eating some sort of a cake. Despite the culture shock from traditional Italian food, I would like to try some of the other dishes. Service: or lack there of was offensive none the least. The owner was a wonderful guy who came over to talk, however the rest of the staff should take lessons on how to write, repeat an order to avoid mistakes, or just listen. Water was refilled before the glass touched the table yet sodas were few and far between after plenty reminders. Bread was refilled with lackluster concern. When I asked for the bill it came after a few stares to remind, but was incorrect, after the third time (and person) it still was miscalculated. All together it took forty! Minutes to receive the bill from when we first asked, the change was miscounted and plastic was obsolete by the time the receipt came by. I have never seen so many people help one table and still not have the correct answers. (Total of 8 tables at the time: so not crowdedenough for an excuse, not to mention the servers took orders from other tables before goingback in her pocket to get our bill) Pros: Different, best for an area with no Italian influence; their service teaches patience Cons: SERVICE!, Sweet sauces * enough to cause a cavity, Hard Blackened Bread, Prices on the lower ticket items could be two dollars less. more

I have been a frequent patron of this restaurant for nearly five years now and am never disappointed. They have the best chicken parmesan sandwich and meatball sandwich around. I was surprised by the negative reviews and I just felt the need to share my positive experiences with the public. Pros: great food Cons: none more

I'll start from the beginning as it gets worse from there. We froze as we sat at our table because the ceiling fans were on in the middle of February! The waitress was attentive as she brought our drinks, but after that we saw her twice. She forgot the bread until I asked for it at after the meals were served, and it was burnt at best. The calamari was rubbery, and then the salad was no different than the bagged stuff at the grocery store, though the dressing was good. The dinner came after about 30 minutes of being seated. It was fairly warm, but no fresh parmesan cheese grated on top? I thought that was kind of "non-italian" like for such a restaurant that had been recommended to us with high marks. There was the little shaker jar on the table with the powdered stuff in there like you would find at a cheap pizza place. That was very tacky! We had told our waitress that we wanted two to go orders and we placed them about 20 minutes before we were planning on leaving, thinking that would be enough time. The place wasn't very busy, and it was totellini alfredo. Not a hard order. We then waited another 45 minutes for the to go order. She dropped off the food and said she would be back with the check. After a gruelling 20 minutes of waiting for the check, having her say the machine couldn't read our credit card we were finally out of there! It was so painful and we were so irritated with that place it made whatever moment was enjoyable, totally miserable! To top it all off, my bank statement shows that they charged our credit card twice for the bill! Now I have to call them up and relive this entire story all over again to try and get my credit of almost $100.00. Don't bother with this restaurant as it is overpriced for what it is. Pros: None Cons: Prices, service, rubber calamari, grainy alfredo sauce, temperature, seating convenience more

Ok, some of the food is good/ok, though it has gone downhill from years ago. Yes, Mr. Visconti is charming and it's cute that he chats with the patrons and all, but c'mon! NO parmesan cheese?! (other than "Kraft" powdered stuff?!) I can get fresh parm at Olive Garden and Macaroni Grill, so not having it at an "authentic" italian place is inexcusable. There is little to no atmosphere, made worse by their new practice of turning up the lights (despite candles on the table!) I'm sorry, but when it feels like I'm at Denny's all the way around there's certainly no reason to pay $$$ for their food. more

I have to admit being very skeptical about this place after reading the mostly negative reviews, but this place really surprised me. For starters, the place wasn't loud at all. BJ's is way more loud by far. The service was outstanding, with the waiter and the bussers always making themselves useful. The bread was really good. The food wasn't the absolute best pasta we've ever had, but it was good. Finally, someone who had to be Mr. Visconti(the proprietor) came to our table and made us all laugh with his stories and comments, of course, made all the merrier by his italian accent. Our party of 6 left feeling very happy this place had been chosen, which hardly ever happens! We will be going back. Pros: First-rate service Cons: No fresh parmesan more

I have grown up on my family's Italian cooking and let me tell you, Visconti's Ristorante is the closest I have come to home. They are a small establishment and seem to be very popular among the greater Sacramento area. I was instantly greated at the door and although I had a wait it was well worth it. The calamari was fresh, breaded, and DELICIOUS! All meals are prepared to feed two (just how mom made them), garaunteed to fill you up. Be sure to take some leftovers so you can save room for their homemade desserts! The tiramisu and canolis were absolutely to die for! I would reccomend this ristorante to anyone who enjoys fine italian dining. If you are ever homesick or just need a bit of light in your day, be sure to stop in, it is garaunteed that you will feel at home. Do not expect a chain like restaraunt, this is the closest to family you will get. They are exceptional for large parties or just dinner for two. Don't blink, you might miss them. Pros: Great food, excellent service, family owned and operated Cons: expect a wait for food, EVERYTHING is prepared fresh more

We went here for my boyfriends birthday dinner. I made reservations and everything. When I got there it was loud, the service was horrible and food was even worse. The calamari was huge, and all the breading fell off as you cut it up. The salads were nothing special, just lettus and dressing. My food was marked the "lowest in fat" and was puddling grease all around the plate. There was an upset customer complaining directly behind us. The environment was so loud we could not hear eachother. I will never go back. Pros: The Bread Cons: The Food, The Service, The Environment more

The service, the food and the time spent there were all the worst I have experienced in years. By some of the reviews that I have seen from 2 years ago this place may have been pretty good at one time, but those days are over and will never been seen again. The server took the order and brought the check, the only time I saw her. The bus boy was my server for the rest of the night. A customer was yelling about their poor experience and I am sorry that I did not leave then. DO NOT BOTHER, GO TO A FAST FOOD JOINT FOR BETTER FOOD AND SERVICE. Pros: No hair in food., They take Plastic., We did not get sick. Cons: Food, Service, Angry Patrons more

I have dined there several times and really enjoyed the food, so I recommended it to my readers' group. That was a mistake. The service was slow, we felt ignored and the dishes did not all arive at the same time. Some of us were through eating before others got their food. Then since we had a party of 8, a gratuity of 20% was added to the bill. My group will not be going there again. Pros: good food, nice atmosphere Cons: Bad parking, expensive, bad service more

Maybe it's because I am a spoiled New Englander and I was raised on the most authentic Italian food.. But after hearing such rave reviews about Visconti's and living in the area for a year now, my husband and I decided to finally dine there for our anniversary. Let's just say I was extremely disappointed. The food was bland, the prices a little high (small order of calamari for $14? Hello!), and the desserts.. Gross. Proceed with caution if you desire to eat there. Don't expect much.. And don't order the cannoli. Ick. Pros: Not crowded, Great bread, Casual atmosphere Cons: , Bad parking, Food not impressive more

I grew up in New Jersey, home to some of the best "real" Italian food in the country, including the cooking of my own Italian mother. Visconti is the closest I can find to it here in Northern California. Low-key atmosphere and great, fresh food (without all the attitude of the fancy Italian joints and none of the contrived, circus-like atmosphere of the chain Italian eateries) makes it the only place I'll eat Italian. Pros: Food more

The best Italian restaurant I have found--and I grew up in New York and have lived for years in Chicago and San Francisco. Carmelo and family are wonderful, the food is great, the prices are low, and even the music is good and not intrusive! Pros: best food, inexpensive, great service more