Best Italian Restaurants in South Mountain

Food excellent- service excellent, sweet room design .. tough to have a conversation in dining room - bar atmosphere takes over the entire space

This was our second visit. We had the crab arancini appetizer, lemon spaghetti with shrimp and added lobster, and a couple of gin-based cocktails. It was one of the best meals I've ever had. The lobster was sweet and tender. The lemon pasta was creamy and delightful! Wonderful ambiance! Our server, Sarah K, was so sweet, and she described in great detail the popular menu items.

Most adorable server we've had at a restaurant in a long time. He was very attentive and had a wonderful smile. He made good recommendations when asked. Decor is neutral tones. Love that the tables aren't on-top of each other. Lends to having table-only conversations. Food, while unique offerings, was very rich. We ordered the broccolini to thin/healthy the meal out, but it was so covered in toppings that it was hard to identify. That was the only item we didn't end up eating. The calamari were so light and crispy. Not at all chewy. They were perfectly cooked. Our server stated that the idea was to eat family style so everyone gets a taste, but it's certainly not a must. That said, everyone was interested to taste each item...including the final course, a pistachio sundae. Not cheap, but nothing in Scottsdale is.

Don’t be intimidated if you see a huge line, it’s from the Improv next door. The noise level was a bit louder than I like but we were also meeting another couple we had not seen in some time so we were planning for conversation. Service was really good. We had a server in training and she did outstanding. I believe her name was Olga. Parking is a real challenge with the Improv having a show the same time we went so go a little early and plan to make a little walk. They had one of my favorites whiskey’s that getting hard to find (Blantons). and the price for it was reasonable. Overall, we would go back.

We quite honestly were stunned by the price of the grilled veal chop/shank special, $76!!! I guess it was our bad for not asking, but considering my husband had first ordered the linguini & clams for $29, but switched when our server shared "tonight's specials," I feel our server should have shared the price, especially since I had already declined David's recommendation for a $90 bottle of wine. We ended up choosing a less expensive $52 bottle of merlot. Sadly, your pricing blew our dining out budget for the month! I strongly suggest you train your waitstaff to share the prices for your specials! Having said that, the meal was very delicious!