Fino — Restaurant in Allendale

Been going here for years but I have never left a review. The time is right so.....This restaurant is FANTASTIC! The waiters (especially Dominic) are phenomenal. They refilled my glass of water 5 times on Sunday. This is a little thing UNTIL it's not done and you really want a drink of water. Then (we ate outside for lunch) they gave my dog a bowl of water. They didn't have to, I would never ask for that, they just just did it. Again, a little thing but it meant a great deal to me. Now to the food, we were served piping hot bread with butter and olive oil. Next we were served a very tasty vegetable soup. For our main courses we ordered the Chicken Albanian and Grilled chicken salad. They were both beyond delicious. I knew the chicken albanian had a little kick to it and it didn't disappoint. The grilled chicken salad had sliced chicken in it with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Seems simple until some place/restaurant screws it up. I could go on and on but suffice it to say if you want an excellent meal coupled with superb service, go to Fino's during lunch or dinner. You won't be...

We've been to Fino's several times now and it is always a consistent restaurant. The wait staff is phenomenal. The atmosphere is just dark enough for the dinner hour/date night but bright enough that you can still see. They keep everything very clean, including the bathrooms. The food is always consistent. I got the linguini and white clam sauce and my partner got the dill salmon special. Both were great. For dessert I got a hot chocolate (I think it was swiss miss) and their Napoleon cake. I didn't think the cake was anything special but I'm never a fan of their desserts really, other than the tartufo and cannoli. Although most of their desserts are cheesecakes which I don't enjoy to begin with so I don't think it's them. Is it the best Italian food I've ever had, no, but it is consistently good and the service is impeccable. (Also, just to note, if it's cold outside and you're sitting at the front tables, you will feel it every time...

1st time visit on mother in laws recommendation. I will say the the service was great. That is the one only thing this restaurant has going for it and why the 2 stars. It amazes me to see folks give this place raving reviews for food. My mother could not cut through her pork chops. My osso buco was like rubber. My son had one bite of his pasta bolognese and he was done. My wife the same with her eggplant parm. Is there anyone at this establishment that reacts to uneaten dishes going back into the kitchen wondering why the food they put out is being uneaten. In all honesty the food doesn’t even look appetizing when it comes out, so whoever is running this establishment must not care or is not aware of what is going on. Walked in with high expectations, with the place being crowed and the wait staff wearing ties, but there is no gourmet experience to be had here unfortunately. Once again, who are these folks raving about the food...