Finelli's Italian Villa — Restaurant in Altoona

We decided to celebrate a special anniversary at Finellis and couldn't have been happier with our evening! We made a reservation and had a cozy table on this cold January evening. We were greeted promptly and while we were looking over the menu, we were given a pre-appetizer of a pasta & sausage salad in a delicious dressing. We did order an appetizer of "Drunken Mushrooms" to start and could believe how good they were and a very large portion too. We weren't rushed to order and when ready, gave our server, Christi, our order. The salads were very generous and fresh and we enjoyed two of the house-made dressings. I had an Italian vinaigrette which we loved so much, we purchased some to take home. We did ask for some bread or rolls and a basket was brought out. Out of the two, the bread was the best! Then came the meals. . .my wife had Eggplant Parmisan over angel hair pasta which she loved! I had a huge grilled pork porterhouse steak, cooked to perfection and accompanied by red roasted parsley potatoes and green beans in Jack Daniels sauce. The only thing we really didn't like was the green beans. . .was hoping for fresh cut ones and we couldn't taste the Jack Daniels sauce. That was so minor and we had so much food by then, it really didn't matter in the context of writing this review. The entree portions were large but yet totally scrumptious and seasoned / cooked to perfection. For dessert, they brought over a tray of about 8 or so desserts to pick from. . .all homemade by Mrs. Finelli herself! Oh my. . . who could resist? We decided to take a piece of Italian Almond Cake with butter cream icing. . .it was more than enough for us to share and especially after a big meal. The dessert was heavenly to say the least and we ate every bite! Last but not least, a big shout out to our server, Christi. . . .she made our dinner so enjoyable. . .friendly and checking in on us to see if we needed anything, refilling drinks and helping us order the perfect meal selections for us! A big thanks to her and Finellis. . .we will definitely...

We arrived at Finelli's Italian Villa in Altoona, PA a little late (8:30pm on a Saturday night) with no reservations. Their hours are 5-10pm for fine dining, which means that meals are made fresh and can take some time to prepare.

We were a party of 5. As soon as we entered, the matrie'd asked us if we had reservations or not. When we told him we did not, he said he would let the owner, Mr. Finelli, know.

Initially we felt as though the prinicipal of the school was coming to talk to and probably scold us for having the audacity to come to this place so late at night without getting proper approval ahead of time.

But Mr. Finelli apologized to us, over and over for not having room for a party or 5 at that time. He politely asked us to go to the bar until he and his staff could find a table for us.

Mr. Finelli treated us with the utmost of respect. He welcomed us into his restaurant, made jokes, asked us questions about where we were from and how we had come to arrive at his restaurant that night, and was obviously very interested in our responses.

After about 20 min at the bar, we were led to our table. All of the food was excellent, especially the chicken marsala, which is what I ordered.

Our waitress Miranda, as beautiful and exotic as she was, had an attitude with us from the start. She was probably tired from working a long night and was immediately dismayed to see our party of 5 show up at 8:30pm.

However, at that level of fine dining, she should have been much better at her job.

That waitress is our ONLY complaint. Other than her, Mr. Finelli treated me and my entire family like royalty.

We will DEFINITELY make a point of going there again the next time we are down in Altoona...

Update 1/26/2021: not only does Finelli's provide some of the best dinner entrees around they also provide some of the best takeout as well! Very important in these crazy COVID-19 times. If you want to have the best steak salad on the East Coast if not the country get this now!! 5oz filet with mixed greens, olives, green bell peppers, red onions, cherry tomatoes, bacon, egg, cheese topped with french fries. I love the sweet vinaigrette! This is a salad done right! All top quality greens and vegetables. Gourmet salad if you will. Once you try it your hooked. Also a grilled chicken variation is available that is just as delicious! The olives are amazing! You seriously would expect to pay more for what you're getting, amazing value! Frank, his lovely wife and Son who creates these amazing meals are doing it right!

Absolutely fabulous! We had Filet Imperial that was out of this world! One of Altoona's best fine dining restaurants. Love it!

Update 2/23/19: for our entree we had Veal Oscar and Veal Parmesan. Excellent. The amount of crab served with the oscar variation is very generous for 36 bucks! Flavor and tenderness was spot on! Perfect sautee. Smothered Meatball appetizer could be a meal if you add a side of pasta, it is that good. You get over a dozen meatballs, I could eat it myself in one sitting. Think small meatballs in the best sauce you've ever had with a little bit of jalapeno peppers in there. A tad spicy, but delicious. My new...