Ravello Italian Cuisine — Restaurant in Bulverde

Ravello Italian Cuisine was, sadly, anything but Italian. We went in with modest expectations and were quickly let down across the board.

We skipped appetizers but were initially pleased with how quickly our meals arrived (there were three of us). We ordered: • The special: spinach risotto with three scallops • A grilled chicken breast with vegetables (a safe pick from a picky eater) • Bucatini alla carbonara

Unfortunately, every dish was a disappointment. Portions were tiny—barely a single spoonful’s worth—and flavor was nonexistent. Eating was genuinely unpleasant.

Specifics: • The Chicken Breast: Completely raw inside. As soon as she cut it open, it was pink and inedible. We were all disgusted. It took staff a long time to return to the table so we could even notify them. When we finally did, she ordered the cavatelli con carciofi instead—thinking it would be hard to mess up. But even that dish (with mushrooms, spinach, and artichoke) was bland and had an odd texture, leaving most of it untouched. A staff member apologized once and that was it. • Bucatini alla Carbonara: Overwhelmingly eggy, with pancetta that tasted like pre-cooked bacon from Sam’s Club. The serving was half a bowl—but barely a spoonful’s worth. • Spinach Risotto with Scallops: The risotto looked like it had been dyed green, had no flavor, and the scallops were fishy and likely undercooked. A salty sauce did nothing to help. The decorative chip on top was burnt, and the flower garnish felt pointless.

Hoping dessert might salvage the experience, we tried the cannoli and gelato. The gelato was laughable—three tiny “spoonfuls” that could’ve fit in my one-year-old’s mouth. The pistachio flavor was tolerable (the only bright spot), but the vanilla bean was gross. We skipped the salted caramel. The cannoli came as two with an odd texture and tasteless pistachio paste that felt like a meringue-cannoli hybrid that didn’t work at all.

Overall, the experience was a complete disappointment—especially given the high online reviews, which I suspect might be from staff or family members. Ravello Italian Cuisine failed to deliver on every level: taste, portion size, and even basic cooking. Save yourself the trouble and...

Ate here 4 days ago with my wife for the first time to celebrate her birthday. I was looking for some place different to take her for a nice dinner out and saw the positive reviews of Ravello's, so gave it a shot. We were not disappointed.

The entire staff, from the greeter to management to wait staff all were super-friendly and attentive. I want to especially recognize our waiter, Lantz, who was truly outstanding and one of the best we've ever had in any restaurant. His knowledge of the menu and wine choices was spot-on and he was Johnny-on-the-spot with checking on us at just the right times. Great job, Lantz! Don't leave Ravello because we want you next time we're there!

The kitchen staff did an outstanding job on food presentation, and the venue itself is perfect for a special date night or celebration out. White tablecloths, great Italian and other wine choices, etc, all added to the experience, but it is not pretentious or over-the-top formal. Overall, a nice balance.

It is not cheap, as you would expect from a more upscale restaurant, so be prepared to pay for each piece separately. That said, the meal choices offer something for everyone and we look forward to coming back to try other options.

The only slight negative we have is that the calamari appetizer we ordered was slightly overcooked, so the calamari itself was chewy and could have been hotter. Otherwise, all was excellent.

For only just over two months in place, Ravello is on a good path. They need to continue to stick with the plan of outstanding service and great food and I think that--and their location on TPC Parkway--will be a success story. Great...

We ate here the third night that they were open so take this review with a grain of salt, but there were a few kinks that need to be worked out. The restaurant itself is quaint but beautiful. Our server seemed a bit stressed with 3-4 tables. I had two drinks, lavender bees knees and pepper and petals. The lavender bees knees could use a bit of work, it tasted bitter and unbalanced but that may be because I didn’t allow the honey comb garnish to dissolve. The pepper and petals was excellent. I had the short ribs and gnocchi which was excellent but I was surprised at how small the meat portion was (3 silver dollar sized pieces of short rib), delicious none the less. My partner had the clam pasta, the pasta itself was tasty and we both really liked the sauce, but the clams were extremely salty. When he made it to the bottom of the dish there was a short wavy hair at the bottom. We decided to not say anything because we didn’t want to stress our server any more than necessary but I did notice that none of the kitchen staff were wearing hair or beard nets. We ended the meal with tiramisu which was delicious and a large portion. We’ll give it another chance after they’ve been open a bit longer, but the only thing I was really wowed by...