Lugano Ristorante — Restaurant in Cary

We tried Lugano Ristorante for the first time a couple months ago, and we we're underwhelmed with the experience, to say the least. Our server Malik was excellent - incredibly kind, very helpful, very attentive (the only person saving this from being a one-star review). I want to emphasize that this a review to be taken up with the kitchen and management - I know from experience that servers are often blamed for poor dining experiences, even when they do everything right (like Malik did in this circumstance). Unfortunately, this was about the only positive aspect of our experience.

As soon as we walked in, the atmosphere immediately sent up red flags for me. Tables are covered in white parchment paper, as they're going for that "white tablecloth" aesthetic - without the actual investment in white tablecloths (I never understood why places do this, it looks so cheap, and I don't enjoy feeling like a messy Kindergartner when I go out to eat. Just embrace your tables the way they are, it looks so much better). The chairs were also sticky.

We ordered the Sicilian meatballs to start - the meatballs themselves were bland, and the polenta was awful - gummy texture, like eating glue. Not a proper polenta. It was funny, because the manager came over to our table to hype up the dish, and then promised to return to check in on us (we never saw her again, so we didn't get a chance to share this feedback in person).

The lasagna Bolognese was just okay - I appreciated the many layers of pasta (so many Americans miss that Lasagna is a PASTA dish first and foremost), but alfredo sauce does NOT belong in a lasagna. A proper lasagna should be made with a bechamel sauce. This dish was also bland and overly cheesy in that classic "Italian American" style (Americans - you can't just smother your "Italian" food in cheese to distract from the lack of flavor). I could only take a couple bites before quitting - a very one note dish. We opted to skip dessert given how underwhelming our other courses were.

The main driver for this review is the price point - the audacity to charge this much for food with Olive Garden quality is astounding to me. There are plenty of places in the Triangle serving high-quality, authentic Italian food (Pizzeria Faulisi, Colletta, Tesoro, Gravy, Farina, and Vivace, to name several) at this price point or slightly higher (not by much). I understand my fellow Americans enjoy this "Americanized" Italian food, but if that's what you're going for, your dishes should at least be flavorful and properly executed. To spend almost $100 per person (between apps, drinks, and dishes), I expect significantly better. I'm shocked to see the 4.5-star rating on Google, and that's what prompted me to give this place a chance, but I will...

I arrived here at 7:33pm on a Tuesday night. I made a 7:30pm reservation to celebrate a birthday. After entered, there were 3 people at the host stand and we sat promptly.

It was a little busy but not crowded and there were several open tables. The first thing I noticed when were sat was that it was somewhat noisy.

Maeve, our waitress, came over at 7:36pm to introduce herself and bring the cocktail menu. We got waters to started and ordered calamari appetizer at 7:38pm.

At 7:42pm, Maeve brought compliments bread, which was warm and tasty. The calamari appetizer arrived at 7:46pm. It came with a warm traditional marinara sauce, and a homemade Italian salsa that was cool. The marinara paired with the calamari. The Italian salsa tasted OK, but for me, it didn’t pair well with the calamari. Personally, I think it would have been better if it was warm, considering that the calamari was.

We both got a glass of wine. They ordered theirs at least 10 minutes before I did. Both of our drinks came at 8:01pm. It took a little while to receive them, but our waitress did let us know that ahead of time. However, it didn’t seem so busy with that would be the case.

I ordered the Ziti Al Forno and other person ordered the fettuccine with lobster. When our food came, it was HOT, through and through. My pasta was amazing and honestly one of the best pasta I’ve had. The lobster cream sauce was amazing and flavorful.

With the appetizer and bread, we didn’t finish our food and got it boxed to go. We did receive and look at the dessert menu. Originally we were going to get the Lemon Panna Cotta but a waiter hyped up the Bombolini, which we ordered at 8:44pm. We received it at 8:53pm. From the description, we were expecting donut shaped dessert but it was more so shaped like a potato wedge. We enjoyed it! The ice cream, however, seemed a little flavorless, which I wasn’t fond of.

Overall, pretty great experience and i definitely plan to return as I want to try the a shrimp and salmon dish they have. Attentiveness of our waitress was inconsistent with moments where it was great and other moments where there was an extended period before returning. I will note teamwork seems to be highlighted as several people came to the table throughout our visit. The restaurant was clean, including the bathrooms. They have a full bar and ample dining and waiting space. When I made the reservation, I added a note that we were celebrating a birthday. It was unfortunate that it wasn’t recognized. I know some restaurants may not give a “birthday treat” but a simple acknowledgment...

My wife and I were there with our friends and their daughter to celebrate our friends 50th Birthday. We went at 6pm on a Thursday evening. The atmosphere was. nice and the restaurant was not crowded. We ordered 2 apps, the Bruschetta which was excellent and the stuffed mushrooms to start. I enjoyed the Bruschetta. My wife said the mushrooms were ok but lacked flavor. I think the best way to judge an Italian restaurant is to taste their sauce. I thoroughly enjoyed their sauce (Gravy). At this point the restaurant filled up and the Service became spotty at best. Getting a drink refill proved to be problematic. At this point the Birthday girl started showing signs of annoyance. There was also no beef on the menu which I thought was a little odd. We were told that there was a steak special the night before but it sold out. The only special was fish. I ordered the Eggplant Parm and my wife had the Chicken Marsala. The other couple ordered Chicken Parm, Shrimp and pasta and the little one had Chicken fingers and fries. The chicken Parm came out very well done and had to be returned to the kitchen. Three Kids Chicken fingers also had to be replaced due to being over cooked. On a side note the pasta that accompanied the Eggplant Parm was in a different cheese tomato sauce that caused the pasta to get gritty/ clumpy. I did not enjoy that. Instead of eating the pasta, I ate the side of sauteed spinach that came with my wife's Chicken Marsala. The Spinach was good. We chose the bomboloni (Italian doughnuts) and the Canolis for dessert. This was good. The restaurant was nice but I don't think the Service or the Kitchen issues were worth the price of admission. There were too many amateur mistakes going on. In all fairness, the manager did provide a take home pasta for the over cooked Chicken Parmesan but the Birthday girl was already disappointed. I liked the Bruschetta, Eggplant Parmesan, the tomato sauce and the dessert. I would advise not to get the cheese/tomato cause on the pasta. the Sauteed spinach was good as well. Make sure you have a reservation, patience, and $$$ for this Restaurant. It...