Rosanna's — Restaurant in City of Albany

The food, service and ambiance at Rosanna's are all top notch. We've been there numerous times since the change in ownership and menu last year (in 2023), and have never had anything other than a positive experience that keeps us coming back for more.

The food menu is both focused and imaginative (with multiple vegetarian, vegan and/or gluten free options), and they frequently change up the menu, and offer frequent specials, based on availability of seasonal ingredients and to keep things interesting. Rosanna's always has a nice mix of salads, and appetizers, small plates and main dishes that, in our experience, are well prepared and appetizingly presented.

If you've saved room for dessert (which you should, at least some of the times you go), Rosanna's dessert menu is mouth watering and includes a nice variety of offerings, including a number of housemade flavors of gelato and sorbet (many of which are vegetarian or vegan, though we can't tell by taste that they are). We ate there last night, had their housemade White Russian Chocolate Chip gelato, and a cherry crostada with housemade dark chocolate gelato and housemade whipped cream, and both were delicious.

Rosanna's also has a really nice cocktail menu (including original cocktails, a number of excellent classic cocktails, and several specialty dessert cocktails) - as well as a number of tasty, non-alcoholic "mocktails" - along with a nice selection of wine, beer, aperitifs and digestifs (including port, cognac, amaro, frangelico, limoncello, amaretto, scotch, etc.).

The service is friendly, efficient and knowledgeable and we've found that waitstaff remember repeat customers and even things like dietary restrictions that repeat customers may have.

The ambiance at Rosanna's is among the coziest in the Capital Region. The decor is warm and inviting, and the fact that it has multiple separate, smallish rooms for dining (two downstairs and one upstairs), rather than just one big room, helps foster a cozy, relatively intimate atmosphere. Rosanna's also has a nice outdoor sidewalk patio if the weather allows for outdoor dining.

Overall, Rosanna's has become one of our favorite restaurants in not just Albany, but the entire...

Rosanna's is probably the restaurant I recommend the most to others and the one my partner and I have the most date nights at, so I best get this review in before its sale is finalized and the Rosanna's I know and love is, extremely sadly, no longer. The aesthetic and vibe here is so cute and cozy, I love the wallpaper, the decorations, the fixtures, everything -- you walk in and you feel like the place is hugging you. But it's really the food that keeps me coming back again and again. The menu is small, and I love it that way -- they have a dozen or so things they execute beautifully -- you don't need anything else. We love starting our meals with the Pane Rustico, particularly because it comes with a whole roasted garlic that when spread over the warm bread is so so good. Although the menu is small, I have never had trouble finding something vegetarian to eat. Their eggplant parmigiana is my favorite preparation of that dish I've had, the tri colored tortellini with vodka sauce is delicious, as is the Ravioli ala Rosanna, and the Cacio e pepe and the gnocchi when they're available. During one of our visits their pizza special was a fried eggplant pizza and it was so good I still think about it often. We love finishing our meals here with cappuccinos and a dessert to share -- usually the tiramisu but sometimes we get enticed by the seasonal bread pudding option.

As with the food menu, the cocktail menu is small but well-curated and greatly executed. I particularly enjoy their bourbon-based Il Marito and the gin-based Rosanna.

All the staff we've ever interacted with have been lovely and the service is warm and prompt.

TLDR: Great vibe, delicious food and drink, friendly service. My favorite Italian restaurant in the...

As lovers of Bongiorno's, it was an easy decision for me and the wife to visit the new rendition of 23 Dove St.

As we entered, I noticed the charm of Bongiorno's was gone. The wood paneling of the walls with the gold framed paintings were no more, and there was no smiling Felix to greet hungry guests. There was, however, a bathroom on the ground floor. I did appreciate that.

After getting seated, we ordered our drinks, appetizer (focaccia), and entrees (bison steak and pork belly). Two of those three were received.

When our entrees were delivered, we pointed out we hadn't received the focaccia. It was then quickly brought to us burnt and unseasoned, as if hastily made.

My pork belly was okay at best. The bean salad underneath the small amount of pork did not seem to create whatever flavors the chef was going for.

My wife ordered the bison steak, which was unavailable. Instead, the NY strip steak was offered. The cut of meat she received was nearly all gristle. This was brought to the attention of the waitress. It was removed from the bill. It is worth mentioning that the chimichurri was absolutely delicious.

For dessert, we had the vanilla gelato and dark chocolate gelato. We received coconut gelato and dark chocolate gelato. They were both fantastic, but not what was ordered. Thankfully, we like coconut. But if we didn't, or if we were allergic, dessert would have been a little worse.

As evidenced by the history section of this establishment's website, 23 Dove St. has had an eventful and enjoyable past. Unfortunately, Rosanna's is now part of...