Milanese Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in City of Poughkeepsie

Milanese seems to be one of the older remaining establishments in Poughkeepsie's Little Italy. It is still family owned and operated, and given the scarcity of old school Italian--let alone decent Italian--up in the Hudson Valley. Coming in, their was a big private party covering 2 dining rooms, with the nicer back dining rooms being used for regular patrons. There were a few other tables to start with several more as we left, so they were fairly busy. Our waitress was fine except for disappearing when we wanted the check at the end. There were kids darting between the private party rooms making a racket, but that doesn't really bother me. To start, we got a cold antipasto platter, which was alright. It had some good salami and some peppers too, but was weaker on the cheese side with only a little bit of fresh mozzarella and some cold cuts. I wanted to try their chicken parmigiana, which they labeled on the menu as "the best you'll have in your life". Unfortunately, they were out of it because of a private party that was going on. This was really annoying, as you can't reasonably say that about a dish on the menu and then just run out, let alone having that dish be chicken parm! My Mom wanted to try it too. Instead, I got the cavatelli bolognese. It was merely okay. The bolognese sauce wasn't bad but wasn't anything remarkable: it tasted muted. The cavatelli were mushy and I didn't enjoy them at all. The dollop of ricotta on top was a nice touch but it also helped contribute to a lack of salt in the dish. My family's dishes ranged from mediocre to decent otherwise; nobody...

Our waiter couldn't be bothered to invite, welcome us or tell us anything.... He was too busy with even turning on the open sign while waiting for them to open at 4p. We happen to be in the area after a long day with doctor appointments that my husband wanted to go there after many years and had good experiences there. This waiter barely said a word to us, quickly took our orders brought our stuff out and walked away. Absolutely no interaction. They had '70s music playing that was definitely not appropriate for a nice quiet Italian meal. He brought out my husband's pasta late after he got his main meal and said he'd bring the cheese over to the table and never got it to us. He asked us at the end if everything was okay and my husband said yeah would have been nice if he had the cheese for the pasta and all he said was "oh yeah sure." Didn't even have the decency to apologize for that. It's so sad because my 90-year-old neighbor remembers going there and said it was the best Italian restaurant but sadly it doesn't have that authenticity like it probably used to have. We will never return to this restaurant again ever! It's just sad that an experience like that can really make it into a lousy meal. I think this guy that was at the restaurant could have put a little bit more effort into smiling being presentable or making an effort on his part, he definitely had no interest in us being there. So sad to say I'll only give this a three-star rating because of his attitude and the...

We recently held a funeral reception for my father at Milanese, and I cannot express enough gratitude for the kindness, professionalism, and outstanding service we received. From the very beginning, Aldo, the owner, was incredibly accommodating, fair, and genuinely caring. He made a stressful time so much easier, ensuring that we had one less thing to worry about. His flexibility and willingness to work with us put us at ease, and we knew we could trust him to create a seamless event.

Milanese opened the restaurant just for our gathering of 50 guests, adjusting to our needs even when our plans shifted. Our services ended earlier than expected, and we arrived an hour ahead of schedule, but Aldo and his team welcomed us warmly and had everything prepared without hesitation. The staff was attentive, respectful, and made sure every guest had everything they needed.

The food was simply incredible. Everyone raved about it, especially the pasta primavera, and many mentioned they would happily return under happier circumstances. The entire experience was smooth, stress-free, and truly comforting during a difficult time.

I only wish I lived closer so I could dine at Milanese more often! I highly recommend this restaurant for any occasion. Thank you, Aldo and the Milanese team,...