Aruffo's Italian Cuisine — Restaurant in Claremont

I recently dined at Aruffo's Italian restaurant and wanted to share my experience. Overall, the food at Aruffo's was quite tasty, but unfortunately, the service left much to be desired.

We started our meal by ordering Toscana Olives as an appetizer, but it never arrived at our table. This was a bit disappointing, as we were looking forward to trying them.

The main issue with the service was the rush we felt throughout our meal. Our entrees were served while we were still eating our salads, which felt a bit abrupt and interrupted the flow of the meal. It would have been more enjoyable if there had been a smoother transition between courses.

Another aspect that contributed to the rushed atmosphere was the eagerness of the staff to clear our plates. Even before I had finished my entree, they were already trying to take my plate away. It felt a bit intrusive and didn't allow us to fully savor our meal at our own pace.

Adding to that, the timing of the dessert tray's arrival was also off. It was brought out before our plates were even taken away, which seemed a bit hasty. We would have preferred a more leisurely approach, allowing us to finish our main course and then decide on dessert.

What was surprising is that the restaurant was not even full at the time. Despite this, the staff seemed to have a sense of urgency, as if they wanted to rush us out. This created a somewhat uncomfortable dining experience, as we felt a bit pressured to finish quickly.

Despite these service issues, I must reiterate that the food itself was delicious. The flavors and quality of the dishes were commendable, and we truly enjoyed the taste of the Italian cuisine offered at Aruffo's.

In summary, while Aruffo's Italian restaurant impressed us with its tasty food, the rushed service detracted from the overall dining experience. The missing appetizer, the untimely serving of entrees, the premature attempt to clear plates, and the hasty dessert tray presentation all contributed to a sense of being hurried, even in a relatively quiet restaurant. It is my hope that Aruffo's takes these aspects into consideration and works towards providing a more relaxed and enjoyable dining experience for...

IF YOU CANNOT HAVE GLUTEN IN YOUR DIET, this is extremely important for you to read. Though you may ask for the GF pasta substitute, they still will serve their house made red sauce that contains GLUTEN pasta water My husband and I came here for Valentine’s Day Dinner and he even called prior to make sure they had gluten free options available. We informed our waitress about my gluten allergy. I ordered the Pollo Salsiccia Bucatini with their GF pasta thinking this would be a safe choice, as I’ve been to many Italian restaurants who offer GF dishes as well. Hours later, I started to feel extremely sick and had sudden urges to run to the toilet. I ended up getting a severe reaction causing me to stay up all night with constant urges to have to run to the bathroom every hour. I initially thought it was food poisoning from the meat in my dish, thinking maybe they served undercooked meat. I called the restaurant the next day a few times, left a voicemail, and was finally able to speak with a manager in regards to (what I thought was) food poisoning and he assured me they use all of the proper tools to ensure their meats are cooked properly. So I ruled that out and then brought up how the only other thing I could possibly think of is if they use pasta water in their sauce that they serve OVER THEIR GLUTEN FREE NOODLES. He tells me that they do. Which is unheard of, I’ve been to many Italian restaurants and never have had a reaction because they all know to never do that. All other Italian restaurants with gluten free pasta options know to make a sauce separately that does not contain regular pasta water. Our waitress should have been knowledgeable of this. Had she of, she could’ve communicated this and I would’ve ordered a salad as I can NOT eat gluten. I’m still currently sick and in pain and the manager didn’t have much sympathy or service to offer. PLEASE change the menu to be clear that even though you have gluten free noodles available, all of your sauce contains gluten. Others can be detrimentally effected by this...

I stopped in on a late Tuesday afternoon after an arduous day and wanted to enjoy a specific Italian dish I've been craving since I came back from an overseas business trip. The restaurant is in a good location if you want to walk around, but it may be a challenge if you're looking for a parking spot, so plan accordingly. I was greeted by a courteous and gracious host, and I was able to choose my seat and sat by the window. There is also a nice "secret garden" in the back where I will sit next time. The specific dish I was desiring was not available, and I inquired if the kitchen would be able to accommodate. The waiter was knowledgeable, and we discussed some options. He inquired, and we came to a compromise. I ordered an appetizer and a carmel cappuccino. The cappuccino was on the larger size, and it was delicious. They came out after a few minutes with my appetizer, and this dome shaped bread that was simply looked amazing. It could've easily been a bread bowl and hold a large bowl of soup. It was freshly toasted with a slightly crunchy shell. Once you broke into it, the smell of fresh bread wafted right up into my nostrils and immediately brought me back to memories of my own childhood, and I had to contain myself to stop eating it the whole thing. My main course came out, and it was cooked to the specifications we talked about. Unfortunately, exuberance for the bread, the appetizer, AND the small bowl of salmon bisque (which was an option of the main course) was a little much to leave room for a dessert. I ended up boxing the rest of my food and ordered a dessert anyway (you're going to need to go for a nice stroll afterward). The overall experience was good, I did go on a late Tuesday when there was little business traffic, so seating and parking were no issues, I can't say what it looks like at peak hours. Bring your appetite and your wallet because the food is...