Ristorante Ottaviani — Restaurant in Cumberland

Sunday night dinner, circa 730pm at the bar. Eventually the manager sat down next to me, but was consumed with planning a golf outing with her companion. Never said boo to me - but I got to overhear as various workers came up to her complain. One guy said he was going to consume a case of Bud Light (tells you all you need to know about the culinary level of the joint) because of the incompetence of his colleagues in the kitchen.

As the meal dragged on, I got to feel his pain.

Arrived to a dirty bar - no one had bothered to clear the glasses or other stuff from the prior patrons. Took about 5 minutes before someone asked me if I was going to be eating. I should have said no.

I got the breaded chicken breast with gorgonzola cream. It was piping hot, fairly juicy and quite tasty, albeit overwhelmed by the sauce. The waitress (I was tag-teamed by about 3 different folks, which might have been part of the problem) told me I could get a 2nd side as they had deleted one of the two chicken breasts noted on the menu - times must be tough if you can't reprint the menu with fairly major changes like that.

The sides were HORRIFIC! The spinach and mushrooms were, I believe, deglazed with balsamic vinegar. They tasted more like pickles than anything else - I gather no one in the kitchen bothers to taste the food they're serving. The linguini aglio olio was nursing home bland and served lukewarm. The asparagus was so stalky and tough, I couldn't cut through it with the steak knife provided.

Food came out fairly promptly, but I had to listen to slamming pots from the dining room-proximate kitchen while I waited. Not sure what the guy manning the kitchen was up to with all the slamming pots (some sort of passive aggressive behavior, perhaps?) but it was incredibly annoying and unprofessional.

Food prices are very high (talking mid-$30's for fairly straightforward entrees) so value quotient is low.

I wouldn't eat here again. NOT...

I took my wife to dinner at Ristorante Ottaviani on June 29th for her birthday. The area is under renovation and closed to vehicles, but I found ample parking only a block or so away and we walked. There was indoor and outdoor seating. We had a reservation and we were seated immediately. The atmosphere was pleasant and relaxed. There were many couples and some families there. Everyone was friendly. Lexi, our server, was fantastic. She was knowledgeable, friendly, and fast. She checked repeatedly to refill our drinks, etc. She helped make my wife's bday special and I am grateful! Give Lexi a raise or at least a pat on the back! The food was scrumptious. No exaggerating. Everything was perfect. The bread, salad, drinks, and entrees were all top notch. They even brought my wife a heavenly little pastry for her bday and didn't charge me. I have no idea how Ottaviani's can make food that good, that fast. Additionally, the place was clean. Bathrooms, at least the men's room anyway, was remarkably clean. The plates and silverware were clean, too. No spots. Ottaviani's has got to be arguably one of the best restaurants in the Cumberland area, possibly top ten in the state of Maryland. It was on the pricey side, but you get what you pay for. And in this case, what we got was excellent service, delicious food, and most importantly, a memory my wife will cherish forever. That's priceless. Thanks, Ottaviani's, for a fabulous dinner and helping me make my wife's...

I’ve never gotten such a terrible plate of food and still given a 4 star review!

So hear me out….

First- do NOT Order the chicken marsala if you are expecting chicken marsala on any level. I ordered it. It tasted so citrusy and I could not detect even one tiny hint of Marsala wine. None! Even if I wasn’t already expecting chicken marsala, this dish to me, was terrible!! I actually thought the kitchen got my order wrong, but the waitress assured me this was their standard chicken marsala.

ACK! I am a super taster, so my taste buds get offended easily when dishes are off balance.

THE GOOD NEWS IS- The waitress was very accommodating about it- took it right back and asked me what else I wanted. I ordered the ham steak Abruzzo and it was absolutely out of this world!! I was so surprised and delighted. The ham steak was so tender and delicious, not salty and paired well with the delicious cheese sauce. The fingerling potatoes were fantastic and so was the zucchini. They even gave me a complimentary rum runner since I had to wait 10-15 mins for my meal while my friend ate. The Abruzzo was SO worth waiting for, and the rum runner helped to ease the pain of the debacle!

Well played guys! Way to take care of a customer and keep them coming back.

Prices are a bit high for what you’re getting (I’m comparing to the many 5 star restaurants I’ve been to all over the country) but for the area, this is one of the better places for sure!

Order one of the Abruzzo dishes...