Gallo Family — Restaurant in Danbury

3 1/2 stars

I mean no offense when I say this, but a huge reason I picked Gallo for Mother's Day lunch was that it seemed like one of the safest options. My tendency is to always go edgy/interesting, but my mother's palate is pretty simple and there's no reason to get too creative, at least when it comes specifically to the food offerings. Italian is usually a pretty solid bet in that regard, and Gallo is conveniently located right off 84 with ample parking options (she's in Redding about 20 minutes south). This wasn't a disappointment - I wouldn't have an issue coming back - but it could have been better overall.

Our reservation was for 12PM. We showed up about five minutes early, and even though we were informed by a manager that we'd have to wait a few moments for the restaurant to actually open, a hostess brought us to a table almost immediately. Everyone we encountered staff-wise was very nice and accommodating - no issues there. I think this is also a holiday that can skew toward older demographics - we saw a mother, for instance, dolled up in her Sunday finest straight out of Driving Miss Daisy - so I'm always a little more at ease when I can see that a business is cognizant of slower patrons who need a little more attention, especially with an older parent now myself. The hostess also provided both of us with long-stemmed roses, which is a nice, classy touch.

The interior design didn't exactly scream Italian beyond a few monochrome pictures on the wall depicting the "old country," but it was comfortable. Interestingly, there were lemons EVERYWHERE. I studied abroad in Italy so I feel like I have a little bit of a knowledge base to play around with, but I don't recall lemons being the number one, go-to food item or décor option over there. The salt and pepper shakers were lemons, and there were fake lemons on the shelves throughout the restaurant. Not a complaint, but I couldn't figure that one out.

I decided to go with the Gnocchi Sorrentina ($18) off the literal Gnocchi section of the menu. It was pretty tasty, though not the best I've had (which was from E&V's in Paterson, NJ). The sauce was the star for me, on the sweeter side and smooth, which is my personal preference. For the amount of gnocchi in the dish, I thought they overdid it on the cheese, which I had to constantly maneuver around to get to the actual potato goodness. It was a decent portion all the way around though for the price. The weakest link by far though was the bread we were given at the beginning - that's something I would revisit immediately if I were them. It was very dry and stale, and it was a rare instance where the bread basket was not empty by the end of the meal - not worth the calories.

Service-wise, I'd categorize this as pretty good. Our waitress was very pleasant/professional. Once the restaurant got a bit more crowded, it was harder to track her down and the wait times lagged a bit toward the end. That said, there were several attentive busers walking around throughout the meal, so my water glass was always full or close to it, which is one of those subtle intangibles you sometimes take for granted.

You honestly have better options nearby, but you could definitely do worse than this place. And if you're really into the citrus family, you'll love...

I want to leave a review of the Gallo Family Restaurant regarding the dinner meal my wife and I shared on 6/21/2023 while staying at the La Quinta Inn next door to the restaurant. There are two parts to this review, the first regarding the food and the second regarding the service. To start, my wife and I have eaten calamari as a Starter, over a wide range of territory and establishments. But the Crispy Calamari (no peppers) and Aurora Sauce served here was outstanding, I am inclined to say the best we have ever tasted. Each piece of the generous offering was perfectly cooked, with a light chew and great flavor. The truly outstanding part, however, was the coating in which the calamari was dressed. Almost as if it was a part of each morsel, the coating was light, with a crispy element and never fell off. The Aurora Sauce was an outstanding complement to the calamari. For the entrée, my wife had Chicken Marsala. She was very pleased with the dish, and the small taste I did have, was full of flavor and rich of sauce. My entrée was the Zuppa de Pesce, and it was without a doubt one of the very best seafood stews I have ever eaten. I know a lot of superlatives, but all true from our perspective. The meal ended with pistachio gelato and panarea, a delightful first-time cake experience. The second part of this review of the Gallo Family Restaurant is all about the service. In particular, the service as provided by Alania O. Ms. O was an outstanding server, upbeat, confident, and very knowledgeable. She was even challenging; the recommendations were hers for both entrees and the panarea – very nice. All in all, Alania was very entertaining, as well as a very professional server who made our meal much more enjoyable. In sharing conversation with others on Staff, attitudes were upbeat, pleasant, and totally in keeping with the Best tenets of a Family business. And while the décor might need some work, and aging, hopefully that will be coming to the Gallo Family Restaurant over the many years to come. I know for my wife and myself, we will be stopping in Danbury again, most especially, to patronize the Gallo...

We eat out a lot and have tried so many Italian restaurants, I was so excited to try the newest addition to Danbury especially, after hearing great reviews on the Ridgefield location. Ordered bowl of lentil soup, Margarita pizza, Mediterranean salad, Spaghetti&Meatballs and Fettuccini bolognese. The lentil soup was edible after adding a bunch of salt, the pizza had way too much cheese on it and was too undercooked for us, the salad was great, after they added lettuce, but the house vinaigrette was not. I’m glad we asked for it on the side. Lastly the pasta meals were the most disappointing, the sauce looked and tasted like it was poured right from the jar. Bolognese lacked cream/milk and just tasted like a bad meat sauce.

A family of 4 ate 1 and a half slices of pizza, half of bowls soup, 4 bites out of the pasta meals out of the entire order. We did not box anything to go except the soup, expressed our disappointment to the waitress and not a single item was removed from the bill or even the courtesy of the offer.

We would’ve paid the entire bill regardless bc we respect waitstaff and always tip 20% but the fact that there wasn’t even an offer or just a stop by from the manager/owner spoke volumes.

We will never return and not recommend to l family/friends. I sincerely hope this was just an ‘off night’ for them(Dec 26th 2022) however if this is the norm, I don’t see this place...