Caruso's Ristorante & Bar — Restaurant in Fairfield

A Must-Try Dining Experience

I was recommended this place by word of mouth and decided to visit on a Saturday night with my girlfriend. Given how packed it was, I was glad I made a reservation—definitely something I’d recommend for anyone planning a visit.

Upon walking in, we were greeted with a smile by the friendly staff, who worked with a sense of urgency without being rude—a great first impression.

We were seated at a small table in a tightly packed area, which made the space feel a bit crammed. The proximity to other tables meant we could overhear conversations, and I assume others could hear us too. While it wasn’t a dealbreaker, I’d recommend requesting a booth for more space and privacy if that’s your preference.

Our server, Anthony, did a phenomenal job—attentive but never intrusive. He struck the perfect balance between checking in and giving us space. He also let us know that everything on the menu was made in-house, except for the bread service and gelato.

We started with water, and I appreciated that it was served in a 2-liter glass bottle—a small touch that I love because it allows me to self-serve throughout the meal, giving me a sense of control.

For drinks, we ordered: -House Blend Dark Coffee – Rich, robust, and flavorful, without being too bitter or overpowering. It struck the perfect balance. -Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon – A well-balanced red wine, perfectly walking the line between dry and sweet while complementing our meal.

For appetizers, we went with the bread service, which came with olive oil and butter. The portion sizes were generous, and the price-to-portion ratio felt very reasonable. The bread was a perfect warm-up for what was to come!

Just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, the main courses proved me wrong! -Blackened Grilled Chicken Alfredo – Unlike the typical white sauce alfredo, this one had a rich, buttery, golden-yellow sauce that was incredibly flavorful. From the first bite, the aroma and creamy texture made the experience indulgent and satisfying. The noodles were soft and perfectly cooked, while the chicken was well-seasoned, tender, and packed with flavor. My only suggestion would be to add broccoli or another fibrous vegetable something I’ll definitely request next time!

-Gnocchi Bolognese – This dish was another standout! The red sauce, beef, and braised veal created a rich and hearty flavor profile that was unforgettable. The gnocchi were perfectly cooked—soft and tender yet firm enough to hold their shape. Every bite was melt-in-your-mouth perfection, and my mouth is watering just writing about it!

Needless to say, we cleaned our plates. The portions were large, and even as someone who usually orders a second entrée to feel full, I was completely satisfied—so much so that we didn’t have room for dessert, despite how tempting everything sounded. We left in a full-on food coma!

This was an amazing dining experience, and I can’t wait to return to try their lasagna and gelato next time. If you’re looking for a place with exceptional food, great service, and a welcoming atmosphere, this is definitely...

My husband made reservations in advance to ensure that my need for a low top table would be met. We were seated at a high top and we’re told low tops were not available even though we could see that they were. We would’ve been happy with an high top with the bench seating on one side. But no. and the high top chairs are not only uncomfortable but are not suitable for people with disabilities. Or people with any kind of curves. You cannot tell I’m a person with a disability but I’ve had both of my hips replaced and high top chairs where my feet cannot rest on the floor, cause extreme discomfort for me. As my husband was finishing his steak my legs started to cramp so severely due to the high top chairs that I had to get up and walk out of the restaurant to walk around and try to walk the cramps out. I could no longer sit in the chairs which resulted in me standing at my table for the rest of the evening. Which meant we were not sticking around very long to enjoy dessert or coffee. As we were being seated our server asked us about water and gave us 20 different questions before we were even seated. He would take my order and walk away without taking my husband’s order. Our server seemed very frazzled and unable to focus. He walked past our table several times without collecting plates we were done with, leaving others to do that for him. The drinks were amazing. The steak wasn’t as good as it normally is in my opinion. The brussels sprouts were far too burnt to enjoy them. We didn’t receive the bread service that we requested and paid for. The table we were seated at was the middle table in the row between the bar and the high tops with bench seats. So there is an extreme glare from the sun in my eyes entire evening.

When we realize that the evening would be cut short my husband requested our dessert to go but that request was also ignored. So I stood as I ate the dessert which felt awkward and it felt like everyone was staring at me.

Because of this entire experience I don’t think I will come back. I think it’s important for the folks running this restaurant to understand how extremely uncomfortable their chairs are. When people make reservations in advance and request a low top, it’s more than likely for a good reason. Your servers should be a bit more ready before they’re on their own. It’s really important to recognize and anticipate the needs of your customers and I’m hoping that you review my review and take all of these things in consideration so that your future guests don’t have similar experiences and choose to never come...

It was my first time there. I eat in a restaurant almost every day. Like many probably I got in the habit of going to the big chain places mostly like Bob Evans, Outback, Olive Garden etc. I noticed the place driving by and the parking lot looked crowded. I had just walked in and right back out of Frisch's as they looked like they are still a trainwreck. Then we tried Olive Garden and were given an estimate of 30-45 minutes waiting and I said no thanks. I decided to go back to this place and they were able to seat the 2 of us quickly. The server was professional which sadly these days is more the exception than the rule. Servers regularly screw up my couple of basic requests for my iced tea for example. I'm an insulin dependent diabetic and order Unsweetened tea with lemon "ON THE SIDE". It's only a 50-50 situation whether they get it right initially sadly. I'm NOT exaggerating, service in restaurants still is that bad 3 years after the beginning of the lousy pandemic. I did start to think maybe I should have looked over the menu online first when the server referred to her "assistant" and saw $85 for one menu item! I thought maybe I went into a Jeff Ruby's fine dining place without realizing it. Well I wasn't going to leave at that point when I already walked in and right back out of Frisch's and Olive Garden and it was getting late. I had a Caesar salad and a pizza which I split with my elderly mother. I don't remember the total cost with the tip but the place appeared to be popular and well run. It's probably more expensive than what I can afford regularly but as the old saying goes "you get what you pay for". I had a young lady waiting on me at Bob Evans who was incompetent and couldn't even remember to bring me lemon on the side with my tea. I had a woman server at BJ's who was absolutely awful when the minimum "suggested" tip on the receipt is 18% and she's walking away from the table leaving me with more tea but no ice and bringing my mom more coffee and walking away without noticing or caring that she needs more creamers etc. This is why I'm stressing how nice it was to have a server who was on the ball because it's common now to deal with someone who doesn't seem to know what their job should involve. I didn't make a point to notice her name or ask so I could mention it here. If I was rich I would be a regular and always ask to be seated in her section....