Prima Italia — Restaurant in Fort Smith

My wife and I recently tried Prima Italia for the first time for a date night. Overall, we had a really great experience from start to finish! We ordered some Burrata as an appetizer (a soft Italian cheese, served with arugula pesto, crostini, and tomatoes), which was really flavorful, elegantly prepared, and just all-around pleasing. For our entrees, my wife tried the House Tagliatelle (with Meatballs, in her case), and I ordered the Pasta all' Amatriciana (a traditional Italian pasta dish, prepared with bacon, "guanciale" or pork cheek, red pepper flakes, romano cheese, white wine, and much more). We both noticed right away that the pasta was homemade and so much better than what you get at most Italian restaurants, and we both felt like our dishes were bursting with flavor! For that matter, the portion sizes (which I've seen people complain about in their reviews) were perfect for both of us, since neither of us necessarily wants to take a ton of leftovers home. I was completely full and satisfied after my meal, and I really took my time to savor each bite. Definitely an establishment that puts an emphasis on high-quality food, prepared with love, rather than just large portion sizes!

The only other things I would add were that: 1) our server (I believe his name was Brian) also made a real effort to give us a high-quality, sophisticated-feeling dining experience, and; 2) my only real complaint was that there was a $3.00 charge added for paying with a credit card and not cash (which I just found kind of surprising, since most restaurants these days don't seem to do that or expect people to pay with cash). Otherwise, I would highly recommend Prima Italia for a date night, or for just about any other time that you're craving high-quality, seemingly-authentic Italian food that really stands out from...

The only reason I am giving this restaurant a 5 star rating is because a 10 star rating is not available! Oh my goodness, how is it I have never been here before last Saturday night? No idea Ft Smith had such a legit, fine dining option such as this place! Blown away by absolutely everything, from the friendly greeting as soon as we walked in, the classy & elegant ambiance, the beautiful & tasteful holiday decor, the seats we were personally shown to at the bar while we waited a few minutes on our table (we arrived for our reservation a little early), the fabulous French Martini before dinner, the unbelievably delicious & fresh bruschetta, wedge salad, potato & sausage soup, eggplant parmesan & lasagna! All of the food was top notch & on a much higher level than any other restaurant in Ft Smith. They did not skimp on portion sizes. The bruschetta & wedge salad were the perfect temps & all the hot food was piping hot. Our server, Seth, put the experience right over the top! Personable, friendly, professional & very knowledgeable with drink & menu items & recommendations. He, as well as others, also kept our water glasses & wine glasses fresh & topped off all evening. The prices vs the value & quality of the entire experience will keep us going back...

We celebrated a birthday here & Vincent was incredible! He was super friendly, very open about what he recommended on the menu, fun, and attentive. There were three people playing live jazz music when we went for dinner & it was a nice addition to the atmosphere. It wasn't too loud or overbearing, it was a good complement to the pleasant, laid back environment of the restaurant.

We ordered the Bruschetta (yummy but has LOTS of garlic), the lasagna (really good, large portion), and I forgot the name but we also ordered a chicken & pasta dish - it normally comes with a Marsala sauce but I substituted for alfredo which was one of Vincent's recommendations (SO delicious, large portion). We had some cocktails as well! The bartender made a few of the ones on the menu less sweet for us & they were tasty.

Overall, we really enjoyed the food, drinks, music, and staff, especially our server Vincent! We will be back when we're in town again & absolutely recommended checking it out if your looking for a nice dinner out in the...