Fratelli's Bistro — Restaurant in Gallup

Fazoli's plus wine/beer and table service

If you find yourself in Gallup and craving Fazoli's (the nearest of which seems to be in Phoenix), Fratelli's is for you! It seems to be very popular with the locals — folks at the 49er Lounge at the El Rancho Hotel said they liked it, the parking lot was full when I arrived around 6, so I had to park in the north lot and walk, and inside the place was full except for the bar.

A young woman greeted me right as I sat down and went to fetch me an iced tea, and another woman came fairly quickly and introduced herself as my server and brought me my wine quickly.

My side salad, which was included with the pasta I ordered, also came quickly, as did a small order of complimentary garlic bread and marina sauce. However, almost as quickly, before I was able to put a dent in the salad, the first young woman came with the Vodka Sausage Rustica I'd ordered and said, apologetically, that the pasta was coming out quickly this evening.

I did not rush to eat the pasta and let it sit while I ate the salad and two of the pieces of garlic bread. Then, finished with the salad, I tasted a piece of the bowtie pasta and it was room temperature. I couldn't see where my server was, but I caught the eye of the young woman who'd brought the pasta, trying to get her attention, and I'm pretty sure she saw me but she sat down on a seat for staff at the other end of the bar (not at the bar, behind it, but in full view). Okay, I thought, I know how to handle this, and I got out my phone and called the restaurant. That got the young woman up, and she went to the phone at that end of the bar and answered it. I said, hi, I'm down at the other end of the bar, could you please come help me?

We hung up, she came down, I explained that my pasta was cold and asked if they had a microwave. They did not, she said, but she could bring me a fresh plate. The server, presumably alerted by the young woman, finally reappeared and said she understood my pasta had gotten cold and apologized and fairly quickly brought out a new plate. It was an appropriate temperature, and I enjoyed it, although really it was just a step up from Fazoli's.

So here are my tips if you're not a Gallup local and are feeling like trying Fratelli's: 1) Adjust your expectations accordingly, 2) Be very explicit when ordering and request that the pasta not be brought out until you are finished with your salad (unless you don't mind getting both together), 3) Don't be afraid to telephone the restaurant while you are still there if you need help and young staff members are trying to...

I came here to leave a review about my experience at Fratelli’s Bistro in Gallup and read the previous review left by Valerie Shell today and I wanted to address that review first because I actually saw what happened as I was seated right across from them. The couple ordered pasta which came with salads first. The other table ordered only appetizers. Both the appetizers and the salad came at the same time and then a little while later the pasta arrived. The thing that brought my attention to the situation was that the couple walked out without paying their bill after they complained . I also saw the owner check the temperature of the food and it didn’t seem cold.

I think it is perfectly fine to leave a negative review as long as it is fair, but this one did not seem fair in any way, yet the owner still has enough class and professionalism to offer to take care of the customer who complained even though they didn’t pay their original bill.

Now for my review:

This is my first visit to Fratelli’s since the new owner Ruth took over. I can say that this was a wonderful experience for so many reasons. We came in to celebrate my date’s birthday and Ruth and her staff made sure we had a great time, even though I didn’t tell them it was her birthday until after our meal.

We ordered bone-in Stuart’s Wings. They aren’t listed on the menu but are available to order and they are some of the best wings I’ve had in a long time. They have a spicy sweet, almost Thai-like sauce. They were cooked perfectly. They were quite messy but all the best wings are.

We then ordered the bowtie chicken alfredo dish and it came with these little bread triangles that were just right with the pasta.

I want to mention the service before I talk about dessert. Ruth and her staff continually checked on us and on her other patrons. We never had to wait for refills and the food came out fresh and hot. When Ruth came up to us at the end of the meal to ask how things were and if we wanted dessert. I mentioned that we were there in part to celebrate my date’s birthday a couple of days early because I wasn’t going to be in town for the actual day. Ruth treated it just as if it was the actual birthday. We chose the gelato which was so good. My date had chocolate with coconut and I had lavender gelato which was such a great way to end dinner.

Overall the meal and experience was amazing and was only surpassed by my beautiful company. I hope to have another such experience very soon...

So my husband and I are traveling and arrived late into Gallup NM and after checking into hotel we asked about a place to go for Italian food and the desk clerk recommended Fratelli's and we are so glad she did. They close at 9 so we walked in at 8:30 figuring they would not be happy since it was a half hour from closing time but we were greeted with smiles and somehow knew that after driving for 650 miles we would need a good meal. Emily (the owner) waited on us and had wonderful smile and personality. She was helpful on what to order that appealed to us. The food was brought to our table quickly along with warm bread and marinara for dipping. I had the pasta primavera and my husband the lasagna and both dishes we loved. Emily informed us that if we wanted gelato (which they also make themselves) that we should order now as a gentleman was there to get what's left in containers to take to the orphans. We didn't know what to order and said to let him have ours. Emily made our night! She brought over taster spoons of what flavors were left and we said what tasted good and she gave us two containers to take back to our hotel room to have for later. We enjoyed every last bit. What a great lady who works so hard to please her customers. We will come here again for sure. If you want great Italian food, and wonderful gelato, definitely...