Antonia's Restaurant — Restaurant in Hillsborough

My wife and I had the pleasure of dining at Antonia’s for Valentine’s Day 2020. While we do live about 50 minutes away, we had visited Hillsborough previously and saw the restaurant and were interested in giving it a chance.

The restaurant is located in an old building that, I believe, once housed a drug store and a shoe store. So, the building itself has quite a bit of classic charm as does the restaurant. We were there for the first seating and were lucky enough to get a nice table next to the window, which I believe were added for the event and definitely added to the ambience.

The Valentine’s Day menu was prix fixe with a choice between two different salads, three different entrees, and two different dessert. My wife and I chose differently for each course which meant that we were able to taste everything that was offered with the exception of one entrée.

Antonio’s has a solid wine list with some good Italian choices so we were able to pair our meals with a good Barbera. I also saw a Pinot Nero (Italian Pinot Noir) on the list and we are looking forward to giving that one a try the next time we visit (which will be soon).

Our arrival was met with a friendly greeting and we were seated almost immediately. While the restaurant filled quickly, our server was quick to come by and take our drink order. Despite being quite busy, she continued to provide excellent service through the entire meal.

The food was excellent. We found each of our salads to be unique and flavorful and we essentially split them half and half so we could try each. I chose the scallops with an onion soubise, served with haricot verts, and roasted fingerling potatoes. The scallops were cooked perfectly, tender, and sweet and the veggies were fresh and cooked properly.

My wife chose the fettuccini with beef tenderloin, shiitake mushrooms, spinach, and onion in a red wine garlic cream sauce. This was a “legit” Italian dish and I know this because I had basically the same dish with sausage instead of beef and different mushrooms six days earlier while I was cross country skiing in Cogne, Italy (yes, really). Antonia’s did a great job with this dish. It had what tasted like fresh pasta that was perfectly cooked with flavorful and tender beef and, while it was a cream sauce, the sauce did not feel heavy and it did NOT overpower with garlic (true Italian food, regardless of the region in Italy, almost never overpowers with garlic as it is almost always used as a seasoning and not a primary ingredient).

We finished with two different desserts: Flourless chocolate torte with chocolate ganache and berry coulee and a coconut panna cotta with fresh fruit assortment. Both were excellent with the torte being sweet but not too sweet and the panna cotta having a nice, light coconut taste. So, our visit to Antonia’s was excellent. While we did not get to try the “regular” menu on this visit, this is going to be our “go-to” when we want a good Italian meal. The have a solid budget-friendly lunch menu during the day with a menu and vibe that is a bit more upscale in the evening.

In talking to one of the owners (Brian), it is apparent to me that they are VERY active in managing their restaurant and I can see in their responses to previous reviews that they are always striving for excellence. This is something I look for in a good restaurant because, invariably, things will go wrong occasionally so the key becomes how management handles it when they do.

In short, we thought this was a great place with excellent management and we look forward to visiting again in a...

I'm somewhat flabbergasted. We arrived on time for our reserved 5:30pm Valentines dinner at Antonias. We had booked well in advance. The dinner was very nice. A set menu was offered at $89 per person with excellent cuisine options. Our only complaint (which we did not share) was a two top corner table to accommodate three which was far too tight to accommodate bread, appetizers, etc for three. Even with the table top juggling of dishes and glassware, the meal was lovely. The service was solid. We enjoyed a nice glass of wine, a lovely glass of complimentary prosecco, and at 7:10pm we were presented a check (we had been seated at 5:32 according to our meal receipt). We completed the credit card payment and were preparing to leave...full, happy, with a positive experience on a special occasion. Our credit card payment was dated and timed as 7:13pm. Not 5 minutes had passed from the processing of the check when a woman showed up tableside (specifically at 7:17pm) telling us she had a party of six waiting outside and they needed our two top table to go with the two tables adjacent to us (customers who had been seated before our arrival and had just left) to accommodate them. It was the first time I can recall being nicely told to please leave a nice restaurant, much less within five minutes of processing a check that was also paid within five minutes of presentation.

Let's be clear...Antonias is not a McDonald's though the way this was handled certainly seems like a fast food approach. Do you push your customers out the door in less than 5 minutes of processing the check on a special occasion night costing over $300 for three? We assured her we were about to leave anyway, not desiring to create a scene at the table, but several customers took note. When we left the dining room I stopped to speak with this woman to let her know how an otherwise lovely evening ended on such a rude customer service experience. I then learned this woman was the manager. Utterly shocked to learn that such poor customer interaction came from the very person responsible for the restaurant, I expressed my disappointment and dissatisfaction at the handling of the situation...a situation that was in no way caused by our lingering too long at a table after being presented a check. She apologized for the "perception" of rushing us out but she was worried about the table of six waiting outside. As an aside, there were several open tables by then (7:20 pm). I suggested this was horrific customer service and hoped she would never do it to someone again. She responded that sometimes it is necessary. Well it is not necessary for my family to continue to frequent Antonias. A sad ending to an otherwise nice evening, and a sad ending to my patronage of a Hillsborough establishment. You have competition, Antonias. Perhaps you have forgotten that your customers have other dining choices within...

Antonia's is a charming eatery that checks most of the boxes for a great dining experience. The food is delicious, the service is attentive, and the pricing, while not cheap, does not instill regret. It is, however, both a small (albeit handsomely appointed) space and a popular one, so you may find yourself nearly elbow-to-elbow with a neighboring table (if you are able to get a table). Fortunately, this is the only real blemish.

The menu here pays homage to the classics while still offering a few departures. Bruschetta, an antipasto platter, and lasagna Bolognese can all be found here, but you can also build your own pasta dish, go vegetarian or gluten-free, or treat yourself to a steak. Many of the ingredients are sourced locally, including meats from Greensboro's sainted Giacomo's.

For our first visit, my wife and I opted for a starter of pork meatballs in a parmesan truffle cream sauce, sausage with polenta, and a squash cannelloni (on special). The meatballs were quite tasty, and the sauce, while rich and buttery, was not as heavy as expected. The polenta was cooked perfectly and paired well with slightly sweet sauce and fresh-tasting vegetables (not to mention nice spicy sausage). The pasta's sauce was creamy, and the dish was not overwhelmingly sweet. We followed up with an order of tiramisu - decadent - and my wife raved profusely about the Lady Godiva, a chocolate liquor-infused coffee.

Carrie provided friendly and attentive service throughout the meal, and one of the owners (presumably) could be found making her rounds and chatting with her regulars. Our total came out to $60 pre-tip, which for an appetizer, two entrees, a dessert, and a spiked coffee, was certainly fair.

Italian restaurants are not a rarity by any means, but those that execute as well as Antonia's does seem to be...