Osteria G — Restaurant in Holly Springs

Several meals at Osteria G and a pattern has emerged. The cheese dish is fantastic but the entrees are just ok at best and downright disappointing at worst. The sauces are somewhat bland for all 4 entrees we’ve tried there but the food has been well cooked as far as the meat is concerned.

The saltimboca was solid but not a standout. While the Pollo Scarpariella lacked true heat despite the banana peppers the waiter warned of. The sausages in this dish were overly sweat for me but while it was a one time order for me, I enjoyed the dish.

My wife had the salmone cinque terra and was happy enough and for fish lovers I’d recommend that.

On our second visit I tried the sorrentino and for a place that says it specializes in traditional Italian food, it was a disaster. Anyone who has had it knows it’s chicken layered with eggplant, prosciutto, and mozzarella. Instead, 2 pieces of chicken and a slice of eggplant topped with prosciutto and mozzarella that was half the size of a single piece of chicken resting separately on the plate. This meant maybe 5 proper bites. The sauce was bland and I ate very little of it or the vegetables.

Our waiter clearly noticed my lack of interest but sidestepped by offering dessert instead with a hesitant, “saving room for dessert” statement.

Now the service has been great and that goes a long way towards a good meal. But at $100 easy for a single 2 person meal, authentic Italian food should be just that. Flavorful and not an obvious attempt to keep costs down by not preparing the meal as per common, authentic Italian standards.

In the end I say try it once, order carefully, and enjoy. Repeat visits aren’t really warranted though. There are far superior Italian restaurants in the area including one a stones throw away from here. Having lived in and visited Italy repeatedly over the years I have no idea how people think this food is authentic. Even the average tourist trap...

We just returned from dinner at Osteria G. We had a wonderful dinner...good food, good wine, good service, good atmosphere.

We dine out a lot in the Raleigh - Durham - Chapel Hill area. Interestingly enough...most of the time at the higher-end Italian restaurants.

We would rank this restaurant as one of the best. And we are lucky to have it just one mile away from our home.

We went to opening night for this restaurant last month. I would have to agree with some of the early reviews that you see here. BUT!!! The growing pains should be expected for a new restaurant. YOU WOULD BE MAKING A MISTAKE TO LOOK AT THE EARLY NEGATIVE REVIEWS AND NOT CHOOSE THIS PLACE FOR A GOOD AUTHENTIC ITALIAN MEAL. Osteria G seems to have improved greatly...and I would highly recommend it.

But we were not alone. Sitting at the bar there were two other couples who who also raving about their meals. Especially the spaghetti amatriciana.

The wines with desert were fantastic. The owner took a lot of time explaining where the wines came from and he obviously enjoyed pairing good wine with the right foods.

We're off to Italy again for a month next month. I do imagine that Osteria G's food will compare favorably.

BTW - This is a real review from a real paying customer that is totally unsolicited. I was a complete stranger to my now new "friends" at Osteria G when I came in tonight. When I asked the owner John if he wanted me to review the meal, etc on Yelp he said it would be appreciated but humbly only if I wanted to. I really wanted to write this review.

Again...good food, good wine, good service, good atmosphere. A winner here in Holly Springs worth traveling to from anywhere in the Triangle area.

Eric...

Great food, nice surroundings, everything was fresh.. meatballs and sauce all home made... Pretty obvious! A la vodka sauce made well. The Lasagna pasta seemed freshly made but we did not confirm. The house salad can feed three people...worth the price. Everyone enjoyed the meal and it was roomy and felt cozy but not cramped! Service is adequate but not as attentive as our group needed. Would go again for sure regardless! The staff are welcoming and greeted us all when we came in. The orders were taken well and the details mattered to him and the meal was all served right. I would say the only area for improvement would be service after the meal comes out. While the server was around, there were very little offerings for anything and an eye for empty glasses would have been appreciated. I wanted to order wine but eventually gave up as we could not get him..we needed napkins due to a small spill and a straw as well but just let that go. One added bonus was that they make decaf cappuccino which is hard to find. The creme brulee with raspberry biscotti was creamy and rich. The biscotti was authentic and not just a raspberry almond cookie. The restaurant, now in the hands of a new owner, is very good. We would go back for our next...