Cranelli's Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Lone Tree

As newcomers to the Lone Tree/Highlands Ranch area it is our solemn duty to experience and support the local family owned restaurants. So, on NYE we chose Cranelli's to provide us our final meal of the year. Due to seating restrictions we made our order to go. From start to finish the service was absolutely top notch. They are welcoming, polite, and you can tell they have a spirit of service. This spirit was amplified by the decorations and positive messages of hope and better days ahead found in the front waiting area. Definitely, the staff gets 4 stars.

The food on the other hand...was just okay.

We ordered the garlic knots, eggplant parmigiana, and chicken piccata. Nothing complex at all. Yes, the meal was hot, well prepared, but it was just okay. Sadly, it tasted like a meal you would have at a big chain restaurant, or dare I say, buy in the frozen food section of your favorite grocer. To be more specific, I am a big fan of chicken piccata, I have eaten it in many places around the world. The idea is to cook the chicken breast in the piccata sauce (butter, wine, capers and garlic). Yet this one was prepared with the dry, flavorless chicken on top of the pasta. I may be wrong but it seems like the chicken comes from one of those bulk bags you might find at Costco. Similarly, the red pasta sauce on the parmigiana had a tinny flavor which suggests it comes from a can.

Listen there is nothing wrong with being economical when it comes to food prep, especially during these uncertain times for restaurants. But when the garlic knots outshine the main entrée, something is amiss. I wish I could rave as much about the food as much as I rave about the staff, but unfortunately, I have to give the food 3 stars.

Author's Note: Since writing my review, I received a genuine and heartfelt response from Cranelli's owners, explaining what may have happened and revealing that their food is in fact homemade. It is rare to meet business owners who are open minded enough to receive feedback, and also to stand firmly in their process. Cranelli's reply is not only elegant, it underscores their commitment to excellent service. So, while I stand by my initial review, I will support Cranelli's and I encourage you to do the same. Thank you, Cranelli's, we will meet again and I will gladly revisit my initial review.

We have been back to experience the dine in service, and can I say it was a 5 star experience. The owner lavishly greeted every table in the cozy dining room which was packed to the roof (Dear Fire Marshall, thats hyperbole!). The outdoor dining is offered with space heaters, and all the ladies had blankets (supplied by the house), wrapped around them. It was like a scene from a Hallmark movie! Clearly my covid era experience was an anomaly, because Cranellis deserves every...

8/10/25: My first time back to Cranelli's in 5 years. I really wanted to tell the owner, Lacinda, that I was back. I met her again, we went over my first review and her response, and we had a wonderful reunion of sorts. What a wonderful person she is, and so charismatic! I'm so glad I saw her again. Well, here's another review: we had risotto balls, so different and delicious! We also had caprese as an appetizer. My friends ordered spaghetti, and I ordered lasagna. For dessert my friends had canolli, and I had a chocolate espresso martini. I swear they have some of the best drinks and food! So, so glad I returned to Cranelli's, and so glad I talked to the owners! By the way, she asked me when I would be back. Since I live in KS now, it may be another 5 yrs, who knows? You'll love Cranelli's when you go! 🥰

I'll be the first to tell you that usually Italian food is not my first choice. That being said, we went to our annual American Legion (Post 206) Holiday Dinner at Cranelli's restaurant on Park Meadows Drive. Far and away, it was the best Italian food I've ever had. The waiter was telling us everything is made from scratch with fresh organic ingredients. When my salad was brought, I was very surprised at how fresh it was and the dressing is made on-site. It was delicious and I inhaled every bite of it. We ordered Caprese which was made with whole, fresh basil leaves, slices of tomato and mozzarella cheese, which we ate with the best, freshest parmesan bread ever. Looking at the menu, I noticed about half the entrees were made with Bechamel sauce along with the tomato sauce! What a delicious surprise! I had lasagna, and they do have the traditional Italian dishes. They have half and full sizes for most of the dishes. This restaurant is in a very nice neighborhood, and these people are lucky to have this quality restaurant. The prices are reasonable. I even tried an Italian Soda, cherry flavored! Try one-you'll like it! Try this restaurant, you'll be...

First review: Came here because I saw the great reviews. I do not understand where the ratings come from. The food was terrible (ordered pizza and chicken piccata). Service was just okay. Ambiance wasn’t great. Tables are crammed together and the seats aren’t comfortable. I will never come back.

Update based on the response I received from the owner:

First, I updated from two stars to one star after looking at responses by this horrid owner Lasinda...

Lasinda, based on how you responded to my review and others who have posted negative reviews, I can see you are in DIRE need to learn how to respond in a professional manner. I am honestly floored at how unprofessional you are. I'd think you'd realize that not every person who walks through your doors is going to have a stellar experience. Learn to take constructive criticism without getting defensive and lashing out at the customer. It can only help your business in the long run. Customers are perfectly entitled to have a bad experience and hold their own opinions. You really think responding in the way that you do is going to persuade customers to return to your establishment?

You say that my review was arbitrary and ugly, which is absurd. No, it's not ugly because it is my opinion and wasn't personal. That is what these reviews are for - an outlet for consumers to post their experiences and that is all. The review of the food was NOT arbitrary because the cooking was frankly terrible. The pizza we ordered, which I can believe you can see a photo of, was 80% covered in burnt cheese. What kind of decent restaurant would look at that and find it acceptable to send out to a customer? The chicken piccata was incredibly watery and did not taste good at all. That is one of my favorite dishes to order at Italian restaurants, and I found it inedible.

After this, you better believe I'm going to go and show ALL my friends this post and recommend to never set foot...