Mystico Cucina Italiana — Restaurant in Manchester

Pasting my copy from over on Yelp. TL; DR it's freaking amazing and delicious and awesome but we had a couple that were hardcore making out down the bar from us and it was killing the vibe.

This spot has been on my to-try list forever. A few months ago I was invited to lunch with a winemaker here and that experience was exceptional (but not what everyone is going to experience) so I bumped it up higher on the list.

They are open on Monday nights and for a short time I was working in hospitality and living in a town where NADA is open on Monday nights so Kris and I headed up route 7 to try this. I'm so glad we did.

We didn't have a reservation but were able to get seated at the bar instantly. The staff was great and quick and fun, kind of picking up on the vibe of the guests and being more or less chatty depending.

The lighting is gorgeous and the space has got a great, elegant but casual vibe. You can tell tremendous care is taken with their food and beverage program. We started with a cocktail before each enjoying a pasta dish with wine. I had to get their house-made pistachio icecream to finish because I never say no to pistachio icecream.

Right-priced and just an excellent choice. Deducted one star because there was a couple sitting down the bar from us that was MAKING OUT. I'm not talking a little affection on date night. I'm talking foreplay. I get that the customer is always right but as a diner, on the short side of an L-shaped bar, I couldn't help but see it and I personally think they should have been asked to stop. Sometimes you have to let peole know their behavior isn't a good fit. Yes, it's dimly lit and romantic but no one wants to watch people licking each others molars.

Looking forward to going back and will continue to even if people are making...

Not a positive experience, we have eaten there many times and normally enjoy it.This time they missed the mark, our server could have cared less about our experience. Our food was not worth what we were charged for it. The rigatoni was a strange taste and the flavors were way off for a dish my wife had eaten many times, I tried it and had no idea what was going on with it, maybe it was just an off night. The server saw my wife had not eaten her meal, and saw her eating off of my daughter’s dish and did not ask if everything was ok. We actually entertained stopping at the McDonalds drive thru on the way home. My dish was actually pretty good, I had a spinach parpadelle the flavors were good the paparedelle pasta was on point and cooked well, a little al dente just the way I like it, however it was served in a tiny little bowl that made it very difficult to eat. Because it was Al dente it had To be cut which was next to impossible in such a tiny soup bowl. I mentioned this to the server who never asked how everything was and she said they were new bowls and they were trying them out I looked around and we were the only ones with these type of bowls, funny how that works. She could care less. I dont mind paying for a good quality meal but this completely missed the mark and was not a positive experience. I will end with a positive note, the cocktails were good, if the server was better I would have had a few more, but I guess she was too busy. We will take a break from this place for a little while and hope it goes back to how...

World class cuisine--well worth the price! We have traveled extensively and so a gem like Mystico is worthy of note. If you were looking for traditional Italian Linguine con Vongole or Lasagna this is not your place, but if you appreciate remarkably creative home made pasta dishes, you could probably do no better in Italy! My wife had the Ravioli with Artichokes, while I had the stuffed Agnoletti (sp?) with Mushroom Sauce, a kind of cheese-filled stuffed pasta. Perfetto! There was no over-cooked tomato sauce--in fact only small fresh tomatoes with a delicious broth-like clear sauce on my wife's dish, while my mushrooms came in a mildly creamy sauce without the heaviness of the typical buttery-cream concoctions. We relied on Chrislin the waitress for several recommendations, including a very much enjoyed stuffed zucchini flower appetizer, Italian Sav blanc and Vermentino wines to accompany the entrees, and Olive oil Cake and a very light Italian Chocolate Cheesecake for dessert. Finally, I do read the worst reviews at restaurants, and the criticisms over some waitstaff 's behaviors were not encountered at all: the host found us a table for 2 on a crowded summer's eve; the waitress was very knowledgeable and charming to boot, and the service was impeccable. We will definitely make this our #1 restaurant when passing...