Ciro's Italian Bistro — Restaurant in Manheim Township

If I could give 10 stars I would.

My family decided to meet in Lancaster for Labor Day weekend. My mother & sister live in NC and my family lives on Long Island.

It was my Mother's birthday, Her 1st birthday without her husband. Her husband (Our Father) passed away from a battle with cancer in February. My mother is also battling cancer.

On of there favorite places to go when they lived on LI was Lancaster, PA. So we thought it would be a good spot for all of us.

My mother being the amazing person she is wanted to treat all of us for her birthday, event though it should've been the other way around. MY Uncle (her brother) who lives in PA also came to meet us.

My mother wanted to do something different for dinner instead of the traditional Amish country food. She wanted Italian.

Now I am from NY, I am Italian AND I did go to college for Culinary Arts and worked as a Chef, however I work as a Firefighter/Paramedic now for over 20+ years. I know food, ESPECIALLY Italian food.

I will say I was concerned about Pennsylvania Italian food. Sorry don't hate!

The restaurant was super nice, clean and the smell of Italian was def in the air!

We called ahead because we were a party of 8 and they were nice enough to put us in a room alone. We were taken care of quickly and efficiently. Drinks, Apps, Main Course all done with excellent timing.

Food, to my surprise Excellent! I had the Chicken Saltimbocca. FANTASTIC! But everything was. Fettuccini Alfredo, Lasagna, and Ravioli. My 6 y/o had the ravioli. Now my son is referred to as the "Ravioli Snob", back home he only eats ravioli from a specific pasta shop and can tell the difference. He had no problem putting them down here.

One of the best parts of our experience was meeting one of the owners, sorry I forgot your first name. He came in, greeted us, spoke with us, gave us the history of him and his brother and the simplicity of his menu. Genuine, nice and sincere. Even asked if anything needed to be changed. To me that was very meaningful. Shows he cares about his food and his patrons.

With him coming in took a lot of the pain we had missing our Dad at this dinner. He actually checked on us twice, had great interactions both times. All he knew was that it was my mothers birthday and nothing else.

Now to the best part... the GELATO! Wow, just WOW!

I STRONGLY urge anyone who travels to Lancaster to visit this restaurant. I know you can get tired of the smorgasbords and feel there are no other options besides chain restaurants. TRUST ME! Take the 20 minute ride to Ciro's YOU.WILL.NOT.BE.DISSAPOINTED!

To the owner and staff at Ciro's thank you for a memorable birthday for my Mom, we will definitely be...

Yesterday, I had a late lunch at Ciro’s in Lititz. It was only my second time there, the first time there was a work lunch and this time I came with my partner who is disabled and has a service dog.

Immediately when we walked in the host looked at my partner’s service dog and she had that look hosts have when we are going to encounter an access issue. We asked for a table for two and the hosts eyes darted around the restaurant then asked if it was okay for us to sit outside. It was too hot of a day for either of us to sit outside with our chronic illnesses, so we said we would like to be seated inside. She said, “uh, well actually…” and I looked at my partner, around the very empty restaurant where not a single other person was sitting outside, then back at the host and she was visibly uncomfortable. She grabbed menus and rudely said, “it’s fine, follow me.” She sat us and Willow went under the table, settled on her mat, and stayed there the entire time we were there. The server was noticeably less friendly to us than the two parties who were seated right by us and the third party who came in and sat at one of the previously occupied tables near us.

We ate our food, I went to the gelato counter and as I was walking away the server said, “I assume that’ll be all for you two?” I gave a short yes, sat down, we shared our gelato and the server brought our tab and walked away. I set my card in the holder, he was walking by after checking on another table, something he didn’t do once for us, and said “oh good, you’re ready to pay.” He took the payment, came back, set it down for me to sign and rudely said, “just to make you aware, the owner doesn’t allow dogs in the restaurant but since no one is really here we let you sit inside.” I just as rudely said, “and just to let you know, that’s extremely illegal…” He interrupted me and said, “it’s not my rule I’m just telling you how it is.”

I signed the slip, we left, the server told us to come back again, the host mumbled a have a good day not looking up from her phone, and we left. Willow never once got up, barked, stepped into the aisle, nothing. She didn’t even have to alert (which barking is an alert task).

Needless to say, we will never return. From the ignorance, to the willful disregard for the laws that protect my partner and myself, to the attitude and unfriendly service we received, this establishment is not only not disability friendly, but it is an establishment that is actively disablist.

I have a retired service dog as I also have disabilities, so I can only imagine if I had a new prospect or my girl wasn’t retired and we would have walked in with two dogs how we would have...

Being close by, I go to Ciro's fairly frequently. It is convenient but even better it is excellent. The layout is kind of quirky in a good way - there are 3 or so "rooms (wall-less) that each have their own feel such that if you go there 3 different times it kind of feels like 3 different restaurants. The ambience is just right. Easy parking nearby.

The bar is small but but very user friendly and seats about 8 - it is a popular place to choose to eat as well. The servers are very attentive and interactive and friendly as well. It's a slightly older crowd at the bar - 40's and 50's.

But best is the food! It's sort of a typical Italian menu, and it's the type of menu I like - simple and short. I'm wary of restaurants with longer menus, as it tends to be harder for the chefs to master that much food. When the menu is simple it is easier for the chefs to put out superb food.

The menu hasn't changed much - "if it ain't broke don't fix it!" My absolute favorite is the chicken saltimbocca - two large, moist cuts of chicken, over a wet and delicious risotto, covered in a mouth watering butter and wine sauce, topped with prosciutto and accompanied by al dente green beans. I could eat this dish every week and never tire of it.

A good menu always has the simplest dishes done perfectly, and that is the case with their lasagna and spaghetti bolognese, for those that prefer simple perfection. And at a reasonable price are their pizzas - enough for a personal meal for most. Cooked in a fire oven, they are crunchy yet soft, and are made in front of you (at the bar) with the freshest ingredients. Try the "Ciro" - prosciutto, mozzarella, basil and olive oil - heaven! Don't forget to add some cracked black pepper on top.

In the far rear of the restaurant is the desert bar - Gelato of all types! You can order from the table or just walk over. If you have kids (they are very kid friendly), walking over to order their own is their highlight! Personally, I love their strawberry cake and their tiramisu, but the Gelato seems to be the most popular.

At worst you will like it and at best you will love it, maybe enough so that you will become a regular there. If you read my other reviews you know that you can trust my feedback...