Fontina Ristorante — Restaurant in McKinney

My daughter and I ate here for lunch on Tuesday to celebrate mother's day. We hadn't planned on going here, we were just walking around McKinney exploring and noticed them across the street from one of our favorite antique stores. I wish that one of us would have taken pictures. But we were just enjoying the moment. The host seated us immediately and was super. We had coffee earlier in the day but hadn't had any water yet. The waitress brought us water right away and when I chugged mine like a 10 year old chugs koolaid, she brought us back the carafe to have at our table. She also brought sliced bread and a balsamic/oil dipping plate. This bread was AMAZING. Perfect bite on the crust and super soft on the inside. We ordered bruschetta for an appetizer, and the tomatoes, onions and basil were chopped lovingly to fit perfectly on the size of the toasted bread. They must have a hook up on the best ingredients, because this was by far the best bruschetta that I have ever had. Our entrees were both beyond any italian food that we have ever had around DFW. My daughter got the spaghetti carbonara and I got the lobster ravioli. If the pasta wasn't made in house, it had to have been made somewhere very near. My lobster ravioli came with a sage butter sauce that was buttery but not overly heavy. We were both speechless just enjoying the food and atmosphere. The waitress was a gem. She was constantly watching us and checking in with us in the most pleasant way. We asked how long they had been there because we couldn't believe we hadn't found this place sooner and were told that it had been there for about 8 mos. We both live in Little Elm/Frisco, but will most definitely be going back to McKinney. This will be our go to Italian Restaurant. I almost forgot to mention, the prices! There was nothing over $25! If you haven't, GO CHECK THEM OUT. You...

I love downtown McKinney and I am a super strong supporter so leaving this review is difficult for me. Have been here for dinner once before (and recommended it to others), made a reservation and met another couple of dear friends there. Was surprised when they took us upstairs as I didn’t even know there was an upstairs dining area. Evidently it has just been opened upstairs for a few months. Was happy that it was quieter upstairs so we could visit but it definitely did not have the ambience of downstairs, but that was OK. The rest of the evening was just quite a mess. It took quite a while to get drinks out- only 3 of 4 came out and it was probably another 10 minutes before the fourth drink came out. In fact it didn’t come out until after the appetizers had came out. When our dinner was brought out- two guests got their main dishes and two got salads only. (Usually those with salads get them first then all entrées come out together). One salad had no dressing. The other entrees came out later and the medium rare steak was clearly medium well. There was no follow up, checking in on how things came out. It took a good 10 minutes to get the waiters attention about the steak and he said “well maybe a bit overdone” -my friend asked for a new one and the waiter shrugged it off and walked away-No help was offered. No solution. It was difficult to get the waiters attention to get our bill - he was bussing tables and it was literally almost empty upstairs by the time we got the bill. Three of the four dishes were very good, but it was just a disjointed evening. I would probably go back for the food again, but I would definitely hope for much better service and attention to detail and willingness to accommodate...

My wife and I had been hearing wonderful things about Fontina and, given we don't have a ton of Italian places here in McKinney, we finally decided to do a late lunch. Arrived just after 1:30p and there were only two tables seated. Not a problem, we're after the lunch rush and was to be expected. The places is well decorated and it really has a Tuscan-like feel. The wine bottle display is especially good looking.

We were sat almost immediately... and then waited. The hostess was setting tables and other chores. While we waited. Glanced over to the bar (well built!) and could see a bit into the kitchen. They were moving around, so I figure someone didn't mention us.

Hostess then brings us some bread and a olive oil/balsamic vinegar with some herbs. But didn't take even a drink order. So we waited a bit more. Finally the waitress (owner, I think) comes over and takes our drink order and order. My water came, but my wife had to remind her for her tea.

Not the best experience so far, but then the food came.

For a lunch dish, it was a great value. It had good flavor, but we both agree that it didn't have a great depth of flavor. My chicken alfredo (what I always order the first time so I have a standard to compare) could desperately need some black pepper or something.

But I can't complain. The food was a solid three stars. The service, unfortunately, I have to give one star. The price-to-value I'd also give a solid three starts, maybe four stars.

We will try Fontina again, this time for dinner and see if maybe we just hit a weird lull...