Nostrano Italian Eatery — Restaurant in Newtown

This was my 2nd visit to Nostranos, the first was right after they opened. Some good, some bad, hence the 3 stars. The good: They reduced the corking fee to $5 per table, down from $10. They eliminated the eliminated the entry enclosure for more floor space. Good move. New décor...nice. Expanded menu choices, mostly good (more on that later).

The bad. I wasn't in the mood for Italian that night, but I knew, from my last visit, that they had a few gourmet pizza choices, which was what I was in the mood for. BAD NEWS - No more pizza on the menu in any form. Too bad. It was really good. No, this is not a pizzeria, but what they had was good, it was what I wanted, and it was GONE.

My choice was the "Uncle Tony" sandwich. In a word, it sucked. Question - was this supposed to be hot sandwich?? Because if it was, YOU FAILED. It was a barely warm sandwich on stale bread with maybe 1/4" of meat and a mountain of French fries to make up for the small sandwich. If you're going to put a sandwich on the dinner menu, MAKE IT WORTHY OF "DINNER" STATUS. That was barely a snack and not very well executed.

Everyone else had pasta dishes which were very well done and very tasty. I should have take that route.

If you're going to put a sandwich on the menu, make sure it's well executed and satisfying. Yours was NOT.

I'll try Nostranos again, but stay away from the sandwiches and don't expect any...

I found this using the Google Maps function that shows you local places to eat. When we arrived we were not properly greeted but rather looked at as we looked around. Then an older woman asked if we had a reservation. We did not because the website didn't say anything about that. Our waiter was polite and friendly. He knew the specials well and was attentive. He brought us bread and olive oil as we looked over the menu. As we sat down I thought it was nice to be able to see the chefs cooking but as I looked around I could see the ingredients and everything they use. I ordered the tagliatelle bolognese because it said it was house made egg pasta with traditional meat sauce. It was $19, no sides came with it, no salad or soup. Once the food came it was a small portion considering the cost. The waiter did offer fresh grated cheese which was nice. The meat sauce wasn't anything special. It tasted like ground turkey meat and didn't have much flavor. The pasta was flat spaghetti and tasted like what I get from the grocery store. For a place boasting the chef has 40+ years experience, who was born and raised in Italy, I was thoroughly disappointed. My first impression was undoubtedly terrible. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant to anyone I know based on cost, quality of food, and atmosphere...

We have been going to Nostrano every week since the new owners Gio and his Dad Chef Jesus took over from the former owners. We can honestly say it is the best Italian food in CT. Chef Jesus never ceases to surprise us with his culinary talents and daily specials. I love all the fish dishes and the portions are very generous. My husband has sampled every homemade pasta dish on the menu and concurs that they are scrumptious. Gio is very caring, warm and family oriented and he approaches diners individually to converse about menu choices and dining experiences. We are always warmly greeted by the beautiful hostesses Fernanda and Valencia and promptly brought to our table. The wait staff of Tom, Rene, Meredith, Abby and Kristen are experts in their jobs, super friendly and always accommodating to our dining needs. Along with helpers Marby, Chris and Jose who are always friendly, courteous and caring. We have recommended Nostrano to many friends and family and they have fully enjoyed their visits and meals. We love Nostrano and always enjoy every dining experience we have there as we are treated like “Family”…and in return, we consider Gio, Chef Jesus and staff to be our Perfect Dining...