Buon Appetito Ristorante & Pizzeria — Restaurant in North Stonington

We revisited Buon Appetito this past Sunday (2/23/20) after attending an art exhibit at the Mystic Seaport Museum. Once again every dish was flawless.

One of our party of three only wanted tea and dessert. She ordered the baked ricotta cheesecake. The crumbled topping reminded her of a Drake's coffee cake. A mug of hot water was brought to her with a wooden box of different tea bags. She appreciated being able to choose from the large selection.

We ordered the house fried calamari which includes carrots and zucchini, and marinara out of three sauces diners can pick to accompany the squid. The batter was light and crispy and we liked the addition of the vegetables. Fresh bread with olive oil was also brought to the table.

My grilled salmon served over parmesan and asparagus risotto was perfect. The salmon had a nice crusty exterior and was velvety smooth inside. The risotto was creamy and cheesy.

My partner enjoyed his linguini and fresh clams with olive oil, garlic and parsley. He thought there was some salmon mixed into the linguini, as well, which was a pleasant surprise. The waiter asked if he wanted some freshly grated parmesan on his dish and he did. Both of our entrées were good sized portions so they boxed half of our dinners to go.

For dessert, he ordered their crème brûlée, which could quite possibly be the best we've ever eaten anywhere. We appreciated there was no garnish on the thick burned sugar top. Each rich and melt-in-your-mouth bite of custard is heavenly. We savored this experience with two cappuccinos and Amaretto. Our waiter told us his favorite gelato was the salt caramel and brought us all a taste. Luscious. I noted our neighboring tables desserts of the caramel apple crostada á la mode and the fallen chocolate cake also looked spectacular.

We were asked as before if we wanted a complimentary shot of their Limoncello, and we happily agreed. He suggested I try to make my own and gave me some tips. I just might! We'll be back whenever we are in the neighborhood. Highly recommended eatery from fine dining to pizza. It's all tremendous.

Everything was delicious. Excellent service. Nice interior and relaxing environment. Best Sangria I've ever had and amazing coffee mocha chip gelato. Perfect porcini mushroom risotto. Flavorful tender braised beef short ribs. We also ordered a sausage and green pepper pizza as an app to each try a slice before boxing it up to take home. Very thin crisp crust and nicely balanced sauce. Thanks to the owner for the complimentary Limoncello with our dessert. (First...

My husband and I met another couple here for a combined birthday dinner as two of us have birthdays in the same week. The restaurant has a distinctly European Flair with two dining rooms, a full bar and a patio area which is open in nice weather. As expected for a Friday night, they were busy, but we had a reservation.

We were seated in the main dining room promptly once our entire party showed up. We were offered wine but declined. The waitress, Liz I think, served us. She was friendly, took our drink orders and left us to look over the menu. One of the features of this restaurant is the made on site pasta.

The other couple ordered an appetizer and their meals. I ordered the Chicken Parm and my husband had a seafood dish from the specials menu. I don't know the name of the appetizer but it was plenty for four people. Various meats, cheeses, and olives on a large plate. I could easily see someone eating just that and a glass of wine for a relaxing lunch. We were also brought fresh bread which was good.

The plates and silverware were cleared and fresh silverware was brought out for dinner. We were offered fresh parmesan cheese which we took them up on. Even though my friend's dish didn't need cheese she asked for some anyway so she could taste it.

The chicken parm is served on a bed of spaghetti. The amount of spaghetti could be a meal on its own. The chicken wasn't skimpy either. The breasts about 2 inches thick and covered in a flavorful homemade red sauce. My husband's dish was broiled seafood with pasta and spinach. He said it was good but that it was a little too buttery. Usually, he orders the mushroom risotto, which is his favorite, and I think he was a bit of meal regret.

Being a birthday event we ordered dessert. My husband had the creme brulee which was smooth, creamy and delicious. I had an apple caramel tart which came with vanilla ice cream on top. It was heavenly. The tart was still warm on the inside but the outside was cool so the ice cream didn't melt and make a huge mess. It was perfect.

The pricing is average for a higher end restaurant. And the service and food are better than some of the comparably priced places nearby. While it is pricey, it's worth every penny. My only regret is that I don't have the budget to here more often. This will continue to be my go-to spot for...

The food is good, and I would return to dine again. However, the service and atmosphere were disappointing. While the restaurant is beautiful, we were placed in a booth per our request, but the lights above the booth were turned off which made it dark for reading the menu and dining. I asked for them to be turned on and the waitress replied "as soon as I figure out how," and they never were turned on. Also, I'd ordered a red zinfandel, and I'm fairly certain I was given a white zinfandel-could not determine based on color because of the lighting situation, but it certainly tasted more like a white zinfandel and appeared lighter than the red zins I'm used to but darker than the whites. Either way, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't what I was looking for. I did ask the waitress if it was a red or a white zin and she replied "it's the only zinfandel we've got." She did offer to take it back for another wine, but I opted to drink what was in front of me- I'm not one to waste wine. It just seemed like she did what she was supposed to for the most part but was in a bad mood perhaps? We did dine late, maybe end of shift ready to go home, who hasn't had those days? They did give us limoncello on the house following dinner, which they appeared to be doing for other tables as well. Again, the food was good and I would return to give it another shot, especially because it is conveniently located for me. But there is definitely room for improvement, and for the price point I'd still choose other Italian restaurants in the area over Buon Appetito.

UPDATE 9/26/18: I returned a second time and had a much better experience. The service and environment were both so much better. They did have issues with their sound system that was being worked on while we were there, but there were snippets of great dinner music. This time I ordered a bolognese special and it was delicious. I also learned they have gluten free options for those who need it. I'm happy to report they were very accommodating for my own dairy allergy. I have no complaints. I'm still reluctant to give it 5 stars since I've had one disappointing experience and one great experience, but I'll definitely return in the future and would at this point...