Osteria Romana — Restaurant in Norwalk

I loved the food at Osteria Romana! Perfect portions of artistically designed and prepared dishes by chefs and owners who, very obviously, love food!! It also shows that they love sharing, and serving the food they love so much. The wait staff was attentive and very professional. They were kind and generous with their service and knowledge. The decor is lovely and overall setup does the best it can in a too-small space. If these were my only thoughts I'd say this is 10 out of 10.

However there are a couple of observations that I found, but I need to qualify because I live nearby and don't necessarily think everyone would agree with. Here goes... This is a local place. It is filled with regulars and can get loud, especially if you're near the bar area. Personally I don't enjoy places that have a clientele that is cliquish. The management/owners don't seem to encourage this, in fact they try hard to impress everyone. Secondly, the parking lot is undersized and poorly configured, again not the owners fault, however it can deter you from stopping by. I'd recommend parking on far side of building or around the back and walking to Osteria Romana, because honestly the walk is...

Food quality / price (value) rating 8. The atmosphere is Contemporary Italian. Located in a strip mall that has three other restaurants, you'll always have choices at hand as to where you'll eat. The place is decorated very nicely and the spaces are attractively apportioned. There is also a very large outdoor dining area. The menu is pretty standard for an Italian restaurant, and they had a few specials in addition. I had the Halibut entree. It was served with some high quality bread and oil with garlic cloves, and some "nothing special" mixed vegetables, but no salad. The fish was good and fresh, and the portion was large, but was kind of soggy and not too flaky like Halibut is typically. The wife had the Scallopini, which was very flavorful and was also a good sized portion, but also without a salad. We sat at the bar, which is about 14 seats, and is made from a very attractive dark granite. They have a limited, but well chosen offering of draught beers. The service was very good. The bill was pretty high for what we received, I thought, even when considering the area in which the...

We had reservations for 8:00 on Saturday Night for my birthday! We walked in and were greeted right away and seated at our table. The only negative is that we were sitting for a little before anyone brought a menu or took a drink order. However, that aside, the rest of the dining experience was delightful! We had Fried Mozzarella and Fried Calamari for appetizers - absolutely delicious. The entrees soon followed in a very timely manner and, again, delicious. I ordered the Chicken and Veal special with Hot and Sweet peppers - had almost an entire 2nd meal for leftovers and it was just as tasty the next day! Loved it. Prices were average and not outrageous. Our waiter Maurice, was very attentive, friendly and personable. He shared a little history of his family and we were very intrigued to know more about Italy! I will certainly return and perhaps go on a night when there is music on the patio! I would absolutely recommend Osteria Romana to my...