North Italia — Restaurant in Phoenix

I am considering recommending this restaurant to be visited by Gordon Ramsey! My goodness do they need his help. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about and we decided to book dinner here for a special occasion. I enjoyed the outdoor seating area. The parking is a bit of a nightmare to be sure. The main problem is there is a paucity of flavor and proper cooking and plating. I am not trying to be impolite, but I honestly it tastes like the meal was made the day before and they simply put it in the microwave for too short of time and then served it. I was really disappointed in the the food quality! I was really anticipating legitimate Italian food! Unfortunately, , it’s American all the way- in Italy they would never serve deep fried calamari such as what was served at our table! Any Italian would be ashamed to serve such a thing as it was heavily breaded and very dry and soaked with oil. In Italy calamari is ALWAYS gently sautéed with lemon juice and garlic and olive oil and plenty of salt. Any real Italian chef would be too ashamed to cater to the segment of Americans who love everything that’s deep fried. There is a reason why I would never eat at Denny’s or IHOP. To be frank, one could not ascertain what was inside the thick breading there were so little of the inside (supposedly calamari) and so much of the hard stale cold dried out oily breading. We all took leftovers home to give to the dog because it was not good. It’s the sort of food that people at an assisted living facility or middle America might get: flavorless, bland and basic. My daughter had the tortellini and it was hard and sharp and undercooked and cold inside. My Lumache dish was undercooked and lukewarm. I do not enjoy having food served to me lukewarm and wretchedly lacking in flavor. I easily can cook way better at home. I don’t understand why anyone would go here and pay the current plate prices like this when it doesn’t even taste that great. Oreganos and Grimaldi beats this place hands down in terms of flavot Every pasta dish we ordered was lacking in flavor and very bland. It’s almost like they’re unaware of the fragrant herbs that typically are used in Italian cooking. I’ve traveled to Italy a few times and I know what good Italian food tastes like and this is definitely not it. I’d rather go to True Food or Blancos down the street where at least I know I will get something that tastes predictably good and is made with nutritious ingredients. I went here looking for Italian food not American food. Consider yourself warned- just because it’s expensive and trendy does not mean that it’s worth it! Epic failure. There are so many better options even at a chain restaurant like the cheesecake, factory or oregano’s...

Went there a couple weeks ago with my wife. It was a Saturday night around 8. I had good experiences at the Phoenix location so I thought this would be similar. We had made a reservation in advance yet we had to wait for twenty minutes when we arrived. The dining room was extremely loud to the point where my wife and I couldn’t understand each other across the small table we were assigned. The table was in between two other tables and so close to the other tables that the other patrons and I could almost touch elbows. Our waiter took a long time to get our drink order and when he finally did, he was visibly disappointed we didn’t order alcohol. We waited ten minutes before he came back with our drinks. We then placed an order. We got an appetizer the fish entree and I got the steak. Again long wait before app came out and while people around us were getting bread and while they waited we had to request some. Finally we get our app and bread but the bread is stone cold and there’s nothing to dip it in or butter. We ask our waiter for some butter or oil and he comes back with a plastic disposable cup with of cold oil. Not a great start but we already placed our order so whatever we try to make the best of it. When we finally get our entrees the fish was actually pretty good according to my wife which is why I gave the review 2 stars. My steak however was so disappointing. I ordered it medium rare and of course it was well done. Worst of all I could tell it wasn’t made to order. Absolutely zero juices. The fat had been completely rendered out and the meat was barely lukewarm to the touch. I would have sent it back except our waiter disappeared and never checked back with us. Fortunately there is a QR code where you can pay from your phone because I could have waited another 30 minutes for the check. Overall a very poor experience. Would not recommend...

I loved this place!!! We had heard about this place and finally got a chance to try it for my mom’s birthday. We were pleasantly surprised. Firstly, the ambience was nice and cozy it felt very welcoming. There was also complimentary valet which was nice. Now for the food: We loved every dish. For the small plates We got the bread and olive oil and the calamari. Both were good, but the calamari was exceptional. It was not too soggy and not too crunch. My family ate the whole plate within 5 minutes. For the main dishes, I got the burrata anolini(pictured) and it was very good. The acidity of the tomato sauce really complimented the pungency of the burrata. My brother got the Margherita pizza and it was also very delicious. The pizza tasted homemade. My dad got the Roasted Salmon which he said was very good, but the tomato was a little too acidic for his stomach. My mom got the truffle mushroom pasta… I forgot the exact name. I tried it myself and it was so good! A lot of restaurants‘s truffle dishes lack the flavor of a truffle, but this pasta dish’s truffle flavor was quite prominent. Lastly, we all shared the tiramisu. It was quite delectable, but unfortunately the powder on top (i believe it was cocoa powder of coffee grounds) was easy to get stuck in your throat. Other than that, it was very delicious. Overall, I would recommend this place to anyone seeking a well-priced Italian restaurant. From the atmosphere to the food, North Italia is definitely...