Gabriella's Ristorante — Restaurant in Prescott Valley

Disappointed is an understatement . We had been here a few months ago and I was very excited to return. The food was not good unfortunately and CERTAINLY not worth the price. They were out of two wines and first entree I had ordered. Understandable I had initially ordered the Osso Bucco but after “we’re out of that wine, and that one and that entree” it got old. I ended up with the Chicken Piccata and dear lord I choked it down for $19. The THINNEST chicken breast pounded down in lemon juice and garlic with capers. It left a Dawn Dish soap taste in the mouth my fiancé and I both tasted. He said it was almost so acidic it was like pure vinegar. I’m unsure the science behind what happened but the flavor during the experience was similar to the taste (and stay with me here) of what raw chicken smells like. My fiancé finished his wine and was not asked at any point if he would like another glass we saw our waitress maybe twice. We also wanted more bread but she was no where to be seen. My fiancé got the special Lobster Ravioli, now, when the table across from us was read the specials they were discussing them after the waitress had left and one of them replies “I don’t really like ravioli” and me (a pasta lover) was thinking HOW CAN SOMEONE NOT LIKE RAVIOLI? Well this lobster ravioli will make you think twice. It was essentially STRAIGHT sugar sauce like the sweetest sauce you’d think it was caramel over pasta stuffed with ravioli. So on this roller coaster of a dish you first experience this very very sweet garlic sauce, then nothing but the ocean floor at the end. While we sat the hostess at the front spoke loudly about how the owner/ manager didn’t give her enough hours etc. going on about the management from the small wine table in the front. The 4 front tables (us being one) all stopped our private conversations to listen to the drama of the hostess who’s (mother?) had to talk to someone about her getting more hours, as entertaining as it was it was inappropriate and didn’t seem to fit the professional theme and vibe they were going for. We sat waiting for our check for 30 minutes after we were done. My partner put his card at the edge of the table so the waitress could grab it finally she flew by dropping the check not seeing the card (I get it I’ve been in the restaurant business she just didn’t say anything it was odd). $77 dollars later for sugar sea floor (lobster ravioli), a napkin dropped in dish soap (chicken piccata) and a server that gave less sh*ts about us than a pet cat gives its owner. We were disappointed to...

Edited after owner's reply -

Gabriella's Ristorante is a small establishment with limited parking, including just two handicapped spots near the entrance. Upon entering, we immediately noticed its compact size, dated interior and the noticeable layer of dust on the walls, decor, and even the lighting above the tables. It's possible most people don't notice things like this so maybe I'm just overly observant.

Our waitress was both friendly and professional, serving both of our meals in under ten minutes despite the crowd. This quick service along with the fact that the plate took ten minutes to cool off suggests the food had been frozen then microwaved. Hot food does not make a plate so hot it can't be touched for ten minutes. After I'd unburied it from the mountain of marinara sauce, my lasagna looked exactly like the one I'd had only a week before, which came out of a Stouffer's frozen lasagna box. Order it yourself and you be the judge.

The menu featured simple Italian dishes that were easy to prepare, with nothing extravagant and a rather limited wine selection. One would typically expect a more comprehensive wine list at an Italian restaurant. The two small pieces of bread that were brought out were very good. The salad was excessively large, far more than what two people could finish — possibly enough for four — which seemed wasteful. There were just two of us.

The main courses were slightly smaller than average. While the food was decent, it didn't live up to the high expectations set by the reviews I had read. Most people use Olive Garden as the standard to compare all other Italian restaurants to; is it better than OG or worse than OG? Because, let's face it, practically everyone reading this review has been to Olive Garden. I'm not saying it is the best Italian restaurant in Arizona, I'm just using it as a reference to gauge similar Italian eateries. I'd rate OG a solid 8.0 and GR a 6.5.

My observations in this review are just that, what I saw, felt, tasted, heard, etc. But the bottom line is, if I'm going to pay $50 for a dinner for two, I'd rather just go to Olive Garden for the larger parking area, larger menu and wine selection and the fact that they have a bar.

Clearly, Gabriella's will not be hurt by my lack of patronage, as there are plenty of people who go there regularly. This is just my opinion. Maybe you'll think...

Gabriella's just opened up, and I think it's a fantastic addition to the Prescott Valley area. While it wasn't a perfect dining experience, I still gave five stars because they're a new restaurant and still learning the ropes and working out kinks.

Each meal comes with endless salad and focaccia bread with dipping oil and balsamic, and each was delicious. I had the fettuccine alfredo with chicken, and it was some of the best alfredo I think I've had. Each of my dining companions said their dinners were really good too, which included veal marsala and chicken parmesana. Finally, we had the tiramisu for dessert, and it was absolutely amazing (and huge)!

It was busy when we first got there, but it quickly died down, and our servers took a bit too long to come check on us. We had two servers because one was training, and it was still slow service. I ordered a water to start and said I would need a minute to look over the wine menu. When they came to drop off the waters, the main server took our food order, then hurried off, and I didn't have a chance to ask. Then our drinks, salad, and bread needed to be refilled (we had been here for some time at this point), and it was the hostesses who came to check and refill, not our servers. I asked a hostess to grab our server, and it still took another 10 minutes or so for her to come out. I didn't get the wine until dinner was served (it also wasn't charged, so we had to have her fix that too). The table next to us had a great server, so I would say our experience was not typical. Again I still gave five stars because they are working out the kinks and you never know what's going on behind the scenes, but I figured I would at least let them know here.

Overall, I am very happy we went. Delicious, authentic food, big portions, excellent dessert. I highly recommend giving...