Corbo & Sons Osteria — Restaurant in Shrewsbury

I would be wary of holding a party or event here, quite honestly there was very little professionalism after 2 in person consults... We met with Bella who proceeded to gather booking information based on our choices according to their printed banquet menu, asked many questions regarding customizing an 80 person event We were assured our choices could be accommodated and told we would have a contract by the end of the weekend (we met on 2 consecutive Fridays prior to establish event details and pricing) The end of the weekend came and I received a text letting me know she misconstrued their banquet menu (as she was told by the owners wife/Banquet coordinator, Chantal) and that she had handed over our contract to the "Banquet Team" of which I was never under the impression I wasn't dealing with the proper person... I then had a final phone conversation with Bella, who apologized for her misinterpretation and assured me that the Chef/owner would customize something based on what we discussed but that the price minimum had increased and apparently their catering brochure was wrong as well...sounds like a them problem. Bella did what she could with the resources and management she had, the true fault lies with the owner/Chef and the supposed "banquet Manager"(his wife) and their Banquet "team" which lends to the question one might ask, why weren't my initial meetings with these people?? A waste of 2 weeks of my time in the booking of an important event for my family only to be assured, Chantal, the owners wife, who managed private events would be reaching out to me with a solution to make it work....Never heard from them again, thank goodness no money had changed hands as this was obviously a huge red flag I would caution to steer clear of this place,...

I wish I did not have to write a 3 star review, but there are too many items that prevent Corbo & Sons from getting a higher rating. The atmosphere is fair. The space has a very high ceiling, and it makes for a rather loud, cold feeling. Some kind of drapery would soften the feel and the noise. The service is the true weak point. The restaurant was 1/3 full, with plenty of open tables in the front, and we were guided to the last table in the back by the entrance to the kitchen next to a table of 12 guests. We politely asked to not be seated there. We ordered drinks and the soda was flat. A second waiter told us "didn't your waiter tell you our machine is not working?" We then ordered and received our appetizer. It was quite good, but then within 5 minutes we received our entrees. Bad timing. We are still eating the appetizer and now we have to make space on the table for the entrees and feel pressured to finish the appetizer. Awkward and rushed. The entrees were good and almost too generous. When it was time to clear the dishes, the waiter literally piled the dishes on the table, and clumsily had a fork drop onto me, staining my pants. Finally we received the bill, and I had missed the small print on the menu that indicates that a 3% credit card fee will be "quoted" on the bill. What that means is that your bill will have a 3% surcharge for paying with a credit card. Business should include that as part of the cost of the product or service and not pass that along separately. That just left a bad taste in my mouth. The kitchen is alright, but the rest seems to be driven by management that needs to pay more...

We walked in and were fortunate to snag the only available table on a Friday night. They also have a partnership with with Faustini Winery in Napa, so there are a few bottles available as are small glasses for tasting on three of the wines.

We had the calamari, Caesar salad, veal chop parmigiana, and bolognese. Calamari was served with a lemon aioli and marinara - nice not to have to choose between the dips. Calamari was fresh and perfectly seasoned. The Caesar salad was made with shaved Grana Padano and perfectly dressed with white anchovies on the top. The veal chop was a solid 4.5. Probably the only thing missing was a little zing but that's a taste preference. It was perfectly prepared. The bolognese was outstanding. It was a combination of veal, pork, and beef and had that long, slow cooked taste to it and made it feel homemade. Portions were a tad above medium in size so we had plenty of main course to take home for the next day.

But what stood out was the service. Juan was excellent from the start. Attentive, mindful, and just generally pleasant.

Only reason for the four stars on atmosphere was that the lighting was way too bright for dinner. But that's just a preference. It was more of a casual vibe for a high-end meal.

Will...