Ciao! — Restaurant in Sylvania

01/16/2023

Ciao has redeemed itself! We had a party of six for my mother-in-laws birthday. We were seated as soon as I gave our reservation name at the front door. Shay, our waitress, was attending to our drink needs. She was very personable and came to our table several times to ask if we needed anything.

I couldn’t have the bread because of a gluten allergy and Shay offered to have the cauliflower pizza crust made as bread for me so I could dip it with the olive oil. It was good!!! The meals were absolutely delicious! The appetizer, Gamberi e Arancini, is a must try for your taste buds!

Everyone in our party had a wonderful time and was well taken care of by Shay, our waitress! Ciao has stepped up! Fabulous job on the meals and service! It is time to walk through the doors of Ciao again!

Unfortunately, we did not have a good dinner because we couldn’t even be seated when we made our reservation.

Our reservation was set for 7:30 pm to celebrate a 21 year anniversary and a 75 year old birthday. We got there about 7:20pm at the restaurant and at 7:40pm we had asked about our table. They told us that they are already done eating, the table is cleared, and they are done eating and it shouldn’t be much longer. We asked them if they could say something to them since their reservation was from 5:30 to 7:30.

At 7:45pm, we asked for the manager. We asked if there was another table we could be seated at, but unfortunately, we had ten people and that was the only table that was big enough for us. The manager continued to tell us she was sorry, but wasn’t doing anything about it. At 8:00pm we were still waiting for our table. I couldn’t believe the service we were getting at Ciao. How they could pass up ten people from ordering food that night!

So, we left and called Jo-Jo’s Pizza in Sylvania. They have more than pizza! We asked if they were still open, and she said the kitchen closes at 9:00pm. Come on over! Great food and great service! They received a great tip! Thank you Jo-Jo’s!!!

2/1/2022 Follow - up Unfortunately, the owner was not there that night. He did reach out and apologized for what happened to our party. He was very nice and gave a percentage off our meal for our next...

Delicious! First time ever there. Server informed us all is made in their kitchen and fresh from scratch daily. Chose this place once I saw that they have Spaghetti di Mare alla Vodka, and it was no let down! Superceded my hopes of deliciousness. Lovely portions of real seafood and the sauce was absolutely perfect. The whole dish just delightful and why I want to go back. All together in addition to the aforementioned we had: Gamberi e Arancini (which we thought to be just okay, nothing to rave about) & Bruschetta Funghi (phenomenal, absolute must have, and if you even think you don't like mushrooms this will make you reconsider) for our starters, Caesar Classico with sardines (this was a let down as no taste of Cesar dressing, in fact a very dry and bland salad overall) & Insalata Verde (this was just okay, nothing to order again) for our salads, Zuppa Toscana (while I did not try it, it was thoroughly enjoyed by whom did) & the tomato bisque (delicious) for our Soups, Salmone al Ferri con Ravioli (highly enjoyed) & as previously said Spaghetti di Mare alla Vodka (best around here) for our main course. We ordered desserts to go, both the Tiramisu (just okay, a little lighter in flavor than hoped for) & Torta Gianduia (very rich, and delicious). The ice tea was good and their black coffee as well. Manager was pleasant and visited our table. Plan to go back with more family as we've been recommending this place already. While all items were not that great, what was great really was absolutely delicious and could help overlook that that wasn't, thus why the 5 stars. Worth noting, that we had a reservation and I'm uncertain as to how they'd receive us otherwise, as we were asked upon entering if we have one, as opposed to starting with an actual greeting. Nice ambiance and...

I had heard great things about this place. But honestly, I was completely underwhelmed when my wife and I both went for the first time, for our anniversary last year. This review is being written 14 months later, for complete transparency. This was all on a Friday night. We arrived slightly before peak dining hour, both having gotten off work a bit early. The peak time was determined per the hourly estimates on Google Maps. We waited only a few minutes for a table (5-10), even though I think we were told it was a 20-30 minute wait.

We were both dressed in business casual attire, and felt a little out of place. We were painting afterwards, so dressing up further would not have been appropriate. Our drinks were brought out in a timely fashion, but our food took considerably longer. Long enough in fact that we nearly did not order dessert; one of my wife's favorite reasons to pick a restaurant (based on their dessert menu). Our meals were okay. I don't recall exactly what we ate, which means it wasn't anything to write about. Italian food is my favorite, so that's saying something for me. I do know, however, that we ordered the Tiramisu and Creme Brulee for dessert. And if I recall correctly, we didn't finish the Tiramisu.

My overall impression of the place was that it have the impression that it was traditionally a place for the affluent part of town to meet up for drinks and a meal after work. The food was okay, not great. And I would consider the menu about 30% overpriced. I just looked it up online. We haven't...