Positano Ristorante Pizza — Restaurant in Town of North Hempstead

Positano Ristorante & Pizzeria tucked away in Williston Park has been there since 1996. What a gem. Upon entrance you think you are walking into your neighborhood pizzeria. Then you look straight back and you are transformed into Positano Italy. Upon being seated you are offered a beverage and  a basket full of homemade focaccia and rolls. The menu is extensive with so many choices of fresh Italian dishes. The appetizers are amazing. they are all cooked fresh to order. I ordered and had a fruity cosmopolitan made special for me. It was just delicious and refreshing.The calamari came out fresh hot and tender. Served with a spicy marinara sauce, this hands down was the finest calamari I have had. in a very long time. It was so tender that you knew it was freshly made. The mozzarella sticks had such a cheese pull that we laughed at how long it was. The potato croquettes were pillowy light and fluffy. The rice balls were tender and flavorful.The tricolor salad was a showstopper with arugula, tomato, red onion, cucumber, orange segments and mozzarella balls, tossed in a fantastic balsamic dressing was amazing. The choices of pasta dishes were many. I had the Fettuccine Carbonara in a creme sauce, loaded with onion bacon. It was luscious. the Farfalle Boscaiolla with chicken, peas, mushrooms and onions in a creamy pink sauce was just divine. The Chicken Sorrentino was layered with eggplant, prosciutto and mozzarella in a light wine sauce was fabulous. The Chicken Verde was stuffed with fresh broccoli, prosciutto and cheese was glorious. The showstopper of the meal was the dessert platter. Tire Mi Su, Cannoli, American and Italian Cheesecake was over the top. Flavorful, rich and luxurious, I could go back just for the desserts.

Positano Ristorante & Pizzeria is in a shopping center in Williston Park, NY. When you enter, you are introduced to the pizzeria. Then as you look up and see the restaurant, it is just lovely. With beautiful warm tones of brown and beiges, it is charming. You feel as if you were sitting in a villa in Italy. The lighting is is lovely and the music is easy listening. The service was outstanding. Every staff member was friendly and many have been there from opening day.  We were fortunate to meet the owners. They are the loveliest of people. The pride they have in the food that they offer is very apparent. I must say they are so accommodating and accomplished in this industry.  I had the opportunity to learn the background of some of their special dishes.

Positano Ristorante & Pizzeria is a fabulous Italian restaurant. The food is fresh and made to order. I always rate an Italian restaurant by its sauce. Their sauce  was definitely delicious.  There is  a full service bar and many different varieties of wine and beer. The pizzeria is fantastic with many different  of toppings. This restaurant is a gem that you must try. You definitely will be so happy...

Walking into Positano is like walking into Nonna's home. It's not just a pizza place, but something very special.....you are in Nonna's kitchen.

There is a very comfortable feeling when you sit down that you are about to embark on a very special culinary journey!

Our hosts Jorge and Nancy couldn't have been nicer! Plus our waiter Carlo was fantastic! He was the perfect personality for our table. He understood exactly what we were looking for and delivered a delicious culinary journey.

I don't even know where to begin.

The salad was not your typical salad. Plus the addition of Orange brought it to a whole new level.

The Squinguili, Calamari,Shrimp, Baked Clams were off the charts!

The Veal Parmasean was excellent! As was the pasta with Chicken and Mushrooms!

The Baccarat was sweet and balanced. The desserts were absolutely perfect!

This will be my go to place for Italian food going forward. I can't wait to go back.

UPDATE We have been coming back again over and over since our first experience at this outstanding dining experience.

I love The Parkside...however Positano can definitely go punch for punch with that restaurant. We love both and will continue to enjoy both! ❤️

In any event the food tonight was exceptional. The appetizers consisting of baked clams, stuffed mushrooms, stuffed shrimp, stuffed artichokes and eggplant rollintini were very good. The bread basket is tasty as well. Once again the Veal Parmasean dinner was excellent.

If you enjoy desserts, ours were off the charts delicious. I have to say that the Canolli and Tiramisu were the best that I ever tasted. They are made on the premises. Both were creamy, well balanced, full of great flavors and came with a wonderful homemade cream. Truly heaven on a plate. The presentation was also terrific!

This is a very special place. Once again, the staff was great. Our server Jeanine was wonderful and Carlo was just fantastic as he has been every time we visit!

The owner Jorge made his rounds with a continuous smile. He came over to our table several times to ensure that we were satisfied. You can tell the pride and love he has for his restaurant. It is definitely felt by his customers and there was a full house tonight.

We left happy and tremendously satisfied. We will be back again...

We could have had anything for dinner last night and we regretfully chose to have Positano. We didn't want to travel far so we figured that we would order something locally and chose Positano. We used to love their food, except for the time before last that we had it and didn't enjoy it. In hindsight, we should've used that last experience as an indication that the restaurant had gone downhill because our money, time, and dinner out was completely wasted at Positano.

We ordered the chicken rollatini and spaghetti with meat sauce. Both were sub par and almost inedible. The chicken rollatini tasted like boiled unseasoned chicken with cheese inside in a watery, bland, beige colored "Marsala" sauce with mushrooms. I remember Positano's marsala sauce being so delicious and unfortunately it has changed since then. Even the side of pasta that it was served with was not up to standard. In addition, the pasta with meat sauce tasted like it was from a school cafeteria. The "meat sauce" had barely any meat and it was completely lacking in flavor.

When we used to go to Positano before it seemed as if they really took pride in their food and had high standards for everything they put out. Now, it seems as if they don't care what is coming out of their kitchen and the quality has gone way downhill. This is the 2nd bad meal we've had from Positano in recent years and it was definitely the last. There are too many other great restaurants out there to waste another minute or hard-earned dollar...