La Fontanella — Restaurant in Town of Pelham

Went here for parents 41st anniversary with a party of 4. Atmosphere was cozy and clean. Small plate of fresh cheese, meat and bread was placed on table which was a very nice touch. Very pleased they would do the cheese and meat. Staff was outstanding and very attentive. Apps were good. BURRATA was ok. It was more a mozz than a burrata. The prosciutto was the star in that plate. The clams oreganta was nothing special. Had much better down on Arthur Ave. Ordered a bottle of Cab which was great, however, $60 for a bottle of California Cab that goes for $25 is way to much of a high mark up. Dinner consisted of the chicken sorrentino and chicken fontanella both of which were great. The veal carusso was very tender but lacked anything worthy of remembering otherwise. The daily special of fish and crabmeat was heavenly so I was told. Dessert consisted of TIRAMISU Tartufo, tres leche, and pischatio cake. The tiramisu was not up to par. The pischatio cake which was good but was still frozen in some bites more time to thaw out was needed. Both Frangelico were a sizeable pour but the cappuccino tasted a bit burnt. The espresso was the same and did not come in an espresso cup nor with a lemon edge. A nice addition considering the amount we had ordered would have been at least the offer of a shot of sambucca to go with the espresso. Again, have been to places on Arthur Ave that have plopped a bottle of sambucca on the table for us to serve at will. Overall. Enjoyed the experience. Everyone left happy and full. The bill probably was not worth the experience but it was in Pelham afterall..would return, but wouldnt splurge again on an all out...

I had a reservation here for my mother’s birthday. After we were seated, we waited over 20 minutes for menus even though our waitress kept walking around us and looking at us so she could obviously tell for those 20+ minutes that we didn’t have menus. The place wasn’t even busy. It wasn’t late, either. It was only 7:30. I asked to start everyone off with seltzer only to have another waitress mix our half full seltzers with tap water. Once we got our dinner after finally ordering, the food was cold. Our plates did not live up to the images posted on their website at all. The presentation was ugly, sloppy, overall mediocre. We ordered wine and never got it. We didn’t even want to stay for dessert, we asked for the check and it turned out that we were billed for the wine. We had them remove the charges. Then when we got the final bill to sign, they gave us someone else’s bill so they had to void it from my account and give us our actual bill. After paying, our waitress came up to us and said “oh there’s a birthday?” And my mother said “oh, no.” As we were about to leave, my mom was given a cheesecake. Although I appreciate the gesture, we just wanted to leave ASAP to celebrate elsewhere. I have never experienced service, quality, and food like that before. I would give this place zero stars if I could....

Absolutely my favorite restaurant. The waitstaff are friendly, attentive, and gracious. The food is unbelievable -- anything from the spinach salad to fetuccini with fresh porcini mushrooms to the complimentary house made sambuca. Another highlight is the black squid ink linguine with mussels, shrimp, scallops, and a whole lobster on top. The owner (Florio) and captain (Vincenzo) greet me every time -- everyone at the restaurant is devoted to making the best possible dining experience for the customers, and the food most likely better than anything you've ever had before.

UPDATE After being closed for nearly 6 months after a fire, La Fontanella has reopened, completely renovated, and is even better than ever. A few minor changes to the menu (Lobster Ravioli added, as well as a homemade Fettuccine with porcini mushrooms, shallots, and shrimp, and a few veal and fish dishes added). Brand new marble floors, beautifully detailed cherry wood trim throughout, and a gorgeous marble bar with lively lighting all make for a beautiful and welcoming environment for fine dining and socializing. Also, all the original staff has returned upon reopening, and the wonderful people there are really what make La...