Grana Trattoria Antica & Enoteca — Restaurant in Town of Riverhead

Second time here. First on a Wednesday three months ago (June), this time on a Friday in September (updating today). HIGHLY RECOMMEND RESERVATIONS. Fills up quickly. Food is always good. Tonight the carbonara pasta special came salty and without the "crispy egg" as described. Likely the result of newly hired staff. It happens. Our server Chrissy (sp?) Was great, a real sweetheart. They confused our entrees tonight with another table, but quickly rectified the situation and were very gracious and courteous to us. We love this place and will certainty be back. Keep up the great work Chef David! Wish they served Pellegrino/Panna and a few local desserts.

Updated August 2018: Photos are pappardelle with boar ragout, cocoa and I think it was orange or nutmeg [phenomenal special] and side of meatballs (also very good) from a recent trip. Didn't get a picture of the Rabbit pappardelle with rosemary and orange, my dinner guest ate too fast; it was so good! Also noticed they featured some desserts! Wish I had room this time to try. Next time ...

A note to the readers ploughing through the reviews, while the service is at times spotty, I can't imagine Grana having the luxury of a Manhattan restaurant that has thousands of applicants at their disposal. Jamesport is a destination location and I am certain they have their challenges getting high quality, professionally minded staff. So to all the stuck up snooty people that trash the place for service, remember this: statistically speaking people are more likely to forgive terrible service than terrible food. Most go out to eat, not to be catered to. So give the young and inexperienced a break and lighten up. It's only one meal out of your day. And if you've only been there once, give it another go. Everyone has a bad day.

Yes, the food is not Michelin rated but it's not meant to be. This establishment has their heart in the right place and unless you've worked in the hospitality industry, you can't possibly understand what it is like trying to please the masses.

I am not getting paid to write this nor do I receive any benefits. I understand and appreciate the opportunity I have to visit them. I have been in this industry a very long time and through the years, customers have become less gracious and more obnoxious with their demands, let alone expectations. Just chill, have a good meal and enjoy your company. It's a gem in a sea of mediocrity.

Update October 2018: Another fantastic visit. While the service was okay at best (they must have been short staffed for a busy Sunday night). Chef David came out to the table to assist with our menu questions. He is very accommodating and walked us through what options are available for our dietary needs. While many, I'm sure, request lifestyle choices, ours are life changing requirements that really mean life and really difficult painful life choices. This is what makes this place amazing. They care a great deal about the guest; its why its our ONLY GO TO PLACE in this area. Thank you for your amazing performance.

Update November 2020: I wish I could detail my experience but there's not enough space. Service and food was terrible this time around. Just awful. I hope it was only an off night as I'm sure the 2020 craziness had it's affects on the staff and the systems. In short, our dinner was inedible, deep fried petrified rocks posing as roasted potatoes, my pork chop was far too salty to eat (confirmed by the kitchen after 45 minutes) and my wife's "house made organic pasta" turned out to be boxed dry pasta, also confirmed by the kitchen after we called them out on it. In short we didn't eat dinner. Thank GOD we ordered a pizza for appetizer and that was fabulous; a miracle. The server tried to be kind and courteous but he just has no clue about service and really needs more training. Like I said, 2020 strikes again. We'll try again, just maybe next year. Sorry Chef David, we're still big fans, just left with a broken heart and...

Real pizza in the old Naples style Crispy very thin crust. Love the fig pizza.

September 2022. The food is fresh. The menu a joy in old world Italian dishes. Delightful singing waiter. Try their artichoke appetizer. The ravioli done Roman style. The delicious mushroom pizza not made with tomato sauce. Desserts not their forte. They have a following and I enjoy coming here.

Valentines Day 2023. Well this 86 year young and her dear friend had a wonderful dinner here in this warm, intimate place. The owner, chef, and staff were wonderful. Complimentary prosecco, three miniature appetizers, and two cookies to dip in melted chocolate. We share their marvelous grilled artichoke appetizer. Excellent as it was served on a bed of minced greens. Previously they were grilled/ or fried and served on less salad greens. Totally different in appearance. But I’m a person who Loves artichokes any which way and they do it best. My second course was the pasta bundles filled with beef and pork (5)and with an incredible onion and (guanciale?) sauce.Fragrant to say the least. I love to cook, and these pasta bundles were phenomenal. My companion loves their Calabrian spicy pasta with shrimp. He orders it often. He’s not adventurous. For dessert we had gelato and espresso. The singing waiter serenaded me with Unforgettable. He even added his own humor. Thank you for make two octogenarians night out memorable.

New Years Eve 2023. My daughter and I decided earlier in week to come here for early dinner. We found the place fully booked at 5:00. We had reservations. We had a fantastic dinner prosciutto and roasted figs to start. My daughter had pasta with boar’s meat and I chose Buscata Trapanese. Both pasta dishes are unbelievably tasteful and the best part- large portion. For dessert we shared a warmed carrot cake that was as moist and spiced to perfection. The big surprise Bret sang to me and presented the cake with a candle for my 87 birthday which I celebrated at this favorite place to be. The restaurant is intimate so everyone there joined in the best wishes. What’s not to love when you feel such warmth.

November 2024. By now you know I absolutely love this place but what makes this a place of such excellence in food, atmosphere and great service is how it all contributes to interaction between patrons. I’m in love with the chef and nominate him for best chef in NYS. Last night I had the mezzaluna ravioli and my daughter had the Roman ravioli. Neither served with tomato sauce. Both had its own unique flavors. Unforgettable meal. Try it. The mezzaluna ravioli is on the Fall menu. Let Bret explain it too you. It comes with a fried...

We got baked clams, calamari, stuffed zucchini flowers, lemon pizza off the specials menu, and the Neapolitan Expression (raviolis), pistachio ice cream, strawberry tiramisu as well as a few other entrees.

The baked clams, calamari and stuffed zucchini flowers were all very good. They came out quickly too. The lemon pizza was, in my opinion, disgusting, but others in my party enjoyed it. I think we all agreed that we should have got a Margherita pizza as the crust was amazing. The raviolis were not good. The dough was incredibly thick, not the soft, moist raviolis I had in mind. The worst part was that I found a piece of plastic in one of them! I almost swallowed it. The other entrees were average at best. The pistachio ice cream was very good and I would definitely order that again. The strawberry tiramisu was awful. Not light and fluffy like most tiramisus I had. This has thick dense layers of cream like fondant and an overwhelming artificial strawberry flavor.

The service started out great, got checked on often and the appetizers came out fast. Then disaster struck. You could see how busy the servers were getting. Our entrees took a long time to come out and we were barely checked on during that time. Our server apologized and said they were short staffed. We could see how much each server was hustling and getting each other’s backs by clearing dishes and delivering food for other tables, which I commend. Maybe management should have slowed down the seating of new tables so they could provide good service to people already sitting. My suggestion to anyone going to try this restaurant is to go when the patio is not open like on a rainy day or during colder months. That way front and back of house staff can keep up with a reasonable amount of customers.

The atmosphere is nice overall. Kind of a cute old Italian town vibe. However, be warned that it is a rather tight spaced establishment. Lots of squeezing by to get to your seat. One false move will send a wine glass flying. And it is LOUD. The noise bounces off the hard walls and makes it nearly impossible to hear the person a seat or two over.

If you go here, then get the appetizers, get the pizza, and get the ice cream. Avoid the entrees, especially the raviolis. The menus are chaotic at best so take your time reading through everything. Prices are very high. Dress code is honestly whatever you feel comfortable in. After my experience, I regret putting any effort into my appearance at all.

Our dinner was...