Antica Nova — Restaurant in Troy

My boyfriend and I dined here for Valentine’s Day, knowing it would be one of the busiest nights of the year. We had high expectations, especially given the fixed menu price of $80 per person and the required $70 deposit applied to the bill.

Unfortunately, our experience did not meet our expectations. Our reservation was at 8:45 PM, but we were not seated until 9:15 PM. While we understand the challenges of a busy evening, the extended wait was disappointing.

Once seated, we were presented with the menu, which looked promising. We ordered the sausage and peppers as well as the burrata and prosciutto, but neither dish was particularly enjoyable. The restaurant appeared understaffed, with only two waiters covering the entire dining area, though they remained attentive and professional despite the overwhelming crowd. I do know that there was another side of the restaurant which I am sure that there were more servers at.

The salad lacked flavor and dressing, so we sent it back and opted for the vegetable soup instead, which was decent. However, we did not receive our soup and salad until after other tables who were seated after us had been served. Our entrées did not arrive until 10:30 PM—nearly two hours after our scheduled reservation time.

By this point, we were frustrated and asked my meal to go. Where as my boyfriend was hungry and asked for them to bring out his food. I ordered the lamb chops, while my boyfriend ordered the filet mignon. Unfortunately, his steak, ordered medium rare, was served rare. When he requested it to be cooked properly, the same steak—already cut and bitten into—was simply placed back on the grill and returned to the table well-done instead. At that point, we were too exhausted to send it back again and just accepted it as is.

When I arrived home and opened my lamb chops, I found them overcooked, which could have been due to being in the takeout container. However, I was disappointed to see that there were only three very thin cuts, with two of them broken off the bone. I regret not taking photos to document the quality.

Overall, this restaurant may offer a better experience on less busy nights, but based on this visit, I would not recommend dining here on high-traffic occasions. For the $80 per person price, the restaurant should have limited reservations to ensure a better dining experience and food quality. Had there not been a required deposit, we likely would have left after...

Today, my family reserved a private room to celebrate a very special occasion — a 97th birthday. What should have been a joyful and memorable event turned into one of the most disappointing dining experiences I’ve ever had, especially for the nearly $2,000 we spent.

To start, the restaurant assigned just one rude and inattentive waiter to serve our entire party of 24. We had to constantly chase him down to request basic things like water refills, drinks, pepper for our salads, and even salt for the food. It was clear from the start that they were not equipped or prepared to handle a group of this size.

The appetizers arrived cold and flavorless. Kids' meals were either incorrect or delayed, including one instance where our 2-year-old waited an additional 25 minutes for his food while the other children were already eating — and only got fed because the others shared with him.

The food itself was disappointing — bland, overpriced, and not what you'd expect from a supposedly higher-end Italian restaurant. The waiter actually laughed as he told us they only hand-make one of their pastas — the tagliatelle — and the rest are boxed. Honestly, not something I’d be bragging about when guests are spending this kind of money.

To make matters worse, it took three full hours to complete the meal — with seven kids under the age of 5 trying to sit through the painfully slow service. That’s just unacceptable, especially when the restaurant knew in advance the size and nature of our party.

At the end of the night, they insisted on taking everyone’s plates to box the leftovers — which seemed helpful — but then came back with unmarked containers, forgot several meals in the back, and created total chaos trying to figure out what belonged to who.

Overall, the service was terrible, the food was mediocre at best, and the staff clearly had no training or control when it comes to large parties. It was honestly embarrassing to bring our family and elderly guests to a place that couldn’t deliver on even the most basic expectations.

Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere for any kind of event or special meal. This place does not deserve your business. Absolutely do...

One of the Worst Dining Experiences We've Had

We dine out as a large group multiple times a year, so we're no strangers to the challenges that can come with coordinating a party of 25—but Antica Nova missed the mark in almost every way.

From the start, the service was disorganized and clearly unprepared for a group our size. There weren’t enough servers assigned to our table, and it showed. The food took an incredibly long time to arrive, and when it did, it was disappointing across the board—bland, cold, or just poorly executed.

At one point, the manager and one of the servers were audibly yelling at each other in the hallway about missing entrees, adding even more chaos to an already frustrating situation. One of the kids in our group was missing his meal, and instead of resolving it properly, the suggestion was that the kids just share one of the plates he did manage to bring out.

To top it off, while clearing the table, someone dropped a knife on one of our guests’ shoulders. Thankfully, he wasn't hurt—but what shocked us was the complete lack of apology or concern. Accidents happen, but ignoring them is unacceptable.

The billing process was somehow even worse. We were handed a bill with no itemization, making it nearly impossible to verify what we were being charged for. Worse still, the bill was completely inaccurate, and it took over an hour to sort out.

The only person who showed any professionalism was the hostess. She genuinely tried to help us while the manager and server disappeared. When I asked the server for clarification, he said, “I can’t do this—I have other tables,” and walked away.

The entire experience was a disappointment—amateur hour at best. Not something you'd expect from a restaurant charging over $100 per person for food alone. We left frustrated, dissatisfied, and with absolutely no plans to return.

We will never be back. Do yourself a favor: learn from our mistake and stay far away. This location has been a revolving door of different Italian restaurants that have come and gone over the last 10 years and not doubt this will be the next to...