Allegro — Restaurant in Upland

Awful pasta.

I had spent the day going to different food locations to try out pasta from different locations in the I.E. I love pasta and have tried 20+ locations in LA for good pasta so I wanted to try around the area. I had high expectations for Allegro but it was unfortunately the worst pasta of the bunch.

I had the Penne Explosive, which is penne with a tomato sauce and some Italian sausage topped with fresh basil.

The pasta was slightly overcooked and not seasoned at all. If they added any salt to the water when boiling the pasta, it probably wasn't anymore than a pinch for a huge pot. Regardless of how it was cooked or seasoned, it wasn't very good pasta.

The sauce was extremely watered down. I tried to mix the pasta up with the sauce but despite it being rigged penne, it didn't pick up any sauce at all. It was also extremely bland and the cooking wine taste was strong. Either they added too much or they didn't let it cook off long enough.

I'm not sure if it was intentional but it felt like they mixed chopped up garlic into the sauce AFTER it had been cooked. The entire dish was speckled with white clumps of raw garlic. There was always a crunch in every bite from the large amounts of garlic they added.

In the end, I couldn't eat much of it. My money went towards using the sausage from this pasta dish to mixed it into the other pasta dishes I had bought from somewhere else.

Most of the value you'll get from eating at Allegro's comes from the service and atmosphere. The interior is rustic but not tacky like I've seen at other Italian restaurants. Their customers also look like they dress to impress. This is a good location for a business meeting or even an anniversary date if you don't want to go to far from the area.

Perhaps there's a different dish I could try for next time but I'm hesitant to come back...

My wife and I went out to celebrate our anniversary and chose Allegro mostly because of distance and we feel like it’s a hidden little gem. We got there without reservations and asked if we could sit at the bar until we could get seated and that was the best decision. It really just felt like a date we’d go on before Covid, before having a baby. It was dark, romantic - just the way we like it. We had so much fun sitting at the bar and talking with Cortney. She was an absolute delight - kind, friendly, funny, knowledgeable. Thank you for the chat, Cortney!

We ordered a Garden Collins, Margarita (which was so unique with Disaronno as an ingredient) and the Espresso Martini. All awesome with the Garden Collins being our favorite.

The food (which you’ll see in the photos) was terrific. We were really close to not getting the Chicken Marsala but the server changed our mind and we’re glad she did because it was our favorite part of the meal. The crème brûlée was really good as well - would recommend. They also have another location in La Verne, too, which we now plan on checking out.

The worst part of the night was having to see the Celtics win the game against...

Update: they have improved their food, and it as great as it was before! They also have a delicious and reasonable lunch special Mon-Fri, $17 - several options. —old review: This used to be my favorite Italian restaurant in the area. Unfortunately, over the last few months each time I visit I have a different experience. Sometimes the food is great like it used to be and sometimes it is not good at all. They have been inconsistent in the quality of the food and they have raised their prices to levels that seem somewhat unreasonable for the location and menu offerings. I expect to pay over $20 for a plate of just pasta (no meat added) in Claremont, but I don't expect that kind of price from a restaurant on a side street in Upland. This location used to have the best chicken fettuccine, but the increased prices and inconsistent quality makes it not worth taking the chance of a less than great experience by dining here. The garlic bread is delicious when it is served hot. Overall I cannot recommend this place anymore, but if you do dine here I hope it is one of the times that they are on their game and the food and...