Ciana Ristorante Italiano — Restaurant in Wilmington

so full disclaimer, that we tried this place because it was close to where I was getting my car serviced. I just wanted to kill an hour with a nice meal with my grandmother and kiddo. It’s kind of tucked away in that little strip mall on the other side of new center near target. I didn’t even know it existed until looking up restaurants near the area. That being said, DO NOT SLEEP ON DINING AT CIANA! We went for an early Thursday dinner around 4:30pm and the place was empty (after the meal this blew my mind because it was all incredible). The man who sat us was very friendly. Our server Ashley was attentive and made great recommendations. For starters we had the fried mozzarella. For mains we ordered scallops a la vodka with angel hair, the stuffed eggplant and my kiddo got the free kids pasta and marinara. Both the adult entrees came with a a choice of soup/salad. We had the fagioli which was their soup of the day- it was an excellent choice. My grandmother and I also decided to order two dishes to go for our men folk. To go we got the lasagna (huge portion & came with soup) and my grandmother got the chicken parm (even bigger portion and got the Side Caesar). Our husbands were ecstatic! Extra bonus- Our server had it timed it so well that our to go order came out the exact same time that we were ready to request boxes & the check. I could not have asked for a better place to have a meal with my family.

• I did not take pictures of the take out plates. They were packed away, so perfectly I didn’t want to ruin the “fresh from the oven” ambience for the fellas, lol. But I did take pictures of our main dishes this evening. **saw on Facebook that tonight’s Thursday special was BOGO 50% off of dine in entrées but we were not informed of this while we dined in this evening. It was not applied to our bill either. However, even though that’s a bummer it doesn’t ruin...

The moment you step into the restaurant, you're welcomed by the wait staff with such warmth, it's like walking into a party where you're the guest of honor—even if they're juggling plates like circus performers. It's like a friendliness competition in there, and honestly, I'm here for it. We didn't just bond with our waitress; it was a whole team affair. Our waitress? Absolute delight.Now, let's talk about the food because, oh my, it deserves its own spotlight. I'm kicking myself for not capturing our appetizer, the crispy Brussels sprouts. Picture this: they're showered in this tangy balsamic vinegar and decked out in shredded cheese like they're going to the cheese prom. Then, we dived into a Caesar salad that was so authentic, I swear the anchovies winked at me, and the pecans? A surprise twist like finding out your grandma used to be a disco queen.For my main, I went with the Frutti De Mare Diavolo. Let me tell you, it was a fiesta in my mouth—shrimp, clams, mussels, fish, and scallops all dancing in a spicy sauce over penne pasta. My boyfriend tackled the lasagna and pronounced it a masterpiece.And dessert? Oh, the Tiramisu. It's the only thing that managed to distract me enough to forget about photographing the rest of our meal. That's right, the food was so good, I forgot to make it Instagram official. This Tiramisu wasn’t just made in the restaurant; it was crafted in the heavens.So yes, I wholeheartedly recommend this culinary wonderland, and you bet I'll be back. Again and again. Probably so much that they'll consider giving me my own table—or at least a...

Do not sleep on this place! I probably never would have made my way over here from the South side of town if I hadn't heard so many fabulous word of mouth reviews. My parents had milestone birthdays this year and I wanted to take my pasta loving dad someplace special. This fit the need and then some. From the moment we were warmly welcomed at the door to the almost telepathic service from Jackie to chef Lorraine taking a break from the kitchen to gloriously sing to my dad at dessert- well, this was a delight from start to finish. Reasonably priced with generous portions. We shared a bottle of wine and fried ravioli along with a basket of bread. These small, warm bread loaves were just the right amount of crusty on the outside but soft on the inside with lovely seasoning. Between four of us we enjoyed classic and Caesar salads, lasagna, fettuccine with bolognese sauce, and veal Parmigiano with angel hair and marinara. It is obvious that everything is made in house. Three of our four took home portions to be enjoyed later. Since it was a birthday celebration we also enjoyed dessert! Italian cream cake, canollis, and pistachio cake were our choices but there were several options and they all looked fantastic. I'm already looking forward to returning and trying other menu options. This is clearly a local, family run business- this made the atmosphere very welcoming and filled with good vibes. Check them out, you will not be...