Rosalina's Kitchen — Restaurant in Worcester

I have been meaning to visit Rosalina's Kitchen for almost a year now, having heard good things from friends and co-workers. I generally jump at the chance to support small, locally-owned non-chain restaurants, and I love the "neighborhood gathering place" idea, but due to the fact that this gem is located in a neighborhood other than mine, it took me this long to mobilize a few dinner-mates and venture across the city.

In a nutshell: Our experience was excellent, from start to finish, and we were all in agreement that we will certainly be back. The atmosphere was cozy - comfortable and homey - it exuded the feeling of "You're going to be treated to some truly delicious food, but we're not going to be all stuffy and uptight about it. Relax - make yourself at home, and let us do the work." While the BYOB policy may require an additional stop on the way there to pick up the wine, it also serves to keep the bill low. I found the prices to be extremely reasonable for the generous portion sizes. Our server was extremely knowledgeable about all of the dishes, and our meals were a true representation of the their descriptions in the menu. Service was fast (but not TOO fast) and our server was attentive (but not TOO attentive) and friendly. We all agreed that the food was excellent, and we ordered a variety of entrées - steak, fish, and vegetarian.

Since Rosalina's KItchen bills itself as specializing in Italian, we were curious about their "gravy" (known to us non-Italians as red/spaghetti sauce) and were offered a sample, which was spectacular. My steak came with a bleu cheese sauce that was also superb, as was the delicate sauce coating the squash medley. A hobbyist chef myself, I tend to judge a restaurant by the quality of its sauces - It is so hard to master that intricate blend of flavors inherent to a great sauce - and these sauces did NOT disappoint. In addition, I ordered my steak medium, and it was honestly one of the most true-to-definition "medium" steaks I have ever received outside of a gourmet steakhouse. My dining partners had similar comments about the pan seared haddock and eggplant "steak." All perfectly cooked. I'm not much of a dessert eater myself, but the mini-cannoli was much feted as well by my fellow diners.

For a small, local restaurant, the menu is extensive and we all had trouble deciding what to order, as everything seemed appealing. Again, the server was extremely helpful in inquiring about our preferences and offering suggestions. Though almost at capacity in the small space, the feeling was more one of "intimate" than crowded, and, as one who dislikes a loud dining experience, I was pleasantly surprised by the acoustics of the room. No yelling was required, and the low din of other conversations as background noise made our party's own discourse seem private. It seems that this would be just as wonderful a spot for an intimate romantic dinner as a large family gathering.

In summary, I highly recommend that those of you in the vicinity give this place a try. Looking over previous reviews, it seems obvious that someone who would post a review of "I would not eat there. EVER." has clearly NOT eaten here (since, for some reason to remain unnamed, apparently, they never would (EVER, lol)) and has no basis on which to post a review, at all. I encourage you to disregard said review in favor of that submitted by someone slighlty more well-spoken, and pretty discerning about giving reviews of "excellent" (such as, oh, say... ME!) who HAS eaten here (TODAY) and WILL eat here again (ASAP and FREQUENTLY.)

My only regret is that I waited so long to give the place a try. Wishing much continued success to Rosalina's Kitchen - I will be back - and will be heartily recommending your establishment...

Rosalina's Kitchen is one of the best restaurants in Worcester and that is saying something because we have a large amount of TERRIFIC restaurants in the area. If you are looking for authentic Italian cuisine without the price tag that typically goes along with it then Rosalina's is for you. On a recent visit we brought friends and 4 good bottles of Red Wine as this is a BYOB establishment. We started with fried Mozzarella - rounds of fresh mozzarella breaded and fried with marinara dipping sauce - NOT your typical fried mozzarella, these were not mass produced, each order is made to order. Wedge salads that are the best we've ever had, the blue cheese dressing is so thick and rich and creamy - steakhouses should take a lesson from these ladies. Eggplant rollantini with ricotta filling that is smooth and delicious. Eggplant parmigiana like your grandmother used to make, thinly sliced and piled high with penne and the freshest tasting gravy you've ever had. Large portions of veal with homemade ravioli (they make them fresh everyday) rounded out the entrees. We tried Tiramisu and Strawberry Shortcake for dessert, the Tiramisu is also one of the best we've tried, creamy, just the right amount of espresso and marscapone, just perfect. The shortcake was nothing to write home about but the biscuit was homemade. The total for 4 of us with appetizers, salads, entrees and dessert and coffe was a bargain for the amount of food - enough leftover for lunch the next day - a bargain at just $148.00 (tip...

Sorry for this being so long, but I don't want anyone else to have to deal with this treatment. I Saw it on phantom gourmet and really wanted to try it, I was so excited. We went there and it wasn't busy at all, there were only four more tables that had people; and they had all already finished eating. We were seated by the rudest hostess ever, and according to other reviews, we aren't the only people who think that. We sat there for over a half hour and no one had taken our order yet, there were two boys working and two women. They all kept walking by us... The owner went up to a table next to us about five times and was talking to them, giving them their bill, and just chatting. So after a half hour I called the hostess over and asked how much two canned sprites are, because that's all we had gotten, and I really wanted to leave so I could actually eat. The hostess then starts yelling at me saying "are you serious, I'll have her over here in a second" and was being so mean to me about the situation, and then just screams at me to just leave. I have never been treated so badly at any place I've been to, don't waste your time going here. Unless you want to by a $20 meal and get treated like garbage, and possibly not even have your order taken. They have no customer service skills... and I have no idea how the food is because I...