05/24/09

Cheap!

by burnernumberone

ok...a friend of mine is visiting from Chicago. I decide to take her to this little Italian place in Golden Valley. I heard good things from people at work. I must have went to the wrong place. First, the good things. We went early (4 pm) and the place was not crowded. we got seated right away. The booth we were seated in had something splattered on the back of one of the seats. We checked out the menu online before we left my place, so we were ready to order right away. I decided on the Ravioli combo , and she had the Salmon. About an hour later, our food finally showed up. definitely not worth the wait. The sauce was flat. tomato sauce with a few spices. No sign of that stuff we call garlic here. The spaghetti was overcooked. The meatball was cooked perfectly, but again, not much flavor. The filling in the ravioli was great. The bread they brought out was cold and a quite dry. And you should not have to ask for more water when theres noone else there. Not sure but we think the Salmon came from the freezer but for $15, what do ya want. Oh well, back to the Olive Garden.

• Pros: cheap prices
• Cons: you get what you pay for

11/30/08

Great authentic Italian food

by ridge45

I LOVE PIAZZA'S! This is my favorite Italian restaurant in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. The food is what you would find in a restaurant in the countryside of Italy. The sauce is very rich, with small pieces of tomato and onion, and a hint of nutmeg. My favorite is their combination, which is spaghetti, ravioli meatball. The ravioli is handmade and filled with a typical Italian meat filling. The meatballs are huge, and the perfect mix of ground meat, bread crumbs and spices. Their sausage is homemade, and the best I've had. They have wonderful manicotti that is also stuffed with an authentic Italian meat stuffing, it is baked and topped with mozzarella cheese. Their dinner salad is like no other, topped with shredded mozzarella and a pepperoncini . . . great stuff!

I've been told that the owner of Piazza's was once co-owner of Cafe DiNapoli that was located on 9th and Hennepin in downtown Minneapolis. He left DiNapoli in the early '80s, and opened Piazza's. DiNapoli was the first Italian restaurant I experienced when I was 12 years old, and continued eating their until they closed a few years ago.

So Piazza's and I have a long history. For my taste there isn't another restaurant that can match the quality and authenticity of their food.

• Pros: Food, taste and portion size, ambiance, parking
• Cons: Had to continually ask for bread refills, water glasses are very small and weren't refilled

10/16/08

low key, friendly with tasty food

by tonka44

i thought it was great. been there ta few times now, had the chicken marsala with a side of spag and the shrimp scampi. both were quite tasty and the salad was yummy. in the summer they plant all there own veggies in a garden out back. the eggplant parm out of the garden is awsome!

the wait staff were all very freindly, efficent and will tell you whats good and whats not.

A+

10/21/06

Good but not great

by bgt_0612

My first experience at Piazza's resulted in mixed feelings. The interior ambiance was warm and comforting. Employees were welcoming and friendly. However, my water glass remained empty throughout my visit.

The food (I ordered spaghetti with Italian sausage and one meatball with garlic bread)

- I'll start with what I liked. The marinara had a good flavor and consistency. I noticed small chunks of onion and garlic. The meatball was nicely seasoned and the size of a cue ball. The garlic bread was served very warm and perfectly toasted (4 - 2in diameter slices per order. $4+ seemed a bit pricey)

- The pasta (thin spaghetti) was slightly over cooked, almost mushy. The sausage which appeared homemade, had a good texture, but was neither sweet nor spicy. My personal preference is spicy. I spiced-up my meal by adding crushed red pepper.

Overall, my first visit rating is a B for service and B for the food. I'm sure I'll visit a few more times to get a good sampling of their extensive menu. The next visit, I'll get the waiter's suggestions on the spicier menu selections.

• Pros: Ambience
• Cons: Some selections are bland

03/16/04

comfortable

by oja

If you want a comfy & low noise place to go this the place. Tables are not cramed together & you can talk to the person next to you. the food is good it should be rated much higher. The wait people are polite & good.

• Pros: Low key, good parking