Signor Sassi in City of London, Westminster

Signor Sassi is hands down the best restaurant in London! The vibrant atmosphere, combined with the warm and friendly staff, creates an unforgettable dining experience. Every time I visit London, this is my go-to spot—it never disappoints. The food is exquisite, the service is flawless, and the overall vibe is unmatched. Highly recommend it to anyone looking for exceptional Italian cuisine in a truly welcoming setting 💖

Great food great service great atmosphere

Visited for a private birthday function upstairs, where a special menu featured the celebrants name on the cover - nice touch!! We had several options to choose from. I started with the scallops and had the lobster linguine for mains. The scallops were a bit hard, and the spinach was overly salty. However, the lobster linguine was yum and plentiful. The service was excellent, with my glass being continuously refilled. The conversations flowed that I didn't even notice the sides or dessert to try them!

The food is lovely and the place is concise

Capitati qui per caso, siamo rimasti molto contenti di tutto. Ottimo accoglienza, stile tipico italiano, ristorante non molto grande ma c'è spazio nei tavoli. Cibo ottimo e servizio eccellente. Vista la posizione il prezzo è stato abbastanza elevato (antipasto+ 2 piatti di pasta+acqua+caffè circa 80 euro), ma la qualità del cibo è ottima. Se considerate i prezzi di Londra con spesso scarsa qualità, questo ristorante ne vale la pena. Sicuramente ritornerò.

Pls be careful guys, i got charged 35 pounds more than the invoice, luckily i have all my credit cards msgs coming on my phone, i told them and they accepted their mistake and refunded me 35 pounds back in cash .

The Ladies Toilets were horrendous- the sanitary bins were overflowing and that resulted in a rancid odour that almost caused me to vomit. I did report to the male receptionist upon leaving but he seemed dismissive. This left a very bad impression.

Ottimo ristorante !! Abbiamo mangiato veramente bene!!! Anche mio figlio che normalmente è molto critico ha fatto i complimenti alla cucina! Un dettaglio importante..sono molto pronti anche per i piatti senza glutine ( mia figlia ha preso un piatto di pasta al ragù molto buona )

Nice service. Fair prices for location. Food was ok. No one raved about a specific dish but it was fine.

Had a wonderful lunch the food was delicious we look forward to going back

As always, a wonder evening at Signor Sassi. Superb meal and wine, great service and a vibrant ambiance. What more can you ask?

One of the best pastas we've ever eaten.

We've had Lunch at Signor Sassi on Friday. Both the food and the Service were exzellent and we can highly recommend this restaurant.

Not good. Fettucini was stuck together, violently bland and all the food seemed as though it had been sitting out. The muscles and clams were saltier than the sea and also cold. Mostly edible but considering the price it was beyond disappointing. The tables were set incorrectly and there was no effort to fix this once food had arrived. We were never asked how our food was and the waiter was reluctant to engage with our table even to take a photo. Astronomical price for pasta that was not even close to what would be expected from this calibre of restaurant.

I recently dined at Signor Sassi with my friends. While the food was good, our experience was overshadowed by the behavior of one of the waiters. My friends and I, all Asian females, felt uncomfortable due to his unprofessional actions. For example, when we asked him if there was a toilet, he initially said no, seemingly to observe our reaction, and then pointed us to it. Later, when we politely asked him to help us take Polaroid photos, he said he could only take one. However, instead of taking our photo, he used our Instax camera to take a picture of one of his colleagues without our permission. While one shot of Polaroid film only cost around one pound, it’s still our property, and if he wanted to take a photo of his colleague, he should have asked first. He then took a photo of us, but when we thought he was finished, he unexpectedly pressed the shutter again, wasting another film. And everytime he passed our table he said "I love you" in Chinese. Things he did might have been a joke to him, but actually rude and disrespectful, especially as he was a stranger to us. His behavior was disappointing, particularly given the restaurant’s reputation. I can’t help but wonder if we had been white males, would he have behaved this way? I hope the management addresses such issues to ensure all guests receive respectful and professional service.

Glass of wine £15 Salad £20 Lobster spaghetti £50 The service is polite, friendly and good. The salad was fresh and tasty. The pasta is a decent amount. It was al dente when served, but it started to get mushy pretty quickly. That was disappointing. There was nothing special about the taste, and I felt satisfied as if I had eaten lobster. If it were cheaper, I would give it a higher rating, but given the location, it may be unavoidable at this price.

I would not recommend this restaurant, the quality of the food was mediocre, the meals are over priced and the place in general is not worth going. In our way out we realized there were spots of a brown sauce on the floor!

Great food.. on the expensive size but a great treat every now and again.

It was an unforgettable dining experience. It boasts an excellent location that’s easily accessible, with a friendly and welcoming staff providing exceptional service. As for the food, it’s simply outstanding; the flavours are refined, and the dishes are prepared with great attention to detail.

Everything great, very good quality and great treatment

Obviamente el propietario piensa Los camareros al ser ruidosos y hablar en italiano entre sí es fresco y auténtico - pura basura Los alimentos están por debajo de la media y el servicio es malo a precios desorbitados Dos de nuestros amigos eran italianos y también pensaron que este es un lugar muy cursi. Definitivamente no vale la pena

Good service and delicious food

I never usually write negative reviews but this dinner was not good. The food was utterly disappointing. It used to be a good place- however the service is not friendly and not prompt. The food is truly terrible sadly. Bland, no sauce, no flavor but the price tag is ridiculous really. Do not recommend, an unbelievably dissatisfied dinner. On top of that there is a charge for the olives and bread - seriously??? A good dinner spoiled. And it’s really hard to spoil a pasta.

Hace poco pedí langosta espagueti para llevar de Signor Sassi, esperando sorprender a mi colega por su cumpleaños. Mi oficina está convenientemente ubicada al lado, así que pensé que sería una opción perfecta para un regalo especial. Desafortunadamente, resultó ser una de las experiencias gastronómicas más decepcionantes que he tenido. Cuando recogí la comida para llevar, el paquete se sentía inusualmente ligero, pero lo cepillé y volví a mi oficina. Sin embargo, cuando lo abrí, me sorprendió lo que vi. La porción era pequeña, y la langosta era ridículamente pequeña. Honestamente, me sentí como si me hubieran servido restos en lugar de un plato de langosta apropiado. Para un restaurante de esta reputación, esperaba mucho mejor. Para aumentar la decepción, el embalaje no era impresionante y no coincidía con el precio premium. A menudo pedimos fideos de langosta en restaurantes chinos, y la diferencia es de día y de noche. Con los restaurantes chinos, las porciones son generosas, y la langosta es sustancial, por lo general, la mitad o una langosta entera servida con la concha intacta, al igual que cenar en el restaurante. El embalaje también es cuidadoso y profesional, asegurando que la comida llegue en excelentes condiciones. Por el contrario, el plato de Signor Sassi era abrumador y parecía hecho de sobras. Es sorprendente pensar que un restaurante italiano de alta gama serviría algo tan mediocre. Si estás buscando langosta de calidad o platos de pasta, te recomiendo explorar otros lugares de pasta o seguir con restaurantes chinos, donde la relación calidad-precio es consistentemente mucho mejor. Esta experiencia arruinó lo que se suponía que iba a ser una sorpresa especial, y me siento genuinamente decepcionado. No volveré a pedir de Signor Sassi, y ciertamente no lo recomendaría a otros que buscan una comida que valga la pena.

One of my favorite restaurants in London. A must stop every time I go. Very cozy atmosphere, very attentive and elegant service with an informal touch. Highly recommended are the spaghetti with lobster, the truffle croquettes, the pasta carbonara and the pistachio dessert.

Fabuloso almuerzo con amigos celebrando un cumpleaños. Es bueno tener piezas de parmesano y bruschetta para tener en la mesa a la llegada. Personal atento y amable con un servicio rápido. Las porciones de comida son generosas y el menú tiene algo para todos. Me encantó el Cocktail di Aragosta (cantidad generosa de langosta) y la Scalloppine Joselina (ternera en crema, brandy y salsa de hongos), que estaba delicioso!

Bad service and very rude staff!!

Their service is not good and the prices are very high and not suitable for demand

Three times in one week: this should be a good testimonial.

Great food and family feel restaurant

Efter att vi stångats på ett alldeles för fullt Harrods hittade vi denna oas. En galet bra italienare med mat av högsta klass, service utöver det vanliga (Thanks Enrico) och skön atmosfär. Inte billigt men prisvärt. Vi kommer tillbaka!

Had food many times. Never disappointed. Good value for money . Good service. Excellent food . Easy to get reservations. Staff always accommodating special requests

The place has a great vibe, the staff were super friendly and made the experience even better.the food so delicious

Overpriced for what should be an elegant place. Instead, my meal came out 5 minutes after I placed my order, lukewarm and tasting like a few days old. The customers felt like I was in a tourist trap too.

Love other San Carlo restaurants but this one didn’t match the expectation/previous experience in terms of the flavor of the food. Would recommend chichetti over this restaurant, although the portions are tiny there

I felt the the taste of the food, especially the pasta dishes were below average. The toilets are up a narrow winding staircase to the first floor and not conducive for the elderly.

It was a great restaurant we stumbled upon. Awesome atmosphere and spectacular service.

Met up with my cousin and we had a lovely meal with excellent attention from the stop. Not cheap but you get what you pay for and it was worth it!

Totally yummy food and a cool place visited by many famous peeps

Marco is the best very welcoming and kind🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 thank you

Had the best Saturday night meal here. Service is amazing and food is delicious!

A very decent restaurant in experiencing quality food. From the olives, bread, antipasti, to mains, all superb. Tasty and come with nice presentation, carbonara was exceptional! Is a restaurant not quite Italian but a collection of French, Spanish and Italy! This is the best restaurant I visited for the trip this time in London, September 2024.

I was really disappointed with this experience. The best part of the entire meal was the olives served at the beginning. The food was bland and lacked flavor, and the presentation was mediocre at best. It felt vastly overpriced, and I didn’t enjoy it at all.

Decided to celebrate a birthday there. Waiters were delayed, long service, food was okay-nothing great and not worth the price. But worst of all, they charged us for a dish that never came & they charged us for 3 desserts even though we bought our own cake. They never told us they would charge for us bringing cake, and just put it on the bill and refused to refund us!

The restaurant is super noisy and has the atmosphere of a fast food chain in a train station. The food was hit and miss. 3 out of 4 dishes were good but the Penne Alfredo was completely without any taste. None of the 4 dishes were nicely decorated for the eyes. I will try next the one in Dubai one hope it will be a better experience. If I only need food to get filled up, there are much cheaper places in London serving similar quality. Don’t think we will return as the issues are infrastructure based.

Excelente atendimento. Bom ambiente (um pouco barulhento). Carta de vinhos muito boa. Pratos: spaghetti com vôngoles (razoável), spaghetti a la carbonara (muito bom), penne all’arrabbiata (bom). Sobremesas: creme brulée (boa), torta de pistache (boa), tiramissu (boa). Preço: não é dos mais baratos. Mas valeu a pena.

My friend and I found this place while walking the streets around Harrods by pure luck. So glad we did. I have been craving for an authentic Italian food for a long time and this place had the most delicious pasta I had in a long time! Definitely recommend it and I will go again! Thank you for the kind service and delicious food.

First of all , the welcome at the door was very nice and beautiful , the location and entrance of the restaurant are very authentic and unique. The atmosphere inside is really nice, a classic Italian restaurant , the decoration takes you back in time but it still looks new. You can understand from the photos hanging on the wall that almost every kind of celebrity comes here.The service was also good , but most of the things I ate were a little below my expectations for such a nice and special restaurant, everything was definitely very tasty but some of the dishes were not close to the best I have ever eaten.Still , it is a restaurant I will definitely visit again for its above-average taste and unique atmosphere.

We found this place walking the streets around Harrods!!! By looking at the pictures on the walls, I know that there are many famous people that have come in dined here, But that was not precisely my appeal.The food is really 👍 the service was GREAT and we had such a lovely time We booked it to celebrate the graduation of my son! The presentation of their plates is top-notch! This is a wonderful discovery for us...I highly recommend 👌 if you want some good food.

Been a regular for 30 years and it never fails to deliver. Owner changed, managers keep changing but they continue to deliver. Exceptional service this time by Martin, the two Stefanos and the ever so present newly appointed GM, Marco. Well done.

Really don’t have the words to describe how horrified I am by my recent experience dining at this establishment. Ordered a salad to share with a friend. Our server asked who it was for, when I mentioned we were sharing he said ‘Do you both share a boyfriend too?’. Stunned at this highly inappropriate comment I could just barely stutter out a ‘no’, when he quite aggressively said ‘Well if you share a salad you might as well share a man. Do you share a man?’. Apparently this was a joke. Something he quite sarcastically announced over his shoulder as he walked away. Before this mortifying exchange we were already made to feel unwelcome by an older gentleman who rolled his eyes and sneered at us while we took a selfie. One picture. Hardly taken in an obnoxious manner, with a friend I was meeting after years. Others were taking photos too might I add. We couldn’t get out of there fast enough. The food was subpar, we had ordered the lobster spaghetti and seafood risotto. Calling it ‘subpar’ is frankly high praise considering how bland everything was. I would avoid this restaurant. Don’t know if their horrible attitude was racially motivated but whatever the case, food wasn’t worth it.

Nothing special, very average. For the price its absolutely not worth.

Very very delicious pasta & squid rings The environment is also very good

After years of curiosity, I finally tried Signor Sassi, especially after hearing it was a favorite of Dubai’s former ruler. It definitely lived up to the hype. The place has a great vibe, the staff were super friendly and made the experience even better. And the food? Absolutely delicious. Authentic Italian dishes, presented beautifully.

First of all, I came to this restaurant because of it’s good reviews they placed us on the second floor, which was very tight and narrow. then when they ask me if I have an allergy, and I mentioned that I have seafood allergy everything I ordered he said we cannot Give it to you even french fries so they are not prepared to serve food for people with allergy even french fries!!

I went with my kids and they are very child friendly.

Went on my birthday July 27 it was the best experience I ordered the spaghetti lobster and my dad ordered the seafood pasta and my mom took the pasta and my friend the Alfredo chicken then when the dessert came they made a very special birthday song and it was so sweet of them and apparently my name became from Kareem to Antonio like what haha 😂😂 then we left but it left me feeling so loved and special

Stunning Decor World class service Exceptional food Stunning drinks One of the most beautiful places and ambience in London for an authentic, fresh Italian dining experience. Perhaps the best Parmigiana di Melanzane we have ever had. So nice, we had to order another! Faultless service! Only downside is the dishes and pizzas are very small!

One of my favourite places in London

I would suggest customers to verify their bill as I had a recent experience where few items were added on to the bill considering they charge a cover charge as well as 13'5% service charge.

Very authentic "Italian" by London standards. Warm service and lovingly prepared food. The ambience is also typically Italian, especially the background noise. 😉 We were very satisfied and I can recommend this restaurant with a clear conscience, even if it is a bit expensive.

We decided to go here after my husband visited the Signor Sassi in Saudi. Great place but room for improvement. One thing I noticed was that majority of the waiters and staff needed to smile more. Food was okay. Meats are halal which is a positive. I ordered the fettuccine Alfredo which was very bland, however my husband ordered the beef rags which exceeded our expectations. Tiramisu was divine, not too sweet. When it came to paying, they said they accepted AMEX, however their cards machines weren’t cooperating. Not sure what they do if someone only has AMEX on them. Nonetheless, I’d go back but would order something different!

This restaurant has always been one of my favorite, but recently things have been unacceptable. Last week’s poor service was one thing, but today was worse. I clearly ordered the sautéed potatoes as plain. However, after having some bites of the potatoes, I saw that there was bits of bacon that were there. As a muslim, this is unacceptable and can’t be tolerated, it shows a lack of professionalism and respect for the customer.

The food at this restaurant is excellent, but unfortunately, the service leaves much to be desired. While the dishes are delicious, the staff seemed unprofessional and unorganized. A little more focus on customer service would make this a fantastic experience.

Great Italian restaurant in London, we were very well received and served. Attentive and polite staff, the Brazilian waiter Gustavo was very helpful, as were the others. The food is spectacular, my spaghetti with lobster was wonderful, it went well with the Chardonnay wine

Very bad experience, food was not good. we asked for the pink sauce and it came after we finished our dinner. They ask for cover charge despite the bad service! Also, there was an order in the bill that we didn’t ask for!!!

Personale magnifico,: piatti eccellenti dalla qualità delle materie prime alla lavorazione. Pesce e carne cotti alla perfezione. Qualità del servizio davvero superlativa. Attenzione ad ogni più piccolo particolare. Grazie a tutto lo staff di questo piccolo angolo di bell'Italia A prestissimo.

The place is warm The food is very delicious 10/10 👍🏻 And the service is professional The restaurant manager is respectful and helpful Come back to him for sure 👌🏼

Our experience at Signor Sassi was marred by the extremely rude and disrespectful behavior of a waiter named Rauh. We came to enjoy a pleasant meal and have fun, but Rauh's attitude soured our visit. He treated us poorly, acting as if he was the one paying the bill instead of us. Such behavior is unacceptable, and we left feeling disappointed and disrespected. We hope the management addresses this issue to ensure other customers do not have the same negative experience.

Amazing food and friendly staff as usual, everything was just perfect, i loved the fried calamari and carpaccio, best dish is lobster spaghetti..

Another restaurant part of the San Carlo group absolutely loved the food the ambiance is fantastic and the staff are great

A delightful happy dinner. Terrific service wonderful atmosphere and excellent food. Can’t wait to return.

Great food with excellent service and the staff are amazing

I love Italian food and look forward to every trip to the country because of its cuisine. I'd heard a lot about this restaurant but was unfortunately not impressed by their food at all. We ordered veal escalope, ossobuco, paccheri bolognese, truffled mashed potatoes. The escalope was quite tasteless and unseasoned but I almost expected that. The mashed potatoes had almost zero salt or seasoning, and were almost too heavily truffled (I used to think there was no such thing because I love truffle). The pasta was just ok - it was the most basic flavours, barely acceptable from a local trattoria, but not from an upscale restaurant at Knightsbridge. The piece de resistance was meant to be the ossobuco but neither the risotto, nor the veal and sauce tasted great. It's strange to say that even the marrow was a bit tasteless. The service was attentive - and they very kindly surprised me with a small bowl of ice-cream with a candle and sang happy birthday to me (my friend had booked this as a special occasion, hence they knew). The prices are very indicative of the location, and I'd honestly not find them unfair, if the food tasted good. Unfortunately, it did not, which made the prices feel inflated. I don't think I'll be returning.

The food is great , however the service is bad , and that’s makes us upset

Good location, classic dining environment. Food I ordered was not surprising. Can pay a visit if you happen to be around, not worth to travel far just to eat here. A good restaurant but not extraordinary.

Vanavond hebben wij heerlijk gegeten bij Signor Sassi! De bediening was heel vriendelijk en nam echt de tijd voor je. Zelf ben ik geen pasta liefhebber, maar gelukkig hadden ze veel opties. Zo had ik gekozen voor de sparibs en ze waren echt verrukkelijk met een heerlijk sausje erbij. Zeker een bezoekje waard!

Good spot for authentic Italian food Service was a bit slow, but our waiter was very friendly. The fettuccine Alfredo and spaghetti with tomato basil were very good. The veal milanese was average dessert was very tasty

One of the best Italian restaurant in London

The service is bad and slow, and the food also, we have order some dishes but we did not receive them even though we informed waiter. Finally they did not remove the dishes from the table

I have been to Signori Sassi a few times and I must say that the food is always delicious. The hostess, the waiters are kind, friendly, genuine and make you feel comfortable at all times. I'm only giving 4 stars because the manager (elderly gentleman white hair) is rude. He is rude and arrogant. He has no interest in making your experience pleasant and I rather do not speak to him if needed.

Nice place, bit pricey, but nice...

Exceptional food, wine, service, and atmosphere. Highly recommended!

We made a reservation to go with our baby. They stated on Google that they are a restaurant suitable for families and babies. We went while our baby was sleeping in her stroller. They told us to wake up the baby and put her in the high chair or they wouldn't be able to take us with the stroller. I can understand company policies, but they should mention this on google and their website beforehand. It is very rude for them to take a reservation and not lettin us in, after coming with the baby with all the efforts. If they give so much importance to company policies, they should appoint someone who is more presentable and has good communication as the greeter.

Worst experience ever! The staff is treating the clients without respect and making vulgar jokes and comments. Food is awful. Worst Italian restaurant. Overcooked pasta and too salty everything.Service was awful. We had to ask for a fork and glass after the food was delivered. No oxygen and no space to move. We had to stand up every time to let the neighboring table client go to the bathroom. You sit squeezed..

Questo posto è stato una delusione totale: la pasta scotta, tutto molto salato, il servizio offensivo, i camerieri si permettevano dei commenti indecenti verso di me e le mie amiche. Tutta la cena ci stavamo soffocando perché non c’era nessun cambio dell’aria. Terribile, mai visto un posto così

Came with group of 9 for dinner and pasta was just great! Desserts are very nice too!

Excellent place, the food is the most delicious there is

Fabulous Italian Restaurant in a convenient location. Only moments from Harrods, but just as importantly only about 15 minutes walk from the Royal Albert Hall - and there’s nothing near the Royal Albert hall. Comfortable seating, attentive service, a varied menu and a pretty decent menu make this a real must if you are in that neck of the woods. Just one negative. My Rack of lamb was tasty, nicely cooked but had a lot of chewy veins. Not a sign of good quality meat. My advice… stick to the pasta dishes with are amazing

Best Of the best Italian restaurant 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Very bad customer service and bad treatment by employees. Cleanliness is very poor

I typically look forward to dining at San Carlo, having had great experiences at their other restaurants like Alto, Cicchetti, and Isola. Unfortunately, my visit on the evening of May 11th, 2024, was disappointing and concerning. Both my friend and I experienced severe acid reflux, heartburn, and continuous burping after eating the Penne Arrabiata and Truffle Risotto, symptoms so severe that we felt compelled to induce vomiting. The Truffle Risotto also left an unpleasant aftertaste, contributing to our discomfort. Considering the high standards expected from San Carlo, this was a surprising and unpleasant deviation. The food served that night compromised our health, and I hope this issue is taken seriously, as customer health and satisfaction should be a top priority.

Overrated pasta dishes. Missing taste. Missing chilli.

Excellent experience at Signor Saadi. Both the food and service were great, would definitely recommend and will return when back in London.

Great food, great service, great atmosphere. Not much more to say. The place already has a great reputation, as it is one of the best Italian restaurants in London.

My Daughter booked us in for pre royal Albert hall dinner, I had no expectations at all so was very pleasantly surprised as we were welcomed by the head waiters in suits very authentic Italians, all the other waiters are in very smart whites like chefs whites but smarter including aprons. We were sat straight away and offered some water while we looked at the menu (great menu) Olives and bread were served straight away. Beautiful olives, we all had a starter, I had tricolour salad Tomato/ Cheese/ Avocado the others had lobster soup and Bresaola salad all excellent, The restaurant is bustling and quite noisy but nice, for main course we had pasta x 2 and one Chicken main course all amazing, only one dessert affogato. Best in London beautiful ice cream and fabulous espresso. With a nice Sicilian Rose and one glass of Chianti the bill came to £270 so £90 each including a tip, Not cheap but top notch food service and atmosphere we will be going back,

Unfortunately while dining at signor sassi we had a few complaints, we had specifically asked for a few of the dishes to be made vegetarian, and the waiters had agreed, but when the food came out (after 1.5 hours of waiting) there was meat in the food. Secondly for dessert we ordered the tiramisu and crème brûlée but was served something else. We were also struggling to get the attention of the waiters while dining and waited for almost 30/40 mins just for water. I do want to point out however, this seemed like a management issue more than anything, as the staff themselves were great and very understanding of the situation, it just seemed that they were unfortunately overwhelmed with the number of people in the restaurant

The taste is great but the portion is a bit small for me(as I do eat quite a lot) The restaurant was a bit crowded. Service was nice

Hello, I went in this restaurent today, and the value for money is pretty bad. I can easily make the dishes that I ordered by myself at home. But, the staff was very nice to me and my family, and the place was lovely. Be careful with the «antipasti». It says that its 17.50£ but it is actually this price per person AND, its 2 people minimum. So it actually a 35£ dish. Dont make the same mistake as me. Thank you for reading! 😊

Went to dine there last night after many years. Unfortunately I was very disappointed. The food was shockingly poor quality. I ordered spaghetti al Vongole; a traditional straight forward easy recipe, but it came cold and dry with very little seasoning and about 5 clams in all. My brother ordered a fettuccine and it was a disappointment as well although someone else in the group ordered the same and had a good dish! It seems to be that there’s a problem with quality control and the prices were very high for this shambles. It’s sad as this was a great Italian eatery once upon a time.