Tambascio’s Italian Grill

We’ve had there pizza many times after the standard «welcome to the neighborhood» special! Consistently highest quality ingredients, taste, and service. The best pizza we’ve had in this area by far since we moved here 4 years ago. I think we will go there for dinner to celebrate my birthday!

Wonderful food and service! We did not have a reservation on Saturday night (shame on us) but we waited about 20 minutes and were seated. John, the owner, was there pitching in and we will definitely be back!

I feel like I should give specifics when posting a one star review… but to do that would require way too much 2-​thumb iPhone typing. The service was horrible, the food was horrible (calamari was bait size and over cooked beyond recognition), entries are huge (I guess why people come here… everyone leaves with a bag) but so over salted and/​or off (burnt) tasting I can’t believe anyone would take it home. It is beyond me how there are so many rave reviews… maybe we had a bad night but I don’t think so. We actually had a reservation which they were over 20 minutes late holding and during that time a group came in with VERY elderly parents and no reservation so we gave up ours. The hostess was very appreciative and sat us 15 minutes later in «the best table in the house» which was at the end of the atrium. We were then promptly forgotten. No kidding. No water, no drink order taken. We finally got up to flag down the water person. Then the waitress finally came to take drink orders but we never got a drink menu so off she went to disappear for another 5 minutes. There was honestly nothing even Ok about this experience.

The two times i have been here the service was slow, and the food was cold. Reading reviews see some have similar thoughts. But a lot of people raving about it. I guess I will have to try again. I had the linguini and clams which is 9’e of my favorite dishes, but it just was not very good. Will have to try again. 2 stars.

Service was great, food was even better. The owner came out and chatted with us for about 10 minutes, very warm and friendly. The overall atmosphere was very good. We’ll definitely be back!

We found this awesome restaurant on our drive home to NH from NJ thanks to the help of Unilocal!The food was amazing. Everything we had from the fried mozzarella as an app, to our dessert of the almond tiramisu ‘& coffee was wonderful. My husband had the ravioli & I had the veal parmesan with a fantastic carafe of wine as our main entrees. The service was wonderful & the atmosphere was clean & welcoming (we sat in the atrium). The guitar player mentioned in the other posts is no longer there. The place was wonderful and we will go back if we are in the area again!

We get take out all the time from here, its the best place in the area. The owner and all the employees are extremely friendly and offer a great level of service and have extremely good food. Anyone who rates this less then 5 stars, I would never entertain their opinion.

Have driven by this place so many times. Decided to try it Saturday evening because of all the good Unilocal reviews. Excellent all around: ambiance, service, food. We sat in the atrium and it was as quiet as can be. We started off with mozzarella sticks. They weren’t actually sticks but three large slabs of fresh mozzarella with some bread crumbs and an excellent marinara sauce. Excellent. We had our choice of salad or soup. We tried the «Grandma’s chicken rice soup» and I must say it possibly was the best tasting soup I have ever had. I had the Surf and Turf special which was a lean filet mignon with shrimp, fresh veggies and potatoes. Excellent. My wife had the veal parm and she said the veal was excellent also, not chewy or tough. We tried the tiramusu for dessert and it was soaked in expresso. Excellent. I don’t think there was even a crumb left on any of our plates!

We have driven by this place sooooo many times and always talk about going here. We finally tried it out tonight. We wanted to sit in the atrium. There were all two top tables except for the one behind us in the corner. It probably normally is not a problem but the 4 top stayed behind us was SO loud and onboxious. Not sure why there would be one 4 top in a room of 5 other 2 tops… anyways — our waitress/​service was SLOW. I know it was dinner time on a Friday night but still… even if the kitchen is behind and my food is not coming out you can (ahem, NEED TO) come to my table and ask if i need more water, clear my bread & salad plate, apologize for the delay… our waitress was pretty much MIA. Maybe we just shouldn’t have sat in the atrium! I will say that all the food we had was awesome. I will definitely come back to Tambascio’s and order food to go!!!

I eat out a lot. This was literally one of the best meals I have had in a very long time. Certainly, one of the best meals I have had in CT. Everything we ate was delicious. We started with a large Caesar salad, as well as a large garden salad. The Caesar salad had a wonderful and light dressing (not overwhelming), and the garden salad was served with Gorgonzola and a delicious house dressing. Next we had soup. I opted for the New England clam chowder, which was superb. The clams were tender and large, and the broth was delicate with a nice amount of pepper. So good! I didn’t try the other option Pasta Fagioli (but it looked good). My entrée was angel hair with bolognese sauce. It was very good. The sauce had a bit of cream, mushrooms, basil, sausage, etc. My husband had Chicken Francese, which was lemony, tender and delicious. Dessert rocked. We had lava cake and the best orange chocolate ice cream I have ever had. The service was excellent. I must comment on the ambiance. The restaurant was clean, cozy, inviting and they played very relaxing instrumental music. This is now my favorite restaurant in my area and I will be back.

Great food and service every time! A definite stop if you’re visiting Fairfield county!

Stopped for the 1^st time for a carry out pie. Walked in at 4:00, they were just opening for the day. Greeted by 3different employees like I was a long lost friend. My pie was still in the oven and. The fellow baking and preparing fresh bread for the evening offered me a warm slice of bread and a beverage while he checked my pie. Went to pay for the pie and soda and he waved off the soda. my treat.
Pie was one of the best I have ever had. Sauce and cheese were perfect, crust thin and done perfectly !
Great looking menu and warm atmosphere. A nice restaurant not a pizza joint.
I will return!

Been here 3 or 4 times and the food is always great. Some of the best Italian food I’ve had. Warm bread and dipping oil is really good too. Nice atmosphere and service staff and reasonable prices make it a place I look forward to going back to.

We used Unilocal to find this place. Warm welcome, warm atmos. Saturday night and a guitar player was quietly playing which initially added to the warmth.
Although the bread came late, it was warm and good quality. Its oil dip was prepared with olives and tasty. The Manhattan Clam Chowder had the routine content and was pleasantly spicy. The lamb osso bucco was mostly tender until close to the bone, it was tough. The pork osso bucco was drier and less tender, not falling off the bone at all. The fruit de mar was excellent. Eggplant Parm thinly sliced and good. Service was good.
At about 8:15 pm, the guitar player cranked up his amp and put echo on his voice to the point I had to almost shout to be heard next to me. I asked him to play quieter and he slightly lowered the guitar amp but not his mike. It was a big detraction from the meal. My cousin has a hip problem so going to another table would’ve be very painful. The owner gave me an uncomfortable look as if he knows the problem but couldn’t do anything about it. The musician is personable and talented, but be warned that Sat night, the meal becomes all about the performer and not with whom you came. Other Unilocal reviews mentioned this problem. Without him, it gets 4 or 5 stars.

Almost non noticeable place on the side of the road. It has some really good dishes and they even create some non typical italian dishes. Drinks are good and service is great. They accept all major credit cards.

The food is great! Every time I have been there the owners seat you and walk around to make sure everyone is satisfied. They really care about their business and you can taste it!

The consensus on the reviews here is spot on. We stopped here on the way to Ferris Acres and really glad we did. They accommodate special orders and everything was fresh and delicious. Orders are plenty big enough. We have to find more reasons to head up this way and eat here.

We had a meal at Tambascio for the first time last night. I love Unilocal,use it a lot, and don’t write a lot of reviews — unless I’m inspired.
Tambascio has inspired me.
An excellent experience from the moment we pulled up to the driveway. Hostess chatted it up with us while she made a quick drink at the bar, nice bustle and first impression in the door. We were seated promptly, and felt we were welcome guests at someone’s home.
Here’s a list of positive experiences:
*Waitress — professional with a great sense of humor
*Drinks — well made, and quickly addressed
*Food/​Dinner — some of the best italian food in the area
*Price — Nearly all dishes/​entrees are less than $ 20
*Atmosphere — Classy, yet definitely NOT stuffy and arrogant — very comfortable
*Dessert — to die for
In the end, the waitress overheard that is was Patty’s birthday, and brought out a delicious chocolate somthing or other with a candle or two in it and they all sang happy birthday to her. I didn’t set this up… wonderful!
And finally, the owner came out and talked to us for 10 minutes. A real professional and very knowledgeable about the food BUSINESS. We laughed about loving Gordon Ramsey shows and other great stuff on the food network.
If you live in the area and haven’t been here, you simply must visit Tambascio.

I have been going to this restaurant for years, and it is always a good experience. The building is cute; it is small enough to feel like a cozy restaurant, but big enough to have elbow room. There is even an area that is lit completely with outdoor light, which is really nice during the summer.
The food is fantastic. I especially love the house dressing on the salad. The pasta is fresh, and the main courses are always great. Their best food tends to be their specials, so I would suggest to look at the list. Also, they get ice cream from the local dairy farm right up the street, and it is the best in town.
Also, in addition to great food and a nice place, the staff is superb. They are always extremely polite and attentive, and always refilling your water glass. On Saturday nights there is even a live guitar player. If you frequent this place, I suggest getting the membership card. It is free, and you get rewards, like a free entrée on your birthday!
Awesome place. You should go!

We live in Southern Fairfield County and needed to find a nice restaurant after our team played in a soccer game at Newtown High School. My brother, who lives in Newtown suggested we try Tambascio. We made a reservation for 8 people at 9 pm on a saturday night. I had to call to say we’d be a bit late but that was no problem.
We arrived at about 9:30 and sat down to the last bit of music by a nice guitar player (6:30 — 9;30 pm).
Our server was very pleasant and gave us some nice recommendations for both wine and food. (The Malbec by the glass was delicious!)
We sampled Beef Tenderloin, 2 different eggplant dishes, the pasta Posiliipo with a pink sauce and a pizza. All were delicious and terrific value. The atmosphere was relaxing, portions large and it was the perfect end to the evening, even though we did not win the game!
At the end of our meal we had a nice chat with the owner. We talked about the restaurant business and other things. He’s first class and knows and cares very much about his business. Try this restuarant if you have never been there. Mangia. Enjoy!