Avanti Ristorante Italiano

I am not one of those that doesn’t like change. I have been trying to give the new owners here a chance because I live in town and love being able to walk to the restaurants here in Pennington. Unfortunately, I will be crossing Avanti off of my list. The changes recently made to the menu have ruined the place for me.
Note to the new owners…
Really? How expensive is lettuce, with the increase in prices did you really need to take away the salad?
Find a new bakery, or better yet go back to the old one. For the cost of a dinner at Avanti the very least you could do is provide decent bread.
I won’t be back until you add better pasta and seafood options and create reasonable price point options.
You have made the owners of Francesco’s very happy.

After the new ownership, the place has gotten rid of pretty much all that I liked. It used to be a solid place that was consistent and reliable. Now, an overpriced disappointment. Sorry, but had to be said.
Soup of the day comes with entrée instead of a salad with no opportunity to replace.
Caesar salad was a good taste but sun dried tomatoes are a bit odd.
While prices have gone up considerably, portions have more than halved in size.
Taste in my dish was under seasoned while my wife’s dish was way over salty.
Breaking was thick on the chicken.
Sigh. I hate when that happens…

Under new ownership. Previous cook staff fired. Went last night. Worst. Meal. Ever! I ordered a classic, veal picatta, because that’s usually not too challenging. Sauce – terrible. Veal – poor quality meat, tough, seemed like scraps. It would have been an inadequate portion too, except I only ate 2 bites. Server was very nice, but the overall service on the kitchen side was an abomination. An hour after we ordered, they came back to the table to tell my husband that they didn’t have any gnocchi to serve. They hadn’t defrosted enough. So he ordered vodka rigatoni. They served him rigatoni Bolognese instead, which was mediocre, but edible. Our friend was served a cold, ultra-​rare steak; she ordered medium. They comped our desserts, which I wouldn’t have ordered if I wasn’t still hungry, but they didn’t take the veal off the check as promised. Save your money. Eat elsewhere.

Great lunch. Linguine Sicilian for me, linguini with clams and Caesar salad with grilled shrimp for my dining companions. Cleaned our plates! Cute place, quiet for a good conversation, good service, reasonable prices.

I actually did not visit this restaurant. I just tried one of the entrees.
The entrée was veal toscano. The remains of the veal and pasta that I had was unreal. The Marsala wine cream sauce was one of the best sauces I ever had. The pasta was cooked to perfection as well. The pieces of veal I had were great too. The sauce was just beyond amazing though.
Will I go back? I never actually went, but I would love to after tasting the veal.

Nice atmosphere and very good service. The food is missing something to raise it a notch or two. Everything was very plain. We ordered the papperdelle lazaro, pappardelle calabrese and Italian roasted chicken. All was missing flavor. The fried calamari appetizer was inedible as the pieces were extremely large and excessively chewy.
Go less than a mile down the road to the Pennington Market shopping center and go to Diamonds for good Italian food.

We had dinner there last Saturday and it wasn’t any different than the rest of the local dime-​a-​dozen strip mall Italian restaurants (Diamonds, Francesco’s, Marsilio’s, Piccollo, etc.). I had the $ 38. lobster tails and they were bland and very forgettable. I’d heard the new owner/​chef was the previous owner/​chef at La Mezzaluna in Princeton and I was really looking forward to trying it… it falls well short of Mezzaluna, and for that matter, the old Avanti as well. We will not be returning.

Just got back from another Avanti jaunt… had iced tea that tasted like a cigarette was added while it was brewing. Weird and unpleasant. Calamari is okay, other entrees are okay. It’s overall, just «ok». That said, it beats Diamonds hands down on a food level. When you eat really good Italian food, you eat simple dishes with great ingredients that are spiced to perfection. You won’t find that here… it’s pretty basic. One thing that’s nice — it’s not that expensive, and a BYO to boot.

I have been to Avanti on two occasions, and have left in a state of euphoria both times! I have gone with my wife (fiancé at the time) for a romantic evening, and we eventually had our rehearsal dinner there with approx 30 people! The staff is knowledgeable, patient and friendly. Including the owner Michael, who always goes out of his way to make sure everything is perfect.
The food is truly top notch, and it comes in very generous portions! The Avanti Bread appetizer is breathtaking. It is topped with zucchini, tomatoes, basil, caramelized onions and Parmesan cheese. The calamari is crisp and delightful, with the perfect amount of breading. I have enjoyed a number of entrees but my favorites are the veal and the Gnocchi bolognese. I also really appreciate that it is BYO… Which helps cut costs. I can’t wait to come back!

I love Avanti. It’s my go to for pasta in the Pennington area. The gnocchi bolognese and the vodka rigatoni are delicious. When you just want some damn simple good comfort food you can’t go wrong. Good sized portions without sacrificing flavor and quality. I’ve tried a few other things on the menu and haven’t been disappointed yet. It’s all gravy.

I’ve been coming here for many years and the food has always been awesome. Great place with great food at a good value. Last night 3÷25÷15 I took my family there for dinner. The restaurant now has new owners and to be honest it’s lost a step. The service remained top notch. However, the food doesn’t hit the old mark. The bread was great. The soup was tasty but was super small, they could have served it in a ramekin instead of a small bowl that was half full. The calamari was like chewing rubber bans, my jaw was tired after 3 pieces, very disappointing. Our meals showed up, and one was ordered with veal was chicken, OK not the end of the world. But it lacked, to quote my son, «taste» and he was still hungry after finishing it. My meal and my wife’s was tasty but again small. Never had we gone out to dinner and left a restaurant hungry, but it happened. This place has a great following of loyal customers and I hope they solve some of these issues. Till then I’ll steer clear. Sorry gents!

Can’t go wrong with this place. Quality Italian dishes, with great service. Chef/​owner is on point, and makes you feel at home. Their vodka sauce is some of the best, and the Chicken All ‘Arabiata is delicious. Soups are usually always amazing too.

So far we have been here twice. Once for my birthday and the latest time for my husbands birthday. It’s a cozy and romantic byob little Italian restaurant. There’s a parking lot with ample parking so that’s a plus. Most importantly, the food and service were excellent both times we have been. I had the chicken Sinatra the first time and it was amazing (and I plan on getting that
next time we go). Tonight I had the chicken pellegrino and it was great.
For desert try the lemonciello sorbet. It tasted like a light lemon merange pie in a champagne flute. I plan to have one every time we come back. My husband had the chocolate soufflé and he loved it.

Loved the pasta here. Everyone shared and even the kids were asking to try ours. Gnocchi bolognese was excellent and the linguine pomodoro was a refreshing change. Will have to find an excuse to come down this way again for a meal.

Went to Avanti with friends for lunch which turned into an early dinner. The owner came to our table to recommend a few dishes. We had the Salmon and Lamb chops and they were incredible.
To our surprise the owner recommended the linguine with roasted garlic and olive oil. It was crazy amazing. This is not on the menu but was as close as you can get to Italy in Pennington.
Finished our dinner with some Hazelnut Gelato and soufflé.
If you have not been to Avanti, you don’t know what you are missing.
From the minute you walk in you will feel like you are sitting in an Italian family home in Italy for dinner and then the server brings out the food and you are immediately transported to a piazza in Napoli.

A very special place for a group gathering! The highest attention to detail and 5-​star service make this adorable and quaint Italian gem a stop worth making. Michael and his staff take such pride is great fresh food and attentive service. BYOB… There is a great liquor store down the street.

Home made linguini was fantastic. Service was excellent and the setting is very intimate. Flambé was cooked at table.

Excellent experience, there is a new owner, Mike Morielo, truly a nice man interested in his food, service and most importantly the customer. He has kept the original menue with some additions everything was spot on, great clams avanti made fresh with large tender cherry stones instead of the frozen little necks. Save room table side bananas foster. Now open seven days a week I look forward to a early return visit, oh by the way he’s really italian first generation, wish him good luck it’s actually better than before and it was always good.

We’ve been here 5 times now. Food is consistently good. Busboys could do a better job at keeping the water glasses filled. We had to ask our waitress for water and bread. They were also out of a number of specials, but the waitress never told us until we ordered them and she told us they were out. She was new, so we will give her a pass this time.

Avanti is amazing!!! The food, staff, décor and service is top notch. It is a gem well worth visiting. You will not be disappointed. It is BYOB so don’t forget wine if you like a drink with your dinner.
Linda and Ed