Ragazzi’s

Stopped by here while passing thru on a trek down the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway. Had to decide on the fly but the cars in the lot seemed to say this was a good place to try and glad we did. Good drink selection, soups and bread were superb, tried the North-​South (wow) and was really good but waaaay too much food, good food, just a lot! But we made good dents in the plates. Good atmosphere, good service, good food, worth a try.

Don’t go to Olive Garden if you can go to Ragazzi! Much better food, choices, price, and service for this genre of Italian.

Used Fetch for a pizza and cannoli. (Love Fetch, btw). As someone who spent the last 10 years in the Bronx near Arthur Avenue (real Little Italy), I have pretty high standards for pizza and other Italian American fare. The pizza was okay. The crust wasn’t crunchy and a bit bland. Tomato sauce needs some spices. But the pizza is perfectly fine for the area. Better than Grace’s, not as good as Jimmy Sardine’s. However, I didn’t like the cannoli. The cannoli cream was grainy (not well mixed? Wrong sugar?), which is probably the one thing that turns me away from cannolis in general. The cream should be creamy and smooth. The shell was a bit too cooked; brown to dark so it tasted a little burnt, but it was crunchy. I don’t think I’ll choose Ragazzi’s again unless I’m using Fetch.

Ragazzi’s lasagna is great and taste better than Olive Garden and Carrabba’s. They have endless breadsticks and salad. The servers are very friendly.

I have given this restaurant three different tries and unfortunately have been let down each time. The one decent thing I can say is the wait staff has always been extra friendly on each occasion. I was sadly misinformed when I was told that they compared to Olive Garden – which isn’t the case. If ordering anything pasta/​spaghetti related, you will get sauce that seems like it has been sitting in a pan all day… poorly seasoned at that. It’s unfortunate that the food quality doesn’t match the service quality.

I definitely recommend the lasagna with Alfredo sauce; it is delicious and you will definitely have more than one meal. Get the small if you’re not that hungry the regular is over ONE POUND of lasagna!

Such a great Italian restaurant! Everything tastes homemade and meals come with yummy breadsticks and salad (although we only get ours with lettuce, tomatoes, croutons, and dressing). They have a section in their menu that has lower calorie meals. I’ve had 2 dishes from that section and they were delicious! Their soups are also quite yummy. We return often for great food and the Ragazzi coupons found in the Roanoke coupon flyer make it a pocketbook friendly option.

Mom and I had lunch today and she was surprised at how good 600 calories could taste when she had the pasta primavera dinner. My Italian sausage soup was delicious and our server, Sarah, was friendly and attentive. Very good value for the money.

Ragazzi’s is a favorite of my parents’, and as they live a stone’s throw away they had to show me their local haunt when I visited Roanoke.
It’s good overall, with nothing to knock my socks off but large portions of good food. The salad was good with a light house dressing, and I had the pasta with pink sauce and meatballs. Not the best meatballs I’ve ever had, but perfectly good for a weeknight out. They also had live music towards the end of the evening, which if we’d been any closer (they were staged near the bar, we were at a booth farther awat) might have been too loud, but with where we were it was a nice way to finish the night.
My parents are regulars, and I certainly won’t mind returning when I go back to visit. I like it even more that it’s a locally-​owned place and not a chain!

What has happened? I remember this place being good. A recent visit ruined that memory. The salad before the meal was a joke with watery dressing and generic fixings. The bread was overly oily and barely warm.
My dish lacked any distinguishing flavor and was far from hot. making the cheese gain a less than yummy texture.
The drop in food quality, untidy surroundings and dreary atmosphere explained why there were only two other diners there for dinner on a Friday night.
Do something fast to improve… please!

Some people have said Ragazzi’s is a family owned version of Olive Garden. I think that’s a fair statement, leaning more toward Ragazzi (I only recently ended a 5 year ban of our local Olive Garden after 34 bad experiences in a row).
We’ve never had a bad meal here. I normally would not order lasagna at a restaurant but lately that’s all I have ordered here. The seafood portafino is also a good choice. The salad served family-​style is excellent, but the garlic bread is not as good as Olive Garden’s bread.
Several times we have taken large parties (8+ people) to Ragazzi’s and never have they had a problem handling a large group… and never has anyone complained about the food. In fact, everyone has always been very pleased, and full.

Ragazzi’s was another family favorite when we lived in Roanoke. For families with children, Ragazzi’s has it right, offering ample selection reasonably priced with a nice childrens menu as well. Most meals include all-​you-​can-​eat salad and breadsticks. Another nice touch is the option to order «regular» portions or, for a slightly reduced price, you may order a «small» portion. Most at our table yesterday ordered small portions and were completely satisfied — a few even had leftovers.
Yesterday I enjoyed spaghetti with meat sauce, mushroom sauce, and Italian sausage. The sauces were flavorful and my regular portion was perfect for me. Ragazzi’s also offers a full bar with several TV’s in the bar area for watching the game.
If you’re seeking a romantic date night spot, look elsewhere. But if you’re seeking good food in a family-​friendly atmosphere, give Ragazzi’s a try.

The restaurant is a nock off of Olive Garden, but with out the ambiance. If you have a choice, go to Olive Garden. The staff however, is pleasant.