Aperitivo Bistro

Not your average Italian restaurant. Interesting and delicious Italian food. Great presentations, especially on the salads. Setting is quiet, romantic even, and nice for a special night out, like your husband’s birthday!

Another delicious meal and good service at Aperitivo! It is currently my favorite place to eat in Schenectady and will be tough to beat. The pizzas are a solid choice, but I think their salads are my new favorite. This time I tried a spring ‘panzanella’ salad with grilled salmon. It was perfectly dressed and quickly devoured. I look forward to trying them out for lunch sometime in the near future.

High ceilings, dim lighting and whispered chatter among the fellow patrons seated at nicely set tables is exactly what the ambience is like once you step into this establishment on a busy Friday night. My boyfriend and I came here to celebrate his birthday and our anniversary and had a superb experience. From our seating that was right in front of the restaurant where we people watched and enjoyed the nice summer breeze while we anxiously anticipated for our food, to the immaculate service from our waitress– the delicious food was just the icing on the cake… and that says a lot. I ordered the grilled salmon that came with potatoes, asparagus, a fennel & artichoke purée and fried leeks and my boyfriend ordered the veal that came with blistered balsamic tomatoes & arugula salad. The purée was unique, fluffy and DELICIOUS. Nothing like it in my opinion. My salmon was fresh, and the sides were so delicious that I nearly did not want to finish it. His veal was tender and he described the acidity of the tomatoes and arugula complemented his meat just right. We were too stuffed for dessert and instantly fell into regret when we arrived home after a nice walk on State street.
Being a native to the city, this place almost has a city-​like feel. The ambience in the restaurant definitely brought me back to my roots and the food exceeded my expectations. Schenectady has really done a fine job at welcoming new establishments to restore what the small city used to be, and this place nestled right on State street seems to fit right in. You don’t want to miss it.

Great food, atmosphere, and waitstaff but a pretty slim menu. Good location for a quick bite if you are headed to Proctor Theater for a show but make your reservations early!

It’s a little pricey, but food is top notch here. Italian food, sushi, steak all great quality.

Wow wow. Superior customer service
Great food. Will definitely get repeat business from me. Tim our waiter was great with my 4 year old. Very nice having a place like this nearby.

I went here with a date prior to seeing a play at Proctors recently. The food was amazing! The beef short rib was HUGE and fell off the bone… No knife needed! My date got the surf and turf and was very happy! It’s a must stop date spot in the capital region!

Aperitivo is a well known establishment in Schenectady. The food is pricey, roughly $ 15 – 30 per plate. The atmosphere is classy, relaxing almost lounge feeling. I’ve been there twice, both times before a show at Proctors which is conveniently next door. We started with a meat and cheese platter which was delicious. Their menu changes continuously, which is nice if you like to try something new every time you go back. Overall, great place.

Damn good food! Only eaten here once but from what Ive been told, the menu is always changing which makes it somewhat of a new experience each visit.
Our group did some serious damage on the menu, which can be shared dishes or large single entrees — and all choices were legit and tasty. The dessert menu was also one of the largest Ive seen which means your inner fat kid will be present while you dine at this establishment.
Also, any place that serves Peroni on tap is a fan favorite in my book!

Food is consistently good. Came here for Schenectady restaurant week. Our server, Tim, was awesome; I’m big on customer service; so it goes a long way w me. Had the pan fried chicken w spinach and artichoke; amazing. Definitely a return customer and will recommended to others.

I dined here on a Saturday night… Be aware the place can get pretty packed especially if there is a show going on that night.
The inside of the restaurant is so cool… the light fixtures are modern yet a little rustic and the exposed brick wall adds something to the ambiance. In my opinion they got the ambiance and décor down perfectly!
Now to the food! They start you off with this delicious bread with an oil dipping sauce that has various spices and flavors added to it. We decided to start with an order of the Calamari with a trio of sauces… the trio being a sweet chili glaze, a rosemary & roasted garlic aioli and a pomodoro sauce. Let me tell you all three of them were equally delicious normally I don’t like sweet sauces but that sweet chili glaze was the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. As for the calamari, it was tender and not at all chewy. I also appreciated how they included a fair amount of the tentacles being that they are my favorite part! The only negative I have about the dish was that it was a tad greasy. I know that they are fried in grease but that doesn’t mean that there has to be excess grease on the plate.
I then had the Truffled Cavatelli which was a pasta accompanied with sautéed spinach, mushrooms and a truffled cream sauce. The portion was huge but it was so good that I stuffed myself to the brim with pasta. It was perfectly cooked and the flavors were fully developed, I highly recommend it.
The service was amazing, she never let our waters or our request go unattended. My date was lactose intolerant and they were extremely accommodating towards that.

We had a really great dinner here. We chose it because most of the reviews were favorable and we were not disappointed. Four of us came at 7:30 PM as the theater crowd was thinning out. The service was friendly, fast and efficient.

We arrived on show day at Proctors early so we could have plenty of time before Motown began… busy, busy, busy with no reservation! The hostess asked if we would sit in front of the bar on a high top table as all other tables were booked… I said ok but didn’t like the table as bar standers would probably be on top of our table also I needed a ladder to get on the stool I’m only 5’1″. But I went with it as we didn’t call ahead. Dylan (a sweetheart) immediately came to our table and asked us if we wanted a drink and we did. As I drink wine on the sweeter side Dylan suggested sangria… oh great I’ll take that cause I love sangria! DH always gets beer… Then we ordered Cherry Pepper Pork Wings @ $ 11 from the small plates section which were garnished with carrots and celery slaw and a cheesy dipping sauce which was excellent! You got only 3 pieces which was quite expensive for the amount you received but I guess you should stay home and cook your own if you can’t afford it. I ordered Baked Cavatelli with Housemade Fennel Sausage @ $ 25. Another delicious dish from the pasta section and not a huge portion. We shared our two dishes together. We had a coupon that I received some time ago for 10% off and free dessert… so we ordered a chocolate concoction called Irish (I’m Irish) Car Bomb Sundae @$ 9… a brownie, one small scoop of ice cream and sauces on top. I never would have ordered it if I didn’t have a coupon it was just that small… I had 3 sangria’s and DH had 3 beers! $ 10 and free dessert was taken off… Our final total bill came to $ 96… It’s not for everyone as it’s expensive but I really liked it… and mind you I’m not the only one as the place was very crowded!
Oh I almost forgot Thanks to Dylan for the very attentive service Aperitivo is lucky to have him.
Food Taste — 5 stars… Prices — 3 stars

Food was excellent but the service was lacking. It took 20 minutes to get water, and that was after asking for it. It then took another 10 minutes to get our drinks. Tables seated after us were served before us. Very dissapointed this time.

I must confess I have been meaning to update this for weeks and keep forgetting.
We ventured back to Aperitivo on Saturday July 18^th at 5:15pm (I know exactly when because I made my reservation through my Open Table app). The restaurant was pretty much empty, my guess is they had just opened for the day. Typically we wouldn’t have eaten that early but we were seeing a movie at Bowtie at 6:45, but I’m glad we beat the crowds!
We were sat immediately and had excellent service from beginning to end! The food was delicious and came very quickly. I had a buffalo chicken pizza that was thin and crispy and definitely big enough for two people, but I tried my best to make it for one ;) I only fell a few pieces short of completing it on my own.
We had a very nice experience and I was happy to have given them another chance. As my previous review explained, I had always had a positive experiences at Aperitivo in the past.
We will be coming back and it’s also good to know that on a weekend you can get there early enough the restaurant is less busy and service is extremely fast.

Wine prices are actually decent. Liked that they had sparkling water. Small Plates are NOT small. Not at all tapas side like they were explained to me as (not a complaint, we just ordered too much because of it).
I gave them three stars not because of service or quality but because of the amount of fruit flies. These were not normal flies that just happen to come in through the open doors, these were fruit flies — there were about 30 on the bathroom mirror and at least 10 we killed around our table. It was really quite off-​putting. Fruit flies only happen if you aren’t properly cleaning. 30 of them don’t just wander into your bathroom.

This is probably our favorite place in Downtown Schenectady. It’s always a treat every time we go. I don’t think I’ve put anything in my mouth there has been less than stellar. Atmosphere is cool, location is great, always high quality service and food.
First off, their lunch menu is my absolute favorite. Between the cheddar mushroom melt burger, local burger, fried chicken sandwich, truffle Mac & cheese, ahi BLT… Best lunch you’ll find, it’s worth going out of your way to check it out.
For dinner, our go-​to app is the surf and turf tempura roll — it’s to die for. Steaks are pricey but always high-​quality. Great selection of wines, not overpriced either. Seasonal menu always offers something new to look forward to. Cannot go wrong with 7-​hour cherry pepper pork — one of the most delicious things you’ll ever eat, guaranteed!
It’s also worth noting that I’ve never experienced anything but great service there. Staff is fantastic there.

Been trying to eat here for a while and wasn’t disappointed. Warm cozy atmosphere and friendly staff from the minute we walked in the door. Even thou we early for our reservations we were seated without issue. Our waitress seem less enthusiastic than most with little understanding about the menu, seemed dismissive because as she stated «it’s theatre night», I still have no idea what that meant.
Our food was delish, it came out hot, in a timely manner and tasted wonderful.
Price point was a little more than a casual dinner out but worth the treat.
Only glaring complaint is, why when your paying $ 20+ for a meal do you have to deal with chipped dishes ??? Throw them out and replace them !!! That being said worth another visit for sure.

I came here with a few coworkers and we are very pleased with everything: the food, the service, and the ambiance. My coworkers ordered classic pasta dishes, while I ordered the veal Parmesan. The veal was tender and juicy. I also got to try one of the pasta dishes — it was excellent. And their bread and dip were delicious as well!
Our waiter was extremely polite and attentive — very classy manner. He walked the balance by being friendly without being too eager.
The ambiance was great — the right amount of lighting with great songs for a hip but still classy atmosphere.
I can’t give 5 stars because while the food was good, it wasn’t 5 star good. I guess I am quite spoiled with Italian food since I visit Boston quite often :-)

We were going to be at Proctors Theater for a show and my boss recommended Apertivo for dinner. So we decided to give it a try and glad that we did!
Its only a few doors down from the theater. While we were on our way I actually used OpenTable through the Unilocal app and made a reservation. It was pretty busy when we arrived so the reservation made things really easy.
The bread and dipping stuff they give you is deliscious! I could eat a bowl of that alone haha
We tried the tuna tartar, fried oysters and the margarita pizza. All were great! The tuna was super spicy which I LOVE and the oysters had great seasoning and a great aoili to dip it in
We also tried a few of the prosecco drinks and they were delicious!
Everything was fairly priced and we left full and happy.
If i had to give one critical comment I would say that I wish our server was a little friendlier. She seemed very busy which might explain it but it was a little awkward at times. She didnt even introduce herself when she first arrived at our table. But the food and drinks did make up for it and I know we’ll be back again!