Experience two levels of dining at one of Stratford, Ontario's great restaurants. Our pizzeria serves the best thin crust pizza, pasta and fresh salads and is a fabulous bar to meet up with friends after shopping. Or dine in our stunning main level Taverna for a romantic evening where we feature hand made pastas, locally sourced meats and seafood while you select the perfect wine from our extensive wine cellarmore...See more text
Pazzo Ristorante offers a summer prix fixe menu...
Pazzo Ristorante offers a summer prix fixe menu that changes daily. I was interested in sampling this so I made my way to Stratford to check things out.
My biggest disappointment was that the prix fixe menu had only one choice. That day, it was a Ni?oise salad for 'primi', a pasta dish in a spicy tomato sauce for 'secondi' plus a lemon cheesecake for dessert. I declined this choice and instead opted for a Potato Gnocchi in a gorgonzola cream sauce mixed with bitter greens.
The food was superb. The sauce was exceptionally creamy and tasted european-esque in quality. I've never had Gnocchi before but if every Italian restaurant had this dish with this kind of quality, I would eat nothing else every time I eat Italian. Although the presentation was not quite spectacular, it was lunchtime, so I'll cut them some slack. Another area which I'll cut them slack would be portion. Small, tiny, minature, little, lacking, get the picture? However, fill yourself up on bread , appetizer and dessert and you should be just fine.
The dessert was similarly excellent. Berries tasted like they had just been picked. Again, presentation was just than stellar but here, portion was not all that bad actually.
The staff were very friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. They heeded to our requests and commonly stopped by to check on how the dining experience was going.
One notable thing about this restaurant is the atmosphere. Modern, elegant, classy, this design morphed lunch into an experience. Look to the left and you'll see large windows allowing a great view of Stratford. Look to the right and you'll see tasteful paintings. Look up and you'll see a two-story ceiling. Even the entrance to the restroom is cleverly concealed.
Overall, this is an excellent restaurant to eat at. Definitely stop by if you are in the area. However, if you are going to have only an entree, fill yourself up on a carbonated beverage.
Very delicious food, particularly the sauces, but...
Very delicious food, particularly the sauces, but the portions in the upstairs restaurant are ridiculously small. I am relatively thin woman with an average appetite and after three courses, a mountain of bread, and $75 tab, I still left hungry. The pizzeria downstairs is another matter. The portions are decent and the food is simple, appropriately priced, and delicious.