Savinos

My husband and I live nearby and Savinos has become the go to restaurant when we need to have delicious food served in low key but lovely surroundings with attentive but unfussy service. Over the last few years we have been going here, the food has evolved from dependably good to truly great and often inspired. A favorite is the duck, always cooked perfectly and served with beautiful fresh and delicious seasonal vegetables. My husband alternately orders fish or steak and has never been disappointed. Above all, the crème caramel is the best we’ve ever had — we order it every time we go. We also enjoy the special mixed drinks, We highly recommend it!

The ambiance of the restaurant is so intimate, even though the kitchen is somewhat open. There are some private tables on the corner nooks and periphery of the restaurant and nicely spaced tables located centrally. There is a friendly bar in the front and knowledgeable barkeep named Paul. And of course the food is fresh, cooked to perfection by competent servers… a true gem!!!

4.5 to 5 stars based on two visits. The physical space is clean & pleasant, the chairs comfortable. It’s reassuring to have a good (non-​chain) restaurant where one can take guests and be assured of consistently delicious fare, without having to go downtown.
The first time we went, it was an unplanned stop for a late supper. To our delight, there was a music combo. The staff was very welcoming although it was late, and the prettily presented food (I had flank steak with a yummy glaze) was excellent.
A couple of months later we returned for luncheon with several more people. We shared tastes of salads, risotto, duck, salmon, and pasta bolognese, and everyone was pleased. We were headed to a birthday party so did not try the desserts, but will do so next time.

Great food – the warmed spinach salad is a particular favorite, but the duck, the pasta, and probably most of everything else are quite good. Really wonderful ambience. The interior architecture and decoration is superb, and it’s a pleasure to be there. Wonderful bar area. Usually good service. I have been going all the time since I was introduced to the place a couple of years ago. I highly recommend it.

My wife and I have been to Savino’s several times and have always been very pleased with the food, the service, and the ambiance. In addition to the regular menu, there are always a number of specials that offer us additional choices. We usually go on Thursday evenings when musicians perform starting at 8 PM. Tonight there was a wonderful jazz combo with a talented woman vocalist — a real treat. As a person with special dietary needs, I am always appreciative of the accommodations that are made that allow me to maintain a low salt diet while still enjoying very satisfying meals. Savino’s is one of our favorite restaurants. We make a reservation each time we go, even though we’ve never had a problem finding a table. Just as well, as this is one of those well-​kept secret places that we hope too many people won’t find!

Food was good but service was disappointing. I think because we didn’t order drinks, our waiter neglected us. Our food took a long time to arrive and was warm. I’m very disappointed and don’t think I will return.

Four of us had dinner here for the first time, and every thing from the ambiance, service, and of course the food was incredible !! We all ordered different apps and entrees, and ended up sharing all of them. Highly recommend, this is a real gem of a local restaurant.

Savinos continues to deliver fresh, imaginative and well prepared food. Relaxing, pleasant atmosphere.

I had lunch here the other day and it was absolutely delicious. I got a ham, fontina cheese and caramalized onion panini, and it was easily the best panini I’ve ever had. prepared perfectly. I also really liked the atmosphere-​cozy tables and classic Sinatra-​like music playing. Great experience and I’ll definitely be going back!

It is a pleasure to have such a fine restaurant so close to our house. The food is top shelf, the service attentive and the wine list is varied and reasonable. It is worth the trip for out of town folks who want a high quality experience with out the hassle and expense of going into down town restaurants.

Really nice Italian spot! I get bored with the Belmont offerings and this is a nice touch. Had an excellent and friendly waitress today at lunch, who was more Than accommodating and kind to the 4 kids I dined with. We had the bruschetta which had a nice variation with avocado, my son had the salmon which was small but cooked perfectly, I had the special Pinot Grigio (well priced) with an excellent bolognese and my sister had the panini. Everything delicious. Will be back for dinner!

Hubby and I had a Thursday dinner at Savino’s last month using a Groupon voucher. The dining experience in general was quite pleasant. We like the pan-​seared scallops very much. Scallops are not easy to cook and they did it perfectly. The other dishes we got were not that impressive.
There was live Jazz music the night we were there — pretty romantic. But I’m not sure if they have it every night or what. I have the impression that things are in general a little overpriced.

We go to Savinos weekly for dinner and love it. Tom and his team turn out amazing food. Today was our first lunch. What a find. Lunch is great. More people need to come here before the secret gets out and no one can get in (even myself)!!!

Small portions but tasty. My steak was tough and service was slow. There was one cook and one waitress. What can you expect !!

My girlfriend and I went to Savinos last weekend, mostly because we found a deal for a voucher. We made reservations and arrived at around 6:30. We were very hungry, and decided to order a cheese plate with wine to start. Before it arrived, (somewhere around 6:45) we put in our dinner order. Our cheese arrived and we waited. We had read in the menu that the food can take a while to cook, so we tried to be patient. 7:45 rolled around and our waitress assured us the food wouldn’t be much longer. 8:00. A table seated after us gets their food. 8:15. Another table who showed up at the same time as us gets their bill and leaves. Us? Nothing. Finally, around 8:20 we get fed up. We tell the waitress that we are thinking about leaving if we don’t get our dinner. Shortly thereafter, our food FINALLY shows up (if you’re counting, roughly TWO HOURS after we showed up). My medium-​cooked lamb chops (which I estimate took 4 minutes to cook) and my girlfriend’s pasta (which probably took 12) were good. Not amazing. Even without the wait, I would likely have been underwhelmed.
Worst of all, however, was not the wait, not the overpriced, unimpressive food, but the chef’s response. He first goes to the party of 8 who was seated after us and received their full meal before us, then approaches our table. He apologizes for the wait by explaining that it was a busy night. When we complain that several tables were served before us, he waives it off as a problem getting orders into the kitchen. He offers us a post-​dinner drink. Not a dessert. Not a comp on our food. An extra drink. I don’t know if we were taken less seriously because we were some of the youngest people in the restaurant, but I seriously doubt any chef would be this dismissive of regular clientele. We will never go back to this restaurant and cannot in good conscious recommend it to anyone else.

I just love this place. The food is always amazing.
Great service. Really interesting flavors. Comfortable seating and nice décor.
A must go!

I’ve been there several times because it is there, it’s never too crowded, you can hear the person you’re with speaking (excepting live music nights) and it seems decent enough. Food’s ok, just not so great it’s worth getting so scary in the wallet over. The wine list isn’t bad, it’s just not my favorites. That said, it’s still a lovely place to go.
One thing I absolutely hate about it is the Home Depot type paintings on the walls. The room looks designed to put small artworks on certain walls, but the effect of cheap crap for art is almost enough to ruin the whole thing. I used to see those paintings in thrift shops in the 70’s after motels closed down. No, no, and no. That’s not art.
On an up note, the chef does seem to understand pumpkin. Whatever he does with pumpkin has worked for me so far, I do recommend.

I love this place… It definitely is a hidden gem.
The ambiance and service was great and the chef personally greeted us.
I suggest trying the Panko Crusted Tilapia over ‘farrotto’ with sugar snap peas and scallions, grilled fennel, baby carrots, finished with mint oil. Delicious!

We’ve been to Savino’s for dinner a few times and absolutely love this neighborhood gem. What I really want to talk about is their new Tuesday-​Saturday lunch menu. In mid-​June, chef and owner Tom Cutrone started whipping up smaller and lighter options for fans of the restaurant’s dinner menu looking for another option in the area.
We stopped in this past Saturday at 12:30pm and had the restaurant completely to ourselves until we left, which was about 45-​minutes before their lunch hours end. This is criminal! Our server was very nice and attentive to our needs, even though we were outside at the front of the restaurant, which can often be challenging for a server.
We sat outside and enjoyed refreshing limonata drinks (try the pomegrante one!) and a delicious cheese plate before tucking into our meals. I had the grilled salmon over mixed greens with dill potato salad, which was out of this world. My fiancé had the half panini and soup combination which looked delicious but included a couple of things I’m allergic to, so I didn’t get to try them.
Tom’s presentation is delightful and the food cannot be beaten, at least not in the surrounding town of Belmont. I urge fans of Savino’s dinner menu and anyone looking for a more upscale yet affordable lunch in the area to try it out, and soon! I really hope that the lunch will catch on; we’ll definitely be back.

Yes! Finally, another nicer dinner option for Belmont!
Savinos is your typical Italian joint, with a seasonal menu consisting of primarily protein, fish and pasta based dishes. The menu is smaller than I’m used to, but they do have a pretty sweet list of drinks.
Their Blueberry Sidecar is flavorful, yet subtlety strong.
We shared a plate of the osso bucco, which was simmered in a delicious reduction sauce, with pieces of lamb (I believe).
For an entrée, I got their roasted duck breast. The portions were extremely generous, especially for this type of fare. However, my duck breasts were a bit overdone, giving it a harder texture than I would have liked.
Judging from what my family got, it seems like their food tend to run on the more well-​done side of things. Personally, I prefer my food (especially fine cuts of beef) more tender and juicy, so I recommend ordering rare/​medium-​rare.
The décor was very nice, with a very minimalist approach to it. The simple lighting adds to the intimate and romantic atmosphere.
Given the large portions, I thought the prices were extremely fair. While the food here wasn’t out of this world or anything like that, it was good enough to get the job done.