Ferrari’s Ristorante

Second visit and it didn’t disappoint. I come to this area frequently on business travel and it’s become a must go staple for each visit already. Great food at reasonable prices. It’s off the beaten path but worth every twist and turning side street it takes to get there. Antipasto, veal, chicken parmigiana, ravioli, tiramisu… Name it and it’s good.

The best place I’ve been to in the Capital area that has some resemblance to the old Franklin Ave. places in Hartford. Utica worthy as well… Schenectady actually has a few great places, but I love the fact this is a really old divey neighborhood (lock your doors…). Red saucy places are a dime a dozen, but a few of them really know what they are doing. Ferrari’s is one of them. Another thing… total time warp inside which is a great thing… the industrial HVAC of the modern Bertuccis idea just doesn’t cut it with folks that grew up with old school Italian places.

Good food, good staff, pleasant atmosphere and all around a good place to check out. It’s a good feeling when you leave happy and full. Thanks to the owners and staff. Keep up the good work

It couldn’t have been any better. Bread was waiting for us on the table and I believe it was home made. Then the salad came family style. There was 6 of us. The food came reasonably quick, even though everyone ordered something different. It was as ordered, piping hot and delicious. Their menu has home made pasta on it. The dining room was small and comfortable. Service excellent. I think majority of employees were family. Portions are HUGE. You really could split a meal. Desserts are also homemade and also delicious. Try it. You will not be sorry!

This is our go to for good Italian food. Our family is 100% Italian and cooks all the time, but this is our spot for a nice meal, it can be romantic and for families. Hands down since I was a kid, awesome food, great service, nice people, Its not fancy, its like walking into my grandmother’s dining room, but the portions are amazing for the price and the place is just great

The décor took me back to childhood visiting Grandma. Sadly, the food did NOT take me back to Grandma’s amazing Italian cooking. Not pleased with my meal at all. Veal francese should have a lemon wine sauce. I was presented with a breaded veal cutlet topped w big chunks of uncooked garlic smothered in butter w a slice of lemon on the side. The pasta side with tomato sauce was good, but not so great you’d consider buying a jar of sauce to take home… This is a mediocre Italian restaurant. Hopefully they will step up their game! You are better off staying in and eating Ragu.

Lackluster overall
We were a party of 8 that dined here after a show at proctors
We made reservations for 5pm but they did not have our party on the list. Luckily they made room and wasn’t a problem.
Food: it was obvious the food was assembled with ingredients prepared ahead of time then reheated.
Ordered the lasagna and it was not prepared as one would expect. Instead it consisted of a hodgepodge of traditional ingredients piled onto a plate, not layered.
Pasta tasted pre-​made and reheated to order.
Other people in our party ordered veal something…
It was not very good. Tasted like it was soaked in butter and washed with lemon juice.
Service felt rushed… Our waiter and everyone else thought we were going TO a show even thought it was mentioned several times we were coming FROM the show at Proctors so it felt like speedy Gonzales was serving us…
Overall — might return but my experience there felt rehearsed and did not leave me with a strong desire to want to back for more

Fantastic atmosphere with real home made food. Our waitress suggested a meal not on the menu. A veal cutlet over pasts with light a cream sauce containing a bit of horseradish (not in any way over powering). The massive size dish was finished with peas and prosciutto. We had a fresh salad for the table that fed the four of us along with fresh bread and a big bowl of warm sauce.
We will be going back for sure and I’m already looking forward to my leftovers for lunch!

Once again Ferrari’s did NOT disappoint!
Shrimp Angelina, Lobster Ravioli & The special of Little sacks of 5 cheese with cream sauce was a hit!
Family style salad & warm bread!
Schenectady staple & as always a great place for dinner!!!

There is a certain feeling you receive at Ferrari’a Italian restaurant when you walk in — from the family greetings to the cozy at home ambiance. You will never leave hungry and have a massive amount of leftovers. I have never been disappointed from any of the entrees served. I do advise no matter what day of the week it is to make a reservation to be on the safe side. Ferrari’s is in my top five restaurants of all times.
The only reason I give a four and not a five is I felt a little rushed and wanted to enjoy the time and linger with my fiancé; as we were celebrating an important event to us. We went on a Thursday night and it was not yet at full capacity. Professional and warm– a real authentic Italian Ristorante.

Good homemade italian food. Not a lot of people know about it though… you have to have italian roots in rotterdam to know basically… it is a gem that is out of the way

My Oh My!
The Ferrari family invited me for the Antoniak/​Ferrari wedding rehearsal dinner held at the restaurant. I was excited to go there from hearing about the restaurant — especially through Anthony Ferrari, but I realized that the pre-​excitement didn’t even compare to my excitement there and afterwards. Now I’m a vegetarian, so my review might discount a majority of the menu, but I sure did eat a lot of food! My review consists of the following main categories:
Ambiance: I loved the ambiance of this location. I like the historical photos hanging up around the restaurant. Even though the restaurant is 40 years old, it has a charm, a feeling that makes you feel welcome. The restaurant is definitely spacious too.
Drinks: I had the home made white wine and I was in love with it. I tasted the red wine too, but the white wine made my night. It wasn’t too sweet and you can tell that this was homemade. I love authentic and home made style food. The same applies to my drinks too. I also had some drinks at the bar too. My favorite was the espresso martini. I love espresso and it was just amazing. You couldn’t even taste the alcohol, that’s how great it was. Very addicting nonetheless.
Food: Now the most important part of the review! We got a taste of all the food offered at the restaurant. We started off with the bread. We received regular bread and garlic bread. The garlic bread was my favorite. Huge fan of the bread. It was soft and wasn’t overloaded with too much garlic either.
We then started the antipasti. Antipasti had the standard offering as most traditional Italian restaurants and homes. For me, I was just eating the cheeses and fell in love with that.
We then went to the appetizers. We did get a salad as well — standard — but the appetizer most relevant to me was the italian home fries. I was sitting next to my friend — who’s also a vegetarian — and we both noticed that this was cooked differently than a lot of home fries we’ve eaten over the years. We then tasted it and it was just amazing. The potato fries weren’t too thin or thick. The potatoes were also fresh. I liked the additions of onions and peppers adding some spice and flavor to the fries. The cheese only makes things better!
We then received the pasta, cavatelli with marinara sauce. The cavatelli was fresh and firm. The sauce had a nice flavor to it too. I was a fan.
I then got to the main course — eggplant parmesan. Because I ate so much beforehand, I wasn’t able to even finish half of the eggplant parm. But man, this was the best eggplant parm I’ve ever had. It was just amazing. The cheese, eggplant, sauce … it was just amazing. I can’t even describe it… I wish I was able to eat more!
Service: To sum up everything above, this place was amazing. The hospitality is wonderful. You can tell this is a family-​owned restaurant as you can feel that every meal is made for you as if you’re receiving a meal at home. The Ferrari family understands the value of great food and hospitality!
When I come back next time, I have told Anthony I will save some room for the eggplant parm and dessert! Just a wonderful experience. Best Italian food I’ve ever eaten.

ate here last weekend. Was spectacular. I cooked at Giovannis in the north end of Boston, an area famous for Italian food. This place stacks up to anything you can find there.
the Steak mafiosa was super

This place is fantastic. Location is not the greatest however it is worth the trip.
At first glance you walk in it’s a typical Italian greeting that you receive-​either by one of the employees or the owners themselves. There is usually a packed house so reservations are key. Once you sit down the meal begins. As far as appetizers go I highly recommend the Italian potato chips it is a spicy combination of deliciousness. As far as your meal whatever you choose you’re going to love and it is abundance of food. Between the salad the appetizers and your entrée you will definitely be taking leftovers home.

As I amend my review, it keeps getting better. It’s always consistent, family atmosphere with a charm that is lost on modern dining. Best restaurant in the capital region hands down. Food, service, sauce. Delicious

The very best Italian restaurant in the Capital District. The building is a unique wedge shape, and harkens back to Schenectady’s glory days. Make the trek off the beaten path to find this unpolished gem. The chicken parm is incredible, the meatballs are fantastic, and the Italian home fries are not to be missed. Do yourself a favor … GO!

Simply amazing! The chicken parm was perfect! I took more than enough home for another meal! If you visit here you must have the Italian Chips like nothing I’ve ever had before!

I have heard the most amazing things about the food here so of course i was phyched to try it being that italian is my fav!!! I was not thrilled at all. they pack way too many people in a small space. we went on a friday evening… it was ridiculously busy.
they didnt give us bread plates. we were supposed to use the paper placemat to set our bread down on like animals. i asked for bread plates but they never arrived. i asked for a little oil and vinegar to dip my bread in… i prefer that to butter. the waitress brought out a soup bowl with 2 inches of oil and a little vinegar on the bottom. so when u dip ur bread in it, it soaked up only oil and tons of it.
i ordered chicken parm. it was drowning in a pool of sauce. when i say drowning, i mean that there was a large portion of chicken covered in mozz cheese but that you could only see a small part of it because the rest of the plate was sauce. while i did like the sauce, nobody needs that much. my chicken was over cooked, probobly why it was drowning in sauce… so i was very disappointed.

If you’re looking for amazing authentic Italian food you hit the jackpot with Ferrari’s. My family came here on Christmas Eve for a far from light lunch, as my fiancée and I live in Denver now and lack any good Italian so was looking forward to indulging in the real deal. We were beyond satisfied with the flavor and amazing entrees we received. To start we ordered the calamari, wow the small is more like a large but you won’t be saving any for later grabs! This appetizer is a must order! My family and I ordered for our main entrees a mixture of veal and chicken parm, linguine with clam sauce and the chicken Antonio! Massive portions!!! And the best marinara and chicken parm I have had in ages !!! You can’t go wrong, my mouth waters when thinking of the amazing sauce and yummy Italian here! I highly recommend Ferrari’s as I will be back the next time I visit home!!!

Great food. Massive portions– everything you want in a local Italian restaurant. I wish my town had a place like this…