Rosalina’s Kitchen

The food is always great here! I always know I can expect a good Italian meal, and byob is a plus!

Discovered this place through Unilocal and while out with one of my close friends we settled on getting take out from this place due to hunger and not wanting to wait in a sit down restaurant. Looking through their menu it gives off a bad vibe with the rules regarding how long a party can stay seated for and when placing the order the seemingly arbitrary rules continued as there were only two types of pasta to choose from. I did like that for every dish you could select whichever pasta you’d like and choose between their three sauces. I opted for gemelli (the other option was bucatini) with a vodka sauce and sausage as well as a caesar salad and fried cannoli. The pasta was not particularly amazing but it wasn’t bad, the caesar salad was the best part of the meal, the cannoli was soggy by time I got around to eating it but that’s due to the take out aspect so I won’t hold that against them just merely advise that perhaps you have dessert first if you choose a similar meal to me.
Over all I don’t think I would return due to the abundance of Italian restaurants in closer proximity to me, but by no means would I advise against going here, also it is BYOB if that’s your thing. I would like to get a little more adventurous on their menu if I were to return.

I heard about the restaurant and I was so excited to go there for my birthday. We had a 7:30 PM reservation last Saturday night. We arrived at 7:20 and were lucky enough to find a spot right in front of the restaurant. We were so excited and starving! We walked into the restaurant and there were a lot of people standing at the front door. We were told that even though we had a reservation, we would have to wait. The hostess, owner was extremely curt and unpleasant. She didn’t seem to care that we were waiting and waiting.
After 45 minutes, we were fed up and decided to leave. No apologies from the owner. She didn’t care that we left her restaurant or that she spoiled by birthday. There was one waitress who was so sweet to us but she got yelled at for trying to accommodate us.
As much as I wanted to go there, I would never spend my hard earned money on a restaurant that doesn’t care about my needs. They shouldn’t have accepted the reservation if they couldn’t seat us. At the very least, they should have been kind and shown some compassion.
We went to Artuoro’s in Westborough and had a fabulous meal!

Excellent food! The meatballs are fantastic. You have to try the avalanche. Ambiance is not the best. Very small restaurant and it is BYOB. The pasta (spaghetti, linguine) is not home made but the raviolli’s are. It is a little pricey perhaps because it is a BYOB.

My friend and I came in for dinner. I have to say this place was amazing. First love that it is BYOB! I don’t know what was better… the food or the service. We started with the mussels, the portion was very generous and the flavor was great. My friend had the haddock piccata over pasta. She had enough to take home for a second meal and again the flavor was great– Real Italian food. I had the shrimp scampi over gluten free pasta. I have a gluten allergy/​intolerance so I was excited to be able to have a great pasta dish. Big prawns and tons of pasta! The flavor was great as well. Now the waitress– she was sweet and attentive, but not overly attentive. All the waitresses said hello as they passed by and I believe the owner even came over to make sure everything was going well. All in all it was a great experience. Will be back!

Wanted to love it. We will give it another chance. Ravioli was ok. Sebastian’s cabin was ridiculous. I like the premise of this dish, but it should be toned down. It reminds me of the spaghetti with maple syrup that Buddy the elf would eat. We’ll go back someday. Wait staff is great.

We always enjoy the food, but we literally dread calling to place our take out order! The hostess who answers the phone is ALWAYS so rude! She is beyond unprofessional and really doesn’t care if customers return. If the food weren’t so good, we would never return. From the other reviews I have read, it appears as though she is one of the owners, so the reviews won’t change anything. It is just unfortunate because this could be a little jewel if it weren’t for her rudeness!!!

They put canned clams in the clam sauce and the hostess was very rude. ³⁄₁₀ would not recommend

I work in the restaurant business, currently at a delicious Italian place in northborough and an outstanding BYOB in Spencer. So, I’m a foodie, I love food, good food. My chicken picatta could have been soup, seriously, it was in a huge dish and it was swimming!!! The chicken was tender but the lemon was so over powering my throat still hurts. The side of pasta that came with it was extremely al dente, the sauce was tasteless. Like Hunts from the can. Our waitress was adorable and attentive but seriously, I expected better food. Maybe for half the price we paid and I’d say ok whatever, but not for these prices. The owner seems really grouchy too, almost like customers are an inconvenience.

So it was my parents 65^th wedding anniversary and they are diet conscious and healthy eaters, its what got them to 89 years of age. My father has had chicken marsala in every restaurant from here to hawaii and he said at the end of his meal «that was delicious, the best i have had». We were a party of 7, 5 of us go there frequently but it was a new experience for my parents. They loved the atmosphere, food, location and the meals were delivered quickly as they usually eat dinner by a certain time :) My father noticed it was byob by the many bottles of wine people were bringing in and was impressed with that aspect as you do not see that often. We finally found a winner for them and no longer have to worry where to bring them. You’ve saved us! Thank you Rosalina’s!

This is a great little place with delicious food in generous portions for a very reasonable price. AND it’s BYOB. Even better. When you like wine it can easily become half your bill.
Six of us had dinner and everyone loved what they had; we were all sharing our dishes. I enjoyed the cozy atmosphere and feeling like someone’s Italian grandmother was back in the kitchen cooking something special for us. We left fat & happy & with extra cash in our wallets. Can’t beat that!

Not the best restaurant we’ve been to in the Worcester area and definitely not a great place for Italian food. Overpriced for what you get, although the portions are large.
The haddock Franchaise was oily, kind of tasteless and had a strange sort of rancid oil kind of taste. The shrimp scampi was no better. Also oily and lacking in complexity and flavor. The large portion sizes don’t make up for the lack of a developed flavor profile.
We didn’t even bother with dessert as we were afraid that it would just be spending good money after bad.
The background music is good however, if that somehow makes up for a $ 50+ bad dinner for two.
Give it a try perhaps… Maybe your experience will be better than ours. If not, don’t say I didn’t warn you. How this restaurant has an average review of 3– ½ stars is far beyond me.

We were disappointed here. The steak tips my wife was unable to finish. The meat was full of gristle and the marsala sauce was too sweet. I had the sausage veal mafia. It was OK, but no more than that. Very watery sauce, too heavy on hot sauce. The bread crust was leathery tough (and I love European bread) and the white insides were full of air, had no substance at all. Entrees were in the High teens. Much too expensive for what we got. We love bertucci’s which is much more affordable too. We won’t be going back to this restaurant. Ciao bellas has much better food.

Great neighborhood spot! From the waitstaff to the quaint seating and AMAZING food! My girlfriend and I frequently dine in Worcester and this is an absolute favorite. Lemon Chicken and Eggplant Parm are to die for! Huge portions all made from scratch.

Excellent new dish! The spicy shrimp in garlic sauce… Service as always very good.

Alright folks. I’m gonna level with you. I was skeptical of the whole worcester food scene. I’m a n00b. A Californian n00b. My dear boyfriend recently moved to Worcester for his medical residency, and since delicious food is the foundation of any lasting relationship, we had to find good food to go out to STAT. Enter Rosalinas Kitchen. Somehow, they’re always closed on the days we think to go there (Mondays… Like hey honey, wanna go on a saucy date night out on the town? Because it’s MONDAY and I’m feeling FINE), which is entirely our fault, I do not blame the good people of Rosalinas, but on the off chance we do decide to stuff our gullets with hearty Italian on a day they’re open, were there with a flipping huge bottle of wine to split faster than you can say «erano ubriachi!!» (Disclaimer: LITRALLY just google translated that. A+) basically, we love the BYOB feature of this charming little gem of a restaurant.
No joke, this place provided me with the BEST homemade ravioli I have EVER eaten in my entire life. That fact ALONE earns them five stars from me. And I’m like… SUCH A pasta geek. Like, Yknow how little kids have very limited palettes and have their one food that they always wanna eat, like chicken tenders or grilled cheese? Mine was buttered noodles. BUTTERED FLIPPING NOODLES. YAWN. I’d like to think my palette has advanced since those days, but really, I’m still impressed with a fancy noodle, so these raviolis really did me in. They were these pumpkin raviolis in a creamy almost sweet sauce… But they rendered me INCOHERENT for the rest of my romantic date. My boyfriend was like, WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOU. But alas– I think those raviolis were a seasonal special– sadness. So I guess… That renders that portion of the review totally useless until next winter… Sooooo… This is awkward. Mark your calendars my little love bunnies!
But on the realz, the BF always gets the veal and sausage mafia. He says it’s the best veal of his life, I say «YOU DONT GET TO TALK, BABY COW MURDERER.» Haha totally joking. and they also have a bunch of tasty dessert specials, most of which I’m not remembering right now, probably on a count of its a BYOB place and the wine was a flowing, ya feel? Hey, we’re all adults here. At least, I’m assuming we are because really, what child is like HMM I NEED SOME FOOD IN MY AREA, LET ME CONSULT Unilocal ON MY IPHONE, because 1) they SHOULDNT have an iPhone in this twisted crazy world, LET THEM BE A KID, and 2) they probably just want some BUTTERED NOODLES. GO MAKE THEM FOR THE POOR KID.
Look. These are some old fashioned, perhaps seemingly gruff restaurant owners that might rub some of you softies the wrong way with their abrupt nature. The point is, these people are good people, and they feed you loads of pasta whilst also letting you bring in your own cheap booze. CMAAAAHN!
In summary:
–winter = pumpkin ravioli season
–veal sausage mafia
–be prepared for Worcester Italian realness
–bring lotsa wine so you can eat dessert and forget about it

This is not the Taj Mahal. But it is a great neighborhood establishment with scratch made dishes. The atmosphere is not polished, but hey, they know that. It’s BYOB, so if you want to fancy up your meal, bring a bottle of Chianti.
The food is plenty and fantastic. The prices are INCREDIBLY reasonable. I had the Design A Dish, and my boyfriend had an entrée with a duo of eggplant and meatballls. Both were wonderful. We ate until we hurt, took it home and had dinner the next night.
We also had the antipasto. This salad is what other antipastos wish they were. No deli meats on this platter! Chicken, sausage, veggies, tuna, cheeses, and the dressing drizzled over the top was just enough. We didn’t even toy with the dressing they brought on the side. It was very filling, I even took some home for lunch the next day. And the bread… oh boy, the bread. Pillowy on the inside with a great crust for dippin’!
I give 5 stars because it is as good as it gets FOR WHAT IT IS! They are only open 4 hours a day for 4 days a week. C’mon folks, if you want high end dining with fanfare, go to a more expensive place.

The story that Mike D. Had related is not what transpired. His allegiance is w/​the restaurant. I will not bore u w/​the details of what transpired; just know that I was treated rudely, unfairly & was made an utter embarrassment of.
The owners have zero class & I am thrilled to never set foot in their establishment again.
It was always tainted by the unfriendly & sullen hostess/​owner. To further add to their low class trashy additudes, I was sent an email by one of the owners that is too disgusting & low to even repeat.
Just more proof that rudeness & trash is on the menu here.
Go at ur own risk.

Yes, yes, yes — this place is perfect! Don’t go here if you’re expecting a chi-​chi atmosphere. It is what it is — a classic, old school Italian restaurant — but one that serves amazingly delicious food. These ladies clearly care about keeping true to their roots and to whomever taught them to cook.
It is BYOB with plastic table cloths and closely spaced tables. They serve soda but little else to drink — it you go with kids, BYOB for them too (they generally don’t even have milk or juice)!
Generally, you cannot go wrong with anything on the specials menu. Guaranteed fresh and delicious (if they haven’t sold out of what you want). They specialize in raviolis and you won’t be disappointed in sampling any of their ravioli offerings. Their eggplant is delicious — perfectly sliced and prepared. Penne arrabiata is the perfect spice. Don’t hesitate to ask for a special order — they cook everything fresh and are HAPPY to accommodate. It’s not on the menu but they offer gluten free pasta here.
Caution — don’t fill up on too much on the crusty on the outside, fluffy on the inside, freshly sliced for you bread. It would be nice it they offered a high quality EVOO to go with the bread but it’s honestly so delicious that you don’t need anything.
The service here is solid. You won’t necessarily get warm and fuzzy but you also want get false, saccharine sweet fluff either. What you will get are women (generally) who are committed to serving the great food they have, who know the menu inside and out and want you to enjoy your food. Mistakes are quickly remedied with an honest apology.
Parking can be tricky and don’t even think of going here without a reservation. You don’t need to book weeks out (unless you have a large party or a special occasion) but you will wait for a while, and generally outside, if you don’t call ahead to make sure they can seat you. You won’t be disappointed. The value of the amazing food you will experience here is worth returning again and again and again!

this is what I love to see. Simple food made in the traditional way. Small family owned business with real skill and love in the simple food with complex flavors.
I have now been going to Rosalina’s for 2 years almost once a month and have not found much to complain about here.
First off. this place SHOULD be a hidden gem but its just too good for everyone to not have found out by now. That makes for a really crappy parking situation and if your party is smaller than 4 and you show up at 7 on a Friday you may be laughed out of this place. You can get lucky with a 2 person party and get seated at the bar. That’s only happened to me once so don’t count on it. These are the only negative things I can report about Rosalina’s.
Oh and they are BYOB. SCORE!!!
My go to dish is the Lemon Chicken, especially when I’m not feeling a huge heavy dinner.. That said, when I am feeling the heavy yum yums, I ask them to make it with Alfredo sauce rather than the light delicate sauce that covers the gemelli and spinach so well. If you have a huge belly, bring a friend and get the Antipasto salad. Its enormous and full of so much more than your typical chopped lettuce and ham cold cut salad you get anywhere else. — Grilled Veggies, Oil cured Tuna, cured meats, olives and pepperonis mmm! I always say I should stop there but I have to order more. My date and I have shared Valentines here and other occasions. We can both attest to the freshness and LOVE that you can taste in the food, even simple cheese ravioli or the Sausage and potatoes dish (must try).
I find myself savoring every last drop of sauce, (best red sauce ever btw) every last piece of perfectly seared meat or seafood (clams or Frutti di Mare are INCREDIBLE!!) till I have to be rolled out or carried to my car on forklift. They have all of the traditional items you see on ANY Italian menu, your parms, scampis, masala, but they also have some regional Italian delights that you really should venture out and try!
Everything Italian that you’ve tried is just better at Rosalinas.