Best Contemporary Italian Restaurants in Franklin Square

Spectacular dinner with our brother and sister in law at Gioia in Oyster Bay tonight. It was our fourth time there and their first. We split appetizers of grilled cauliflower with ricotta and pistachios and warm mozzarella with prosciutto de Parma. Normally, I hate cauliflower but can’t imagine not ordering it there as it is just so good. Everyone enjoyed it. The prosciutto in the mozzarella with prosciutto de Parma tastes a cut above from other restaurants I’ve been to and melts in your mouth. My husband had the tortellini; his brother had the Gnocchi Bolognese; his wife (a picky eater) had the capellacci; and I I had the gramigna. Throughout the dinner my husband wouldn’t shut up about how he loves that place and how good it was. (So much so I wanted to hit him! 😂). Everything was perfect and our brother and sister in law both said they’ll be back. We had a little bit of a wait for the table (but not that long) so the apologetic manager said our first round of drinks was on the house. The pours are generous. The food portions look small, but they are really all you need. You leave satiated without leftovers and enjoyed a delicious meal. In my visits there I have had the mushroom lasagna, the ravioli, the capellacci, and gramigna and honestly can’t say which I liked best. Cappuccino was perfect too. Excellent wait service. Can’t wait to go back for a fifth time and turn on some more friends. (Not many pictures because background pretty dark.)

What a great Valentine’s night experience! A well thought out special menu, complimentary sparkling wine to start the night and a rose for every lady at the end! The food was incredible (Bibb salad and sea bass were standouts!), and the attentive and very professional staff was up to the challenge of a Friday night Valentine’s. Well crafted drinks and next level desserts were amazing. Literally can’t find a fault with the evening - just the way both guest and restaurant want a Valentine’s night to be! Keep this place in mind for next year - or any special occasion!

Had dinner at Alessandro’s last night to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I’d been wanting to eat here for a long time and we had a great time. The food was fantastic and the service was excellent. My husband is hard to please when it comes to really good Italian food and he was very impressed. Looking forward to enjoying many more meals there.

As usual, the staff was friendly and attentive. It was a busy night (Valentine's Day), but the service was still exceptional. I had the braised beef ravioli, and my wife had the spinach ravioli. Both were delicious. The polenta with fontina sauce appetizer was also wonderful. And their dessert special for the night - napoleon with sliced strawberries - was fantastic. From the staff to the food, Cassariano never disappoints.

Good food and nice service for a quick dinner! Reservation was perfect with exact time for table and no waiting at all!