Review Involtini Ristorante - Calgary

Amazing service and exellent food

We just had Thanksgiving Dinner here and were we ever impressed. Amazing food and service, we left feeling super satisfied and super full. I have never left a review anywhere before but was so impressed and want these guys to thrive in our neighborhood so the more people know about this gem the better

This has nothing to do with the food or the service we have received before. Two times previously we have had amazing service and food, even brought our friends after a date night. The food is amazing and prepared with love and great care, and a great athmosphere. Unfortunately this past Valentine's day (2020) it was the worst. The owners were not on site, and there was at least 15 people waiting, reservations were 1.5 hours behind and there was NO PASTA on the menu as it was a set menu with duck and pork. The servers and front of house had zero idea what was happening and no communication from them. Plan ahead, every other night we have been there has been amazing, but unfortunately, this last visit we left and went to the bar near by for our Valentine's day, and saw additional groups leave for the same reason!

If i could give 0 stars i would. My boyfriend saw good reviews online, so he made a reservation for Valentine's day dinner 2020, we got there, there were like 15 groups of people waiting. Our reservation was at 7:15 p.m, we arrived at 7 pm and there were lots of people whose reservation were at 6:15 -6:30 pm not seated yet. The staff had no idea what was going on. It seemed like there was no communication between the staff, they each came at different times and kept checking in the same people and kept going to the "back" to see if tables were available, came back with no answer, checked in next people, went back again to check for tables, and this goes on and on. We finally asked to be called on my bf phone when the table became available so we went to the nearby pub for a beer. We got a call at around 8 pm that our table was ready. When we got back to this place, the staff could still not figure out where to seat us, we waited again for 15 min, so were other like 4 groups of people who were called and told their tables were ready. Then we finally got seated, it took the server like 5 min to give us the menu which was hand written because the computers "had been down" or something like that. Menu was confusing, hand written with question marks beside some dishes like whoever wrote it was unsure. The couple beside us were kind enough to explain the menu since they had been studying it for quite sometime. I ordered my appetizer and a main and a dessert, waiter messed up my main with my starter, i ordered duck main, he brought duck appetizer, so he pretended that he just double typed it that my duck main was on it's way, we waited an hour after having appetizer for our main course to be brought to the table. We heard him telling next table that they were running out of some ingredients so they could not serve some stuff that were supposed to be part of the special menu so those people had to readjust their orders. This waiter had a little notebook for taking orders but he kept ,mixing up everyone's order because he wasn't sure what everyone ordered. Then he said they just got the menu 10 min before the restaurant opened for dinner. My bf ordered sea food which came with barely no seafood at all. It was like a 10 dollar meal and was charged 40 dollars when we looked at the final bill. Total rip off. Nothing was offered to compensate for the trouble that guests went through. I would never come back here again. The experience here on Valentine's day 2020 was the worst, unfortunately i am not inclined to come back and see what this place is like on regular days. We finally got out of this place at 1030 pm for 7:15 dinner reservation with 170 dollar bill.

This is a quaint little place. Nice atmosphere. Great food! We had probably the hardest working server I've ever had. I'd say this is a must try place. Not only was the service top notch so was the food. My husband and I eat out often and this place although it sounds cheesy was like tasting food for the first time! Incredible! You will love it!

Overpriced, and two menu items were out of stock. Including their key dish involtini's. Had to do a "make your own pasta" dish, which was good. But not 26 dollars good. House wine was also almost 10 bucks. Seems like a place for older folks. Staff was very polite. EDIT: to the owner who replied on my review. I have no reason to lie about the prices. I wish I was given the menu you speak of, unless the prices were hiked for Valentine's Day. That'd be shady if you did.

Came here for a reunion dinner with some old friends and left a little dissatisfied. In terms of the ambiance, it's a nice place. It's dark enough to be romantic and it's cozy. The servers are nice enough, but most were teenagers. The food looked fantastic. But this is where the illusion dulled a bit for me. I ordered the $30 Lobster Risotto and while the portion was enough, the lack of flavour was the weak point. Salt helped but I couldn't help but feel that for $30 it should of been way better. I would, however give this place another chance as some of my friend's dishes were better.

Loved it. Beautiful setup and cozy. Great food with a great and friendly waiter. Loved the wine too.

I finally made it to this fabulous restaurant while back in Calgary on vacation. The selection was mind-blowing ... after great debate, decided on the pear salad and cannelloni. It was soooo good, I couldn't have dessert. Although I did have a wee taste of the sherbert - they're all good, but the coffee one is best. Thanks for a great evening Gerry! Calgary peeps, if you haven't been, you must go!

The vegetarian food was awesome! The red pepper hummus with crispy pita bread was out of the world and the tiramisu with lemon custard is a must try!! Will definitely come back when im in Calgary next ��

My husband and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Involtini. The food was amazing, cozy atmosphere, all the staff are friendly and accommodating. We will definitely go back soon!

"Slow food", simply delicious. Not rushed, great selection & excellent service.

Amazing food and wonderful staff!! Thank you for a wonderful anniversary dinner!

My boyfriend took me here tonight for an early Valentine's dinner, for the first time. I loved it the moment we walked in - the ambiance was perfect, and the manager/owner came to our table to greet us (he introduced himself and welcomed us but I am admittedly terrible with names, plus my earring had just fallen out and I was trying to put it back in lol!). Neil was SUCH an great server!! Neil had this ability to make us feel so valued as clients, and engaged in such a professional but friendly way. The interaction were perfect. The restaurant was quite busy, but somehow the servers perfectly juggled their tables and Neil checked on us at the exact right times. Neil was helpful and knowledgeable, and made fantastic recommendations. The host was a sweet young man who was just lovely as well. The food was so great too - I usually make risotto at home, and the risotto was amazing, I was so impressed, the chefs were fantastic. My boyfriend grew up in a very privileged lifestyle and is not easy to impress, but he absolutely loved everything about our night at Involtini as well. This will absolutely be our go-to date night restaurant, going forward. So happy to have found this gem and it's wonderful staff.

An Italian neighbourhood gem in Oakridge, sure to please. This restaurant also operates Oakridge Pizza, and have some of the best pizza in Calgary. <br/><br/>The Cannelloni is fantastic, all pasta dishes are cooked perfectly - not mushy and drab. <br/><br/>For appetizers, the Mushrooms Marsala is a great dish served with crustini. Delicious starter for a pasta savvy person. <br/><br/>Wine selection and pairings are well chosen, and add to the experience. Staff is friendly, and have obvious pride in their work. Zero snootiness, with a strong knowledge of the kitchen and ingredients.<br/><br/>Pizzas all have fresh toppings and are not the least bit greasy. Bubbly crunchy cheese atop an array of vegetables and not overly salty deli meats. Crust is on point, not soggy or packed with grease. Oakridge Family pizza is a favourite.<br/><br/>If you're into trying Oakridge Pizza for the first time, they offer a $15 large Hawaiian pizza for pickup.

My wife and I took my parents here for dinner on their advice. They had been here several times before, and it is obvious why. The restaurant is unassuming in an Oakridge strip mall, and doesn’t look like much from the outside. However, once inside, the atmosphere was warm and cozy. The service was great. Our server very knowledgeable and attentive without being intrusive. The food was amazing, cooked perfectly and sizeable servings without being excessively large. I had a veal dish, which was tasty in a delicious sauce. My wife had an equally tasty chicken dish, and my mother had salmon. My father had an amazing seafood risotto with lobster and scallops that was decadent. What was equally impressive as the service and quality was the price. A similar place on 17th Ave or Kensington would have charged almost double for the same product. This little place is definitely a winner!

We orders from here on skip the dishes, and the pastas were small, for the price absolutely tiny, and I didn't feel like I had to pay $4-8 more dollars to get a dinner sized portion.<br/><br/>The calamari that's on the menu has way too much salt in the batter that's on it and it doesn't look like how it's explained on the menu. <br/><br/>The bruschetta was great, not enough bread. <br/><br/>I probably won't order here again or go, unless it's for someone else's interest.

The food is typically very good, the atmosphere is very cozy, and the service is great (with friendly staff). The menu is on the expensive side, but the meals are worth it.

Pick up timing was off by 40 min. My pregnant wife had to sit around and wait for 40 min, which i understand things happen especially on a saturday night during the kitchen rush. What i do not understand is the quality of food for the price. The "calamari scallopinni". Was inedible, overcooked, over seasoned and absolutely a discrace. My dog who is a 120lb monster that eats everything spit it out as he could not even chew through this piece of tire even if one could it is salted like a piece of beef jerkey. The rest of the food was mediocre at best. I have had better food from the frozen section at superstore for a fraction of the price. Such a let down especially since this place seems to have a decent reputation in the neighbourhood. Maybe new kitchen staff? Or maybe nobody actually had pride in thefood coming out of this place, either way My family and anybody I ever speek to will not be ordering anything from this overpriced dissapointment. And i worked in kitchens all my life. This place is a joke.<br/><br/>Ps: I have never left a bad review on the internet ever but this is absolutely ridiculous.

Unreal!. Best service ever <br/>The server has an amazing voice, i just want him to tell me a bedtime story<br/><br/>But the food is just unreal <br/>Great knowledgable staff too!

An amazing New Years Dinner. My wife and I have been to this resto a bunch. Although we have always enjoyed it this evening was absolutely amazing. We were not aware that it was a set menu but in the end are happy it was. It started with complimentary raspberry champagne and a delicious gazpaucho, house made chips and roasted chic peas. I started with the lamb, very good, I was hoping it was local as I find it less gamey but very good none the less. All other courses were fantastic and my main was a smoked boar chop. This may have been the best thing I have eaten in years. The atmosphere is always romantic and service bar none. I would recommend this resto to anyone. <br/><br/>Thanks Involtini for a perfect New Years eve meal, so full:)

Just awful. This place has a lovely room that feels private and cozy. We were sat at a table by a window in front of a closed curtain. No one offered to open it for us. The young lady that sat us was very pleasant and promptly offered us water. It was fairly obvious that the gentleman that served us favored his tables of regulars over new customers. Other tables were visited multiple times before or plates were cleared. Our drinks were never empty but he definitely was short and less than polite and seemed annoyed that we were the "third table in a row to order pizza".<br/><br/>Our actual meal, which took entirely too long to arrive at the table, was subpar and some of the worst pizza I've eaten in my life. I was shocked to see they had an award by the door posted by the door for excellent pizza. Our first course (asparagus fries) was nothing special. Asparagus covered in panko crumbs and deep fried then served with a tzaziki style white dip that was basically sour cream with dill. There was no seasoning or flavor to the appetizer. The pizza took an extraordinary amount of time to arrive at our table. The server came to our table after we'd been waiting for a about 25 min AFTER our appetizers were finished to say that the kitchen cooked the pears wrong so they have to be redone. I work in a restaurant and the friend I was with is a chef, both of us were sorely put off by the server blaming the kitchen. When the pizza finally arrived at our table it was cold (despite being told that it was fresh out of the oven). There was about 2 inches of crust and where there were toppings, they were scarce. The crust wasn't even tasty enough to compensate. It tasted like it was precooked, hard as a rock and about as flavorful as an unsalted soup cracker. <br/><br/>All in all, we were very disappointed with our meal and definitely will not be returning.

Great food, service, and experience.. I visited Involtini for dinner with my wife for our 5th anniversary tonight. The owners provided personal service, including a special table for us, and really made our experience that much better. The food was great- I got the distinct feeling that everything on the menu was delicious after tasting just a couple of dishes.<br/><br/>I would definitely recommend Ivoltini for a great overall experience.

Best retirement/birthday catering EVER!!. Copious amounts of the most fantastic Italian cuisine ever!! Lovely people (family & owners)! Can't wait to taste it again!!

Have been here so many times and It has never been better!!!!. We have been coming to this local gem since opening ( 2009), and have always enjoyed the experience but this time was by far the VERY BEST it has ever been. The new chef is unbelievable. I am the kind of person that orders the specials and the bison meatballs were unbelievable. We will continue to come here for all our occasions in life!!!

Pleasantly Impressed. My wife and I happened upon Involtini Ristorante for dinner no reservation Fri. 25th Never been before but we were seated- treated with a no charge appetiizer that their pizza driver Ron gave to us last week with our Oak Ridge Pizza order.The soup artichoke/bacon in mild broth melded together in a way I've never experienced before. We were over the Moon. Friendly & knowledgeable wait staff. Extensive wine list which server Tammy suggested a particular one that went very well with our main course. New Gold star chef Bennard Gowen and able sous accompanists ,appear to be tweaking,as I've learned, the menu of their exceptional Italian fare. I've dined in all of Italy north /south and I believe this establishment to be true to the delicacy and spirit of its name sake Involtini i.e main entres Check it out.

Delicioso!. We recently celebrated a friend's birthday at Involtini and were pleasantly surprised by the quality of all three courses. I started with an apple and spinache salad which was fresh and tasty and my main course was a seafood and fish pasta in a creamy sauce which paired well with the Zinfandel that we ordered. Dessert was a chocolate cake with cream ... very rich. Involtini is a bit pricy but worthwhile. Give it a try next time you are in the Oakridge area.

I'm from Northern Italy and I cook. In no way does the food here reflect Italian cooking. Over cooked pasta drowning in sauce at an extravagant price spiced to create flavour that doesn't exist. Sad if anyone thinks this is good food. Sorry mangia cakes.

Nice Place, No Value for Money. Stopped in at Involtini after recently moving to the area. <br/><br/>Was fairly impressed with the setup, which takes full advantage of the space in a unique way for the location. Service was friendly and solid throughout.<br/><br/>The food? Disappointing. The seafood soup was good for a cold night but the calamari was overcooked, likely because it had been flattened to the thickness of onion paper. The in-house bread was the best appetizer.<br/><br/>Mains were not up to par for $25+ dishes. The veal involtini was overcooked and tough. It was also drowning in sauce, along with the potatoes and other vegetables. The wife's pasta dish tasted pretty good but was also swimming in way too much sauce. <br/><br/>I could live with this resto if the price was right but at $94 for two people I was underwhelmed. Hard to recommend at these prices. 2/5.

Not worth the money. We went for dinner to this restaurant last night and my meal was awful. As the previous reviewer stated it was tasteless and there was far too much sauce with was watery. The pasta was over cooked and was drowned in the sauce. The was a huge hunk of broccoli on the side which wasn't really cooked and when i asked them to cook it a little more that brought it back and i couldn't eat it because it was absolutely tasteless. I could have done much better at home. I find it very disappointing you can't get a meal for 2 for under $100.00 and most of the time the food is mediocre at best. I wish I could find a reasonably priced restaurant with good food that we could go to when we want to go out for dinner. I don't eat seafood or pork so I found the menu very restricting. There was very little for me to eat, I wonder what vegetarians do?

Won't be back. So disappointing!. We have been going here for the past 3 years for special dinners. We won't be back. I agree with the other reviews....bland, tsateless, flat sauces and nothing you couldnt make yourself at home.<br/>The calamari for $14 was gross...in a yellow, mealy biscuit-like breading with a tasteless "tzatziki" that was just mayo with tomato and olives in it. The litre of wine we ordered had a LOT of sediment in it and we each only got 1 glass before we hit the sediment. My angel hair with tomato basil sauce was very flat, bland, tasteless. I could make better with quality canned tomatoes myself, and I'm not a great cook. The dessert crepes he ordered clearly had been frozen for months or frozen and thawed multiple times. They clearly tasted of freezer burn and had dry white edges. The menu should indicate they are made ahead, NOT fresh. The "caramel" sauce was like a thin corn syrup, no depth of flavor, just VERY sweet.<br/>The waiter was pleasant enough but seemed in a rush, although there were only 5 tables of diners in the place. He never once came by to see how any of the courses were, so we just plodded through, hoping it would get better. For $100 I expect much more, and have had WAY better meals at the Olive Garden (!)<br/>This place is NOT what it used to be, and we will NEVER go back. Go somewhere else for the price, or get a cheap meal at an Italian chain restaurant because it's about the same quality.

Will return again!. We had a corporate dinner here with 40 of us. The food and service were perfect. I'm still getting raves from the attendees. Thank you!

I was here for valentines day and was not too impressed. The soup was very good but the rest of the meal wasn't cooked well. Too much sauce, low flavor and the meat was over cooked.

Soooo Good. We frequent the Involtini Restaurant often because of the friendly staff, excellent food and reliable and prompt service. The food is always good and the specials are delicious. This resaurant can handle a lovely intimate dinner or a large group without a blink. Our favorites are always the involtini's and the seafood dishes. The chef uses fresh ingrediants bought at local farmers markets and wines come from a local dealer.This Calgary gem is a treasure in the SW.

Lovely Cannelloni. We've decided to try new restaurants and this was the first one my husband chose. Unlike most of the Italian places we've eaten at, the meals prepared here are not strongly flavored from the tomato base. My husband had the seafood bisque which he found bland. I choose the Venezia salad followed by the cannelloni. Both were very good. The cannelloni sauce was milder than I am used to but the dish is still very good. My husband's dish, the Fruitte di Mare, was less flavorful than he liked. His comments were passed along to the chef and we were given a free piece of tiramisu. This received kudos from my husband.

Fantastic food and service. They were able to make onion and garlic free Italian food and it was excellent. Highly recommend !

The shrimp involtini is soooooo good

Not sure what the fuss is all about. The fruitti di mare was tasty, however there were some prawns that tasted mouldy. This also happened to the chicken involtini (since it had a prawn in them).<br/><br/>Service was good, but we won't be going back for the food, especially considering the price and lack of quality. I expected better.

Surprising!. After having purchased a Living Social coupon we were expecting a local pizza joint. We were very pleasantly surprised by the wonderful ambiance and *** food menu. We ordered the fried brie with carmelized maple onions with crostini and the mediterranian flatbread. Delicious. Next visit (which is assuredly going to be soon) we will try one of their signature involtini dishes. Great Place.

Has been better. This place was recommended earlier this year and I have been there 4 times in the past couple months for various occasions. This last visit was terrible, the service was extremely slow, the Savini (Risotto with Scallops) was a very liquid soup with tasteless scallops. Tables arriving after us, left before we were even offered dessert. It was the worst meal I have ever eaten, that being said everyone else had good food, but it was dishes they had tried before and liked.

Just Okay. Had lunch at Involtini, food was okay but not great, certainly not memorable except for the dessert - vanilla gelato-filled crepes with an orange brandy peppercorn sauce....possibly the best dessert I've ever had! Service was a bit lacking....couldn't get the waiter's attention (he seemed to be ignoring me and wouldn't make eye contact)so I had to get up and ask for a spoon to eat my soup with. Hopefully the food and service are better at dinner.

Love it.. We've been to this place twice over the past couple of months and both times it was fantastic. Its been expanded a bit since it was San Remo, which makes it a little more roomy and open. Not a fan of having to come through the pizza places door's to get into the restaurant...a little bit tacky, but I'll survive. Great food and great wine and great prices...what else can you ask for?

SO good!. Highly recommended, great service, amazing food without any snobby servers. My new favorite calgary restaurant!

We have been to this place at least a dozen times and mist recently this weekend. We have never had even an average meal here. It is always outstanding. I am a big fan of lamb and it us great here. It us always worth it to try the specials. Enjoy!

Pleasant. Overall the experience was pleasant, however there were a few things that left a poor impression. When we arrived, we were greeted by a friendly hostess, although I cannot say she was particularly professional in her clothing choice. The wait service was prompt in obtaining our drink orders and was able to recommend some items from menu. The mushroom marsala to start was quite delicious. The main course (most of us at the table ordered veal) was good, though not fantastic. The blue cheese sauce was excellent, the vegetables were okay, perhaps a little bland, and the presentation was lacking. The desserts were lovely. Everyone at the table agreed that the tiramisu was one of the best we had ever had. I found the atmosphere of the restaurant to be its most endearing feature. It was very cozy and comfortable. The service was friendly and prompt, but service etiquette was lacking. I am planning on returning in the future.

Fantatic! Finally a truely great Calgary dinning experice! The menu was fresh and delicious. We had a great watress who knew the wine list and helped us select our wine, she was polite and attentive which is a huge plus when dinning out. The price was more or less expensive but well, well worth the price. We can't wait to go back!

(I)t’s nice to know that there’s still fine dining to be had far away from the downtown core and did I mention the great bread?

Involtini sounded intriguing to me because I had never heard of its namesake dish. Involtini are thin slices of meat rolled around stuff, and then cooked.