02/13/09

want Italian?? Here it is....

by hungryintempe

I skimmed over the reviews thus far and can't understand for the life of me why anyone would give this restaurant a negative review......so what the food took a little loger.....I personally don't like recieving my entree back to back with the apps.......do you.....I'm not in any rush.......not here anyway. I've eaten at Riazzi's a half a dozen or so times and I always get what I expect.....perfect Italian fare and from the quality of it and the price, it's easy to see why so many people love it. Great staff, perfect food, super price.......a pleasure every time I've been there....nuff' said.

• Pros: Parking......everything
• Cons: none

11/18/08

Highly recommend

by guruoffood14

Great place for authentic Italian food. We go everytime we're in town. Only complaint is that we wish the food would be a little quicker. Very personable staff and great wine selection. Go for any pizza and you won't be disappointed.

• Pros: great pizza
• Cons: far drive, but worth it

09/23/08

Homemade Food, Fun Atmosphere

by KME13

Our family went here while we were passing through the Phoenix area. We sincerely enjoyed our experience. Our server was friendly and service was better than average. The best part was the food. It may not be authentic, but it was delicious. My mom and I both got the cheese ravioli and it was heavenly. We're still talking about it! Everyone enjoyed the meal. It was hearty and satisfying.

The atmosphere was fun. There's a beautiful patio out front (too bad it was WAY too hot outside to make use of it).

• Pros: cheese ravioli!!!

09/01/08

ho-hum

by dfoias

I LOVE italian food and have eaten in many restaurants. We've just moved to the Phoenix area and I was excited about going to Riazzi's because they have received nice reviews and they are walking distance from our home. Unfortunately, I have found that their food is just average. Their menu is average and doesn't show much imagination. The food itself is average. Not bad, but not very good either. The floor was quite dirty, which did not make a good first impression. There is a very nice looking outside patio which was not being used at the time we were there. I did not feel that Riazzi's is a good value for the money.

07/14/08

Avoid at all cost...

by DonBoy

After the bread and butter it was all down hill. Visited here with my friend who is a London Bobby as we were not looking for anything too lavish on our night on the town. Started our dining experience with an small anti-pasta salad for two. The dressing was sparse and the cheese and meat portion consisted of 2 amall slices of salami, 1 slice of cheese sliced from corner to corner and a couple of peporocinis (or whatever). Then came the minestroni soup which was bland and tastless. Better soups can be purchased in any super market. To top this dining experience off, we opted for the spaghetti with meat sauce and meatballs. Another mistake. Ragu is a gourmet sauce compared to the sauce presented on the pasta. The meatballs also ranked up there right along with the other items. Cannot believe this place tries to present itself as an Italian Restaurant. Oh, the 1 star was given to the waitress who was personable and attentive!

• Pros: Beautiful interior
• Cons: Bad tastless food

06/19/08

Hidden Gem...Best Italian in AZ we've had.

by frupp

We read they review on here this evening and decided to finally try it out. We had a wonderful time. The inside is spacious with booths and large tables. We are definitely bringing family when they visit. We started with the calamari. The last time we had this good of calamari was in Monterey, CA on the pier. The service was spectacular. Our waiter went out of his way to make sure we were happy with our meals. Even bringing out extra meatballs (on the house) when I asked if they were included with my pasta (I read the menu wrong though). Homemade cheese ravioli was delicious in their marinara. Definitely recommend the NY Cheesecake. Simple but perfect! Riazzi's is a must try non-chain Italian place in Tempe. Enjoy!

06/19/08

Best Italian in PHX by far!

by tcasady

I have been in Phoenix for two years now, I have been looking for an authentic Italian restaurant since the day I moved here, actually a couple months before I even moved here! I loved Maggiano's, I loved Arevaderci (Scottsdale) but last night my girlfriend and I decided to try this little hidden Italian place near Southern on Mill that we drove by all the time.

Wow, what a great idea, when you walk into the place, you'd think you were at some fancy restaurant in Scottsdale. There's a VERY large seating area, we were seated right away (Wednesday around 6:30, so not many people there) and we were promptly waited on. I had the meat ravioli - now let me tell you, I havn't had REAL home made Italian Ravioli since I was about 12 years old (12 yrs ago) but the meat inside these reminded me IMMEDIATELY of the meatballs my grandma used to make! The pasta was al dente! it didn't fall apart while eating it and the sauce didn't have tomato chuncks - best EVER!

I am a VERY large eater, I finished my dish, lettuce and two baskets of bread, I was full. Our bill was about $60 but we had a $26 bottle of wine. I can't wait until my parents come to visit because that will be the FIRST place I take them to eat!

• Pros: Price, Portions, Taste, Atmosphere, LARGE selection of all dishes
• Cons: none that I can think of this time around

07/20/07

not so good anymore

by onerad

Years ago this was a place to get excellent food. On my last visit, I had close to the worse plate of pasta ever. There was virtually no tomato sauce on the spaghetti. I'm surprised my waiter did not notice this.

10/27/06

Complacentcy....

by speeddevil

This place used to be good, now it is just a former shell of what it used to be... The food was underwhelming and similar to what you could get at any other local Italian joint... Wait staff was OK, when they weren't talking to each other... So unless you live close and aren't looking for spectacular food I would try somewhere else....

• Pros: They have a roof and AC...
• Cons: Boring....

05/19/06

Best Italian food in the valley!!

by kim0618

I've tried everything on the menu and it's all wonderful... the pizza, shrimp scampi and eggplant parmigiana are top favorites...always great service. If you're looking for authentic italian food in a cozy, romantic atmosphere or want to take a group of out of town guests... definitely head to Riazzi's!!

• Pros: Great Service, Reasonably Priced, Always great food