worth at least one visit, but maybe not more. we walked up and down littleitalyas the typical hungry tourist on a saturday night. we checked menus and prices, inquired about wait times, and given our clothing (shorts and sandals straight from the beach), our options were limited to a handful of restaurants. given the extraordinary number of "likes" and reviews here, i knew we had to try this legendary place.
the wait was only about 15 minutes on a very busy evening so that wasn't that bad (plus, i always feel good about my choice of restaurants when i have to wait in line!). but it is very strange and even somewhat frustrating to wait in line in a deli with tall racks of smelly foods when you are undoubtedly hungry in anticipation for a good meal.
we tried the lasagna based on the glowing reviews here and we were somewhat disappointed. as you can see in my picture i uploaded here, the "meatball" is a mega meatball and somewhat inedible unless you break it off in smaller pieces and dunk it in the bounteous marinara sauce that covers the lasagna. the lasagna is nothing worth writing home about except that it is an enormous portion that could feed a small family. there was so much sauce covering the plate that it even spilled off the edges.
my wife wasn't very hungry so she thought she would try a small antipasta salad. there was nothing "small" about her portions as well. the plate was piled so high that she had to use a second smaller plate to empty off small portions that she could manage.
the garlic bread was ok, but was also very large.
don't get me wrong... i appreciate large portions, and the actual taste was generally pretty good, but i would rather smaller portions with more exceptional tastes. even the root beer i ordered tasted watered down.
i suppose i should just accept the fact that the meal was relatively low priced so i shouldn't get a 5-star meal, but i expected more from such a highly acclaimed restaurant.
our waitress was a sweet girl that helped us with a smile, but that didn't help the dining experience. the cliche red-white checkered table coverings are cheap plastic. the lighting is too dim. the bottles hanging from the dark ceiling make it feel like a dark tavern. and we happened to be seated right in the main pathway where all the servers and table bussers ran back and forth. they even dumped food in buckets (literally a large bucket) just a few feet from our table. i understand they need to clean the tables and put the leftover food and dirty dishes somewhere, but in plain sight of customers trying to enjoy their meal?
overall i would probably return if somebody wanted a cheap italian meal, but with so many options up and down little italy, i would like to try others before returning.