nonna emilia ristorante

i wanted to really give nonna emilia a higher rating.  the 3.5 rating, and the crowd when i got there, made me think this would be a great place for italian food; but, not quite as good as i hoped.  

don't get me wrong, the meal was good, but - believe it or not - pastini's is still my favorite place.  i used to work in an italian restaurant, as a kid in san diego, and i have always used the place as the standard for all others.  (yes, it was that good!)   pastini's actually meets that standard when it comes to the sauces and how well the cook up the pasta.

at nonna emiilia's they cook up a very meaty red sauce, but it is missing something - a sweetness of some sort.  still, the food was good, not great.  thus a 3.   the place was packed and theservicesuffered as a result and there were periods of delays for more bread or to refresh the drinks, but our server did her best, thus, a 3.  the ambiance was okay - quite loud though - but on the week-end night there was an entertainer who placed the accordion and the piano and would sing out on requests being made and, in many respects, he made the night fun. thus, a 4.

it adds up to a 3.3 but i won't round up, so a 3 overall.

drunk owner takes from otherts. horrible!!!!! drunken owner takes all theserviceaway from customers. our food was nothing like we have had in the past. the decision to make everyone wait longer, while the owner who was admittedly drunk, to get anyservicewas absolutely inappropriate. they need a wake up call. don't drink in your small business, don't make a scene and be consistent with your food.

horrible experience. our first visit was valentine's day. we completely realize it was extremely busy, but our visit was a disaster. told the wait was 20 minutes but we waited 35. understandable to have a wait but in theserviceindustry we overestimate..not underestimate a wait time. we waited over 10 minutes to even be spoken to at the table. not even a "be right with you". calamari was cold. salads accompanying the up to $20 plates consisted of iceberg lettuce with a few pieces of rotting spinach thrown in and a few croutons. awful salads. we waited for over an hour before getting our dinner. yes...over an hour. then the server never returned....no refills the whole time, no check back, nothing. the food was absolutely horrible. the chicken was so overcooked it couldn't be eaten. as a fellowserviceindustry worker, we were trying to be understanding and would have generously tipped....but could do neither.

we live near nona's and have been many times. i like the calzone. most of my family is not a fan of their red sauce. it's well made just not a flavor combo we enjoy. that said some people really like it. it's not "standard" so be aware before going it will be different. we've always had wonderfulservicethere.

a welcome change in beaverton!. my husband and i were looking for a new, fresh italian alternative to the overly crowded, bleh food, big corporation that is the olive garden. we hit the jackpot with emilia! the decor is very beautiful and romantic. we had a very friendly accordion player serenade us and the rest of the restaurant all night. theservicewas fast and friendly and the food was so fresh and delicious! the portions were huge and we took home loads of leftovers for later. don't miss this one!