Scotto’s Cafe

I like restaurants where the chef gives a personal touch to the food he or she prepares. This is one such restaurant. I’m not much of an Italian food fan but after visiting this restaurant I’ve changed my mind. The atmosphere is outbid this world and the food is epicly awesome. I would recommend the Saltimbocca. Chef really knows his food. Two thumbs up.

Our most recent excursion to Scotto’s my wife had a 9 oz crabcake while I had the swordfish special. For medical reasons, she could not have the crabcake in the butter sauce as offered, but the kitchen happily substituted something that would work for her. She loved the outcome. My swordfish was broiled to perfection and served over a bed of cappellini pasta in olive oil. The combination melted in my mouth. We started the evening with a special appetizer of «garlic shrimp,» shrimp in a (warm) olive oil-​based sauce that was, shall I say, yummy. I ended with their exquisite limoncello marscapone cake. I should mention that, the previous week, they served a cream of crab soup with dry sherry and chock full of pieces of crab meat. It was a wonderful way to start that meal.

this place was AWFUL. Not worth a single dime. For an appetizer I got two salads, and bruschetta. The salad wasn’t good. The wine tasted nasty and old. I ordered crab ravioli but I added some extra things to it. Well the mean turned out to be $ 40. Yeah $ 40 for crab and shrimp ravioli. When I told the manager he said he uses top quality food, blah blah blah. To attempt to alleviate the situation he took $ 6 off my bill which was sad. Then he said when I come back he will make it better. I will never ever come back ever again. He has no business charging these prices when shoprite is in the same parking lot. What upset me was the food wasn’t good and they have no business charging those prices. He didn’t even attempt to make the situation right.
oh and I’m still hungry

Scottos is our go-​to spot for really great Italian dining. Their wine list has some very interesting Italian wine. The food is always dependable… and delicious! We’ve known Diego since the restaurant opened and he’s never let us down… always serving top notch Italian cuisine!

I use to come here as a kid and it was always very good. I came in last night with a Groupon and had a really delicious meal. Best vodka cream sauce I’ve had in a long time. All of the details were really spot on at Scotto’s. Nice seating, yummy bread, wonderful server, great wine selection, and pipping hot fresh pasta dishes. I’ll be back really soon and I’ll be trying to recreate that vodka sauce at home.

Service was so good! Girl was pleasant and knew how to be a fine dining server. Wine was delicious — the Chianti. But the music was horrible and the food not that great. Not great Italian — it was supposed to be a nice place but blah. Very bland food. Overall we enjoyed our meal, but the food probably isn’t worth the price.

This used to be a good restaurant but tonight we had an awful experience with our takeout meal. All of our food was subpar. We called the manager to discuss and he just disputed me saying that all their food was top quality. Gnocchi was rubbery and for $ 23 you’d expect more than 12 small gnocchi in a serving. It was edible but just not GOOD. He said if I came in person and brought it all back he’d discuss it. Lasagna wasn’t even fully cooked with raw cheese on top. For an almost $ 150 takeout meal, I would expect much better. Our family will never patronize Scotto’s again. The manager bragged to me that they had 23 years in business. Yeah, well you’re just riding on the coattails of that now. Good luck with real restaurants like Birotecca in town. Hell, even Italian Sensations has done much better by us even for a casual Italian café. So disappointed by what once was a nice place to dine. Very sad turn of events. I’d recommend trying another local Italian spot. Goodbye, Scotto’s. RIP.

Truly an excellent overall experience.
We came here on a Saturday night around 8 and were pleased to find the restaurant fairly empty.
Our server was literally a delight. I can’t remember the last time I had a server that was so personable, happy to do her job, and seemed to truly care about the patrons’ experience. This was just so refreshing– major bonus points.
I enjoyed the mahi mahi topped with crab meat and asparagus special. Wonderful. The crab meat mix was creamy and thick, while the fish was very light– it was a perfect match.
The only negative comment, and really this didn’t in any way tarnish our experience, was the music was rather loud and not really ambience appropriate. Regardless– can’t wait to come back and try some of the other dishes.

Absolutely awesome! Never had a complaint about the food, it’s presentation, or the staff. Since I have a toddler, I usually go for an early dinner (6ish)!

Still our favorite. They consistently serve fresh and delicious Italian dishes. The quality of the food is superior but at a decent price point. The salmon special with artichokes and capes exceeded expectations. Cooked to perfection!

We need a place between DC and NJ for a Mother’s Day dinner. We chose Scotto’s, and it was a great choice. The accommodated a need to change the reservation in the week before a huge restaurant day (Mother’s Day). The food was fabulous, with generous portions. And the service was spectacular! We sat for along time and did not feel a bit rushed to leave. Will definitely be back!

Excellent! On the expensive side but worth it. Had the chicken Marsala. Delicious. Friend, chicken parm. Fantastic. Another friend tortelloni. Very good. Friend, veal sorrentina. Sublime.
Came in. Table was unbalanced. Waitress, unasked, came over w something to shim the table into place. Good service, good food, good drinks. We’ll be back.

Scotto’s was more than I expected. Interesting menu options. The bread, entrees, and desert were all spot on. Make sure you ask about the specials. Our waitress did not mention them and I missed out on a killer looking steak.

This was our second dinner at Scotto’s. We liked it the first time and wanted to see if it was just a fluke. Nope! The house salad was a little boring, but it was fresh. Our meals were really good and plenty of food. My husband had the bison ragu special and I had the eggplant parm. Both were delicious. This place is a little pricey, but when the food is good, and the atmosphere is pleasant, you’re eating out, so don’t compare it to fast food, or chain Italian. Just enjoy!

What a great place for dinner or to celebrate a birthday or anniversary. Made to order Italian cuisine made with fresh ingredients. Score! (Unlike the Italian restaurant we experienced a few short weeks ago while in Ocean Side, MD). The atmosphere was very relaxing… and a little romantic which surprised us because the restaurant is located in a shopping center. We were seated quickly and service was exceptional. Great choices on the menu ~ so it was difficult to decide! We opted out of ordering appetizers, and honestly, we’re glad we did because the portions were generous!
Before we ordered our meals we were served THE most delicious sour dough bread with butter. YUM! I ordered Melenzane alla Parmigiana: sliced eggplant layered with pomodoro sauce and mozzarella cheese served with capellini. It was prepared to perfection! A little heavy on the cheese, but hey… it’s an Italian restaurant! My husband ordered the Stuffed Shells: jumbo shells filled with ricotta cheese, topped with pomodoro sauce and mozzarella. We both really enjoyed our meals.
They definitely know how to prepare and present Italian food! Hands down this restaurant will be a favorite addition to our «go to Italian» restaurants.

My date and I ordered from the prix fixe menu. Everything was tasty, especially the bruschetta… amaaazing. The caprese was good, but not to-​die-​for. I had the Toertellini Boscaiolo, which was super good, and the serving size was plentiful. My date had a meatball dish which was served with some noodle that was essentially super-​large ziti (can’t find it on the menu now). The serving size on that seemed a little light — there was plenty of meatball, but not enough pasta to balance it imo. Deserts were good, though a little more variety of choice would benefit the prix fixe menu. Next time I’ll skip prix fixe — there are more things I’d want to try!

Scotto’s is, in my opinion, one of, if not the best restaurant in Harford County.
The food is delicious. They obviously use quality ingredients. Whoever is in the kitchen clearly knows what he or she is doing. They pay attention to details.
I was trying to think of a clever way to express how good the food is when I noticed a fellow Unilocaler wrote: «…it was one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. Like, fall-​back-​in-​my-​chair, eyes-​a-​flutter-​after-​the-​first-​bite kind of tasty.» I’m sure that my wife would apply that to the crab ravioli.
The staff is friendly without being familiar and attentive without being intrusive. They are obviously well trained and take pride in what they do.
This gem would do well even in a New York or Los Angeles.
It is NOT inexpensive (by Harford Co standards) but I have always felt that the value delivered exceeded the check. And I don’t mind paying for that level of quality and service.
We eat there almost every time that we’re visiting the area — maybe a dozen times or more so far. I can’t think of a single measure of a restaurant — ingredients, menu selection, execution, wine list, wait staff, ambiance — where I would say I was less than satisfied.
We look forward to our next visit. Lunch or dinner.
MSO

Overall we had a good experience. The atmosphere is warm and the food tasty. The service overall was good once we were seated; we did have to wait 20 minutes after our original reservation time.
This is a nice restaurant in Harford County for a date-​night or a group of friends to get together without the needing to drive to Baltimore.

The only thing I come here for is the tiramisu, I ordered some muscles one time and the sauce they were smothered in was super salty, yuck, sent that back and they took it off my bill. If I’m in the Festival I might stop in occasionally and get some tiramisu to go and that’s about it.
***I could give it another chance but not right now, I’ll update if I decide to go again, but don’t hold your breath.

My brother dropped in unexpectedly, as he was traveling through the area for work. He likes Italian and I’ve been wanting to try Scotto’s for some time now, and decided to go for it tonight.
I made the reservation via the Open Table link, quick and easy, but only one drawback. I didn’t receive my 100 points credit on Open Table. I don’t know what the disconnect was, but the restaurant knew who I was when I said I have reservations for 3.
The food was excellent, just a few minor glitches, well to me minor, but to someone who doesn’t like spicy they might be major. 1^st: The dipping oil served is heavy on the red-​pepper flakes, way, way too spicy for my brother. 2^nd: On our appetizer of Fried Calamari with marinara sauce, the sauce was also way too spicy for all three of us. The Waiter was nice and offered to change both items out as soon as we brought it to his attention.
The Calamari was lightly breaded, tender, and very crispy… a delightful item to enjoy. Non-​rubbery squid is an indicator of freshness instead of using frozen restaurant supply.
The atmosphere inside was very nice, definitely a upscale motif, classy & romantic, befitting many different special occasions.
My brother ordered the Pollo Marsala, I had the Vitello (Veal) Sorrentina, & Sheri had the Gnocchi Al Pesto (see pictures of all 3). I was able to taste all three dishes before they were totally devoured… yum y u M y U M Y U M!!!
The only real drawback is the price, but then again, if Scotto’s was nestled in Little Italy in downtown Bmore, the prices would have been right on!!!
This is not a place I would take the kids for a casual meal, but Scotto’s is a great place for that special event or person (s) in your life to show them you care!!!~