Amici Signature Italian

We have been going here for 25 years, great restaurant. brought some out of state guests last week and everybody loved the food, the Elk was great (this was a special) and Veal also excellent. Love his homemade gelato to finish the meal. Just wish place was BYOB like it was for 1^st 20 years

Italian restaurants are one of those types of eating establishment where expectation is always the divining force. Amici lacked the candlelit table and private seating, leaving an atmosphere more communal than private. But any dissonance caused by the more open environment was more than remedied by the excellence of the food. Rarely have I been served dishes that tasted so good. A fine white bread was served, that while could have used an olive oil and spice dipping plate next to it, was more than sufficient to mop up the sauce from our appetizer, the Parmesian Basket with sauteed mushrooms and scallops. Then, while my wife devoured chicken and spinach ravioli, I was treated to a lasagna with bechemel sauce that was both the perfect size and texture. Pure heaven. My wife and I will both be coming back.

First time here… just moved to Carrollton and saw this place. Excellent service, very attuned to your needs. Had the mushroom soup for an appetizer and it was very good-​not too salty. Hubby had lasagna and said it was excellent. The bread was perfect, crusty but soft inside. I had the seafood manicotti and wanted to lick the plate… fresh seafood and delicious sauce… small quaint place and will definitely be back!

The food was very yummy and full of flavor. Went for lunch and the service was top notch. Our drinks never emptied and the tables were cleared promptly.

My boyfriend and I went to get some dinner there after we realized that the place nearby we planned on going was closed. We went meeting with friends — two couples. According to all of us the atmosphere was nice and wait staff was polite. I ordered a grey goose martini which came in a huge martini glass and tasting like moonshine. I requested it to be replaced with something more martini like and again reiterated I wanted grey goose which is a lot smoother. I was later told by one of the friends that the waiter made a face. NOT appropriate. Especially since I didn’t drink it at all, just a tiny sip before realizing how horribly alcohol-​y it was. I got it replaced with an ok lemon drop. But the attitude of a waiter — not cool.
I ordered red fish which was pretty decent. Not overlooked and tasted ok. My other two girlfriends got their meal last and were ok with that as well. However, both my boyfriend and his cousin were dissatisfied with theirs. They both got lasagna and said it was tasting barely on the level of Stouffer’s and my boyfriend’s appetizer was a stuffed poblano pepper that was smoking like it came out of microwave and with shrimp that was chewy and tasteless.
All of us noticed how hostess and head chef having nothing else to do was obviously listening to our conversation.
Bottom line:
Pros: nice atmosphere and red fish was ok
Cons: horrible food for the price and attitude of the waiter. We could have gone again to old Hickory steakhouse in Gaylord, spent a little more and got an amazing dinner experience as usual.
We frequently eat out, but we won’t be returning to Amici.

My husband and I were looking for a new Italian place to try that was close to home. Amici was disappointing from the beginning. Service was pleasant but we were never offered a beverage after we said we would not need the wine list. We each had the veal scaloppini. It was nothing special. The corn kernels were lackluster and the green beans were a tad too crunchy. The mashed potatoes, however, were not good at all. We are not fans of shared, bench seating so it was not comfortable and certainly not romantic. I don’t believe we will be back.

Parking: Free Street Parking in Downtown Carrollton.
Service: After grocery shopping and not wanting to cook we stopped to eat here since it looked good and was open. It was an hour before the restaurant closed, so plenty of time. I will never be that person that sits to eat 20 minutes before closing.
The host/​waiter sat us down after asking if we had reservation. We didn’t have any and he let us choose our seats after he looked around. We sat down and he gave us the menus and mentioned the specials.
We ordered drinks that came out fast and food was out pretty quick.
Food: We ordered the Short Ribs and Spicy Seafood Pasta as entrees. The sauce on the short ribs was almost sour and the short ribs were tough. They needed more time to tenderize. The pasta that came with it was cooked well but the sauce just didn’t eat well.
The seafood pasta was also a bit disappointing. The seafood was rubbery and chewy and felt over cooked. The scallops were grey and chewy. The pasta again was cooked well and had a nice spice to it. Other than that the meal was underwhelming for the price.
Overall: I will be return since it might have been an off night and hope it was. I’ve eaten here once before and was impressed with the food. The service is good and hope that next visit will not disappoint.

I saw Jim’s review below and had to try and offset it. I have been here many times before and have never had an issue with the service — it is usually top notch. Not cool to write a review like that for a small business like this being as Jim didn’t have a reservation and didn’t eat there.
Please don’t let that influence you — try Amici it is a neighborhood Gem.

I heard great things about this place and decided to finally try it and was definitely not disappointed. I was blown away by the waiter and the chef’s attention and knowledge of their menu. The waiter was able to make some great recommendations and we ended up ordering two shrimp pastas. Both dishes were super tasty and the shrimp was fresh. Then the chef brought out a generous portion of the veal to try after my friend asked about it. The atmosphere was quaint, authentic and romantic. I would definitely recommend this place to someone who is looking to take their significant other on a date to an Italian restaurant.

We’re cruising around Carrollton and decide to go to Amici since Kelly’s been here before. My rating here has nothing to do with the food which I’m sure is really good.
We walk in at 7:15PM and was asked by the host if we had reservations which we didn’t. We looked around the restaurant and about 5 tables were occupied. He said they do not take walk ins till 7:45PM to which I asked what time it is right now. He replied, «It’s not 7:45!» You know that feeling when they don’t want you in their place? We felt that! It’s too bad he caused the restaurant a 1-​star from me tonight! We walked down the street to Cane Rosso and, although it had a longer wait (45 minutes), the host made us feel very welcome and offered us seating at the bar.
Here’s the problem I have with the host at Amici: he could not have been more obvious that we were not welcome. I understand that even though there are many open tables, that doesn’t necessarily mean those tables are available. But the snotty comment was uncalled for. Had he offered to take our name, we probably would have had a different reaction. But no. This was basically a «we don’t want you here» kind of statement, which we were happy to oblige — especially after the warm welcome we received down the street. We will not return.

When we came to the restaurant at lunch there was maybe one big table and another couple so they weren’t overwhelmed by any means. After being seated, we waited a lot longer than one would expect for a bit for our menus, we waited a bit more for our water, a bit more for the silver ware, and just waited overall quite a while for everything.
They forgot our salad and desert but at that minute my friend was so upset she just took the check and we left not wanting to make a big deal.
Food was delicious and the chef knows how to prepare his dishes but the people he hires… they weren’t as expected.

We had private party for dinner. Took up whole restaurant. Service was amazing and food was delicious. Cesear salad was perfect with just enough garlic and anchovies! Mushroom soup was also very very good! Salmon cooked perfectly! Didn’t have dessert but they all looked amazing. Definitely place to go!

The food and atmosphere is fabulous! The braised short ribs was delicious! I love how chef Bartolino comes out to talk to all the guests and makes everyone feel welcome. Will definitely come back again.

Excellent service and food choices. The pork porter house was great! The décor was elegant and makes a great place for a date or special occasion.

Was really excited to come here, if even only for lunch. I suppose the lunch menu being cut back from what looks like many tasty entrees and specials on the dinner menu makes sense, but the only offerings are more or less your choice of either some form of pasta or a sandwich. Italian food is really so much more, but not during lunch here. There was only one non-​pasta, non-​sandwich special offered and I opted for it; a pan fried tilapia filet & cream sauce with vegetables and a side salad.
The side salad was ok, about what I’d expect. Then the entrée came and well, the veggies were corn (like out of a can) and broccoli (seemed like they must have been out if the freezer), and a small helping of pasta. Seriously, you can’t grill, sauté, or par-​boil something more original for fresh veggies like a real chef would?
The tilapia seemed rather thin/​smallish and was rather crispy rather than meaty as a result. It was ok, but a tad greasy from the pan frying combined with the breading to meat ratio being off from the thinness. The bread that was served upon being seated was very light and toasty, but had not been cut through far enough. Trying to break off a piece resulted in crushing the whole thing into mostly crumbs. Just seems like some lacking execution on several levels.
I enjoyed the atmosphere and the service was on par, but the food for me on this day didn’t seem much better than a what I’d expect from a corporate-​owned chain restaurant. All in all, I was disappointed. Would have gladly paid dinner prices for a good lunch meal, but that didn’t appear to be an option.

This was our first time to dine here. I had the lasagna and my wife had the veal tenderloin. Both were very good. I also had a house salad before the meal. We also tried the cream of mushroom soup. For dessert we had the crème brûlé.
The veal tenderloin was served with mushrooms and marsala wine sauce. The wine sauce had a noticeable amount of onion in it. My wife is allergic to onions. She has never had a marsala sauce with onions, so was a little disappointed, but the remainder of the meal of was very good.
The lasagne was traditional with a béchamel sauce poured over it, giving it an enhanced flavor. Delicious!
The soup and salad did not disappoint either. The crème brule had an excellent presention and was very tasty. I will post a photo of it if not already posted.
We liked the décor of Amici. The manager or owner came around and asked each table how their meals were. The service was great. They do have full bar service now.
We will return and the next time I will try a pizza!

Cozy, friendly, well appointed corner restaurant. Very friendly staff. Food was obviously prepared with love and attention. Excellent taste. The appetizer portions are large. Seemed a little pricey. Would definitely go back.

Went on a date night with my wife. What a great place. Small and quaint, reminds me a lot of New York City.
I had steak medallions — they were fantastic and the sides were also excellent. Very gourmet — just as good as a nice restaurant in downtown Dallas.
We will definitely be back soon.

Amici, what a great restaurant right in the heart of Historic Downtown Carrollton. I loved everything about it. The atmosphere is quiet and romantic. The décor is elegant. The staff are very attentive. The menu is very carefully thought out. The food tasted fabulous. Their wine list is pretty impressive.
Chef Bartolino Cocuzza made sure to visit every table personally to ensure that everything was great.
The restaurant is kind of small so be aware that you may have to wait a little to get a seat. But the wait is worth it. It’s hard to believe I have lived 10 minutes from a great Italian restaurant for all these years and never tried them out until now. There will certainly be returned visits to Amici in my future.
Favorites
— Cesar Salad
— Linguini
— Shrimp Carbonara
— Crème Brule’

Amici’s is a nice, quaint family owned restaurant that is so warm and welcoming. I visited this restaurant for lunch the other day to celebrate someone’s birthday. It was 16 of us and the upstairs room fitted us perfectly.
We started the order off with champagne and a few orders of pizza as the appetizers. I had a slice of the Pistachio Pizza and the Margherita. The Pistachio Pizza had a good combination from the tomato sauce and the pistachio nuts. But, I don’t think I would have wanted to have more than one slice since I prefer to appreciate the simplicity of pizza. The Margherita Pizza was great.
Thankfully, they had a lot of anti-​pasta specials that weren’t on the menu. I ordered the Grilled Salmon with broccoli and corn. Everything on my plate was fantastic. The salmon was cooked just right, the broccoli was soft, with a slight crunch, and the corn was buttery and salty. This dish went very well with the glass of Pinot Noir that I had.
All of our dishes came with the House Salad and it wasn’t disappointing.
Overall, I had a great experience at Amici’s and I am sure I’ll make another visit soon!