Barresis

Service was average at best. I got soup and a pasta dish, both were so salty that you could taste individual granules of salt. The pasta that wasn’t covered by sauce was dry and tough, and the plate was super hot, I’m guessing this means it sat too long under a heat lamp. The other dishes at the table were pretty salty too. They also topped the dishes with raw red onion and leeks, which were way too harsh. The bread doughnuts at the beginning were pretty good, so that’s something.

Great traditional Italian food. It definitely has that old-​world family-​run Italian restaurant feel to it. Barresis isn’t trying to be trendy, it’s just doing quality Italian food like they’ve done for years.
If there’s one reason to come here again and again, it’s their rolls. They were perhaps the best rolls I have EVER had. I’m not kidding. First, they’re tiny. Like almost bit-​sized. Second, they’re super fluffy, like little pillows. And finally, they have a bit of a crispy outside and a sweetness, making them almost taste like beignets without all the sugar. I probably at 20 of them.
We ordered the mussels as an appetizer, and while not what I expected, they were very good. It’s only 5 mussels, but they’re the really large ones (as opposed to a bucket full of smaller ones). The mussels themselves had lots of flavor (olive oil and garlic sauce on them), and were perfectly cooked. Even better though, was dipping the rolls in the sauce. Yum!
For my entrée, I ordered the pork loin, and was very surprised. It’s cooked medium-​rare, more like a steak than pork is typically cooked. It was extremely tender, juicy, and flavorful, and covered in a delicious pesto sauce. I’m always a bit wary of ordering pork because if it isn’t cooked right it’s just awful, but this pork stood out on the menu so I took the risk and the risk was worth it!

This was a very mixed experience. Really enjoyed our first time to this place that a few of our friends really like. Service was great. Food was flavorful. But the price was really high. Not sure it’s worth the price, even though everything was good.
I had a veal dish which was delightful. Others had steak and fish and everyone enjoyed their meal. Shared yummy chocolate cake at the end with the last of our nice bottle of red wine. But at the end of the evening, our bill was one of the highest in a very long time for a dinner out. With so many wonderful restaurants with great food and lower prices, not sure this will enter into our go-​to list.

Not sure what happened to this place, but when I visited a few days ago with a group of about 20 people, it was absolutely terrible. Everyone single person felt the same. Food was so bland, it was nearly tasteless. The group collectively ordered about 10 different dishes, and I personally tried many of them, and the blandness was consistent. Multiple dishes were supposed to include crab, but 4 – 5 people did not taste or see any crab in their dishes. They complained to the server, who promptly informed the chef, who then proceeded to come out to a party of 20 people and informed us that she had in fact put crab in the dish. We complained it was not found nor tasted, and she continued to argue that it was in the dish and refused to provide additional crab… Customer’s always right? Not at Barresis! What a good way to ensure the group of 20 will NEVER return to this establishment, and ensure we tell all our friends about the experience!
In addition to the terrible food, the prices are outrageously high for the low quality of food. In addition, the receipt indicated the restaurant has the right to charge any customer an 18% gratuity… which I felt was strange. As we were in a large group, I expected a base gratuity to be added to everyone’s bill, BUT the bill indicated that an 18% gratuity charge would be added, but to my surprise, they actually charged 20%!!! 2% across a table of 20, with an average bill of $ 50, equals an extra $ 20. I consider that petty theft… and why… for an extra $ 20.what a joke? I’m tempted to contact the State consumer agency to investigate this theft. Over a weekend, I could imagine that starts to rack up, with no one noticing.
I’ve eaten in restaurants all over the world, and have a fairly good sense about restaurants, and this one was probably at 20% capacity on a Friday evening at 7PM — which from my view was the peak for the night. NOT A GOOD SIGN!
Stay away from this place.

My wife and I came for the first time in 9 years for our anniversary and it was phenomenal. The service was great and the food was better. We make it a point to visit restaurants for date nights and special occasions as often as we can and we have eaten at some of the nicest places in Cincinnati. IMO Barresi’s is one of the 2 – 3 best Italian restaurants in Cincinnati. Need to make it back on a more consistent basis.

Have been coming here for years and have always enjoyed it immensely until the last time. The bread it to die for and I always really enjoyed the food, but our last trip there the special we went for (short ribs) were tough and really didn’t have any flavor. We will try them again and hope this last time was just a fluke!

In response to the remarks left by «Chef» S. — I’m not the only person to complain about the chick parm. In fact, just six months ago, another patron left a bad review for the chick parm, and you accused her of leaving negative reviews and other suggestions on another Italian restaurant’s behalf. So think again before you claim it isn’t ever on your menu. That obviously isn’t true.
Also, while it may be an American invention, it’s a standard at any Italian restaurant in America. And there is a proper way to make it. You don’t make it that way. General Tso’s is an American invention, too. And served at every Chinese restaurant I can think of. If they don’t make it properly, I doubt they would blame their lack of skill on it being an American dish.
As far as asking you to fix the issues we had that night, you were too busy being snippy with other customers, and we were too busy being rushed through our meal. And what was I supposed to say? «Excuse me, waiter? Can you please take all of this food back to the kitchen and ask them to make it taste good?» Lesson learned. We won’t be back, and we will do what we can to make sure other people don’t waste their money, either.
Also, this site is for consumers and businesses that listen to what consumers have to say. Since all you do angrily combat anything negative said about you, it tells me that you don’t listen to what consumers have to say. You would rather be defensive. How is that helping YOUR business?

Very quiet, cozy Italian restaurant with lots of heritage. We had a lobster ravioli antipasti that was awesome – lobster cream sauce? Boom. My wife’s gnocchi pesto was awesome, and my veal parmesan was solid. Awesome cheesecake dessert. Great service. Not a trendy or swanky place, just a nice Italian dinner from people who take it seriously.

This place is too legit to quit!
So I had never heard about this place but we were looking for somewhere new to try for my birthday! We will definitely be going back!
This is located just south of Kenwood Mall in Deer Park. Plenty of parking and super fancy on the inside. It is the perfect little italian place.
It started as a deli and as this business grew they slowly added tables for people to dine in and now it is probably the best italian restaurant that I have been to in Cincinnati.
Zeppolis…what can I say! These are savory beignets! And you get them served piping hot to the table FOR FREE! How can you think of going anywhere else!
I can’t wait to go back and try EVERY item on the menu!

We came here to celebrate a birthday and the whole night was a mess. There wasn’t really anywhere to check in for our reservation and we looked kinda lost walking in. The lady told me on the phone when I called that they had other things going on and we would be placed upstairs but I couldn’t find a host stand to check in at.
It took our server about 10 minutes to greet us and get our drinks. The service was extremely slow and the fact that they had an event going on downstairs and were also serving upstairs was ridiculous. Maybe they should have organized servers for each area. Not to handle both. We felt ignored and there were only 3 other tables upstairs with us!
The food was not good. First of all, my BF ordered the lobster ravioli and she said sorry we’re out of that. Instead of offering another seafood option or something else she just went to the next person??? It’s all about giving options to accommodate! The special was lasagna and was NOT worth $ 25. My chicken parmesan was beaten down flat and then baked… I’ve never had chicken parmesan that wasn’t fried and I felt like that should have been shared. I would have ordered something else.
We came on an amazing recommendation from one of his customers and he was embarrassed to tell the lady that raved about this restaurant that we did not like the food and that we would not be back.
I would rather spend my money at Nicola’s.

I find it very interesting that almost all of the negative reviews, which are not many, come from folks out of town. (Kind of reminds me of how people from outside Cincinnati like to criticize Skyline — LOL). Barresi’s has a long history of being top notch in our city and especially in my hometown community of Deer Park, a place where one would not normally look for fine dining. My daughter worked at Barresi’s in high school under the original owners and now the current owner has gone out of her way to maintain the quality and reputation long held by this hidden gem. Well, not so hidden, as is easy to see by the overwhelming majority of positive reviews. I have lived in Deer Park for over 30 years and am very proud of Barresi’s. The food is first class, service is impeccable, but more than that they are good neighbors and I am proud to give them the highest rating possible.

Ahhhh-​mazing. Updated take on classic Italian. Had a family get together here and without exception all seven of us were blown away!
The service was just perfect. Never needed to flag anyone down and with a party of seven, that’s saying something. Refills were timely and plates were cleared as soon as they were empty. I have a trait that sometimes is off putting to servers, I’ll ask them to order for me and not tell me what I’m getting. I like to have whatever an insider considers to be the signature experience a restaurant has to offer. Our server didn’t even blink. Said, «I have just the thing in mind.» and scribbled on his pad. I LOVED that!
Vitello Piccata al Limone… oh yes. I’d never had veal before. I don’t know why, it just never really got onto my radar I guess. Rest assured, I will have it again. The sauce was delicate and perfectly balanced. The wine (I didn’t even ask what it was, just drank it) selection cut through the sauce without overpowering it. One of those meals when every bite and every sip is anticipated and savored. Even surrounded by the six most important people in my life there were times when I would close my eyes and shut them out and just experience a bite. So, so good.
I’ve been here a couple of times and I will be back again. The bar tapas menu is awesome! The service is always perfect! Check out the website, there is always an upcoming event planned!

The food is very good. We have eaten here many times and always get the best veal in the city. They also have these little bread appetizers that are very addictive. Most plates are very satisfying without adding pasta side plate. Favorite dish: Veal Marsala. Service pace: leisurely, but you can speed thinks up letting the server know up front you want to nave faster. Atmosphere: dark but comfortable and not too noisy.

I chose to go to Barresi’s for a combination birthday/​anniversary celebration based on recommendations from friends. This was so delicious! I am gluten free and vegan so I was a little worried about the choices I would have but I wanted to go anyway because my boyfriend loves Italian food. I informed our waiter of my dietary restrictions and he said they had gluten free pasta which is great for the Celiac and gluten free community here in Cincinnati. The chef made me pasta with grilled vegetables and an olive oil herb sauce. My dish was the best pasta dish I’ve had since learning I needed to eat a gluten free diet. It was perfect. My boyfriend got the lobster ravioli and he loved it. The wine selection was also great, I can’t remember what we chose but it complimented our meal nicely. Everyone was friendly and helpful, we will definitely be returning.

I recently took my family to Barresi’s for Mother’s Day and it was the best celebration we have ever had. The food was excellent, the staff very professional, and Chef Sarah was on top of her game. I had the lobster ravioli and it was delicious. Everyone in my family wants to return soon and sample more of the offerings they have there. Very well done and I recommend this restaurant to everyone!!!

Great place! Friendly staff and great food! The owner Sarah even went out of her way to make me a personal dish when she found out I was vegetarian. Highly
recommended!

We think deep fried bread is unappetizing and not a good accompaniment to a meal.
Everything is a la carte. You will pay big bucks for a plate of meat. The asparagus ordered on the side was well cooked and very plain in preparation.
The veal picata, recommended by Christ hospital as a healthy heart choice, was swimming in butter.
The chicken scarpiapelli was delicious; would have been better with a little pasta under it and a crisp salad on the side.

Very pricy for the food quality and flavor. Sal sold it three years ago, and this visit did not meet my expectations at all. Service saved you a star. Mediocre food, better food at chains.
Special — shrimp scampi over pasta $ 29 — really good and fresh, but was not worth the cash, 5 large shrimp over some pasta with salt and olive oil.
Starter — Beef Carpacio good, no complaints, $ 13 is a little high for the beef quality. I have had better.
Desert — pudding and berries (forget the name) not bad, very rich
App — Pork Tenderloin with pesto cream sauce over mushroom risotto — pork (tenderloin?) was chewy, had no flavor at all. The meat had the consistency of cheap pork chops from Kroger. Pesto cream sauce had no depth of flavor, very bland, could hardly taste the basil. I hope some chefs read this. Risotto is supposed to be creamy, rich, and not starchy or stuck together. This ‘risotto’ was dry, bland, had a nice earthy mushroom flavor, but the rice was sticky and clumped together. If I want pork and white clumpy rice with crappy sauce I’ll go to the Happy Wok down the street and pay $ 5 instead of $ 30, are you kidding me?
This was a birthday meal for me and I was really looking forward to eating at the famous Barresi’s. You really should change the name and cut your prices in half, because your food is not worth the prices and it certainly does not live up to the reputation that Sal built. There’s even a story about the recipes in the menu. These people don’t own the restaurant any longer. How disingenuous can you be to use their name, tradition, and heritage to sell your crap food?

Dear Unilocal,please let me give this restaurant negative stars! This is the absolute worst restaurant I’ve ever been to. 1. Terrible service 2. They reserve the right to add gratuity to any check. This is ridiculous! They give you bad service, truly rude and unpleasant, then determine what they deserve?! Awful. 3. Pasta is served a la carte so please add $ 4.00 to your $ 20+ meal, don’t worry because you’ll still leave hungry for something with more flavor and less oil. Olive Garden gives better service and food. Save your time, money, and patronage and go somewhere more enjoyable where you will be appreciated. I should mention, when I made this reservation I mentioned it was for a birthday, I guess bad service for a special occasion is the only gift they offer.

This is just a solid choice for Italian! pretty spendy, but at least it’s good. we started with the Scallops with brussels sprouts which were awesome. then we had the Beet and bitter green goat cheese salad which was top notch, and i really don’t care for beets.
we finished with the Cihcken and risotto. I usually don’t order Chicken when I’m dining out, but u should here! Crispy skin, juicy inside. Risotto was awesome we well.
I’ve been a few times and it’s always delicious! btw, i started this review 2 years ago on my phone, so the dishes may or may not still be on the menu!