Ciao Wood-Fired Pizza & Pasta

One of the best Italian restaurants in Ithaca. We love the aranchini, bread and oil, and clams linguine with white sauce. I’ve only had one bad experience here and it was due to a rude waitress, not the quality of the food.

Went here after a movie because we didn’t feel like braving Boatyard Grill, one of our favorite places. For two entrees, 2 drinks, a salad and an app, it was $ 40 — and completely delicious. The atmosphere is vibrant, especially on Sunday night pasta night. Try the cannelloni with chicken and spinach. We called ahead for a table and waited about 20 minutes for one, so not bad.

Great service, prices and options! Gluten free menu was great, penne available or gf pizza crusts. I was tempted by the gf gnocchi, but I went for the gf penne. The basil and tomato sauce was so flavorful, with big slices of garlic and fresh shrimp. The server knew the fried eggplant was breaded so they left that off. The wood fired wings were great! The app serves enough for two to share, with caramelized vinegary onions. Great flavor, sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Husband got the special, veal parmesan sandwich. It was good not great, bread kind of dry. Overall, nice space and good prices.

Had late dinner here with good food, pleasant surroundings and reasonable prices. A bit away from downtown but was enjoyable. Assorted pizzas and pasta dishes. Wine well priced and nice staff!(Jen was our waitress) Worth a visit!

Fantastic service at the bar. Very good wine special. Pizza is so tasty! Great value. First visit but can’t wait to return.

Solid four star restaurant. The pizzas are good (if slightly overpriced) and the atmosphere is really nice. Feels like a nice local suburban place. Would definitely bring people here if they were visiting the area but didn’t want to head down to the Commons.

Great restaurant. We almost drove by on the way to a chain that we found on Unilocal.Ciao is clean, family friendly, delicious, and has great atmosphere.

Solid pizza-​pasta joint in North Ithaca. We came to carbo-​load for the Ithaca Half marathon, and Ciao delivered the good. The space was clean and modern. Our server was a bit green, but very friendly and up to the task. Prices are affordable compared to the other quality Italian restaurants around town. The pasta was generously portioned and tasty. Good place if you live in the area. Didn’t try the pizza but it looks good.

Our waitress was very nice.
We did not have to wait very long for a table for 6 people and a baby, on Father’s Day.
I got the lobster ravioli, it was delicious and very affordable for what it was. I got a little bit of lobster shell in my ravioli, but I wasn’t upset. I think it’s good to know it was atleast real lobster instead of mock lobster.
I tried the pizza and the chicken parm from my dinner companions and they were good, not great.

Great food, good service and fair price. What else should you expect from an Italian restaurant?
We were served Italian bread as appetizers. I LOVE this kind of bread and they are really hard to find in Ithaca.
We shared pizzas, pasta and chicken wings. The pasta was a little greasy so I kept with the pizza. The pizza was great! ahhhh so good!
We also ordered a Chianti Classico wine (highly recommended to match with pizza). The waitress did know the formalities on how to serve the wine. I was impressed, because I did not expect that.
Anyway, go check out this place.

I loved ciao! What a great little place located just north of downtown ithaca.
The food and ambiance here is fantastic! For an appetizer we ordered stuffed hot peppers which where awesome, however I wish they gave you more than 2 of them for $ 6.00! For dinner we had the Tuscan sacchetti and the chicken pazzo pizza. The sacchetti was creamy and tasted amazing! We absolutely loved the dish! The pizza was great as well, fresh toppings, great tasting chicken and the dough was cooked perfect just as Woodfired pizza should taste like! I heard complaints about burnt pizza? Hmmm I’m not sure if people realize that’s what Woodfired pizza is, a pizza cooked on an open flame so of course your going to get dark spots! If you don’t like this style, don’t order it!
I’ll definitely be back here! This is a perfect dinner after the beer and wine stops!

This is the best pizza in Ithaca. I love to come here for either the Amalfi or clam pizzas, and they are big enough to split but I usually take the second half home, which is perfect for leftovers. I’ve always had good service and the pasta and chicken dishes are also excellent.

Ciao makes much of its wood-​fired ovens and the char on the bottom of the pizza. If you like that kind of pizza, as I do, this is a big selling point. You want one of those thin and crispy pizzas that you can find only in New Haven or New York, or perhaps in a Grimaldi’s somewhere in the country.
Unfortunately, the pizza does not deliver on the promise. It is decent enough but just average. It could be a bit thinner and does not have any char, at least the one I had. It was all right, but nothing I could not have found in many pizzerias in New York State.
The other food, like the salad, lasagna, and calzones that my friends had, all looked good, and they all enjoyed the food. The pasta fagiole was pretty flavorful as well.
All in all, the food is good, but the pizza fails to blow me away. I wouldn’t object to going again but would probably search for another restaurant the next time in Ithaca.

Delicious pizza, great value, prompt service, no-​brainer to come here! And portion sizes are amazing.

Tasty pizza (they’re small though, so think one pizza for 2 people, not for 4), friendly service, vegetarian pasta options, yummy house salad, reasonable prices, comfortable seating area for families.
Bottom line: Nothing earth-​shattering, but good for the price! Reminds me of Olive Garden. Will return.

Vegan/​vegetarian and gluten free menu available upon request. I had the Tuscan bean dip (perfectly seasoned and not a bit oily), minestrone soup (generous chunks of fresh vegetables in a rich tomato sauce), and Arugala tomato salad; all vegan items were amazing. My father had the island salmon and said it was one of the best meals ever. Bread comes with the meals. My mother loved the pear and caramelized onion pizza, but said would opt for the non-​charred/​softer crust if she could choose again.
Despite being extremely busy, we were seated immediately and our service was prompt, efficient, and friendly. The place was clean and bathrooms well equipped. I have nothing but positive things to say. My family was passing through while visiting from out of state and this was the best meal we had on our trip. Well done!

Location and décor — 4 stars. Friendly staff and great service — 5 stars. The food… hmmm good enough for a college town — 3 stars.

When we arrived on a Saturday night, there were quick a few people waiting. They told us that the wait time will be approximately 35 minutes, came out to be ~15 minutes. We ordered the glazed calamari salad, chicken pizza, polenta fries. Appetizers came out after 10 minutes, and the pizza came after 15 minutes.
Bread: Tiny little basket of bread with olive oil mixed with rosemary and red peppers, they don’t give you butter, balsamic unless you requested.
Service: average. seems busy. One waitress ran up to my rable and took away my unfinished salad, I was extremely confused and I said I am still working on it.
Taste: average Italian food.

This is definitely as good as it gets for pizza in Ithaca from my experience.
The individual pizzas definitely hit the spot when you’re craving it, and my friend loves the sandwiches. I also really love their lemon-​basil chicken salad. Definitely should try their executive lunch specials too if you’re in the area.
Surprisingly their chocolate mousse was also amazing if you’re into a splurge. All around a pretty great place.

I came here after doing some shopping at Target nearby. Since I came alone, I was able to just sit at the bar and get served immediately instead of waiting between the two parties waiting to get seated for lunch.
I ordered the chicken parmesan, which goes over spaghetti. Food here is really affordable– my order was only $ 9 before tax and tip, which is a lot lower than I normally pay at other Italian places. The chicken itself was thoroughly cooked but not dry, and went well with the spaghetti. There was a lot more cheese than I expected though, and it was all melted together so I had to get through it to get to the rest of the food, which made it a bit messy.
The place has a fancy atmosphere but it’s a pretty casual place. I had a good experience with the wait staff here — the bartender was the one who took my order since I sat at the bar and he made sure I had everything I needed for my meal despite having a bunch of drink orders to fill. The waitress who brought my food also checked in on me to see how I was enjoying things. Overall it was a good dining experience and will probably try to come here again to check out the pizza.

Not exactly true Italian but the US version of it, nice location, professional service-​I would suggest the pizza …