Imonelli Restaurant

Amazing food and excellent service.
The crab cakes are heavenly and honestly I don’t think that you can go wrong with anything on the menu from what I’ve tried.
I highly recommend this place for a fun evening out or a special occasion. It is rather pricey but in my opinion worth every penny. Defiantly an amazing place to stop and I wouldn’t pass it up if your in town.

I still love Imonelli. Truth is I never order anything remotely Italian when I’m here as they always have a deliciously fresh fish smothered in lump crabmeat and a nice butter sauce… seriously, who would EVER pass that up. Only once in many years of eating pretty much the exact same thing here have I ever been remotely disappointed. It was likely an off night as it was again the grouper served as usual. But never stopped be from going back many times after.

Expensive, but worth it.
The food here is beyond heavenly and perfect. I didn’t have ANY problem with ANYTHING I tasted.
I had seafood ravioli and I could have eaten five more plates of it. It was superb.
You can’t go wrong with anything you get here.
My only bad note is that the atmosphere was awkwardly dark and quiet. I didn’t want to say anything because I knew that everyone could hear me. But the food made up for that. :)
Highly recommended.

While I agree with Kayla about the dated décor here, it really is of no importance when you’re doing take out… he heh.
Spagetti & meatballs — dee-​lish — good meatball and nicely spiced marinara.
House bread — wow! this stuff is about as good as any bread I’ve had in IT joints in NY.
House salad — pretty good but very small portion.
I need to come back here a few mores times and check out other menu items.

We were told once by an Italian chef that the veal dishes were the way he tested an Italian kitchen. On our first visit we both had different veal dishes. Both were excellent and perhaps among the best we’ve had anywhere. I had an appetizer with breaded eggplant which was also first class. The service was efficient and courteous.
The atmosphere reminded us of some of our favorite Italian places in Lugano and NYC. It was quiet and traditional. It was definitely the best Italian meal I’ve had so far in Lafayette and ranks in the top tier with the food I’ve had anywhere. We will definitely go back.

Some claim that iMonelli is outdated, but I enjoy the atmosphere. The fact that the building is so set back from the hustle & bustle of Johnston Street, in addition to the dimly lit interior, lends itself to intimate dinners, so it’s very conducive for a nice meal with someone special.
The service here has always been quite to my liking. The servers are very knowledgeable & happy to clarify anything I need. They always seem to show up right on time, too, which is fabulous to an impatient belly like mine.
The complimentary sorbet is a lovely way to start off a meal at iMonelli. I’ve enjoyed the Crab Cakes here too, even though I would prefer less breading in & around them. The Crabmeat Salad is flawless. I’ve sampled the Tilapia Brents & was very impressed as well. Also, my inner Pellegrino fan was thrilled to find it on the menu.
Quality of the food is good, but not enough for the prices asked of each entrée. This is the reason I gave iMonelli 4 stars & not 5. Perhaps an option is to wait for a daily deal site to feature them & try them out that way. Just make sure you try them out.

Fantastic. Everything was wonderful.

The atmosphere is very romantic, and the service, top notch. The menu had so many delicious-​sounding options and the waiter was very well-​versed with the daily specials. That was actually the most impressive part to me. The service was outstanding.
Here’s why two stars were lost. First of all, I really expected more with the food. I got the caprese salad as an appetizer and the duck breast as an entrée. I chose this because I’m not really a seafood fan (I know I’m a minority in this area), and there wasn’t really much else. But I like duck, so I wasn’t hesitant at all. As a nearly lifelong resident of Lafayette, I’ve heard quite a lot about this restaurant. Maybe my expectations were too high? It was… Surprisingly average, and this was a disappointment.
The other thing that I noticed, and this may be a preference very specific to me, was that the place was outdated. Maybe they pride themselves on the warm, quaint atmosphere. And I can respect that. However, Lafayette is such a booming city, I feel that if I’m paying $ 25 or more per entrée, the restaurant should reflect that. If a restaurant has the quality of a 5-​star, my standards shouldn’t be the only ones raised.
I’ve been to some really great restaurants, and I only want for Lafayette to be on the same level. I love this city!
Anyway… They have the reputation, but in my opinion, they need a new image. No insult intended. My experience just wasn’t what I thought it would be.
Great service and a very creative menu.

The Italian food here is unbeatable. While it’s a bit pricey, the incredible food and romantic ambiance definitely make it worth a few extra dollars. This restaurant has been around Lafayette for a long time and with good reason — it has some of the most unique flavor combinations I’ve ever tasted.

wonderful ambiance

Had a fantastic time here tonight. The food was superb, the ambiance was excellent, and the waitstaff was attentive and friendly.
We started the evening off with the artichoke and crab appetizers from the menu, and added the quail appetizer from the specials. For the entrée we had a the veal italiano and one of the specials which was a seafood dish, all of which tasted fantastic, and was presented simply but wonderfully.
I do believe this has made my top 10 list of restaurants in the area.
My only issue of the night was that my GPS unit tried to direct me to a place about a mile away from the restaurant, but a quick call and got great directions.

Location is kind of hidden because the other businesses nearby stood out more. the atmosphere was nice, and staff was friendly.
Food was just really mediocre. I really did expected more after reading so much reviews. nice that they have a palette cleanser sorbet. we had got the following:
–Louisiana Lump Crab cakes: was decent, the crust is really heavy, and not flaky, its more like, I am guessing a stuffing layer instead of a batter
–Smoked Shrimp & Lump Crab crepes: which was good, my mouth was having a party
–Rack of lamb: the glaze reduction was really overwhelming and the pesto pasta did not taste well with the overwhelming glaze
–Boneless Breast Ducklin: was decent, nice glaze over a bed of potatoes. nothing special
–Chocolate Mousse: was too dense for a «mousse»
Will not return.

I really do love this place! The food is great, the atmosphere is excellent, but the only draw back for me is that the staff is on the verge of being overly attentive. For a place like this, that might be just part of the package but I’d prefer a more laid back experience even at an upscale Italian restaurant such as this.
The more I think about it, this doesn’t make as much sense I originally thought it did, lol! Ultra Attentive Service + Expensive Cuisine = Laid Back Experience?. Me thinks not
They do deserve 5 stars but for the life of me, I just can’t seem to validate it =(
. Imonelli, I will be back

Don’t be put off by the outside décor. This is the only haute cuisine in Lafayette. The owner is a very serious chef who knows his stuff.
Stick with the specials and you won’t be disappointed. Quite frankly, I don’t think Lafayette has very good food, (unlike the locals who believe it’s akin to Paris or NY). However, I Monelli’s breaks out of the local mode of heavy cream sauces on everything, and serves impressive food

This is really great Italian food!!! Very romantic and classy place, so dress nice.