Tony D’s Restaurant

I’ve been waiting for a long time for food. I haven’t even ordered yet! The restaurant as they appear cannot handle a slightly large group. They had one waitress manage 5 tables in the same room. It was chaos.
Also the menus are quite confusing. They seem to appear to offer pizza and then admit to not at all.
They gave us some bread, it had some flavor, it was okay. Good sauces were accommodated with it.
But then, Tony Ds pulled the worst move in all of restaurant history. The water they served was bland! It was terrible! The water had no taste and I spit it out instantly.
The pasta came, and it was okay. Too small of a portion however.
The salad was very crunchy and wasn’t very organic. It felt like plastic.
Dessert was a let down. Chocolate mousse felt like just dyed whipped cream. My sister’s Crembule was cold and crunchy below. Gross.
Overall, bad food and bad service.

I’m beyond upset… looked forward all week to a special night out w/​my guy. Asked where I’d like to go — Tony Ds! Been there at least a half a dozen times, always w/​friends or to hear Ron Donovan sing, and were always in the part of the restaurant by the bar. Tonight would be just he and I; a nice romantic dinner in the other (quieter) part of the restaurant. I got all dressed up — it is one of the only places where you can get «dressed» for dinner — and off we went for our reservation.
There was a bit of noise at a table we walked past — a birthday? — but, the lighting was perfect, we were taken to a great table, and quickly greeted by a delightful server named Ashley. She took our drink order and we settled in to our romantic dinner… Oh! Not so fast…
That table we passed didn’t have a momentary bit of noise, it continued throughout the entire meal! Over the next 45 minutes we were subjected to yelling conversations back and forth (they were at one long table — 8 – 10 people), a blaring rendition of ‘O Sole Mio’ and other songs, someone spending 5 minutes yelling for Frankie to sit down, and even chairs lifted up and swung at one another like swords! My guy said it reminded him of a meal he had in a restaurant in Vienna, where Austrian soldiers were loud, obnoxious, and oblivious to other patrons. How these people could not be cognizant of others eating (who didn’t stay long either) and so incredibly selfish was beyond me. Why management let it go was even more puzzling!
We had already ordered Veal Piccata and the Monkfish Special so decided to stay, hoping they would be gone by the time dinner arrived. Nope! We ate, paid, and left. Didn’t have a second drink, dessert, coffee, go the bar afterwards… if you go out for quiet romance and nice ambiance, but wind up feeling like you’re in the middle of a sports bar, what’s the point? We could hardly hear each other and kept saying, «I’m sorry, what?» when the other one spoke. Maybe someone is celebrating something loudly — ok, it’s their night and you put up with it. But this was absurdly loud, and incredibly intrusive — and we were on the other side of the section!
Now at home, way earlier than expected. So much for lingering over coffee and desert. Couldn’t stand it enough to stay that long. He was livid and wanted to say something, but if management was letting them go on like that, what was the point? Clearly, no one else in there mattered.
It was like we intruded into that table’s evening — not the other way around. I was so disappointed and practically in tears by the time we got into the car. This was supposed to cap off a long week and be a romantic start to the weekend. We were there less than an hour. I had looked forward to this all week. We don’t get to go out like this often and the night was totally ruined; moods killed, romantic atmosphere crushed, appetite ruined, and money down the drain.
I must share the positives I could find, though — the veal and monkfish were delicious, and Ashley was wonderful! Don’t want them to be collateral damage for insensitive patrons and an absent/​ignoring restaurant manager or owner. But, that’s all I can say.
Think we will need to look somewhere else for a «special» night that pays attention to all its customers — not just one table.

I’ve had better eggplant parmesan for sure — it had a sort of fishy, un-​fresh undertaste that I didn’t like. Everything else was fab though! They gave us fresh bread with olive oil and tapenade, the salad was delicious and the real highlight was a dessert made of angel cake with a spiced red-​wine sauce. Desserts were really good — awesome tiramisu, too. Good service, friendly, cozy atmosphere — recommend.

Can you say BOBO? Or… if you feel like a fool saying it out loud… maybe Chicken Marsala?
I came in the back way, down the stairs, almost signless… but I followed the stairs, walked in and sat at the bar.
I can’t say enough about the service, the food, the nice conversation. It seems like so many places in New London are full of themselves… this place is the real deal.
The chicken was so perfect, the sauce, the beans. or. how about the marsala sauce in the other dish we had.
I’m making this my go to spot for lunch and dinner.

Some menu items are quite good, but I sometimes catch them on an «off» night
They often seem understaffed. We tend to go on weekdays, when the staff does not seem so overwhelmed.

One of the truly great «old school» Italian dining experiences in CT! My wife eat at the lounge every time and never had anything other that an awesome experience with service, food and people we have met. If your a conversationalist, then the lounge area is for you. If not, then I believe a table makes more sense in the dining area. And if your lucky enough to get Pete, the bartender, then you are in great shape.
The sauce for the Fra Diavolo is sublime. The whole atmosphere just brings you to another time when dining was really cool.

Great food, great service, and very nice atmosphere. We sat near the bar so it got a little rowdy, but not too much. Prices are just a bit high, but I would say it’s worth it.

Always delicious food and I’m impressed with how nice wait staff was considering we came 30 minutes before closing! Cheesecake is delicious and so is their calamari!

Aside from the glass splinter I got from my beer glass this place was great. Food and service were excellent. Would return for sure

Calamari is one of a kind. Very nice taste but came out room temp to cold… Service was very friendly. Not many customers on a Tuesday night which was good. Veal saltimbocca was great, also a bit more room temp than hot.
Cappuccino was good, but more Keurig than brewed… Overall, everyone had a great dining experience. Filet my guest ate looked amazing!
Clean and very old school décor.

I was very disappointed. After several recommendations from friends, we tried going again. been several years. So we decided to try again. The service was OK but we asked for pasta al dente and it came out soft. They did nothing about it. Chicken parm was good but the pasta ruined the whole experience. I don’t think I’ll be back. Bön Apitito is a five star! Go there instead!

I REALLY wanted to love this place. It was warm and inviting, with an old-​fashioned feel and décor. And at least some of the food is really good, including our appetizer of Italian meats and cheeses. But the main fare was disappointingly underwhelming. Bland red sauce that left us saying «meh.»

A must try spot if you’re in the New London area ! The food is out of this world. It is a little pricy but the food is definitely worth the money. It is so hard to come by a good Italian place nowadays especially where the owner is so involved with the customers and their needs

Cece was our waitress; thoughtful, picked up on cues and listened! Made the experience great. Thanks!
Food… Delicious & fresh!
Just go and taste it for yourself :-)

Came for dinner on Friday night. The location of this restaurant isn’t in the best part of town, but once inside, you totally forget about that. Our waitress, Aleena (sorry, I’m sure I killed the spelling) was very friendly, attentive and accommodating. She even made sure to get me a fun non-​alcoholic cocktail. We started with a broccoli rabe flatbread, which my husband really liked. Our meals came with salads that had a great raspberry vinaigrette on them. I then had the white truffle fettuccini which was out of this world. My husband had the chicken ornella, lightly battered, cooked perfectly. I swore he almost licked the plate. I’d say this was the best meal we had on our weekend getaway. Highly recommended.

Had to indulge in the Shrimp & Polenta app (and glass of wine. shhhh) because I heard bartender ‘Pete’ was the bomb & he is! Our entrée Swordfish was pretty darn good also with amazing side of pasta. Highly recommend the intimate interior & fresh food. Very family friendly, yet romantic at same time.

The #1 reason we came here was because Unilocal said it had near perfect rating, and this piqued my interest. Location is awkward, and parking can be a hassle if the neighboring restaurant and grocer are busy. We entered from upstairs, which includes coming in through a dilapidated door, and descending a flight of stinky and heavily worn stairs. Once in the restaurant itself, the feeling completely changes like you’re transported to a place much nicer than New London. The old world hand of Italian inspired glamour is seen in the décor, lighting, and ambiance.
We were seated and brought fresh bread and olive tapenade immediately. The owner repeatedly came in and out of the dining area with a flushed face, gesturing wildly and talking sternly and very loudly, and sounded like he may have had one too many martinis. Our waitress was thorough and helpful, and served us quickly. We split a half bottle of Chianti Reserva ($ 22) amongst the three of us, which was the perfect size for a great price.
All our entrees came with a starter salad which was dressed in a dark drizzle which I thought was going to be something balsamic, but was evocative of a savory ceasar and very good. My mom ordered the Chicken Marsala ($ 19), which was a classic take on an Italian favorite. I chose the Chicken Ornella ($ 19), a zesty citrus dressed chicken which was delicious, but came with some pasta that I thought was a little boring. Darling husband opted for the Tuscan Penne ($ 21), which he scarfed down, but I disliked because the marinara was sautéed with copious bell peppers which is not mentioned in the dish description.
For dessert, we were in a celebratory mood to have a festive sendoff for my mom back to California, so we split the Lemon Mascarpone Angel food Cake and Cannoli. The cake was light, airy and fresh, and the cannoli was absolutely the best I’ve ever had, hands down. The crunchy shell was buttery and crisp, and the filling was smooth and sweet while still being savory, with a touch of amaretto.
The big negatives of this place are the location, approach from parking lot, parking options, and the behavior of the owner in front of his guests. Everything else was wonderful. I wouldn’t give it a perfect rating, but it was definitely a great dining choice for fancy events or celebrations in the New London area.

This place is amazing. Our server was Omar. He was extremely knowledgeable and kind. We had six people in our party for Mothers Day, he was very patient with us. The food was out of this world. Definitely worth the price we paid.
I got the 10oz filet mignon special, cooked PERFECTLY, with garlic mashed potatoes. It had a sauce on top that I wish I could remember the name of, but was also amazing. It wasn’t overpowering at all, it was just the right flavor. My meal came with a salad that had a house dressing already tossed in (which is something I love, if I pour it on myself it doesn’t get distributed evenly and I’ll have either too much or too little dressing in every bite). I also had a glass of Malbec. Delicious, as always. Everyone else was thoroughly pleased as well. The only complaint was from my brother because they didn’t give him free refills on soda, but who needs that crap anyway ;)
This is my new special occasion spot. I love it!

It’s a shame I forgot to take pictures because this place looks condemned from the outside. Nevertheless an easy five stars here for the food, drinks, service, cleanliness and overall dining experience.
I was skeptical at first but our waiter was fabulous and I really did feel like I was in Italy. I ordered my signature drink, a mojito and it was second to none.
There were six of us and we all thought our food was done to perfection. The food came in a reasonable amount of time. Was cooked perfectly and everything came as ordered.
This is going to be my new favorite place!

Good god this place is my Mecca for North End quality italian food when I meander out of Boston. The food is incredible. The truffle fettuccine. I don’t think I need to say anymore. But I will because the chicken parm is to die for too. And last night to balance out the anticipated calorie consumption from an evening full of copious amounts of drinking in dive bars across New London, I got the arugula salad with chicken and even that was amazing. Highly recommend this place. Ask for the dressing on the side though because they lay it on heavy man. Service is top notch and our waiter was the big jolly fella. Similar to Santa minus the white hair and beard. All around a joyful experience