Stephano’s Ristorante

The Owner and staff are always gracious and the atmosphere is a very warm and inviting and the food… FANTASTIC! The servings are enormous… enough for two at least. You can’t go wrong eating at this establishment… it’s a real class act!

Stumbled upon this place with my lady, and I’m so glad I did. Food was amazing! Portions were huge! I left stuffed with leftovers. Atmosphere was nice, quiet, and dim. Nothing fancy, but still very nice. Definitely will be going back.

When I got there, I thought this was going to be a so-​so meal. I was wrong! Everything from the bread to the meal was excellent. Great flavor. Previous reviews suggested the zuppa di pesce. That’s what I ordered. All I can say is that if you can eat that in one sittig, you should be on Man vs. Food. I took 3 bites and was done (I’m no skinny guy). The mussels and the clams were fresh and the sauce was just right. This would have been 5 stars except the service was good but not great and the setting was too open and noisy. The Italian guitarist was a nice touch too. Mangia!

The meal was delicious. I had veal parmagian and my guest had lasanga. The meal was wonderfully prepared. The portion size allowed for lunch and dinner the next day. The location was easy to arrive at, and parking was no problem. The decore was comfortable and welcoming inside the resturant. The service, however, was extremely rushed. I wanted a nice relaxing dinner with my friend, but it was rushed at every step of the meal. While attentive, I had to explain to the server that we hadn’t read the menu because we were talking. This rushed service occurred on several occasions durg the meal.

I had never been there before but had heard so much about it. A good friend took me for dinner as a birthday gift. I drove just over and hour to get there and I must say it lived up to all I had heard and then sum making my trip worth every mile. We enjoyed everything from the warm bread to the AMAZING chocolate cake… the calamari was cooked perfectly, capris salad was so fresh the mozzarella melted in your mouth… the linguini with clam sauce (white) with a few hot peppers (owner’s suggestion) was truly the best I’ve ever had… the portion sizes are huge! I took ²⁄₃ of it home with me… for dessert we shared the chocolate cake and tartufo… the chocolate cake slice without exaggeration was at least 6″ high and so delicious! As well as the tartufo they complimented each other so well… our waiter was friendly, helpful and had a great smile that came easily… the owner was a gem… friendly and attentive… truly interested in making sure we enjoyed our visit… it may not be around the corner for me but I will definitely make a return trip soon

Years ago it was unbelievably awesome. Since new owners and move to Market Street, some things have changed. First, portions are still huge. Zuppa di pesce is unbelievably good. Great appetizers. Menu is somewhat limited. you will always walk away with at least one more meal. Now for the bad news: I will not go there in the summer. The day we went, Father’s day, it was so hot! They claimed the AC was on but trust me, we were all sweating and not just our table. Prices are about average, but given the portions, money well spent. Service very good. Only issue: the heat in hot weather. Hope they fix that. Also, the environment is very loud.

Same old same old which in this case is great! Big rolls, big portions, big taste, basic italian food. Place is casual and loud and u eat your fill and take enough home for another meal. A reviewer complained that the prices are high which I don’t support with portions they serve.

hearing a couple of guys from brooklyn took over stephano’s moving it, but still in wappingers falls. me spending alot of time up this way i got excited…
looking at the menu, wait, waiter, no, did you accidentally give me a menu from brooklyn heights, carroll gardens, maybe cobble hill?
owners, if you don’t bring your prices to reality, i’d bet a year from now they’ll be a third owner posing as stephano also.

We make this a gotta go place when in the area. Have been going since the former location. Portions huge, pasta always good. Sauces great. Great size wine pours, service good. Wine list and house wines in large pours lays a plus. Wife called to make reservations and requested a dish, it became a special for the night. We do miss the previous owners and hope the new ones don’t let this slip. Salads good and bread with meals a plus. We keep coming back when in town. Highly recommended.

Excellent in every aspect! Food was great, portions are insanely large. You also get full glass of wine for you money, something not seen anymore. Great family and friends place, plenty of fantastic food to enjoy.

So, let me start by saying few Italian restaurants in this area have what it takes to be just that, one of them being Aromas. Now, onto what I just experienced with my family at Stephano, s… Went on a gloomy night, after searching Unilocal,came across this place and remembered it was already suggested to me a few weeks earlier.
The food was simply amazing from the appetizer to the cold crisp salad onto the entrée, which, if I knew the size of the portions I would have skipped the first two courses. the bowl that was brought out containing my Zuppe di pesce was the size of what I cook my family of 4’s meals in for dinner. My kids both got pasta dishes one was penne ala vodka the other was meat tortellini with at least ¾ of a lb. of pasta each. My wife chose a dinner special called Veal Sinatra, with a side of pasta that too was a portion fit for a gladiator. The meals were all spot on, tasty. The service was spectacular as well, granted there were about 4 tables occupied but none the less the experience we had was off the hook. I would recommend this place highly, as well as continue to indulge at this eatery. Who knows maybe next time I’ll make it to desert. To give you an idea of how big my portion was, my take home container was a half aluminum tray normally used for catering. If I had to say anything negative, it would be that the table was rocking a bit, but hey that’s an easy fix. this place is off the beaten path, very cozy, good ambiance. When more people hear of this place and what it has to offer… oh wait, should I even post this!

First time here, service was good, my main complaint was that a cold appetizer and a hot appetizer couldn’t come out at the same time and actually the hot app was 3 – 4 minutes behind the cold app. Why not just keep the cold one in the reach in and wait for the hot app to come out?
The salad was actually very good as was the dressing and the gorgonzola.
The dinners were in a word gigantic and while the portions were huge the food was just ok. Not great but not bad… maybe it was lacking a little seasoning or perhaps more garlic…
The service was better than average and the management really seems to care about the product they are putting out, and were very friendly and willing to help the staff out where they could.
I would definitely try them again, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to go there… I checked and I passed 8 Italian restaurants on my way to Stefanno’s. All of which are ok… As I said it is fine for the price but for the money I would rather go to tiramisu in Hopewell.

Whoa… I don’t know where to begin. Absolutely amazing, from the service to the food. Yea huge portions but extremely high quality food. I mean even the bread they serve in the beginning is amazing. The servers are very friendly and the owner extremely down to earth and makes time to conversate with everyone. Stop in there is no way you could be disappointed.

My family and I went to Stephano’s and the food was very tasty. Our waitor was very friendly and almost made up for the rudeness of the owner.
I ordered a Chicken Francese which was fantastic but if I were to come back I would get the Zuppa di Pesce. It is a giant portion and absolutely fantastic.
Unfortunately our stay was ruined by the owner. Simple requests such as splitting a check 3 ways (we made the request before ordering) were denied in a manner that made me feel terribly embarrassed for even asking. His attitude alone is the reason I will not be returning. I would recommend reviewing the «non recommended» Unilocal section to get a better idea of the owner of this place.

One of the best meals I have had in the area. Our waiter was friendly and attentive. I ordered the ribeye steak special and it was amazing. My husband had veal francese and it was like butter. Our waiter suggested the limoncello cake for dessert and OMG it was a home run. Reservations on the weekend are a must. Thursday nights they have music. This is a great family italian restaurant.

Pros:
Food comes out quickly
Big portions (one pound of pasta served to one person)
Broccoli Rabe delicious — not bitter
Owner asks how things are.
Cons:
We were the 5^th and last table on a Friday night.
Vegetables not provided with any meal — you have to buy vegetables separately ($ 7)
Soda served to you in a can.
Beer served in a bottle
No wine list — you have a choice of four types of wines.
Nothing original on the menu (food stuck in the 70s)
Temperature of dining room extremely cold
No atmosphere /​ambience — seemed to be like a catering room /​basement
There are tables right out side of bathroom
broccoli rabe appetizer costs $ 14
$ 300 meal for four people — too expensive for no atmosphere

Recently went to Stephano’s for a friend’s birthday dinner on a Saturday night — 7:00 reservation.

The negatives: the space is small and the tables are crammed together (some tables were ridiculously close to the bathrooms, as in directly outside the bathroom door!) creating a loud busy atmosphere. The service was mediocre at best and there were only 4 wine choices (we were never given a wine list?).
The positives: this restaurant serves generous portions of Italian comfort food (the rigatoni bolognese was exceptional) and I was served the largest glass of wine I’ve ever been served while dining out (seriously). The chocolate cake dessert was delicious.
Overall, I would return; but only during the week when not so crowded.

For seven years now my wife and I have been going to Stephano’s. It is one of our favorite restaurants and offers amazing, huge dishes.
First off, the service, in general is pretty unfriendly. Under the old owners the restaurant was pretty unwelcoming and the service slow and sometimes with an attitude. And from what I have experienced with the new owners, this hasn’t changed.
Bad or rude service is something I cannot tolerate — no matter how good the food is. But Stephano’s has been the lone exception to my rule. I love the food here so much that we have been going back year after year with full knowledge that we would get unfriendly service and great food at a good price. I thought that after becoming a «regular» we’d get better service but alas it never happened.
The menu is pretty basic offering typical Italian-​America cuisine, family size at very reasonable prices. The glasses of wine are very generous and reasonably priced. The rigatoni bolognese is the best I’ve ever had (but sometimes it is better than other times) and the shrimp scampi, fra diavolo and penne a la vodka are amazing. You get a complimentary side salad with your entrée and you get a nice bread/​peppers/​olive plate to start.
Parking can be tough and they do not have any high chairs for small children. Reservations on a Saturday night are a must.
The old owners apparently have a new restaurant in Poughkeepsie that is opening this month. And just like someone in a abusive relationship I will be at the new place, trying the «new» food and probably getting the same unfriendly service.
Will I abandon Stephano’s now that it is under new ownership? I’m not sure. The food and the staff are the same and the menu and prices haven’t changed — yet. But I for some reason no longer feel like I’m a regular there.

Absolutely the best Italian food in Dutchess County. The food is plenty. Your wine glass is FULL. The service is great. When we have friends and family visit from out of town, Stephanos is where we go. Personally, my favorite is the Veal Francese. My wife always orders the Zuppa Di Pesce.

HUMONGOUS portions. I ordered zuppa di pesce ($ 26), and that is the usual price that I pay for that meal at other restaurants. The serving size, however, was literally a family-​style bowl. It was so heavy that I could barely lift it off the table. Look at my photos for reference.
Wine was ALSO in a HUGE glass for $ 7 — nice! The salad with gorgonzola dressing was pretty awesome and was included with the entrée. They also served amazing garlic rolls with herbed butter. Mmmm… they were delicious but don’t fill up on them because the entrees are so big. Don’t order appetizers… you will have enough food on your plate to last you three more meals at home with leftovers. The food was pretty awesome.
For dessert our table ordered lemon cake ($ 7), which was awesome and not too sweet, like most desserts are. We also all shared the tartuffo, which was great. Half of the people at our table ordered espresso and I was impressed that they served it correctly with the lemon rind. Also, it was nice that they brought an entire bottle of Sambuca to the table for us to use as we pleased. I had a very delicious cappuccino ($ 6).
For 5 entrees, 2 desserts, 7 glasses of wine, and 5 cappuccinos or espressos: $ 202 including tax, not including tip.
The only cons: Parking isn’t great, and the décor is pretty… gross. Seriously in need of a makeover. Stark white walls that are scuffed, dented… Old carpet, framed posters on the walls like a dorm room, etc. The bathroom was soooo close to one of the tables that I could hear the ladies conversing at their table while I was in the bathroom. I hope they didn’t hear ME! haha.