West Chester Restaurants
Limoncello Ristorante
Local Reviews
Address:
9 North Walnut Street
West Chester PA 19380
West Chester PA 19380
- Phone: (610) 436-6230
About Limoncello Ristorante
Northern Sicilian cuisine is served by fireside in this warm, inviting Italian bistro. Daily specials include veal dishes, gourmet pizzas and homemade offerings at the lunch buffet. Catering available.
Read more from about Limoncello in our Behind the Food series. Limoncello
WC Dish recommends: Any of the delicious wood burning oven pizza.
First time at Limoncello. Our server was great, Calamari app was excellent!!! The two seafood/fish specials we ordered were far from good. Risotto Cake with Lobster (never saw any) and Red Snapper Florentine, just a few pieces of wilted spinach around the swimming in tasetless broth snapper. I might return just for the calamari.
Went to Limoncello this past weekend. I’ve been there a few times and have had varied experiences. Sometimes we have great service and amazing meals, other times we have poor service and sub-par meals. After this weekend, I don’t think we’ll be going back. Our server was extremely cold- almost to the point of downright rudeness- and even went as far as to accuse us of being confused/lying when we said that she hadn’t yet read us the specials. We all agreed that there was nothing special about our entrees, and our specialty drinks were definitely not as good as they’ve been in the past. Did they get a new bartender?
I completely agree with you! My wife and I went there last night and in addition to everything you had pointed out the hostess was rude and sarcastic caring more about talking to her male co-workers than being attentive towards us. I won’t be going back there for our anniversary any time soon.
We stopped into Limoncello last Saturday for lunch and we wanted to sit outside. The hostess kindly sat us and we waited for our server. It only took fifteen minutes until we were not even acknowledged at all, so we decided to get up and leave the restaurant. The sad part is the restaurant wasn’t very crowded and I saw at least 4 servers pass right by our table. For one of the more busy restaurants in town this is not the type of service I expected. The food might be good but the lack of communication between the staff is terrible.
Limoncello is awesome! Totally great food and atmosphere!
My husband and I have been there several times, but lately, it just seems way too LOUD!!! I couldn't hear him from across table, and it is just too crowded. Won't be going back. It's a shame, food is good, but owner and mgr need to take a few tables away to make atmosphere better. Stop being greedy, and improve atmosphere for diners.
I was there last night for the first time – good food and great interior. I agree with Mary, way too loud! We could not hear each other and we felt that our table was awkwardly placed in the middle of the path.
This place is good, and I’ve always enjoyed the food here despite the noise and often packed in tables that make you feel like you’re sitting on your neighbor’s lap. However, we went Friday after work to sit outside for Happy Hour, where they have great specials – half off apps and drink deals. Everything was great except our waitress who was visibly annoyed that we wanted to order another drink before happy hour ended. She would walk away before we could ask for a glass of wine and brought our food out on top of one another. It’s not a pleasant experience when you feel like the waitress is doing you a FAVOR by taking your order. Again, there are too many great restaurants to eat at in WC to put up with sub-par service and attitude from your server. Next time we’ll try Teca for Happy Hour.
Our large party was squeezed into two tables. It was very noisy and so dark that I had to use the flashlight app on my phone to see the menu. Food was average, at best, and bill was quite high. Not worth the price.
Continued from above – The chocolate Souffle was not worth the calories – much like a Chili’s dessert, take it out of the freezer “nuke” it and through it on a plate with some garnish. The Coppa Stacciatella did not arrive at the same time as the Souffle which made for an awkward setting. It too was ill-prepared – frozen solid and very difficult to eat at first. Prior to gratuity the charge was $98 – not bad. The food all in all had a balanced taste with not too many surprises, the Halibut was a bit over cooked – Kitchens tend to rush when the front is crowded. The atmosphere is high energy with patrons coming going constantly everyone was smartly dressed plenty of people watching to do – not bad for a Monday. Overall 2.5 stars out 5
continued from above – . One of use sampled the Prix Fixe menu while the other dined ala carte. The Insalata Limoncello was arranged very nicely and all ingredients were fresh, portion was large. The Mixed Baby Greens was also as expected although it would have been nice to have the olives pitted, a surprise when it was found out that they were not. The entrée – Flounder Florentine presented very well portion was proper and the Asparagus was not over stated. The Halibut Piccante was a generous plate although the presentation was off, swimming in liquid and too much Cappellinni, the crab and the capers were a nice accent nonetheless.
First visit – 6-14-10: 24th wedding aniv. Made reservations through Open Table.com – went smoothly. We arrived on time and we were quickly seated. The table was very lopsided thus rocked back & forth and was increasingly too small as the menus, water & bread were brought to the table. Seat backs would collide with the other patron’s very easily. Our waiter introduced himself and asked if there was anything he could get us I politely asked for a large table with more room. Our request was quickly taken care of. New table new waiter more water & bread, cocktails were very nice but slow to come to the table – Limoncello Martini & a Kettle One straight – both done very well.
Delicious! My husband and I visited Limoncello the other night and had a great time! We sat a lovely two top in the back and it really set the mood on a much needed night out. The food was on key, the service was young, fresh, and very attentive. I ordered the Chicken Saltimbocca and my husband had the Shrimp and Crab Meat Fra Diavolo. Both were delicious, generous portions. We then got up from our lovely nook to proceed to another bar in West Chester for an after dinner drink. As we were exiting, we noticed Limoncello's bar was pretty upbeat and lively…..so we thought why not just stay here….and we did! The Limoncello cosmo was terrific! Thanks Limoncello, for the best night of the summer thus far! We will be back!
Just ate there today and I won't be going back. Had heard both good and bad things, so we decided to give it a chance and decide for ourselves. My gnocchi were uncooked and hard, my plate was swimming in pasta water which diluted the sauce and my eggplant was so salty from the huge chunks of proscuitto. Just not a good meal at all.
if your wife would divorce you over a meal…..than maybe you should consider new wife…..and take her to Olive Garden.
A bit pricey, but good food. Eaten there several times and will return. Shouldn't entrees come with a salad?
NO!
Just got back from an awesome lunch! Tried the buffet because I wanted to sample different items and it was all good. Place wasn't very crowded today so maybe that made the difference.I will definitely go back.
I'm surprised to see anything negative about this place, but of course I've only been several times for lunch when things aren't as crowded. Everything I've had from both the menu and the lunch buffet have been very good and in line with the prices. The lunch buffet is a steal especially if you're indecisive about what you want – I expected "wedding style" Italian buffet but this is one or two steps up. People I know talk about this place & how great it is, and just walking around the streets of WC I overhear people raving about this place! If you haven't tried it you must give it a shot!
haha I'm pretty sure the matre'd is the owner so he might take it personally!
I have had many wonderful dinners at Lemoncello. Last night I was greatly disappointed by their Margherita pizza. The bland sauce was very watery, with puddles of water on the pie and the cheese was not even warm. My friend had the Mediterranean pizza and was very satisfied. This was the first time I ever had a Margherita pie with no fresh tomatoes and puddles of water. I will go back but will not reorder the pie. There are many other good choices on the menu.
I was there on a Friday night and it was crowded which tells me they are doing something right. Every time I drive by they have a nice crowd in there. I read your comments about slow service and although our service was slow as well I know from spending years in the business it's tough to run a restaurant and please everyone all the time. The food was tasty, portions nice but a bit expensive.I think an experienced Matre'd who can groom the wait staff as well as a seasoned expediter in the kitchen could propel them to the next level. Your only as good as your weakest link.
Dined on 2/20/10. Dinner for 2 – birthday celebration. Wonderful time here. Like others. I agree the noise can be overwhelming and the place can be overcrowded. Extremely packed on our visit. That being said..the rest of experience was outstanding. Very attentive server. Front of house accommodated our request – we had asked in advance – to be sat where we wanted without a crazy wait time. Food was excellent. Wife had calamari fritti, lobster ravioli, and house made cannoli. Calamari was lightly breaded and accompanied by two decent sauces. Lobster ravioli reminded me of eating lobster on Cape Cod – buttery, rich, with wonderful lobster flavor. I had arancini, striped bass special and peanut butter cheesecake. Arancini had a great texture and taste and was accompanied by a light tomato sauce. Striped bass was a generous portion perfectly joined with grilled vegetables. Both desserts were flavorful and satisfying. We will return in the future and suggest to others.
i have been working in the biz for about 20 years now and i have seen it all. This place is going down the same road as all the others. save your money…
I will be respectful, but this was a so-so experience. My three friends and I went to Limoncello last week. The wine and cocktail selection was great. Our waiter, dark and handsome, tried to be attentive although we waited more than 45 minutes for our meals. Unfortunately, he did nothing to appease the situation – he didn't even apologize for the inconvenience! My guests and I contemplated asking about the meals (or even a manager) but our waiter showed no characteristics of an understanding personality (or even what his purpose as a waiter is!). Sorry, we will not be returning. The food is great. Everything else makes it unbearable.
Great food in a wonderful atmosphere. I do agree that the service is about average but to those who trashed the place because "it's too loud," I say this: West Chester is a college town and a bar town, young people are louder than most older people. However, Limoncello's clientele resembles in no way some of its neighbors on Gay Street. Secondly, this is an Italian restaurant. Complaining about noise is just silly- can't we all have a good time without being so American about it? With that said, the veal dishes are quite good and I believe they use many, though not all, fresh ingredients. In my opinion, its one of the better Italian spots in the area and it won't cost you an arm and a leg. Also, go for lunch!
I love the food – never had a bad meal here. The only problem is that it is so loud. Even when it's not that crowded.
The food is always good…the service on the other hand is not. I have eaten there a dozen times. But my last experience was the WORST. We were there on a Saturday night; we had a reservation but had to wait. (This seems standard here regardless of what time your reservation is.) The kids waited an hour and forty minutes for chicken fingers and nobody even apologized…instead the hostess said they make everything from scratch so it takes longer? They actually brought out a couple of the adults dinners before the kids…all of our meals came out at different times. She did offer to buy the kids ice cream…which seemed like a ridiculous peace offering considering it was a party of 10…everyone ordered apps, dinner, wine etc. It was a large bill. PAINFUL. It is a shame -the food is always good but they really need to improve their service or people will stop going. I certainly will not be returning anytime soon.
The food is really good and the service is decent. Had to wait 20 minutes for a table even though we had a reservation. It was really loud and crowded. I think the $5 corking fee is crap.
My boyfriend and I ate there for the first time and we loved it. Im a vegetarian and often find good, meat-free food hard to find. The buffet had a huge selection including salmon, tortellini, chicken parmesan, sausage and peppers .. and those were just the hot dishes! There was a plethora of roasted vegetables, 4 different pizzas, 2 strombolis and 2 salads. Our service was great, to the point that we had more than one server at a time answering our questions. After the buffet we even ordered desert, the key lime cheesecake was to die for. We will definitely be back, over and over!
This place is awesome. The staff is great!! Michelle and Jared{ I think?} are hard workers. I've known her for a couple years and always bring people to see her. She always makes you feel welcome along with everyone else that works there. They make a point to get to know the people. To me that it huge. They want you to come back. That in my eyes is huge…Limoncello has made itself the "it" place in town…not just for the first couple months like most places…the place is here to stay…they do it right. All I can say to the owners…you have a great staff and management..keep up the good work! Dont let go of what you have there. It's something most places thrive for.
Ok, bad, really bad. I'll bullet point:
- Sat us next to the noisiest table ever.
- my husband was seated next to the trash can.
- Ordered a bottle of wine that took at least 10 minutes to be delivered.
- We asked to be moved because of the noise
- The bread was stale and the bread napkin in the basket was stained like it was not changed between usage. So I'm sure it was recycled.
- For an italian restaurant, they do not make their own caesar dressing. The waiter told me they didn't.
- I ordered the pescatore (sp?) and it was delivered with EVERYTHING in the shell. Sorry but I don't want to shuck my own meal, that's what I'm paying you for. Mussels, claims, lobster, shrimp – ALL IN THE SHELL! I had to take everything out to just take a bite! Not to mention that every bit of sand from the shells was transfered to my pasta. GROSSSSSSS!!!!!
- This is the best part: as we are looking around for our waiter to pay our check, we see him taking a shot with another table. Nice.
I worked in a restaurant for many years and I know when I'm paying for crap. And this was crap. Don't go!
Oh my this is so funny! Apparently no one has told you or you haven’t had seafood anywhere besides Long John Silvers – it’s supposed to come IN the shells. They don’t “shuck” it for you or cook it out of the shells because it loses flavor. I would shudder if I ordered mussels or clams at a restaurant and they came WITHOUT shells.
The food is excellent, my mouth is watering now. I ordered the homemade lasagna and meatballs. The place is friendly and has attentive service. Owners are always there and are very friendly, they keep things going efficiently. Very sweet and accommodating family.
What a great hang out,
I loved it!