La Calabria Ristorante

I understand La Calabria Restaurant has closed! Can anyone tell me why? I had heard so many good things about them! Bummer!!!

One of our favorite places to eat out! Great food and friendly owner. Family-​friendly place that offers good food (parents know how rare that is!). It is sad that they are closing at their current location, but looking forward to visiting them at their new location.

The dinner special delicious. I highly recommend this place.
From the owners:
Most of you know that we are at the end of our lease as of September 30^th. We have been negotiating to stay for some time now, but without success.
As of this writing,
we have had no offer extended.
After 7 years of being a «Hidden Gem»
at 1534 E Ray Road, Gilbert, AZ.
the doors of La Calabria will be closed.
BUT…
We have «something cooking»!
***** WATCH FOR EMAIL UPDATES *****
SO…
We are NOT saying Good-​Bye…
We ARE saying «Till We Meet Again»!
Please save your gift certificates
for the new location!
Stay Hungry!
Clara & Giovanni
480−726−3537

Definitely a hidden jewel! We did not expect to find Italian food this good in Gilbert — what a wonderful surprise. I was a little disappointed that they were out of the risotto, but the Chicken Gorgonzola was delicious!

I had the pleasure of dining at this restaurant with friends to celebrate my birthday. The food was amazing! From the arancini, to the calamari the appetizers were great. The pasta is made fresh and you can certainly tell. I’ll definitely go back again and it was worth the drive from Phoenix. Make sure and make reservations because this place is busy because the food is so good.

Last night we had a birthday celebration for two family members at this restaurant. It was our first time there, we were a party of 7. Our server was Clara and she couldn’t have been nicer plus she was so efficient !! Our meals from the appetizers to the salads and the entrees were absolutely perfection !! Our dessert, the Ricotta Cheesecake was to die for !!
Everyone had a great meal and we all left happily full, even had to take some food home as the portions were very generous. Their wine selection is excellent too !
We will certainly be going back to La Calabria! So many great things on the menu to try next !!

This is an authentic Italian menu. Great service… feels like you are being welcomed to their home. Food was very good but pricey. Definitely some of the best Italian in the area, but will likely reserve for special occasions.

The food isn’t very good, I’m afraid. I wish it was because we live around the corner.
The chicken was «sticky» and I had to pull my mouth apart to continue chewing because my teeth were temporarily stuck together with each bite. Calamari was tough and extraordinarily bland. Salad was small, but ok.
The marinara sauce was pretty good. The service was mediocre but polite. The ambience is lacking. At $ 20 a plate I was thoroughly unimpressed. The kids didn’t eat much of their meals.
I hate to say that I would have rather went to a chain restaurant, because that’s not my usual way, but a chain would have kicked Calabria’s butt the night we went. I’m sorry to leave a poor review because I usually want family businesses to succeed. Maybe we just ordered the wrong 5 dishes and caught them on a bad night but we’re not eager to return.

La Calabria is a cute little restaurant tucked away from the street in Gilbert. You walk in and are instantly greeted by the Italian owner with his hairy chest and giant gold cross around his neck. The restaurant is fairly small but it’s warm and inviting.
The food was magnificent! We ordered the ravioli and lasagna. The ravioli was in a refreshing tomato sauce that tasted like it was ACTUALLY made from fresh tomatoes! And don’t get me started on the lasagna! It was out of this world!!! The cheese had so much flavor and the sauce was the same fresh tomato sauce as the ravioli and it came out hot and steamy. Both came with a side salad which had more than just lettuce (onion, olives, tomato and cucumber) plus it came with a light and delicious balsamic dressing.
We didn’t try the wine, we pregammed at home to avoid extra cost. But the wine list was a fair size with reasonable prices. Overall our meal costs about $ 32, which is a bit more than we would have liked but it won’t keep us from going back!
Definetly will return for the lasagna!

A little piece of Italy hidden in Gilbert, AZ!
Thank you Unilocal for helping us find this delight of a restaurant. People say things like «best food I ever ate» and I never thought I would be using such a trite expression. But here it is, dish after dish served with greatness, flavorful, clean and fresh, made by a kitchen master! Were the portions small? NONE were! Was the food presented attractively? YES, like a master’s painting! Was the food cooked properly? Fresh where it needed to be, tender, never overcooked!
We started our meal in this attractive two dozen table restaurant with Mom out front and Pop cooking in the back, with Calamari Fritti, abundant, fabulous taste, crunchy and tender, accompanied with a Marinara Sauce that would be great on any pasta! Next a Caesar Salad, followed by Chicken Amalfitano (Chicken breast topped with prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, red wine, demi glacé, fresh mushrooms and fresh herbs) with a side of steamed broccoli with a hint of garlic. Salmone Livornese, covered with red onions, capers, and olives with plum tomatoes, and accompanied by the same wonderful broccoli. A very large and thick chunk of ocean fresh, perfectly cooked, moist, nary a bone, fat or piece of skin present salmon. We hummed as we ate if you know what I mean. At the end I was brought a lovely slice of chocolate cake with a lit birthday candle in it and a few staff members sang Happy Birthday to me. I want to mention that I lived in Italy for ten years and La Calabria Ristorante took me back to the best of the best!!! As my wife proclaimed, «this is my new favorite restaurant.» Don’t miss out just because it’s hidden behind a Discount Tire shop in Gilbert.

This place is incredible! The service is perfect with the husband-​and-​wife welcoming you as soon as you open the doors. I am in the service business and was blown away here… this is what is missing In your dinner rotation. If you want kids serving you, go to Olive Garden… if you want professionals come here.
The waiters and waitresses are amazing and the food is terrific! I can highly recommend getting the special. s as they are NOT what the chef /​owner wants to get rid of… they are the best food on the menu. Tonight it was the crab and lobster ravioli in Alfredo sauce. Almost to die for… seriously the best seafood Alfredo I have ever had! The waiter even made a joke that they have dishwashers as I sopped up the last Alfredo sauce with a piece of bread! My wife had the mushroom risotto and She absolutely enjoyed it! We got a slice of cheesecake to go home for dessert and we absolutely will be back!
Get here now and you’ll never «forget about it» (worst DeNiro accent I can do)!

The best Italian restaurant hands down.
The food is mouth O amazing!
The owners are just the sweetest people who like true Italian parents will push you to get more food, wine, dessert and you will because the food is so good!!!

First time going & the food was great it made me feel like I was back in my Nonie’s kitchen and at home. The hospitality made it feel even more special & welcoming.
The House made Cheese Cake with Strawberry Drizzle was really great finish to a wonderful dinner.
I would definitely go there again, and recommend it to anyone who is looking for a great Italian Restaurant to bring the family to, and they even have a Kids menu!
I can’t wait to go again.

What a wonderful experience! The wait staff were each so unique and very doting. Each of us ordered from the specials because we couldn’t see beyond that. Wonderful cioppino with halibut. To die for!!! Excellent wine choices. The restaurant filled up quickly on a Friday evening. Reservations recommended.

Best. restaurant. ever.
I LOVE this place. I want to eat here every day.
Cheesecake is amazing.
Bolognese sauce is spectacular.
Mozzarella appetizer is so good.

Best and most authentic Italian food we’ve had in Arizona! It’s a fairly small location, but was absolutely packed when we got there (always a good sign!).
I ordered the mushroom risotto, which was much better than I anticipated, and my husband got the bucatini carbonara. Both dishes were made to perfection and I know we will be back on our next date night!
Another «plus» of this restaurant is that they make all of their own pasta in house, and it’s served al dente (the way it should be).

Easily best Italian food in 70 mile radius.
Absolutely one of my favorites. It is very unassuming from the outside as its in a strip mall behind Discount Tire, but it packs a punch. Its a small local business the wife is one of the servers and is the sweetest lady ever. I have been here a few times and the service is always excellent.
For the food: it is pricey so it’s not an every day place, but worth the splurge on a date night or special occasion. Everything taste fresh with high quality ingredients. The dinner specials are always different and well put together to fuse food, flavor, and overall dining experience. Please start off with the mussels with white sauce. They are some of the best I’ve ever had. As soon as you taste the pasta you can tell its cooked Al Dente which is so much better..
I encourage everyone to go here to not only support a local business, but to experience excellent cuisine.

We have been to La Calabria a couple of times and the food has been excellent. The butternut squash ravioli is fantastic. Service is a little overwhelming. Give me some time to read the menu please.
A little pricey for what you get. Made the mistake of having the house chianti. We did not care for it.

I love La Calabria. It is a locally owned restaurant and right away that is a nice change from the chain food haven we live in here in AZ. La Calabria’s head chef is actually the owner who was born and raised in Italy so you can’t get more authentic than that. The owners are very friendly and they will remember you if you take the time to talk to them.
The ambiance is simple and reminds me of a lot of restaurants I was raised on on the East Coast. The sauce is just the way I like and that is not an easy task as I somewhat consider myself an Italian food snob. I love the Veal Parmigiana as it, again, is just what I am used to.
In this day of chain restaurants, it is nice to see a mom and pop establishment make it through. I hope they will be around for a long time to come.

Caprese ‘special’ app — I make a better one at home… too much olive oil and no flavor.
Calamari — bland and boring
Fruti De Mari — big fat messy clump
That’s $ 140 and two hours of my life I’ll never get back…
Tortolinni w meat did have an amazing sauce… very rich