Spinello’s East Coast Eatery

The food was HORRIBLE!
Around 8:00 on a Wednesday, hardly anyone there and the first thing the waitress says is we have no chicken… we ran out.
My date ordered carbonara and took one bite– and didn’t eat another, I tried a bite. it taste like mac and cheese from an instant box– only not close to even that if you like that kind of food. She doesn’t eat meat and so she asked for it without the pancetta. There were clumps of stringy egg and it wasn’t hot. This was as ugly as it tasted! Clearly, they do not know what they are doing. With only one other couple in the restaurant, it took about 30 minutes for this (can I say food) to be served. No bread even for starters and they call this an Italian East Coast restaurant, Maybe east coast of Russia…
My date asked if there was any other restaurant open close by as she was hungry (unfortunately Los Gatos shuts down pretty early and there wasn’t).
When the waitress came by twice asking how it was, the second time we just shook our heads and said it wasn’t at all good and no we didn’t want to take it home (my dog wouldn’t have wanted it either I’m sure) She said she’d tell the kitchen but that because it didn’t have the pancetta it was like that! Good Lord, you can’t make this stuff up. My egg plant parmesan was a joke. Very poorly done, bland and small unimaginative and abysmal eggplant slices.
On a side note, the owner who I had met many times before he opened this place at another restaurant in town that we used to frequent, was standing in the restaurant staring into space with only us and another couple and didn’t even come by (15 feet away) and ask how the food was but no surprise as I’m sure he wasn’t interested in his customers as evidenced by his lack of interest or pride in his product. When the bill came, I was shocked– they actually charged for the carbonara.
So, that was our first and last experience here. Service — poor; price– who cares if it’s good; atmosphere — none existent, music going from Frank Sinatra to Calypso with 2 huge screen TV’s a few feet apart showing hockey and all in a in a tiny, empty restaurant; food — worse «fake Italian» I’ve ever seen or tasted. The review wouldn’t allow no stars or minus stars so please forgive the forced star…
When leaving, two people outside the entrance on their way in asked if we’d recommend the food, my date said don’t go in– they didn’t and did an about face.
Can’t see how this place is in business. It will be gone soon I’m quite certain.

The wait for our food was a little long… BUT it’s worth the wait. Food came out HOT and DELICIOUS. very tasty… this a definitely place to eat…

Meh… I can see why this place is on Groupon: 2.5 stars
A really tiny space in the long roads of options in Los Gatos, Spinello’s doesn’t really stand out. Seating is limited, and food is quite pricey here.
We ordered:
–Chicken parm sandwich: huge piece of chicken, pretty juicy but the bread got soggy really quickly
–Burger: was served on what I believe was ciabatta bread, cooked medium but to me, it was quite dry. Served with the same salad as the chicken parm sandwich.
–Stuffed mushrooms: pretty good, but it only came with three
My overall opinion is that this place isn’t bad, but the food took nearly 40 minutes. Really, for two sandwiches and an appetizer? Meanwhile, the people seated next to us had pastas that probably take more time than simply putting meat between two slices of bread… Service was nothing to rave about.
I came during brunch time, and something really weird I saw was a plate of food and a mimosa just sitting on the communal table with no one eating it. It was there for over an hour and flies started getting into it before the waitress took it away. Confusing? Probably won’t come back.

The service was great, I loved the atmosphere, the calamari had no flavor, but the bruchetta was really good. I was disappointed in the main course, I love fish but there is a way to remove bones from it and they didnt bother — I come from a commercial tuna fishing family and learned how to clean fish from an early age — overall it was fun but my company had a lot to do with it. I would like to go back and try some of their italian fare.

Decent downtown restaurant. There aren’t many tables but we dined early on a Saturday, just before 5pm so there was no wait or reservations needed. There was only one waitress but she was friendly and very efficient.
We both had chicken parmigiana with their Sunday gravy and rigatoni pasta. The chicken was thick and freshly prepared. The pasta was wonderfully al dente and the sauce flavorful.
The bread was served warm and seasoned with a dipping sauce that was a bit too vinegary for me. We asked for more and it was brought swiftly.
I ordered the ricotta cheese cake for desert and it was ok. It make have been cut earlier as it was a bit dry on the edge. The cheese cake came with a nice caramel sauce on the side. It would have been more lovely with coffee but we were in a hurry to get on the road.
The portions were large and I took almost half home. I would try it again. I considered the cheese ravioli but the server said it wasn’t made in house. We spent more than expected for a late lunch but since it was almost dinner, we were pleased.

Spinello’s is a hidden gem. We had an absolutely wonderful evening. To start, we experienced a warm greeting, and since we had reservations, we’re seated promptly. This was greatly appreciated as few tables and many guests
To start we ordered their warm Brussel sprouts salad– prepared with pancetta, egg, croutons, lemon vinaigrette — so inviting. Then our decision on the entrees. My wife had already decided on the Salmon and I was looking for suggestions. Our server raved about their Salmon — and we were not disappointed.
I was deciding on two different entrees — and with the recommendation from the server choose the chicken Marsala. Nice and tender served with a with a more than delicious olive oil, marsala wine and mushroom sauce. Both entrees come with pasta, but we choose to pay $ 2.00 to get the fried asparagus — well worth it.
To complete the evening — we ordered dessert. We choose the Ricotta Cheese Cake. This is made on site. Very moist, but rather large so we took most of it home.
I could go on, but I think you need to experience this yourself.

This place is a waste of money, time and effort. Mike the owner is from NY and would do well to return and serve up his lousy food there. Total phony.
What he knows about running a restaurant I could write on a pin head — which is what he’s got to think his dump has appeal.
The food is horrible — go to the Old Spaghetti Factory or Olive Garden and even those places will have better food.
And the service — particularly bad — arrogant/​snotty as the day is long.
I don’t even care about the price — I’ll pay for great food and outstanding service — this dump cannot provide either.
Total rip off.
K

Unilocal has the wrong closing time. We arrived at 9:45pm and told that they were closed and it’s not their fault Unilocal is wrong. The gal was rude as well. We will not return.

I love this place and just keep coming back. With delicious «just like mom makes» dishes and a small, cozy setting, it’s a reliable yummy good time. We’ve gone as a couple and a group of eight — everyone was happy and satisfied. Highly recommend!

We had walked by Spinellos countless times and this time we decided to try it out. Our meal was fine — I liked my linguini with clams — but the overall experience was middle of the road. Our visit struck a couple of our family’s pet peeves.
1. Children’s meals should come with vegetables. My kids ordered the buttered pasta, but that’s all it was. How about a veggie or two?
2. Up-​charges should come with a corresponding additional value. My wife’s chicken parm came with veggies or pasta but the veggies cost $ 2 more. The veggies were a couple pieces of steamed broccoli. Seriously?
3. Focus on service. The food was slow to come out of the kitchen, but the service was even slower. When there were people waiting for our table all the resto had to do was get us our check and the table would have been turned. We asked and then asked again and waited even longer. Inexplicable.
Our meal was fine but I’m afraid this place was probably a oncer for our family.

Service was fine, food was so so, experience was overpriced. The menu was strange and missing favorites like antipasto. It was also strange that there was no bread put on the table. Italian eateries, regardless of their location, serve bread. When we asked, the waitress told us it was not included, and that we could order the garlic bread or the bruschetta. She did relent and got the 5 of us three quasi slices of what appeared to be bread that wouldn’t be able to be used for bruschetta though.
The calamari was tasty, but served with a ketchup like condiment instead of red sauce. The Sunday gravy was passable. I’m from an area of Jersey where we call it sauce, but that’s an on-​going argument for another time. The Italian Wedding Soup tasted like a bowl of peppery celery and the salad contained a good deal of rusted lettuce spines soaked in some kind of sweet dressing. Despite the disappointing food, my main objection was the price/​portion. 50 cents worth of rigatoni and one link of sausage should be priced way lower. Even if it’s served in a fancy bowl/​plate, it’s still an inexpensive dish. The meal lacked authenticity and value.
No malice or meanness, but I don’t recommend this place. It is not representative of east coast Italian food, or the food served in the New Jersey towns they list as part of their décor.

I was trying to decided where to take my team out for dinner after a day long meeting when a friend recommended Spinello’s…well why not. It was the best decision of the week for me, maybe even the month!
We took up ¹⁄₃ of the place with our hungry crowd and the staff responded by doing an outstanding job of taking care of us, keeping us feed and with drink the entire night. The group ended up getting pretty much everything on the menu and as the evening went on I was able to ask everyone about the meal; to a person the response was very positive! The standouts were the the Five Jumbo Prawns, Trio of stuffed mushrooms, Salmon Steak, Mikey’s Chicken Parmesan and the Big bob’s cream puff’s…to name just a few.
If you looking for a special dinner or just a Tuesday night «I do not want to cook» I would recommend Spinello’s.

Decided to take my wife here for part 1 of our anniversary. Took advantage of the Groupon especially for new places I have never been before (just in case it turned out to be a total fail moment. Fortunately, it wasn’t).
It’s a classy, cozy spot. My wife and I were a little surprised that it was smaller than what we originally expected. Looking from the outside and the pictures online, I guess we expected the seating area to be a little larger. Ambiance was very nice. Well lit. Spacing between tables was descent. And, there is outdoor seating available.
Because of the space, I wouldn’t recommend large parties. But, it’s perfect for parties up to 4.
We were seated and served by the same waitress. She was extremely courteous and professional. Informed us of the specials, gave us recommendations, and answered all of our questions. She checked up on us regularly (but not too invasive which is a huge plus).
As described in the menu, the food they serve is an East Coast influence of Italian food. It’s a little different from what you expect but a good type of change.
We ordered the Broccoli Rabe. The waitress was nice enough to mention that the type of broccoli used comes with a slightly bitter taste. Asked us if we’d like to stick with it or order something different. Normally, I applaud this type of service because some waiters/​waitresses in the restaurant service don’t care and let you pay for it later. This waitress earned a ⁵⁄₅ in my book.
The Broccoli Rabe was indeed interesting. As the waitress described, it was a little bitter. Some parts of the broccoli were burned. At first, this could be misunderstood as a cook’s mistake. I should have confirmed but I shrugged it off as a possibility to the style in which it was cooked. I have a couple friends from the East Coast that mentioned how they prefer some of their dishes slightly burnt. This type of style provides additional flavor and texture. The dish was nice enough to appreciate but, like I said, very different.
My wife ordered the Chicken Marsala and I ordered the Rigatoni with Italian Sausage. The style was different for the Rigatoni. Typically, you would expect the sauce to be a little thicker and sitting on the top or bottom of the dish. However, the sauce lightly glazed the noodles and pooled at the bottom of the bowl. The sauce itself was buttery, slightly acidic, and had a mild complexity to it. The Marsala was absolutely delicious. I was really happy that the dish wasn’t overly saturated with the Marsala wine (a common mistake with some Italian restaurants). It was a careful balance of flavors and not one flavor overpowering the next. We were very happy and satisfied with the main course. So much so that we didn’t have leftovers.
Portion-​wise (let’s be real to both viewers and restaurant):
Perfect portion for most individuals.
May need a little more for hungry college students or people looking for hearty/​big meals.
Looks like an appetizer for someone that eats their own dish, helps with his wife, and cleans up after their kid’s meals.
The point is, (for you Groupon fans…), if you come in super hungry and you are not willing to spend the extra money, you most likely will be disappointed with the portion size. It’s not as big as Buca di beppo. But, if you are thinking quality over quantity, the shoe fits.
They do have a nice wine list and beer on tap. Unfortunately, my wife and I had other plans and didn’t feel like drinking. But, in case you are wondering, they do have it.
As usual, I recommend that you tip right. ESPECIALLY people using Groupon. I was nice enough to ask for the original balance and the waitress was super friendly in accepting the Groupon. Most other places that usually accept a Groupon usually receive it with a frown. I’m glad it wasn’t the case here. So, please tip based on the originally balance (before it was discounted) — good service needs to be acknowledged and rewarded! :)
My wife actually has a good friend from the East Coast and happens to be Italian. We’ll have to bring her here sometime and gather her opinion as well. ;)
I would definitely be back and recommend this place to others. Great first experience!

This is one of my favorite Italian Restaurants. The Brussel Spout salad is delicious and Laura’s Eggplant is so very good.
The servers are very nice and do a great job. They make you feel welcome.
Highly recommended.

A charming, casual Italian joint. Highly recommend the rigatoni with Italian sausage. The calamari was so so bc it was a bit too bready but still not bad.
Great local business! I’ll def eat here again.

I was a little skeptical of this place because (1) there was no alfredo, (2) there were really only a couple of familiar pasta dishes, and (3) there isn’t a whole lot of vegetarian options. I’m not a vegetarian, but sometimes I like to go that route if I feel like stocking up on veggies.
I ordered the Rigatoni with Italian Sausage, and it did not disappoint. Sauce complemented everything perfectly, and was really light so I didn’t feel like the meal weighed me down. We also ordered the Bruschetta for an appetizer which was AMAZING! Don’t skip out on it. It’s seriously, so good.
I’d come back here again for a nice date night and grab a glass of wine from their mad decent selection. Definitely a nice place for dinner and intimate conversation.

Unfortunately just not worth the price you are going to pay.
I came for dinner and tried the sole (daily fish special) with a side of pasta. The pasta was clearly from a box (aka tasted bad) and the sole was overloaded with capers and very spicy. It was $ 20 and I did not feel it was worth the money. The appetizers are also around $ 10 and fairly small portions. Another person in my party got the chicken parmasean which looked better but was also very salty.
For $ 20 a person, there are a lot of better options out there.

A very enjoyable lunch with good food and service is a pleasurable atmosphere.
We started with the fried calamari, crispy as it should be served with a portion of red marinara sauce spiced just right.
As a lunch entre I went with the half meatball sandwich and chopped Italian salad, both very good. Meatballs when done right, the Jersey way, can be very delicious. These were so tasty I eat the sandwich open faced to avoid the bread getting in the way of the experience. Not to say the bread was over powering, the bread was good too; but, the meatball was perfection.
The salad was well balanced in dressing, meat and cheese. Sometimes a chopped salad can be a little skimpy on the fixings, this one had a lot of meat and cheese with just the right amount of lettuce.
You know a place is good when I refer my wife to have her birthday group go here.
Cannot wait to try for dinner.
By the way, the owner came out from the kitchen and asked how our lunch was, nice personal touch. He is young, handsome and personable. All you Los Gatos ladies should be lunching here at Spinello’s (his family name by the way).
Good food, good service and friendly — what else do you want?

I enjoyed my first visit to SPINELLO’S in Los Gatos. It is in the old Nick’s On Main location, so it is very small. I went with a couple of friends so we sat at the high tables in the middle.
Dissatisfied with their beer selection, I had Merlot instead (sue me, I like beer over vino). We started with an order of calamari and two orders of Italian sausage glazed with honey and lemon. Both were fantastic. I ordered the spicy prawns with spaghetti for my entrée and was very satisfied. The food was good and the service was great. Every one of us liked our selections.
However, Spinello’s has two things working against it in my book. 1) Is the lack of a bar due to limited space. 2) Too close to my go-​to LG Italian restaurant, The Pastaria.
Good luck to Spinello’s, it was definitely worth trying. 4 stars!

I’ve been here 6 times.
Consistently the food has been excellent, servers have been friendly and food comes out fast. I’ve been here on a Monday night, weeknight or Saturday brunch.
If you knew about New Jersey the way I know NJ, you’d appreciate that this is great food. They love Italian food. This tastes homemade and with love. Sunday gravy, cannolis, Italian Wedding Soup…
I am a little confused why there are such bad reviews when I have had such great meals each time. Are you people just mean?
Probably.
Yes this is a tiny restaurant. That’s part of it’s charm.
Support local businesses-​especially one like this where it feels like family.
After eating Sunday Gravy on a Monday night, I am a happy girl.