Cafe Testarossa

It isn’t everyday when you and your entire group enjoy every single item ordered.
Last night was just one of those times.
This morning we are still talking about how great the food, atmosphere and service was.
From the appetizers: crab cakes, octopus, clams to the entrees: colossal shrimp, linguini & clams, free range chicken, fish and finally the desserts: coconut crème brûlée, Nutella cake, Napoleon– Café Tesarossa hit not just a home run but a game ending grand slam!

Thought restaurant was excellent. Service, food, ambiance, wine and menu all excellent. Highly recommend and will return.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 4.5 STARS
Needing a quick meal on ⁵⁄₂₂ before seeing The Rascals (Only Felix) and The Zombies at The Westbury Music Fair (hey…I’m getting old), I remembered that Newsday named Café Testarossa one of Long Island’s Ten Best Italian Restaurants of 2016. Café Testarossa has been doling out the red sauce since the 1980’s.I chose to take advantage of their $ 25.00 Twilight Menu (available between 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.).
Parking can be hard to find in front of the restaurant. Go to the rear of the restaurant to find parking. There is also a rear entrance there.
The pleasant young hostess greeted and seated me and my dining companion promptly. The dining room has a modern aura and is pleasantly lit at a moderate level. We devoured the great complimentary Bruscetta which our nice waiter, Steve, brought promptly. It was a good sign that the restaurant executed such a simple starter so well.
We both ordered from the Twilight Menu, sharing appetizers. The Baked Clams were terrific. I could not think of a better executed version that I’ve had all year. The Stuffed Eggplant was even better, with very fresh tasting mozzarella, ricotta and Parmesan cheese. The red sauce atop this appetizer was very tasty, with a deep and rich tomato flavor. This restaurant makes an excellent tomato sauce.
The main courses were also very good. My Meat Lasagne was perfectly seasoned and salted. It was topped with the same great tomato sauce as the eggplant appetizer. Although I’m not a big fish eater, I tasted the Salmon in Pinot Grigio Caper Wine Sauce. It was perfectly cooked and delicious!
The New York Cheesecake put an exclamation point on a wonderful experience. The version here was light, not dense. The cake was nicely balanced between sweet and savory with a pleasant (almond?) extract flavor. We both loved it.
My compliments to our server, Steve, who gave us great service. He answered our questions patiently and made us feel welcome.
FINAL TAKE: You are unlikely to find a better $ 25.00 meal on Long Island. I’m looking forward to bringing my dining group here to sample the rest of the menu.

Dinner with friends was very good. I am very picky with the way fish is cooked. And they came through for me. The salmon dish was cooked perfectly and the grilled vegetables appetizer was good. Deserts were very good especially the tartufo.

I’m hard pressed to think of another restaurant I’ve been to frequently on Long Island that has been as consistently excellent as Café Testarossa. Returned recently after having not been there for a while and wondered what took me so long. The food and service are simply excellent, and the atmosphere, though loud, is vibrant and fun. Highly recommend.

By FAR best restaurant on Long Island. With a urban, romantic feel, the food is beyond expectation. The quality of each dish is prepared with love, you can clearly see and taste that. The chef who happens to be the owner as well, truly knows what he’s doing to ensure quality and satisfaction. They have a bar upstairs with additional seating to accommodate their customers. Always a treat to go here. Highly recommend.

Great place for lunch and cocktails! Always personable staff and the food is always wonderful.

Very nice, «wedding like» atmosphere and service. Valet parking is not really needed at lunch, but probably is a necessity when its crowded due to the limit parking. Has a nice bar that is secluded from the seating area and another room that could be used for private events. The lunch menu is limited, but pricing is reasonable. The food portions get negatively affected with the reasonable pricing. Rice balls were cooked to perfection, but only came with 3 balls. My $ 21 special pasta dish was very small but the pasta was fresh and the toppings were great. The unlimited bread satisfied my hunger. They have $ 2 coffee and tea (pot that could fill 3 cups) for after dinner. Again the dessert sizes were too small for the price.

Best authentic Italian food in the world!!! The flavors are incredible and the service makes you feel at home! Must try!

I have now been here a handful of times and each time just gets better and better. If you are looking for a spot in in the middle of Long Island, this is it. Whether you need to drive far or not, it will be well worth it. The overall ambiance of the restaurant is more upscale modern but still has a casual feel to it. There is a large bar on the right when you enter as well as 2 dining rooms, one small (40 or so seats) and the main (100 or so seats), both of which are comfortable and welcoming.
Getting to the food, everything I have had here has been excellent. For starters, I would recommend the veal sliders (tender and flavorful), grilled octopus (simple and cooked perfectly) or stuffed artichoke (if you are lucky they are in season as the time but always great). For primi, I would go with risotto of choice (always done well), chitarra pasta (simple but fresh and excellent), a thin crust pizza to share with the table or any of the pastas are always al dente and excellent (my favorite is the orrecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe). For entrees, I have had the lamb chops (cooked perfectly and seasoned well), Halibut (pan-​seared nicely for a great crust that keeps flavors in) and the almond-​crusted chicken (moist and flavorful). For dolci, we have done the nutella cake (so good), hazelnut cake (also amazing), and olive oil cake (very unique and should try if on the menu). You cannot go wrong with the food here and I would recommend trying as much as you can.
Overall, the service has always been friendly and top-​notch. We are never pressured into rushing our meal and always seem to have a good time no matter what the occasion. The wine list is very reasonable as well as the prices on everything, so you definitely get your money worth here. Looking forward to my next outing here.
Buon appetito.

Place was very good. Nice wine list with all sorts of nicely priced wines along with homemade ravioli from scratch. Need to try the chicken parm with vodka sauce!!! Yes, it’s that dam good!!! Loved the place along with awesome staff.

What a terrific experience we had last night! Ordered the Clams on the half shell oreganoto, which was a delicious twist as the clams were raw, followed by a halibut dinner that was perfectly prepared. What stood out was the level of professionalism and service offered by the wait staff. It wasn’t about their personalities, it was about their level of extreme professional style. A truly pleasurable experience all the way trough and underpriced in my opinion!

I grew up in Syosset and Café Testarossa has been my family’s go-​to restaurant for a nice dinner. I’m giving it 5 stars because the food has been consistently good over all of these years.
While I’ve enjoyed just about everything I’ve ordered over the years, the tequila chicken was my favorite back when it was on the menu, and now my favorite is the almond crusted chicken. Sometimes my entire family orders it. The stuffed artichoke as an appetizer is also fantastic, probably the best stuffed artichoke I’ve ever had, and is great for sharing. Usually we’re too stuffed for dessert. I sometimes say that if I were to have a last meal, it would be the stuffed artichoke and the almond crusted chicken.
They used to have a big testarossa on the wall, but they redid the restaurant several years back and now it has a more modern, romantic feel (i.e. white table clothes, dim lighting, candles). Can’t say much about the bar since I never spent much time there, but do note that the restaurant is busy and noisy on Fri and Sat nights. Service is usually attentive, but I’d recommend ordering an appetizer as it can take a while for your entrée to come out.

This restaurant has been a wonderful addition to my hometown; it is now my family’s top choice for special occasions. Everything I’ve eaten here has been delicious, but my favorite meal is the
Colossal shrimp. Testarossa is a great place for large groups and the staff is always very nice. We also recently had a baby shower here for one of my family members, which was a big success. The catered food was delicious and the staff went out of their way to make everyone happy. One waitress heard that I couldn’t eat gluten or meat and — without even being asked — she spoke to the chef about preparing a special meal for me. I’m looking forward to many meals at Testarossa in the future!

Came here for the first time over the weekend and Loved this place! Found a great, and affordable priced meal for everyone in the fAmily including my two little ones! Though a bit more pricey than some other restaurants, not overly expensive at all. The service and servers were absolutely lovely, especially the young waitress who took care of us named Kristen! Such an attentive and funny girl! Would probably request her if I came back in. Would definitely recommend this place to friends, and will be back for sure!

Valet parking. Very professional/​polite reception. Great buzz at the bar & in the restaurant on a Friday night. Server welcomed us as first timers. Took us through the specials. My wife and I split the dishes– no issue there. Salad with poached pears-​beets was amazing. The pizza w broccoli rave was fantastic. And the ravioli was «little pillows of heaven» — to quote our server. Had re Nutella dessert w cherry ice cream — the bomb! And coffees were great. All that and two glasses of wine for less than a hundred — great deal. We will be back.

I wanted to try this place so badly, and finally got the chance and mehhhhhhh.
It was disappointing, average and really nothing special sadly.
We came for lunch, so it wasn’t very crowded at all, honestly we were the first people seated. The wait staff wasn’t very attentive, screwed up coke and diet coke.
Now the food on the other hand was what I expected. It was very very good, but was it worth the big money for it probably not.

Average. Nothing special. Very noisy surroundings and tight sitting arrangements
Staff was not accommodating nor seem to care.
Thought I was in a diner

Could not wait to give my review. I’m still sitting here with my wife and friend. the meals and appetizers were outstanding, waiting on the desserts, can’t imagine a letdown.

An ok place to try. Went with friends and valet was exceptional the hostess was delightful and the busboy was dedicated. The waitress «Deb» didn’t want to be bothered with working. While they offer a varied selection there was no interest in accommodating special dietary needs. The entire visit was approx 2 hrs. price is average with area