Wolf Guitar
Firstly, the wait staff couldn’t be better, super Tahoe friendly and kind. I wish I could say the same for the other parts of the dining experience. I ordered a glass of Clos d’ Argentine Malbec and water as beverages. Tahoe water, enough said.
The wine was sour and jammy indicating it had been “cooked.” Wine when it heats to temperatures above eighty degrees Fahrenheit literally cooks inside the bottle. That’s the reason for the wine having the off-taste.
The bread was warm and tasty. The Caesar salad had a nice amount of dressing, and a generous portion of anchovies, and great flavor. Like Dave Portnoy using cheese pizzas as his standard, Frutti di Mare pasta is my go-to dish when evaluating an Italian Ristorante.
The spaghetti was swimming in sauce and the noodles were far past al dente. The great Umberto Eco wrote a column about American restaurants’ proclivity for misunderstanding that sauce should merely coat the pasta. The noodles should never be drenched in sauce. The oddity there, is that the person cooking is Italian.
Overall, maybe it was a bad night in the kitchen, and maybe the one bottle of wine was cooked. Who knows? I’ll return and find out. In the meantime, I give it 3 out of five stars. The wait staff carried the day.
… moreMaya Krupa
Hidden Italian gem in Tahoe! All fresh made high quality Italian food – just like you want served like grandma made it. Ivano owner comes out to check on tables often – he and is staff were great. Had an accordion player too to set the ambiance :). Highly recommend to anyone seeking a delicious home style Italian meal
… moreKimberly
Amazing experience! The ambiance was intimate and our server was very knowledgeable about the menu. We ordered bruschetta (so good!), linguine with a customized red sauce (my friend wanted it to be spicy), and the gnocchi with pesto (best pasta I’ve ever had, and I’ve been to Italy multiple times). The owner was very caring and seemed to genuinely care that each guest had the best experience. Would highly recommend!!
… moreMike W
The Italian Bread is bomb, also the Fig Pizetta very tasty! You will not be disappointed with your meal.
… moreNikki Gelardi
Best place in the area! Ivano is one amazing chef, every thing is delish and made to order- be patient and its worth the wait! Thanks to our awesome waiter, Patrick, he takes care of the whole place
That’s amore ❤️delicioso – grazie mille!!
… moreEmily Graham
I’ve gone twice on my short trip here because it is just that good. The owner is fantastic and everything is delicious. I got the garlic basil spaghetti with meat balls, while my boyfriend got the pesto gnocchi, and both were delicious. We tried the garlic bread (amazing) and the soup of the day which was absolutely delicious. If you have room for desert (generous meal sizes) I recommend the cheese cake! If you’re looking for an authentic Italian restaurant with great food and great service, this is your place.
… moreJie
Ivano’s is by far my favorite place to eat in south lake Tahoe and one of the best restaurants I’ve been to period. I’ve been looking forward to coming back here after some time away and I’m extremely saddened to hear the passing of Ivano. RIP Ivano 🙁 I’m going to miss your restaurant, your cooking, and your company..
… moreDavid Hartman
Outstanding gourmet Italian. Our entrees took a long time to arrive, but were well worth the wait. My grandmother made gnocchi from scratch, and theirs was every bit as good.
The house made fresh bread was unbelievably good and the dinner salad was very good as well.
Downside would be a limited by-the-glass wine list, but what they had was priced very reasonably.
… moreEmily Lipp
Very good service and excellent food. The chef came by after our meal and thanked us for coming, we told him it was the best Italian we’ve had and he told us they make all the food and sauces fresh to order! The food took a little longer to come out because of that but it was well worth the wait. The cheese tortellini with sausage and cream sauce was the best tortellini we’ve ever had
… moreJulie Capito
6 stars! Such exceptional food. Ivano is a character! So warm and friendly .we enjoyed his stories, recommendations & esp the food! We loved our entrees so much – all plates cleared. Highly highly recommend this gem in south shore. Definitely the best Italian I’ve had and I try every place I can
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