We’re big fans of Gola Osteria, which offers beautifully prepared food with a seasonal menu rotation. It’s not hard to spend a lot of money here, but it always feels worth it. The swordfish special has been excellent whenever we’ve seen it, the grilled octopus is done perfectly, the eggplant parm features outstanding red sauce, and the black spaghetti is a hit. Add a great bottle of wine, including some affordable gems. Goal’s space is a little odd, and can be confusing for first-time visitors. Use the intercom at the front door to be buzzed in, or go around to the patio door if it’s not snowed in. The old architecture also means it’s sometimes noisy in here.

We had a lovely dinner last Wednesday to celebrate our engagement. Caitlyn was our server and she provided excellent service! The portions were generous and delicious!

I’ll say this…the food is very good. Being that I share my life with a person raised by Italian immigrants, I feel he knows good authentic Italian cuisine…so I’m comfortable saying the food is good. I have been a few times, pictures display clams and linguine, and oxtail bolognese. With that being said, its best to manage your expectations when it comes to service. The staff are pretentious and feel they are part of some exclusive and elite club. Some servers are better than others…but still lack the demeanor required to do the job with professional elegance, most likely because they’re burnt out. In the summer, sometimes the AC doesn’t work. Parking can be difficult. Nevertheless still worth all that for the food, if you can appreciate proper Italian cuisine…which means al dente pasta. Ciao.

The food here is rich, delicious and totally worth the calories! ;-). Anything they make with a sauce or ragu is fantastic! They also make excellent cocktails and have a small but very well chosen wine list that includes several good by the glass options. To tip it all off. The service is, is attentive and professional, with the staff being highly knowledgeable about the food and wine. Go, just go! I didn't take pictures if our food, but here are some of the delicious desserts. Loved my canoli

Gola Osteria catered our wedding and it was the GREATEST experience my guests and I have ever had! It started with planning and menu selection; Gola was very receptive to our ideas, made recommendations, and combined our creative efforts for a unique and personalized event. Our guests were blown away by the choices offered which included fan favorites plus delicious chef specials! The staff was attentive to EACH AND EVERY guest and the service was flawless. The presentation was beautiful, details fit our theme, and Gola even had a coordinator available to tie loose ends and collaborate with all the other vendors. The guests were satisfied and my wife was extremely happy; it was the perfect start to our marriage!

Ate there just last night before Little Feat at the State. Our server Sean was knowledgeable about the entire menu. Grilled octopus was very interesting and was delicious. Eggplant parmigiana was very good one of the group had t o get a doggy bag. Linguini with G and O very good. TONNARELLI also w a s reported as good but could not be finished and went ho.e too. The Care o f the Dog was reported as a gin cocktail that was refreshing. All in all it was a great meal with good friends. So I say go check it out. Make a reservation!

It's a bit tricky to get inside. There's an intercom and a long, unassuming hallway with signs to guide you. It's almost like a secret club. And the door opens to this charming, bustling italian restaurant. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. We were promptly seated and explained whatever we needed from the food and drinks menu. Though being crowded, it felt private with the low lighting and candles on each table. Great atmosphere. We heard multiple good things about this place before booking our reservation. They have a large wine selection and creative food menu, which we were told changes up frequently. Had a fantastic sagrantino with our dinner. We got the grilled octopus, rib eye, and swordfish. We also got an order of meatballs n pasta to go, had to try the pasta since it's all homemade. Everything was wonderful. We finished dinner with some coffees. Excellent experience, we will be returning.

Decent food, polite service, excellent ambience. I can't say the food is amazingly creative, bit the quality was always solid. A bit pricey for what you get, but considering the location, this is one of the best restaurants in Ithaca.