Rizotto Ristorante

The Buffet is wonderful. Beautiful Restaurant.

We decided to try this place out, referred by a friend that just started working there. It was a random Tuesday, after 7, and the parking lot was pretty sparse. Usually not a good sign, but hey, Tuesday, Election day… I like to think everyone was voting!
And wow. Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Couldn’t tell to much about the outside (it gets dark at 5pm now), but the interior is gorgeous. Stairs (two) go down to a big bar area that looks inviting, with the restaurant area separated. Lots of tables, this place is ready for a crowd. Big banquet area with a huge stained glass ceiling looked pretty cool, too (we had a quick tour). Very chill overall.
Okay, the food. It’s all homemade, it’s all awesome. In reverse order: I had a 9oz steak, cooked perfectly (med. rare), wifey had ravioli (HUGE) with this incredible sweet sauce. We had an app, stuffed artichoke, that we gobbled up/​inhaled. There’s also bread served with spreads (olive, garlic, artichoke)– I’d eat the olive spread with a spoon, that good.
Dessert was shared, three light «donuts», each in a said (chocolate, strawberry, caramel). Not heavy at all, sweet enough to end dinner with.
Service? Michele killed it as our tour guide, and was awesome. I noticed all the wait staff helps each other out too. That’s something to take note of, when staff takes such ownership.
Why not real busy? Got me, food was awesome. Not a jeans and sweater place (forget it, Applebee’s crowd), but I’d call it «upscale relaxing». You’ll spend a few bucks, but when the food is so good, it’s worth it.

My boyfriend wanted to take me out to congratulate me and to celebrate a new job. A friendly greeting right when we walked in, and our timing was perfect since there were setting up for some live music.
The pastas are homemade and they have a antipasti station to make narrowing down your decision even harder to choose from. The food was incredible and very affordable. We shared some items from the antipasti bar (try the zucchini chip). For my entrée, I had one of the house favorites; the shrimp and scallop spiedini, and he had the pork chop. Everything was delicious. We will be back soon!

Delicious simple and creative food. Try the Buffalo risotto and the fresh homemade pasta. Most pasta dishes come in half sizes which are just enough so you don’t hate yourself after. Pasta is very light and fresh. Great service.

Went here for a conference for continuing education. The food was great and the drinks of course were great. The layout of the place is very interesting. There are a lot of quaint rooms and a great bar area. We walked through an outdoor patio to get to the back conference room where there was a ton of space and elegant atmosphere. It’d be a great place for hosting events for work, personal, or otherwise. I could definitely picture a shower/​rehearsal dinner here.

Came in for a birthday dinner and was greatly disappointed. When we walked in, we were greeted with the pungent smell of bad fish. Then we stood in the entrance for a few minutes but there was no hostess present. Walked to the bar and the bartender redirected us back to the entrance where the ghost hostess was no where to be found. We ended up leaving without being seated or even greeted.

i hate to give this place three stars because the food is actually really good. Sadly, of my three times here, two out of the three I experienced some of the worst customer service!
My first visit to Rizotto was in 2013 during Restaurant Week. Rizotto is a bit fancier of a place, so I would not go there for any random night dinner. Instead, I decided to try out their prix fixe menu. I no longer remember what it was, but the food was on point, but the service was slow, servers were inattentive and seemed a bit spread thin. I thought at first that this was because the place was new and they were still just getting into things, but my most recent visit proved me wrong.
My second visit was on a date on a random Tuesday night. It was a wonderful experience because the place was very quiet (it was a Tuesday night after all) and we were waited by one of the senior staff (someone in a suit) who ended up serving us complimentary Limoncellos which were dangerously delicious. The meal was wonderful and I have great memories of the dinner.
My most recently visit was about a month ago during another Restaurant Week. I went with three colleagues and we all had a terrible experience. For starters, I made a 7pm reservation and we were not seated until 7:35. I understand it was busy, but not once did the hostess come over to our group to apologize or give us an update as to when we would get seated. One of us had to be somewhere by 9pm so we were getting a bit antsy. When we were finally seated, the hostess did not even apologize let alone offer some type of appetizer on the house.
Rizotto is great for having an antipasto bar full of delicious options. In my random Tuesday night visit, our waiter escorted us to the bar to look around so we have a better idea of what they offered before we picked. During Restaurant Week, I know they were busy, but I asked if I could take a quick peek before I picked and was giving a nasty look. Throughout the night, the service was horrendous. Our waiter mixed up all of our orders (there were only 4 of us), was unattentive and did not even crack a smile. At the end of the meal, there were comment cards left for us and I was honest (but polite) about the service and even left behind my contact phone number and name, but nobody called.
I think Rizotto has a lot of potential because it is located very close to the UB campus so it can drawn a good student and staff audience. The food is great and the décor is romantic and a bit fancier than the usual. However, they seriously need to work on their management, as their customer service will bring down this classy establishment.
I hate coming off as complaining in a review, but my dissatisfaction with RIzotto’s customer service is just that strong. For a fancier restaurant, it should be a given that the customer service will be good.

Their menu is quite tasteful. Risotto parm with asparagus is fantastic. Wine selection is impressive. Always a good go-​to.

Go here for HAPPY HOUR!!!
We stumbled across this place the other night and were blown away. They offer incredible happy hour specials including $ 5 wine, beer, and pizzas! The pizzas were really good, but the star of the meal was an appetizer special of osso buco. It was perfectly cooked fall of the bone meat with an amazing bean salad. When we go back I really hope this is a special again.
The bartender is super personable, the servers were very attentive and even the owner stopped by at the end of our meal.
Overall this place was fantastic! The food was great, the staff was a delight, and the restaurant it’s self is beautiful and inviting.
I can’t wait to go back!

Walked in Friday night 12 – 9 at 7:30. The bar was almost full, but, only one couple in dining room. We stood at front door for 5 minutes, no one around. A couple servers looked at us, but, nothing. Glanced at reservation book in closet and saw only 1 other reservation that night. We left and went somewhere else.

I wanted to eat at a nice Italian restaurant and that is exactly what this restaurant is. The food was very well and the service was above average. The desserts are very filling and big in size. There is always somebody watching the tables to see if any dishes are ready to be taken off the table. I enjoyed that. There is just no definitive host stand when you enter the restaurant. It was a little confusing to find out where to go. That was part of the fact that the restaurant was so big. Overall a very good establishment and would recommend to future customers.

Great dinner with friends. Has a great anti pasta bar. Ask for Ryan to be your server.

Terrible service, meh food.
My wife and I went to risotto last night for our anniversary dinner celebration. We had 7:30 reservations, and ended up waiting over half an hour waiting to be seated. When we arrived at our table, my wife’s appetizer plate was chipped, with a missing edge. My appetizer plate had dried food on it and my water glass had schmoozt smeared in the side. GROSS! You think that would have facilitated an apology by the waiter and a visit by he manager. Instead, the waiter took them away and said «I’ll get you new ones».
My wife ordered s glass of the house merlot, I stuck with water. We ordered an appetizer of arancini. The waiter disappeared for 15 minutes„ returned with a bread basket with 4 small slices of bread and an assortment of spreads. There was more spread than there was bread. Seconds after our bread arrive, our appetizer arrived. The arancini was nicely fried, but very dense. It could have improved with something acidic, like a lemon wedge to lighten it.
Looking back, we should have paced ourselves with our appetizer and drinks, because it was another 35 minutes before we saw our server again. My wife and I sat with empty glasses and dirty plates on our «special» anniversary dinner. The waiter at the other table made multiple visits to his customers, checking on them. Our waiter was MIA.
He returned with our entrees. My wife ordered the scallops and shrimp, which looked lovely. I ordered the pasta bolognese. According to the menu, this was made with the chef’s signature sauce. The pasta was homemade and cooked nicely. The sauce was a disappointment. It was over cooked and completely one-​note. My wife said her shrimp were quite good.
Again, our waiter goes missing, never checking on us or our meal. When he finally returned, we asked for our check quickly, paid and left with an overall disappointing experience.
The highlight of the evening was the restaurant’s décor and live singer. Both were tasteful and set a lovely ambience for the evening. It’s too bad the customer service (and to some extent, the food) couldn’t measure up.
The bill was around $ 65 before taxes and adjustments.

Food and service were great. Bar seemed disorganized and staffed by inexperienced bartenders. Had the salmon which was great.
Terrific bread.

My husband’s retirement party was held here. Cheryl Baker the General Manager made sure every detail was taken care of with professionalism and courtesy. The food was amazing and everyone had a great time. The staff was attentive and very polite. I would recommend this establishment to celebrate your next important milestone or an intimate dinner for two.

As a single female business owner, I often enjoy eating at the bar by myself, At Rizottos, I have done this several times not feeling intimidated at any time. The bartenders are knowledgble and friendly but also know when to keep their distance. I generally eat only appetizers but occasionally enjoy a dinner entrée. Their pork chops-​one of the best ive had. For the size they were tender and juicy. Filet and lobster-​delicious and reasonable. The mussels as a side dish were a nice size and the sauce, one of the best ive had. The manager Cheryl, always says hello and makes sure everything is up to par. So, ladies if your by yourself and want to relax at the bar-​Rizottos is the place to go.

I went here for a banquet for a graduation party. I didn’t know what to expect as the previous restaurants that occupied here al left within a year. The banquet room was very nice. There was a lot of stone on the walls and looked nice with the neutral paints on the wall. We had roast beef, pasta with marinara sauce, salad, and chicken Parmesan. It all was very good, except the roast beef was a little cold. The bread was excellent, you could tell it was fresh baked. It was a banquet, so I can’t tell ya about the servers or bar. I’m glad this resturant is doing well, it’s a nice place for a casual dinner.

On a whim, my mom decided that she and I should have lunch at Rizotto Ristorante during restaurant week. I’m not sure why, but I didn’t have particularly high hopes for this meal. Initially, I think I had trouble separating Rizotto from previous restaurants that once occupied this space. Stupid on my part.
Sometimes mom really does know best…
We arrived around 2 p.m. on Saturday. I was struck by the beauty of the interior of the restaurant. It’s decorated tastefully in neutral tones with rich wooden features. With lots of space, a full bar and warm lighting, the restaurant feels upscale yet comfortable. We were greeted quickly and had no problem getting a table.
While being seated, we passed a unique antipasto bar which featured different dishes, veggies and salads. Interesting concept.
Before we could even think about food, my mom and I decided that prosecco was a necessary addition to this lunch. After all, she chose this restaurant because they had a wine list.
Now, onto the menu… I was shocked to see how much food we’d be eating as part of the restaurant week special: Two items from the antipasto bar, two entrees and two desserts for $ 20.14. Holy cannoli!
We started with meatballs and a caprese salad from the bar. The portions were small but just enough to begin to satisfy our growling stomachs. The meatballs were especially tasty– perfect texture and good flavor. Our server also brought over some delicious bread (baked in house) as well as three different spreads that were also freshly made. The bread and spreads were a treat all by themselves!
Before we knew it, our entrees arrived. My mom had the chicken Milanese, which she loved. That’s saying something from a woman who can deliver a near perfect chicken Milanese! I enjoyed the insalta di manzo, which was a combination of tenderloin tips, cheese and grilled vegetables laid over a warm piece of bread. SO GOOD. The meat was cooked absolutely perfectly. It was tender without bleeding all over the rest of my salad. It was also seasoned just enough to bring out the flavor of the meat. I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed this salad. Even though I wasn’t expecting it to come with a large piece of bread, I wasn’t complaining about it either. I am willing to make the 30 minute drive from my house just so I can eat this salad again.
After happily moaning throughout our meal, we realized that we still had desserts coming our way. Even though it was really difficult, we somehow found the strength within ourselves to find room to eat more. ;) We shared a cannoli and an Italian style doughnut that was served with chocolate sauce. These small delicate desserts provided a beautiful ending to a magnificent meal.
From beginning to end, everything was fresh, incredibly tasty and beautifully presented. Our server, Nick, also went out of his way to provide friendly and informative service to us.
With the restaurant week pricing, this meal was A STEAL. For those of you who felt that restaurant week was a scam, you clearly didn’t have a meal at Rizotto. Spread the word, everything about this place is top notch and I cannot wait to return for another meal.

Rizotto has been on my list of places to try for quite some time now and I finally made it there this week. First of all, I love the layout and décor. The bar area is great and I was told that they have live music on Fridays… something to check out in the future!
We started by sharing the aracini of the day. It was fabulous. I then went with the Insalata Grata. It is large and delicious. By the time I was done with my salad and sharing the arancini, I was quite content yet I still had my entrée coming. I was torn between two different entrees but decided upon the Shrimp and Scallop Spiedini at the recommendation of our server. The dish did not disappoint. There three huge shrimp, 3 huge scallops served over a crab & asparagus risotto. It was so good, but I just was not able to finish it all. I also tried a bite of the pork tenderloin which was one of the nightly specials — fabulous! Next time I visit, I will skip an appetizer so that I can enjoy my entire entrée!

If I could I would give this place three and a half stars. It’s a bit better than a three, but not quite a four in my opinion. Sure… the atmosphere is very nice with wood and stone and big areas broken up into small and intimate spaces. Sure… the people who work there are friendly and accommodating (even though it appears as though they need a bit more training), and sure the menu is terrific. Maybe it’s just that it’s new… but some things were just «off».
It certainly was hopping last night… both at the bar and in the restaurant… as well as in the attached banquet area. I was a bit nervous when the two of us arrived at 8:20 for our 8:30 dinner reservation, were whisked to the bar… and realized that the people next to us who had a reservation for 7:30 still weren’t seated. Oh well… more time to enjoy a glass of wine by the cozy fireplace! There’s a nice selection of wines by the glass and I chose a lovely Italian red.
By 9:00 we were comfortably seated and looking over the terrific menu. I chose a «pick three» from the antipasto bar menu (if there’s an actual bar, I never saw it). Caprese Salad with house-​made mozzarella, mixed Mediterranean olives, and Caramelized fennel. Bread with three spreads (olive tempanade, white bean hummus, and goat cheese with herbs) was brought to the table. The olives were fantastic! At least 5 different kinds and plenty of each. The fennel while tasty, was a bit tough, and the Caprese needed some help. The tomato (yes, I know they’re not currently in season) was anemic and the basil looked like it had seen better days. The cheese was flavorful and fresh. All three dips brought with the bread were yummy… with the hummus being my favorite… creamy with just the right amount of garlic.
For an entrée I chose the Raviolini (five LARGE pasta pockets with three cheeses and spinach in tomato cream and parmesan). Now maybe I was mistaken when I thought they would be smaller (aren’t «-ini» and «–iti» diminutives?). Anyway… the pasta part was delightfully delicate and flavorful, but the filling and sauces were way too overpowering. Too much cheese! Too much butter! Too much salt! All of them could have been portioned out with a lighter hand. And, where was the spinach? Other than a few specks here and there in the cheese filling it was disappointingly absent.
The desserts are reportedly made in house. My dining companion and I decided to share a slice of the cappuccino tart (chocolate cookie crust, chocolate ganache, cappuccino mousse, and «whipped cream»). It sounded better than it tasted. VERY HEAVY and topped with «Cool Whip» (YUCK!!) I could only manage a tiny forkful. The house-​made Lemoncello was lighter and quite flavorful though… and gave me a sweet way to finish a so-​so meal.