Arturo’s Trattoria

I returned again recently to grab some takeout and it was perfect. I had a seat at the bar and had a cocktail while waiting for the food. A great last minute idea for a wonderful meal at home.

Food was out of this world. My wife and I went on Valentine’s Day and the cost of eating here will limit us to only special occasions such as this. It’s expensive but it was worth it. I had the prosciutto wrapped veal and she had the Branzino. Both were so good. Our server Chris and the rest of the staff was beyond attentive and their level of customer service is unmatched by anywhere else I’ve been. This is definitely a case of «you get what you pay for,» and we will be returning again for our next celebration!

Excellent, attentive service. Arturo is very personable, a genuinely kind man. Great food all around. You cannot go wrong with any dish from this establishment. Some may experience a bit of sticker shock when they see the menu prices, but please know that you do get what you pay for. Based on the location in a strip mall, this restaurant is truly a hidden gem.

Imperial sea bass and grilled calamari were amazing… can’t go wrong w any dish here! Delicious and great service!

Amazing place hidden away in a less than ideal part of town. Wonderful food, sophisticated approach to Italian cuisine and great service. Home made pasta. The squid ink/​seafood offering was straight out of Venice. This is a real find — better than the best of Little Italy in Baltimore and the newer offerings in Harbor East.

Very pretty restaurant with a great feel for date night despite the unassuming exterior located in an otherwise dead strip mall. Host greeted us warmly and sat us promptly despite us not having a reservation.
Our Server was Chris. He was knowledgable, friendly, attentive and I enjoyed his plentiful recommendations from the menu. He was around at all the right times but gave us privacy to enjoy our courses and wine at our own pace.
The house bread was served perfectly warm, fresh, and flaky. Grilled squid was also excellently prepared and so flavorful. The Ceasar salad was fresh and crisp with a great house made dressing… One of the best I’ve had in a while. Lamb chops were served with a delicious wine reduction sauce and dare I say it… Cooked to ALMOST PERFECT temp. These were more expertly prepared than some of DC & Baltimore’s premier steakhouses!!! Snow peas and mashed potatoes were also good. Chris took time to debone the Dover Sole more thoroughly than we have ever witnessed. We really appreciated that and made note that this was not even done at my beloved Fiola Mare. We ate EVERY bite of dessert… The name escapes me but it was a great treat worth saving room for.
Everything would have been 5 stars, but both our appetizer and main entrée courses were served less hot than they should have been. All our meat and fish were grilled fresh and as such should have come out piping hot with steam coming from the plates. They didn’t… They were warm plates of food but not hot ones which would have made the overall experience perfection.

Tonight I went to Arturo’s for my 2 year anniversary and I was blown away at the ambiance, quality of the food and how knowledgeable the servers were. My wife and I started our evening with sparkling water and some pinoit noir, our appetizer was this ball of motzarella cheese that was so fresh it squeaked on my teeth, accompanied with some grilled vegetables and procutto. Then for the main dish I had the Penne a la cubana which literally left me with a desire to learn how to make it at home. It was all beautifully cooked and there was no taste out of place. My wife had a pasta dish with Italian sausage and mixed vegetables in a beautifully earthy sauce. And it was amazing. Lastly for desert we had the dark chocolate mousse and crème brulee. I was left with no words but how delicious it all was. It was the best italian I’ve ever eaten and I absolutely reccomend it to everyone. The price is well worth it and I will be happily going back.

I read all the fellow reviewers’ comments on both Unilocal and Opentable before choosing this restaurant. I was reluctant at first about it… A restaurant in the middle of nowhere, however almost every single review was raving about the food. Being that I am a true foodie and also love going to Italy for the «real deal», I decided to give it a try and drive 20 minutes to the restaurant from my hotel.
When I first got to the restaurant I couldn’t believe that it was in a strip mall. If it wasn’t for social media I would have definitely drove past this restaurant without a thought of going in!
Here’s the food recap:
Grilled Calamari: OMG. Hands down best I ever had. Grilled to perfection with a bed of arugula to balance out the taste.
Special: Handmade squid ink pasta with scallops, lump crab meat, jumbo shrimp in a butter and white wine sauce was simply divine. The seafood was super fresh, pasta was cooked al dente. Handmade fresh pasta really tastes so different than the ones from the box. I really felt like I was transported back to Italy at this point!
Veal parm: my friend had this dish and literally said it was the best she ever had. (And she travels a lot for work and eats at many restaurants often.)
We were so stuffed afterwards (because we practically licked our plates)!
To sum up, please go to this restaurant. Look no further. Best Italian food in Baltimore that is reasonably priced and the service was fantastic and attentive.
Grazie Arturo! Ciao! I will definitely be back next time I’m in the area!!!

This restaurant was definitely a surprise given the area isn’t really a foodie mecca. Went here with my family who was visiting the area for a conference and staying near the BWI area. The food here was incredible and absolutely delicious. Everyone of us left a satisfied guest.
Definitely on the pricey side though.

50% off bottles of wine under $ 100, mon and tues!!!
I love the seafood here. With the wine deal this is now my favorite restaurant. I had a calamari stuffed with ricotta… so good.

Very awesome! I had a great arugula salad with pine nuts and blue cheese, tasty gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce, and yummy panna cotta. We are definitely coming back for more! The chianti wine was delicious, too. The warm earthy tones of the restaurant décor and the variety of paintings on the walls make the place attractive and comfortable. We came for lunch, and we ended up staying for two hours. The owner, who is from Umbria, Italy, was welcoming and conversational.

This has to be one of the best Italian restaurants that I have ever had. From the service to the food presentation, everything was absolutely excellent!

Fabulous service. Fantastic staff. Great wine list. Excellent food, with a spotlight on the homemade pasta. Now my go-​to place in the Baltimore area for Italian. Highly recommended.

Hands down one of the best meals I have ever had. We had the smoked salmon and burrata for apps… ahem I meant antipasto. For primo we had linguine with clams (best I have ever had) and a homemade ravioli with dry scallops, ricotta, zucchini and topped with rose sauce and lump crab meat. I don’t know if there is anything better than house made pasta. The linguine was not made in house but I don’t think I have ever been to a place that serves house made linguine, having said that it is still the best I have ever had. The whole meal was one of the best I have ever had. The apps were absolutely perfect and I highly suggest you try one of two or both. Amazing how much better pasta is when it is made at a REALLY Nice Italian restaurant. I don’t even know why I get pasta from a any of these other places around here. It’s a waste of carb intake.
I would have loved to get a secondo dish, the veal chops that I saw coming out were works of art comparable to the beautiful paintings that they have on the display. I was tempted but my skinny self overruled my fat self. I will be back.
Service was top notch and Mauro was very friendly and we were always attended to and gladly helped us navigate the menu.
For all you men out there that want to surprise your lady friend I recommend you take her here. The cool thing is if you take the exit off 97 to Crain highway you will have to make a u turn to get to restaurant. Where you take a u turn it could look like to your passenger if they don’t know where they are going that you are taking them to Crabtown USA. My wife loves crabs but the look on her face when she thought I was taking her to Crabtown USA for our anniversary was priceless. It’s not like the strip mall that this restaurant is located is any better but trust me you won’t be disappointed.
We will be back.

I’m a huge fan of Osteria 177 so was thrilled to hear about the new Arturo venture. Took my wife and mother there last night and could not have been happier. Well, almost… when you first arrive, the outside (a little strip mall) is less than enchanting – but the same would be said about Jalapenos in Annapolis, another of our ‘go-​to’ places, so it was easy to shake off.
Some of the menu is original, some smacks of Osteria. That’s not good or bad, just informational. My favorite pasta remains the sacchetti, pear-​filled little pasta purses in a gorgonzola and porcini sauce. It’s always my primi piatti at O177 and last night it was the same. A tiny tiny bit al dente for such a pasta-​dense dish, but still superb.
Veal piccata was melt in your mouth delish. Tiramisu and caramel gelato for dolce both were out of the park. Our apps – mozzarella en carroza, burrata and prosciutto and melon – all worth ordering again. And the prize of the apps was the calamari, unbreaded (thank god) and grilled to the absolutely perfect texture. Maybe tied with Patsy’s for the best calamari I’ve ever had.
They mixed a mean Old Fashioned and Manhattan, and paired my dishes with an excellent red (though I neglected to ask what).
The interior of the place is so warm and inviting, and there are corner tables that allow you a little privacy and a lower decibel level all around. The staff remains extremely well versed and can guide you through any choice or question you have, and the back half of the house rocks it throughout.
It is not cheap, but neither is it unfairly priced. Glen Burnie is a bit of a hike for us, but we will return with smiles on the faces and mouths already watering!
Thanks Arturo for another gem. Your ability to find (and keep) excellent staff and a delightful menu make you a regional treasure!

I would recommend it any time! Yes it is pricy but I am more then willing to pay for observant and mindful service and delicious and beautiful arranged food. I am a picky eater and I pay attention how and on what food is served. It was nicely decorated. I was really impressed by the appetizer and the entrée. I ordered Strangolapreti and was surprised how fine and delicate the taste and the texture was. I also appreciated the variety of the different Grappas which we ordered as a digestif. «A pleasure to my palate!»

Several visits since my first review have convinced me that Arturo’s Trattoria well deserves five stars. On our most recent visit last night our party of 6 enjoyed a wide range of appetizers, salads, fish, seafood, steak, and pasta. All were worthy of a 5-​star rating. Mauro was, again, a gracious host, and his lovely wife the perfect hostess. This is now our go-​to place for fine Northern Italian food in a quiet atmosphere. No… it’s more than that. It’s our go-​to place!

All I can say is – Welcome back!
On the former site of Alberto’s, we have Arturo’s. Many of the faces are the same (hello, Mauro!) and the food is just as good (i.e. wonderful). The interior has received a complete facelift and would now qualify as «modern and classy».
The food is off-​the-​charts delicious, with a wide variety of meat, seafood, and pasta dishes to try. Take a look at the online menu, but understand this — there are always specials and they are usually even better than what’s on the menu. You can also alter the menu to your tastes — they will change out sauces /​preparations for you, especially with the fish. Hint: try the gnocchi but switch out the sauce for the wild boar ragu…
They do offer osso bucco here regularly — one of my favorites — but be warned it’s HUGE (a 4″ cut). Don’t forget to save some bread for the bone marrow!
The range of food and prices will let you dial-​a-​price anywhere between $ 30 /​head to north of $ 100 if you go nuts with cocktails, wine, desserts, and such. Which I recommend doing at least once.
Unilocalers — get the word out on this one!

Enjoyed a caeser salad, tuna tartar, and pappardelle with lamb ragu. Was awesome. Love this place. Reminds of when I lived on northern Italy.

Salad with gorgonzola salad with figs. Is wonderful. Pasta puttanesca is flavorful. Clams in wine sauce excellent.