Fratello’s Italian Grille

I came here twice within a few weeks. My first visit food wise was very pleasant which warranted us to return this evening.
The app sampler was winner. Fried Mozz and calamari. The bruschetta is okay– not great. seafood fra Diavolo was okay, the portion isn’t as large as I remembered it to be. Chicken pesto pappardelle could have used a bit of salt but lots of chicken.
Unfortunately, the food tonight was extremely disappointing. Seafood Stuffed mushrooms but I didn’t taste or see any. The escargot florentine is advertised as fresh baby spinach– we received frozen chopped spinach. This made the escargot app very unpleasant. Frozen spinach has a very distinct flavor compared to fresh and it honestly ruined the dish.
The seafood scampi special with the white wine– all we could taste was the wine. It wasn’t even cooked down enough so I felt mildly buzzed from it. Also, no flavor. I can say the portion was generous, but a bowl full of pasta and seafood with essentially white wine dumped in was honestly unappetizing. Also advertised with scallions? Didn’t see any, and the tomatoes were haphazardly «chopped» to put it loosely.
The sea bass was a tad salty, but good portion. I wish they offered more sides than a pasta or a potato– why can’t a veggie medley be offered? It would be a better pairing.
I guess sticking with their regular menu is a safer bet. By the way, please take the time to clean your menus. They were absolutely disgusting. One of the menus looked like it had mold on it– it was a blue/​green. And the dessert menus were equally dirty. As well as my cup of water had something on the bottom, and the rim had dried residue from probably a over filled dishwasher.
Just… Be better next time. The lakes region already has slim pickings and I don’t want to write you guys off, too.

Lived in the lakes region my whole life and just went here for the first time. Will definitely be going back! (But its a little bit pricey for my budget though so probably not on a weekly or monthly basis). I really liked the atmosphere here, there was even a piano player which I loved! I ordered the veggie pizza, which was affordable and delicious, and I got to take half of it home for lunch the next day. Score! I think if you’re doing apps and/​or dessert you could totally split a pizza. I opted for dessert, because if a restaurant has good desserts then they’ve got a return customer in me. I got the lemon berry torte and it was to die for! So good!

I Love Love love the ambience in this place, looks like a great place to go on a date. I didn’t like that people were dressed so so casual. For such a nice place I would expect people to dress a bit nice but that’s just me. The bread they give u with three different dips is great the tomato garlic one amazing. The steaks tips awesome! Will be going back.

Food was bland waitress was not paying attention to us therefore service was bad. Will not return next time we are back in Laconia.

Super! Fratello’s!
Jan 2^nd 2016!
Lobster roll rocked our visit to the lake!
Go get some!
S

A local friend recommended Frats and we went on a Busy Saturday night with a 20 min wait but the food was delicious. The Sophia’s seafood pasta dish was amazing as was the lobster Mac n cheese. The pasta dishes were Filled w lots of fresh seafood. The lobster chucks were mostly claw and totally yummy. Our service was not good as our server appeared to be over sat and very busy. Our appetizer arrived cold at the end of our meal but the server didn’t charge us and we had to ask for bread sticks. We would definitely would go again and just hope for better service.

Decent Italian. Worth a stop in. Pros– extensive wine and food list, fair prices, nice staff, and outdoor seating. Cons– don’t have many other than the old carpet in the restaurant, lots of stairs (not great for elderly) and I am not a huge fan of Italian food

2 hours to get food and when it finally came it was cold. Cool would have been excusable if it had been crazy busy or they were understaffed… One of our member ordered from the celiac /​gluten free menu and ended up sick from cross contamination. Unfortunately the piano player was the best part of the experience even if it was loud. I would not recommend anyone go here especially if you have gluten restrictions.

The Antipasto was wonderful, our waitress and the piano player were fantastic, and the kitchen was SLOW! It was nearly an hour before our meals arrived, and none of them were spectacular. The seafood fettuccine was unevenly cooked and sparse on the lobster, with seasoning that required parmesan to taste like anything but cream. The chicken piccata sauce, again, was lackluster. The dressing on the Caesar salad was awful; more like Italian than caesar, not creamy.

Food:
See below…
Cost:
Pricey, considering …
Dining Area:
This is where they mess up HUGE…
1. They put the silverware directly on the tables, where everyone puts their hands and arms and if they use the same towel to clean all the tables (like just about every restaurant does) they are simply spreading germs and bacteria from table to table, then they place your eating utensils in that germ soup, no thanks.
2. This is the main reason why I left, I was seated and was immediately attacked by flies. There were loads of flies that kept landing on my arms and legs, there were lots of them in the windows and flying around. I ended up leaving because if they were attacking me without food present, it would have been an onslaught when the food arrived, no thank you. If I’m going to pay the high prices they are asking for their food, I expect to eat it in peace and that just isn’t the case here.
Parking:
Parking isn’t a problem, the parking lot is a bit small, but you can park at the Post Office next door should it get too crowded.
Service:
The very short service I experienced was polite, she apologized for the flies and I left.
Summary:
I cannot speak as to the authenticity or taste of the food because I didn’t eat here, the environment is disgusting with all the flies that infest the dining area and due to that reason I cannot recommend this restaurant, unless you like ‘dish a la fly’.

We went Fratellos with another couple and their children. We were sat promptly. We had eaten there several times in the past and the food has been good.
Tonight (Mon) we sat down and ordered. The food took over 1.5 hrs. As you can imagine with four children it turned into less than a fun night for the parents. When I inquired about when the food would be ready we were told their computer system was down. The kids food came shortly there after. We were moments from getting up and leaving since we had eaten bread and nibbled on the kids food but just before we were about to walk out the food arrived.
Although the server was nice and the delay was unlikely his fault he did not offer us anything such as a complimentary drink or dessert.
The food was good but the 1.5 hr wait was not worth it. I would go back figuring this might be a one off night. Although in the past the food is consistently slow to come out but tonight was beyond slow.

My family of six and I dined here on 8÷8÷15 and we were so disappointed with the service we received. We called at around 5:30pm and asked if they took reservations. The energetic man on the phone said that they did and we made a reservation for 8pm. We walked in at 7:57pm and we were told we would have to wait 15 minutes. So, what is the point of calling 2.5 hours ahead and being told they take reservations?
We were eventually seated and our waitress was introduced as Terry. Terry said a quick hello and asked if we would like to start with some drinks. I ordered my water and my boyfriend ordered his coke and then Terry blurts out, «I have to go. I got paged for food.» She leaves and doesn’t return for TWENTY MINUTES. I’m not kidding. She comes back with an attitude and says, «yea, so drinks?» We order AGAIN and 15 minutes later we get our drinks. By now it’s 8:50pm so we order our food and Terry is rushing us the entire time and cutting us off mid-​sentence because she «has to go help another table.» I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I’ve gotten better service at Burger King.
We ordered appetizers and 20 minutes later we asked how much longer the appetizers would be because we’d like them before our food, Terry responds with «I don’t know. I’m not in the kitchen.» Oh really Terry? I thought you WERE in the kitchen. My mistake.
The appetizers come to our table 10 minutes before our food, completely destroying the definition of appetizer. Our entrees were hit or miss. Half of us got really great food served to us and half of us were very disappointed. For example, my lobster mac and cheese was burned on top and all along the edges. Not slightly darker; it was BLACK. I was going to say something, but what was the point? I didn’t have another 15 minutes to wait for Terry and another 30 minutes to wait for my food.
At some point in the night I actually thought about asking for a different waitress because the other tables were getting superb service. Terry came to our table once, while the people seated next to us saw their waitress four or five times. I ended up asking a DIFFERENT waitress for a water refill because Terry was MIA the entire time.
Considering how upscale this restaurant is, I couldn’t believe the service we received. I paid $ 23 for a bowl of lobster mac and cheese that was burned. Our total bill, as you can imagine, was high and I felt idiotic even paying for it. We left Fratello’s PAST closing time at 10pm. Our dinner took over 2 hours and more than half of that time was spent waiting for Terry, who always seemed to have something else to do.
The only good thing about this experience was the pianist. He was absolutely amazing and played continuously all night. He even played «Piano Man» at one point! The one star goes to you, Mr. Piano Man because everything else at Fratello’s the night absolutely sucked.
My only advice is if you get Terry as a waitress, request a different one because you’ll never be able to find her and you dinner will turn into an endless ordeal.

Yummy yummy yummy. Great atmosphere with nice live music and great food. The food came piping hot and appealing to the eye. Nice presentation on all items. The plates are very large and probably could be shared as too much food for one person.
Fresh bread sticks come with 3 choices including butter, a dipping oil and a sun-​dried tomato spread.
You can have your choice of pastas with your meal and although we confused the heck out of our waitress she got it all correct and was delicious.
The restaurant is beautiful and has a large variety of food to choose from so there is always something for everyone.

I was at fratellos this weekend with my family, we figured we would try it after the new renovation. we have been many times before this. we waited a hour for our food to come and it came and 3 out of 4 meals were tasteless, the other was just an app of calamari. when I ask the waitress what was up with our meals and she said they were being plated now. well 10 minutes later they came. i spoke with manager and he said they added 30 more seats and that’s why they were having problems. you think they should be prepared, they added them not me. we have been many times and it was great, but this time after the reno they were tasteless. we eat out 3 times a week and probably won’t go back. maybe time will cure their problems
John (lakes region)

We really enjoy Fratello’s and I am gluten free and the gluten free menu is so much more extensive than so many places we go to. I really appreciate it. For example, one of their soups is always gluten free and that is so pleasing to me. It is rare that I can have soup at a restaurant. The Italian sausage soup with spinach, etc. is so great. I especially enjoyed last night’s gluten free flatbread that is a new appetizer on the menu. Yum!
I have found their gluten free pizzas to be about the best I have ever had.
My husband enjoys their regular menu and we go back all the time.
I chose to review them today as we noted it was quiet in there last night and we wondered why. So many other new places, perhaps?
This place is reliable, consistent and good. You will enjoy it there.
Oh yes, the piano player is fabulous. I love his music and enjoy being there with that in the background. If you go, he enjoys a tip and a thumbs up! I think he remembers me now and when I come, he seems to launch into Phantom of the Opera tunes as I once told him I loved them. But, last night he played Stairway to Heaven on piano as if it were Bach, wow. I loved that!
Note that we took my 81 year old father in law there last summer and he said he had the best pizza he had ever had in his life and the piano music was something very special he enjoyed. it is always great to take someone you care about to a place and see them enjoy it so much. We made him have a big smile. :)

We always enjoy our meals at Fratello’s! Our most recent visit was for my husband’s birthday. He had received a birthday certificate for a dinner of his choice up to $ 25 — -a very nice perk of being an Inner Circle member.
The evening we went was the Parm special night — something that I wouldn’t usually order, but sounded so good on that cold, winter night. There was a choice of 3 Parma, fish, chicken and eggplant. I decided to go with the chicken and wasn’t disappointed! It was served with a salad, side of pasta and off course, bread sticks! Yum! It was all delicious and very plentiful. My husband and I shared the leftovers for lunch the next day.
My husband had a steak which he said was cooked to perfection and very tasty.
We had a great server who was attentive and friendly.
We were seated upstairs by the bar and it was very noisy, but once happy hour was over it quieted down.
Speaking of the Monday-​Friday happy hour, there are great apps and beverage offerings. We’ve enjoyed those times with friends previously and plan to go again!

Late on a Saturday night, 25 minute wait for a nice sit down, full Italian dinner — called ahead and showed up in 15 mins — got seated right away! That was a pleasant surprise :)
Wonderful ambiance, live piano playing in the main area, beautiful building. Our waitress was awesome — we REALLY wish we had gotten her name, but she was great, kept out drinks full and had great suggestions.
I ordered the seafood Sophia and the hubby had the Seafood Fra Diablo. Both were excellent! …and equally importantly: both came out in under ten minutes and the place was packed.
This side note gets it’s own paragraph: The bead with butter and dipping oil that comes out before the meal was out of this world. Absolutely delicious. If I could have bought some to bring home with us I totally would have.
Overall, I would highly recommend this place for a nice dinner, everything was high quality and prompt.

I found this place on Unilocal so we decided to
Check it out. Right off the bat I was
Enjoying my self because they had live piano playing throughout all of dinner. He’s there most nights and is fabulous. Wait staff are very friendly also. The atmosphere is superb. It use to be an old bank over 15 – 20 years ago.
The food was good, but I wouldn’t say amazing. The portions are huge ! The appetizer sample was delicious. I think the pasta was over cooked and it was just over loaded with sauce. From the look of it this place does there pasta dishes like that. So ask for light sauce if you don’t want a bowl of sauce. It had an okay taste, but really needed to be seasoned a bit more during cooking I think. We got the Chicken Capri and the Chicken Marsala. I’ve had better dishes like that honestly.
I would go back and try something else but I’m very Italian and I think you can definitely get better Italian elsewhere. Maybe not in that area tho.

Great place!!! Everything just melted in your mouth!!! Nice atmosphere. The service was awesome!!! I highly recommend to check this place out!

I would have given them a 3, but my husband says 1, so I’ll go with a 2. We went here for a rehearsal dinner. The function area was set up improperly, putting us all at 3 separate tables without the option to mingle with other guests, which was disappointing. I pretty much liked my food– I got baked haddock (a bit overcooked) with mashed potatoes. My husband got the lasagna which he hated– I tried it and though it wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t like the good ol’ homemade lasagna I am used to. The staff was nice enough, but some things were just off about the place, like crooked blinds just hanging there, getting sun in people’s faces.
This place wasn’t bad, but I have experienced better. Perhaps it was the volume of food we ordered, I can’t be sure, but it was disappointing to drive all that way and have Mr. H drive 2 hours home and eat a bag of chips cause he was hungry still.