Cynthia’s Ristorante

A bit disappointing — We’ve dined here in the past and felt like there’s been some slippage. The building and space are outstanding. The menu was strong, with some interesting specials. The food that we ordered was good, but not excellent. Service was so-​so at best. Although the waiter was knowledgeable, he did not return after taking our order until the end of the meal when we flagged him down to bring the check (and, even that was delivered by another staff member). Food was presented by the same staff member. Not sure we’ll be back.

We walked in at 6 pm on a Saturday night, there were 6 empty tables we could view from the door. The hostess asks if we have reservations and we do not but with that many tables we are sure to be seated. They tell us they are full until 8 because of the symphony but they simply were not. I do not recommend a restaurant who doesn’t want to service those coming in. They should have found a place for us at one of the many empty tables or the completely empty bar.

Outstanding food and staff. Also has a great wine selection. The food is gourmet and delicious. Perfect for a date.

One of my favorite places in Paducah. Great for date or special night out. Atmosphere is great, food is always amazing. They are extremely accommodating if you have food allergies. 10 out of 10

5 people last night and 3 meals were good, not up to standards sure they had different chef last night. Next time I will ask if Bill the owner is cooking.
Lot of money for just ok experience that usually ranks with the best.

Cynthia’s was a huge surprise and a hidden gem in historic Paducah. The menu changes frequently based on the seafood flown in. We had a party of 8 and tasted each other’s entrees. I had plate envy for the seabass which tasted like lobster. Don’t get fixated on posted menus because the entrée will likely not be there. But honestly everything was yummy and every dish was a masterpiece. Top it off with great service – it was a memorable night. Yeah – we took pics of every dish!

Nice menu with many specials. Nice wine list. Great atmosphere. Would return again if we lived here.

While traveling to the area I decided to eat at Cynthia’s after hearing good things from others. My experience was very disappointing. I waited nearly 25 minutes before the waiter took my order — he mistakenly assumed (he never asked me) I was waiting for others and proceeded to provide service to neighboring tables while ignoring me. I finally placed my order after hearing him recite the nightly specials to another table and I instructed him that I too would like to order. The waiter must have noticed I was perturbed as he avoided my table throughout my visit (asking neighboring tables how their food was but never asking me). When I paid he never thanked me as he simply dropped the bill on his way to another table.
The food was okay. The salad was good, although over-​dressed. The veal special was good, not great. Portions were decent. The restaurant needs better lighting as I (and several other tables) used cell phones to read the menus.

We recently re-​visited Cynthia’s for an anniversary celebration. We were seated on time for our reservation at a lovely table (maybe a touch too dark). The wait staff was very well informed about the dishes, and our drinks were always promptly filled. They brought out some soft bread with oil & parmesan. The bread was okay, it was a bit soft for my liking, and not very elegant for such a nice restaurant. It was really quite plain. We ordered the tiger shrimp and polenta appetizer, which was excellent, the polenta was amazing. My husband ordered a ribeye (on special for the evening), and I ordered the «Surf and Turf,» a steak with a lobster tail a gnocchi. Hubby’s steak was massive, and cooked to the right temperature. It was a bit under-​seasoned, but tasted fine. His dish was not exceptional for the price. First of all, the gnocchi was undercooked and very bland. I was disappointed because I was looking forward to the same quality dishes I had received in the past. My steak was okay. It was a little dry, and the balsamic reduction was a little off. A portion of my steak tasted strange, almost gamey, which caused me to lose my appetite. The lobster was also underseasoned and a bit tough, but still the best thing on the plate. We ordered an apple cobbler for dessert, which I thought too average of a dish to be served here, however, the flavors and composition were exceptional. All in all, we were disappointed in our last visit. The atmosphere and service were still exceptional, but some of the choices that I loved were no longer available, and the dishes were just not up to par. I still gave it four stars, because I’m hoping it was just an off night, and because the appetizer and dessert were both stellar.

Excellent wait staff. Ok food.

Great food, great atmosphere, great people. Food is prepared with inspiration and beautifully presented. Nice spot for a romantic dinner or quiet business meal.

Great restaurant that would be successful in any town. We thought the service was excellent and would absolutely go back when in Paducah. There is definitely a benefit to have the owners heavily involved in such a nice place.
We had the pork tenderloin, baked ziti, and Cornish hen between the three of us. Each was very nice and prepared excellently.
We tried the flour-​less chocolate torte and regretted it after the order, we regretted not ordering two! It was absolutely out of this world.

I was a bit disappointed with the service and not wowed by the food.
I used to live in Paducah and actually worked at Cynthia’s several years ago. Last night I was celebrating a special anniversary with my wife and wanted to take her to some place different, we live in Nashville. I didn’t tell them we were celebrating, we just wanted dinner, nothing special.
We were seated and then another couple was seated a minute or so later. The other couple was greeted first and served their wine before we were even acknowledged by the server.
We ordered a drink and began to look over the menu. The drinks were delivered by someone else and it was another several minutes before the server returned to present the specials for the night. We had more or less made up our mind and then told half the things we ordered were not available… at 5:30.
My wife ordered the Roasted red pepper soup (delicious) and the Roasted oysters as her entrée with a side of mashed potatoes. The oysters were good and the potatoes were not hot.
I ordered the Pistachio crusted goat cheese salad (quite tasty as well) and the scallops with roasted root vegetables and risotto. The scallops were ok at best and the risotto was al dente, crunchy even, when it came out the first time and somewhat bland both times.
After the dishes were remove, the server approached with dessert options. My wife ordered the flourless chocolate cake. It was rich and delicious. As I was taking the first bite, the server walked past and dropped the check on the table, with a word and kept on walking.
A couple minutes later he came up and asked if he could take care of the check. He grabbed the book off the table and as I was trying to tell him there was no credit card in there, he was gone before he could hear me.
The server assistant did a great job, very attentive.
As we were leaving, I was a little disappointed to find our coats were hanging in the COLD coat rack. We were cold before we ever walked out the door.
Neither the server nor the hostess told us to have a good night.
It’s too bad, this used to be a great restaurant. Had I known, I wouldn’t have spent 5 hours on the road for this meal.
Good luck Bill and Cynthia, but I wont be back.

This is a really nice spot in Kentucky. I’m an out-​of-​towner and yet, I’ve eaten here twice. The service is the best part… really nice and accommodating people.

Cynthia’s totally underwhelmed me. Maybe I hit them on an off night. I’m from out of town and I’ve never been before and will never have a chance to go again, and as someone who’s worked in high end restaurants for all of my adult life, I know there can be pretty awful nights at even the best places. So maybe I’m wrong. The other two reviewers gave it 5 stars, so obviously, I’m in the minority here.
Cynthia’s is a cozy, romantic spot with great art on the walls and around every corner. We didn’t have a reservation, but the hostess finagled a bit and squeezed us in at a two top upstairs.
We ordered some drinks, though it was well after my husband had finished his before my glass of Chianti arrived. Our server (Matthew? I think?) left the remainder of the bottle (easily another glass) on the table as an apology. How attentive is that?
He also had a deep knowledge of the menu, the restaurant, the art on the walls (which we inquired about) and the beer selection. I really appreciate waitstaff like that. Totally five star service, at any rate!
The food, tragically, didn’t hold up to the environs or service.
I love bread. Bread can make or break a meal. For some reason, at Cynthia’s, they serve this ubersoft, dense, crustless, near flavorless bread. I’ll give them points for making it in house, but I hate to tell them, there’s a bakery one street over making phenomenal breads. Why not pair up with a fellow locally owned business? Let them do what they do best, and free up your kitchen staff from the daily bread routine?
So I thought the bread was terrible and it made me sad considering there was a lovely dish of olive oil on the table and I had a bowl of pasta for dinner. Would have been nice to have some crusty bread! If soft soft bread is your thing, though, you’ll be thrilled!
So they’re making their pasta in-​house. Awesome! It was pretty good (the quality of the pasta I mean), but the dish itself was totally under seasoned and undersauced. The pasta set up firm enough (lack of sauce?) that I couldn’t twirl it. :(It just sort of congealed into a tangle of starch in my bowl.
Also had the flatbread special. Was expecting, you know, flat bread, but instead had a deep dish pizza. In all fairness, it wasn’t bad! Just wasn’t my idea of flatbread.
The star of the evening was the duck and fig salad, which may be indicative of the normal quality of the restaurant? It was awesome. Maybe it really was an off night.. .

Good salads, and vegetarian entrée options, and craft beer on draft. I had a wonderful steak filet, and my wife had Flatbread vegetarian special. Portions weren’t oversized. Quality was A+. Atmosphere was pleasant, and included wall art and christmas lights hung on painted tree branches over a high antique ceiling.

Unbelievable Italian ristorante in an unlikely place.
Good food — on a par with anything I’ve ever had in the traditionally Italian haunts of Chicago. Nice wine list!