Casalinga Ristorante Italiano

Casalinga,
was awesome!!! In my opinion, The best Italian restaurant in Raleigh! Josephine (owner) always care for her clients and gave the best sevice to all of us in Raleigh!
Best of luck Josephine on your new step of life.

Raleigh’s hidden secret! Casalinga has excellent food and great service! Don’t let the outside steer you away. much more elegant on the inside. I will for sure be back to Casalinga!

The plan was to update my Casalinga review, because it’s been awhile since we’ve been there, but much to my surprise I see that I’ve never reviewed it. How can that be? Been here so many times over the years!
Am happy to report that this Raleigh tradition serves up one wonderful lunch buffet, even on Saturdays! My favorite thing about this buffet (besides the fact that it’s not expensive), is that they keep bringing out different things. Chicken marsala might run out and get replaced by chicken cacciatore. Tortellini carbonara might run out and get replaced by penne with chicken in a pink sauce. Fresh broccoli gets eaten up, so freshly cooked zucchini is put out. One hot pizza after another, garlic knots, lasagna, meatballs, Italian sausage with peppers & onions, salad with good Italian olives and nice dressings, plus thoughtful toppings like chopped pepperoni and cheese… even fried dough with cinnamon sugar… yum!
Note they have room for larger parties, so I would think this would be a great place to do a family gathering.

The lunch buffet is out of this world amazing. Not only do they have the most delicious pasta dishes I’ve had in Raleigh, but they are on a buffet where I can try a wide variety of them in whatever quantity I want. They also put out appetizers like mussels or calamari on the buffet. The best Penne Vodka I’ve had in a while. The buffet is under $ 10 too. Don’t let the dumpy location scare you away, this is the best Italian food in Raleigh.

This is our favorite Italian restaurant in the area

Our meal started off with a nice bottle of red wine, a basket of garlic knots and other assorted delicious breads and a waitress who also appeared when we needed her and was absent the rest of the time. We had salads as starters but to be honest they were just ok and not really worth the money or needed when the bread was so good and the future meal was on the horizon. Our meals came and boy were they delicious. I had a mixture of shrimp, clams and calamari in a fra diablo sauce, it was to die for. My husband had sea bass surrounded by mussels and clams. His was also very delicious. For dessert we shared the tiramiso, which was huge and interestingly yummy. It had lots of layers of delicious tastes and you couldn’t stop eating it. I was dismayed when I looked at the bill because one piece was $ 10, which to be honest is too steep, I would have been happier paying $ 6 for it. The rest of the meal prices were appropriate for the quality and deliciousness of the food, is deliciousness a word? If it is it hands down describes my seafood fra diablo. Josephine the owner was so nice too, she came over to the table to make sure everything was going well. By the sight of all of our empty plates she knew the meal was a big hit!

I must have driven past this incredible place a thousand times and never noticed it until last week. I had the lunch buffet and it was wonderful. There must have been ten entrees plus salad. Everything I tried was great; nothing was like you would expect to get on a lunch buffet. I have been back three times since my discovery.
The buffet is inexpensive and fresh. The regular menu offers a lot of choices you seldom find here and is very reasonably priced.

Casalinga is less than a mile from my home, been in business for 17 years, and I had never been there — until lunchtime today. Had it not been for a review by Unilocaler Ron W. I would have probably never ventured in, mainly because it is easy to overlook located in the Mini City shopping center between a sub shop & a tax preparation place. Once inside the décor and music make you forget all that and feel like you have been transported somewhere else.
I went for the lunch buffet. For $ 8.95 (sans beverage) you have an incredible Italian lunch experience. This is not your expected «American Italian» buffet, meaning it isn’t pre-​made pasta and pizza that is heated and put on a buffet.
Todays offerings included penne pasta, bowtie pasta, stuffed peppers, incredible pizza, and more made on premises dishes.
Attentive staff and delicious choices.

A great meal in an obscure restaurant always gets my attention. Casalinga’s façade consists of a modest sign smack in the middle of a block-​long strip mall. The interior is pleasant but unremarkable. If you dine with your eyeballs, you won’t have a memorable meal here. On the other hand, if you haven’t tasted masterfully prepared sauces in awhile, this sleeper restaurant may just make your week.
There were several premium raviolis on the menu but, after asking and learning that they were made elsewhere, we asked our server, Peyton (who’d just proved his reliability by answering the ravioli question forthrightly), to tell us what stood out on the freshly prepared menu, and ordered accordingly:
Clams Casino — Perfectly cooked, nicely garnished, with a clear sauce (broth, butter, wine, herbs) on the side.
Chicken Marsala — Several small breast fillets with portobello mushrooms and basil under a rich brown Marsala sauce that cried out for an extra helping of the excellent loaf bread (instantly supplied by the attentive Peyton).
Shrimp Scampi — If you’re jonesing for a garlic-​butter bomb that returns at 3AM to Kodachrome your dreams, this dish will disappoint. What it delivers in lieu of pyrotechnics is this: perfectly cooked shrimp and pasta, along with compelling proof that garlic, in the hands of a good chef, can play nicely with its friends from the garden to produce a delightfully balanced sauce.
The chef’s tendency toward elegant understatement was also evident in the semi-​sweet desserts and perfect espresso that completed the meal.
Dinner for two with a couple of drinks and dessert will set you back about $ 100 plus tip — half again what you’d pay at a factory restaurant, but an excellent value for those who appreciate good ingredients carefully prepared.

I really liked Casalinga. The food was really good and the service was excellent. I went with a group of 10 and everyone said they liked what they got. I got the Chicken Marsala with portabella mushroom and it was delicious. I like that it’s a family owned business.
Cons: I thought that it was a bit pricey (still worth it though) I’m not sure how I feel about taking a date here just b/​c the place is small and the tables are really close together. It doesn’t offer much privacy. (but once you’ve had several dates, I think this is a great place to take someone out)
Overall, I definitely recommend it and will be back.

Italian Day… buffet no less!
Once again, the locals lead us into the best that family-​owned America has to offer.
Small and quiet, prompt service and great Italian selections… the buffet isnt huge but a select offering of stomboli, pizza, chicken marsala, a fish, pastas, sausages, salads and green salad ingredients… something for everyone.
The take-​out seemed to be hopping and lots of people streamed in for the lunch hour! Always a good sign.
Loved the pictorial on the entrance wall… definitely loved by the cast of the Sopranos over the years as seen in pictures of the owner with various local folks and Hollywood types for sure.
Its time to go to the mattresses…

One of my favorite italian places in the raleigh area! Having lived in Italy I can tell you that the food here is very authentic. The owners are italian from Florence and are extremely nice. I will definitely be back many times!
When they have the Gnocchi as a special please try it! but get it in the regular tomato sauce instead of the pink sauce they usually serve it. its much better in the tomato!

There are times when food (and drink) are more welcoming than winning a jackpot in vegas. Last Friday I had an adventure trying to get to my cousins wedding. My train out of DC CXL’d (i almost missed it anyway) due to the severe rain we had for a week. Figured it would be apropos to experience a Greyhound bus for the first time! Ten hours later I arrive at the Rehearsal dinner (while everyone is starting on desserts). Dressed in shorts and flipflops (I had envisioned arriving 5 hours before). Two sips in my double Jack Daniel’s I was feasting on a hot plate of «Galama» (fried calamari) & fried mozzerella fried perfectly with a lovely marinara. There was a beautiful antipasta platter with salami, proscuitto, cheese. I was in heaven! Then the Chicken Casalinga arrived! Absolutely marvelous dish I reccomend it to everyone~
Josephine (The Owner) is a joy and was taking care of us personally. She is a warm, loving NY Italian ‘Mama’ that has filled a void in Raleigh! Mangia~!

We go to Casalinga at least twice a month since moving to Raleigh. The food is exceptional, the service is first-​rate, and Carlo is always on the move through the restaurant making sure that there is no lag in quality or service. The Penna ala Vodka and the Eggplant Parm are two of my favorite dishes. But I have to say that we have NEVER had anything but great food. If you’re in the area it’s a MUST do. Don’t be put off by the location — you will definitely be surprised when you enter the place!

This is my all time favorite italian restaurant! The numerous times I have eaten here, the food has been flawless. The hardest thing is eating the last bite because that marks the end of the experience… unless of course you order a second round, which I’ve done! My GF loves the Gnocchi and that is her standard meal. I like to jump around the menu and try everything. The chicken dishes are probably my favorite, but it really is hard to choose «THE» favorite. I love the wall of pictures when you walk into the restaurant because I always love to see a places «culture and history».
I’ve celebrated everything from birthdays to anniversaries to date nights here and Casalinga’s has delivered each time. One night I went there and they had a live singer that was very charming. That’s the best way I can think to describe him. A little girl was celebrating her birthday and apparently he knew the family. He sang a special request from the little girl and she gave him a big hug. It was very cute and just made the evening more pleasant. You really can’t go wrong with Casalinga’s!

A gaudy, 80s style interior with glass tabletops and murals of the Tuscan countryside plastered on the walls and a menu larger than the Pope’s hat — I was prepared for another boring, tired, soupy Italian meal as tasteless as Berlusconi.
First the house wine, which was very tasty. Not delicious, but for a house wine and at six dollars a glass, good is great. The fried calamari was standard: plentiful, definitely, but typical and not very impressive.
Then came the main course: both my father and I had ordered the chef’s special catch of the day, a delicious sea bass cooked in a savory, deeply flavored marinara that had turned chocolate from reduction. Accompanying the bass were several large, plump mussels and some tasty, opened clams. I ordered an angel hair pasta with marinara on the side and my father had the salad.
I was once told that the way you tell a really good Italian restaurant is their marinara sauce: if it’s home-​made, you’re good, if not, you’re in for something a la the Olive Garden. How good was this sauce? Look at my shirt. Look at it. The sweeping, steeping patterns of sweetly spiced tomato gravy still cling to the cotton fibers, the very last remnants of a dish long devoured. A dish long inhaled. Long enjoyed. Soon digested.
So yeah, the sauce was made there fresh: the waitress confirmed it. If the pasta surprised me half to death, it was the fish that put me in the grave — it was cooked perfectly. I rarely order fish these days because of the sad fact that most cooks do not know how to properly cook it. You usually wind up with some kind of dried out jerky, better for making chum than actually feeding people. This fish had a perfect sear on the outside that gave it a nice light chew while the inside was tender, moist, and held together very nicely: a perfect use of the bass’ natural fat. The broth complimented the fish’s light, fresh taste with a slight tinge of game, the mussels were succulent and juicy and the clams full of flavor. Both my father and I ate every morsel on our plates by the time our waitress came to clear the table.
The waitress was very nice: she took our off-​menu coffee orders (do only Latinos drink cortaditos?) and made them well — it helped that the coffee tasted great. The bill was a little steep, but what can you expect when ordering two specials?
I almost gave Casalinga four starts for the lousy decorations and food that looked more thrown together than prepared, but the utter extravagance of flavor, the complete roundness of palate and texture, forced me to notch up this rating to five.

Casalinga is like an Italian granny’s kitchen — comfy, authentic food. I went with my friend who grew up on Italian cuisine.
I had the rigatoni and I believe she had the carbonara. Both were absolutely delicious. The first bite of the rigatoni was like an olive oil & garlic & yumminess confection — I was sold.
The atmosphere is dark yet unintimidating. It’s place you can bring kids as well as an excellent date spot. Clientele was casual, convival. The host was this really jolly and tan Italian dude. Felt just like Rome!
–1 star because the waiter was a little too over eager. Constantly checking up on us unnecessarily.
Verdict: I usually don’t go out for Italian because it’s not very exotic. However, Casalinga is an exception. If you’re a fan of Italian food and finding the best meals in unexpected places, you should check this place out!

I had planned my day in this region of Raleigh around a car repair and selecting a new spot for lunch. My internal debate raged between a Chinese Buffet, a Dominican/​Caribbean/​Latin Restaurant or Casalinga. Guess who won?
I drove in my newly repaired car enjoying my air conditioning and headed in the direction of Casalinga. It’s in a strip mall close to a Food Lion and I became discouraged. Then I drove by the nearby Chinese buffet. Oh, the dilemma. It was resolved when I returned to Caslinga parked my car and determinedly walked directly in.
A sign outside announced their $ 8.95 lunch buffet. To enter Casalinga, one must walk through a hallway type entrance adorned with picture of Carlo, the owner with many celebrities (Frank Vincent, and Vincent Pastore were among those I recognized. Sorry, no James Gandolfini.) I perused very rapidly but did not linger as if it were the Met.
A waiter noticed me walking in and invited me to «Please, come in!» I first noticed the open kitchen and take out area and wondered where I would find the buffet and eat. Well, as I turned the corner, the atmosphere changed drastically. The compact yet well-​appointed buffet was before me and the dining room used for lunch beckoned.
First I noted the dining room was nicely appointed, no celebrity pictures, and was warm, calming and conducive to enjoying a meal. I was seated immediately. When I told my waitress of my plan to have the buffet, she got my drink order while I began to explore the offerings. While I was walking to the buffet, a fresh pizza with pepperoni was just coming out of the kitchen.
I could have started with two types of focaccia. Instead I had the sausage stromboli and the spinach stromboli, the fresh from the oven pizza, fried eggplant, lasagna, meatballs. There was no room within me to explore the sausage and peppers, tortellini, mussels marinara, or the many salad bar offerings.
Everything I ate was delicious and of high quality. The pizza was NY style pizza, which, if I closed my eyes, I «cud a bin» back home! Much of the quality has to do with the owner’s on site dedication and presence.
Thank goodness I finally went here, as I was about to give up all hope or catch a flight to Newark! By the way, the pictures of their lunch buffet on their website are very accurate and reflective of what I found during my first visit.
I shall return… for dinner !!

Coming from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn I have a certain critical eye for Italian food around here. When I say I’m in the mood for Italian and someone suggests Olive Garden or Carraba’s, I cringe. Not all Italian is drowning in cheese. Similarly, not all Italian has to be Tuscan style food that you pay a bundle for and makes you think of Big Night. I can appreciate a good southern Italian meal.
Casalinga fits nicely in that vein. It’s a warm, inviting, unpretentious family style Italian place. Portions are enormous and meant to be shared. Service was warm and familiar. The food was good solid southern Italian fare like your Nonna would fix for the Sunday family get together, if you have a Italian Grandmama.
The chef bills himself as a five star chef so I’d be very interested to see what he does with some of the more regional Italian dishes.

You know the saying, you can’t judge a book by its cover? Well Casalinga Ristorante falls under that category of restaurant! Buried in a plaza off of Capital Blvd, Casalinga looks like a pizzeria but delivers far more than that. I stopped by for the lunch buffet today and the place was busy. Casalinga’s décor is fairly authentic Italian: stucco, green vines, roman arches and a bazillion pictures up on the wall. The owner was busy shaking hands and hugging patrons up front. There are probably plenty of regulars here given the place has been around for 14 years!
The buffet was simple but tasty. Start off with a nice salad of fresh veggies, olives, and cold sides. Under the warmers they had several types of pizza, calzones and garlic rolls. Meatballs, sausages in marinara sauce and a handful of pastas filled out the buffet choices. And of course, some basic veggies to meet your daily requirements! While the food was just good, it was fine for a buffet. There were a couple of standouts. The pizza crust was very good– crisp but light-​tender and the basic tomato sauce used was fresh so the potential is there. I’d expect a real sit-​down meal to be a lot better which I’m reflecting in the rating. Service was efficient, plates were taken away swiftly and glasses refilled quickly.
While the buffet and lunch area was sort of casual, the unused dining area feels totally different. I’d like to come back and see what Casalinga can do for dinner. The second dining room and bar are much more upscale and the dinner prices reflect those differences. Overall, this restaurant seems to be the real Italian deal. From décor to food to its patrons, I don’t think you’ll get much more authentic than Casalinga in Raleigh. While the outside may not show much, I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what’s behind its doors.