5. Mama Disalvo's Ristorante

This place was awful. The food is over-priced, and the quality is that of a microwave TV dinner. It came highly recommended but didn't deliver. A super disappointment.

I must agree with "resumedr"...the place stinks. I have eaten in Italian kitchens coast to coast and went to Disalvo's with a business group. The service was awful (Ok, it was a big group) many of us were forgotten, drinks ran dry, partial orders came out, etc. This restaurant to spoken of with reverance in Dayton. From what I experienced it is based entirely on reputation or unpicky palates. The food, spot on mediocre bordering on downright bad. And certainly not a value.

The food is what passed for Italian food in the 1950's in this country: heavy red sauced pasta thrown at the diner with screeches of "everythin' goin'OK here, need anythin'else?" masquerading for service. The lasagna looked like a flattened out flame-singed miasma of red and yellow thickened puddles, and was at best mediocre. ($14.95) The Canneloni Special was slightly better, but 2 cannelloni with some ziti on the side with same red sauce and cheese encrusted on top for $14.50 was an outrage at that price! The begining soup, the pastina, was an overly salted chicken broth with pasta and parmesan in the bottom. Not a great beginning by any means. We drove 40 miles to come to this restaurant based on reviews on various websites. I guess superlative reviews can also be misleading or most people are taken in by what they call the Italian family atmosphere (noisy, brawly racket!!!OK if the food is great). But MEDIOCRE food for HIGH PRICES, an affront to Southern Italian Cuisines.

Mama Disalvo's is by far the best Italian food restaurant i've eaten at. The food, ambiance, and staff were delightful. My wife and I came with another couple who recommended it, and boy are we ever glad. After dinner we had the opportunity to watch my FLorida Gators play on the bar tv and spend some time talking with Mama Disalvo herself and Bobby. What a treat. Recommend to all...and will be doing that to everyone i meet! Thanks.

We started visiting Mama DiSalvo's when our daughter was a student at UD. She now lives in Centerville, and we always go back whenever we visit her. We also have brought friends and family with us, since it's our favorite Italian restaurant! Wish you were in Michigan!

I very much enjoyed my visit on 10-11-05. I had the rigatoni brulini and thought it was wonderful... I only wish I could make it at home, as I don't get to the Dayton area but once a year.

We traveled from Duluth, GA to Kettering, OH and had one of the best Italian dinners we have ever had. My favorite dish was ravioli. Everything on the menu was superb and I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who enjoys specially prepared Italian food.

I wanted vodka sauce with my gnocchi - and the waitress offered to have the staff make it! Heaven! I definitely like the way this place operates

I have never been to the restorante but I bought the sauce from a local grocery store in my area. The sauce has to be the best I have ever had.

The best Italian food anywhere! My favorite is the Fettuccini Alfredo. If you are ever in Dayton stop by for the most personal and friendly service by the DiSalvo family.