Italian Underground
715 Grand Ave, Glenwood Springs, CO, 81601
Italian Underground Menu
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Address :
715 Grand Ave
Glenwood Springs, CO, 81601 - Phone (970) 945-6422
- Website https://www.theitalianunderground.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :5:00 pm - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : No
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
Categories
Italian Cuisine
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
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Sheri A.
This restaurant experience was one of the worst we've encountered from rude and nonchalant staff to the worst pesto ever imaginable. We were convinced that we had been "punked" and waited for Ashton Kutcher to appear. The salad was bagged and unwashed, the "garlic" butter was merely waaay too much garlic salt mixed with butter and the pesto was long on basil, and none on garlic and pine nuts. The Merlot was the only thing saving the meal and the waitress was well-versed in the pre described responses-excuses. Will NEVER be back, telling Gordon Ramsey about this place.
(1)Sarah S.
Great atmosphere, great food, and good prices. Get there early, there is always a line right before they open. The marinara sauce was a little too mushroomy, but the pesto linguine was fantastic. We will be back for sure next time we are in town.
(4)Natalie W.
We were pretty disappointed after all the hype. Great atmosphere, excellent service and good wine...but the canoli was served barely warm and the pizza, although the ingredients were fresh, had very little sauce and was dry. The spaghetti sauce was bland and they dont even make their own pasta. Bummed we didn't get in before the new change in ownership.
(3)Amie J.
Worth the wait! We came here on a Friday night to an hour wait. Decided to come back Sunday night pretty late and waited for ten minutes. Staff is great here with a family feel. The wine is amazing and lastly, the FOOD. Oh my gosh. I had the spaghetti with marinara...doesn't sound too exciting. It was THE best marinara I've ever had. Lots of vegetables and very flavorful. Salad was also wonderful and of course the bread with garlic butter. Will definitely return for the sherbet, included in each meal!
(5)Amy T.
No matter how long or short my stay in Glenwood is, I always go to the Italian Underground, and it never disappoints. This small intimate restaurant is always crowded. If you want to avoid a wait, come a little before they open at 5pm or show up later in the evening as the first seated guests are finishing up their meals. Even if there is a line, it is worth waiting.
(5)Levi W.
Very kid friendly and good food all round. I hade a great time with my family and they have a nice atmosphere.
(4)T R.
We definitely won't be going back again. This was our second time trying the underground and walked away wishing we had gone somewhere else. We were told it was going to be a 20 minute wait...seemed like this was their standard response. After 45 minutes they finally sat us. We ordered the combination plate and decided to split it. We knew about the $3 extra plate charge and decided to do it anyways. Come to find out, even though they charge for an extra plate you don't get an extra salad. The food was extremely bland. The sauce left a lot to be desired. Didn't even end up eating most of it. Do yourself a favor and go to Smoke or the CO Ranch House. Both are much better!
(1)Mike F.
Food was okay have had better Italian food. Service was adequate. They sat my wife at a large table and when they got busy asked us to share the table with a family of four. Killed the personal conversation we were having. Not sure I would go back next time in Glenwood.
(2)Tracy V.
Found this spot on Yelp and was actually impressed with the food. Started with a cheese and fig plate and a glass of Merlot, then stayed for dinner. Flavorful, large portions, very affordable, cozy underground atmosphere. I plan to stop by here again on my next trip through the area.
(4)Ann R.
This restaurant has been the heart of Glenwood's Italian fare for a LONG time! Recently, the original owners sold the restaurant. I'm here to say, that the transition has been seamless, the food is still incredible, and worth the wait! It's a very small space, which makes it intimate, but also necessary to wait. Again, worth the wait. The new owners kept on all the familiar faces. Open only for dinner! If you get there right before they open, usually you can get in the first seating, which is great for families. Thanks, new owners for carrying on the tradition!!
(5)L S.
We ordered the bruchetta with meat- and there was no tomato at all- we ordered the spaghetti with meat sauce, and there was absolutely no sauce in it just meatballs, the salad that came with it was just mixed greens and nothing else. We didn't eat the bruchetta or the spaghetti, or the bland cheesecake. It was take out and we felt seriously ripped off @ 40$ plus generous tip. We called to complain and told them about the meat sauce (very nicely) and the girl who answered said she'd tell the cooks and did nothing about it. such a huge disappointment!! We do not recommend and would not go back.
(1)Jessica J.
I get by the insane lines to get into this place, it is a popular tourist spot. I also saw a lot of take out going out the door so the locals must dig it too. Me, well, I can't say I was that blown away. Location wise, it is right in "downtown" Glenwood just about a block off the pedestrian bridge. You will see the sign and a few steps, you need to actually go in the building and then the restaurant is down in the basement. There is no real hostess/waiting area so know that you will be in a long line of people trying to get their name on a list and then have to make your way up narrow stairs. They quoted us a 20m wait, it was closer to 30m. Once in, it is tight quarters and not a lot of air flow in the basement. I suppose it is quaint, but it also hot, cramped and in the summer time had more than one gnat and flying bug (they keep their front and back doors open - for air, but you get other things too). We ordered the pizza. I am guessing people don't come here for the pizza, but we have a super picky eater so that is the way we went. It took quite a long time to come out (lost track) and the 2 other tables that were sat after us were served long before us. It even took a good long while to get the bread and salads to come out. For as long as everything took you would have expected something fantastic, but I think it was a pretty bland boring dinner. The bread was basically white Italian bread (store bought, not fresh) served with butter. The salad was iceberg, carrot and a bit of cabbage with Italian dressing - very basic. The pizza was very cheesy and did have a lot of toppings, but I can't say it really stood out. It didn't have a ton of flavor to me. I personally wasn't that impressed by the place, but then again everyone around us had pasta dishes that looked way better than our pizza, so I might try it again and get pasta - if I can stand the wait that is!
(3)Tami P.
Excellent pasta, fun cozy place, great service. Crowded and loud but great for a casual dinner.
(4)Diane Z.
The best service in Glenwood! small place long wait (but so worth it) It feels / tastes like you've gone to your favorite aunties for dinner. Marinara sauce is to die for.
(5)Leen R.
The only reason this restaurant is getting two stars is because our waitress was polite and the ambiance of the restaurant is pretty cool, because obviously it's underground. Our food was terrible, we got the Chicken Cacciatore, it was dry, flavorless, and sad. The bread is plain white bread, the meat sauce is so bad you won't want to finish your food, let alone take a second bite. Olive Garden serves better Italian food than this restaurant, seriously.
(2)Trisha B.
Very good Italian cuisine in a romantic underground cave setting. You'll enjoy it -- GO!
(4)Lindsey P.
Blah. That's what we got. A blah dinner, blah service and a blah memory. I wouldn't come back here if you paid me. The only saving grace was the bartender, the only friendly staff in the place. I ordered the shrimp linguini and it was ok, but nothing to write home about. My husband ordered the sampler and everything tasted under seasoned and just generally generic. Our server was rude and we actually had to tell her to slow down. We felt like we were being rushed through our meal due to the small amount of tables in the place. When we told her we wanted to take our time she got rude and you could see the frustration on her face. Needless to say she never checked on us after that. If you're looking for Blah, you found it.
(2)Cholla N.
Will never eat here again. I don't usually say that especially about a place that's been good in the past but this time was just that bad! First of all the salad was old, turning brown and wilted and appeared to be straight out of a bag....gross. The clam linguine was ok but the clams were canned and had dirt in them. The spinach lasagna was the only good thing but had a freaking hair right in the middle of it!!!! To top it off we were charged 7 dollars for a side of spaghetti and meatballs for our four year old to eat....way,way, way over priced for a cup of noodles and ONE meatball. My husband and daughter became instantly stomach sick right after eating. I've had better food out of a microwave and for a much better price. Short of this place going under new ownership I will never eat here again and will steer friends clear of it!!!
(1)Karyn C.
Slow unfriendly service. We came before a group of 9 people and was served after them. Waitress made it obvious that she wanted us in and out of the place as soon as possible. Food was average. My 13 year old cousin could have done a better job. You definitely won't get your bang for your buck. Over priced food for just a small portion. Would give this place no stars but yelp requires you to have one or more.
(1)Wendy D.
Worst experience. Slow service, party of 9 came in after us and they got their food first. Quality of food average, over priced. Don't eat here.
(1)David W.
Such a great meal and service. We had a marvelous meal. The service was amazing. Great local place that is chill. Many of the other dinning locations are more pretentious. Not Italian Underground. Getting there late in the evening on a Saturday was perfect.
(5)B M.
Their shrimp fettuccine Alfredo is so so so good. I've been there a handful of times, and everytime we have had fast and friendly service, great food and an all around good dining experience.
(5)Quin J.
The service was horrible, the portions were tiny, and I'm pretty sure they made over a 1000% profit on my plain noodles. Guess the food was okay if you like overpriced Italian.
(2)Tony P.
We elected to go the route of their specials and glad we did compared to their menu selections. The menu seems to be mainly spaghetti several ways. Our son had the pizza and we asked if they could make it thin crust and her reply was we make our pizza crusts in the morning and we can not make it any different. Okay here is my issue, is the dough really fresh? The pizza was eatable that was about it. Our pasta dishes were not something memorable for 15.99. I can deal with acceptable food if the service is exceptional. Our server started with an attitude and rarely came over to ask about the dishes. The salad was getting old and almost ready to be trashed. I would have given them a 2 1/2 if could.
(3)Tom W.
So the place is hopping on Friday evening, SRO and while the greeter told us it would be 45 mins to an hour it took more like an hour and half to get seated. There were five of us, four adults and a child. My 7 year daughter had a cheese pizza or at least most of one slice, they really don't have a kids menu. The adults has one Meat Lasagna, one Spaghetti with Sausage, two specials with clams, mussels and shrimp in a marinara over pene. The pastas were cooked al dente and the portions were larger than needed. The marinara was so so, nothing to die for, and the sausage was way too spicy, to much heat, not great Italian. The bread was hot and fresh but frankly it had an odd taste and I couldn't eat an entire slice, neither could my wife who normally devours fresh hot breads. The wait staff was great though, the worked their collective butts off, and the location is quaint and enjoyable. If the food was better, perhaps if they had some lighter recipes, and focussed on quality rather than quantity, this could be a great place. Oh and what ever you do, don't buy the Riesling, firstly it's Italian, second it's like it was made with sour grapes. I don't normally get a Riesling when eating Italian, but our guest preferred it over a red. I like a nice Auslese or Spatelese ( no unlaut) but this was the worst wine I ever had. Rather mix Everclear with Kool Aid.
(3)Malia H.
Delicious food. Clean. Friendly service. The Italian salad dressing on the house salad was awesome. Pesto spaghetti and spaghetti arrabbiata was great. Garlic butter with the bread, yum. Nice under ground settings.
(5)Leslie S.
I would love to give this a 4 star rating if it wasn't for the absolutely HORRIBLE service. We waited, as expected, about 45 minutes for our table. We filled the tiny bar with the six of us. The bartender was great. Drinks served quickly and replenished quickly. Too bad he couldn't have waited on us at our table. Our waitress was less than enthusiastic to serve us. She was rude and her face clearly showed her displeasure. She charged us for an appetizer and bottle of wine that were never ordered. Needless to say - her tip reflected her service - lousy. FOOD? Fantastic! Everyone ordered something different and there wasn't one complaint. If you are really hungry - order the combination. My husband loved it!
(2)Eliseo R.
A very cozy place, very friendly staff, my whole family enjoyed the food, I tried the spaghetti with clams, was great! I had the special rigattoni with home made sausage in red sauce and it was delicious, my daughter had spinach pizza and it was very good also, the cheese was yummi. Salad and dessert are included with dinner, the dressing for the salads are home made also, very very good dressing. I'd come back to this place for sure.
(4)Jason J.
There don't actually seem to be that many restaurants to go eat in downtown Glenwood - especially that the kid will eat at - so we decided to try the Underground after seeing they had pizza. We got here about 6pm on a Sunday night and there was already a huge line (like a 30 minute wait). The really narrow steps were annoying as everyone was trying to go up and down at the same time and didn't seem willing to take turns. They also seemed to have a ton of staff running around like crazy, but only one person actually working tables. Service was extremely slow and we had to scrounge a drink menu from a different table. The pizza was pretty good, altho I wasn't completely blown away by it. Quaint atmosphere in the little basement, but it worked. It was a nice get-away. Would've been nicer if they turned on the air :)
(3)Douglass M.
Not sure where the other reviewers ate. This place basically served noodles and ketchup. My wife had the linguine & pesto. I'm not sure how you screw up pesto but they managed to do it, it was pretty bland. The bread & garlic butter was good.
(1)Tawni M.
Very disappointing. Took our family here on a Saturday night. It was busy. Put our name in & were told it was an hour wait. Came back an hour later & were told it was a half hour wait. Continued to wait for 45 more minutes & were finally seated. The host was apologetic but offered no compensation, like bread or appetizer on the house. The waitress was unapologetic & told us our food would be out in 20 mins. It took another 30 minutes before the food was out. The food was overpriced & there was nothing nothing special about it. Pizza was typical. Pasta typical, & nothing stood out. The only thing we liked about this place was the setting--quaint Italian cafe. But unfortunately, we won't be back.
(1)Danielle M.
We chose this restaurant because of the great reviews. Boy were we sorely disappointed. This may be the worst Italian food I have ever had. Firstly, the over 40 minute wait to get in is ridiculous. The bread they serve is not even a sourdough type or baguette - try just plain old white bread - nothing special. I ordered the "special" salmon + pasta - what I got was tiny flakes of salmon that was later clarified to be smoked salmon. I expected a piece of fish. Yuk. To their credit, they took my dish back & I thought I would play it safe with meat sauce spaghetti. My husband got the combination plate - which was ok. Honestly what really bothered me was that if a place can't have a decent red sauce, then forget it. This place gets high marks for in my opinion low quality food.
(1)Jenny H.
This is a very small place. Limited and cozy seating. The entree comes with a small side salad and of course warm bread with garlic butter. Beware!!!! Don't let this fool you.... It's tempting but the entrees are large portions. I had the lasagna.... A total must have!! It's so good!! Warning...it does come with a side of meat sauce spaghetti. As if the lasagna portion wasn't enough... Whew!! It's all so good!!! Anyways... I am off and into my food coma. Enjoy!!
(5)tania C.
Recommended by several and was not disappointed. Started with the pizza clambakes yummy. Salad with house made blue cheese dressing. Linguine with clam sauce the best anywhere---first time clams were truly fresh and not chewy. Eggplant parm a great choice and was a special. Entree comes with salad, bread and dessert. Very interesting building 1800's in basement "underground". Great service fast and friendly.
(5)T A.
Terrible experience. Waitress had attitude. Never ask what we wanted to drink. Never mentioned what specials were. Gave me glutten free pasta that was all cut up in pieces. I spoke with owner and explained what happened, he said you been eating too much processed food, that's why I need Gluten free. I explained that my doctor suggested gluten free diet.it was very dissapointing. When they say its a 15 to 20 minutes wait, plan on waiting for 30 minutes.
(1)Iryna T.
One of the best places to eat in Glenwood Springs - if you can get in! It is insanely popular! So expect long wait because space is fairly small and demand is high and they don't take reservations. But food is excellent!
(5)Aaron D.
Pretty good, old school Italian. You won't find anything that's too surprising on the menu. They offer spaghetti and meatballs, fettuccine Alfredo, lasagna, etc. It's all very tasty, but nothing that will change your life. The service was quite good and the portions were very generous. If you are looking for fancy gourmet Italian, this is not the place, but if you want tasty traditional Italian, give it a try.
(3)Anna C.
This was a very good place! It is kind of hidden- but once you get inside it is very quaint and homey. I would recommend the pizza and chicken parm. The food was very good however, it did take an hour for us to get seated. Overall, this is a very good place to go if you are in the glenwood area!
(4)Stephanie S.
Most authentic Italian cuisine around! Like being at Grandmas. Family friendly, always helpful staff. Great for an intimate date or family dinner.
(5)Amy M.
Food wasn't great and was way overpriced for how it tasted/what we got. I probably won't ever go back! Service was just so-so.
(2)Melissa S.
Bland food, expected better food for the long line to get a table. Atmosphere is nice quaint. Waiter was ok, nothing special. Pasta puttanesca was bland, needed a microscope to find the olives and capers. Bread was basic white,nothing homemade. When it came to the ice cream, I asked if they had Spumoni, but was told no they don't offer it because Dryers doesn't make it anymore. I wanted this place to be better, I love Glenwood , but the best this place can be for is kids, expect to pay adult prices.
(1)Tyler M.
The atmosphere was nice and the staff was friendly but the food was very blan not very much flavor some had spaghetti with meatballs and sausage the meatballs were dry and the sausage had no flavor and was also dry I had the pesto lenquine and it was so dry and again had no flavor I had to keep adding salt just to be able to eat it. I would not recommend this place. Find somewhere else If you want Italian
(1)Vicki P.
Italian Underground is a cozy, traditional family restaurant located, you guessed it, down in the basement of the historic Silver Club building. The old brick floor has been preserved underneath some kind of heavy-duty shellac application that gives it a high gloss shine and helps lighten up the dimly lit room. The space is adorned with loads of framed historical and family photos that add to the restaurant's homey charm. We arrived around 7:30ish on a Sunday evening and only had to wait about 15 minutes or so. When we were seated, full water glasses were already on the table. Every restaurant should take this cue. The menu is pretty typical of average run-of-the-mill Italian places and they also feature daily specials. Mr. P. ordered one of the specials and I decided to order from the menu. The special pasta dish was definitely the highlight of the entire meal. It had an Italian name that I can't recall but it was basically rigatoni pasta with a red sauce made with sausage, shallots and tomatoes. The dish was quite tasty and the sauce was freshly made, light and vibrant. By contrast, my lasagna dinner was pretty bland. The lasagna wasn't made with red sauce, as I was expecting; it was just meat and noodles with a thick layer of cheese on top, which kept it from being too dry. The accompanying spaghetti was topped with a mostly tasteless sauce that looked more like chili in color than spaghetti sauce. It gave me the impression that there might be a big vat of this sauce back in the kitchen for ladling over everything on the regular menu. Very disappointing. As other reviews have mentioned, every meal comes with a salad, bread and dessert. I appreciate the sentiment and the value for my dollar, but I think I'd rather pay more for better food. The salad is just bagged lettuce with the carrots and cabbage already added in. Meaning no tomatoes or cucumbers or anything else included. The bread, though nicely warmed when it reached our table, was tasteless and dried out quickly after it was cut. I did enjoy the spumoni and I believe it was the first time I'd ever had spumoni. If we eat here again, I will certainly order one of the daily specials.
(3)Stephan G.
Unbelievable. I found one of my new favorite Italian restaurants and that says a lot since I come from a long line of Italian chefs in my family. The restaurant is a cute place located in the basement of a building and it is gorgeous. Originally when I looked at the menu they wanted $15 for Spagetti and meatball and I was a little turned off by the price but they also give you a salad and scoop of ice cream with the meal making the price not as bad. HELPFUL HINT: Get the combination plate because for $16 you get Spagetti, Meatball, Sausage, Lasagna and a Cannoli which is a huge plate of food that you will not be disappointed by. On to the service and it was outstanding! It was a busy night but our waitress, Dot, kept up with everything for us and constantly made sure that our drinks were always full. Good service is hard to find but they have it here in spades. The service team did a terrific job of delivering fantastic service and making the experience memorable. For great Italian food in Glenwood Springs, you should definitely go to Italian Underground! You will not be disappointed!
(5)Xavier C.
Great service, tasty food at a reasonable price. Everything made in-house. What's not to like.
(4)Jorge S.
Sad to be in a such a great setting, but the food was not great. Pizza was a disaster. The marinara was from a can, and the dough was gummy... Terrible. The pasta was not bad, but the puttanesca sauce was spicy, and that is not part of the original Italian recipe, but more to please the American market - very very sad. I would never come back again nor recommended to anyone.
(3)Victoria K.
So on a small vacation to colorado, my fam and i were looking for something to eat. Unanimously, any locals we asked pointed us towards this place. I am so glad we listened. The family that owns this place is so hospitable and nice and the atmosphere is incredibly homey! They give such large portions too, and for $15~ you get three courses, a salad, main entree and dessert. They also have this homemade, thick sliced bread with homemade garlic butter, and oh my god i could just eat that by itself. The first night my sister had the sausage pasta, i had the seafood ravioli, and my mom had the rotisserie chicken. It was all really really amazing!!! Though, my sister and I got specials, so it probably won't be there again. The second night my sister had a sword fish dish, which was divine, like sent from god divine! My mom and I shared an eggplant parmigiana and it was probably some of the best eggplant parmigiana ive ever tasted in my life. Again, they were both specials, so just pray they bring them back haha. The salad dressings are all house made and delicious! I got the bleu cheese, and normally i hate bleu cheese, but good god, this stuff was creamy and delectable and delicous! Lastly they offer ice cream as dessert, and the spumoni is the best ever! We only know of one other place with the same spumoni brand, and thats in california, but this place has better food for sure. So definitely a five-star establishment right here, tucked away in glenwood springs. It has the food, the service and the ambiance, the whole package! This is probably one of the main reasons i would wanna come back here for sure!
(5)Rachel M.
Don't go to this place. Just don't do it! It's so not worth it. I ordered spaghetti with butter. That just shows you how little they had. You got a salad with your plate of pasta- if you can even call it that. It was lettuce with about two tiny carrots in it. And they didn't have ranch dressing, the only dressing I like, so I ended up not really eating my salad. My pasta was average, not amazing, but alright. Overall, this is an average place- that's why I am giving them an average rating.
(3)Jim H.
Good Italian food. Staff is great and very friendly. We try to go there when we are in town. Perfect family place, but it's small. Pick slightly off prime hours.
(4)Shanna K.
So this place was good, but certainly not as amazing as I was lead to believe by these reviews. We went at 8pm on a Monday night, and still had a 10 minute wait. Please note, this place is not accessible at all, and there isn't even a restroom in the basement. Wish I'd known, as I wasn't having a great knee day. Menu wasn't huge, but was pretty standard for an Italian place - lots of carbs and cheese, but veggie friendly for sure. I got the Spinach Lasagna, and LP got the creamy pasta with smoked salmon (a special, that they wound up charging us more for than on the special board). Both came with salad (home made blue cheese dressing was good, but nothing to write home about) and bread (ok, but not anything amazing). Food was good; big portions. The lasagna was tasty, but the pasta/sauce it came with was only mediocre. Dessert was an option of spumoni or raspberry sherbet; we both opted for the sherbet. Service was pretty good, but we still took over an hour from seating to leaving. All in all, a decent place, but nothing super special. If you're looking for a fun and tasty date night place, I'd suggest the Pullman.
(4)Karen D.
Satisfied our craving for good Italian food. The place is popular and fills up fast, like everyone else here says. We got there 10 minutes after they opened, so we didn't have to wait. I had the special of chicken Parmesan, my husband had the spaghetti with sausage. Both were extremely good. Yes, the portions are very large, so you'll have enough for leftovers or a midnight snack. The ambiance of the restaurant was nice, tables are spaced apart just right for some privacy, and the servers were very pleasant and attentive. Next time I come through Glenwood and want some Italian, I'll be heading for Italian Underground.
(4)Jacob E.
Great meal, got in right before the rush at 5:30. Pizza was great, chicken was pretty good, lasagna was tasty. Only complaint was the price. Pretty steep.
(3)Daniel d.
You must go here! It is fun as you enter and go downstairs and look over much excitement. The smells are wafting up the the staircase and this gets you going. Excellent wine list with many good selections and varieties of grapes. Perfect sauces... not too much of anything. Their portions are all large to extra large. Bread there is made every day. It is served warm. They give you an option of oil or soft garlic butter for the bread. Yum! There is a slightly higher noise factor because everyone is having a good time.
(4)Seth G.
Visiting the Italian Underground has become a mainstay tradition for us anytime we are remotely near Glenwood Springs. Its not that the food is the most amazing, there is certainly better italian food in the world (maybe even in Glenwood, I'm not sure) but its the whole experience that makes it great. You show up at 4:50 on any given day and there is already a line of eager diners waiting outside the door hungry to get in. (they open at 5) 5 o'clock rolls around, the heavy iron gate swings open and soon the place is filled with the first seating of the evening. The atmosphere is cave-like (hence the "underground" in the name) the dining room is small and dimly lit, maybe even cozy. Pictures of friends and family adorn the walls (like you seem to see in a lot of italian family joints) though looking around at them and then glancing at some of the waitstaff, you realize that this is really the living room (or basement rec room) of a family who has invited you over for dinner and is now ready to take your order. Portions are generous, and meals are inclusive (garlic bread, salad with choice of dressing and a scoop of sherbet or spumoni for dessert accompany your entree). They have a few tasty wines, cocktails and beers (they make an excellent Negroni) and everything is well priced. Will you be blown away by the food? Probably not, but it's my belief that the whole experience will drive you to incorporate the Italian Underground into your own family tradition.
(4)W N.
My family of four was looking for a good family restaurant. Locals recommended the "underground". It was excellent. It is an old school Italian restaurant. Nice selection of wine, generous portions, and friendly staff. It is a smaller restaurant and we did have to wait about twenty minutes, but I'm glad we did. Spaghetti, pizza, calzones, were our menu choices. All were wonderful.
(5)Edward W.
I suppose not many Italians live or eat in Glenwood Springs. That would explain the reason for the four star reviews for this place. Portions are large. Prices are low - about $12-$16 for salad, dinner and ice cream (all inclusive). The staff is very nice, and service is good, but the food is more like Rome, Georgia than Rome, Italy.
(2)PAUL S.
Oh dear, what was I thinking, I am so disappointed by this restaurant, especially as it was voted top place to go in Glenwood Springs by my fellow Yelpers. OK the restaurant is cute, dark, bustling, but that's where it ends. The Bread could have been bought at the supermarket, the salad was just lettuce. My Mum got the pizza which was like a Lean Cuisine Microwave pizza. My Shrimp Linguine Spinach thingy, had no taste to it, none, I added salt, pepper and chili pepper flakes, still no flavor. I'm sorry, I don't eat at chains, but I came out begging for an Olive Garden.
(2)Colette Q.
Not really worth it, this Italian is hardly a step above prego do yourself a favor and skip it. It's only really popular because it has a cool underground atmosphere but the food is mediocre
(2)Diane Y.
DO NOT LISTEN TO THE NATIVES. THIS IS TOTAL SLOP. How do you judge an Italian restaurant? One quick and easy way is to figure out whether the parmesan cheese they offer is Kraft from the shelf-stable green can. If it is, don't walk, RUN the hell away from that "restaurant." Yes, there's a shaker of the frightful stuff at each table here. Have you been to the Olive Garden? The Olive Garden is the finest restaurant in all of Italy compared to this hole. Each entree is less imaginative than the next, and though many other reviewers have raved about the all inclusive pricing system, here's a breakdown of what you get: The salad: the sad wilted iceberg lettuce of your elementary school cafeteria with dressing choices of italian, blue cheese and thousand island. One of my fellow diners made me laugh heartily when she suggested this limited choice was due to a desire for authenticity. I'm sure thousand island is ever so popular in Italy. The bread: fresh and hot... wonder bread. Yes, white mushy bread. Fascinating if you've ever wondered what wonder bread is like hot from the oven, but otherwise very bland. The garlic butter: made with garlic salt. Seriously? The entree: the pastas are no better than store bought. Worse, actually. Overcooked and completely flavorless. Like a different reviewer, I too put salt, pepper, and pepper flakes on my alfredo pasta and STILL it tasted like nothing. The dessert: a baby scoop of what appears to be Haagen Daas raspberry sorbet. In conclusion: I could've fed my entire party exactly what they ordered from Italian Underground and paid a total of $15 or less by buying the stuff at the supermarket and boiling it myself. At this poor excuse for a restaurant, our total was $80 + tip. I beg of you, learn from my mistake and avoid like the plague!
(1)B W.
Amazing family run business with great prices! Get here early though because the lines are long but worth it! Pizza is great and so are the daily specials. Love this spot and have for years!!
(5)Zach J.
Liked the look of it as we descended the stairs, but downhill from there. The atmosphere was cool, but the service and food were lacking. Our waitress took a sarcastic tone with us and was inattentive. The food was subpar. I ordered the sampler and was unimpressed or disgusted. The cannoli was awful. We were also surprised by the check considering we both just had water.
(2)Whitney H.
The atmosphere is dark but fun, kind of an Italian cave. The staff was helpful but not necessarily friendly. The food on the other hand was less than desirable. I had the Canolli and it was a sausage link that seemed to be wrapped in a Pillsbury crescent roll. The meat sauce had a strange texture like thwy added pulverized meat to a cheap sauce and added a LOT of basil. A family member had the lasagna and later had a stomach ache. Bottom line: go someplace else.
(2)Robin S.
A for atmosphere. Its been said. In a basement, cute, quaint, filled with locals, kitchy tablecloths. A for service. Quick, attentive, friendly, unobtrusive. B- for food. The menu is pretty limited...pasta with marinara or other red sauce, pasta with white sauce...its very "down to earth" italian. We got the Linguini with pesto. It was decent though nothing to write home about. Fantastic bread.We also got a salad...which was wilted and drowned in dressing. Ask for dressing on the side. D for some nitpicky things. If you're gonna charge $3 for a split plate of $15 pasta, put them on separate effin plates. Its pasta! Lame to bring them out on one and make us slop pasta all over the table. Good, large meals are a pretty good deal but its not the most amazing thing ever. I'd come back if I lived here.
(3)Breann M.
Amazing on all aspect. The two hour wait while we finished a bottle of wine was totally worth it. The atmosphere, the service, the food was all spectacular. If you are skiing the Aspen/Glenwood area definitely make time for them!
(5)Ashley B.
Been here a few times and it's pretty solid. I would describe it as what you might imagine the very first Buca di Bepo as being; family italian, (not necessarily family style all the time) with great smells, very good ambiance and a very small little space. They open at 5:00 and I suggest, if it's a busy night, not getting there much later than that. We've gotten pizza here and been very happy. I also once got the roast chicken and it was tasty and moist. Last visit just a few days ago, my mother and I split the combination plate: spaghetti with meat sauce, italian sausage, a meatball, lasagna and a cannoli, (bread wrapped around an italian sausage with a pepper inside). The cannoli was the one thing that I would rather not eat again. It was just really really plain and had no sauce with it. Very blah. The sausage is a little sweeter than some might be expecting. I know I ate the meatball but I have literally no memory of even eating it, (whoops). The meat sauce and spaghetti are pretty good, and surprisingly not dry, seeing as how it's not a very wet sauce. That sounds ridiculous as I write it, but that's the only way I can really describe it. My favorite item was overwhelmingly the lasagna, which is definitely worth noting as I really don't find lasagna worth eating, ever. It's not very cheesy, nor is it oozing with sauce, and yet it isn't dry, has well-balanced flavors, and was hearty without making me go into a food coma. The bread and garlic butter ar ea very nice touch, though the salad is pretty straightforward. The raspberry sherbert/spumoni for dessert is very flavorful, but like someone mentioned, they are pre-scooped and develop an icy crust. One other nice detail is that we bought a bottle of cabernet sauvignon that was $20 on their menu, and only costs $17 at the liquor store. Not much markup, which I really appreciate.
(4)D H.
I found this to be a reliably typical Italian restaurant. Nothing over the top to rave about but hit expectations with good food and large portions. Service was friendly and the atmosphere was warm. I'd come back.
(3)Maulik K.
Its an amazing place with great food... A very Authentic Italian place... People are friendly and the food is amazing...
(5)Andrew D.
Just okay. When you walk into this restaurant you feel like you're going down into a dungeon. It's dark and you feel very exposed to all the diners when you descend the stairs. I sat at the bar and ordered the breadstick appetizer (I needed some carbs after a 75mi bike ride). The bread was okay and the sauce seemed to be pre-made from Sysco or some place. I wanted to order some wine but the selection consists of very cheap wine which doesn't taste good and is way over priced. I ordered the lasagna which was a bit dry. Also the lasagna came with a side of spaghetti which seemed a little odd. I probably won't come back, which I'm finding is my standard response to most of the restaurants I've visited in Glenwood Springs. I really hope to find a good place here soon!
(1)Sage W.
This place is REALLY good! The only problem is the wait... It's usally around an hour. The problem with this place is, that it's a small underground basement. That means it doesn't fit many people. Once you do get to eat though, the food is awesome! The bread is nice, and warm, and the garlic butter is so delicious! The salad was very average, but my blue cheese dressing made from homeade blue cheese made it awesome! My pasta was very good, but nothing too special. The Spumoni at the end was very good, and from what I heard the sherbert was too. The enviornment is very nice, and authentic. There are old pictures on the wall containing the history of this old town. Our waitress was very friendly. I highly enjoyed this place, and will come back! Reccomended to anyone who likes Italian food!
(5)Ron N.
Got here early...a bit too early, but only had to wait 5 minutes for 5 PM to arrive. Pretty hoppin place after we got seated. The menu has the standard italian fare. Each meal comes with salad, bread (with awesome garlic butter), and ice cream/sherbet for dessert. I had the spaghetti with meat balls (the reduced size portion) and it was good. A bit spicy, but good. Unless you have a monstrous appetite, I would get the reduced sized portion which was still pretty big for 15% less.
(4)Angie A.
We had been trying to go to Italian Underground every time we've visited Glenwood Springs and last night we finally got in. This place is SMALL and it doesn't open until 5, so if you want to eat there get there early! We got in line at 4:30. The service was decent but the food was very good! I had their fettuccine and it was wonderful. I would recommend Italian Underground but like I said, get there early if you don't want to wait an hour.
(4)Christy P.
We did have to wait over 30 minutes for a table on a Tuesday, but we still enjoyed our time. The staff was quick and attentive and the food was fantastic. The restaurant is a bit crowded and the menu is limited, but there were a few specials available beyond the basic menu. This is not our first time eating at the Italian Underground and won't be our last.
(4)J J.
Average or better Italian food. Wait service was ok but harried. Menu was very basic. Ambiance was poor to fair.
(3)Whitney W.
The smell alone, emanating from below, first attracted us to Italian Underground. This is a very popular restaurant, and with good reason. Our first night in Glenwood we tried to eat here around 6pm, and were told it would be an hour wait. So we came back the next night a little earlier - around 5:30 - and had a more reasonable wait of 30 minutes. This time we stuck around. We were not disappointed. The place is nothing fancy...classic linoleum tablecloths; very small and unpretentious. The novelty, of course, is that the restaurant is in a basement. It reminded me of a big city restaurant. The service was good. My fiance loved his spinach lasagna and spaghetti. At first I thought my linguine with pesto was a little bland, but some salt and Parmesan cheese helped with that. (As I poured salt on my dish, I imagined some big Italian don coming out from the kitchen and acting insulted that I didn't find the food flavorful enough.) The portions are pretty sizable, and we had enough leftovers for another meal. My favorite part was that every entree comes with salad, bread, and ice cream. The salad was drenched in Italian dressing, just the way I like it; the bread was thick, hearty, and soft, with delicious garlic butter; and the ice cream was a nice finish to the meal. My fiance had the spumoni (which I find disgusting in general) but my raspberry sorbet was quite good. Definitely worth a visit, and the wait.
(4)Emily S.
The first time I go to any Italian Resaurant I try the meatballs. They were delicious! We really enjoyed dinner and thought the staff had made the best of a busy night. The only real problem was how stuffy it was, even for a basement.
(4)Holly S.
be prepared for a menu that is mostly spaghetti and linguine with various sauces. They have a few items that are specials, but if you like a protein based Italian dinner, this isn't the place. I had the putanesca which was great. I love how fresh it is. It never lacks flavor and spice.
(4)Tom K.
Stopped here on recommendation from a friend and it was fantastic! This is just the kind of Italian restaurant we like. It has a great family atmosphere, very reasonably priced menu, good food, good service. It's a bit tricky to find below street level. Just come over the bridge and take a couple rights to get down there. As noted in other reviews, do plan on waiting. Our wait at peak of a Thursday night was only 15 minutes. This is nothing fancy or fine dining. But it's fun, enjoyable hearty Italian dining.
(5)whitney m.
Yummy! We were in town for a couple nights and really wanted to try uncle pizza based on reviews--but learned that they are now only a delivery joint. This place is super cute in a 1950s idea of what italy looks like--basement space with few tables --red checked tablecloths and big wine bottles complete the Lady and the Tramp feel. The food stands alone---the salad was great and as mentioned before by yelpers--the garlic butter is nummmy! Bread could have been lighter but no big. The spaghetti w/meat sauce was good not better than homemade but better than olive garden-same with fettucini alfredo. the pizza was meh? but the spumoni at the end of the meal and the fact that they have an amarone on the wine list out weigh the meh parts. --overall a good place to pick if you are in the mood for italian!
(3)Seth J.
Liked: On man, we loved it. Everything about it! I got fettuccine alfredo and Meg got a combination plate. They started us off with some delicious sliced bread that was dense but light. The whipped garlic butter they served with it was divine. The bread presentation in and of itself could've been a meal. We would've been happy. They bought it out at the perfect temperature. Our actual meals didn't disappoint us either. The pasta was cooked just long enough so that it still had a little bit of bite left (as in the turgidity of it). The alredo sauce was sooo good. No too cheesy, not too creamy. Just the perfect balance. Being that I don't drink wine, I ordered a delicious Italian orange soda with my meal that was a nice balance to the savory goodness described above. The location was totally cool too. On a really cute street on the cute side (the South side) of Glenwood Springs. Right across the highway from the hot springs. The wait staff, so friendly. Small town feel. Felt like everyone there knew us even though it was our first time. We were told this place is where all the locals go, and we don't doubt it. It felt authentic and real. The floor was glazed brick. Didn't Like: Not much we didn't like, but the salad they started us off with was very average. The spamoni was delicous but they had scooped it out and put it in the freezer earlier in the day and so there was that thin layer of hard covering that forms on ice cream when you leave it in the freezer uncovered.
(5)Raoul D.
We arrived around 1700 on a Thursday. Nice, quiet, and comfy. Food was excellent. Very small town, local, and attentive. The bread was very good, prosciutto super, and our entrees just right. Ice cream was included. In short, a nice local meal. I highly recommend it.
(5)Ryan S.
I like the comparison to Olive Garden. Did you know behind the scenes at Olive Garden your food is actually prepared in microwaves? This place however is a relatively decent Italian restaurant. No Maggiano's or Marco's pizza but its the best Italian your gonna find in Glenwood. For roughly $15 you get a pasta dish, salad and Spumoni. The salad and dessert are the only reasons for a 4-star - salad was a store bought salad kit at best and Spumoni, well the same. Avoid during peak business hours and you'll be fine.
(4)Candis H.
Great drinks. Try Negroni. Roteserie chicken and potatoes were great. (Skip gravy though) lasagna not impressive. Great salad dressing, soft bread and yummy included ice cream. (Spupomi or raspberry sherbet) my highlight was the owners daughter who chatted me up about her trip to Italy and their Negroni. Lovely little family Italian. In a cute brick basement too.
(3)Adam S.
1 hour wait turned into 2 hours...with kids!!! No kids menu!!! Bagged salad...tasteless pasta...Domino's pizza is more Italian then this..Don't waste your time or money!!!
(1)Holly G.
My favorite Glenwood restaurant by far and every time I come up from Denver I go to dinner here. I love how you get spumoni ice cream with your meal for dessert. That of course is the best part.
(4)Sally M.
Sadly, I have to give the Italian Underground only 3 stars. Sure, it's cute, quaint, and the service is friendly/attentive, but the food was mediocre at best. I ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo (b/c I don't like spaghetti - the other 5 options on the menu, other than 2 somewhat interesting meat-y specials, and I just wasn't hungry enough for all the meat), and it was basically a pile of noodles with sauce - no shrimp, vegetables, or any kind of anything interesting in the dish, other than (you guessed it) noodles & sauce. OK, so maybe Fettuccini Alfredo doesn't come with much other than noodles & sauce, but my dad ordered some kindo of pesto dish, and his meal looked identical to mine, except his was green, and mine was white-ish. But the point is that we both just had a pile of noodles & sauce in front of us - nothing to break-up the dish, like sliced meat, sliced vegetables, or even some kind of grated cheese, or something. Anything. Very standard, non-interesting Italian. Since I grew up in Denver, and was used to Italian restaurants such as this (i.e. the Spaghetti Factory in downtown Denver), it is probably the reason it's taken me so long to finally like Italian food - I always viewed it as so non-interesting. It wasn't until I discovered more intriguing dishes in Boston & SF, and dated an Italian here in SF, that I discovered there is more to Italian food than plain old noodles & sauce! Unfortunately, Italian Underground hasn't innovated, regarding their menu. Or, maybe the case may be that I've just outgrown Italian food in Colorado. Who knows. But, I'm sorry for having to give a mediocre review to a place tourists seem to love (i.e. all the 5 star reviews).
(2)Amanda K.
Awesome place. We overheard someone else talking about it and decided it sounded promising. Sure enough, crazy good food, really nice staff, great service. They don't take reservations but it's definitely worth the wait.
(5)Jun H.
Pros: Decent brick atmosphere. Tasty meat sauce and excellent homemade bread and garlic spread. Cons: Slow and not too attentive service. Portions are huge but if you want to share a meal they chrage an extra $3 on top of a more than sufficient $12-15.
(3)Katie N.
Other than the the atmosphere....which every local will tell you IS great, there's nothing more to this place anymore. The food is mediocre at best and I don't believe the menu has changed much in the 20-30 years it's been here. There are several other great Italian restaurants in GWS making their mark that would be a better bang for your buck.
(1)Ethan S.
I had an awesome dinner and wonderful time at Italian Underground. The warm, cozy, and aroma of the foods make this place feel like home. Simple salad, yet fresh and tasty. The bread is not the Wonder bread like another reviewer describe. The garlic butter is tasty! The main entrees were awesome! We had two nights in Glenwood Springs and returned to Italian Underground for dinner on both nights. Authentic Italian food and simply fantastic!
(5)Rachel W.
My boyfriend and I went there for our anniversary. We knew it would be a long wait, but we were waiting about an hour of waiting and noticing groups and couples getting seated before us. Our waitress was far from friendly. We noticed her being talkative and helpful with all the other tables around us but whenever she'd come to ours (which was rare) she would give us very dry one word answers. We both got Italian dressing for our salads and when they arrived, the greens were just sitting in a pool of vinegar, it was disgusting. When someone came by to pick up the untouched salads they just asked if we were finished. Also, I'm a fan of Alfredo in any kind of dish, but this was not worth $15. It was extremely mediocre and when I asked if I could add chicken, our waitress just said, "no" without any further explanation. After our food we waited around for about twenty minutes before our waitress came and asked what type of iced treat we wanted, we both decided on the Spumoni, but when she returned she had a raspberry sherbet instead of two Spumoni's. I told her I wanted the Spumoni as well, then she said, "Oh, I wasn't sure." I was really just done with her at this point and I told her it was fine, to which she replied, "Oh, Thank you!" Towards the experience another younger couple was seated a few tables away, and we noticed them start to get the same rude attitude by the server, so we realized it wasn't just in our heads. I would never recommend this restaurant to anyone who is looking for a pleasant evening. I could get better food and service at an Olive Garden or even a Wendy's. At least there I could tasty food and friendly service! The food wasn't worth it, our waitress didn't do her job and made it clear she couldn't care less. Never going back.
(1)Mariko Y.
Okay, so the word might have gotten out because the wait when we were there was about half an hour (we got there around 5:30) and it was around an hour by the time we were seated. I forgot to mention that they have garlic butter with their bread, which is really tasty. Except for the fact that their bread is more of a white loaf so soft all around with no real crust. They have half-order options and although their portions aren't enormous they are definitely filling, especially the veggie lasagna. And one small plus, you get a salad (eh) and ICE CREAM with every dinner entree!! ;)
(5)M P.
Very unique atmosphere (thus the "Underground") Nice selection of Italian Wines and authentic Northern Italian fare. Combination plate is a very popular choice where you can sub the regular lasagne for the spinach lasagna. There are several varieties of spaghetti and pasta and you may also sub any of these on the combination plate, which will give you a good sampling of the menu. Escargo is very good, as well. All dinners are served with sorbet, so save room!
(4)Rebecca W.
An absolutely fantastic experience. All the food was perfect, wonderful wine, and intimate atmosphere. There may be a long line to get in, expect an hour wait, but it's worth it. Great for families or date night. I would definitely go back if I get to the ares again, and I would highly recommend it to anyone heading to the area!
(5)Beau R.
This family owned restaurant has the best Italian food I have ever had in my life. I have only been here once but always look for the chance to get back to Glenwood Springs to eat here. I had the sampler of some of the entrees and I can still remember how good it was.
(5)Broarquello A.
I agree with all the 2, maybe 3 star reviews on here. We waited approx. 30min for seating expecting "Maggiano's-like" food and instead ending up getting food poisioning. My husband and I were both sick for 3 days following that meal. Even if it was good tasting food I'd give it 3 stars, but I could have made WAYYYY better spaghetti & fettuccine at home. Glenwood needs a better italian/sicilian restaurant to show people what they're really missin!
(2)Kim V.
Reminded us of our recent trip to Tuscany. First let me say we walked by 2 empty restaurants on the way, & feared it might already have closed, being a slow Wed night. To our surprise, there were at least 7-8 tables full of people! My husband had the spaghetti /w meat sauce (Bolognesa) & I had the linguini w/ pesto. Both were very authentic & delicious. The service was great, too. Their wine was "ok" in our opinion.
(4)R G.
Great service, good food and a good value. More meat options on the menu would be great. Location is easy access from the pool.
(4)John M.
Obviously not a place for SF'ers. Stay away. For everyone else enjoy. I once again had a fantastic meal dining at the bar with a fantastic staff and awesome food. I had a spicy tomatoe pasta special and my favorite white bean and sardine appetizer. Still yummy.
(5)Allison S.
The best in Town! As simple as that. My husband and I just love this place! It is very worth the wait. It would be great if they had more vegetarian options. It is a very cute and cozy place with a helpful staff. We always order our favorite the pesto linguini and spinach lasagna, both are delicious entrees that come with small tasty salads and fresh bread and butter. We recommend this place as the best restaruant Italian or other wise in the area.
(4)Leo S.
Outstanding spaghetti with meat sauce and lasagna. Delicious fresh bread with whipped butter. House Chianti is excellent ...and is a generous pour.
(4)N A.
Oh boy, I loved everything about this place. When we walked in the restaurant, we looked at the menu and thought it may not be the right place for us. All they had was pasta and pizza, and we just hadn't come across a good Italian home cooking type restaurant before. Ok, first of all, the price is right. All of the pasta entrees come with a small salad and ice cream as a dessert. Also, my wine glass was huge, and the white wine I had tasted pretty good. The service was excellent. Even though the restaurant was very full, our food was ready very quickly, and the waiters were attentive, nice, and laid back. I was also impressed with the food. As I mentioned before, I'd only liked Italian food in upscale restaurants that serve fancy food. I don't want to be snobby, but I just never had an opportunity to eat good everyday Italian food before. This restaurant changed my view and made me want to try more Italian food in the future! For anyone visiting Glenwood spring, I highly recommend this place.
(5)Chris M.
We went here over the holiday weekend on a recommendation from a friend, and would definitely go back. The food was just amazing. We had some lasagna and a ravioli special they had with an asparagus sauce. Everything was great, and we left happy..and a little heavier. This place opens at 5P, and we suggest getting there at 5 as it tends to fill up quickly (for very good reason).
(5)Andreea B.
This place should have Olive Garden's "when you're here - you're family"..... The food is exceptional. It tasted as if my mom had just cooked it! When we got there we had a little bit of a wait because it is a small place and it was full.... however it was only like 8 minutes and we were seated. Once we were seated the service was quick. My parents had the two half chicken choices which were exceptional and i had the fettucini pesto - also very good!! one thing i cant stop raving about is their garlic butter.. ohhhhhhhhh garlic butter how wonderful it was.... the price is beyond reasonable. you get salad, entree AND dessert included. all in all a great choice!!
(5)Robb H.
Decent food, nice but hurried staff, neat location, long wait.
(4)Gwen M.
It was edible. The tomato basil spaghetti and pesto linguine were blah. The food wasntt horrible but i wouldnt recommend it nor would i go again. It was way to expensive for the quality of food. There is not much seating the place was loud and dimly lit. The wait staff was nice
(2)Janet B.
Food was amazing! The spumoni was great! Great service as well. Will go here again.
(5)David W.
Once again this place is great. The staff is outstanding we had the same waitress we had two years ago. If your into small family owned dinning this is the place only room for 50 so show up early and have a great time.
(5)Anna S.
We followed the reviews for this and took a chance. The atmosphere is great, but that is where it ends. We arrived and made our drink order and appie order (cheese sampler dish and meatballs.) Both were decent. Five Meatballs were swimming in sauce. Cheeses were mozz, goat, Brie, and some kind of soft blue (I am not a cheese guru). Then the trouble began. Son ordered a pizza, daughter spaghetti is marinara, me - liguini with pesto. We waited 30 MINUTES for our food. Yes, the place was full but the couple who arrived much after us, received their food before us. Was it the pizza? Could be, but like Paul S. said, it was like a cheap microwave brand. Our drink glasses were empty after 20 minutes of waiting and we didn't hear boo from our waitress. Never filled our glasses again. Didn't even see her after we made our order. She didn't apologize for the extensive wait. Our previous night visiting The Pullman was better in every way and get this, our bill here was $65 and at the other was only $42 for far superior food and service. We passed on the ice cream because we didn't like having the poor older couple staring at us for 30 minutes waiting to sit. Food was soooo mediocre. Wouldn't go there again unless I was drinking with friends.
(2)Bill G.
This place is great. It's in the basement (hence the name), the staff is fantastic, and prices are reasonable. The menu is traditional Italian, and well executed. SO don't show up expecting some fusion new wave BS and you'll be fine. Oh, expect to wait 30 minutes for a table, it's a no reservations place! On Sunday you'll often find the staff from many of the other restaurants in Glenwood springs eating there.
(5)chewy c.
disappointing. after hearing about how great this place was, and then waiting 45 minutes alongside a sizeable crowd of people to be seated, i was pretty excited. the venue is actually very cute and the wait staff are very friendly. however, the food is honestly like cafeteria food. it seemed like they cooked up a big vat of pasta earlier in the day, set it under a heat lamp, then just scooped portions from there throughout the night. they are big portions though, if that counts for anything.
(2)Chris N.
It is not Boston, NY or SFCA...it's Glenwood Springs, CO and this is a diamond in the rough. I have spent much time in this city and have exhausted most every culinary venue (not hard to do). I like returning to this place for the atmosphere, service and the consistent decent food at a reasonable price. It a basic Italian joint with a basic menu...I credit them for keeping it simple and affordable. My only negatives, it is not extremely kid-friendly and it can be a bit loud at times but that gives it the European bistro feel...it just means you should cop a seat next to your partner instead of across from them and enjoy. Everybody should have one of these gems in their neighborhood.
(4)Sheri A.
This restaurant experience was one of the worst we've encountered from rude and nonchalant staff to the worst pesto ever imaginable. We were convinced that we had been "punked" and waited for Ashton Kutcher to appear. The salad was bagged and unwashed, the "garlic" butter was merely waaay too much garlic salt mixed with butter and the pesto was long on basil, and none on garlic and pine nuts. The Merlot was the only thing saving the meal and the waitress was well-versed in the pre described responses-excuses. Will NEVER be back, telling Gordon Ramsey about this place.
(1)Sarah S.
Great atmosphere, great food, and good prices. Get there early, there is always a line right before they open. The marinara sauce was a little too mushroomy, but the pesto linguine was fantastic. We will be back for sure next time we are in town.
(4)Natalie W.
We were pretty disappointed after all the hype. Great atmosphere, excellent service and good wine...but the canoli was served barely warm and the pizza, although the ingredients were fresh, had very little sauce and was dry. The spaghetti sauce was bland and they dont even make their own pasta. Bummed we didn't get in before the new change in ownership.
(3)Amie J.
Worth the wait! We came here on a Friday night to an hour wait. Decided to come back Sunday night pretty late and waited for ten minutes. Staff is great here with a family feel. The wine is amazing and lastly, the FOOD. Oh my gosh. I had the spaghetti with marinara...doesn't sound too exciting. It was THE best marinara I've ever had. Lots of vegetables and very flavorful. Salad was also wonderful and of course the bread with garlic butter. Will definitely return for the sherbet, included in each meal!
(5)Amy T.
No matter how long or short my stay in Glenwood is, I always go to the Italian Underground, and it never disappoints. This small intimate restaurant is always crowded. If you want to avoid a wait, come a little before they open at 5pm or show up later in the evening as the first seated guests are finishing up their meals. Even if there is a line, it is worth waiting.
(5)Levi W.
Very kid friendly and good food all round. I hade a great time with my family and they have a nice atmosphere.
(4)T R.
We definitely won't be going back again. This was our second time trying the underground and walked away wishing we had gone somewhere else. We were told it was going to be a 20 minute wait...seemed like this was their standard response. After 45 minutes they finally sat us. We ordered the combination plate and decided to split it. We knew about the $3 extra plate charge and decided to do it anyways. Come to find out, even though they charge for an extra plate you don't get an extra salad. The food was extremely bland. The sauce left a lot to be desired. Didn't even end up eating most of it. Do yourself a favor and go to Smoke or the CO Ranch House. Both are much better!
(1)Tracy V.
Found this spot on Yelp and was actually impressed with the food. Started with a cheese and fig plate and a glass of Merlot, then stayed for dinner. Flavorful, large portions, very affordable, cozy underground atmosphere. I plan to stop by here again on my next trip through the area.
(4)Ann R.
This restaurant has been the heart of Glenwood's Italian fare for a LONG time! Recently, the original owners sold the restaurant. I'm here to say, that the transition has been seamless, the food is still incredible, and worth the wait! It's a very small space, which makes it intimate, but also necessary to wait. Again, worth the wait. The new owners kept on all the familiar faces. Open only for dinner! If you get there right before they open, usually you can get in the first seating, which is great for families. Thanks, new owners for carrying on the tradition!!
(5)L S.
We ordered the bruchetta with meat- and there was no tomato at all- we ordered the spaghetti with meat sauce, and there was absolutely no sauce in it just meatballs, the salad that came with it was just mixed greens and nothing else. We didn't eat the bruchetta or the spaghetti, or the bland cheesecake. It was take out and we felt seriously ripped off @ 40$ plus generous tip. We called to complain and told them about the meat sauce (very nicely) and the girl who answered said she'd tell the cooks and did nothing about it. such a huge disappointment!! We do not recommend and would not go back.
(1)Quin J.
The service was horrible, the portions were tiny, and I'm pretty sure they made over a 1000% profit on my plain noodles. Guess the food was okay if you like overpriced Italian.
(2)Jessica J.
I get by the insane lines to get into this place, it is a popular tourist spot. I also saw a lot of take out going out the door so the locals must dig it too. Me, well, I can't say I was that blown away. Location wise, it is right in "downtown" Glenwood just about a block off the pedestrian bridge. You will see the sign and a few steps, you need to actually go in the building and then the restaurant is down in the basement. There is no real hostess/waiting area so know that you will be in a long line of people trying to get their name on a list and then have to make your way up narrow stairs. They quoted us a 20m wait, it was closer to 30m. Once in, it is tight quarters and not a lot of air flow in the basement. I suppose it is quaint, but it also hot, cramped and in the summer time had more than one gnat and flying bug (they keep their front and back doors open - for air, but you get other things too). We ordered the pizza. I am guessing people don't come here for the pizza, but we have a super picky eater so that is the way we went. It took quite a long time to come out (lost track) and the 2 other tables that were sat after us were served long before us. It even took a good long while to get the bread and salads to come out. For as long as everything took you would have expected something fantastic, but I think it was a pretty bland boring dinner. The bread was basically white Italian bread (store bought, not fresh) served with butter. The salad was iceberg, carrot and a bit of cabbage with Italian dressing - very basic. The pizza was very cheesy and did have a lot of toppings, but I can't say it really stood out. It didn't have a ton of flavor to me. I personally wasn't that impressed by the place, but then again everyone around us had pasta dishes that looked way better than our pizza, so I might try it again and get pasta - if I can stand the wait that is!
(3)Tami P.
Excellent pasta, fun cozy place, great service. Crowded and loud but great for a casual dinner.
(4)Diane Z.
The best service in Glenwood! small place long wait (but so worth it) It feels / tastes like you've gone to your favorite aunties for dinner. Marinara sauce is to die for.
(5)Leen R.
The only reason this restaurant is getting two stars is because our waitress was polite and the ambiance of the restaurant is pretty cool, because obviously it's underground. Our food was terrible, we got the Chicken Cacciatore, it was dry, flavorless, and sad. The bread is plain white bread, the meat sauce is so bad you won't want to finish your food, let alone take a second bite. Olive Garden serves better Italian food than this restaurant, seriously.
(2)Trisha B.
Very good Italian cuisine in a romantic underground cave setting. You'll enjoy it -- GO!
(4)Lindsey P.
Blah. That's what we got. A blah dinner, blah service and a blah memory. I wouldn't come back here if you paid me. The only saving grace was the bartender, the only friendly staff in the place. I ordered the shrimp linguini and it was ok, but nothing to write home about. My husband ordered the sampler and everything tasted under seasoned and just generally generic. Our server was rude and we actually had to tell her to slow down. We felt like we were being rushed through our meal due to the small amount of tables in the place. When we told her we wanted to take our time she got rude and you could see the frustration on her face. Needless to say she never checked on us after that. If you're looking for Blah, you found it.
(2)Cholla N.
Will never eat here again. I don't usually say that especially about a place that's been good in the past but this time was just that bad! First of all the salad was old, turning brown and wilted and appeared to be straight out of a bag....gross. The clam linguine was ok but the clams were canned and had dirt in them. The spinach lasagna was the only good thing but had a freaking hair right in the middle of it!!!! To top it off we were charged 7 dollars for a side of spaghetti and meatballs for our four year old to eat....way,way, way over priced for a cup of noodles and ONE meatball. My husband and daughter became instantly stomach sick right after eating. I've had better food out of a microwave and for a much better price. Short of this place going under new ownership I will never eat here again and will steer friends clear of it!!!
(1)David W.
Such a great meal and service. We had a marvelous meal. The service was amazing. Great local place that is chill. Many of the other dinning locations are more pretentious. Not Italian Underground. Getting there late in the evening on a Saturday was perfect.
(5)Karyn C.
Slow unfriendly service. We came before a group of 9 people and was served after them. Waitress made it obvious that she wanted us in and out of the place as soon as possible. Food was average. My 13 year old cousin could have done a better job. You definitely won't get your bang for your buck. Over priced food for just a small portion. Would give this place no stars but yelp requires you to have one or more.
(1)Wendy D.
Worst experience. Slow service, party of 9 came in after us and they got their food first. Quality of food average, over priced. Don't eat here.
(1)B M.
Their shrimp fettuccine Alfredo is so so so good. I've been there a handful of times, and everytime we have had fast and friendly service, great food and an all around good dining experience.
(5)Tony P.
We elected to go the route of their specials and glad we did compared to their menu selections. The menu seems to be mainly spaghetti several ways. Our son had the pizza and we asked if they could make it thin crust and her reply was we make our pizza crusts in the morning and we can not make it any different. Okay here is my issue, is the dough really fresh? The pizza was eatable that was about it. Our pasta dishes were not something memorable for 15.99. I can deal with acceptable food if the service is exceptional. Our server started with an attitude and rarely came over to ask about the dishes. The salad was getting old and almost ready to be trashed. I would have given them a 2 1/2 if could.
(3)Tom W.
So the place is hopping on Friday evening, SRO and while the greeter told us it would be 45 mins to an hour it took more like an hour and half to get seated. There were five of us, four adults and a child. My 7 year daughter had a cheese pizza or at least most of one slice, they really don't have a kids menu. The adults has one Meat Lasagna, one Spaghetti with Sausage, two specials with clams, mussels and shrimp in a marinara over pene. The pastas were cooked al dente and the portions were larger than needed. The marinara was so so, nothing to die for, and the sausage was way too spicy, to much heat, not great Italian. The bread was hot and fresh but frankly it had an odd taste and I couldn't eat an entire slice, neither could my wife who normally devours fresh hot breads. The wait staff was great though, the worked their collective butts off, and the location is quaint and enjoyable. If the food was better, perhaps if they had some lighter recipes, and focussed on quality rather than quantity, this could be a great place. Oh and what ever you do, don't buy the Riesling, firstly it's Italian, second it's like it was made with sour grapes. I don't normally get a Riesling when eating Italian, but our guest preferred it over a red. I like a nice Auslese or Spatelese ( no unlaut) but this was the worst wine I ever had. Rather mix Everclear with Kool Aid.
(3)Malia H.
Delicious food. Clean. Friendly service. The Italian salad dressing on the house salad was awesome. Pesto spaghetti and spaghetti arrabbiata was great. Garlic butter with the bread, yum. Nice under ground settings.
(5)Leslie S.
I would love to give this a 4 star rating if it wasn't for the absolutely HORRIBLE service. We waited, as expected, about 45 minutes for our table. We filled the tiny bar with the six of us. The bartender was great. Drinks served quickly and replenished quickly. Too bad he couldn't have waited on us at our table. Our waitress was less than enthusiastic to serve us. She was rude and her face clearly showed her displeasure. She charged us for an appetizer and bottle of wine that were never ordered. Needless to say - her tip reflected her service - lousy. FOOD? Fantastic! Everyone ordered something different and there wasn't one complaint. If you are really hungry - order the combination. My husband loved it!
(2)Eliseo R.
A very cozy place, very friendly staff, my whole family enjoyed the food, I tried the spaghetti with clams, was great! I had the special rigattoni with home made sausage in red sauce and it was delicious, my daughter had spinach pizza and it was very good also, the cheese was yummi. Salad and dessert are included with dinner, the dressing for the salads are home made also, very very good dressing. I'd come back to this place for sure.
(4)Jason J.
There don't actually seem to be that many restaurants to go eat in downtown Glenwood - especially that the kid will eat at - so we decided to try the Underground after seeing they had pizza. We got here about 6pm on a Sunday night and there was already a huge line (like a 30 minute wait). The really narrow steps were annoying as everyone was trying to go up and down at the same time and didn't seem willing to take turns. They also seemed to have a ton of staff running around like crazy, but only one person actually working tables. Service was extremely slow and we had to scrounge a drink menu from a different table. The pizza was pretty good, altho I wasn't completely blown away by it. Quaint atmosphere in the little basement, but it worked. It was a nice get-away. Would've been nicer if they turned on the air :)
(3)Douglass M.
Not sure where the other reviewers ate. This place basically served noodles and ketchup. My wife had the linguine & pesto. I'm not sure how you screw up pesto but they managed to do it, it was pretty bland. The bread & garlic butter was good.
(1)Tawni M.
Very disappointing. Took our family here on a Saturday night. It was busy. Put our name in & were told it was an hour wait. Came back an hour later & were told it was a half hour wait. Continued to wait for 45 more minutes & were finally seated. The host was apologetic but offered no compensation, like bread or appetizer on the house. The waitress was unapologetic & told us our food would be out in 20 mins. It took another 30 minutes before the food was out. The food was overpriced & there was nothing nothing special about it. Pizza was typical. Pasta typical, & nothing stood out. The only thing we liked about this place was the setting--quaint Italian cafe. But unfortunately, we won't be back.
(1)Danielle M.
We chose this restaurant because of the great reviews. Boy were we sorely disappointed. This may be the worst Italian food I have ever had. Firstly, the over 40 minute wait to get in is ridiculous. The bread they serve is not even a sourdough type or baguette - try just plain old white bread - nothing special. I ordered the "special" salmon + pasta - what I got was tiny flakes of salmon that was later clarified to be smoked salmon. I expected a piece of fish. Yuk. To their credit, they took my dish back & I thought I would play it safe with meat sauce spaghetti. My husband got the combination plate - which was ok. Honestly what really bothered me was that if a place can't have a decent red sauce, then forget it. This place gets high marks for in my opinion low quality food.
(1)Jenny H.
This is a very small place. Limited and cozy seating. The entree comes with a small side salad and of course warm bread with garlic butter. Beware!!!! Don't let this fool you.... It's tempting but the entrees are large portions. I had the lasagna.... A total must have!! It's so good!! Warning...it does come with a side of meat sauce spaghetti. As if the lasagna portion wasn't enough... Whew!! It's all so good!!! Anyways... I am off and into my food coma. Enjoy!!
(5)tania C.
Recommended by several and was not disappointed. Started with the pizza clambakes yummy. Salad with house made blue cheese dressing. Linguine with clam sauce the best anywhere---first time clams were truly fresh and not chewy. Eggplant parm a great choice and was a special. Entree comes with salad, bread and dessert. Very interesting building 1800's in basement "underground". Great service fast and friendly.
(5)T A.
Terrible experience. Waitress had attitude. Never ask what we wanted to drink. Never mentioned what specials were. Gave me glutten free pasta that was all cut up in pieces. I spoke with owner and explained what happened, he said you been eating too much processed food, that's why I need Gluten free. I explained that my doctor suggested gluten free diet.it was very dissapointing. When they say its a 15 to 20 minutes wait, plan on waiting for 30 minutes.
(1)Iryna T.
One of the best places to eat in Glenwood Springs - if you can get in! It is insanely popular! So expect long wait because space is fairly small and demand is high and they don't take reservations. But food is excellent!
(5)Aaron D.
Pretty good, old school Italian. You won't find anything that's too surprising on the menu. They offer spaghetti and meatballs, fettuccine Alfredo, lasagna, etc. It's all very tasty, but nothing that will change your life. The service was quite good and the portions were very generous. If you are looking for fancy gourmet Italian, this is not the place, but if you want tasty traditional Italian, give it a try.
(3)Anna C.
This was a very good place! It is kind of hidden- but once you get inside it is very quaint and homey. I would recommend the pizza and chicken parm. The food was very good however, it did take an hour for us to get seated. Overall, this is a very good place to go if you are in the glenwood area!
(4)Stephanie S.
Most authentic Italian cuisine around! Like being at Grandmas. Family friendly, always helpful staff. Great for an intimate date or family dinner.
(5)Amy M.
Food wasn't great and was way overpriced for how it tasted/what we got. I probably won't ever go back! Service was just so-so.
(2)Melissa S.
Bland food, expected better food for the long line to get a table. Atmosphere is nice quaint. Waiter was ok, nothing special. Pasta puttanesca was bland, needed a microscope to find the olives and capers. Bread was basic white,nothing homemade. When it came to the ice cream, I asked if they had Spumoni, but was told no they don't offer it because Dryers doesn't make it anymore. I wanted this place to be better, I love Glenwood , but the best this place can be for is kids, expect to pay adult prices.
(1)Tyler M.
The atmosphere was nice and the staff was friendly but the food was very blan not very much flavor some had spaghetti with meatballs and sausage the meatballs were dry and the sausage had no flavor and was also dry I had the pesto lenquine and it was so dry and again had no flavor I had to keep adding salt just to be able to eat it. I would not recommend this place. Find somewhere else If you want Italian
(1)Vicki P.
Italian Underground is a cozy, traditional family restaurant located, you guessed it, down in the basement of the historic Silver Club building. The old brick floor has been preserved underneath some kind of heavy-duty shellac application that gives it a high gloss shine and helps lighten up the dimly lit room. The space is adorned with loads of framed historical and family photos that add to the restaurant's homey charm. We arrived around 7:30ish on a Sunday evening and only had to wait about 15 minutes or so. When we were seated, full water glasses were already on the table. Every restaurant should take this cue. The menu is pretty typical of average run-of-the-mill Italian places and they also feature daily specials. Mr. P. ordered one of the specials and I decided to order from the menu. The special pasta dish was definitely the highlight of the entire meal. It had an Italian name that I can't recall but it was basically rigatoni pasta with a red sauce made with sausage, shallots and tomatoes. The dish was quite tasty and the sauce was freshly made, light and vibrant. By contrast, my lasagna dinner was pretty bland. The lasagna wasn't made with red sauce, as I was expecting; it was just meat and noodles with a thick layer of cheese on top, which kept it from being too dry. The accompanying spaghetti was topped with a mostly tasteless sauce that looked more like chili in color than spaghetti sauce. It gave me the impression that there might be a big vat of this sauce back in the kitchen for ladling over everything on the regular menu. Very disappointing. As other reviews have mentioned, every meal comes with a salad, bread and dessert. I appreciate the sentiment and the value for my dollar, but I think I'd rather pay more for better food. The salad is just bagged lettuce with the carrots and cabbage already added in. Meaning no tomatoes or cucumbers or anything else included. The bread, though nicely warmed when it reached our table, was tasteless and dried out quickly after it was cut. I did enjoy the spumoni and I believe it was the first time I'd ever had spumoni. If we eat here again, I will certainly order one of the daily specials.
(3)Stephan G.
Unbelievable. I found one of my new favorite Italian restaurants and that says a lot since I come from a long line of Italian chefs in my family. The restaurant is a cute place located in the basement of a building and it is gorgeous. Originally when I looked at the menu they wanted $15 for Spagetti and meatball and I was a little turned off by the price but they also give you a salad and scoop of ice cream with the meal making the price not as bad. HELPFUL HINT: Get the combination plate because for $16 you get Spagetti, Meatball, Sausage, Lasagna and a Cannoli which is a huge plate of food that you will not be disappointed by. On to the service and it was outstanding! It was a busy night but our waitress, Dot, kept up with everything for us and constantly made sure that our drinks were always full. Good service is hard to find but they have it here in spades. The service team did a terrific job of delivering fantastic service and making the experience memorable. For great Italian food in Glenwood Springs, you should definitely go to Italian Underground! You will not be disappointed!
(5)Xavier C.
Great service, tasty food at a reasonable price. Everything made in-house. What's not to like.
(4)Jorge S.
Sad to be in a such a great setting, but the food was not great. Pizza was a disaster. The marinara was from a can, and the dough was gummy... Terrible. The pasta was not bad, but the puttanesca sauce was spicy, and that is not part of the original Italian recipe, but more to please the American market - very very sad. I would never come back again nor recommended to anyone.
(3)Victoria K.
So on a small vacation to colorado, my fam and i were looking for something to eat. Unanimously, any locals we asked pointed us towards this place. I am so glad we listened. The family that owns this place is so hospitable and nice and the atmosphere is incredibly homey! They give such large portions too, and for $15~ you get three courses, a salad, main entree and dessert. They also have this homemade, thick sliced bread with homemade garlic butter, and oh my god i could just eat that by itself. The first night my sister had the sausage pasta, i had the seafood ravioli, and my mom had the rotisserie chicken. It was all really really amazing!!! Though, my sister and I got specials, so it probably won't be there again. The second night my sister had a sword fish dish, which was divine, like sent from god divine! My mom and I shared an eggplant parmigiana and it was probably some of the best eggplant parmigiana ive ever tasted in my life. Again, they were both specials, so just pray they bring them back haha. The salad dressings are all house made and delicious! I got the bleu cheese, and normally i hate bleu cheese, but good god, this stuff was creamy and delectable and delicous! Lastly they offer ice cream as dessert, and the spumoni is the best ever! We only know of one other place with the same spumoni brand, and thats in california, but this place has better food for sure. So definitely a five-star establishment right here, tucked away in glenwood springs. It has the food, the service and the ambiance, the whole package! This is probably one of the main reasons i would wanna come back here for sure!
(5)Rachel M.
Don't go to this place. Just don't do it! It's so not worth it. I ordered spaghetti with butter. That just shows you how little they had. You got a salad with your plate of pasta- if you can even call it that. It was lettuce with about two tiny carrots in it. And they didn't have ranch dressing, the only dressing I like, so I ended up not really eating my salad. My pasta was average, not amazing, but alright. Overall, this is an average place- that's why I am giving them an average rating.
(3)Jim H.
Good Italian food. Staff is great and very friendly. We try to go there when we are in town. Perfect family place, but it's small. Pick slightly off prime hours.
(4)Shanna K.
So this place was good, but certainly not as amazing as I was lead to believe by these reviews. We went at 8pm on a Monday night, and still had a 10 minute wait. Please note, this place is not accessible at all, and there isn't even a restroom in the basement. Wish I'd known, as I wasn't having a great knee day. Menu wasn't huge, but was pretty standard for an Italian place - lots of carbs and cheese, but veggie friendly for sure. I got the Spinach Lasagna, and LP got the creamy pasta with smoked salmon (a special, that they wound up charging us more for than on the special board). Both came with salad (home made blue cheese dressing was good, but nothing to write home about) and bread (ok, but not anything amazing). Food was good; big portions. The lasagna was tasty, but the pasta/sauce it came with was only mediocre. Dessert was an option of spumoni or raspberry sherbet; we both opted for the sherbet. Service was pretty good, but we still took over an hour from seating to leaving. All in all, a decent place, but nothing super special. If you're looking for a fun and tasty date night place, I'd suggest the Pullman.
(4)Karen D.
Satisfied our craving for good Italian food. The place is popular and fills up fast, like everyone else here says. We got there 10 minutes after they opened, so we didn't have to wait. I had the special of chicken Parmesan, my husband had the spaghetti with sausage. Both were extremely good. Yes, the portions are very large, so you'll have enough for leftovers or a midnight snack. The ambiance of the restaurant was nice, tables are spaced apart just right for some privacy, and the servers were very pleasant and attentive. Next time I come through Glenwood and want some Italian, I'll be heading for Italian Underground.
(4)W N.
My family of four was looking for a good family restaurant. Locals recommended the "underground". It was excellent. It is an old school Italian restaurant. Nice selection of wine, generous portions, and friendly staff. It is a smaller restaurant and we did have to wait about twenty minutes, but I'm glad we did. Spaghetti, pizza, calzones, were our menu choices. All were wonderful.
(5)B W.
Amazing family run business with great prices! Get here early though because the lines are long but worth it! Pizza is great and so are the daily specials. Love this spot and have for years!!
(5)Seth G.
Visiting the Italian Underground has become a mainstay tradition for us anytime we are remotely near Glenwood Springs. Its not that the food is the most amazing, there is certainly better italian food in the world (maybe even in Glenwood, I'm not sure) but its the whole experience that makes it great. You show up at 4:50 on any given day and there is already a line of eager diners waiting outside the door hungry to get in. (they open at 5) 5 o'clock rolls around, the heavy iron gate swings open and soon the place is filled with the first seating of the evening. The atmosphere is cave-like (hence the "underground" in the name) the dining room is small and dimly lit, maybe even cozy. Pictures of friends and family adorn the walls (like you seem to see in a lot of italian family joints) though looking around at them and then glancing at some of the waitstaff, you realize that this is really the living room (or basement rec room) of a family who has invited you over for dinner and is now ready to take your order. Portions are generous, and meals are inclusive (garlic bread, salad with choice of dressing and a scoop of sherbet or spumoni for dessert accompany your entree). They have a few tasty wines, cocktails and beers (they make an excellent Negroni) and everything is well priced. Will you be blown away by the food? Probably not, but it's my belief that the whole experience will drive you to incorporate the Italian Underground into your own family tradition.
(4)Diane Y.
DO NOT LISTEN TO THE NATIVES. THIS IS TOTAL SLOP. How do you judge an Italian restaurant? One quick and easy way is to figure out whether the parmesan cheese they offer is Kraft from the shelf-stable green can. If it is, don't walk, RUN the hell away from that "restaurant." Yes, there's a shaker of the frightful stuff at each table here. Have you been to the Olive Garden? The Olive Garden is the finest restaurant in all of Italy compared to this hole. Each entree is less imaginative than the next, and though many other reviewers have raved about the all inclusive pricing system, here's a breakdown of what you get: The salad: the sad wilted iceberg lettuce of your elementary school cafeteria with dressing choices of italian, blue cheese and thousand island. One of my fellow diners made me laugh heartily when she suggested this limited choice was due to a desire for authenticity. I'm sure thousand island is ever so popular in Italy. The bread: fresh and hot... wonder bread. Yes, white mushy bread. Fascinating if you've ever wondered what wonder bread is like hot from the oven, but otherwise very bland. The garlic butter: made with garlic salt. Seriously? The entree: the pastas are no better than store bought. Worse, actually. Overcooked and completely flavorless. Like a different reviewer, I too put salt, pepper, and pepper flakes on my alfredo pasta and STILL it tasted like nothing. The dessert: a baby scoop of what appears to be Haagen Daas raspberry sorbet. In conclusion: I could've fed my entire party exactly what they ordered from Italian Underground and paid a total of $15 or less by buying the stuff at the supermarket and boiling it myself. At this poor excuse for a restaurant, our total was $80 + tip. I beg of you, learn from my mistake and avoid like the plague!
(1)Zach J.
Liked the look of it as we descended the stairs, but downhill from there. The atmosphere was cool, but the service and food were lacking. Our waitress took a sarcastic tone with us and was inattentive. The food was subpar. I ordered the sampler and was unimpressed or disgusted. The cannoli was awful. We were also surprised by the check considering we both just had water.
(2)Whitney H.
The atmosphere is dark but fun, kind of an Italian cave. The staff was helpful but not necessarily friendly. The food on the other hand was less than desirable. I had the Canolli and it was a sausage link that seemed to be wrapped in a Pillsbury crescent roll. The meat sauce had a strange texture like thwy added pulverized meat to a cheap sauce and added a LOT of basil. A family member had the lasagna and later had a stomach ache. Bottom line: go someplace else.
(2)Robin S.
A for atmosphere. Its been said. In a basement, cute, quaint, filled with locals, kitchy tablecloths. A for service. Quick, attentive, friendly, unobtrusive. B- for food. The menu is pretty limited...pasta with marinara or other red sauce, pasta with white sauce...its very "down to earth" italian. We got the Linguini with pesto. It was decent though nothing to write home about. Fantastic bread.We also got a salad...which was wilted and drowned in dressing. Ask for dressing on the side. D for some nitpicky things. If you're gonna charge $3 for a split plate of $15 pasta, put them on separate effin plates. Its pasta! Lame to bring them out on one and make us slop pasta all over the table. Good, large meals are a pretty good deal but its not the most amazing thing ever. I'd come back if I lived here.
(3)Breann M.
Amazing on all aspect. The two hour wait while we finished a bottle of wine was totally worth it. The atmosphere, the service, the food was all spectacular. If you are skiing the Aspen/Glenwood area definitely make time for them!
(5)PAUL S.
Oh dear, what was I thinking, I am so disappointed by this restaurant, especially as it was voted top place to go in Glenwood Springs by my fellow Yelpers. OK the restaurant is cute, dark, bustling, but that's where it ends. The Bread could have been bought at the supermarket, the salad was just lettuce. My Mum got the pizza which was like a Lean Cuisine Microwave pizza. My Shrimp Linguine Spinach thingy, had no taste to it, none, I added salt, pepper and chili pepper flakes, still no flavor. I'm sorry, I don't eat at chains, but I came out begging for an Olive Garden.
(2)Colette Q.
Not really worth it, this Italian is hardly a step above prego do yourself a favor and skip it. It's only really popular because it has a cool underground atmosphere but the food is mediocre
(2)Ashley B.
Been here a few times and it's pretty solid. I would describe it as what you might imagine the very first Buca di Bepo as being; family italian, (not necessarily family style all the time) with great smells, very good ambiance and a very small little space. They open at 5:00 and I suggest, if it's a busy night, not getting there much later than that. We've gotten pizza here and been very happy. I also once got the roast chicken and it was tasty and moist. Last visit just a few days ago, my mother and I split the combination plate: spaghetti with meat sauce, italian sausage, a meatball, lasagna and a cannoli, (bread wrapped around an italian sausage with a pepper inside). The cannoli was the one thing that I would rather not eat again. It was just really really plain and had no sauce with it. Very blah. The sausage is a little sweeter than some might be expecting. I know I ate the meatball but I have literally no memory of even eating it, (whoops). The meat sauce and spaghetti are pretty good, and surprisingly not dry, seeing as how it's not a very wet sauce. That sounds ridiculous as I write it, but that's the only way I can really describe it. My favorite item was overwhelmingly the lasagna, which is definitely worth noting as I really don't find lasagna worth eating, ever. It's not very cheesy, nor is it oozing with sauce, and yet it isn't dry, has well-balanced flavors, and was hearty without making me go into a food coma. The bread and garlic butter ar ea very nice touch, though the salad is pretty straightforward. The raspberry sherbert/spumoni for dessert is very flavorful, but like someone mentioned, they are pre-scooped and develop an icy crust. One other nice detail is that we bought a bottle of cabernet sauvignon that was $20 on their menu, and only costs $17 at the liquor store. Not much markup, which I really appreciate.
(4)D H.
I found this to be a reliably typical Italian restaurant. Nothing over the top to rave about but hit expectations with good food and large portions. Service was friendly and the atmosphere was warm. I'd come back.
(3)Maulik K.
Its an amazing place with great food... A very Authentic Italian place... People are friendly and the food is amazing...
(5)Jacob E.
Great meal, got in right before the rush at 5:30. Pizza was great, chicken was pretty good, lasagna was tasty. Only complaint was the price. Pretty steep.
(3)Daniel d.
You must go here! It is fun as you enter and go downstairs and look over much excitement. The smells are wafting up the the staircase and this gets you going. Excellent wine list with many good selections and varieties of grapes. Perfect sauces... not too much of anything. Their portions are all large to extra large. Bread there is made every day. It is served warm. They give you an option of oil or soft garlic butter for the bread. Yum! There is a slightly higher noise factor because everyone is having a good time.
(4)Edward W.
I suppose not many Italians live or eat in Glenwood Springs. That would explain the reason for the four star reviews for this place. Portions are large. Prices are low - about $12-$16 for salad, dinner and ice cream (all inclusive). The staff is very nice, and service is good, but the food is more like Rome, Georgia than Rome, Italy.
(2)Andrew D.
Just okay. When you walk into this restaurant you feel like you're going down into a dungeon. It's dark and you feel very exposed to all the diners when you descend the stairs. I sat at the bar and ordered the breadstick appetizer (I needed some carbs after a 75mi bike ride). The bread was okay and the sauce seemed to be pre-made from Sysco or some place. I wanted to order some wine but the selection consists of very cheap wine which doesn't taste good and is way over priced. I ordered the lasagna which was a bit dry. Also the lasagna came with a side of spaghetti which seemed a little odd. I probably won't come back, which I'm finding is my standard response to most of the restaurants I've visited in Glenwood Springs. I really hope to find a good place here soon!
(1)Sage W.
This place is REALLY good! The only problem is the wait... It's usally around an hour. The problem with this place is, that it's a small underground basement. That means it doesn't fit many people. Once you do get to eat though, the food is awesome! The bread is nice, and warm, and the garlic butter is so delicious! The salad was very average, but my blue cheese dressing made from homeade blue cheese made it awesome! My pasta was very good, but nothing too special. The Spumoni at the end was very good, and from what I heard the sherbert was too. The enviornment is very nice, and authentic. There are old pictures on the wall containing the history of this old town. Our waitress was very friendly. I highly enjoyed this place, and will come back! Reccomended to anyone who likes Italian food!
(5)Ron N.
Got here early...a bit too early, but only had to wait 5 minutes for 5 PM to arrive. Pretty hoppin place after we got seated. The menu has the standard italian fare. Each meal comes with salad, bread (with awesome garlic butter), and ice cream/sherbet for dessert. I had the spaghetti with meat balls (the reduced size portion) and it was good. A bit spicy, but good. Unless you have a monstrous appetite, I would get the reduced sized portion which was still pretty big for 15% less.
(4)Angie A.
We had been trying to go to Italian Underground every time we've visited Glenwood Springs and last night we finally got in. This place is SMALL and it doesn't open until 5, so if you want to eat there get there early! We got in line at 4:30. The service was decent but the food was very good! I had their fettuccine and it was wonderful. I would recommend Italian Underground but like I said, get there early if you don't want to wait an hour.
(4)Christy P.
We did have to wait over 30 minutes for a table on a Tuesday, but we still enjoyed our time. The staff was quick and attentive and the food was fantastic. The restaurant is a bit crowded and the menu is limited, but there were a few specials available beyond the basic menu. This is not our first time eating at the Italian Underground and won't be our last.
(4)J J.
Average or better Italian food. Wait service was ok but harried. Menu was very basic. Ambiance was poor to fair.
(3)Whitney W.
The smell alone, emanating from below, first attracted us to Italian Underground. This is a very popular restaurant, and with good reason. Our first night in Glenwood we tried to eat here around 6pm, and were told it would be an hour wait. So we came back the next night a little earlier - around 5:30 - and had a more reasonable wait of 30 minutes. This time we stuck around. We were not disappointed. The place is nothing fancy...classic linoleum tablecloths; very small and unpretentious. The novelty, of course, is that the restaurant is in a basement. It reminded me of a big city restaurant. The service was good. My fiance loved his spinach lasagna and spaghetti. At first I thought my linguine with pesto was a little bland, but some salt and Parmesan cheese helped with that. (As I poured salt on my dish, I imagined some big Italian don coming out from the kitchen and acting insulted that I didn't find the food flavorful enough.) The portions are pretty sizable, and we had enough leftovers for another meal. My favorite part was that every entree comes with salad, bread, and ice cream. The salad was drenched in Italian dressing, just the way I like it; the bread was thick, hearty, and soft, with delicious garlic butter; and the ice cream was a nice finish to the meal. My fiance had the spumoni (which I find disgusting in general) but my raspberry sorbet was quite good. Definitely worth a visit, and the wait.
(4)Emily S.
The first time I go to any Italian Resaurant I try the meatballs. They were delicious! We really enjoyed dinner and thought the staff had made the best of a busy night. The only real problem was how stuffy it was, even for a basement.
(4)Holly S.
be prepared for a menu that is mostly spaghetti and linguine with various sauces. They have a few items that are specials, but if you like a protein based Italian dinner, this isn't the place. I had the putanesca which was great. I love how fresh it is. It never lacks flavor and spice.
(4)Tom K.
Stopped here on recommendation from a friend and it was fantastic! This is just the kind of Italian restaurant we like. It has a great family atmosphere, very reasonably priced menu, good food, good service. It's a bit tricky to find below street level. Just come over the bridge and take a couple rights to get down there. As noted in other reviews, do plan on waiting. Our wait at peak of a Thursday night was only 15 minutes. This is nothing fancy or fine dining. But it's fun, enjoyable hearty Italian dining.
(5)whitney m.
Yummy! We were in town for a couple nights and really wanted to try uncle pizza based on reviews--but learned that they are now only a delivery joint. This place is super cute in a 1950s idea of what italy looks like--basement space with few tables --red checked tablecloths and big wine bottles complete the Lady and the Tramp feel. The food stands alone---the salad was great and as mentioned before by yelpers--the garlic butter is nummmy! Bread could have been lighter but no big. The spaghetti w/meat sauce was good not better than homemade but better than olive garden-same with fettucini alfredo. the pizza was meh? but the spumoni at the end of the meal and the fact that they have an amarone on the wine list out weigh the meh parts. --overall a good place to pick if you are in the mood for italian!
(3)Seth J.
Liked: On man, we loved it. Everything about it! I got fettuccine alfredo and Meg got a combination plate. They started us off with some delicious sliced bread that was dense but light. The whipped garlic butter they served with it was divine. The bread presentation in and of itself could've been a meal. We would've been happy. They bought it out at the perfect temperature. Our actual meals didn't disappoint us either. The pasta was cooked just long enough so that it still had a little bit of bite left (as in the turgidity of it). The alredo sauce was sooo good. No too cheesy, not too creamy. Just the perfect balance. Being that I don't drink wine, I ordered a delicious Italian orange soda with my meal that was a nice balance to the savory goodness described above. The location was totally cool too. On a really cute street on the cute side (the South side) of Glenwood Springs. Right across the highway from the hot springs. The wait staff, so friendly. Small town feel. Felt like everyone there knew us even though it was our first time. We were told this place is where all the locals go, and we don't doubt it. It felt authentic and real. The floor was glazed brick. Didn't Like: Not much we didn't like, but the salad they started us off with was very average. The spamoni was delicous but they had scooped it out and put it in the freezer earlier in the day and so there was that thin layer of hard covering that forms on ice cream when you leave it in the freezer uncovered.
(5)Raoul D.
We arrived around 1700 on a Thursday. Nice, quiet, and comfy. Food was excellent. Very small town, local, and attentive. The bread was very good, prosciutto super, and our entrees just right. Ice cream was included. In short, a nice local meal. I highly recommend it.
(5)Ryan S.
I like the comparison to Olive Garden. Did you know behind the scenes at Olive Garden your food is actually prepared in microwaves? This place however is a relatively decent Italian restaurant. No Maggiano's or Marco's pizza but its the best Italian your gonna find in Glenwood. For roughly $15 you get a pasta dish, salad and Spumoni. The salad and dessert are the only reasons for a 4-star - salad was a store bought salad kit at best and Spumoni, well the same. Avoid during peak business hours and you'll be fine.
(4)Candis H.
Great drinks. Try Negroni. Roteserie chicken and potatoes were great. (Skip gravy though) lasagna not impressive. Great salad dressing, soft bread and yummy included ice cream. (Spupomi or raspberry sherbet) my highlight was the owners daughter who chatted me up about her trip to Italy and their Negroni. Lovely little family Italian. In a cute brick basement too.
(3)Adam S.
1 hour wait turned into 2 hours...with kids!!! No kids menu!!! Bagged salad...tasteless pasta...Domino's pizza is more Italian then this..Don't waste your time or money!!!
(1)Holly G.
My favorite Glenwood restaurant by far and every time I come up from Denver I go to dinner here. I love how you get spumoni ice cream with your meal for dessert. That of course is the best part.
(4)Sally M.
Sadly, I have to give the Italian Underground only 3 stars. Sure, it's cute, quaint, and the service is friendly/attentive, but the food was mediocre at best. I ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo (b/c I don't like spaghetti - the other 5 options on the menu, other than 2 somewhat interesting meat-y specials, and I just wasn't hungry enough for all the meat), and it was basically a pile of noodles with sauce - no shrimp, vegetables, or any kind of anything interesting in the dish, other than (you guessed it) noodles & sauce. OK, so maybe Fettuccini Alfredo doesn't come with much other than noodles & sauce, but my dad ordered some kindo of pesto dish, and his meal looked identical to mine, except his was green, and mine was white-ish. But the point is that we both just had a pile of noodles & sauce in front of us - nothing to break-up the dish, like sliced meat, sliced vegetables, or even some kind of grated cheese, or something. Anything. Very standard, non-interesting Italian. Since I grew up in Denver, and was used to Italian restaurants such as this (i.e. the Spaghetti Factory in downtown Denver), it is probably the reason it's taken me so long to finally like Italian food - I always viewed it as so non-interesting. It wasn't until I discovered more intriguing dishes in Boston & SF, and dated an Italian here in SF, that I discovered there is more to Italian food than plain old noodles & sauce! Unfortunately, Italian Underground hasn't innovated, regarding their menu. Or, maybe the case may be that I've just outgrown Italian food in Colorado. Who knows. But, I'm sorry for having to give a mediocre review to a place tourists seem to love (i.e. all the 5 star reviews).
(2)Amanda K.
Awesome place. We overheard someone else talking about it and decided it sounded promising. Sure enough, crazy good food, really nice staff, great service. They don't take reservations but it's definitely worth the wait.
(5)Jun H.
Pros: Decent brick atmosphere. Tasty meat sauce and excellent homemade bread and garlic spread. Cons: Slow and not too attentive service. Portions are huge but if you want to share a meal they chrage an extra $3 on top of a more than sufficient $12-15.
(3)Katie N.
Other than the the atmosphere....which every local will tell you IS great, there's nothing more to this place anymore. The food is mediocre at best and I don't believe the menu has changed much in the 20-30 years it's been here. There are several other great Italian restaurants in GWS making their mark that would be a better bang for your buck.
(1)Ethan S.
I had an awesome dinner and wonderful time at Italian Underground. The warm, cozy, and aroma of the foods make this place feel like home. Simple salad, yet fresh and tasty. The bread is not the Wonder bread like another reviewer describe. The garlic butter is tasty! The main entrees were awesome! We had two nights in Glenwood Springs and returned to Italian Underground for dinner on both nights. Authentic Italian food and simply fantastic!
(5)Rachel W.
My boyfriend and I went there for our anniversary. We knew it would be a long wait, but we were waiting about an hour of waiting and noticing groups and couples getting seated before us. Our waitress was far from friendly. We noticed her being talkative and helpful with all the other tables around us but whenever she'd come to ours (which was rare) she would give us very dry one word answers. We both got Italian dressing for our salads and when they arrived, the greens were just sitting in a pool of vinegar, it was disgusting. When someone came by to pick up the untouched salads they just asked if we were finished. Also, I'm a fan of Alfredo in any kind of dish, but this was not worth $15. It was extremely mediocre and when I asked if I could add chicken, our waitress just said, "no" without any further explanation. After our food we waited around for about twenty minutes before our waitress came and asked what type of iced treat we wanted, we both decided on the Spumoni, but when she returned she had a raspberry sherbet instead of two Spumoni's. I told her I wanted the Spumoni as well, then she said, "Oh, I wasn't sure." I was really just done with her at this point and I told her it was fine, to which she replied, "Oh, Thank you!" Towards the experience another younger couple was seated a few tables away, and we noticed them start to get the same rude attitude by the server, so we realized it wasn't just in our heads. I would never recommend this restaurant to anyone who is looking for a pleasant evening. I could get better food and service at an Olive Garden or even a Wendy's. At least there I could tasty food and friendly service! The food wasn't worth it, our waitress didn't do her job and made it clear she couldn't care less. Never going back.
(1)Mariko Y.
Okay, so the word might have gotten out because the wait when we were there was about half an hour (we got there around 5:30) and it was around an hour by the time we were seated. I forgot to mention that they have garlic butter with their bread, which is really tasty. Except for the fact that their bread is more of a white loaf so soft all around with no real crust. They have half-order options and although their portions aren't enormous they are definitely filling, especially the veggie lasagna. And one small plus, you get a salad (eh) and ICE CREAM with every dinner entree!! ;)
(5)M P.
Very unique atmosphere (thus the "Underground") Nice selection of Italian Wines and authentic Northern Italian fare. Combination plate is a very popular choice where you can sub the regular lasagne for the spinach lasagna. There are several varieties of spaghetti and pasta and you may also sub any of these on the combination plate, which will give you a good sampling of the menu. Escargo is very good, as well. All dinners are served with sorbet, so save room!
(4)Rebecca W.
An absolutely fantastic experience. All the food was perfect, wonderful wine, and intimate atmosphere. There may be a long line to get in, expect an hour wait, but it's worth it. Great for families or date night. I would definitely go back if I get to the ares again, and I would highly recommend it to anyone heading to the area!
(5)Beau R.
This family owned restaurant has the best Italian food I have ever had in my life. I have only been here once but always look for the chance to get back to Glenwood Springs to eat here. I had the sampler of some of the entrees and I can still remember how good it was.
(5)Broarquello A.
I agree with all the 2, maybe 3 star reviews on here. We waited approx. 30min for seating expecting "Maggiano's-like" food and instead ending up getting food poisioning. My husband and I were both sick for 3 days following that meal. Even if it was good tasting food I'd give it 3 stars, but I could have made WAYYYY better spaghetti & fettuccine at home. Glenwood needs a better italian/sicilian restaurant to show people what they're really missin!
(2)Kim V.
Reminded us of our recent trip to Tuscany. First let me say we walked by 2 empty restaurants on the way, & feared it might already have closed, being a slow Wed night. To our surprise, there were at least 7-8 tables full of people! My husband had the spaghetti /w meat sauce (Bolognesa) & I had the linguini w/ pesto. Both were very authentic & delicious. The service was great, too. Their wine was "ok" in our opinion.
(4)R G.
Great service, good food and a good value. More meat options on the menu would be great. Location is easy access from the pool.
(4)John M.
Obviously not a place for SF'ers. Stay away. For everyone else enjoy. I once again had a fantastic meal dining at the bar with a fantastic staff and awesome food. I had a spicy tomatoe pasta special and my favorite white bean and sardine appetizer. Still yummy.
(5)Allison S.
The best in Town! As simple as that. My husband and I just love this place! It is very worth the wait. It would be great if they had more vegetarian options. It is a very cute and cozy place with a helpful staff. We always order our favorite the pesto linguini and spinach lasagna, both are delicious entrees that come with small tasty salads and fresh bread and butter. We recommend this place as the best restaruant Italian or other wise in the area.
(4)Leo S.
Outstanding spaghetti with meat sauce and lasagna. Delicious fresh bread with whipped butter. House Chianti is excellent ...and is a generous pour.
(4)N A.
Oh boy, I loved everything about this place. When we walked in the restaurant, we looked at the menu and thought it may not be the right place for us. All they had was pasta and pizza, and we just hadn't come across a good Italian home cooking type restaurant before. Ok, first of all, the price is right. All of the pasta entrees come with a small salad and ice cream as a dessert. Also, my wine glass was huge, and the white wine I had tasted pretty good. The service was excellent. Even though the restaurant was very full, our food was ready very quickly, and the waiters were attentive, nice, and laid back. I was also impressed with the food. As I mentioned before, I'd only liked Italian food in upscale restaurants that serve fancy food. I don't want to be snobby, but I just never had an opportunity to eat good everyday Italian food before. This restaurant changed my view and made me want to try more Italian food in the future! For anyone visiting Glenwood spring, I highly recommend this place.
(5)Chris M.
We went here over the holiday weekend on a recommendation from a friend, and would definitely go back. The food was just amazing. We had some lasagna and a ravioli special they had with an asparagus sauce. Everything was great, and we left happy..and a little heavier. This place opens at 5P, and we suggest getting there at 5 as it tends to fill up quickly (for very good reason).
(5)Andreea B.
This place should have Olive Garden's "when you're here - you're family"..... The food is exceptional. It tasted as if my mom had just cooked it! When we got there we had a little bit of a wait because it is a small place and it was full.... however it was only like 8 minutes and we were seated. Once we were seated the service was quick. My parents had the two half chicken choices which were exceptional and i had the fettucini pesto - also very good!! one thing i cant stop raving about is their garlic butter.. ohhhhhhhhh garlic butter how wonderful it was.... the price is beyond reasonable. you get salad, entree AND dessert included. all in all a great choice!!
(5)Robb H.
Decent food, nice but hurried staff, neat location, long wait.
(4)Gwen M.
It was edible. The tomato basil spaghetti and pesto linguine were blah. The food wasntt horrible but i wouldnt recommend it nor would i go again. It was way to expensive for the quality of food. There is not much seating the place was loud and dimly lit. The wait staff was nice
(2)Janet B.
Food was amazing! The spumoni was great! Great service as well. Will go here again.
(5)David W.
Once again this place is great. The staff is outstanding we had the same waitress we had two years ago. If your into small family owned dinning this is the place only room for 50 so show up early and have a great time.
(5)Anna S.
We followed the reviews for this and took a chance. The atmosphere is great, but that is where it ends. We arrived and made our drink order and appie order (cheese sampler dish and meatballs.) Both were decent. Five Meatballs were swimming in sauce. Cheeses were mozz, goat, Brie, and some kind of soft blue (I am not a cheese guru). Then the trouble began. Son ordered a pizza, daughter spaghetti is marinara, me - liguini with pesto. We waited 30 MINUTES for our food. Yes, the place was full but the couple who arrived much after us, received their food before us. Was it the pizza? Could be, but like Paul S. said, it was like a cheap microwave brand. Our drink glasses were empty after 20 minutes of waiting and we didn't hear boo from our waitress. Never filled our glasses again. Didn't even see her after we made our order. She didn't apologize for the extensive wait. Our previous night visiting The Pullman was better in every way and get this, our bill here was $65 and at the other was only $42 for far superior food and service. We passed on the ice cream because we didn't like having the poor older couple staring at us for 30 minutes waiting to sit. Food was soooo mediocre. Wouldn't go there again unless I was drinking with friends.
(2)Bill G.
This place is great. It's in the basement (hence the name), the staff is fantastic, and prices are reasonable. The menu is traditional Italian, and well executed. SO don't show up expecting some fusion new wave BS and you'll be fine. Oh, expect to wait 30 minutes for a table, it's a no reservations place! On Sunday you'll often find the staff from many of the other restaurants in Glenwood springs eating there.
(5)chewy c.
disappointing. after hearing about how great this place was, and then waiting 45 minutes alongside a sizeable crowd of people to be seated, i was pretty excited. the venue is actually very cute and the wait staff are very friendly. however, the food is honestly like cafeteria food. it seemed like they cooked up a big vat of pasta earlier in the day, set it under a heat lamp, then just scooped portions from there throughout the night. they are big portions though, if that counts for anything.
(2)Chris N.
It is not Boston, NY or SFCA...it's Glenwood Springs, CO and this is a diamond in the rough. I have spent much time in this city and have exhausted most every culinary venue (not hard to do). I like returning to this place for the atmosphere, service and the consistent decent food at a reasonable price. It a basic Italian joint with a basic menu...I credit them for keeping it simple and affordable. My only negatives, it is not extremely kid-friendly and it can be a bit loud at times but that gives it the European bistro feel...it just means you should cop a seat next to your partner instead of across from them and enjoy. Everybody should have one of these gems in their neighborhood.
(4)