IL Toscano Ristorante

My family and I went to dinner here on Father’s Day, and had one of the most obnoxious dining experiences in recent memory. We had to wait at least 30 minutes after being seated to even get menus, and it was a full hour before we were served any food. When food was finally brought to our table, they consistently only served a portion of the table, leaving everyone sitting with their food getting cold while we waited for the entire table to get served. The wait staff frequently disappeared from the floor, and then blamed the kitchen staff for the issues and delays. Almost 3 hours later when we finally got the check and paid our bill, we were chased down in the street by our waitress demanding to know why her tip was not higher. Unless you want to be frustrated, annoyed, and harassed by incompetent servers, save yourself the trouble and don’t go here.

Literally right next to the Douglaston train station. You can park for free in the station parking lot, you just get your valet ticket validated by the restaurant. Now the the restaurant! From the very beginning, excellent and welcoming service. It’s very cozy inside and feels like an old school Italian restaurant. The wine list is huge and has plenty assortment of fine wines, so you will easily find something you like. They had a number of specials which 2 of us ordered. Everything we had was fantastic! I’m sad I found out about this place so late.

Holy moly, I loved this place the first time I came here for Valentine’s Day but when I came last night I knew I had to slightly adjust my review, sadly. I still think the place is adorable with a homey classy feel — and surprisingly way bigger than I thought it was my first time around — 2 rooms and an upstairs?! I also still think the Italian food here is INCREDIBLE (I couldn’t resist getting the tortellini special again, with a delectable sage sauce). We also had an amazing «off the menu» appetizer (the owner’s «mom’s recipe») with the creamiest cheese I’ve ever had, prosciutto, and (according to my family) the «best eggplant» ever. However, it was one of the SLOWEST meals I’ve ever had. I’ve never watched servers and plates go by one after another not being ours to the point it was distracting me from the table’s dinner discussion. Usually servers apologize if it’s taking awhile, but since there wasn’t an apology maybe it’s safe to assume that’s how it normally is for a busy Saturday night. We had a 7:15 reservation and couldn’t believe when we got out around 10:15. I’ll still give this place another try since it’s my current new-​neighborhood favorite and everything else there was near perfect, just hope the speed picks up next time.

Best lasagna I’ve ever had. Best Napoleon I’ve ever had. This restaurant is cozy and you definitely won’t leave here unsatisfied!

Years ago when I lived in Queens I have vague recollections of going to a quaint, traditional Italian restaurant on a dead end street near the train station in Douglaston. Recently, snagged a last minute reservation on a Saturday night when the name popped up on Open Table.
I was very pleasantly surprised. The place was packed and there was a good (not hectic) energy. While our table wasn’t quite ready for our reservation time, there was a decently flow of people around the bar, which was a nice place to grab a waiting drink. The restaurant has an old world feel, waiters in vests and bowties, olive oil on the table, a giant bowl of biscotti in the corner and paintings of Italy around the room.
Service was prompt and efficient and our waiter had a good sense of humor. My one complaint was I felt the menu was a bit limited. The food, however, was delicious! Homemade fettucine in tomato sauce, branzino fillets and asparagus with white truffle topped the list of what wound up being a delicious meal.
I’m glad I re-​stumbled upon this restaurant and can’t wait to go back for round two.

Il Toscano has been a landmark in Douglaston forever. It is a quaint restaurant that provides an extensive Italian menu. The staff is attentive and friendly. It is pricey but doesn’t have the snobby feel of a high end restaurant. People dress as they like– many people were dressed up for a special evening, while others were dressed casually. The restaurant was packed early Friday night and space seemed a little tight but the dining experience was flawless.
There’s no questioning what to order. I always order their Il Toscano Lobster dish (with linguine).
I can’t imagine ordering anything else here.
I also ordered a special appetizer of the day– stuffed zucchini blossoms that was executed beautifully.
There aren’t many high end Italian restaurants around here. I think many have come and gone. Il Toscano is here to stay for generations.

Feel bad for staff there I was surprise to see how this old man «i believe he’s the owner» scream to the staff when they are extremely busy and can’t satisfied he’s need Don’t like it at all

Was there last night party of 4 food was very good service was terrible!
Won’t be going back waitstaff clueless!

I went early on a Saturday night with my restaurant group. We were one the few people in the restaurant. Our waiter was very off Standish, like we were lucky to be there
We had to call the busboy over many times for water. We are big water drinkers.
We asked for a carafe for the table but the bus boy walked away.
I had the homemade gnocchi with short ribs ½ share for appetizer
The gnocchi was very light and fluffy. The short rib was short a rib
What you see in the picture are Portobello mushrooms
then I had the il toscano lobster out of shell. The waiter was very insistent that I order the lobster out of the shell. I wonder why?
I should have gotten in the shell because it lacked the normal pieces of two lobsters. I did not have claw meat at all. I think I had ½ a tail meat. I seemed to get a lot of the joint pieces from the arms. It was drowning in bread crumbs. And they gave me two of the pieces where the lungs are that have no meat. Why? They are large and fill the bowl. And why put it in if I ordered out of the shell.
It lacked lobster sweetness. This dish was $ 60
Order the lobsters in the shells, if at all
The best part of the meal was the dessert Fruit with zabaglione cream
The fruit was fresh and sweet and the cream was heaven.
My table had similar feelings about their dinners. It was the most expensive dinner I had ever had that I did not like
Oh and use the valet parking the men are nice and super efficient.

Our dining group ate at Il Toscano on Saturday, 11/28.A big positive is the free valet parking at the LIRR lot across the street. The valets were pleasant and efficient. My Expresso Martini was just OK. The décor is very nice, especially the upstairs room which is probably the best place to sit. It was dark but not too dark. Our waiter was a little snooty. Besides that, he did not know the price of the specials he quoted us. After taking our orders he never came back to ask if anything was needed. I had to gesticulate to him across the room so that he could order a busboy to bring me a Peroni. Our request for a carafe of water was ignored.
The food was, for the most part, a mixed bag. Members commented favorably on the Butternut Squash Soup and Gnocchi special. They regarded the steak and Lobster Il Toscano as mediocre. My T Bone Veal Chop was terrific, a juicy and perfectly cooked medium rare. It came with great sides: spinach, asparagus and scalloped potatoes. However, my Linguine with White Clam Sauce was substandard and overpriced at $ 25.50 I could cook that dish ten times better in my own kitchen. Two members also enjoyed the Rack of Lamb special. The desserts were excellent, especially the Tartuffo and the Zagliabone with fresh fruit.
Our group has dined at Il Toscano three times and, based upon our most recent experience, it is trending down in our collective view. The next time we get the urge for Queens Italian food, we are going to Park Side.

One word huge disappointment!!! Arrived a little early to have a drink a bar were immediately rushed to small table for six in the corner of a very bright room. Bartender told us to sit done no time for drinks or else another party will walk in and take your table.
Waiter came tells us specials and comes back for order — that was the last time we saw him the service was terrible could barely get a drink from bar or your water filled .
Food is mediocre at best — the lobster just tastes like butter and oil almost like a scampi sauce. The short rib pasta was terrible– overall this was a very disappointing experience, we will not be back.
Not sure what all the hype is take your money and go to il mulino for better service and most important better food !!!

A little hidden gem in Little Neck, NY– down a narrow street in the heart of a neighborhood. This restaurant serves fantastic Italian food. They have a regular menu and a pre-​fix on Sundays. For the pre-​fix, it includes appetizer, entrée and dessert. All were fantastic! Plus, you went home with leftovers because the portions are big. Get the il Toscano lobster dish with linguine– fabulous. The fresh mozzarella is just made– awesome. Fried calamari melt in your mouth. The chocolate lava cake and Napoleon are a perfect after dinner dessert. Great place and worth a return visit.

This place was amazing. Came here for my mother’s birthday dinner and the staff was super attentive.
We had a party menu and i was told everything was delicious but i will let you know they have the best — and i mean the best lasagna ever.
for dessert they had in house made cake and it was delicious and fresh. They make there own whip cream for there cake which was to die for. Reminds me of when my mother or I would make whip cream for our own desserts.
I would definitely come back again.

Even on a Thursday this restaurant was a full house so I’d suggest making a reservation. The restaurant looks old school but in a good way, and it gives you a cozy feeling. The service was top notch as the waiters are super friendly and helpful. Water and wine was constantly being refilled and the menu and special were explained if we had any questions. The complimentary bread was a little disappointing, it was cold and tasted a bit odd. We ordered the linguine vongole, prime rib, skirt steak, & spinach and ricotta filled ravioli. They were all very good but My favorite had to be the ravioli, it was delicious, creamy & seasoned to perfection.

This dark little eatery is always packed when I’ve been here. It’s been here forever and the owner was young now silver haired presides over the welcoming.
White linen subdued air of an old Tuscan cantina with somber décor they just need some good art on the walls to make it reflect the quality of the ambiance.
The staff has been there since the beginning and know their clients well.
Tuscan fare with done tweaks and Americanized: more sauce, greasier, cheesier. I stick to the soups and salads but that is just me.
Weekends are murder for timeliness so load up with patience.
Always a great meal to share with family or and friends.

This was my first time at this restaurant. It was my brother and sister birthday day. We were a party of 16. We ordered appetizers and dinners … Desserts and bottles of wine and drinks. Needles to say it was a very expensive dinner.. After 2.5 hours. They asked us to leave. We didn’t even finish our dessert and drinks .not once but three times did they say they needed the tables because they had people waiting. They were rude and after dinner was served it was clear that they wanted us out .
No water. No service. And some old man came and gave us the bill … My aunt meal was thrown out. They didn’t even wrap it to go. It is obvious they don’t care about their customers. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. Their food is overpriced and not worth it. The waiter is rude and does not care about the customer. He ignored our repeated request for a refill of water from the time we got there. I was extremely disappointed with this restaurant. I would not recommend anyone to waste their money

This is as close to a fancy Manhattan celebrity chef owned resturant that you will find in the suburbs. I was stunned how great this resturant is. It’s located in a nice quiet area and has free valet parking (man I love that!) but what the main selling point is the food. Every dish is crafted spectacularly. The staff is very friendly and skilled. It’s so unreal that one could find such an fancy place this close to home! I highly, highly recommend.

One of best Italian restaurants in New York, great service, delicious food and always consistent. A bit pricey but worth it

Food is great, but it’s the Napolean dessert that is the Money Shot! Sooooo good. I’ll just run up to that place and grab a Napolean to go. It’s the best I’ve ever had.

I can’t believe I’d never heard of this place or been here until this past weekend. Everything here is top-​notch: the food, service, and atmosphere.
Ditch the menu and go with whatever is the specials for the day.
New Zealand mussels were awesome. Definitely get it if they have it.
Mushroom ravioli with white truffle oil and shavings was out of this world. I usually hate meatless ravioli because why bother, but these were just great.
Lobster Rabe had two 1-​lb lobsters which is a huge portion. The lobster was cooked well, but was a bit overpowered by all the other flavors going on… not sure I would get it again
Pork tenderloin came with a cranberry dressing and assorted vegetables… everything worked really well together and the pork was cooked perfectly.
They gave us a napoleon on the house and it was the perfect size for four people to share. Probably the best napoleon I’ve ever had.
Give this place a try if you’re in the area, and even if you’re not. It’s worth the trip.
Note: if you order pellegrino they will continue to refill everyone’s glasses and open new bottles without asking if you want more… it adds up over the course of a meal.