Colao’s Ristorante

Found this Erie, PA gem on our way home to Cleveland from Holiday Valley. Only 10 minutes off the freeway in a residential area, Colao’s reminds me of a visit to Nana’s. We were warmly greeted by the hostess, and our server could not have been more lovely. The wine and beer selections are good, and the cocktails sound creative. The oysters were delicious, accompanied by a lemony caper aoli. House salads were generously dressed with gorgonzola vinaigrette and accompanied by crusty Italian bread with infused olive oil. My ciopino was bursting with seafood flavored by a spicy fresh tomato sauce. My husband’s scallops and shrimp with rapini were succulent and delicious. Splurge on the homemade pasta… well worth the small upcharge. We had no room for dessert, but they sounded worth the calories. The owner clearly takes pride in his restaurant and it shows. We will definitely be back!

This place is great but a bit pricey! We went for Valentine’s Day, and I’m not sure if the prices are always this high or maybe it was just because it was a fixed menu but for an appetizer we ordered the arancini risotto balls. which we were excited about, but when it came out it was two tiny little risotto balls… That cost us was $ 12. Was it delicious? Absolutely. Was it worth $ 12…Not really. Everything tastes amazing here and I would want to go back, but the prices are just too high. The bar is great though, I would think about going back there just for dessert and drinks seeing as their pear sangria was awesome and so were the cannolis! When we were there the owner was being interviewed by a news team so it’s obviously a very well known place, and the staff is super friendly… For two people our bill came out to 120. but that’s not including the tip we gave to our very sweet waitress. The quality of the food IS excellent but the prices are just a little much.

Have to give this one an absolute 5 star rating, hands down better than mi scuzi.
From the atmosphere within the restaurant all the way to the service, this meal was untouchable compared to anything else Erie. The test of the calamari lit up the taste buds in my mouth, as the sweet red wine glided down my throat.
If you are in Erie and you don’t go here, you’ve wasted your entire life.

We went for NYE dinner and enjoyed our meal. We were in the upstairs dinning room, which lost points in atmosphere initially. Granted, we had a last minute reservation so we can’t complain about that too much. Our server was Christian and he was fantastic and knowledgable. We started w/​the seafood crostini which was amazing. It was light and flavorful– herbs and citrus instead of cream based. Fantastic! We choose the house made caesar salad and it was incredible! Not mayonnaise based and served w/​home made croutons and sardines, it was full of flavor and was one of the best caesars I’ve ever had. For our entrees my husband choose the bone in ribeye, medium rare, and I had the lobster ravioli. Upon arrival, our initial impression was that they both lacked presentation. Christian told us the bone in would be the best one in all of Erie, and I’m pretty sure he was right. It was delicious and the best steak I’ve tasted in about 5 years. It would have scored more points if it were paired with asparagus or a higher end vegetable instead of a thrown-​on-​the-​dish side of broccoli– But the taste is most important after all and it was amazing! The lobster ravioli, which is one the most popular dishes, didn’t overly impress me. I learned that it was not home made ravioli and they’re filled w only claw meat. There was not tender meat inside at all. The creamy crab sauce was great, although I did find a lot of shells in it. Next time I will get something else. Dessert was cannoli and bread pudding– both very good!

We changed our New Year Eve plans at the last minute and we’re lucky to score a reservation. Since it is located in a residential neighborhood, sometimes parking can be a challenge. Our table was located upstairs in the room used for private parties. While it does not have the same vibe or energy as downstairs, it met our needs. Christian our server (and upstairs bartender) started us out with a Pomegranate Martini & a Perfect Manhattan cocktails. Both were made to perfection. They offered a limited menu, so we went with the Mushroom Ravioli & the Osso Buco. Both were very good and satisfying.
Overall a good night.

Stopped in for Friday night dinner. Food was good and portion was good. It was served hot and the service was right on. The chicken literally melted in my mouth.
The only downside to as the large crowd that gathered at the bar and crowded into our table. Could’ve stayed for dessert but it was so loud we couldn’t shout to each other. If we hadn’t been finished we would have had to leave due to the excessive noise. There was a lot of empty room the people could’ve been moved to.
Went for the food and atmosphere. We could’ve went to a chain or a bar for obnoxious
drunks.

Outstanding! Small place with nice «homey» ambiance. We arrived at 6:30 pm on Saturday and had a. 15 minute wait for a table. Reservations might have helped. I had chicken Marsala and my friend ordered one ode the veal entrees. Meals include salad and pasta side. Service was friendly and accommodating. Specialty entrees were pricey but regular menu was reasonable. Used the valet parking option because it’s in a residential neighborhood.

Had dinner last weekend it was amazing had the striped bass with pea risotto it was out of this world. Also there pear martinis are amazing

Amazing experience! Our server was great and the food was outstanding. My date got the 16 oz sirloin and loved it. I got the lobster ravioli. We also got bruschetta as an appetizer and cannolis for dessert. Everything was homemade and we could not have asked for more! Very nice, fancy local restaurant which is exactly what we wanted.

Way too pricey for what the quality of food is. Had to pay $ 5 for homemade pasta (if I didn’t, the waiter said they use box), and no free refills on coke products. Such a ripoff. I’ve had better Italian at Olive Garden. Never going back.

Great bar, and great food. Awesome dinner spot and the servers are all great people. A must try for sure!

One of my favorite restaurants! Very intimate atmosphere and a wide variety of selections on the menu. The servers are always very informative and take great care of us. Love the option of valet parking as parking can be an issue on busy nights. Definitely worth the parking hassle though! Food is excellent and everything tastes fresh. Wine selection is great as well.

My favorite Special dinning place! Our anniversary place. The best fancy Italian restaurant in the area. Love the special board. All fresh made foods and there own house made dressing… outstanding!

Anyone visiting or traveling through Erie must stop here. In a residential neighborhood, looks like a Hollywood set piece for «mom and pop’s Italian restaurant.» Menu is not terribly adventurous but everything we ordered was fantastic, fresh, and delicious. Bar was full of patrons and looked to be a popular place for the neighborhood. Sauces are robust and full of flavor. Service was well above average too. Cannot imagine why anyone would give this place less than five stars.

I really enjoyed this place. The waitress made me feel very welcome. She answered all of my questions about the menu. The restaurant looks like an old farmhouse with an active bar. They have house wines on the menu and some speciality wines available by the glass. I had a Malbec and Zinfandel. For dinner I had Past Arribita with mushrooms and hot peppers with some added calamari. Excellent. The salad was fresh but nothing to write home about. Hint: put some real olives in the salad; not the canned stuff from Restaurant Depot. The customers will notice. All in all a good experience that this ‘Burgher recommends.

A great little Italian restaurant in Erie. Loved the old house ambience, the location, the menu and the service.

Just visiting on business and wasn’t sure what to expect. Our guide was a local and knew his stuff. I was a little disappointed when they ran out of the mozzarella salad, but the bone-​in rib eye was possibly on of the best cuts I have ever had. Nothing but the bone left when I was done, but from looking around the table it seemed like I should have saved room for the tiramisu.
One comment is that the table seemed to be happier with the specials than the standard menu items. Would recommend watching this and look closely at the specials.

I was tired of staring at the cheap paper placements and the worn-​out cloth napkins for the past half hour, so I am drafting this review while we continue to wait for our entrees. The place itself is quaint and looks like it may have some potential, but the atmosphere is mustered by the overly obnoxious gathering at the bar. Unfortunately, we are sat directly next to the two old men who have had too much to drink and can only communicate to each other by screaming. Very classy.
We have been here for over an hour and have yet to hear anything about our food, so we decided to flag down our waiter. Upon asking him, he said that the food will be out shortly and asked if we were in a hurry. My boyfriend and I looked at each other and responded with no. I didn’t realize we had to be in a hurry to expect our entrees to be out in a timely fashion. I guess my expectations were too high for a $ 71 dinner.
In terms of the food itself, we ordered the calamari as an appetizer. I had the lobster ravioli topped with lump crab meat special, and the boyfriend had the chicken parm. We did not order any drinks. The calamari was okay, but I did like the ravioli. However, the meal was definitely not worth the price. I bumped the rating up a star because the waiter offered to give us a free dessert, although we turned it down because we didn’t want to stick around any longer. The manager offered to give us a gift certificate on our way out, but sorry, we will not be coming back.

I love this place. There are a lot of Italian places in Erie, but as far as I’m concerned, Colao’s has it all. My favorites: the blackened tuna appetizer and anything in their white wine sauce. I’ve been to Colao’s a half dozen times and I usually order one of the specials. They have a nice wine list and great staff.
If I could pick one word to describe Colao’s it would be cozy. It’s kind of a small space, but I’ve never felt crowded, more like tucked away.
This is a great spot for a dinner date. The booths are very private and the place itself is quiet and romantic. Our servers are always very attentive. This is the kind of place you go to relax and savor your meal and your company.

For Erie, this is thee place to go for delicious Italian food Forget the Olive Garden people, you need to check this place out!
It’s a quaint little restaurant that was remodeled from a house, so you get a warm and cozy feel as soon as you walk in. The service was impeccable from the moment you walked in the door until you cleaned your plate (or liked it, whatever you prefer)! Everything on the menu looked amazing and the server helped me pick out a great dish. Although, she had to agree with me, it was hard to pick with everything being so good!
I ordered the Shrimp and Scallops in red sauce. I know that seafood pasta is usually in a white or lemon sauce, but I LOVE red sauce and was so excited to see this choice! It wasn’t a spaghetti sauce, but more a tomato sauce, with chunky pieces of tomatoes and onion. It was delish! And there were for LARGE scallops! No wimpy seafood here! I hate when you get itty bitty pieces in a meal that’s clearly marked seafood.
We finished off the dining experience with a yummy lemon cake. It was tart, fresh and delicious! A really fab way to end a wonderful dinner. So ditch the OG and come here, you won’t regret it!