Ralphie’s Cafe Italiano

This was a great experience. The food was awesome. I got the flatbread and it was delicious. The marinara is the best. The service is fast and friendly. The hostess was pretty attentive. The resturant was clean. I will be back.

I took my daughter in-​law there for lunch
The Chicken Parmesan was as good as any I have had. Authentic, plentiful and delicious. We both had large portions to bring home. I can’t wait to go back.

Went there Sat night prime time 7 pm… so we expected a wait. Got a drink at the bar and were called within 10 min and got a high top in a cozy corner at the back of the bar area. Nice ambient lighting. Our server arrived soon after offering bread. Yes to bread always! We ordered fried ravioli at the same time. 6 small ravioli arrived hot and with warm Marinara sauce. Very tasty, though I felt they could have served 8 or so for $ 6. We then ordered Fettucine Alfredo and Pasta with Eggplant Parm. 13.95 (a little pricey) and 11.50 respectively. Good sized portions. very tasty. Background 50’s and jazz music was playing but not too loud. Server was friendly and right level of attentive… We did not feel rushed either. We will definitely be back.

Have no idea why this place is so busy. The service is poor, the staff under trained, and the food is just not that good. If they know you, then they cater to you, if not you are pretty much invisible. Why would anyone dine here? Never again !

I LOVE this place! The food is on point! The atmosphere is great, and the drinks are pristine! I have yet to drive by the place at any given point in any day and see a spot for a vehicle to park. Such a good sign for the restaurant’s future! They recently (within the year) expanded to a new spot and even the new spot is way too small! The wait on a Sat night can push 2+ hours! Unbelievable! But, believable given the quality of the food. They need to branch out! This place is 5 stars all day!

The place is always busy, that’s a good sign.
I was lucky and caught them as they opened Saturday at lunch time. I had the two meat balls and french fries. I figured it would be a lunch size portion wow, was I mistaken. The meat balls are enormous!
The prices are decent, service was good, food was tasty & the surroundings are clean & bright. Having Sinatra in the background is an added and welcome bonus.
Yeah, good place, I’ll be back.

Unpretentious and fun, even a little sexy, vibe with large portions of tasty, if unimaginative, red sauce Italian-​American fare. Most of the large portions are due to a ridiculous amount of accompanying pasta, so even the heartiest appetites will walk with leftovers.
Prices are fair. Service is friendly, but inconsistent. Our entrees came out at different times, and one — my special meat lasagne — had to be sent back to the kitchen for a quick warmup. Not a dealbreaker, but simultaneous service of entrees (especially when there were no special accommodations) is just Food Service 101. I blame the food runners, but our waitress should have been our advocate.
One other downside, either service or policy-​related: Appetizer combo comes with three of several items; we asked if we could add one more at additional charge (since we, like many folks, were a party of four). Nope. Just seems like an odd menu decision, but oh well. The appetizers themselves were deep fried-​from-​frozen items (mozzarella sticks, fried mushrooms, chicken tenders) that were probably delivered on the same Sysco truck that delivers everywhere. Edible, but no great shakes.
The entrees, though, were good. The lasagne didn’t hold together particularly well, but it was tasty and the portion was large.
Wine selection was decent, about what you’d find in any suburban restaurant.
The place was packed until a little after 8; we lingered for dessert and coffee. Those items were just OK, but by 10 o’clock, it was clear that we were getting the bum’s rush. We didn’t actually hear a vacuum cleaner starting up. So there’s that.
The price: about $ 160 (incl. tip), so $ 40 a person, for 1 shared app., two shared desserts, four entrees and, more or less, two rounds of drinks. Not a screaming deal, but not a clip, either.
So … I’m pretty certain we will be back, but perhaps to eat at the bar. Recommend to a friend? Yes, but only after carefully setting expectations.
At 7 o’clock this past Saturday night, the place had four or five parties waiting 50 min. to get in (we put our names in, repaired to the nearby 99 for a drink, and came back an hour later and were seated immediately, in a table in the bar area). Ralphie’s is clearly doing something right or has otherwise earned the loyalty of many longtime customers. This was our first experience with the place, though.

We went to Ralphies Italian this week in its new location. I had’t been to Raplhies in a long, long time, wasn’t that crazy about it then, but decided to give it a try. Sometimes a lot changes over time… NOT THIS TIME.
I ordered, wait for it… Chicken Picatta, and my husband Parmesan. Yes, we are creatures of habit!
When the waitress brought the Chicken Picatta I almost said, I don’t think this is mine, you must have gotten it mixed up with someone else… This dish looked so far from any Chicken Picatta —(and take a look at my reviews, and see how many time’s I order Chicken Picatta)– I have ever had, its not funny.
First of all the chicken is DEEP FRIED!!! Look at the picture… it doesn’t even come close to looking edible! Then there was some cream sauce that tasted like cream poured out of a container, and disgusting looking almost raw mushrooms on top. Again, look at the picture. It was inedible, I literally only took two bites.
When the waitress came to get the dishes she never said anything like, was there a problem with your dinner. Nothing. Totally unprofessional. So I paid for that disgusting dish, but I’m sure you can guess what’s coming next. I WON’T BE BACK!
My husband got Parmesan which he said was horrible and the sauce tasted like it was out of a jar.
Another $ 50.00+ donation.
They don’t even have a website. It says under construction. Not sure how they can market their product without one these days. Maybe they want to hide it.
Everywhere I look I see crappy reviews like raw sausage, tasteless meals, the comments are endless.
I have no idea how anyone can call this place good food. If you want a restaurant that has QUANTITY VERSUS QUALITY… then this is your place. Disgusting.

Dined on a Friday afternoon around 2 pm with a friend. Greeted and seated immediately with menus.
Our waitress also came fairly quickly to take our drink orders, hot water for me and water no ice for my friend. Surprisingly fairly busy at this time, a good number of diners.
We skipped appetizers as we had read about the large portions. We didn’t ask, but a lunch menu did not seem to be available. They also do not offer gluten free pasta. The waitress said they tried it a while back and it was not popular. My friend does not have celiac but gluten does bother her so the waitress brought a gluten free menu.
We decided to share the veal medallions from the GF menu with 2 sides: lemon/​garlic sautéed spinach and fries, the chicken Parmesan topped with Eggplant Parm with a side of linguine from the regular menu. The waitress returned after taking our orders to inform my friend that her entrée also comes with a soup so she decided on the meatball soup.
The soup arrived and had orzo in it, which was fine with my friend but if she did have celiac, it should not have been an option on the GF menu. The soup was hot, tasty, chock full of veggies and meatballs but a little too salty for my taste.
As we were waiting for our entrees, we noticed bread on other diner’s tables and assumed since my friend asked for a GF menu, the waitress assumed we did not want bread. Wrong … I love bread so we asked and she happily obliged. The Italian bread was fresh but would have been much better hot. The butter was really hard/​cold so was difficult to spread (this was mentioned in other reviews).
When our entrees arrived, the portions were enormous.
Entrée Pros: tasty sautée «sauce» in the veal medallions dish, ample fresh baby spinach, hot/​crispy fries, tender eggplant, good red sauce
Entrée Cons: veal medallions and chicken in the parm not super tender, linguine overcooked.
We were able to polish off the veal dish, most of the fries but had another lunch portion of the chicken/​eggplant parm/​linguine available to take home.
Total tab including tip: $ 45. Not a bad first experience, would return but probably not go out of our way. Friendly staff!

Most authentic Italian food I have ever ate
I highly recommend the entire menu. I got chicken piccata (my entrée also came with a delicious and fresh salad) and my boyfriend got chicken parm with eggplant on top. The portion is amazing and usually when restaurants have large portions they sacrifice on the entrée quality but that’s not the case here– The food tasted amazing, the meat was perfectly tender, the season and flavors was top notch.
The service was great, our server Jamison was attentive, kind, and very helpful. The restaurant atmosphere is great for family outings, date nights, and a casual meal with friends.
5 stars all around — food, service, atmosphere and experience

had a great dinner at ralphie’s. had the pork chop with steamed spinach and brocoli and salad. meat was grilled to perfection and vegetables were great and abundant.
chicken parm was the other dish. delicious and perfectly cooked french fries. salad included.
service was fast and effecient. this is casual and warm feeling restaurant.
give it a try. you will not be disappointed.

Not sure why this place has many bad reviews… Went here tonight and got some great plates with a friend. We were seated right away and the atmosphere is family style cozy! The food was fantastic and the sauce was delicious on my chicken Parmesan. The chicken thick and had a great flavor! Fries are great. Couldn’t tell if they were hand cut or not but either way it doesn’t matter because they were so good! Will be back soon!

The new Ralphie’s is probably still getting on its feet so take the bad reviews with a grain of salt. This family has been in business for 35 years for a reason and have a loyal following in the area long before the fancy, but shitty Tuscan Kitchen came around. They were closed for over a year while they rebuilt and opened a far superior restaurant in a better location so many of the people who worked there had to move on to pay the bills.
The best part of the Ralphie’s sequel, the new building is awesome. They extended a larger bar and have plenty of window space. The huge issue with the old place in the strip mall is that in the winter you might be siting 3 feet from the door and had to eat with your coat on to not be blasted with arctic air each time someone entered. It’s no longer a problem. The inside is not huge, but it seats people comfortably and is decorated nicely.
The food is very much the same is is completely authentic. Those complaining about how it’s not are idiots who don’t know food. The made in house tomato sauce is as good as ever, the soups are still great and the portions are large enough for a couple of meals at least, but are all still quality as well. The prices are a bit higher which makes sense with the new spot and lines out the door. The service has always been good here and they treat their regulars well. They understand running a family business means being friendly.
I agree with the numerous reviews here that say the butter needs to be left out of the refrigerator. A slab of frozen butter with the bread is unusable.
People are happy Ralphie’s is back and have waited a long time for it to be back. While they are still adjusting to their new legs, they are still the best spot in the area for quality Italian.

To start server was too UN-​attentive. Quite honestly, not the old Ralphies. Didn’t order apps due to the lack of attention of our server. Jumped to main meals. Ordered Veal Parm with Angel Hair and Tripe. I decide to order Pasta Fagoli as a starter for two!
Pasta Fagoli was cold and beans under cooked. Veal was fried but once you mix with hot pasta and low temp sauce. It time out to be an okay meal! As for the Tripe, wasn’t hot enough. Sent back. Came back it was fabulous. Broccoli Rabe was too watery.
My sister & I will be back. Loyalty to the owners and their family because they are amazing, wonderful, caring and loyal people. And food is AUTHENTIC!

2.5 stars — Décor nice. Sunday afternoon, 25 minute wait or sit at bar, so we did.
Both bar tenders were polite enough, but no smiles and not super attentive, had to ask for more water, a napkin, etc. (other reviewers w same complaints).
Overall, slightly disappointed with our food. It wasn’t bad, but it also didn’t knock u over with «oh my gosh this is so fabulous».
Caesar salad, soggy n way too much dressing, but fabulous cheese and the dressing was super tasty, order dressing of the side!
Tuscan kitchen has spoiled me to bread, here, they serve half an Italian loaf with cold butter an individual packets. We asked for oil on the side.
meatballs $ 8 as a side, very large, but again nothing super flavorful and came out not super hot (temperature).
chicken parm– crispy n tender meat, one cutlet is all u get $ 14, and the other ¾ of the plate w OVERCOOKED ziti, I eat pasta only a few times a year, disappointed in mushy pasta.
No dessert.
House Chianti (Carlo n Rossi huge jug)
Total bill w tip (2 people) $ 75
Not sure we will return, an average experience. Try beuno panini or Tuscan, u get treated very nicely there.
Of note, I took the time to read the rest of the reviews, many people state the food is warm, not hot, as stated above, I agree.

Great place to eat. Often waiting but worth it. Been here in Salem for 35 years. Great family restaurant and now the bar makes it even better. Good food good atmosphere and great place to make memories

So very disappointed in the restaurant. I went there for my daughters 30^th birthday. There were 5 adults and a 2 year old. My daughter is 8 months pregnant. When we put our name in we asked how long and were told it is moving quickly. We saw people come and go but we were not seated. After an hour we asked how much longer and we’re told that there was one before us. A half hour later we were told that they didn’t have room for us!!! They had to put 2 tables together and did not want to hold a table empty to wait for a second table. Why couldn’t they have told us that when we arrived? I am shocked! They couldn’t seat a party of 6? Wow…
How can they treat customers so uncaringly? I was truly insulted.

Rejoice — there are officially TWO good places to grab a nice sit-​down dinner in Salem, NH now. This is one of them!
As an out-​of-​towner (and former Salem resident) I was surprised to pull into a full parking lot, to find the restaurant absolutely buzzing with people, and to wait ~40m for dinner in Salem on a Thursday night. Luckily, I was reassured by diners exiting the restaurant that «the food was amazing,» and «the wait would be worth it.»
The ambiance has a sports-​bar-​meets-​Italian-​American vibe. It is comfortable, bold, nice but not too fancy. The front desk host staff was very helpful and friendly, and all the other staff members we encountered (server, bartender, food runners, bussers) were very pleasant and helpful as well.
The menu has a nice variety of dishes, with my only complaint being the heavy reliance on large bowls of pasta topped with other things (e.g., marsala, cacciatore, chicken parm). However, my server suggested the gluten-​free menu and I was able to find some fantastic options that were pasta-​free but definitely not flavor free.
We tried:
— Flaked fish appetizer (I forget if this was haddock?) but it was light, lemony, tasty and healthy. This reminds me of a real, traditional Italian dish — something that might be served for the feast of seven fishes around Christmas.
— The roasted red pepper plate, presented beautifully and a really huge portion for your money. Plan to bring some home!
— (My dish) Shrimp cacciatore, with a side of spinach and roasted potatoes. The sauce was fantastic, the veggies were fantastic, the sides were good (not amazing, but good) and I chose to combine it all for a VERY filling dish — with plenty of leftovers for a second meal.
— The eggplant parm side — a huge «side» for the money, and paired with a salad could easily serve as a meal. Tasty eggplant, tasty home-​made sauce.
— The pasta and meatballs: the pasta was average/​good, perhaps a little overcooked but certainly plentiful. The meatball was excellent, and again this came with the tasty tomato sauce.
Overall — huge portions, lots of flavor, and the ability to find something healthy (if you try!). This would be a great place to carb up for a race or other athletic event… I could see a sports team coming here to dine together before a tournament.
Right now it sounds like they don’t do reservations or take-​out (at least, not in the evening) — so they have some kinds to work out. I’d also like to see more «healthy» or at least non-​pasta dishes incorporate into the regular menu, but I’m glad to know I can find them if I want. The staff was certainly happy to accommodate special requests, which I appreciate!

Not the place to go. We frequently went to Ralphies before the move. The food was always ok and service was great.
Now after a larger building and what seems to be a green staff I doubt we will be going back.
Our waiter was polite but incompetent. It started with drinks. We asked for two drinks with lime and ended up with no lime. We then asked for a side of lime and guess what it never came.
We then ordered a small Caesar salad which was good. But the waiter dropped it off never said a word or even looked at us and walked away.
Then We ordered dinner. Chicken broccoli Alfredo fettuccine and spaghetti with sausage. The spaghetti was fine but they brought the wrong order for the other entrée chicken broccoli ziti with garlic and wine sauce and the waiter argued that is what I had ordered so I sent it back. He then brings the same dish just Alfredo sauce mixed in (mind you it’s still the wrong pasta) You could see the oil sitting not mixing with the sauce. It was beyond disappointing and we asked for the check and left. No apologies nothing.

We returned to Ralphie’s last and it was again very busy with a long wait.
We went to the bar to have a drink and hang out until our name was called.
There is a new bartender there named Amber. She was struggling to get drinks and had a bad case of ADD.
I finally get her attention and she asked me if I needed anything and then after I tell her yes, she completely ignored me and proceeded to unload the dishwasher and then just stared blankly into space. The barback then asked me if I was all set and then asked Amber to help me. She said «oh yeah sorry about that».
Finally after we got drinks settled we snagged some seats at the bar and decided to get menus and order since we have been waiting almost an hour already.
Well Amber again was the one to help (or not help in this case).
We finally ordered after another 25 minutes.
After another 45 minutes we got our food, which was decent and warm, not hot.
I also asked for a house chardonnay. I got a glass of sweet Riesling. Come on!
One thing to note. The family of owners seem to know a lot of the customers and walk around to talk with them and give them special treatment– and very good service. We witnessed this all night. A couple sat next to us and knew the son– they got a free apps, great service and they were done eating even before we could even order and we were their 40 minutes before them!
This place is crazy. I dont want to come back anytime soon and I want to like this place.