Gola Osteria

Always delicious meals and hard to make a choice. Portions sizes are too huge, so most of the dishes including the antipasta can be shared between 2-3 people. Such a waste if you can't take it home for leftovers. More...

Reviewed on Opentable

Gola Osteria is a hidden gem! I make the 45 minute drive up here regularly. Sam Epps has some real skills in the kitchen and he has put together a staff to make the experience both memorable and enjoyable. The ambiance is nice and the seating is comfortable.Between the antipasto and the wonderful apps, I usually get one of his half dozen home made pasta dishes and rarely make it to the main course. But if you can, that are delightful works of art. Do yourself a favor and go there. Mitch More...

Reviewed on Opentable

Gola is by far the best Italian restaurant I’ve ever been to. We are so lucky to have this gem in Ithaca.

Reviewed on Opentable

Beat Italian cuisine I have had in years

Reviewed on Opentable

Difficult to find as signage is poor. Front door to the building is locked , had to call the restaurant to find out how to open the door. Small panel on side wall with codes to enter before the door would buzz to let you in - akward . Once inside there was no directional signage to the restaurant , just started walking hallways to eventually find a paper sign on the wall at end of hall - very strange in the bottom of an apartment building. Very attentive service . Fresh Authentic Italian food ! Wine selection is limited to Italian and a few NY selections. Please add some good California and French wines . Food and service was great but wouldn't come back because of the wine selection. More...

Reviewed on Opentable

No restaurant compares to Gola. The food is phenomenal, the atmosphere is peaceful, and the staff is incredibly helpful and kind. My husband and I try to go whenever we are in Ithaca. More...

Reviewed on Opentable

Truly one of the best dinners that we have had in Ithaca. Chef owner Sam is extremely talented and always makes sure the food is perfect. This level of dedication is rare in Ithaca. I was looking forward to the Octopus starter for 2 days and it was better than I remembered. More...

Reviewed on Opentable

We love everything about Gola, from the exceptional service to the incredible food.

Reviewed on Facebook

Awesome & Amazing! We LOVED IT and will be back! ❤️❤️ ❤️❤️

Reviewed on Facebook

The service was spot on and the atmosphere was very warm and intimate. I have never tasted better linguine alle vongole with the sweetest clams and the perfect amount of the garlic. The mozzarella was freshly made and could not have tasted better on the home made bread. The meatball appetizer was scrumptious as was the lasagna. I can always count on the food being superb here. More...

Reviewed on Opentable

Such a gem! A true treasure. Visiting our college student son from California & we kept saying this is the best Italian food we’ve had since visiting Italy. Everything was top notch. Wish I brought more people to try more dishes. We’ll be back (our son is just a freshman). More...

Reviewed on Opentable

Sam and his team provided a lovely dining experience for two birthday's that were being celebrated. The food is always a pleasure to eat and the service was great. Gola is one of my favorite restaurants in Ithaca for special occasions and is always a treat for your taste buds. More...

Reviewed on Opentable

Some of the BEST Italian food we ever had. Portions are HUGE. Priced right. Owner is AWSOME THANK YOU

Reviewed on Facebook

Food was exquisite (as it was on my first and only other visit). I’m a NYCer and eat at great restaurants downstate. This can almost keep pace. Service our first visit matched the food quality. This time? Not so much. Seated 30 mins after our reservation time on a sleepy Sunday night then the entrees took 30 mins to come after the appetizers. Not good! The other recompense? 4 slivers of focaccia as we waited for our table. Will give them another shot, however, next time I’m in town - the food is THAT good. More...

Reviewed on Opentable

Always wonderful food. Great waitstaff who remember us, even though we only come up when visiting our daughter in college.

Reviewed on Opentable

We had a wonderful celebratory dinner. Good food and wonderful service. A great place for a splurge dinner.

Reviewed on Opentable

Amazing food, great service. My only complaint is they sent us home with much of our leftovers missing! Shame!

Reviewed on Opentable

Gola Osteria was recommended to us while we were in Italy. We had asked a resident of upstate NY, who tours Italy frequently, where we could eat like this when we get back home. Our meals were outstanding. The wine selection was great. We felt the prices were reasonable. We can’t wait to go back. More...

Reviewed on Opentable

I've been here many times and it's by far the best Italian food in town. Their pastas are made in house and the ingredients they use are fresh. I got their Black Spaghetti with crab cake. It was delicious. I like coming here and trying new dishes that they add to the menu. I wasn't a huge fan of the seafood soup but mainly because the seafood wasn't fresh. My favorite dessert is the Panna cotta, but they don't always have it. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

A delightful evening with good friends. Very authentic Italian cuisine, a robust wine list and a very appealing venue. Our second visit and we’ll be looking forward to another one.

Reviewed on Opentable

Simply excellente.  Weird location and entrance but it's a wonderful spot.  Loved the lasagna.

Reviewed on Yelp

Food is very good and the restaurant decor is lovely. We had a lovely dinner and good server. However, I had called ahead to request a quiet table which we were not given. One of our group of four has poor hearing and he had trouble hearing the conversation. When there are tables put together in the middle of the large room it makes it difficult to hear if you adjacent to those tables. Perhaps you could put the large groups against the wall. More...

Reviewed on Opentable

Scrumptious food, great ambience including acoustics (so important for an intimate dinner), and impeccable service. A jewel among Ithaca restaurants.

Reviewed on Facebook

Lovely evening. Delicious food, excellent service and generally quiet beautiful space. A real gem in Ithaca. We frequently take company here and will continue to do so.

Reviewed on Opentable

Amazing food, great wine and service, attractive decor. The owner takes pride in every detail - simply wonderful!

Reviewed on Facebook

Just a five minute drive up the hill from center Ithaca, and tucked back in a building shared with Cornell, the ambiance is charming and cheerie. The staff is attentive; the food "traditional Italian". More...

Reviewed on Opentable

We all loved it! Great way to celebrate our 30 year anniversary. The food was exceptional. The waitstaff very welcoming and attentive. I would highly recommend to anyone for anytime but what a treat for a special occasion. We will definitely be going back more often, and soon. The food felt like a lot of love went into it! More...

Reviewed on Opentable

Everything was great until we got home and noticed the bag we were given for our take home items didn’t Include the two appetizers we didn’t finish. (Red peppers and sausage fritters. Other than that it was an enjoyable evening. More...

Reviewed on Opentable

The restaurant is a gem within a historic building. There are small signs which lead you down the corridors from the entryway. The food is exceptional and creative; and the waitstaff is very knowledgeable. The arancini was delicious as was the arugula salad. The salmon with pumpkin farro was very tasty as was the black ink pasta with crab sauce. We were given a table inside the restaurant in the barroom which was very cozy and pleasant. More...

Reviewed on Opentable

Great food , the restaurant is a bit hard to find.

Reviewed on Opentable

The BEST Italian food in Ithaca. Truly my favorite place to get fresh pulled mozzarella and meatballs.

Reviewed on Opentable

Our main entrees were just phenomenal. Dessert (flourless chocolate cake)...not so good. Definitely overdry and not worth the $$. Not sure if their other desserts were better or not, but definitely wouldn't order the cake again. Server was good. We had made an 8:30 reservation on a Sunday evening and it did appear that the wait staff might have been 'tired' at this point. No major issues, staff just not as upbeat or on the ball as you'd expect. Good wine selection. More...

Reviewed on Opentable

Fantastic food and service. We took the server's recommendation on some of the dishes and he was spot on--try the pork meatballs!

Reviewed on Opentable

This is truly a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, it being in the back of a dated apartment building, but that is what brings its atmosphere together. The food and ambiance is classically Italian blended with modern nuance. In short, you might get a little lost finding the place, but the smell of the kitchen and the hum of happy patrons will pull you in and make you want to make it your home for a moment or two. More...

Reviewed on Opentable

Wonderful as always, talented chef, excellent service

Reviewed on Opentable

Authentic Italian food with delightful service from our waiter Michael. A perfect evening to celebrate celebrate our daughter’s birthday

Reviewed on Opentable

The food, ambiance, server, and the overall experience was better than memorable!

Reviewed on Opentable

I love eating at Gola Osteria. Food (especially the mozzarella) is terrific. We go early to avoid the crowds when the noise level goes crazy. One disappointment was that I took my friend for her birthday, and called a few hours ahead and asked to put a candle in her dessert. Although they said they would, it wasn't done. Dang. Other than that, I'll eat there again and again. More...

Reviewed on Opentable

It’s not the easiest place to find but it was phenomenal.

Reviewed on Opentable

Michael provided excellent service, all of our food was great and perfectly prepared. I would recommend to anyone.

Reviewed on Opentable

Went here on a date and had a really lovely time. I made a reservation for a table on the patio. We arrived a few minutes early and were seated immediately. The patio was dark and relatively quiet (very conducive to conversation), secluded from the noise inside the restaurant. Our waiter was friendly and helpful regarding both the menu and the wine list. I ordered lamb chops and my date ordered veal parmigiano. Both were good, though my lamb was slightly over-done. The portions were also very different. The veal was an enormous portion of both meat and pasta, while my lamb chops were a fairly standard portion (4 chops with seasonal veggies). Our appetizer really stole the show- Arancini with house made ricotta, crispy and delicious! Overall we had an excellent time and will almost certainly be back. More...

Reviewed on Opentable

The food is awesome!! If you love authentic Italian food, then Gola is your spot!

Reviewed on Opentable

We have lived in Ithaca for over 30 years, and Gola Osteria provides the most pleasurable dining experience in a town full of enjoyable restaurants.

Reviewed on Opentable

Food was good, but honestly, not great. Coming from NYC, the price to value ratio isn't so good Spent $200 for three people with a $35 bottle of nice local wine. My favorite was the bruschetta and the octopus appetizers. My black spaghetti was good, but not exceptional. Same for mussels. The server was very nice and served quickly, as requested. Was a quiet night and we sat outside. If you have tons of money I'd recommend. If not, no. More...

Reviewed on Opentable

Great waiter - Greg. Very knowledgeable, helpful and pleasant. Out door dining vey nice on summer evening. All the food is so tasty and fresh! Love Gola!

Reviewed on Opentable