Ristorante Italiano - Excelsior Inn

not much privacy, very very loud even though only four tables were filled. service was hit and miss. very limited menu with strange combinations. steak was overcooked and tough, the glaze was bitter. desserts were good. carrot cake is excellent. doubt that i would go there again. expensive and really nothing special. very disappointing as we had been told that it was the best steak in town. the steak should have been ground into hamburger

Incredible

A picture perfect setting with white linens on the table, soft lighting, and rain gently pitter-patting on the roof. Calimare was our first course, being lightly fried and breaded. We washed our palates with delicious red wine. The main course was Caesar salad and porterhouse lamb. The portions were amble and mouthwatering. Dessert was Ciochoclito and coffee. A dinner to long remember. The wait staff were incredible.

Wait staff was amazing and attentive. Kudos. Food was very flavorful and filling. Good portions. Prices are over what they probably should be, but you are paying also for a nicer ambience. It is nicely quiet and great for intimate dining conversations. Had to send my rib eye back as it was overcooked. Took a while but the flavors were amazing and the second time was great but grisly and fatty with only about 1/2 the actual meat. But that is a ribeye I guess. They did comp they meal after overcooking it, so they definitely made its right. I would return and try some pasta...

The food was amazing...the drinks well poured...the service excellent. I would highly recommend this place to anyone!

The restaurant is lovely, quaint and quiet. They prepared a special meal for me and everything was wonderful.

Very overpriced, bland entrees and incredibly stuffy atmosphere. Special cocktail I ordered was not good - overly sweet but odd combination of flavors. Oysters were the highlight of the meal and very good. Didn’t get a wine or cocktail list when we were sat, busser/host told us he was sick and looked like he had a fever- GROSS!!! Don’t tell people that and moreover, go home. Asked for wine list only got glass pour list. Would probably have gotten a bottle but decided to save our money and drink mediocre glass pours. Not an impressive glass pour list at all. Server was nice and attentive though. We have no desire to return.

Fabulous experience, lovely ambiance, delicious food. Krystal provided outstanding service. Highly recommend the Excelsior.

At the last hour we changed from 6 to 10. No problem and we were accommodated. Crystal, our server, was great as we had to children with us, 7 & 12. She worked to find a meal for them (both are gluten sensitive) and also had three desserts available too. Made both menus available too.
Age range for our group was 77 to 7. Everyone had a great time.

Off night for us, seated by the door in a cold draft, server forgot our salads, our favorite pasta was undercooked...and then returned from the kitchen drenched in oil and not edible. Disappointing.

My wife and I always have a great experience here. The food and service is fantastic.

Probably the only truly upscale dining in Eugene. Very nice! We will return.

We had a lovely time. The staff was amazing and the food was exquisite. What could make a great experience even better? Dessert!

Thoroughly enjoyed it, although plan time to find parking, especially handicapped.

Always amazing and this night was the best yet. Food, wine, ambiance...10/10

The service was amazing as was the ambiance, but the food was not at the level to match nor worth what they were charging. The bread was cold and dry and served with oil that was not pure extra virgin olive. The Caesar dressing was dry and the croutons flavorless, the chicken on the Caesar also dry. The soup was ok but no better than at a basic restaurant. The presentation of the pasta dishes lacked finesse. The pasta and dessert was pretty good though.

Wonderful experience. We had brunch at 1pm. We were the only ones in the restaurant. Food and ambiance were exceptional.

Great food and great service

We really enjoyed a lovely meal that satisfied various palettes. Thank you for a wonderful evening.

Birthday dinner, we were the first diner that night, took a long time for the food to be served

I love this place for an inexpensive visit back to the old world .. I always feel like I'm in a European village at this oasis of pure class in Eugene. Located near the university one can find many affordable noodle places but to find exquisite dining in my favorite Eugene neighborhood is sublime. The chef is creative without being ridiculous and the many wine selections make it PERFECT. Yes I indulge in dessert each time, always fascinating.
Can't wait to return

This was our second time to stay at the Inn and enjoy dinner in the Ristorante. Once again, the experience was terrific. The cocktails are delicious and our dinners were beautifull prepared and presented. Our server was cheerful and very helpful in answering questions. My husband had the leg of lamb and I had the linquine with seafood and smoked mussel cream sauce. Both wonderful. You always need to save room for dessert because their pastry chef is a magician. The desserts look too beautiful to bite into, but when you do, you're very glad you did.

Great restaurant, elegant yet casual atmosphere. Nice menu, delicious food, great wine list to accompany meal selection. And great service, server explained menu selections well, helped with our entrée choices. Overall, a nice fine dining experience. In addition to more formal fine dining side, restaurant has a more casual side with a bar if that fits mood better.

For an aesthetically pleasing experience, I recommend sitting near the fireplace alcove along the windows that look into the beautifully landscaped courtyard. Service was excellent and unobtrusive.

Almost everything was perfectly wonderful, especially the special slice of cake for my brother's birthday.
There was a long wait between the appetizers/salads and the main course. We enjoyed ourselves and the wine and the atmosphere and the company, but it seemed like quite a long wait for the main dishes to be served. Service was excellent other than that.....not at all a reason not to come back! But I thought you should know.

We ordered small plates. The food servings were great. Wine was expensive! Service was attentive.

Wonderful food and service. Very expensive so be prepared when taking a meal there. Bottle of wine, 2 entrees with dessert for 2 with tip $250.

We've eaten here a few times before and always enjoyed the experience. When we got here, for an anniversary dinner, they were going to seat us in the bar area, because there was a function going on in the main dining area. After we said that wouldn't work for us, they worked hard to find us another place in a small room that was perfect, and our dinner was saved. We appreciate the trouble they took to make us happy.

Our waitress/hostess was exceptional in helping us decide what to order since we'd never been to the Excelsior before. The food was absolutely outstanding, as were our cocktails. We will definitely return
to this restaurant.

This was fine dining at its best. Every thing was perfect. Our waiter was attentive without being intrusive. The cocktails were unique and delicious. The Strega Gialla was like having a blond manhattan. Squisito!
An extensive wine list sure to please even the finest palate.
The current menu includes a lamb dish that was as tender as butter and flavored perfectly. Salmon as always, was heavenly cooked.
Dessert choices include something called cioccolato, which is a chocolate lovers dream. The tiramisu is the best I’ve had.
I know this review may sound over the top, but rarely does a restaurant come through so divinely every time.
All in all a perfect meal at a wonderful restaurant.
Go here!

Service and ambience was very good. Charming place. Unfortunately, the food, all three different entrees were a “C” at best. We were disappointed and would not recommend going there if you have any appreciation for fine Italian food.

Our waiter Alan was awesome! We had a great anniversary dinner!

We had been seated less than 5 minutes when our server greeted us by saying that the kitchen was “backed-up”, but not to worry because they would keep the bread and water coming. I asked what “backed-up” meant in terms of time and was told 50-60 minutes. It was a good thing the restaurant was only half full. I guess a full restaurant would have meant a 2 hour back-up.

To add to the ambiance, someone at an adjacent table lost consciousness and slowly slid to the floor. Eventually 6-7 EMTs arrived to evaluate the now conscious diner. Luckily, the person appeared to be OK and declined a ride in an ambulance. I had to stand to the side of our table, in the middle of eating the entree, for at least 10 minutes. No one from the restaurant made any attempt to replace my entree with a hot one when the medical excitement was over; in fact, no one from the restaurant said anything about the event. Maybe it happens often enough that it is just viewed as business as usual.

Oh, and the food was just mediocre.

Beautiful restaurant! Good quality food and taste. We will go back!

Met with friends. Wonderful experience as always.

The food was outstanding. The service was fine, except that I asked for egg whites only in my omelet. I was told that could not be done because the eggs were too small, and it would take too many egg whites to make an omelet. I have never heard this before. Just add a couple dollars to the price! It’s not like eggs are in danger of extinction. 😊

If you want to have a spendy meal, there are several better places in Eugene to dine. We went to Excelsior for a special occasion, to celebrate, which was a mistake. First, the drinks. I ordered a Chevas Regal and the waiter said he didn't know it. As it turned out, neither did the bar tender, so I had Macallan's on the rocks. The "drink" came, probably 1/2 oz. at best (full price, $13). The kitchen was out of Carpaccio and they had no lobster tail to top off the ravioli. I ordered the duck breast, which turned out to be a garden salad with a few slices of very chewy duck. The champagne list had several half bottles at full bottle prices, so I ordered a bottle of Piper as a last resort. However, it turned out to be the best part of the evening. Overall, not a good experience. Again, I would recommend several other Eugene establishments for much better food and drink at the same, or lower prices.

We were seated at a bay window overlooking the patio/garden area. The server explained menu and specials and took our drink order. After a reasonable interlude (after drinks had been savored) he took our meal and wine orders. Preparation and presentation were perfect! A lovely evening topped off with marvelous desserts. The best meal I've had in Eugene-Springfield in years! Highly recommended.

Lovely place for our anniversary dinner!
Plan to stay at the Inn on another trip to Eugene. Love that it is so close to campus and upscale to other campus eateries.

Wonderful crab and tomato soup of the day, fritto misto del Mare was great and filling. We took home some of the Salmon salad, very large serving and lunch the next day. We had a great time and left with tiramisu in a box! Great bar, good wine. Recommended.

Restaurant is in an old house with a now great pedigree as a restaurant. The main dining room is the old living room with fireplace (unlit this time of the year). Very comfortable. Roman style desert case as you enter full of goodies!