Cotto Italian Comfort Food - Calgary

Cotto is a relatively new restaurant in Kensington that serves Italian comfort food. I signed up for a dinner event at Cotto through a Meetup.com group called Calgary Supper Club (30 something). Well, as we all know I won’t be in my 30’s for much longer, but I hope they don’t kick me out just because of that…

We had a fantastic experience at this restaurant! The prices were great and the food, especially the pork chop and arancini, was delicious. Our waiter was excellent. Thank you for a wonderful evening!

This restaurant is truly amazing. The staff were very friendly and attentive, and even the chef came out to check on our meal. I ordered the ricotta and onion-stuffed crêpes and they were outstanding. My friend's fish was perfectly cooked and the desserts were so fresh and delicious. I highly recommend this place and I am delighted to have it in my neighborhood. I will definitely be returning!

I started off with a glass of sparkling wine, while my husband opted for a draft beer. Our waitress brought our drinks along with complimentary still and sparkling water, and then inquired if we wanted to start with an appetizer. We decided on the arancini, which was made with fresh risotto rather than leftover risotto like most places. The arancini was delightful, topped with a creamy cheese sauce. I wished there was a bit more sauce for dipping – it was so tasty! As we enjoyed our appetizer, we observed another table bringing their own bottle of wine and heard about the daily soup special and DOP plate cheese from the waiter, none of which our waitress had mentioned. When our waitress took our main course orders, I inquired about their corkage fee. She explained there was no fee, but for a table of four, one bottle of wine was allowed with another bottle purchased from the restaurant. She suggested we only needed to order two drinks as a couple, but wasn't entirely certain. When we agreed for a manager to explain, no one ever came over. Our mains arrived with a different waiter, and by then my prosecco was almost gone with no offer of a refill. I had the ricotta gnocchi while my husband had the ossobuco with saffron risotto. The gnocchi was delicious, but the ossobuco was a bit dry and could have been better. The risotto, however, was on point in terms of taste and texture. As I neared the end of my meal, I finished my drink with no one checking in for a refill. When my husband noticed, he asked for another drink. Even after some time, our waitress didn't bring the refill until I was almost done. We tried to get her attention, but it took a while. I decided to cancel the drink as I had finished my meal, but there was no apology offered. I would have rated the meal higher if the service had been more attentive. With a less dry ossobuco, the restaurant could have earned a higher score. We agreed to give it another shot in a few weeks to see if the service improved. The waitress was pleasant, and the overall meal quality was above average. We hope the service will be better in the future, as the restaurant is conveniently located near our home and we would love for it to be a regular spot for us.

Beautiful presentation and very good service throughout our dining experience. Somewhat smaller portions than I was expecting but would definitely visit again.