Kristen Anderson

I loved my shrimp piccata and the pasta was delicious, but my in-laws were not blown away by their dishes. We were given the wrong wine once and a different year than what was on the menu twice. The waiter otherwise was fantastic (not his fault the wine list was wrong!)

Brian Horan

Hard to find even with an address. Very small sign at ground level. Food was very good, but service was slow due to computer issues. Seemed to only impact our table, as several tables sat after us received appetizers, entrees, dessert, and their check before we were even served entrees. 2 1/2 hours from sitting down to leaving was a bit long.

Sharadh Bhaskharan

This was good rich and heavy Italian fare in a very traditional setting. The portion sizes were quite large and filling. For vegan/vegetarians: Typical options you would expect in Italian cuisine.I had the Fettuccine Funghi. I really liked that it was not Al Dente. I like my pasta cooked 😋 Rich and buttery Some disappointments: The bread was underwhelming and the cocktail was meh. And there was no espresso based coffee to round up the meal

+10

Gabriel

After my fourth visit, I have to say I'm not impressed. The pasta is is mediocre, is the only affordable dish for non-wealthy folks. Would have loved to try the pork chop but it's 50 whole dollars. The appetizer and pasta we got was drowning in olive oil. Mostly good flavors, but not exciting or rich. For the price, and delightful atmosphere, the food falls short.

Daryl Anderson

First visit. Two of six dishes were way too salty. Swordfish excellent. The other three dishes merely okay. Homemade pasta side was excellent. They offer GF pasta but admit that is just from a box. Wine list reasonably priced compared to the food. But. First bottle ordered was a 2020 Riesling and they brought the 2024 version with excuses that the.wine list needs updating. Yep. Second bottle choice we tried a 2023 Riesling... same story - another 2024! Third bottle was ordered as a repeat of the second Riesling and they actually brought a Chardonnay! Parking lot full. No coat check and everyone hanging their coats on the backs of the peculiarly high-backed chairs cast a weird, scruffy effect on things. Floor under my seat was sticky with something (maybe spilled 2020 Riesling!). Waiter was an energetic charmer but, otherwise, either Gola has gone downhill from early reports or they were always coasting on the inevitable Ithaca snob factor - which does not age well.

Charlotte Robertson

The apps were wonderful and the pasta was good. It seemed like they were understaffed or that servers were new. Nice ambiance overall.

Celebrated a birthday here and left disappointed. While the food was very good, the service undermined the entire experience. Our waiter was repeatedly condescending, made pointed remarks toward members of our table, and created an atmosphere that felt uncomfortable rather than celebratory. For a restaurant with a reputation like Gola, I feel like attentive and respectful service should be the bare minimum. Spending roughly $300 on a meal where guests feel talked down to is simply not acceptable. The food alone isn’t enough to justify the price if the hospitality falls this short.

Caprice Loren

This review is specifically for the catering team, not the restaurant itself. The food was good, but an event is the sum of its parts. We asked for labbatt blue 3 times, very early on. This beer is the only one my family drinks, and was a very important beer to have at this event. It’s a pretty easy beer to source in upstate New York. They didn’t have it for our day - and when asked why, the catering lead (who we had been working with directly, the whole time) told us that since it was a late addition, they weren’t able to source it. This was something that we had asked for at our tasting, as it was something extremely important to my family. And this was the level of attention to detail that we received in every aspect. Our invoice was incorrect every time we received it. We were double charged for things that were supposed to be included, such as a side in our package. We expressly stated which cookies we wanted, which was also included, and received the wrong ones. They brought cookies with nuts, unlabeled, and we had guests with nut allergies. We requested iced tea and lemonade, and received neither. I don’t drink, and this was important for me to have at my wedding. We couldn’t get a PDF of the menu or bar prices from the catering lead for a long time. Communication throughout the whole planing phase was like pulling teeth. The team had two additional weddings to ours that day. This of course would have been fine for a well organized team who had everything in order. They, unfortunately, were neither. We requested two bartenders, so that our bar lines weren’t outrageous after the ceremony, when everyone goes to the bar. We requested pre poured wines. Or at least someone to go down the line to get canned beers. Neither of those things were executed. They had run out of ice (before the event started) and sent one of the bartenders to get more. This resulted in very long lines for our guests, which we were trying to avoid by requesting two bartenders. This was a very important day for us, and my whole family didn’t have the beer that they drink, I didn’t have my favorite beverages, and tea service at the end was completely forgotten. I had to expressly ask for something that we purchased. And when the water came out, it was cold. The venue owner went and made me tea from her home, because she noticed that I was sick and also don’t drink coffee. The owner reached out and offered us a refund for the services we didn’t receive, but this doesn’t change our day. I don’t want this is happen to anyone else on a day that it planned with such care as your wedding day.

Brian Bessire

After getting rave reviews from a couple of friends, this place seemed a must-go. The service was fantastic. The food was mediocre Italian. The navigability was laughably difficult. It's very hard to find -- parking, literally 'buzzing in' through a numerical code at the front door of a locked apartment building, wandering down several hallways with turns and easily missable signs... totally not worth the mystery and hassle. Desserts (tiramisu and chocolate torte) were inarguably amateur and just plain bad. And what kind of 'fine dining' place serves local beer from a bottle instead of tap/draft or growler?? Lazy move. I should mention that it was a lovely seating area and decent ambiance (loud 1970s Billboard Top 100 radio aside), but that was the last time I'm ever going -- cemented by our way overzealous $130 bill after 2 dishes and 2 appetizers and 1 bottle of Ithaca Beer Co.

+2

I had taken my partner to Gola Astoria for their birthday celebration. The ambiance and wait staff had been on point. We were pleasantly impressed how they had brought our food out very quickly. My partner had mentioned to me that the Tortelloni dish they ordered was not fully cooked. It was hard not Al Dente. We brought it to the wait staffs attention and requested to have the plate replaced. The waiter said they could cook it alittle more for us. I requested it be replaced due to Tortelloni not being a dish that can be reconstituted by cooking it more. He responded ," Are you a food critic " very smugly. 10 plus minutes passed and he had brought back the Tortelloni to our table and it was completely flat and mushy. It looked as if it was microwaved. My partner mentioned it looked well overcooked but said they were hungry and it was ok. On my end i didnt see the need to actually request they taste the food that they had plated for us because I'm wanting to preserve the best experience for my partner on their special day. That was my top priority in regards to my needed attention. I smiled lots and was trying to be as gracious as my partner. I was so disappointed. That was not my 1st time , "Dining" here. I had treated family and friends to dinner at Golla Astoria a few times over the past few years. Overall, with good experiences. But have not returned since. Sadly, in addition to my partners food being sub par. I ordered one of my favorites there, "Grill Octopus". It didnt tasted "Grilled". It was what I would call Charred Octopus. Money not wasted due to being there for my partner. We smiled and continued our celebration that evening. But I will say it was money wasted for sub par food and the disappointment in the waitstaff experience. What i found interesting about the waiter was he had given us Eye Smiles through the initial interactions then after he made the remark," Are you a food critic " he smiled with a full mouth and he had some serious dental issues in the front. They list them selves as the ," Fine Dining Experience " . Hmm, He should have continued with the eye smiles after his mocking me. Eye Smiles worked. The condescending full grill smile not so pleasant for my appetite with having to look at his dental issues. I thought I should bring my experience to the attention of management and followed through with a phone call. They were not available so left a message with staff that I was wanting to bring my experience to the managers attention and asked if they would contact me. I did not receive a return call.

Danielle Cook

Very disappointed !! This experience was for my Birthday dinner. Menu and website says fresh pasta and that was a lie and the boxed pasta that i was given was way undercooked in my meal. The pancheta was overcooked dark brown and on the cusp of being spoild. Service sucked. Not worth the money or the reservation. I regret it.

S Jemec

We sat for nearly half an hr and were never acknowledged by wait staff. Not even for a drink order. Tables that sat down after us got served though. So, we got up an left. The only people who looked like they did any work there were the bussers (thanks for the water refills!), and the hostess. Unfortunately I think this restaurant skirts criticism and benefits from Ithaca's unfortunately slim pickins restaurant scene... because this shoddy service and rough around the edges, water stained drop ceiling, sticky table, dated faux-craftsman aesthetic wouldn't fly elsewhere-- especially with $40+ entrés.

Ben EastwaterVlogs

I eat at the best restaurants around the world. The steak tasted cheap. It was cold. It was rare not medium rare too. The drinks came out bitter everytime. I know my Mojitos and sangrias. My friends drinks were also bitter too. I never write reviews unless I’m very disappointed in the food. The meatballs were amazing and the bread with the olive oil was amazing. Everything else tasted cheap and very overpriced. I love spending money on great food but this was so overpriced for the quality. Tasted like McDonald’s meat. I paid 50 dollars for this meal with the picture below. Cold rare steak with cheap lettuce and the cheese. Also the presentation was horrible. My fiends chicken looked like a chicken you would get from Walmart with burnt tasted vegetables.