Altoona Restaurant Guide

The place looks like a dump. The wait was too long for any service. The food was like something I could cook at home in a few minutes. The price was outrageous for what they gave us. Two hours later we had to try to get out of their parking lot that is so small. I will never go back again.

Just visited Finelli's in Altoona today and had a delightful meal. Finelli's is THE example of 'you can't judge a book by it's cover' ! A very unimposing looking structure, but quality of food & friendliness of staff that is really worthwhile ! My husband had the veal marsala and it was more than wonderful ! The owner herself came to our table not once but TWICE during our meal, to be certain that everything was perfect (AND IT WAS !!). The ceasar salad was HUGE and it is made from scratch, not FROM A JAR !! Be aware, it is possibly large enough for two to split, if you are a lite eater. If you can appreciate quality, HOMEMADE food, not frozen entrees that are reheated in a microwave, then you will appreciate Finelli's as much as we do ! Even the desserts were homemade by the owner ! (AND NOT FROZEN, like you get at most restaurants !) We had ample entrees and leftovers to bring home to look forward to a delightful lunch the next day ! (a lovely bonus !) Can't wait to return !

“We had a big occasion to celebrate here, and sadly, we ended up regretting our choice with Finelli's. I will list all of the bad experiences in the order in which they occurred: 1) Our party called ahead and gave them the billing information as to not haggle for the check later-- to which they said they required a 20% tip for the server. In the end, our server did not deserve the 20% gratuity they tacked onto our bill. 2) When we arrived, we were not presented with menus or a wine list until 10 minutes after sitting down and only after we requested them. 3) It took at least 15 minutes for bread to arrive, even though the table had been pre-set with butter dishes. 4) When asked about the wine, the server was not knowledgeable about the menu, a lot of the wines listed on the wine menu were our of stock, and when asked to recommend another in our price range, the server was not prepared to do so, and had to go check with the chef. 5) The server did not inform us of the 86'd menu items for the night, so when ordered, she told us they were out of the item. 6) The server talked up the Cesar salads, and highly recommended them, however did not mention the fact that they were a $5.00 charge (when you could get a garden salad with your meal for free). 7) The dining room was freezing. 8) We waited 35 minutes for our starter salads. 9) We waited 1 hour 20 minutes for our entrees. 10) One of our party's dishes had charred grilled chicken. When he told the waitress it was burned, her reply was "Well, we grill it." in a snide tone. He had tasted grilled chicken before, and knew it wasn't supposed to taste burned. 11) The special dish for the night was said to come with white asparagus. When the asparagus came out, it appeared to be from a can. If not-- insanely overcooked. It was mush, and inedible.