Charlie Gitto’s is a casual but elegant fine Italian dining restaurant with three beautiful locations. They have been serving fine Italian cuisines since 1981 from their first location in the historic area of St Louis known as “The Hill.”
I have been attempting to write this article for several months, but getting through to a person with authority is difficult due to their busy schedule. After placing several calls and getting nowhere, I decided to delay publishing a review. However, after having a business meeting there last Thursday, February 12, 2015, I witnessed something that encouraged me to write and publish even without their input.
It has been several years since I have seen Charlie himself. But during lunch, Charlie was in the corner of the bar area with professional-grade lighting and camera equipment taking pictures of his cuisines. He didn’t hire a professional, he was doing it himself, and you could tell by watching him that he was given the same pride and passion that goes into his restaurant’s cuisines, service, and atmospheres. This was not the first time he had taken on this task, and you could tell that he knew exactly what he needed and wanted and was not going to leave it to chance by somebody else. He took several pictures of each cuisine and was very particular about how they displayed when they came out from the kitchen. It became apparent why his restaurants are a success.
High-quality food and service are what makes a restaurant successful. He pays a lot of attention to all of the details that the restaurants require. It would be easy for a restaurateur of his caliber to hire the pictures taken by a professional.
The staff is always professional, courteous, and timely. You can tell from the moment you walk in that they are trained to make you feel special, at home, and appreciated. They understand the value of quality service, and that fact is apparent anytime you visit any of the three locations. Everything is made fresh, from the bread to the desserts.
I love all three locations, but I prefer the atmosphere at their original location on The Hill. It is traditional and has more of a fine dining atmosphere than the other two locations. The Chesterfield and Hollywood Casino locations are more relaxed and casual, but they still offer a wonderful dining experience. They are different, not in a bad way, just different.
All three locations have the same menus, great food, and superior service. If you eat there, you have to try their Cannoli’s. “Leave the gun, take the cannoli’s” (quote from the Godfather movie). They are the best and worth the calories.
Charlie Gitto’s on The Hill is located at 5226 Shaw Avenue, St Louis, MO. The Facebook page for The Hill location has had more than 9,900 visitors giving more than 5,000 likes giving them a 4.5 Star Rating. Google gives this location a 4.5 Star Rating as well. St Louis Restaurant Review RECOMMENDS this location and awards it a 4.75 Star Rating. Our reason for the enhanced rating is the service, length of service for each server, the cleanliness and quality of food and service.
Charlie Gitto’s From the Hill is located at 15525 Olive Blvd, Chesterfield, MO. The Facebook page for the Chesterfield location has had more than 1900 visits and more than 116 likes giving it a 4.2 Star Rating. Google gives this location a 4 Star Rating. We think that is on the low side from where they deserve to be. St Louis Restaurant Review RECOMMENDS this location and awards it a 4.50 Star Rating.
Charlie Gitto’s at Hollywood Casino is located at 777 Casino Center Drive, Maryland Heights, MO. The Facebook page for the Hollywood Casino location has had more than 1,000 visitors and 37 likes giving it a 4 Star Rating. St Louis Restaurant Review RECOMMENDS this location as well and awards it a 4.5 Star Rating.
Additionally, Charlie Gitto’s is a WINNER of the OpenTable 2015 Diner’s Choice Award. To describe all of their accomplishments is beyond the scope of the publication. All we can say is to visit their website, Google their name, or trust our research when we say they are among the best in the city, if not the best.
Ratings across the board are impressive and well deserved. We complement and congratulate Mr. Gitto and his staff on their success and successful strategies to provide some of the best customer services, cuisines, and the atmosphere’s in the city.
We will attempt to obtain additional information from Charlie Gitto’s. If we do, we will revise and republish our review.
UPDATE: Chesterfield location closed.
This is an independent review. It is not paid advertisement, and no communication was available with an authorized representative before publishing.
St Louis Restaurant Review is an online publication published by WebTech Group.
Our review was published in the online publication of Restaurant Magazine and in Restaurant News