Scalini's Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria in Auckland

My wife and I ate here when we were teenagers 35 years ago. Unbelievable. If I were a wealthy man, I would buy it just to keep it open. Great Italian setting and food

At 38 weeks pregnant today, I tried the Eggplant Parmigiana with salad & garlic rolls. It was an ok dish, not something I would eat regularly but hoping it starts labor. I will post an update on if my baby will be joining their massive wall of fame in 48hrs!48hrs later and sad to say Im not in labor at all 😭

Great food with large portions for a very reasonable price. Entrees come with a salad and buns which was a plus. We got the seafood trio pasta and the shrimp and scallops would get both again, they definitely did not skimp on the scallops!

Our favorite go to Italian restaurant. Their bottomless salad is one of our favorites and they have the best chicken Parmesan in town.

Very good. We went for our daughter to get the Eggplant Parmesean, she is pregnant. Hope this works. Enjoyed our meal and the ambience. Wait staff was excellent.

The aesthetic of the place has not changed at all in the last 20+ years since my parents worked there; which could be acceptable if that meant that the tables, seating, fabric, carpet, ect. had ever once been replaced and refreshed (or even just been given a deep cleaning).It all feels very old and worn, and not in an authentic, rustic way.More importantly the quality of the food is inconsistent and it is clear that the servers (and likely all staffare not paid fairly as the restaurant clearly has a lot of trouble with hiring and retaining employees.

Food was great but even with section closed off on Thursday night, we couldnt get correct drink order or refills on rolls and drinks in any sort of timely manner...plus check delayed. Those around us also having issues. Sad because had been great a couple of years ago.

I really want to love this place- mom & pop feel restaurant with excellent salad and rolls but now 2 of 2 times underwhelmed with the pasta dishes I have ordered here. I will come again and keep ordering something different in hopes it will meet my expectations one day.

I absolutely love Scalinis, and go there often. Everything they have is delicious. Spaghetti comes with meat or marinara sauce; there is a delicious dish with angel hair pasta, artichokes, and spinach (angel hair dalvino?); veggie or regular lasagna; the "meet lovers special," which is a variety of pastas with different toppings; and my favorite dish, eggplant parmesan. All entrees come with a big salad bowl for everyone at the table to enjoy, and garlic rolls. The spumoni is delicious also.

This place is so great. The bad reviews on Google are stupid. They’re for people that showed up at like 10pm so yeah maybe things were slow. We were here at a normal time 7pm Friday and the service was lightning fast and the food was delicious. My wife is 40 weeks pregnant so hoping this eggplant parmigiana does the trick.P.S. The table across from us is giving the server a hard time and I want to throw my meatball at him because this place is amazing and she doesn’t deserve that.

Omg soooo good, will go back as many times as I can. Staff was friendly food was so good! Only bad part was veil was over cook. EVERYTHING else was amazing. Even the deserts.

Tasty italian food and authentic atmosphere

The service was good. The waitress was nice and attentive however the food was horrible. We are not picky eaters either. I was wondering if something was up because it’s Sat night and everywhere had an hour wait except here. We have not been here and have been wanting try this place. It looked like a local family owned restaurant.We have been trying to find a good authentic family owned Italian place. This place is not it. They soak the rolls in butter and fresh garlic…a lot of it. The rolls come sitting in the butter bowl…not brushed on the rolls. The Alfredo sauce is clearly from a can. They do not make it fresh. The food was luke warm when it came to us.They over sauced the dish by 3x. It was so bad we couldn’t even finish ours meals and barely ate any of it. I hate wasting food so I took it all home and remade the dish. Additionally, we order a pineapple and sprite mixed together. They charged us for two separate drinks and we mixed it at the table.Total waste of $75.Sausage and Chicken PenneChicken and Broccoli AlfredoSeafood Trio with Alfredo sauce

What can I say. Im not really a pasta type person. So if you are youll probably enjoy Scalinis. Everyone else I was with said the food was ok also. The service was ok also. I cant say its the best Ive had. But again Im not a pasta guy. Went with a group.

The overall experience lackluster. Everyone in our party of 4. said it was okay but not close to previous visits. Maybe a different cook and staff (anything can happen in TWO weeksMy pasta sauce (white garlic wine sauce)was diluted. The pasta wasnt drained nor seasoned. The bread and salad were the BEST, delicious. The only reason for three stars

Service was good, but food was awful. Came here for years and will never go back. Their food has dropped in quality immensely. Looked and tasted like it was frozen and then microwaved.

Service was good and the food was average (3 out of 5), but I imagine it would have tasted better hot. We arrived at 8:45pm and the workers were rushing around to close the restaurant. They close at 10pm. We ordered a Cheese Stuck appetizer which came out 15 minutes after our meal and was the only thing hot and the only dish with melted cheese. My wife ordered an entree and asked for it to be topped with cheese. It wasnt. It had to go back and corrected. We were told it would take 4 minutes. It took 12. Right at 10pm several cooks left and the workers were shouting across the restaurant and being inappropriate. The server asked if I wanted a dessert to go. I did get a cheesecake with strawberries to go, which was fine, because I wanted to leave. I didnt want to stay in a place that made us felt unwelcomed from the, essentially, the time we came in. The lighting was poor, the tables and benches are very old and poorly maintained. The walls of the booths are written on, which was neat, but there was inappropriate content written and drawn on the decrepit walls. The bathrooms are BEYOND disgusting. Maintenance, again, has been extremely neglected on the restrooms. Not just on keeping them clean, but structurally. There was no soap either which leaves you feeling dirty as you find your way through the dark back to the booth that youre unsure will actually support your weight.Not the best experience. Not the best food. Not the best ambiance. Good service.

The atmosphere is great! The place definitely has an old school Italian restaurant feel. The food was great! However, the rolls has a little too much garlic on them for my taste.Everyone in my party loved their food, myself included. Their only note was the amount of garlic on the rolls.So, why is this place a 4 and not a 5? Because I got the spaghetti with meat sauce and meat balls. Thats my standard for any Italian place. Its my opinion that every self-respecting Italian restaurant should have outstanding spaghetti and meatballs. Maybe you disagree- thats okay! For me, its the thing I get every time I go to a new Italian restaurant.While their spaghetti was great, Im not sure if there wasnt any meat in my meat sauce or if it was infinitesimally small that I couldnt see it, but I didnt. The sauce was also a little thin, though it had a great taste! Overall, I was happy with my food and would go back!

Delicious Italian-American fare, and they make their own cannolis. I always recommend this as a dinner spot when entertaining out of town work visitors.I will say that our VP of Operation’s overdue wife did not benefit from the Eggplant Parmesan challenge and instead had their baby a week later 😜

Hands down, the VERY best authentic Italian food you will ever put in your mouth! From the house salad, to the garlic butter rolls, to the main course, every bite is an experience. The staff is always extra friendly and the service is stellar. Cant recommend Scalinis highly enough!

Great food here. Service was quick, staff was friendly, and loved the fact that each entree came with salad and rolls! Would recommend this place!

Its never going to be trend setting but its always going to be delicious Americanized Italian family comfort food. I first went in the early 80s and have to get a fix in at least once a year now. Still. This location was the first, then all subsequent locations became Provinos. No need to order appetizers, theyll give you garlic rolls until you burst. Stick with tried and true classics like chicken or veal parmesan, veal Francese, or veal or chicken marsala. Even my 18 month old granddaughter loves the food, check out the picture of her drinking the salad dressing 😆

Services always a little slow here. I love their roles I love their salad But Im not a huge fan of their red sauce. I like mine a little bit more blended. Oh And they use the worlds smallest wine glasses.

We arrived at 9:15 pm as a party of 8 to celebrate a special occasion. We let the hostess that there were 8 people in our party. She went to get the manager SHELBY who came up to the front after 2-3 minutes and said that unfortunately she would not be able to seat our party.It was clear that she did not want us to stay there however unbeknownst to her, we were determined to have dinner there that night. As a dastardly deterrent she said that the only way that we would be able to have dinner would be to break up our party; not only that but that we would not be seated anywhere close to each other.She probably thought that that alone would discourage us, but no, we stayed. When the party beside our table left less than 5 minutes after we were seated, I asked our waitress if she could have someone clean up the table so that we could at least sit beside each other.I kid you not but this MEAN spirited woman, SHELBY, was determined to not have us seat beside each other so she made sure that throughout our dinner that table beside us NEVER got cleaned. The bus boys came and cleaned ALL of the other tables BUT that one. In a move that can only be done out of spite she made sure that we remained separated.And also what’s up with the graffiti lined walls?? It gave the feeling of eating in a gas station restroom. Totally unbecoming of a restaurant that boasts a nice atmosphere. Very strange.God don’t like ugly.

Have lots of experience. Since 1980 and still going when I am close enough to enjoy. Service is always excellent and place is clean. Only problem with food is trying to decide what you would like that day. All items consistent an delicious. I Im not close to Scalinis and can locate a Provinos. Same ownership, menus and experience.

Excellent experience...They serve you a huge salad and delicious rolls with your meal . The dish I ordered was plentiful. The service was great . Steve was nice and attentive. Food came out hot and quickly. Very reasonable prices. Yummy

Try this place on your actual birthday for take out or dine in (free pasta related entree)! I had vegetable lasagna which comes with salad garlic knots. Tomato sauce tasted authentic and the salad sauce was solid. Good service and intimate ambience when I saw.

Big disappointment. I remember this restaurant being absolutely delicious years ago, but it seems their quality has gone WAY downhill.... and on top of that, the restrooms were so disgusting that I opted to stop at a gas station instead of using theirs. There was liquid all over the seat (not just a sprinkleand all over the floor around the toilets. One toilet was filled with tons of paper, etc. I just gave up on the bathroom. As for the food, the salad and the rolls were both very good, but their pasta sauce is honestly a disgrace to the Italian name. It was almost entirely water. SEE PHOTO! We poured all the water from the sauce out into a bowl and we were left with CHUNKS of tomatoes... that is NOT how you make pasta sauce. Any Italian grandmother will tell you that if your sauce is runny, its wrong. If you are considering stopping here, I recommend you drive 5 more minutes to the Carrabbas because it is way more consistent and their food is way better.

We went there with all intentions of me going into labor after ordering their famous "labor inducing eggplant recipe." However, it did not work for me. We went on a Saturday and I went into labor that Following Friday morning. It was so good though and everything was extremely reasonable for the price! Even though I didnt get to put my baby on their wall of fame for delivering after eating their eggplant, We still enjoyed every bit of it! Will definitely be back in!!

We visited on June 24th in the evening. My wife was 40 weeks pregnant so we went for the egg plant parmesan. Unfortunately we were very disappointed with the food overall. Heres what we ordered:-The salad and the garlic rolls were the best on the menu.- The calamari was ok but could of cooked more-I first ordered the venetian but the sauce was a little bitter and the meats were battered but not seasoned so they were soggy. I switched to the parmesan chicken and that was good except for the spaghetti and sauce.-my mother in law had the vegetable lasagna and was dissatisfied with the flavor of the food and the vegetables were not cut up. There was a whole broccoli.-My daughters had the fettuccine which was dry and flavor less. Also the meat lasagna off the kids menu which again lacked flavor-and for the main attraction, my wife had the egg plant parmesan which we hoped would have put her into labor well were 40 weeks and 5 days in as Im writing this. Now we cant hold them to inducing labor but we can hope the food would be flavorful and worth eating. My wife was completely disappointed as the meal was bland and soggy. I attached a picture. Needless to say we hope the chef just had a bad day but were so disappointed that we had to make our own egg plant parmesan to see if it could actually taste good. Just finished eating, see attached picture, it was delicious. wish us luck👍

The tomato sauce was extremely bitter and made it had to enjoy the spaghetti, the lasagna and eggplant parm was ok, I’ve had better. But our server was very nice!

Our server was great! Friendly and attentive. The food took a long time to get done. She explained there was a large party. You get alot of food for the money. Entree, salad and garlic rolls.

This one of my favorite places. I Highly recommend these guys!

I hadnt visited Scalinis in a few years and decided to give it a visit. What a disappointment. I guess its a Cobb County staple, but it was terrible. Starting with super slow service and then the food was just bad. I ordered Sausage and Peppers and the sausage was burnt and dried out. Another entrée was watery. They took the water entrée off the bill, but not the burnt sausage. The excuse they gave was it was close to closing and and kitchen probably rushed. They rushed so much the food came before the wine. Is that really a valid excuse?Theres a nationwide italian restaurant across the street that probably would have been better. Grazie.

I have been wanting good Italian food and my appetite was satisfied. I liked the food, atmosphere, and service. They have the best turimisu I have had in my life! I almost overdosed on the garlic knots. I had the horn stuffed with lobster, shrimp, and scallops. My daughter had the chicken and broccoli Alfredo. We will be back!

This review is for to-go only. We ordered 3 meals at 8:00 pm on a Saturday. They said it would take 25 minutes, and it did!We got Eggplant Parmigiana ($14.95), but not for the labor-inducing aspect we’ve heard about, Chicken Parmigiana ($16.95), and Chicken and Broccoli Fettuccini Alfredo ($16.95). Each meal came with salad and garlic rolls. All were good, and the portions were very generous. I wish the Eggplant Parmigiana was more crispy, but the flavor was still good. The Fettuccini Alfredo was very heavy, but that’s to be expected.We were impressed with the size of the salads and with the ingredients! They had chick peas, beets, cheese, tomatoes, onions, and mushrooms. They were very good and definitely better than the average restaurant’s house salad.We read so many reviews about the garlic rolls. Maybe it was because it was to-go, but they weren’t good. They were overloaded with butter and garlic, and it pooled on the bottom of the container. Granted, they did give us 25 rolls for 3 people, but we didn’t even want them because they just weren’t good.In COVID times, everyone we saw working at the restaurant was wearing a mask. They were very quick about getting our food prepared.Overall, it was decent! Good food, good portions. We would rather try other places before we would come back though.

Not a good experience... my wife ordered the ziti and I had the eggplant parm. The ziti came out covered with cheese, below the hearty layer was shredded ziti. Why in the world would the dish come that way? That’s not the bad part, it like more like zuppa di ziti, didn’t know if it was excess oil in the marinara or not.The eggplant parm was too covered in a heart layer of cheese. Nothing great...The garlic rolls sit there in melted butter. Just not good, you could go across the street to Olive Garden for a more quality meal.The server Chris was a bright spot on Saturday date night. I apologize, but we won’t be back.

Still excellent Italian after 30 years. Of course I cant remember what I had. But it was always a top pick for date night in 1981. So date night for 2020 Valentines day was not disappointing. A short drive from the Omni hotel battery made it even more convenient. Our server Brianna was excellent.

Been coming here for almost 11 years. Let that sink in folks. This place is the real deal. Amazing atmosphere and wonderful food. Perfect for a date with that special someone. If you are going on a date do not get a table! Request a booth. Trust me guys. You wont regret the booth for a date. Bring a good white sharpie with you also. Do not ask why. Just do it. So for you people on a date! Get the booth and bring a sharpie. She will never forget that. Here is a pic what I ate today ;Ive been eating this same exact dish for 11 years folks

Loved it !! Loved it!! I like Italian food, but this place, service and food made me fall in love with the place. The decor is very romantic and beautiful. Service is very nice and friendly. People smile. The dishes are done so well. Pasta is amazingly delicious. Must must try the vegetarian lasagna.

Hubby and I came her to eat after SneakerCon before heading to the hotel for the nite. The restaurant was clean but, dimly lite. Our waiter was prompt and friendly. We ordered cheesestix to start 1 time they came out they were luke warm in the middle and breading just came off to stringyness to the cheese. 2nd time they were burnt to a crisp and the smell it was time to change the oil in the deep fryer. Salad was fresh and had alot more veggies than a normal salad even pickled beets. The dressing was house no other option and there wasnt alot on it. The bread was weird. I mean it was alright but, as you can see in the pic it was literally chunks of garlic in the butter. STRONG. We ordered for our meal the pasta lovers special. The pic below is 1/2 the size of the whole meal as he nicely split it on 2 plates for us. The meatball tasted a little burnt and the sauce was a little watery. A good portion though. The meal wasnt really... that good. When we come for SneakerCon again we wont be back.

First of all, I’ve lived in this area since 2001 and never even thought to come try this place, but when I tell you it’s BANGINNNNN!!! Likeeeeee, wow. I couldn’t even leave the restaurant without writing about it. I’m literally still sitting in the booth y’all. For starters, our server Brenda was phenomenal! She’s obviously familiar with the menu and had a personality like no other. Definitely ask for her when you come cause chillleeeee. Then the food was insane. I got the Mussels Marinara and my boyfriend got the Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo, which Brenda suggested to get blackened (pro-tip). I swear I heard angels singing y’all. No lie. The garlic rolls, the salad, the atmosphere. This place has it ALLL!! Definitely a must try in the Smyrna/Vinings area. YOU’RE WELCOME!!

Wonderful service. Went in for the eggplant parm to try to get my labor started.... we will see! It was delicious regardless. The panna cotta and tiramisu were both wonderful!

The atmosphere here is elegant and the music is fantastic and very soothing..the food was amazing and very filling we came to bring our pregnant sister for the eggplant parmesan which she said was fantastic!! Our waitress was great always checking on us to make sure we were ok and if we needed anything. I definitely recommend coming here if you have never been..

Amazing Italian food, friendly staff, nice ambiance. I came here for the eggplant parmesan, hoping it would help me go into labor with my baby girl. No such luck, but I was pleasantly surprised that I liked the eggplant! I like the wall of "eggplant babies" pictures. Parking was easy and convenient. Bathrooms were clean and well stocked. Food came out fast and super hot. I also really liked the salad dressing.

I joined several friends for dinner at Scalinis on a recent Saturday night. The server brought out the garlic rolls right away and this was particularly helpful for the late arrivals in our party. I would have preferred a hearty bread with a thick crust and the garlic and oil was overwhelming for me. But the garlic lovers at our table were thrilled. The house salad put in front of us was pure lettuce, devoid of beets and tomatoes, but I simply asked my neighbors to pass their salad which had a double portion of the missing ingredients. So we sorted it all out. I ordered the Angel Hair Dalvina and it did not disappoint, delicious vegetarian dish with generous portions of marinated artichokes, tomatoes and spinach and lavished with Alfredo sauce on perfect al dente angel hair pasta. If they had offered whole wheat pasta, that would have been my preference. I found out after the fact that I could have asked for marinara sauce instead of fairly high calorie Alfredo sauce. I had a Pelegrino to go with my meal since I was the designated driver. Server didnt offer me a second bottle when I had clearly finished my drink. She also didnt offer bread to the two ladies in my party who had ordered mussels, they had to ask. Except for dessert, our table got only one return visit from the server after the entree was on the table. Delicious food, but room for improvement in the service. Everyone complained about how dark Scalinis is and I have to agree. Low lighting is romantic by candlelight, but this was plain dark!

The service was excellent... From the greeters to the waitress was excellent and thats why I give it 4 stars. The food was good. We were celebrating a family member Birthday and Birthday meal is free with I.D. showing proof of birthday

The atmosphere was good, the staff friendly and helpful.The meal was flavorful and came with a REAL salad, beets, chick peas, tomatoes, fresh mushrooms, etc.The man at the next table enjoyed some of his meal, but ordered another plate full and didnt "like the presentation" and the staff did everything they could to make it right and did not charge him.I will be back.

If I could give it 10 Stars I would! Always a treat for me to eat here! The best Italian ever as far as Im concerned. The rolls and salad are the best. Been coming here for years and its always a pleasant experience!

We went to celebrate my husbands birthday. No wait. Walked right in and we were seated. Our waiter promptly showed up and took our drink order. Our food was fast and very good. The meal started with salad and fresh garlic rolls followed by an appetizer of fried ravioli. I enjoyed Veal parmesan. He had Spaghetti with meat balls. For dessert he ordered spamoni. It was a delightful dinner. Great atmosphere. Friendly staff. Clean restaurant.