Casa Nova

I am in town on business and this was the first restaurant that was recommended to me. Truly an amazing experience from start to finish. As a solo traveler, I sat at the bar and was greeted by two regulars who were very friendly and welcoming. That would be the theme of the evening from both the other regulars as well as the folks who work at/own the restaurant. This seemed to be a locals spot where everyone knows everyone, and I was welcomed into that circle as a visitor with open arms. (One of the owners, all brothers I believe, was friendly, professional, and great to converse with as I dined alone.) I ordered the scallops and they were cooked perfectly and were not tough to eat. Healthy portion as well and certainly worth the menu price. As I write this I am thinking about going back tonight for dinner. I also ordered a pizza to-go and really enjoyed it back at my hotel. (Plain cheese, but they have a list of specialty pies.) If you're not in the mood to sit and dine, they do plenty of pizza carryout with a dedicated space for people to come in and carry out without disrupting. 5 stars for sure.

AMAZING! We are so glad the universe brought us to this restaurant. My fiancé and I stopped here on our way to Hartford for the Hartford Marathon. We were stuck in wild traffic for so long from Stamford and had to cancel our dinner reservations up in Hartford because we were so behind schedule. So hungry and in need of a good meal before our race the next day, we happened to get off this exit and it was the first Italian restaurant we could find. We were warmly greeted right away (even though the place was packed with bustling customers) and seated immediately at the bar. Within 5 minutes we had bread, drinks, and a salad. Our appetizer came out right as we finished our salads and the entrees followed after that. The food was PERFECT and we couldn’t have asked for anything better. The highlight however, was that we got a front row seat to watching the owner manage the night— he was an absolute superstar working the bar and the crowd while orchestrating food orders and instructing the servers. We were thoroughly inspired by his presence, passion, and energy.

From the moment we walked into Casanova in New Haven, we knew we were in for something special — and it absolutely exceeded every expectation. As a family, we love good food, and what we experienced here was nothing short of exceptional. We had the privilege of trying a wide variety of appetizers and entrées, each one crafted with a clear passion for Italian cuisine and an impeccable attention to detail. Every dish was rich with flavor and beautifully presented. Beyond the food, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming, with a refined charm that made us feel both comfortable and cared for. The staff was attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable, adding a personal touch that elevated the entire experience. As someone who knows the chef personally, I can say with confidence that his heart and soul are poured into every plate — and it shows. His dedication to excellence and love for what he does are reflected in every bite. Whether you're looking for a romantic night out, a special celebration, or simply an outstanding meal, Casanova is a must-visit. We’ll absolutely be back — and bringing friends next time.

Went here on a Friday night and it was bustling! Got a table for 2 within 10 minutes! My wife had the lobster ravioli with vodka sauce and I had the eggplant parmigiana dinner. The vodka sauce on the lobster ravioli was outstanding! All homemade! Great service and delicious food! First time here and certainly not the last!

It was a very good Italian restaurant and a team. There was excellent at A + My little cousin graduate to be a RN. Nice celebration 🎉

My wife had stopped here on a business trip a couple of weeks ago and had such a pleasant experience that when I joined her on her latest business venture, we stopped here again. She told me how delicious everything was, but I had to see for myself. Well, the place did not disappoint. Very clean, neat and just the right amount of ambiance. Not overly ornate, but just fancy enough to make it feel special. Our waiter was fantastic. Attentive, down to earth and made you feel right at home. Now, to the important part, the food. I got the steak casa nova, which was extremely reasonably priced. ( note: recently I had a very expensive steak at a restaurant I reviewed and it wasn't half as good as this one!) Cooked to perfection. I ordered it medium rare and that's what I was served. And the flavor? Delicious. It has a burgundy wine sauce with roasted red peppers and mushrooms and it all meshed together perfectly. Can't say enough good things about this place. Not sure if it's a hidden gem here in Stratford or not, but either way, it's definitely worth checking out.

The food is wonderful, prices very reasonable, and they are willing to customize to what you want. The owner and staff are very warm and friendly, the wine list is very good, and the atmosphere both inside and out is as close to a village restaurant in Italy as you can get in the US. This is one of our top 5 go to restaurants.

Very popular and packed. Plan accordingly and make reservations. Once seated we were quickly greeted by our very attentive waitress Albina. Plenty of menu choices, wines, unique cocktails and desserts. Thank you Albina

if you want to go to a taverna in Rome or Florence you can save your money and go to Casa Nova in Shelton, CT. the place is boisterous with customers talking, laughing and enjoying their food. The fare is country Italian. My chicken breast with sausage and roasted pepper was bountiful and delicious. My wife's veal saltimbocca was wonderful. The service is by gracious and attentive italian ladies. An added bonus is their dry martinis, to die for. This place is a hidden gem for people who like their food plentiful and authentically Italian. Book early to get the best tables. However any table will do.

Decided to do pizza Sunday with my fiancé as we were in the area and had takeout before and went to a family party there in the past and it was good. We started with garlic bread which was great. I also had a garden salad which was also good. Nice quality salad! My fiancé had his usual cheese and I've been on a white tomato kick lately so opted for the white margarita. Both were great! Service good. Next time we are in the area we will have to make a stop.

This is one of my favorite restaurants that I don't get the chance to visit frequently anymore. They make the best chicken Marsala for me. My son decided to bring dinner over from the restaurant and I was hesitant at first because it's been a couple of years, but again no disappointment with my chicken Marsala, and this was at my house not the restaurant. No difference in taste.

Experience here was quite disappointing. We were celebrating a birthday. The service was horribly rude and rushed us from the moment we sat down. They tried clearing our salad plates before we were finished with them because the main plates were coming out, and were rude about us wanting to keep the salads at the table. They kept clearing things off the table each time they passed by. They took my plate to wrap up the rest while everyone else was still eating. We had made a reservation, but we definitely got the sense that they were trying to rush us out because of the crowd waiting in the bar area near the entrance. Had those folks made reservations and had the restaurant overbooked? The food was ok. I had the chicken di casa. Two large chicken breasts. The Madeira wine sauce was good and the prosciutto a nice touch, but the roasted red peppers and artichokes tasted as though they came straight from a jar. I expected a little better for the price. The ambiance was a typical trattoria, one step up from full-on casual. I think I'd enjoy this place more for takeout than dining in, but with the prices and the experience we had, I don't know I would even do that. It was disappointing because we'd heard so many good things about this place. I had high hopes but they were dashed from the moment we walked through the door.

Great food and service, did not disappoint . Even though one of our dishes was incorrect, the waitress quickly resolved the issue! So all was good in food land!

The food exceeded my expectations, and it is fairly priced. I ordered the lobster ravioli and it was delicious. It came with a salad and bread. I also got a chance to taste the shrimp penne a la vodka and the salmon, and both were very good. I would highly recommend.

Casa Nova is definitely my favorite local restaurant! The food is consistently delicious, portions are generous and service is good, staff is always friendly and welcoming. Save room for dessert!

First time eating at this restaurant. Took my young daughter with us to grab some food on Saturday night. We have always wanted to try this place but never got around to it. At first, the service was great and the restaurant was packed. Good ambiance and a very inviting family friendly feel. Sitting at the table behind us was baby in a car seat and a toddler with their family. Everything was going great until we started to smell an overwhelming scent of cigar smoke. I assumed, since it was raining outside, that someone went out to smoke and stood a little too close to the door. I let it pass and figured it would be gone soon. As our food arrived, the scent got stronger. The dining room was very cloudy and it was hard to even taste our food because the heavy weight of cigar smoke filled the back of our throats. My husband who usually shrugs things off also agreed that something was terribly wrong. I saw the father with the two children walk up to the manager (assuming he was the manager) to complain. When they were done chatting, I motioned to the manager to visit our table. I asked him directly where the heavy cigar smoke filling the room was coming from. He tried to tell me it was their pizza ovens. I told him I know the difference and I wasn't a fool and then asked what type of permit they had for the restaurant to allow mixed use of a tobacco lounge and a restaurant (to where he couldn't answer). He tried tinkering with the thermostat as if that would help. I motioned for our waitress and asked for the check and to wrap our food. I took my daughter and walked out of the restaurant. My husband walked out behind us and was stopped by one of the workers. He provided him with a gift card and apologized for the smoke stating that family was visiting from out of town and was responsible for the cigar smoking upstairs. Last I checked smoking bans inside restaurants were still in effect in the State of Connecticut. Won't return.

I recently visited Casa Nova, an Italian restaurant located in Shelton, and I must say, I was totally impressed. The restaurant has a warm and welcoming atmosphere, with friendly staff and a cozy decor. We ordered lobster ravioli and spaghetti with meatballs. Both dishes were exceptionally delicious. The meatballs were perfectly seasoned and served with tomato sauce which was rich and tangy, perfectly coating the al dente spaghetti. The lobster ravioli was a standout dish. The sauce was light yet flavorful, allowing the lobster to shine through. It was garnished with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese. The portion sizes were generous. We couldn't order the dessert. But I will definitely be back to try some of their other dishes. Overall, Casa Nova is a great Italian restaurant, with delicious food, a cozy atmosphere, and excellent service. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great dining experience.

Despite being realllly busy during a downpour on a Friday night, these folks found us a table and took care of us in a timely manner. Food was good and there was so much we needed containers to take the rest home.

First time here, been wanting to try this place for a while. The resturant itself is very nice and clean, and the staff was friendly. We ordered a cheese pizza and lobster ravioli and shared. Both were perfect! The pizza was cooked perfectly, not soggy like most places. The lobster ravoli was amazing. We will definitely be returning.

Food was delicious and portions are a good size. Waitress was friendly and recommended several dishes.

Great food. I moved into this new town and decided to try it. It was really good Italian food. Small place but an amazing quaint feel.

If you're looking for a light flavorful brick oven pizza, look no further. The service and environment felt authentic. I am currently dining on a fantastic pizza. I'm not local and stopped here for dinner on my road trip. If you haven't tried this place, give it a shot. You won't regret it.

Tried again a few years after my last post as my friend likes it here, and it's a midway point for us, but sadly it's not improved and the lack of diners at prime lunch time on Valentines Day and Friday confirms it's not just me. The food was ok, but the service was lackluster and when my meal was wrong very little effort was made to correct it. Pizza may be their forte ... Will only come back when my friend insists .... :(

One of the best Italian meals I've had in a long time. I had clams over linguine, my wife had a fish special, and my visiting friend from Seattle had the seafood special. It was his first meal on the East Coast, and he was blown away. The service was, friendly and efficient. Also, the desserts were awesome!

Let me start with this our food was delicious.it was however a review isnt just based on tasty food. But overall service etc. Sadly it was the worst waiter ive ever had im with my son and wife its my sons b day hes turning 9 so we WENT somewhere we thought was special. this waiter who took are order would sit at a table around the corner from us And I kid you not the whole time . hes talking about parties , cussing etc but the worst was making a joke about a kidnapped children . ARE YOU serious!!!!?? NEVER AGAIN . imagine sitting with your family. And hearing that ....

On march 9th 2022 i ordered food for me i ordered a combination meatball-sausage grinder lite sauce and grated cheese instead of mozzarella this is what i got and it cost me 13.00 are you KIDDING me so i brought it back and there were words exchanged and 1 cook said something about the cost of Gasoline i said what the hell does that have to do with my so called grinder NEVER AGAIN!!!!!

I really love the food and atmosphere at Casa Nova. From start to finish the food is a winner. HOWEVER, we are always disappointed with lunch. Not the meal, but the "salad" that accompanies the lunch. Yes, I know it's lunch. The salad is so so small, it's an insult. They are better off not including it. It's as if they count the leaves you are getting. Lettuce is still inexpensive - fill the plate so there's not just three bites....

Last night was our first visit and we were just amazed by it all. I looked up the menu beforehand and found them to have a lot of variety with very reasonable prices. We went in not expecting much more than a diner-like experience since the prices seemed pretty low but we were pleasantly surprised. First off, the service was top notch. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. Immediately upon sitting down someone lit our candle, someone brought out bread, someone brought a bottle of water. It was like a well-choreographed performance. The salads with our meals were large and not your typical sad veggies but a mix of spring/romaine and lots of fresh vegetables. I had to give my husband half because I didnt want to get too full! We shared the hot antipasto and let me tell you, that may just be my next meal when I return. SO many good things in there and the lemon sauce at the bottom was to die for. We each had shellfish over pasta and asked for fra diavolo sauce in lieu of the red or white it came with and it was no problem to accommodate us. The one thing keeping me from giving 5 stars - although all my shellfish tasted extremely fresh and delicious, more than one of my mussels still had bits of beard and some broken shell pieces that were unpleasant, so just a little more observation is needed in the kitchen. But everything was so delicious that I picked it off and just moved past it. We'll definitely be back.

Great good. Excellent service. Will definitely return and invite friends. Local and convenient.

It's really sad that I have to give this place one star. The food was actually very good. I ordered some very tasty pasta dishes. The steak and cheese grinder had good flavor. The pizza was disappointing with the lack of cheese. But the reason for the 1 was due to the lack of customer service. When ordering the food, the woman who answered the call was very rude. Hurrying to get off. Some requests were made. She wasn't listening even though she kept saying "anything else". No grilled onions on the steak and cheese. Raw onion! One of the pasta dishes was requested to substitute ground sausage instead of sausage chunks. She said yes. Did not happen. Went on for two more dishes. I think you get the picture. Then when we arrived to pay and pick up, we waited and waited and waited. Didn't even get acknowledged till we said we were here to pick up. And they were not busy. Assuming she might be family, because she did not give a shit about being there, nevermind actually working.

Authentic Italian restaurant with your favorite Italian dishes and great wine selection! Highly recommend!

I came here for lunch with a business partner. At the door, an employee opened the door and greeted us with a big smile. We got seated immediately by some friendly waiters. Our waitress was also really friendly. The place was filled with a couple big parties, since it's the week before Christmas. But it wasn't super packed. After we ordered, the salad was brought to our table quickly, and then followed by the food. I ordered Angel Hair with Marinara sauce and sausage, and it was amazing. It was only $10, for a huge portion. The pasta was cooked just right, the marinara sauce was perfect, and the sausage was flavorful (not too fatty, not too dry). I'm a big fan of pasta, and I've had pastas from different restaurants. This place definitely has one of the best pastas I've ever had. I'd recommend this place to everybody.

The food here is very good, however I am writing this review because I was just there and two of the employees in the kitchen (including one who looked like he may have been the manager) were not wearing masks. They were also serving patrons for takeout who were not wearing masks, so they clearly do not have a mask policy for customers or workers. I don't plan on returning until they change their ways.

Our visit to Cassa Nova did not disappoint! The owner, Harris, was very friendly, as was our waitress. Being in a family-owned restaurant is special and we loved the atmosphere. We ordered drinks and a salad along with our pizza, which was baked very quickly. It was delicious, as was the garden salad (topped with fresh basil and roasted red peppers!) and Lemon Drop Cocktail. If we lived in the area we'd definitely return to try the other menu items.

Great place. Ideal for families or even just couples. The menu selection is extensive . Been there 3x. Service is good. Tried their salmon, pasta and steak. All great, highly recommended. Place is clean. Decent crowd. Ample parking. Location convenient, close to the Merritt parkway.

4 diners - 2 ordered the Veal Casa Nova. The waitress told us it was the best dinner on the menu. I struggled to cut the meat & chewed endlessly until I could swallow.... I'm kinda stubborn & wouldn't let the "tough" veal defeat me. My left almost the entire veal portion uneaten. VERY UNHAPPY !!!

Love Casa Nova!!! I come here often with my friends. Service is always amazing especially when Harris is our waiter. He always goes out of his way to make it the best dining experience possible. Harris never leaves my drink or bread basket empty. All the food is delicious every time no matter what I order.

Been traveling all over....so far the worst pizza I ever had.chunks of garlic, tomatoes....do not taste cheese what so ever...very plain taste.

This jewel of a restaurant is a find in Shelton! I live in Boston area and wanted a nice comfortable place to have a 60th Anniversary celebration at the end of September for my parents who live in Huntington, CT. Casa Nova's Belle Notte Room upstairs from the restaurant was perfect! The room was beautifully decorated, easily accommodated our party of 30 in a U shape table arrangement, has parking behind the restaurant with a shorter set of stairs which was great for my elderly parents and bringing in party goodies. There is also a nice restroom on the same floor and plenty of space for the buffet and extra tables to hold gifts or to display photographs, etc... The restaurant is located on a scenic drive along the Housatonic River and has a lovely view from the room. The buffet was wonderful, food delicious and so reasonably priced. We chose: Chicken Picatta, Meatballs, Ziti, Sausage and Peppers, Roasted Potatoes and Salad. It was all prepared perfectly. Many went back for seconds! Flora, the daughter was a pleasure to work with. She is friendly, super efficient and felt like part of the family! She made the entire event run seamlessly, from pouring the Prosecco on time, bringing up and down all those trays of food and even cutting the cake for dessert and then putting slices in the favor boxes I brought for our guests to take home. She was key in the success of the entire event. I will say my first impression besides the website - was when I called to inquire about the date being available, I spoke with the owner/father Jimmy. He was so warm and accommodating I knew this was the right place for our family. A month later - we went back to eat in the restaurant and celebrate my Dad's 89th birthday this past Saturday. The restaurant is very comfortable and has a very warm, trendy vibe. I understand they just renovated/updated it this past May and it looks great. It could rival any restaurant in Boston/Cambridge area. All of us thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Veal parmigiana, pasta primavera, angel hair pasta Casa Nova and chicken marsala - all delish and enough to bring home for lunch the next day! My only suggestion would be to update the website to reflect all of the hard work this family has done to update and invest in this wonderful jewel of a restaurant. I'm sure as busy as they all are - they are working on it as I type. We will happily go back again to try other dishes and their pizza. BTW, it was packed on Saturday night - I was glad we made the reservation - however they had no problem accommodating everyone - and with a smile. The wait staff is also fabulous! Great job everyone!

We went mini golfing and needed a pizza for my child and some other options for us. We found casanova on the internet and decided to try the pizza - my son loved it and we fell in love too. The pizza is fresh, thin and just perfect! Looking at the menu, I decided to have some chicken parmigiana. The presentation was perfect and the taste incredible. Thank you so much for great food and service. We had a wonderful experience.

The owner and staff were outstanding at this establishment. Family had a birthday party in the upstairs room. The service was great and the food outstanding. I have severe food allergies. They were wonderful and accommodating to my dietary needs. Thank you for an exceptional experience!

We were passing through this town and got take out from this restaurant. It was delicious!! Meatball grinder, pasta fagioli soup, bread and NY strip were favorite items from the group. The staff was friendly and accommodating. There was a mistake on our part with the online order and they provided an extra meal to cover the mistake. They definitely did not have to do that! We will definitely make this restaurant a must the next time we're in the area.

Went to this place on a recommendation from the hotel staff. Arrived at 8:30pm. Fairly quiet for a Tuesday evening. We sat at the bar (no one else at the bar). The bar TV was on some cop/lawyer show (I don't watch TV) and the volume was very loud. The bartender/waitress seemed to be just going through the motions of her job, not too friendly at all. I was considering asking her if we had done something to set her off, just to get her to engage in a conversation. Ordered a glass of house cabernet. It was OK. I ordered the Fettuccini Carbonara. It too was OK. Nothing fancy nor memorable. Maybe our expectations were set too high based on this place being referred by the hotel. Or maybe this is their best. Either way, life is too short for mediocre....

This little place we came across during our hunt for pizza. Loved the food. We had the pizza and chicken wings. Thick crust wood fired pizza!! Combining two of my favorite styles of pizza perfectly. The waitress was sweet and very attentive. Lot more tastier pizza then the more well known joints in CT

I never had a bad meal here. Waiters are attentive and polite. I always stop here when I want a good Italian meal.

My mother and I hosted my sister's baby shower here and could not have been happier with everything! There is a large upstairs room that comfortably accommodated the 40 people, large food table, and myriad presents. The food, while not the best Italian I've had, was very good and I'd be happy to have another event here. There were several buffet menu options to choose from; the one we selected was under $20/person and included meatballs, sausage and peppers, broccoli and garlic, chicken piccatta, manicotti, salad, bread, soda, coffee, and tiramisu. The tiramisu...ooohhhh, the tiramisu. Don't even order food, just order plates and plates of the tiramisu. Seriously, one of the best I've ever had. I should have just ordered TRAYS of it! Service was fantastic! We had one dedicated waitress (Flora rocked!) and she was on top of clearing dishes, refilling food trays, and serving desserts. All of the guests said the food was good and the atmosphere was very comfortable. The parking lot is pretty tiny, but parking in the plaza immediately next door is allowed, and no one complained that they couldn't find space. My only tiny complaint would be that the bathroom was downstairs, but that was mostly a problem for my poor pregnant sis who had to keep waddling downstairs to use the restroom!

Stopped in for pizza with 4 adults and 3 kids. We were accommodated quickly. Pizza was great! Service was good. What more can you ask for?

Just moved to the area from Queens, so I'm a bit of a pizza snob. And I'm glad to say I've found a fantastic slice here at Casa Nova. I ordered two large pies, plain of course for the initial taste test, and I was pleasantly surprised. I'm definitely looking forward to exploring the Casa menu further.

We never had the food because they never seated us. We went there on a Saturday evening with our kids and parents; 6 people. We had a reservation for 6:30 pm. They made us wait while they seated others (without reservation). They kept telling us "2 minutes" every time we asked. We finally gave up at 7 pm and took the hungry family elsewhere. Never going back even though it's so convenient to the ice rink where my son plays.

Every meal I've had here has been good. The Lasagna deserves special mention - it's incredibly tasty. The pizza is also incredibly good. Prices are reasonable considering the quality and quantity of food.

After sitting in miserable traffic on the Merritt Parkway I found Casa Nova after exiting that miserable road. Casa Nova is a wonderful oasis in Shelton, CT. The servers are friendly and food is terrific. I love the frutti di mare and the bread that they serve is superb. I end up asking for a loaf of bread to take home. The sauce is light and flavorful and they usually have a great selection of specials. The decor needs a little work but I love the background music. An Italian restaurant should have the sounds of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Perry Como. My frequent travels through Connecticut will always bring me back to Casa Nova.

Ate at this "pizza place" today for Mother's Day. I say "pizza place" because the quality of the food is not that of a restaurant. The service is HORRIBLE. The tomato sauce / pasta is of the same quality of that you would find at a diner. The stuffed shrimp special came fully encased in its shell causing it not to be stuffed by the time you unshelled it. Lazy, lazy, lazy. My wife complained to the waitress, choosing not to get something to replace it. When the bill came they ACTUALLY CHARGED $4 FOR THE SALAD THAT CAME WITH THE MEAL!!!! Oh, the salad was approximately 4 leafs with 1/4 of a tomato and a slice of cucumber.

Entering the restaurant with a view of the kitchen we were immediately taken by the aromas and attentive chefs. Greeted by one of the owners we traveled into the cozy atmosphere of the dining room. Service and fare that followed were excellent. We continue to find creative, fresh, beautifully prepared options. Interestingly, we realized that the owners are fairly new but obviously skilled restauranteurs. Casa Nova has become our new go to restaurant.

I loved walking in to the strains of classic Italian music playing and a sparking chandiler. The decor is definitely old school with maroon leather and floral booths and tables that are pretty close together for an intimate/ at home feel. In fact it felt like we were walking into a house with multiple families dining together. I had the twin lobsters which were a good size and were served with real drawn butter. I also liked that they served it with a wet, cloth napkin so you can continually wipe your hands while digging in. The parentals ordered off the special menu - for mom veal medallions and veggies which she enjoyed and for dad a sole served with veggies and mash. The service was slow and we never had our drinks refilled - but other than that it was a decent meal.

It was 10am on a Tuesday. I just took my daughter to the doctors and we were searching for a pizza place that would cook her a cheese pizza so she could take pizza to school for her lunch. We yelped and called a bunch of others that couldn't do it because they just turned on the ovens, they were baking breads right now or they just didn't answer. Casa Nova answered and said of course (they have a wood fired pizza oven that is always hot). The pizza was great. Never had a dinner from there before but would imagine you cant go wrong with a parmigiana anything.

Came with a group of friends for some pizza and drinks. They have a variety of pizzas and regular dinners as well. The pizza I ordered was super cheesy and delicious. Decor is a little dank and outdated, but look like they can seat a decent amount of people. Would come back for pizza again and maybe try a regular dinner.

Lunch here as far as entrees average at best. Perhaps the Pizza is better detailed. Tomato sauce is brand, eggplant Parmesan mushy just not good. Chicken parmesan just fair. More effort required. Disappointed.