Information for la Scala ristorante italiano
Little Italy
1012 Eastern Avenue
410.783.9209
Cuisine:
Regional Italian Cooking at its Finest!
Dining Style:
Casual Elegent
Executive Chef:
Owner, Nino Germano
Dress Code:
Business Casual
Drinks:
Full Bar with Extensive Wine List, Italian Liqueurs, Italian Beers.
Price:
$30-$50
Payment Options:
AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
Reservations:
Accepts Walk-Ins:
Yes
Entertainment:
Home to Baltimore's only indoor bocce ball court!
Restaurant Hours:
Mon-Thurs 4:30pm-10pm | Fri & Sat 4:30pm-11pm | Sun 2pm-10pm
Happy Hour - Bar Only: Monday - Friday 4:30-7 | Sunday 3-8. $5 Wines, Cocktails and
Premium Well. Happy Hour Food Menu $6. Try our new Mexitalian menu!
Getting Here:
Complimentary shuttle call for info. or ride the free Charm City Circulator
bus, Green route or Orange route to the closest Little Italy stop. - OR - Walk the Baltimore
Waterfront Promenade. Little Italy is approx. 3-4 blocks from the promenade. From the
west, at Pier 5 go straight through the circle, cross President St. on Eastern Ave. La Scala
in on your left on Eastern Ave. From the east, exit the promenade to Exeter St., go north
to Eastern Ave. Cross Eastern Ave. and go right on Eastern Ave. to La Scala.
Parking:
Free Street Parking in Little Italy. Complimentary Shuttle - Call La Scala for
details 410-783-9209. Valet parking ($). Also Little Italy Garage at Bank & Exeter Streets.
The easiest way to navigate Baltimore's Inner Harbor area & find our BHG Local Favorites,
whether walking or driving, is to use our BHG Maps designed especially for visitors!
Highlights:
Outdoor Dining on our Terrazza, Salumeria Menu, Banquet/Private Rooms,
Bar Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Catering - Offsite catering available for pickup or
delivery, both lunch & dinner. Please call manager for details. La Scala has two private
rooms with no rental fees which can also be opened up into each other to seat up to 150
guests. All events are customized to suit your needs. Home to Batimore's only indoor bocce
ball court! Available on a first come first serve basis for dinner customers only. Can also be
rented out for $75/hour. Baltimore's Best Espresso. "Excellent, Extraordinary" - Zagat
From the moment you approach the huge wooden door to enter, la Scala feels special, and it is! We had a reservation for 8pm on a Thursday in January, and la Scala was “hopping.” The attractive bar was lively. The first thing we saw as we entered was a happy group of people playing bocce ball on la Scala’s popular indoor bocce ball court. The bocce ball court has its own lower level and is open to the bar and entrance above. It also has a lovely lighted mural of an Italian seaside village. It was obvious that the folks playing bocce ball were having lots of fun, as a group was still playing when we left much later in the evening.
Even though they were very busy, we had no wait and were taken directly to our table. Upstairs, every room, including the two private dining rooms, was full of laughter and delightful conversation. Everyone seemed to be having a really great time and enjoying la Scala. Our waiter greeted us immediately and throughout the evening he was professional, knowledgeable, helpful and pleasant. He made us feel good about our choices and his suggestion regarding our appetizers was perfect. He was watchful, but adjusted his inquiries to our relaxed, slower pace.
We selected a nice mid-priced Italian Chianti which was excellent and exactly what you would expect from a quality Italian Chianti. La Scala has a great wine list with selections from all over the world, including 38 wines by the glass offered that night. My companion ordered a Manhattan up, which was excellent. Shortly after we were seated, a basket of warm fresh bread was placed on our table and olive oil was poured on our bread plates for us. Oh, the olive oil! We dipped our light, crusty fresh bread in the most delicious and flavorful olive oil.
We shared one of Chef Nino’s la Scala specialties, grilled Caesar salad, so that we could also try the calamari and still have room for our entrees. The grilled Caesar salad (divided and served on two separate plates without our asking) had a warm smoky flavor and just enough creamy dressing and grated parmesan cheese. It is unique and delicious. We like it so much that we order it every time we go to la Scala. The calamari was light and tender and was served with the most wonderfully flavorful marinara sauce.
Our entrees were superb. The tender melt-in-your-mouth Al’s Way New York Strip Steak was cooked to perfection and loaded with plentiful jumbo lump crab, sun-dried tomatoes, and a delicious sherry shallot cream sauce. Vitello e Gamberi Baltimore was tender and delicious veal scaloppini, also generously topped with jumbo lump crab and gulf shrimp, sliced Roma tomato, melted mozzarella and white wine sauce with just the right amount of Old Bay, lightly seasoned and a nice Baltimore touch. Each entree was served with the perfect side dish of la Scala’s fresh homemade pasta and delicious marinara. Although we were quite full, we ordered espresso cannoli to share and chocolate cannoli to take home. I believe these deliciously sweet desserts are made according to chef Nino’s mother’s authentic Italian recipe. If you like cannoli, and who doesn’t, la Scala’s cannoli are a must-try!
Chef-owner Nino Germano is a natural host and everything about la Scala is first rate. Our dinner could not have been more delicious and perfectly prepared. The service, the atmosphere, the manner in which Nino (and everyone who works at la Scala) treats his customers makes you feel like you are very important to them and that they truly care that you enjoy your visit. All in all, it was a perfect evening - one of many that we have experienced over the years at la Scala.
Baltimore was recently ranked #2 in the country on Zagat’s list of Top 17 Food Cities of the Year (2015), and in our opinion la Scala definitely helped Baltimore achieve that ranking. If you want that very special evening out, la Scala is perfect. If you want a nice casual night out and a reasonably-priced meal, la Scala has that covered too. La Scala is rated “Excellent, extraordinary” by Zagat, and la Scala definitely is consistently excellent and extraordinary.
What Makes la Scala ristorante italiano A Baltimore Harbor Guide Favorite, by BHG Staff
