Santangelo's

“When you’re here, you’re family!” might well have worked as the slogan for Santangelos’s Italian Dining Restaurant in Liverpool. Too bad it’s already been done. Family is the main ingredient in every one of Santagelo’s dishes and in every brick of its foundation. After all, it was the Santangelo family themselves who, in the dead of winter, converted an old gas station into the present-day restaurant over 20 years ago. But spring is finally here and, with a swanky new patio, great food, and plenty of enthusiasm, Santangelo’s Restaurant is ready to greet the season.

Conveniently located at 673 Old Liverpool Road, just a few minutes from Carousel Mall, Santangelo’s is an easy drive from most sides of town.? It’s also a popular destination spot for the hotel crowd, and approximately 30 percent of the restaurant’s business comes from visitors to Syracuse.? A large part of the remaining percent comes from Santangelo’s loyal patrons, many of who have regularly come to the restaurant for years.?
Santangelo’s regulars have some definite ideas about what they like—and like to stick to. At a certain point in our evening at the restaurant, owner Guilio Santangelo admitted that he’d only sold one of his specials—a “delicious” calamari salad—during the course of evening, even though the restaurant had been packed to the gills all night.
With a seating capacity of 150 people and a new back dining room, Santangelo’s offers plenty of room to move about and is well equipped to handle private parties. It also has a spacious and comfortable bar, which, in the warmer months, opens on to the restaurant’s new outside patio. Diners can take advantage of the patio’s five outside tables; because there’s nothing quite like enjoying a terrific meal outside on a balmy spring night.
When it comes to food, one word sums up Santangelo’s meals in both portion and quality:? tremendous.? Guilio Santangelo, who cooks along with his brother-in-law Michael DeSalis, describes his approach as home-style Italian with a little something extra—and it fits.? The wide range of ? entrees and appetizers are a combination of family recepies and traditional Italian favorites, and the menu includes sections for fresh veal and chicken, signature entrees, fresh seafood and homemade and imported pastas.?

All of the dinner entrees include a choice of homemade soup or salad, and, in a thoughtful twist, may of the dishes on the menu like “Amanda-Rin Orange Salad” and “Chicken ala Sally” are named after the eight Satangelo children and their extended family.
Samuel’s Sampler (for two) makes a wonderful starter, and comes with a plentiful selection of Santangelo’s favorite appetizers: fried calamari, stuffed mushrooms, fried mozzarella and clams casino.? The calamari packs a buttery crunch and the clams casino are delicately breaded and artfully garnished with pieces of bacon. Detailed presentation is just one of the ‘tremendous’ features of Santangelo’s Italian fare; almost every dish comes with a little something extra and unexpected.?

Even the side-salads come sprinkled with raisins, chickpeas and olives. These seemingly minute additions greatly compliment the restaurant’s delicious balsamic house dressing.
I tried the Shrimp and Chicken ala Maria, essentially a suped-up version of traditional chicken Marsala. Accompanied by sautéed artichokes, tomatoes, and mushrooms, the tender Marsala chicken breast sits atop a pile of thick fettuccini blanketed with melted mozzarella.?It’s sort of like an open-air market for the taste buds; there’s plenty to investigate and something unexpected and exciting around every turn (of your fork).??

For a more health conscious choice, the Chicken Abruzzi is low-carb and diet friendly, although you’d never know it. In the dish, charbroiled chicken breast is artfully sandwiched within a tremendous tower of portabella mushroom, tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella presented over a bed of wilted field greens drizzled with a sweet and tangy balsamic reduction.?

If you have any room left at all at the end of all of this, or even if you don’t, Santangelo’s desserts are not to be missed. The homemade raspberry cannoli is a rare and delicious spring treat made with fresh fruit blended in creamy ricotta cheese that is served along side a dollop of sweet whip cream. The result?? Tremendous.
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Santangelo’s Italian Dining Mon.-Thurs. 11:30a.m.- 10p.m.
????? 673 Old Liverpool Road Fri. 11:30a.m.- 11p.m.
????? Liverpool, NY 13088 Sat. 4p.m.-11p.m.
????? (315) 457-4447 Sun. 4p.m.- 9 p.m.

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