Best Italian Restaurants in Colorado Springs: I’ve Been Looking for 20 Years

I’m Italian. I’ve Lived in Colorado Springs for 20 Years. I’m Still Looking for Great Italian Food.

My last name is Ferrara. I grew up eating my dad’s Italian cooking, and the man could flat-out cook. He used to make lasagna 25 pounds at a time, in an actual turkey basting pan, because a regular pan wasn’t going to cut it for our family. That’s the bar. That’s what I’ve been quietly measuring every Italian restaurant in Colorado Springs against for twenty-plus years, and it’s a hard bar to clear. My wife makes a pretty good lasagna herself, closest thing to it I get at home, but out at a restaurant, nobody’s topped it yet. I used to own an Italian espresso cafe myself, called Dominic’s, owned it 4 years in Tennessee, so I know firsthand how much work it takes to put out food that good night after night. That’s part of why I don’t hand out praise lightly on this list.

There are places in the Springs that do Italian food well. Finding the kind of Italian restaurant where I sit down, take the first bite, and feel like I’m at my family’s table, that’s a higher bar, and this city hasn’t fully cleared it yet. Similar to my search for great Mexican food here, it’s an honest, ongoing exploration.

Two kinds of listings on this page, and I’m keeping them separate on purpose. The first nine are restaurants I’ve personally eaten at, most of them more than once over my years here, one of them for the first time just this past weekend. After that is a researched section: places that show up over and over in Gazette coverage, local voting, and reader mentions, that I have not eaten at yet myself. I’m not going to pretend I’ve tried a restaurant I haven’t. Every fact in this piece, address, hours, price, phone, was checked against the restaurant’s own site or named local coverage on September 24, 2026. Restaurants change hours and menus constantly, so call ahead if it’s been more than a few weeks since that date.

Quick Answer: Where to Go

The short version. Personally tried, ranked by what I’d order again:

• Best overall: Paravicini’s Italian Bistro, Old Colorado City, $25–$40 entrees, reservations recommended weekends.
• Best casual/counter-order: Dat’s Italian, Old Colorado City, $12–$18, walk-in.
• Best Neapolitan-style pizza: Pizzeria Rustica, Old Colorado City.
• Best pizza-and-beer night: Il Vicino, University Village.
• Best old-school slice: Leon Gessi New York Pizza, east side.
• Best neighborhood find: Stellina Pizza Cafe, Mid Shooks Run.
• Best real Italian deli: Mollica’s Italian Market and Deli, Garden of the Gods Rd.
• Best steakhouse-Italian, date night: Cansano Italian Steakhouse, Black Forest.

On my research list, real facts and named sources below, but I haven’t eaten at these myself yet:

• Highest-profile newcomer: Oro, Mining Exchange Hotel, downtown.
• Most-awarded name in local voting: La Bella Vita Ristorante Italiano, north side.
• Modern downtown Italian-American: Red Gravy, Tejon Street.
• Rooftop-patio fine dining: Ristorante Di Sopra, west side.
• Long-running neighborhood pizzeria: Roman Villa Pizza, north Nevada Ave.

Best For, at a Glance

How I’d point a friend based on what they actually need tonight, not a ranked list, just what fits the situation.

A Few Practical Notes Before You Go

• Reservations: Paravicini’s, get one, especially Friday or Saturday. Oro, Red Gravy, and Cansano all take reservations through OpenTable. Everywhere else on the personal list, walk-in is fine most nights.
• Kids: Dat’s, Leon Gessi, and Il Vicino are easy with kids, casual and fast. Paravicini’s is more of a grown-up, quiet-conversation dinner.
• Gluten-free or dietary needs: Mollica’s lists gluten-free pasta and pizza on its own site, though I’ve only ever ordered the regular sandwiches there myself. Cansano’s own dining review coverage noted limited gluten-free and vegan options, worth a call ahead if that matters to you. Call ahead to the rest, a family kitchen can usually work with you, but I haven’t personally tested a gluten-free order anywhere else on the personal list.
• Price range: Dat’s and Leon Gessi run $12–$18 a plate or slice. Il Vicino, Pizzeria Rustica, and Stellina land in the middle, roughly $14–$25. Paravicini’s is the higher end, topping out around $40 for a full entree. Cansano runs $12–$58 a plate, steakhouse pricing. Mollica’s is deli pricing, sandwiches and market goods, not a sit-down entree. On the researched side, Oro runs $22–$79 for dinner entrees and Red Gravy’s lunch special is $16.99, per Springs Magazine’s pricing.

What I’m Looking For (And Why It’s Hard to Find)

Before specific restaurants, here’s what I’m actually chasing. This isn’t about being a snob. It’s about knowing what Italian food is supposed to taste like when it’s done right.

• Fresh pasta. Made in-house, that day. There’s a texture difference between fresh pasta and dried pasta you can’t fake.
• Sauce with depth. A good marinara or bolognese has been cooking for hours. It doesn’t taste like it came out of a jar twenty minutes ago, because it didn’t.
• Quality ingredients, simply prepared. Good olive oil. San Marzano tomatoes. Fresh basil. Parmigiano-Reggiano that was actually imported from Italy, not the green can on the shelf.
• The atmosphere. Italian dining is supposed to be warm, unhurried, and a little loud. White tablecloths are fine, but so are red-checkered ones. What matters is that you feel welcomed.
• Fair value. I’m willing to pay for quality, but a good plate of pasta with a glass of wine shouldn’t require a second mortgage.

Personally Tried: My Seven

Paravicini’s Italian Bistro, My Number One

Personally visited, multiple times, over several years.

I’ll say it straight: Paravicini’s is the best Italian restaurant in Colorado Springs, and it’s the one place that comes closest to what I grew up with. It’s in Old Colorado City on West Colorado Avenue, my neighborhood, and it’s been a west-side institution for years, run by Chef Franco Pisani.

The space is intimate. White tablecloths, warm lighting, a dining room that feels like a proper Italian bistro. It’s not big, which is part of why it works, the kitchen isn’t trying to serve 200 covers a night.

Their fresh pasta is the star. They make it in-house, and you can tell from the first bite. The Pappardelle Bolognese has real depth, the meat sauce is rich, slow-cooked, and clings to the pasta the way it should. The Osso Buco, when they have it, is outstanding.

Is it perfect? Nothing is. The prices are on the higher end for Colorado Springs, and because the space is small, you’ll want a reservation on weekends. But if you’re looking for the closest thing to an authentic Italian dining experience in this city, Paravicini’s is it. I keep coming back, and that says everything. Street parking on Colorado Ave and the free city lots a block off the avenue both work, it’s a five-minute walk either way.

Dat’s Italian, Casual and Consistent

Personally visited, multiple times.

Dat’s is also in Old Colorado City, a short walk from Paravicini’s, which makes the west side the unofficial Italian corridor of Colorado Springs. The vibe is completely different here, it’s casual, counter-order, and unpretentious. Walk in, order at the register, grab a seat.

What I like about Dat’s is the consistency. Their pizza is solid, thin crust, good sauce, quality toppings. The calzones are big enough to share, or not, no judgment. They do a respectable baked ziti and their meatball sub is one of the better ones in town.

Portions are generous and prices are fair. It’s a great lunch spot, and a solid casual dinner when you don’t want to dress up or make a reservation.

Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano, Closed

Personally visited, multiple times, before it closed.

I used to send north-side folks here, and I’d eaten there myself more than once. The Briargate location shut down for good in April after plumbing and soil problems that never got fixed. There’s still a Biaggi’s up in Loveland, but that’s a couple hours’ drive and not something I’d point a Springs reader toward. I’m leaving this note here instead of just deleting the restaurant, so nobody drives out to Briargate and finds an empty storefront.

Pizzeria Rustica, When the Pizza Craving Hits

Personally visited, multiple times.

Pizzeria Rustica does Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizza, and they do it well, in a historic 1889 building on the west end of Colorado Ave. The crust is thin, blistered, and chewy in the middle, the way it’s supposed to be out of a proper wood-fired oven. Their Margherita is a good litmus test: San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil. If a place can nail a Margherita, they understand Italian food, and Pizzeria Rustica nails it.

They also do interesting seasonal pizzas and a solid antipasti selection. The space is casual-hip, exposed brick, community tables, with an adjoining art gallery. It’s more of a pizza-and-beer spot than a full Italian dinner, but for what it sets out to do, it’s one of the better options in the Springs.

Il Vicino, Wood-Oven Pizza and Good Beer

Personally visited, multiple times.

Il Vicino has been in Colorado Springs a long time, and it’s earned its following. They do wood-oven pizzas and calzones with a nice selection of house-brewed beers. The pizza is thin-crust and flavorful, not quite Neapolitan-style like Pizzeria Rustica, but well-made and consistent.

Their calzones are probably what I order most. Stuffed with good ingredients, baked in the wood oven until the outside is golden and crispy. The beer pairs well, their Scottish Ale is a local favorite. The atmosphere is relaxed, with a patio that’s great in the warmer months.

It’s more of a “pizza and beer” joint than an Italian restaurant, and that distinction matters. If you want pasta, veal, or a full Italian dinner, this isn’t the spot.

Leon Gessi New York Pizza, The Local Favorite

Personally visited, multiple times.

Leon Gessi has been a Colorado Springs pizza institution since 1974. One location today, near Chapel Hills Mall, and a loyal following that goes back generations. This is the pizza a lot of locals grew up on.

Their slices are big, foldable, and satisfying, the kind you eat standing up at the counter and it hits exactly right. The pepperoni is crispy, the cheese is well-melted, the crust has a good chew. Is it the best pizza I’ve ever had? No. Is it consistently good and reasonably priced? Absolutely.

Leon Gessi is comfort food. No truffle oil, no artisanal toppings, no pretense. Just good, honest slices.

Stellina Pizza Cafe, A Neighborhood Find

Personally visited, first time, this past weekend.

I ate at Stellina this past weekend, my first time there, and it’s earned a spot on the personal list already. It sits on a corner in the Mid Shooks Run neighborhood, in a building that was a corner market for most of the last century before it became this. That history shows. It feels like a real neighborhood place, not a production, you order at the counter and find a table. The food was excellent, and the gelato, made in-house in small batches, was some of the best I’ve had in this city. I didn’t get through the whole menu, they do Roman-style pizza, house-made pasta, and risotto, so I’ll be back to work through more of it. Menu and pricing per the restaurant’s own site.

Mollica’s Italian Market and Deli, A Real Italian Deli

Personally visited, more than once, for the sandwiches.

I’ve eaten here myself, more than once, their sandwiches, and it’s a genuinely nice deli. Mollica’s has been family-owned on Garden of the Gods Road since 1987, founded by Dom, Toni, and Jerry Mollica. Their signature sausage reportedly follows a recipe that traces back to Tony DeAngelis, Toni’s father, who emigrated from the Pescara region of Italy in the 1800s. It’s part market, part deli, part catering operation, with sandwiches, salads, and gluten-free pasta and pizza options on the shelves. This might be the old-school Italian deli I talk about wanting further down this page, I still want to spend more time working through the market side of the building, the imported goods and the case, before I say so for certain, but the deli counter and the sandwiches have already won me over. History per the restaurant’s own site.

Cansano Italian Steakhouse, North Springs, Abruzzo-Style Cooking

Personally visited, a Friday night out with my wife, about two weeks back.

My wife and I had dinner at Cansano on a Friday night a couple weeks back, and it earned its spot on the personal list. The food was excellent and the wine list did its job, the kind of meal where you’re glad you made the drive up to Black Forest. It’s a good date-night pick, dressed-up but not stuffy, and it gave us a genuinely nice Friday evening out.

I didn’t work through the whole menu, so I’m leaning on the restaurant’s own coverage for the specifics. Cansano focuses on dishes from the Abruzzo region and central Italy under Executive Chef Phil Griffin, with an in-house pasta room and a dry-aging cabinet for beef. A September 2025 Gazette dining review singled out the 10-layer lasagna, built with braised short rib, fresh basil, and house-made pomodoro sauce, along with fresh pasta and linguine with clams, and noted limited gluten-free and vegan options. Source: Colorado Springs Gazette dining review. Ten layers is ambitious for a restaurant plate, I’ll give it that, my dad’s turkey-pan version was still the bigger production.

Researched, Not Yet Personally Tried

These five keep coming up in Gazette voting, local food coverage, and reader mentions, and they get real recognition. I have not eaten at any of them myself, so I’m not ranking them against Paravicini’s or pretending I have an opinion on the food. What I can do is give you the same fact block as the personal list, verified against each restaurant’s own site and named local coverage, plus links so you can check my sourcing yourself. This is my research queue, not my verdict.

Oro, Downtown Fine Dining in the Mining Exchange Hotel

Researched, sourced below. Not my personal review.

Oro opened in 2025 inside the Mining Exchange Hotel downtown. Coverage describes an artisan-pasta-forward take on Italian cooking with a Colorado twist, dishes built around locally raised bison and pork and Pueblo peppers, and a wine list built around Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, and Falanghina. Both the Gazette’s reader-voted rankings and Springs Magazine’s citywide list name Oro among the top Italian tables in town.

One honest flag on sourcing: Springs Magazine credits Chef Noah Siebenaller with the current menu, while Oro’s own site currently credits James Beard Award nominee Chef Aaron Barnett with leading the culinary vision. The two sources don’t agree, so treat the chef byline as unconfirmed until I’ve eaten there and can ask directly. Sources: Colorado Springs Gazette, Springs Magazine, and the restaurant’s own site.

La Bella Vita Ristorante Italiano, The Most-Awarded Name on This List

Researched, sourced below. Not my personal review.

La Bella Vita is owned and run by Executive Chef Giuliano Casulli, a Certified Master Chef from Italy, open since August 2012. It has won the Gazette’s Best of the Springs Italian award multiple times, including 2013, 2018, and 2024, and took Silver or Bronze in both the Gazette’s 2025 and 2026 voter rankings alongside Paravicini’s and Red Gravy. That’s sustained local recognition that’s hard to fake. Sources: Colorado Springs Gazette and the restaurant’s own site.

Red Gravy, Downtown on Tejon Street

Researched, sourced below. Not my personal review.

Chef Eric Brenner opened Red Gravy downtown in January 2016, drawing on his roots in The Hill, the historic Italian-American neighborhood in St. Louis. It took Silver in the Gazette’s 2026 voter pasta ranking and Bronze in the 2025 citywide vote, and Springs Magazine calls out the Butternut Ravioli with brown butter sauce and pistachio gremolata specifically. Brenner has also served on the Downtown Partnership board and helped push the Dine Out Downtown patio expansion. Sources: Colorado Springs Gazette and Springs Magazine.

Ristorante Di Sopra, West Side, Rooftop Patio

Researched, sourced below. Not my personal review.

Di Sopra is an intimate, romantic dining room with handmade pasta and a rooftop patio looking at Pikes Peak, close enough to Old Colorado City that it belongs in the same west-side conversation as Paravicini’s and Dat’s. It shows up across Eat The Way’s 2026 roundup and OpenTable’s directory as one of the more consistently recommended upscale options in town, with dishes like burrata, braised beef bruschetta, and crab-and-mozzarella risotto balls. Sources: the restaurant’s own site and local review aggregators.

Roman Villa Pizza, Long-Running Neighborhood Spot

Researched, sourced below. Not my personal review.

Roman Villa is a family-run neighborhood pizzeria on north Nevada Ave that a Fox21 Restaurant Report Card feature described as feeding Colorado Springs for 62 years, though I couldn’t independently confirm the exact founding year to add my own math on top of that. Beyond pizza, reviewers on Yelp and Tripadvisor consistently call out the handmade pasta, ravioli, and manicotti. It’s the kind of place I want to like as much as Leon Gessi once I’ve actually sat down there. Sources: Fox21 News and aggregated Yelp/Tripadvisor reviews.

The Chain vs. Local Debate

Colorado Springs has its share of Italian chains, Olive Garden, Carrabba’s, Fazoli’s. They’re here. People eat at them. I’m not going to sit here and tell you they’re terrible, because that’s not fair and it’s not true. If you want unlimited breadsticks and a familiar menu, Olive Garden will give you that.

But here’s what I’ll say: the gap between chain Italian and good local Italian is wider than almost any other cuisine. A chain can do decent burgers. A chain can do decent BBQ. Italian food is built on fresh ingredients, time, and technique, things that don’t scale well to a corporate kitchen pushing out hundreds of identical plates across thousands of locations.

When you eat at Paravicini’s or get a wood-fired pizza at Pizzeria Rustica, you’re eating food someone in that building made with intention. That difference is real, and it’s worth the extra few dollars.

What’s Still Missing

After twenty years of eating Italian food in Colorado Springs, here’s what I’m still looking for:

• A real old-school Italian deli. A place with fresh mozzarella in water, imported prosciutto sliced to order, house-made sausage, shelves of olive oil and San Marzano tomatoes. Mollica’s, in my personal list above, is the closest thing to it I’ve found. I’ve had the sandwiches more than once and the deli counter is legit. I still want to spend more time working through the market side, the imported goods and the case, before I call it fully confirmed.
• Fresh pasta you can buy and take home. Some cities have shops where you can buy fresh-made ravioli, fettuccine, and gnocchi by the pound. Until the Springs catches up, a decent home pasta roller and good semolina flour get you closer than a supermarket box, if you want to try making your own fresh pasta at home while you wait (that’s an affiliate link, small commission to me, no extra cost to you).
• A trattoria with soul. A small, family-run spot with a short menu that changes based on what’s fresh. Handwritten specials. Wine by the carafe. Paravicini’s comes close, but I keep hoping for another one to pop up.

I know I’m being picky. It’s a curse that comes with growing up Italian, you’re always chasing the standard your family set. But the search is part of the fun, and every time I try a new spot, I’m rooting for it to be the one.

How I Source This List, and How I Make Money From It

Quick honesty check before you go anywhere off this page. The eight open restaurants in the personal list, Paravicini’s, Dat’s, Pizzeria Rustica, Il Vicino, Leon Gessi, Stellina, Mollica’s, and Cansano, are ones I’ve personally eaten at, most of them more than once, Stellina for the first time just this past weekend and Cansano on a Friday night out with my wife a couple weeks back. Biaggi’s is also on this page from personal experience, but the Briargate location is now closed, and I’ve marked it that way. That’s firsthand, not a summary of somebody else’s review. The five in the researched section are not, and I’ve said so plainly next to each one, with a source link for the specific facts, mostly the restaurant’s own site, the Colorado Springs Gazette, or Springs Magazine. Every address, phone number, and set of hours on this page was checked against those sources on September 24, 2026. Click through and check my sourcing yourself instead of taking my word for it.

No restaurant on this page paid me for a mention, a review, or a better spot on the list. The only money changing hands here is the ordinary kind: the Booking.com hotel links below and the pasta-maker link earlier in this piece are affiliate links. If you book a room or buy something through them, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you, and it helps cover the cost of running this site. That’s the entire arrangement, no hidden sponsorships, no paid placements.

If a restaurant closes, changes owners or menu, or I’ve simply got a fact wrong, say so in the comments and I’ll fix it. This list gets updated as I actually eat at more places, not just when the calendar flips over.

Reader Suggestions Welcome

This is an ongoing list, and I want your input. If you’ve found a great Italian spot in Colorado Springs I haven’t covered, especially a newer place or a hidden gem, let me know in the comments. I’m already planning to work through the research list above in person, Oro, La Bella Vita, Red Gravy, Ristorante Di Sopra, and Roman Villa, and I’ll move each one into the personal list, or leave it out, once I’ve actually eaten there. That’s a promise, the same one that just moved Mollica’s, added Stellina, and moved Cansano off the research list too.

And if you’re visiting Colorado Springs and want to explore more of the food scene, check out our guides to the best BBQ, the best beer gardens, and the Old Colorado City neighborhood where several of these restaurants are located. The Visit Colorado Springs restaurant guide is another good starting point for planning your dining around town.

About the Author: Dominic has lived in Colorado Springs for over 20 years. He spent his career in IT and chose the Springs for its scenery, sunshine, and outdoor lifestyle. He lives on the west side, where he e-bikes, camps, and explores the mountains regularly. His recommendations come from two decades of eating, hiking, and living here, not from a weekend visit.

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Author: Dominic