We had our wedding rehearsal dinner at La Rustica in mid September. The food was excellent as was the service. For our group (18) the overall cost was very reasonable and we thought a great value. With the party menu, we ordered the platters of food. And everyone at the dinner commented that the food was outstanding, as was the wine and the service. I would recommend this restaurant and their 2 sister restaurants in New Westminster for outstanding Italian food and dining.

Happened to be at Queen's Park recently (for the Police & Fire Games) and walked over to this restaurant for a light lunch. The decor is horrid - please, time for an update. Seemed like everything was worn out, my husband found the holder in the restroom was held together with green painter's tape. The chairs are nasty and need a good cleaning. We ordered a glass of Chianti, seemed the safest choice after seeing a "Genurtraminal"? When we asked the server what this was (blend of Gewurtz maybe and Gruner Vetliner was all I could come up with) - he said, "No, just a bad spelling mistake" HUH? The caprese salad was a joke, five rounds of pale red field tomato topped with slivers of mozza. Come on, it's August, couldn't you find a ripe tomato? The foccacia was about the only thing that saved it, seemed kitchen fresh and authentic. Wouldn't recommend to anyone, especially because of the wine butchering. Oh and did I mention the same server also suggested the Gazpacho? It's an Italian cold soup he says. Yah right, in Spain maybe!

We had not been to this La Rustica for many years. It's not the same. A hollow feeling, no energy, no music. We sat down, service was fast enough, we were out in one hour. The old house is still beautiful, it is an ideal setting. Linguini with salmon was suspect. A plain, boring dish, Dry. Food quality, ouch. You're never sure, although you have a sense things aren't right. Things weren't right, we both left with unsettled stomaches. I won't be back again.

The decor of the place is quite nice, a very romantic setting when compared to other Italian restaurants.

The food was better than average and portions were good.

Service was adequate and could be better. We came here because of the entertainment book card.

Overall impression was a very good Italian restaurant nestled in
New Westminister. Better decor and food than the typical Ristorante.

Went for dinner , we had been there a couple of years ago and it was very good, it's also in the entertainment book . We found the service was fairly slow and mediocre. I guess on Saturday's they have live music, I found it way too loud, and not very good, made it hard to talk to any one. Food was pretty good. Even with our entertainment cards it was quite expensive, I should have looked closer at our bill, seems like they overcharged us. Overall I've had better and spent less.

We booked a party three months in advance. Had to ask for water, had to ask for coffee, had to ask for more bread, had to ask for soup spoon, you get the idea. Of 10 in the party when serving the entree's everyone got personal attention. In other words one plate per trip. The waitress made 10 trips to serve the entree to the 10 of us. The food was good, the price was good, the ambiance was ok but the poorly trained staff made a poor impression. Lack of planning and forsight played a major role. Why it took 1 hour and 45 minutes to serve the entree is beyond me. Would I go back again. Only if I want good food and am willing to overlook the service and wait time.

I've gone to La Rustica twice so far, the last time I went with a group of 8 for a work celebration/get-together. The ambience of the place is great, I liked the way the party was greeted and ushered into a private section of the restaurant. The service was prompt and very friendly, the wait-time for the food reasonable, and the food recommendations & selection (wine menu was expansive with good new and old world selections) was very pleasing. I had a halibut special and it was done to perfection, not too-overdone. I also appreciated the live music that this restaurant provides, which adds an extra-special ambience.

In sum, great service food and a special old-world charm make this restaurant highly appealing. I will be back for more...

This restaurant has two names and appears to have two sides? Anyway, the appetizer, entree (halibut) and dessert (creme brulee) was very good and I enjoyed my dining experience here. The waiter was attentive and sat me (went by myself) by the entertainment where I had a nice view of the musician and could enjoy the music. The wine recommended by my waiter complemented and accentuated my meal.

We made reservations at La Rustica for a Friday evening. We were promptly greeted and lead to our waiting table in a nice quiet corner.

Our server allowed us time to glance over the drink menus and promptly came over once we were ready to order. Following the drinks, came a fresh order of bread with oil & vinegar to dip (yum, yum!!)

My boyfriend ordered the procuitto wrapped cantaloupe to start(honestly did not appeal to me... nor did it to him after the first bite! Weird combination!!)

For the main, I ordered 'La Homard' (split lobster tails with grilled veggies & smoked salmon ravioli). The lobster was slightly over done, the veggies perfect and the smoked salmon ravioli was not good. I had one bite & I was done. I dont know what it was, but I could not eat the ravioli.

My boyfriend tried the 'Tricolore' which is 3 types of pasta in one dish. When the food arrived, it did not appear fresh at all. You can tell when something was plated immediately... this, definitely was not. He was not impressed.

Although the service was fantastic (we ended up each getting a complimentary shooter & 30% off both our meals & we have NO IDEA why... maybe we were talking louder than we thought about how disappointed we were???), it really doesn't matter when the food is mediocre. Needless to say, we were both quite disappointed and never plan to return.