"Montgomery's only coastal-Italian kitchen, rolling scialatielli daily inside a 1924 bank building — book it for a first date downtown."
About Ravello Ristorante
The building at 36 Commerce Street cleared cheques for decades before it plated pasta. Ravello opened inside the 1924 bank in July 2022, after two years of pandemic delays that chef Eric Rivera spent rolling test batches of pasta, and it gave downtown Montgomery something the city had never had: a kitchen cooking the food of the Amalfi Coast rather than Italian-American standards. The name is borrowed from Ravello, Montgomery's Italian sister city since 2009, and the connection is more than branding — the kitchen trades techniques with chefs in Pietrasanta. It now anchors the Montgomery dining guide's downtown cluster.
The Kitchen
Eric Rivera, executive chef for owner Vintage Hospitality Group and a James Beard Smart Catch Leader for his seafood sourcing, built the menu around lighter Amalfi cooking: fewer ingredients, citrus over cream, seafood over red sauce. Day to day the line is run by chef de cuisine James Hicks. The pasta is made each morning from imported Italian flour — the two dishes to order are the scialatielli di mare, hand-rolled noodles with shrimp, clams and mussels, and the malfadine al tartufo with mushrooms and truffle cream. The bolognese al cinghiale, a wild-boar ragù over pappardelle that opened at $20, is Rivera's nod to Alabama's feral hog population. Mozzarella and burrata are pulled in-house daily, and the fried artichokes come with an aïoli flecked with what the kitchen calls lemon ash — lemons roasted black and ground to dust. Gianluca Tolla, a chef from Pietrasanta in Tuscany, joined in 2023 to run the chef's-table program of five- and seven-course prix fixe menus. Compare it with SaZa Serious Italian up the street, see how it ranks among the best Italian restaurants worldwide, and read the seven signs of a great restaurant for why daily pasta production matters.
The Room
The 1924 banking hall kept its architectural bones through the renovation — high ceilings, period detail, a mezzanine looking down on the floor. The owners pitched the look as Roaring-Twenties glamour against coastal Italian ease, and it lands: an open kitchen gleams at one end, lighting stays low and warm, and the sound holds at a conversational hum even when the room turns 175 to 200 covers a night. Dress is smart casual; jackets are common on weekends but nobody will blink at a good shirt.
Best for A First Date
Book Ravello for a first date because the room does a third of the work: the mezzanine tables give you something to look at between sentences, the menu is built for sharing without ceremony, and the housemade limoncello — the bar starts a new batch every two weeks — ends the night on a high note that isn't another round of cocktails. Pricing is honest enough that either of you can pick up the cheque without flinching. See more restaurants for a first date.
Not for
Skip Ravello if you want red-sauce Italian-American — there is no alfredo and no spaghetti-and-meatballs. The menu stays on the Amalfi register: citrus, seafood, lighter sauces.
Frequently Asked
Is Ravello in Montgomery worth it?
Yes — it is the most ambitious Italian kitchen in Montgomery and the only one cooking coastal Amalfi food rather than Italian-American standards. Pasta is rolled daily, mozzarella and burrata are made in-house, and the restored 1924 bank building is a destination in itself. Mains run $18 to $40, which is serious money for Montgomery but fair for what the kitchen delivers.
How hard is it to book Ravello?
Manageable with a few days' notice. Reservations run through Resy, the room serves Tuesday through Saturday from 4:30pm, and Friday and Saturday nights fill first. The chef's table — five- and seven-course prix fixe menus developed with Pietrasanta chef Gianluca Tolla — is the seat that needs real lead time; email the restaurant directly for it.
What is the dress code at Ravello?
Smart casual. The 1924 banking hall sets a polished tone and most diners dress up a notch — collared shirts, dresses — but there is no jacket requirement. The mezzanine tables feel slightly more occasion-formal than the main floor, so dress to the table you booked.
What should I order at Ravello?
Start with the fried artichokes with lemon-ash aïoli, then the scialatielli di mare — hand-rolled noodles with shrimp, clams and mussels — or the malfadine al tartufo. The bolognese al cinghiale swaps beef for wild boar over house pappardelle. Finish with the housemade limoncello; the bar turns over a fresh batch roughly every two weeks.
Is Ravello good for a special occasion?
Yes — along with Vintage Year in Old Cloverdale, it is one of the two rooms Montgomery reaches for when the night matters. The bank-building setting photographs well, the mezzanine seats feel private, and the prix fixe chef's table turns a dinner into an event. Book it for birthdays and anniversaries a week or two out.
Reserve a Table
Reserve at Ravello Ristorante
Ravello takes reservations on Resy. The room serves Tuesday to Saturday from 4:30pm; weekend tables go first, so book a week or more out.
Affiliate disclosure: Restaurants for Kings may earn a commission when you book through our reservation links, at no cost to you. Our scores are editorial and never paid for.
Practical Information
Address36 Commerce Street, Montgomery, AL 36104
NeighbourhoodDowntown, Commerce Street
CuisineCoastal Italian
Price$18–$40 mains; five- and seven-course chef's table menus
Dress CodeSmart casual
SeatingBanking-hall dining room plus mezzanine; chef's table for the prix fixe menus
ReservationResy
