At first glance, Questa Lasagna could easily be mistaken for a café or even a coffee shop. Passersby might not realize that the Mount Morris restaurant serves up exquisitely fresh Italian cuisine. With a menu serving up paninis, pasta dishes and the eponymous lasagna, this restaurant is perfect for both lunch and dinner. The décor is relatively minimalist, an extension of the restaurant’s nonchalant storefront. One certainly does not get the sense that this is a particularly fancy restaurant; reservations are optional and the entire menu is scrawled on a chalkboard above the register. Despite the restaurant’s informal aesthetic, Questa Lasagna delivers where it matters.
For a Friday night, the restaurant was surprisingly empty. I was unsure why. As it was my first time dining there, I was not sure what to expect in terms of the food. I soon came to discover that it certainly was not for lack of quality.
The salad and bread that come with each entrée were vastly superior to similar offerings at other restaurants. Whereas most complementary salads are bland and flavorless and the bread stale, these were distinctly fresh. The tomatoes were especially noteworthy and the bread even tasted homemade, or at least straight from a bakery.
You cannot go wrong with the baked eggplant for an appetizer. Breaded and served with prosciutto, capers, garlic, herbs and melted mozzarella cheese, the dish is large and filling enough to be its own meal.
The entrees were an absolute revelation. I tried the cheese lasagna given the restaurant’s namesake. Meticulously layered, the dish was perfectly proportioned. The sauce had just enough spiciness to enhance the dish’s flavor without overpowering the lasagna and the cheese was beautifully melted.
The pasta options did not disappoint either––the shrimp scampi was truly delicious. The only criticism of it could be that with such fresh pasta, its overbearing sauce was a tad too strongly flavored.
The true standout was the restaurant’s Sicilian lasagna. Offered as a special, the dish is served with a variety of Italian meats and prepared with egg. Though I was already quite full by the time I got to try this dish, I still could barely help but eat more and more of it.
A quiet, quaint—not to mention affordable—restaurant, Questa Lasagna is a great destination for any occasion. In fact, it may just be the best-kept secret around Geneseo. Whether you just want a change of scenery from Geneseo’s Main Street or you are going on a dinner date, this restaurant is sure to satisfy.