Every now and then (but not really very often), a restaurant will turn a bad location into an asset. Sandro's has done that, attracting enough of a loyal following that the restaurant is almost always full at dinner. There are better Italian restaurants in Metairie, but something about this place makes its customers feel as if they've stumbled on a great little secret.
A small Italian cafe in an utterly ordinary strip mall on Veterans Highway, Sandro's has a surprisingly large menu--and specials, to boot. The place follows closely the catalog of familiar local Italian dishes, but with enough of a twist on many of them that they wow people who haven't moved far from spaghetti and meatballs in their Italian dining.
Sandro's opened in the mid-1990s, a side project of the people who market the excellent Boscoli line of Italian bottled olive salad, olive oil, and the like.
Once you're inside, the dining room is quaint and family-style pleasant. But it's too small, and when the regulars show up in their usual numbers, there's no comfortable place to wait for a table. The wide-open parking lot and the stark strip mall front are no bonus.
Even though this is an inexpensive, easy-going place, get a reservation. Split any appetizers you order at least two ways. Don't miss the mussels, available in two recipes, appetizer and entree. And again:L the fried squid can't be beat. (Unless La Riviera comes back from the dead.)
| Attitude | 1 |
|---|---|
| Environment | 0 |
| Hipness | 0 |
| Local Color | 0 |
| Service | 1 |
| Value | 1 |
| Wine | 0 |
