Betsy Bozdech DVDJournal.com Nov 6, 2006 3/4

Bob Giraldi's tight, well-paced movie is an example of what ensemble filmmaking can be when it's done correctly.

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Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Jun 20, 2006 3/4

Set in a downtown restaurant, this is a small, well-acted (particularly by Danny Aiello) quintessentially New York film that recalls indie movies of the 1980s.

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Mark R. Leeper rec.arts.movies.reviews Mar 31, 2005 3/5

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Gabriel Shanks Mixed Reviews Oct 29, 2003 B-

Shares the heady, dizzying atmosphere that turns great meals into memorable events.

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Joshua Tanzer Offoffoff Mar 11, 2003 3/4

A genre film, but it tries to tell a story from a different angle - not through tough guys and excessive violence but through a character-driven drama with several different perspectives.

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Marrit Ingman Austin Chronicle Mar 10, 2003 3/5

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Tom Grealis RTÉ (Ireland) Feb 13, 2003 4/5

This is an unusually patient and composed feature - it's solidly scripted, it knows where it's going and arrives there with a minimum of fuss.

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F.X. Feeney L.A. Weekly Jan 20, 2003

Fiery energy, swift, character-driven chitchat and a tough, upbeat sense of how the world works.

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Urban Cinefile Critics Urban Cinefile Oct 7, 2002

The conflict between the 'sausages and peppers' father and his 'lobster in shallot, champagne and vanilla bean sauce' son is just one of many juicy threads running through this Altman-esque banquet.

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Erin Free FILMINK (Australia) Oct 2, 2002 8/10

'...beautifully captures the spirit and pace of a popular, bustling eating-house.'

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Ian Mantgani UK Critic Apr 14, 2002 3.5/4

A movie of rich specifics and stylistic creativity that clearly comes from the heart

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Jamie Russell BBC.com Mar 18, 2002 4/5

It's as insubstantial as a plate of linguini, but very, very tasty.

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Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Jan 18, 2002 3/4

There are enough plots here to challenge a Robert Altman, specialist in interlocking stories, but the director, Bob Giraldi, masters the complexities as if he knows the territory.

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Walter Chaw Film Freak Central Jan 10, 2002 2.5/4

Not knowing its story is Dinner Rush's biggest failing--and frankly for as bad as that is, it could've been worse.

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Sue Pierman Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jan 3, 2002

A tasty bit of drama for the adult palate.

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Joe Leydon San Francisco Examiner Dec 28, 2001

A pleasingly light and mostly tasty dessert.

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Mick LaSalle San Francisco Chronicle Dec 28, 2001

Benefits enormously from Aiello's down-to-earth magnificence.

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Pam Grady Reel.com Dec 28, 2001 3.5/4

This is really the first [food movie] to capture the exhilaration of a kitchen sauting on all cylinders.

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