10/30/2018 Heading for yet another burger when we noticed the OPEN sign. 3:30 on a Tuesday. Wandered in, got a warm welcome, great drinks, they know how to make a martini. Duck salad was excellent, sauteed mussels sublime, carrot cake worth every forkful and the waiter Shane, a handsome lad, ran off to make a fresh pot of rather good coffee. Nice, place was busy by about 4 but the noise level was reasonable, you could have a conversation with leaning completely across the table. 129.00 including 20 % tip. Two people 4 drinks, 2 wines, two entrees, 1 dessert, two coffees. A steal. Considering ordinary two burgers and 4 Heinekens will run about 65.00 this my friend is a good value. Kudos ! **** And we're back. Went on Friday. Place was busy, service was good, food as always excellent, bartender know how to make a martini. Just as we are getting ready for dessert in walks a 10 month old and parks herself in a high chair right at my elbow. Nice kid, well behaved and I lived in mortal terror she was going to fill her diaper with fragrant sweet potato and spinach poop and or start whining and screaming. So instead of most excellent carrot cake, two cognacs, and coffee I snatched up my cake to go and ran for it. For a place that is pricing entrees at 27.95 and an extra buck on top of 9.00 bucks for the teaspoon of vermouth, I don't like it. I get the noise, Americans have loshe ability to converse sotto voce. I get the cost of vermouth. But a 136 dollars for dinner for two and you have to live in terror of a ten month old. In any case I ran fer it and the restaurant lost another easy 35 or 40 dollars in coffee and cognac. Hope the kid had a swell time. +++++++ Well, we have been going back. Aside from the noise problem which seems to be the curse of restaurants in America it is a very good place. I ordered the butt steak which was ok but not great. But not to complain. It was good, the chowder was excellent, the drinks were great and for a week night the place was happening. Go and support ! We go often enough. This last Saturday was not so good. Very busy, very crowded, very very very noisy. Like a drunken bikers convention. Harried waitress. Had a reservation for 7, got seated by 7:30. Waiting area is in front of the area were food comes out of kitchen and restroom entrance. Got to see cheese, many times set afire , while clouds of smoke rolled by. Other then that the food was good, service was good, drinks as usual were good. Sublime martini. The ambiance kinda sucked. For 200 dollars for four you would think you would be able to have some hope of hearing the person sitting to your immediate left. Saturday must not be the day to go. Why they put in the gambling machines and did not use the space for seating , I don't know. read more

I have gone to Bimbo's a couple of times now and each time everyone in my group have raved about their meals. The portions are large, there has never been a mistake when ingredient omissions have been requested, and the staff has been amazing. Shockingly the cocktails are not overpriced either. read more

Hubby and I went in there twice. Both times he ordered top sirloin. They served him (both times) sirloin tip. As he was a meat cutter for many years he knows ALL cuts of meat. Top sirloin is tender. Sirloin tip is tough. Do not plan on going back there again! read more

Hidden gem. Love this place. And it close to where I live. Food tastes good. Calzone, pizza and wing fries are on point.

First time being here and went while in town to see family who have all been several times. Let me just say it was worth the trip and definitely lived up to the reputation that my family built!!! I got the chicken piccata which I ate before I could take a picture and it was amazing, drinks were also great as well as service. Unfortunately I live in FL, so will have to wait until I go back to have it again!! read more

Bimbo's Italian Kitchen - Country - Italian Near Me - McHenry, Illinois

Extremely friendly service for carry out and the food was pretty good! The food we ordered (the gnocchi dish and the chicken and sausage with veggies dish) were pretty good, but didn't blow me out the water. Overall a good experience and would go again and try more signature dishes. read more

Nice place and decent food. Very pricey restaurant. Have been there twice and was not really worth the price.

We got take out tonight from Bimbo's and it was all amazing! We ordered fettuccine Alfredo, country rigatoni and lobster ravioli. It took an hour from placing the order, but everything was still HOT by the time we got home and tasted so good. Highly recommend all three dishes! read more

Food was good. My husband thought his was the best ossu buco he has ever had. My dish was pork chop, and I felt the veggies that accompanied were just so so. My pork chop was little undercooked. I did not send it back, but a tad pink. Service, not so great. Our server was busy, and did not manage the tables well. He should have had help. Drinks went empty, water the same. Waited too long for the check, we had a place to be. We would come again, with hopes of service better, and Ill know to ask about specifics on veggies. read more

Bimbo's Italian Kitchen - Yummmmmmm - Italian Near Me - McHenry, Illinois

Favorite Italian food in the McHenry area. Food is always fantastic and the location is nice along the Fox River. You can access by boat or car! During covid the deck was expanded and a heated, covered tent is used to allow for more comfortable seating. read more

Didn't get to try the place myself (had it many times when I was little though and remember liking it). Made a preorder earlier this week for curbside pick up for a surprise Mother's day treat since I was unable to see her due to the shelter in place. My dad picked it up and got it right on time (5 o clock just like requested). They both raved over the cheesecake (they liked their entrees and appetizer a lot as well;) ) thanks for making this easy considering the circumstances. Was able to FB message the restaurant after I got off the phone with them after I confirmed what car my dad would be picking up the food in, and changed the salad dressing option I picked for him as well. Order was all correct even with that minor change. Thank you! read more

Good food, comfortable surroundings and friendly service. We would definitely go back again

We went there Saturday night. Food was really good; all the way from the bread to our entrees. I had bow tie pasta with shrimp added and my husband had the scallops and shrimp in Diablo sauce. The only thing I could even say about the food is my husband (who loves hot) said the Diablo wasn't hot. Many have commented on the service and I have to say that even though we didn't have reservations they got us seated within 10 minutes of arriving. Our server, Ivan, was great and made our meal very enjoyable by making sure we had everything we needed but not hovering! Great job! We will def be back! read more

Bimbo's Italian Kitchen - Shrimp and scallops in Diablo sauce. - Italian Near Me - McHenry, Illinois

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Outstanding!! Had the Lasagna this time instead of the Filet Mignon that I usually have. It was awesome and way too much for one meal so I got to eat it the next day at home as well. Delicious!! Service was good as usual and even the Bus Boy was top notch. He was right there to take dishes and empty drinks away when we were done, not ten minutes later. I do wish they had French Onion Soup on the appetizer list though. It's kind of odd that they don't as most Fine restaurants of this places caliber do. read more

So I went to Dinner and the service was amazing. I felt like she was so on her game it rocked. We had arancine , a garlic and cheese dish, soup , salad steak and shrimp and pasta. All was delicious. I did like the view. Probably beautiful in the summer. On the river it was beautiful in the winter. So the only negative is the house dressing I didn't like so my solution is get a different one. I will be back and hope it's always this great. Thanks for a nice dinner. Sorry i was enjoying myself so much I forgot pictures. Next time. read more

Shit service. At least at Olive Garden they pretend to care. Didn't have a chance to try the food cause we had such a bad impression from the hostess and rowdy bar. My advice? Go somewhere else. read more

The very best and most Authentic Italian Good I've Had since Italy. Ivan is a Cool Cat as well!

Great food ! But things like the Balonese sauce is rather spicy when they say it's not. The Marsala was great ! Service great as well! Would go back again read more

Food and service were okay. Hostess seemed annoyed. We were boating down the river and decided to stop. Was not expecting a more upscale Italian restaurant. By the name and the sign that said bar food was expecting more American food. Disappointed the name and advertising. read more

Went for "Flavors of Fall". This was 1 to 4:30 event. Got there at 3:45. Sat at the bar, didn't get acknowledge for 5 minutes( wasn't busy) told they weren't serving their Country Rigotoni anymore. Second year in a row they stopped early. Person next to me got their carryout order and paid before getting the drink they ordered. What poor service. Used to go their 3-4 times a month. Now maybe once every 3-4 months. read more

Always delicious!!! The staff is friendly & helpful. Beautiful expanded outdoor dining under patio lights on the fox river(covered).

The food is very good here but they put whipped cream on the tirmasu!!!! NO NO NO!!!! Also, there aren't any prices on their menus on the website. Folks, we can't plan for takeout unless we know the prices!!! Please update your website, thank you!!! read more

This restaurant used to be one of my family's favorite places to go for Italian food. Over the last 6 months the quality of the food has gone down considerably and they have made some odd changes to a few of their staples. The sausage and peppers appetizer has gone from amazing with the peppers still have some crunch and the sausage having great flavor too the peppers being mushy and overcooked and the sausage being mushy and without a good flavor. I will give the restaurant one more chance to keep our business but I will be looking for other places to have private parties and celebrations until then. read more

Love this little place! First time I remember coming here was for my sisters rehearsal dinner (forever ago). I came here many Sundays when visiting my mom in McHenry. The mozzarella sticks were huge! Pasta and fish were always great. My mom was allergic to olive oil and never had a problem - the server always let the kitchen know and assured her food was safe (which is a big deal for an Italian place). Space outside was limited but in warm moths enjoyable with the view of the river. Wine and drinks were good too. read more

At 4:00 P.M. My mom Janet Hoary and I went into Bimbo's we sat down and saw Menu's on the table and my mom asked the bartender if they had drink specials and the bartender didn't know prices and the bartender told us the menus at our table were from last night and the bartender finally told us that deliveries were never brought to Bimbo's for that day which is really stupid Bimbo's opened at noon and deliveries were not at Bimbo's and the bartender asked us if we wanted to wait for an hour. Sincerly, Erik Hoary read more

Once, one of our favorite restaurants, but no more. The place was crowded Saturday night, with no social distancing, and you could see the wait staff only putting masks on when they came out to the dining area. Now that I've seen that, I can't even bring myself to order for curbside pickup. read more

We didn't know reservations are encouraged so we walked in on a Friday night at 630. There isn't any hostess stand to speak of so we grabbed the first staff member we could find and asked about a table. He balked when we said no res but he managed to get us a table in about 20 minutes. Unfortunately the table was right in the path leading outside so we spent the whole meal leaning to the side to let people by, least we get bumped by the ever-present staff whipping by. I ordered the lamb shank which was very well prepared, she ordered shrimp over angel hair which she enjoyed but was short on the sauce by a bit so the pasta was bland. My rating would be higher if not for the noise level. Oh my. We sat across from each other and had to text through dinner just to have a conversation. There are no booths in the main dining room so everybody heard everything and at top volume. If you don't mind the noise or the slightly cramped seating arrangements then Bimbo's is the place for you. I don't think we'll be back, mainly because we live right down the street from Paisano's on Broadway. read more

Bimbo's Italian Kitchen - This is the TEN INCHES of space between our table and the next. This is the main walkway leaving to the outside seating area. - Italian Near Me - McHenry, Illinois

Yuk! This is not an Italian Kitchen. Had the chicken parm. So, get this. The chicken parm comes with beef bolognese over top. seriously! It is on the menu, and my fault for not catching that...but seriously. Beef over chicken?! And the red sauce that was with in it, tasted burnt. Wife's Chicken Marsala was equally disappointing. Pasta had an odd taste to it. This just might not be to our taste. But the food was horrible to both of us. Better food at the Olive Garden, or out of a box. And no remorse for our waitress. She worked hard, and was very polite all evening. But after a polite mention of the combination of beef over chicken parm, and mentioning that I was going to pay anyway..that politeness quickly turned to an angry response. Wow. I really think that she has heard that before. But oh well. we still tipped her. Go somewhere else, or to a fast food joint. Or open a box of Mac & cheese. You will be better off. read more

Did you ever finally go to an awesome restaurant 15 minutes from home and think "Why haven't I been here before?" Nice ambience, great service (a waitress who actually offers opinions when you ask "What's good here?") I had the Lobster Ravioli. Good portion size (not too big) and an awesome sauce. My wife had the Veal Marsala. It was delicious too. I highly recommend this place! read more

Ordered dinner for curbside p/up today. Packaged tightly, so no spills. Tasted great as always. And they included all the condiments that would be needed. Thank you Bimbos!!! Always great food! read more

Last evening at Bimbos certainly did not start well - the hostess was surly and unfriendly. I KNOW they have dining time limits due to Covid, but HOW MANY times does the hostess need to reiterate that after one has already acknowledged it? The food was delicious as always but the service (with a less-than-full house) was not good. Our server was so slow and had trouble paying attention to what was ordered. His slow service (which would have been fine under normal circumstances) caused us to "run out of time" and we did not even have time to really finish our meal. If we hadn't had to wait and wait for him to take our order and bring our order we would have had ample time to dine. As it was, this was NOT a "sweetheart" of a Valentine meal and I guess we will wait until the pandemic is past to return for another meal. read more

This place was nothing short of fantastic! If you plan on going, make a reservation. My family went on a Saturday and had to wait around 35 minutes for a table which really wasn't all that bad, but if you're really hungry, just make a reservation. The staff was super friendly which made wait not so bad because they let us sit at the bar and get some drinks. Once we were seating, we got the calamari as an appetizer and it was some of the best calamari I've had in my life, very tasty. I got a salad too with ranch dressing and just a heads up, the ranch is VERY salty. I had that feeling in my mouth for a while that you get at the beach when you accidentally take in some salt water. My Gnocchi Alforno however, was delicious! Potato gnocchi with vodka sauce baked with cheese very yummy. read more

Bimbo's Italian Kitchen - Gnocchi Alforno - Italian Near Me - McHenry, Illinois

My parents love coming here for special occasions, and a couple times they've treated me! I remember getting a butternut squash ravioli that was to die for, and another time I had scallops with risotto. And of course, the beet salad is amazing, and I don't even particularly like beets. So great job! read more

I would put 1/2 a star if I could. I order a drink which was Kettle One and ginger ale which tasted moldy. We ordered appetizers, salad, and soup and were served one after another without even a minute in between each course. There were no specials on a Saturday night. My main was gnocchi with vodka sauce which was burned, I took it home to feed to my dogs. When we received our bill it was $93.45, we gave the waiter our card and when he brought it back for a signature we were charged $20.00 more dollars ($113.45) before the tip was added which means they either automatically added a 20% tip or tried to screw us out of $20.00 thinking we wouldn't notice & add an additional tip. When I brought it to the attention of the staff, they claimed it was a mistake. I don't think so. It was purposely ran for $20.00 over the total of the amount of the bill. We will not be returning to Bimbo's unless I am forced to go there for a funeral luncheon or something. read more

My wife and I are in love with Olive Garden, but when we first bought our house in McHenry, we felt we should help our local economy and decided to go to Bimbo's to celebrate becoming homeowners. That was a huge mistake, first there was no sign that said seat yourself or wait for staff so we were standing like idiots waiting to be seated and finally one waitress came to seat us down. The decor is OK, your typical pictured of Italy and low lighting. We had never been there and knowing Olive Garden has an amazing cream soda, I asked our server what kind of drinks they had, and with an attitude, he replied, well what do you want?, I told him I had never been there so I don't know, once again with a attitude he replied, what do you want?, so I told him, I'll just get a Bud Light, DICK!!!. With the lighting so low, my wife and I were falling asleep waiting for our food, we didn't even get asked if we wanted another round, so when the food finally came we just got waters, didn't wanna give that shit hole more of my money. I never give less then 20% for tip, but after that fuck ruined our celebrations, I tipped him less then a buck, I won't even mention my so called dinner, nothing like Olive Garden or any other authentic Italian eatery!!!!, it felt like going to a Mexican restaurant and having it cook by Chinese!!!!!. Stay away from here, unless you're over 50, live in McHenry and don't feel like making the long drive to Gurnee or East Dundee to the O.G. read more

We've been going to Bimbos for the last 10 years and it has never disappointed us or any of our friends. Best bets are country rigatoni or the butt steak vesuvio. Everything else is excellent but those are super. What was the Olive Garden guy thinking? Or drinking? Upset because they didn't have cream soda? Go the the Olive Garden you deserve each other!!! read more

Great food and standard, normal service for us. Our waitress was attentive and prompt. Bread took a while to get out but once they had it going it was available as needed. They seem to prefer you have reservations- it's the first question they ask (but they should greet you first!) When you walk in, the service station appears to be at the end of the bar, maybe they should rethink that. I'd subtract a star for the tacky gaming but all these places are doing it. I understand the whole concept, but for a higher end area restaurant, I think the gaming area should be more discreet IMO. Sit at the back for a river view or come in the summer for a smaller patio area. read more

I've been here a couple times when visiting friends out in Mchenry. It's a small place, but nice. Typically decorated with Italian photography, low lighting, and classical background music. The service was between average and non-existant. They didn't suggest much and whenever the waitress was around she just looked if we needed refills and went away; completely eluding to if we needed anything else and if our meals were okay. And yes, the meals were okay, and that's about it. The food wasn't horrible, but it didn't live up to the way they boast about having such fine Italian dining. The best I've had from there was what they call "Country Rigatoni", which is basically rigatoni noodles with a spicy vodka sauce. This is a very typical Italian meal & they claim it as their own special dish (which, it isn't, though it tasted alright). The bread was fine, the wine was alright as well. Overall a fairly average experience. The thing that disappointed me most was that it didn't actually live up to how they portray themselves. Aside from that aspect, Bimbo's is a fine place to dine. read more

I really like this place. Not THE best Italian place I've ever eaten at, but one of the best. I love the cheese ravioli and large portions. It can feel a bit cramped when full, but it really is not a very large place. Service is usually good and fast. I love that they wrap up our leftovers for us! read more

For an Italian Restaurant this is the only place to go in McHenry. The dinner was excellent. The wait staff was outstanding. The only problem was it was crowded but that is because it is a great place. read more