2nd time to visit. Both times informed, courteous, attentive wait staff. Prices very reasonable. Portions large.

It's been years since our initial visit to Fanello's so we decided to get it another try on a recent Saturday night. We didn't have reservations, but luckily it was only a 10-15 minute wait before we were seated. Our server was hustling and did a great job (never mentioned her name). The salad and garlic bread came out right away. The bar was a little backed up, but we eventually got our drinks. Just a glass of chardonnay for me and the hubby opted for the cinnamon maple old fashioned - definitely a miss with overly artifical tasting syrup. Our entrees came out quick, but were only warm not hot. I ordered the chicken carbonara, but it is not a true carbonara - it was a garlicky, heavy cream sauce. I had to ask for parmesan and pepper. There must be a shortage since salt and pepper were only on some of the tables and then another server came and took the parm and pepper before we were even done with our meals. My husband ordered the baked mostaccioli which came with meatballs and he added Italian sausage. The sausage was just sliced with no browning or coloring. The dish was definitely not baked, in fact the shredded mozzarella on top was barely melted. We ordered the tiramisu for dessert which was not good. It was layers of a thin spiced-like sponge cake instead of lady fingers and lacking in any sort of flavor. Overall, it was fine, but there are so many better options for amazing Italian in the area. read more

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Just tried this place for the 1st time! The good: - The decor was nice, the service was amazing, and the garlic bread was honestly so good, I ordered a second round. The bad: - As soon as you sit down, they give you a big bowl of salad and garlic bread...*HOWEVER* if one person in your party doesn't order any entrees, they charge you for the salad and garlic bread. lol My daughter wasn't that hungry and didn't want to order anything. She was content on helping us eat the salad, until we were informed she'd be charged for it. - Pepsi Products...ugh. - The food, as was accurately described in most of the reviews, was very mediocre at best. I mean, I can make a better pasta dish and not spend the amount we did here. I ordered the chicken carbonara and the sauce was SO THICK and GLUEY. The pizza my son ordered tasted like it was from Chuck E Cheese and the tortellini was average, at best. Overall, it's a nice welcoming place with great staff and delicious garlic bread....but that's where it sadly stops. You're better off by just saving your money and making something at home. I promise you, whatever you make will be 10x better! read more

Great service tonight! Entrées come with salad and bread, both very good. They offer two dressings Italian and Creamy Italian tasty on their own or mixed. We'd definitely come back. read more

Fanellos - Italian Near Me - Mishawaka, Indiana

Great Italian restaurant. I had the Veal Parmigiana my wife had their Stuffed Shells. Both were excellent my was real veal not a premade patty. The plate is huge the spaghetti must be house made and the marinara is exquisite. My wife's Stuffed Shells were very cheesy and truly delicious. Service is excellent. First they bring you a salad along with garlic bread. Everything was so good. I don't want to forget they had soft music played by a real musician which gave you a romantic ambiance. The prices are very cheap Compared to what you get. So if you're looking for a nice Italian restaurant you have to go here. We'll be back. read more

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Great food and waitress was awesome. Salad was awesome too . Service was excellent I had Lasagna rolls with salad

We came to Fanello's for dinner tonight. First off, the service was pretty good. Promptly seated, very friendly staff. And the staff were working! By that I mean going table to table. Making sure guest had what they needed. Ours was no different. Having not been here before, you start with a salad. Generous portion for the table. With that you're given their house made dressings, traditional and creamy. Both are fantastic! Our server suggested we mix them. You're also given garlic bread. Surprisingly good! Not too much garlic, just the right amount. Now is when it kind of faltered. Sausage and peppers appetizer. All sliced. In a bowl, buried in sauce and cheese. I ordered veal parm and my wife got the eggplant parm. Meh. The veal wasn't very thin and I don't think it was breaded at all. Again, just buried in sauce and cheese. Too much. Plus it comes with bell peppers and mushrooms on top. The plate was overpowered by green bell pepper. The eggplant also just buried in sauce and cheese. With a yellow cheese melted on top. Gave it an odd look. Eggplant was good, not soggy. Again not sure if it was breaded. With both dishes, if there was breading, the sauce killed it. read more

My co-worker at FedEx & his wife owns this restaurant Eric always tells me to come in & give his spot a try...& since me & him are die hard 49er fans...I figured it was time to roll up in!! I have had his pizza & lasagne one time before as he catered to a work party...but I wanted to come in & experience his chef work first hand & fresh!! Came in for my birthday we were greeted with a friendly smile by his wife...sat us right down as we were the first party when they opened...the restaurant is very clean & give you the old world Italian vibe with pictures & Italian art pieces thru out resturant!! Our waitress was very friendly & nice & gave us all the info on the best things to order drinks & food very helpful!!! We had a few whisky sours they have a full bar & variety of beer to select from!! The salad came out first with garlic bread...the salad was huge with all fresh large ingredients..our waitress explain the house dressing were made in house from there recipe & was best maried together...let me tell you for my first time ever tasting a salad in my life...the dressing was the bomb very very tasty enough to make this first timer clean my bowl!! We order there pepperoni & sausage large & a pepperoni & cheese large...they both where fire ever one at our table raved about the fresh cheese & toppings & the sweet savory sauce the crust was nice & fluffy & crisp...best pizza in town hands down!! As I said be fire I went for my birthday & to my surprise the waitress came out with a huge cheesy saucy warm plate of Lasagne per the chef...on the house...let me tell u every bite was a dream & felt like I was in lasagne heaven the taste was unbelievable WOW...it is a must try!!! The suprise didn't stop there as they brought out a nice delicious piece of chocolate fudge ice cream cake it was so moist & and sweet with the ice cream made for a great combo!! The overall experience was amazing the food the staff & the whole vibe...it became a packed house full of happy customers & even as packed as it was the owner made sure she stopped at our table to see if everything was on point!!! My only complaint is to my self & why did it take me so long to stop in!! So if you want sum Authentic Italian food I highly suggest u stop in & give Eric & his wife a family at fanellos a try u won't regret it !! read more

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My husband and I had dinner at Fanellos this evening and it was delicious as usual! We love the salad, garlic bread, and anything we have ever ordered! The service and price are both excellent! we had the ooh chocolate for dessert, YUM!! read more

I just couldn't find redeeming about their Italian food everything had a strange taste to it and when we expressed that we did not care for the food they got rude I would not recommend them there's too many other good Italian places in Mishawaka in South Bend to go to read more

It's an adorable place and the service was excellent. Everything came out very quickly. The house salad was pretty standard and the garlic bread was your typical frozen bread. The eggplant Parmesan was good, but I wish it was fried and that there was a bit more eggplant. The price couldn't be beat though! read more

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I am in between 3 and 4 stars on this one, but will go with the four for a couple of reasons. The first being the service. We had a group of 20 plus siting at multiple tables and everything was handled mostly by 2 people. The second reason being that the desserts were outstanding. The cinnamon roll cheesecakes was amazing. So, as mentioned I was between 3 and 4 stars. The 3 comes from the food. Honestly, it was just average. I had chicken parm (which is my Italian staple), and while there was a lot of pasta, the chicken piece was pretty small. The sauce was kind of bland for my taste, so I added some crushed red pepper. My son had pizza and said it was good. My wife had mostaccioli and it was pretty good too. She had plenty for leftovers. Some good, some not as good, but certainly not bad at all. Restaurant itself seemed a little lacking in décor, kind of more old school in my thinking. Nothing bad here either. Interesting to me is that they are only open three days per week. It is apparent that they do a nice business even open this little, as the tables were pretty much full as we left. read more

I am not from South Bend so consider this when reading my review. Not what I expected. Give a recommendation from a local I was expecting a smaller Italian restaurant. Unfortunately, the place was a big corporate like operation. Our server was good but the food was a 6 out of 19. Lots of big parties so smaller groups might not get the attention. OK Italian but not for me read more

Great experience! Delicious food, excellent service in a casual atmosphere. The portions were great, the server delightful, everything was delicious. Our new favorite Italian restaurant! Not cheap, but well worth the price. read more

Great Italian food... staff is wonderful. Intimate little place, quickly becoming a favorite

Excellent food,great service cozy atmosphere, there was an amazing music artist playing, great evening

An absolute wonderful place to eat at. The food was delicious. The Moscato was wonderful. My boyfriend and I love the atmosphere would recommend this place to anybody. The staff was absolutely courteous gave us all the information we needed about our meal. read more

Went here with the wife and her girl friend. The place is 4.5 stars how can you miss, right? Well let me tell you the food was not good...pasta was over cooked the chicken on the in the Marsala was deep fried. My wife and her friend were both disappointed as well with their food. Our girl that served us was very nice and attentive with as busy as it was for what reason I don't know why. There is no ambiance in the place just a big hallway that is way too loud. We came, we ate, we saw nothing good, we will not return. read more

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A group of us decided to try this place and I read tons of reviews and was looking forward to a great meal. We met Jessica our server who was INCREDIBLE. They bring out garlic bread and salad with two dressings and they were very good and she kept replacing the bread and salad as fast as we consumed it all. Next the chicken Parmesan came out and it looked great but to be honest the chicken was dry and the sauce was very sweet and it wasn't very flavorful. I ended the meal with the brownie and ice cream and their amazing fudge sauce. The brownie was great but the ice cream tasted old. I will try this place again. I was so impressed with Jessica's service I gave her a 40% tip. read more

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Mama said don't say anything if you can't say nothing nice. Well, the service was good and the prices were reasonable.

stop telling people that you're affiliated with my family's restaurant papa joes casa de pasta!!!!!! my family never gave you permission to use any of our recipes or inspiration from my grandma's dishes!!!!! stop having your employees tell people this false information so you can ride the coat tails of my grandma's success!!!! everything down to the salad, homemade dressing, entrees, dessert and decor are a trash attempt to replicate papa joe's casa de pasta!!!! you all are disgusting!!!! read more

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Fanelo's feels like an old world Italian restaurant and the food is amazing. We are definitely going to go back.

After a long work week, we decided to make reservations for dinner at Fanello's and wind down for the weekend, We arrived on time for our 6 pm time slot and waited a bit while they got a table ready. After being seated we both ordered drinks and looked over the menu. I tend to stick with favorites which in my case is the Eggplant Parmesan. Hubs went with the special which was a spicy bolognese, We were served salad and warm garlic bread which disappeared immediately. The salad is a nice mix of both greens and antipasto with a choice of two in house dressings... a red and a white. Both good depending on your tastes. Next, the food arrived and I have to say right away that I was disappointed in the amount of eggplant or lack of it I should say. Granted it's not in season locally, however, it does grow elsewhere and is available. It tasted fine, I just felt for the $17 price tag, it could have actually not been chopped up pieces. My previous review shows my exact order. Sadly, they went the skimpy route this visit. *SIDE-NOTE: Fanello's is NO relation to the family of the former Papa Joe's restaurant that was lost due to a fire, but rather former employees or so I've been informed by a family member of Papa Joe's. 1.14.21 read more

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We eat here regularly, the food is always consistently good. Would recommend for delicious Italian food and a nice atmosphere

Went to Fanellos for the first time today. It was a belated Birthday Dinner from a friend. Wow, what a hidden treasure. Atmosphere was warm, had an old-world Italian charm. Our server, Megan, was the best (friendly, attentive, efficient). She certainly made us feel welcome. The salad with homemade dressings and garlic bread came first. Salad was crisp and the dressing was so good! I chose the Spinach Fettuccini Alfredo entree and was not disappointed. Everyone enjoyed everything about this dining experience. We all said that we would definitely go back. read more

Absolutely wonderful Italian food. Great service ! The meatballs are very tasty, and being half Italian and I am very very fussy with the taste of others making Italian food lol read more

Best Italian in this area. Salad, bread, entire menu, dessert is amazing and the prices cannot be beat!

Great food...homemade salad dressing and garlic bread are amazing! Nice atmosphere and friendly staff. read more

Fanellos - Italian Near Me - Mishawaka, Indiana

First time here came with a family group. The portions are large everyone seemed to like the food. The best part for me was dessert cinnamon bun cheesecake. So good Oh yeah they start you out with bread and a really good salad lots of toppings. read more

I've missed papa joes. So happy to see some of the same faces and eat the delicious food!! I will be back! read more

You can feel the love here. I came here randomly because Oliva's was packed. I posted up at the bar. The garlic bread is a passable grade, the salad works. Penne Al Russo was enjoyable but missing something. I'll be back to try the chicken carbonara. I got the cinnamon cheesecake to go, and needless to say, I'm excited. I'm giving this place a 4, because everyone that works here was so kind even though they were busy. I hope it stays that way for them, and I'm sure it will. read more

We are always looking out for local restaurants. Fanello's did not disappoint. You are served a wonderful salad and garlic bread immediately. The salad dressing is homemade with an Italian vinaigrette and a creamy Italian. We were advised by our server that the dressing are meant to mix together. The flavor was great. I ordered the Eggplant Parmesan the serving was generous and the sauce was mild and flavorful. My husband ordered the pizza. The ingredients were fresh but the crust was just OK. Pizza is an offering on their menu but there are many wonderful choices for entrees I wish he would have chosen one. The decor is tasteful, clean and the servers are friendly and responsive. Great place can't wait to go back! read more

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Very good food the homemade salad dressing is AWESOME. Clean restaurant friendly wait staff moderately priced all around a good place to eat. read more

Great for family and delicious food, the staff is extremely friendly and the atmosphere cheery, relaxing, and comfortable. My go-to Italian in Mishawaka for sure -- especially now that Pasquale's has changed up some of their menu read more

This place is unbelievable cant wait to come back. All of my family came and we all left with a box. it reminds us of another family restaurant that burned down a few years ago. so it's a perfect replacement. read more

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not sure why this restaurant got high reviews. My husband and I both had an Alfredo-based pasta dish here the other night. The Alfredo kind of tasted like a Campbell's soup recipe made with rue, cream cheese, and some garlic powder (but not much garlic powder). broccoli staged around the pasta was so over cooked it was almost mush. the food was Luke warm at best. on a good note, the entertainment was incredible, the waitress is very nice, the salad and garlic bread was good. And the atmosphere was kind of a cozy feeling in a rustic sort of way. read more

We went there on a lark. And not are we glad we did. The service was fantastic as well as the food. Prices very reasonable and portions are plentiful. Great atmosphere. Highly recommend if you authentic Italian food. read more

Great food and great service! Portions are plenty, most portions are easy to have leftovers to carry home. Super tasty desserts. They have a long table area, if you have a large party of 15, like we did. A very enjoyable dinner experience! read more

Great service! We had a large group and Tyler was our waiter. He did an excellent job at taking care of all us!

Great service, welcoming and friendly...chicken carbonara was very good, thick tasty and very filling (large potion-only ate half took other half home). Salad good with homemade dressings. Would have preferred authentic Italian breads and breadsticks. Pricing was good for portion sizes. Pleasant quaint atmosphere, enjoyable dining experience. read more

Fanellos - Chicken Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Mishawaka, Indiana