Had a late dinner at Cento and it did not disappoint! I ordered the Tuscan kale Cesar salad and the…read morescallops entree. Both were impeccable! My server, Prasad, was really the highlight! He was so sweet and informative. Went through the menu and described everything in such detail. My friend and I were visiting Madison for work and he offered us so many options to fill our free time. He takes so much pride in everything and it shows. The ambiance of the restaurant is a little on the nicer side, but they do allow casual attire. 10/10 recommend and can't wait to come back for the wine flight with the in house Somm.

I hadn't been to Cento for several years. I was hoping to be wow'd. Unfortunately, it didn't start…read moreoff well. I couldn't blame it on our server. She was fine. Courteous, friendly, and professional. I also liked the atmosphere. Perfect decor, dark tones with a cosmopolitan feel. Let's start with the apps. The calamari was overcooked, leathery and tough to chew. It was taken off our bill, but it should've needed to be. Calamari--overcooked at a high-end restaurant like this. That shouldn't happen. We got the meatballs as a replacement. Tasty. Perfectly cooked. Spicy (but the spiciness was inconsistent. Some bites were 'mild' and others were way more spicy. We were pleasantly surprised by the Tuscan Kale Caesar. We weren't fans of kale, this tasted really good. Fresh tasting, crunchy. The dressing had a mild taste. Just the right amount of dressing. The chicken parm was very good. Crunchy coating, not dry. The rigatoni served with it was just the way I like it, a touch al dente. The Bucatini alla Carbonara was very good. I added sausage to it, thinking it would be links, but it came crumbled. If I hadn't have done that, it would've been perfect creamy spicy. My friend enjoyed her scallops. They were soft and pillowy and accented well with cream pea and pancetta. The shrimp scampi was also well prepared. The shrimp had a nice bite, not chewy, and the pasta was well done. It was all nestled in warm buttery sauce. I liked the tiramisu. Presented in a cup. The custard cream (zabaglione) should be more light and fluffy, this was a bit thick, but that's ok. It still tasted real good.

Excellent food, service and atmosphere. It is a very cozy Italian restaurant setting with an open…read morekitchen concept, where you can also see them cooking the personal pizzas in a brick oven. I also love being in restaurants where they really bring in the traditions of the cuisine. For apps, we shared the eggplant fritters (which were amazing!), burrata and salad. Must get the eggplant fritters, they were little balls of eggplant delight! And I am a huge eggplant parm fan so this was right up my alley. For my main, I opted for the shrimp scampi with homemade pasta! I loved the homemade pasta! However, I felt the sauce was very light. I wish I could've ordered this pasta dish with the san marzano sauce. I think that would've made the flavor pop more for me. And for desserts, they were also incredible. Tiramisu, cannoli and the lemon sorbet! Highly recommend the lemon sorbet, was such a strong lemon flavor. Overall, definitely recommend in the Madison area, one of my favs so far!

Solid Italian food in Madison, Wisconsin. I thought the Rigatoni ala Bolognese was the best dish…read moreI've eaten in Wisconsin and if you served me that in the West Village I'd be impressed with it as well. Pasta cooked very nicely and a fantastic flavor profile on the sauce & meat. Pizza is also decent; I'd get it again although I I much prefer the Novanta in the area. I didn't like sauce on the pizza and the cheese & crust were only okay. I'd come back again.

We popped in for a quick bite and it was fabulous! Some of the best chicken piccata I've had in a…read morelong time! Dessert was insane, definitely recommend the crème brûlée. They have a gluten free pasta option to swap traditional pasta and it was an incredible texture.

I hadn't realized this place moved into this spot, so we decided to check it out. This place is…read moregreat, and I'll definitely be back. As you enter, there is a decent sized bar off to your right with a few high top tables. To your left is the dining room, which is cozy and intimate. Someone at a table near us was having what looked like a margarita, and that made me want a margarita. So, instead of getting a bottle of wine, we both got a margarita. It was not what the other person was drinking, but oh my was this one of the best margaritas I've had in recent memory! It was SO good. It had a lot of ice in it, so next time I might ask for it straight up just so I can savor it and not let the ice water it down. We also had delicious bread brought to the table with a plate of olive oil and balsamic. The bread was cut into nice little pieces, was warm, and had a delightful texture where the outside was slightly crisped but not enough to impede your bite and the inside was just warm and soft. The have a nice, varied menu and it was hard to decide what to get. I was really craving marinara sauce, so I ended up going with the Cappellaci Di Salsiccia which was a meat and cheese enclosed pasta with marinara. And it was delicious. It also came out very beautifully plated. My dining mate ordered the Penne Pollo e Pesto and loved it. I'm not wild about pesto, but had to sample a bit and the way the pesto clung to the penne was really tasty. They also have a ragu lasagna and chicken piccata on their menu that I can't wait to try. As we were leaving, I saw a sign with two of their featured fall cocktails and both sounded incredible. I will have to be back for all of these things!!

If you judge Lombardino's from the outside, you might not expect much. It looks like a place that's…read morebeen around forever, kind of unassuming, maybe even easy to overlook. But once you walk in, it's a completely different story. The service was excellent. Our server was friendly, helpful, and had actually been to Rome, which made the conversation more interesting and added a nice touch of authenticity. And the food? Way beyond what we expected. Everything was well done and felt like a real step up from what the exterior might lead you to believe. You can feel the history in this up close, the statue at the entrance of the Trevi Fountain almost pulls you in before you even realize what you're looking at. The detail is incredible, even with the wear and mineral buildup from years of flowing water, it actually adds to the character. Standing there, tossing a coin over your left shoulder, it's one of those moments that feels a little touristy... until you do it. Then it just feels right. Like you're taking part in something that's been going on for generations. Simple tradition, but a pretty cool one. This place is a bit of a hidden gem. If you haven't been, it's absolutely worth checking out.

Lombardino's was the fav of my wife and her then-husband 62 years ago. (they are searchable on…read moreAncestry). She and I returned with three others Aug 27 2026. As good as ever. Love the old Italiany ambiance. (not enuf 'Italian' music). Wife and I have been to the land of her mother's birth several times. We cook 'Italian' at home. All five pasta dishes were excellent. Eggplant, Chicken, summer veggie, buccatini, & Bolognese. Tiramisu was good but not great.

If you are looking for an old world Italian restaurant this is the place for you. I've seen…read morediffering reviews on here and think if you order the right thing you'll enjoy your visit. We visited for a date night and even though it wasn't busy there were a few times I was without water and due to the layout of the restaurant and where we were seated we couldn't flag anyone down. For food, we avoided the pasta due to the reviews and ordered other items instead. The calamari was surprisingly good even though it looks frozen, it was cooked absolutely perfectly which is hard for calamari so I was very impressed. The porto salad was delicious, and reminded me of a supper club salad. The pizza (That's A Spicy) was the best part, as I love a crunchy and thin crust pizza and there were so many toppings. The tiramisu for dessert was also fantastic. Definitely a great date night spot.

Went here last night. We were visiting from South Carolina and make it a yearly visit to have…read moredinner at Porta Bellas. We are a small picture of white sangria and two cokes. Three of us sorted the small Portabella salad and one of us sorted the Caesar salad. The salads are always great, especially the portobello salad with the buttermilk all dressing. It's a staple! Three of us ordered the Garibaldi sandwich. I ordered mine with jalapeños. We had another order with the hot banana peppers and the third order with no peppers at all. The bread was toasted perfectly along with the sesame seeds on top of the bread. Everyone loved Garibaldi. My granddaughter ordered the manicotti with a Alfredo sauce and a red sauce. The three of us took a bite of it and it was absolutely great. They also serve some nice French bread with butter. The atmosphere here is really nice and quaint. The service was excellent. Have to give it four stars. I look forward to coming back next year. It's too bad. They don't have the white house sandwich like Paissan 's used to have.

This is one of the best meals I've head. Harvey ticks the box on every dimension - beautiful…read moresetting, great vibe including the music, fantastic service, great cocktails and of course the innovative, unique, delicious food. Our waiter gave us great tips in navigating the menu and experiencing the variety - and it could not have been a more special experience celebrating my brother's 60th birthday with my 91 years old dad. They have 3 Old Fashion options - we tried 2 and they were both rock solid. The ravioli and trout almandine are savory entrees that didn't disappoint. The baked potato is an innovative cloud pleaser but highly recommend sharing. And don't sleep on the onion soup - I've never experienced anything like it. The smell that emanates when you first pierce the creamy foam layer will make you say 'whoa.' Will definitely return.

My friend scored a last minute dinner reservation while I was visiting, and I'm glad she did! We…read morecame for dinner with a group of 4 on a Sunday. The restaurant was beautiful and the service was amazing. I appreciated that our waitress was very knowledgeable about the dishes on the menu and what ingredients they contained, which is perfect for anyone with allergies or dietary restrictions (like myself). We were seated near the open kitchen which also added to the dining experience. I tried: - Scallop toast - I really enjoyed this. It was mild, not fishy tasting at all, and the brioche was toasted very well. I'm not a huge seafood person aside from sushi and poke, and had never had scallops before, so I was not expecting to like it as much as I did. - Ricotta Raviolini - I was not a huge fan of this, which was especially disappoint since it was my main entree / the most expensive on this list. It was essentially a folded sheet of pasta with a tiny bit of ricotta, topped with barely cooked asparagus and snap peas. The menu also lists lemon infused olive oil, but I didn't taste that at all. The parts of the raviolini with a good amount of ricotta were delicious, but the dish overall was bland and tasted like raw asparagus and peas. My friends also tried it and none of them liked it either. - Baked Potato with The Works - super simple and perfectly executed. It comes with bacon, which we got on the side since I don't eat red meat. Potato was fluffy and salted perfectly, with a good amount of other toppings. My friends who do eat bacon said it tasted more like ham than bacon, and they actually preferred the potato without it. - Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding - Loved it. I love bread pudding and chocolate pudding, but never thought to combine the two. It was delicious - soft, not super sweet, and great portion size. I would recommend sharing, it's pretty rich which can be overwhelming at a certain point. - Flightless Bird mocktail - this was one of the best mocktails I've tried. It has a black tea base but tasted more like a regular cocktail without the alcohol burn rather than tea. Everyone at the table enjoyed trying it too. Despite the raviolini being a miss, the rest of the food, service, and ambiance made this such a wonderful dining experience that I can't wait to come back and try more.

Absolutely terrific. Generally I kinda shy away from Italian unless it's 'old school' fare. Went…read moreout of my comfort zone and wasn't upset.

To paraphrase Our Experience: Applebees is a much better choice for dinner than Osteria Papavero…read more The restaurant is too dark to even read the menu. The lights in the entire restaurant kept flickering all throughout dinner like the establishment was experiencing some sort of overload of circuits. When we inquired about the issue, the waiter simply rolled his eyes and said "this has been an issue for a long time, we keep telling them that they need to get this looked at" The food was mediocre at best, lacking any true flavor. They spend more effort trying to give their dishes cute Italian names than trying to make a decent meal. The so-called "Hi-Top" seating had about the same feel as sitting at a bar. You and your guest were seated directly next to each other, and you had to physically turn completely around to speak with the wait staff that was taking your order. Bottom line: There are MUCH better choices in the greater Madison area to eat and spend the kind of money that they are asking. I wouldn't recommend this establishment for any occasion.

I genuinely think I'm nicer than the average tipper, so I try to be understanding when things don't…read morego perfectly. It took about 20 minutes for us to be greeted by our server. Fair enough, I can forgive a single mistake. Once we were greeted, our server seemed to realize that, for as nice of a place as this was, the wait while the restaurant wasn't busy (there was maybe five tables sat) really wasn't acceptable, so we were given a complimentary drink. After ordering bruschetta and a cheese board, I expected things to move a little quicker since they were two fairly simple appetizers. Our bruschetta and espresso martini arrived, and both were delicious and well worth the price; no complaints there. Unfortunately, our cheese board was forgotten. Since it was obviously missed, our very kind server offered us a complimentary espresso martini which was second complimentary beverage, which was delicious. Recognizing that the overall service had been subpar, our server also offered us a free dessert. We were given the crème brûlée, which was just okay and a little too sweet for my taste and also cold. All in all, considering how slow the service was despite there being very few tables, there were more delays and mistakes than there should have been. That said, our server did a good job of making up for it with the complimentary drinks and dessert. Overall, the food was decent and the view was great. I would come back for cocktails and appetizers, but probably not for a full meal. We still tipped well higher than average because our server was extremely apologetic for the sub-par service, and made up for it in comped orders. I expect better for the cost but appreciate the honesty with the service.

I was staying in the hotel on a business trip and arrived later on a Sunday evening. Most of the…read moreother restaurants in the area were closed, so figured it was easiest to have dinner here. As a solo female diner, it's always intimidating to eat alone. When I arrived, I asked to sit at the bar, but saw free spots at the tables along the window. It was a beautiful night and I figured I was alone and could watch the sunset. I asked the bartender if I could sit there and she said yes, but I would have to order with a waiter. We'll I waited for a good 20 minutes without anyone checking on me before moving to the bar. The bar was really no better. Service was abysmal and the bartenders were not so friendly. The bar was also not well kept with glassware and napkins still in my space from the previous patron. I had to ask for water, napkin and utensils after my food came. I also had to ask for another drink, while the 2 girls next to me were attended to constantly. I ended up ordering the shrimp risotto and while tasty, it was too salty after a few bites. I'm giving 2 stars because they have a decent wine selection.

This place was our choice for our 15th wedding anniversary celebration weekend and it didn't…read moredisappoint! Bartenders were great and service was spectacular! They gave us a free dessert of choice for our anniversary. I love the stone walls and gothic themed decor, definitely an upscale supper club at its finest! Recommend reservations ahead of time as they get busy on the weekends and bar seating is FCFS.

Walked in after walking state st and I must saw wow! Food was so yummy, I had the chicken Marsala…read moreand my companion had shrimp pasta. The front entrance is dark so you might pass it, but the ambiance is super cute. Perfect place for a date or to grab dinner if you're going to comedy club. Service is the best, from the hostess to the waiter. I would come back. This is our favorite place to eat around the capital.

Their pizzas are the best. We get them at least once a week. I usually get prociutto arugulla and…read moremy hisband'is margarita It's fun wayching them being made.

This is my favorite pizza place in Madison! I usually order takeout and always enjoy it. Appreciate…read morethat the box has guidance on time + temp to reheat once you get home