You'll have an awesome time always! Friendly and helpful people! I have been going to activities here for many years!

I was thrilled to see Dr Jill (Giacoppa) Biden speak and open Festa Italiana 2024. I like her am half Italian - my grandparents were from Calabria, Sorbo San Basile. Like Dr Jill Biden my Italian roots run deep. It was inspiring to see her in our city and community. Bravo! Italian Community Center for enriching our lives read more

Italian Community Center - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Tuesday nights provide an opportunity to experience the concept of "Bella Figura" at the Italian Community Center with concerts in their Mediterranean courtyard. This Italian girl hadn't been to the ICC for many years. I was invited last night as a surprise, and couldn't have been more delighted. I fell in love again with this venue. The ambiance, food, service and music exemplified "La Bella Figura," a way of life that shaped my upbringing.. It's a philosophy that's hard for non-Italians to understand. It's all about an individual making the best possible impression in all things. Italian culture reveres beauty - architecture and art come to mind. But beauty is also celebrated in how you look and how you behave. The best cut of a suit, the drape of silk, the cut of leather, the arrangement of pasta on a beautiful plate, the excellence of the cheese - all can be individual expressions of their love of beauty. The folks who filled the courtyard were Bella Figura. Great people watching - a very classy over 50 crowd. Up your game and dress to impress - it's a casual vibe, but smartly attired and groomed impeccably. Get there early to snag a great table. Tonight it's Robyn Pluer, one of my favorite singers. Ask for fabulous server Jackie - she takes extra care to ensure that our experience is fabulous. Nice small menu with Italian appetizers, salads, entrees. Be sure to order the eggplant strips!!! Good selection of wine, affordable prices. What I really enjoyed was the dancing. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers have nothing compared to the 80+ year old guys who REALLY KNOW HOW TO DANCE. The total experience rates 5 stars plus!!! I'm in love, again, with the Italian Community Center. read more

Italian Community Center - Jackie is the best - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Festa has always been my favorite over the years I've spent in Mil-Town. Even further supported by my last visit there this summer. Wine glass is full (at summerfest it's only half-full). AND it's $5 instead of the $7 summerfest price. Ding, Ding, Ding! Folks, we have a winner! Oh and this year ALL the rides were free!!! WOWZA!!! (too bad no one I went with was willing to go on the Zipper with me, boo-hoo!) Hope they do that again next year... Zipper anyone??? read more

The ICC is a great, large space suitable for weddings and fundraisers and parties of all sorts. Also, it's in the Third Ward, and not far from the lake. Ample parking. Total venue win! The folks I've encountered that are affiliated with the ICC have always been nice and helpful; I've never felt not welcome there. I know they're definitely trying to become more visibile in the community -- they're looking to raise awareness about membership as well as the space itself, and I like that. Community engagement = you care about your city = you're an integral part of it by being active and, well, actually creating community in a tangible way. The board at the ICC puts on Festa Italiana, which is, well, you know. (If you don't, it's pretty awesome.) They also host special events that are open to the public somewhat regularly, so keep an eye out for those! Great patio, too. Stellar patio. read more

If you are looking for a place to hold a dinner or wedding reception, look no further. They have small, medium, and large rooms to accomodate any group, and they are professionals when it comes to serving your guests. Multiple food options and the service is great. I always look forward to events that are held here. read more

This was my first year at Festa Italiana and I cannot wait to come back every year!! Food, drinks AND music was great! Frankie Valli? YES PLEASE! he put on a GREAT show!! read more

Lovely place for special events, medium sized to pretty big. Great fish fry, generally pretty good Italian-American fare with good but sometimes slow service. Ample parking lot if you're planning an event, this is unusual for the area (just south of downtown). read more

Italian Community Center - Italian American seniors still remember Our Lady of Pompeii. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

We had our Employee Recognition Banquet here Friday night. The space is clean and well maintained. The staff was friendly and professional. The food was outstanding for a banquet, mass service type situation. We started with a really nice Salad that had the unique addition of artichoke hearts. For the main course we had the choice of Salmon or Stuffed Chicken Breast. My Salmon was very good and my tablemates raved about their Chicken. Both entrees came with Pasta and Broccoli. Dessert was an outstanding huge slice of Chocolate Layer Cake. The Facilities are very wheelchair friendly. Thanks to the Italian Community Center and my Co-Workers and friends for making this a very memorable evening! read more

The ICC has fabulous food, fabulous service and the prices are right! I can honestly say I have never had a bad experience at the ICC and I have been a regular customer for 8 years. The pizza is one of my favorites as is the deep fried egg plant, mediterranean chicken sandwich, BLT and their fresh salads. Try it, you'll love it! I double dog dare ya... read more

This is becoming my favorite spot for Friday Fish Fry! The fish is soo good. and you cannot beat $12.95 all you can eat. The staff is also wonderful and does a great job! Never had a bad experiece and was there almost every Friday during lent. read more

The food. Oh the fine fine Italian food. Festa not only has the best food out of any of the MKE festivals, it has the best fireworks show out of them all. I love the cultural exhibit - with all the floral arrangements and the statues from various Italian churches in Milwaukee - it is pretty impressive. They also have a great collection of old photographs from Italian families and MKE streets of the past. I could get lost in these photos for hours if it weren't for the amazing smells of cannolis, pasta and Peroni wafting by! read more

Giuditta Mari The Taste of Italy was a spectacular event held April 6, 2014 at the ICC. People filled the building and the courtyard what a beaufiful thing to see families get together find old friends and neighbors. The vendors were great but not as great as the super volunteers that I saw who ran this event flawlessly. read more

Really, a nice experience here. I hadn't been feeling very good the evening we ate here, but after a couple nibbles of the Margarita pizza, I started feeling much better. Very fresh, fragrant, delicious. Partner had the saltimbocca chicken and said it was fantastic. Dessert really got me though. I love spumoni and though this wasn't the best I've had, it was damn good. The real star was the tiramisu though. Just get it - you won't be disappointed. As an out-of-towner, this place definitely was off the beaten path. Close to all the Third Ward establishments, but kind of on the edge of things. We ended up walking through the conference center part of the facility and we weren't even sure there was a restaurant or if it was open. The persistence paid off though - it was a great find. read more

Have been going to Festa for over ten years and every year it gets even better.....of course being Italian does make it even better. Now if we could only keep the Chicago Italians away..... read more

Been coming to Festa for many, many years and am a former Italian Community Center member. I'm glad to see Festa back to the status it used to be in the old days. This year, due in part to the recognition about the economy there seemed to be more ways to get in "free" (purchasing products, having receipts) than in the past. Also, all of the midway rides (carousel, ferris wheel) were free for kids and adults. The food is always plentiful and although there are some hits and some misses, there's always something for everyone at Festa. The entertainment was good and somewhat predictable (there are annual "must haves") but the fireworks are what everyone comes to Festa for. The Bartolotta Family just outdoes themselves year on year. 10:15pm can't come soon enough for most but it really puts the exclamation point on a great day. Unfortunately this year, the weather was cool which unfortunately means low attendance and that just sucks for all vendors and beer stands. But this is a very reliable form of family entertainment each and every year. read more

Of the few festivals I've been to since moving to Milwaukee, I've found Festa Italiana to be the most authentic and expansive of them all. Can I just advise that you skip the usual fair food (mini doughnuts, roasted nuts and the like) and head straight for the Italian fare. The rice balls are amazing! Stuffed with cheese, meat, and vegetables, they're fried and smothered in tomato sauce. We caught some Italian folk dancing, opera, and other parts of Italian culture (cars, movies, etc). There was also an escape artist act that we didn't watch much of, because the assistant was annoying, and - while the tricks were amazing - they were slow in coming. read more

I've only ever taken Italian language classes here, so I can't comment on the restaurant or anything. But the building is huge and beautiful. The restaurant was open during my classes, so I was able to have a glass of wine during class, which was spectacular. They have their own parking lot and the folks at the front desk are super-helpful. Folks affiliated with the ICC are hard-core - in a good way. They don't want to lose their Italian heritage and they want to include others in the festivals, dinners, parties, classes and more that they do to continue to teach others about their history and heritage. read more

Went here on 02/25/20 for a fundraiser with food/drink & several people in our party became ill due to the event. I would have rather tolerated short-lived food poisoning than the sickness that caused us to feel terrible for 12 days. I contacted the involved parties soon after the event with no responses, so I'm posting on Yelp as a warning that places serving large groups should take hygiene seriously. read more

Festa! One of Milwaukee's most well established lakefront festivals, Festa Italiana is a family reunion of sorts for Milwaukee's Italian community. Long before Milwaukee's Third Ward become Yuppie Central, the neighborhood was home to a thriving Sicilian and Italian community, centered around a little pink church called Our Lady of Pompeii. The church was eventually razed to make way for a freeway, the Italians scattered to new neighborhoods throughout the metro area, but the community's roots and traditions live on in this lively festival thrown right down the street from the community's old stomping grounds. The music at Festa is a good mix of old and new, with some standards like Dick Contina, an amazing concertina player, Frank Sinatra impersonators, traditional Italian folk acts and newer artists straight from Italy. And, of course, the food is superb. read more

Food was excellent unfortunately service is terrible waited 30 min for any service at the bar. Waitress acknowledge us but didn't even offer a cocktail or water. read more

for Friday Fish Fry on 3/10/17: It was about half full at 6pm when we arrived. There was no server, or no sign to say to seat yourself or wait, so we sat ourselves. A minute later a waiter came over with menus. He started to walk away without saying anything after he placed menus in front of us. I asked if I could order a drink and he said that the waitress would be right over. We realized he wasn't a waiter. He came back with water. Next a nice woman dressed like a manager came over and asked if we needed some drinks. She took our order and said that a server would be with us shortly. She came back with our drinks, and we asked if they had a Fish Fry, since it wasn't on the menu. She stated that they do not normally, that they just took over management, and they were having one tonight just because so many people were asking for it. She said they had baked cod or beer-battered cod served with soup, potato pancakes, red potatoes, and/ or salad, bread, slaw. It was a lot of food. She said the potato pancakes were not home made, when we asked. I ordered the beer-battered with soup, bread, and slaw. My friends both ordered the baked with red potatoes. The soup arrived quickly and was hot and very home-made tasting, delicious, Italian chicken soup variety with small pasta things I don't know what they're called. Then the entrees arrived. The beer-battered cod was served as 3 small pieces that were watery inside, brown on the outside. There was a little dough inside. They were mushy like the kind you make at home in the oven. The slaw was so cold I thought it might have been frozen. The bread was fresh, and plenty, with butter. The price was on the average-low side at $11. Wouldn't go back again though. Some bars have exactly the same quality or better for $7-8, especially those on Bluemound Rd. We never did see our actual server until the bill arrived, which didn't matter really. It was just funny. BTW While we were waiting for our drinks, the bartender was flipping through the TV channels. No one was sitting at the bar, which was odd. read more

Love it here! They have just remodeled the rooms, and It looks awesome! Bartolotta's has taken over the restaurant (Cafe La Scala) and their food is amazing! Their fish fry is very good, and they have the best potato pancakes I have ever had! They also make an excellent Italian sausage sandwich! Love it there! read more

I parked at the Italian Community Center with a van that was wheelchair accessible during Summerfest. The attendant asked me to wait a moment and then came back and took my debit card. The special event parking was $10. I later learned they charged me $60 for a van that sat 6 people! I was flabbergasted! I spoke with the business manager several times and she did absolutely nothing. Then I emailed the director/ president! Heard not one word. I will never go there again! read more

I love the music series at the ICC. I went to see Alex Wilson...a fantastic band. A friend's birthday week...order a bottle of wine and a pizza....which by the way the sausage was very good...crust not so good. Asked for 3 waters from waitress...comment was there is a water station across the dance floor. Went to the bar to ask for water I think a simple request since the bar was not busy other than talking amongst themselves and the comment was there is a water station on the other side of the dance floor. My response yes I know...but I am here for water. I thought when Bartolotta took over the service would improve....obvious not. read more

We held our Junior Prom here, and I cannot rave enough about how awesome it was to work with Michelle. Our students had an amazing night, and I think it's the best prom our school has ever held :) read more

This post is very disappointing. ICC has been the best place to come to for All You Can Eat Fish Fry in Milwaukee!!! Hands DOWN!!! Until tonight, the food was just so disappointing and unsatisfying. When I spoke to the manager on site, she told me that they were under new management and that it is all you can eat, insinuating that it shouldn't be as tasteful and delighting as it had been. Hahahaha, what a joke. I hate that we will never be back and the hunt is on for a new great fish fry. read more

I do love me some Festa Italiana. For those who don't like the incredibly busy crowds of Summerfest, this is a great festival to check out. Day or night, the crowds are still big but much easier to navigate. It's great to see so many local establishments represented - Peter Sciortino's, Nessun Dorma, and Cafe La Scala, to name a few. Good music, fireworks every night, and lots of super delicious food - what's not to love? read more

I conquered the pizza on my first visit here. It's not like Chicago or New York style, it's real Italian pizza. Very different and so much better. Every ingredient is fresh and it all stands out with each bite. You must have sausage and pepperoni on any pie that you order. It goes perfectly with draft Peroni. Italian lemon ice for dessert and spumoni really hit the spot! read more

Go early. This is only a partial review as we only did this for about 6 hours and we did it early in the day. Noon to 6 pm on a Saturday. It was a little steamy. Don't go for the food. I tried many different items and out of 5 items, I only found 2 worth mentioning. A cheese ravioli and a espigila? Dish. (fried dough sprinkled with sugar). They really should have banned the non-Italian food carts. The music varies, so you can find something you like. The highlight to me was the kid "bouncy" area was free. This alone might get me to come back. The other highlight was the Bocci courts. Very nice set-up and they sent us with a referee to show us how to play. This guy stayed and did 2 games with us. Very nice. Made it very cool. Glad we left when we did because it was getting pretty crowded around 6 pm. Might consider going back, but maybe 2-3 years in between. I took my Italian mother-in law. Maybe get some points for that, but I could see her taking a pass next year too. read more

Very basic Italian food and outdated atmosphere. Very nostalgic if you grew up Italian and it reminds you of the local fire hall or community center in your grandparents town. ;) Service was kinda sad, we were literally the ONLY 2 people there on an evening, which one would think is intimate but it was just a little depressing. No music, very blah. According to reviews perhaps the pizza is good. We got other entrees. read more

So, I have to admit - I'm of Italian and Sicilian heritage, so I've been spoiled all my life by my grandmother's and mom's amazing cooking. Whomever says that they don't get turned on by the aromas of garlic and fresh herbs, you might want to steer clear of . . . ;-) But seriously, with all biases aside, I'm left feeling rather flat after a number of meals at ICC. People say that even bad pizza is ok because it's PIZZA, but I find the quality and taste of the pizza at ICC rather average. And this is an "Italian Community Center!" - shouldn't it be some of the best around? Very average flavorless crust, and marinara that tastes like something from a can. Can't confirm that, just tend to know the real homemade thing from the not-so-authentic. As for the atmosphere, once again - pretty average. There's suitable art on the walls, pleasant music, but little-to-no charm. My depression-era Italian grandparents happen to be pretty spend thrifty, but I really feel that some simple cost-effective changes would give this place a lot more charm! On the upside, the staff are all very friendly and outgoing. They seemed to go out of their respective way's a few times to honor a great dining experience, which I admire greatly! But when the other factors seem to never measure up after repeated visits, then attentive staff are not a very convincing last-resort. PROS: wonderful staff, decent menu selection, very affordable CONS: other than the service, everything is very average read more

I nice hidden place. The food is average, but go for the classic rock music on Tuesday/Thursday. Good old school music with dinner makes a great date night. read more

This is my second year and I am a fan. The fog was out and it kept a lot of the people away. That was fine by me. They had Joe Piscopo on Friday night. But We came to see the Rat Pack. Last year they had Liza, and it was a little more entertaining. But Dean Martin's daughter was up before them and she was pretty good. They had a Karaoke tent set up. They were very bad. I was looking for the gift shop to see if they sold gernades? The food was great. They had everything under the sun. I had 1/2 a chicken from Miss Katie's Diner, cheese manicotti from Buca, an eclair and tiramisu from Peter Sciortino's Bakery. They were all good except for the tiramisu was still frozen. There is lots to do and it never really gets crowded because it's spread out. Motley Crew was playing at the theater next door. Can you say act your age? 45 with long hair and make-up trying to buy tickets to get in. I didn't think that they made spandex for men anymore. Rude! This is not taste of Chicago. It clean and people are actually nice to you. There are no tickets to buy. It's only 12 bucks to get in and the fireworks are on every night. It's family friendly as they have carnival rides at one end of the park. And 6 stages for the rest of us. read more

arrived to see concert always before scheduled in courtyard. instead moved to smallest of inside rooms; normal draw for this band is about 500; room only accommodates 150. Went to restaurant area to get something to eat, ignored by bartender when we repeatedly asked to be seated. Ordered a pizza at 6:22. Bus person gave us water and brought bread; waited kept trying to push drinks. Had to get up and find water pitcher to refill glass; waiter then brought pitcher to table and overfilled the (already filled by us) glasses so that water ran all over the table. Finally at 6:58 were told pizza would be ready in 2 minutes. Waiter then disappeared. At 7;15 were offered a bowl of soup. Refused, said we wanted out pizza. Others who came in half and hour later were served. Walked out at 7:35. This venue does a huge wedding business, but both big ballrooms were shut down for remodeling as was the courtyard, which seats about 300. Owners/managers must have no brains or way too much money if they can forego the most profitable season this way, and screw over long time customers. Will never return - before Bartalotta took it over was our favorite Italian place in town. read more

Despite our failure to notify the ICC of a gluten allergy in advance, the waitstaff was able to come up with a gluten free meal for us during a banquet that we attended recently. Our waitress Jacquelyn was especially pleasant and made our evening that much better. Thank you Jackie with a Q! read more

Nice venue. Always look forward to a yearly seminar held here. The cooks here could be a bit better with buffet food, but it isn't the worst I've ever had. read more