Went for the first time today. Quaint restaurant and very nice staff. I got the manicotti which I guess isn't something they serve too often. Salad and the shrimp app were good. I enjoyed the garlic bread but was a bit too oily for me. As far as my main dish goes it was solid. Something about the ricotta left a little too strong of an aftertaste to me. My dish came with a sausage that was well prepared and seasoned. The ravioli I tried I liked also. I'd probably come again so I recommend it. read more

Joe's Casa Di Amici - Italian Near Me - Loves Park, Illinois

Absolutely our number one choice in the state line. Steaks, pasta shrimp dejonge and pizza are some of the best we've ever had. Haven't had a bad thing from the menu yet! read more

Joe's Casa Di Amici - Joes Casa Di Amici Menu 12/2024 - Italian Near Me - Loves Park, Illinois

The food was absolutely amazing and the staff very friendly and accommodating. I had the Chicken Parmesan and I didn't even need a knife to cut it, and their sauce is delicious. read more

Great service, great food!! Will be going back!! Brought friends there from out of town! They had a great dining experience as well!

Joe's Casa Di Amici is a taste of the former Maria's Italian Restaurant that was located in south Rockford on Cunningham Street. Joe Cason is carrying on his fathers legacy and it is fantasic. The food, service and atmosphere is all Maria's...Highly recommend... read more

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Everything always iss perfect drinks food service people and cleanliness Give it 100 rating read more

Excellent food and service. The old Maria's menu. Great Italian Restaurant. Joe's is a great place to take your family. read more

On point every time! The food is perfect! Love you & all you do!! Thanks Joey!! See you Friday!!

We were a party of 4 tonight. We all ordered steak. $39 apiece for the steak plus an extra $5 for bread and another $13 for the salad. Steak was tender but extremely extremely flavorless. Took 50 minutes to get our steak. The bread came with no butter or oil. Had to ask for butter and sourcream for potatoes. VERY VERY disappointed will not return read more

Don't listen to the naysayers. Joe is the finest Italian cook in the Rockford, Beloit, Janesville, Madison corridor. Go to Joe's! The food is amazing! The garlic bread, house salad for the table and entrees are all to die for. My wife and I are picky, we don't like many restaurants, Joe's is a staple of ours, we live in Madison, WI and drive down twice per mo; if we lived in Rockford we'd go every week for sure. Joe has the old school recipes DOWN PAT! The menu is limited bc what he does, he does oh so well. Here's what to get: the garlic bread and salad to share are absolute MUSTS! Then the two entrees (of course there's other entrees on the menu, but these two are the superstars) to choose from are his chicken parm (INCREDIBLE) OR his salmon with the honey horse radish glaze. It's always very difficult for me to choose from the two of them. Trust me. Joe's Casa is worth the trip. We're lucky restaurants like this still exist. It's not trendoid or hipster in anyway, it's good down to earth Italian-American food that's the best you're gonna find. Seriously, it's as good as anything in NYC or Chicago. The sauce is a super old recipe that Joe's dad perfected working at the old Rockford institution Marie's, which stood for decades, I think since the 1940s or '50s! read more

2nd time here and the filet was delicious and perfectly cooked to our desired temp once again. Joe and his staff are awesome! The Shrimp DeJonghe, garlic bread and special salad was fantastic! Martinis were on point especially the chocolate one! I highly recommend Joe's for dinner with no kids! read more

The Best food in town! What a treat to feel like being at Maria's again! Bravo Joe and Maria for bringing this place back to town. Steaks, the Best! Tortellini, the Best! House salad, so good. Great ambiance with bar and such friendly staff!.. our first stop again once back to Rockford. read more

Extremely Dry baked potatoes severed , frozen t bones over cooked to extreme well done served to table ( steak knife was like a butter knife trying to cut shoe leather ) . Servers got bad attitudes and stated nothing they can do about food prep and cooking they are only servers. Owner wasn't surprised and didn't even have the decency to compensate for the hour and 15 minutes being there . Everything was perfect until dinner was served ! Upon glancing over to the kitchen noticed it was a bunch of young kids cooking. There was no chef and no older professional cooks. It was all young people, laughing talking not caring about the food walking around, taking nothing seriously in kitchen area . Café Greco. was one of the best American Italian establishments in the USA and was my to go place for many years with friends. I myself have had supper at well over 200 Italian restaurants across the United States . I've never ever been treated the way I was treated in this establishment absolutely horrific ! The owner had no remorse as he stood there in a white T-shirt at the front door as patron walked by highly embarrassing . For myself this was my first time ever here and I will never go back nor will I ever recommend to any of my friends . I have a lot of friends that come in from East Coast and West Coast. We will go out of state or to Chicago because it was very disappointing being in loving Rockford to be treated like this, and one of the best so-called Italian restaurants in Rockford Illinois. FYI - I always order the best on the menu and the best appetizers on the menu . Always choose best beers and wines on the menu as well . I do not go cheap so for this to happen for me and have to review like this is very disappointing James read more

Heard good things about this restaurant so gave it a try. Disappointed that the menu was very limited from other Italian restaurants I've been to. We went early since the place is small to get ahead of the crowd. I've had better waitress service at a diner than I did here. The bar was out of Moscato. The ambiance is not impressive, but can be forgiven if the food rocks. The signature of any Italian restaurant is it's sauce and here the sauce was excellent. When the bill came it shocked us..... 1. The meal was to include a tossed salad. 2. The meal apparently did not come with bread so we ordered Garlic bread. ($5.00) 3. We were charged $4.50 each for a specialty salad. Our salads were iceberg lettuce w/french & crumbled blue cheese. Should we have said something? Perhaps .... this error could not be attributed to a busy waitress and if this is normal restaurant policy then it wasn't worth adding insult to an already disappointing evening. Husband & I usually tip generously and had I been alone this waitress would have gotten $0.02. read more

Came by on a snowy Friday night and there was no wait for our group of six. I'd really rate this place 2.5 stars if I could. We were not given a bread basket. In an Italian restaurant. Not that I would classify this food as Italian. It's very American and the menu is limited. The special salad was decent. I ordered the chicken parmigiana and it wasn't anything special, but the pasta was al dente, so there's that. The service was unremarkable. I was wanting to order an espresso after our meal but the checks were delivered before I was given a chance. Overall, if American Italian food is your jam, you may like this place. I also felt the food was overpriced for what we got. And I have no qualms about spending for a good meal. read more

Joe's Casa Di Amici - Shrimp de Jonghe - Italian Near Me - Loves Park, Illinois

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There are no words to describe how great this place is.. so I will only use one... AMAZING. Quality, service, and consistency. We are happy to spend our money to support this business! read more

One of the best steaks I've ever had. Also got a side of ravioli with it that was awesome. Had the garlic bread as well which was very delicious. Went in on a Friday, and it was very busy, 30-40 minutes wait. The hostess was a little flustered, but I can understand that. Had great service from the bartender at a packed bar, and then had great service from our waitress Christina. The only knock is that it's not gluten free, and since my girlfriend has celiac, I don't know when I'll be back :/ time to convince friends! read more

Been wanting to come here for quite awhile. Glad I finally made it. They don't take reservations, but they have a nice big bar that will serve you tasty libations while you wait. We had shrimp scampi and scallops scampi for appetizer. Wonderful. Two peeps in our party had the filet and they were both very happy. I had ravioli and meatballs. Absolutely perfect. We will definitely make this a regular stop. read more

I went after not being in town for years. The table I had was slanted and rocky, but the food was anything but! Took me back to Maria's with every bite of the salad and the pasta. I can't wait to return! read more

A family friend recommended this place as a good place to eat. About everything that could be ruined was. We were a Group of 9 and had reservations for 6 pm. They lost our reservation and weren't going to accommodate until we showed a confirmation as proof. Then we wait to be seated for another half hour. Takes forever to get our drinks. Finally a salad, greasy, brown spots in the lettuce, and mushy. After each person gets a bowl of pasta and the birthday girl got a couple cocktails. The pasta was not cooked al-dente and the sauce was flavorless, just tomato paste with water. I coulda cooked this meal better blindfolded. Anyways my biggest gripe... the total was 400$. I hope this place goes out of business and joe goes back to being a greasy mechanic . Because at least at the shop we expect to get scammed, not at a "restaurant" it's his house btw. This place sucked. read more

The service as always was fantastic, I really enjoy the personal feel yet extremely customer oriented. Our waitress with Tracy and she was so sweet, it was really nice how she offered to put my eggs on the side of the salad and my husbands on the salad. I really like that she boxed our meals off to the side vs us boxing up , a lost art at restaurants. Just simply a perfect meal, start to finish. I always order my steak well done and I know it makes everyone cringe but Joe prepares it just the way I like it! An old Rockford favorite that we come back to over and over again. read more

Great Food! It's all about the sauce baby, and it's good! Staff was very accommodating and wait was only 20 minutes on a Saturday night. Ordered the tortellini just as I did at Maria's and it tastes just as good if not better! Will come again.. read more

We loved this place and will be back. Our party of 4 didn't have to wait long on a Saturday night. We had no problem getting 4 seats together at the bar, had one drink then our table was ready. The staff here is exceptional. Friendly, funny, and added to the experience. The food was great. We had the Shrimp Dejonge for an app. It was enough for each of us to have 2. Perfect. We got 2 orders of their AMAZING garlic bread. New York strips were wonderful. Loved the Ravioli side. Their pasta sauce is the best! Chicken Parm is a great option here as well. Upgraded to Special Salad. Next time we will add the Gorgonzola (extra $1) I'm giving 4 stars because 2 of the entrees we originally asked for were sold out. That was frustrating and could be easily planned better. Closed on Sundays. read more

Best Italian food in town. The staff is so helpful. My youngest wanted wine so they gave him cranberry juice in a wine glass. He knocked it to the floor. The staff told me it's ok and cleaned up. Such a great family restaurant. read more

Had another great meal at Joe's. Steak was great as was the pasta. My wife sent her steak back because she likes it burnt-rediculous I know, but came back perfection in her eyes. Allyson was great. We will put it in our dinner rotation. read more

Went back to Joe's Casa Di Amici for a birthday party. This time they had accepted reservations. All of staff was pleasant. Food was ok , to me, not exceptional. If I was invited to eat there, I would go without any qualms, but I don't believe it would ever be my choice. read more

I love our restaurant they have awesome and really good food it is specially the fiesta for two.

Been to Joe's several times now Food has been great Good pasta and Shrimp de Jonghe is fabulous Salad like Maria's and love the garlic bread Cozy and warm inside Very nice friendly staff Only neg thing is the bread served with the meals....AWFUL!!! Better off not serving bread than the dinner rolls they serve What is wrong with serving a few slices of good Italian bread?? read more

The only thing good was the steak! Waited over an hour for our food. Baked potato was rotten. Server was not friendly at all. BAD first experience!! read more

Worth the trip but be prepared for a wait! We arrived at 6 pm on a Thursday evening and were told it would be a 45 minute wait. As we had driven a ways we decided to stay. The restaurant is small. 8 tables in the main dining room, 2 in the bar and 3 at the entrance to the bar. While small it didn't feel cramped once we were seated, but it is very loud! Not intimate dining or good for conversations. The bar has maybe 12 stools and no where else to really hang out as it is a small space. We noticed someone going out a back door and followed them to discover a small outdoor patio. It was a lovely evening so we decided to camp out there. However the patio is mere feet from Riverside and we got serenaded by a continual symphony of cars, trucks and sirens! Also a number of smokers were out there. In less optimal weather the wait indoors will be very long and uncomfortable I think! There is no bar service to the patio but you can fetch your own. We were seated after a 1 1/2 hour wait. The main room was packed but our waitress acknowledged us quickly and apologized that it would take a few minutes to get to us. We had time to decide on our order from the rather limited menu and she was back to wait on us pretty quickly. We opted for the special salad upgrade, a filet and a NY strip. A basket of bread and butter was soon delivered followed by the salad served family style. The special salad was delicious! There was about a 15 min. wait then for our entrees. They arrived piping hot and perfectly cooked. The steaks were wonderful and even the baked potatoes were extra good. We really enjoyed our meals and will be back to try the pasta and shrimp dejonghe soon! Glad to have some of our Maria's favorites available again! read more

Hands down the best steak in town!! A must try Italian place!! Great staff, friendly people! Great relaxing environment!

I had the shrimp De Jonghe and it was excellent. My wife got the meat ravioli and that was as very good. The special salad was perfect, so I have nothing bad to say about the food quality. Just a note, this place is TINY, so if you do go, go with a group of 8 or more so you can make reservations. Or go VERY early or late. Otherwise, you will be waiting 45 min to an hour to get a table. read more

This is my favorite Italian place in town. The meatballs and sausage are outstanding! Ravioli has excellent flavor and the sauce is best in town. I have had great service and will continue to be a frequent customer. read more

Service and food was very good. Based on limited seating, I am not a big fan of not taking reservations but based on the snow last Friday night and early dining, we were seated immediately. The menu is limited, but the NY Strip and Shrimp Dejonge was excellent. Special salad was also very good, just like Maria's. One member of our party ordered the pizza and said it and the crust was not very good. Despite the pizza I would dine there again as everything else was excellent. read more

I was thrilled when I learned this place was opening. I went with friends about 6 weeks after they opened Initially. Initially I noticed limited parking. Upon entering I noticed a large group of people in the very small waiting area. We were told there was more room in the bar. We ordered drinks and found a narrow place to stand. After 45 minutes we were seated at a tall table near the back of the bar. When I looked at the menu I was surprised there was no spaghetti. Weird, but there were four other pastas? So no big deal, I guess. I really was looking forward to Maria like food. The service was very, very slow. The food was cooling quickly when it finally came. The meat balls and sausage were very good. We ate quickly and left so others could find a seat. It wasn't a good experience but I wrote it off to new business problems. The next time was worse. I went early to secure a table after I was told they didn't take reservations so it was another 45 minute wait until the rest of my party arrived. I was told seating was on a first come first served basis. One table of customers was told to leave because they were there too long. Service was adequate, there was no entree that was a salad and the crowding and noise was unbearable. I don't give them long to be in business. read more

Let me start this review by stating that my family had been going to Maria's (same owner, different location) for more then 60 years. 4 generations had enjoyed Maria's. With that being said, we tried Joe's for the first time as I was in town from Texas. Although this is not Maria's, the food and service were good but the menu is quite limited due to the kitchen restraints. They have only three types of pasta to choose from; tortellini, ravioli, and rigatoni. They also do not offer any other sauce other than marinara, but it does come with either meatball or sausage. In addition, they only have one size unless your order a "side" of pasta as smaller portion. We ordered one of each pasta and a chicken parm. All entrees did come with a dinner salad and rolls. The salads were very good and quite large which was nice. All the entrees were very good and the portions were also large, to the point where you will probably be able to take some home. The rolls were not good at all, they appeared to be sourdough or chibatta, which seems odd for an Italian place. We ordered 2 sausage and 1 meatball. The sausage was outstanding but the meatball lacked flavor and seemed a bit mushy. It's hard not to compare this place to the historic Maria's but when I am in town again, I plan to bring my family for another try. I understand that the kitchen size limits the menu options but they also do not offer carry out as an option which is a bit disappointing. All in all for those that are used to Maria's, you may be bit disappointed but for those that are trying Joe's for the first time will be quite happy with the food. They really need to figure out a way to add spaghetti to the menu. I wish Joe Cason luck with his new resturaunt. read more

Excellent! You must try the steak and the garlic bread and special salad does not get any better! Thank you for bringing back your talent Joe. We were elated when you reopened a place, as we were missing Maria's tremendously. True Italian cuisine. read more

The steak and the salad are very good, the drinks and soft drinks are good too 7/10. Most of the food is good. The last time i came the service wasnt as good but it was better now. read more

My wife and I ate at joe's on Thursday April 20, 2017 for dinner. We were given a high top table in the bar due to them being busy. I ordered a Bloody Mary. The Bloody Mary was average with very little taste due to the fact the bartender just added a bit of shaker spice, bloody Mary mix and Vodka. No worcestershire sauce or lemon juice. My wife ordered shrimp DeJonge with a side salad and tortellini. I ordered the New York strip steak with special salad and a baked potato and added the bleu cheese for the salad. When the salads arrived, no bleu cheese and the waitress left before I noticed and she didn't come back until we were finished. We were still charged for it on the bill. The salads were good and plentiful. My wife had the shrimp DeJonge and it was tasty and prepared well. My steak was cooked to medium rare like I ordered but was lacking in flavor and was only slightly tender. The baked potato was average with no slated exterior, just a baked potato in foil. Overall it was an average meal that I could have received at a dozen restaurants in Rockford. Parking is limited and the waiting room is tiny. No reservations is liking playing Russian roulette as it could be a fast seating or a long wait. read more

Took my husband for his birthday and should have gone elsewhere. We had to wait for a table which was no problem so we went to the bar to get a drink. Took 6 minutes for the waitress to come to us. Sat for about 10-12 minutes more and were seated. We were ready to order when the waitress came to us with the specials and asked if we wanted garlic bread. When I said no thank you , she left without taking our order. So, we waited about another 5 minutes for her to order our meal. I ordered chicken parmigiana and my husband had an 8oz filet med/well. The waitress came back and asked if it was okay to butterfly the filet which my husband said that is fine. 45 minutes later we finally received our food after we asked the waitress if our food was coming. Food was good but husband's steak was well done. Very disappointed. Will not be back. read more