Order the lasagna! Decent sized helping and very, very tasty. They make it themselves every day. I can't say enough good about this!

They have surpassed Avanti's in food, quality, and service. These are really good people who run this business. They are always donating to charitable causes, and their food is good. I support them. read more

Pasta was really good, the salads are great and the bread sticks are top shelf. Service was really good and the restaurant has a really cool theme, with a grape arbor overhead. All this and affordable pricing! read more

Review Visit: September 22nd, 2014 La Gondola vs. Michael's vs. Avanti's. In the Peoria-area, you have 3 main choices for Italian food. The one you pick, no matter which one, is contentious. If you are a fan of Avanti's, people scoff at that. If you are a fan of Michael's, people scoff at that. If you are a fan of La Gondola, people scoff at that. It's really best to be impartial in conversations if you are afraid of getting scoffed at. I personally grew up on Avanti's. It was an easy restaurant for us to order from and cheap enough to feed the family for next-to-nothing. But, with the invention of my Travel List and growing desires to try as many places as I can, it was only a matter of time before I got around to trying the rivals of the place I grew up eating. La Gondola was an afternoon of Matt and I trying to get lunch with a friend. Said friend ended up getting busy with work and had to cancel, so we made the best of it and still got lunch together. As we entered the restaurant, I smiled to myself. The interior, which I don't have any photos of sadly, had this awesome lattice wood work going across the ceiling. Hanging from that were vines and grape bunches. The walls were a darker green, which helped set the mood of being in Italy. We placed our orders at the counter and grabbed a table. It was a quiet afternoon as there were maybe only a few other people dining inside. I could see that carry out was a popular choice as we saw tons of people come in and place orders 'to-go'. That didn't slow down the chef as we had our food out in front of us rather quick. I ordered a gondola... I'm sorry, it's called a torpedo at La Gondola. I figured if I was going to try one of the Big 3 Italian places, I would get something I was familiar with. Matt ordered his usual ravioli or tortellini. I had to tell myself that it might look like a gondola from Avanti's... might smell like a gondola from Avanti's... but that doesn't mean it will taste like one. I can confirm that looks and smell mean nothing. This was a different beast all on it's own. The torpedo here had a more flat taste from the bread. Not to say that that is a bad thing. It's just I am used to the sweetness of bread elsewhere. This took a few bites to process but one I ended up liking. As for the rest of the toppings, while some things were the same (can't do much about lettuce and tomatoes), the other stuff was different enough to remind you that this was La Gondola and they do things their own way. The torpedo excelled in not offering a sweet bread and having toppings that blended well together. I remember not being able to taste one thing over another, which was a good thing here. Our meals came with a side of chips and soda. At the time, I think I got Doritos or some other national brand. The soda they serve here are Coke products. Not much to say about those since I think everyone pretty much knows how those two things taste. As the dust cleared and I've now tried all 3 Italian places... which stood the victor? I will always have a soft spot for Avanti's but... I choose all 3. They each offer their own take on Italian food that is different enough from the others that all 3 excel at something the others don't. Try all 3 and see what you think. read more

Peoria LaGondola Spaghetti House + Leonardo's - Italian Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

The BEST pizza in town!!! I don't know why more people don't know about their pizza, but when they try it...they agree!

I'm starting to dine at different areas I've dashed at and this was first on my list. It smelled wonderful, inside and was greeted right away. For the price, you can't beat the flavor. Well cooked and in a timely manner. Will dine here again. read more

Peoria LaGondola Spaghetti House + Leonardo's - Their Italian beef. It's amazing - Italian Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

Love this place. Great to grab and get for dinner, and then have dinner for the next day or so as well. I prefer not to go in and sit down but it's not a terrible experience inside. Order ahead, get the Sicilian pizza with sausage and mushrooms, and order two extra ladles of sauce. Forever changed! Great saucy pizza with a wonderful crush, and sauce for the next day to make lasagna, baked ziti, whatever! Great place, great service, and the best red sauce ever. Pasta is great too! read more

I have eaten a sandwich (gondola) from this place before, and decided I should try something else. I ordered the pizza burger, thinking it would be a hamburger with red sauce and cheese. They served it in the same bread as the sandwich and took hamburger ground it up in a sauce with mushrooms, green peppers, onions and cheese. It was like a sloppy joe Italian Style. It was very unique but I would not order it again. I am willing to give it another chance and might try the pizza. read more

I had a horrible experience at this dive. I called in my order fora pizza and two torpedoes, the person seemed very uninterested, and impatient, and hung up abruptly. When I got there, surprise, they didn't have my order. I casually stated that the person on the phone seemed abrupt, and the cashier got defensive, and said" sir it's saturday, wer'e extremely busy( Too busy to put in an order?) Places like this need to understand that the day of dissatisifed customers just being limited to telling their frined of bad seervice ARE OVER!!! Langondola needs to be accontable to the nth degree! read more

Finally tried their pan pizza. Unremarkable unfortunately. Though I appreciated the tomatoes. Pretty much giving up on deep dish and stuffed pizza in this area......they just can't cut it. Garlic bread here is still great! And the regular crust pizza is decent. read more

La Gondola is a quaint family eatery where you order at the counter and polite servers bring the food to your table. I've only been there once and ordered their signature sandwich, the Torpedo and highly recommend it. It's a simple sub sandwich with ham, salami, lettuce, American cheese and sandwich spread. What makes this sandwich special is the bread baked on site. It's perhaps the softest I've ever tasted. There's a hint of sweetness, which combines nicely with the saltiness of the cold cuts. Also, the sandwich is HUGE. With tax, it's $6.60 and a steal considering it lasted me for two meals. The staff did seem to be overwhelmed during lunch hour and it took a long time for our food to arrive. I came back for another sandwich three hours later and received it within minutes. read more

The pizza was great but I cannot believe they turned the lights off on us. We have were out by 920pm but they shut the lights off around 910pm. Unbelievably rude! We ordered 3 pizzas and 2 pastas and spent a good amount of money at their restaurant. read more

Love the Turkey torpedo no lettuce. It's a gotta have. Bread is great. Service is great, in and out in mins with pick up

Absolutely the worst spaghetti with meat sauce I've ever experienced (and very overpriced at 11.00+ for a spaghetti dinner) . I'm originally from the area and remembered how good Leonardo's had been in the 70's , so while visiting from Chicago we recently stopped in for lunch and what a disappointment! The food was inedible! The spaghetti was so overcooked it was gummy and gooey and there was very little bland meat sauce to top it off. It was absolutely disgusting but we were really hungry so we just ate our meals and didn't complain. The guy behind the counter was rude when we ordered so we figured why bother. It was just an overall bad experience. Don't waste your money; overpriced horrible food and service. read more

Food is great.... customer service? Not totally.... I ordered a full sub (aware of the size) because I was heading to school and don't get much time to get food in between classes so leftovers are my best friend. The cashier literally asked me while I ordered if I was sure about it. Like that's a little rude there because I ordered what I needed. So sad because they have good food. read more

The only positive thing I can say about this place is that the service was incredibly fast. We were there for lunch around 1230pm and it wasn't packed. I spent 10 and the food wasn't good. For this place to be an Italian resturant the food was very bland. I had a side salad that consisted of iceberg lettuce and cheese no tomotoes or croutons. My cheese tortillini was covered in a tasteless meat sauce. My co workers ordered pizza that looked WAY more appetizing than my meal. One co worker remarked that her pizza bread was good around the edges but very "doughy" in the middle. Should have went to Avantis!!!! read more

Review of Leonoardo's/La Gondola Peoria (War Memorial) Location: Leonardo's makes darn good pizza. If you're a fan of deep dish with a thick, bready crust, you will love it. Instead of traditional sauce, they use diced tomatoes, which gives it a unique taste and texture. However, if you don't like chunks of tomatoes, this might not be the pizza for you. Also, be aware: The prices are higher than you'll pay at a chain restaurant -- but you will also taste the difference. The La Gondola menu has never wow'd me, although I've eaten their food on several occasions over the past 15 years. The pasta is very basic and bland to me, and none of the sandwiches are anything to write home about. La Gondola bread has a sweeter quality that tastes to me like grocery store bakery loafs. If you want the best gondola (or 'torpedo') in Peoria, go to Avantis. Avantis bread tastes fresh baked. The War Memorial location still has all of the Leonardos decor. It's a really nice little space with lots of character. Weekends can be incredibly busy (sometimes with live music), so I prefer the quietness of a week night dine-in. It's a great place for a date or for catching up with friends! read more

Food was great, prices great, service was lacking somewhat, a smile and a check on how the table is doing would be good.

It's sad that we had to go out to the Midwest for some excellent Italian food. Spectacular bread, meatball subs, and pizza.

The Leonardo's pizza is one of my favorite in town. Having grown up on Lagondola it is never a hard sell for me appreciate it. This aside I however have noticed that there is a tendency for staff, of none specificity over another, to keep change when given bills or to round prices up when buying with a credit card. If you go, watch what they are doing carefully with your money. They may be taking the items as a tip, have no idea, but the practice is shady at best. Its small change yeah but not ethical. Having worked at a Lagondola for a year in high school I can tell you we were never given tips for working at my location. The fact that the staff at this location is so desperate to blatantly over charge for pennies makes me count my pennies. When did a tip become deserved everywhere just because you ask for one and if not, just take it directly from the customer? read more

Sorry, but I had a pretty good experience at this place. The parmesan-heavy garlic bread is something I really enjoyed, and the sauce (though admittedly underspiced) was hearty and meaty. We've been twice; the ravioli were mild but meaty; the lasagna was cheesy. No, it's exactly what the first reviewer said; it's a quaint family eatery. Service was excellent, food was delivered fast. This was at the War Memorial location, but we've also been to the Washington, IL location. They both were doing a land-office carryout business, too. Is it flashy or "authentic"? No. Is it inexpensive, fast, and predictable? Yes, definitely. Next, we have to try their pizza. read more

I have only had the pizza from this establishment because Leonardo's was always the best pizza in the area. Thick crust, with chunks of tomato, and just plain delicious. My order is always the same, and it is perfect every time. read more