So a friend and I went on a Sunday night around 7ish for dinner. I have to say, overall my experiences at restaurants lately have been ho-hum, if not disappointing, so last night was a very pleasant surprise at how a restaurant experience should be. It wasn't packed with people but there were a fair amount of dinners. We got seated at a small booth and if you're picky about that kind of thing, not the best seats but good for conversations since there's a fair distance from the tables and so that was good. Also there was music playing at a nice volume. So I had a mixed drink that was lovely for starters. They brought water first, so you didn't have to ask. The menu, altho a little beat up on one page, was filled with the standard Italian Restaurant dishes. My friend got the chicken Parm and I got the Veal Marsala. I was hopeful they didn't overcook the veal and the Marsala sauce was good. They didn't and it was. Very think veal cooked so it stayed fork tender and the sauce was how it should be taste and texture wise. I order chicken Marsala a lot in restaurant and this had a nice very very light gravy consistency. I prefer it over runny thin. You can order a potato or pasta with dinner. My friend got pasta, I got baked potato. AND y you get special salad with dinner that comes with Italian dressing but I got blue cheese as an option. The one tiny thing there was it was very good dressing, even though I detected little blue cheese. But the salad as pictured was delicious. Anyway service was not perfect but very good. The server was adorable and kind but got our orders backwards twice. Once with salad, once with the main course. But not a biggy. Then later two young men were moving tables together but sliding them more than once making screeching sound that were hard on the ear. Again not a night but they certainly could have lifted them. Perhaps it was emptying out and they wanted us to leave? lol. The atmosphere there was nice, kinda eclectic with industrial type stuff mixed with chandeliers and wrought iron accents. Interesting They have another on State Street in Rockford and this is the newer of the two. I've been told the state street one is always busy so this one opened. I can see why. I definitely recommend as it was a very pleasant positive surprise to my dining experiences as of late. read more

Lino's - "Special salad" served with dinner. Delish. - Pizza Near Me - Loves Park, Illinois

This place is really done well. Lots of little stores inside and Lino's pizza was outstanding. Our server was on it and super sweet. The whole inside is done in shipping containers which is really cool looking and a great atmosphere. read more

Lino's - We did the 14" 3 toppings and it was so good - Pizza Near Me - Loves Park, Illinois

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We ordered takeout but I really wish we would have dined in as the place is really cool with shipping container architecture. The takeout should have been quicker as we waited for 45 minutes when it was supposed to take 20 minutes. I had chicken marsala and my daughter had gnocchi. Both were good. I'd definitely go back to this place and dine in. read more

This review is for the new indoor sit down operation built among the shipping containers. The food is standard Lino's, which is American Italian. It is all very good. Tavern style pizza is excellent! Salads were great, love the chunks in the Italian dressing!! Service was top notch, although this was the soft opening where you had to make reservations so they could make sure the traffic was throttled down a little bit. Super cool vibe inside, third generation owner was walking around making sure everything was perfect... (Charlie Schweinler) I am SO STOKED this place is right down the street from my house!!! read more

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I'm more excited to write this 5-star review than any other I've done! Lino's has been a Rockford favorite for over 50 years -- I know because I worked there 53 years ago when I was 14, The family that owns Lino's is absolutely wonderful. They recently catered my grandson's wedding rehearsal dinner, and the food was amazing -- everyone loved it! I can also vouch for dining at Lino's over the years; the food, service, and atmosphere have always been top-notch. We've had nothing but great experiences there. read more

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Always been a fan of the OG location so was excited to try this location out. On first glance, it's night and day different feel from the original, it's part building, part shipping container, and a really cool, creative atmosphere. Since it's new, not all the stores and extra parts are open yet, so I can't wait to see what it will look like completely finished. The food was excellent, just like you'd expect at Lino's. Their special salad is my favorite of all time, so I get that as my entree, which also comes with some incredible minestrone and, of course, fresh baked bread. My family also loves the pizza, lasagna, and chicken parm at the original location, so they ordered them tonight and all were excellent here too. The owner is the nicest person you'll ever meet. My grandma had a tiny problem with her pizza and he refunded us and gave us another pizza to go for the inconvenience. What incredible service!! They truly make you feel like family here (always have), and I can easily say we'll be coming back for years to come. read more

The restaurant itself is cool, nice outdoor area too! My wife is a huge Linos fan so we checked out the new location for her Birthday. We chose to sit on their patio because it was nice outside. We probably waited 10-15 minutes before Someone touched our table. We ordered immediately because we didn't want to be out all night. We had to ask for bread, which was warm and delicious when served. I ordered the caprese pizza, I don't recommend it. I was expecting something with fresh mozzarella not shredded. That's my fault for not asking, the basil and tomatoes were used very sparingly too. It was ok. My meal came out about 30-40 minutes after we ordered. My wife's meal came next, she ordered the large lasagna to share with our youngest. Their lasagna was served luke warm. They seemingly enjoyed it though, just wish it was hot. About 15 minutes or so after they got their lasagna, our oldest daughter got her kids shrimp meal. She loved it! The meal only came with 3 shrimp which was a bit disappointing for the price, but she enjoyed both the shrimp and fries. One of the biggest head scratchers was that their carryout menu is SIGNIFICANTLY less expensive than their sit-down menu. We probably could've saved almost $20 by getting our meal carryout. That doesn't make any sense to me. The sit-down prices are way overpriced especially for what you're getting. Rockford has MUCH better options. read more

I try Lino's about every 2-3 years hoping that maybe it was just a one time thing. Each time disappointed. All of their food could be better except their special salad. Their pasta sauce is runny. Their pasta is overcooked not andante. We had a larger group with reservations. They brought us to the table with half the chairs we needed??? Felt like I was eating at a shipping port. Very cold atmosphere. Better suited for a dance club. Gave them 3 stars which is generous. read more

Clearly homemade food in the best way. Warm fresh baked Italian bread, crisp salad w/ fresh sausage, egg, tomato and Italian dressing (a combo I didn't know I needed), and our entrees were absolutely delicious too. Dessert included is a nice touch. Friendly service and a lovely ambiance. I had no idea I was about to have a fine dining experience when I walked in. Wow - expectations far exceeded. In a world full of chain restaurants serving processed crap and calling it food, Lino's is a family owned treasure of the Rockford area. read more

If I could give zero stars I would. Poor service!! The WORST experience I've ever encountered. I have been waiting for over an hour for my food despite my order status saying ready. Calls keep getting routed to State St. When requesting to speak to a manager I get placed on hold and then hung up on (happened 4 times). Highly disappointed in what was a highly recommended establishment. read more

Was the end of the night but Excellent food, fresh bread, great service from multiple waitresses that walked the room.

Lino's has always been my go to for pizza, but the carry out for the Riverside location is always underwhelming. Is it the difference in ovens, the pizza chefs? I really don't know, but it's just not the same and not very good. I keep going back hoping for the old Lino's pizza and keep being disappointed. From now on I will stick to pasta for this location's carry out. read more

This is arguably the best Italian restaurant not just in the Rockford metropolitan area, but in Northern Illinois/Southern Wisconsin. The pizza is excellent, using a proprietary cheese made solely for them, and a sausage blend that pairs perfectly with it. The pasta dishes are second to none, and the wine specials and wine club are way under priced. (Don't tell them I said that!) read more

Good special salad and great pizza. The best in town. I love the double cheese pizza with artichokes.

Unfortunately I will probably not be coming back. That's not because of the food, service, or atmosphere. I just live about 2 hours away. I was attending a soccer tournament and this was the closest restaurant from the fields 2 minutes by car. I can definitely recommend this for any out of towners. My son had their pizza, I had their lasagna, and my wife had their salmon. It was all delicious. Taylor our server was amazing, so if we ever have another soccer tournament or coming through Loves Park/ Rockford we will be stopping by this establishment. Locals you got a good one!!! read more

Food, atmosphere and service! I was pleasantly surprised at how the atmosphere was like an open marketplace. Food at Lino's is always good.

My kids' Chicago soccer team was playing in the finals of a tournament next door at the Sportsore complex. We decided, on Saturday night, to celebrate the game/season on Sunday night after the match. I started calling restaurants Sunday afternoon, trying to find one that could accommodate 40-50 people on Sunday evening. Lino's at the Mercado was unfazed by the request and said no problem. The match before ours went into overtime and our game started over an hour late. I called the restaurant several times to keep them posted and each time they said all was still good. Think their closing time was 9:00 and we showed up with about 50 people at around 8:30. It took a little while to get the room ready, but everyone was very friendly and accommodating. The food was very good and staff was great--friendly, professional and clever--separated checks by our kids' Jersey numbers since we were all at separate tables. They stayed open well after their closing time for us and, at no point, did we feel rushed to leave. All of us left full and very happy. Perfect end to our tournament. And loved the design/decor-great ambiance. read more

When I diet, my cheat meal is always Lino's! Birthdays engagements, any family event always Lino's. That is Lino's on East State. We recently tried Lino's Mercado and we're so disappointed. The pizza was super greasy, and the crust was soggy. That is my absolute most favorite thing in the world it was not the same. Our service was terrible and it wasn't busy in there. We just had a subpar waitress. The inside is super cool and I appreciate the direction they're going and I was excited to have a closer option. They have some catching up to do at this location. I've never had a bad experience or a bad meal at the East State location. The reason mainly for my review is hopefully someone will take notice and get things operating to the expected Lino's standards. read more