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    Osteria Rago

    4.1 (225 reviews)
    ModerateItalian, Pizza
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Osteria Rago Photos

    OSTERIA RAGO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Casual
    Trendy
    Intimate

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    Paul S.

    So first, the address is Kirkwood Ave. But, you're never going to see the restaurant on Kirkwood. It's down the alley, basically between the village deli and Nick's English hut. You're welcome. (cause we couldn't find it based on the address.) Small, informal place with a great wait staff. Quaint and cozy. Told them we were Newbies and that made all the difference. We each had a pasta dish. And the pasta is homemade and it shows. The table next to us got a pizza and we definitely had entrée envy. Had the focaccia bread as an appetizer and the cannoli and the Affogato for dessert. Everything was great. You absolutely must have a reservation. I mean, you don't have to have a reservation, but it helps. Yes, we're going back.

    Patata Suprema Pizza
    Kendall E.

    Delicious, authentic Italian food made fresh. Highly recommend. Everything was fantastic. Best Italian in Bloomington.

    Diavola Pizza
    Kenyatte S.

    Visiting our daughter for the weekend. We were excited to try her favorite Italian Restaurant. She speaks so highly of the staff and food quality. They have a full bar and something for everyone on their menu. We had a reservation for 3, we arrived early and they eagerly accommodated us. We started with Focaccia and oil for the table, our waitress was amazing. She made recommendations and of course we listened. The pizzas were thin, light and so flavorful. I had the chicken Marsala with polenta and I could have literally licked the plate. To top off the dinner we had the tiramisu and it was fabulous. I'm so glad my husband and daughter were there to help me eat it. This place is a gem nestled away in downtown Bloomington. The inside is small and intimate, but very welcoming. I can't wait to visit again.

    The Open Table receipt that clearly shows a $40 deposit and not a $40 fee for the privilege of making a reservation.

    When we booked the reservation over a month ago for Friday of graduation weekend on Open Table we were required to put down a $10 per person DEPOSIT. After we finished lunch and they ran my credit card through I was reminded of the $40 deposit. When I looked at the bill the $40 deposit had not been credited to my tab. I asked the manager about correcting the amount and she said the $40 was for the privilege of making the reservation. I told her that nowhere on Open Table did it say anything other than it was a deposit. She disagreed and said it stated clearly it was a fee. Attached is a screenshot of my Open Table DEPOSIT. The Acacia de Pepe was excellent as always. The Chicken Piccata was great as always. I got adventurous and ordered the Big Al sandwich. It was huge but I made the assumption it would be toasted, it was not. It was ok at best, avoid. My total disappointment with Osteria Rago was more with the deception and crappy attitude of the Manager than the $40. Never dining here again.

    Piccata with Chicken
    Carissa B.

    What an incredible dinner! We had an 8:15 PM reservation at Osteria Rago, but since we arrived downtown early, we decided to grab a cocktail at Nick's beforehand. Just as we were finishing our drinks, Osteria called to let us know our table was ready ahead of schedule - an added bonus. We started the night with a bottle of Cakebread wine and the bruschetta appetizer, both of which were outstanding. Our group ordered salads all around, including the Caesar and chopped. These were some of the best salads we've ever had. Our server highly recommended the chopped salad, and it absolutely lived up to the hype. For the main course, we went with the lasagna, piccata, and ravioli. We were all extremely impressed with our selections! The service was impeccable, and the entire experience was nothing short of fantastic. If you haven't been yet, do yourself a favor and make a reservation soon. You won't be disappointed!

    Undercooked salmon  (Tuscan Salmon)
    Dorothy L.

    This was the biggest disappointment of a restaurant. For a place that charges $20-25 a plate for a dish of pasta, it's an embarrassment. Everything from the server to the food quality was atrocious. First off, the sever acted like she had no concept of hospitality; no "hi" or "welcome" not even "my name is xyz and I'll be your server". We didn't even realize she was our server at first; thought she was just the hostess. Then she showed up at our table 20 minutes after seating us acting as if we're a nuisance (with a "dead face" just standing there silently until I say "I think we're ready to order). Even my husband, who never makes a remark, was appalled. But that's not the worst part!!!! FORTY minutes after she takes our order she comes back to say that they're out of fettuccine and which other pasta would we like to substitute for. (I wish I was kidding!). We were there at 2pm and only 3 other tables were filled so no reason for this wait. Then we finally get our food after being there for nearly an hour and a half....and it's super underwhelming. My daughter didn't even eat her meatballs after two bites, husbands chicken was super dry. My Tuscan salmon was the only one decent enough although a bit undercooked. I don't enjoy writing bad reviews but this place is seriously overrated. I don't know if the good reviews are outdated or come from just friends and family but I will never come here again.

    Carbonara
    Ellie S.

    Made a reservation here for my birthday and went with a couple girlfriends. A reservation is an absolute must, because they're always super busy and don't have a lot of seating. The food is really really good, and a great spot to wine and dine with friends. The staff was friendly and helpful. I'll definitely be back!

    Veal Braciole atop Polenta
    Cynthia N.

    For delicious, creative yet authentic Italian cuisine, THIS IS YOUR SPOT. I dined here in a party of 3 earlier this week, and we loved everything about our experience. This was my first time at Osteria Rago (I live out of state); the rest of my party has dined there several times. The wines by the glass we chose from the huge wine menu were excellent (a California chardonnay and an Italian chianti). We got 2 appetizers: 1) Tomatoes Vesta, which was big enough for the 3 of us to split and have plenty each; delicious, especially that lemon ricotta! 2) The appetizer special: veal & rabbit meatballs with peppers and an agridolce sweet & sour sauce. It was unique and FANTASTIC - so glad we ordered it! We wished we could have had 3x as much of it. For my entree, I had the Lasagna (I happen to love crunchy burned edges, and this had some!). The others in my party had the Veal Braciole and the Pesto Pasta, and they said both dishes were excellent. Osteria Rago is small and busy (though cozy), so on weekends or holidays it can be tough to get a table at the time you want - make sure you plan ahead. Service was just right: attentive but not intrusive. I look forward to coming back to this place the next time I visit!

    Tiramisu
    Lara A.

    We dined at Osteria Rago yesterday, 7/3/2024, for my birthday dinner. I am a huge lover of Italian cuisine, and this restaurant did not disappoint! The restaurant is cozy. The hostess was welcoming, and our waitress was very kind and attentive. We began with the appetizer of Tomatoes Vesta. This dish is one I will crave forever! It starts with a lightly crisped focaccia that is still so airy and tender, topped with lemon ricotta, roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic, arugula, and finished with a balsamic reduction. Arguably one of the best bites I've ever had. Our son was adamant that he was not hungry, but I knew if I ordered spaghetti and meatballs he would want to share. I did request to have the spaghetti substituted for bucatini as it's a favorite pasta of mine. The sauce was rich in flavor, pasta cooked to perfection, and the meatballs were delicious and tender. My son ate over half of the dish despite not being hungry and not wanting anything lol. My husband ordered the Patata Suprema wood fired pizza. He said it is hands down the best pizza he's ever had. This pizza had potatoes, bacon, sausage, white sauce, parmesan, romano, and a rosemary calabrese oil. The crust was thin and crispy, yet held up well with the substantial toppings. We were so stuffed after dinner that we requested a piece of tiramisu to go. We enjoyed this later in the evening, and it was decadent! Needless to say we will be making repeat reservations to enjoy this place again!

    Cacio e Pepe (SO good!)
    Chelsea F.

    Love it here! Highly suggest a reservation as they tend to fill up fast. Not a huge space but food is delicious and reasonably priced. The bruschetta was delicious, as was the cacio e pepe and the chicken parm dish was very big and filling! For dessert, don't skip as the cannoli were excellent. Our waitress was incredibly knowledgeable and had great recommendations on both entrees and wine selections. Will go back whenever visiting Bloomington!

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    29 days ago

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    3 months ago

    Excellent food...salad and pizza are very sharable! Pleasant service! Highly recommend!

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    3 months ago

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    4 months ago

    The food was delicious! Had the ravioli and ate every bite. Loved this restaurant and will be back for sure!

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    8 months ago

    The eggplant dish was outstanding! Will be back for sure. Such a cute little place. Make reservations if possible.

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    9 months ago

    Oh my! The Cacio e Pepe was excellent! Nice small venue with a great little restaurant feel. Definitely will be back!

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    Da Vinci

    Da Vinci

    4.1
    (201 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    We ordered: CAESAR SALAD- this was very good.. slightly too…read moremuch cheese for me. BARBAIETOLA SALAD- it was slightly too much goat cheese and wished the walnuts were candied GF PERA PIZZA- this was soooooo good! My absolute favorite. The best GF pizza I've ever had. Would definitely order this again GF B-TOWN PIZZA- this was my daughters fave, but I loved the pera better TRUFFLE TORTELLINI- my daughter's fave.. GF ALLA VODKA- their GF pasta was tasty. I will definitely be back when I visit again

    I'm able to admit when I'm wrong, and I was wrong about Da Vinci. And I was wrong without ever…read morestepping foot in the place. I'll be there more often now that I've experienced it in person. Prior to my recent visit for my son's birthday, I had only enjoyed carryout from Da Vinci. Usually a pizza, sometimes the Chicken Parm which is often a go-to Italian dish for me and both were good. But not mind blowing good, especially for the price. We ordered it for some variety, and enjoyed it, but going in person was a completely different experience. We went on a Wednesday night (half-price wine bottle night) and it was crowded. I understand it's always crowded and is only open for evenings during the week. But we were seated immediately as there were only three of us. There were a couple of larger groups waiting for a big table. The restaurant is downtown'ish' and the parking isn't the best, but plenty of side streets around and we were able to get a spot within a block. The only real parking lot is across the street and is owned by the church charging $7 a day for parking. Not sure what the evening rules are and I was neither interested in paying $7 to park in Bloomington nor being towed so we went with a slightly longer walk. Table started with the garlic cheese bread appetizer. It was huge. A full platter of their special bread, cheese and a sauce that may have had some ricotta in it but that didn't deter me from liking it. Normally ricotta is an automatic 'no' but it was delish. I might mention they also provide a carafe full of water so I didn't have to wait for constant refills, which is a great addition. For our mains, son and wife ordered pizzas, and I had the chicken parm. Both enjoyed their pizzas of course and luckily wife didn't eat all of hers so I was able to enjoy a piece as well. The pizzas are individual sized, though on the larger side - maybe 12"? Still a bit pricey at around $18 for a 12" pizza which is probably why I didn't love the delivery option. Plenty of delivered pizzas in Bloomington below that price point. But in the restaurant which was nicely decorated, great service, etc. it seemed appropriate. My chicken parm was amazing. Plenty of pasta on the side, just the right amount of gooey cheese on the chicken and all in all a great dish. Much like the delivery reaction to the pizza, the price and quality in the restaurant for my dish was just better than the delivery option. My only complaint might be that with my pasta/chicken dish a piece or two of bread would have been nice. We were full and didn't have dessert. A great experience, and we will definitely return. For a town that has just about every ethnic food option available it's remarkably under-served in the Italian space. Now that I have this as a sit-down option, the world is a little better. Next time I'm sitting outside on the patio, it looked like fun as well.

    Photos
    Cute decor!
    Cute decor!
    Da Vinci
    Loaded avocado toast add egg your way

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    Goodfellas Pizzeria - Kirkwood

    Goodfellas Pizzeria - Kirkwood

    4.2
    (80 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    Delicious, huge, amazing, NY boss status, love them just wish they did DoorDash or delivery lolread more

    I do not like NY style pizza if it's not done well, but I wanted to give Goodfellas a try, and I…read morewas pretty happy with their take on it. The only disappointment was not the pizza itself but the selection; the only vegetarian slices available were plain cheese and cheese with tomato slices, not even a mixed veggie pizza. It looked like they weren't fully stocked on the meat pizzas and breaksticks either, so I wonder if it's just because I came between peak meal times at 2 pm (but the lunch special runs until 3, so I would have expected them to be better equipped for lunch at this point). I went with the tomato slice, plus a breadstick and cannolo. The slice was tasty: not too greasy, which is the most common pitfall of any pizza, with the perfect amount of cheese. My particular breadstick was kind of hollow inside, but this wasn't a bad thing because it was so big that there was still plenty of bread around the edges, and the cavity was great for scooping up sauce. Both the pizza and the breadstick seemed bigger on my plate than they looked in the display. I would've skipped the cannolo if I had fully understood how big the servings were, but I had already bought the thing and knew it wouldn't travel well so I ate it there even though I was getting full and ended up not really regretting it because it also great. The shell was crispy and the filling had a very pleasant texture. The staff there were friendly, the service was prompt, and the eating area looked clean. I would return, but I'll try to go earlier if I'm looking for lunch to see if the selection is a little better.

    Photos
    Dining room
    Dining room
    That perfect cheese pull moment.
    That perfect cheese pull moment.
    Perfect pair, a New York slice and a sweet cannoli.

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    Perfect pair, a New York slice and a sweet cannoli.
    Mother Bear's Pizza West

    Mother Bear's Pizza West

    4.1
    (240 reviews)
    2.2 mi
    $$

    There Was Great Food, Great Service,…read moreAnd Really Good Ambiance Overall I Would Rate This 10/10!!!

    Graduation weekend, you know not to go to Mother Bear's on campus, so we visited the other site…read more Like, who can go to Bloomington and not go to Mother Bear's? There were 10 of us and they did get us seated fairly quickly, which was nice. We had to small ones and they accommodated them nicely. We had family in that had never had Mother Bear's so we went all out on pizza choices. We ordered the standard sauce and pepperoni (amazing), the vodka sauce with pepperoni (YES PLEASE) and the regular sauce with sausage and pepperoni (AGAIN GREAT). Bread sticks and garlic bread are a must. With that said, we went a little deeper with the Monte Cristo and the, wait for it, Broccoli and cheese pizza. I am not joking, my daughter said you won't believe it until you try it. So, I did. My favorite will always be the Vodka sauce (YUM YUM) but I really liked both the Monte Cristo and the Broccoli pizza (I totally forget what it is under on the menu). Pleasantly surprised by the broccoli and cheese. Wrap that on a crust with crispy edges and you have a winner. So, trust me, just try it if it something that you like normally! Who knew, a healthy pizza (probably not, but you can say that). Thanks for accommodating our family this past weekend and thank you for having great service and great pizza. The grandkids were impressed!! PROS: Ease of parking at this site Great options for seating inside Staff friendly GET THE GARLIC BREAD, Just do it!!! CONS: Nothing, just go

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    Mother Bear's Pizza West
    Our fav. The early bird deal + wings! We got the Dixie Two Step Pizza. And the cheese sticks. White sauce and garlic sauce always!
    Our fav. The early bird deal + wings! We got the Dixie Two Step Pizza. And the cheese sticks. White sauce and garlic sauce always!
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    Pizza X

    Pizza X

    3.8
    (62 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $

    I thought this was just a cheap late night pizza place, but I will try most things once, and boy…read moredid my Pizza X order exceed expectations. I ordered a custom 10" pizza from them with vegan cheese, Impossible meatballs, and vegetables. The pizza tasted great and wasn't too salty or too greasy, which are the most common takeout pizza crimes. The crust was perfectly cooked. I got to the store a few minutes before my order was supposed to be ready (the estimate was 10-20 minutes for pickup) and it was just about to come out of the oven as I got there, so it was fresh and hot when I got it. The person there who gave me my order was very friendly. I would definitely order Pizza X again! Note that it's takeout only - there's no tables.

    It was a busy night but good lord. We got a text that our pizza was ready and showed up 5 minutes…read morelater. While we were in the store, three other people came in and their orders had been lost. And of course we find out so was ours. Even after we gave our name they said sure, sure, we got it but then admitted that they didn't 10 minutes later while we were waiting. They apologized but there seems to be a problem in general with pulling something together that should take 11 minutes start to finish. When a pizza is ordered at 9:40 and still isn't ready by 11:15, you have a problem. But more importantly, when you realize you screwed up, you rush that pizza instead of continuing to make other pizzas. Basic restauranting.

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    Bucceto's Pizza Pasta

    Bucceto's Pizza Pasta

    3.9
    (110 reviews)
    1.7 mi
    $$

    Great simple Italian-American food. It has the vibe of a local restaurant even though it's part of…read morea chain. Stepping inside is like going back to the 90s or early 00s with the funky art and style of furniture. I've done takeout a few times and dined in once. I made the mistake of ordering takeout once on a game night when they were slammed and a little behind, but the staff was very friendly even though it was a little chaotic in there. Under regular conditions, my order was ready on time, and the service was great when we dined in. The menu has lots of choice under the banners of pasta, pizza and calzones, chicken dinners, sandwiches, and dessert. They also have a pretty decent selection of beer (draft and bottles) and wine. Almost all of the menu can be made without gluten (but gluten is used in their kitchen so they don't guarantee 100% gluten-free), and there's also some pretty good vegan options. It's mostly classic stuff, but there are some slightly adventurous pizzas. I really enjoyed all of the food that I've tried. Their pizza and American-style thin crust which usually isn't my preference, but there's a freshness and subtle sweetness to the dough that I like. The Bama Jam pizza was really good with the sweet-savoury onion jam combined with the distinct taste of the gorgonzola and rosemary, although it was so heavy on the sweet that I kind of felt like I'd eaten both dinner and dessert. I think the Queen of Hearts calzone was my favourite out of everything - the crust was great, the artichokes and olives in the filling were abundant as was the cheese. The spinach ravioli came in a tomato sauce that, while not heavily seasoned, tasted juicy and fresh. Dessert is not to be skipped. I've tried most of the desserts at this point. The tiramisu and carrot cake are my most recommended, but all are good. The carrot cake had lots of nuts and carrot pieces inside and a tangy cream cheese frosting. The cheesecake is very rich and creamy. The optional strawberry sauce was delicious - it was so bright red that at first I thought it was just a flavoured syrup, but it tasted like real fresh strawberry puree. Honestly I liked the sauce more than the cheesecake. All desserts are big enough to share.

    Bucceto's near the College Mall was amazing! It is a casual spot which is great for a quick bite. I…read morewent here for a dine to donate for my business fraternity. Even though there were a lot of us and there were lots of us rotating in and out, the waiters were great and super accommodating to us, moving tables around to make sure we all fit! The food was great too. I had been wanting to eat a calzone for a while, and I was happy I chose Bucceto's! I got the build your own calzone, with jack cheese, bacon, and pepperoni. For dessert, I got their special of the day, bourbon cheesecake. I loved it and wish I could have it again!

    Photos
    This is supposed to be a greek salad with no black olives
    This is supposed to be a greek salad with no black olives
    Chocolate Cake
    Chocolate Cake
    Bama jam pizza, tiramisu

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    Bama jam pizza, tiramisu

    Osteria Rago - italian - Updated June 2026

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