The food and service is really good, the restaurant is clean. My only complaint is that the host who created us gave us a "you don't belong here" look. Also the tables are all crammed together. read more

One of the best meals I have ever had. I went with my fiancée and we ordered the tortellini dish (with alfredo, game changer!) and the special which was a risotto dish. Both were phenomenal. The service was impeccable and everything was quite perfect. Strongly recommend! read more

We had a lovely evening here dining on the upstairs patio deck. Our server, Christian, was so attentive and worked hard to make sure we had a perfect evening. We started with the meatball appetizer, and I will say they are among the best meatballs I've ever consumed. Both me and my companion had the Gamberetti Scampi con Spaghetti, but I subbed the shrimp for chicken. We both loved the results. I'm only taking one star away because they were unable to serve the Bruschetta appetizer, and the beer selection is lacking (I didn't mind by my co-worker is all about the beer - I was there for the wine which was outstanding). I would absolutely go back and highly recommend. read more

This place has been around since shortly after I graduated, yet for all of the time I spend in Ann Arbor, I have only been at this place a couple of times in the past few decades. When my Italian-food loving daughter had time to get together for dinner, this seemed like a perfect choice. Palio is a classic, traditional Italian restaurant, complete with checked tablecloths and a menu of traditional Italian favorites. We had a reservation and were seated right away when we arrived. We both started with a Caesar salad - nothing outstanding, but solid. For our entrees, we both ordered from the pasta section, where you can basically design your own dish. I had linguini with pesto sauce and shrimp. The sauce was outstanding and the portion size was perfect. My daughter asked if they could mix a couple of sauces together and the were happy to oblige. I would definitely go back again - it's good Italian comfort food in a warm and inviting environment, and that's hard to beat! read more

Palio's consistently offers one of the best Italian meals in SE Michigan. I've been going there for over 20 years. On the most recent visit, I tried the Chicken Milanese and a shrimp and pasta dish that came with a sweet chili sauce. Both were excellent. The chicken was perfectly breaded and pan fried with a light lemon sauce. The shrimp and pasta dish had an intriguing flavor that was quite appealing. I just wish they would have cut the tails off the large shrimp. We also tried the tomato red pepper soup with gorgonzola croutons. This was ok but not nearly as delicious as the tomato gorgonzola soup they used to make. Last but not least were the desserts. We split a slice of the peanut butter pie and the amaretto chocolate mousse. Both were delicious but I think the mousse was my favorite. We'll no doubt be back in 2018 for another visit. read more

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This place was disappointing to say the least. Looks very inviting from the outside. let it fool you. Absolutely the worst Italian food I've personally ever had. We ordered a soup and salad with our meal and did not get the soup until 20 minutes after the salad, as they told us, it was still heating up... twice...then it came with the entrée. The soup was barely lukewarm and pretty much tasteless. We had to ask for bread, it wasn't offered, and when we got it, we got a tablespoon of olive oil with it. we had to ask for salt and pepper as it's not on the table. As far as the entrée, we asked for Italian sausage to be included in the entrée and meatballs on the side. The sausage came on a side plate, crumbled and looked very uninviting. The meatballs were on the side as we asked, but a very small portion of two and there were no sauce on them. A side of sauce was another six dollars. The noodles on the entrée undercooked, and the sauce on the entrée was not very good. not impressed at all and would not recommend. read more

We have been coming here for 20 years. We drive from Jackson [45 min]. The reason we have kept coming back is the Gluten-Free pasta. My wife has food allergies and this is her favorite restaurant. The best dessert she's had is a GF chocolate cake. I struggle there. Haven't enjoyed the traditional menu. Thus far but enjoy coming because she does. Tonight was the best meal and service we have had. Ever. Austin greeted us and took care of us like family. He was kind, considerate, and attentive. He is one of the best servers I've had - ever. Very impressive. This time I ordered the steak. It was fantastic. The best meal I've had there. After dessert and coffee (try the coffee, it's really quite good), we asked Austin to take a picture and thanked him for a great evening. From now on, we will request him. We'd definitely recommend for a special night out. read more

Palio Ann Arbor - GF chocolate cake. Delicious! - Food Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Had reservations here on a Saturday night. Some staff were wearing masks, others were not. Most patrons were wearing masks when they walked in the door. They were having a promotion where Proceeds from some of their California wine was going toward charity. So I had a glass of merlot. Next time I would stick with the Chianti. We were not hungry enough for appetizers so first they brought some bread with olive oil, then we had our salads. The salads were nothing to get too excited about but they were OK. We both had the Cesar. We ordered the eggplant Parmesan and the salmon with the lemon butter caper sauce. The salmon was very good. It had artichokes on the side. My eggplant Parmesan dish was excellent. It was a very large portion. Although there were only two slices of eggplant that was plenty. There was a large plate of pasta with fresh tomatoes and some tomato sauce that came with it. We were too full to order dessert but we did have a dessert martini!. Had the espresso martini. It was very good I highly recommend it. read more

Palio Ann Arbor - Eggplant - Food Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Good Italian food in downtown. Not sure why it only has 3 stars, I think it's a solid 4. Service was good, all of the waiters were wearing mask, view is nice from the rooftop. I loved my Pomodoro and my boyfriend enjoyed his pizza. Would come back again. read more

Palio Ann Arbor - Food Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

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I've been to Palio about 8 times now and so far everything has been great in my opinion! I especially love visiting in the summer when I can sit on the rooftop patio! For starters we got the Polpette con Salsa di Pomodoro which is House made meatballs with tomato sauce and Parmesan. Very simple dish but so delicious! You also great bread and olive oil with your meal and again it's a very simple food but I enjoy it so much. Typically I get the Ravioli di Vitello alla Palio for an entree... which is Veal stuffed ravioli with sauteed mushrooms, spinach & a creamy veal demi-glace sauce. I've never tasted anything else like it and it is just so good! But I wanted to try something new so I got the Cavatappi Con Pollo, which I do recommends if you're a fan of pesto! It's a decent portion size and I had leftovers to take home for lunch the next day. My husband seemed to enjoy his pasta as well. Our waitress Stephanie was great and very friendly. Oh and we also tried their daily special sangria which was strawberry peach. It was refreshing and cold but more like a wine cooler maybe... not strong at all but it was nice to sip on in the heat. But their classic red sangria is always good read more

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I went to this place for dinner, and I was not disappointed by anything I had -- including the bites off of my friends places To start, we had the Asiago al Forno, which was amazing. It was perfectly seasoned. As a side with my entree, I had a house salad to start, which was pretty average. I was dissatisfied with it, & my server was quick to change it to their Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Bisque. That was AMAZING. For the main dish I had the Salmone Piccata. It was okay, but the dish was overly salted. To finish, I had their Espresso Chocolate Cake, which was the highlight of my night. Overall, the service was exquisite & the meal was worth the price. One of my favorites in downtown Ann Arbor! read more

Palio Ann Arbor - Espresso Chocolate Cake - Food Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

They just cancelled my reservation because of being overbooked and offered me reservation at a different restaurant, with an even worse rating. read more

What a wonderful time we had bringing in the Holidays with dear friends. AWe had a fantastic meal and excellent service. I haven't had such great service in a long time. The Margherita pizza with Calabrian Chiles was delicious as was my whitefish Parmesan. Salad and veggies were delightful with lots of vegetarian options. And even tho they weren't listed, our server said they can make any dish vegetarian. They had lots of great choices. It's not the best Italian I've had but it is so very good. Wine selection was decent. But the service is truly what made this place outstanding. Extremely kind and thoughtful service. Prompt, too! read more

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This place is amazing!!!!!! So so good!! The service is great and I love the inside of the restaurant - it is so cozy and comfortable. The food is amazing - so fresh and good. I always leave so full and satisfied. read more

Palio Ann Arbor - Food Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Ever since we moved to Ann Arbor we have seen the roof at Palio and have thought that we should try it in nice weather. A perfect summer evening rolled around and we decided to eat on the roof top. It was pleasant up there, service was friendly (a bit slow), and the food was ok. I had the Veggie flatbread and it was good, not great. No one in our party of four walked away saying, "wow, that was delicious" instead we said "this was a perfect night to eat outside." read more

Palio Ann Arbor - Vegetable flatbread - Food Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

One of my favorite place in Ann Arbor. This is the place I took my now wife on our first date! So it will always be a special restaurant to us! (S) read more

We went to Palio for a business team dinner. I really thought that having the entire menu on iPads is a cool idea. The wine selection was very diverse. Found plenty of choices to look at.. I had the caprese salad and the Salmon. Wow both dishes were fantastic. There were 8 of us there and the service was quick and they were helpful, the food came out fast and was wonderful. Great place, next time I am in Ann Arbor this is going to be a must! read more

First,service was ok. They seemed a bit understaffed, but the staff were very friendly and busting their butt's. There is a cool old world italian feel to the place, but the food didn't match the ambiance. We ordered two cocktails, which took a long time to get. Where they arrived, my wife's wasn't what she ordered, but we drank it anyway. For the second round, the waitress brought what she originally ordered. It was almost like she grabbed the wrong drink the first time. No biggie. Wife ordered cavatappi pesto with chicken. The added chicken was $5, but she only got 3- 1" pieces of chicken in the whole dish. It's not worth $5. I got a spaghetti with some spices sauce. It was not very flavorful and almost dry, like leftover microwaved spaghetti. The ventilation was terrible, and we left smelling like we worked the kitchen all night. I don't like giving bad reviews, but there are so many other restaurants in Ann Arbor I wouldn't want anyone to miss out. BTW, I love italian and visit at least one italian spot when we are on vacation. read more

Lukewarm food haphazardly prepared--one Caesar with virtually no dressing, the other with heavy. Flavor underwhelming. Multiple tables around us also frustrated with similar issues and uneven service. read more

Extremely disappointed with my most recent experience at Palio. I showed up with a group of 10 people for dinner on a Saturday around 8:30PM. Surprisingly upon entry, the restaurant appeared fairly empty. We were seated in one of their side rooms - we figured COVID precautions was the factor. Unfortunately, it felt as if being put in a side room was an attempt to ignore/forget about our party. Orders were forgotten, we waited over 20 minutes to have water refilled or to even see our waiter and waitress until one of us got up to find them. Additionally, the waiter and waitress DID NOT clear our table at any point throughout dinner! There was a mound of dirty dishes by the end of the night. What is more frustrating is that the waitress who brought our checks told us, "I don't remember who had what so here are the receipts." Unbelievable. As we walked out, we found out one of the reasons for the poor service - the staff was watching the Michigan football game at the bar.. The only reason I am giving 2 stars is that the food was decent. Nothing spectacular, but I left content with my meal. Setting attempts to replicate a European feel with dimly lit eating areas. Kitchen is visible upon entry and appears clean overall. read more

We had an early dinner here on a Tuesday evening for my daughter's birthday. Being they had just opened (they open at 5:00 pm everyday except Sunday, when they open at 4:00 so make a note in case you're looking to visit earlier in the day). We were greeted promptly upon entering and seated in a booth that had colorful bottles on the window sills which caught my attention immediately because I like colored bottles when they're used in decor. The pretty color of the overhead lamps added to the overall look of the table setting especially with those bottles sitting on the window. The menu is on interactive tablets so you can tap on an item and another window pops up with a closeup picture and description of what you're thinking of ordering. I thought this a nice touch. The dinner salad was very good with lots of healthy greens and I chose a balsamic dressing for it. The tomato soup had a nice zing to it and was thick, creamy and chunky. It was a good tasting soup unlike the 'usual' tomato soups offered elsewhere. The Salmon Con Ripieno was excellent tasting! It had salmon, vegetable stuffing, lemon butter sauce and roasted potatoes. My husband had the Grigliata Mista Di Pesce which had shrimp, scallops, salmon roasted potatoes and vegetables. He said it was very good. With my daughter's birthday deal that they offer, we had excellent food at a nice discount! The ambiance is very nice, calm and relaxing. The servers are friendly, polite and prompt. Now, the question is..... will I return? I sure will! We had a nice time enjoying her birthday and eating delicious food! I heard the rooftop is the place to be in the summertime so a return visit for a rooftop meal sounds like fun in the warm weather! read more

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Eggplant parmigiana is burnt at my last visit . Very disappointed. They can do better . Rest of the meals with my family was good . Service is great . read more

Was super excited to try this place out & was told by a couple of different people that it can be a hit or miss. We were hoping it was gonna be a hit. Was disappointed with the food & the service. We had a party of 6. Now the majority of us have worked in the restaurant industry so we do get that it was NOT the bartenders fault. He had the whole bar & then quite a few tables as well. However it did take about an hour to even put our order in & the food wasn't worth the wait. The atmosphere was nice & seems like it could be a great place. Unfortunately that was not our experience. read more

1st time in Michigan. Traveling from New Mexico with my 18 yo son for a camp on MI campus. Had Amazing service and amazing food! Would definitely recommend. Ambiance is also great, love the dark wood, flags and old charm read more

I came here during Ann Arbor Restaurant Week 2021 to get their family meal to-go, which consisted of: PANE ALL'AGLIO / rustic Italian bread, garlic butter, mozzarella, parmesan CAESAR SALAD / Romaine, parmesan, croutons, Caesar dressing FETTUCCINE ALFREDO / fresh fettuccine pasta, classic alfredo sauce (cream, butter, parmesan cheese) A silver lining of this pandemic is that Ann Arbor Restaurant Week offered to-go options, so I got to try multiple restaurants this year. Previously, I only had time to sit down at one, maybe two restaurants. And after this year, I know which restaurants I'll want to try out in person once it's safe to! When I try an Italian restaurant for the first time, I usually order fettuccine alfredo as a baseline to compare with other Italian restaurants I've tried. This is one of the best fettuccine alfredos I ever had! read more

We were in Ann Arbor for a graduation and our hosts mentioned this as one of their favorite places for dinner the night before. We really liked the bruschetta menu - it was a little different. Nice touch with the iPad menus, which tells me they probably do a lot of seasonal menu changing. My sister had the lasagne verdure, a substantial dish full of fresh vegetables. I nearly ordered the veal but got the mixed seafood grill instead - plump, well-seasoned and prepared! My husband got the pasta with sausage and it was also delicious. I don't remember what my brother in law ordered, but we were well-fed and well-cared-for by the friendly server. The restaurant was very full the night we went. We were sitting in a side room, and my only complaint was that the restaurant seemed a little run-down. Other than that, it was a great experience! read more

Palio Ann Arbor - Food Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Palio is surprisingly polarizing given the reviews I've seen here. I love pasta, so I have a predisposition for enjoying the food. Even mediocre pasta is tasty to me. This, however, is a step up from fast casual. I had the eggplant parm, which was delicious. Seldom do I enjoy eggplant, but they cook it so well that it's as tender as prime rib. Their sauces are always good (the arrabiata sauce has a kick to it that I didn't expect but was pleasantly surprised by). The wine list is the only thing that I roll my eyes at; they have a good selection of Michigan wines and a great recommended pairing guide, but the mark-up is relatively high - even for Ann Arbor restaurants (I saw a Michigan winery's wine get marked up two dollars more for a 5oz pour than the same wine at virtually any other restaurant on Main). For all the dings they've received for service, I've never had a bad experience. In the last year, I've eaten here 5 times. I have no qualms with that. The worst bit of service I experienced was the last time I was there; the waitress was good, but she brought out a bread basket with three pieces of bread. It was a bit scant, but that's a rather (infinitesimally) small quibble. Very good Italian (and the rooftop is awesome during the summer). read more

Sat down at 8pm for dinner. Took almost 25 minutes for our drink order to be taken. Dinner comes with soup or salad. The lettuce in our salad was brown. Rigatoni bolognese was basically some crunchy carrot pieces, chunks of meat and a lot of a watery tomato sauce. Never got bread after asking a few times. High light was the espresso martini! read more

We loved everything about our dining experience. The homemade pasta and pizza were delicious. It was lovely eating upstairs on the rooftop. We especially really enjoyed the manager Phil. A true professional. As we are from out of town he took the time to chat with us about Ann Arbor and U of M and its history. He was most pleasant and we will definitely be returning to Palio's next time we're in town. read more

The pasta here is truly sublime. I have not had much better in Ann Arbor. Their Alfredo and bolognese sauces are essentially perfect and their cheese tortelloni is beautiful. In fact, no matter what you order off the pasta menu, it will be absolutely delicious. The pizzas aren't nearly as life-changing as the pasta, but they are also solid. The appetizers are wonderful but they are basically simple, rustic Italian dishes. The service is excellent. Waiters and waitresses are kind. There's rarely a wait to be seated. Everyone is amazing. The rooftop patio is always the vibe on non-rainy summer days for a more casual setting, but the restaurant itself is equally charming in an old-fashioned Italian restaurant way. read more

It has been years since dinning here. I wish it had been better. The one saving Grace and reason I didn't give less stars was Justin the bartender. If I was rating just the food I would give them 1 star. The chicken was overcooked and dry, the pasta was gummy and the arrabbiata sauce was flavorless and tasted like watered down tomato juice. I truly hope this was just an off day for the kitchen but after reading more reviews it doesn't seem that way. read more

Daughter wanted to go here for her 21st Birthday. Unfortunately, the food was not what I expected it to be. Food was cold and overpriced (in my opinion, my Husband got the wrong kind of pasta (they had ran out of spaghetti and told them we wanted rotini pasta). They gave him fettuccine and it was stuck together. My Chicken Marsala was cold and just didn't taste right. Our server was awesome! Not his fault the kitchen didn't perform, thus the 3 star rating. read more

Generally, this place is pretty good. They give you freshly sliced bread with olive oil and with most entrees you receive a generous salad or soup before the main dish. Because of this, the good is decently well priced. Palio has a pretty good wine selection, but they will price gouge you, meaning double the price of the bottle. I don't like how they have no wine glasses and serve your wine in short glasses. read more

Not even trying to be a hater but the food and service was really really bad. My date was gluten free and after messing it up and giving us gluten (which no biggie) we asked about it and they didn't bother checking they just said yup gluten free. IT WAS NOT GLUTEN FREE, thank god we double checked. read more

Not the best Italian food in Ann Arbor, but their rooftop sort of makes up for it. I've been to Palio several times in my years living in Ann Arbor and while it isn't the first place I think of for "really good Italian food", it does have a cool atmosphere, especially up top! Whenever we come here, it's usually in the summer so we can sit on the rooftop. There is an entirely different menu (and separate kitchen) so you will eat something slightly different than downstairs and inside. The menu downstairs wasn't memorable for us and you leave smelling like garlic no matter what, which can be kind of yucky. The food isn't anything earth shattering, but it's all right. We mostly come here to sit on the roof and drink! Their sangria is pretty good (however it is pretty sweet and not as good as Dominick's), and the staff is at least friendly. I just probably wouldn't choose this place as my go-to for Italian food in Ann Arbor. read more

Palio Ann Arbor - Rooftop terrace in the summer time. Beautiful! - Food Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Wow--we just had a phenomenally bad experience at Palio's after my sister's wedding. It was meant to be a fun, celebratory wedding dinner for the bride & groom and 6 people in the wedding party. In fact, after 2 hours, we left without eating. First we waited about 40 min. to get rooftop seating, which we knew could happen, so that was fine. We were texted that our table was ready, went to the rooftop and were told our table was not ready (and they acted like we were misguided for expecting a table). We got undrinkable mixed drinks and had to send them back (we are not picky customers--they were truly made wrong!). It wouldn't have been so bad waiting at the table if a wait-person had come to check on us, but for long stretches no one came. The last straw was when we got up and asked the manager what was happening with our food. She didn't come back to fill us in, and when we asked again about 10 minutes later, she said the order had just been put in! That was after 80 minutes at the table! Again, we could have been understanding if someone had told us that they lost our order, but there was no communication. Every employee we encountered that night (except the person at the downstairs desk) was unresponsive/indifferent. Something must be wrong with management at a higher level to have a staff that is so unmotivated. I felt very bad for the bride and groom, who just wanted to celebrate and provide a nice meal for their wedding party. Needless to say, we won't go back. read more

What a perfect piece of Italy. I've actually been to Siena Italy and this place really does bring some of those vibes. The flags of all the districts was a neat touch. Food was authentic and delicious. Great price range for a nice date night. Our waitress was on top of it! Thank you for a wonderful evening Palio! Salute! read more

The service and atmosphere are nice, but steer clear of the complimentary soup, which immediately gave me food poisoning. It's a shame because their other dishes, like the tortellini alla palio and the rigatoni bolognese, are really good. read more

Worst. Service. Ever. Where to begin? -a bar with 6 seats -bartender ignores people at bar -my place in the computerized wait list "lost" -seated after long delay in a separate private space, then forgotten about for 20 minutes. Finally asked for service (including even water) It gets better. After repeatedly asking for service, we finally got to place an order. People seated well after us in the event space begin to get appetizers and food. After further inquiries, the manager comes, and eventually our food order arrives. Did I mention, this was an anniversary dinner? Our entire order was eventually comped - tiny credit for that, the rest was a cluster. I have not been back, and probably never will. read more

Atmosphere: 4 out of 5 Service: 4 out of 5 Décor: 4 out of 5 Cleanliness: 4 out of 5 Food: 4 out of 5 The location is right on the Main Street in Ann Arbor. Although parking is a challenge, but the experience is worthwhile. Beautiful rooftop seating area, the salad, pasta and pizza are so delicious. Staff is friendly, and give you good recommdations. It's a nice Italian restaurant you want to come back again. read more

Palio Ann Arbor - Food Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan