10* for service and how they care for grandma when we dine here. Food is good, and portions are plentiful. A Hidden Gem for Peoria for sure! read more

Fabulous. Artichoke appetizer was delicious and the veal Sorrentino was mouthwatering. Wines by the glass terrific. And prices reasonable. Place was busy on a Tuesday night: a good sign!!! Definitely will be back on my next visit to Peoria. read more

Wow! What a change! The food now is superb! The specials are to die for, the pizza is great! I don't know what happened, my last review said the food was sub par, but now, I think this is my new favorite place.. read more

This has been a "favorite go to" restaurant whenever we are in town. In the past, both the food and service have been excellent. Tonight however was very disappointing, it took an hour and a half to get our food, and it was mediocre. The owner seemed oblivious to any problems, service to the entire dining room was poor. read more

Rizzi's has my favorite pizza in town. It is wonderful NY pizza with a thin soft crust, just like the pizza of my youth when I was growing up in NYC! If you like that style pizza, definitely give it a try. The reason I didn't give 5 stars is that the wine by the glass is rather expensive, imo and the pour isn't that good. read more

In town for a family visitation. Afterwards, we wanted pizza. This place came up. We did not realize it was an upscale place. Luckily we were dressed appropriately. We still ordered the pizza. Thin crust New York-style with everything. It was quite good. I would recommend the pizza here! read more

The Jeff Hall Special at Rizzi's is still the best, which consists of salmon, covered in dill sauce, risotto, and broccoli. It is not on the menu so you have to ask for it. You will not be disappointed! read more

Rizzi's Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

As an Italian, the Peoria area has limited authentic Italian restaurant. Rizzi's is the best one left. Very pricey but as close to The Hill as you can get in Peoria. read more

This is my very favorite Italian restaurant. The team, helmed by Chad, is amazingly efficient in such a tiny space. Getting around tight corners, in the dimly lit room, with big trays of delicious steaming pasta piled high. Eric and Dave are funny, genial, courteous, and attentive. They really make you feel welcome, like this is Mama's Italian Kitchen. I just expect a teeny Italian Grandma to come walking out of the back to make sure we all got enough to eat. The soups are typically really good, and the bread is tasty! Chad mixes a delish drink behind the bar, as the music plays on and the servers do their intricate dance around the tables. I suggest asking for Eric or Dave when you come in. Then sit back and let them take care of you. Laugh, tell stories, drink, eat your fill...make some memories. The only drawback is that it's tiny, with 13 tables, it can be hard to get in. read more

Peoria has very few good Italian restaurants. Rizzi's is Okay, but one of good place in Peoria if you want to enjoy Italian.

Rizzi's on Sheridan is consistent ,good Italian food.The small dining room seating is rather close,so be careful what you talk about. The seafood dish's are always cooked to perfection,you will never eat an undercooked or over cooked piece of pasta. Don't whine if the salad comes with too much dressing,order it on the side(you genius) Carl. After dining here for many years,I can assure you that they know Italian.BTW,I ordered the pizza last visit and it was really good. The wine list is small,but reasonably priced. read more

My favorite Italian place in Peoria. Keep an eye out for the weekend specials, as most include freshly made pasta...you can check their Facebook page for this, as they update every Friday. Even their normal menu items are great, though. Osso bucco, sausage & peppers, and tortellini Michelangelo are among my favorites, but I've never had a dish I disliked. Anything with pink sauce is particularly good. Some love their pizza too, but I found it a little too salty...but that's ok, I'm more than happy with pasta. No reservations, and it's a small, slightly crowded place (located in a strip mall), so you might have a wait if you arrive when they're busy. They have a lot of older patrons, so it gets crowded early, especially on weekends. read more

A year ago I had pizza in Europe made by a real Italian guy. This is the closest to that I've found since! Amazing pizza!!! Yum! Shop local and go to Rizzi's!! read more

My boyfriend took me here for the first time ever! I absolutely *loved* it!!!! Our waiter (David) was phenomenal!!!! Spot on service, the entire time! Bread was great, salad with house vinaigrette was amazing, I had the Tortellini Michaelangelo (subbed the mushrooms for broccoli) and it was yummmmmmmmmy town! And we shared a Tiramisu, which was the BEST I've ever had! Great surprise date night and a great dining experience! read more

Our food is consistently Awesome! The service is Great! While we normally carry-out; dining in is a great experience! Chad, David and Eric are great with everyone!!! read more

Tonight we carried out linguine di mare fra diavolo. I cannot tell you how fantastic it was. So good, that I called the restaurant back after eating it at home, to tell them how wonderful our dinner was. The seafood in the dish was fresh and perfectly cooked. The house made Italian dressing on the salad was also delicious. I highly recommend! read more

This is my favorite restaurant in Peoria! I keep ordering the same thing because it's so good, but other items are good as well. My favorite is the cheese tortellini. I don't even want to know the nutrition information. I'm quite sure there's enough fat in the creamy sauce to kill someone. But I just have it a few times a year! I also love the pizza and salads. Service has always been good. read more

The five star experience has been consistent every time! The food is fantastic, and service impeccable. This is one of our favorite date night restaurants. read more

This is a pizza based review. I don't know why but every time I've ordered pizza (3 times) the crust is kinda half done, like bottom is cooked but the rest is uncooked. Yea so their pies are not the best. But the calzones on the other hand are very good. Place is cramped. Italian bread is very goid. read more

Best Italian food in the Peoria area. Great atmosphere, excellent service, strong wine list, and very reasonably priced. Love this place!

I don't know about the rest of the food, but I ordered a pizza to go because I heard they were good. It was so greasy that I had to continually blot the slice with paper towels to sop it up. Thought I could possibly eat another piece but it was making me sick. Still sick the next day after eating only 1-1/2 slices. Threw the rest of it out. I don't think I can bring myself to try anything else on the menu. read more

Went here based on good reviews and Renee's comments about a hidden gem. It was good. Go there and try it.

This place is the closest thing to real Italian in this town. If you want a Midwest Italian experience go to Avanti's and get an order of bread sticks and "marinara with meat sauce" and get off my jock, bro. This ain't no game at Rizz. Second best pizza in town. New York Style Pizza at a great price. *Underrated chant read more

Our last 3 experiences at Rizzi's have been disappointing. This had been our 'go to' place for special occasions and was definitely 4 stars, but the quality of the food has gone down hill. Maybe they had changed chefs. Service is still good. Doubt we'll be going back. read more

Great food and amazing service. Prices are very fair and portions a large. Always made to feel welcome every time we visit. Highly recommend you try it! You'll keep coming back read more

I have been an avid fan of Rizzi's on State since I moved to Peoria over 10 years ago. I am very sad that it closed. But at least I have Rizzi's on Sheridan, so I can still get my fix. We decided relatively last minute to go, so we called ahead to see if we could get in. No reservations accepted at Rizzi's on Sheridan. We always made reservations at Rizzi's on State. I know the place is much smaller, but that only makes it harder to get in. Luckily, it was a weeknight and we were wiling to eat at the bar, so we were seated when we arrived. The food and menu are exactly the same, but I am still getting used to the "New (to me)" Rizzi's location. Gonna take some time. I do definitely enjoy the pasta dishes. I also enjoy how they will let you "build your own" by subbing items or adding items. I always enjoy some veggies in my fettucini alfredo. All in all, a great place. I do enjoy coming here for the best Italian in town. I just have to get used to the location. read more

We're from out-of-town, it was a little later on a Saturday evening, we were really hungry, and we went out Yelping for Italian food. We first tried one of the large, top-rated restaurants in town. The people were courteous, but we were looking at a half-hour wait. So we took a chance and found a gem. Rizzi's is located in a modest strip mall a little off the beaten track. It was evidently family-owned, small, inviting and very busy. We were immediately greeted and told that a table was likely to be available soon. The diners had paid their check, the leftovers were boxed on the table, and they had merely to get up and go. When our greeter humorously offered to glare at the diners who were bogarting the table, we knew we were home. Over the next 10 minutes or so, we must have received at least three visits from employees who apologized for the wait! It wasn't until we were seated at another table that the errant diners finally departed. They had obviously had a wonderful time. So did we. Our server immediately put us at ease, and we had a great time poring over the intriguing specialties on the menu. I wound up choosing the linguini with meat balls, which proved to be an excellent choice. I was delighted to learn that the entrée included a salad, which I upgraded to an excellent Caesar-style salad for only $2. The entrée's four huge meat balls were absolutely delicious, as was the sauce. And it was all served over perfectly al dente noodles. Molto bene! Isn't it great! We now have our go-to place when we visit Peoria. Can't wait for the next visit. read more

Found this little gem while on a business trip in East Peoria. I found it difficult to find anything but chain type restaurants in the area I was staying, but thanks to YELP I found Rizzi's. I wandered in to the bar to have an appetizer and a glass of wine while I waited for my dinner to go. Very cute place with a tiny bar and rustic atmosphere. A server immediately greeted me and informed me that the bartender would be right with me and handed me a menu. Chad, the bartender was out promptly, I ordered a glass of wine and he brought me water also without my asking which was very attentive. I ordered the escargot while I was waiting for my puttenesca to go. The escargot was absolutely delish served with a very light and tasty garlic, lemon, wine sauce and mushrooms. Chad brought me crusty warm fresh bread to dip in my leftover sauce, I politely refused because I had been eating bad enough on this business trip but it was very kind of him. After enjoying my glass of wine and appetizer, my meal to go arrived nicely packaged and he even packed a plate and plastic wear, again very attentive. When I got back to my hotel room I enjoyed my puttenesca, pasta was cooked perfectly, the sauce was so authentic, everything a good puttenesca should be. I was so happy and satisfied to find this wonderful meal here in Peoria Illinois. If you're in the area or live close by, definitely check it out. Wonderful service, great food, clean and appealing atmosphere. Oh and on a side note, I did have bread with my to go meal and it was perfect Italian bread, soft and warm on the inside and a bit crispy on the outside. read more

Don't eat outside unless you enjoy second hand smoke. We weren't told there was smoking outside and management didn't care to ask them to stop. Nor would they seat us inside after we'd already ordered. Had to get it to go. So much for an evening out. read more

We ordered through order2eat.com and decided to try this new to us restaurant. The food was great!!! We would suggest that for carryout the escargot should be held in a smaller container. read more

The ambience of this place is perfect for quiet intimate dinners or lunch. The service was good, my glass of water was never empty. My dish came with a choice of either soup or salad, so I ordered their soup of the day which was a roasted garlic and onion soup. It was a taste sensation! The aromatic smell of roasted garlic was delicious in itself! For my main course I had the capellini in pink sauce which was terrific! The pasta was thin, but not as thin as angel hair. The sauce was creamy, but not too creamy that you get overwhelmed with sauce. The dish also comes with shrimp and mushrooms; they complimented the dish perfectly because the mushrooms absorbed the sauce. The only thing that was not up to par was their mozzarella sticks, which were served with the inside still cold, and that made me question if the mozzarella was a cheese stick? Anyway, everything else was amazing and I would definitely return! read more

Awesome food and prices. Such a hidden gem! Very few tables so make sure you have time to wait or make reservations ahead of time. Not too sure how many places in town offer escargot, but theirs is delicate and tender with no hint of sand...perfect! read more

We went to Rizzi's for a celebration dinner recently and we were not disappointed! Our waitress was knowledgeable and attentive. She was able to recommend a great bottle of pinot noir and a delicious appetizer (Arancini--sooo good!). I was not thrilled with my meal, but I would attribute that to me ordering something different than I would normally. The rest of my table loved their meals--especially the Chicken Parm and Chicken Marsala. We'll be back soon! read more

David has been my waiter every time, and he is spot-on attentive. Such great service! He will describe any item on the menu for you, and even offers wine pairings. I have never had a bad meal here. Every dish that I've tried has been great! There is not much seating so it helps to get there before the 6pm dinner crowd or you could be waiting a while for a table. If it's busy I will usually just place a carry-out order for their NY style pizza. read more

Rizzi's is the best Italian restaurant in Peoria & I couldn't believe it wasn't already out here. The food is always consistently awesome and the staff is very friendly @ the Sheridan Rd location. The bartender @ the downtown location has no personality & should only be allowed to work in the kitchen away from the public. read more

We love Rizzi's. Both locations (Sheridan & State) have fantastic food at a fair price. We've never had bad service or poor food at either restaurant. The servers are always attentive. We recommend Rizzi's to people all the time. read more

Recently went to Rizzi's on north Sheridan. As it was our first visit we were unaware that the bar tender was also the host. After waiting 5-10 minutes and witnessing a couple who arrived after us check in w/ the bar we did so as well. After another 30 minutes we were seated(figuring it would be worth the wait). Although our server was friendly he was equally inattentive . As for the food my dish was decent, but my girlfriends was inedible! The manger seemed apathetic to the full plate of food which was clearly hardly touched. We waited fifteen years to try it and won't be back for at least that. Recommendation...go to Basta's! read more

Absolute hidden gem in downtown Peoria! Food is great, service great, and atmosphere is wonderful. Great romantic spot, you can't beat it. No need for a long review....try it...you won't be dissapointed. read more