While visiting Racine, we decided to have dinner at Salute. We were staying at a nearby hotel so we just walked over. The downtown area was quiet this evening and Salute was not too busy when we arrived. The bar area was lively as we walked by. We sat in the dining room next door that was very cozy and quiet. Our server was a very sweet young girl who remained attentive during our entire dinner. She made suggestions and helped us with wine. They don't actually have a wine list, which I thought was unusual for an Italian restaurant. Our server just listed what they had. I went with a martini that I loved. My friend said her wine was just ok. The bread was fantastic, piping hot, crunchy and chewy. My salad was delicious with tart vinaigrette and my friend loved her garlic knots. We both went with pasta and veggies. We loved our choices. Overall, our dinner was a great success. I'm so glad we tried Salute. I have heard friends talk about it in the past but I had never dined there. We didn't try dessert on this visit but I will next time. I only wish they had a nicer wine selection. read more

See all

We were in Racine for a few days and happened upon Salute. I am from San Francisco, so I have eaten a lot of Italian food in North Beach. Salute reminded me of one of the old-fashioned family spots on Grant Street. We went early. The service was great, and everyone was very friendly. I am writing because my Bolognese was one of the best I have tasted. read more

I was in Racine, WI for a few days and all of the locals raved about the lasagna at Salute. When I walked in, I instantly got a good vibe from the atmosphere. The workers all where smiling, and greeted me right away. They were short staffed when I went to dine, but they informed me right away and they still managed to keep my drink full and my food came out great timing. Every employee of this establishment were nice, helpful, and worked as a team. Now let's get to the food.. I ordered the Lasagna, it comes with baked bread and an Italian dinner salad. The Italian dressing here is homemade, absolutely delicious. I think they should sell it by the bottle. The lasagna came out and the portion was huge. I took one bite and I knew that this was the best lasagna I have had in my life. From the texture of the noodles, seasoning in the sauce, meat/cheese ratio.. Honestly there isn't one thing I didn't like about my meal, or. Absolutely delicious would 10/10 recommend read more

Salute Italian Restaurant - Lasagna and fresh baked bread - Italian Near Me - Racine, Wisconsin

The food was very good and it has an atmosphere that makes feel like you've walked into a mom & pops restaurant that families have been coming to for years.....because they have. From family photos all over the walls to the easy to recognize "regulars" that stop in at least weekly, it was a very comfortable and friendly setting. The menu has a great variety of Italian dishes and an excellent thin crust pizza. My chicken parmigiana was excellent and my wife ordered the eggplant parmigiana and it might have been the best I've had. A light breading that didn't outweigh the flavor of eggplant (or the chicken). It's been about 16 years since we had previously been there (moved out of the area for quite awhile) but we'll definitely be back. read more

Very disappointing. I remember going here years ago and living it. Hopefully this was just a bad one off, but I don't think I'll back to confirm that. Sat at 6:35p, right away. That was great on a Saturday night. It sort of ended from there. Ordered at 6:45p...didn't get the food for an hour later. 7:45p! We were told that they were sorry about the wait when the food arrived and that they only had one chef. Information would've been nice anytime during that hour wait... The eggplant parmigiana was mush and had to send it back. Being a Racine native, I'm just sad to continually go to restaurants in this city and either being disappointed or feeling underwhelmed. It'll be some time before I come back here. read more

The dishes are authentic. The drinks are poured by a professional. You feel like you are part of a family. The whole vibe of the place is just happy. I always get the Pasta. It is done perfect. My husband and I go for our anniversary. They never fail to deliver. We leave in such a good mood. read more

This is one of the places I normally would fall back to. For a real nice dinner of homemade food. But this last visit started out bad. Waiting to table when at least 3 where open the finally sat down. No water no bread for 10+ min. Table sat after us. Drinks and apps before waitress showed up. Didn't appear to have any sympathy for being late didn't say much just dropped water and walked away. After asking for wine list. 2min later it was delivered. Then at that point do you know what your having.. NO you just handed us wine list. On second thought let's go somewhere else. On the way out we told hostess that the table was now open. And we would comeback another time. I assume that one of the owners stepped up and begged us to stay and he would serve us him self. Food took like 5 min. Apps where amazing and free. Wine free and when the bill came it was for one of the dinners and rest was all free. I love free but no need we leave the proper amount included tip and have to say that the owners really care about what's happening in their place. And of course food was amazing like always. My hats off to an owner that goes the extra step for customers service read more

Salute Italian Restaurant - Ten minutes of waiting and this is what we have. Menus no water or waitress. - Italian Near Me - Racine, Wisconsin

All 5 of us enjoyed our different dishes to the max! 4 of my friends also enjoy the tomato basil soup immensely - short of licking the bowl good! The one that ordered a salad was satisfied with her choice. The portions were ample and we all took home leftovers. Our server, Mia, was delightful! She knew her menu and was so very helpful. I have been to Salute's many times but my 4 friends were newbies to this restaurant, all were extremely pleased with prices, service and their wonderful Italian dishes. We'll be back! read more

Ahhhhh Salute! Probably one of my favorites here in Racine. It's that comfort food that my Middle Eastern mother just couldn't quite nail. Their pasta is a little past Al Dente (which I prefer) and their sauce is hearty (which I also prefer). I've tried a few different things, but of course, always pasta. Anything topped with their vodka sauce or Bolognese is two thumbs up. Their lasagna is also very good but my favorite is, and always will be, from Eataly. If you want much better service then just sit at the bar. read more

No thanks. I don't care how much sambuca you give me. Bartender was a turd Service was like. Oh sorry I ordered something. Didn't mean to inconvenience you read more

An amazing Italian restaurant with wonderful owners, staff, and delicious food! I would highly recommend eating here, you will not be disappointed. read more

See all

Located in the heart of downtown Racine, one might say Salute acts as the left ventricle in this mighty organ of a city. I've visited Salute multiple times and it has proven to be consistently on beat every time, serving delicious dishes and offering an authentic Italian backdrop while dining. One minor setback, however, was experienced in the last visit. One dish we ordered was Anna's famous pasta pillows. Tasting much like actual pillows, these pasta pillows were also lacking some heat. Understandably, a heart can't be perfect every time.... A little left ventricular hypertrophy, I suppose. Or maybe a mitral valve prolapse would be more suiting in this instance, as the dish was sent back from whence it came to receive some extra heating. The other dish we ordered was the chicken cacciatore, which was delicious. Overall, the experience was nice. The staff was friendly and well-educated. Our server rectified the previous situation with free tiramisu, simultaneously warming our hearts and adding to the blockage in our arteries with the fatty deliciousness that is tiramisu. P.S. ask Niko about the milkshakes. You won't regret it! read more

Salute Italian Restaurant - Chicken cacciatore - Italian Near Me - Racine, Wisconsin

See all

I walked into the bustling Italian restaurant this past Saturday night with above average expectations, thanks to Yelp. My dining companion had eaten here a few times before and offered an above-average to excellent leaning of approval. That's probably why my disappointment lingers days later as I write this review... From the outside, the venue appears small and intimate. Once inside, Salute reveals a much larger dining area, with a high ceiling, and bold decor reflecting an authentic, old town, intimate, yet extended-family-friendly Italian hospitality feel to it. At this point, I was pretty confident we had made a good choice to eat here. Our server was nice, seemed busy and tired, but still nice. Several Yelpers recommended Anna's homemade ravioli, so that's what I ordered, along w tomato basil soup. A small loaf of room temperature sliced bread was put on the table, but was not appetizing enough to gleefully fill up on. When my tomato basil soup arrived, I could tell this wasn't what I was expecting. A spoonful later, that notion was confirmed. The soup, if it could be called that, was a thick purée that I'm certain was the red or rosa sauce from a pasta dish. Did they run out of actual tomato basil soup? Did they accidentally give me a side of sauce and another diner my soup on their mostaccioli?? But I was hungry, and the bowl of pasta sauce was tasty and hot, so I continued spooning mouthfuls. Also, it was hot. (reiterated for dramatic effect bc...) The same could not be said for my pasta dish. It was not hot. It wasn't even lukewarm. The combination of the lackluster presentation (4 ravioli "pillows" haphazardly slopped onto a plate w some white sauce with out garnish or care) and a cold plate made my first bite of ravioli seem incredibly bland and definitely disappointing. I hadn't complained about any of my observations. No one likes to be THAT person. Even my friend who was content w his Italian wedding soup and chicken cacciatore agreed with me in regards to the "soup" and "pillows". I politely asked the server to reheat my plate and picked off my friend's plate til it came back. After being reheated, I was able to taste the spinach mushroom ravioli stuffing, so, yay. The saving grace was that the server must have noticed my disappointment even though I tried to mask it (no, I honestly did). She offered a large slice of Tiramisu and shots of sambucha (if you like that stuff). A very nice gesture, which was reflected in the tip, and if Yelp allowed half stars, I'd bump my 3 star rating to a 3.5 star rating. I wouldn't mind going back to try something else, but only if I don't have a choice. :) read more

Salute Italian Restaurant - Anna's ravioli stuffed w spinach and mushroom in Parmesan sauce. - Italian Near Me - Racine, Wisconsin

It really is unfortunate. EVERY time we come to Salutes the service is outrageously horrible. Exceptionally slow and utterly unpleasant waitresses. It always seems there is not enough staff either or at least staff that actually works. Salutes if you got decent staff I'd be here every week for dinner. Poor service keeps me long away despite food being good. Please try to get better servers don't just stick to your same old out of loyalty. They really are terrible and rude...every time not just today. read more

Salute Italian Restaurant - Salute - Italian Near Me - Racine, Wisconsin

This has always been one of my favorite places until the last couple times. This past time we had reservations for four people and we were seated by the doors and in the front area. The waiter was confused whether he was waiting us or not and wasn't the most mature waiter. He was very confused on the orders and who was getting what drink. I had raviolis which were great and we did get a complimentary shot of Sambuca which was nice. Overall good experience and I'll go back but wish they were more organized. read more

This is one of our very fav restaurants here in Racine. It's a family-owned restaurant with great authentic Italian food, gluten free options and they really do try their best to manage the huge crowds this place attracts. Make a later appointment like 8p-830 to avoid their weekend rushes, or go in early like 5 if you're into that. We had to wait for a table for awhile one time when they were slammed. They took an app off our bill and gave us free Sambuca shots, we didn't even ask for this. We love the vibe here. read more

Went on a Wednesday for my wife's birthday. (3/9/22)Asked for a wine list and the waitress said they don't have one because there is only one brand of red wine? An Italian restaurant with one brand of wine? Wife had the ravioli and said it was okay. I got the thin crust pizza which was on the recommendation of the waitress. Layer of grease on top and crust wasn't crispy. Service was just okay. We both said this will be a one and done. Felt bad since we love trying local, non-chain restaurants. read more

We work way to hard to spend our money on boring food and poor service. I would not recommend Salutes. Way better choices in the Racine area. read more

I went on a Friday night which was moderately busy but nothing crowded. Seemed like a nice place and the hostess was very sweet and friendly. I was taking my cousin here for her birthday and it was a first time for both of us. To start, it took about 15 minutes for anyone to acknowledge us. I told my cousin we would give it 5 more minutes and if no one had come to the table we would leave. We were also looking to order cocktails and wine, but there was no drink menu on the table for us to look through. By the time the waitress did arrive, we had everything we wanted picked out (minus the drinks). I've been in restaurants far busier where it didn't take as long to get someone to our table. I ordered a bowl of tomato basil soup with my entree--it was fine nothing to write home about. For my entree I ordered rigatoni in vodka sauce and I promise you that it was not any vodka sauce I've ever had before. To be honest, it truly tasted like they put my rigatoni in some of that tomato basil soup, there was no difference in taste or texture. It was terrible. My cousin ordered "shrimp and pasta" and she got a plate of just that--shrimp tossed in some pasta. No sauce, no seasonings, nothing. Pasta, olive oil and shrimp is what it looked AND tasted like that. I could have made her that at home for much cheaper and I might have even throw in some garlic or something in for some taste. Based on everything else, we decided to skip dessert and went somewhere else. read more

Excellent dinners and pizza. We have had great waiters each time. Love the pasta dishes. Try something new each visit and have never left hungry or not happy read more

Ok, folks! We dropped in for lunch on a random Tuesday and were pleasantly surprised. VERY traditional fare... the restaurant smells like all the old American Italian restaurants you loved as a child. We were well taken care of by a friendly efficient waitress. The lunch prices we so reasonable! The bread was fresh hot and homemade! The sauces were what you'd expect but the pizza dough was fantastic! Great food! Even the House Italian salad dressing was sweet and tangy. read more

Excellent service and food. Prices are very reasonable too. My wife had Anna's Famous Pasta Pillows, and I enjoyed the Linguini Carbonara.

I've been here a number of times, and it's always been tasty. The pizza is solid, the carbonara is delicious. Last night, however, was the pits. My wife and I ordered calzones. Onion, mushroom, spinach and ricotta. I might as well have eaten a heated piece of cardboard. This Calzone had zero flavor to it. No seasoning at all. The dipping marinara sauce tasted like canned ragu. I give a 3 star rating for the service. Great people, very up beat. Feels very Italian. I'll be back, just not for calzones... read more

It is official........we are done with Salute in Racine! Three for three visits, we arrived early enough to be seated immediately. We had one drink served, appetizer, salad...........then as the restaurant got busy, we sat with no drinks or water for over 30 minutes, with our waitress nowhere to be found. When the table behind us, who came in 20 minutes after us got their dinner.......we got up and walked out........... The first time it happened, I accepted and forgot, the second time we waited a while before we returned............third time.........we are DONE! Get your act together Salute.......yes you make money off of big groups, but your regulars keep you in business! Your food is good, but not THAT good! read more

Absolutely blown away. Old fashion Italian Restaurant. It's a must, and the wine list was excellent.

I wanted to like this restaurant. I went because a friend said it was great pizza and traditional Italian food. The pizza could have been great, but it came out cold. Not luke warm. Cold on the outside ring and slightly warm inside. I ordered the thin crust with sausage, onion, tomatoes, mushrooms. Also ordered a glass of Chianti that came sweeter than most I have had, but probably would have worked well with a tart pasta dish. When we started eating the pizza I mentioned that it was cold and called the waitress over and told her. She acted kinda sorry and said she would talk to the kitchen. That was it. No visit by the manager or owner, no explanation of any sort or offer to reheat or remake the pizza. I found that odd. Most pies I eat come out steaming where you have to blow on it, or gingerly eat it so it does not scald your mouth. This pie was almost room temperature---cold for a pizza. The check came, paid and then left. Not a word about the pizza. The pizza was not bad. It was one of the better tasting pizzas I have had, but I don't really know because it was not the right temp. To make it even worse, the place was not even that busy. Only about 20% of the dining room was filled. I have a theory. The less busy a restaurant is on any given night the chances are greater you will have bad service or a cold meal. If places are hopping there is no time to let the food get cold or good service not to be rendered. The rest of the menu was quite extensive with pasta, chicken, fish, veal and other dishes you would expect from a family run Calibres style Italian Restaurant. Unfortunately, nobody came over and tipped their glass with a "salute!" They just left a cold pizza. read more

Salutes had a great friendly environment. I had the gnocchi alla carbonara which was great. The proportion sizes are large which make it nice for taking home leftovers. Our bartender Katie was alert and friendly, which makes salutes a great environment for conversation and family. read more

Salute Italian Restaurant - Seating area - Italian Near Me - Racine, Wisconsin

See all

Warm and welcoming. Food was excellent. Staff was attentive. There is definitely thought and expertise put into the dishes. Great portion size and almost everyone we saw left with a doggie bag. Would go back again and again! read more

I LOVE salutes! Ive been there many times and have never had a problem. One time we were there you could tell the waiter was a little too busy and they comped us a few drinks, when the service wasn't even that bad! Amazing food & a wonderful atmosphere! I recommend it to everyone looking for good home made Italian food! read more

Fun little Italian place I've sent a lot of people from out of town. If your a visiting or on business fun place good service

Really good Italian food located in the heart of scenic downtown Racine? You must be here! Everything is really good. Service is fantastic, even when they get slammed - and this place gets SLAMMMED! Luckily, they have ample seating, so waits are generally short. Shrimp fra Diabla can be rip-your-face-off hot, but it's still really good! My most frequent dinner guest lives off the gnocchi carbonara - swears by it!!! I love an old (removed) menu item, the Steak ala Ida! I've gotten them to go ahead and make it, although it's been removed, so I must be special. Or not. Either way, I will keep it alive as long as they let me. I'd say Racine's best Italian food. Certainly, the best antipasti platter. Give it a try. Even the pizza's ok here, and I'm REALLY picky about pizza! read more

First time eating here. I was looking forward to some good good garlic bread and pasta. The cheesy garlic bread was barely toasted and no hint of garlic butter that I could tell. When the Chicken Parmigiana I ordered finally came, it was luke warm and although a lot of food(I barely ate 1/4 of the chicken and perhaps 1/2 of the spaghetti) it was close to spice-less....very very bland. I had planned on having dessert but at this point the record for flavour was too poor. We took the food home for the spouses and dogs and had to wait 10 minutes between getting the takeout containers and the bill. Very slow service. Yes it was busy but it was a Saturday late afternoon. They should have been prepared. The other waiter at the table next to us was on point and they had their food, free drinks, takeout containers and the bill all before us. Not going back to this particular restaurant. read more

Pasta and pizza is amazing and the service is terrific. Shot of sambuca for dessert always hits the spot! Great atmosphere for the family or a night out. Great people! read more