We were there for lunch on a weekday. Service was slow, but the poor waitress has to climb steps to get food to you, yet she was a very friendly waitress. Personally, I would have been crabby. The building is neat, as are all the spaces in Galena. Honestly, the food? Beh. VERY nothing special. read more

A complete disappointment in quality of food!! The veal was tough and the marsala gravy had to be from a can. My husband ordered their baked sausage dish (Aunt Gracie's Sausage Ragu) which the heavy layer of cheese was thicker than the dish. We watched a woman a table next to us that order the same dish, she refused it and sent it back to the kitchen, which after receiving the $100 bill, we should have done the same!! Totally disappointment!! We will never go back!! read more

My husband and I had dinner here to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary this last Saturday and we're very disappointed both in the food and the service. I had been there on other occasions in the past with other people and it was delicious and the service was good so I thought my husband would enjoy it too. We had reservations and were seated. It took a very long time for our server to take our drink orders. She made many trips back and forth to other tables with minor things like the bill or a drink so it isn't as if she could not have brought our drinks or our bread and salad more promptly. She had a very I will get around to it when I get around to it attitude. The salad and garlic bread finally came and the bread was so oily. It was not good. Our meals finally came, I ordered spaghetti in red sauce my husband ordered meat ravioli. Both our plates of pasta were water logged. Mine was lukewarm and my husbands ravioli was lukewarm in the center and cold on the edges. It certainly wasn't a meal that rated the over $50 dollars we were charged for it. My husband and I wanted to let someone know about it but chose not to spoil the rest of our anniversary celebration by getting into an argument. We will definitely not be returning on our next trip to Galena. read more

Over the weekend the wife and I cruised out to Galena, IL for their Nouveau Wine Festival. We've come out here quite a few times and decided this trip we were going to try new restaurants other than our usual places we hit. Friday night we went to Vinny Vanucchis Italian restaurant. Good reviews on different travel sites and this is right along the main strip and right around the corner from our favorite wine bar. Being that it was Nouveau Wine Festival, many restaurants had special menus for this particular weekend. The inside of this place took you back to old world Italy, with it's stone walls, grape vine ceiling and red and white checkerboard table cloths. We ordered a bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon blanc and munched on the complimentary warm garlic bread. The wife had the eggplant parm. Special with a cup of their cream of wild mushroom and truffle soup, I had the Seafood Italiano and the soup as well. WOW!! I have had my share of mushroom soups and this was by far some of the best. Very creamy and filled with mushrooms and the grated truffle was the icing on the cake! She loved the eggplant parm and my Seafood italiano was quite good. I didn't care for the pasta side dish all that much but I mainly ordered this dish for the seafood and cheese goodness. For desert, we had a to go container with the chocolate and strawberry cheesecakes to enjoy with a bottle of red wine at our next stop. Overall, we really enjoyed this place and will come back. I wouldn't suggest this place for large parties bit definitely for 2-6 people. read more

We were seated immediately, which was awesome but that was it. After sitting, no one greeted us at all. 3 servers were in our area, none of which even said hello. We took our menus back to the stand on our way out and handed to the group of servers standing around having a conversation about anal beads. Too bad because the food looked promising. read more

I use to love this place so much! It still is a great place and I love the atmosphere but it seems like it has gone down hill since the last time I was here about a year ago. The food was so filled with taste then now it seems like no matter what I order it tastes bland. I dont know what happened here but I wish they would slow things down a bit and spend more time working on getting back to the great restaurant they use to be! read more

I've never been to Galena before, it was an overcast day in the 40's i was starving and didn't want to walk up and down that main drag looking for a place so I settled on VV's. i thought the food was fine, i had the chicken parmesan tasted fine to me, i really liked the garlic bread, so buttery and crisp. The salad was no big wup, iceberg lettuce, which I never see in CA but hey I wasn't in CA! read more

Wonderful Italian food and always our go to place in Galena. One time, we went for both lunch and dinner in one day. The atmosphere is wonderful, and our wait staff has always been great and attentive. Their Italian dressing is so good, we've always brought some home and even ordered it online once we got back home to Chicago. I'm recommending it to my mother when she goes to Galena next weekend - she won't be disappointed and neither will you! read more

I love Galena. I am willing to drive 2.5 hours just to enjoy the feel of this cute little town. Vinny Vanucchi's Littly Italy is always a lunch spot when I visit. The food is great and the ambiance very Italian. I only wish this place was closer to home. read more

To me, Italian food is the same everywhere and you can make stuff just as good at home, so I don't often want to go, but I had a taste for pasta so we went. Looking for a place on a Sunday, Yelp indicated it was closed but when we walked by to our alternate place we saw it was open and went in. We got seated quickly, but I personally thought service was slow. It was slow getting us drinks and slow getting refills. The missus gave me a line about how they do things slowly in Italy and don't want to rush you. I'm not sure how letting you savor the feeling of being thirsty helps the experience but I'm not Italian so what do I know? They start off by giving you garlic bread with cheese in oil. Its very tasty as long as you don't let it sit in the oil too long and soak it all up. They also offer a salad with a homemade dressing that was fantastic. I had the penne pasta with marinara and a hot Italian sausage. The missus had Cousin Tony's Penne romano, which is a tomato basil cream sauce with mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts baked with mozzarella and parmesan. Mine was tasty enough...its penne pasta. The red sauce was spiced nicely, although it got a little watery at the bottom. The sausage was ok, but I've had better (insert joke here). The dinner came out so hot I suspect the stuff wasn't fresh, but frozen and microwaved. The missus had them add chicken to her dish, which they either didn't charge for or forgot to. I thought it tasted good and so did she but it was way overloaded with mozzarella cheese by probably about double. She's convinced the artichokes were canned (I couldn't tell) The portions were decent, and so were the prices. You'll be ok if you go here and don't want to spend a lot of money, but you can do better. read more

We went to Vinny's during Illuminati night in Dec, reservations were made in advance because we had a group of 8. This location is very interesting to say the least, it's above the downtown area so you have a few steps to climb to get up to Vinny's. Once you get inside you instantly notice the character of the building, getting to your table may require you to go back outside and walk up a few more floors to your table. To start off your dinner, salad with house dressing and garlic bread are all you can eat and they are very tasty and the bread is truly garlicky! You can easily fill up on just these two items. I ordered the house specialty Chef Roberto's baked sausage ragu. It's a great item and I was very pleased with the taste, truly an Italian dish! We experienced great service, our waitress was on the ball and even broke up the check for us to make it easier to pay, she was not required to do that per menu statement on groups. I highly recommend Vinny's Vanucchi's, it's always a destination for us in Galena. read more

Very quaint but horrible food. Marina tasted like tomato paste, Alfredo sauce was runny, ordered medium rare steaks which were served well done. Very disappointing. read more

We tried this for dinner on a Sat. night recently and got seated on the outside patio in about 5 minutes. Our server was a young, energetic guy who was very talkative and nice. I had the chicken primavera alfredo and was not impressed at all. The alfredo lacked flavor and richness and the chicken seemed to have just been boiled and thrown in with some veggies. Olive Gardens Alfredo has them beat! My husband had the baked mostaccoli with sausage and he said it was good but spicy. The garlic bread was the best part of the meal. For the money I would probably pass on this place unless you want to go for an appetizer and a drink on the patio. read more

We went at 9pm on a Tuesday evening, Vinny's having the only kitchen still open. It was nearly empty. Service was great, decor was fine. Side salad and garlic bread were ok. Pasta was way over coooked and mushy. Marinara was loaded with sugar, and had only the slightest tomato flavor. The OLIO sauce lacked any flavor at all. read more

Great food, atmosphere and service. Had the Baked Seafood Italiano absolutely awesome. My wife had the Shrimp Milanese WOW. In addition, portions are huge. Either come hungry or leave with a doggy bag. Nothing wrong with having it as a leftover. Will be back here again for sure. read more

my friend & i were about to give up eating on Main Street but we passed by this place & we were so glad it was amazing! our server was so nice & made sure our drinks & food were good & would check up often on us. we got the stuffed ravioli which was a dream come true with the garlic bread! the salad was great & within 20 minutes our food came out & was so great! i got the chicken parmesan & was able to take it home easily we definitely would come back to galena just to eat at this place again! read more

I had read some recent negative reviews, and was hesitant to come here but we decided to give it a chance anyway. We were pleasantly surprised. I had reservations and we were seated right away. The waitress was friendly and took good care of us even though she was getting pretty busy. The salad was good, the garlic bread was very good-not sitting in a pool of oil like a previous reviewer said. Our food came out fresh and hot. We'll definitely be back. read more

This place is what it is. My husband and I both had pasta dishes for lunch. They were a descent size for lunch and for the price. We had soda and it was filled often without asking. The salad dressing was so good we bought 2 bottles. It's not great. But it's good and priced accordingly. read more

I had a pretty good experience at Vinny Vanucchi's. Our waitress was very attentive and really knew the menu when we asked for recommendations. The food portions were large, but like the other reviews, typical of a larger city, not a small town restaurant. The food (our food at least) was excellent! The overall feel the restaurant is very cozy, and we had a pretty excellent time while we were there. I only give four stars because, like I stated earlier, it was a tad over-priced. read more

The waitress thought I was wacked when I asked for olive oil for the bread- what??? but other than that the manicotti was great & everything else was great! read more

BEST CANNOLI since she visited Italy, according to my wife. She had the egg plant parama (not on regular menu) and thoroughly enjoyed it. My angel hair w/marinara was very good and the Italian sausage that came with it was outstanding. Cheesy Italian-American ambiance, but I like Dean Martin. Suggest 'wine cellar' seating if you can get it. read more

HORRIBLE - Everything was drowning in a white sauce and mounds of cheese. the bread was so greasy it drained through the paper on the table cloth. 4 bad glasses of OLD wine. The ONLY redeeming quality was our waiter. Not worth the time or the money. read more

Price is right. Atmosphere is wonderful. Service is great. Garlic bread was good. Maybe it's my tastebuds but the pasta dish had so-so flavor. I got the pasta primavera. It was creamy but not that flavorful. Family style salad dressing was also so-so. Will probably visit again in hopes that the food is better next time. read more

Enjoyed dinner with 4 friends on Saturday. The atmosphere was great and we had a nice evening. But the food was average overall and the service was poor. We waited 20 min for salads. One member of our party got her food late with no apology. Our carafe of water wax seltzer water rather than tap do we thought it 'tasted funny'. My lasagne was not as good as Fried Green Tomatoes. The chicken Parmesan was just ok. The chicken tortellini was very good. read more

I last dined here about 10 years ago and I found it a good Italian experience. I was with a group of people last week and no one thought that the food was passable. I found it utterly bad, a thick brown mess of a wine and mushroom sauce over chewy veal. I will never go back. Has this place changed ownership? Change head chefs? In Chicago this place would close in a month. Service was good and the prices, although on the high end, did not seem out of line with many good Italian restaurants. But, then came the food. I would rather open a can read more

This is the most overrated restaurant I've visited in years. Who is providing those 4 stars?!?! I looked at the wine section & knew this could be problematic. All but 2 or 3 of the wines weren't Italian; they were just random grocery store varieties. I always order pasta at Italian restaurants, but every pasta here comes smothered in "heavy sauce." So I ordered chicken marsala. I could hardly cut the chicken, let alone chew it! I sent it back & asked the server to just bring another dinner salad. She really wanted me to choose a different entree, so I relented & asked for spaghetti with marinara. It was cold! I cannot remember the last time I sent back anything at a restaurant, let alone 2 entrees! They didn't charge me which relieved the stress but not the disappointment with the dining experience. read more

Our first time in Galena and we were told that this place was very good. The server was friendly enough but rushed us by bring the all the ordered food almost all at once. Appetizers, salad, bread, entrees. The place was not busy at all to warrant rushing of the food. It was like the kitchen finally had something to do and cooked everything at once. We had fried calamari appetizer and it was just okay. After we barely started eating the appetizers the salad and COLD bread were pushed on the table. We were eating our salad (the dressing was good) and our entree was brought out. I had chicken parm and the sauce tasted like it came from a jar. The chicken was just okay. My wife had fettuccine seafood. She said it was bland and flavorless. It was supposed to have shrimp, scallops and REAL crabmeat. The scallops were few and tiny and there was NO crabmeat at all. We also heard other patrons complaining to the staff that the food was not up to their previous standards and not very good. Their excuse was "I'm sorry there are new owners". Well if that's the case all previous reviews should be removed and they should start over. I would only recommend the salad. read more

Excellent service and very good food! love the house vinaigrette!! Restaurant unique and and cozy. Our waiter was excellent! Will definitely come back! read more

This place is great. The food was so good. from the appetizer to the desert it all tasted amazing. the prices are pretty good and the service was awesome. Our waitress was Ashley. she was so funny and just a ball of joy to be around. She recommended everything we tried and WOW!! Could not have been happier.. This is a must stop and eat place.. read more

It's not scary bad, but folks- this place is not good! About the only perk of the restaurant is that it is large and there is tons of seating, which can be good if you're visiting Galena with a big group. From there, it goes downhill. You're going to overpay for overly oily and under-heated food. Your server will be wearing yoga pants on the job and not really care that your drink glasses are sitting empty. And if you go in warm weather, you're likely to see at least a fly or two buzzing around. read more

Great atmosphere and great food! Seafood Italiano was delicious, and the garlic bread was to die for. Highly recommended if you're in the area. read more

Pasta was undercooked. Didn't have ketchup. Veal tasted frozen. Overall layout is not disabled friendly. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. read more

The Chicken Parmesan and Chicken Marsala were fabulous! Go for the Zinfandel too! Had a great experience at this adorable Italian restaurant! read more

Vinny Vanucchi's - The Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Marsala, and house salad with homemade dressing were fabulous! Go for the Zinfandel too! - Italian Near Me - Galena, Illinois

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We went out for lunch this week. Everyone one got the chicken parm except I. I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich with a side salad. What a wonderful meal and the garlic bread is fabulous. I could just have the salad is was great too. I am sure we will be back here again! read more

Amazing find at Galena! Such a beautiful town with super nice people - and the restaurant was our first stop! The food was just amazing - alfredo sauce and the eggplant just melted All ingredients were fresh and you could just feel the freshness .But the highlight of the entire meal - their garlic bread and the house salad - the best I have tasted in a longgg time ! Kudos to the entire team :) read more

Vinny Vanucchi's - The restaurant - Italian Near Me - Galena, Illinois

So disappointed in this visit, and actually the last 3 visits have been less then expected. Their description of the Milanese Shrimp is nothing that they serve. Their were 7 in our party, we waited over 45 minutes for drinks and that was after we asked several times. They had one server for the entire room, he was in charge of taking orders, serving and making drinks! This experience was not his fault, we had two hours for our meal and had to rush at the end, to meet our tour, will not be going back.......last chance. read more

We tried to find a good dog friendly restaurant in Galena and noticed that Vinny Vanucchi's had an outside patio. We were assured it was dog friendly, and in fact they even brought us water for our pet. The salad and warm garlic bread were great starters. My husband got the seafood special, and I got Chicken Vinito. The Vinny's sauce has just the right amount of spice. We both enjoyed our dinners very much. Great service, good wine prices, extensive menu. read more

I was visiting Galena for a couple of days and decided to give Vinny's a try. I really enjoyed it. The server, Emily, was working the room by herself, but she did not miss a beat. She paid attention to everyone (about 6 tables when I was there). She was awesome! The food was great - I dined alone, but I was enjoying the music and the atmosphere. I definitely recommend if you are ever in Galena! read more

Not at all impressed with the food or service. Waitress did not return after the entrée was served or to refill the drinks. Asked for Parmesan cheese never returned. I had Alfredo Primavera that was tasteless. The salad and bread we're pretty good. read more

Not even close to Italian my god. Never bring a true Italian to this place. Nothing like Italian the sauce was watery the pasta over cooked pasta is to be served al dente no like something that someone can eat who has no teeth and uses their gums that's for old peoples home. The salad was mediocre at best and the thing they call garlic bread...not even close. For all of you who have given this place more than 1 star you obviously have never been to a true Italian restaurant. The server and service was good I still tipped our waitress it's not her fault the food sucked read more