Chicago prices in Champaign-Urbana! The food maybe incredible but you better bring your deep wallet. The ambiance is very nice but a little hard to hear when the restaurant is full.
Chris Kurczaba
The food was substandard, The prices were ridiculously expensive for what it was. Service no idea what was going on. Went based on recommendations to come here is the best place in Champaign definitely do not recommend. Food was awful even to the point where they translated Chilean Seabass into Bronzino two completely different fish - place is ridiculous. Very confusing wine list and then a mandatory 20% gratuity.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Becca W.
Food was so yummy. Service was so lovely. Could not have had a better experience! The dish pictured is the best thing I've ever tasted! Super vegetarian friendly.
Talyna L.
came here with my boyfriend for valentine's day and had the best service from our server. he was so attentive and made an effort to connect with us. we've been coming here on valentine's for the last few years and this year nando's really went above and beyond! the whole restaurant was decorated with balloons and every table had a single rose and candle. 10/10 mood setting. food & drinks were also amazing. highly recommend!
EL PARAISO STAR A
The servers are pushy and I hate servers who come to my table every 2 mins. It doesn't feel good like almost like they're kicking me out. Food was very ok not as expected. We went during restaurant week and the menu they had setup was blah. It was too overpriced for the quality.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Cheesecake
Cole Evans
Cozy little spot with great food and service. Hands down the best Italian we’ve had in town. Can be a little pricey, but a great date night spot nonetheless.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Lobster Ravioli
Jacquelin Lai
Service is bad, interrupted me while I’m still chewing asking whether the food is good. Also, I asked for the takeout box for twice and waited half an hour to get a check. They also mandatorily charged for tips which exceeded 20% but claiming it as 20%.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Anirudh Ch
Overpriced food, avoid seabass, the fish was bland, the dressing/ sauce was good. Service is okay, our first server had a displeasing (smug) attitude. They try to push you towards higher priced dishes in a very sly manner, limited items on menu which are nothing out of the ordinary. No pasta options if you are allergic to red sauce.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu
Cole E.
Cozy little spot with great food and service. Prices are a bit inflated in my opinion, but still a great spot for a date night.
Had a great dinner. Did the short rib with gnocci and it was absolutely out of this world.The owner is Italian and has been running this family restraunt for a long time. Best italian dinner I can recount in the US, great atmosphere with a storied history behind it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cheesecake, Tiramisu, Gnocchi Alla Siciliana, Lasagna Bolognese
Sophia Winkler-Schor (Sophia Winkler)
We dined here for my mother in law’s birthday during restaurant week. Overall, we were pretty underwhelmed and glad we only paid $40 for three courses because the food was not worth the standard cost. (For the restaurant week pricing it was a good amount of food for $40). The brusslesprouts appetizer was delicious! The beet salad good but lacked some pop. The arancini was bland and kinda mushy. The pasta dishes were meh and are traditionally about $40 each. The pasta isn’t homemade. The cacio e Pepe lacks Pepe. It was mostly a bland alfredo. The carbonara was too saucy and nothing like I ate during my visits to Italy. The meat was nice though. We also had a service issue. we asked about onions in food due to an intolerance. They told us the dish we ordered had no onions at all and then when it arrived the dish was missing the sausage. We asked why and they said because that the sausage had onions which was never communicated to us. We obviously would not have ordered had we known the main ingredient would have been removed. The lady fingers in the tiramisu were still crunchy. As for ambiance, it is very loud! The walls are all exposed due to the industrial monden aesthetic but there is nothing to buffer the sound. It was extremely difficult to hear each other and the waiter. Overall, we were disappointed and would not return.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
Renee Landgrebe
The perfect Birthday dinner!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Driscoll J.
I went to this restaurant because the reviews were good . But I should have read the negative reviews more carefully . All of them were spot on ! How does this restaurant get 4 stars with so many 1-2 star reviews. I'm just saying. We ordered the Chicken parmigiana. , 45 dollars. Humm ,If you want anything else like maybe ... bread ?? It's 12 bucks . Does your 45 $ chicken dinner come with a salad , soup, pasta ? Nope ! . So , when the dinner comes you get this massive plate of chicken Brest . Maybe 3-4 chicken Breast . Wow , I guess that's why it's so expensive. Who eats like this ? No one ! So they figure people will pay another 50 dollars for a meal to make it right. All this , and haven't talked about the quality of the food . I thought the taste was good and my wife thought it was terrible. The funniest thing was they put 3 small pieces of potato's hidden under the massive chicken breast! Lol...
Michael
The semifreddo might be the best dessert in Illinois outside of Chicago. It absolutely dumbfounded us, and my wife just froze and kept repeating "wow".As entrees, we tried the chef special gnocchi con brasato di Manzo and the pappardelle funghi e tartufo. The braised short ribs on the gnocchi was tender beyond belief, and the dish overall was just brilliant. The pappardelle was also quite nice, especially as someone who loves mushrooms.Service was prompt, knowledgeable, helpful, but never hovering. We had the space to converse and relax, but when we needed something, they were there without hesitation. Our server's recommendations were easily the best parts of our meal, so be sure to let your server know your tastes and let them guide your experience.If you're coming during the weekend or have a party over 4 , I suggest you make reservations.
Chicago prices in Champaign-Urbana! The food maybe incredible but you better bring your deep wallet. The ambiance is very nice but a little hard to hear when the restaurant is full.
The food was substandard, The prices were ridiculously expensive for what it was. Service no idea what was going on. Went based on recommendations to come here is the best place in Champaign definitely do not recommend. Food was awful even to the point where they translated Chilean Seabass into Bronzino two completely different fish - place is ridiculous. Very confusing wine list and then a mandatory 20% gratuity.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Food was so yummy. Service was so lovely. Could not have had a better experience! The dish pictured is the best thing I've ever tasted! Super vegetarian friendly.
came here with my boyfriend for valentine's day and had the best service from our server. he was so attentive and made an effort to connect with us. we've been coming here on valentine's for the last few years and this year nando's really went above and beyond! the whole restaurant was decorated with balloons and every table had a single rose and candle. 10/10 mood setting. food & drinks were also amazing. highly recommend!
The servers are pushy and I hate servers who come to my table every 2 mins. It doesn't feel good like almost like they're kicking me out. Food was very ok not as expected. We went during restaurant week and the menu they had setup was blah. It was too overpriced for the quality.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Cheesecake
Cozy little spot with great food and service. Hands down the best Italian we’ve had in town. Can be a little pricey, but a great date night spot nonetheless.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Lobster Ravioli
Service is bad, interrupted me while I’m still chewing asking whether the food is good. Also, I asked for the takeout box for twice and waited half an hour to get a check. They also mandatorily charged for tips which exceeded 20% but claiming it as 20%.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Overpriced food, avoid seabass, the fish was bland, the dressing/ sauce was good. Service is okay, our first server had a displeasing (smug) attitude. They try to push you towards higher priced dishes in a very sly manner, limited items on menu which are nothing out of the ordinary. No pasta options if you are allergic to red sauce.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu
Cozy little spot with great food and service. Prices are a bit inflated in my opinion, but still a great spot for a date night.
pricy but worth
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Had a great dinner. Did the short rib with gnocci and it was absolutely out of this world.The owner is Italian and has been running this family restraunt for a long time. Best italian dinner I can recount in the US, great atmosphere with a storied history behind it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cheesecake, Tiramisu, Gnocchi Alla Siciliana, Lasagna Bolognese
We dined here for my mother in law’s birthday during restaurant week. Overall, we were pretty underwhelmed and glad we only paid $40 for three courses because the food was not worth the standard cost. (For the restaurant week pricing it was a good amount of food for $40). The brusslesprouts appetizer was delicious! The beet salad good but lacked some pop. The arancini was bland and kinda mushy. The pasta dishes were meh and are traditionally about $40 each. The pasta isn’t homemade. The cacio e Pepe lacks Pepe. It was mostly a bland alfredo. The carbonara was too saucy and nothing like I ate during my visits to Italy. The meat was nice though. We also had a service issue. we asked about onions in food due to an intolerance. They told us the dish we ordered had no onions at all and then when it arrived the dish was missing the sausage. We asked why and they said because that the sausage had onions which was never communicated to us. We obviously would not have ordered had we known the main ingredient would have been removed. The lady fingers in the tiramisu were still crunchy. As for ambiance, it is very loud! The walls are all exposed due to the industrial monden aesthetic but there is nothing to buffer the sound. It was extremely difficult to hear each other and the waiter. Overall, we were disappointed and would not return.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
The perfect Birthday dinner!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I went to this restaurant because the reviews were good . But I should have read the negative reviews more carefully . All of them were spot on ! How does this restaurant get 4 stars with so many 1-2 star reviews. I'm just saying. We ordered the Chicken parmigiana. , 45 dollars. Humm ,If you want anything else like maybe ... bread ?? It's 12 bucks . Does your 45 $ chicken dinner come with a salad , soup, pasta ? Nope ! . So , when the dinner comes you get this massive plate of chicken Brest . Maybe 3-4 chicken Breast . Wow , I guess that's why it's so expensive. Who eats like this ? No one ! So they figure people will pay another 50 dollars for a meal to make it right. All this , and haven't talked about the quality of the food . I thought the taste was good and my wife thought it was terrible. The funniest thing was they put 3 small pieces of potato's hidden under the massive chicken breast! Lol...
The semifreddo might be the best dessert in Illinois outside of Chicago. It absolutely dumbfounded us, and my wife just froze and kept repeating "wow".As entrees, we tried the chef special gnocchi con brasato di Manzo and the pappardelle funghi e tartufo. The braised short ribs on the gnocchi was tender beyond belief, and the dish overall was just brilliant. The pappardelle was also quite nice, especially as someone who loves mushrooms.Service was prompt, knowledgeable, helpful, but never hovering. We had the space to converse and relax, but when we needed something, they were there without hesitation. Our server's recommendations were easily the best parts of our meal, so be sure to let your server know your tastes and let them guide your experience.If you're coming during the weekend or have a party over 4 , I suggest you make reservations.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5