Excellent restaurant! Has always been one of my favorites. Always had a great meal and excellent service. Very sorry to see the restaurant closing and the family returning to Italy, however, I can understand. Thanks for a great experience!
dianecS177DJ
Their the food at Valentino's cuisine in Crawfordsville Indiana is the best darn place in the world other than Italy probably all the dishes are made by one cook and she is awesome the food is just unbelievable I love that place and I'm definitely going to miss it because you can't find no type of Italian food like Usman Italian food at Valentino's Italian cuisine
Tyler Waters
My wife and I were recommended to stop in here because it was authentic Italian, farm to table. It was a Saturday night around 5:45 and the place was empty. We were not going to let that detour us. We sat down and the waiter was super sweet. The atmosphere was clean but not exactly what you would expect for an upscale Italian restaurant. The menu was professional and had some nice dishes. We went with the mushroom chicken fettuccine and the chicken parmesan with spaghetti and homemade sauce. They bring out bread to start and the oil was good but the bread was more of a crouton than a dipping bread. My wife and I brought our own wine since we were told they didn't serve wine and we we allowed to bring it. That was fine but were told we're going to pay $8 for bringing our own wine, although I'm not sure this is enforced since our waiter didn't add it to our bill, but it was noted on the menu.Again the waiter tried his very best and asked multiple times if we needed anything.Now to the food:For us to be recommend by another local business and it was farm to table it was less than ideal. The food lacked something, my wife would say "love". It was very soggy and soupy I would say. It was bland and almost grey in color. Although the dishes did have fresh herbs on top to give the appearance of flavor.Overall my wife and I were hungry and ate , tipped the waiter well because he was so nice and then left after paying the bill. Im not writing this review as an angry customer but more as a customer who has dined at farm to table Italian restaurants and this restaurant needed a few improvements. I would go back if food quality and presentation was a bit better. I'm writing this as more of constructive criticism more so than a bad review.
Vecks
Ordered takeout, got the wrong food, the food we did receive was full of awful grissly meat. Will absolutely not be back, horrible. Frozen pasta would have been a better option.
Christi Thornburg
Happy we decided to give this establishment a chance when we visited Crawfordsville.While overpriced, the food quality and taste is great. I personally was a huge fan of the tomato soup that came with our meal. You could easily tell it was homemade and had great flavors for what some would consider a “basic” soup, and went wonderfully with the bread provided. I would easily order a bowl of it by itself, if it was offered on the menu.Their alfredo sauce had great flavor, and so did the chicken. We topped the night off with tiramisu, which was everything we could have hoped for.I had to give only 4 stars because we almost completely overlooked the restaurant, after reading some of the negative responses the owner has on some negative reviews. I don’t feel it’s right as an owner to lash out, even if you’re unhappy with others opinions. You’ll scare away potential customers before they even give your food a chance. Glad our experience went well though.If you’re looking for a nice sit down date night or just a higher quality dinner and aren’t bothered by paying slightly more, definitely give this one a shot.
Chupacabra5
Starting with a potential deal breaker for anyone not familiar with the restaurant: they require cash or check and do not accept cards or apps here. Would hate for anyone to drive here and be surprised by this. Now, to the 5 star review: This is hands down one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve ever eaten. - the environment is versatile. We hiked all day at Turkey Run and came here sweaty and dirty and we felt fine here. But it’s classy enough for a proper dressed up date and you can make a great impression here if that is your goal. - the meals came with amazing bread and tomato soup that was excellent. - the portion sizes were generous - the Lasagna was amazing - the Salmon Rigatoni was very good - we came before the rush but service was fine! We got the Chocolate Cale Dessert and it was ok. Not nearly as good as everything else we tried. I highly recommend this place if you are in the mood for real Italian. The sauces were next level and the food was prepared perfectly. Most dishes were $20-$35 and came with the bread and soup.
Alyssa Diaz
Saw some mixed reviews so we were hesitant, but we gave it a go after learning about their farm, where they procure many ingredients from. The food, all handmade, including the pastas were spectacular. The sauces and soups were so incredibly fresh, and seasoned perfectly. It reminded me of REAL Italian food, not knock off americanized italian (Olive Garden).Now for prices, it was a bit higher than chain Italian, but quality food, fresh ingredients, and supporting local is well worth it in my book. For example I had Scallop Linguine for $23. Scallops are crazy expensive, to me this is priced low, but my sons (adult portion) ravioli was $21, may seem high to some. If you've ever handmade ravioli you'd know how much work truly goes into it.My family of 4 dined for under $125. Which to me is reasonable. We can't wait to go try new dishes.
Alyssa
A great find. Food was delicious, some of the best authentic Italian I've had.Only negative, they don't take cards, cash or check only.
Shane Harbolt
Food was good. I had 4 cheese/meat Ravioli wife had chicken parmigiana. They are a cash only so be ready for that.
Cory Thompson
I've been told such good things, but I'm not entirely sure why.Yes, the food was really good; however, there are some issues.First, their selection is limited.Second, it is really overpriced. Three of us and the total came to over $100. Also, why do they have a convenience charge if they don't have the convenience of paying with a card?It's a nice touch to have dinner with live music.
My personal experience was wonderful. Quaint little place. Loved the food! Service was awesome. Food was flavorful. A hidden gem for us. One of the best experience I've had. Definitely should have a better rating. IMO. Out of towners that just so happened to stubble here. Would love to go back soon!
Deidre Lennon-Bench
I am from Peru, Indiana and came to Crawfordsville to stay with my family for the week and had dinner at your restaurant yesterday evening and I want to compliment you for having the very best spaghetti and meatballs that I have ever enjoyed. I absolutely loved it and I love your Farm Valentino's for the most delicious produce too. The tomatoes and cantaloupe were delicious. I look forward to enjoying it all again. ?
Adrianna Bowers
We found a hair in our food and when we told the server she picked it up off of the table and tried to gaslight us into thinking that wasn't a hair. She then didn't offer a discount or anything and started telling us what happens when other people find hairs. So apparently this is a common thing. It's also super overpriced. They're charging 17 dollars for a plate of buttered noodles with some cheese on it. I was one of two tables and it took me two hours at least to get my food. There was no ventilation in the building either so the entire building was filled with smoke from the kitchen. A third table came in while we were waiting for our food and the server practically yelled that she didn't want to wait on a third table to the entire dining room. All of that aside the food isn't bad. If you were going to do pickup I think you'd be fine.
Chandler Delaney
Fazolis, ragu, prego, day old olive garden, etc. All better options and all cheaper. I paid 20 dollars for a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, the pasta was not homemade, the meatballs had RAW BREAD DOUGH in them, the sauce was practically tomato soup had almost no flavor. It was dark and the music was weird, my wife's lasagna was hard in the middle on one of the noodles. The bread was awful at the start. Just incredibly overpriced for what was the single worst reataurant expirience of my life. DO NOT GO, WASTE OF MONEY.
Bret Priebe
Warm atmosphere with good dishes made with care, this is a must visit when in Crawfordsville.
Excellent restaurant! Has always been one of my favorites. Always had a great meal and excellent service. Very sorry to see the restaurant closing and the family returning to Italy, however, I can understand. Thanks for a great experience!
Their the food at Valentino's cuisine in Crawfordsville Indiana is the best darn place in the world other than Italy probably all the dishes are made by one cook and she is awesome the food is just unbelievable I love that place and I'm definitely going to miss it because you can't find no type of Italian food like Usman Italian food at Valentino's Italian cuisine
My wife and I were recommended to stop in here because it was authentic Italian, farm to table. It was a Saturday night around 5:45 and the place was empty. We were not going to let that detour us. We sat down and the waiter was super sweet. The atmosphere was clean but not exactly what you would expect for an upscale Italian restaurant. The menu was professional and had some nice dishes. We went with the mushroom chicken fettuccine and the chicken parmesan with spaghetti and homemade sauce. They bring out bread to start and the oil was good but the bread was more of a crouton than a dipping bread. My wife and I brought our own wine since we were told they didn't serve wine and we we allowed to bring it. That was fine but were told we're going to pay $8 for bringing our own wine, although I'm not sure this is enforced since our waiter didn't add it to our bill, but it was noted on the menu.Again the waiter tried his very best and asked multiple times if we needed anything.Now to the food:For us to be recommend by another local business and it was farm to table it was less than ideal. The food lacked something, my wife would say "love". It was very soggy and soupy I would say. It was bland and almost grey in color. Although the dishes did have fresh herbs on top to give the appearance of flavor.Overall my wife and I were hungry and ate , tipped the waiter well because he was so nice and then left after paying the bill. Im not writing this review as an angry customer but more as a customer who has dined at farm to table Italian restaurants and this restaurant needed a few improvements. I would go back if food quality and presentation was a bit better. I'm writing this as more of constructive criticism more so than a bad review.
Ordered takeout, got the wrong food, the food we did receive was full of awful grissly meat. Will absolutely not be back, horrible. Frozen pasta would have been a better option.
Happy we decided to give this establishment a chance when we visited Crawfordsville.While overpriced, the food quality and taste is great. I personally was a huge fan of the tomato soup that came with our meal. You could easily tell it was homemade and had great flavors for what some would consider a “basic” soup, and went wonderfully with the bread provided. I would easily order a bowl of it by itself, if it was offered on the menu.Their alfredo sauce had great flavor, and so did the chicken. We topped the night off with tiramisu, which was everything we could have hoped for.I had to give only 4 stars because we almost completely overlooked the restaurant, after reading some of the negative responses the owner has on some negative reviews. I don’t feel it’s right as an owner to lash out, even if you’re unhappy with others opinions. You’ll scare away potential customers before they even give your food a chance. Glad our experience went well though.If you’re looking for a nice sit down date night or just a higher quality dinner and aren’t bothered by paying slightly more, definitely give this one a shot.
Starting with a potential deal breaker for anyone not familiar with the restaurant: they require cash or check and do not accept cards or apps here. Would hate for anyone to drive here and be surprised by this. Now, to the 5 star review: This is hands down one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve ever eaten. - the environment is versatile. We hiked all day at Turkey Run and came here sweaty and dirty and we felt fine here. But it’s classy enough for a proper dressed up date and you can make a great impression here if that is your goal. - the meals came with amazing bread and tomato soup that was excellent. - the portion sizes were generous - the Lasagna was amazing - the Salmon Rigatoni was very good - we came before the rush but service was fine! We got the Chocolate Cale Dessert and it was ok. Not nearly as good as everything else we tried. I highly recommend this place if you are in the mood for real Italian. The sauces were next level and the food was prepared perfectly. Most dishes were $20-$35 and came with the bread and soup.
Saw some mixed reviews so we were hesitant, but we gave it a go after learning about their farm, where they procure many ingredients from. The food, all handmade, including the pastas were spectacular. The sauces and soups were so incredibly fresh, and seasoned perfectly. It reminded me of REAL Italian food, not knock off americanized italian (Olive Garden).Now for prices, it was a bit higher than chain Italian, but quality food, fresh ingredients, and supporting local is well worth it in my book. For example I had Scallop Linguine for $23. Scallops are crazy expensive, to me this is priced low, but my sons (adult portion) ravioli was $21, may seem high to some. If you've ever handmade ravioli you'd know how much work truly goes into it.My family of 4 dined for under $125. Which to me is reasonable. We can't wait to go try new dishes.
A great find. Food was delicious, some of the best authentic Italian I've had.Only negative, they don't take cards, cash or check only.
Food was good. I had 4 cheese/meat Ravioli wife had chicken parmigiana. They are a cash only so be ready for that.
I've been told such good things, but I'm not entirely sure why.Yes, the food was really good; however, there are some issues.First, their selection is limited.Second, it is really overpriced. Three of us and the total came to over $100. Also, why do they have a convenience charge if they don't have the convenience of paying with a card?It's a nice touch to have dinner with live music.
Restaurantji Recommends
My personal experience was wonderful. Quaint little place. Loved the food! Service was awesome. Food was flavorful. A hidden gem for us. One of the best experience I've had. Definitely should have a better rating. IMO. Out of towners that just so happened to stubble here. Would love to go back soon!
I am from Peru, Indiana and came to Crawfordsville to stay with my family for the week and had dinner at your restaurant yesterday evening and I want to compliment you for having the very best spaghetti and meatballs that I have ever enjoyed. I absolutely loved it and I love your Farm Valentino's for the most delicious produce too. The tomatoes and cantaloupe were delicious. I look forward to enjoying it all again. ?
We found a hair in our food and when we told the server she picked it up off of the table and tried to gaslight us into thinking that wasn't a hair. She then didn't offer a discount or anything and started telling us what happens when other people find hairs. So apparently this is a common thing. It's also super overpriced. They're charging 17 dollars for a plate of buttered noodles with some cheese on it. I was one of two tables and it took me two hours at least to get my food. There was no ventilation in the building either so the entire building was filled with smoke from the kitchen. A third table came in while we were waiting for our food and the server practically yelled that she didn't want to wait on a third table to the entire dining room. All of that aside the food isn't bad. If you were going to do pickup I think you'd be fine.
Fazolis, ragu, prego, day old olive garden, etc. All better options and all cheaper. I paid 20 dollars for a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, the pasta was not homemade, the meatballs had RAW BREAD DOUGH in them, the sauce was practically tomato soup had almost no flavor. It was dark and the music was weird, my wife's lasagna was hard in the middle on one of the noodles. The bread was awful at the start. Just incredibly overpriced for what was the single worst reataurant expirience of my life. DO NOT GO, WASTE OF MONEY.
Warm atmosphere with good dishes made with care, this is a must visit when in Crawfordsville.