My partner and I went there on a date night a few months back.Cibo Vino is kinda mid, in my opinion.It relies on its wine selection and location to appeal to people, and the food kinda falls short. Lemme tell you why.It’s on one of the busier intersections in the Old Market, just across the street from Upstream and La Buvette. The ambience is lovely. Low, intimate lighting with a lot of really cool artwork and decor. The bar is beautifully designed, and our bartender was cool.Good selection of wine, and not too terribly priced if you’re getting it by the glass.Food and plating, however, was what made it mid.For a restaurant in a prime location serving food that’s anywhere from 25-35 bucks a plate, you’d expect some diversity in the flatware with a little bit of artful plating. Every dish came out on the same size plate, tossed onto the middle of it with no real thought.We got two slices of their rosemary focaccia for an appetizer, and it tasted like they had thrown a bunch of rosemary onto the fire before they grilled it. The flavor of rosemary was almost overpowering, bordering on bitter. Good texture and crunch, but Jesus was it herby.We got their bucatini amatriciana to split as well, and here is where the ‘real’ review of their food begins.While the ingredients of the dish were all there, they weren’t really combined. The pasta was cooked well, but there was next to no starch in the actual pasta. This tells me one thing: cheap pasta. It felt as if they’re just ordering large quantities of pasta from Sysco, par cooking it before service, then reheating in boiling water to sell. As a result, the ingredients of the sauce; the tomatoes, the guanciale, and the pecorino cheese, didn’t really have anything to bond them together. The basis of flavor was there, but the execution and prep work kinda blew it. Could use more salt, as well.For mains, we had the lemon chicken piccata and the hunter’s chicken cacciatore.Chicken piccata was flavorful and cooked well. The lemon was bright and delicious, but the sauce had slightly split. This tells me it was either unattended to on the line, or it cooled down while waiting to be brought to the table. However, my issue with the pasta arises once more. It felt like the penne it was served with was par cooked prior to service, reheated, and dumped onto a plate with the piccata coming off of sauté and on top of it all. The lack of starch was apparent. The pasta and sauce weren’t married very effectively, and it felt like I had to dip the pasta in the sauce to get an effective bite. Flavors were good -fantastic even- but the execution is where it lacks.Cacciatore was delicious. Flavor was fantastic, and the chicken was juicy and tender. HOWEVER, the sauce was missing something. The flavors were there, but the texture fell short. The mushrooms were canned, or at least it felt like they were. Now, I understand it is impossible to acquire fresh porcini mushrooms year round, but this is where you have to ADAPT. If porcinis aren’t available, switch to a fresh mushroom you can get quickly. Cremini would be fine, and those things can grow year round indoors. The mushroom gravy was tasty, if a bit lacking in salt. But the real star of the show was the polenta. It was blended beautifully with the pecorino, and was light, creamy, and fluffy. Good stuff.Dessert was the panna cotta. No complaints. Tasty and delicious.Overall, I have one main criticism for Cibo Vino:Make your own pasta.The experience was lovely, but I can tell that the main focus of the restaurant is shifted towards the wine, considering the chef was sitting two tables over speaking to a pair of sommeliers/wine dealers(?) as opposed to running expo.The food feels like an afterthought. Like someone decided to open a wine bar but said: “I need to serve food too!” The menu is classic Italian pasta fare, and somehow, they’ve managed to just barely miss the mark.I will say again; Cibo Vino, make your own damn pasta.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hazelnut Panna Cotta
Lizzy Curran
The Italian food here is shockingly good, seeing as they are competing with a lot of other fantastic Omaha Italian restaurant options, and it is sold at a fair price which is shocking for the Old Market area. We have eaten here a few times, and the small plates and wine are a fantastic deal during happy hour. I highly recommend the Cacio e Pepe. I recently had a birthday dinner here with around 14 people which they happily accommodated, set up the room, and served us all expediently. This is just a really great spot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bucatini Cacio Pepe, Gnocchi Alla Presto, Pappardelle Bolognese
shboege
Chris, our waiter, was very proficient in making sure we had everything we needed and offering tips along the way. The only thing we weren't crazy about was the hazelnut panchetta dessert, it was small, fair in flavor and overpriced. Otherwise it was an excellent meal. One more tip, the meatballs have a kick if you are sensitive to spices. The spaghetti comes out with 4 large meatballs and I could only handle finishing 1 as the heat really caught up with me but probably ideal for diners who enjoy spices.
PamE
Kenza was fantastic! She really made the entire evening special! Food was great. We had the charcuterie boatd and Brown butter pasta with beef tips! Great martini and again the service was top notch.
Stephanie L.
Really enjoyed this meal. The food was amazing. We got three of the small pasta plates to share and it was great. Our favorites are the brown butter fettuccine and pesto gnocchi. Ya also gotta get the rosemary focaccia
Lindsay S.
The best bolognese I have had in Omaha! Service was good. The restaurant was clean and older style, great for a quick date night downtown.
Lauren H.
This is some of the best pasta we've had in so long! Not only was our server wonderful but the ambiance was just delightful. I am a sweet wine lover and typically enjoy a moscato, while they didn't have a moscato the server took the time to recommend a wine that was just perfect with my pasta. A great date night!
Christine Miller
I stopped in and sat at the bar. Bartender was wonderful. To my surprise HH offers $5 glasses of house wines which is a deal! I ordered a small Ceasar salad and was not disappointed. Ordered the spaghetti and meatballs for dinner per recommendation for a friend and it was good. I liked that there was some heat in the sauce. There were so many items I wanted to try so I'll definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cesar Salad
Mad Buy
This is a really cozy and upscale place to dine. The food was excellent (Fennel Citrus Salmon, Neapolitan Calamari, Pappardelle Bolognese, and my favorite Porcini Beef Tip Penne). The server was a little odd when we asked if the salmon could be medium rare he said probably not but he could inquire with the chef. Duh, inquire! The drinks (Volgarre, Italian Margarita and Smiley's Old Fashioned) were spot on and the desserts (Tiramisu, Cannoli and Hazelnut Panna Cotta) were exquisite!
The restaurant and bar area are lovely. Warm and inviting, the bar is well stocked and you may order from the full menu.Tuesday night dinner I ordered wine (a bottle from the half off menu, as of 2/13/24) and had the bucatini cacio e pepe. It was rich, with a salty rich sauce from the Parmesan and salted water from the pasta, the heat from the pepper provided a wonderful bite.The hazelnut panna cotta called to me. The texture was perfection, with just the right amount of wobble. The crunch of the hazelnut and the caramel were delightful. Unfortunately, the large amount of Hershey's chocolate syrup on the plate overwhelmed the subtle flavor of the hazelnut and the scratch dessert.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bucatini Cacio Pepe
PJTK
Mussels were amazing and our favorite dish. Husband loves his Old Fashioned. One point offer service just because our server did not actually tell us there were any specials that evening, but we heard servers at other tables, describing them after we had ordered. Overall, great experience, and we will be back.
JulieD
The food was very good. Italian, but not the typical Italian menu. It was fun to try. We had a waitress named Jocelyn who was excellent and we learned it was only her second day. We were really impressed with her. The food came out much more quickly than we expected. It was hot, fresh, and delicous! My husband and I were both impressed with our dishes. I ordered a Cosmo which was poorly made. I'm a bit of a Cosmo diva, I expect it to be made properly and it should be PINK. Mine came out red and tasted a bit like "cheap bar Cosmo." My husband talked to Jocelyn about this and I asked to just leave it as is, but she asked the bartender to make me another on the house (it was the same). However, my husband had an old fashioned and said it was very good. This was the only complaint I had I hope they can get this fixed. I recommend that you try it. We plan to go back.
Samuel C.
Food was okay, not great for the price. With that being said the experience was great and the waitress was very nice and helpful
JeffC
Outstanding service and food. Even on Valentine's Day, the staff was very attentive and amazingly, we got our food very quick. The focaccia bread is amazing, definitely worth the extra charge.
We joined friends that live downtown for dinner. We absolutely loved it! The service was outstanding. We will definatly visit again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pappardelle Bolognese, Homemade Focaccia
My partner and I went there on a date night a few months back.Cibo Vino is kinda mid, in my opinion.It relies on its wine selection and location to appeal to people, and the food kinda falls short. Lemme tell you why.It’s on one of the busier intersections in the Old Market, just across the street from Upstream and La Buvette. The ambience is lovely. Low, intimate lighting with a lot of really cool artwork and decor. The bar is beautifully designed, and our bartender was cool.Good selection of wine, and not too terribly priced if you’re getting it by the glass.Food and plating, however, was what made it mid.For a restaurant in a prime location serving food that’s anywhere from 25-35 bucks a plate, you’d expect some diversity in the flatware with a little bit of artful plating. Every dish came out on the same size plate, tossed onto the middle of it with no real thought.We got two slices of their rosemary focaccia for an appetizer, and it tasted like they had thrown a bunch of rosemary onto the fire before they grilled it. The flavor of rosemary was almost overpowering, bordering on bitter. Good texture and crunch, but Jesus was it herby.We got their bucatini amatriciana to split as well, and here is where the ‘real’ review of their food begins.While the ingredients of the dish were all there, they weren’t really combined. The pasta was cooked well, but there was next to no starch in the actual pasta. This tells me one thing: cheap pasta. It felt as if they’re just ordering large quantities of pasta from Sysco, par cooking it before service, then reheating in boiling water to sell. As a result, the ingredients of the sauce; the tomatoes, the guanciale, and the pecorino cheese, didn’t really have anything to bond them together. The basis of flavor was there, but the execution and prep work kinda blew it. Could use more salt, as well.For mains, we had the lemon chicken piccata and the hunter’s chicken cacciatore.Chicken piccata was flavorful and cooked well. The lemon was bright and delicious, but the sauce had slightly split. This tells me it was either unattended to on the line, or it cooled down while waiting to be brought to the table. However, my issue with the pasta arises once more. It felt like the penne it was served with was par cooked prior to service, reheated, and dumped onto a plate with the piccata coming off of sauté and on top of it all. The lack of starch was apparent. The pasta and sauce weren’t married very effectively, and it felt like I had to dip the pasta in the sauce to get an effective bite. Flavors were good -fantastic even- but the execution is where it lacks.Cacciatore was delicious. Flavor was fantastic, and the chicken was juicy and tender. HOWEVER, the sauce was missing something. The flavors were there, but the texture fell short. The mushrooms were canned, or at least it felt like they were. Now, I understand it is impossible to acquire fresh porcini mushrooms year round, but this is where you have to ADAPT. If porcinis aren’t available, switch to a fresh mushroom you can get quickly. Cremini would be fine, and those things can grow year round indoors. The mushroom gravy was tasty, if a bit lacking in salt. But the real star of the show was the polenta. It was blended beautifully with the pecorino, and was light, creamy, and fluffy. Good stuff.Dessert was the panna cotta. No complaints. Tasty and delicious.Overall, I have one main criticism for Cibo Vino:Make your own pasta.The experience was lovely, but I can tell that the main focus of the restaurant is shifted towards the wine, considering the chef was sitting two tables over speaking to a pair of sommeliers/wine dealers(?) as opposed to running expo.The food feels like an afterthought. Like someone decided to open a wine bar but said: “I need to serve food too!” The menu is classic Italian pasta fare, and somehow, they’ve managed to just barely miss the mark.I will say again; Cibo Vino, make your own damn pasta.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hazelnut Panna Cotta
The Italian food here is shockingly good, seeing as they are competing with a lot of other fantastic Omaha Italian restaurant options, and it is sold at a fair price which is shocking for the Old Market area. We have eaten here a few times, and the small plates and wine are a fantastic deal during happy hour. I highly recommend the Cacio e Pepe. I recently had a birthday dinner here with around 14 people which they happily accommodated, set up the room, and served us all expediently. This is just a really great spot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bucatini Cacio Pepe, Gnocchi Alla Presto, Pappardelle Bolognese
Chris, our waiter, was very proficient in making sure we had everything we needed and offering tips along the way. The only thing we weren't crazy about was the hazelnut panchetta dessert, it was small, fair in flavor and overpriced. Otherwise it was an excellent meal. One more tip, the meatballs have a kick if you are sensitive to spices. The spaghetti comes out with 4 large meatballs and I could only handle finishing 1 as the heat really caught up with me but probably ideal for diners who enjoy spices.
Kenza was fantastic! She really made the entire evening special! Food was great. We had the charcuterie boatd and Brown butter pasta with beef tips! Great martini and again the service was top notch.
Really enjoyed this meal. The food was amazing. We got three of the small pasta plates to share and it was great. Our favorites are the brown butter fettuccine and pesto gnocchi. Ya also gotta get the rosemary focaccia
The best bolognese I have had in Omaha! Service was good. The restaurant was clean and older style, great for a quick date night downtown.
This is some of the best pasta we've had in so long! Not only was our server wonderful but the ambiance was just delightful. I am a sweet wine lover and typically enjoy a moscato, while they didn't have a moscato the server took the time to recommend a wine that was just perfect with my pasta. A great date night!
I stopped in and sat at the bar. Bartender was wonderful. To my surprise HH offers $5 glasses of house wines which is a deal! I ordered a small Ceasar salad and was not disappointed. Ordered the spaghetti and meatballs for dinner per recommendation for a friend and it was good. I liked that there was some heat in the sauce. There were so many items I wanted to try so I'll definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cesar Salad
This is a really cozy and upscale place to dine. The food was excellent (Fennel Citrus Salmon, Neapolitan Calamari, Pappardelle Bolognese, and my favorite Porcini Beef Tip Penne). The server was a little odd when we asked if the salmon could be medium rare he said probably not but he could inquire with the chef. Duh, inquire! The drinks (Volgarre, Italian Margarita and Smiley's Old Fashioned) were spot on and the desserts (Tiramisu, Cannoli and Hazelnut Panna Cotta) were exquisite!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu
Restaurantji Recommends
The restaurant and bar area are lovely. Warm and inviting, the bar is well stocked and you may order from the full menu.Tuesday night dinner I ordered wine (a bottle from the half off menu, as of 2/13/24) and had the bucatini cacio e pepe. It was rich, with a salty rich sauce from the Parmesan and salted water from the pasta, the heat from the pepper provided a wonderful bite.The hazelnut panna cotta called to me. The texture was perfection, with just the right amount of wobble. The crunch of the hazelnut and the caramel were delightful. Unfortunately, the large amount of Hershey's chocolate syrup on the plate overwhelmed the subtle flavor of the hazelnut and the scratch dessert.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bucatini Cacio Pepe
Mussels were amazing and our favorite dish. Husband loves his Old Fashioned. One point offer service just because our server did not actually tell us there were any specials that evening, but we heard servers at other tables, describing them after we had ordered. Overall, great experience, and we will be back.
The food was very good. Italian, but not the typical Italian menu. It was fun to try. We had a waitress named Jocelyn who was excellent and we learned it was only her second day. We were really impressed with her. The food came out much more quickly than we expected. It was hot, fresh, and delicous! My husband and I were both impressed with our dishes. I ordered a Cosmo which was poorly made. I'm a bit of a Cosmo diva, I expect it to be made properly and it should be PINK. Mine came out red and tasted a bit like "cheap bar Cosmo." My husband talked to Jocelyn about this and I asked to just leave it as is, but she asked the bartender to make me another on the house (it was the same). However, my husband had an old fashioned and said it was very good. This was the only complaint I had I hope they can get this fixed. I recommend that you try it. We plan to go back.
Food was okay, not great for the price. With that being said the experience was great and the waitress was very nice and helpful
Outstanding service and food. Even on Valentine's Day, the staff was very attentive and amazingly, we got our food very quick. The focaccia bread is amazing, definitely worth the extra charge.