My new favorite Italian restaurant in Madison! Great old-school character with classic Italian food with a twist
Andrea D.
Favorite restaurant in Madison and beyond! Never fails. Food is exceptional. Always good. Chicken with polenta is perfection.
Ryan L
Solid choice for Italian food. Everything we ate was good. The pizza we had was tasty. Our pasta dishes were all good. We had the calamari for an appetizer, and it was kind of flavorless, but at least it didn't taste fishy. I think the breading could have used a bit more seasoning. The atmosphere is kind of fun, probably looks the same as it did in the 60s. Definitely the kind of place you can bring the whole family or a date.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sandy Walker
A friendly neighborhood Italian restaurant with great food and service. The caprese was the best I've had anywhere. The tiramisu is also excellent and we loved the wine selection. You can't go wrong dining here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu, Caprese
Tom F.
Arrived at about 6pm on a Sunday evening. We were immediately welcomed & seated at a booth. First impression was it was kind of old school Italian decor & very dark inside. I believe more than half the restaurant was filled already. We were greeted by Parker who was all smiles & handed us the wine, specials & regular menus. We perused and landed on the bruschetta as well as the Gorgonzola stuffed dates with finocchiona salami, local pea shoots, toasted pistachios & a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar and potato & parsnip soup. The bruschetta was ENORMOUS and quite tasty with the ricotta basil cream & roasted cherry tomatoes. I really enjoyed the date & Gorgonzola dish as it was different and savory. The pistachios added a nice crunch & texture as well. I was told the soup was delicious as well (I didn't taste). For our mains I ordered the stracotto of beef short rib with rigatoni and my son & his girlfriend chose to share the freshwater prawn risotto. I found the short rib tender & seasoned well but there was a bitter aftertaste that wasn't entirely pleasant. I feel a bit of tomato paste in the sauce might have helped balance the flavor...but I was just a customer. Parker delivered a split order of the short rib rigatoni to them in error but apologized & corrected the error and promised to remove it from the check (he didn't but corrected that error when reminded to do so). The risotto I thought was only ok as the bite I had seemed to have an off putting seafood stock flavor however the risotto was properly cooked al dente. The shrimp themselves were tasty. We finished with the lemon curd tart & raspberry coulis. I felt the curd could've used ALOT more zest and found the crust far too thick & dense. I would not order that again. Maybe the tiramisu would've been a better choice? All in all I felt Lombardino's had a very pleasant front of house staff with a good vibe but inconsistent execution from the kitchen. I might return but will likely seek other Italian restaurants in Madison to discover as the "go to" when in Madison next time?
John Reddersen
The barrel aged Negroni is the perfect aperitivo. The potato and turnip soup was one of the best soups I've ever had. The tiramisu is amazing! I wish I had picked it over the lemon tart, which was good, but the tart crust was a little chewy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu
Michelle Livanos
Sadly, fine dining has died in Madison. What was once a varied menu - with the usual items and a mix of seasonal dishes is now reduced to a few choices of pasta and pizza, and one entree item, chicken. Oh sure, there are specials - but if you don't like the specials, chicken is your only choice for an entree and the pasta is slim picking. If you are going to offer pasta with a creamy mushroom sauce, you should be able to taste the cream - and leave the nutmeg out.I'm not sure what is happening to the restaurant scene lately. Maybe it is time to get back to the basics and do a fabulous job with that. We don't need a short rib with our pasta, really. I should mention it is really hard to find a vegetarian/vegan option on this menu that is tasty. (Cooking vegetables is a higher art form than cooking meat.) The portions have shrunk, too. What was once a glorious Caesar salad is now a pathetic and inferior reminder. The ingredients are not the same quality, not even the olive oil offered for dipping your bread.Sad to say Lombardino is not the go-to place anymore for us, as well as other restaurants that used to be stellar.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Cecilia Hartman
I went with my mother and we had a wonderful time! Our waitress Peyton was an absolute delight. Very authentic Italian cuisine, best pizza i’ve ever had!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michelle L.
Sadly, fine dining has died in Madison. What was once a varied menu at Lombardino - with the usual items and a mix of seasonal dishes is now reduced to a few choices of pasta and pizza, and one entree item, chicken. Oh sure, there are specials - but if you don't like the specials, chicken is your only choice for an entree and the pasta is slim picking. If you are going to offer pasta with a creamy mushroom sauce, you should be able to taste the cream - and leave the nutmeg out. I'm not sure what is happening to the restaurant scene lately. Maybe it is time to get back to the basics and do a fabulous job with that. We don't need a short rib with our pasta, really. I should mention it is really hard to find a vegetarian/vegan option on this menu that is tasty. (Cooking vegetables is a higher art form than cooking meat.) The portions have shrunk, too. What was once a glorious Caesar salad is now a pathetic and inferior reminder. The ingredients are not the same quality, not even the olive oil offered for dipping your bread. Sad to say Lombardino is not the go-to place anymore for us, as well as other restaurants that used to be pretty stellar. Here's a positive: They do a better job of lighting the place now! I can see my food.
nathan d
Had a really great dinner. Wonderful service and great food.
The best restaurant in all of Madison, if not in the whole world. The food is out of this world, always made with fresh ingredients! Vegetarian or carnivor - you will be happy here. Intimate date night or big family gathering with children - you will be happy here. Simultaneously fancy and casual all in one. And while it's slightly pricy, you absolutely get what you pay for in food quality. Service is also consistently excellent from front of house to servers. The bar is top notch as well. Even to go food is excellent, and I mean excellent, hours later. I dont know how they do it but my best guess is magic.Vegetarian options: Vegetarian friendlyParking: The lot is tiny plan to park in the streetKid-friendliness: Is your kid well behaved and appreciative of excellent food? Then they will love it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Orecchiette with Fraboni's Sausage & Rapini, Roasted Mushroom Pizza with Fontina Fontal Cheese Fresh Sage Roasted Garlic & San Marzano Sauce, Chocolate & Sea Salt Budino, Caprese
Emily Kohlhase
Lombardino's is always a 10/10, but Parker's excellent service and sense of humor took it up to 11/10! Plus he told us that you can get half-and-half pastas, which was a game-changer!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spaghetti Alla Bolognese, Caprese, Mushroom Pasta
Tully the Tiger
Hands down the best pizza I’ve ever had. I will never eat pizza from any other place ever again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Allison N.
This is the cutest Italian place in Madison! I can't believe I've never heard of it before! I felt like I was in Europe with the cute decor and lighting. We visited for a birthday dinner celebration with my husband after a recommendation from his aunt. They don't take reservations so we arrived around 4:45pm as they currently open at 4:30pm. The super adorable bar area (see photos) was full of people waiting for friends to join them and maybe 20% of the seating area was already full, which surprised us in a good way yet never took away from our dining experience. The restaurant was probably 80% full by the time we left. We were greeted immediately and shown to our table with menus and water. We ordered our drinks from the specials menu and they were both delicious, my partner got the special old fashioned and I had a gin drink. Both photos attached were taken after we had a few sips because we were so excited for them. I also had the sangiovese blend and it was so good! We had the beet salad and the calamari as appetizers. We told them we were sharing the food so they split our dishes which was so nice! Please note that all food photos are of the split plates so a full plate is double the amount of food. The menu is fairly limited for an Italian restaurant although I believe that is because they excel at those few dishes. The salad was pretty good but not our favorite, especially compared to the calamari which was an absolute 10/10! We order this at every restaurant we find it and believe this is the best in Madison. We loved that the breading was so light and that the calamari was so tender. For dinner we shared the mushroom tagliatelle which was delicious but not as amazing as the chicken al mattone which was a 20/10. We don't usually order chicken when out since we make it ourselves often but this was the best chicken we've ever had. The sauce, the polenta, the tenderness, everything was so perfect. We both finished ours very quickly. I'm a chocoholic so we had the dark chocolate flourless cake for dessert which was also a 10/10. It comes with an amazing berry sauce and creamy glaze that are delicious. In addition, the price was reasonable and better than other restaurants in the area that seem to be trying to give a similar experience (like Naples 15). We will be coming back for sure!! Food: 9/10 Drinks: 10/10 Service: 9/10 Ambience: 10/10
Harlie P.
Authentic italian! Only open for a few days out of the week so it gets busy! Come early to put your name on the list as they don't take reservations. While we waited we got drinks at the bar, they had an impressive drink menu with knowledgeable bar tenders. The bread they serve has to be freshly baked it's absolutely delicious! The portion sizes are perfect and the flavors have been curated to perfection! Inside is very quaint and the tables are very close to each other, but the italian decor is very unique, loved the tile behind the bar! Would definitely visit again!
My new favorite Italian restaurant in Madison! Great old-school character with classic Italian food with a twist
Favorite restaurant in Madison and beyond! Never fails. Food is exceptional. Always good. Chicken with polenta is perfection.
Solid choice for Italian food. Everything we ate was good. The pizza we had was tasty. Our pasta dishes were all good. We had the calamari for an appetizer, and it was kind of flavorless, but at least it didn't taste fishy. I think the breading could have used a bit more seasoning. The atmosphere is kind of fun, probably looks the same as it did in the 60s. Definitely the kind of place you can bring the whole family or a date.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A friendly neighborhood Italian restaurant with great food and service. The caprese was the best I've had anywhere. The tiramisu is also excellent and we loved the wine selection. You can't go wrong dining here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu, Caprese
Arrived at about 6pm on a Sunday evening. We were immediately welcomed & seated at a booth. First impression was it was kind of old school Italian decor & very dark inside. I believe more than half the restaurant was filled already. We were greeted by Parker who was all smiles & handed us the wine, specials & regular menus. We perused and landed on the bruschetta as well as the Gorgonzola stuffed dates with finocchiona salami, local pea shoots, toasted pistachios & a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar and potato & parsnip soup. The bruschetta was ENORMOUS and quite tasty with the ricotta basil cream & roasted cherry tomatoes. I really enjoyed the date & Gorgonzola dish as it was different and savory. The pistachios added a nice crunch & texture as well. I was told the soup was delicious as well (I didn't taste). For our mains I ordered the stracotto of beef short rib with rigatoni and my son & his girlfriend chose to share the freshwater prawn risotto. I found the short rib tender & seasoned well but there was a bitter aftertaste that wasn't entirely pleasant. I feel a bit of tomato paste in the sauce might have helped balance the flavor...but I was just a customer. Parker delivered a split order of the short rib rigatoni to them in error but apologized & corrected the error and promised to remove it from the check (he didn't but corrected that error when reminded to do so). The risotto I thought was only ok as the bite I had seemed to have an off putting seafood stock flavor however the risotto was properly cooked al dente. The shrimp themselves were tasty. We finished with the lemon curd tart & raspberry coulis. I felt the curd could've used ALOT more zest and found the crust far too thick & dense. I would not order that again. Maybe the tiramisu would've been a better choice? All in all I felt Lombardino's had a very pleasant front of house staff with a good vibe but inconsistent execution from the kitchen. I might return but will likely seek other Italian restaurants in Madison to discover as the "go to" when in Madison next time?
The barrel aged Negroni is the perfect aperitivo. The potato and turnip soup was one of the best soups I've ever had. The tiramisu is amazing! I wish I had picked it over the lemon tart, which was good, but the tart crust was a little chewy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu
Sadly, fine dining has died in Madison. What was once a varied menu - with the usual items and a mix of seasonal dishes is now reduced to a few choices of pasta and pizza, and one entree item, chicken. Oh sure, there are specials - but if you don't like the specials, chicken is your only choice for an entree and the pasta is slim picking. If you are going to offer pasta with a creamy mushroom sauce, you should be able to taste the cream - and leave the nutmeg out.I'm not sure what is happening to the restaurant scene lately. Maybe it is time to get back to the basics and do a fabulous job with that. We don't need a short rib with our pasta, really. I should mention it is really hard to find a vegetarian/vegan option on this menu that is tasty. (Cooking vegetables is a higher art form than cooking meat.) The portions have shrunk, too. What was once a glorious Caesar salad is now a pathetic and inferior reminder. The ingredients are not the same quality, not even the olive oil offered for dipping your bread.Sad to say Lombardino is not the go-to place anymore for us, as well as other restaurants that used to be stellar.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
I went with my mother and we had a wonderful time! Our waitress Peyton was an absolute delight. Very authentic Italian cuisine, best pizza i’ve ever had!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sadly, fine dining has died in Madison. What was once a varied menu at Lombardino - with the usual items and a mix of seasonal dishes is now reduced to a few choices of pasta and pizza, and one entree item, chicken. Oh sure, there are specials - but if you don't like the specials, chicken is your only choice for an entree and the pasta is slim picking. If you are going to offer pasta with a creamy mushroom sauce, you should be able to taste the cream - and leave the nutmeg out. I'm not sure what is happening to the restaurant scene lately. Maybe it is time to get back to the basics and do a fabulous job with that. We don't need a short rib with our pasta, really. I should mention it is really hard to find a vegetarian/vegan option on this menu that is tasty. (Cooking vegetables is a higher art form than cooking meat.) The portions have shrunk, too. What was once a glorious Caesar salad is now a pathetic and inferior reminder. The ingredients are not the same quality, not even the olive oil offered for dipping your bread. Sad to say Lombardino is not the go-to place anymore for us, as well as other restaurants that used to be pretty stellar. Here's a positive: They do a better job of lighting the place now! I can see my food.
Had a really great dinner. Wonderful service and great food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
The best restaurant in all of Madison, if not in the whole world. The food is out of this world, always made with fresh ingredients! Vegetarian or carnivor - you will be happy here. Intimate date night or big family gathering with children - you will be happy here. Simultaneously fancy and casual all in one. And while it's slightly pricy, you absolutely get what you pay for in food quality. Service is also consistently excellent from front of house to servers. The bar is top notch as well. Even to go food is excellent, and I mean excellent, hours later. I dont know how they do it but my best guess is magic.Vegetarian options: Vegetarian friendlyParking: The lot is tiny plan to park in the streetKid-friendliness: Is your kid well behaved and appreciative of excellent food? Then they will love it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Orecchiette with Fraboni's Sausage & Rapini, Roasted Mushroom Pizza with Fontina Fontal Cheese Fresh Sage Roasted Garlic & San Marzano Sauce, Chocolate & Sea Salt Budino, Caprese
Lombardino's is always a 10/10, but Parker's excellent service and sense of humor took it up to 11/10! Plus he told us that you can get half-and-half pastas, which was a game-changer!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spaghetti Alla Bolognese, Caprese, Mushroom Pasta
Hands down the best pizza I’ve ever had. I will never eat pizza from any other place ever again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is the cutest Italian place in Madison! I can't believe I've never heard of it before! I felt like I was in Europe with the cute decor and lighting. We visited for a birthday dinner celebration with my husband after a recommendation from his aunt. They don't take reservations so we arrived around 4:45pm as they currently open at 4:30pm. The super adorable bar area (see photos) was full of people waiting for friends to join them and maybe 20% of the seating area was already full, which surprised us in a good way yet never took away from our dining experience. The restaurant was probably 80% full by the time we left. We were greeted immediately and shown to our table with menus and water. We ordered our drinks from the specials menu and they were both delicious, my partner got the special old fashioned and I had a gin drink. Both photos attached were taken after we had a few sips because we were so excited for them. I also had the sangiovese blend and it was so good! We had the beet salad and the calamari as appetizers. We told them we were sharing the food so they split our dishes which was so nice! Please note that all food photos are of the split plates so a full plate is double the amount of food. The menu is fairly limited for an Italian restaurant although I believe that is because they excel at those few dishes. The salad was pretty good but not our favorite, especially compared to the calamari which was an absolute 10/10! We order this at every restaurant we find it and believe this is the best in Madison. We loved that the breading was so light and that the calamari was so tender. For dinner we shared the mushroom tagliatelle which was delicious but not as amazing as the chicken al mattone which was a 20/10. We don't usually order chicken when out since we make it ourselves often but this was the best chicken we've ever had. The sauce, the polenta, the tenderness, everything was so perfect. We both finished ours very quickly. I'm a chocoholic so we had the dark chocolate flourless cake for dessert which was also a 10/10. It comes with an amazing berry sauce and creamy glaze that are delicious. In addition, the price was reasonable and better than other restaurants in the area that seem to be trying to give a similar experience (like Naples 15). We will be coming back for sure!! Food: 9/10 Drinks: 10/10 Service: 9/10 Ambience: 10/10
Authentic italian! Only open for a few days out of the week so it gets busy! Come early to put your name on the list as they don't take reservations. While we waited we got drinks at the bar, they had an impressive drink menu with knowledgeable bar tenders. The bread they serve has to be freshly baked it's absolutely delicious! The portion sizes are perfect and the flavors have been curated to perfection! Inside is very quaint and the tables are very close to each other, but the italian decor is very unique, loved the tile behind the bar! Would definitely visit again!