Avanzare Italian Restaurant - Lombard
josh prange · 102 Google reviewsAvanzare Italian Restaurant - Lombard — reliable italian in Lombard. This is where you bring someone you're trying to impress. You're eating the real thing here. Good value, handles groups well. "The value was incredible - the 6 year anniversary menu was a lot of food for a very reasonable price" — Sameet Sapra [$$, patio]
What 852 diners keep saying
What 852 diners keep saying
verbatim, from Google
“Ricardo always makes us feel like family walking in here. The food is always incredible (based on his recommendations) and he always hits it out of the park with the wine pairings. Every staff member is gracious and genuinely nice. We always have a wonderful time visiting. Cannot recommend this place enough!”
“My son was in town for a competition, and as visitors it can be difficult to find good places to eat. We were so happy to come across this place! The ambience was great, the food was delicious, and the service was excellent. We highly recommend it.”
“Had such a fantastic time celebrating a birthday here! The food was absolutely delicious, and everyone really enjoyed their meals. On top of that, the service was top-notch, making the whole experience even more special. I'd highly recommend this place for any special occasion. We'll definitely be back again soon! We couldn't decide on a dessert, so we tried everything. Amazing!”
“Our second time here good food friendly service will be back again”
“Food is some of the best I have had. It has some unique flavors that I have not been able to find elsewhere. great location, great service by Bryan, He makes our experience perfect one 👍”
“I had a sample of the ravioli and tagliolini. You can mix and match a few pasta dishes to try out their menu which was a nice option. I was told the pasta was made in house. The ravioli was tasty and the tagliolini was decent. The house bread was okay but didn’t come with any olive oil or butter. The tiramisu was good and I also tried one cannoli which was decent as well. The service was very attentive. Overall, it’s a 4+, not quite a 5 in my opinion.”
“The servers were really nice over here - attentive and polite. I thought the atmosphere was pretty quiet for a Sunday, and the food was good, but also average. The value was incredible - the 6 year anniversary menu was a lot of food for a very reasonable price. The beet salad was decent - the arugula was a little wilted and the beets could have been juicier, but I liked that there was plenty of goat cheese. The chicken was flavorful and there was plenty of veggies and potatoes. I liked the sausage more than the chicken. I didn’t care as much for the dish itself, and after ordering mussels with tomato sauce, I was a little tired of the tomato sauce. I think the pork chop (or a steak, or another pasta dish) would have been better to have for the 6 year anniversary menu. I really enjoyed the creme brulee though, there wasn’t a lot of custard but it came together well.”
“So as usual after Sunday service we are always looking for someplace new to dine for the first time. Being a authentic Italian restaurant we were somewhat disappointed in the food. However, we must say the servers and service was excellent. There we little to no taste or flavor in my Alfredo with shrimp. Enjoyed the bread, asked for butter... the butter was frozen harder than the bread. Asked for Splenda (sugar substitute), I was brought a mixture of other sweeteners other than the Splenda that I asked for. The atmosphere was good even though there were small children, but it was still good.”
“We were in the mode for Italian and asked Google for some help, Avanzare was one of the options. It was a 30-minute drive for everyone. The price point was on the high side for us but not out-of-reach. We arrived and was immediately sat in the bar; in fact, everyone is sat in the bar. The dining room has about twenty tables, and they were two tables being used; the bar also had about twenty tables and every table was sat. I asked the waiter and they do sit the bar area first and overflow into the dining room. With the bar area at near capacity and all hard surfaces it was loud, very loud. The dining room had carpet floor and a coffered beamed ceiling it was tremendously quieter. If you want the energy of a crowded restaurant the bar is great, the dinning room would be a more upscale experience. We started with Calamari Friiti, that is the title of the dish. In smaller print the description is Crispy Fried Calamari, Zucchini, and herbs. What was served was 70% NOT Calamari, but thin fried zucchini strips, fried rosemary (literally the twig of rosemary in batter and fried), and fried thyme (the thyme was removed from the twig so I could not even find it.), but the waiter said it was there. At $19 we expected more Calamari at least 60%, after all the dish was not called "fried herbs and Calamari". Our table had Spaghetti and Meatballs at $24, the Stuffed Pork Chop special (with Broccoli Rabe) at $27, and I had the Eggplant Parmigiana at $20. I get eggplant Parmesan a lot, it is my favorite Italian dish. $20 is high for eggplant Parmesan, I prefer my eggplant thinly sliced and fried. This is more three eggplant steaks with cheese and red gravy. Not my personal favorite but good. The pasta was so unusual I had to ask about it; the waiter said it is made from scratch in house but the shape in an Italian grocery store would be casarecce. I thought $24 for Spaghetti and Meatballs high but my husband said the Meatballs were excellent. Finally, $27 for one Stuffed Pork Chop also seemed high but it tasted great, the garlic white wine sauce made a tasty glaze. We ordered Tiramisu for the table and one person got the blueberry sorbet. I found the Tiramisu traditional and another person thought the mascarpone cheese was whipped too much. I read a several reviews, most of the reviewers praised the service as outstanding; we found our server disappearing for 30 - 40 minutes; we had to call someone over to order desert and another to get the check.”
“Minestrone soup was the best I’ve had anywhere! Very tasty and very hot in temperature from the first spoonful to the last! My veal meal was awesome!”
“We celebrated my daughter's baby shower here, and I truly couldn't have asked for a better experience. From the moment we started planning until the last guest left, everything was handled with such care and professionalism. The owner was wonderful to work with. He took the time to help us create a buffet menu that fit our budget without compromising on quality, and he made the entire planning process so easy and stress free. The food was absolutely delicious, and our guests couldn't stop talking about how good everything was. The staff provided exceptional service, making sure everyone was well taken care of throughout the event. Their kindness and attention to detail allowed us to relax and enjoy such a special day with our family and friends. With about 65 guests, the space was just perfect, comfortable, welcoming, and exactly what we were hoping for. Thanks to the owner and his amazing staff, my daughter's baby shower was everything we had envisioned and more. We are so grateful for the wonderful memories they helped us create and would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a beautiful place to celebrate a special occasion or simply enjoy a delicious meal with family and friends. Thank you for making such an important day so memorable!”
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