14 people 1 waiter. The kitchen clearly messed up the orders as it took well over 1 hour 40 minutes before we got our orders. To make matters worse, for the people whose orders were not messed up, it was cold by the time we got it.
I suppose if one were to go in a group of 4 or fewer, it could prove to be worthwhile, seeing as Bruno's is considered one of the best Italian places in Springfield, but my one time there will probably be my last.
I ate at this restaurant last night - and the food was pretty good...just "pretty good". Â I don't live in Springfield, and in my town we have a brick oven restaurant that is much better, and a little less expensive. Â That being said...
It was good food, I ate it and I enjoyed it...but I won't make it a "must visit" place next time. Â
The reviewer below mine mentioned some empty ricotta bowls sitting on the bar - there were also two empty plastic containers of ricotta sitting on the bar. Â His review was written in May and this one in August - I hope it's not the same two containers!!! Â The manager was also there and sat at the bar just in front of the trash. Â The manager also kept yelling at the waiters while they were trying to talk to customers - maybe that's just the way they do things in Italy, but in America it is usually best to do the yelling in private and not in front of your customers. Â
The overall service was pretty slow, and I know that isn't just the manner of the restaurant because our server mentioned "computer problems" several times as the reason for the delays (We never mentioned having to wait)
I gave this review 3 stars which is considered "A-OK" according to Yelp, and I agree with that. Â It was a good dinner with good atmosphere and nice decorations. Â Just unfortunately there were several little issues that kept me from giving it 4 stars.
I have gone to Bruno's for a few years now off and on. Â I think this is a great place to eat lunch and fine place for dinner. Im so happy this place in down town SGF, and even happier they are setting the bar for good Italian. Â
Lunch, get the Pizza or the specials that Bruno picked.
Dinner get anything and buy wine, they know their pairing so ask them. Â This is the kind of place you say "just bring me anything you feel like bringing me" and your night is set.
A solid number four on my top five list in Springfield.
I had the unfortunate experience of eating her. The young waiter was rude and extremely S L O W. he was not the least bit concerned about serving us. It took 3+ trips to the table even to get some iced tea to drink. Terrible terrible service and gross food. Please do jot waste your money here 2 people nearly $70 and it was a terrible experience. We asked for the manager and he wasn't the least bit concerned.
Save your mone no authentic Italian here. I lived in Europe 7 years and never had garbage like this
The service was horrendous. We were one of two tables there and yet the never came over and had surly attitude. I had to ask another waiter to get a refill for my water.
The food was even worse than the service. I ordered spaghetti with mussels. However, the cook must have thought that garlic is a main ingredient and not a condiment. I had to spend half the time spittign out large chunks of garlic cloves.
Never again.
I've given Bruno's two chances and they won't get another. Â The first time my husband and I ate a pretty boring meal here. Â There wasn't anything specifically wrong, the food just wasn't very good. Â
I came back with a friend for lunch and not only was the food again not good, but the service was terrible. Â We were the only table in the restaurant during lunch and the waiter constantly came to our table interrupting our conversation and informing us that we should eat our appetizer faster because our food would be out and then it would get cold. Â He then told me that I needed to put salt and pepper on my salad, I politely said I was fine with it as it was and he continued to bug me about it. Â Our pizza had soggy, mealy tomatoes on it and the crust was burnt. Â Not just well done. Â It was black. Â Overall an awful meal. Â Thank goodness for good company.
I ate at Bruno's last night, for probably the fifth time. Â I don't live in Springfield, but do travel here for business a few times a year. Â I found Bruno's on a trip here two years ago. Â Now, it's a regular place that I know I can visit for a decent meal. Â
I started this review a long time ago, and never finished it. Â I had a pizza, forget the name, but it had olives and anchovies, maybe some green pepper? Â Cooked in a brick oven correctly. Â It was more than I could eat. Â The pizza was very affordable. Â I sat at the bar, and had a nice chat with the bartender. Â He's been there for a number of years, and even though I cannot remember his name at the moment, we do now know each other a bit. Â As I said, I've been to Bruno's a number of times, and it is my go-to place in Springfield.
Had a couple of beers with my pizza. Â I found them to be overpriced, but then this is a restaurant, not a place to chug beer. Â The bartender poured the beer in a glass for me, so that was nice. Â I think they are more proud of their wine list, but I'm not much of a wine drinker, so I haven't had any.
Overall, this is a nice place to eat. Â Great atmosphere; would be good for a date night. Â Has a real authentic Italian feel, very much like I experienced when I was in Italy on my honeymoon. Â Highly recommend.
Iv been searching for good Italian food in Springfield, i almost had given up. Then I found Bruno's. It was a tad on the pricey side but man it was worth every penny. I'm Italian and I can be quite exacting in what I like, i will tell you that it blew away my expectations. The wine selection was great, the in house wine was excellent, I believe it was a Cab - Merlot blend. The highlight of the meal was the rigatoni and meat sauce. Simply, basic, and authentically Italian. The meat sauce was almost as good as my Italian grandmother. To any Italian that is the highest compliment one can give (and one than can land you in trouble with said grandmother). Glad she doesn't use the internet :)
The wait staff was great. Explained every dish to me and my dad, recomended wine for each portion, and even made time for small talk with us. Made for a great atmosphere.
I highly recommend Bruno's if you want good authentic Italian food, you can get better in Springfield than Bruno's.
If you're looking for an Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill type chain restaurant, then you won't like Bruno's. You'll be mad that you don't get enough food, you'll think that the food is too expensive, or your think that the place itself too high-falutin'. So if Olive Garden is your idea of Italian dining, namely cheap, quantity, and tacky, don't bother coming here. If, however, you're looking for an actual non-chain Italian restaurant, I'd recommend Bruno's as a top area pick. I'm not willing to say that it is fantastic Italian food (I grew up in an overwhelmingly immigrant Italian area of NYC, where the local Italian cuisine was to die for - Bruno's doesn't come close to that), but it's good enough, and it certainly beats out the competition in the area (not that there is much actual competition - and no, I'm not counting Fazoli's as competition). Â
I think some of the dishes are better than others, some are very good (their pizzas are good, and the Sausage Panini on the lunch menu is very good), others bland (disappointed by some of their pasta dishes). That said, Â I have some complaints outside the main food dishes, however:
1. The bread at Bruno's is just God-awful. Any quality Italian restaurant must have amazing *real* Italian bread served before and during the meal. The bread here is clearly from Walmart or some other pathetic supermarket bakery. It's tasteless and doesn't even marginally resemble real Italian bread. It doesn't even try. I have a hard time enjoying myself in an Italian restaurant if the bread is terrible, so this is a real strike against Bruno's for me. Moreover, they don't bring out more bread once you've eaten the measly four pieces of Walmart bread you are given to start off. Seriously? In a quality Italian restaurant I have to *ask* for more bread, or bread with my dinner? Seriously, people.
My advice: make your own bread, Bruno. You have a brick oven. Train  one of your workers to make quality rustic Italian loaves and have the worker come in during the morning to make what is needed for the day. This would not be difficult. Really, this would go a mile to making this place a finer Italian eatery. Bread is a core component of an Italian meal. Are you listening, Bruno? You know it's true. You should be ashamed that you put that current bread on peoples' tables.
2. Remove the garbage from the wait staff counter. As I ate last meal there, I remember clearly staring at two empty containers of store-bought ricotta. They sat there for two hours on the counter as the staff and Bruno himself used the counter. What gives? Garbage? Also, to be honest, I was shocked that Bruno would broadcast to the whole restaurant that he was using store bought ricotta. I'm not saying that all Italian places make their own, but if they don't, they don't tell people that they don't. But why are you buying ricotta? I mean come on, Bruno. Ricotta is pretty easy to make, and you know it tastes far, far better than the crap you buy in the store.
#1 and #2 just tell me what I already know about the area: most of the Italian places are terrible, and where they are not terrible, like Bruno's, they are not really willing to go the extra mile.
I dont know... maybe I'm just not a fan of Italian food. My boyfriend thought his dish was really great. I thought mine was kinda boring.
We started off w/ garlic bread. My BF compared it to Naan bread, which I agreed. It smelled GREAT but it didn't quite live up to that. Olive Garden bread sticks are better although I did like the sun dried tomato oil that they give you to dip it in. That was very flavorful!
Michael got the Bucatini alla Matriciana. I had a taste and it wasn't bad. Tasted like bacon to me, which is never really a problem, is it? lol I had the Pasta alla Norma which was basically just spaghetti w/ eggplant. I wasn't too fond of the eggplant bits in it and the tomato sauce (or marinara/ragu... whatever you wanna call it) was pretty bland. I'm not gonna lie, I think my "homemade" spaghetti w/ store bought sauce kinda tastes better (I'm sorry...)
Like I said, maybe it was just me not digging "authentic" Italian food or something cause all of the rest of the reviews seem to really like it. The waitress was nice and we were seated promptly. Also, the atmosphere is really nice (besides the tables being so close together.) Idk... give it a try, I suppose.
First time here. Waiter was very helpful and I took his recommendation on the fettucine carabola dish. Came with a house salad with an excellent house vinaigrette. Could have used a little less dressing. Meal arrived quickly. Enjoyed it with bread served with olive oil and sun dried tomato. Delicious. Overall good lunch experience at a good price.
Review Source:The name is deceiving--Bruno's sounds like some German sports bar, but it's actually a quaint little Italian restaurant owned and run by none other than Bruno himself. The restaurant is a narrow space with a huge mural of an Italian landscape stretching from the front window to the back of the store. Probably a perfect date spot, but I was with a bunch of girls so I didn't quite catch the vibe.
Anyway, I ordered for myself an Almond Cake but everyone else had dinner, so I was honored to try at least one bite of their prosciutto pizza, bruschetta, and garlic bread. So, here's my review: the pizza was to die for. A thin crust with a perfect amount of cheese and tomato sauce, huge strips of prosciutto, fresh basil, topped with raw spinach leaves....SO good. Bruschetta wasn't bad either; the basil was noticeably fresh, along with the garlic, but the tomatoes were noticeably not, which sort of ruined it with their lack of flavor. The bread, however, was well seasoned, so it was a more of a refreshing snack than a flavorful meal. The garlic bread lived up to its name, of course. Nothing to cry over, except maybe the garlic burning your mouth. And finally, the Almond Cake, which I only had two bites of after the entire table took their share. Mascarpone cheese layered between rich cake and loaded with softened almonds and cake crumbles...I died and went to dessert heaven.
I'm definitely going back to try an entree for myself.
I've been back to Bruno's a handful of times since my love affair with the homemade sausage began. Rest assured that my affection for the sausage is still very much intact. However, I have been dabbling through the menu a bit, and some things have been a let down. Personally speaking I think the sausage is simply an unfollowable act. Everything else seems to be diminished in comparison. Through my return visits, I have found a few more dishes that I love including the veal which is breaded and pan fried like schnitzel. I have also really enjoyed the simplicity and rustic nature of their brick oven pizzas.
Now for the let downs. The swordfish here was actually a little offensive. It was prepared well, but it seemed to just be a pitiful cut of meat.... Swordfish should not be tough and contain unappetizing patches of gray. When I compare this to my other swordfish experiences this fish was closer to spam when it should have been a pork medallion. The other dish that hit a low note was the tagliatelle with peppers and portabello mushrooms. The vegetables were nice, the sauce was delicate, but overall the dish was just bland. This was magnified as a stole pieces of the beau's sausage throughout the meal...(..no not that sausage..) Mediocre dishes aside, there are still an array of Bruno's dishes that are tremendous and worth coming for. Discovery of the lesser ones is always a disappointment, but it does increase my admiration for certain prized flavors.
I would say that "casual fine dining" fits Bruno's quite well. For Italian, this place beats Nonna's hands down, as well as D'Arpinios and Digiacentos. Totally classy, but very comfortable. If I could afford to sit and drink here, I would, but I find the beers (although they do have Duvel) and wines a bit overpriced; $4.50 or so for a Boulevard is too much honestly. But! Let's get to the food.
Since I was eating on someone else's ticket, I didn't feel bad about pushing for extra stuff. I went for the Prosciutto and fresh basil Calzone and added sausage, the lady got their homemade sausage with fennel and mushrooms and added a full plate of grilled veggie salad (worth the extra $7.50). Others got some red pasta dish and finally a chicken breast and vegetable dish.
To start they brought out some bread, that was neither toasted nor buttered, much to my dismay. Instead of olive oil and salt and pepper, you get an olive oil and balsamic vinegar mix, which is kind of a nice change of pace, but not as satisfying for me.
Our salads came out relatively quick once we got our orders. I should mention service here. The server we had was extremely knowledgeable and very well prepared. But they give you plenty of time to hang out. This doesn't seem to be a high turnover place, so you should probably give yourselves plenty of time, save money to buy a drink, and just enjoy yourselves. Anyways, our grilled salad was very nice with actual roasted red peppers, fresh little balls of mozzarella, and absolutely delicious mushrooms and a nice dressing. My sis got another of the salads, which had nice lettuce, but the dressing was waaaay to intense for me.
My calzone was pretty much perfect. Unbelievably fresh, softly risen dough. It is pretty much like a big pillow of filo dough, but not quite as flakey. You have to do this. Mine was filled with prosciutto (italian ham), fresh basil leaves, and lovely cheese and topped with italian seasonings. The sausage I added wasn't the bull-shit pre-ground sausage, this was homemade sausage-just like the dish the lady got.
Good lord how awesome her HOMEMADE sausages were! I've never had sausage that were as tender and airy as this. But! It was even better when combined with the sauce and vegetables. As diners and consumers, we need to respect this.This, also, is a must have dish.
The rigatoni pasta was pretty good, with a very fresh tomato pasta sauce. To me, it just didn't thrill as much as the calzone or sausages. The chicken breast with culinary school julienned veggies had the least appealing look with the chicken breast being very small and appeared overdone, although I didn't try it.
Overall, this place is bloody fantastic, and no more pricey than Nonna's down the street, and this place certainly adds that something special that Nonna's just can't do, nor can any of the other mid-range Italian places. Get that sausage and calzone and go relax.
Bruno's is a sophisticated yet friendly restaurant in urban Springfield. The food is excellent and high end; the wine selections are outstanding. I believe I had the absolute best waiter and service I have ever experienced, in any restaurant, in any city.
Bruno's is definitely a great spot for a great night.
Make a reservation if you're coming in the evening. We were able to get a table in under 20 minutes, but I'm pretty sure we were lucky.
Our appetizers took a considerable amount of time to arrive, but the sweet free bread and italian butter kept us busy. I ordered a fantastic calzone, and others had flat pizzas and ravioli. The food was fantastic, the decor was nice, but our service DID leave a little something to be desired. There was a great big group of people eating when we were there (there had to be at least 12 in the group) which, I'm pretty sure, impacted our service. I just hate it when restaurants sacrifice the service of smaller groups for the bigger tip.
We love eating here for multiple reasons: usually they aren't too busy, they have great food, and their wait staff tends to be very friendly. Some of my favorite foods include their La Margherita pizza, Gnocchi di Ricotta (spinach balls), and chocolate cake (SO good). The only negative I've found is their bread isn't good -- they bring out slices before the meal and I always want it to be delicious, but it never is. Also, don't make the mistake of ordering the garlic bread appetizer thinking it will be better because it's equally bland. Other than that, it's always a great dining experience that's great for dates.
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