Lagondola Spaghetti House

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  good carryout italian & cheap: This place is easy for me because its on my way home. You can dine in at this place but it only has 6 tables and is kind of small.Most people get carryout and they get it made pretty fast.I enjoy there lasagna as its really rich tasting and they give you a decent portion. My girlfriend likes the spaghetti with marianna sauce and enjoys eating it. We both like the garlic bread with cheese and they ought to patent it because its so good.

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  Posted on 07.14.12 Tj M.

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  Ugh, worse than Avanti's (and that's saying something).
  
  Not sure how these awful fast food Italian places are so popular in BloNo, but that doesn't make them edible. Next time you eat here take a look at the "cheese" on your sandwich. Cheese isn't supposed to look like plastic.

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  Posted on 08.26.11 Tristan B.

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  Four stars for their torpedo's only.  I would give the other items one star or less, the pasta is over done, sauce is terrible.  It's shameful to be considered Italian.

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  Posted on 09.07.10 Royce S.

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  This is one of those places that people like for nostalgic reasons, despite food quality that just does not measure up. Yes, its cheap and you grew up eating it, but if you take a step back and assess the restaurant for what it actually is, you will realize that mediocre is three steps better than this joint.
  
  The food is low-quality Italian. Old-school bland red sauce, french bread garlic bread and slightly too-done spaghetti. Their food all seems to be sweetened with extra sugar (though in this town, I think high fructose corn syrup is a better guess).
  
  The restaurant itself is an eyesore. I dont think it was ever an attractive location, but it is currently very run down. I would call the interior spartan, however, I think Spartans had too much self-respect to tolerate this. Nothing about the inside of this restaurant affects my appetite in anything but a negative way.
  
  The prices are low, but when you measure them against the quality of the food, the presentation, and the establishment itself, you realize that there really is no value here.

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  Posted on 03.06.10 Tim J.

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  In Bloomington-Normal you have two real options for "quick" Italian (Fazoli's does NOT count!!!!).  In the war between Avanti's and La Gondola, Avanti's will win on sheer scale and amount of food sold but La Gondola is the hands down winner for quality and what you get for the money.  My usual order is the hot ham and cheese (way bigger and MUCH better than the Avanti's version) and the tortellini which is also much better than the Avanti's version.  I will always feel I got much more for my dollar at La Gondola than I ever do at Avanti's.
  
  The Main Street location is....umm...charming...but the staff is great and you can see the entire food prep area so any concerns about cleanliness are pretty unfounded.  The parking lot can be a bit tricky when it's snowy or the restaurant is busy but it's usually not tough and a quick drive around the block will get you going in any direction you want to head.  La Gondola is certainly not haute cuisine, but it beats the hell out of Avanti's anyday.

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  Posted on 01.11.10 John B.

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  Very unassuming no-frills dining. The food is good, but not great. However, it is an excellent deal. The dinners easily feed two for $8, with a half loaf of french garlic bread, sizeable salad, and at least a pound of pasta. The garlic bread is perfectly seasoned, not to salty or garlicky, and nice and chewy. The lasagna was no where near as good as Beningo's, but still decent if you are looking for cheap carry out. Thee don't accept Amex. Rumors of cleanliness are just that according to <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mcleancountyil.gov%2Fhealth%2Fri.aspx&s=fd9bfac30f69c709c409df0dc1caf647bb83854319f40e63a3de39722d366b71" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.mcleancountyi…</a>. Lagondola has an average inspection rating of 92/100, whereas Beningo's and Biaggi's both average 89.

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  Posted on 06.22.09 Russ C.

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  I love La Gondola!!!  Love it I tell you!!!  Each time I come to visit this is one of my stops, no question about it.  There garlic cheese bread is beyond awesome.  Yes, you have to wait for your food but that is because it's made when you order not sitting in a heater waiting to be ordered.  I have to be honest, all I can comment on is the garlic bread and torpedo sandwich.  I just love them both so much that I have never tried anything else on the menu.

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  Posted on 03.07.08 Mia M.

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  Everything seems to get over-cooked here, and it is certainly not "fast" food. Rumors about cleanliness (or lack thereof). I still enjoy their cinnamon and garlic bread, though, as long as they do not burn either.

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  Posted on 05.11.07 Jenna M.

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