Manzellas Italian Patio - Champaign

For my money Manzellas has made some of the best authentic pizza in Central Illinois for the past twenty plus years. The Bianca is especially good. The service is very good: attentive, but not constantly interrupting your meal. The woman who seems toalways work behind the bar is knowledgeable about their wines. If you?re looking for the decor found in upscale, franchiseItalian restaurants, you may be disappointed. But if you love a venue with the feel of an old school neighborhood Italianrestaurant Manzella?s is for you.

I met a group of friends here last night and had high hopes after seeing this place won the Italian category in the News Gazette's 2022 People's Choice. We shared a bunch of different things including a variety of pizzas. Even though we didn't orderdifferent crusts, each pizza had a different crust, ranging from very thin and crispy (nearly burned) to thick and doughy (whichwas returned to the kitchen). The underside of the pizzas had entirely too much flour caked on, so much so that that's about allI could taste, but it's really ok because the tomato sauce was way too sweet. Why do central IL Italian restaurants put so muchsugar in the sugo? The red wine vinaigrette on the salad was also very sugary. The wine menu was quite limited and the ChiantiClasico was served quite warm. The server was adequate. The cheese bread appetizer was pretty tasty and by far, the Italian beefwas the star of the show!

There are definitely better Italian places in town. That said, if you?re not looking to spend almost $100 on your meal, this place is perfect. It?s a cozy little spot for a rainy day. If you?re just looking for some comfort food and a decent winerecommendation everyone in here is super nice and you don?t need to feel like you have to put on a three piece suit to visit.

My experience dining here was poor. Our waitress rushed us which was an unpleasant start and even forgot to bring our drink without apologizing (we didn?t receive it until the after the food came). The lasagna I ordered was over cooked which made itsoggy, and on top of that was a very surprisingly small portion considering the price of it. I don?t like to complain, but itjust wasn't a great meal and the service was not any better.

Manzella's is a wonderful traditional Italian family restaurant. The food is always good when you are looking for this homemade taste. The pastas are delicious, the pizzas are thin with the right mix of crispness to crust. The atmosphere is the old school Italian. There is nothing better than sitting in a stand in front with glowing the neon signs in the window and watching the traffic by enjoying a warm comforting meal.