Avanzare Italian Dining

I avoided this place for quite a while because I believed (fervently, but mostly baselessly) that Paragould couldn't have good Italian because there historically didn't seem to be a market for it and Fazoli's was the pinnacle of Italian food as far as the locals were concerned. The strip mall location just reinforced this belief. I thought that it would be, at best, re-warmed Marie Callender's quality. But no, I was wrong. It's pretty good. Not as great as one would hope, but pretty good, especially for NEA.The space inside, despite the look of the exterior, was that of a warm and inviting family Italian place, roomier and more comfortable than I expected. The service was attentive without being obtrusive. They were very generous with the bread, which was *much* better than most of the table bread I'd had at other places.The food was hot and fresh. I got the chicken marsala and the thick breast pieces were cooked very well, better than most I must say. Well done but still moist and tender, a trick a lot of places don't seem to be able to pull off. My son said he was extremely happy with his pizza. I generally wouldn't think much of that because he's not particularly discriminating where pizza is concerned, but it was of a type that is atypical for him and I didn't think he'd like it much at all, so his praise carried a bit more weight with me than it normally would have.There were things about this or that I could quibble with, but I won't since they're mostly preference things and not quality issues. It's ok to gripe about bad quality (not applicable here) but I don't think reviews are the place to air my grievances over recipes or technique. Suffice to say that these quibbles were what contributed in large part to my earlier "not as great as one would hope" comment above.The only complaint I feel I could justifiably level at this place is that the portion sizes are too big. Reduce the portion size and cut the prices a bit. My table of 6 at a Sunday lunch with a couple apps weighted in at $150 before tip with nearly everyone taking home boxes. Not outrageous, but I'd have left pretty happy if there were no boxes going home and a 20% lower bill. Overall, a good experience and I won't hesitate to go back if I'm looking for some good Italian.

Food great bread and the oil ! So good ! The food has always been good ! Sevice wonderful. Parking is good other when the other bussiness not in or be early pick what you want

Love it. The food always is always fresh, fast, and plentiful. Excellent service always with a smile.

A colleague and I enjoyed two delicious meals. I had the Ravioli de Portobello, and my companion had the Avanzare Pasta Sampler.The lunch specials come with a tossed salad and Italian dinner rolls. The salad was amazingly fresh, and the rolls were baked in the restaurant's kitchen. The flavored olive oil dipping sauce was delicious.A few quibbles. The cashier was also acting as the server, so our drink order wasn't completed until after we had been seated at our table for several minutes. I took this as a cue to place my food order in conjunction with my drink. The food eventually arrived, delivered by whom I assume was the kitchen runner. My ravioli was very good, and the sauce on top was wonderful. Unfortunately, the plastic plate that my meal was served upon meant that my meal was not served hot. (Also, none of the pasta is made at the restaurant.)The server/cashier was friendly, and accommodating as she was comfortable being. I was unsuccessful in my attempt to obtain a sample of the restaurant's meatball, and told that I would have to make a complete order of four meatballs. I declined. Maybe next time.Whenever I happen to again be in the area, I would be pleased to dine here again. Here's to hoping for more flexibility.

I have been to Avanzare's many times. Always very happy with the food and service. Of course I enjoy the music very much. I most definitely recommend them.

My family has ordered food for pickup or delivery often in the 4 years we have lived in Paragould. The quality of food is now very inconsistent and trending downward. Last night (7/14/23), we ordered a pasta trio which was ok but has been much better previously; a spinach calzone which was both partly ok and partly not so good; and chicken and shrimp carbonara which had absolutely no bacon as stated in the menu description (bacon is the primary ingredient in any carbonara). I threw most of it away. Additionally, the restaurant says it has chocolate cheesecake. At one time it did, but you now receive layered chocolate cake with a 1/4" chocolate mousse separating layers when you order it. It is then smothered in chocolate icing, sauce, etc. Nowhere did I mention cheese because it was not cheesecake. Very disappointing dining experience!

It was okay. The food was basic Italian, nothing stood out but it wasn't gross. The ambiance was way too dark and the tables were sticky.

Everything is wonderful from the food to the service. Try them out you wo t be disappointed.

Excellent food, wide variety. One cannot go wrong with any selection. Should go there soon.

We Eat in, as well as Order to Go! All of Their Food is Delicious...& their Bread is ".to Die For‼" Never Had A Bad Experience‼