Lombardinos Italian Restaurant and Bar

Found this place by chance it was across from the hotel we stayed in. It was an absolute gem and the food was amazing. We got the eggplant dish the spicy rigatoni and an apple salad all three were some of the best food I have had in a long time.

We arrived around 5pm on a Friday and the restaurant was about half full. By 6pm, there was a line. My partner and I each ordered our own pizza and they were both delicious! Overall, the staff was friendly and attentive. It was a fairly quiet atmosphere, seems great for a relaxing dinner.

I love this place! I used to order take out all of the time during medical school and COVID so it was a special treat to dine in tonight! The food is always outstanding. The tomatoes on the bruschetta were incredible. Our server, Karl, was awesome and very attentive. He let me know I didn't have to choose between my two favorite pastas - I got a half order of each! And the cozy vibe of the restaurant was perfect for a cold December night.

Arrived at about 6pm on a Sunday evening. We were immediately welcomed & seated at a booth. First impression was it was kind of old school Italian decor & very dark inside. I believe more than half the restaurant was filled already. We were greeted by Parker who was all smiles & handed us the wine, specials & regular menus. We perused and landed on the bruschetta as well as the Gorgonzola stuffed dates with finocchiona salami, local pea shoots, toasted pistachios & a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar and potato & parsnip soup. The bruschetta was ENORMOUS and quite tasty with the ricotta basil cream & roasted cherry tomatoes. I really enjoyed the date & Gorgonzola dish as it was different and savory. The pistachios added a nice crunch & texture as well. I was told the soup was delicious as well (I didn't taste). For our mains I ordered the stracotto of beef short rib with rigatoni and my son & his girlfriend chose to share the freshwater prawn risotto. I found the short rib tender & seasoned well but there was a bitter aftertaste that wasn't entirely pleasant. I feel a bit of tomato paste in the sauce might have helped balance the flavor...but I was just a customer. Parker delivered a split order of the short rib rigatoni to them in error but apologized & corrected the error and promised to remove it from the check (he didn't but corrected that error when reminded to do so). The risotto I thought was only ok as the bite I had seemed to have an off putting seafood stock flavor however the risotto was properly cooked al dente. The shrimp themselves were tasty. We finished with the lemon curd tart & raspberry coulis. I felt the curd could've used ALOT more zest and found the crust far too thick & dense. I would not order that again. Maybe the tiramisu would've been a better choice?All in all I felt Lombardino's had a very pleasant front of house staff with a good vibe but inconsistent execution from the kitchen. I might return but will likely seek other Italian restaurants in Madison to discover as the "go to" when in Madison next time?

Delicious! We got there at 4:30 and joined the line waiting for them to open. We were recommended this place and were grateful it just so happened we wanted to eat early. The place filled up immediately! And for good reasons. I had the half chicken. It was perfectly crispy! My dad had the spaghetti bolognese - huge portion and he ate it all. We also got the Brussels sprout side- delicious! They used thick bacon and a balsamic reduction to elevate the dish.

We ordered two of their wood fired pizzas. Both had a generous amount of toppings and easily fed 3 adults with plenty of leftovers. Absolutely loved the crust and it was even good on day 2. Definitely recommend!

Servers were nice and the inside was very authentic feeling. The food was pretty good.

This is the cutest Italian place in Madison! I can't believe I've never heard of it before! I felt like I was in Europe with the cute decor and lighting. We visited for a birthday dinner celebration with my husband after a recommendation from his aunt. They don't take reservations so we arrived around 4:45pm as they currently open at 4:30pm. The super adorable bar area (see photos) was full of people waiting for friends to join them and maybe 20% of the seating area was already full, which surprised us in a good way yet never took away from our dining experience. The restaurant was probably 80% full by the time we left. We were greeted immediately and shown to our table with menus and water. We ordered our drinks from the specials menu and they were both delicious, my partner got the special old fashioned and I had a gin drink. Both photos attached were taken after we had a few sips because we were so excited for them. I also had the sangiovese blend and it was so good!We had the beet salad and the calamari as appetizers. We told them we were sharing the food so they split our dishes which was so nice! Please note that all food photos are of the split plates so a full plate is double the amount of food. The menu is fairly limited for an Italian restaurant although I believe that is because they excel at those few dishes.The salad was pretty good but not our favorite, especially compared to the calamari which was an absolute 10/10! We order this at every restaurant we find it and believe this is the best in Madison. We loved that the breading was so light and that the calamari was so tender.For dinner we shared the mushroom tagliatelle which was delicious but not as amazing as the chicken al mattone which was a 20/10. We don't usually order chicken when out since we make it ourselves often but this was the best chicken we've ever had. The sauce, the polenta, the tenderness, everything was so perfect. We both finished ours very quickly. I'm a chocoholic so we had the dark chocolate flourless cake for dessert which was also a 10/10. It comes with an amazing berry sauce and creamy glaze that are delicious.In addition, the price was reasonable and better than other restaurants in the area that seem to be trying to give a similar experience (like Naples 15). We will be coming back for sure!!Food: 9/10Drinks: 10/10Service: 9/10Ambience: 10/10

This place is so cute and very traditional. The rating is mostly due to the fact that they do not take reservations, it's hard to find parking, and they close on some random days. That being said, if you're willing to wait and get seating, the food is delish. Again, very true to Italians cuisine, the bread is fresh and the pasta is too. They keep things simple and to the point to highlight the cuisine. This is a great place for a date night. The service is impeccable and you won't leave hungry. Happy eating.

We had a great date night here. Love the food and atmosphere - be aware they do not take reservations. Great food in a very charming environment. We have been here multiple times and will go back.