lidia’s

we have been going to lidia's since we moved to kansas city in 2008 and have never been disappointed. whether ordering ala carte from the menu or enjoying their fabulous sunday brunch, the food is always consistent and delicious although a bit pricey.

antipasti (appetizers) range from $7.50 to $14.00 and include traditional favorites like "frico" (cheese crisp - $12.50), "cozze" (mussels - $12.00), "arancini" (deep fried risotto balls - $12.00), and "pappa al pomodoro" ( a tuscan tomato and bread soup - $7.50). the frico, for example, is delicious with crispy cheese (usually a higher-fat hard cheeses like montasio or asiago) baked in the oven with various decadent ingredients, having originated in the friuli region of italy.

insalate (salads) are normally ordered along with the main course (secondo) when dining in italy and are not "meal size" as you will find in the united states. at lidia's they range from $8.00 to $12.50, but i cannot comment on them as i have never ordered one because, other than the caprese salad - one of my favorites, you should not come to restaurant like lidia's unless you plan on focusing on pasta and meat/seafood dishes, all of which are quite filling.

ranging from $17.00 (canneloni) to $22.00 (pasta trio), the prices for their "primi" (first courses - pastas) are lidia's "best value", especially their "pasta trio" which my wife and i have had on numerous occasions. this "all you can eat" medley of three pastas changes daily and includes three different selections (fettucine, penne, ravioli, etc.), each with its own sauce (butter and sage, amatriciana, and other favorites). servers come around with a large plate of each, giving you as much or as little as you desire so you can sample all three before deciding on which one (or three) you want more of. you can add a caesar salad and choice of dessert for an additional $13, but i would not waste my money and recommend enjoying as much pasta as you can eat instead.

the meat and seafood (secondi) dishes are not cheap at $21 for the lemon chicken to $49.50 for the bone-in rib eye steak, but if you like a traditional italianmealwith antipasto, primo and secondo, you will not be disappointed ... you will, however, be bursting at the seams! secondi at lidia's, unlike restaurants in italy, are accompanied by "contorni" (vegetables and potatoes), making a fullmealif you prefer meat and potatoes over pasta. my favorite used to be their "involtini di manzo", rolled beef scallops with pickle, vegetables and mustard (a northern italian recipe), accompanied by mashed potatoes, but it has not been on the menu lately.

their wine list is extensive with nothing under $32 for a bottle (the "value list" has a nice selection of reds and whites) and ranging up to as high as $495 for a bottle of lange (2005) gaja if that is your style. we have ordered from the value list every time we have been there and found the wines quite good and somewhat as the name implies, a "decent" value. they also have a full bar with drinks ranging from $9 to $34.

we have not been there for sunday brunch in several years, but it used to be an excellent value at $25 (now $29.50). served buffet style, you can help yourself to a nice selection of antipasti and dolci (desserts), ordering a selection from the wide variety of main courses, including the "pasta tasting menu", frico, porchetta hash, osso buco, and lasagna bolognese among others.

we have never been there for lunch, but looking at the menu it appears to be a decent value withmealselections reduced by $5 or so compared to the dinner menu and with sandwiches in the $12 to $13 range. 

expect to pay a $100 to $125 for dinner for two, including antipasti and either a primo (pasta) or secondo, a bottle of wine from the value list, and a shared dessert (tip and tax included). we cannot afford to spend that kind of money every time we go out to eat, but for special occasions lidia's italy - kansas city is a decent value with exceptional food, excellent service, and moderate prices.

combatcritic gives lidia's italy - kansas city 7 out of 10 bombs ... more bombs are better!

we have been going to lidia's since we moved to kansas city in 2008 and have never been disappointed. whether ordering ala carte from the menu or enjoying their fabulous sunday brunch, the food is always consistent and delicious although a bit pricey.

antipasti (appetizers) range from $7.50 to $14.00 and include traditional favorites like "frico" (cheese crisp - $12.50), "cozze" (mussels - $12.00), "arancini" (deep fried risotto balls - $12.00), and "pappa al pomodoro" ( a tuscan tomato and bread soup - $7.50). the frico, for example, is delicious with crispy cheese (usually a higher-fat hard cheeses like montasio or asiago) baked in the oven with various decadent ingredients, having originated in the friuli region of italy.

insalate (salads) are normally ordered along with the main course (secondo) when dining in italy and are not "meal size" as you will find in the united states. at lidia's they range from $8.00 to $12.50, but i cannot comment on them as i have never ordered one because, other than the caprese salad - one of my favorites, you should not come to restaurant like lidia's unless you plan on focusing on pasta and meat/seafood dishes, which are quite filling.

ranging from $17.00 (canneloni) to $22.00 (pasta trio), the prices for their "primi" (first courses - pastas) are lidia's "best value", especially their "pasta trio" which my wife and i have had on numerous occasions. this "all you can eat" medley of three pastas changes daily and includes three different pastas (fettucine, penne, ravioli, etc.), each with its own sauce (butter and sage, amatriciana, and other favorites). servers come around with a large plate of each, giving you as much or as little as you desire so you can sample all three before deciding on which one (or three) you want more of. you can add a caesar salad and choice of dessert for an additional $13, but i would not waste my money and recommend enjoying as much pasta as you can instead.

the meat and seafood (secondi) dishes are not cheap at $21 for the lemon chicken to $49.50 for the bone-in rib eye steak, but if you like a traditional italianmealwith antipasto, primo and secondo, you will not be disappointed ... but you will be bursting at the seams! secondi at lidia's, unlike restaurants in italy, are accompanied by "contorni" (vegetables and potatoes), making a fullmealif you prefer meat and potatoes over pasta. my favorite used to be their "involtini di manzo", rolled beef scallops with pickle, vegetables and mustard (a northern italian recipe), accompanied by mashed potatoes, but it has not been on the menu lately.

their wine list is extensive with nothing under $32 for a bottle (the "value list" has a nice selection of reds and whites) and ranging up to as high as $495 for a bottle of lange (2005) gaja if that is your style. we have ordered from the value list every time we have been there and found the wines quite good and somewhat as the name implies, a "decent" value. they also have a full bar with drinks ranging from $9 to $34.

we have not been there for sunday brunch in several years, but it used to be an excellent value at $29.50. served buffet style, you can help yourself to a nice selection of antipasti and dolci (desserts), ordering a selection from a wide variety on main courses, including the "pasta tasting menu", frico, porchetta hash, osso buco, and lasagna bolognese among others.

we have never been there for lunch, but looking at the menu it appears to be a decent value withmealselections reduced by $5 or so compared to the dinner menu and with sandwiches in the $12 to $13 range. 

expect to pay a $100 to $125 for dinner for two, including antipasti and either a primo (pasta) or secondo, a bottle of wine from the value list, and a shared dessert (tip and tax included). we cannot afford to spend that kind of money every time we go out to eat, but for special occasions lidia's italy - kansas city is a decent value with exceptional food, excellent service, and moderate prices.

combatcritic gives lidia's italy - kansas city 7 out of 10 bombs ... more bombs are better!

it was my partner's birthday, and he wanted to go somewhere nice and well-reviewed in kansas city. we had not been to lidia's, so he selected to go there because of the reviews we had seen online. maybe it was an off night, but i'm not so sure the reviewers of lidia's have been eating at the same place i went.

we made reservations, even though i'm not really sure we needed them for the night we went because it wasn't very busy. we were promptly seated and brought bread, which was probably the highlight of the meal, and some sort of olive hummus and basil hummus. i don't like olives, so i can't comment on that, but the basil hummus was pretty good.

our waitress came and wasn't the most friendly. maybe it was because she had too many tables, but it seemed like if we asked too many questions, we would have gotten yelled at. i ordered the wild boar ravioli, and my partner had the pasta trio, which many people have raved about on here. we also got caesar salads that were brought out first.

the caesar salads were not that great. something about the dressing was too acidic for my tastes, and the lettuces were too drenched in the dressing. luckily the croutons in the salad were good, and there was plenty of parmesan cheese, but i wanted the salad to be better overall.

when the pasta came out, my disappointment grew even more. the wild boar ravioli tasted like hamburger helper inside pasta. it was all right, but certainly not something i'd order again. where the real problem came was the pasta trio. it's touted as lidia's signature dish, and it's unlimited pasta, but the word "unlimited" should be the tip-off to what you're about to receive. the best item was the chicken and spinach ravioli, which was the best thing i tasted all night. but the other two pasta trio items were barely edible, one wasn't even worth eating all of a serving. there was an acceptable spiral pasta with what tasted like lidia's jarred sauce on top of it. then there was an awful dish with frozen shrimp in it. it tasted like something i would have bought in the frozen section of wal-mart and heated up on the stove, only to throw it away. very poor quality and very disappointing.

overall, themealand service was subpar and did not live up to the reviews i've read online. i'd probably go to olive garden or fazoli's before i ever eat at lidia's again. and if anyone i know wants to go there, i'd steer them away. themealwas way too expensive for the quality delivered. i expected better.

on a side note - the night we went, the bathrooms smelled horrible. like the sewer was backed up and no one had noticed or tried to do anything about it. it certainly didn't add to the evening.

totally outstanding. this is for us one of the finest restaurants in the entire midwest. during the past three decades my wife and i have eaten at fine restaurants all across the u.s., canada, and europe. we have never been disappointed at lidia's, but tonight was special. the service was exemplary from start to finish, themealwas amazing, and the desserts were truly superb. we were immensely satisfied, and we will be sure to return. the next time we have extended family visiting from germany, we also will be sure to bring them to lidia's!

we finished ourmealwith a chocolate torte that we shared. it consisted of a moist chocolate cake covered with chocolate mousse, topped with a layer of white chocolate ganache and plated with a few dark cherries and black walnuts. we both enjoyed it with with a cup of very good coffee.

exceptional service. when i spend $$$ for a restaurantmeali expect to find a pleasant atmosphere, professional service, and wonderful food. for the most part, lidia's fills the bill.
lidia's has a handsome, casually elegant feel to it. that is exactly the sort of atmosphere i like best...professional but not pretentious. the menu isn't huge, but offers enough interesting items to spike your interest, and even intrigue you with options you may never have heard of. for the most part, the kitchen delivers admirably. items of particular note include their famous pasta trio, an ever changing, bottomless plate of three distinct pastas. the salmon served atop veggies was cooked a perfect medium rare, and served largely without added seasonings. it was fine, if unremarkable. we also loved the polpetti appetizer, which consisted of four meatballs served atop crusty bread. only the frito misto fell flat. it looked marvelous, and was certainly a huge dish, but whatever underlying qualities it had suffered from far too much use of salt.
service was absolutely exemplary. our server bent over backwards to make ourmealenjoyable, even offering to take several photos of us, as well as doing the same for other tables. when we asked for a few more of the mini breadsticks she returned with a wine glass filled with perhaps 20. i lost count of how many times my water glass was quietly filled without my noticing. bread crumbs were quickly and quietly whisked from the table. literally everything about the service was top notch. and to my mind that is the most difficult thing for a restaurant to get right.
prices are not cheap, but when the customer is treated this special, you don't mind paying a little bit more to be pampered.
midtown kc has many wonderful places to eat. lidia's holds its own with the best of the rest.
food: b+
atmosphere: a
service: a+
menu sophistication: a
value: a-

probably the most disappointingmealin some time. themealwas composed of three types of pasta, but all you could taste was salt. it was bad to the point of disgusting. i would never recommend this lidia's.

wonderful meal. i must admit that i have only been to lidia's for lunch. and, every time that i have been there i order the "trio of pasta's" lunch special. i enjoy the variety of pasta's, ravioli's and whatever other pasta concoction they can come up with. my wife and i will have ourmealand about halfway thru we will rank our favorites 1,2,3. there is usually one that just doesn't quite do it for us. don't get me wrong, everything is good - there is just one that has an ingredient that we may not be fond of or the like. one day, i will have to go there for dinner - i look forward to that meal!

saturday brunch. very tasty. not your typical brunch. themealstarts with a small assortments of salads and the soup of the day buffet style. then your entrees are served based on your order. then a small dessert table is available buffet style for after the meal. desserts are in sample portion size. flavors were unique and wonderful. all in my party enjoyed this delightful experience.

very good italian. i have been to lidia's many times, and my favoritemealis the pasta trio at lunch. there are always three different pastas available all-you-can-eat and i have always loved at least two of them. can't go wrong with that.

yuck. just yuck. thismealwas so disappointing from the mediocre service to the bland boring food that i cannot even muster the energy to review it. everything was so middle of the road that i cannot believe this place stays packed. clearly kansas citians needs their taste buds checked. diners beware. save yourself the trouble and find somewhere else to eat.

good experience. just ate here for the first time last night. hostess was very nice and welcoming and i saw her making rounds through our entire dinner, asking customers how theirmealwas and if they needed anything. our server didnt seem very prepared and had to read up on the specials. seemed like he had to make several trips to do small things that could have been combined in one trip? i got a caesar salad. delicious and awesome croutons. and the pasta trio. heavenly. liked two of the pastas more than the third, our server said the pasta trio changes each night too, which i thought was cool. atmosphere was nice. not too loud, good crowd but no wait. i will definitely go back. bill seemed quite high, but for a nice occasion, which this was, it was worth it.