osteria il centro

what a great find. service was outstanding. wine was spectacular and dinner was over the top good

finally made it. my wife and i have planned to visit il centro for quite awhile. finally last thursday our schedules, our appetites, and our inclinations all convened when were close to il centro. so, we stopped in.

we loved it. the place felt friendly from the moment we walked in. the bartender was attentive and the food was outstanding. we shared an anti pasta platter and the cannelloni. both were exceptional.

while most of the customers that evening seemed to be from the neighborhood we were delighted to find some old friends from way out south blended into the crowd. we'll be back again to enjoy the great food and the congenial atmosphere.

long wait, good food. we visited on a saturday night and were told that there would be approximately a 45 minute wait. we immediately found a place at the bar and ordered drinks so we weren't too concerned about the wait.

unfortunately others weren't too concerned about our wait either. there were at least 3 tables of diners who had completely finished their dinner but were still seated. the waitstaff didn't seem interested in trying to move them along despite the fact that the restaurant was packed and there were many groups waiting for a table. one table seated right near the bar sat there for over an hour after they had finished their food and taken care of their bill. waitstaff did little to encourage them to leave and even kept refilling their water glasses. in fact, this group was still there, just sitting around talking, long after we finally got seated and were served our food.

once we were finally seated, the service was good and the food was delicious. everyone ordered something different and everyone liked what they ordered.

it is too bad that a few rude people spoiled what otherwise would have been an enjoyable evening. management needs to do a better job of turning tables over. i will not definitely come back during peak times and i recommend that you don't either unless you like to watch rude people sit there.

update 1/2015, just as delicious and fun as ever!. you have to love cramped quarters and lively (ok, loud) atmospheres but if that is fine with you, you're gonna love it here. the food is always delicious (i actually ate italian this time), the drinks are mighty fine and the price (is not cheap) but is appropriate. and, it doesn't usually happen quickly so enjoy it as an evening out.


-----24 nov, 2009-----

best bang for your buck in town. if you're going out with friends or even as a couple and you want to be out amongst peole in a lively atmosphere and you want a fantastic meal at a great price-this is it!!!
nuff said...
oh, about the food, when i think of italian i think of like carmen's, osteria il centro is somewhere you should try one of the specials, or the fish/seafood, the chef is too creative just to eat regular fare here-i'd imagine that could be disappointing. generally dinner here is a gourmand's delight-experiment and enjoy!

worth the wait. osteria il centro does not accept reservations for dinner. it is first come, first served. so we decided to come early for our friday evening dinner. we still had a considerable wait for a table, but everyone kept telling us that "it is worth the wait." we grabbed some drinks from the bar and parked outside on one of the sidewalk benches, where we chatted with some other waiting diners. about 40 minutes later our name was called, and we were offered a fantastic table with a window view onto main street.
the menu is very straightforward, even predictable. it seems that about 90% of what is on the menu at any italian restaurant is on the menu at every italian restaurant. we started with the procsciutto pizza and an order of the daily special gazpacho soup. i expected a flatbread version of the pizza, as that is what just about everyone does nowadays. but instead we were served a round, moderately thin crust 6 slice pizza. it was quite tasty, but i would have preferred a flatbread version. the gazpacho soup was likewise good, with lots of finely chopped yet crisp veggies tossed in a chilled tomato broth that tasted almost exactly like v-8 juice.
what really shined were our main courses. for me it was the lemon butter pan seared orange roughy, capped with a heaping mound of rich tasting crab and spinach topping. it was served with a "side" of tomato and herb spaghetti that would have fed a small army. i loved every bite of it all.
my husband selected the veal meatballs with spaghetti. he also found much to rave about on his plate. he only finished about half of the dish before asking for a "to go" box.
we found the service to be friendly and helpful, but the pacing of the meal was somewhat slow. fortunately we weren't in a hurry.
the atmosphere is that of a cozy, unpretentious but boisterous neighborhood italian place. there are perhaps 15 tables, plus a handful of seats at the bar. a large tv glows silently up on the dining room wall. (once again, i must ask why? people can watch tv at home. they don't need to be confronted by it when they dine at a restaurant such as this one). white butcher-block paper tops the tables, and attractive art work adorns the walls.
a word or three about the wine selection: it is huge, with hundreds of wines offered by the bottle, many priced quite reasonably. about 40 wines are offered by the glass, including one house red and one white at only $6 apiece. the wine room, wherever it is, must be larger than the dining room! a good selection of beers and distilled spirits is also available.
if you enjoy italian cooking (and wine) you need to visit here. it really is worth the wait!
food: a
atmosphere: b+
service: b+
menu sophistication: b+
value: a-

wow what a treat!. after a morning of driving to kc, then the rest of the day at st. luke's, we decided to drive by osteria ll centro's and the smell of food drove us in. what a quaint setting, great service, great recommendations for a newbie and wow the food was over the top! we will make ll centro a regular when we return to kc. 5***** rating in our book!

absolutely outstanding. i can't believe that in all the time i've lived in kansas city, i had not tried osteria il centro until my birthday last night! we had a fantastic time and every aspect of the dining experience was excellent. i was a little worried because it's small and they don't take reservations but we got there around 5 pm and were able to be seated easily. loved the corner table closest to the kitchen because it was away from the door and had a divider behind the part facing the walkway to the kitchen. service was absolutely outstanding - from bobby, who was great. checked on us frequently but not intrusively at all. food was amazing. i've long been complaining about the overall general lack of quality italian restaurants in kc and i will complain no more before i've found my spot. now, sure i'm hard to please but come on i think you'll agre we don't have all that many quality italian restaurants in kc.

we started out with two appetizers - which, by the way were apparently half price until 6 pm (on saturday, that's great!) - the shrimp on artichoke bottoms, and the goat cheese spread with toast points. both were excellent but i have to say the shrimp on artichoke was out of this world. artichoke bottoms perfectly shaped to house the shrimp sitting atop them. delicious drizzle of olive oil and some fresh diced red pepper to garnish them. goat cheese spread was really nice, too, smooth and tasty. at the last minute, we also ordered the caprese and it was one of the tastiest fresh mozzarellas i’ve had, on top of delicious tomatoes. another hit. i couldn’t decide what to order for my entrée, though. i’m a big eggplant parm fan and everyone who reviewed oic seemed to love the chicken walnut pasta as well, and my third consideration was the orrechiette carbonara. i told bobby our server that i was torn and he said “okay i’ve eaten here many times, of course, and i’ve got a lot of experience with our menu, so i’ll surprise you.” and i loved that approach! so i put my trust in bobby and he delivered the orecchiette carbonara. and i was so glad he did because it was amazing. sometimes carbonara is too heavy on the cream, or too liquidy, or too pancetta-y. nope, this was right on the mark. creamy, delicious sauce, not too heavy on the pancetta but you could definitely taste the great pancetta flavor. and not too eggy either. extremely happy with that dish! my wife had pasta romagna and i tasted it and thought it was great, a light sauce, really very little sauce, which is fine. whole wheat penne, fresh, delicious spinach, freshly grated parmeggiano reggiano on top, garlic and olive oil. i loved it, my wife liked it not quite as much as i did, she’s not as big a garlic fan as i am. but still definitely a great dish. for dessert, i again put my trust in bobby because i was torn between the tiramisu i’d heard so much about and the chocolate crème brulee. he said he’d surprise me, brought out the tiramisu and it was everything everyone said. unbelieveable. we’ve traveled a lot and eaten at a lot of excellent italian restaurants in ny, sf, chicago and this tiramisu met or exceeded all of the best ones i’ve ever had. could be the best. coffee was delicious, too, by the way.

bobby was really personable and an outstanding server, the ambience was excellent, cozy, and the food was absolutely top notch. this was our first but by no means will it be our last visit to oic.

the lamb was luscious, the chicken captivating, the pasta perfect, and the tiramisu tantalizing! the service sensational(;

favorite spot. my wife and i first started coming to il centro about 7-8 years ago and fell in love with the food first and the atmosphere second. over time we have got to know brent & bobby and now we consider them friends and it feels like we are going to see family when we stop in for dinner

i don't know where these great reviews came from but this place was awfull from start to finish

this is by far one of my favorite restaurants in kc. it's a small and quaint space, ideal for romantic dates and intimate gatherings. the cannelloni is a must!

good food and great space. went here around 9pm on a saturday night and was pleasantly surprised with the service received and the food that was served. the homemade salad dressing was great. really pleased with my experience at il centro.

very nice atmosphere. very good food. unnecessarily heavy on the sauces.

bad food. if you are expecting good, east coast italian food, forget it. forget it if you are expecting good italian food. caesar was so wet with water, the dressing was nil. eggplant parm was soggy. bread was like some sort of soft corn bread yuck. my son ordered the "filet special" which was like a cube steak that came out with gravy on it. awful. i ordered the orichetti carbonara as a side to taste it. there was no pancetta to be found. it was like a mediocre mac and cheese. we spent $129 and i am now making french toast at home. we didn't finish anything that we ordered. but we would not screw the waitress out of her tip. no point in talking to the restaurant about the food. they dont get it. stay home if you are looking for good italian. or, better yet, go home to the east coast to get it.

i've driven by this restaurant often and wish i'd stopped and tried long ago. love the quaint atmosphere and closeness. walnut pasta and sausage and pasta were great. best wait staff i've experienced in kc in a long time. happy to have near brookside!