Great Family Italian in Lancaster..Had the baked Lasagna very good.
(4)
Joe L.
Went to Lancaster for a war game convention and wound up here for dinner one evening. Please do not bother going. There were actually 5 of us. Not one of use liked what we got. The food has no taste. They claim to be authentic southern Italian cuisine. I was there in southern Italy for 16 days last year. There is no way that their claim holds. The only saving grace was the French fried eggplant appetizer. All else had zero taste and the tomato sauce was watery. You would have more taste opening a can of chef boy r dee than wasting your hard earned cash here.
(1)
Kelly F.
I would give this restaurant a zero if I could. I recently moved back to Lancaster and I was really looking forward to eating at Lombardo's after a long hiatus. The food used to be excellent. However, this place should be on Kitchen Nightmares and Gordon Ramsey needs to be called in. The ceiling has many water stains on it and it looks like mold may be growing on it. The food was also terrible. We ordered the mozzarella sticks as an appetizer and they came out overcooked, though I ate them because the marinara sauce helped to mask the slightly burnt taste. I ordered the house Italian dressing for my salad and it came out drenched in red wine vinegar. The final straw was our entrees - the chicken parmesan and baked canneloni. The breaded chicken was burnt and the spaghetti had absolutely no flavor to it. The baked canneloni was dried out and burnt on the edges, had insufficient filling, and runny tasteless sauce. We asked for the check and left. The wait staff asked if we wanted a box for the food and we obviously said no. I'm shocked that we weren't asked about the food. I can't imagine serving food like that to my family at home, let alone in a restaurant. If they keep this up, I can't imagine why anyone would come back. I'm very sad to say that Lombardo's is no longer the way it used to be and I will not be going back. It's sad when Olive Garden provides a better Italian meal.
(1)
Trevor S.
Good service, mediocre food for the price. Brother got spaghetti and meatballs, said it's better when he makes it with dollar store ingredients. Mom loved the manicotti made with fresh crepes. My spinach salad had a good dressing and was presented beautifully but the tenderloin tips on top tasted off. There were some good looking dessert options that I did not try. I'd say go for the mozzarella sticks and a salad. Too pricey for the quality and taste of the food.
(3)
David R.
Service was good. Family owned traditional Italian food. You won't find any exciting dishes here like you would at Carrabba's or olive garden. My wife and i like nonchain eateries so we tried lombardos. I regretted not going to carrabas. Wife got the pesto which was good and I got bracciole (steak wrapped around egg and potato type filler) in red sauce. Sauce was ok and meat was bland. Kept saying it needed something. Restaurant seems to cater to older generation that likes bland food. Average age of patrons was 50 plus. Times have change and it seems like this restaraunt needs a menu face lift to survive and compete against others in the area. It was the only place without a wait on a Friday night. I quickly found out why. I unfortunately will not be back!
(2)
Bob W.
I grew up eating regularly at old-school red sauce Italian places like this one in RI. Seemed like a safe choice for the family. It was awful. Antipasto was horrific -- most of the stuff was straight out of a can, and it came with celery stalks with the leaves still attached! Yuck. My kids ordered chicken tenders -- what little chicken there was came encased in a rock hard batter. Can't remember the rest of the crap we ordered but none of it was good.
(1)
Danielle M.
Our family was visiting from out of town, and decided to try out Lombardo's even though we were skeptical after reading a few other Yelp reviews. However, we were so pleasantly surprised that we decided to add one of our own. Family-owned service was fantastic, food was very good, and atmosphere was nice. Would definitely recommend this restaurant!
(4)
Bruce N.
I wanted to really like this place. The owner was very friendly and the service was great. There's a real family atmosphere to the restaurant, lots of folks knew each other, looks like they have lots of regulars - but frankly, the food ain't that good. I had the fresh veal Parmesan with side of spaghetti. It was just okay. I can do just as well at home boiling some water and heating up some Ragu. My wife had the stuffed eggplant, supposedly stuffed with meat. She hated it so I took a bite...yuck. I wouldn't feed it to my neighbor's dog and I don't even like my neighbor's dog. On the plus side, they had peroni on tap so I had a few of those to cleanse my palate from the horrid eggplant. I did feel young though, lots of oldsters eating there.
(2)
Keith L.
I had the opportunity of taking my date, 2 college age daughters and one of their boyfriends there for dinner tonight. My date and I were raised in S. Jersey, a home of small Mom and Pop local Italian restaurants. Having not been to Lombardos the reviews somewhat scared me but we tried it. The appetizers, not the specials, but the regular ones could easily have been skipped, Calamari and I forget what the other fried food was. The salads were better than expected. Then came the dinners, chicken parms, veal parm and Manicotti....all absolutely terrific! My date is a tomato gravy critic...knows how to make Grandmas...ya you get it...she said that was the best restaurant tomato gravy that she can remember. Each of the 5 plates received great reviews and everyone took home food. The bread was great home made Italian and a lot of it without having to beg for more. Tiramisu, carrot cake, and cannollis were just as good. The atmosphere was great. As opposed to the loud hype places, this is a quiet wonderful place to enjoy dinner as it should be...slow and about the wonderful conversation and interaction without going deaf. The service was quick, efficient, out of the way and seemed to quickly adjust to our no rush laid back attitude as we ended up closing the restaurant. If you are looking for "unlimited soup and salad"..and the chains and an hour wait... this might not be for you. If you want great southern Italian food, service and atmosphere you cant go wrong. A great way to end out First Friday of the year!---yes within an easy walking distance. Definitely will be back to find other appetizers and wonderful dinners...Thanks!
(4)
John B.
The employees were friendly and service very good. Food proportions were generious . The dinning room was clean and prices reasonable. The food however was average. Atmosphere was very nice. Quiet. Growing up in an Italian neighborhood I really love good Italian food. Lombardos overall was a disappointment.
(2)
Katie W.
Typical old school Italian food in a quiet setting. Lombardos is always the "go to" place for the 70 and up crowd in my family. Mainly because the menu hasn't changed in years and it's a quiet place where they can hear the conversation. The eggplant fries are always a crowd pleaser and the drinks are good! Most people always like their food, but I was very discouraged and disaspointed by the service on our last visit. The service was very very slow. The waitress was a little over the top cocky and loud. I asked for a "dry" salad, absolutely no dressing because of dietary reasons. I got served a salad DRIPPING in oil. My brother and his wife are vegans and after ensuring them that the marina sauce was vegan, she came out halfway through the meal and said "oops, there's cheese in the sauce" Seriously, soooo wrong! That was a line that should not have been crossed, how could you not know what is in your own sauce? And then just say "oops" about it and not offer a discount?? That was enough to not make me happy to go back for sure!
(3)
Thomas S.
Horrible food, slow service and could use a good Itialian Chef in the kitchen. Would love to see Chef Ramsey come in and help this place out before the kids run it in the ground. Miss it the way the parents had it.
(1)
John L.
Old school old crowd. Half decent food but nothing worth the trip
(2)
Randy N.
They have a nice atmosphere. That's the best part. The staff was OK but nothing special. We had the bruschetta appetizer which was pretty good. Then we had lasagna for the main dish with a salad. The lasagna, as mentioned by a previous reviewer, was a bowl of pasta, sausage, and sauce. It was a mess. The taste was decent, but where was the cheese?. Overall, it was a disappointing experience, and we will not return.
(2)
Susanne B.
Went last week with my in-laws. Ordered the FRESH veal parmigiana. Meh. Definitely missing something and very bland. Did not seem like fresh veal. Another at the table ordered steamed clams but I still can't believe they served them to us as they were most obviously bad - you could smell how bad from across the table. So an order of escargot was made and they apparently were much better. Spaghetti sauce on veal parm was very restauranty if you know what I mean. My in-laws like the place. I was not impressed.
(2)
Ptronius A.
As other reviewers have noted, the average age of the clientele at Lombardo's is in the upper fifties, the service tends to be slower than average and much of their menu is good but not spectacular. The reason my wife and I keep coming back is for their pepperoni sauce. It is to die for. We always get the rigatoni with pepperoni sauce and it never dissapoints.
(4)
Jamie S.
What an ideal place to go after stuffing ourselves with turkey the night before. Walking in you know this is a classic family run business. Not that Olive Garden variety, but true Sinatra-godfather-sonny bono-that'samore type place. Classic wine and scotch bar when you enter (there would definitely be cigar smokers if the law still allowed). When going, ask for Kate... Enthusiastic, attentive, and very perky! And then came the wine and some amazing fried eggplant french fry strings with marinara... Yum. Then, based on Kate's recommendation, some Fab veal parm, broiled crab cakes, scallops, lasagna (that received high remarks from two non-lasagna eaters) and the course that cremedelacreme'd the others... Perfectly cooked gnocchi's with two biggy meatballs. We were all impressed. (Salad dressing was a bit bland but we loved that Kate asked us if we wanted onions or not before putting them on.... Extra plus service). After finishing our bottle of red, thinking the meal was through, over came Michelle and sang an acapella rendition of Leaving on a Jet Plane (Kate tried a little harmony, but it was totally Michelle who carried the tune). All this for a real affordable price. Go relax, eat, drink, and enjoy the company. Viva Lombardo's
(4)
will r.
lousy excuse for italian food. one visit was one too many.
(1)
Neil H.
Old school Lancaster. Very tasty food. Reasonable prices. Friendly staff. It ain't Vetri, but it isn't trying to be either.
(4)
John F.
In a time warp, 1970. Dark. Slow service. Spaghetti with meatball OK. Seemed clean.
(3)
Joseph T.
The baked lasagna resembled a haphazard mixture of pasta, sauce, and meat, while lacking any sign of cheese; it was uninspiring. I must say that the tiramisu was quite good.
(3)
Paul S.
I must admit that my girlfriend and I did a yelp search of restaurants in the area (Lancaster, PA) prior to us selecting Lombardo's. I was in the mood for Italian, and didn't want to overspend for quality food. We selected Lombardo's from a few different Italian options in the area. To put it short, we were very happy with our selection. When we first entered, we noticed the majority of the crowd was in fact 60+ as mentioned. But this just meant a quieter relaxed atmosphere for our nice dinner. The host was entertaining customers as we came in and took a second for us to be seated. Not that this was a bad thing, as the host was also the owner and after seating us, quickly explained both the history of and tradition behind the food you will find in his family's restaurant. And although this WAS our first visit, I think we may have gotten the best waitress they had to offer. Her name was Michelle, and her knowledge of the menu, and ability to give you a mental picture of every dish, was quite satisfying. After a moment to review the menu, we ordered. Michelle was kind enough to offer additions to our dishes, like meatballs and if I wanted a mixture of both cheese and meat ravioli. We would have rated 4.5 stars if it was possible, the price was a bit steeper than we had originally thought it would be. I got about 7 large ravioli for about $17, but honestly, this restaurant is worth every penny. Very friendly service and the Long Island Ice Teas were fantastic. Lombardo's Restaurant is quality, authentic Italian food, (not frozen as everything is fresh and hand-made) with great service and atmosphere. At the very least, try this place once, you won't be disappointed.
(4)
John W.
Great memories for my girlfriend, as she has been going here her entire life. She introduced me to Lombardo's Restaurant and I love it! The food was terrific, the atmosphere relaxing and pleasant, and the service we received was top notch. We will definitely be visiting Lombardo's Restaurant again and making our own memories here.
(5)
Kyle B.
My wife and I took her grandfather there, and had a very bad experience. The decor of the section we were seated in was drab, dated, and worn. It made for poor atmosphere. Unfortunately the food was worse. I ordered spaghetti and meatballs, my wife ordered manicotti , and her grandfather got liver & onions. My meatballs were bland and tasteless, and the marinara sauce was watery, poorly flavored, and tasted like cheap discount store sauce. My wife fared better rating her manicotti as "okay, but nothing special." Sadly her grandfather's liver and onions was so stringy he had to ask the manager for a refund. To the manager's credit he was very apologetic and made sure we were taken care for our bad experience. None the less, I would not recommend coming here.
(1)
Michael M.
Great find. Authentic American Italian food, fresh, great portions, suave tasted like my grandmothers. A are find there days serving good Italian food.
(4)
Stacy G.
I absolutely loved this place. Upon getting there, we were seated quickly, bread was brought to the table to myself and two co-workers. (it was hot and great) Since it was our first time, the owner overheard and gave us the run down. We were OVER THE MOON impressed with the food. Then to top it off, he brought us a sample of his She Crab Soup. It was delicious too...(and we were stuffed but who can turn down a sample from the owner?) Still had food for the next day and it was even better then. love Love LOVE IT!!!
(5)
Barry S.
A very mediocre restaurant. Our waitress was great and they did try to accommodate our requests, but the food just wasn't very good. Portion size was on the small size considering the price. The first problem was the menu. There was no mention that the dinners came with a salad. There are not a lot of selections. There is a lunch menu on one page but no mention that these items could also be ordered for dinner. We heard some ot her patrons ordering soup but the menu doesn't list soup as an option. The bread was excellent. I ordered the fresh veal Parmesan and it wasn't very good. The veal was extremely thin and had very little flavor. It mostly tasted like the provolone cheese that was on it. The side of spaghetti was OK but the sauce they use is very watery and has almost no flavor. My wife had the chicken and walnut over fettuccine but she asked for Salmon instead of chicken. The Salmon was tiny, thin slices with very little flavor. They tasted very "fishy" which means it wasn't very fresh. The pasta was supposed to have been made with olive oil and pesto but the only flavor it had was oil, not olive oil. So, in summary: Good servers, good bread, but the food is small, expensive, and lacks any flavor. Their sauce is watery. We'll never go back
(2)
Amy S.
Our family regularly picks up sauce and meatballs from Lombardo's, can't beat it! And the garlic bread, YUM! When we eat there we get the chicken parm, best in Lancaster I'd say!
(5)
Walter B.
Came here based on recommendations from our in-laws. Decor could definitely use an upgrade as it's a somewhat depressing dining room with very outdated furniture and walls. Bad water stains on the ceiling are not very inviting either. All in all a very drab restaurant that could look quite nice with a renovation. The food was better than expected in some cases, but completely fell flat in what is a signature element for any good Italian restaurant. Marinara sauce. The bread gave us some hope as it was a very good crusty Italian bread. We had some olive oil on the table so I drizzled some of that on there instead of the butter and it was quite good. Next we all had the Italian salad with the red wine vinegar dressing. Better than expected though I've never been to an Italian household (my family is Italian) or restaurant that puts pepperoni slices in the salad. Nothing wrong with it, but different. Then came my Italian Wedding Soup, only it wasn't. It was chicken soup with either rice or ditalini pasta. Italian Wedding Soup starts with chicken stock, but includes small meatballs and Acini di pepe for the pasta (tiny pasta balls like peppercorn.) It was a decent chicken soup with many chunks of chicken, but it wasn't Italian Wedding Soup. To test a new Italian restaurant I always order something with Marinara. This time I went with the gnocchi with fresh marinara. The waitress assured us the gnocchi was made fresh on the premises and they appear to be quite fresh and made from rolls of potato pasta dough. The sauce, however, was a really good tomato soup. It would be great in a bowl with a grilled cheese sandwich to go along with it. It wasn't a marinara sauce in the least. I ate a little of it and then took the rest home. I ended up re-cooking it that evening with some garlic and fresh basil to make it much better. My in-laws both had spaghetti with meatballs. They kept saying the sauce didn't taste as good as it used to. My wife got spaghetti with pesto sauce and this one was pretty good. A nice fresh pesto that would have been great with a little more garlic and a touch more pine nuts. All in all, drab appearance and un-even food. I would suggest somewhere else if you're in the mood for Italian in this area.
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Specialities
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
Al M.
Great Family Italian in Lancaster..Had the baked Lasagna very good.
(4)Joe L.
Went to Lancaster for a war game convention and wound up here for dinner one evening. Please do not bother going. There were actually 5 of us. Not one of use liked what we got. The food has no taste. They claim to be authentic southern Italian cuisine. I was there in southern Italy for 16 days last year. There is no way that their claim holds. The only saving grace was the French fried eggplant appetizer. All else had zero taste and the tomato sauce was watery. You would have more taste opening a can of chef boy r dee than wasting your hard earned cash here.
(1)Kelly F.
I would give this restaurant a zero if I could. I recently moved back to Lancaster and I was really looking forward to eating at Lombardo's after a long hiatus. The food used to be excellent. However, this place should be on Kitchen Nightmares and Gordon Ramsey needs to be called in. The ceiling has many water stains on it and it looks like mold may be growing on it. The food was also terrible. We ordered the mozzarella sticks as an appetizer and they came out overcooked, though I ate them because the marinara sauce helped to mask the slightly burnt taste. I ordered the house Italian dressing for my salad and it came out drenched in red wine vinegar. The final straw was our entrees - the chicken parmesan and baked canneloni. The breaded chicken was burnt and the spaghetti had absolutely no flavor to it. The baked canneloni was dried out and burnt on the edges, had insufficient filling, and runny tasteless sauce. We asked for the check and left. The wait staff asked if we wanted a box for the food and we obviously said no. I'm shocked that we weren't asked about the food. I can't imagine serving food like that to my family at home, let alone in a restaurant. If they keep this up, I can't imagine why anyone would come back. I'm very sad to say that Lombardo's is no longer the way it used to be and I will not be going back. It's sad when Olive Garden provides a better Italian meal.
(1)Trevor S.
Good service, mediocre food for the price. Brother got spaghetti and meatballs, said it's better when he makes it with dollar store ingredients. Mom loved the manicotti made with fresh crepes. My spinach salad had a good dressing and was presented beautifully but the tenderloin tips on top tasted off. There were some good looking dessert options that I did not try. I'd say go for the mozzarella sticks and a salad. Too pricey for the quality and taste of the food.
(3)David R.
Service was good. Family owned traditional Italian food. You won't find any exciting dishes here like you would at Carrabba's or olive garden. My wife and i like nonchain eateries so we tried lombardos. I regretted not going to carrabas. Wife got the pesto which was good and I got bracciole (steak wrapped around egg and potato type filler) in red sauce. Sauce was ok and meat was bland. Kept saying it needed something. Restaurant seems to cater to older generation that likes bland food. Average age of patrons was 50 plus. Times have change and it seems like this restaraunt needs a menu face lift to survive and compete against others in the area. It was the only place without a wait on a Friday night. I quickly found out why. I unfortunately will not be back!
(2)Bob W.
I grew up eating regularly at old-school red sauce Italian places like this one in RI. Seemed like a safe choice for the family. It was awful. Antipasto was horrific -- most of the stuff was straight out of a can, and it came with celery stalks with the leaves still attached! Yuck. My kids ordered chicken tenders -- what little chicken there was came encased in a rock hard batter. Can't remember the rest of the crap we ordered but none of it was good.
(1)Danielle M.
Our family was visiting from out of town, and decided to try out Lombardo's even though we were skeptical after reading a few other Yelp reviews. However, we were so pleasantly surprised that we decided to add one of our own. Family-owned service was fantastic, food was very good, and atmosphere was nice. Would definitely recommend this restaurant!
(4)Bruce N.
I wanted to really like this place. The owner was very friendly and the service was great. There's a real family atmosphere to the restaurant, lots of folks knew each other, looks like they have lots of regulars - but frankly, the food ain't that good. I had the fresh veal Parmesan with side of spaghetti. It was just okay. I can do just as well at home boiling some water and heating up some Ragu. My wife had the stuffed eggplant, supposedly stuffed with meat. She hated it so I took a bite...yuck. I wouldn't feed it to my neighbor's dog and I don't even like my neighbor's dog. On the plus side, they had peroni on tap so I had a few of those to cleanse my palate from the horrid eggplant. I did feel young though, lots of oldsters eating there.
(2)Keith L.
I had the opportunity of taking my date, 2 college age daughters and one of their boyfriends there for dinner tonight. My date and I were raised in S. Jersey, a home of small Mom and Pop local Italian restaurants. Having not been to Lombardos the reviews somewhat scared me but we tried it. The appetizers, not the specials, but the regular ones could easily have been skipped, Calamari and I forget what the other fried food was. The salads were better than expected. Then came the dinners, chicken parms, veal parm and Manicotti....all absolutely terrific! My date is a tomato gravy critic...knows how to make Grandmas...ya you get it...she said that was the best restaurant tomato gravy that she can remember. Each of the 5 plates received great reviews and everyone took home food. The bread was great home made Italian and a lot of it without having to beg for more. Tiramisu, carrot cake, and cannollis were just as good. The atmosphere was great. As opposed to the loud hype places, this is a quiet wonderful place to enjoy dinner as it should be...slow and about the wonderful conversation and interaction without going deaf. The service was quick, efficient, out of the way and seemed to quickly adjust to our no rush laid back attitude as we ended up closing the restaurant. If you are looking for "unlimited soup and salad"..and the chains and an hour wait... this might not be for you. If you want great southern Italian food, service and atmosphere you cant go wrong. A great way to end out First Friday of the year!---yes within an easy walking distance. Definitely will be back to find other appetizers and wonderful dinners...Thanks!
(4)John B.
The employees were friendly and service very good. Food proportions were generious . The dinning room was clean and prices reasonable. The food however was average. Atmosphere was very nice. Quiet. Growing up in an Italian neighborhood I really love good Italian food. Lombardos overall was a disappointment.
(2)Katie W.
Typical old school Italian food in a quiet setting. Lombardos is always the "go to" place for the 70 and up crowd in my family. Mainly because the menu hasn't changed in years and it's a quiet place where they can hear the conversation. The eggplant fries are always a crowd pleaser and the drinks are good! Most people always like their food, but I was very discouraged and disaspointed by the service on our last visit. The service was very very slow. The waitress was a little over the top cocky and loud. I asked for a "dry" salad, absolutely no dressing because of dietary reasons. I got served a salad DRIPPING in oil. My brother and his wife are vegans and after ensuring them that the marina sauce was vegan, she came out halfway through the meal and said "oops, there's cheese in the sauce" Seriously, soooo wrong! That was a line that should not have been crossed, how could you not know what is in your own sauce? And then just say "oops" about it and not offer a discount?? That was enough to not make me happy to go back for sure!
(3)Thomas S.
Horrible food, slow service and could use a good Itialian Chef in the kitchen. Would love to see Chef Ramsey come in and help this place out before the kids run it in the ground. Miss it the way the parents had it.
(1)John L.
Old school old crowd. Half decent food but nothing worth the trip
(2)Randy N.
They have a nice atmosphere. That's the best part. The staff was OK but nothing special. We had the bruschetta appetizer which was pretty good. Then we had lasagna for the main dish with a salad. The lasagna, as mentioned by a previous reviewer, was a bowl of pasta, sausage, and sauce. It was a mess. The taste was decent, but where was the cheese?. Overall, it was a disappointing experience, and we will not return.
(2)Susanne B.
Went last week with my in-laws. Ordered the FRESH veal parmigiana. Meh. Definitely missing something and very bland. Did not seem like fresh veal. Another at the table ordered steamed clams but I still can't believe they served them to us as they were most obviously bad - you could smell how bad from across the table. So an order of escargot was made and they apparently were much better. Spaghetti sauce on veal parm was very restauranty if you know what I mean. My in-laws like the place. I was not impressed.
(2)Ptronius A.
As other reviewers have noted, the average age of the clientele at Lombardo's is in the upper fifties, the service tends to be slower than average and much of their menu is good but not spectacular. The reason my wife and I keep coming back is for their pepperoni sauce. It is to die for. We always get the rigatoni with pepperoni sauce and it never dissapoints.
(4)Jamie S.
What an ideal place to go after stuffing ourselves with turkey the night before. Walking in you know this is a classic family run business. Not that Olive Garden variety, but true Sinatra-godfather-sonny bono-that'samore type place. Classic wine and scotch bar when you enter (there would definitely be cigar smokers if the law still allowed). When going, ask for Kate... Enthusiastic, attentive, and very perky! And then came the wine and some amazing fried eggplant french fry strings with marinara... Yum. Then, based on Kate's recommendation, some Fab veal parm, broiled crab cakes, scallops, lasagna (that received high remarks from two non-lasagna eaters) and the course that cremedelacreme'd the others... Perfectly cooked gnocchi's with two biggy meatballs. We were all impressed. (Salad dressing was a bit bland but we loved that Kate asked us if we wanted onions or not before putting them on.... Extra plus service). After finishing our bottle of red, thinking the meal was through, over came Michelle and sang an acapella rendition of Leaving on a Jet Plane (Kate tried a little harmony, but it was totally Michelle who carried the tune). All this for a real affordable price. Go relax, eat, drink, and enjoy the company. Viva Lombardo's
(4)will r.
lousy excuse for italian food. one visit was one too many.
(1)Neil H.
Old school Lancaster. Very tasty food. Reasonable prices. Friendly staff. It ain't Vetri, but it isn't trying to be either.
(4)John F.
In a time warp, 1970. Dark. Slow service. Spaghetti with meatball OK. Seemed clean.
(3)Joseph T.
The baked lasagna resembled a haphazard mixture of pasta, sauce, and meat, while lacking any sign of cheese; it was uninspiring. I must say that the tiramisu was quite good.
(3)Paul S.
I must admit that my girlfriend and I did a yelp search of restaurants in the area (Lancaster, PA) prior to us selecting Lombardo's. I was in the mood for Italian, and didn't want to overspend for quality food. We selected Lombardo's from a few different Italian options in the area. To put it short, we were very happy with our selection. When we first entered, we noticed the majority of the crowd was in fact 60+ as mentioned. But this just meant a quieter relaxed atmosphere for our nice dinner. The host was entertaining customers as we came in and took a second for us to be seated. Not that this was a bad thing, as the host was also the owner and after seating us, quickly explained both the history of and tradition behind the food you will find in his family's restaurant. And although this WAS our first visit, I think we may have gotten the best waitress they had to offer. Her name was Michelle, and her knowledge of the menu, and ability to give you a mental picture of every dish, was quite satisfying. After a moment to review the menu, we ordered. Michelle was kind enough to offer additions to our dishes, like meatballs and if I wanted a mixture of both cheese and meat ravioli. We would have rated 4.5 stars if it was possible, the price was a bit steeper than we had originally thought it would be. I got about 7 large ravioli for about $17, but honestly, this restaurant is worth every penny. Very friendly service and the Long Island Ice Teas were fantastic. Lombardo's Restaurant is quality, authentic Italian food, (not frozen as everything is fresh and hand-made) with great service and atmosphere. At the very least, try this place once, you won't be disappointed.
(4)John W.
Great memories for my girlfriend, as she has been going here her entire life. She introduced me to Lombardo's Restaurant and I love it! The food was terrific, the atmosphere relaxing and pleasant, and the service we received was top notch. We will definitely be visiting Lombardo's Restaurant again and making our own memories here.
(5)Kyle B.
My wife and I took her grandfather there, and had a very bad experience. The decor of the section we were seated in was drab, dated, and worn. It made for poor atmosphere. Unfortunately the food was worse. I ordered spaghetti and meatballs, my wife ordered manicotti , and her grandfather got liver & onions. My meatballs were bland and tasteless, and the marinara sauce was watery, poorly flavored, and tasted like cheap discount store sauce. My wife fared better rating her manicotti as "okay, but nothing special." Sadly her grandfather's liver and onions was so stringy he had to ask the manager for a refund. To the manager's credit he was very apologetic and made sure we were taken care for our bad experience. None the less, I would not recommend coming here.
(1)Michael M.
Great find. Authentic American Italian food, fresh, great portions, suave tasted like my grandmothers. A are find there days serving good Italian food.
(4)Stacy G.
I absolutely loved this place. Upon getting there, we were seated quickly, bread was brought to the table to myself and two co-workers. (it was hot and great) Since it was our first time, the owner overheard and gave us the run down. We were OVER THE MOON impressed with the food. Then to top it off, he brought us a sample of his She Crab Soup. It was delicious too...(and we were stuffed but who can turn down a sample from the owner?) Still had food for the next day and it was even better then. love Love LOVE IT!!!
(5)Barry S.
A very mediocre restaurant. Our waitress was great and they did try to accommodate our requests, but the food just wasn't very good. Portion size was on the small size considering the price. The first problem was the menu. There was no mention that the dinners came with a salad. There are not a lot of selections. There is a lunch menu on one page but no mention that these items could also be ordered for dinner. We heard some ot her patrons ordering soup but the menu doesn't list soup as an option. The bread was excellent. I ordered the fresh veal Parmesan and it wasn't very good. The veal was extremely thin and had very little flavor. It mostly tasted like the provolone cheese that was on it. The side of spaghetti was OK but the sauce they use is very watery and has almost no flavor. My wife had the chicken and walnut over fettuccine but she asked for Salmon instead of chicken. The Salmon was tiny, thin slices with very little flavor. They tasted very "fishy" which means it wasn't very fresh. The pasta was supposed to have been made with olive oil and pesto but the only flavor it had was oil, not olive oil. So, in summary: Good servers, good bread, but the food is small, expensive, and lacks any flavor. Their sauce is watery. We'll never go back
(2)Amy S.
Our family regularly picks up sauce and meatballs from Lombardo's, can't beat it! And the garlic bread, YUM! When we eat there we get the chicken parm, best in Lancaster I'd say!
(5)Walter B.
Came here based on recommendations from our in-laws. Decor could definitely use an upgrade as it's a somewhat depressing dining room with very outdated furniture and walls. Bad water stains on the ceiling are not very inviting either. All in all a very drab restaurant that could look quite nice with a renovation. The food was better than expected in some cases, but completely fell flat in what is a signature element for any good Italian restaurant. Marinara sauce. The bread gave us some hope as it was a very good crusty Italian bread. We had some olive oil on the table so I drizzled some of that on there instead of the butter and it was quite good. Next we all had the Italian salad with the red wine vinegar dressing. Better than expected though I've never been to an Italian household (my family is Italian) or restaurant that puts pepperoni slices in the salad. Nothing wrong with it, but different. Then came my Italian Wedding Soup, only it wasn't. It was chicken soup with either rice or ditalini pasta. Italian Wedding Soup starts with chicken stock, but includes small meatballs and Acini di pepe for the pasta (tiny pasta balls like peppercorn.) It was a decent chicken soup with many chunks of chicken, but it wasn't Italian Wedding Soup. To test a new Italian restaurant I always order something with Marinara. This time I went with the gnocchi with fresh marinara. The waitress assured us the gnocchi was made fresh on the premises and they appear to be quite fresh and made from rolls of potato pasta dough. The sauce, however, was a really good tomato soup. It would be great in a bowl with a grilled cheese sandwich to go along with it. It wasn't a marinara sauce in the least. I ate a little of it and then took the rest home. I ended up re-cooking it that evening with some garlic and fresh basil to make it much better. My in-laws both had spaghetti with meatballs. They kept saying the sauce didn't taste as good as it used to. My wife got spaghetti with pesto sauce and this one was pretty good. A nice fresh pesto that would have been great with a little more garlic and a touch more pine nuts. All in all, drab appearance and un-even food. I would suggest somewhere else if you're in the mood for Italian in this area.
(2)