Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano
Portofino Place,601 Junction Rd, Madison, WI, 53717
Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano Menu
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Address :
Portofino Place,601 Junction Rd
Madison, WI, 53717 - Phone (608) 664-9288
- Website https://www.biaggis.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : Yes
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Valet, Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Classy
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
Categories
Italian Cuisine
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.
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Rebecca P.
The dipping sauce!!!! MMMMM and the winner here was that they are able to bring you a gluten free option if you need it to dip in the delicious olive oil before your meal. This place is semi casual, but does not seem like a place you absolutely cant dress up too much for.
(4)Kyara M.
I keep asking myself, "Self? Why didn't you just stick with your reservation at Fresco rather than going to Biaggi's"? Then I remember suddenly that I am lazy. Well, actually I didn't feel like going downtown even though it's much closer to my house than Biaggi's. I will never forgive myself for this decision. The night started with my boyfriend calling to make to see how long of a wait there was. We wanted a heads up before we got there to find it was a 45 minutes waiting time. We were told about 15 minutes so we asked to reserved a table. Get there about 20 minutes later and approx 60% of the restaurant was actually occupied. I highly doubt that in the 20 minutes we drove there, the restaurant suddenly cleared out meaning, we should have been seated immediately and didn't actually need to RSVP a table. The hostess could have made this known to us. Anyway, get seated and our server seemed like she was too busy to take the time to break and actually, you know... serve. Considering she only had 3-4 tables from what I could see, I am not sure what her rush was. Boyfriend ordered the spaghetti and meatballs which he seemed to be OK with. I ordered the Baked Penne Sardi. Absolutely disgusting. The sun dried tomato cream sauce was extremely watery and had no seasoning or flavor. Cream sauces should not be watery based. They are thick! Now, I am not one who likes a lot of salt but I had to load the pasta with salt and pepper to even find it the slightest bit tasteful which didn't seem to resolve my problem. After 5 bites, I was done. I pushed my plate to the side. I would have made my dislike of the dish known to waitress but she seemed to avoid our table. She didn't even bring our meal out to us. Another server did. When she did come by, she could have commented on my dish still being practically untouched. She looked at the dish, asked if everything was OK and before I could even answered, she picked up the plate and was headed off. Poor service. Poor food. My only reason for giving it 2 stars is the location and decor. Parking lot sucks but considering the restaurants wasn't even close to being full (despite what the hostess stated to us over the phone!), we easily found a park. I feel inclined to give Biaggis another go but it will take a lot of me to return. Now that I think about it, Fazoli's would have been a much better option over Biaggi's. Shame on me for being lazy and not sticking with Fresco.
(2)Lonnie M.
Took advantage of restaurant week and had their lunch special. Had the peach and shrimp appetizer, the rock shrimp premavara, and the tiramisu. It was good not great. Same with the bread. The bread and appetizers didn't taste fresh. The sauce on the entre was very good and the tiramisu was great. Our waiter was a pro!! He was personable, attentive and aimed to please! He gave helpful suggestions. I give him 5 stars!! I will be back to try their lasagna and salads.
(3)Sara M.
The food definitely isn't bad, but definitely isn't authentic Italian or the best Italian you can get in that price range. I'd call it strip mall Italian that's a few notches higher than Olive Garden. The appetizers were nice restaurant meets Midwest county fair, which doesn't mean they weren't good. We had bacon wrapped dates, fried ravioli and stuffed mushrooms. I was less impressed with the pasta (I got one of the specials which had a Gorgonzola cream sauce and pretty dry prosciutto) . It wasn't bad at all, it just wasn't that much better than a good freezer aisle pasta dish. I wouldn't say avoid this place, but when there are a million other affordable restaurants in Madison I'm not sure why this would be someone's first pick.
(3)Zeb L.
Every time I come to Madison I have to go to Biaggi's. It's a favorite of my girlfriend's family, which is fortunate for me. I wouldn't expect an Italian place in Wisconsin to be able to get such good seafood, but I'm always pleasantly surprised. It's not necessarily the most authentic Italian food you'll ever eat, but that doesn't mean it tastes bad.
(3)Michelle F.
My sister and I were trying to get a seat at Eno Vino on a Thursday night at 8 pm, but they were packed. We were starving, and decided to give Biaggi's a try. We shared two pasta dishes: Butternut Squash Ravioli and Lobster Fettuccine--the two most popular pasta dishes, we were helpfully informed by our waiter. Oh boy. Let's start with the fettuccine. The dish was described as "Black fettuccine tossed with lobster, wild mushrooms and a homemade lobster-cream sauce." Sounds delightful. So imagine our surprise when the dish arrived after apparently having been assaulted by a madman with a pepper flake shaker. The sauce was not merely spicy, but HOT. As in revisiting-in-the-middle-of-the-night hot. It also had a ton of scallions--in all, the flavoring was way too aggressive for the mild lobster, and not at all what I thought I was ordering. If I were to describe the ravioli in one word, it would be NUTMEG. I'm a big fan of squash ravioli, but not when it tastes more like pumpkin pie. WAY too sweet for human consumption. Our waiter seemed perplexed that we did not want to-go boxes for our half-unfinished meal, or the horrendously under-salted bread. Overall, the service was friendly and impeccable, and the ambiance was nice--but I would not recommend this place for anything resembling authentic Italian food.
(2)Ally M.
I would only call this a half step up from Olive Garden authenticity of Italian food. Still heavy and greasy food, but the flavors are alright. Quite expensive for what you get - I am assuming they get away with these prices only because they serve food with Italian origins.
(3)Saira L.
Biaggis is a chain. But a really good one in my opinion. You are not getting handmade pasta or everything grass fed and organic, or a unique experience- like Bellenis, Lombardinos or Osteria Papavero . What you get here is good ambiance, great service, decent food and consistency.There is something to be said for that. You can go back and order the same dish- and get it the same way. I find the review that says the inside is small to be surprising. Compared to most of Madison's nicer dining restaurants ( mostly downtown) this is roomy. Its another plus you can go there with a large group. They also have free valet parking- which is awesome. I also love their bread bowl with the focassia- yummy, sometimes a little salty, but you can remove the salt- and its fantastic. The food is your regular Italian fair- its good, not great. none the less- biaggis makes a a good night out.
(3)Elise M.
You know how people always say, "I really wanted to like this place, BUT..." in reviews? Well, I really DIDN'T want to like Biaggi's because I'm an uppity snob about going to chain restaurants. I fully recognize that I should really get over myself, because I had a great experience. We went to Biaggi's for my Master's degree graduation dinner. It was one of the few places that was not downtown (which we wanted to avoid due to graduation crowds) that could take a reservation on short notice. Plus, my mom likes it. Everything about the dinner was very nice, and I can't say too much about the food that hasn't already been said. I can reiterate that the Fettuccine with Lobster is delicious. You should try it. A nice thing about Biaggi's is that you can order any pasta entree as a "small" size for about half the price. I took advantage of this because at most Italian-American restaurants, the portions are so huge that you can feel like you're eating for an hour and not even make a visible dent in the pile of pasta on your plate. My "small" portion was just right for me...especially since they give you delicious free bread, which the waitress was awesome about making sure was refilled throughout the meal. I've actually been thinking about that Lobster Fettuccine all day...I might have a new addiction!
(4)Cre E.
The food here is adequate, but nothing inventive or unique on the whole menu. Really, it's just a caricature of an Italian restaurant; the whole thing kind of strikes me as being one of those big chain restaurants even though I don't know if I've ever seen another one. That is, the atmosphere is painted on the walls and everything is just a little too Schaumburg mall parking lot-esq. the wait staff was friendly, but the server we had was either new to the restaurant or just poorly trained. The wine list is rather thin with a lot of cheep bottles marked up and nothing terribly adventurous or exciting...like I said, Schaumburg mall parking lot.
(3)Danica A.
This time lobster fettuccine seems to have had much of the lobster removed prior to the dish arriving at my table. Worse, timing was poor despite relatively low volume. Drink took forever...arriving after my soup! Overall somewhat disappointing now.
(2)Neetu K.
More than a restaurant it's our favorite dessert place. Almost every dessert is absolutely amazing. All stars because of desserts. Food is fine. Service is good. Breads could have been better. Ambience is very nice. Mixed feelings !
(4)saba D.
The service was ok when I went there for lunch with a friend but wow the kitchen took forever. Considering I only ordered the soup and salad combo and my friend ordered a salad it should have been ready in minutes. Instead we waited around 20 minutes on a weekday in a barely crowded restaurant. The fried ravioli was pretty good as an appetizer.
(3)Shruti W.
Wow this place is awful. I came here after hearing good things about it from a few people. BF and I were both sorely disappointed. The service was good and the ambiance was nice, but the food was bad and overpriced. 1) Our bread was NOT cooked! Seemed pillow-y at first look, but was literally dough once you bit into it. 2) I ordered a chicken pasta dish, and the chicken was breaded and fried. This was not mentioned on the menu (had it been, I wouldn't have ordered it), and I have never had Italian food that had FRIED food in the pasta. Needless to say, it was pretty terrible. 3) BF's dish was mediocre at best. We paid ~$40 for 2 pasta dishes and one soda. Maybe we ordered the wrong things or went on a bad day, but I'm not willing to go again to find out. For Italian food that's barely mediocre, this place is way overpriced. Save your money and your stomach and go elsewhere.
(1)Jennifer P.
Went for lunch. Crowded, popular place....which is a good sign, but the parking lot is waaaay too small for the number of restaurants in this little mall. The service was great and the food was very nice. Had a half & half with chopped chicken salad and lobster chowder. The salad was good; the soup was great! The bread was very good, but my table mates were all gluten free types so I felt I should limit myself to one piece....probably good cuz I could have eaten it all!
(4)Kj S.
After try Biaggi's last winter and enjoying it we decided to go again on Saturday. Now understanding it was a early home game we decided to have late dinner reservations. We were seated when we arrived but that is all I have to say positive about our meal. The server was nice enough but with each question about the menu I feel that they were not answering but just trying to up sell us. I took the recommendation of the baked zita al forno. It was described as shrimp, chicken pasta with rich lobster sauce with lots of cheese melted on top, yum right. Not so much. Shrimp and chicken had no flavor, very little sauce except for the water on the bottom from the pasta not being drained enough and very little cheese on top. I will not speak for the other people in our party but I did not hear any praises at all from any one else. I will finish with I don't think I will return, only of I have to.
(1)Huma S.
A group of friends and I visited Biaggis last Friday, we were thrilled to be seated in the Wine Room. This is a beautiful room and we had some privacy which really helped everyone unwind after a very busy week. We ordered Crab cakes first and they were flavorful. I ordered the Shrimp Salad for the entree and my friend ordered the Salmon salad, both salads were delicious. A couple of friends ordered the vegetarian pizza which looked great. The waitstaff was very polite and attentive. We will continue to visit whenever we can.
(5)Janet Z.
We went to Biaggi's with a family group of seven celebrate two birthdays on an early Sunday evening. The place was mostly empty when we arrived. We stopped at the bar while we waited for the rest of our party to arrive and ordered two drinks. It took more than ten minutes to get the drinks as the bartender excused himself right after we ordered to bring a take out order to someone who had just arrived. Once we got to our table we were greeted by two friendly waitstaff. Bread was wonderful. Calamari appetizer was also good. My Caesar salad arrived with a dead fly on one of the pieces of lettuce. When I pointed it out to the waiters, they took it immediately and sent the manager over. He apologized and said that the kitchen was replacing all the lettuce and there would be no charge for the salad and would I still like a salad. I took a new salad. No fly on this one. Caesar dressing was heavy on the garlic, so sharp tasting that my husband wouldn't share. My scallops with risotto was wonderful. Two family members had lasagna and said it was okay, but not the best. Dessert was offered, but we declined as my daughter had baked a cake for the birthdays. No mention of a restaurant offered birthday dessert was mentioned. Bill came and the only discount was the free salad due to the fly. Bill was not split as had been asked for initially. Overall, good food but we really expected better. We were clearly disappointed that the only discount offered due to the dead fly stuck to the salad was that the salad would be free! A free drink or meal discount would have been more than appropriate. Also disappointed that there was not an offer to celebrate our birthdays. We will head elsewhere for Italian and birthday celebrations next time.
(2)Virginia H.
We chose Biaggi's for my daughter's baby shower venue this past Saturday. I would recommend this restaurant highly as a venue selection for a small to moderate size group. We had a party of 20. The food and service was excellent. Our waitstaff helped us from start to finish including helping with unloading and loading our car. We felt completely spoiled and pampered throughout the whole afternoon. The food was so good. They cut and served our cake that we brought in. The prices were very reasonable for a group of that size as well. Thank you Biaggi's.
(5)Raptor R.
Lets get straight to it. Plus: Valet parking Cool Interiors Large Variety of dishes to cater needs of Veg, non-veg & sea food lovers We were a table of 12 but still the order was prompt So-So: Taste Gut Feeling: I had a Salmon-Shrimp Milanese - $20.99- which tasted good (not great) and I felt it was little expensive. Overall I felt with a feeling of satiation and thought may be I should come and again and try more foods.
(3)Nikk G.
Excellent service from the front and back of the house. When I asked for a change up from one type of noodle to the other, no problem. When I asked for a half portion vs full, no problem. The wait staff was excellent. They were friendly, quick to deliver drinks, extra bread etc... And lets not forget the food, it was delicious.
(4)Rob C.
I went there about a week ago. I had the wedge salad and the soup of tomato and bread. The wedge salad was good but the soup was oily and flavorless. The bread they serve with the olive oil was crusty and a little stale. I found our sever to be a inattentive. Maybe they just don't do lunch well.
(3)Steve L.
Let's address the obvious items first: a) This is a chain restaurant b) There are about 60+ reviews for this place already So... what can I add? Honestly, not much. But I have dined here at least 15-20 times over the past year, primarily because my office is located within 100-yards of the place. It's not bad. The lunch service is prompt, friendly, attentive, and generally solid. In my 20-ish visits, I've only once had the same server twice. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing... I usually opt for the chopped chicken salad; it's a huge salad, and it's really quite good. I've dined with folks who have more-or-less covered the entire menu, and nearly all of their items have looked tasty. If you're looking for super-rustic, entirely-authentic Italian food, you may want to look elsewhere. But, if you're looking for consistent, relatively-safe Italian food options, you can't go wrong with Biaggi's. The also have a great catering/carry-out service. Biaggi's = SOLID Food = 3 stars Value = 2.5 stars Service = 3.5 stars MISC = 3 stars You can think of them as the Abuelo's or Outback of Italian food. It's by no means adventurous, but it won't disappoint you. Give them a try.
(3)Jordanna B.
Been wanting to try this place, so finally went there a couple of months ago. It's a chain but I have only ever seen it 2 times. Anyways, I had lasagna and my husband had some kind of chicken parm thing. He really liked his. Mine was good as well. Nothing super amazing for the price, but it was definitely good quality food and service, and beats the hell out of Olive Garden. Think of it like a nicer, more quality Olive Garden lol. I'd go here again I'm sure but just haven't gotten around to coming back.
(4)Steve K.
This is one of my wife's favorite restaurants. We normally go for special occasions. We love the food, great service, and the nice dining environment. We try to go earlier than the normal dinner crowd so we can find a parking spot in the small lot and to also be seated right away. Definitely would recommend.
(5)Rachel F.
Jon was our waiter, best service out of all the times we've gone. Food is excellent too
(5)Deborah C.
This was NOT the best meal experience of my life. My sister and I had planned on going to Eno Vino but we discovered that there was a long wait. We went to Biaggi's instead. First off, the bread was under salted and dense. Then came the butternut squash ravioli. This dish sounded great and when it came out, it looked promising. So imagine my surprise when I bit into the pasta to discover...PUMPKIN PIE! Holy nutmeg Batman! The pumpkin pie resemblance didn't stop there: it was incredibly sweet and the ravioli pasta made me think of the underdone and soggy bottom crust of a pumpkin pie. Oh waiter, pile some whipped cream on this bad boy and move it to the dessert menu. By comparison, I think I preferred the under salted bread.
(2)Elissa H.
Came here on a Wednesday night because Eno Vino was pretty busy. The bread they give for you to start is AWESOME! However, I got butternut squash ravioli. The sauce it came with was bland and the entire entrée was cold. The bits of cut up squash that came in the dish were not even cooked and we're hard like cold carrots. Very disappointing considering the price I had to pay. Service was also S L O W and I think dude was new because he was super awkward. First time visit and don't plan on going back. I will just stick to Eno Vino..
(2)Heather C.
I had dinner here the other night with Jeff Goldblum and his family of flies. We sat outside and were constantly annoyed by Jeff and his family. The indoor portion of the restaurant is small, and on that night, jam packed. We were told the wait to be seated was over an hour, so we made the mistake of agreeing to eat outside. The food was alright, but if heavy creams and oils aren't your thing I would avoid eating here. The waitstaff appeared to barely be capable of handling the crush of people, and we had several different people waiting on our table at various times, which made for screw ups ranging from never seeing a refill, to bringing duplicates of other items. It seemed as if they were doubly unprepared for serving people outside as well. The first time we ever ate a biaggi's was in Salt Lake City. That location is boss. We left Jeff & Co. outside while we dined indoors there, and everything was absolutely top notch. SLC Biaggi's makes this one look like a joke.
(2)Magdalena C.
Biaggi's gets a million thumbs up for their GF menu and options. The bread you get is AMAZING (and IMHO, way more delicious than the usual bread), you get an actual menu of actual dishes and not just a list of salads and burgers you can order without the bun, and they have drink and dessert options outside the usual flourless chocolate cake (which, don't get me wrong, I love, but let's have options.) The service was wonderful, the food was great and prompt.
(5)Kara D.
I am a recent resident of Madison and my boyfriend had been wanting to take me here for awhile. I was nervous at first because I felt we were under-dressed but while the restaurant and staff are more high class, the patrons were casually dressed. We both started with drinks and off course the bread which I thought was to die for. Our drinks were also good and not too overpriced (Moscato and a Cherry Basil drink). We started with the calamari which is served with two different sauces and overall was not bad. The sauces were definitely the best part. The only thing off-putting about the dish was that there were a couple pieces that were actual squid tentacles and neither of us could stomach to really look at them, much less eat them. For an entree, I had the potato and parmesean crusted tilapia and what else can I say but YUM. The couscous that it came with was not my favorite, but the fish itself was amazing. It was perfectly cooked and the sauce that came with it was fantastic. They need to put more sauce with the fish though! We finished with Creme Brulee which is my favorite dessert and Biaggis did it justice. Definitely a restaurant worth visiting in my opinion, but if you want a full three course meal, be prepared to spend a bit of money.
(4)Lisa E.
A friend recommended this place while I was visiting Madison. I was hesitant because it's a chain but she highly recommended. I regret not just yelping for an Italian restaurant in Madison. The food wasn't that great and the service was OK. I'm tired of Italian restaurants throwing noodles and sauce together and calling it an Italian dish. Lessoned learned....I'll stick to yelping restaurants.
(2)John G.
I went to Biaggi's for the first time last week (Nov), and I had a very pleasant experience. There were only a few people in the restaurant (we went for a late dinner), so I can't tell you if they get busy or not, but they seemed to have plenty of space. The environment and service seems to be in line with other franchise restaurants, that is to say nothing special, but I did enjoy the Frank Sinatra music playing and the soft lighting. The booth we sat at was comfortable as well and our waiter was very nice. Onto the food though. The first thing we were treated to was a hefty bread basket which included 2-3 different kinds of bread and our waiter prepared a plate with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese which was extremely delicious. The combination of those three mixed together was enough to make my Italian genes satisfied, but then we were promptly brought out our main courses, both of which were also succulent. I had the Ravioli Quattro Formaggi and my girlfriend had the Shrimp and Crab Cannelloni. The Ravioli had an appetizing cream sauce, and the crab had a refined sweet taste. We both were completely satisfied. If you're a big Italian food fan, I highly recommend. My only knocks were that the prices were a little steep for what was offered and the franchise feel of the place, but otherwise the food and service was great which is really what counts.
(4)Bill B.
For a chain, this is one of the better selections in Madison. I have been to Biaggi's on several occasions (both lunch and dinner). I have always had a great experience and good food. The bread is amazing and probably what sets Biaggi's apart from other places. You receive two different types of bread, one soft and one hard. There is EVOO at the table along with parm. cheese and pepper. This makes for a great dipping mixture. I have tried a few things, however, I keep coming back to the eggplant parm. It is fresh, soft and perfectly portioned. I would highly recommend.
(5)Jake R.
Service: B Food: F Went to Biaggi's for the first time on a friends recommendation. It's possible I ordered the wrong things but our appetizer and food was awful. They even managed to mess up soda - it was very watered down. I'm never going there again. Stay away from Fried Ravioli and Penne Sardi, if you're forced to go there.
(1)Chris C.
I had a craving for Italian and this place was near my hotel. Their wine list was not extensive but I did have a yummy cab. Their bread basket is okay. I ordered the butternut squash ravioli which was delicious. Their portions were also large enough to take a doggie bag back to the hotel. Service was great, I didn't feel like I was isolated because I was dining alone.
(4)Ashley H.
I feel like some of the other reviewers hit the nail on the head--the atmosphere of this restaurant is swankier than the actual food. The parking lot is small--they actually offer free valet service at certain times, which I find rather amusing, but it we found a spot in the lot and parked ourselves. Service is attentive--if there is a wait, you get a pager. You get a bread basket with a bread that's slightly sweet--not quite like the bread offered at most Italian restaurants, and the server makes "Biaggi butter" for you with olive oil and parmesan (LOL). I had a special with mushrooms and pesto, SO had a ravioli with four types of cheese. My special was good--I wish it was lighter so more of the flavors would come through more--and his was very cheesy, good if that's what you're in the mood for. I've also had the basalmic chicken here, which had a surprising amount of kick. I feel like most of the dishes here have too much oils in them, making them more bland. I wouldn't go out of my way to go here although it was good. Considering the higher prices, I'd be tempted to go to Olive Garden instead. Olive garden isn't great, but the nice atmosphere and price of Biaggi's does not live up to expectation.
(3)Sarah S.
A friend of mine suggested Biaggi's along with a couple other restaurants as a place to go for dinner on a Friday night. We (obviously) chose Biaggi's and made it there just before the dinner rush. The atmosphere initially seemed semi-formal, given how the customers and waiters were dressed, but as more customers arrived, I learned that this restaurant was very casual. Our waiter presented us with a basket of bread (like any other Italian restaurant) and prepared a dipping plate for it, which consisted of about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a mountain of parmesan cheese, and literally a couple flakes of cracked pepper. If I ever went back, I'd know to ask for only a little cheese, because it was extremely salty and overpowering. For an appetizer we ordered the Fried Ravioli, which is normally a favorite of mine. Unfortunately I don't consider it a favorite anymore. The spinach and ricotta filling was bland, and unfortunately all the ravioli's were literally drowning in a thick cream sauce. At that point I was just disappointed and hoping that my main entree would make up for the appetizer. It didn't. I ordered another personal favorite, chicken marsala with garlic mashed potatoes. Once again, I was disappointed. The mashed potatoes were ok, the chicken was ok, the marsala sauce tasted like pure cream. At this point it was apparent to me that this restaurant likes to hide all the flavors of their foods behind salty, thick, creamy sauces. I couldn't bring myself to finish the meal. Because of the quality of the food, I'd say that this chain makes fancy tv dinners. I'd be willing to bet that these are meals that are prepared elsewhere and just reheated at the restaurant. Whether or not that is the case, I'm not sure; but that is definitely how our meal tasted. On a different note, the reason this restaurant got a star at all was due to the service it provides. Our waiter was excellent at keeping our glasses full and our food arrived in a timely manner.
(1)EF S.
Bread is good, everything else is tasteless. The chicken soup is thickened with so much flour that it is hard to move spoon around. The special of the day has tasteless meat mixed with boring sauce plus some chili. Even the kid's mac and cheese was bad. Pasta was hard and had watery cheese. Dessert is good.
(2)Alejandro R.
The food is very good. The salmon is my prefered. The service is good too. Have area for small celebrations. Cold. The last waitress had a nice voice. The desert with crepes is good. I recomment for couples too.
(4)Ellen S.
Not a great dining experience. Adequate service, but food is just ok. Definitely didn't love it.
(2)Mary S.
So so food. Nothing special. The waitress brought me soup instead of salad and charged a coffee that i didn't order. Food came in large helpings.
(3)Brian L.
Solid restaurant. Not blow the socks off kinda place but kept me coming back two nights in a row. First night had the cheese and black forest ham ravioli with parmesean and Romano cheese and tiramisu. All great. Second night had the chicken parm with spaghetti Alfredo. Chicken was standard but pasta was great.
(4)Andrew H.
I don't want to like this place - it's a chain, strip mall type place that doesn't really feel like it belongs in the quaint town of Madison. But some of the food is fantastic. Order this: split wedge salad (large chunks of blue cheese, bacon, blue cheese dressing, tomatoes, and onions poured over a chunk of iceberg), and the penne porcini (penne pasta with a rich cream garlic mushroom sauce, with sauteed spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes). You'll not only love your meal, you'll come back the next weekend. The service is also praise-worthy....I challenge anyone who goes here to finish their drink before another one arrives.....(for those drinks with free refills). Free bread too....but they got rid of a dark (maybe wheat?) bread that was actually the best of all of the breads. The focaccia is good, but can sometimes be stale. The white bread might as well be newspaper, it's flavorless. Dip it in some olive oil, drenched with parmasean cheese, and you probably won't be able to tell the difference.
(4)HJ F.
There is only ONE reason to eat at a chain -- predictable and relatively consistent food from location to location. What a disappointment! While recovering from the flu, I ordered carryout, thinking a bowl of Biaggi's Sherry Tomato Soup would really hit the spot. I have had the soup before and enjoyed it as a pleasant variation on the classic cream of tomato soup. Seems someone thinks Sherry is Tabasco sauce and rendered the soup uneatable! Since it was carry out there was nothing to be done -- but never visit this chain again.
(1)E L.
I used to love to go here for lunch during the summer for their iced tea -- it's the best! The past couple times I've gone for dinner, the whole experience has been a huge disappointment. HORRIBLE service, cold bread, bland food, and icky iced tea. The last meal I had (and will ever have) there.... A herd of staff hanging out by the bar, ignoring the customers... Creepy waiter... No bread. Could we get some bread please? Still no bread... Penne Porcini = starchy and bland... Ice tea had a really odd, "off" flavor... Still no bread... Dirty bathroom... Penne Porcini, later that night = NOT good...
(2)Alison Y.
I couldn't tell you exactly what I liked or didn't like about Biaggi's. It had a sort of swanky feel inside that the quality of the food didn't match. I had lunch here last week, and had some sort of pasta with meat sauce with a touch of cream. i don't remember what it was called. The penne were sort of chewy, and the meat sauce tasted kind of like prego. I think prego tastes okay, but my "fancy" restaurant meal shouldn't taste like it. I wished I had ordered the squash ravioli. My boyfriend had some sort of pasta with an chicken alfredo sauce and bread crumbs on the top. I had a bite, and i didn't think it tasted like anything. He thought it wasn't any different than some garbage from the Olive Garden, but I disagree. The Olive Garden is awful. This wasn't terrible, it was just bland. The bread basket was good, and the waiter was super attentive. I guess overall, it all sort of struck me as "generic".
(3)Frank S.
Good salads, great lasagna (filling, but not heavy), seafood is hit and miss. I had a striped bass that was not vey fresh once, but did well with other selections. They do not serve normal iced tea. I assume their phrou-phrou fruit flavors come from a packaged mix, but I prefer my tea tea-flavored. Limited wine list. The soup selections are also about as imaginative as Olive Garden's. Nice interior feel for a strip mall restaurant. Not all chains are bad. This is a decent one and not overpriced.
(4)Kara M.
I've been here many times because I work nearby, and this is the only reason I'll go back (if I'm with a group). It's an ok place if you want a regular salad for lunch (beware: house dressing just tastes like oil), but other things I've ordered have been disappointing. I had the saith/couscous dish today, and the fish had no flavor and it was really greasy (almost sent it back and I've done that 2-3 times in my whole life). Other dishes I've had have been similar. My glass and fork had caked on food. Today's lunch experience (which took 2 hours on a workday) prompted me to finally write about Biaggi's. For the prices and the image it projects, it's just not a good place.
(2)Eel G.
We like to go here when we want to have a more upscale meal at place that's still kid friendly. The food is good. We've had a lot of different entrees and they're pleasant but nothing too memorable. We usually leave saying, "That was good," but if you asked us what we had a few days later we probably couldn't tell you. It's the atmosphere and reasonable prices that keep us coming back. Kids love drawing on the butcher paper on the tables (so do we) and they love the small, complementary fruit and veggie dish that comes out early to help occupy their time. We (the adults) like the fairly interesting menu, the bread (dipped in olive oil) and a decor that is on the verge of being "chain-like" but still manages to make it feel like "date night". Never a problem with service - although never any service that really "wowed" us either. Although we did book one of the back rooms for a birthday party and the staff was attentive and helpful. Kind of middle of the road, but reliably good is how I'd describe Biaggi's.
(4)Tita P.
It was refreshing to find more restaurants near our hotel. A co worker and I decided to try it out. The service was good. Our server was very informative. He was very familiar with the menu and that is always a plus. I ordered the grilled salmon and it came with roasted red potatoes. YUMMY. The place was not like any other place that I have seen but I enjoy any place that provides good service and good food. This place gets a happy face :-)
(3)Ian E.
Close to my home and with plenty of parking, this Biaggi's never leaves me hungry. All the Italian food prepared there has been excellent and the menu has plenty of options if you don't know what you want to eat far in advance. Although the prices seem a few bucks more than I'd value each menu item, this is more than made up for by their giant and varied breadbasket. If you're not limiting carbohydrates, it's almost impossible not to save half your entree for later after filling up on bread.
(4)HeidiandGary W.
I just got off the phone with a manager (Rory) who helped me plan a special menu for an upcoming meal. He was extremely helpful and took the time to talk through each dish with me. The service at this restaurant is beyond fantastic...thank you!
(5)Martin R.
We used to hit Biaggi's quite often, but have scaled back visits due to the location and the addition of better Italian restaurants in Madison. We stopped there last night for dessert. The first shock was that at 8:00; they were empty. We had just left another place that was packed for at least three seatings. We sat in the bar area, and ordered a cappuccino, an iced tea, Lemon Tower Cake, and a cannoli. The cappuccino was lukewarm, the iced tea was flavored (kind of...but not distinguishable in flavor), the cannoli seemed like it was made up days in advance. The ends were crusty and not the least bit fresh tasting. The lemon cake HAD to have been thawed in a microwave oven just prior to serving. The plate had water standing on it! By the way...anything with "Tower" in its name should actually tower when it's served. The portion was small and the height of a normal piece of cake. The strawberries served with the cake looked like they were on their last leg. The color was darkening and the dehydration was apparent. I would not recommend Biaggi's based on our experience last night. Someone compared Biaggi's to an upscale Olive Garden. I think Olive Garden is consistent and you get what you expect. Biaggi's seems like a restaurant on its last leg.
(1)Prudence T.
Really fast service, no problem customizing dishes to different dietary needs or tastes. Beet salad and lobster fettucini were favorites.
(4)Moni G.
this was extremely good place....the bread was to die for...
(5)Sara P.
I never thought I'd love a chain Italian restaurant, but Biaggis is delicious, plain and simple. My boyfriend and I go there about once every month and we usually split the wedge salad with blue cheese crumbles, and the penne porcini, which is permanently on the "specials" list, though when we went this last weekend (labor day weekend), it wasn't on the specials menu, but when we asked for it, they made it for us anyway. It's delicious, if you like mushrooms, get this! Remember, Penne Porcini. The bread is delicious. Service is always very good! For dessert, the Bananas Foster is pretty good, a bit on the rich side. The chocolate cake thing they have is delicious! Tiramisu is good, as is the warm apple crostada. There can be some noisy families, and sometimes an entire soccer team will roll in, but if you go in slightly off hours, it can be a really pleasant dining experience.
(5)Heather T.
At the risk of sounding like a snob, I'm not a big fan of chain restaurants (especially expensive ones). The reason I went to Biaggi's was because I got a $50 gift certificate from work. Yay for cheap eating! My boyfriend and I went around 6pm on a Saturday. Thank goodness that place is huge, because there were tons of people there. You'd think it was the only place to eat in Madison and the surrounding area. But I guess that usually speaks for the restaurant, though. The service was friendly, but the waiter (and hostess) checked on us too frequently. The kind of frequency that gets irritating, because it's very apparent that they want you to GET OUT NOW NOW NOW. We got a really fruity and wonderful bottle of red wine (I forget what kind, ah well). I had a dish that had been recommended to me by two different people--Lobster Fettuccine. It was, in fact, phenomenal. The sauce was just to die for. The lobster tasted buttery and fresh. Plus, it looked dramatic, as the pink sauce was served over black fettuccine. It appealed to all sorts of food snob in me! My boyfriend's Shrimp Oreganata was not bad, just unremarkable. The first shrimp he had tasted bad and fishy, but fortunately, the rest were fine. The sauce was plain, kind of like a thin marinara. We shared Tiramisu for dinner, which was great! It was positively drowned in a coffee-brandy mixture. Mmmm... We walked out for under $30 including the tip, thanks to the gift card.
(4)Krystal P.
Stumbled across this place when I was staying in Middleton.. The service was great and that free bread they gave was GREAAAAAAAAAAAAT .. i think it had crack in it, it was addicting ... I ordered a pizza, and it was delicious and perfect. I asked for it well done, it wasnt too cheesy which I love... I had a nice glass of white wine ( I can't remember the name of it) YUMM
(4)Darrell P.
Food was ok but generic. The caprese had refrigerated tomatos. The beet salad was good. The risotto with the short ribs was terrible. It's a chain. What do you expect.
(3)K V.
Always a consitent, great meal. The service is excellent - we've always had really friendly staff. I LOVE the beat salad and the mushroom pasta special (served only at lunch).
(4)Candace L.
Our Biaggi's experience was absolutely terrible. From the service to the food we were incredibly disappointed. We were served our appetizers about 5 minutes before we received our drinks. The tomato soup was extremely acidic. Our entrees were then brought out before our appetizers were even cleared away, and we had to hold our own appetizer plates for the server to "switch plates with him." The entrees were terrible and for the quality were certainly overpriced. The eggplant parmigiana was clearly cooked several hours, if not a day before. It was not at all crispy. The rigatoni bolanese was supposed to have tomato cream sauce, but there was no sauce to be seen. Our server then came over, while I still had a piece of bread in my hand and was eating my food, and had almost a full glass of wine left and said, "do you guys want a couple boxes?" We said yes, thinking that he would bring us two boxes, but at that point he took our plates away (while I was obviously still eating). I am fine with taking the plates away to box them up, but that should be stated clearer because I would have said, "No, I'm still eating." The server then asked us if we would also like for him to box up our extra bread. We said yes. When we got home and opened our leftovers the next day, we found that he had not packed the bread. We will not be returning to Biaggi's. If I could give this place zero stars, I would.
(1)Thane J.
I can only give this restaurant 4 stars, but it's not because of the food. I waited too long to place my order and get my check. It was busy, but you don't get 5 stars unless everything is perfect. I had the "Ravioli Quattro Formaggi". 4 different cheeses in homemade ravioli with just enough tomato sauce. Really enjoyed it! I'll be back here each time I'm in town.
(4)John H.
Everything on the menu looks amazing. Very fun waiter. Can't wait to return.
(4)Nina O.
My favorite chain restaurant. Reasonable prices, enormous portions and great service. Parking is pain, but that's true for all business in this location.
(4)Merdy T.
I am a fan of this place. My then-boyfriend (now husband) brought me for lunch on our third date, and I was impressed (well, by him and by the foods I had). Our favorites are: the bread, grilled squid with arugula salad, black fettucine with lobster sauce, and capellini di mare (angel hair pasta with seafood in spicy tomato-based sauce). Why the bread, you may ask? The bread is soo good, we always ask the waitress to give us extra to take home. Just like most Italian restaurants, you dip it in olive oil, black pepper, and permesan cheese, but the combination of the bread and everything else is sooo delicious. And filling, be careful not to eat too much or else you'll be full before the foods arrive. The grilled squid is not always on the menu, but you can always ask your server for it, and they usually will make it for you. The fetuccini with lobster is superb, and quite unique. It's spicy and savoury and creamy. The angel hair with seafood?Good good good (although now I think the one from Tutto Pasta is slightly better and tastier). if you are a student like me, come during lunch hour, because everything is cheaper (though smaller portion, but the lunch portion is big enough for me).
(4)Gabriel B.
Based on their pasta and the little pizza I've tried, this would be closer to 3 than 4 stars. It's perfectly enjoyable, but nothing special. But most of the bread is very nice, the servings were generous, the atmosphere is quite pleasant, the wine selection is good, and the service is attentive, even if our waiter was a bit distracted at times, so I feel like it deserves the extra star. The price is a bit high for the food alone, but the overall experience will probably be worth it if you give it a shot.
(4)Mike B.
Chef Michael White takes care of business. Every course of our dinner was perfect. The table ordered everything from a white pizza to vegetarian pasta. Everyone loved the service, food, and atmosphere. Thanks for a great time.
(5)mark w.
Great Italian restaurant, much better than an Olive Garden or other run of the mill place. They do a good job. I do recommend asking the wait staff what they prefer for food, because they typically have agreat recommendations.
(4)Jimmy F.
Stopped by on a Tuesday after work. I had the lobster bisque and the beet salad which made for a fantastic meal. To be real, this meal was as good as the best meal I've ever had -- I was strongly tempted to return the next day and have the same dishes. The soup was incredible with a great lobster flavor and with a taste complexity. The beet salad was phenomonal -- beets, arugula, balsamic dressing, and cherries, wow; it was a dish to slowly enjoy! We had a young guy give us great service and helped me with picking a good, inexpensive Shiraz and it proved to be perfect. This restaurant is a total success! Great food presentation should also be noted. To counter my current exuberance, in the past, I has a fish dish that I had to return twice because it was undercooked.
(4)Arthur S.
Grade: B I actually like eating here. Yeah, this one's a mystery to me too.
(4)Emily E.
I've never been in the actual restaurant, but I was just at the "Tase of Madison" and tried their Italian Beef. IT WAS SO GOOD. Just thought I'd share that, I've been in Madison for 8 years and before that lived in Chicago, I'm fairly young, so I'm sure the Italian Beef isn't as good as Chicago, but for Madison it was pretty darn good. Nice job Biaggis!!!!
(4)Kate H.
Biaggi's is a great restaurant and my "go-to" place if I have company in town and we want to go out to eat. I have mostly ordered their specials and have never been disappointed with anything. I would highly recommend their house salad - the dressing is delicious and it is a decent-sized portion as well. My favorite thing there is their bread that they serve - the one cut in strips. The waiters seem to know the dishes and wines well, as most of them were able to recommend a good one to go with my meal. Another great thing about Biaggi's is their gluten-free menu. My husband needs to eat gluten-free and has really enjoyed their dishes. Also, it seems quite rare that an Italian place has a gluten-free menu!
(5)Phil A.
Fantastic! Came here on a Saturday night with some friends and we were all very impressed. Menu options are numerous from appetizers through the desserts. Prices are very reasonable and in my opinion a little under what I'd expect given the portions and ingredients. We started out with some specialty drinks: I had a Romeo and Juliet, which was a martini with chocolate creme and black raspberry liqueur.. My friend had a Cherry Basil Fresco which everyone agreed was extremely refreshing and had just enough sweetness. We only ordered one appetizer, but it was incredible. We had the lobster and crap dip. For under $9 it was a steal. Good portion and tons of crab and lobster meat. It was put together with a marscapone cheese and artichoke base. My friends had the Fettuccini and Lobster pasta, I had the Salmon and Shrimp Milanese and my fiance had the special, a Char and Risotto dish which was extremely flavorful. With the exception of the Salmon dish, everything was served in good portion. The salmon dish was a little smaller than expected but the flavor was incredible, especially the shrimp. The entire meal was capped by excellent service from our waitress who's name escapes me. She did a great job of pulling the meal together and making us happy through the entire visit. After visiting here I will probably make this a quarterly year visit. Definitely worth an evening out!
(5)Abhijit G.
Nice restaurant. Great food.
(4)E K.
My dad and I went to Biaggi's on a recommendation from a friend. We were told it was like an upscale Olive Garden. We had the sea bass and triggerfish, and I thought the food was great, but a little over priced considering the dinner entrees didn't come with a salad. Definitely make a reservation from an weekend dinner, the place was packed and really noisy. Should have requested a booth for a little more quiet/private feel.
(4)Alan W.
For reasons that surprise and depress me, Madison's Far West Side restaurant scene consists almost entirely of corporate/chain operations. For funkier and more imaginative options, one has to look elsewhere (although locally operated--and pricey-- Eno Vino is in the same strip mall as Biaggi's). But among the chain operations, Biaggi's is one of the best--a lively, generally bustling operation with a variety of reasonably good Italian-style menu options, Not the most imaginative, not the most intimate, but a generally well run and satisfying mildly upscale place for a nice meal with friends. In some ways, this is the Italian parallel to P.F. Chang's (see my review). Biaggi's has sustained some menu setbacks in recent months, with several of our more distinctive favorites disappearing from its menu offerings. Last night we discovered that its regionally unique espresso lamb porterhouse was gone. An early favorite, a pasta dish with smoked salmon and a vodka cream sauce, was an earlier casualty. The best of their bread offerings disappeared a few months back. I've spoken with the manager--a friendly and accommodating fellow--and these decisions seem to be made at the corporate level, with little flexibility for local tastes. That is too bad--a further homogenizing of menu options, with fewer distinctive items appealing to other than common denominator tastes. All that said, Biaggi's remains a tasty and pleasant option for a reasonably priced neighborhood meal. Reservations are recommended on busy nights (one can usually call ahead half an hour or an hour before desired meal time and avoid the worst of the lines). Bring earplugs and/or hearing aids--things have gotten quite noisy on busy nights.
(3)Dave J.
Consistently good across the whole menu. Staff is good with children.
(4)steve m.
I had the Rigatoni Alla Bolognese and would definitely order it again. I'm not sure about the value because the company picked up the tab
(4)Jasmine R.
Tried this place out with visiting family and the reviews were pretty much on the mark. Nice atmosphere with an upscale feel--although the food was not quite up to the level of the surroundings. Couldn't pinpoint anything bad per se, but there wasn't anything outstanding either. But the staff was very friendly and great with my 16 month old daughter and 67 year old (and overly talkative) father. Will probably go back, but it won't go on my top ten list.
(3)