Best Italian food within 50 miles. We try to stop here on trips on I55 every chance we get. Chicken is delicious as well as all the pastas. Pasta Sauce is Northern Italian which is a darker and heavier sauce then some folks are used to around here. My family loves it! Their pasta and sauce recipes date back to the 1930's and taste great today. Worth the 7 minute drive from the interstate past all the fast food and crummy local joints to get to Bernardis for us and hopefully you too. .
(5)
Mark R.
Even though this is an italian restaurant, the fried chicken is my favorite. The giant pretzel appetizer was tasty - and enough for the whole table.
(5)
B H.
Suggested by a friend. Greeted instantly. I was solo but no groan, not stuck in the back, handled very professionally. Wait staff was not perfect, but well above average Ordered Fettuccine a ala Bernardi and added garlic shrimp and a dinner salad. The salad was so so, but the entree! Oh my!! The fettuccine is homemade as is the sauce. Scrumptious! Big portion, very very good. Restaurant was clean, including the bathrooms. Prices were very reasonable for what you get. Will certainly go again as soon as I can find a reason to be anywhere near there Go! Enjoy!
(5)
Jean N.
Was passing through Pontiac, IL on the way to Chicago from a weekend getaway in St. Louis. We were there for sight seeing and checking out museums and this was the only restaurant open in the downtown area late afternoon Sunday. Service was good. We were seated right away and waitress was very attentive. My one star is because of the food. Italian menu options definitely not authentic (my husband's Grandma is Sicilian). I had the spaghetti with home made sausage and could barely eat it. Overcooked pasta was not tossed in with the sauce and had a weird taste to it. Seemed like it was straight out of a can. Sausage was too salty and had the same weird taste as the meat sauce. Only good thing was the Tiramisu which was done right and tasted okay. My husband had a cheese burger which he said was a little dry. I should have trusted his instincts about the menu and stuck to more popular options like fried chicken. We will not go back though and would not recommend to visiting friends for an Italian meal.
(1)
Josh G.
Have tried to go here 3 times now and have been met with a long wait Saturday nights. Called for a reservation for tonight (Sat) for 2 for a date night with my wife and they refused because my party is too small. I don't want to spend 45 minutes of a rare date night with my wife waiting for a table. I explained this and even our multiple attempts driving from Normal only to be met by long waits and their only recommendation was to come and have dinner at 4pm... That's a bit early don't you think! We are going to try tonight, I'll post another review of the food if we get a chance to dine here, but the service is already lacking! DeLongs next door has excellent food... That's where we usually end up.
(1)
Grant H.
This is perhaps the worst establishment I have been to. Ever. The only reason its 3 freaking stars is because Pontiac lacks decent quality places. I was in town visiting family and we decided to get a bit of lunch. Our previous choice was closed, so we dined here instead. Boy, what a mistake. We were seated promptly, and we decided to place our order when our waitress came back around to get drinks. I, for some reason, ordered the fried shrimp. After 15-20 minutes, we see our waitress again. She finally brings out bread and salads + drinks. We lacked drinks for 20 minutes. 20 minutes. Now, when my shrimp finally arrived I was a bit concerned. 6 shrimp were on my plate, on top of a single leaf of lettuce. The shrimp looked as if it had been frozen and purchased from a box at Wal-Mart. My brothers burger was only half eaten.
(3)
Carol M.
Was excited to learn that the Bernardis had a restaurant in Pontiac, close to I-55. I have been to Capponi's and Mona's in Toluca and this location did no disappoint! If you are looking for heavy pasta slathered in acidy red sauce, you can drive on by. Bernardi's meat sauce is light and flavorful. The pasta is made in their own factory in Toluca and you can even get it packaged in the freezer section of independent supermarkets in Chicago! Portions are generous and the chicken is not greasy. It is a keeper!
(4)
Victoria F.
Tried Bernardi II after reading reviews here and I have to say that they were SPOT ON regarding the tortellini and red sauce. The chicken is out of this world and the steaks are fabulously flavorful and juicy. The tiramisu is divinity itself with good Dutch cocoa used on top. Service was friendly and personable, and when I thought the sour cream a bit strange(turns out they make their own from buttermilk!) I got a replacement potato in less than 2 minutes. Wonderful service, great atmosphere, Will definitely be back if in the area again!
(4)
Mic T.
This restaurant has good food and is one of the nicer places to dine in Pontiac. Make sure to make a reservation if you plan to go on a Friday or Saturday. The prices are reasonable too but not the best for Pontiac. I do recommend.
(4)
Sean R.
Jason and Mary, I've said this for years! There truly is something off about the sauce. It's not Northern Italian. Do you know what Northern Italian sauces are? It's far from a traditional bolognese, the other predominant sauce is pesto. Their sauce is heavy on dried oregano and it's overwhelming. Their sausage, same thing, dried oregano, overwhelming and inedible. The pasta, consistently overcooked, mushy. I realize there are not many options in Pontiac because Cafe Fontana is pretty bad as well. I've given Bernardi's a few chances and the best meal I had there was the Fried Chicken. I've also heard the steaks are good, but no one really raves about the pasta's or sauce. And to compare this to any Chicago Italian restaurant? You'd better get your taste buds readjusted. This place is no better than the Olive Garden.
(1)
Jacob L.
Bernardi's is a fine restaurant, especially in the Pontiac area. It won't be mistaken for a Michelin-starred restaurant, but the food is consistent, service is fine, and the quality is good. The atmosphere is well-enough refined that you can bring out of town guests with no shame. The fried chicken is superb, definitely the best around. They offer a special on Wednesday nights that gives you an absolute ton of chicken along with pasta and another side for around 10 dollars. It's still worth it the rest of the week. They offer food for pick-up as well. My tip: if you are to get the pasta, try the marinara sauce instead of the meat sauce. I had never cared for the meat sauce, it is a bit orange and just not all that flavorful. Some liked it, but I was very pleased with how delicious their marinara is and it looks more like actual pasta sauce to me. I often will just get a tub of the stuff to go, because it is that good.
(4)
Jim R.
What can I say, very bad service. So slow and not caring about the customer. The food was terrible. Tortellini with the house made sausage. Ugh, sausage dry as heck like it was sitting under a heat lamp for days, and the red sauce tasted just like chef boy r dee right out if the can. I will never go back again.
(1)
William P.
We arrived at 5:00 pm and were seated immediately. After we had been there for 20 minutes the restaurant begin to fill up. The service was quick and waitress attended to our needs. For me a good waitress will see that my ice tea is low and keep it full. We ordered lasagna and fettucini. Both items were good. The Fettucini was good, the pasta was close to al dente. The amount of Fettucini was not a full bowl and I was finished before my wife. I usually would have pasta to take home. The Lasagna was made with a red sauce. One option was a red and Alfredo sauce that we did not try. This restaurant is a part of a family of Italian restaurant in the area. The most famous is Mona's and Capone's in Toluca, IL.
(4)
William P.
This a nice little Italian place for being in the middle of central Illinois. Decor is not bad, it's clean, the service was good. I ate the shrimp fettuccine alfredo. It was pretty good. I would definitely order it again. The bread was good, and the prices aren't bad. Overall a good experience.
(4)
Kay H.
Best fried chicken EVER. I've lived in Texas for twenty years and every time I'm in town I MUST eat here. Prices are very reasonable, food is great, and the team there is always friendly. They go out of their way to be kind to my older parents. Will be back.
(5)
A M.
Some of the best fried chicken I've ever had. Growing up, we traveled 40 minutes to the then-only sister restaurants in Toluca. You know the food is goo when a small town like Toluca can support not 1, but 2 Italian restaurants!!! People would travel there regularly for fried chicken and pasta!! Yum!!!
(4)
Jason P.
The food here was horrible. The food was definitely not fresh made. I think the people who give it good reviews are local and don't know any better. My wife liked it till I took her to a better place in Bloomington and now she never wants to go here again.
(1)
Mary S.
I hate to write a bad review. Many times I will actually just keep my mouth shut rather than say something that is "not nice". However, every once in a while there comes an experience so terribly bad that I just have to speak up. First lets discuss the menu. Pontiac is near my home town and I went out to dinner here with my parents while visiting. None of us had been here before. I am a healthy eater. I try to keep it small portions, low fat and low sugar. I do indulge in desert from time to time and you WILL see amazing photos of deserts uploaded by me, but again, it's all about portion. I knew I was in trouble whilst waiting for a table and seeing mounds of crispy fried chicken being delivered to a table. The portions were out of control! Now I wasn't panicking yet...there is always some healthy option some where on the menu right? Nope. I ended up ordering spaghetti with red sauce. It was disgusting. Spaghetti was WAY over cooked and there was something out of wack with the spices in the sauce. It was terrible! Then there was my poor poor Dad. The girl cleaning up the tables kept walking behind him (we were seated near the kitchen) and she wasn't watching what she was doing. She splashed dirty dish water (I prefer to think it was water) from her dish bin down my Dad's back. She didn't notice and didn't stop! We had to hunt down our server for extra napkins...she dropped some off. My parents being the kind souls they are wouldn't say anything and wouldn't let me say anything (I am now!). I was very obvious when I got up and helped mop up my Dad's back. Disgusting. Just stick clear of this place!
(1)
J O.
Ok, so I've never reviewed here, but I have to respond to a previous review by Mary S. First of all, where is it written that an Italian restaurant has to serve healthy options? Eat a salad then. I've NEVER received bad service there and I have eaten there MANY times at all times of the day and night. Is it equal food to a Chicago Italian eatery, not really. But it is good and what is wrong with a healthy plate full of food? You get your monies worth always. I believe you had one bad incident that was purely an accident and I know almost all of the waitresses and waiters there and they would be mortified if they knew this happened. That being said, this is a small chain and most of their food is brought in from their factory. Sauces and such are premade, BUT it is all made to order and fresh.
(3)
Adam B.
Good food, cool atmosphere... And a great last name! ;)
(5)
Jon B.
My two friends and I sat at the bar, nice decor, clean, quiet atmosphere. No problems at all with the service, either. The bread was all air, no crustiness, chew or flavor. The "Parmesan" cheese comes from the off brand, green container and olive oil is Walmart quality. I ordered the Chicken Asiago. The chicken was properly cooked and topped with a poorly made herb/cheese crust. It was extremely dry, and the herbs were overpowering. The fettuccine alfredo was pretty rough as well. Does anyone know how to cook pasta any more? Precooking pasta before use is lazy and ruins the final product. The sauce was a cornstarchy, flavorless paste. My friend ordered the fried ravs and cheesy garlic bread, both served with a meat sauce for dipping. The sauce reminded me so much of Chef Boyardee. So bad. $7 for four pieces of bread with cheese on top? I feel bad for people who think this is good Italian food.
Sorry, Store hours have not been updated. If you are the owner of this restaurants. Please update the store hours.
Specialities
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Loud Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free 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.
Bob K.
Best Italian food within 50 miles. We try to stop here on trips on I55 every chance we get. Chicken is delicious as well as all the pastas. Pasta Sauce is Northern Italian which is a darker and heavier sauce then some folks are used to around here. My family loves it! Their pasta and sauce recipes date back to the 1930's and taste great today. Worth the 7 minute drive from the interstate past all the fast food and crummy local joints to get to Bernardis for us and hopefully you too. .
(5)Mark R.
Even though this is an italian restaurant, the fried chicken is my favorite. The giant pretzel appetizer was tasty - and enough for the whole table.
(5)B H.
Suggested by a friend. Greeted instantly. I was solo but no groan, not stuck in the back, handled very professionally. Wait staff was not perfect, but well above average Ordered Fettuccine a ala Bernardi and added garlic shrimp and a dinner salad. The salad was so so, but the entree! Oh my!! The fettuccine is homemade as is the sauce. Scrumptious! Big portion, very very good. Restaurant was clean, including the bathrooms. Prices were very reasonable for what you get. Will certainly go again as soon as I can find a reason to be anywhere near there Go! Enjoy!
(5)Jean N.
Was passing through Pontiac, IL on the way to Chicago from a weekend getaway in St. Louis. We were there for sight seeing and checking out museums and this was the only restaurant open in the downtown area late afternoon Sunday. Service was good. We were seated right away and waitress was very attentive. My one star is because of the food. Italian menu options definitely not authentic (my husband's Grandma is Sicilian). I had the spaghetti with home made sausage and could barely eat it. Overcooked pasta was not tossed in with the sauce and had a weird taste to it. Seemed like it was straight out of a can. Sausage was too salty and had the same weird taste as the meat sauce. Only good thing was the Tiramisu which was done right and tasted okay. My husband had a cheese burger which he said was a little dry. I should have trusted his instincts about the menu and stuck to more popular options like fried chicken. We will not go back though and would not recommend to visiting friends for an Italian meal.
(1)Josh G.
Have tried to go here 3 times now and have been met with a long wait Saturday nights. Called for a reservation for tonight (Sat) for 2 for a date night with my wife and they refused because my party is too small. I don't want to spend 45 minutes of a rare date night with my wife waiting for a table. I explained this and even our multiple attempts driving from Normal only to be met by long waits and their only recommendation was to come and have dinner at 4pm... That's a bit early don't you think! We are going to try tonight, I'll post another review of the food if we get a chance to dine here, but the service is already lacking! DeLongs next door has excellent food... That's where we usually end up.
(1)Grant H.
This is perhaps the worst establishment I have been to. Ever. The only reason its 3 freaking stars is because Pontiac lacks decent quality places. I was in town visiting family and we decided to get a bit of lunch. Our previous choice was closed, so we dined here instead. Boy, what a mistake. We were seated promptly, and we decided to place our order when our waitress came back around to get drinks. I, for some reason, ordered the fried shrimp. After 15-20 minutes, we see our waitress again. She finally brings out bread and salads + drinks. We lacked drinks for 20 minutes. 20 minutes. Now, when my shrimp finally arrived I was a bit concerned. 6 shrimp were on my plate, on top of a single leaf of lettuce. The shrimp looked as if it had been frozen and purchased from a box at Wal-Mart. My brothers burger was only half eaten.
(3)Carol M.
Was excited to learn that the Bernardis had a restaurant in Pontiac, close to I-55. I have been to Capponi's and Mona's in Toluca and this location did no disappoint! If you are looking for heavy pasta slathered in acidy red sauce, you can drive on by. Bernardi's meat sauce is light and flavorful. The pasta is made in their own factory in Toluca and you can even get it packaged in the freezer section of independent supermarkets in Chicago! Portions are generous and the chicken is not greasy. It is a keeper!
(4)Victoria F.
Tried Bernardi II after reading reviews here and I have to say that they were SPOT ON regarding the tortellini and red sauce. The chicken is out of this world and the steaks are fabulously flavorful and juicy. The tiramisu is divinity itself with good Dutch cocoa used on top. Service was friendly and personable, and when I thought the sour cream a bit strange(turns out they make their own from buttermilk!) I got a replacement potato in less than 2 minutes. Wonderful service, great atmosphere, Will definitely be back if in the area again!
(4)Mic T.
This restaurant has good food and is one of the nicer places to dine in Pontiac. Make sure to make a reservation if you plan to go on a Friday or Saturday. The prices are reasonable too but not the best for Pontiac. I do recommend.
(4)Sean R.
Jason and Mary, I've said this for years! There truly is something off about the sauce. It's not Northern Italian. Do you know what Northern Italian sauces are? It's far from a traditional bolognese, the other predominant sauce is pesto. Their sauce is heavy on dried oregano and it's overwhelming. Their sausage, same thing, dried oregano, overwhelming and inedible. The pasta, consistently overcooked, mushy. I realize there are not many options in Pontiac because Cafe Fontana is pretty bad as well. I've given Bernardi's a few chances and the best meal I had there was the Fried Chicken. I've also heard the steaks are good, but no one really raves about the pasta's or sauce. And to compare this to any Chicago Italian restaurant? You'd better get your taste buds readjusted. This place is no better than the Olive Garden.
(1)Jacob L.
Bernardi's is a fine restaurant, especially in the Pontiac area. It won't be mistaken for a Michelin-starred restaurant, but the food is consistent, service is fine, and the quality is good. The atmosphere is well-enough refined that you can bring out of town guests with no shame. The fried chicken is superb, definitely the best around. They offer a special on Wednesday nights that gives you an absolute ton of chicken along with pasta and another side for around 10 dollars. It's still worth it the rest of the week. They offer food for pick-up as well. My tip: if you are to get the pasta, try the marinara sauce instead of the meat sauce. I had never cared for the meat sauce, it is a bit orange and just not all that flavorful. Some liked it, but I was very pleased with how delicious their marinara is and it looks more like actual pasta sauce to me. I often will just get a tub of the stuff to go, because it is that good.
(4)Jim R.
What can I say, very bad service. So slow and not caring about the customer. The food was terrible. Tortellini with the house made sausage. Ugh, sausage dry as heck like it was sitting under a heat lamp for days, and the red sauce tasted just like chef boy r dee right out if the can. I will never go back again.
(1)William P.
We arrived at 5:00 pm and were seated immediately. After we had been there for 20 minutes the restaurant begin to fill up. The service was quick and waitress attended to our needs. For me a good waitress will see that my ice tea is low and keep it full. We ordered lasagna and fettucini. Both items were good. The Fettucini was good, the pasta was close to al dente. The amount of Fettucini was not a full bowl and I was finished before my wife. I usually would have pasta to take home. The Lasagna was made with a red sauce. One option was a red and Alfredo sauce that we did not try. This restaurant is a part of a family of Italian restaurant in the area. The most famous is Mona's and Capone's in Toluca, IL.
(4)William P.
This a nice little Italian place for being in the middle of central Illinois. Decor is not bad, it's clean, the service was good. I ate the shrimp fettuccine alfredo. It was pretty good. I would definitely order it again. The bread was good, and the prices aren't bad. Overall a good experience.
(4)Kay H.
Best fried chicken EVER. I've lived in Texas for twenty years and every time I'm in town I MUST eat here. Prices are very reasonable, food is great, and the team there is always friendly. They go out of their way to be kind to my older parents. Will be back.
(5)A M.
Some of the best fried chicken I've ever had. Growing up, we traveled 40 minutes to the then-only sister restaurants in Toluca. You know the food is goo when a small town like Toluca can support not 1, but 2 Italian restaurants!!! People would travel there regularly for fried chicken and pasta!! Yum!!!
(4)Jason P.
The food here was horrible. The food was definitely not fresh made. I think the people who give it good reviews are local and don't know any better. My wife liked it till I took her to a better place in Bloomington and now she never wants to go here again.
(1)Mary S.
I hate to write a bad review. Many times I will actually just keep my mouth shut rather than say something that is "not nice". However, every once in a while there comes an experience so terribly bad that I just have to speak up. First lets discuss the menu. Pontiac is near my home town and I went out to dinner here with my parents while visiting. None of us had been here before. I am a healthy eater. I try to keep it small portions, low fat and low sugar. I do indulge in desert from time to time and you WILL see amazing photos of deserts uploaded by me, but again, it's all about portion. I knew I was in trouble whilst waiting for a table and seeing mounds of crispy fried chicken being delivered to a table. The portions were out of control! Now I wasn't panicking yet...there is always some healthy option some where on the menu right? Nope. I ended up ordering spaghetti with red sauce. It was disgusting. Spaghetti was WAY over cooked and there was something out of wack with the spices in the sauce. It was terrible! Then there was my poor poor Dad. The girl cleaning up the tables kept walking behind him (we were seated near the kitchen) and she wasn't watching what she was doing. She splashed dirty dish water (I prefer to think it was water) from her dish bin down my Dad's back. She didn't notice and didn't stop! We had to hunt down our server for extra napkins...she dropped some off. My parents being the kind souls they are wouldn't say anything and wouldn't let me say anything (I am now!). I was very obvious when I got up and helped mop up my Dad's back. Disgusting. Just stick clear of this place!
(1)J O.
Ok, so I've never reviewed here, but I have to respond to a previous review by Mary S. First of all, where is it written that an Italian restaurant has to serve healthy options? Eat a salad then. I've NEVER received bad service there and I have eaten there MANY times at all times of the day and night. Is it equal food to a Chicago Italian eatery, not really. But it is good and what is wrong with a healthy plate full of food? You get your monies worth always. I believe you had one bad incident that was purely an accident and I know almost all of the waitresses and waiters there and they would be mortified if they knew this happened. That being said, this is a small chain and most of their food is brought in from their factory. Sauces and such are premade, BUT it is all made to order and fresh.
(3)Adam B.
Good food, cool atmosphere... And a great last name! ;)
(5)Jon B.
My two friends and I sat at the bar, nice decor, clean, quiet atmosphere. No problems at all with the service, either. The bread was all air, no crustiness, chew or flavor. The "Parmesan" cheese comes from the off brand, green container and olive oil is Walmart quality. I ordered the Chicken Asiago. The chicken was properly cooked and topped with a poorly made herb/cheese crust. It was extremely dry, and the herbs were overpowering. The fettuccine alfredo was pretty rough as well. Does anyone know how to cook pasta any more? Precooking pasta before use is lazy and ruins the final product. The sauce was a cornstarchy, flavorless paste. My friend ordered the fried ravs and cheesy garlic bread, both served with a meat sauce for dipping. The sauce reminded me so much of Chef Boyardee. So bad. $7 for four pieces of bread with cheese on top? I feel bad for people who think this is good Italian food.
(1)