I ate here after I returned from Tuscany last year and felt like I was back in the old country. I had Manicotti and Caprese Salad and they were delicious! This is not the Americanized Italian food that Americans frequent. It is family owned and operated and has the traditional Italian fare that I love.
(5)
Eric A.
Pretty disappointing. Looked great, right on the main square. But the food was extremely over-priced. The bolongese was so bland you could barely taste it; the risotto was way too salty. Salad was nothing special -- mostly iceberg lettuce. Given the prices, this was a disappointment. Hopefully we just hit them on a bad night.
(2)
Sofia V.
Grazie is completely overpriced in comparison to the quality of the food. Everything tastes like it's been sitting around the kitchen for hours and simply reheated prior to being served. If you're looking to Italian food of this caliber you should go to Olive Garden -- not only will the food taste the same, it'll cost half the price. The only good thing I can say about the restaurant is that the service was decent. Other than that, completely a waste of money. Especially with Malibu Grill and Little Zagreb's nearby.
(2)
Steve F.
I like this place, but for the portion size it really is a rip off. I got some pasta with some veggies as I'm vegan. It was a special request not on the menu, so maybe some surcharge is in order. The dish was $20... Ok....so I also had 2 glasses of wine. I didn't know I was going to be leaving with spending $60 total....and still be hungry and not wine buzzed. I love supporting local restaurants which is why we tried Grazie as opposes to Olive Garden. I can get away with the same meal for half price at the O.G. and suggest you do the same. I do love the online reservation tool for worki.g dinners with clients.
(3)
Ruey P.
My friend and I stopped in for a quick bite after a concert on Friday evening. Service was pathetic since the waitress seemed confused as to what we were ordering and requesting. Items on the menu were unavailable, I ordered mussles as my meal from the appetizer section. The typical bread that comes with your meal at an Italian eatery was not freshly made, it was obviously microwaved. Being the daughter of a seafood business owner, it was clear that the mussles were frozen (not fresh). Broth was underdeveloped in flavor, and the quality of mussles were low quality. Would not recommend eating here, overpriced, looks a bit dirty, and the service was subpar.
(1)
William M.
Just ok. Packed ( not sure why). No decor, tiny bathroom, tables shoved in any open spot. Food was ok, hit or miss with our group. Pricey, which is fine if it's a great experience. All in all nothing memorable , won't go back
(3)
Jennifer L.
My husband and I wandered in here after arriving in downtown for the first time. I was really hungry and hoping to fill up here. We were seated immediately and the server was quick to replace our drinks when they were depleted. Lobster Fritti - The menu said it was "flash-fried" but it was unfortunately over-fried, making the inside dry and bland. I also couldn't taste much lobster. The sauce it came with, however, was yummy enough to be its own soup. Spaghetti & Meatballs - The noodles seemed like they came out of a box, which they probably did, but at least it was a decent box. The meatballs were large, didn't fall apart, and they were tasty. Gnocchi with Cherry Tomato Crudo - Best dish of the night. The gnocchi was soft, slightly sour, and relatively big. Combined with the cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, and basil, it was delightfully flavorful and filling. I don't know if I'd come back here again since the quality of the food did not justify the prices IMO, but the restaurant itself was clean, spacious, and welcoming.
(3)
Kyle M.
My wife chose Grazie for her birthday in part because it is a nice place for the two of us, when we don't have our two little boys with us, and we had a Groupon deal for buy an entree, get one free. No complaints from me on that one... Made a reservation on Open Table, and noted on the reservation that we were celebrating my wife's birthday. The staff took note as the hostess, server, and others all said Happy Birthday, which was a nice touch and flattering to my wife. (bonus points for me) The food was good. Really liked the bread to start, warm and soft. The salads were not impressive. My wife got the Caesar, I went with a garden salad. It looked like the same bed of lettuce with the same Parmesan cheese. Hers had croutons with Caesar dressing. Mine had 3 pieces of tomato and 4 pieces of cucumber with my dressing of choice. Just not too imaginative in my book. Dinner was Manicotti for her, and Penne with sausage and a spicy Vodka sauce for me. Hers was good, mine was also nice. Nothing to say "Wow" but not disappointing either. We enjoyed the pace, as our server checked in often, kept our glasses full and made sure we didn't lack for anything. Portions were enough that we both brought some home for a leftover night. At the end of the meal, they brought out two little cakes with vanilla bean icing and white chocolate chips. It was enough sweet to top off the meal and not too heavy . It was a nice touch, so if you are celebrating something with Grazie, be sure to let them know. So overall, since Yelp defines 3 stars as A-OK, yeah, I'd go three stars. Without a coupon, I might go 2, as I felt like I got a pretty good value per dollar with the coupon. I gave two $$ for pricing, but we are water drinkers. A glass of wine or two will push you to $$$ most likely. That said, it was a much nicer atmosphere than the noise of some of the "chain" restaurants, so it was a good fit for the occasion. And my wife was happy... so that was the most important thing.
(3)
Kyle V.
Make sure to hit this place up when bottles are half price, i think its tuesday or wednesday. i could be wrong.
(3)
Taylor O.
OK describes the food well; they haven't watched enough of Giada's Everyday Italian on the Food Network yet. Over five visits, the service was slow each time and the orders had one mistake twice. Nice outdoor patio overlooking the square. Overall fairly decent but you'll find a few things annoying I'm sure of it.
(3)
Justin W.
The food is OK. I actually love their desserts, but I have had better pasta at a lot of places. If you are going, sit in the bar because it is a really nice area (or outside). My biggest complaint is the service isn't that great and their hours are atrocious! I wanted a table at 8:30 one night and was told they were closed. That's insane to me.
(3)
Steve F.
I like this place, but for the portion size it really is a rip off. I got some pasta with some veggies as I'm vegan. It was a special request not on the menu, so maybe some surcharge is in order. The dish was $20... Ok....so I also had 2 glasses of wine. I didn't know I was going to be leaving with spending $60 total....and still be hungry and not wine buzzed. I love supporting local restaurants which is why we tried Grazie as opposes to Olive Garden. I can get away with the same meal for half price at the O.G. and suggest you do the same. I do love the online reservation tool for worki.g dinners with clients.
(3)
William M.
Just ok. Packed ( not sure why). No decor, tiny bathroom, tables shoved in any open spot. Food was ok, hit or miss with our group. Pricey, which is fine if it's a great experience. All in all nothing memorable , won't go back
(3)
Paul L.
If you are looking for a quick bite to eat that's fast and low priced, stay away from Grazie. The service is at times very slow, and, although polite, inconsistent with your order. The prices are most definitely over priced, It didn't seem like any entrees were under fifteen dollars. I'd be fine with that pricing if the quality or quantity of the food went above and beyond. But this is sadly not the case. I was left staring at a modest plate of modest pasta and sausage. Although yummy, the food was not delicious. The desert was decent, a standard cannoli with a chocolate drizzle. The coffee and hot chocolate were decent. At over $100 for three people, Grazie is avoidable, there are other Italian restaurants with bigger portions, better food, and a rival wine list.
(3)
Sidney B.
Good wine list. Decent food. Overpriced. I like that you can sit outside and the atmosphere inside is cool.
(3)
David L.
Been here a few times prior to my horrendous experience during graduation weekend. Prices were jacked up for no legitimate reason, the portions were small and not worth the price, and the food was served cold over an hour after we ordered. On top of that, the service was near non-existent and way below any acceptable standards for a restaurant business. Whether or not it is a special weekend, this place should be on their game while not trying to rip off their customers. However, this particular restaurant decided that was not the case and, as a result, I will never eat at this establishment ever again. I would suggest finding a better place in town that is more local, such as Little Zagreb's, where the menu, prices, and service remain the same regardless of what "special" weekend it happens to be.
(1)
Brian H.
One of the best Italian places in Bloomington, and that's pathetic considering the mediocrity of this place.
(3)
Timber S.
At much prodding from my wife and some encouragement from a current employee I decided to give Grazie another try. It had been some time since my last venture to this restaurant and I figured it was only proper to allow for change. I arrived hopeful at a better experience than I have had previously. I am pleased to say that they met my expectations. The service in comparison to last time was a magnitude better. The young lady that served us last night was friendly, well informed and courteous. We were seated in a booth on the restaurant side which was nice and quaint. The noise level sitting in the booths is fine, I would hate to sit in the big open area with people sitting at the balconies above. The noise level in that space, as well as feeling like people are looking down from on high is unpleasant. BUT, that was last time. This time - we got there early enough to get a booth and it suited us just fine. My wife pointed out that they were playing music in the restaurant side while a pianist was playing music on the bar side. It bothered her - but didn't register with me. I could hear it when she pointed it out, but it wasn't a problem. If you're sensitive to things like that - then avoid the nights when the pianist is playing. To his credit - I thought he was good. I don't know the bar side seating and therefore will reserve comment. Onto the food: Being an "upscale" restaurant on the square the prices and portions were exactly what one would expect. I left full, which is important for me. So I guess the portions were large enough. The food was perfectly fine. I wasn't blown away, but it was better than large chain restaurant Italian food. Presentation was nice. I will say this - the bread they bring out to start is AMAZING. We asked for more which never arrived. But truthfully we didn't need it. We stayed away from wine as there are other places on the square we prefer for wine, but that is our personal preference and not a detraction from Grazie. All in all, I am pleased to upgrade my review. I think they did a fine job. I am not wowed enough to say "yay I'm a fan" but will gladly say "A-OK." I will say, I can no longer be counted in the detractors of Grazie. I would be open to going back again in the future.
(3)
Trent T.
I'm not sure why this place was rated so low. I was skeptical at first after reading some of the reviews here, but my friend really wanted to go here. We got there and were seated promptly. The waitress was very nice and got our drinks and appetizers. I got the garlic bread, and it was a bit over done. I figured that it was going to go down hill from here, but I was wrong. We got our salad and it was great. The house dressing is very good and the pickled onions in the salad were tasty. We got our main courses right when we had finished our salads. It was perfect timing. I had the angel hair pasta with shrimp and crab, and it was awesome. Our waitress checked on us several times and our glasses were never empty. The food was great with the exception of the slightly over toasted garlic bread. All in all I would recommend going here and giving it a try.
(4)
Daniel C.
Went to this restaurant for dinner during the Lotus Festival. It wasn't particularly busy and the waitress was nice, although her knowledge of their "new" menu items was minimal. She even gave ingredient information that conflicted with what was printed in the menu. For the price we paid for pasta dishes, we were disappointed to learn that virtually none of their pasta is made in house. Every dish we tried was under seasoned with muddled flavors. Overpriced. The olive oil with Italian herbs and bread brought to the table were borderline inedible. For a pricey Italian eatery you would at least think they could make decent pasta and bread. Not going back any time soon!
(1)
Irwin B.
Came here with a party of 11 during orientation week solely because they accepted reservations. The servers were very pleasant (although a bit scattered) but the food was very bland and they ran out of sauce for the Papardelle at 8 PM (?????) and gave us a dish of tomato sauce that had less taste than Prego. We won't be back
(2)
Collin W.
Ehhh this restaurant was just okay, nothing spectacular, nothing terrible. There was a group of five of us and the restaurant itself had a great atmosphere. Plenty of large tables, open areas, not too loud or busy, and does include some outdoor seating for a nice evening. We ordered a few appetizers, obviously nothing too great because I can't even remember what we got. I ordered the grilled salmon and I was fairly disappointed with it. The filet itself was decently sized however it was a long, thin piece so I could tell it was a cheap piece of farmed fish. It was also very overcooked, any minute longer and it would have been on the verge on inedible. I was looking forward to the rapini listed on the menu but when I order the dish I was told that they changed the side to a "vegetable medley" which sounded good but ended up basically being a small, handful size portion of sauteed peppers and onions. I needed to order an additional side just to fill my appetite. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their meals which is why I'm at least giving a two star review. The chocolate tart dessert was good but the gelato was nowhere close to anything that could be considered a gelato. It tasted like something scraped off a freezer door with a couple chocolate chips thrown in. Not at all creamery or smooth like a gelato should be. For being from out of town we enjoyed our visit there and were pleased with the service, but what they severely lacked in food quality made this only a one time visit for me.
(2)
Ashley T.
Plus - Great atmosphere. Fun drink list. Negatives - Seriously over-priced (two sodas, small app, and 2 no-meat entrees = $53 w/ tip!). Spaghetti swimming in water. Small portions for prices. Your call on good or bad - salad dressing is essentially the same texture & taste as Olive Garden. (I like that type of dressing so this is fine w/ me!)
(2)
Jennifer L.
My husband and I wandered in here after arriving in downtown for the first time. I was really hungry and hoping to fill up here. We were seated immediately and the server was quick to replace our drinks when they were depleted. Lobster Fritti - The menu said it was "flash-fried" but it was unfortunately over-fried, making the inside dry and bland. I also couldn't taste much lobster. The sauce it came with, however, was yummy enough to be its own soup. Spaghetti & Meatballs - The noodles seemed like they came out of a box, which they probably did, but at least it was a decent box. The meatballs were large, didn't fall apart, and they were tasty. Gnocchi with Cherry Tomato Crudo - Best dish of the night. The gnocchi was soft, slightly sour, and relatively big. Combined with the cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, and basil, it was delightfully flavorful and filling. I don't know if I'd come back here again since the quality of the food did not justify the prices IMO, but the restaurant itself was clean, spacious, and welcoming.
(3)
Justin W.
The food is OK. I actually love their desserts, but I have had better pasta at a lot of places. If you are going, sit in the bar because it is a really nice area (or outside). My biggest complaint is the service isn't that great and their hours are atrocious! I wanted a table at 8:30 one night and was told they were closed. That's insane to me.
(3)
Polly R.
Gratzie has very tasty Italian food but lacks in ambiance. In the 3 times I've been, the "basics" have been the best dishes- the garlic bread appetizer and meatballs are especially good. That said, the decor and layout are an odd mix of vino posters & industrial loft. Before tonight, I would have given 4.5 stars. Unfortunately, there was a business group in the back room that was EXTREMELY loud. Think Nicks on a Friday night loud. It made our dining experience extremely uncomfortable and the young staff did nothing about it. I regret choosing dinner here tonight, which is a shame. I just wanted to eat my garlic bread in peace.
(3)
Kyle M.
My wife chose Grazie for her birthday in part because it is a nice place for the two of us, when we don't have our two little boys with us, and we had a Groupon deal for buy an entree, get one free. No complaints from me on that one... Made a reservation on Open Table, and noted on the reservation that we were celebrating my wife's birthday. The staff took note as the hostess, server, and others all said Happy Birthday, which was a nice touch and flattering to my wife. (bonus points for me) The food was good. Really liked the bread to start, warm and soft. The salads were not impressive. My wife got the Caesar, I went with a garden salad. It looked like the same bed of lettuce with the same Parmesan cheese. Hers had croutons with Caesar dressing. Mine had 3 pieces of tomato and 4 pieces of cucumber with my dressing of choice. Just not too imaginative in my book. Dinner was Manicotti for her, and Penne with sausage and a spicy Vodka sauce for me. Hers was good, mine was also nice. Nothing to say "Wow" but not disappointing either. We enjoyed the pace, as our server checked in often, kept our glasses full and made sure we didn't lack for anything. Portions were enough that we both brought some home for a leftover night. At the end of the meal, they brought out two little cakes with vanilla bean icing and white chocolate chips. It was enough sweet to top off the meal and not too heavy . It was a nice touch, so if you are celebrating something with Grazie, be sure to let them know. So overall, since Yelp defines 3 stars as A-OK, yeah, I'd go three stars. Without a coupon, I might go 2, as I felt like I got a pretty good value per dollar with the coupon. I gave two $$ for pricing, but we are water drinkers. A glass of wine or two will push you to $$$ most likely. That said, it was a much nicer atmosphere than the noise of some of the "chain" restaurants, so it was a good fit for the occasion. And my wife was happy... so that was the most important thing.
(3)
Robin K.
Many people regard this place as the fanciest Italian restaurant in Bloomington and has a reputation for being overpriced and snotty service. It's not that bad! It's good! The dishes are delicious and well-made and they have a lovely wine selection. It is downtown and can easily be walked to when around town and the atmosphere is comfortable. I have not received snotty service when I have been there, but I do find the prices are high for what I am being served. I have always finished my meals and enjoy doing so.
(3)
Rodney H.
My daughter needed some "track food" the night before her meet so I grabbed some spaghetti and meatballs to bring back to her at the hotel. It's still under debate if I am more embarrassed about feeding this to her or that I was charged $18 for it. Nothing to this meal that left me impressed. Sad thing is the place was packed! smh........
(2)
Dalia M.
Yup. Consistently blah. Did a take out order. Overpriced and incredibly underwhelming. $18 for spaghetti & meatballs? A can of Prego and boxed pasta would've been better. I'm surprised they are still in business. How can no one else make better Italian than this place?
(1)
Austin J.
Parents were in town for the weekend, so I was excited to dine somewhere expensive on their tab. I picked Grazie because the storefront looked good, it's always busy, and I was craving Italian. Classic case of "should've checked Yelp first". Despite a 9 reservation, we didn't get seated til 9:40. Okay, they' were busy, but turn-around was slow. Most of the menu was out of stock by that time, so my top three choices were unavailable. My dad wanted rigatoni supremo, but they were out of rigatoni. That's all fine and well, but they wouldn't let his substitute another pasta for the dish, which is odd. I ordered chicken piccata, my mom order shrimp scampi, dad ordered meatballs and spaghetti. My chicken was completely tasteless, likely because they forgot the sauce and capers. The pasta was dry and barely cooked. I think they microwaved the dish. My mom's shrimp scampi was horse$#it, to put it nicely. Since it was dry, they sent it back and added water to it. Seriously? They didn't even attempt to properly fix it with fresh pasta or even more sauce. My sister's farmer's market tortellini was not too bad, to be honest. They ran out of meatballs, so they gave my dad Italian sausage instead. That's not a bad thing necessarily, except they didn't even ask him before making the substitute. Not to mention the whole meal was very slow. Probably because everyone was sending their meals back. The waitress was nice, but definitely not interested in helping us fix out meals. Again, probably because she was having to send meals back all night and forfeiting her tips because of the terrible kitchen staff. Great location, great atmosphere, but terrible food and subpar service. Can't wait for this place to either change management or go under and free up the real estate for a proper restaurant.
(1)
Tanvi K.
I wish I had the option to choose no stars! This place is absolutely the worst restaurant I have ever eaten at in Bloomington. I asked for tomato bruschetta and hummus with olives and naan .. I think the chef got bored while preparing these dishes and decided to serve just each ingredient separately! The diced tomatoes were served on a dish surrounded by thinly sliced bread And then You have to 'make your own bruschetta'! And note please - you pay like $10 for doing this ! The hummus and olives were mediocre .. Felt as if it was straight out of Sabre can! I didn't care to wait for entrees... Please don't waste your time, money and appetite at this crappy place! I
(1)
Kyle V.
Make sure to hit this place up when bottles are half price, i think its tuesday or wednesday. i could be wrong.
(3)
Kimmi M.
My family chose Grazie only because of doing a search for "gluten-free" on Yelp. This was a mistake, as my mom didn't look at the number of stars. Interior is cute, and the menu is easy to read. The dietary options, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free are listed, but nothing on the menu is denoted to show which is which, and what sauces you'd need to order to fit your dietary needs. For example, the marsala sauce is not GF. They were out of veal, but everyone was pretty excited with what they ordered. I did not like that the small side salads were $4 extra. This place is SUPER expensive for lunch. No specials, just plates for $16 and higher. I ordered the papardelle with chicken, and it was really good. The rosemary in it was not picked off the stem, so it was really woody on some bites, and I couldn't eat it. Then chicken by itself had no flavor, and it was a must for it to be coated in the garlic cream sauce. Everyone at the table's noodles were over cooked, and this was especially apparent with my dad's GF rice noodles. I think he was the most disappointed of all. Our server was really nice, kept up on drink refills, but she did not know the menu in regard to the dietary issues. Skip this place! There are so many better places to eat in Bloomington.
(2)
Julie S.
Grazie is a very average Italian-American restaurant. Grazie tends to be a go-to restaurant for undergraduates when their parents visit or when they're going on dates. I have been to Grazie three times and there has never been a problem with my meal, but I have never been blown away. They frequently run coupons in the local MailPak so we decided to go to dinner using a buy one entree get one half off coupon. I went last week with my brother when he was in Bloomington visiting. The drink special that night was $2.00 local craft beers so he ordered an Upland Wheat and I ordered a Diet Coke. The drinks arrived promptly but the Diet Coke was flat so I sent it back and asked for water instead, the soft drink did not appear on our bill. My server, Kasie, was wonderful, she was quite personable, helpful, and attentive. The restaurant serves a wonderful focaccia bread with an herbed olive oil. I ordered chicken parmigiana while my brother ordered chicken marsala. Our meals were served hot, however I was not blown away by the food. The chicken breast was too thick for my taste, I prefer a thinner cutlet for chicken parmigiana, and the cheese on top was not melted as much as I like. My brother's chicken marsala was very good, although the mashed potatoes were just mediocre. Although the portions are not large, I had enough food left over to bring home for lunch the next day, but I am admittedly not a very big eater. I tend to eat several small meals throughout the day rather than three square meals, so I imagine that most people would not have much in the way of leftovers based on their portion size. I imagine that the reason that many people go to Grazie is because it's one of the more affordable "nice" restaurants in Bloomington and it's great for large groups. I personally feel that the quality of the food does not warrant the price and without the coupon I would not have been satisfied by the amount of money spent for the quality of a meal we had. I would award the restaurant two stars based on the quality and quantity of the food and value. However I would award four stars based on the location, atmosphere, and the quality of the staff.
(3)
Franklin D.
Weird place, badly in need of feng shui makeover. High backed plywood seating and loud music made the place look empty... but maybe a few other people in there eating. The food: Yikes... $9 for very small amount of lukewarm "spinach/artichoke" dip, accompanied by stale tri-color tortilla chips. Spagetti noodles with a few mushrooms and a "cream sauce" that just tasted like kinda-warm milk. I ordered a chicken ceasar salad for lunch, which came with a "free salad" (?) so... uhm, ok, that happened. The difference between the two... well the second one had chicken you see. The bread had a very strange flavor that maybe could have stood on its own, but was totally messed up by the trying-too-hard oil with a bunch of things that also didn't work together. I think I get what they were trying for here but ...nope, FAIL. In the middle of all this someone called in to make a "reservation", how funny is that? After that and a couple iced teas, lunch for two people wound up being $45. Ouch, not worth it at all.
(1)
Anna W.
I'm actually mystified by the low rating of Grazie. My boyfriend and I came here for my birthday and used a groupon he had bought. The staff was nothing short of completely accomodating and the food was delicious. To begin, we got to our reservation way late. We would have called, but realized neither of us had the phone number. Then it took me 25 minutes to find a spot. Despite all this (I let the bf off at the door to let them know we were there) they held our table. Our groupon entitled us to an appetizer, two drinks, and two entrees. Our appetizer and drinks came out fast, but the entrees didn't. The waitress was great on keeping us updated and profusely apologizing because there was a 60-top holding up the kitchen. I appreciated that. At one point, my bf ordered a beer only to find out they didn't have any of that kind left. No big deal. He ordered another and it came out quickly (I thought). The waitress ended up taking that beer off our tab because she said we had waited too long. Nice! Our appetizer was bruschetta- which I enjoyed despite not being a huge bruschetta fan. Dave got a spinach/cranberry/walnut salad that was delcious. What was REALLY good, though, was the bread. Apparently it's vegan and they bake it there daily. For entrees, Dave got the veal parmesan (delicious) and I got the pollo con gorgonzola. I don't usually order creamy pasta dishes, but this sounded really good. (and it was). If I had any complaints, it would be that I think their menu could use a few healthier options. Overall, though, I loved my experience. OH! I forgot..they had a piano man playing Nirvana and Radiohead songs. Definitely a plus.
(5)
Lyndsey C.
Never the greatest food but the service was always good and it had a good enough menu. It just never lived up to the hype that some people gave it. The valentines day dinner was always overpriced and I don't like being forced to order off of a certain menu but I did appreciate the ambience and the roses they provided. The ambience of this place was always very pleasant and it was a great location. It is just overpriced for the quality of food.
(2)
MsAnthro P.
Grazie's (bad) reputation certainly precedes it, but I won a $10 gift certificate so I figured I'd give it a shot. Luckily I chose to do so during lunch when a $10 gift certificate actually makes somewhat of an impact. The lunch prices are relatively reasonable, but the fact remains that (and, yes, I am pulling out the ol' OG comparison) Olive Garden's food is actually better tasting and more reasonably priced. I had the Eggplant Parmesan (a lunch portion for about $13) and it the eggplant was very greasy and the pasta bland and watery. The sauce was nothing special. I did, however, receive good service and appreciated the decor and ambiance. (Well, with the exception of the jerky 20-something dudes in the booth behind me who made jokes about everything from Jews to retarded people to women they knew.) I also had a dessert of spumoni gelato which was a giant portion but, again, it wasn't anything special. From what friends have told me, the dinner portions don't get bigger but they do increase in price, which sounds crazy to me. This place is absolutely not resting on believable laurels.
(2)
Mike K.
i believe the Veal Parmesan is the thing to get at an italian restaurant. I have my belief of what makes a good veal parm & this place kinda does the opposite. I like a tender, thin veal. Bang the veal with a mallet a couple of times. I dont think they tenderized the veal at all here. It was thick, like eating a fried steak. There was also a lot of fat on it which I dont think I experienced before. In a perfect world I like a thick & chunky marinara. They have a very very watery sauce. Like Campbell's tomato soup may be thicker. I also think the cheese blend on top was a little weird, I think there was something that shouldnt be there that was. Can't put my finger on it Anyway, the free bread was really good. Maybe there are other dishes that are good too, it looked like a nice place. Honestly, I'll probably never be in Bloomington, Indiana again but there could be some good dishes here. I would just stay away from the veal.
(2)
Suphie W.
I believe I have been here, before; and I liked it! :) Basically, the interior was dark, but comfortable, and their wine selection was good... And I seem to remember no problem in terms of generosity of heapings of food (helpings?). Did I mention that the wine was good and that IU students could probably bike there easily??? Nice place. Good, comfortable seating. ~Suphie
(2)
Nikki E.
Came here twice, once for brunch and once for an event. Simply unimpressive. For breakfast I had a veggie strata, and I wanted undressed greens instead of a choice of sides (potatoes, more veggies, toast. They gave me a spinach salad drenched in dressing and so soggy it was inedible. Friend ordered rigatoni, which I tried, and it was something I could have made 100x better at home. For the event we attended, the only good food was the cheese platter and the bread. At least the servers are moderately friendly, but I'm sad to say that Olive Garden has better food than this place.
(2)
Taylor O.
OK describes the food well; they haven't watched enough of Giada's Everyday Italian on the Food Network yet. Over five visits, the service was slow each time and the orders had one mistake twice. Nice outdoor patio overlooking the square. Overall fairly decent but you'll find a few things annoying I'm sure of it.
(3)
Adam N.
Went back to Grazie a couple of nights ago to indulge a little. The menu is still nice and simple, and bread was plentiful. For this I was very thankful! It was great! They have also added garlic bread, but it's done a bit differently. It was pretty good, but a little light on the garlic. I think it was a three cheese garlic bread, and also seemed a little light on the cheese for me. This time around, I think I had the paparadelle or something like that. It was a pasta dish with chicken in a creamy garlic sauce. I was happy to be able to order it without the mushrooms. Someone else at our table ordered a different dish, but wasn't able to have it without mushrooms. All round, the food got a solid thumbs up. The service was great as always. I really want to rate 4 stars, but two things weren't quite to my liking. The garlic flavors in the pasta and bread were very light. I would have liked significantly more garlic. Also, the pasta had far too many green sprigs of some kind. I found myself having to fish those out. Based on this trip, I will definitely be back! There are more dishes on that menu that I must try, and I must have more chocolate mousse!!!
(3)
Nikki P.
Listen, I'm not trying to be a asshole, but I wish Grazie would just go away with their awfulness. What's worse? Their bloated prices or their lackluster food? Service has been hit and miss and the drinks are a mess (and who gives a shit about Cosmos these days anyway?) If you must go, please start swilling Bloody Marys as soon as you set foot in the restaurant so you have something to satisfy your hunger when your lobster ravioli tastes like a pond. I've visited three times... shame on them, me and every last jerk who voted the place as one of the top restaurants in Bloomington. It's not. I would rather shovel endless soup, salad and breadsticks down my gullet at Olive Garden before ever going back to Grazie again.
(2)
Katie B.
I'll keep this quick since others have already pretty much got it covered. Mediocre food, high prices. With so many other excellent dining options in Bloomington, there's really no reason for me to go back here.
(2)
Mary B.
I came here with a group of people, we were starving and since it was close by we went in. Yes, it is overpriced and the food was just..eh I make better Italian food and I don't even cook that much. The salad was good, I liked the dressing. I thought I'd play it safe and just get good ole spaghetti and meatballs, it was satisfying but for the price..lordy. We probably won't be back tho.
(2)
Justin H.
Very very very bad service.I would not suggest this restaurant to anyone. Food is not good whatsoever. In my situation we sat for 2 hours before we finally got our food. When we finally got it, salmon was dry and disgusting. Food was overpriced for the taste and service was horrible. I would definitely not suggest to ANYONE...IT WAS HORRIBLE.
(1)
Shelly A.
"Thank God this place is in the middle of downtown!" When I was attending Indiana University, I went to Grazie a few times over the 4 years. I didn't go often because its expensive for a college town, and #2 it sucks. Honestly Grazie sucks and they have saved their business by having a top notch location and having a killer sign outside. The marketing department for this place should get the credit for keeping it open. Honestly Grazie is exactly the type of Italian food you think you would get in the middle of no where in Indiana. The sauce is uninspired, and they charge an arm and a leg for pasta that is probably not even fresh. Al dente is a concept that this place is not familiar with. I skipped this place for most of my college career and only went their during friends birthdays or other times when I was invited to the restaurant. I did not enjoy my meal any of those times, and I have no real reason to go back.
(2)
Vox V.
Grazie prides itself on being voted "best" in local newspaper popularity rankings. Anyone who's been to the place knows there must be something fishy going on there, because Grazie routinely offers a sub-par experience. My experience on several occasions is that the wait staff in the bar are inattentive and offer spotty or non-existent service. Drinks are unremarkable. In the restaurant, the food is often delivered cold (if it should be warm) and warm (if it should be cold). Portions are miserly as well. On my last visit the waiter forgot that our table existed as we waited over a half an hour for our check. We had to ask the hostess in front to see if we would be able to actually pay. There are much better options in the downtown area than Grazie. I think if the management at Grazie tried less to stuff the ballot box in local voting and instead focused on impressing patrons, word-of-mouth would be all the marketing they would need.
(1)
P. C.
I came here at the request from my mother who I told to choose "any nice restaurant in Bloomington" to eat. She said that Grazie's food was excellent. I think not. The server was great but the atmosphere, food, and clientele left much to be desired. I mean come on, half the people in the restaurant had either flip-flops or gym shoes on with cut-off shorts and even work-out clothes! I ordered the chicken fettuccine paired with a glass of the cheapest pinot nior they had by the glass ($10). I was pleased with the wine and the salad but the rest was just ok. The pasta itself was fresh but the chicken was very dry. Definitely not worth $18 for the dish. I will say that my mom ordered the same dish except with shrimp and said that it was very good. All-in-all, they are extremely over-priced for the quality and environment. I'd imagine the Olive Garden is better and cheaper.
(2)
David S.
Grazie has a prime location right on the square. Other than that, there's not much else that's positive to say. Everytime I've gone to Grazie, it has been because someone else has been trying to buy me an expensive meal... The service is slow, the food is overpriced and just not that good. Combined with the horrific weekend night waits, I just can't recommend this restaurant.
(2)
Claire V.
Pros: Nice interior design, comfortable, private. Friendly waitstaff. Enjoyed my cocktail. Quick service. My pasta was perfectly cooked 'al dente'. (My husband's tortellini was not) Cons: While I've had worse food, I'm not sure I've had worse Italian food. Any gas station in Italy serves better food, and I speak from extensive experience. This food was more expensive, and definitely below Olive Garden quality. (And Olive Garden is already mediocre) Furthermore, the smell and composition of these dishes were STRONGLY reminiscent of airplane food. I dare say the ingredients were identical. I am being sincere when I say that the sight and smell induced mild nausea in me. Summary: It was one trip through the microwave away from being airplane food.
(2)
Mindy A.
Skip this place! Try somewhere else for lunch instead. My mom had the soup & salad combo, add scallops and shrimp, and I had the calamari po' boy & soup. My mom, who is not a picky eater, did not touch the scallops. They looked undercooked (Grazie, undercooking shellfish is NOT a good idea). So that was definitely a waste of the extra $7 it costs to get the scallops & shrimps on top of the salad. The lettuce in her salad also looked soggy, like it had been sitting out for awhile before even being ordered (just a guess). My sandwich arrived with what was probably the stalest bread and most rubbery calamari I have ever seen on a plate in the last 5 years. Also, there was some kind of weird salad/cole slaw thing on the side, which looked to include soybeans (?), peas, and red cabbage. I'm still not sure what it was since it wasn't ever listed on the menu... I took two exploratory bites and they seemed kind of sour with an off-flavor ("off" of what, I don't know). I wish the sandwich just came with chips or something. Anyways, after both of us were finished picking the food off our plates, and kind of moving it around and pretending we liked it, we left. The server politely asked if we would like to wrap up the food and take it home and we both responded "NO THANK YOU" simultaneously. And we have never spoken a word about this place since. Yuck. Worst lunch experience in years. I hope this place can get it together! I love little family owned places and prefer to support them instead of chain restaurants when I can, but not for this quality of food at this price.
(1)
Nadeem P.
The service here is pretty slow, and the food average. Unfortunately the prices are above average, which yields this restauarant 2 stars. Their house salad is great, and their focaccia bread and oil is awesome. The food is not bad, I had the lobster ravioli and it was acceptable, nothing close to amazing. Go here is you have money to spend and dull taste buds...
(2)
Kyle H.
Great bar for adults wanting to avoid the college/hipster crowds. Try their soup/salad lunch - great price and all you can eat. Best italian I've had in Indiana hands down.
(5)
Edward B.
I was very happy with this place overall. We ended up going their 3 nights in a row for dinner! We didn't want to chance it with any other places since we were so happy with this one. The atmosphere was great...it is divided into two sections, more of a bar scene on one side with some dining tables and the other side is strictly for sit down customers. The food was the best things about this place. As mentioned in other reviews the house salad is damn good and the dressing really makes it. It is hard to screw up bread with olive oil and spices so that was delicious as well with a generous portion of spices on the plate. The broiled salmon was amazing as was the fillet. The other 3 people ordered mainly past dishes each night since it was an Italian Restaurant and they were very happy with their dishes. The desserts were also very satisfying. The only thing negative I could say about this place was the the servers could have been a little better. They were by no means bad but for as nice as this place was their level of waiting could have been better if that makes sense. They were late on drinks a few times and were afraid to give suggestions as far as what they thought we should get when we asked them. That always bothers me when someone can't give you a suggestion when you know they've had most of the stuff on the menu. All in all I definitely recommend this place.
(4)
Paul L.
If you are looking for a quick bite to eat that's fast and low priced, stay away from Grazie. The service is at times very slow, and, although polite, inconsistent with your order. The prices are most definitely over priced, It didn't seem like any entrees were under fifteen dollars. I'd be fine with that pricing if the quality or quantity of the food went above and beyond. But this is sadly not the case. I was left staring at a modest plate of modest pasta and sausage. Although yummy, the food was not delicious. The desert was decent, a standard cannoli with a chocolate drizzle. The coffee and hot chocolate were decent. At over $100 for three people, Grazie is avoidable, there are other Italian restaurants with bigger portions, better food, and a rival wine list.
(3)
Sidney B.
Good wine list. Decent food. Overpriced. I like that you can sit outside and the atmosphere inside is cool.
(3)
David L.
Been here a few times prior to my horrendous experience during graduation weekend. Prices were jacked up for no legitimate reason, the portions were small and not worth the price, and the food was served cold over an hour after we ordered. On top of that, the service was near non-existent and way below any acceptable standards for a restaurant business. Whether or not it is a special weekend, this place should be on their game while not trying to rip off their customers. However, this particular restaurant decided that was not the case and, as a result, I will never eat at this establishment ever again. I would suggest finding a better place in town that is more local, such as Little Zagreb's, where the menu, prices, and service remain the same regardless of what "special" weekend it happens to be.
(1)
Brian H.
One of the best Italian places in Bloomington, and that's pathetic considering the mediocrity of this place.
(3)
Vincent V.
After eating at Grazie, I stopped at the drugstore to buy some Plan B, as I had just been screwed in the worst kind of way. I hadn't eaten at Grazie in nearly ten years, remembering it as mediocre over-priced Italian. My friend and I decided we'd give it another chance. This was one of the worst decisions I have ever made in my life. I'll begin with the good things about Grazie. Our server was friendly and pleasant. It looked clean. Well, now that we've got the good stuff out of the way let me just say that I wouldn't eat there again if it were free. It wasn't free though, it was $45 for entree, half an appetizer. a soda, and a tip. It was so horrible it was barely edible and I would not be surprised to be ill before I finish writing this review. We'll start with the appetizer. My friend and I split a crab dip. It looked like cat food. It was the best part of the meal. It was about the worst presentation imaginable. Just a big lump of grey gelatinous fluid with chunks of crab meat in it. If you could overcome your sense of sight and pretend that it didn't look like a mix of Fancy Feast and cream of mushroom soup you might come to the conclusion that it were edible. It was $12 and we couldn't make ourselves finish it. It was all downhill from this point. As we tried to overcome the blaring elevator jazz being pumped in to create ambiance we were brought some bread that might have been good if it were hot. We were also blessed with some salad that managed to have the same slimy, rubbery texture of octopus. What's odd is that all the vegetables in the salad had the exact same texture. Lettuce, Cucumbers, Carrots... discernible only by color. I ordered asiago encrusted scallops and a cream rizzotto ($27). When I think about all the better things I could have done with $27 rather than purchase this garbage it makes me sick all over again. I would rather be mugged for $27 than eat this culinary abortion once more. I would rather set the money on fire or donate it to an oil company than eat the hideous pile of crap that I was served. The scallops might have been edible right after they were cooked, they were however pan-seared and let to sit somewhere in the vicinity of a heat lamp for twenty minutes judging by the texture. Even worse was the rizzotto. It tasted rancid. No combination of words in the english language will convey to you the horrid, despicable combination of flavor and texture that violated my mouth. Someone should notify the International Criminal Court because whatever was perpetrated against rizzotto in that kitchen I'm sure can be prosecuted as a war crime. This was a signature dish. Many a time I haven paid $40 or more and thought my food wasn't really worth it, but this might be the first time I've paid that much for food found it inedible. This place is the worst. I would rather eat at Fazzoli's.
(1)
Joshua C.
Food is not that great. Barely would consider it good. It is overpriced and the owner is extremely rude.
(1)
Ally L.
This place is in a great location, has a nice atmosphere, and seems to be the go-to place for people new to Bloomington to eat. However, I've eaten here several times and each visit has been all around poor. Grazie serves overpriced sub-par food served in small portions. I wouldn't mind paying so much if you got a really excellent pasta dish or a huge portion of a mediocre one, but at Grazie you get neither. A quality and taste comparison rests somewhere between Fazoli's and the Olive Garden. The menu pricing is also ridiculously high...I felt ripped off when I got the bill. If you want Italian, skip and go to the Ragazzi Arte Cafe or DeAngelos instead, both are decent choices.
(1)
Tony L.
Never had a good experience. Graduation weekend 2011, $30 a plate ($10 more than usual) for microwaved-tasting food and small portions. If you want mediocre Italian, might as well go to Olive Garden off of 37 and 3rd st. At least Olive Garden gives you a good experience and you won't leave hungry.
(1)
Louis O.
Awesome location downtown. The food is very plain and over-priced though. Won't be going back anytime soon.
(1)
Chase W.
I'm new to the Bloomington restaurant scene, but I won't be going back to Grazie anytime soon, the menu items are way over priced for the portion sizes and the dishes are not very refined in terms of knifework and presentation. The salad was a combination of overbearing ingredients with little to no dressing to bring everything together. The service was good, but that won't make the food any more enjoyable.
(2)
Z K.
Mediocre Italian food with a touch of C-class wait staff. The inside is not at all great and it is totally overpriced. The menu looks like a mix between olive garden and chillis. Definately not going back here again.
(2)
oyefunke a.
Nothing to add just wanted to concur and hope that Grazie, which has a prime location and halfway decent drinks would give a rats behind, look at the reviews and either lower their prices, get a better chef (or at least better ingredients) or maybe both! Cmon, really?
(1)
chelsea g.
Totally overpriced. I enjoy the choice of outside seating, but my issue is the a la carte menu. Two people should not have to pay that much for a bowl of pasta and a salad. Plus, while the food was ok, it was *just* ok. I'd rather make pasta in my own kitchen.
(2)
Ed M.
A good solid Italian restaurant in Bloomington. Nothing fancy. Not spectacular but good food. The staff is gracious and accomodating. If want good Italian food this a good place to find it in Bloomington.
(3)
Robyn P.
Though the food is okay, it's nowhere near remarkable and way overpriced. My wife had the spaghetti with meatballs which she said were bland and not worth it. I had eggplant parmesan because how can you go wrong? It wasn't wrong, but it wasn't great. The cocktail menu seemed fun. Our server didn't really offer any suggestions on it. I ended up ordering a Cosmo because sometimes I get nostalgic for Sex in the City. It was lackluster and smaller than your average martini drink. Final note, one of the people in our party ordered a seafood pasta dish. As the server was placing the dish on the table, she spilled seafood sauce down the front of my wife's shirt. The server mumbled an "oops", not an apology and my wife got to smell like stinky seafood for the remainder of the evening. Blech.
(2)
Ashley M.
After 6 long years of edumacation, my brother finally graduated from Indiana University. We decided to celebrate the occasion at Grazie! Keep in mind, if you're making reservations for graduation weekend, please do so at least 2 months in advance. Also, be prepared to put a $10 deposit on each member of your party, and you're not allowed to make any modifications to your reservation 2 weeks beforehand. Honestly, I didn't mind all the rules. They made sense, and it was more of an insurance policy for the restaurant. Now, let's get to the good stuff. The food. Upon arriving, we quickly found out that they were offering a fixed price menu. Unless we wanted to dine on a park bench somewhere, we were (in a word) stuck. At $55 a head, this wasn't exactly the sort of place where you dine on a budget. With 6 of us in our party, we all knew it would be an expensive bill. This led to some unnecessarily awkward bickering between my father and my brother's god parents. No matter. Continuing on with the review. If you're dining there, I recommend you request a table towards the front. It's an intimate dining atmosphere surrounded by lounge music, mahogany and art. Our party was directed towards the back room. Honestly, this back room looked like, well...a backroom. There were no tablecloths, windows or a fancy, loungy atmosphere. Sorry Grazie! You missed the mark on that one. Now onto the food, for real this time. First, we started out with a champagne toast; shortly followed by an individual serving of a eggplant garnish on baguette. From there, we had the option to chose from a Caesar salad or a tomato bisque soup. I decided on the Caesar salad. Until now, everything seemed pretty basic. I was enjoying my meal. For an entree, my parents both had the Chilean Sea Bass, and I decided on the Salmon Fillet. Both meals were absolutely delicious. Now, this food reminded me why I made the reservation in the first place. Throughout the entire meal, the service was fantastic. Regardless of the other 6 graduate families around us, our waitress remained attentive and courteous. Overall, I was pleased with my experience and the family was too. Thank you, Grazie!
(3)
Mark D.
I don't know where to begin. I could give them one star or five stars depending on how you see things. We ordered $100 bottle of wine and tons of appetizers for 8 people. Everything was going fine until an hour later our waitress announced that the restaurant had absolutely no food left except for chicken piccata. No seriously... Chicken piccata only. She said it would be on the house so we ordered three of them and then called the local pizza X store and had two pies delivered. We laughed our way through the evening as table after table got up and left. Then the pizza man showed up with our pies. You can't make this stuff up. The restaurant picked up our entire tab. Except for the pizza. Kudos to the waitress and manager who dealt with the most surreal scene I've ever had in a restaurant. Shame on the owner who was present but never showed his face to apologize to any of the tables. He threw his staff under the bus and made them deal with his mistakes.
(2)
Steven M.
This was absolutely the worst restaurant experience in my life. The restaurant ran out of food, literally. We sat for 2 hours waiting for our main course when the waitress suddenly announced that she was sorry but that the restaurant no longer could serve anything other than chicken piccata. Chicken piccata -- are you friggin kidding me. Never in my life. Oh -- the chicken piccata wasn't that good. Pick another place!
(1)
Michael C.
We were driving by and decided to stop in for dinner. Service was great, very attentive. Ordered the Garlic Bread as an appetizer, that was excellent. The main entree's were very good, no issues. The only reason this get's 3 stars is because the pricing was out of site for Bloomington, Indiana. 3 people and almost $100. Yes, we had a couple beers but they really need to tighten there pricing up on the menu. Typical Italian food. Don't get me wrong, it was good, I was just shocked by the bill.
(3)
Hannah E.
I'm really not sure why this place has such bad reviews. We went on a Sunday at lunch and it was superb. I was with my parents, my brother, and my niece (who is three). Our waitress was Lexi and she was phenomenal! One of the best waitresses I've ever had. I got the gluten free Gouda Mac & Cheese with bacon. Oh my goodness. It was to die for. It was so good! My brother got fettuccine with sausage and the sausage was so tender and delicious. My dad also got tomato basil soup which was a little spicy, but still amazing. The pita chips we got with our spinach artichoke were the best I have ever had. They didn't have a kids menu, but gladly brought my niece some chicken and noodles that she loved. When I return to Bloomington I will definitely come here. This place is awesome!
(5)
Amarie B.
Overall it was just ok. The food was good, but I felt it was overpriced. The side salad was drowning in dressing (which was still pretty good). I ordered the manicotti. It was good, however for $17 I expected a larger portion, or some type of side.
(3)
Sofia V.
Grazie is completely overpriced in comparison to the quality of the food. Everything tastes like it's been sitting around the kitchen for hours and simply reheated prior to being served. If you're looking to Italian food of this caliber you should go to Olive Garden -- not only will the food taste the same, it'll cost half the price. The only good thing I can say about the restaurant is that the service was decent. Other than that, completely a waste of money. Especially with Malibu Grill and Little Zagreb's nearby.
(2)
Bryn K.
I ate here after I returned from Tuscany last year and felt like I was back in the old country. I had Manicotti and Caprese Salad and they were delicious! This is not the Americanized Italian food that Americans frequent. It is family owned and operated and has the traditional Italian fare that I love.
(5)
Eric A.
Pretty disappointing. Looked great, right on the main square. But the food was extremely over-priced. The bolongese was so bland you could barely taste it; the risotto was way too salty. Salad was nothing special -- mostly iceberg lettuce. Given the prices, this was a disappointment. Hopefully we just hit them on a bad night.
(2)
Matt K.
Wild Mushroom Tortellini FTW. This restaurant was recommended to me by the front desk staff at the Courtyard and I was pleased with the choice. It was not cheap, but it was rich and delicious. The dish was $21 and did not include soup or salad. I ordered a soup to go with it for $5. This was a little overpriced in my opinion, but the portion of the pasta was significant. I didn't have any leftover, but I was too full to even consider dessert seriously. I visited on a quiet Monday. Service was friendly and kept my water refilled. I can see how other reviewers mention this as a date place. The booths are tall and give you a fair amount of privacy. I don't think I really had view of any other diners while I ate. Given the prices, I would definitely prefer to have my parents treating me to dinner here than spending my own money if I was a student. A tip for about the focaccia bread for the kitchen: please don't line the basket with a paper napkin. The napkin stuck to the bread and I had to peel off the crust to make it edible. It made for poor presentation and I also missed out on the good crust! I liked the atmosphere, service and my food. Minor things and being a little high priced keeps me from being more generous with the stars. I would give 3.5 if I could, but I rounded up because DAT TORTELLINI!!!
(4)
Maracatu B.
As Italian as Olive Garden, but even more overpriced. For a downtown place, Bloomington deserves a better Italian restaurant.
(2)
Mister M.
You think to yourself hhhmmm "I'm in the mood for fake italian and I want to pay too much for it". Grazie is the place for you. It's a decent place to go on a date. I mean decent as in your date is impressed by fake italian food you paying too much for it. They have decent atmosphere and the pianist is playing a nice tune, but here's the thing.... The food they make is basically as if you followed an online recipe. So go to chez-bachelor-pad and cook together with your date by following an online recipe and that will be a way better time with a less damaged wallet. Preferably learn the online recipe first and cook for her as if you can cook. Don't forget to clean up your pig sty before you bring the girl over. Preferably manipulate her into cooking the entire thing. For more dating tips keep reading my reviews.
(2)
Peter P.
My experience wasn't nearly as poor as the others on this board. It could be because I went for lunch and it wasn't crowded at all. Also, there were lunch portions (much cheaper than the dinner menu). The restaurant is huge if you consider the lounge side part of the restaurant. There's even a baby grand piano by the bar. Food was good, not great. The meatballs were moist and tender, but the marinara lacked spice (perhaps they are catering to the Bloomington palette in this case). The complimentary ciabatta bread and herbed dipping sauce is a highlight.
(3)
oyefunke a.
Nothing to add just wanted to concur and hope that Grazie, which has a prime location and halfway decent drinks would give a rats behind, look at the reviews and either lower their prices, get a better chef (or at least better ingredients) or maybe both! Cmon, really?
(1)
chelsea g.
Totally overpriced. I enjoy the choice of outside seating, but my issue is the a la carte menu. Two people should not have to pay that much for a bowl of pasta and a salad. Plus, while the food was ok, it was *just* ok. I'd rather make pasta in my own kitchen.
(2)
Ed M.
A good solid Italian restaurant in Bloomington. Nothing fancy. Not spectacular but good food. The staff is gracious and accomodating. If want good Italian food this a good place to find it in Bloomington.
(3)
Ashley T.
Plus - Great atmosphere. Fun drink list. Negatives - Seriously over-priced (two sodas, small app, and 2 no-meat entrees = $53 w/ tip!). Spaghetti swimming in water. Small portions for prices. Your call on good or bad - salad dressing is essentially the same texture & taste as Olive Garden. (I like that type of dressing so this is fine w/ me!)
(2)
Katie B.
I'll keep this quick since others have already pretty much got it covered. Mediocre food, high prices. With so many other excellent dining options in Bloomington, there's really no reason for me to go back here.
(2)
Mary B.
I came here with a group of people, we were starving and since it was close by we went in. Yes, it is overpriced and the food was just..eh I make better Italian food and I don't even cook that much. The salad was good, I liked the dressing. I thought I'd play it safe and just get good ole spaghetti and meatballs, it was satisfying but for the price..lordy. We probably won't be back tho.
(2)
Justin H.
Very very very bad service.I would not suggest this restaurant to anyone. Food is not good whatsoever. In my situation we sat for 2 hours before we finally got our food. When we finally got it, salmon was dry and disgusting. Food was overpriced for the taste and service was horrible. I would definitely not suggest to ANYONE...IT WAS HORRIBLE.
(1)
Shelly A.
"Thank God this place is in the middle of downtown!" When I was attending Indiana University, I went to Grazie a few times over the 4 years. I didn't go often because its expensive for a college town, and #2 it sucks. Honestly Grazie sucks and they have saved their business by having a top notch location and having a killer sign outside. The marketing department for this place should get the credit for keeping it open. Honestly Grazie is exactly the type of Italian food you think you would get in the middle of no where in Indiana. The sauce is uninspired, and they charge an arm and a leg for pasta that is probably not even fresh. Al dente is a concept that this place is not familiar with. I skipped this place for most of my college career and only went their during friends birthdays or other times when I was invited to the restaurant. I did not enjoy my meal any of those times, and I have no real reason to go back.
(2)
Vox V.
Grazie prides itself on being voted "best" in local newspaper popularity rankings. Anyone who's been to the place knows there must be something fishy going on there, because Grazie routinely offers a sub-par experience. My experience on several occasions is that the wait staff in the bar are inattentive and offer spotty or non-existent service. Drinks are unremarkable. In the restaurant, the food is often delivered cold (if it should be warm) and warm (if it should be cold). Portions are miserly as well. On my last visit the waiter forgot that our table existed as we waited over a half an hour for our check. We had to ask the hostess in front to see if we would be able to actually pay. There are much better options in the downtown area than Grazie. I think if the management at Grazie tried less to stuff the ballot box in local voting and instead focused on impressing patrons, word-of-mouth would be all the marketing they would need.
(1)
Austin J.
Parents were in town for the weekend, so I was excited to dine somewhere expensive on their tab. I picked Grazie because the storefront looked good, it's always busy, and I was craving Italian. Classic case of "should've checked Yelp first". Despite a 9 reservation, we didn't get seated til 9:40. Okay, they' were busy, but turn-around was slow. Most of the menu was out of stock by that time, so my top three choices were unavailable. My dad wanted rigatoni supremo, but they were out of rigatoni. That's all fine and well, but they wouldn't let his substitute another pasta for the dish, which is odd. I ordered chicken piccata, my mom order shrimp scampi, dad ordered meatballs and spaghetti. My chicken was completely tasteless, likely because they forgot the sauce and capers. The pasta was dry and barely cooked. I think they microwaved the dish. My mom's shrimp scampi was horse$#it, to put it nicely. Since it was dry, they sent it back and added water to it. Seriously? They didn't even attempt to properly fix it with fresh pasta or even more sauce. My sister's farmer's market tortellini was not too bad, to be honest. They ran out of meatballs, so they gave my dad Italian sausage instead. That's not a bad thing necessarily, except they didn't even ask him before making the substitute. Not to mention the whole meal was very slow. Probably because everyone was sending their meals back. The waitress was nice, but definitely not interested in helping us fix out meals. Again, probably because she was having to send meals back all night and forfeiting her tips because of the terrible kitchen staff. Great location, great atmosphere, but terrible food and subpar service. Can't wait for this place to either change management or go under and free up the real estate for a proper restaurant.
(1)
Kimmi M.
My family chose Grazie only because of doing a search for "gluten-free" on Yelp. This was a mistake, as my mom didn't look at the number of stars. Interior is cute, and the menu is easy to read. The dietary options, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free are listed, but nothing on the menu is denoted to show which is which, and what sauces you'd need to order to fit your dietary needs. For example, the marsala sauce is not GF. They were out of veal, but everyone was pretty excited with what they ordered. I did not like that the small side salads were $4 extra. This place is SUPER expensive for lunch. No specials, just plates for $16 and higher. I ordered the papardelle with chicken, and it was really good. The rosemary in it was not picked off the stem, so it was really woody on some bites, and I couldn't eat it. Then chicken by itself had no flavor, and it was a must for it to be coated in the garlic cream sauce. Everyone at the table's noodles were over cooked, and this was especially apparent with my dad's GF rice noodles. I think he was the most disappointed of all. Our server was really nice, kept up on drink refills, but she did not know the menu in regard to the dietary issues. Skip this place! There are so many better places to eat in Bloomington.
(2)
Julie S.
Grazie is a very average Italian-American restaurant. Grazie tends to be a go-to restaurant for undergraduates when their parents visit or when they're going on dates. I have been to Grazie three times and there has never been a problem with my meal, but I have never been blown away. They frequently run coupons in the local MailPak so we decided to go to dinner using a buy one entree get one half off coupon. I went last week with my brother when he was in Bloomington visiting. The drink special that night was $2.00 local craft beers so he ordered an Upland Wheat and I ordered a Diet Coke. The drinks arrived promptly but the Diet Coke was flat so I sent it back and asked for water instead, the soft drink did not appear on our bill. My server, Kasie, was wonderful, she was quite personable, helpful, and attentive. The restaurant serves a wonderful focaccia bread with an herbed olive oil. I ordered chicken parmigiana while my brother ordered chicken marsala. Our meals were served hot, however I was not blown away by the food. The chicken breast was too thick for my taste, I prefer a thinner cutlet for chicken parmigiana, and the cheese on top was not melted as much as I like. My brother's chicken marsala was very good, although the mashed potatoes were just mediocre. Although the portions are not large, I had enough food left over to bring home for lunch the next day, but I am admittedly not a very big eater. I tend to eat several small meals throughout the day rather than three square meals, so I imagine that most people would not have much in the way of leftovers based on their portion size. I imagine that the reason that many people go to Grazie is because it's one of the more affordable "nice" restaurants in Bloomington and it's great for large groups. I personally feel that the quality of the food does not warrant the price and without the coupon I would not have been satisfied by the amount of money spent for the quality of a meal we had. I would award the restaurant two stars based on the quality and quantity of the food and value. However I would award four stars based on the location, atmosphere, and the quality of the staff.
(3)
Franklin D.
Weird place, badly in need of feng shui makeover. High backed plywood seating and loud music made the place look empty... but maybe a few other people in there eating. The food: Yikes... $9 for very small amount of lukewarm "spinach/artichoke" dip, accompanied by stale tri-color tortilla chips. Spagetti noodles with a few mushrooms and a "cream sauce" that just tasted like kinda-warm milk. I ordered a chicken ceasar salad for lunch, which came with a "free salad" (?) so... uhm, ok, that happened. The difference between the two... well the second one had chicken you see. The bread had a very strange flavor that maybe could have stood on its own, but was totally messed up by the trying-too-hard oil with a bunch of things that also didn't work together. I think I get what they were trying for here but ...nope, FAIL. In the middle of all this someone called in to make a "reservation", how funny is that? After that and a couple iced teas, lunch for two people wound up being $45. Ouch, not worth it at all.
(1)
Anna W.
I'm actually mystified by the low rating of Grazie. My boyfriend and I came here for my birthday and used a groupon he had bought. The staff was nothing short of completely accomodating and the food was delicious. To begin, we got to our reservation way late. We would have called, but realized neither of us had the phone number. Then it took me 25 minutes to find a spot. Despite all this (I let the bf off at the door to let them know we were there) they held our table. Our groupon entitled us to an appetizer, two drinks, and two entrees. Our appetizer and drinks came out fast, but the entrees didn't. The waitress was great on keeping us updated and profusely apologizing because there was a 60-top holding up the kitchen. I appreciated that. At one point, my bf ordered a beer only to find out they didn't have any of that kind left. No big deal. He ordered another and it came out quickly (I thought). The waitress ended up taking that beer off our tab because she said we had waited too long. Nice! Our appetizer was bruschetta- which I enjoyed despite not being a huge bruschetta fan. Dave got a spinach/cranberry/walnut salad that was delcious. What was REALLY good, though, was the bread. Apparently it's vegan and they bake it there daily. For entrees, Dave got the veal parmesan (delicious) and I got the pollo con gorgonzola. I don't usually order creamy pasta dishes, but this sounded really good. (and it was). If I had any complaints, it would be that I think their menu could use a few healthier options. Overall, though, I loved my experience. OH! I forgot..they had a piano man playing Nirvana and Radiohead songs. Definitely a plus.
(5)
Lyndsey C.
Never the greatest food but the service was always good and it had a good enough menu. It just never lived up to the hype that some people gave it. The valentines day dinner was always overpriced and I don't like being forced to order off of a certain menu but I did appreciate the ambience and the roses they provided. The ambience of this place was always very pleasant and it was a great location. It is just overpriced for the quality of food.
(2)
MsAnthro P.
Grazie's (bad) reputation certainly precedes it, but I won a $10 gift certificate so I figured I'd give it a shot. Luckily I chose to do so during lunch when a $10 gift certificate actually makes somewhat of an impact. The lunch prices are relatively reasonable, but the fact remains that (and, yes, I am pulling out the ol' OG comparison) Olive Garden's food is actually better tasting and more reasonably priced. I had the Eggplant Parmesan (a lunch portion for about $13) and it the eggplant was very greasy and the pasta bland and watery. The sauce was nothing special. I did, however, receive good service and appreciated the decor and ambiance. (Well, with the exception of the jerky 20-something dudes in the booth behind me who made jokes about everything from Jews to retarded people to women they knew.) I also had a dessert of spumoni gelato which was a giant portion but, again, it wasn't anything special. From what friends have told me, the dinner portions don't get bigger but they do increase in price, which sounds crazy to me. This place is absolutely not resting on believable laurels.
(2)
Mike K.
i believe the Veal Parmesan is the thing to get at an italian restaurant. I have my belief of what makes a good veal parm & this place kinda does the opposite. I like a tender, thin veal. Bang the veal with a mallet a couple of times. I dont think they tenderized the veal at all here. It was thick, like eating a fried steak. There was also a lot of fat on it which I dont think I experienced before. In a perfect world I like a thick & chunky marinara. They have a very very watery sauce. Like Campbell's tomato soup may be thicker. I also think the cheese blend on top was a little weird, I think there was something that shouldnt be there that was. Can't put my finger on it Anyway, the free bread was really good. Maybe there are other dishes that are good too, it looked like a nice place. Honestly, I'll probably never be in Bloomington, Indiana again but there could be some good dishes here. I would just stay away from the veal.
(2)
Suphie W.
I believe I have been here, before; and I liked it! :) Basically, the interior was dark, but comfortable, and their wine selection was good... And I seem to remember no problem in terms of generosity of heapings of food (helpings?). Did I mention that the wine was good and that IU students could probably bike there easily??? Nice place. Good, comfortable seating. ~Suphie
(2)
Nikki E.
Came here twice, once for brunch and once for an event. Simply unimpressive. For breakfast I had a veggie strata, and I wanted undressed greens instead of a choice of sides (potatoes, more veggies, toast. They gave me a spinach salad drenched in dressing and so soggy it was inedible. Friend ordered rigatoni, which I tried, and it was something I could have made 100x better at home. For the event we attended, the only good food was the cheese platter and the bread. At least the servers are moderately friendly, but I'm sad to say that Olive Garden has better food than this place.
(2)
Tanvi K.
I wish I had the option to choose no stars! This place is absolutely the worst restaurant I have ever eaten at in Bloomington. I asked for tomato bruschetta and hummus with olives and naan .. I think the chef got bored while preparing these dishes and decided to serve just each ingredient separately! The diced tomatoes were served on a dish surrounded by thinly sliced bread And then You have to 'make your own bruschetta'! And note please - you pay like $10 for doing this ! The hummus and olives were mediocre .. Felt as if it was straight out of Sabre can! I didn't care to wait for entrees... Please don't waste your time, money and appetite at this crappy place! I
(1)
David S.
Grazie has a prime location right on the square. Other than that, there's not much else that's positive to say. Everytime I've gone to Grazie, it has been because someone else has been trying to buy me an expensive meal... The service is slow, the food is overpriced and just not that good. Combined with the horrific weekend night waits, I just can't recommend this restaurant.
(2)
Trent T.
I'm not sure why this place was rated so low. I was skeptical at first after reading some of the reviews here, but my friend really wanted to go here. We got there and were seated promptly. The waitress was very nice and got our drinks and appetizers. I got the garlic bread, and it was a bit over done. I figured that it was going to go down hill from here, but I was wrong. We got our salad and it was great. The house dressing is very good and the pickled onions in the salad were tasty. We got our main courses right when we had finished our salads. It was perfect timing. I had the angel hair pasta with shrimp and crab, and it was awesome. Our waitress checked on us several times and our glasses were never empty. The food was great with the exception of the slightly over toasted garlic bread. All in all I would recommend going here and giving it a try.
(4)
Timber S.
At much prodding from my wife and some encouragement from a current employee I decided to give Grazie another try. It had been some time since my last venture to this restaurant and I figured it was only proper to allow for change. I arrived hopeful at a better experience than I have had previously. I am pleased to say that they met my expectations. The service in comparison to last time was a magnitude better. The young lady that served us last night was friendly, well informed and courteous. We were seated in a booth on the restaurant side which was nice and quaint. The noise level sitting in the booths is fine, I would hate to sit in the big open area with people sitting at the balconies above. The noise level in that space, as well as feeling like people are looking down from on high is unpleasant. BUT, that was last time. This time - we got there early enough to get a booth and it suited us just fine. My wife pointed out that they were playing music in the restaurant side while a pianist was playing music on the bar side. It bothered her - but didn't register with me. I could hear it when she pointed it out, but it wasn't a problem. If you're sensitive to things like that - then avoid the nights when the pianist is playing. To his credit - I thought he was good. I don't know the bar side seating and therefore will reserve comment. Onto the food: Being an "upscale" restaurant on the square the prices and portions were exactly what one would expect. I left full, which is important for me. So I guess the portions were large enough. The food was perfectly fine. I wasn't blown away, but it was better than large chain restaurant Italian food. Presentation was nice. I will say this - the bread they bring out to start is AMAZING. We asked for more which never arrived. But truthfully we didn't need it. We stayed away from wine as there are other places on the square we prefer for wine, but that is our personal preference and not a detraction from Grazie. All in all, I am pleased to upgrade my review. I think they did a fine job. I am not wowed enough to say "yay I'm a fan" but will gladly say "A-OK." I will say, I can no longer be counted in the detractors of Grazie. I would be open to going back again in the future.
(3)
Adam N.
Went back to Grazie a couple of nights ago to indulge a little. The menu is still nice and simple, and bread was plentiful. For this I was very thankful! It was great! They have also added garlic bread, but it's done a bit differently. It was pretty good, but a little light on the garlic. I think it was a three cheese garlic bread, and also seemed a little light on the cheese for me. This time around, I think I had the paparadelle or something like that. It was a pasta dish with chicken in a creamy garlic sauce. I was happy to be able to order it without the mushrooms. Someone else at our table ordered a different dish, but wasn't able to have it without mushrooms. All round, the food got a solid thumbs up. The service was great as always. I really want to rate 4 stars, but two things weren't quite to my liking. The garlic flavors in the pasta and bread were very light. I would have liked significantly more garlic. Also, the pasta had far too many green sprigs of some kind. I found myself having to fish those out. Based on this trip, I will definitely be back! There are more dishes on that menu that I must try, and I must have more chocolate mousse!!!
(3)
Nikki P.
Listen, I'm not trying to be a asshole, but I wish Grazie would just go away with their awfulness. What's worse? Their bloated prices or their lackluster food? Service has been hit and miss and the drinks are a mess (and who gives a shit about Cosmos these days anyway?) If you must go, please start swilling Bloody Marys as soon as you set foot in the restaurant so you have something to satisfy your hunger when your lobster ravioli tastes like a pond. I've visited three times... shame on them, me and every last jerk who voted the place as one of the top restaurants in Bloomington. It's not. I would rather shovel endless soup, salad and breadsticks down my gullet at Olive Garden before ever going back to Grazie again.
(2)
P. C.
I came here at the request from my mother who I told to choose "any nice restaurant in Bloomington" to eat. She said that Grazie's food was excellent. I think not. The server was great but the atmosphere, food, and clientele left much to be desired. I mean come on, half the people in the restaurant had either flip-flops or gym shoes on with cut-off shorts and even work-out clothes! I ordered the chicken fettuccine paired with a glass of the cheapest pinot nior they had by the glass ($10). I was pleased with the wine and the salad but the rest was just ok. The pasta itself was fresh but the chicken was very dry. Definitely not worth $18 for the dish. I will say that my mom ordered the same dish except with shrimp and said that it was very good. All-in-all, they are extremely over-priced for the quality and environment. I'd imagine the Olive Garden is better and cheaper.
(2)
Claire V.
Pros: Nice interior design, comfortable, private. Friendly waitstaff. Enjoyed my cocktail. Quick service. My pasta was perfectly cooked 'al dente'. (My husband's tortellini was not) Cons: While I've had worse food, I'm not sure I've had worse Italian food. Any gas station in Italy serves better food, and I speak from extensive experience. This food was more expensive, and definitely below Olive Garden quality. (And Olive Garden is already mediocre) Furthermore, the smell and composition of these dishes were STRONGLY reminiscent of airplane food. I dare say the ingredients were identical. I am being sincere when I say that the sight and smell induced mild nausea in me. Summary: It was one trip through the microwave away from being airplane food.
(2)
Mindy A.
Skip this place! Try somewhere else for lunch instead. My mom had the soup & salad combo, add scallops and shrimp, and I had the calamari po' boy & soup. My mom, who is not a picky eater, did not touch the scallops. They looked undercooked (Grazie, undercooking shellfish is NOT a good idea). So that was definitely a waste of the extra $7 it costs to get the scallops & shrimps on top of the salad. The lettuce in her salad also looked soggy, like it had been sitting out for awhile before even being ordered (just a guess). My sandwich arrived with what was probably the stalest bread and most rubbery calamari I have ever seen on a plate in the last 5 years. Also, there was some kind of weird salad/cole slaw thing on the side, which looked to include soybeans (?), peas, and red cabbage. I'm still not sure what it was since it wasn't ever listed on the menu... I took two exploratory bites and they seemed kind of sour with an off-flavor ("off" of what, I don't know). I wish the sandwich just came with chips or something. Anyways, after both of us were finished picking the food off our plates, and kind of moving it around and pretending we liked it, we left. The server politely asked if we would like to wrap up the food and take it home and we both responded "NO THANK YOU" simultaneously. And we have never spoken a word about this place since. Yuck. Worst lunch experience in years. I hope this place can get it together! I love little family owned places and prefer to support them instead of chain restaurants when I can, but not for this quality of food at this price.
(1)
Nadeem P.
The service here is pretty slow, and the food average. Unfortunately the prices are above average, which yields this restauarant 2 stars. Their house salad is great, and their focaccia bread and oil is awesome. The food is not bad, I had the lobster ravioli and it was acceptable, nothing close to amazing. Go here is you have money to spend and dull taste buds...
(2)
Kyle H.
Great bar for adults wanting to avoid the college/hipster crowds. Try their soup/salad lunch - great price and all you can eat. Best italian I've had in Indiana hands down.
(5)
Edward B.
I was very happy with this place overall. We ended up going their 3 nights in a row for dinner! We didn't want to chance it with any other places since we were so happy with this one. The atmosphere was great...it is divided into two sections, more of a bar scene on one side with some dining tables and the other side is strictly for sit down customers. The food was the best things about this place. As mentioned in other reviews the house salad is damn good and the dressing really makes it. It is hard to screw up bread with olive oil and spices so that was delicious as well with a generous portion of spices on the plate. The broiled salmon was amazing as was the fillet. The other 3 people ordered mainly past dishes each night since it was an Italian Restaurant and they were very happy with their dishes. The desserts were also very satisfying. The only thing negative I could say about this place was the the servers could have been a little better. They were by no means bad but for as nice as this place was their level of waiting could have been better if that makes sense. They were late on drinks a few times and were afraid to give suggestions as far as what they thought we should get when we asked them. That always bothers me when someone can't give you a suggestion when you know they've had most of the stuff on the menu. All in all I definitely recommend this place.
(4)
Vincent V.
After eating at Grazie, I stopped at the drugstore to buy some Plan B, as I had just been screwed in the worst kind of way. I hadn't eaten at Grazie in nearly ten years, remembering it as mediocre over-priced Italian. My friend and I decided we'd give it another chance. This was one of the worst decisions I have ever made in my life. I'll begin with the good things about Grazie. Our server was friendly and pleasant. It looked clean. Well, now that we've got the good stuff out of the way let me just say that I wouldn't eat there again if it were free. It wasn't free though, it was $45 for entree, half an appetizer. a soda, and a tip. It was so horrible it was barely edible and I would not be surprised to be ill before I finish writing this review. We'll start with the appetizer. My friend and I split a crab dip. It looked like cat food. It was the best part of the meal. It was about the worst presentation imaginable. Just a big lump of grey gelatinous fluid with chunks of crab meat in it. If you could overcome your sense of sight and pretend that it didn't look like a mix of Fancy Feast and cream of mushroom soup you might come to the conclusion that it were edible. It was $12 and we couldn't make ourselves finish it. It was all downhill from this point. As we tried to overcome the blaring elevator jazz being pumped in to create ambiance we were brought some bread that might have been good if it were hot. We were also blessed with some salad that managed to have the same slimy, rubbery texture of octopus. What's odd is that all the vegetables in the salad had the exact same texture. Lettuce, Cucumbers, Carrots... discernible only by color. I ordered asiago encrusted scallops and a cream rizzotto ($27). When I think about all the better things I could have done with $27 rather than purchase this garbage it makes me sick all over again. I would rather be mugged for $27 than eat this culinary abortion once more. I would rather set the money on fire or donate it to an oil company than eat the hideous pile of crap that I was served. The scallops might have been edible right after they were cooked, they were however pan-seared and let to sit somewhere in the vicinity of a heat lamp for twenty minutes judging by the texture. Even worse was the rizzotto. It tasted rancid. No combination of words in the english language will convey to you the horrid, despicable combination of flavor and texture that violated my mouth. Someone should notify the International Criminal Court because whatever was perpetrated against rizzotto in that kitchen I'm sure can be prosecuted as a war crime. This was a signature dish. Many a time I haven paid $40 or more and thought my food wasn't really worth it, but this might be the first time I've paid that much for food found it inedible. This place is the worst. I would rather eat at Fazzoli's.
(1)
Joshua C.
Food is not that great. Barely would consider it good. It is overpriced and the owner is extremely rude.
(1)
Ally L.
This place is in a great location, has a nice atmosphere, and seems to be the go-to place for people new to Bloomington to eat. However, I've eaten here several times and each visit has been all around poor. Grazie serves overpriced sub-par food served in small portions. I wouldn't mind paying so much if you got a really excellent pasta dish or a huge portion of a mediocre one, but at Grazie you get neither. A quality and taste comparison rests somewhere between Fazoli's and the Olive Garden. The menu pricing is also ridiculously high...I felt ripped off when I got the bill. If you want Italian, skip and go to the Ragazzi Arte Cafe or DeAngelos instead, both are decent choices.
(1)
Tony L.
Never had a good experience. Graduation weekend 2011, $30 a plate ($10 more than usual) for microwaved-tasting food and small portions. If you want mediocre Italian, might as well go to Olive Garden off of 37 and 3rd st. At least Olive Garden gives you a good experience and you won't leave hungry.
(1)
Louis O.
Awesome location downtown. The food is very plain and over-priced though. Won't be going back anytime soon.
(1)
Z K.
Mediocre Italian food with a touch of C-class wait staff. The inside is not at all great and it is totally overpriced. The menu looks like a mix between olive garden and chillis. Definately not going back here again.
(2)
Chase W.
I'm new to the Bloomington restaurant scene, but I won't be going back to Grazie anytime soon, the menu items are way over priced for the portion sizes and the dishes are not very refined in terms of knifework and presentation. The salad was a combination of overbearing ingredients with little to no dressing to bring everything together. The service was good, but that won't make the food any more enjoyable.
(2)
Austin J.
Parents were in town for the weekend, so I was excited to dine somewhere expensive on their tab. I picked Grazie because the storefront looked good, it's always busy, and I was craving Italian. Classic case of "should've checked Yelp first". Despite a 9 reservation, we didn't get seated til 9:40. Okay, they' were busy, but turn-around was slow. Most of the menu was out of stock by that time, so my top three choices were unavailable. My dad wanted rigatoni supremo, but they were out of rigatoni. That's all fine and well, but they wouldn't let his substitute another pasta for the dish, which is odd. I ordered chicken piccata, my mom order shrimp scampi, dad ordered meatballs and spaghetti. My chicken was completely tasteless, likely because they forgot the sauce and capers. The pasta was dry and barely cooked. I think they microwaved the dish. My mom's shrimp scampi was horse$#it, to put it nicely. Since it was dry, they sent it back and added water to it. Seriously? They didn't even attempt to properly fix it with fresh pasta or even more sauce. My sister's farmer's market tortellini was not too bad, to be honest. They ran out of meatballs, so they gave my dad Italian sausage instead. That's not a bad thing necessarily, except they didn't even ask him before making the substitute. Not to mention the whole meal was very slow. Probably because everyone was sending their meals back. The waitress was nice, but definitely not interested in helping us fix out meals. Again, probably because she was having to send meals back all night and forfeiting her tips because of the terrible kitchen staff. Great location, great atmosphere, but terrible food and subpar service. Can't wait for this place to either change management or go under and free up the real estate for a proper restaurant.
(1)
Kimmi M.
My family chose Grazie only because of doing a search for "gluten-free" on Yelp. This was a mistake, as my mom didn't look at the number of stars. Interior is cute, and the menu is easy to read. The dietary options, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free are listed, but nothing on the menu is denoted to show which is which, and what sauces you'd need to order to fit your dietary needs. For example, the marsala sauce is not GF. They were out of veal, but everyone was pretty excited with what they ordered. I did not like that the small side salads were $4 extra. This place is SUPER expensive for lunch. No specials, just plates for $16 and higher. I ordered the papardelle with chicken, and it was really good. The rosemary in it was not picked off the stem, so it was really woody on some bites, and I couldn't eat it. Then chicken by itself had no flavor, and it was a must for it to be coated in the garlic cream sauce. Everyone at the table's noodles were over cooked, and this was especially apparent with my dad's GF rice noodles. I think he was the most disappointed of all. Our server was really nice, kept up on drink refills, but she did not know the menu in regard to the dietary issues. Skip this place! There are so many better places to eat in Bloomington.
(2)
Tanvi K.
I wish I had the option to choose no stars! This place is absolutely the worst restaurant I have ever eaten at in Bloomington. I asked for tomato bruschetta and hummus with olives and naan .. I think the chef got bored while preparing these dishes and decided to serve just each ingredient separately! The diced tomatoes were served on a dish surrounded by thinly sliced bread And then You have to 'make your own bruschetta'! And note please - you pay like $10 for doing this ! The hummus and olives were mediocre .. Felt as if it was straight out of Sabre can! I didn't care to wait for entrees... Please don't waste your time, money and appetite at this crappy place! I
(1)
David S.
Grazie has a prime location right on the square. Other than that, there's not much else that's positive to say. Everytime I've gone to Grazie, it has been because someone else has been trying to buy me an expensive meal... The service is slow, the food is overpriced and just not that good. Combined with the horrific weekend night waits, I just can't recommend this restaurant.
(2)
Timber S.
At much prodding from my wife and some encouragement from a current employee I decided to give Grazie another try. It had been some time since my last venture to this restaurant and I figured it was only proper to allow for change. I arrived hopeful at a better experience than I have had previously. I am pleased to say that they met my expectations. The service in comparison to last time was a magnitude better. The young lady that served us last night was friendly, well informed and courteous. We were seated in a booth on the restaurant side which was nice and quaint. The noise level sitting in the booths is fine, I would hate to sit in the big open area with people sitting at the balconies above. The noise level in that space, as well as feeling like people are looking down from on high is unpleasant. BUT, that was last time. This time - we got there early enough to get a booth and it suited us just fine. My wife pointed out that they were playing music in the restaurant side while a pianist was playing music on the bar side. It bothered her - but didn't register with me. I could hear it when she pointed it out, but it wasn't a problem. If you're sensitive to things like that - then avoid the nights when the pianist is playing. To his credit - I thought he was good. I don't know the bar side seating and therefore will reserve comment. Onto the food: Being an "upscale" restaurant on the square the prices and portions were exactly what one would expect. I left full, which is important for me. So I guess the portions were large enough. The food was perfectly fine. I wasn't blown away, but it was better than large chain restaurant Italian food. Presentation was nice. I will say this - the bread they bring out to start is AMAZING. We asked for more which never arrived. But truthfully we didn't need it. We stayed away from wine as there are other places on the square we prefer for wine, but that is our personal preference and not a detraction from Grazie. All in all, I am pleased to upgrade my review. I think they did a fine job. I am not wowed enough to say "yay I'm a fan" but will gladly say "A-OK." I will say, I can no longer be counted in the detractors of Grazie. I would be open to going back again in the future.
(3)
Adam N.
Went back to Grazie a couple of nights ago to indulge a little. The menu is still nice and simple, and bread was plentiful. For this I was very thankful! It was great! They have also added garlic bread, but it's done a bit differently. It was pretty good, but a little light on the garlic. I think it was a three cheese garlic bread, and also seemed a little light on the cheese for me. This time around, I think I had the paparadelle or something like that. It was a pasta dish with chicken in a creamy garlic sauce. I was happy to be able to order it without the mushrooms. Someone else at our table ordered a different dish, but wasn't able to have it without mushrooms. All round, the food got a solid thumbs up. The service was great as always. I really want to rate 4 stars, but two things weren't quite to my liking. The garlic flavors in the pasta and bread were very light. I would have liked significantly more garlic. Also, the pasta had far too many green sprigs of some kind. I found myself having to fish those out. Based on this trip, I will definitely be back! There are more dishes on that menu that I must try, and I must have more chocolate mousse!!!
(3)
Nikki P.
Listen, I'm not trying to be a asshole, but I wish Grazie would just go away with their awfulness. What's worse? Their bloated prices or their lackluster food? Service has been hit and miss and the drinks are a mess (and who gives a shit about Cosmos these days anyway?) If you must go, please start swilling Bloody Marys as soon as you set foot in the restaurant so you have something to satisfy your hunger when your lobster ravioli tastes like a pond. I've visited three times... shame on them, me and every last jerk who voted the place as one of the top restaurants in Bloomington. It's not. I would rather shovel endless soup, salad and breadsticks down my gullet at Olive Garden before ever going back to Grazie again.
(2)
Katie B.
I'll keep this quick since others have already pretty much got it covered. Mediocre food, high prices. With so many other excellent dining options in Bloomington, there's really no reason for me to go back here.
(2)
Mary B.
I came here with a group of people, we were starving and since it was close by we went in. Yes, it is overpriced and the food was just..eh I make better Italian food and I don't even cook that much. The salad was good, I liked the dressing. I thought I'd play it safe and just get good ole spaghetti and meatballs, it was satisfying but for the price..lordy. We probably won't be back tho.
(2)
Justin H.
Very very very bad service.I would not suggest this restaurant to anyone. Food is not good whatsoever. In my situation we sat for 2 hours before we finally got our food. When we finally got it, salmon was dry and disgusting. Food was overpriced for the taste and service was horrible. I would definitely not suggest to ANYONE...IT WAS HORRIBLE.
(1)
Shelly A.
"Thank God this place is in the middle of downtown!" When I was attending Indiana University, I went to Grazie a few times over the 4 years. I didn't go often because its expensive for a college town, and #2 it sucks. Honestly Grazie sucks and they have saved their business by having a top notch location and having a killer sign outside. The marketing department for this place should get the credit for keeping it open. Honestly Grazie is exactly the type of Italian food you think you would get in the middle of no where in Indiana. The sauce is uninspired, and they charge an arm and a leg for pasta that is probably not even fresh. Al dente is a concept that this place is not familiar with. I skipped this place for most of my college career and only went their during friends birthdays or other times when I was invited to the restaurant. I did not enjoy my meal any of those times, and I have no real reason to go back.
(2)
Vox V.
Grazie prides itself on being voted "best" in local newspaper popularity rankings. Anyone who's been to the place knows there must be something fishy going on there, because Grazie routinely offers a sub-par experience. My experience on several occasions is that the wait staff in the bar are inattentive and offer spotty or non-existent service. Drinks are unremarkable. In the restaurant, the food is often delivered cold (if it should be warm) and warm (if it should be cold). Portions are miserly as well. On my last visit the waiter forgot that our table existed as we waited over a half an hour for our check. We had to ask the hostess in front to see if we would be able to actually pay. There are much better options in the downtown area than Grazie. I think if the management at Grazie tried less to stuff the ballot box in local voting and instead focused on impressing patrons, word-of-mouth would be all the marketing they would need.
(1)
P. C.
I came here at the request from my mother who I told to choose "any nice restaurant in Bloomington" to eat. She said that Grazie's food was excellent. I think not. The server was great but the atmosphere, food, and clientele left much to be desired. I mean come on, half the people in the restaurant had either flip-flops or gym shoes on with cut-off shorts and even work-out clothes! I ordered the chicken fettuccine paired with a glass of the cheapest pinot nior they had by the glass ($10). I was pleased with the wine and the salad but the rest was just ok. The pasta itself was fresh but the chicken was very dry. Definitely not worth $18 for the dish. I will say that my mom ordered the same dish except with shrimp and said that it was very good. All-in-all, they are extremely over-priced for the quality and environment. I'd imagine the Olive Garden is better and cheaper.
(2)
Kyle V.
Make sure to hit this place up when bottles are half price, i think its tuesday or wednesday. i could be wrong.
(3)
Taylor O.
OK describes the food well; they haven't watched enough of Giada's Everyday Italian on the Food Network yet. Over five visits, the service was slow each time and the orders had one mistake twice. Nice outdoor patio overlooking the square. Overall fairly decent but you'll find a few things annoying I'm sure of it.
(3)
Claire V.
Pros: Nice interior design, comfortable, private. Friendly waitstaff. Enjoyed my cocktail. Quick service. My pasta was perfectly cooked 'al dente'. (My husband's tortellini was not) Cons: While I've had worse food, I'm not sure I've had worse Italian food. Any gas station in Italy serves better food, and I speak from extensive experience. This food was more expensive, and definitely below Olive Garden quality. (And Olive Garden is already mediocre) Furthermore, the smell and composition of these dishes were STRONGLY reminiscent of airplane food. I dare say the ingredients were identical. I am being sincere when I say that the sight and smell induced mild nausea in me. Summary: It was one trip through the microwave away from being airplane food.
(2)
Mindy A.
Skip this place! Try somewhere else for lunch instead. My mom had the soup & salad combo, add scallops and shrimp, and I had the calamari po' boy & soup. My mom, who is not a picky eater, did not touch the scallops. They looked undercooked (Grazie, undercooking shellfish is NOT a good idea). So that was definitely a waste of the extra $7 it costs to get the scallops & shrimps on top of the salad. The lettuce in her salad also looked soggy, like it had been sitting out for awhile before even being ordered (just a guess). My sandwich arrived with what was probably the stalest bread and most rubbery calamari I have ever seen on a plate in the last 5 years. Also, there was some kind of weird salad/cole slaw thing on the side, which looked to include soybeans (?), peas, and red cabbage. I'm still not sure what it was since it wasn't ever listed on the menu... I took two exploratory bites and they seemed kind of sour with an off-flavor ("off" of what, I don't know). I wish the sandwich just came with chips or something. Anyways, after both of us were finished picking the food off our plates, and kind of moving it around and pretending we liked it, we left. The server politely asked if we would like to wrap up the food and take it home and we both responded "NO THANK YOU" simultaneously. And we have never spoken a word about this place since. Yuck. Worst lunch experience in years. I hope this place can get it together! I love little family owned places and prefer to support them instead of chain restaurants when I can, but not for this quality of food at this price.
(1)
Nadeem P.
The service here is pretty slow, and the food average. Unfortunately the prices are above average, which yields this restauarant 2 stars. Their house salad is great, and their focaccia bread and oil is awesome. The food is not bad, I had the lobster ravioli and it was acceptable, nothing close to amazing. Go here is you have money to spend and dull taste buds...
(2)
Kyle H.
Great bar for adults wanting to avoid the college/hipster crowds. Try their soup/salad lunch - great price and all you can eat. Best italian I've had in Indiana hands down.
(5)
Edward B.
I was very happy with this place overall. We ended up going their 3 nights in a row for dinner! We didn't want to chance it with any other places since we were so happy with this one. The atmosphere was great...it is divided into two sections, more of a bar scene on one side with some dining tables and the other side is strictly for sit down customers. The food was the best things about this place. As mentioned in other reviews the house salad is damn good and the dressing really makes it. It is hard to screw up bread with olive oil and spices so that was delicious as well with a generous portion of spices on the plate. The broiled salmon was amazing as was the fillet. The other 3 people ordered mainly past dishes each night since it was an Italian Restaurant and they were very happy with their dishes. The desserts were also very satisfying. The only thing negative I could say about this place was the the servers could have been a little better. They were by no means bad but for as nice as this place was their level of waiting could have been better if that makes sense. They were late on drinks a few times and were afraid to give suggestions as far as what they thought we should get when we asked them. That always bothers me when someone can't give you a suggestion when you know they've had most of the stuff on the menu. All in all I definitely recommend this place.
(4)
Paul L.
If you are looking for a quick bite to eat that's fast and low priced, stay away from Grazie. The service is at times very slow, and, although polite, inconsistent with your order. The prices are most definitely over priced, It didn't seem like any entrees were under fifteen dollars. I'd be fine with that pricing if the quality or quantity of the food went above and beyond. But this is sadly not the case. I was left staring at a modest plate of modest pasta and sausage. Although yummy, the food was not delicious. The desert was decent, a standard cannoli with a chocolate drizzle. The coffee and hot chocolate were decent. At over $100 for three people, Grazie is avoidable, there are other Italian restaurants with bigger portions, better food, and a rival wine list.
(3)
Sidney B.
Good wine list. Decent food. Overpriced. I like that you can sit outside and the atmosphere inside is cool.
(3)
David L.
Been here a few times prior to my horrendous experience during graduation weekend. Prices were jacked up for no legitimate reason, the portions were small and not worth the price, and the food was served cold over an hour after we ordered. On top of that, the service was near non-existent and way below any acceptable standards for a restaurant business. Whether or not it is a special weekend, this place should be on their game while not trying to rip off their customers. However, this particular restaurant decided that was not the case and, as a result, I will never eat at this establishment ever again. I would suggest finding a better place in town that is more local, such as Little Zagreb's, where the menu, prices, and service remain the same regardless of what "special" weekend it happens to be.
(1)
Brian H.
One of the best Italian places in Bloomington, and that's pathetic considering the mediocrity of this place.
(3)
Polly R.
Gratzie has very tasty Italian food but lacks in ambiance. In the 3 times I've been, the "basics" have been the best dishes- the garlic bread appetizer and meatballs are especially good. That said, the decor and layout are an odd mix of vino posters & industrial loft. Before tonight, I would have given 4.5 stars. Unfortunately, there was a business group in the back room that was EXTREMELY loud. Think Nicks on a Friday night loud. It made our dining experience extremely uncomfortable and the young staff did nothing about it. I regret choosing dinner here tonight, which is a shame. I just wanted to eat my garlic bread in peace.
(3)
Robyn P.
Though the food is okay, it's nowhere near remarkable and way overpriced. My wife had the spaghetti with meatballs which she said were bland and not worth it. I had eggplant parmesan because how can you go wrong? It wasn't wrong, but it wasn't great. The cocktail menu seemed fun. Our server didn't really offer any suggestions on it. I ended up ordering a Cosmo because sometimes I get nostalgic for Sex in the City. It was lackluster and smaller than your average martini drink. Final note, one of the people in our party ordered a seafood pasta dish. As the server was placing the dish on the table, she spilled seafood sauce down the front of my wife's shirt. The server mumbled an "oops", not an apology and my wife got to smell like stinky seafood for the remainder of the evening. Blech.
(2)
Ashley M.
After 6 long years of edumacation, my brother finally graduated from Indiana University. We decided to celebrate the occasion at Grazie! Keep in mind, if you're making reservations for graduation weekend, please do so at least 2 months in advance. Also, be prepared to put a $10 deposit on each member of your party, and you're not allowed to make any modifications to your reservation 2 weeks beforehand. Honestly, I didn't mind all the rules. They made sense, and it was more of an insurance policy for the restaurant. Now, let's get to the good stuff. The food. Upon arriving, we quickly found out that they were offering a fixed price menu. Unless we wanted to dine on a park bench somewhere, we were (in a word) stuck. At $55 a head, this wasn't exactly the sort of place where you dine on a budget. With 6 of us in our party, we all knew it would be an expensive bill. This led to some unnecessarily awkward bickering between my father and my brother's god parents. No matter. Continuing on with the review. If you're dining there, I recommend you request a table towards the front. It's an intimate dining atmosphere surrounded by lounge music, mahogany and art. Our party was directed towards the back room. Honestly, this back room looked like, well...a backroom. There were no tablecloths, windows or a fancy, loungy atmosphere. Sorry Grazie! You missed the mark on that one. Now onto the food, for real this time. First, we started out with a champagne toast; shortly followed by an individual serving of a eggplant garnish on baguette. From there, we had the option to chose from a Caesar salad or a tomato bisque soup. I decided on the Caesar salad. Until now, everything seemed pretty basic. I was enjoying my meal. For an entree, my parents both had the Chilean Sea Bass, and I decided on the Salmon Fillet. Both meals were absolutely delicious. Now, this food reminded me why I made the reservation in the first place. Throughout the entire meal, the service was fantastic. Regardless of the other 6 graduate families around us, our waitress remained attentive and courteous. Overall, I was pleased with my experience and the family was too. Thank you, Grazie!
(3)
Mark D.
I don't know where to begin. I could give them one star or five stars depending on how you see things. We ordered $100 bottle of wine and tons of appetizers for 8 people. Everything was going fine until an hour later our waitress announced that the restaurant had absolutely no food left except for chicken piccata. No seriously... Chicken piccata only. She said it would be on the house so we ordered three of them and then called the local pizza X store and had two pies delivered. We laughed our way through the evening as table after table got up and left. Then the pizza man showed up with our pies. You can't make this stuff up. The restaurant picked up our entire tab. Except for the pizza. Kudos to the waitress and manager who dealt with the most surreal scene I've ever had in a restaurant. Shame on the owner who was present but never showed his face to apologize to any of the tables. He threw his staff under the bus and made them deal with his mistakes.
(2)
Steven M.
This was absolutely the worst restaurant experience in my life. The restaurant ran out of food, literally. We sat for 2 hours waiting for our main course when the waitress suddenly announced that she was sorry but that the restaurant no longer could serve anything other than chicken piccata. Chicken piccata -- are you friggin kidding me. Never in my life. Oh -- the chicken piccata wasn't that good. Pick another place!
(1)
Michael C.
We were driving by and decided to stop in for dinner. Service was great, very attentive. Ordered the Garlic Bread as an appetizer, that was excellent. The main entree's were very good, no issues. The only reason this get's 3 stars is because the pricing was out of site for Bloomington, Indiana. 3 people and almost $100. Yes, we had a couple beers but they really need to tighten there pricing up on the menu. Typical Italian food. Don't get me wrong, it was good, I was just shocked by the bill.
(3)
Hannah E.
I'm really not sure why this place has such bad reviews. We went on a Sunday at lunch and it was superb. I was with my parents, my brother, and my niece (who is three). Our waitress was Lexi and she was phenomenal! One of the best waitresses I've ever had. I got the gluten free Gouda Mac & Cheese with bacon. Oh my goodness. It was to die for. It was so good! My brother got fettuccine with sausage and the sausage was so tender and delicious. My dad also got tomato basil soup which was a little spicy, but still amazing. The pita chips we got with our spinach artichoke were the best I have ever had. They didn't have a kids menu, but gladly brought my niece some chicken and noodles that she loved. When I return to Bloomington I will definitely come here. This place is awesome!
(5)
Amarie B.
Overall it was just ok. The food was good, but I felt it was overpriced. The side salad was drowning in dressing (which was still pretty good). I ordered the manicotti. It was good, however for $17 I expected a larger portion, or some type of side.
(3)
Robin K.
Many people regard this place as the fanciest Italian restaurant in Bloomington and has a reputation for being overpriced and snotty service. It's not that bad! It's good! The dishes are delicious and well-made and they have a lovely wine selection. It is downtown and can easily be walked to when around town and the atmosphere is comfortable. I have not received snotty service when I have been there, but I do find the prices are high for what I am being served. I have always finished my meals and enjoy doing so.
(3)
Rodney H.
My daughter needed some "track food" the night before her meet so I grabbed some spaghetti and meatballs to bring back to her at the hotel. It's still under debate if I am more embarrassed about feeding this to her or that I was charged $18 for it. Nothing to this meal that left me impressed. Sad thing is the place was packed! smh........
(2)
Dalia M.
Yup. Consistently blah. Did a take out order. Overpriced and incredibly underwhelming. $18 for spaghetti & meatballs? A can of Prego and boxed pasta would've been better. I'm surprised they are still in business. How can no one else make better Italian than this place?
(1)
Sofia V.
Grazie is completely overpriced in comparison to the quality of the food. Everything tastes like it's been sitting around the kitchen for hours and simply reheated prior to being served. If you're looking to Italian food of this caliber you should go to Olive Garden -- not only will the food taste the same, it'll cost half the price. The only good thing I can say about the restaurant is that the service was decent. Other than that, completely a waste of money. Especially with Malibu Grill and Little Zagreb's nearby.
(2)
Bryn K.
I ate here after I returned from Tuscany last year and felt like I was back in the old country. I had Manicotti and Caprese Salad and they were delicious! This is not the Americanized Italian food that Americans frequent. It is family owned and operated and has the traditional Italian fare that I love.
(5)
Eric A.
Pretty disappointing. Looked great, right on the main square. But the food was extremely over-priced. The bolongese was so bland you could barely taste it; the risotto was way too salty. Salad was nothing special -- mostly iceberg lettuce. Given the prices, this was a disappointment. Hopefully we just hit them on a bad night.
(2)
Ruey P.
My friend and I stopped in for a quick bite after a concert on Friday evening. Service was pathetic since the waitress seemed confused as to what we were ordering and requesting. Items on the menu were unavailable, I ordered mussles as my meal from the appetizer section. The typical bread that comes with your meal at an Italian eatery was not freshly made, it was obviously microwaved. Being the daughter of a seafood business owner, it was clear that the mussles were frozen (not fresh). Broth was underdeveloped in flavor, and the quality of mussles were low quality. Would not recommend eating here, overpriced, looks a bit dirty, and the service was subpar.
(1)
Matt K.
Wild Mushroom Tortellini FTW. This restaurant was recommended to me by the front desk staff at the Courtyard and I was pleased with the choice. It was not cheap, but it was rich and delicious. The dish was $21 and did not include soup or salad. I ordered a soup to go with it for $5. This was a little overpriced in my opinion, but the portion of the pasta was significant. I didn't have any leftover, but I was too full to even consider dessert seriously. I visited on a quiet Monday. Service was friendly and kept my water refilled. I can see how other reviewers mention this as a date place. The booths are tall and give you a fair amount of privacy. I don't think I really had view of any other diners while I ate. Given the prices, I would definitely prefer to have my parents treating me to dinner here than spending my own money if I was a student. A tip for about the focaccia bread for the kitchen: please don't line the basket with a paper napkin. The napkin stuck to the bread and I had to peel off the crust to make it edible. It made for poor presentation and I also missed out on the good crust! I liked the atmosphere, service and my food. Minor things and being a little high priced keeps me from being more generous with the stars. I would give 3.5 if I could, but I rounded up because DAT TORTELLINI!!!
(4)
Maracatu B.
As Italian as Olive Garden, but even more overpriced. For a downtown place, Bloomington deserves a better Italian restaurant.
(2)
Mister M.
You think to yourself hhhmmm "I'm in the mood for fake italian and I want to pay too much for it". Grazie is the place for you. It's a decent place to go on a date. I mean decent as in your date is impressed by fake italian food you paying too much for it. They have decent atmosphere and the pianist is playing a nice tune, but here's the thing.... The food they make is basically as if you followed an online recipe. So go to chez-bachelor-pad and cook together with your date by following an online recipe and that will be a way better time with a less damaged wallet. Preferably learn the online recipe first and cook for her as if you can cook. Don't forget to clean up your pig sty before you bring the girl over. Preferably manipulate her into cooking the entire thing. For more dating tips keep reading my reviews.
(2)
Peter P.
My experience wasn't nearly as poor as the others on this board. It could be because I went for lunch and it wasn't crowded at all. Also, there were lunch portions (much cheaper than the dinner menu). The restaurant is huge if you consider the lounge side part of the restaurant. There's even a baby grand piano by the bar. Food was good, not great. The meatballs were moist and tender, but the marinara lacked spice (perhaps they are catering to the Bloomington palette in this case). The complimentary ciabatta bread and herbed dipping sauce is a highlight.
(3)
Daniel C.
Went to this restaurant for dinner during the Lotus Festival. It wasn't particularly busy and the waitress was nice, although her knowledge of their "new" menu items was minimal. She even gave ingredient information that conflicted with what was printed in the menu. For the price we paid for pasta dishes, we were disappointed to learn that virtually none of their pasta is made in house. Every dish we tried was under seasoned with muddled flavors. Overpriced. The olive oil with Italian herbs and bread brought to the table were borderline inedible. For a pricey Italian eatery you would at least think they could make decent pasta and bread. Not going back any time soon!
(1)
Irwin B.
Came here with a party of 11 during orientation week solely because they accepted reservations. The servers were very pleasant (although a bit scattered) but the food was very bland and they ran out of sauce for the Papardelle at 8 PM (?????) and gave us a dish of tomato sauce that had less taste than Prego. We won't be back
(2)
Nikki E.
Came here twice, once for brunch and once for an event. Simply unimpressive. For breakfast I had a veggie strata, and I wanted undressed greens instead of a choice of sides (potatoes, more veggies, toast. They gave me a spinach salad drenched in dressing and so soggy it was inedible. Friend ordered rigatoni, which I tried, and it was something I could have made 100x better at home. For the event we attended, the only good food was the cheese platter and the bread. At least the servers are moderately friendly, but I'm sad to say that Olive Garden has better food than this place.
(2)
Collin W.
Ehhh this restaurant was just okay, nothing spectacular, nothing terrible. There was a group of five of us and the restaurant itself had a great atmosphere. Plenty of large tables, open areas, not too loud or busy, and does include some outdoor seating for a nice evening. We ordered a few appetizers, obviously nothing too great because I can't even remember what we got. I ordered the grilled salmon and I was fairly disappointed with it. The filet itself was decently sized however it was a long, thin piece so I could tell it was a cheap piece of farmed fish. It was also very overcooked, any minute longer and it would have been on the verge on inedible. I was looking forward to the rapini listed on the menu but when I order the dish I was told that they changed the side to a "vegetable medley" which sounded good but ended up basically being a small, handful size portion of sauteed peppers and onions. I needed to order an additional side just to fill my appetite. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their meals which is why I'm at least giving a two star review. The chocolate tart dessert was good but the gelato was nowhere close to anything that could be considered a gelato. It tasted like something scraped off a freezer door with a couple chocolate chips thrown in. Not at all creamery or smooth like a gelato should be. For being from out of town we enjoyed our visit there and were pleased with the service, but what they severely lacked in food quality made this only a one time visit for me.
(2)
Steve F.
I like this place, but for the portion size it really is a rip off. I got some pasta with some veggies as I'm vegan. It was a special request not on the menu, so maybe some surcharge is in order. The dish was $20... Ok....so I also had 2 glasses of wine. I didn't know I was going to be leaving with spending $60 total....and still be hungry and not wine buzzed. I love supporting local restaurants which is why we tried Grazie as opposes to Olive Garden. I can get away with the same meal for half price at the O.G. and suggest you do the same. I do love the online reservation tool for worki.g dinners with clients.
(3)
William M.
Just ok. Packed ( not sure why). No decor, tiny bathroom, tables shoved in any open spot. Food was ok, hit or miss with our group. Pricey, which is fine if it's a great experience. All in all nothing memorable , won't go back
(3)
Jennifer L.
My husband and I wandered in here after arriving in downtown for the first time. I was really hungry and hoping to fill up here. We were seated immediately and the server was quick to replace our drinks when they were depleted. Lobster Fritti - The menu said it was "flash-fried" but it was unfortunately over-fried, making the inside dry and bland. I also couldn't taste much lobster. The sauce it came with, however, was yummy enough to be its own soup. Spaghetti & Meatballs - The noodles seemed like they came out of a box, which they probably did, but at least it was a decent box. The meatballs were large, didn't fall apart, and they were tasty. Gnocchi with Cherry Tomato Crudo - Best dish of the night. The gnocchi was soft, slightly sour, and relatively big. Combined with the cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, and basil, it was delightfully flavorful and filling. I don't know if I'd come back here again since the quality of the food did not justify the prices IMO, but the restaurant itself was clean, spacious, and welcoming.
(3)
Kyle M.
My wife chose Grazie for her birthday in part because it is a nice place for the two of us, when we don't have our two little boys with us, and we had a Groupon deal for buy an entree, get one free. No complaints from me on that one... Made a reservation on Open Table, and noted on the reservation that we were celebrating my wife's birthday. The staff took note as the hostess, server, and others all said Happy Birthday, which was a nice touch and flattering to my wife. (bonus points for me) The food was good. Really liked the bread to start, warm and soft. The salads were not impressive. My wife got the Caesar, I went with a garden salad. It looked like the same bed of lettuce with the same Parmesan cheese. Hers had croutons with Caesar dressing. Mine had 3 pieces of tomato and 4 pieces of cucumber with my dressing of choice. Just not too imaginative in my book. Dinner was Manicotti for her, and Penne with sausage and a spicy Vodka sauce for me. Hers was good, mine was also nice. Nothing to say "Wow" but not disappointing either. We enjoyed the pace, as our server checked in often, kept our glasses full and made sure we didn't lack for anything. Portions were enough that we both brought some home for a leftover night. At the end of the meal, they brought out two little cakes with vanilla bean icing and white chocolate chips. It was enough sweet to top off the meal and not too heavy . It was a nice touch, so if you are celebrating something with Grazie, be sure to let them know. So overall, since Yelp defines 3 stars as A-OK, yeah, I'd go three stars. Without a coupon, I might go 2, as I felt like I got a pretty good value per dollar with the coupon. I gave two $$ for pricing, but we are water drinkers. A glass of wine or two will push you to $$$ most likely. That said, it was a much nicer atmosphere than the noise of some of the "chain" restaurants, so it was a good fit for the occasion. And my wife was happy... so that was the most important thing.
(3)
Ashley T.
Plus - Great atmosphere. Fun drink list. Negatives - Seriously over-priced (two sodas, small app, and 2 no-meat entrees = $53 w/ tip!). Spaghetti swimming in water. Small portions for prices. Your call on good or bad - salad dressing is essentially the same texture & taste as Olive Garden. (I like that type of dressing so this is fine w/ me!)
(2)
Julie S.
Grazie is a very average Italian-American restaurant. Grazie tends to be a go-to restaurant for undergraduates when their parents visit or when they're going on dates. I have been to Grazie three times and there has never been a problem with my meal, but I have never been blown away. They frequently run coupons in the local MailPak so we decided to go to dinner using a buy one entree get one half off coupon. I went last week with my brother when he was in Bloomington visiting. The drink special that night was $2.00 local craft beers so he ordered an Upland Wheat and I ordered a Diet Coke. The drinks arrived promptly but the Diet Coke was flat so I sent it back and asked for water instead, the soft drink did not appear on our bill. My server, Kasie, was wonderful, she was quite personable, helpful, and attentive. The restaurant serves a wonderful focaccia bread with an herbed olive oil. I ordered chicken parmigiana while my brother ordered chicken marsala. Our meals were served hot, however I was not blown away by the food. The chicken breast was too thick for my taste, I prefer a thinner cutlet for chicken parmigiana, and the cheese on top was not melted as much as I like. My brother's chicken marsala was very good, although the mashed potatoes were just mediocre. Although the portions are not large, I had enough food left over to bring home for lunch the next day, but I am admittedly not a very big eater. I tend to eat several small meals throughout the day rather than three square meals, so I imagine that most people would not have much in the way of leftovers based on their portion size. I imagine that the reason that many people go to Grazie is because it's one of the more affordable "nice" restaurants in Bloomington and it's great for large groups. I personally feel that the quality of the food does not warrant the price and without the coupon I would not have been satisfied by the amount of money spent for the quality of a meal we had. I would award the restaurant two stars based on the quality and quantity of the food and value. However I would award four stars based on the location, atmosphere, and the quality of the staff.
(3)
Franklin D.
Weird place, badly in need of feng shui makeover. High backed plywood seating and loud music made the place look empty... but maybe a few other people in there eating. The food: Yikes... $9 for very small amount of lukewarm "spinach/artichoke" dip, accompanied by stale tri-color tortilla chips. Spagetti noodles with a few mushrooms and a "cream sauce" that just tasted like kinda-warm milk. I ordered a chicken ceasar salad for lunch, which came with a "free salad" (?) so... uhm, ok, that happened. The difference between the two... well the second one had chicken you see. The bread had a very strange flavor that maybe could have stood on its own, but was totally messed up by the trying-too-hard oil with a bunch of things that also didn't work together. I think I get what they were trying for here but ...nope, FAIL. In the middle of all this someone called in to make a "reservation", how funny is that? After that and a couple iced teas, lunch for two people wound up being $45. Ouch, not worth it at all.
(1)
Anna W.
I'm actually mystified by the low rating of Grazie. My boyfriend and I came here for my birthday and used a groupon he had bought. The staff was nothing short of completely accomodating and the food was delicious. To begin, we got to our reservation way late. We would have called, but realized neither of us had the phone number. Then it took me 25 minutes to find a spot. Despite all this (I let the bf off at the door to let them know we were there) they held our table. Our groupon entitled us to an appetizer, two drinks, and two entrees. Our appetizer and drinks came out fast, but the entrees didn't. The waitress was great on keeping us updated and profusely apologizing because there was a 60-top holding up the kitchen. I appreciated that. At one point, my bf ordered a beer only to find out they didn't have any of that kind left. No big deal. He ordered another and it came out quickly (I thought). The waitress ended up taking that beer off our tab because she said we had waited too long. Nice! Our appetizer was bruschetta- which I enjoyed despite not being a huge bruschetta fan. Dave got a spinach/cranberry/walnut salad that was delcious. What was REALLY good, though, was the bread. Apparently it's vegan and they bake it there daily. For entrees, Dave got the veal parmesan (delicious) and I got the pollo con gorgonzola. I don't usually order creamy pasta dishes, but this sounded really good. (and it was). If I had any complaints, it would be that I think their menu could use a few healthier options. Overall, though, I loved my experience. OH! I forgot..they had a piano man playing Nirvana and Radiohead songs. Definitely a plus.
(5)
Lyndsey C.
Never the greatest food but the service was always good and it had a good enough menu. It just never lived up to the hype that some people gave it. The valentines day dinner was always overpriced and I don't like being forced to order off of a certain menu but I did appreciate the ambience and the roses they provided. The ambience of this place was always very pleasant and it was a great location. It is just overpriced for the quality of food.
(2)
MsAnthro P.
Grazie's (bad) reputation certainly precedes it, but I won a $10 gift certificate so I figured I'd give it a shot. Luckily I chose to do so during lunch when a $10 gift certificate actually makes somewhat of an impact. The lunch prices are relatively reasonable, but the fact remains that (and, yes, I am pulling out the ol' OG comparison) Olive Garden's food is actually better tasting and more reasonably priced. I had the Eggplant Parmesan (a lunch portion for about $13) and it the eggplant was very greasy and the pasta bland and watery. The sauce was nothing special. I did, however, receive good service and appreciated the decor and ambiance. (Well, with the exception of the jerky 20-something dudes in the booth behind me who made jokes about everything from Jews to retarded people to women they knew.) I also had a dessert of spumoni gelato which was a giant portion but, again, it wasn't anything special. From what friends have told me, the dinner portions don't get bigger but they do increase in price, which sounds crazy to me. This place is absolutely not resting on believable laurels.
(2)
Mike K.
i believe the Veal Parmesan is the thing to get at an italian restaurant. I have my belief of what makes a good veal parm & this place kinda does the opposite. I like a tender, thin veal. Bang the veal with a mallet a couple of times. I dont think they tenderized the veal at all here. It was thick, like eating a fried steak. There was also a lot of fat on it which I dont think I experienced before. In a perfect world I like a thick & chunky marinara. They have a very very watery sauce. Like Campbell's tomato soup may be thicker. I also think the cheese blend on top was a little weird, I think there was something that shouldnt be there that was. Can't put my finger on it Anyway, the free bread was really good. Maybe there are other dishes that are good too, it looked like a nice place. Honestly, I'll probably never be in Bloomington, Indiana again but there could be some good dishes here. I would just stay away from the veal.
(2)
Suphie W.
I believe I have been here, before; and I liked it! :) Basically, the interior was dark, but comfortable, and their wine selection was good... And I seem to remember no problem in terms of generosity of heapings of food (helpings?). Did I mention that the wine was good and that IU students could probably bike there easily??? Nice place. Good, comfortable seating. ~Suphie
(2)
Trent T.
I'm not sure why this place was rated so low. I was skeptical at first after reading some of the reviews here, but my friend really wanted to go here. We got there and were seated promptly. The waitress was very nice and got our drinks and appetizers. I got the garlic bread, and it was a bit over done. I figured that it was going to go down hill from here, but I was wrong. We got our salad and it was great. The house dressing is very good and the pickled onions in the salad were tasty. We got our main courses right when we had finished our salads. It was perfect timing. I had the angel hair pasta with shrimp and crab, and it was awesome. Our waitress checked on us several times and our glasses were never empty. The food was great with the exception of the slightly over toasted garlic bread. All in all I would recommend going here and giving it a try.
(4)
Vincent V.
After eating at Grazie, I stopped at the drugstore to buy some Plan B, as I had just been screwed in the worst kind of way. I hadn't eaten at Grazie in nearly ten years, remembering it as mediocre over-priced Italian. My friend and I decided we'd give it another chance. This was one of the worst decisions I have ever made in my life. I'll begin with the good things about Grazie. Our server was friendly and pleasant. It looked clean. Well, now that we've got the good stuff out of the way let me just say that I wouldn't eat there again if it were free. It wasn't free though, it was $45 for entree, half an appetizer. a soda, and a tip. It was so horrible it was barely edible and I would not be surprised to be ill before I finish writing this review. We'll start with the appetizer. My friend and I split a crab dip. It looked like cat food. It was the best part of the meal. It was about the worst presentation imaginable. Just a big lump of grey gelatinous fluid with chunks of crab meat in it. If you could overcome your sense of sight and pretend that it didn't look like a mix of Fancy Feast and cream of mushroom soup you might come to the conclusion that it were edible. It was $12 and we couldn't make ourselves finish it. It was all downhill from this point. As we tried to overcome the blaring elevator jazz being pumped in to create ambiance we were brought some bread that might have been good if it were hot. We were also blessed with some salad that managed to have the same slimy, rubbery texture of octopus. What's odd is that all the vegetables in the salad had the exact same texture. Lettuce, Cucumbers, Carrots... discernible only by color. I ordered asiago encrusted scallops and a cream rizzotto ($27). When I think about all the better things I could have done with $27 rather than purchase this garbage it makes me sick all over again. I would rather be mugged for $27 than eat this culinary abortion once more. I would rather set the money on fire or donate it to an oil company than eat the hideous pile of crap that I was served. The scallops might have been edible right after they were cooked, they were however pan-seared and let to sit somewhere in the vicinity of a heat lamp for twenty minutes judging by the texture. Even worse was the rizzotto. It tasted rancid. No combination of words in the english language will convey to you the horrid, despicable combination of flavor and texture that violated my mouth. Someone should notify the International Criminal Court because whatever was perpetrated against rizzotto in that kitchen I'm sure can be prosecuted as a war crime. This was a signature dish. Many a time I haven paid $40 or more and thought my food wasn't really worth it, but this might be the first time I've paid that much for food found it inedible. This place is the worst. I would rather eat at Fazzoli's.
(1)
Joshua C.
Food is not that great. Barely would consider it good. It is overpriced and the owner is extremely rude.
(1)
Ally L.
This place is in a great location, has a nice atmosphere, and seems to be the go-to place for people new to Bloomington to eat. However, I've eaten here several times and each visit has been all around poor. Grazie serves overpriced sub-par food served in small portions. I wouldn't mind paying so much if you got a really excellent pasta dish or a huge portion of a mediocre one, but at Grazie you get neither. A quality and taste comparison rests somewhere between Fazoli's and the Olive Garden. The menu pricing is also ridiculously high...I felt ripped off when I got the bill. If you want Italian, skip and go to the Ragazzi Arte Cafe or DeAngelos instead, both are decent choices.
(1)
Tony L.
Never had a good experience. Graduation weekend 2011, $30 a plate ($10 more than usual) for microwaved-tasting food and small portions. If you want mediocre Italian, might as well go to Olive Garden off of 37 and 3rd st. At least Olive Garden gives you a good experience and you won't leave hungry.
(1)
Louis O.
Awesome location downtown. The food is very plain and over-priced though. Won't be going back anytime soon.
(1)
Chase W.
I'm new to the Bloomington restaurant scene, but I won't be going back to Grazie anytime soon, the menu items are way over priced for the portion sizes and the dishes are not very refined in terms of knifework and presentation. The salad was a combination of overbearing ingredients with little to no dressing to bring everything together. The service was good, but that won't make the food any more enjoyable.
(2)
Z K.
Mediocre Italian food with a touch of C-class wait staff. The inside is not at all great and it is totally overpriced. The menu looks like a mix between olive garden and chillis. Definately not going back here again.
(2)
oyefunke a.
Nothing to add just wanted to concur and hope that Grazie, which has a prime location and halfway decent drinks would give a rats behind, look at the reviews and either lower their prices, get a better chef (or at least better ingredients) or maybe both! Cmon, really?
(1)
chelsea g.
Totally overpriced. I enjoy the choice of outside seating, but my issue is the a la carte menu. Two people should not have to pay that much for a bowl of pasta and a salad. Plus, while the food was ok, it was *just* ok. I'd rather make pasta in my own kitchen.
(2)
Ed M.
A good solid Italian restaurant in Bloomington. Nothing fancy. Not spectacular but good food. The staff is gracious and accomodating. If want good Italian food this a good place to find it in Bloomington.
(3)
Justin W.
The food is OK. I actually love their desserts, but I have had better pasta at a lot of places. If you are going, sit in the bar because it is a really nice area (or outside). My biggest complaint is the service isn't that great and their hours are atrocious! I wanted a table at 8:30 one night and was told they were closed. That's insane to me.
(3)
Hannah E.
I'm really not sure why this place has such bad reviews. We went on a Sunday at lunch and it was superb. I was with my parents, my brother, and my niece (who is three). Our waitress was Lexi and she was phenomenal! One of the best waitresses I've ever had. I got the gluten free Gouda Mac & Cheese with bacon. Oh my goodness. It was to die for. It was so good! My brother got fettuccine with sausage and the sausage was so tender and delicious. My dad also got tomato basil soup which was a little spicy, but still amazing. The pita chips we got with our spinach artichoke were the best I have ever had. They didn't have a kids menu, but gladly brought my niece some chicken and noodles that she loved. When I return to Bloomington I will definitely come here. This place is awesome!
(5)
Michael C.
We were driving by and decided to stop in for dinner. Service was great, very attentive. Ordered the Garlic Bread as an appetizer, that was excellent. The main entree's were very good, no issues. The only reason this get's 3 stars is because the pricing was out of site for Bloomington, Indiana. 3 people and almost $100. Yes, we had a couple beers but they really need to tighten there pricing up on the menu. Typical Italian food. Don't get me wrong, it was good, I was just shocked by the bill.
(3)
Amarie B.
Overall it was just ok. The food was good, but I felt it was overpriced. The side salad was drowning in dressing (which was still pretty good). I ordered the manicotti. It was good, however for $17 I expected a larger portion, or some type of side.
(3)
Robin K.
Many people regard this place as the fanciest Italian restaurant in Bloomington and has a reputation for being overpriced and snotty service. It's not that bad! It's good! The dishes are delicious and well-made and they have a lovely wine selection. It is downtown and can easily be walked to when around town and the atmosphere is comfortable. I have not received snotty service when I have been there, but I do find the prices are high for what I am being served. I have always finished my meals and enjoy doing so.
(3)
Rodney H.
My daughter needed some "track food" the night before her meet so I grabbed some spaghetti and meatballs to bring back to her at the hotel. It's still under debate if I am more embarrassed about feeding this to her or that I was charged $18 for it. Nothing to this meal that left me impressed. Sad thing is the place was packed! smh........
(2)
Dalia M.
Yup. Consistently blah. Did a take out order. Overpriced and incredibly underwhelming. $18 for spaghetti & meatballs? A can of Prego and boxed pasta would've been better. I'm surprised they are still in business. How can no one else make better Italian than this place?
(1)
Polly R.
Gratzie has very tasty Italian food but lacks in ambiance. In the 3 times I've been, the "basics" have been the best dishes- the garlic bread appetizer and meatballs are especially good. That said, the decor and layout are an odd mix of vino posters & industrial loft. Before tonight, I would have given 4.5 stars. Unfortunately, there was a business group in the back room that was EXTREMELY loud. Think Nicks on a Friday night loud. It made our dining experience extremely uncomfortable and the young staff did nothing about it. I regret choosing dinner here tonight, which is a shame. I just wanted to eat my garlic bread in peace.
(3)
Robyn P.
Though the food is okay, it's nowhere near remarkable and way overpriced. My wife had the spaghetti with meatballs which she said were bland and not worth it. I had eggplant parmesan because how can you go wrong? It wasn't wrong, but it wasn't great. The cocktail menu seemed fun. Our server didn't really offer any suggestions on it. I ended up ordering a Cosmo because sometimes I get nostalgic for Sex in the City. It was lackluster and smaller than your average martini drink. Final note, one of the people in our party ordered a seafood pasta dish. As the server was placing the dish on the table, she spilled seafood sauce down the front of my wife's shirt. The server mumbled an "oops", not an apology and my wife got to smell like stinky seafood for the remainder of the evening. Blech.
(2)
Ruey P.
My friend and I stopped in for a quick bite after a concert on Friday evening. Service was pathetic since the waitress seemed confused as to what we were ordering and requesting. Items on the menu were unavailable, I ordered mussles as my meal from the appetizer section. The typical bread that comes with your meal at an Italian eatery was not freshly made, it was obviously microwaved. Being the daughter of a seafood business owner, it was clear that the mussles were frozen (not fresh). Broth was underdeveloped in flavor, and the quality of mussles were low quality. Would not recommend eating here, overpriced, looks a bit dirty, and the service was subpar.
(1)
Daniel C.
Went to this restaurant for dinner during the Lotus Festival. It wasn't particularly busy and the waitress was nice, although her knowledge of their "new" menu items was minimal. She even gave ingredient information that conflicted with what was printed in the menu. For the price we paid for pasta dishes, we were disappointed to learn that virtually none of their pasta is made in house. Every dish we tried was under seasoned with muddled flavors. Overpriced. The olive oil with Italian herbs and bread brought to the table were borderline inedible. For a pricey Italian eatery you would at least think they could make decent pasta and bread. Not going back any time soon!
(1)
Ashley M.
After 6 long years of edumacation, my brother finally graduated from Indiana University. We decided to celebrate the occasion at Grazie! Keep in mind, if you're making reservations for graduation weekend, please do so at least 2 months in advance. Also, be prepared to put a $10 deposit on each member of your party, and you're not allowed to make any modifications to your reservation 2 weeks beforehand. Honestly, I didn't mind all the rules. They made sense, and it was more of an insurance policy for the restaurant. Now, let's get to the good stuff. The food. Upon arriving, we quickly found out that they were offering a fixed price menu. Unless we wanted to dine on a park bench somewhere, we were (in a word) stuck. At $55 a head, this wasn't exactly the sort of place where you dine on a budget. With 6 of us in our party, we all knew it would be an expensive bill. This led to some unnecessarily awkward bickering between my father and my brother's god parents. No matter. Continuing on with the review. If you're dining there, I recommend you request a table towards the front. It's an intimate dining atmosphere surrounded by lounge music, mahogany and art. Our party was directed towards the back room. Honestly, this back room looked like, well...a backroom. There were no tablecloths, windows or a fancy, loungy atmosphere. Sorry Grazie! You missed the mark on that one. Now onto the food, for real this time. First, we started out with a champagne toast; shortly followed by an individual serving of a eggplant garnish on baguette. From there, we had the option to chose from a Caesar salad or a tomato bisque soup. I decided on the Caesar salad. Until now, everything seemed pretty basic. I was enjoying my meal. For an entree, my parents both had the Chilean Sea Bass, and I decided on the Salmon Fillet. Both meals were absolutely delicious. Now, this food reminded me why I made the reservation in the first place. Throughout the entire meal, the service was fantastic. Regardless of the other 6 graduate families around us, our waitress remained attentive and courteous. Overall, I was pleased with my experience and the family was too. Thank you, Grazie!
(3)
Mark D.
I don't know where to begin. I could give them one star or five stars depending on how you see things. We ordered $100 bottle of wine and tons of appetizers for 8 people. Everything was going fine until an hour later our waitress announced that the restaurant had absolutely no food left except for chicken piccata. No seriously... Chicken piccata only. She said it would be on the house so we ordered three of them and then called the local pizza X store and had two pies delivered. We laughed our way through the evening as table after table got up and left. Then the pizza man showed up with our pies. You can't make this stuff up. The restaurant picked up our entire tab. Except for the pizza. Kudos to the waitress and manager who dealt with the most surreal scene I've ever had in a restaurant. Shame on the owner who was present but never showed his face to apologize to any of the tables. He threw his staff under the bus and made them deal with his mistakes.
(2)
Matt K.
Wild Mushroom Tortellini FTW. This restaurant was recommended to me by the front desk staff at the Courtyard and I was pleased with the choice. It was not cheap, but it was rich and delicious. The dish was $21 and did not include soup or salad. I ordered a soup to go with it for $5. This was a little overpriced in my opinion, but the portion of the pasta was significant. I didn't have any leftover, but I was too full to even consider dessert seriously. I visited on a quiet Monday. Service was friendly and kept my water refilled. I can see how other reviewers mention this as a date place. The booths are tall and give you a fair amount of privacy. I don't think I really had view of any other diners while I ate. Given the prices, I would definitely prefer to have my parents treating me to dinner here than spending my own money if I was a student. A tip for about the focaccia bread for the kitchen: please don't line the basket with a paper napkin. The napkin stuck to the bread and I had to peel off the crust to make it edible. It made for poor presentation and I also missed out on the good crust! I liked the atmosphere, service and my food. Minor things and being a little high priced keeps me from being more generous with the stars. I would give 3.5 if I could, but I rounded up because DAT TORTELLINI!!!
(4)
Maracatu B.
As Italian as Olive Garden, but even more overpriced. For a downtown place, Bloomington deserves a better Italian restaurant.
(2)
Mister M.
You think to yourself hhhmmm "I'm in the mood for fake italian and I want to pay too much for it". Grazie is the place for you. It's a decent place to go on a date. I mean decent as in your date is impressed by fake italian food you paying too much for it. They have decent atmosphere and the pianist is playing a nice tune, but here's the thing.... The food they make is basically as if you followed an online recipe. So go to chez-bachelor-pad and cook together with your date by following an online recipe and that will be a way better time with a less damaged wallet. Preferably learn the online recipe first and cook for her as if you can cook. Don't forget to clean up your pig sty before you bring the girl over. Preferably manipulate her into cooking the entire thing. For more dating tips keep reading my reviews.
(2)
Peter P.
My experience wasn't nearly as poor as the others on this board. It could be because I went for lunch and it wasn't crowded at all. Also, there were lunch portions (much cheaper than the dinner menu). The restaurant is huge if you consider the lounge side part of the restaurant. There's even a baby grand piano by the bar. Food was good, not great. The meatballs were moist and tender, but the marinara lacked spice (perhaps they are catering to the Bloomington palette in this case). The complimentary ciabatta bread and herbed dipping sauce is a highlight.
(3)
Irwin B.
Came here with a party of 11 during orientation week solely because they accepted reservations. The servers were very pleasant (although a bit scattered) but the food was very bland and they ran out of sauce for the Papardelle at 8 PM (?????) and gave us a dish of tomato sauce that had less taste than Prego. We won't be back
(2)
Collin W.
Ehhh this restaurant was just okay, nothing spectacular, nothing terrible. There was a group of five of us and the restaurant itself had a great atmosphere. Plenty of large tables, open areas, not too loud or busy, and does include some outdoor seating for a nice evening. We ordered a few appetizers, obviously nothing too great because I can't even remember what we got. I ordered the grilled salmon and I was fairly disappointed with it. The filet itself was decently sized however it was a long, thin piece so I could tell it was a cheap piece of farmed fish. It was also very overcooked, any minute longer and it would have been on the verge on inedible. I was looking forward to the rapini listed on the menu but when I order the dish I was told that they changed the side to a "vegetable medley" which sounded good but ended up basically being a small, handful size portion of sauteed peppers and onions. I needed to order an additional side just to fill my appetite. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their meals which is why I'm at least giving a two star review. The chocolate tart dessert was good but the gelato was nowhere close to anything that could be considered a gelato. It tasted like something scraped off a freezer door with a couple chocolate chips thrown in. Not at all creamery or smooth like a gelato should be. For being from out of town we enjoyed our visit there and were pleased with the service, but what they severely lacked in food quality made this only a one time visit for me.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Trendy Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No 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.
Bryn K.
I ate here after I returned from Tuscany last year and felt like I was back in the old country. I had Manicotti and Caprese Salad and they were delicious! This is not the Americanized Italian food that Americans frequent. It is family owned and operated and has the traditional Italian fare that I love.
(5)Eric A.
Pretty disappointing. Looked great, right on the main square. But the food was extremely over-priced. The bolongese was so bland you could barely taste it; the risotto was way too salty. Salad was nothing special -- mostly iceberg lettuce. Given the prices, this was a disappointment. Hopefully we just hit them on a bad night.
(2)Sofia V.
Grazie is completely overpriced in comparison to the quality of the food. Everything tastes like it's been sitting around the kitchen for hours and simply reheated prior to being served. If you're looking to Italian food of this caliber you should go to Olive Garden -- not only will the food taste the same, it'll cost half the price. The only good thing I can say about the restaurant is that the service was decent. Other than that, completely a waste of money. Especially with Malibu Grill and Little Zagreb's nearby.
(2)Steve F.
I like this place, but for the portion size it really is a rip off. I got some pasta with some veggies as I'm vegan. It was a special request not on the menu, so maybe some surcharge is in order. The dish was $20... Ok....so I also had 2 glasses of wine. I didn't know I was going to be leaving with spending $60 total....and still be hungry and not wine buzzed. I love supporting local restaurants which is why we tried Grazie as opposes to Olive Garden. I can get away with the same meal for half price at the O.G. and suggest you do the same. I do love the online reservation tool for worki.g dinners with clients.
(3)Ruey P.
My friend and I stopped in for a quick bite after a concert on Friday evening. Service was pathetic since the waitress seemed confused as to what we were ordering and requesting. Items on the menu were unavailable, I ordered mussles as my meal from the appetizer section. The typical bread that comes with your meal at an Italian eatery was not freshly made, it was obviously microwaved. Being the daughter of a seafood business owner, it was clear that the mussles were frozen (not fresh). Broth was underdeveloped in flavor, and the quality of mussles were low quality. Would not recommend eating here, overpriced, looks a bit dirty, and the service was subpar.
(1)William M.
Just ok. Packed ( not sure why). No decor, tiny bathroom, tables shoved in any open spot. Food was ok, hit or miss with our group. Pricey, which is fine if it's a great experience. All in all nothing memorable , won't go back
(3)Jennifer L.
My husband and I wandered in here after arriving in downtown for the first time. I was really hungry and hoping to fill up here. We were seated immediately and the server was quick to replace our drinks when they were depleted. Lobster Fritti - The menu said it was "flash-fried" but it was unfortunately over-fried, making the inside dry and bland. I also couldn't taste much lobster. The sauce it came with, however, was yummy enough to be its own soup. Spaghetti & Meatballs - The noodles seemed like they came out of a box, which they probably did, but at least it was a decent box. The meatballs were large, didn't fall apart, and they were tasty. Gnocchi with Cherry Tomato Crudo - Best dish of the night. The gnocchi was soft, slightly sour, and relatively big. Combined with the cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, and basil, it was delightfully flavorful and filling. I don't know if I'd come back here again since the quality of the food did not justify the prices IMO, but the restaurant itself was clean, spacious, and welcoming.
(3)Kyle M.
My wife chose Grazie for her birthday in part because it is a nice place for the two of us, when we don't have our two little boys with us, and we had a Groupon deal for buy an entree, get one free. No complaints from me on that one... Made a reservation on Open Table, and noted on the reservation that we were celebrating my wife's birthday. The staff took note as the hostess, server, and others all said Happy Birthday, which was a nice touch and flattering to my wife. (bonus points for me) The food was good. Really liked the bread to start, warm and soft. The salads were not impressive. My wife got the Caesar, I went with a garden salad. It looked like the same bed of lettuce with the same Parmesan cheese. Hers had croutons with Caesar dressing. Mine had 3 pieces of tomato and 4 pieces of cucumber with my dressing of choice. Just not too imaginative in my book. Dinner was Manicotti for her, and Penne with sausage and a spicy Vodka sauce for me. Hers was good, mine was also nice. Nothing to say "Wow" but not disappointing either. We enjoyed the pace, as our server checked in often, kept our glasses full and made sure we didn't lack for anything. Portions were enough that we both brought some home for a leftover night. At the end of the meal, they brought out two little cakes with vanilla bean icing and white chocolate chips. It was enough sweet to top off the meal and not too heavy . It was a nice touch, so if you are celebrating something with Grazie, be sure to let them know. So overall, since Yelp defines 3 stars as A-OK, yeah, I'd go three stars. Without a coupon, I might go 2, as I felt like I got a pretty good value per dollar with the coupon. I gave two $$ for pricing, but we are water drinkers. A glass of wine or two will push you to $$$ most likely. That said, it was a much nicer atmosphere than the noise of some of the "chain" restaurants, so it was a good fit for the occasion. And my wife was happy... so that was the most important thing.
(3)Kyle V.
Make sure to hit this place up when bottles are half price, i think its tuesday or wednesday. i could be wrong.
(3)Taylor O.
OK describes the food well; they haven't watched enough of Giada's Everyday Italian on the Food Network yet. Over five visits, the service was slow each time and the orders had one mistake twice. Nice outdoor patio overlooking the square. Overall fairly decent but you'll find a few things annoying I'm sure of it.
(3)Justin W.
The food is OK. I actually love their desserts, but I have had better pasta at a lot of places. If you are going, sit in the bar because it is a really nice area (or outside). My biggest complaint is the service isn't that great and their hours are atrocious! I wanted a table at 8:30 one night and was told they were closed. That's insane to me.
(3)Steve F.
I like this place, but for the portion size it really is a rip off. I got some pasta with some veggies as I'm vegan. It was a special request not on the menu, so maybe some surcharge is in order. The dish was $20... Ok....so I also had 2 glasses of wine. I didn't know I was going to be leaving with spending $60 total....and still be hungry and not wine buzzed. I love supporting local restaurants which is why we tried Grazie as opposes to Olive Garden. I can get away with the same meal for half price at the O.G. and suggest you do the same. I do love the online reservation tool for worki.g dinners with clients.
(3)William M.
Just ok. Packed ( not sure why). No decor, tiny bathroom, tables shoved in any open spot. Food was ok, hit or miss with our group. Pricey, which is fine if it's a great experience. All in all nothing memorable , won't go back
(3)Paul L.
If you are looking for a quick bite to eat that's fast and low priced, stay away from Grazie. The service is at times very slow, and, although polite, inconsistent with your order. The prices are most definitely over priced, It didn't seem like any entrees were under fifteen dollars. I'd be fine with that pricing if the quality or quantity of the food went above and beyond. But this is sadly not the case. I was left staring at a modest plate of modest pasta and sausage. Although yummy, the food was not delicious. The desert was decent, a standard cannoli with a chocolate drizzle. The coffee and hot chocolate were decent. At over $100 for three people, Grazie is avoidable, there are other Italian restaurants with bigger portions, better food, and a rival wine list.
(3)Sidney B.
Good wine list. Decent food. Overpriced. I like that you can sit outside and the atmosphere inside is cool.
(3)David L.
Been here a few times prior to my horrendous experience during graduation weekend. Prices were jacked up for no legitimate reason, the portions were small and not worth the price, and the food was served cold over an hour after we ordered. On top of that, the service was near non-existent and way below any acceptable standards for a restaurant business. Whether or not it is a special weekend, this place should be on their game while not trying to rip off their customers. However, this particular restaurant decided that was not the case and, as a result, I will never eat at this establishment ever again. I would suggest finding a better place in town that is more local, such as Little Zagreb's, where the menu, prices, and service remain the same regardless of what "special" weekend it happens to be.
(1)Brian H.
One of the best Italian places in Bloomington, and that's pathetic considering the mediocrity of this place.
(3)Timber S.
At much prodding from my wife and some encouragement from a current employee I decided to give Grazie another try. It had been some time since my last venture to this restaurant and I figured it was only proper to allow for change. I arrived hopeful at a better experience than I have had previously. I am pleased to say that they met my expectations. The service in comparison to last time was a magnitude better. The young lady that served us last night was friendly, well informed and courteous. We were seated in a booth on the restaurant side which was nice and quaint. The noise level sitting in the booths is fine, I would hate to sit in the big open area with people sitting at the balconies above. The noise level in that space, as well as feeling like people are looking down from on high is unpleasant. BUT, that was last time. This time - we got there early enough to get a booth and it suited us just fine. My wife pointed out that they were playing music in the restaurant side while a pianist was playing music on the bar side. It bothered her - but didn't register with me. I could hear it when she pointed it out, but it wasn't a problem. If you're sensitive to things like that - then avoid the nights when the pianist is playing. To his credit - I thought he was good. I don't know the bar side seating and therefore will reserve comment. Onto the food: Being an "upscale" restaurant on the square the prices and portions were exactly what one would expect. I left full, which is important for me. So I guess the portions were large enough. The food was perfectly fine. I wasn't blown away, but it was better than large chain restaurant Italian food. Presentation was nice. I will say this - the bread they bring out to start is AMAZING. We asked for more which never arrived. But truthfully we didn't need it. We stayed away from wine as there are other places on the square we prefer for wine, but that is our personal preference and not a detraction from Grazie. All in all, I am pleased to upgrade my review. I think they did a fine job. I am not wowed enough to say "yay I'm a fan" but will gladly say "A-OK." I will say, I can no longer be counted in the detractors of Grazie. I would be open to going back again in the future.
(3)Trent T.
I'm not sure why this place was rated so low. I was skeptical at first after reading some of the reviews here, but my friend really wanted to go here. We got there and were seated promptly. The waitress was very nice and got our drinks and appetizers. I got the garlic bread, and it was a bit over done. I figured that it was going to go down hill from here, but I was wrong. We got our salad and it was great. The house dressing is very good and the pickled onions in the salad were tasty. We got our main courses right when we had finished our salads. It was perfect timing. I had the angel hair pasta with shrimp and crab, and it was awesome. Our waitress checked on us several times and our glasses were never empty. The food was great with the exception of the slightly over toasted garlic bread. All in all I would recommend going here and giving it a try.
(4)Daniel C.
Went to this restaurant for dinner during the Lotus Festival. It wasn't particularly busy and the waitress was nice, although her knowledge of their "new" menu items was minimal. She even gave ingredient information that conflicted with what was printed in the menu. For the price we paid for pasta dishes, we were disappointed to learn that virtually none of their pasta is made in house. Every dish we tried was under seasoned with muddled flavors. Overpriced. The olive oil with Italian herbs and bread brought to the table were borderline inedible. For a pricey Italian eatery you would at least think they could make decent pasta and bread. Not going back any time soon!
(1)Irwin B.
Came here with a party of 11 during orientation week solely because they accepted reservations. The servers were very pleasant (although a bit scattered) but the food was very bland and they ran out of sauce for the Papardelle at 8 PM (?????) and gave us a dish of tomato sauce that had less taste than Prego. We won't be back
(2)Collin W.
Ehhh this restaurant was just okay, nothing spectacular, nothing terrible. There was a group of five of us and the restaurant itself had a great atmosphere. Plenty of large tables, open areas, not too loud or busy, and does include some outdoor seating for a nice evening. We ordered a few appetizers, obviously nothing too great because I can't even remember what we got. I ordered the grilled salmon and I was fairly disappointed with it. The filet itself was decently sized however it was a long, thin piece so I could tell it was a cheap piece of farmed fish. It was also very overcooked, any minute longer and it would have been on the verge on inedible. I was looking forward to the rapini listed on the menu but when I order the dish I was told that they changed the side to a "vegetable medley" which sounded good but ended up basically being a small, handful size portion of sauteed peppers and onions. I needed to order an additional side just to fill my appetite. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their meals which is why I'm at least giving a two star review. The chocolate tart dessert was good but the gelato was nowhere close to anything that could be considered a gelato. It tasted like something scraped off a freezer door with a couple chocolate chips thrown in. Not at all creamery or smooth like a gelato should be. For being from out of town we enjoyed our visit there and were pleased with the service, but what they severely lacked in food quality made this only a one time visit for me.
(2)Ashley T.
Plus - Great atmosphere. Fun drink list. Negatives - Seriously over-priced (two sodas, small app, and 2 no-meat entrees = $53 w/ tip!). Spaghetti swimming in water. Small portions for prices. Your call on good or bad - salad dressing is essentially the same texture & taste as Olive Garden. (I like that type of dressing so this is fine w/ me!)
(2)Jennifer L.
My husband and I wandered in here after arriving in downtown for the first time. I was really hungry and hoping to fill up here. We were seated immediately and the server was quick to replace our drinks when they were depleted. Lobster Fritti - The menu said it was "flash-fried" but it was unfortunately over-fried, making the inside dry and bland. I also couldn't taste much lobster. The sauce it came with, however, was yummy enough to be its own soup. Spaghetti & Meatballs - The noodles seemed like they came out of a box, which they probably did, but at least it was a decent box. The meatballs were large, didn't fall apart, and they were tasty. Gnocchi with Cherry Tomato Crudo - Best dish of the night. The gnocchi was soft, slightly sour, and relatively big. Combined with the cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, and basil, it was delightfully flavorful and filling. I don't know if I'd come back here again since the quality of the food did not justify the prices IMO, but the restaurant itself was clean, spacious, and welcoming.
(3)Justin W.
The food is OK. I actually love their desserts, but I have had better pasta at a lot of places. If you are going, sit in the bar because it is a really nice area (or outside). My biggest complaint is the service isn't that great and their hours are atrocious! I wanted a table at 8:30 one night and was told they were closed. That's insane to me.
(3)Polly R.
Gratzie has very tasty Italian food but lacks in ambiance. In the 3 times I've been, the "basics" have been the best dishes- the garlic bread appetizer and meatballs are especially good. That said, the decor and layout are an odd mix of vino posters & industrial loft. Before tonight, I would have given 4.5 stars. Unfortunately, there was a business group in the back room that was EXTREMELY loud. Think Nicks on a Friday night loud. It made our dining experience extremely uncomfortable and the young staff did nothing about it. I regret choosing dinner here tonight, which is a shame. I just wanted to eat my garlic bread in peace.
(3)Kyle M.
My wife chose Grazie for her birthday in part because it is a nice place for the two of us, when we don't have our two little boys with us, and we had a Groupon deal for buy an entree, get one free. No complaints from me on that one... Made a reservation on Open Table, and noted on the reservation that we were celebrating my wife's birthday. The staff took note as the hostess, server, and others all said Happy Birthday, which was a nice touch and flattering to my wife. (bonus points for me) The food was good. Really liked the bread to start, warm and soft. The salads were not impressive. My wife got the Caesar, I went with a garden salad. It looked like the same bed of lettuce with the same Parmesan cheese. Hers had croutons with Caesar dressing. Mine had 3 pieces of tomato and 4 pieces of cucumber with my dressing of choice. Just not too imaginative in my book. Dinner was Manicotti for her, and Penne with sausage and a spicy Vodka sauce for me. Hers was good, mine was also nice. Nothing to say "Wow" but not disappointing either. We enjoyed the pace, as our server checked in often, kept our glasses full and made sure we didn't lack for anything. Portions were enough that we both brought some home for a leftover night. At the end of the meal, they brought out two little cakes with vanilla bean icing and white chocolate chips. It was enough sweet to top off the meal and not too heavy . It was a nice touch, so if you are celebrating something with Grazie, be sure to let them know. So overall, since Yelp defines 3 stars as A-OK, yeah, I'd go three stars. Without a coupon, I might go 2, as I felt like I got a pretty good value per dollar with the coupon. I gave two $$ for pricing, but we are water drinkers. A glass of wine or two will push you to $$$ most likely. That said, it was a much nicer atmosphere than the noise of some of the "chain" restaurants, so it was a good fit for the occasion. And my wife was happy... so that was the most important thing.
(3)Robin K.
Many people regard this place as the fanciest Italian restaurant in Bloomington and has a reputation for being overpriced and snotty service. It's not that bad! It's good! The dishes are delicious and well-made and they have a lovely wine selection. It is downtown and can easily be walked to when around town and the atmosphere is comfortable. I have not received snotty service when I have been there, but I do find the prices are high for what I am being served. I have always finished my meals and enjoy doing so.
(3)Rodney H.
My daughter needed some "track food" the night before her meet so I grabbed some spaghetti and meatballs to bring back to her at the hotel. It's still under debate if I am more embarrassed about feeding this to her or that I was charged $18 for it. Nothing to this meal that left me impressed. Sad thing is the place was packed! smh........
(2)Dalia M.
Yup. Consistently blah. Did a take out order. Overpriced and incredibly underwhelming. $18 for spaghetti & meatballs? A can of Prego and boxed pasta would've been better. I'm surprised they are still in business. How can no one else make better Italian than this place?
(1)Austin J.
Parents were in town for the weekend, so I was excited to dine somewhere expensive on their tab. I picked Grazie because the storefront looked good, it's always busy, and I was craving Italian. Classic case of "should've checked Yelp first". Despite a 9 reservation, we didn't get seated til 9:40. Okay, they' were busy, but turn-around was slow. Most of the menu was out of stock by that time, so my top three choices were unavailable. My dad wanted rigatoni supremo, but they were out of rigatoni. That's all fine and well, but they wouldn't let his substitute another pasta for the dish, which is odd. I ordered chicken piccata, my mom order shrimp scampi, dad ordered meatballs and spaghetti. My chicken was completely tasteless, likely because they forgot the sauce and capers. The pasta was dry and barely cooked. I think they microwaved the dish. My mom's shrimp scampi was horse$#it, to put it nicely. Since it was dry, they sent it back and added water to it. Seriously? They didn't even attempt to properly fix it with fresh pasta or even more sauce. My sister's farmer's market tortellini was not too bad, to be honest. They ran out of meatballs, so they gave my dad Italian sausage instead. That's not a bad thing necessarily, except they didn't even ask him before making the substitute. Not to mention the whole meal was very slow. Probably because everyone was sending their meals back. The waitress was nice, but definitely not interested in helping us fix out meals. Again, probably because she was having to send meals back all night and forfeiting her tips because of the terrible kitchen staff. Great location, great atmosphere, but terrible food and subpar service. Can't wait for this place to either change management or go under and free up the real estate for a proper restaurant.
(1)Tanvi K.
I wish I had the option to choose no stars! This place is absolutely the worst restaurant I have ever eaten at in Bloomington. I asked for tomato bruschetta and hummus with olives and naan .. I think the chef got bored while preparing these dishes and decided to serve just each ingredient separately! The diced tomatoes were served on a dish surrounded by thinly sliced bread And then You have to 'make your own bruschetta'! And note please - you pay like $10 for doing this ! The hummus and olives were mediocre .. Felt as if it was straight out of Sabre can! I didn't care to wait for entrees... Please don't waste your time, money and appetite at this crappy place! I
(1)Kyle V.
Make sure to hit this place up when bottles are half price, i think its tuesday or wednesday. i could be wrong.
(3)Kimmi M.
My family chose Grazie only because of doing a search for "gluten-free" on Yelp. This was a mistake, as my mom didn't look at the number of stars. Interior is cute, and the menu is easy to read. The dietary options, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free are listed, but nothing on the menu is denoted to show which is which, and what sauces you'd need to order to fit your dietary needs. For example, the marsala sauce is not GF. They were out of veal, but everyone was pretty excited with what they ordered. I did not like that the small side salads were $4 extra. This place is SUPER expensive for lunch. No specials, just plates for $16 and higher. I ordered the papardelle with chicken, and it was really good. The rosemary in it was not picked off the stem, so it was really woody on some bites, and I couldn't eat it. Then chicken by itself had no flavor, and it was a must for it to be coated in the garlic cream sauce. Everyone at the table's noodles were over cooked, and this was especially apparent with my dad's GF rice noodles. I think he was the most disappointed of all. Our server was really nice, kept up on drink refills, but she did not know the menu in regard to the dietary issues. Skip this place! There are so many better places to eat in Bloomington.
(2)Julie S.
Grazie is a very average Italian-American restaurant. Grazie tends to be a go-to restaurant for undergraduates when their parents visit or when they're going on dates. I have been to Grazie three times and there has never been a problem with my meal, but I have never been blown away. They frequently run coupons in the local MailPak so we decided to go to dinner using a buy one entree get one half off coupon. I went last week with my brother when he was in Bloomington visiting. The drink special that night was $2.00 local craft beers so he ordered an Upland Wheat and I ordered a Diet Coke. The drinks arrived promptly but the Diet Coke was flat so I sent it back and asked for water instead, the soft drink did not appear on our bill. My server, Kasie, was wonderful, she was quite personable, helpful, and attentive. The restaurant serves a wonderful focaccia bread with an herbed olive oil. I ordered chicken parmigiana while my brother ordered chicken marsala. Our meals were served hot, however I was not blown away by the food. The chicken breast was too thick for my taste, I prefer a thinner cutlet for chicken parmigiana, and the cheese on top was not melted as much as I like. My brother's chicken marsala was very good, although the mashed potatoes were just mediocre. Although the portions are not large, I had enough food left over to bring home for lunch the next day, but I am admittedly not a very big eater. I tend to eat several small meals throughout the day rather than three square meals, so I imagine that most people would not have much in the way of leftovers based on their portion size. I imagine that the reason that many people go to Grazie is because it's one of the more affordable "nice" restaurants in Bloomington and it's great for large groups. I personally feel that the quality of the food does not warrant the price and without the coupon I would not have been satisfied by the amount of money spent for the quality of a meal we had. I would award the restaurant two stars based on the quality and quantity of the food and value. However I would award four stars based on the location, atmosphere, and the quality of the staff.
(3)Franklin D.
Weird place, badly in need of feng shui makeover. High backed plywood seating and loud music made the place look empty... but maybe a few other people in there eating. The food: Yikes... $9 for very small amount of lukewarm "spinach/artichoke" dip, accompanied by stale tri-color tortilla chips. Spagetti noodles with a few mushrooms and a "cream sauce" that just tasted like kinda-warm milk. I ordered a chicken ceasar salad for lunch, which came with a "free salad" (?) so... uhm, ok, that happened. The difference between the two... well the second one had chicken you see. The bread had a very strange flavor that maybe could have stood on its own, but was totally messed up by the trying-too-hard oil with a bunch of things that also didn't work together. I think I get what they were trying for here but ...nope, FAIL. In the middle of all this someone called in to make a "reservation", how funny is that? After that and a couple iced teas, lunch for two people wound up being $45. Ouch, not worth it at all.
(1)Anna W.
I'm actually mystified by the low rating of Grazie. My boyfriend and I came here for my birthday and used a groupon he had bought. The staff was nothing short of completely accomodating and the food was delicious. To begin, we got to our reservation way late. We would have called, but realized neither of us had the phone number. Then it took me 25 minutes to find a spot. Despite all this (I let the bf off at the door to let them know we were there) they held our table. Our groupon entitled us to an appetizer, two drinks, and two entrees. Our appetizer and drinks came out fast, but the entrees didn't. The waitress was great on keeping us updated and profusely apologizing because there was a 60-top holding up the kitchen. I appreciated that. At one point, my bf ordered a beer only to find out they didn't have any of that kind left. No big deal. He ordered another and it came out quickly (I thought). The waitress ended up taking that beer off our tab because she said we had waited too long. Nice! Our appetizer was bruschetta- which I enjoyed despite not being a huge bruschetta fan. Dave got a spinach/cranberry/walnut salad that was delcious. What was REALLY good, though, was the bread. Apparently it's vegan and they bake it there daily. For entrees, Dave got the veal parmesan (delicious) and I got the pollo con gorgonzola. I don't usually order creamy pasta dishes, but this sounded really good. (and it was). If I had any complaints, it would be that I think their menu could use a few healthier options. Overall, though, I loved my experience. OH! I forgot..they had a piano man playing Nirvana and Radiohead songs. Definitely a plus.
(5)Lyndsey C.
Never the greatest food but the service was always good and it had a good enough menu. It just never lived up to the hype that some people gave it. The valentines day dinner was always overpriced and I don't like being forced to order off of a certain menu but I did appreciate the ambience and the roses they provided. The ambience of this place was always very pleasant and it was a great location. It is just overpriced for the quality of food.
(2)MsAnthro P.
Grazie's (bad) reputation certainly precedes it, but I won a $10 gift certificate so I figured I'd give it a shot. Luckily I chose to do so during lunch when a $10 gift certificate actually makes somewhat of an impact. The lunch prices are relatively reasonable, but the fact remains that (and, yes, I am pulling out the ol' OG comparison) Olive Garden's food is actually better tasting and more reasonably priced. I had the Eggplant Parmesan (a lunch portion for about $13) and it the eggplant was very greasy and the pasta bland and watery. The sauce was nothing special. I did, however, receive good service and appreciated the decor and ambiance. (Well, with the exception of the jerky 20-something dudes in the booth behind me who made jokes about everything from Jews to retarded people to women they knew.) I also had a dessert of spumoni gelato which was a giant portion but, again, it wasn't anything special. From what friends have told me, the dinner portions don't get bigger but they do increase in price, which sounds crazy to me. This place is absolutely not resting on believable laurels.
(2)Mike K.
i believe the Veal Parmesan is the thing to get at an italian restaurant. I have my belief of what makes a good veal parm & this place kinda does the opposite. I like a tender, thin veal. Bang the veal with a mallet a couple of times. I dont think they tenderized the veal at all here. It was thick, like eating a fried steak. There was also a lot of fat on it which I dont think I experienced before. In a perfect world I like a thick & chunky marinara. They have a very very watery sauce. Like Campbell's tomato soup may be thicker. I also think the cheese blend on top was a little weird, I think there was something that shouldnt be there that was. Can't put my finger on it Anyway, the free bread was really good. Maybe there are other dishes that are good too, it looked like a nice place. Honestly, I'll probably never be in Bloomington, Indiana again but there could be some good dishes here. I would just stay away from the veal.
(2)Suphie W.
I believe I have been here, before; and I liked it! :) Basically, the interior was dark, but comfortable, and their wine selection was good... And I seem to remember no problem in terms of generosity of heapings of food (helpings?). Did I mention that the wine was good and that IU students could probably bike there easily??? Nice place. Good, comfortable seating. ~Suphie
(2)Nikki E.
Came here twice, once for brunch and once for an event. Simply unimpressive. For breakfast I had a veggie strata, and I wanted undressed greens instead of a choice of sides (potatoes, more veggies, toast. They gave me a spinach salad drenched in dressing and so soggy it was inedible. Friend ordered rigatoni, which I tried, and it was something I could have made 100x better at home. For the event we attended, the only good food was the cheese platter and the bread. At least the servers are moderately friendly, but I'm sad to say that Olive Garden has better food than this place.
(2)Taylor O.
OK describes the food well; they haven't watched enough of Giada's Everyday Italian on the Food Network yet. Over five visits, the service was slow each time and the orders had one mistake twice. Nice outdoor patio overlooking the square. Overall fairly decent but you'll find a few things annoying I'm sure of it.
(3)Adam N.
Went back to Grazie a couple of nights ago to indulge a little. The menu is still nice and simple, and bread was plentiful. For this I was very thankful! It was great! They have also added garlic bread, but it's done a bit differently. It was pretty good, but a little light on the garlic. I think it was a three cheese garlic bread, and also seemed a little light on the cheese for me. This time around, I think I had the paparadelle or something like that. It was a pasta dish with chicken in a creamy garlic sauce. I was happy to be able to order it without the mushrooms. Someone else at our table ordered a different dish, but wasn't able to have it without mushrooms. All round, the food got a solid thumbs up. The service was great as always. I really want to rate 4 stars, but two things weren't quite to my liking. The garlic flavors in the pasta and bread were very light. I would have liked significantly more garlic. Also, the pasta had far too many green sprigs of some kind. I found myself having to fish those out. Based on this trip, I will definitely be back! There are more dishes on that menu that I must try, and I must have more chocolate mousse!!!
(3)Nikki P.
Listen, I'm not trying to be a asshole, but I wish Grazie would just go away with their awfulness. What's worse? Their bloated prices or their lackluster food? Service has been hit and miss and the drinks are a mess (and who gives a shit about Cosmos these days anyway?) If you must go, please start swilling Bloody Marys as soon as you set foot in the restaurant so you have something to satisfy your hunger when your lobster ravioli tastes like a pond. I've visited three times... shame on them, me and every last jerk who voted the place as one of the top restaurants in Bloomington. It's not. I would rather shovel endless soup, salad and breadsticks down my gullet at Olive Garden before ever going back to Grazie again.
(2)Katie B.
I'll keep this quick since others have already pretty much got it covered. Mediocre food, high prices. With so many other excellent dining options in Bloomington, there's really no reason for me to go back here.
(2)Mary B.
I came here with a group of people, we were starving and since it was close by we went in. Yes, it is overpriced and the food was just..eh I make better Italian food and I don't even cook that much. The salad was good, I liked the dressing. I thought I'd play it safe and just get good ole spaghetti and meatballs, it was satisfying but for the price..lordy. We probably won't be back tho.
(2)Justin H.
Very very very bad service.I would not suggest this restaurant to anyone. Food is not good whatsoever. In my situation we sat for 2 hours before we finally got our food. When we finally got it, salmon was dry and disgusting. Food was overpriced for the taste and service was horrible. I would definitely not suggest to ANYONE...IT WAS HORRIBLE.
(1)Shelly A.
"Thank God this place is in the middle of downtown!" When I was attending Indiana University, I went to Grazie a few times over the 4 years. I didn't go often because its expensive for a college town, and #2 it sucks. Honestly Grazie sucks and they have saved their business by having a top notch location and having a killer sign outside. The marketing department for this place should get the credit for keeping it open. Honestly Grazie is exactly the type of Italian food you think you would get in the middle of no where in Indiana. The sauce is uninspired, and they charge an arm and a leg for pasta that is probably not even fresh. Al dente is a concept that this place is not familiar with. I skipped this place for most of my college career and only went their during friends birthdays or other times when I was invited to the restaurant. I did not enjoy my meal any of those times, and I have no real reason to go back.
(2)Vox V.
Grazie prides itself on being voted "best" in local newspaper popularity rankings. Anyone who's been to the place knows there must be something fishy going on there, because Grazie routinely offers a sub-par experience. My experience on several occasions is that the wait staff in the bar are inattentive and offer spotty or non-existent service. Drinks are unremarkable. In the restaurant, the food is often delivered cold (if it should be warm) and warm (if it should be cold). Portions are miserly as well. On my last visit the waiter forgot that our table existed as we waited over a half an hour for our check. We had to ask the hostess in front to see if we would be able to actually pay. There are much better options in the downtown area than Grazie. I think if the management at Grazie tried less to stuff the ballot box in local voting and instead focused on impressing patrons, word-of-mouth would be all the marketing they would need.
(1)P. C.
I came here at the request from my mother who I told to choose "any nice restaurant in Bloomington" to eat. She said that Grazie's food was excellent. I think not. The server was great but the atmosphere, food, and clientele left much to be desired. I mean come on, half the people in the restaurant had either flip-flops or gym shoes on with cut-off shorts and even work-out clothes! I ordered the chicken fettuccine paired with a glass of the cheapest pinot nior they had by the glass ($10). I was pleased with the wine and the salad but the rest was just ok. The pasta itself was fresh but the chicken was very dry. Definitely not worth $18 for the dish. I will say that my mom ordered the same dish except with shrimp and said that it was very good. All-in-all, they are extremely over-priced for the quality and environment. I'd imagine the Olive Garden is better and cheaper.
(2)David S.
Grazie has a prime location right on the square. Other than that, there's not much else that's positive to say. Everytime I've gone to Grazie, it has been because someone else has been trying to buy me an expensive meal... The service is slow, the food is overpriced and just not that good. Combined with the horrific weekend night waits, I just can't recommend this restaurant.
(2)Claire V.
Pros: Nice interior design, comfortable, private. Friendly waitstaff. Enjoyed my cocktail. Quick service. My pasta was perfectly cooked 'al dente'. (My husband's tortellini was not) Cons: While I've had worse food, I'm not sure I've had worse Italian food. Any gas station in Italy serves better food, and I speak from extensive experience. This food was more expensive, and definitely below Olive Garden quality. (And Olive Garden is already mediocre) Furthermore, the smell and composition of these dishes were STRONGLY reminiscent of airplane food. I dare say the ingredients were identical. I am being sincere when I say that the sight and smell induced mild nausea in me. Summary: It was one trip through the microwave away from being airplane food.
(2)Mindy A.
Skip this place! Try somewhere else for lunch instead. My mom had the soup & salad combo, add scallops and shrimp, and I had the calamari po' boy & soup. My mom, who is not a picky eater, did not touch the scallops. They looked undercooked (Grazie, undercooking shellfish is NOT a good idea). So that was definitely a waste of the extra $7 it costs to get the scallops & shrimps on top of the salad. The lettuce in her salad also looked soggy, like it had been sitting out for awhile before even being ordered (just a guess). My sandwich arrived with what was probably the stalest bread and most rubbery calamari I have ever seen on a plate in the last 5 years. Also, there was some kind of weird salad/cole slaw thing on the side, which looked to include soybeans (?), peas, and red cabbage. I'm still not sure what it was since it wasn't ever listed on the menu... I took two exploratory bites and they seemed kind of sour with an off-flavor ("off" of what, I don't know). I wish the sandwich just came with chips or something. Anyways, after both of us were finished picking the food off our plates, and kind of moving it around and pretending we liked it, we left. The server politely asked if we would like to wrap up the food and take it home and we both responded "NO THANK YOU" simultaneously. And we have never spoken a word about this place since. Yuck. Worst lunch experience in years. I hope this place can get it together! I love little family owned places and prefer to support them instead of chain restaurants when I can, but not for this quality of food at this price.
(1)Nadeem P.
The service here is pretty slow, and the food average. Unfortunately the prices are above average, which yields this restauarant 2 stars. Their house salad is great, and their focaccia bread and oil is awesome. The food is not bad, I had the lobster ravioli and it was acceptable, nothing close to amazing. Go here is you have money to spend and dull taste buds...
(2)Kyle H.
Great bar for adults wanting to avoid the college/hipster crowds. Try their soup/salad lunch - great price and all you can eat. Best italian I've had in Indiana hands down.
(5)Edward B.
I was very happy with this place overall. We ended up going their 3 nights in a row for dinner! We didn't want to chance it with any other places since we were so happy with this one. The atmosphere was great...it is divided into two sections, more of a bar scene on one side with some dining tables and the other side is strictly for sit down customers. The food was the best things about this place. As mentioned in other reviews the house salad is damn good and the dressing really makes it. It is hard to screw up bread with olive oil and spices so that was delicious as well with a generous portion of spices on the plate. The broiled salmon was amazing as was the fillet. The other 3 people ordered mainly past dishes each night since it was an Italian Restaurant and they were very happy with their dishes. The desserts were also very satisfying. The only thing negative I could say about this place was the the servers could have been a little better. They were by no means bad but for as nice as this place was their level of waiting could have been better if that makes sense. They were late on drinks a few times and were afraid to give suggestions as far as what they thought we should get when we asked them. That always bothers me when someone can't give you a suggestion when you know they've had most of the stuff on the menu. All in all I definitely recommend this place.
(4)Paul L.
If you are looking for a quick bite to eat that's fast and low priced, stay away from Grazie. The service is at times very slow, and, although polite, inconsistent with your order. The prices are most definitely over priced, It didn't seem like any entrees were under fifteen dollars. I'd be fine with that pricing if the quality or quantity of the food went above and beyond. But this is sadly not the case. I was left staring at a modest plate of modest pasta and sausage. Although yummy, the food was not delicious. The desert was decent, a standard cannoli with a chocolate drizzle. The coffee and hot chocolate were decent. At over $100 for three people, Grazie is avoidable, there are other Italian restaurants with bigger portions, better food, and a rival wine list.
(3)Sidney B.
Good wine list. Decent food. Overpriced. I like that you can sit outside and the atmosphere inside is cool.
(3)David L.
Been here a few times prior to my horrendous experience during graduation weekend. Prices were jacked up for no legitimate reason, the portions were small and not worth the price, and the food was served cold over an hour after we ordered. On top of that, the service was near non-existent and way below any acceptable standards for a restaurant business. Whether or not it is a special weekend, this place should be on their game while not trying to rip off their customers. However, this particular restaurant decided that was not the case and, as a result, I will never eat at this establishment ever again. I would suggest finding a better place in town that is more local, such as Little Zagreb's, where the menu, prices, and service remain the same regardless of what "special" weekend it happens to be.
(1)Brian H.
One of the best Italian places in Bloomington, and that's pathetic considering the mediocrity of this place.
(3)Vincent V.
After eating at Grazie, I stopped at the drugstore to buy some Plan B, as I had just been screwed in the worst kind of way. I hadn't eaten at Grazie in nearly ten years, remembering it as mediocre over-priced Italian. My friend and I decided we'd give it another chance. This was one of the worst decisions I have ever made in my life. I'll begin with the good things about Grazie. Our server was friendly and pleasant. It looked clean. Well, now that we've got the good stuff out of the way let me just say that I wouldn't eat there again if it were free. It wasn't free though, it was $45 for entree, half an appetizer. a soda, and a tip. It was so horrible it was barely edible and I would not be surprised to be ill before I finish writing this review. We'll start with the appetizer. My friend and I split a crab dip. It looked like cat food. It was the best part of the meal. It was about the worst presentation imaginable. Just a big lump of grey gelatinous fluid with chunks of crab meat in it. If you could overcome your sense of sight and pretend that it didn't look like a mix of Fancy Feast and cream of mushroom soup you might come to the conclusion that it were edible. It was $12 and we couldn't make ourselves finish it. It was all downhill from this point. As we tried to overcome the blaring elevator jazz being pumped in to create ambiance we were brought some bread that might have been good if it were hot. We were also blessed with some salad that managed to have the same slimy, rubbery texture of octopus. What's odd is that all the vegetables in the salad had the exact same texture. Lettuce, Cucumbers, Carrots... discernible only by color. I ordered asiago encrusted scallops and a cream rizzotto ($27). When I think about all the better things I could have done with $27 rather than purchase this garbage it makes me sick all over again. I would rather be mugged for $27 than eat this culinary abortion once more. I would rather set the money on fire or donate it to an oil company than eat the hideous pile of crap that I was served. The scallops might have been edible right after they were cooked, they were however pan-seared and let to sit somewhere in the vicinity of a heat lamp for twenty minutes judging by the texture. Even worse was the rizzotto. It tasted rancid. No combination of words in the english language will convey to you the horrid, despicable combination of flavor and texture that violated my mouth. Someone should notify the International Criminal Court because whatever was perpetrated against rizzotto in that kitchen I'm sure can be prosecuted as a war crime. This was a signature dish. Many a time I haven paid $40 or more and thought my food wasn't really worth it, but this might be the first time I've paid that much for food found it inedible. This place is the worst. I would rather eat at Fazzoli's.
(1)Joshua C.
Food is not that great. Barely would consider it good. It is overpriced and the owner is extremely rude.
(1)Ally L.
This place is in a great location, has a nice atmosphere, and seems to be the go-to place for people new to Bloomington to eat. However, I've eaten here several times and each visit has been all around poor. Grazie serves overpriced sub-par food served in small portions. I wouldn't mind paying so much if you got a really excellent pasta dish or a huge portion of a mediocre one, but at Grazie you get neither. A quality and taste comparison rests somewhere between Fazoli's and the Olive Garden. The menu pricing is also ridiculously high...I felt ripped off when I got the bill. If you want Italian, skip and go to the Ragazzi Arte Cafe or DeAngelos instead, both are decent choices.
(1)Tony L.
Never had a good experience. Graduation weekend 2011, $30 a plate ($10 more than usual) for microwaved-tasting food and small portions. If you want mediocre Italian, might as well go to Olive Garden off of 37 and 3rd st. At least Olive Garden gives you a good experience and you won't leave hungry.
(1)Louis O.
Awesome location downtown. The food is very plain and over-priced though. Won't be going back anytime soon.
(1)Chase W.
I'm new to the Bloomington restaurant scene, but I won't be going back to Grazie anytime soon, the menu items are way over priced for the portion sizes and the dishes are not very refined in terms of knifework and presentation. The salad was a combination of overbearing ingredients with little to no dressing to bring everything together. The service was good, but that won't make the food any more enjoyable.
(2)Z K.
Mediocre Italian food with a touch of C-class wait staff. The inside is not at all great and it is totally overpriced. The menu looks like a mix between olive garden and chillis. Definately not going back here again.
(2)oyefunke a.
Nothing to add just wanted to concur and hope that Grazie, which has a prime location and halfway decent drinks would give a rats behind, look at the reviews and either lower their prices, get a better chef (or at least better ingredients) or maybe both! Cmon, really?
(1)chelsea g.
Totally overpriced. I enjoy the choice of outside seating, but my issue is the a la carte menu. Two people should not have to pay that much for a bowl of pasta and a salad. Plus, while the food was ok, it was *just* ok. I'd rather make pasta in my own kitchen.
(2)Ed M.
A good solid Italian restaurant in Bloomington. Nothing fancy. Not spectacular but good food. The staff is gracious and accomodating. If want good Italian food this a good place to find it in Bloomington.
(3)Robyn P.
Though the food is okay, it's nowhere near remarkable and way overpriced. My wife had the spaghetti with meatballs which she said were bland and not worth it. I had eggplant parmesan because how can you go wrong? It wasn't wrong, but it wasn't great. The cocktail menu seemed fun. Our server didn't really offer any suggestions on it. I ended up ordering a Cosmo because sometimes I get nostalgic for Sex in the City. It was lackluster and smaller than your average martini drink. Final note, one of the people in our party ordered a seafood pasta dish. As the server was placing the dish on the table, she spilled seafood sauce down the front of my wife's shirt. The server mumbled an "oops", not an apology and my wife got to smell like stinky seafood for the remainder of the evening. Blech.
(2)Ashley M.
After 6 long years of edumacation, my brother finally graduated from Indiana University. We decided to celebrate the occasion at Grazie! Keep in mind, if you're making reservations for graduation weekend, please do so at least 2 months in advance. Also, be prepared to put a $10 deposit on each member of your party, and you're not allowed to make any modifications to your reservation 2 weeks beforehand. Honestly, I didn't mind all the rules. They made sense, and it was more of an insurance policy for the restaurant. Now, let's get to the good stuff. The food. Upon arriving, we quickly found out that they were offering a fixed price menu. Unless we wanted to dine on a park bench somewhere, we were (in a word) stuck. At $55 a head, this wasn't exactly the sort of place where you dine on a budget. With 6 of us in our party, we all knew it would be an expensive bill. This led to some unnecessarily awkward bickering between my father and my brother's god parents. No matter. Continuing on with the review. If you're dining there, I recommend you request a table towards the front. It's an intimate dining atmosphere surrounded by lounge music, mahogany and art. Our party was directed towards the back room. Honestly, this back room looked like, well...a backroom. There were no tablecloths, windows or a fancy, loungy atmosphere. Sorry Grazie! You missed the mark on that one. Now onto the food, for real this time. First, we started out with a champagne toast; shortly followed by an individual serving of a eggplant garnish on baguette. From there, we had the option to chose from a Caesar salad or a tomato bisque soup. I decided on the Caesar salad. Until now, everything seemed pretty basic. I was enjoying my meal. For an entree, my parents both had the Chilean Sea Bass, and I decided on the Salmon Fillet. Both meals were absolutely delicious. Now, this food reminded me why I made the reservation in the first place. Throughout the entire meal, the service was fantastic. Regardless of the other 6 graduate families around us, our waitress remained attentive and courteous. Overall, I was pleased with my experience and the family was too. Thank you, Grazie!
(3)Mark D.
I don't know where to begin. I could give them one star or five stars depending on how you see things. We ordered $100 bottle of wine and tons of appetizers for 8 people. Everything was going fine until an hour later our waitress announced that the restaurant had absolutely no food left except for chicken piccata. No seriously... Chicken piccata only. She said it would be on the house so we ordered three of them and then called the local pizza X store and had two pies delivered. We laughed our way through the evening as table after table got up and left. Then the pizza man showed up with our pies. You can't make this stuff up. The restaurant picked up our entire tab. Except for the pizza. Kudos to the waitress and manager who dealt with the most surreal scene I've ever had in a restaurant. Shame on the owner who was present but never showed his face to apologize to any of the tables. He threw his staff under the bus and made them deal with his mistakes.
(2)Steven M.
This was absolutely the worst restaurant experience in my life. The restaurant ran out of food, literally. We sat for 2 hours waiting for our main course when the waitress suddenly announced that she was sorry but that the restaurant no longer could serve anything other than chicken piccata. Chicken piccata -- are you friggin kidding me. Never in my life. Oh -- the chicken piccata wasn't that good. Pick another place!
(1)Michael C.
We were driving by and decided to stop in for dinner. Service was great, very attentive. Ordered the Garlic Bread as an appetizer, that was excellent. The main entree's were very good, no issues. The only reason this get's 3 stars is because the pricing was out of site for Bloomington, Indiana. 3 people and almost $100. Yes, we had a couple beers but they really need to tighten there pricing up on the menu. Typical Italian food. Don't get me wrong, it was good, I was just shocked by the bill.
(3)Hannah E.
I'm really not sure why this place has such bad reviews. We went on a Sunday at lunch and it was superb. I was with my parents, my brother, and my niece (who is three). Our waitress was Lexi and she was phenomenal! One of the best waitresses I've ever had. I got the gluten free Gouda Mac & Cheese with bacon. Oh my goodness. It was to die for. It was so good! My brother got fettuccine with sausage and the sausage was so tender and delicious. My dad also got tomato basil soup which was a little spicy, but still amazing. The pita chips we got with our spinach artichoke were the best I have ever had. They didn't have a kids menu, but gladly brought my niece some chicken and noodles that she loved. When I return to Bloomington I will definitely come here. This place is awesome!
(5)Amarie B.
Overall it was just ok. The food was good, but I felt it was overpriced. The side salad was drowning in dressing (which was still pretty good). I ordered the manicotti. It was good, however for $17 I expected a larger portion, or some type of side.
(3)Sofia V.
Grazie is completely overpriced in comparison to the quality of the food. Everything tastes like it's been sitting around the kitchen for hours and simply reheated prior to being served. If you're looking to Italian food of this caliber you should go to Olive Garden -- not only will the food taste the same, it'll cost half the price. The only good thing I can say about the restaurant is that the service was decent. Other than that, completely a waste of money. Especially with Malibu Grill and Little Zagreb's nearby.
(2)Bryn K.
I ate here after I returned from Tuscany last year and felt like I was back in the old country. I had Manicotti and Caprese Salad and they were delicious! This is not the Americanized Italian food that Americans frequent. It is family owned and operated and has the traditional Italian fare that I love.
(5)Eric A.
Pretty disappointing. Looked great, right on the main square. But the food was extremely over-priced. The bolongese was so bland you could barely taste it; the risotto was way too salty. Salad was nothing special -- mostly iceberg lettuce. Given the prices, this was a disappointment. Hopefully we just hit them on a bad night.
(2)Matt K.
Wild Mushroom Tortellini FTW. This restaurant was recommended to me by the front desk staff at the Courtyard and I was pleased with the choice. It was not cheap, but it was rich and delicious. The dish was $21 and did not include soup or salad. I ordered a soup to go with it for $5. This was a little overpriced in my opinion, but the portion of the pasta was significant. I didn't have any leftover, but I was too full to even consider dessert seriously. I visited on a quiet Monday. Service was friendly and kept my water refilled. I can see how other reviewers mention this as a date place. The booths are tall and give you a fair amount of privacy. I don't think I really had view of any other diners while I ate. Given the prices, I would definitely prefer to have my parents treating me to dinner here than spending my own money if I was a student. A tip for about the focaccia bread for the kitchen: please don't line the basket with a paper napkin. The napkin stuck to the bread and I had to peel off the crust to make it edible. It made for poor presentation and I also missed out on the good crust! I liked the atmosphere, service and my food. Minor things and being a little high priced keeps me from being more generous with the stars. I would give 3.5 if I could, but I rounded up because DAT TORTELLINI!!!
(4)Maracatu B.
As Italian as Olive Garden, but even more overpriced. For a downtown place, Bloomington deserves a better Italian restaurant.
(2)Mister M.
You think to yourself hhhmmm "I'm in the mood for fake italian and I want to pay too much for it". Grazie is the place for you. It's a decent place to go on a date. I mean decent as in your date is impressed by fake italian food you paying too much for it. They have decent atmosphere and the pianist is playing a nice tune, but here's the thing.... The food they make is basically as if you followed an online recipe. So go to chez-bachelor-pad and cook together with your date by following an online recipe and that will be a way better time with a less damaged wallet. Preferably learn the online recipe first and cook for her as if you can cook. Don't forget to clean up your pig sty before you bring the girl over. Preferably manipulate her into cooking the entire thing. For more dating tips keep reading my reviews.
(2)Peter P.
My experience wasn't nearly as poor as the others on this board. It could be because I went for lunch and it wasn't crowded at all. Also, there were lunch portions (much cheaper than the dinner menu). The restaurant is huge if you consider the lounge side part of the restaurant. There's even a baby grand piano by the bar. Food was good, not great. The meatballs were moist and tender, but the marinara lacked spice (perhaps they are catering to the Bloomington palette in this case). The complimentary ciabatta bread and herbed dipping sauce is a highlight.
(3)oyefunke a.
Nothing to add just wanted to concur and hope that Grazie, which has a prime location and halfway decent drinks would give a rats behind, look at the reviews and either lower their prices, get a better chef (or at least better ingredients) or maybe both! Cmon, really?
(1)chelsea g.
Totally overpriced. I enjoy the choice of outside seating, but my issue is the a la carte menu. Two people should not have to pay that much for a bowl of pasta and a salad. Plus, while the food was ok, it was *just* ok. I'd rather make pasta in my own kitchen.
(2)Ed M.
A good solid Italian restaurant in Bloomington. Nothing fancy. Not spectacular but good food. The staff is gracious and accomodating. If want good Italian food this a good place to find it in Bloomington.
(3)Ashley T.
Plus - Great atmosphere. Fun drink list. Negatives - Seriously over-priced (two sodas, small app, and 2 no-meat entrees = $53 w/ tip!). Spaghetti swimming in water. Small portions for prices. Your call on good or bad - salad dressing is essentially the same texture & taste as Olive Garden. (I like that type of dressing so this is fine w/ me!)
(2)Katie B.
I'll keep this quick since others have already pretty much got it covered. Mediocre food, high prices. With so many other excellent dining options in Bloomington, there's really no reason for me to go back here.
(2)Mary B.
I came here with a group of people, we were starving and since it was close by we went in. Yes, it is overpriced and the food was just..eh I make better Italian food and I don't even cook that much. The salad was good, I liked the dressing. I thought I'd play it safe and just get good ole spaghetti and meatballs, it was satisfying but for the price..lordy. We probably won't be back tho.
(2)Justin H.
Very very very bad service.I would not suggest this restaurant to anyone. Food is not good whatsoever. In my situation we sat for 2 hours before we finally got our food. When we finally got it, salmon was dry and disgusting. Food was overpriced for the taste and service was horrible. I would definitely not suggest to ANYONE...IT WAS HORRIBLE.
(1)Shelly A.
"Thank God this place is in the middle of downtown!" When I was attending Indiana University, I went to Grazie a few times over the 4 years. I didn't go often because its expensive for a college town, and #2 it sucks. Honestly Grazie sucks and they have saved their business by having a top notch location and having a killer sign outside. The marketing department for this place should get the credit for keeping it open. Honestly Grazie is exactly the type of Italian food you think you would get in the middle of no where in Indiana. The sauce is uninspired, and they charge an arm and a leg for pasta that is probably not even fresh. Al dente is a concept that this place is not familiar with. I skipped this place for most of my college career and only went their during friends birthdays or other times when I was invited to the restaurant. I did not enjoy my meal any of those times, and I have no real reason to go back.
(2)Vox V.
Grazie prides itself on being voted "best" in local newspaper popularity rankings. Anyone who's been to the place knows there must be something fishy going on there, because Grazie routinely offers a sub-par experience. My experience on several occasions is that the wait staff in the bar are inattentive and offer spotty or non-existent service. Drinks are unremarkable. In the restaurant, the food is often delivered cold (if it should be warm) and warm (if it should be cold). Portions are miserly as well. On my last visit the waiter forgot that our table existed as we waited over a half an hour for our check. We had to ask the hostess in front to see if we would be able to actually pay. There are much better options in the downtown area than Grazie. I think if the management at Grazie tried less to stuff the ballot box in local voting and instead focused on impressing patrons, word-of-mouth would be all the marketing they would need.
(1)Austin J.
Parents were in town for the weekend, so I was excited to dine somewhere expensive on their tab. I picked Grazie because the storefront looked good, it's always busy, and I was craving Italian. Classic case of "should've checked Yelp first". Despite a 9 reservation, we didn't get seated til 9:40. Okay, they' were busy, but turn-around was slow. Most of the menu was out of stock by that time, so my top three choices were unavailable. My dad wanted rigatoni supremo, but they were out of rigatoni. That's all fine and well, but they wouldn't let his substitute another pasta for the dish, which is odd. I ordered chicken piccata, my mom order shrimp scampi, dad ordered meatballs and spaghetti. My chicken was completely tasteless, likely because they forgot the sauce and capers. The pasta was dry and barely cooked. I think they microwaved the dish. My mom's shrimp scampi was horse$#it, to put it nicely. Since it was dry, they sent it back and added water to it. Seriously? They didn't even attempt to properly fix it with fresh pasta or even more sauce. My sister's farmer's market tortellini was not too bad, to be honest. They ran out of meatballs, so they gave my dad Italian sausage instead. That's not a bad thing necessarily, except they didn't even ask him before making the substitute. Not to mention the whole meal was very slow. Probably because everyone was sending their meals back. The waitress was nice, but definitely not interested in helping us fix out meals. Again, probably because she was having to send meals back all night and forfeiting her tips because of the terrible kitchen staff. Great location, great atmosphere, but terrible food and subpar service. Can't wait for this place to either change management or go under and free up the real estate for a proper restaurant.
(1)Kimmi M.
My family chose Grazie only because of doing a search for "gluten-free" on Yelp. This was a mistake, as my mom didn't look at the number of stars. Interior is cute, and the menu is easy to read. The dietary options, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free are listed, but nothing on the menu is denoted to show which is which, and what sauces you'd need to order to fit your dietary needs. For example, the marsala sauce is not GF. They were out of veal, but everyone was pretty excited with what they ordered. I did not like that the small side salads were $4 extra. This place is SUPER expensive for lunch. No specials, just plates for $16 and higher. I ordered the papardelle with chicken, and it was really good. The rosemary in it was not picked off the stem, so it was really woody on some bites, and I couldn't eat it. Then chicken by itself had no flavor, and it was a must for it to be coated in the garlic cream sauce. Everyone at the table's noodles were over cooked, and this was especially apparent with my dad's GF rice noodles. I think he was the most disappointed of all. Our server was really nice, kept up on drink refills, but she did not know the menu in regard to the dietary issues. Skip this place! There are so many better places to eat in Bloomington.
(2)Julie S.
Grazie is a very average Italian-American restaurant. Grazie tends to be a go-to restaurant for undergraduates when their parents visit or when they're going on dates. I have been to Grazie three times and there has never been a problem with my meal, but I have never been blown away. They frequently run coupons in the local MailPak so we decided to go to dinner using a buy one entree get one half off coupon. I went last week with my brother when he was in Bloomington visiting. The drink special that night was $2.00 local craft beers so he ordered an Upland Wheat and I ordered a Diet Coke. The drinks arrived promptly but the Diet Coke was flat so I sent it back and asked for water instead, the soft drink did not appear on our bill. My server, Kasie, was wonderful, she was quite personable, helpful, and attentive. The restaurant serves a wonderful focaccia bread with an herbed olive oil. I ordered chicken parmigiana while my brother ordered chicken marsala. Our meals were served hot, however I was not blown away by the food. The chicken breast was too thick for my taste, I prefer a thinner cutlet for chicken parmigiana, and the cheese on top was not melted as much as I like. My brother's chicken marsala was very good, although the mashed potatoes were just mediocre. Although the portions are not large, I had enough food left over to bring home for lunch the next day, but I am admittedly not a very big eater. I tend to eat several small meals throughout the day rather than three square meals, so I imagine that most people would not have much in the way of leftovers based on their portion size. I imagine that the reason that many people go to Grazie is because it's one of the more affordable "nice" restaurants in Bloomington and it's great for large groups. I personally feel that the quality of the food does not warrant the price and without the coupon I would not have been satisfied by the amount of money spent for the quality of a meal we had. I would award the restaurant two stars based on the quality and quantity of the food and value. However I would award four stars based on the location, atmosphere, and the quality of the staff.
(3)Franklin D.
Weird place, badly in need of feng shui makeover. High backed plywood seating and loud music made the place look empty... but maybe a few other people in there eating. The food: Yikes... $9 for very small amount of lukewarm "spinach/artichoke" dip, accompanied by stale tri-color tortilla chips. Spagetti noodles with a few mushrooms and a "cream sauce" that just tasted like kinda-warm milk. I ordered a chicken ceasar salad for lunch, which came with a "free salad" (?) so... uhm, ok, that happened. The difference between the two... well the second one had chicken you see. The bread had a very strange flavor that maybe could have stood on its own, but was totally messed up by the trying-too-hard oil with a bunch of things that also didn't work together. I think I get what they were trying for here but ...nope, FAIL. In the middle of all this someone called in to make a "reservation", how funny is that? After that and a couple iced teas, lunch for two people wound up being $45. Ouch, not worth it at all.
(1)Anna W.
I'm actually mystified by the low rating of Grazie. My boyfriend and I came here for my birthday and used a groupon he had bought. The staff was nothing short of completely accomodating and the food was delicious. To begin, we got to our reservation way late. We would have called, but realized neither of us had the phone number. Then it took me 25 minutes to find a spot. Despite all this (I let the bf off at the door to let them know we were there) they held our table. Our groupon entitled us to an appetizer, two drinks, and two entrees. Our appetizer and drinks came out fast, but the entrees didn't. The waitress was great on keeping us updated and profusely apologizing because there was a 60-top holding up the kitchen. I appreciated that. At one point, my bf ordered a beer only to find out they didn't have any of that kind left. No big deal. He ordered another and it came out quickly (I thought). The waitress ended up taking that beer off our tab because she said we had waited too long. Nice! Our appetizer was bruschetta- which I enjoyed despite not being a huge bruschetta fan. Dave got a spinach/cranberry/walnut salad that was delcious. What was REALLY good, though, was the bread. Apparently it's vegan and they bake it there daily. For entrees, Dave got the veal parmesan (delicious) and I got the pollo con gorgonzola. I don't usually order creamy pasta dishes, but this sounded really good. (and it was). If I had any complaints, it would be that I think their menu could use a few healthier options. Overall, though, I loved my experience. OH! I forgot..they had a piano man playing Nirvana and Radiohead songs. Definitely a plus.
(5)Lyndsey C.
Never the greatest food but the service was always good and it had a good enough menu. It just never lived up to the hype that some people gave it. The valentines day dinner was always overpriced and I don't like being forced to order off of a certain menu but I did appreciate the ambience and the roses they provided. The ambience of this place was always very pleasant and it was a great location. It is just overpriced for the quality of food.
(2)MsAnthro P.
Grazie's (bad) reputation certainly precedes it, but I won a $10 gift certificate so I figured I'd give it a shot. Luckily I chose to do so during lunch when a $10 gift certificate actually makes somewhat of an impact. The lunch prices are relatively reasonable, but the fact remains that (and, yes, I am pulling out the ol' OG comparison) Olive Garden's food is actually better tasting and more reasonably priced. I had the Eggplant Parmesan (a lunch portion for about $13) and it the eggplant was very greasy and the pasta bland and watery. The sauce was nothing special. I did, however, receive good service and appreciated the decor and ambiance. (Well, with the exception of the jerky 20-something dudes in the booth behind me who made jokes about everything from Jews to retarded people to women they knew.) I also had a dessert of spumoni gelato which was a giant portion but, again, it wasn't anything special. From what friends have told me, the dinner portions don't get bigger but they do increase in price, which sounds crazy to me. This place is absolutely not resting on believable laurels.
(2)Mike K.
i believe the Veal Parmesan is the thing to get at an italian restaurant. I have my belief of what makes a good veal parm & this place kinda does the opposite. I like a tender, thin veal. Bang the veal with a mallet a couple of times. I dont think they tenderized the veal at all here. It was thick, like eating a fried steak. There was also a lot of fat on it which I dont think I experienced before. In a perfect world I like a thick & chunky marinara. They have a very very watery sauce. Like Campbell's tomato soup may be thicker. I also think the cheese blend on top was a little weird, I think there was something that shouldnt be there that was. Can't put my finger on it Anyway, the free bread was really good. Maybe there are other dishes that are good too, it looked like a nice place. Honestly, I'll probably never be in Bloomington, Indiana again but there could be some good dishes here. I would just stay away from the veal.
(2)Suphie W.
I believe I have been here, before; and I liked it! :) Basically, the interior was dark, but comfortable, and their wine selection was good... And I seem to remember no problem in terms of generosity of heapings of food (helpings?). Did I mention that the wine was good and that IU students could probably bike there easily??? Nice place. Good, comfortable seating. ~Suphie
(2)Nikki E.
Came here twice, once for brunch and once for an event. Simply unimpressive. For breakfast I had a veggie strata, and I wanted undressed greens instead of a choice of sides (potatoes, more veggies, toast. They gave me a spinach salad drenched in dressing and so soggy it was inedible. Friend ordered rigatoni, which I tried, and it was something I could have made 100x better at home. For the event we attended, the only good food was the cheese platter and the bread. At least the servers are moderately friendly, but I'm sad to say that Olive Garden has better food than this place.
(2)Tanvi K.
I wish I had the option to choose no stars! This place is absolutely the worst restaurant I have ever eaten at in Bloomington. I asked for tomato bruschetta and hummus with olives and naan .. I think the chef got bored while preparing these dishes and decided to serve just each ingredient separately! The diced tomatoes were served on a dish surrounded by thinly sliced bread And then You have to 'make your own bruschetta'! And note please - you pay like $10 for doing this ! The hummus and olives were mediocre .. Felt as if it was straight out of Sabre can! I didn't care to wait for entrees... Please don't waste your time, money and appetite at this crappy place! I
(1)David S.
Grazie has a prime location right on the square. Other than that, there's not much else that's positive to say. Everytime I've gone to Grazie, it has been because someone else has been trying to buy me an expensive meal... The service is slow, the food is overpriced and just not that good. Combined with the horrific weekend night waits, I just can't recommend this restaurant.
(2)Trent T.
I'm not sure why this place was rated so low. I was skeptical at first after reading some of the reviews here, but my friend really wanted to go here. We got there and were seated promptly. The waitress was very nice and got our drinks and appetizers. I got the garlic bread, and it was a bit over done. I figured that it was going to go down hill from here, but I was wrong. We got our salad and it was great. The house dressing is very good and the pickled onions in the salad were tasty. We got our main courses right when we had finished our salads. It was perfect timing. I had the angel hair pasta with shrimp and crab, and it was awesome. Our waitress checked on us several times and our glasses were never empty. The food was great with the exception of the slightly over toasted garlic bread. All in all I would recommend going here and giving it a try.
(4)Timber S.
At much prodding from my wife and some encouragement from a current employee I decided to give Grazie another try. It had been some time since my last venture to this restaurant and I figured it was only proper to allow for change. I arrived hopeful at a better experience than I have had previously. I am pleased to say that they met my expectations. The service in comparison to last time was a magnitude better. The young lady that served us last night was friendly, well informed and courteous. We were seated in a booth on the restaurant side which was nice and quaint. The noise level sitting in the booths is fine, I would hate to sit in the big open area with people sitting at the balconies above. The noise level in that space, as well as feeling like people are looking down from on high is unpleasant. BUT, that was last time. This time - we got there early enough to get a booth and it suited us just fine. My wife pointed out that they were playing music in the restaurant side while a pianist was playing music on the bar side. It bothered her - but didn't register with me. I could hear it when she pointed it out, but it wasn't a problem. If you're sensitive to things like that - then avoid the nights when the pianist is playing. To his credit - I thought he was good. I don't know the bar side seating and therefore will reserve comment. Onto the food: Being an "upscale" restaurant on the square the prices and portions were exactly what one would expect. I left full, which is important for me. So I guess the portions were large enough. The food was perfectly fine. I wasn't blown away, but it was better than large chain restaurant Italian food. Presentation was nice. I will say this - the bread they bring out to start is AMAZING. We asked for more which never arrived. But truthfully we didn't need it. We stayed away from wine as there are other places on the square we prefer for wine, but that is our personal preference and not a detraction from Grazie. All in all, I am pleased to upgrade my review. I think they did a fine job. I am not wowed enough to say "yay I'm a fan" but will gladly say "A-OK." I will say, I can no longer be counted in the detractors of Grazie. I would be open to going back again in the future.
(3)Adam N.
Went back to Grazie a couple of nights ago to indulge a little. The menu is still nice and simple, and bread was plentiful. For this I was very thankful! It was great! They have also added garlic bread, but it's done a bit differently. It was pretty good, but a little light on the garlic. I think it was a three cheese garlic bread, and also seemed a little light on the cheese for me. This time around, I think I had the paparadelle or something like that. It was a pasta dish with chicken in a creamy garlic sauce. I was happy to be able to order it without the mushrooms. Someone else at our table ordered a different dish, but wasn't able to have it without mushrooms. All round, the food got a solid thumbs up. The service was great as always. I really want to rate 4 stars, but two things weren't quite to my liking. The garlic flavors in the pasta and bread were very light. I would have liked significantly more garlic. Also, the pasta had far too many green sprigs of some kind. I found myself having to fish those out. Based on this trip, I will definitely be back! There are more dishes on that menu that I must try, and I must have more chocolate mousse!!!
(3)Nikki P.
Listen, I'm not trying to be a asshole, but I wish Grazie would just go away with their awfulness. What's worse? Their bloated prices or their lackluster food? Service has been hit and miss and the drinks are a mess (and who gives a shit about Cosmos these days anyway?) If you must go, please start swilling Bloody Marys as soon as you set foot in the restaurant so you have something to satisfy your hunger when your lobster ravioli tastes like a pond. I've visited three times... shame on them, me and every last jerk who voted the place as one of the top restaurants in Bloomington. It's not. I would rather shovel endless soup, salad and breadsticks down my gullet at Olive Garden before ever going back to Grazie again.
(2)P. C.
I came here at the request from my mother who I told to choose "any nice restaurant in Bloomington" to eat. She said that Grazie's food was excellent. I think not. The server was great but the atmosphere, food, and clientele left much to be desired. I mean come on, half the people in the restaurant had either flip-flops or gym shoes on with cut-off shorts and even work-out clothes! I ordered the chicken fettuccine paired with a glass of the cheapest pinot nior they had by the glass ($10). I was pleased with the wine and the salad but the rest was just ok. The pasta itself was fresh but the chicken was very dry. Definitely not worth $18 for the dish. I will say that my mom ordered the same dish except with shrimp and said that it was very good. All-in-all, they are extremely over-priced for the quality and environment. I'd imagine the Olive Garden is better and cheaper.
(2)Claire V.
Pros: Nice interior design, comfortable, private. Friendly waitstaff. Enjoyed my cocktail. Quick service. My pasta was perfectly cooked 'al dente'. (My husband's tortellini was not) Cons: While I've had worse food, I'm not sure I've had worse Italian food. Any gas station in Italy serves better food, and I speak from extensive experience. This food was more expensive, and definitely below Olive Garden quality. (And Olive Garden is already mediocre) Furthermore, the smell and composition of these dishes were STRONGLY reminiscent of airplane food. I dare say the ingredients were identical. I am being sincere when I say that the sight and smell induced mild nausea in me. Summary: It was one trip through the microwave away from being airplane food.
(2)Mindy A.
Skip this place! Try somewhere else for lunch instead. My mom had the soup & salad combo, add scallops and shrimp, and I had the calamari po' boy & soup. My mom, who is not a picky eater, did not touch the scallops. They looked undercooked (Grazie, undercooking shellfish is NOT a good idea). So that was definitely a waste of the extra $7 it costs to get the scallops & shrimps on top of the salad. The lettuce in her salad also looked soggy, like it had been sitting out for awhile before even being ordered (just a guess). My sandwich arrived with what was probably the stalest bread and most rubbery calamari I have ever seen on a plate in the last 5 years. Also, there was some kind of weird salad/cole slaw thing on the side, which looked to include soybeans (?), peas, and red cabbage. I'm still not sure what it was since it wasn't ever listed on the menu... I took two exploratory bites and they seemed kind of sour with an off-flavor ("off" of what, I don't know). I wish the sandwich just came with chips or something. Anyways, after both of us were finished picking the food off our plates, and kind of moving it around and pretending we liked it, we left. The server politely asked if we would like to wrap up the food and take it home and we both responded "NO THANK YOU" simultaneously. And we have never spoken a word about this place since. Yuck. Worst lunch experience in years. I hope this place can get it together! I love little family owned places and prefer to support them instead of chain restaurants when I can, but not for this quality of food at this price.
(1)Nadeem P.
The service here is pretty slow, and the food average. Unfortunately the prices are above average, which yields this restauarant 2 stars. Their house salad is great, and their focaccia bread and oil is awesome. The food is not bad, I had the lobster ravioli and it was acceptable, nothing close to amazing. Go here is you have money to spend and dull taste buds...
(2)Kyle H.
Great bar for adults wanting to avoid the college/hipster crowds. Try their soup/salad lunch - great price and all you can eat. Best italian I've had in Indiana hands down.
(5)Edward B.
I was very happy with this place overall. We ended up going their 3 nights in a row for dinner! We didn't want to chance it with any other places since we were so happy with this one. The atmosphere was great...it is divided into two sections, more of a bar scene on one side with some dining tables and the other side is strictly for sit down customers. The food was the best things about this place. As mentioned in other reviews the house salad is damn good and the dressing really makes it. It is hard to screw up bread with olive oil and spices so that was delicious as well with a generous portion of spices on the plate. The broiled salmon was amazing as was the fillet. The other 3 people ordered mainly past dishes each night since it was an Italian Restaurant and they were very happy with their dishes. The desserts were also very satisfying. The only thing negative I could say about this place was the the servers could have been a little better. They were by no means bad but for as nice as this place was their level of waiting could have been better if that makes sense. They were late on drinks a few times and were afraid to give suggestions as far as what they thought we should get when we asked them. That always bothers me when someone can't give you a suggestion when you know they've had most of the stuff on the menu. All in all I definitely recommend this place.
(4)Vincent V.
After eating at Grazie, I stopped at the drugstore to buy some Plan B, as I had just been screwed in the worst kind of way. I hadn't eaten at Grazie in nearly ten years, remembering it as mediocre over-priced Italian. My friend and I decided we'd give it another chance. This was one of the worst decisions I have ever made in my life. I'll begin with the good things about Grazie. Our server was friendly and pleasant. It looked clean. Well, now that we've got the good stuff out of the way let me just say that I wouldn't eat there again if it were free. It wasn't free though, it was $45 for entree, half an appetizer. a soda, and a tip. It was so horrible it was barely edible and I would not be surprised to be ill before I finish writing this review. We'll start with the appetizer. My friend and I split a crab dip. It looked like cat food. It was the best part of the meal. It was about the worst presentation imaginable. Just a big lump of grey gelatinous fluid with chunks of crab meat in it. If you could overcome your sense of sight and pretend that it didn't look like a mix of Fancy Feast and cream of mushroom soup you might come to the conclusion that it were edible. It was $12 and we couldn't make ourselves finish it. It was all downhill from this point. As we tried to overcome the blaring elevator jazz being pumped in to create ambiance we were brought some bread that might have been good if it were hot. We were also blessed with some salad that managed to have the same slimy, rubbery texture of octopus. What's odd is that all the vegetables in the salad had the exact same texture. Lettuce, Cucumbers, Carrots... discernible only by color. I ordered asiago encrusted scallops and a cream rizzotto ($27). When I think about all the better things I could have done with $27 rather than purchase this garbage it makes me sick all over again. I would rather be mugged for $27 than eat this culinary abortion once more. I would rather set the money on fire or donate it to an oil company than eat the hideous pile of crap that I was served. The scallops might have been edible right after they were cooked, they were however pan-seared and let to sit somewhere in the vicinity of a heat lamp for twenty minutes judging by the texture. Even worse was the rizzotto. It tasted rancid. No combination of words in the english language will convey to you the horrid, despicable combination of flavor and texture that violated my mouth. Someone should notify the International Criminal Court because whatever was perpetrated against rizzotto in that kitchen I'm sure can be prosecuted as a war crime. This was a signature dish. Many a time I haven paid $40 or more and thought my food wasn't really worth it, but this might be the first time I've paid that much for food found it inedible. This place is the worst. I would rather eat at Fazzoli's.
(1)Joshua C.
Food is not that great. Barely would consider it good. It is overpriced and the owner is extremely rude.
(1)Ally L.
This place is in a great location, has a nice atmosphere, and seems to be the go-to place for people new to Bloomington to eat. However, I've eaten here several times and each visit has been all around poor. Grazie serves overpriced sub-par food served in small portions. I wouldn't mind paying so much if you got a really excellent pasta dish or a huge portion of a mediocre one, but at Grazie you get neither. A quality and taste comparison rests somewhere between Fazoli's and the Olive Garden. The menu pricing is also ridiculously high...I felt ripped off when I got the bill. If you want Italian, skip and go to the Ragazzi Arte Cafe or DeAngelos instead, both are decent choices.
(1)Tony L.
Never had a good experience. Graduation weekend 2011, $30 a plate ($10 more than usual) for microwaved-tasting food and small portions. If you want mediocre Italian, might as well go to Olive Garden off of 37 and 3rd st. At least Olive Garden gives you a good experience and you won't leave hungry.
(1)Louis O.
Awesome location downtown. The food is very plain and over-priced though. Won't be going back anytime soon.
(1)Z K.
Mediocre Italian food with a touch of C-class wait staff. The inside is not at all great and it is totally overpriced. The menu looks like a mix between olive garden and chillis. Definately not going back here again.
(2)Chase W.
I'm new to the Bloomington restaurant scene, but I won't be going back to Grazie anytime soon, the menu items are way over priced for the portion sizes and the dishes are not very refined in terms of knifework and presentation. The salad was a combination of overbearing ingredients with little to no dressing to bring everything together. The service was good, but that won't make the food any more enjoyable.
(2)Austin J.
Parents were in town for the weekend, so I was excited to dine somewhere expensive on their tab. I picked Grazie because the storefront looked good, it's always busy, and I was craving Italian. Classic case of "should've checked Yelp first". Despite a 9 reservation, we didn't get seated til 9:40. Okay, they' were busy, but turn-around was slow. Most of the menu was out of stock by that time, so my top three choices were unavailable. My dad wanted rigatoni supremo, but they were out of rigatoni. That's all fine and well, but they wouldn't let his substitute another pasta for the dish, which is odd. I ordered chicken piccata, my mom order shrimp scampi, dad ordered meatballs and spaghetti. My chicken was completely tasteless, likely because they forgot the sauce and capers. The pasta was dry and barely cooked. I think they microwaved the dish. My mom's shrimp scampi was horse$#it, to put it nicely. Since it was dry, they sent it back and added water to it. Seriously? They didn't even attempt to properly fix it with fresh pasta or even more sauce. My sister's farmer's market tortellini was not too bad, to be honest. They ran out of meatballs, so they gave my dad Italian sausage instead. That's not a bad thing necessarily, except they didn't even ask him before making the substitute. Not to mention the whole meal was very slow. Probably because everyone was sending their meals back. The waitress was nice, but definitely not interested in helping us fix out meals. Again, probably because she was having to send meals back all night and forfeiting her tips because of the terrible kitchen staff. Great location, great atmosphere, but terrible food and subpar service. Can't wait for this place to either change management or go under and free up the real estate for a proper restaurant.
(1)Kimmi M.
My family chose Grazie only because of doing a search for "gluten-free" on Yelp. This was a mistake, as my mom didn't look at the number of stars. Interior is cute, and the menu is easy to read. The dietary options, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free are listed, but nothing on the menu is denoted to show which is which, and what sauces you'd need to order to fit your dietary needs. For example, the marsala sauce is not GF. They were out of veal, but everyone was pretty excited with what they ordered. I did not like that the small side salads were $4 extra. This place is SUPER expensive for lunch. No specials, just plates for $16 and higher. I ordered the papardelle with chicken, and it was really good. The rosemary in it was not picked off the stem, so it was really woody on some bites, and I couldn't eat it. Then chicken by itself had no flavor, and it was a must for it to be coated in the garlic cream sauce. Everyone at the table's noodles were over cooked, and this was especially apparent with my dad's GF rice noodles. I think he was the most disappointed of all. Our server was really nice, kept up on drink refills, but she did not know the menu in regard to the dietary issues. Skip this place! There are so many better places to eat in Bloomington.
(2)Tanvi K.
I wish I had the option to choose no stars! This place is absolutely the worst restaurant I have ever eaten at in Bloomington. I asked for tomato bruschetta and hummus with olives and naan .. I think the chef got bored while preparing these dishes and decided to serve just each ingredient separately! The diced tomatoes were served on a dish surrounded by thinly sliced bread And then You have to 'make your own bruschetta'! And note please - you pay like $10 for doing this ! The hummus and olives were mediocre .. Felt as if it was straight out of Sabre can! I didn't care to wait for entrees... Please don't waste your time, money and appetite at this crappy place! I
(1)David S.
Grazie has a prime location right on the square. Other than that, there's not much else that's positive to say. Everytime I've gone to Grazie, it has been because someone else has been trying to buy me an expensive meal... The service is slow, the food is overpriced and just not that good. Combined with the horrific weekend night waits, I just can't recommend this restaurant.
(2)Timber S.
At much prodding from my wife and some encouragement from a current employee I decided to give Grazie another try. It had been some time since my last venture to this restaurant and I figured it was only proper to allow for change. I arrived hopeful at a better experience than I have had previously. I am pleased to say that they met my expectations. The service in comparison to last time was a magnitude better. The young lady that served us last night was friendly, well informed and courteous. We were seated in a booth on the restaurant side which was nice and quaint. The noise level sitting in the booths is fine, I would hate to sit in the big open area with people sitting at the balconies above. The noise level in that space, as well as feeling like people are looking down from on high is unpleasant. BUT, that was last time. This time - we got there early enough to get a booth and it suited us just fine. My wife pointed out that they were playing music in the restaurant side while a pianist was playing music on the bar side. It bothered her - but didn't register with me. I could hear it when she pointed it out, but it wasn't a problem. If you're sensitive to things like that - then avoid the nights when the pianist is playing. To his credit - I thought he was good. I don't know the bar side seating and therefore will reserve comment. Onto the food: Being an "upscale" restaurant on the square the prices and portions were exactly what one would expect. I left full, which is important for me. So I guess the portions were large enough. The food was perfectly fine. I wasn't blown away, but it was better than large chain restaurant Italian food. Presentation was nice. I will say this - the bread they bring out to start is AMAZING. We asked for more which never arrived. But truthfully we didn't need it. We stayed away from wine as there are other places on the square we prefer for wine, but that is our personal preference and not a detraction from Grazie. All in all, I am pleased to upgrade my review. I think they did a fine job. I am not wowed enough to say "yay I'm a fan" but will gladly say "A-OK." I will say, I can no longer be counted in the detractors of Grazie. I would be open to going back again in the future.
(3)Adam N.
Went back to Grazie a couple of nights ago to indulge a little. The menu is still nice and simple, and bread was plentiful. For this I was very thankful! It was great! They have also added garlic bread, but it's done a bit differently. It was pretty good, but a little light on the garlic. I think it was a three cheese garlic bread, and also seemed a little light on the cheese for me. This time around, I think I had the paparadelle or something like that. It was a pasta dish with chicken in a creamy garlic sauce. I was happy to be able to order it without the mushrooms. Someone else at our table ordered a different dish, but wasn't able to have it without mushrooms. All round, the food got a solid thumbs up. The service was great as always. I really want to rate 4 stars, but two things weren't quite to my liking. The garlic flavors in the pasta and bread were very light. I would have liked significantly more garlic. Also, the pasta had far too many green sprigs of some kind. I found myself having to fish those out. Based on this trip, I will definitely be back! There are more dishes on that menu that I must try, and I must have more chocolate mousse!!!
(3)Nikki P.
Listen, I'm not trying to be a asshole, but I wish Grazie would just go away with their awfulness. What's worse? Their bloated prices or their lackluster food? Service has been hit and miss and the drinks are a mess (and who gives a shit about Cosmos these days anyway?) If you must go, please start swilling Bloody Marys as soon as you set foot in the restaurant so you have something to satisfy your hunger when your lobster ravioli tastes like a pond. I've visited three times... shame on them, me and every last jerk who voted the place as one of the top restaurants in Bloomington. It's not. I would rather shovel endless soup, salad and breadsticks down my gullet at Olive Garden before ever going back to Grazie again.
(2)Katie B.
I'll keep this quick since others have already pretty much got it covered. Mediocre food, high prices. With so many other excellent dining options in Bloomington, there's really no reason for me to go back here.
(2)Mary B.
I came here with a group of people, we were starving and since it was close by we went in. Yes, it is overpriced and the food was just..eh I make better Italian food and I don't even cook that much. The salad was good, I liked the dressing. I thought I'd play it safe and just get good ole spaghetti and meatballs, it was satisfying but for the price..lordy. We probably won't be back tho.
(2)Justin H.
Very very very bad service.I would not suggest this restaurant to anyone. Food is not good whatsoever. In my situation we sat for 2 hours before we finally got our food. When we finally got it, salmon was dry and disgusting. Food was overpriced for the taste and service was horrible. I would definitely not suggest to ANYONE...IT WAS HORRIBLE.
(1)Shelly A.
"Thank God this place is in the middle of downtown!" When I was attending Indiana University, I went to Grazie a few times over the 4 years. I didn't go often because its expensive for a college town, and #2 it sucks. Honestly Grazie sucks and they have saved their business by having a top notch location and having a killer sign outside. The marketing department for this place should get the credit for keeping it open. Honestly Grazie is exactly the type of Italian food you think you would get in the middle of no where in Indiana. The sauce is uninspired, and they charge an arm and a leg for pasta that is probably not even fresh. Al dente is a concept that this place is not familiar with. I skipped this place for most of my college career and only went their during friends birthdays or other times when I was invited to the restaurant. I did not enjoy my meal any of those times, and I have no real reason to go back.
(2)Vox V.
Grazie prides itself on being voted "best" in local newspaper popularity rankings. Anyone who's been to the place knows there must be something fishy going on there, because Grazie routinely offers a sub-par experience. My experience on several occasions is that the wait staff in the bar are inattentive and offer spotty or non-existent service. Drinks are unremarkable. In the restaurant, the food is often delivered cold (if it should be warm) and warm (if it should be cold). Portions are miserly as well. On my last visit the waiter forgot that our table existed as we waited over a half an hour for our check. We had to ask the hostess in front to see if we would be able to actually pay. There are much better options in the downtown area than Grazie. I think if the management at Grazie tried less to stuff the ballot box in local voting and instead focused on impressing patrons, word-of-mouth would be all the marketing they would need.
(1)P. C.
I came here at the request from my mother who I told to choose "any nice restaurant in Bloomington" to eat. She said that Grazie's food was excellent. I think not. The server was great but the atmosphere, food, and clientele left much to be desired. I mean come on, half the people in the restaurant had either flip-flops or gym shoes on with cut-off shorts and even work-out clothes! I ordered the chicken fettuccine paired with a glass of the cheapest pinot nior they had by the glass ($10). I was pleased with the wine and the salad but the rest was just ok. The pasta itself was fresh but the chicken was very dry. Definitely not worth $18 for the dish. I will say that my mom ordered the same dish except with shrimp and said that it was very good. All-in-all, they are extremely over-priced for the quality and environment. I'd imagine the Olive Garden is better and cheaper.
(2)Kyle V.
Make sure to hit this place up when bottles are half price, i think its tuesday or wednesday. i could be wrong.
(3)Taylor O.
OK describes the food well; they haven't watched enough of Giada's Everyday Italian on the Food Network yet. Over five visits, the service was slow each time and the orders had one mistake twice. Nice outdoor patio overlooking the square. Overall fairly decent but you'll find a few things annoying I'm sure of it.
(3)Claire V.
Pros: Nice interior design, comfortable, private. Friendly waitstaff. Enjoyed my cocktail. Quick service. My pasta was perfectly cooked 'al dente'. (My husband's tortellini was not) Cons: While I've had worse food, I'm not sure I've had worse Italian food. Any gas station in Italy serves better food, and I speak from extensive experience. This food was more expensive, and definitely below Olive Garden quality. (And Olive Garden is already mediocre) Furthermore, the smell and composition of these dishes were STRONGLY reminiscent of airplane food. I dare say the ingredients were identical. I am being sincere when I say that the sight and smell induced mild nausea in me. Summary: It was one trip through the microwave away from being airplane food.
(2)Mindy A.
Skip this place! Try somewhere else for lunch instead. My mom had the soup & salad combo, add scallops and shrimp, and I had the calamari po' boy & soup. My mom, who is not a picky eater, did not touch the scallops. They looked undercooked (Grazie, undercooking shellfish is NOT a good idea). So that was definitely a waste of the extra $7 it costs to get the scallops & shrimps on top of the salad. The lettuce in her salad also looked soggy, like it had been sitting out for awhile before even being ordered (just a guess). My sandwich arrived with what was probably the stalest bread and most rubbery calamari I have ever seen on a plate in the last 5 years. Also, there was some kind of weird salad/cole slaw thing on the side, which looked to include soybeans (?), peas, and red cabbage. I'm still not sure what it was since it wasn't ever listed on the menu... I took two exploratory bites and they seemed kind of sour with an off-flavor ("off" of what, I don't know). I wish the sandwich just came with chips or something. Anyways, after both of us were finished picking the food off our plates, and kind of moving it around and pretending we liked it, we left. The server politely asked if we would like to wrap up the food and take it home and we both responded "NO THANK YOU" simultaneously. And we have never spoken a word about this place since. Yuck. Worst lunch experience in years. I hope this place can get it together! I love little family owned places and prefer to support them instead of chain restaurants when I can, but not for this quality of food at this price.
(1)Nadeem P.
The service here is pretty slow, and the food average. Unfortunately the prices are above average, which yields this restauarant 2 stars. Their house salad is great, and their focaccia bread and oil is awesome. The food is not bad, I had the lobster ravioli and it was acceptable, nothing close to amazing. Go here is you have money to spend and dull taste buds...
(2)Kyle H.
Great bar for adults wanting to avoid the college/hipster crowds. Try their soup/salad lunch - great price and all you can eat. Best italian I've had in Indiana hands down.
(5)Edward B.
I was very happy with this place overall. We ended up going their 3 nights in a row for dinner! We didn't want to chance it with any other places since we were so happy with this one. The atmosphere was great...it is divided into two sections, more of a bar scene on one side with some dining tables and the other side is strictly for sit down customers. The food was the best things about this place. As mentioned in other reviews the house salad is damn good and the dressing really makes it. It is hard to screw up bread with olive oil and spices so that was delicious as well with a generous portion of spices on the plate. The broiled salmon was amazing as was the fillet. The other 3 people ordered mainly past dishes each night since it was an Italian Restaurant and they were very happy with their dishes. The desserts were also very satisfying. The only thing negative I could say about this place was the the servers could have been a little better. They were by no means bad but for as nice as this place was their level of waiting could have been better if that makes sense. They were late on drinks a few times and were afraid to give suggestions as far as what they thought we should get when we asked them. That always bothers me when someone can't give you a suggestion when you know they've had most of the stuff on the menu. All in all I definitely recommend this place.
(4)Paul L.
If you are looking for a quick bite to eat that's fast and low priced, stay away from Grazie. The service is at times very slow, and, although polite, inconsistent with your order. The prices are most definitely over priced, It didn't seem like any entrees were under fifteen dollars. I'd be fine with that pricing if the quality or quantity of the food went above and beyond. But this is sadly not the case. I was left staring at a modest plate of modest pasta and sausage. Although yummy, the food was not delicious. The desert was decent, a standard cannoli with a chocolate drizzle. The coffee and hot chocolate were decent. At over $100 for three people, Grazie is avoidable, there are other Italian restaurants with bigger portions, better food, and a rival wine list.
(3)Sidney B.
Good wine list. Decent food. Overpriced. I like that you can sit outside and the atmosphere inside is cool.
(3)David L.
Been here a few times prior to my horrendous experience during graduation weekend. Prices were jacked up for no legitimate reason, the portions were small and not worth the price, and the food was served cold over an hour after we ordered. On top of that, the service was near non-existent and way below any acceptable standards for a restaurant business. Whether or not it is a special weekend, this place should be on their game while not trying to rip off their customers. However, this particular restaurant decided that was not the case and, as a result, I will never eat at this establishment ever again. I would suggest finding a better place in town that is more local, such as Little Zagreb's, where the menu, prices, and service remain the same regardless of what "special" weekend it happens to be.
(1)Brian H.
One of the best Italian places in Bloomington, and that's pathetic considering the mediocrity of this place.
(3)Polly R.
Gratzie has very tasty Italian food but lacks in ambiance. In the 3 times I've been, the "basics" have been the best dishes- the garlic bread appetizer and meatballs are especially good. That said, the decor and layout are an odd mix of vino posters & industrial loft. Before tonight, I would have given 4.5 stars. Unfortunately, there was a business group in the back room that was EXTREMELY loud. Think Nicks on a Friday night loud. It made our dining experience extremely uncomfortable and the young staff did nothing about it. I regret choosing dinner here tonight, which is a shame. I just wanted to eat my garlic bread in peace.
(3)Robyn P.
Though the food is okay, it's nowhere near remarkable and way overpriced. My wife had the spaghetti with meatballs which she said were bland and not worth it. I had eggplant parmesan because how can you go wrong? It wasn't wrong, but it wasn't great. The cocktail menu seemed fun. Our server didn't really offer any suggestions on it. I ended up ordering a Cosmo because sometimes I get nostalgic for Sex in the City. It was lackluster and smaller than your average martini drink. Final note, one of the people in our party ordered a seafood pasta dish. As the server was placing the dish on the table, she spilled seafood sauce down the front of my wife's shirt. The server mumbled an "oops", not an apology and my wife got to smell like stinky seafood for the remainder of the evening. Blech.
(2)Ashley M.
After 6 long years of edumacation, my brother finally graduated from Indiana University. We decided to celebrate the occasion at Grazie! Keep in mind, if you're making reservations for graduation weekend, please do so at least 2 months in advance. Also, be prepared to put a $10 deposit on each member of your party, and you're not allowed to make any modifications to your reservation 2 weeks beforehand. Honestly, I didn't mind all the rules. They made sense, and it was more of an insurance policy for the restaurant. Now, let's get to the good stuff. The food. Upon arriving, we quickly found out that they were offering a fixed price menu. Unless we wanted to dine on a park bench somewhere, we were (in a word) stuck. At $55 a head, this wasn't exactly the sort of place where you dine on a budget. With 6 of us in our party, we all knew it would be an expensive bill. This led to some unnecessarily awkward bickering between my father and my brother's god parents. No matter. Continuing on with the review. If you're dining there, I recommend you request a table towards the front. It's an intimate dining atmosphere surrounded by lounge music, mahogany and art. Our party was directed towards the back room. Honestly, this back room looked like, well...a backroom. There were no tablecloths, windows or a fancy, loungy atmosphere. Sorry Grazie! You missed the mark on that one. Now onto the food, for real this time. First, we started out with a champagne toast; shortly followed by an individual serving of a eggplant garnish on baguette. From there, we had the option to chose from a Caesar salad or a tomato bisque soup. I decided on the Caesar salad. Until now, everything seemed pretty basic. I was enjoying my meal. For an entree, my parents both had the Chilean Sea Bass, and I decided on the Salmon Fillet. Both meals were absolutely delicious. Now, this food reminded me why I made the reservation in the first place. Throughout the entire meal, the service was fantastic. Regardless of the other 6 graduate families around us, our waitress remained attentive and courteous. Overall, I was pleased with my experience and the family was too. Thank you, Grazie!
(3)Mark D.
I don't know where to begin. I could give them one star or five stars depending on how you see things. We ordered $100 bottle of wine and tons of appetizers for 8 people. Everything was going fine until an hour later our waitress announced that the restaurant had absolutely no food left except for chicken piccata. No seriously... Chicken piccata only. She said it would be on the house so we ordered three of them and then called the local pizza X store and had two pies delivered. We laughed our way through the evening as table after table got up and left. Then the pizza man showed up with our pies. You can't make this stuff up. The restaurant picked up our entire tab. Except for the pizza. Kudos to the waitress and manager who dealt with the most surreal scene I've ever had in a restaurant. Shame on the owner who was present but never showed his face to apologize to any of the tables. He threw his staff under the bus and made them deal with his mistakes.
(2)Steven M.
This was absolutely the worst restaurant experience in my life. The restaurant ran out of food, literally. We sat for 2 hours waiting for our main course when the waitress suddenly announced that she was sorry but that the restaurant no longer could serve anything other than chicken piccata. Chicken piccata -- are you friggin kidding me. Never in my life. Oh -- the chicken piccata wasn't that good. Pick another place!
(1)Michael C.
We were driving by and decided to stop in for dinner. Service was great, very attentive. Ordered the Garlic Bread as an appetizer, that was excellent. The main entree's were very good, no issues. The only reason this get's 3 stars is because the pricing was out of site for Bloomington, Indiana. 3 people and almost $100. Yes, we had a couple beers but they really need to tighten there pricing up on the menu. Typical Italian food. Don't get me wrong, it was good, I was just shocked by the bill.
(3)Hannah E.
I'm really not sure why this place has such bad reviews. We went on a Sunday at lunch and it was superb. I was with my parents, my brother, and my niece (who is three). Our waitress was Lexi and she was phenomenal! One of the best waitresses I've ever had. I got the gluten free Gouda Mac & Cheese with bacon. Oh my goodness. It was to die for. It was so good! My brother got fettuccine with sausage and the sausage was so tender and delicious. My dad also got tomato basil soup which was a little spicy, but still amazing. The pita chips we got with our spinach artichoke were the best I have ever had. They didn't have a kids menu, but gladly brought my niece some chicken and noodles that she loved. When I return to Bloomington I will definitely come here. This place is awesome!
(5)Amarie B.
Overall it was just ok. The food was good, but I felt it was overpriced. The side salad was drowning in dressing (which was still pretty good). I ordered the manicotti. It was good, however for $17 I expected a larger portion, or some type of side.
(3)Robin K.
Many people regard this place as the fanciest Italian restaurant in Bloomington and has a reputation for being overpriced and snotty service. It's not that bad! It's good! The dishes are delicious and well-made and they have a lovely wine selection. It is downtown and can easily be walked to when around town and the atmosphere is comfortable. I have not received snotty service when I have been there, but I do find the prices are high for what I am being served. I have always finished my meals and enjoy doing so.
(3)Rodney H.
My daughter needed some "track food" the night before her meet so I grabbed some spaghetti and meatballs to bring back to her at the hotel. It's still under debate if I am more embarrassed about feeding this to her or that I was charged $18 for it. Nothing to this meal that left me impressed. Sad thing is the place was packed! smh........
(2)Dalia M.
Yup. Consistently blah. Did a take out order. Overpriced and incredibly underwhelming. $18 for spaghetti & meatballs? A can of Prego and boxed pasta would've been better. I'm surprised they are still in business. How can no one else make better Italian than this place?
(1)Sofia V.
Grazie is completely overpriced in comparison to the quality of the food. Everything tastes like it's been sitting around the kitchen for hours and simply reheated prior to being served. If you're looking to Italian food of this caliber you should go to Olive Garden -- not only will the food taste the same, it'll cost half the price. The only good thing I can say about the restaurant is that the service was decent. Other than that, completely a waste of money. Especially with Malibu Grill and Little Zagreb's nearby.
(2)Bryn K.
I ate here after I returned from Tuscany last year and felt like I was back in the old country. I had Manicotti and Caprese Salad and they were delicious! This is not the Americanized Italian food that Americans frequent. It is family owned and operated and has the traditional Italian fare that I love.
(5)Eric A.
Pretty disappointing. Looked great, right on the main square. But the food was extremely over-priced. The bolongese was so bland you could barely taste it; the risotto was way too salty. Salad was nothing special -- mostly iceberg lettuce. Given the prices, this was a disappointment. Hopefully we just hit them on a bad night.
(2)Ruey P.
My friend and I stopped in for a quick bite after a concert on Friday evening. Service was pathetic since the waitress seemed confused as to what we were ordering and requesting. Items on the menu were unavailable, I ordered mussles as my meal from the appetizer section. The typical bread that comes with your meal at an Italian eatery was not freshly made, it was obviously microwaved. Being the daughter of a seafood business owner, it was clear that the mussles were frozen (not fresh). Broth was underdeveloped in flavor, and the quality of mussles were low quality. Would not recommend eating here, overpriced, looks a bit dirty, and the service was subpar.
(1)Matt K.
Wild Mushroom Tortellini FTW. This restaurant was recommended to me by the front desk staff at the Courtyard and I was pleased with the choice. It was not cheap, but it was rich and delicious. The dish was $21 and did not include soup or salad. I ordered a soup to go with it for $5. This was a little overpriced in my opinion, but the portion of the pasta was significant. I didn't have any leftover, but I was too full to even consider dessert seriously. I visited on a quiet Monday. Service was friendly and kept my water refilled. I can see how other reviewers mention this as a date place. The booths are tall and give you a fair amount of privacy. I don't think I really had view of any other diners while I ate. Given the prices, I would definitely prefer to have my parents treating me to dinner here than spending my own money if I was a student. A tip for about the focaccia bread for the kitchen: please don't line the basket with a paper napkin. The napkin stuck to the bread and I had to peel off the crust to make it edible. It made for poor presentation and I also missed out on the good crust! I liked the atmosphere, service and my food. Minor things and being a little high priced keeps me from being more generous with the stars. I would give 3.5 if I could, but I rounded up because DAT TORTELLINI!!!
(4)Maracatu B.
As Italian as Olive Garden, but even more overpriced. For a downtown place, Bloomington deserves a better Italian restaurant.
(2)Mister M.
You think to yourself hhhmmm "I'm in the mood for fake italian and I want to pay too much for it". Grazie is the place for you. It's a decent place to go on a date. I mean decent as in your date is impressed by fake italian food you paying too much for it. They have decent atmosphere and the pianist is playing a nice tune, but here's the thing.... The food they make is basically as if you followed an online recipe. So go to chez-bachelor-pad and cook together with your date by following an online recipe and that will be a way better time with a less damaged wallet. Preferably learn the online recipe first and cook for her as if you can cook. Don't forget to clean up your pig sty before you bring the girl over. Preferably manipulate her into cooking the entire thing. For more dating tips keep reading my reviews.
(2)Peter P.
My experience wasn't nearly as poor as the others on this board. It could be because I went for lunch and it wasn't crowded at all. Also, there were lunch portions (much cheaper than the dinner menu). The restaurant is huge if you consider the lounge side part of the restaurant. There's even a baby grand piano by the bar. Food was good, not great. The meatballs were moist and tender, but the marinara lacked spice (perhaps they are catering to the Bloomington palette in this case). The complimentary ciabatta bread and herbed dipping sauce is a highlight.
(3)Daniel C.
Went to this restaurant for dinner during the Lotus Festival. It wasn't particularly busy and the waitress was nice, although her knowledge of their "new" menu items was minimal. She even gave ingredient information that conflicted with what was printed in the menu. For the price we paid for pasta dishes, we were disappointed to learn that virtually none of their pasta is made in house. Every dish we tried was under seasoned with muddled flavors. Overpriced. The olive oil with Italian herbs and bread brought to the table were borderline inedible. For a pricey Italian eatery you would at least think they could make decent pasta and bread. Not going back any time soon!
(1)Irwin B.
Came here with a party of 11 during orientation week solely because they accepted reservations. The servers were very pleasant (although a bit scattered) but the food was very bland and they ran out of sauce for the Papardelle at 8 PM (?????) and gave us a dish of tomato sauce that had less taste than Prego. We won't be back
(2)Nikki E.
Came here twice, once for brunch and once for an event. Simply unimpressive. For breakfast I had a veggie strata, and I wanted undressed greens instead of a choice of sides (potatoes, more veggies, toast. They gave me a spinach salad drenched in dressing and so soggy it was inedible. Friend ordered rigatoni, which I tried, and it was something I could have made 100x better at home. For the event we attended, the only good food was the cheese platter and the bread. At least the servers are moderately friendly, but I'm sad to say that Olive Garden has better food than this place.
(2)Collin W.
Ehhh this restaurant was just okay, nothing spectacular, nothing terrible. There was a group of five of us and the restaurant itself had a great atmosphere. Plenty of large tables, open areas, not too loud or busy, and does include some outdoor seating for a nice evening. We ordered a few appetizers, obviously nothing too great because I can't even remember what we got. I ordered the grilled salmon and I was fairly disappointed with it. The filet itself was decently sized however it was a long, thin piece so I could tell it was a cheap piece of farmed fish. It was also very overcooked, any minute longer and it would have been on the verge on inedible. I was looking forward to the rapini listed on the menu but when I order the dish I was told that they changed the side to a "vegetable medley" which sounded good but ended up basically being a small, handful size portion of sauteed peppers and onions. I needed to order an additional side just to fill my appetite. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their meals which is why I'm at least giving a two star review. The chocolate tart dessert was good but the gelato was nowhere close to anything that could be considered a gelato. It tasted like something scraped off a freezer door with a couple chocolate chips thrown in. Not at all creamery or smooth like a gelato should be. For being from out of town we enjoyed our visit there and were pleased with the service, but what they severely lacked in food quality made this only a one time visit for me.
(2)Steve F.
I like this place, but for the portion size it really is a rip off. I got some pasta with some veggies as I'm vegan. It was a special request not on the menu, so maybe some surcharge is in order. The dish was $20... Ok....so I also had 2 glasses of wine. I didn't know I was going to be leaving with spending $60 total....and still be hungry and not wine buzzed. I love supporting local restaurants which is why we tried Grazie as opposes to Olive Garden. I can get away with the same meal for half price at the O.G. and suggest you do the same. I do love the online reservation tool for worki.g dinners with clients.
(3)William M.
Just ok. Packed ( not sure why). No decor, tiny bathroom, tables shoved in any open spot. Food was ok, hit or miss with our group. Pricey, which is fine if it's a great experience. All in all nothing memorable , won't go back
(3)Jennifer L.
My husband and I wandered in here after arriving in downtown for the first time. I was really hungry and hoping to fill up here. We were seated immediately and the server was quick to replace our drinks when they were depleted. Lobster Fritti - The menu said it was "flash-fried" but it was unfortunately over-fried, making the inside dry and bland. I also couldn't taste much lobster. The sauce it came with, however, was yummy enough to be its own soup. Spaghetti & Meatballs - The noodles seemed like they came out of a box, which they probably did, but at least it was a decent box. The meatballs were large, didn't fall apart, and they were tasty. Gnocchi with Cherry Tomato Crudo - Best dish of the night. The gnocchi was soft, slightly sour, and relatively big. Combined with the cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, and basil, it was delightfully flavorful and filling. I don't know if I'd come back here again since the quality of the food did not justify the prices IMO, but the restaurant itself was clean, spacious, and welcoming.
(3)Kyle M.
My wife chose Grazie for her birthday in part because it is a nice place for the two of us, when we don't have our two little boys with us, and we had a Groupon deal for buy an entree, get one free. No complaints from me on that one... Made a reservation on Open Table, and noted on the reservation that we were celebrating my wife's birthday. The staff took note as the hostess, server, and others all said Happy Birthday, which was a nice touch and flattering to my wife. (bonus points for me) The food was good. Really liked the bread to start, warm and soft. The salads were not impressive. My wife got the Caesar, I went with a garden salad. It looked like the same bed of lettuce with the same Parmesan cheese. Hers had croutons with Caesar dressing. Mine had 3 pieces of tomato and 4 pieces of cucumber with my dressing of choice. Just not too imaginative in my book. Dinner was Manicotti for her, and Penne with sausage and a spicy Vodka sauce for me. Hers was good, mine was also nice. Nothing to say "Wow" but not disappointing either. We enjoyed the pace, as our server checked in often, kept our glasses full and made sure we didn't lack for anything. Portions were enough that we both brought some home for a leftover night. At the end of the meal, they brought out two little cakes with vanilla bean icing and white chocolate chips. It was enough sweet to top off the meal and not too heavy . It was a nice touch, so if you are celebrating something with Grazie, be sure to let them know. So overall, since Yelp defines 3 stars as A-OK, yeah, I'd go three stars. Without a coupon, I might go 2, as I felt like I got a pretty good value per dollar with the coupon. I gave two $$ for pricing, but we are water drinkers. A glass of wine or two will push you to $$$ most likely. That said, it was a much nicer atmosphere than the noise of some of the "chain" restaurants, so it was a good fit for the occasion. And my wife was happy... so that was the most important thing.
(3)Ashley T.
Plus - Great atmosphere. Fun drink list. Negatives - Seriously over-priced (two sodas, small app, and 2 no-meat entrees = $53 w/ tip!). Spaghetti swimming in water. Small portions for prices. Your call on good or bad - salad dressing is essentially the same texture & taste as Olive Garden. (I like that type of dressing so this is fine w/ me!)
(2)Julie S.
Grazie is a very average Italian-American restaurant. Grazie tends to be a go-to restaurant for undergraduates when their parents visit or when they're going on dates. I have been to Grazie three times and there has never been a problem with my meal, but I have never been blown away. They frequently run coupons in the local MailPak so we decided to go to dinner using a buy one entree get one half off coupon. I went last week with my brother when he was in Bloomington visiting. The drink special that night was $2.00 local craft beers so he ordered an Upland Wheat and I ordered a Diet Coke. The drinks arrived promptly but the Diet Coke was flat so I sent it back and asked for water instead, the soft drink did not appear on our bill. My server, Kasie, was wonderful, she was quite personable, helpful, and attentive. The restaurant serves a wonderful focaccia bread with an herbed olive oil. I ordered chicken parmigiana while my brother ordered chicken marsala. Our meals were served hot, however I was not blown away by the food. The chicken breast was too thick for my taste, I prefer a thinner cutlet for chicken parmigiana, and the cheese on top was not melted as much as I like. My brother's chicken marsala was very good, although the mashed potatoes were just mediocre. Although the portions are not large, I had enough food left over to bring home for lunch the next day, but I am admittedly not a very big eater. I tend to eat several small meals throughout the day rather than three square meals, so I imagine that most people would not have much in the way of leftovers based on their portion size. I imagine that the reason that many people go to Grazie is because it's one of the more affordable "nice" restaurants in Bloomington and it's great for large groups. I personally feel that the quality of the food does not warrant the price and without the coupon I would not have been satisfied by the amount of money spent for the quality of a meal we had. I would award the restaurant two stars based on the quality and quantity of the food and value. However I would award four stars based on the location, atmosphere, and the quality of the staff.
(3)Franklin D.
Weird place, badly in need of feng shui makeover. High backed plywood seating and loud music made the place look empty... but maybe a few other people in there eating. The food: Yikes... $9 for very small amount of lukewarm "spinach/artichoke" dip, accompanied by stale tri-color tortilla chips. Spagetti noodles with a few mushrooms and a "cream sauce" that just tasted like kinda-warm milk. I ordered a chicken ceasar salad for lunch, which came with a "free salad" (?) so... uhm, ok, that happened. The difference between the two... well the second one had chicken you see. The bread had a very strange flavor that maybe could have stood on its own, but was totally messed up by the trying-too-hard oil with a bunch of things that also didn't work together. I think I get what they were trying for here but ...nope, FAIL. In the middle of all this someone called in to make a "reservation", how funny is that? After that and a couple iced teas, lunch for two people wound up being $45. Ouch, not worth it at all.
(1)Anna W.
I'm actually mystified by the low rating of Grazie. My boyfriend and I came here for my birthday and used a groupon he had bought. The staff was nothing short of completely accomodating and the food was delicious. To begin, we got to our reservation way late. We would have called, but realized neither of us had the phone number. Then it took me 25 minutes to find a spot. Despite all this (I let the bf off at the door to let them know we were there) they held our table. Our groupon entitled us to an appetizer, two drinks, and two entrees. Our appetizer and drinks came out fast, but the entrees didn't. The waitress was great on keeping us updated and profusely apologizing because there was a 60-top holding up the kitchen. I appreciated that. At one point, my bf ordered a beer only to find out they didn't have any of that kind left. No big deal. He ordered another and it came out quickly (I thought). The waitress ended up taking that beer off our tab because she said we had waited too long. Nice! Our appetizer was bruschetta- which I enjoyed despite not being a huge bruschetta fan. Dave got a spinach/cranberry/walnut salad that was delcious. What was REALLY good, though, was the bread. Apparently it's vegan and they bake it there daily. For entrees, Dave got the veal parmesan (delicious) and I got the pollo con gorgonzola. I don't usually order creamy pasta dishes, but this sounded really good. (and it was). If I had any complaints, it would be that I think their menu could use a few healthier options. Overall, though, I loved my experience. OH! I forgot..they had a piano man playing Nirvana and Radiohead songs. Definitely a plus.
(5)Lyndsey C.
Never the greatest food but the service was always good and it had a good enough menu. It just never lived up to the hype that some people gave it. The valentines day dinner was always overpriced and I don't like being forced to order off of a certain menu but I did appreciate the ambience and the roses they provided. The ambience of this place was always very pleasant and it was a great location. It is just overpriced for the quality of food.
(2)MsAnthro P.
Grazie's (bad) reputation certainly precedes it, but I won a $10 gift certificate so I figured I'd give it a shot. Luckily I chose to do so during lunch when a $10 gift certificate actually makes somewhat of an impact. The lunch prices are relatively reasonable, but the fact remains that (and, yes, I am pulling out the ol' OG comparison) Olive Garden's food is actually better tasting and more reasonably priced. I had the Eggplant Parmesan (a lunch portion for about $13) and it the eggplant was very greasy and the pasta bland and watery. The sauce was nothing special. I did, however, receive good service and appreciated the decor and ambiance. (Well, with the exception of the jerky 20-something dudes in the booth behind me who made jokes about everything from Jews to retarded people to women they knew.) I also had a dessert of spumoni gelato which was a giant portion but, again, it wasn't anything special. From what friends have told me, the dinner portions don't get bigger but they do increase in price, which sounds crazy to me. This place is absolutely not resting on believable laurels.
(2)Mike K.
i believe the Veal Parmesan is the thing to get at an italian restaurant. I have my belief of what makes a good veal parm & this place kinda does the opposite. I like a tender, thin veal. Bang the veal with a mallet a couple of times. I dont think they tenderized the veal at all here. It was thick, like eating a fried steak. There was also a lot of fat on it which I dont think I experienced before. In a perfect world I like a thick & chunky marinara. They have a very very watery sauce. Like Campbell's tomato soup may be thicker. I also think the cheese blend on top was a little weird, I think there was something that shouldnt be there that was. Can't put my finger on it Anyway, the free bread was really good. Maybe there are other dishes that are good too, it looked like a nice place. Honestly, I'll probably never be in Bloomington, Indiana again but there could be some good dishes here. I would just stay away from the veal.
(2)Suphie W.
I believe I have been here, before; and I liked it! :) Basically, the interior was dark, but comfortable, and their wine selection was good... And I seem to remember no problem in terms of generosity of heapings of food (helpings?). Did I mention that the wine was good and that IU students could probably bike there easily??? Nice place. Good, comfortable seating. ~Suphie
(2)Trent T.
I'm not sure why this place was rated so low. I was skeptical at first after reading some of the reviews here, but my friend really wanted to go here. We got there and were seated promptly. The waitress was very nice and got our drinks and appetizers. I got the garlic bread, and it was a bit over done. I figured that it was going to go down hill from here, but I was wrong. We got our salad and it was great. The house dressing is very good and the pickled onions in the salad were tasty. We got our main courses right when we had finished our salads. It was perfect timing. I had the angel hair pasta with shrimp and crab, and it was awesome. Our waitress checked on us several times and our glasses were never empty. The food was great with the exception of the slightly over toasted garlic bread. All in all I would recommend going here and giving it a try.
(4)Vincent V.
After eating at Grazie, I stopped at the drugstore to buy some Plan B, as I had just been screwed in the worst kind of way. I hadn't eaten at Grazie in nearly ten years, remembering it as mediocre over-priced Italian. My friend and I decided we'd give it another chance. This was one of the worst decisions I have ever made in my life. I'll begin with the good things about Grazie. Our server was friendly and pleasant. It looked clean. Well, now that we've got the good stuff out of the way let me just say that I wouldn't eat there again if it were free. It wasn't free though, it was $45 for entree, half an appetizer. a soda, and a tip. It was so horrible it was barely edible and I would not be surprised to be ill before I finish writing this review. We'll start with the appetizer. My friend and I split a crab dip. It looked like cat food. It was the best part of the meal. It was about the worst presentation imaginable. Just a big lump of grey gelatinous fluid with chunks of crab meat in it. If you could overcome your sense of sight and pretend that it didn't look like a mix of Fancy Feast and cream of mushroom soup you might come to the conclusion that it were edible. It was $12 and we couldn't make ourselves finish it. It was all downhill from this point. As we tried to overcome the blaring elevator jazz being pumped in to create ambiance we were brought some bread that might have been good if it were hot. We were also blessed with some salad that managed to have the same slimy, rubbery texture of octopus. What's odd is that all the vegetables in the salad had the exact same texture. Lettuce, Cucumbers, Carrots... discernible only by color. I ordered asiago encrusted scallops and a cream rizzotto ($27). When I think about all the better things I could have done with $27 rather than purchase this garbage it makes me sick all over again. I would rather be mugged for $27 than eat this culinary abortion once more. I would rather set the money on fire or donate it to an oil company than eat the hideous pile of crap that I was served. The scallops might have been edible right after they were cooked, they were however pan-seared and let to sit somewhere in the vicinity of a heat lamp for twenty minutes judging by the texture. Even worse was the rizzotto. It tasted rancid. No combination of words in the english language will convey to you the horrid, despicable combination of flavor and texture that violated my mouth. Someone should notify the International Criminal Court because whatever was perpetrated against rizzotto in that kitchen I'm sure can be prosecuted as a war crime. This was a signature dish. Many a time I haven paid $40 or more and thought my food wasn't really worth it, but this might be the first time I've paid that much for food found it inedible. This place is the worst. I would rather eat at Fazzoli's.
(1)Joshua C.
Food is not that great. Barely would consider it good. It is overpriced and the owner is extremely rude.
(1)Ally L.
This place is in a great location, has a nice atmosphere, and seems to be the go-to place for people new to Bloomington to eat. However, I've eaten here several times and each visit has been all around poor. Grazie serves overpriced sub-par food served in small portions. I wouldn't mind paying so much if you got a really excellent pasta dish or a huge portion of a mediocre one, but at Grazie you get neither. A quality and taste comparison rests somewhere between Fazoli's and the Olive Garden. The menu pricing is also ridiculously high...I felt ripped off when I got the bill. If you want Italian, skip and go to the Ragazzi Arte Cafe or DeAngelos instead, both are decent choices.
(1)Tony L.
Never had a good experience. Graduation weekend 2011, $30 a plate ($10 more than usual) for microwaved-tasting food and small portions. If you want mediocre Italian, might as well go to Olive Garden off of 37 and 3rd st. At least Olive Garden gives you a good experience and you won't leave hungry.
(1)Louis O.
Awesome location downtown. The food is very plain and over-priced though. Won't be going back anytime soon.
(1)Chase W.
I'm new to the Bloomington restaurant scene, but I won't be going back to Grazie anytime soon, the menu items are way over priced for the portion sizes and the dishes are not very refined in terms of knifework and presentation. The salad was a combination of overbearing ingredients with little to no dressing to bring everything together. The service was good, but that won't make the food any more enjoyable.
(2)Z K.
Mediocre Italian food with a touch of C-class wait staff. The inside is not at all great and it is totally overpriced. The menu looks like a mix between olive garden and chillis. Definately not going back here again.
(2)oyefunke a.
Nothing to add just wanted to concur and hope that Grazie, which has a prime location and halfway decent drinks would give a rats behind, look at the reviews and either lower their prices, get a better chef (or at least better ingredients) or maybe both! Cmon, really?
(1)chelsea g.
Totally overpriced. I enjoy the choice of outside seating, but my issue is the a la carte menu. Two people should not have to pay that much for a bowl of pasta and a salad. Plus, while the food was ok, it was *just* ok. I'd rather make pasta in my own kitchen.
(2)Ed M.
A good solid Italian restaurant in Bloomington. Nothing fancy. Not spectacular but good food. The staff is gracious and accomodating. If want good Italian food this a good place to find it in Bloomington.
(3)Justin W.
The food is OK. I actually love their desserts, but I have had better pasta at a lot of places. If you are going, sit in the bar because it is a really nice area (or outside). My biggest complaint is the service isn't that great and their hours are atrocious! I wanted a table at 8:30 one night and was told they were closed. That's insane to me.
(3)Hannah E.
I'm really not sure why this place has such bad reviews. We went on a Sunday at lunch and it was superb. I was with my parents, my brother, and my niece (who is three). Our waitress was Lexi and she was phenomenal! One of the best waitresses I've ever had. I got the gluten free Gouda Mac & Cheese with bacon. Oh my goodness. It was to die for. It was so good! My brother got fettuccine with sausage and the sausage was so tender and delicious. My dad also got tomato basil soup which was a little spicy, but still amazing. The pita chips we got with our spinach artichoke were the best I have ever had. They didn't have a kids menu, but gladly brought my niece some chicken and noodles that she loved. When I return to Bloomington I will definitely come here. This place is awesome!
(5)Michael C.
We were driving by and decided to stop in for dinner. Service was great, very attentive. Ordered the Garlic Bread as an appetizer, that was excellent. The main entree's were very good, no issues. The only reason this get's 3 stars is because the pricing was out of site for Bloomington, Indiana. 3 people and almost $100. Yes, we had a couple beers but they really need to tighten there pricing up on the menu. Typical Italian food. Don't get me wrong, it was good, I was just shocked by the bill.
(3)Amarie B.
Overall it was just ok. The food was good, but I felt it was overpriced. The side salad was drowning in dressing (which was still pretty good). I ordered the manicotti. It was good, however for $17 I expected a larger portion, or some type of side.
(3)Robin K.
Many people regard this place as the fanciest Italian restaurant in Bloomington and has a reputation for being overpriced and snotty service. It's not that bad! It's good! The dishes are delicious and well-made and they have a lovely wine selection. It is downtown and can easily be walked to when around town and the atmosphere is comfortable. I have not received snotty service when I have been there, but I do find the prices are high for what I am being served. I have always finished my meals and enjoy doing so.
(3)Rodney H.
My daughter needed some "track food" the night before her meet so I grabbed some spaghetti and meatballs to bring back to her at the hotel. It's still under debate if I am more embarrassed about feeding this to her or that I was charged $18 for it. Nothing to this meal that left me impressed. Sad thing is the place was packed! smh........
(2)Dalia M.
Yup. Consistently blah. Did a take out order. Overpriced and incredibly underwhelming. $18 for spaghetti & meatballs? A can of Prego and boxed pasta would've been better. I'm surprised they are still in business. How can no one else make better Italian than this place?
(1)Polly R.
Gratzie has very tasty Italian food but lacks in ambiance. In the 3 times I've been, the "basics" have been the best dishes- the garlic bread appetizer and meatballs are especially good. That said, the decor and layout are an odd mix of vino posters & industrial loft. Before tonight, I would have given 4.5 stars. Unfortunately, there was a business group in the back room that was EXTREMELY loud. Think Nicks on a Friday night loud. It made our dining experience extremely uncomfortable and the young staff did nothing about it. I regret choosing dinner here tonight, which is a shame. I just wanted to eat my garlic bread in peace.
(3)Robyn P.
Though the food is okay, it's nowhere near remarkable and way overpriced. My wife had the spaghetti with meatballs which she said were bland and not worth it. I had eggplant parmesan because how can you go wrong? It wasn't wrong, but it wasn't great. The cocktail menu seemed fun. Our server didn't really offer any suggestions on it. I ended up ordering a Cosmo because sometimes I get nostalgic for Sex in the City. It was lackluster and smaller than your average martini drink. Final note, one of the people in our party ordered a seafood pasta dish. As the server was placing the dish on the table, she spilled seafood sauce down the front of my wife's shirt. The server mumbled an "oops", not an apology and my wife got to smell like stinky seafood for the remainder of the evening. Blech.
(2)Ruey P.
My friend and I stopped in for a quick bite after a concert on Friday evening. Service was pathetic since the waitress seemed confused as to what we were ordering and requesting. Items on the menu were unavailable, I ordered mussles as my meal from the appetizer section. The typical bread that comes with your meal at an Italian eatery was not freshly made, it was obviously microwaved. Being the daughter of a seafood business owner, it was clear that the mussles were frozen (not fresh). Broth was underdeveloped in flavor, and the quality of mussles were low quality. Would not recommend eating here, overpriced, looks a bit dirty, and the service was subpar.
(1)Daniel C.
Went to this restaurant for dinner during the Lotus Festival. It wasn't particularly busy and the waitress was nice, although her knowledge of their "new" menu items was minimal. She even gave ingredient information that conflicted with what was printed in the menu. For the price we paid for pasta dishes, we were disappointed to learn that virtually none of their pasta is made in house. Every dish we tried was under seasoned with muddled flavors. Overpriced. The olive oil with Italian herbs and bread brought to the table were borderline inedible. For a pricey Italian eatery you would at least think they could make decent pasta and bread. Not going back any time soon!
(1)Ashley M.
After 6 long years of edumacation, my brother finally graduated from Indiana University. We decided to celebrate the occasion at Grazie! Keep in mind, if you're making reservations for graduation weekend, please do so at least 2 months in advance. Also, be prepared to put a $10 deposit on each member of your party, and you're not allowed to make any modifications to your reservation 2 weeks beforehand. Honestly, I didn't mind all the rules. They made sense, and it was more of an insurance policy for the restaurant. Now, let's get to the good stuff. The food. Upon arriving, we quickly found out that they were offering a fixed price menu. Unless we wanted to dine on a park bench somewhere, we were (in a word) stuck. At $55 a head, this wasn't exactly the sort of place where you dine on a budget. With 6 of us in our party, we all knew it would be an expensive bill. This led to some unnecessarily awkward bickering between my father and my brother's god parents. No matter. Continuing on with the review. If you're dining there, I recommend you request a table towards the front. It's an intimate dining atmosphere surrounded by lounge music, mahogany and art. Our party was directed towards the back room. Honestly, this back room looked like, well...a backroom. There were no tablecloths, windows or a fancy, loungy atmosphere. Sorry Grazie! You missed the mark on that one. Now onto the food, for real this time. First, we started out with a champagne toast; shortly followed by an individual serving of a eggplant garnish on baguette. From there, we had the option to chose from a Caesar salad or a tomato bisque soup. I decided on the Caesar salad. Until now, everything seemed pretty basic. I was enjoying my meal. For an entree, my parents both had the Chilean Sea Bass, and I decided on the Salmon Fillet. Both meals were absolutely delicious. Now, this food reminded me why I made the reservation in the first place. Throughout the entire meal, the service was fantastic. Regardless of the other 6 graduate families around us, our waitress remained attentive and courteous. Overall, I was pleased with my experience and the family was too. Thank you, Grazie!
(3)Mark D.
I don't know where to begin. I could give them one star or five stars depending on how you see things. We ordered $100 bottle of wine and tons of appetizers for 8 people. Everything was going fine until an hour later our waitress announced that the restaurant had absolutely no food left except for chicken piccata. No seriously... Chicken piccata only. She said it would be on the house so we ordered three of them and then called the local pizza X store and had two pies delivered. We laughed our way through the evening as table after table got up and left. Then the pizza man showed up with our pies. You can't make this stuff up. The restaurant picked up our entire tab. Except for the pizza. Kudos to the waitress and manager who dealt with the most surreal scene I've ever had in a restaurant. Shame on the owner who was present but never showed his face to apologize to any of the tables. He threw his staff under the bus and made them deal with his mistakes.
(2)Matt K.
Wild Mushroom Tortellini FTW. This restaurant was recommended to me by the front desk staff at the Courtyard and I was pleased with the choice. It was not cheap, but it was rich and delicious. The dish was $21 and did not include soup or salad. I ordered a soup to go with it for $5. This was a little overpriced in my opinion, but the portion of the pasta was significant. I didn't have any leftover, but I was too full to even consider dessert seriously. I visited on a quiet Monday. Service was friendly and kept my water refilled. I can see how other reviewers mention this as a date place. The booths are tall and give you a fair amount of privacy. I don't think I really had view of any other diners while I ate. Given the prices, I would definitely prefer to have my parents treating me to dinner here than spending my own money if I was a student. A tip for about the focaccia bread for the kitchen: please don't line the basket with a paper napkin. The napkin stuck to the bread and I had to peel off the crust to make it edible. It made for poor presentation and I also missed out on the good crust! I liked the atmosphere, service and my food. Minor things and being a little high priced keeps me from being more generous with the stars. I would give 3.5 if I could, but I rounded up because DAT TORTELLINI!!!
(4)Maracatu B.
As Italian as Olive Garden, but even more overpriced. For a downtown place, Bloomington deserves a better Italian restaurant.
(2)Mister M.
You think to yourself hhhmmm "I'm in the mood for fake italian and I want to pay too much for it". Grazie is the place for you. It's a decent place to go on a date. I mean decent as in your date is impressed by fake italian food you paying too much for it. They have decent atmosphere and the pianist is playing a nice tune, but here's the thing.... The food they make is basically as if you followed an online recipe. So go to chez-bachelor-pad and cook together with your date by following an online recipe and that will be a way better time with a less damaged wallet. Preferably learn the online recipe first and cook for her as if you can cook. Don't forget to clean up your pig sty before you bring the girl over. Preferably manipulate her into cooking the entire thing. For more dating tips keep reading my reviews.
(2)Peter P.
My experience wasn't nearly as poor as the others on this board. It could be because I went for lunch and it wasn't crowded at all. Also, there were lunch portions (much cheaper than the dinner menu). The restaurant is huge if you consider the lounge side part of the restaurant. There's even a baby grand piano by the bar. Food was good, not great. The meatballs were moist and tender, but the marinara lacked spice (perhaps they are catering to the Bloomington palette in this case). The complimentary ciabatta bread and herbed dipping sauce is a highlight.
(3)Irwin B.
Came here with a party of 11 during orientation week solely because they accepted reservations. The servers were very pleasant (although a bit scattered) but the food was very bland and they ran out of sauce for the Papardelle at 8 PM (?????) and gave us a dish of tomato sauce that had less taste than Prego. We won't be back
(2)Collin W.
Ehhh this restaurant was just okay, nothing spectacular, nothing terrible. There was a group of five of us and the restaurant itself had a great atmosphere. Plenty of large tables, open areas, not too loud or busy, and does include some outdoor seating for a nice evening. We ordered a few appetizers, obviously nothing too great because I can't even remember what we got. I ordered the grilled salmon and I was fairly disappointed with it. The filet itself was decently sized however it was a long, thin piece so I could tell it was a cheap piece of farmed fish. It was also very overcooked, any minute longer and it would have been on the verge on inedible. I was looking forward to the rapini listed on the menu but when I order the dish I was told that they changed the side to a "vegetable medley" which sounded good but ended up basically being a small, handful size portion of sauteed peppers and onions. I needed to order an additional side just to fill my appetite. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their meals which is why I'm at least giving a two star review. The chocolate tart dessert was good but the gelato was nowhere close to anything that could be considered a gelato. It tasted like something scraped off a freezer door with a couple chocolate chips thrown in. Not at all creamery or smooth like a gelato should be. For being from out of town we enjoyed our visit there and were pleased with the service, but what they severely lacked in food quality made this only a one time visit for me.
(2)