So here's the deal... I grew up in NY surrounded by the BEST Italian food. Throughout my life I have traveled to different areas of the US and the world. I know how I like my Italian.I just finished eating at La Travola in Burlington Iowa. Now that's my kind of Italian!I went for lunch and had the Eggplant Parmesan! Magnificent! Real eggplant, real house made sauce, real house made salad dressing. The plating was sizable (had to request a take away box).I loved the atmosphere. This is a small restaurant - like being at Nona's house. I was seated quickly - lunch service was just starting - but by the time I left there were people waiting to be seated. Reservations for dinner service would be best.My server was Sam. She was personable, knowledgeable, and efficient.I will definitely return.Vegetarian options: Eggplant, pasta with marinara sauce salads
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stephen Waugh
First time here at my brother's recommendation. Very good food, nice and friendly staff. A lot of food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
John Friday
We had a group of 6 people and everyone raved about their meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
S E
We always go there for special occasions like birthdays and have food together. Good food quality and a pleasant environment. But they are small, so make sure to have a reservation before you go there.
The wait was a little long but the customer service was good. And the food was good. It just feels a little
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Loreena Baker
Our favorite place to eat in Burlington for special occasions. You must have a reservation.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Knots
David Skaggs
I have dined in and taken out food. The staff is extremely friendly very very nice people. I always get chicken fettuccine alfredo. Extremely delicious, and really nice portions. I will admit hard to get into sometimes but it's well worth it. I think they know the bigger you get the quality starts to go down. And with this place they have awesome quality food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Gnocchi Gorgonzola with Sausage, Garlic Knots, Chicken Parmesan, Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken
Shirley Hoenig
Food and service was great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dan Moorehouse
Upon entering you could smell the deliciousness. This small Italian restaurant had a wonderful ambiance. We ordered garlic knots and a sausage and pepperoni pizza. Thin crust with nice leopard spotting underneath. The sausage was delicious with a fennel forward taste. For those who like lots of sauce on their pizza this may not be for you. For me this pizza had a well balanced flavor. This place is definitely worth a drive.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Knots
Colleen Heibner
All fine until our party of four were told as soon as we paid our bills with large tips that others were waiting for our table and we were expected to leave.We had a reservation and had been there approximately an hour and a half having appetizers, two rounds of wine and four large entrees. Have never experienced such a rude request before in over 50+ years of dinning.
Had the Veal Parmagiana and oh my it was so tender and it was very flavorful. The ambiance is very much old school italian. Dim lighting pictures on the walls with pizza peals. I will be back to show others this amazing eatery. the staff is so funny and friendly and they know their menus. 11/10 will be
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Calamari Rings, Cannoli
Sunil Kumar Khullar
A small little Italian restaurant. Very cosy and homey atmosphere. Interiors are rich green, dark brown and light brown. Seats are comfortable. Service is quick. Servers are polite and friendly. Food is good. Especially spaghetti and their freshly made pizza. It has an open kitchen concept. Recommend to have reservations as the restaurant with limited capacity tend to be full most of the time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bruschetta
Livvy Boeck
Overall the food was more or less above average. Not quite as good as I thought it would be because if the reviews.However, the pizza was exceptional.The salad was just wilted iceberg lettuce with a few slices of red onion and two cherry tomatoes. Pretty underwhelming.Alfredo was good with a huge portion.Bolognese was pretty good- could use a little red wine I think.We also went there because one review said they do something special for birthdays but the waitress said they don’t.The overall experience would have been better if the service wasn’t nearly offensive. The server made us feel SO rushed. Asking us after a minute of being there what we wanted and coming back two minutes later and taking the order from our four year olds before we were even really ready. They also can’t read and obviously we do the ordering for them.She asked if we wanted dessert, my husband said he didn’t and she walked away before I could even give my response that I did. So I guess we will never know if the dessert is good or not? It was just overall unwelcoming.The bathroom also needs a very good cleaning. The toilet was so stained.We get much better service at Cafe Dodici in Washington and feel very welcomed there. Kind of put a damper on the birthday.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Jacqueline
The best pasta I’ve ever had! 10/10 this is a must if your visiting Burlington!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Knots, Bruschetta, Cannoli, Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken
Kyle Post
This place was recommended by others to try while traveling in the area. Small, hole-in-the-wall restaurant in an older part of downtown. Seating is very limited here. Luckily I didn't really have to wait on the day I stopped. The fettuccine alfredo with chicken was good. I expected it to have a little more flavor. The chicken was bland. They do give you a LOT of alfredo sauce, which is a nice change from most other restaurants. The side salad was okay. The waitress was fantastic!!! Super friendly and always checking in. GREAT service!
So here's the deal... I grew up in NY surrounded by the BEST Italian food. Throughout my life I have traveled to different areas of the US and the world. I know how I like my Italian.I just finished eating at La Travola in Burlington Iowa. Now that's my kind of Italian!I went for lunch and had the Eggplant Parmesan! Magnificent! Real eggplant, real house made sauce, real house made salad dressing. The plating was sizable (had to request a take away box).I loved the atmosphere. This is a small restaurant - like being at Nona's house. I was seated quickly - lunch service was just starting - but by the time I left there were people waiting to be seated. Reservations for dinner service would be best.My server was Sam. She was personable, knowledgeable, and efficient.I will definitely return.Vegetarian options: Eggplant, pasta with marinara sauce salads
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
First time here at my brother's recommendation. Very good food, nice and friendly staff. A lot of food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had a group of 6 people and everyone raved about their meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We always go there for special occasions like birthdays and have food together. Good food quality and a pleasant environment. But they are small, so make sure to have a reservation before you go there.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Chicken Parmesan, Bruschetta, Chicken Rosamorina, Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken
The wait was a little long but the customer service was good. And the food was good. It just feels a little
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Our favorite place to eat in Burlington for special occasions. You must have a reservation.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Knots
I have dined in and taken out food. The staff is extremely friendly very very nice people. I always get chicken fettuccine alfredo. Extremely delicious, and really nice portions. I will admit hard to get into sometimes but it's well worth it. I think they know the bigger you get the quality starts to go down. And with this place they have awesome quality food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Gnocchi Gorgonzola with Sausage, Garlic Knots, Chicken Parmesan, Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken
Food and service was great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Upon entering you could smell the deliciousness. This small Italian restaurant had a wonderful ambiance. We ordered garlic knots and a sausage and pepperoni pizza. Thin crust with nice leopard spotting underneath. The sausage was delicious with a fennel forward taste. For those who like lots of sauce on their pizza this may not be for you. For me this pizza had a well balanced flavor. This place is definitely worth a drive.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Knots
All fine until our party of four were told as soon as we paid our bills with large tips that others were waiting for our table and we were expected to leave.We had a reservation and had been there approximately an hour and a half having appetizers, two rounds of wine and four large entrees. Have never experienced such a rude request before in over 50+ years of dinning.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Restaurantji Recommends
Had the Veal Parmagiana and oh my it was so tender and it was very flavorful. The ambiance is very much old school italian. Dim lighting pictures on the walls with pizza peals. I will be back to show others this amazing eatery. the staff is so funny and friendly and they know their menus. 11/10 will be
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Calamari Rings, Cannoli
A small little Italian restaurant. Very cosy and homey atmosphere. Interiors are rich green, dark brown and light brown. Seats are comfortable. Service is quick. Servers are polite and friendly. Food is good. Especially spaghetti and their freshly made pizza. It has an open kitchen concept. Recommend to have reservations as the restaurant with limited capacity tend to be full most of the time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bruschetta
Overall the food was more or less above average. Not quite as good as I thought it would be because if the reviews.However, the pizza was exceptional.The salad was just wilted iceberg lettuce with a few slices of red onion and two cherry tomatoes. Pretty underwhelming.Alfredo was good with a huge portion.Bolognese was pretty good- could use a little red wine I think.We also went there because one review said they do something special for birthdays but the waitress said they don’t.The overall experience would have been better if the service wasn’t nearly offensive. The server made us feel SO rushed. Asking us after a minute of being there what we wanted and coming back two minutes later and taking the order from our four year olds before we were even really ready. They also can’t read and obviously we do the ordering for them.She asked if we wanted dessert, my husband said he didn’t and she walked away before I could even give my response that I did. So I guess we will never know if the dessert is good or not? It was just overall unwelcoming.The bathroom also needs a very good cleaning. The toilet was so stained.We get much better service at Cafe Dodici in Washington and feel very welcomed there. Kind of put a damper on the birthday.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
The best pasta I’ve ever had! 10/10 this is a must if your visiting Burlington!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Knots, Bruschetta, Cannoli, Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken
This place was recommended by others to try while traveling in the area. Small, hole-in-the-wall restaurant in an older part of downtown. Seating is very limited here. Luckily I didn't really have to wait on the day I stopped. The fettuccine alfredo with chicken was good. I expected it to have a little more flavor. The chicken was bland. They do give you a LOT of alfredo sauce, which is a nice change from most other restaurants. The side salad was okay. The waitress was fantastic!!! Super friendly and always checking in. GREAT service!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5