Antonios Ristorante & Bar

When I first moved here about 2.5 years ago, the food was amazing! It was some of the best I’d had. However, I hadn’t been for about a year, and when my parents and I went back, we all noticed the taste of the food really wasn’t the same. I asked our server if they got a new chef, but she couldn’t confirm or deny it. Bottom line, used to be a favorite spot. Now, it’s just not as good.

Food is fresh. Pastas are big. Each adult meal comes with salad. Seafood not as fresh. ALWAYS GO BACK!

Sometimes you just take your favorite restaurant for granted. I have been a regular at this restaurant for years and never thought of writing a review. In the four plus years I have been coming to Antonio’s, they have never let me down once. Everything from the food to the atmosphere to the staff is great here.
This place is great for a date. They have a wide variety of food from more casual stuff like pizza, burgers, and subs to fine steaks and the largest variety of pasta options I’ve seen around. They also have great deserts, wine, and cappuccino.
Some of my favorites here include the healthy freak combo pizza, which is a white pizza with roasted peppers, artichoke hearta, and asparagus, the jombolti, and the pasta carbonara. The stromboli is also a great option if you’ve got a huge appetite or someone to share with.

Ordered take out from Antonio’s last night. It was very delicious. Also the food was still very warm when we got it home which is a huge plus. I had the eggplant parmigiano dinner it came with a salad and side of spaghetti with fresh baked bread. My fiancé had the chicken parmigiano dinner. Both were delicious. I highly recommend! I think we spent 34 bucks and it was worth it. Portions were good. I had leftovers this afternoon to finish.

Treated ourselves to a Friday out with three kids. Service very good, the wine list is extensive, and our food was hot, fresh, and quite tasty. We had the fried veggie appetizer basket, and it was good with a delicious sauce but the veggies were a little overcooked for my taste. Our salads were fresh and generous. My rockfish special with risotto was a very generous portion for what I thought was a generous price. Two seafood dishes were also fresh and generous; we all took home leftovers to enjoy the next day. I’ll definitely go back on a date night.

If you must go don’t get the pasta. Some of the worst Italian food I have ever had. I ordered the pasta of the day… it tasted like they took a box out of the freezer and heated it up to just below warm and threw some canned sauce on it. It was awful! There is no way that this was prepared fresh like some other reviewer stated. No way.

Second time in after the gym slash Todays date and this time, YUP! it was good. So the date was a bust she was twice as large and not as nice but what the heck I like people so I stayed. I Had burger and fries. I think you guys have the best fries i have had in years burger was awesome too. I know what to get after leg day now. See you next time guys.

The pizza is very goor but the other meals are questionable. The sauce tasted like it was from a can, not homemade but I’m not sure if they advertise that it is. The restaurant is nicely decorated. It’s been awhile so I may try it out again to see if it’s gotten any better because it is a nice place for a date.

I typically order something simple, like the Calzone (minus the ham) or the breaded chicken sandwich with onion rings. Both very good, although I think it’s a bit annoying that they charge you extra if you want fries or onion rings with a sandwich, but either way, good food. Last time I went I ordered a steak salad that was a little too heavy on the blue cheese crumbles, but it was okay, I doubt I’ll get it again. The calamari is great! Service was also very good the last time I went.

Great Italian dishes prepared fresh & served quickly. try the «build your own pasta bowl»
can’t go wrong & their bar & wine selection is top notch

Mmmm Antonio’s, you stole my stomach. I had the lucky chance to come here for lunch on Wednesday. Had it not been for the group I was with, I would have never discovered this gem. First, remember how you’re not suppose to judge a book by its cover? Well, don’t judge Antonio’s based on its outside appearance, not that there is anything wrong with it. The inside is much more grandiose (think Grand Luxe Café or Cheesecake Factory) than the outside (typical strip mall storefront). I was already impressed, and I hadn’t yet had any food.
The moment I found out that there was a calzone on the menu, the rest of my brain shut down. As much as the paninis intrigued me, I had to have their calzone. For $ 9 I made the right decision! It was huge, and also the last to make it out to the table, and amazing! They only have one flavor on their lunch menu — mozzarella, ricotta, and ham — and they don’t need anymore! It was perfectly cheesy with the right amount of ham and good tasting ricotta. It also came with a side of marinara (or tomato sauce if you so preferred, though I wasn’t really sure what distinguished the two). I had half for lunch that day, and the second half the next. Polina loves her calzones!
As a drink I had some sweet tea, which tasted great. Members of my party had the 2 slice of pizza option (two LARGE slices and the peppers were freshly roasted/​grilled and looked so good I wanted to doubt my selection), panini with chips, and a salad. Everything looked great and satisfactory. Their portion sizes are ideal for the price. The one thing that is sometimes lacking is the slowish service. I declined more tea when I was asked, but when I was ready for it, it took a while to flag him down. Same thing for to-​go cups. It wasn’t even as crowded as it can be for lunch hour, or so I was told. If you’re in a rush to be in and out in an hour, you may want to save Antonio’s for when you’re not in a hurry.

First time here for my best friend’s graduation. We had a large party, and our server, who was only 2 weeks in as one, was great!
the bread with olive oil was delicious, as was the wedding soup
the only complaints i had were about the entrees. the pizza had grease just sitting on top of it and the shrimp scampi that i had was lacking in much flavor and also seemed to have too much wine in it. my brother got the new york strip and also wasn’t too impressed.

A-​ok describes this experience pretty well for me. I came here for dinner with a friend the other night, and we brought our children. I have to say, that I was pleasantly surprised at the interior. I thought it was going to be your run of the mill, Italian place, in a strip mall. However it’s done very nicely, and is much more sophisticated than most Italian places. I wish the same could be said for the food and service though. To start, we ordered the Caprese, which is one of my favorite appetizers. It looked pretty good, but when I took a bite, I realized that the cheese was bad. It tasted… sour and old. I thought maybe it was just me, but then my friend tried it. As soon as I saw her face, I knew it wasn’t just me… the cheese had definitely gone bad. When we told our server, his response was pretty funny. He said «Oh, you didn’t like the FRESH mozzarella?» Hmmmm… no, we didn’t. And it definitely wasn’t fresh either, or perhaps we would have liked it. Needless to say, our server wasn’t the best either. I used to be a server, and I know that we all have our off/​bad days. So I gave him the benefit of the doubt, and chalked it up to him having a bad day. After that we had our salads, which I’m happy to report were actually fresh ;-) For dinner, I had the meat ravioli with vodka sauce. My friend had the scallops and risotto, and our children had the spaghetti. The ravioli was very good. However their «fresh» mozzarella was on top of it :-(The kids seemed to like their spaghetti, and my friend really liked her entrée. We thought about dessert, but passed.
I would probably come back here and give this place another chance, bc I really liked the ravioli and the ambiance. Had ALL the food been good, and our server been more friendly, I would have given this place 4 stars. Next time I just hope that everything is truly «fresh», and that we get a different server.

They’re really doing a lot better now! They replaced their novel of a menu with a simple one two sided piece of paper which makes figuring out what you want to order a lot nicer. This time around my girlfriend had the burger… of course I had some of it too, it was not only cooked to spec (medium) but tasted awesome with fresh fixings.
Honestly, this place is really turning itself around! I love the new direction they’re heading.

Oh, wow. Yet another Italian family-​run restaurant in the Chester, VA area. We didn’t have enough of those, did we?
Maybe there’s not much room because Antonio’s is filling that niche so well. In my multiple experiences eating here the service has been friendly and attentive. Multiple times here, I have observed waitresses recall perfectly an 8 person table’s order 15 minutes after order placement, even with said waitress covering 5 – 6 tables. Talent, and I hope they pay the waitresses here more than the industry-​standard rate. The cheese-​steaks I’ve gotten from here are phenomenal. Last time I attended I ordered veal and it was delicious. Antonio’s isn’t a fancy Italian restaurant, don’t let it fool you. However, it’s great at what it does for the price range and all my meals here have been tasty. Worth a visit over all the other nearby family Italian restaurants.

I stopped in here this past weekend after desperately trying to figure out where to go for dinner. What a great surprise to find such a great place hidden in Chester. I am always an avid fan of the places in downtown RVA and around Carytown/​Fan district, but sometimes driving there is a hassle.
Welcome to Antonio’s where the italian feels right at home.
We went for dinner and was pleasantly surprised about the immediate seating and calming atmosphere. Between the elegant booths, to the bar seating, there was more than enough space and places to get a good seat. We ordered the sample appetizers (onion rings, friend cauliflower, fried zuchinni and fried mushrooms) and dug right in. I am not a typical fried food fan– but WOWZA — this place mixes the good with the delicious. On top of appetizers, we were given a basket of fresh garlic knots and italian flat bread with olive oil dip. To quote Rachel Ray «YUM-​O».
After almost feeling full on just the appetizer plate alone, we also ordered the soup. And to think I was just as full on our starter course, the soup was just as amazing. We ordered the shrimp soup and the clam chowder (soup of the day). If you know anyone in the area that has been here — they will tell you the shrimp soup is one of the siganture dishes they are known for, and it does not disappoint. Both soups had us sharing (and just a cup was more than enough).
By this time, I had forgotten we had actually ordered dinner. Being beyond stuffed at just the appetizer and soups we had ordered, we had a pasta plate as well. The pasta plates are huge — so we decided to share — and ordered the Pasta Carbonara (think creamy alfredo-​ish sauce with bacon). And it was heavenly. I managed to finish almost half my pasta dish– but decided it would be better to take home (and it was!).
The overall service was sensational! I was happy that the price for two people was quite lower than a dinner served in the fan (with tip) — and without having to drive for a great dinner.
If you are in the Chester area looking for a great pasta dish or pizza to go, this local spot will satisfy any italian hunger you have! Salud!

I Havent been to this restaurant in 2 years, so I decided to pay it a visit for lunch today. Around 12:00pm, it wasnt too busy inside, so I was able to be seated immediately. After being seated, I immediately noticed that there was a change to the menu. I also noticed that with the menu change, the entrée’s did not come with a soup or salad. Its possible that they might have came with a soup or salad upon request. But here is my review.
The Good:
Speedy Service: I cant speak for how busy the restaurant is during dinner time, but during lunch, I was seated, ordered my food and received it fresh and hot all within 20 minutes. I’m a stickler for speedy service, especially when I’m hungry.
Quality of Food: No this is not a 5 star restaurant, but the food was pretty tasty. I ordered the Chicken Alfredo and the chicken was authentic, noodles were cooked perfectly and sauce was addictive. One thing about the Alfredo Sauce was that it probably had half the amount of fat as the Alfredo sauce at Cheesecake Factory, so no… I did not feel my arteries clogging while I feasted on this meal.
The Bad:
Quality of Service: While I received my entrée fairly quickly, The bread that came with the meal came out with the entrée. This restaurant has very good bread and I thought it was typical for restaurants to serve bread along with drinks or shortly after. Also, Chicken Alfredo is not on the menu. The menu has a pasta section that offers only Fettucini Alfredo. If you want Chicken or any other meat you have to ask for it. You also have to ask how much the addition would cost because there is a chance the server will not tell you. With that being said, there might have been a chance that soup and salad was offered with the meal, but I was so hungry, I did not bother asking.
Overall: The food was good, it came out quickly, the cost of the food was reasonable and I was satisfied. With all that was said, it was not a perfect experience. FOUR STARS.

I like to come here and eat some good lasagna they make some of the best. The baked spaghetti ain’t bad either. And don’t forget the calamari (my spelling my be off) it is some kind of yummy. And the place is nice and clean, and the wait staff were very efficient and friendly.

Alas, another first encounter and yet another less than average experience. It started very positively, as we entered the restaurant we found a visually appealing environment, a nice plus to most eateries we have encountered here.
The menu touched most of the basics of an Italian cuisine, while not being visually overwhelming. My wife selected the lasagna, my son the kid’s ravioli and I the vegetarian lasagna. First to arrive were the salads. The largely romaine based salad was of nice size and very fresh. Next out was the bread, which my son and I loved. It was slightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, with a slightly sweet taste.
Sadly, the grandness of the precursors of the experience all went for naught upon the arrival of the main courses. I will summarize it by saying they might as well have saved all of the other ingredients, excepting the tomato, and it would have tasted the same. The veggie lasagna, which appeared to include carrot, corn and eggplant. All were flavorless. I also tasted my wife’s and son’s dishes, with the same outcome.
The bill for the meals and two soda heavy diet drinks came in just short of $ 35 or about $ 30 more than a bag of salad mix and a can of Hunts.

Antonio’s moved from their old location at 12 131 S Chalkley Rd (east of the Wal-​Mart on Rt 10) to the plaza to the west of the Wal-​Mart. Their new address is 11 956 Iron Bridge Plaza.
They have great sandwiches, pizza and Italian dishes.