BRAVO! Cucina Italiana

First visit with friends today for lunch. Selections were average as well as portions. Lacked flavor. Chocolate lava cake a real disappointment, dry and no lava, way over priced. I rarely go to chain restaurants, but this was my friends choice. Server very pushy with regard to joining their rewards club, I passed as I will likely not be going back. I prefer stand alone owner operated places.

Great food, great service. I love the food at Bravo. Prices are reasonable and atmosphere is comfortable. I’ve never had a problem with them. Today’s review, however, was prompted by the above-​and-​beyond service I received from Lydia (a manager) while enjoying a nice business dinner with my wife and our accountants. She went well out of her way to make our evening a great one. With service like hers, I feel very comfortable in suggesting this location to anyone looking for an enjoyable evening out.

Bravo is a great step up from its little cousin, olive garden. It’s a beautiful, lavish restaurant with a high ceiling and pillars. It’s very bright and clean. I came for lunch and had the half lasagna with side Caesar salad from the lunch menu. Both dishes were HUGE! I honestly thought that i was given the full lasagna portion by mistake but the waitress assured me that was the correct size. My service was fast. I had been seated, ordered, ate, and paid in less than 35 minutes! The service was very good, and so was the food. I will say, i feel the prices here can be a bit better, granted the portions are large. This restaurant is very similar to its sister restaurant Brio, in its style, menu, taste, and happy hour. The happy hour menu looks awesome. I’ll be back to try it for sure!

Nice and quiet place. I love Italian food and was looking to try something new besides olive garden. This place has olive garden beat. The bread is amazing with the oil they serve. I had the half pasta and salad for lunch. I was worried that it wouldn’t be filling. I ate my salad and half of the pasta. The shrimp in the pasta taste fresh.

I have tried to like this place over the years but no matter what I order, it’s always disappointing. The food just lacks flavor although it looks very pretty at presentation. The atmosphere is wonderful but today when no one was in the restaurant we waited 30 minutes for a salad and soup. Turns out it was sitting there but no one delivered it. Just like many things in life, we work better under pressure and when we are really busy. Even the Sapphire and tonic I ordered I had to get a new one made. It tasted same as the first so I think the tonic was just flat or it was diet tonic. Great meeting spots for people coming from various parts of St Louis County but don’t go there for the food.

Came in for early dinner. Was seated right away. Our waitress Jenny was very nice and professional. She suggested her favorites and knew the menu well. Both my husband and I ordered the Shrimp Campanelle Al Forno. He asked for his without tomatoes because of dietary medical restraints. His came with tomatoes in it. He didn’t want to send it back so he picked around them. I thought the dish was ok. It lacked flavor and the lobster flavor in the cream sauce was weak. I would not order it again. I would come back but not order the Shrimp Campanelle Al Forno.

I will not be returning. Much better Italian restaurants in the area with better food and prices.
My friend ordered her pasta without meat as she is a vegetarian. I ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken. However, there was a mix up and my pasta was made without meat either. When I realized there was no chicken in my dish, our waitress had disappeared and had to flag someone else down to get my dish remade. Shortly after that our waitress came back to ask about dessert and had no idea about the mix up. Obviously, there’s a bit of a communication problem among the staff. When I got the correct dish it was under-​cooked. Not enough for me to send it back a 2^nd time and I was starving by this point.
Overpriced for the portions you receive.
On the plus side we did both get free desserts out of it. And they gave my vegetarian friend a discount for her dish being sans meat.
It’s connected to the West County mall, but I’ll opt for the food court next time I’m shopping.

We were a very large meeting and used the private room. The group was about 30 people.
The service was superb, the meals a bit pricy but everything was served hot.
While I won’t confuse Bravo with anything on the Hill, it is better Olive Garden.
The Lobster Bisque and the bread were very good, although the soup was very, very salty.
The Chicken milanase was dry and over cooked, and the pasta did not have a flavorful gravy or enough to cover the noodles.
They did a great job serving everyone. The server and the prompt service are the only reason they are getting 3 stars, the food quality is clearly sub par for St. Louis Italian.
Parking is still and issue as is the noise level in the restaurant.

I’m not a big fan of restaurant chains in general but BRAVO! is a little better than your average joe. It’s owned by Brio but feels a little more casual. They have very similar menus and prices but I think Bravo might be cheaper.
I was here recently for my Grandma’s birthday dinner. We had a reservation for about of 10 of us and we had plenty of room at our table. After asking our waiter brought us some of their complimentary bread that was very addicting. It came to our table straight out of the oven and backed with plenty of herbs.
I wasn’t very hungry so I went for a cup of lobster bisque soup and a chop salad. Both presented as starters but I just made a meal out of it. The soup wasn’t very good but maybe I don’t like bisques as much as I thought. It was thick and almost tasted cheesy. Also, it had pieces of shrimp in it so who knows what they used to flavor it. The salad was fine but nothing special. I also had a piece of the fried calamari and chicken, bacon, pesto pizza. They were both good but nothing special. BRAVO! may be convenient but it’s pretty over priced for the quality. Save your money and go somewhere local.

Was excited to come here, but was let down immediately. The food was very sub-​par. Poor service, no attention to detail and expected more. Don’t write bad reviews, but if you in the mood for Italian don’t gamble with this place, go somewhere you know. Got the signature dish… They should probably remove that signature…

This is a really delicious chain restaurant. A bit noisy but the food has been excellent every time I’ve been here. I ordered the salmon salad, dressing on the side and my cousin had the salmon sandwich. Mine was DELISH! And too big to finish! She enjoyed hers as well and we both had enough to take home. They also have AMAZING lobster bisque. The patio is relaxing on a nice crisp afternoon too.
Note: parking at this location is a bit of a hassle, but if you are patient (and lucky) you will find one not too far away.

Over all quite nice. The lobster bisque had salad shrimp (62+/#). Very interesting. Almost to much garnish. It was nice but did not say lobster. The had order of spaghetti and meat ball was also ok. Nothing negative or positive, totally down the middle, no statement. It was more of a straight tomato sauce and a little watery. The meat ball was very good, but again something to everybody’s taste.
There was a spicy-​ness I could not identify on the back of my tong, very slight.

What can I say? I love Bravo… I have since they had a location in Centerville, OH. The food has actually improved since then, but the quantities have become much lower. Same price or higher since then, mostly higher.
The bread and dipping sauce is awesome, the caesar salad is also a star.
Order the Ravioli Al Forno for a treat, it isn’t on the menu anymore but they’ll make it for you.
Service was good, wouldn’t complain.

February 28, 2015
Atmosphere and décor is excellent in this place. Wish I could say the same for the food and the service.
Four of us had differing items and none of us were pleased with our choices. We were here on a snowy Saturday early evening around 5:15 before going to the theatre. The house was not busy but the wait staff was very busy chatting amongst themselves. We asked 3 times for the bread service before getting it.
One person had the spicy scallops. The scallops were chopped up so much it was hard to identify any scallop at all. Spicy? Not even.
Chicken scallopini, beat to freaking death and the pasta was pasty, dried and all stuck together and not so warm. The coating on the chicken was just not any good at all. The other two plates were similarly bland, and below even ordinary expectations.
We will go somewhere else next time. Sorry folks at Bravo, but…

Happy Hour Aficionado Heaven!
Wonderful happy hour in a classy environment.
Carpaccio, gourmet flatbread, burgers beyond the mundane, shrimp Napoli and more, all for $ 4 – 6. A decent wine or great martinis for $ 5. Truly remarkable for the price and the servers are very engaging and not hard on the eyes either.

Went there for my brothers birthday.
Place was pretty empty but still really slow service.
Very rude employees and the food wasnt even good.
One of the worst chains I’ve been to.
It is odd that this place was so disappointing since Brio is pretty good and I think they are the same company.
Wouldn’t go back.

I’ve visited Bravo twice, and both visits were for special occasions.
My first Bravo experience was Mother’s Day 2012. They were busy, and service was quite understandably slow. That was 2.5 years ago, so I won’t go into details about that meal. I had not even joined Unilocal at that point. :)
My most recent visit was for a Christmas party earlier this month. My group had their get-​together in a room at the back of the restaurant. The room had two windows and an entryway, all of which could be closed off by curtains should one desire privacy. If I am remembering correctly, the room could comfortably seat about 40 people. They had five circular tables set up, each with 8 seats.
Those who organized the Christmas party had selected a few appetizers for everyone to share and had elected to provide a limited menu for the event. Everyone began with the Insalata Della Casa and then had a choice of entrée and choice of dessert.
I sampled a couple of the appetizers. The first was a Caprese Salad, which consisted of «marinated tomatoes, fresh Mozzarella, fresh basil, field greens, [and] balsamic vinaigrette.» It was quite good. I also tried the Crispy Mozzarella Ravioli, which was served with creamy horseradish and pomodoro sauces. I had mine with the pomodoro sauce. The ravioli was nicely crisped, which I appreciated.
I also had some of the bread that I believe is a complimentary part of your meal. However, receiving this bread might depend on what you order. The bread was an herbed pull-​apart bread that was served soft and warm alongside a dipping oil. I do not think the bread contained cheese, but the flavor reminded me of the biscuits you get at Red Lobster and Ruby Tuesday.
The Insalata Della Casa was a bit of a disappointment because it did not contain all of the ingredients that had been listed on the menu. It was described as «chopped greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, bacon, crispy pasta, [and] Parmesan dressing.» I had been looking forward to the crispy pasta, but I did not see it on any of the salads served at my table.
I had Grilled Chicken Marsala as my main course. The chicken was topped with a mushroom Marsala wine sauce and was served with Tuscan mashed potatoes and «seasonal vegetables.» In my case, green beans were the seasonal veggies. If you are curious as to what «Tuscan mashed potatoes» are, they tasted like regular mashed potatoes with a hint of seasoning. Maybe garlic? The dish was good, but because of the bread, salad, and ravioli I’d had, I was unable to finish my chicken.
I did not want dessert, but they gave me dessert anyway. I had the Berry Cheesecake, which was served in a small glass rather than as a slice. The glass contained a crumbly graham cracker crust that was topped with a scoop of cheesecake filling, a few berries, and whipped cream. The menu lists Berry Cheesecake as a dessert as well as a Dessert Trio which includes three petite desserts, one of which is Berry Cheesecake. I’m not sure if you get a slice if you order only the cheesecake, but I believe my serving came from the Dessert Trio selection. I’m not a huge fan of cheesecake, so I’m not really qualified to give my opinion on it. However, I will say that I ate every bit of it. It was right there in front of me, calling my name from that adorable little glass.
Overall, my main complaint about the meal was the service. They did not seem prepared to handle our group. Half of the room received salad and then their main course. The other half received their salad and main course simultaneously. Also, when the main course came out, it sat on trays for quite some time before it was served. That resulted in the food being lukewarm.
One thing I don’t like about this restaurant in general is that they have the restaurant name on their plates. They have this whole classy vibe goin’ on, and then when your meal arrives, the plate screams «BRAVO!» at you. It’s just my opinion, but that’s tacky. :P
[Disclaimer: If anyone from the party comes across this review, please rest assured that I enjoyed my meal and that I had a great time at the party. :D]
I will now end this review with a bit of lightheartedness. I’m not a narcissistic person, but I got all dressed up for this party. I never, ever say this about myself, but I thought I looked pretty dang good in my form-​fitting dress.
At some point that evening, I excused myself to make a trip to the ladies’ room. While freshening up (as we ladies say), I found the floor to be sticky. I looked down several times to see what I was stepping in, and I concluded it was simply a mop job gone wrong.
I headed back to the party, struttin’ my stuff across the restaurant in my super-​flattering dress. As I entered the party room, my husband gave me this horrified look. He said, as I sat down, «You have something on your shoe.» Sure enough, I had a huge paper napkin stuck to my shoe. Yep, that’s the Kitty I know. I hope everyone enjoyed the show. :)

Solid sunday brunch. Was not crowded at all but there was quite a wait for the food.
Kids cheese pizza. It looked really good and was a good size. The eggs and bacon came with potatoes. The potatoes were the best part. Extremely flavorful. The eggs were starting to get cold. The tuscan omelet looked really good and had a filling of spinach and cheese. Rave reviews for that one.
Overall, a decent lunch but for the price I hoped for more.

I am rather surprised at how much I enjoyed Bravo. I’m not all over chain restaurants, but Bravo is an example of one done right. Bravo is large, airy, clean, has good service, and offers good food and drinks at a reasonable price. That’s about all I’m looking for anywhere.
After wanting to try Bravo for some time, I finally got the chance when I said good-​bye to a good friend who is moving away. We gal pals went to Bravo for one last happy hour together.
And a happy hour it was! I was given a menu the size of a brochure with maybe ten cocktail and wine options and with ten small plate options on the reverse. These were classified by price: $ 4, $ 5, and $ 6. I love, love, love a simple little menu. My toasted ravioli, with cheese, was very filling and the mixed drinks were adequately strong as well as nice and sweet.
As we left, the hostess took a photo of us. I’ll miss my friend, and when I return to Bravo, I’m sure I’ll think of her.

It was Mother’s Day, so no room inside the restaurant but plenty of room on the patio, which was a very large and nice patio.
I had Sausage Tortelloni. This was pretty tasty and a huge, huge serving that I could not even begin to finish. I would get it again, but they have so many other things to try.