Osteria Il Centro

Best kept secret in Kansas City, but judging by the place on Friday night, it looks like the word is out! \r \r No matter the wait, I'll keep coming back for the best Italian food in Kansas City. \r \r My wife and I had yet another extraordinary meal at IL Centro on Friday night. We get out quite a bit, but never find a place as consistent and good as here. \r \r Great staff, great food and great time! Can't wait to get back. more

My wife and I love the fact that Il Centro is our neighborhood restaurant. We love Garlic. We love the atmosphere. We love prosciutto. We love pasta. We love wine...and, we love having someone to look over a wine list with to get a selection that we might not have chosen on our own. We like to be close to the plaza?but, it is nice to be slightly off plaza as well. We love to be cozy - and that's IL Centro! more

Had my wedding rehearsal dinner catered by Il Centro and hosted in the Eggtc building on main. It took 2 hours for 50 people to be served main entrees. Very poor planning and management. GM of il Centro is an amateur and argued with me about obscene ticket times. They racked up a nice bar bill while making grandparents wait over 70 minues between salad and entree and offerred no apology when confronted. Extremely unprofessional. Extremely rude. Thank goodness the food was good, otherwise this was a complete failure as a catering job. Please look elsewhere for catering and rehearsals. Il Centro offers nothing but amateurs and crap service. more

This is most definitely the worst place in KC. I read raving reviews of this place online and decided to try it myself. Upon arrival, I was told it would be a 45 minute wait. Which is to be expected at any restaurant on a Saturday night. After waiting 45 minutes in the entry way in single digit temperatures, we moved into the front door/greeting area for the remainder of our 1 1/2 hour wait. This restaurant is loud, crowded, and poorly set up. After we finally got seated, we did have good service from the waitstaff. There were several LOUD tables, including one that had a man wearing his napkin as a mask. I realize that this is not the problem of the restaurant, however it is not good 'ambiance' as the rest of the reviews I read stated. Our salads tasted like bagged grocery store salad that hadn't been rinsed. My husband's lamb chops (ordered medium) were cooked inconsistantly. One was medium, one was medium well, another medium rare, etc. The rosemary mashed potatoes were runny and tasted as though they were nothing more than instant mashed potatoes with some seasoning on top. My chicken tagliata was horrible. The chicken tasted like a frozen grilled chicken patty with some frozen mixed vegetables on the side. This food was awful!! We only ate it because at this point we'd been at the restaurant for over 2 hours and wanted to LEAVE!!!! NEVER AGAIN! I would NOT RECOMMEND THIS RESTAURANT TO ANYONE!!!!! Also, this restaurant was full of brookside, country club plaza, JOCO scum. Pros: good waitstaff Cons: everything else more

This is most definitely the worst place in KC. I read raving reviews of this place online and decided to try it myself. Upon arrival, I was told it would be a 45 minute wait. Which is to be expected at any restaurant on a Saturday night. After waiting 45 minutes in the entry way in single digit temperatures, we moved into the front door/greeting area for the remainder of our 1 1/2 hour wait. This restaurant is loud, crowded, and poorly set up. After we finally got seated, we did have good service from the waitstaff. There were several LOUD tables, including one that had a man wearing his napkin as a mask. I realize that this is not the problem of the restaurant, however it is not good 'ambiance' as the rest of the reviews I read stated. Our salads tasted like bagged grocery store salad that hadn't been rinsed. My husband's lamb chops (ordered medium) were cooked inconsistantly. One was medium, one was medium well, another medium rare, etc. The rosemary mashed potatoes were runny and tasted as though they were nothing more than instant mashed potatoes with some seasoning on top. My chicken tagliata was horrible. The chicken tasted like a frozen grilled chicken patty with some frozen mixed vegetables on the side. This food was awful!! We only ate it because at this point we'd been at the restaurant for over 2 hours and wanted to LEAVE!!!! NEVER AGAIN! I would NOT RECOMMEND THIS RESTAURANT TO ANYONE!!!!! Pros: good waitstaff Cons: everything else more

The perfect neighborhood Italian restaurant. We eat in or pick up frequently. The menu is heavy on pastas... more

The perfect neighborhood Italian restaurant. We eat in or pick up frequently. The menu is heavy on pastas... more

This is the perfect place to meet for breakfast in KC. The menu is extensive and has choices to suit any taste. The coffee is good and the space ... more

The perfect neighborhood Italian restaurant. We eat in or pick up frequently. The menu is heavy on pastas with cream-based sauces but also has so... more

1st great food... at a good price Pros: wine selection, food, service,entree prices Cons: little tight if you have to sit in the bar area more

1st great food... at a good price 2nd great wine selection?. at a good price 3rd great service, bartenders and wait staff are wonderful 4th boutique atmosphere, a little tight but not loud They don?t take reservations and there is usually a wait on the weekends but it is worth it. Pros: wine selection, food, service,entree prices Cons: little tight if you have to sit in the bar area more

If you get there early seating will not be a problem nor will getting one of the nightly specials. It fills up early on the weekends but well worth the wait. Staff is one of the greatest in the city and the bartenders are some of the best. The food is wonderful, I very seldom order from the menu, usually taking one of the specials. Pros: Great Food, Staff, Atmosphere Cons: Small, Fills up quickly more

If you get there early seating will not be a problem nor will getting one of the nightly specials. It fills up early on the weekends but well worth the wait. Staff is one of the greatest in the city and the bartenders are some of the best. The food is wonderful, I very seldom order from the menu, usually taking one of the specials. Pros: Great Food, Staff, Atmosphere Cons: Small, Fills up quickly more

The soft light twinkles across this wonderfully intimate restaurant. The patrons of this restaurant fall in love with the ambience, the food, the wine. Signature dishes include the chicken walnut fettucini, the feta/toast, and delicious specials. Perfect for a romantic evening or a night out with friends. Pros: moderately priced, delicious, great wine selection Cons: slow, crowded more

The soft light twinkles across this wonderfully intimate restaurant. The patrons of this restaurant fall in love with the ambience, the food, the wine. Signature dishes include the chicken walnut fettucini, the feta/toast, and delicious specials. Perfect for a romantic evening or a night out with friends. Pros: moderately priced, delicious, great wine selection Cons: slow, crowded more