Manzella’s Italian Patio just marked 64 years in business, and the restaurant has all the signs of a well-loved family-operated business. I had been once before, pre-COVID, and decided to check them out again with my family. We originally planned a late lunch but realized a bit too late they are actually closed between lunch and dinner (my fault, not theirs). So, we ended up going for a very early dinner. I assumed when we arrived at 5:10 p.m. on a Wednesday, only ten minutes after they re-opened for dinner, that we would have the place to ourselves and I would be able to take some interior shots before the dinner rush. I was very surprised to find several tables already occupied in every corner of the restaurant. In fact, by the time our salads came out twenty minutes later, there were only two free tables remaining, and by the time we left, there were several couples waiting for a table.
The inside of Manzella’s is exactly what you would expect from a classic Italian restaurant. The lights were dim, with colorful chandeliers above each table. Almost all booths, with red leather and the expected red checked tablecloths, the restaurant was both cozy and casual.
As soon as we sat down, I ordered the toasted cheese ravioli appetizer ($7.75), which is something I order any time I see it on a menu. (They offer a meat version as well.) The ravioli were some of the best I’ve had. The order was large enough to split with my husband and toddler, but for a smaller main course, one person could definitely enjoy the whole plate. The ravioli were pretty small, which I actually prefer for the hand-held appetizer. They were nicely coated and toasted, with some Italian seasoning on the outside. The cheesy filling was perfect, and the ravioli were well-filled. I hate when all the filling sits at one end, and I’m left with just the toasted pasta for the final bite — not an issue here. They were served with a side of marinara, which was not too sweet and paired nicely with each bite.
Both my husband’s and my entrée came with bread — a choice of a dinner roll or garlic bread — as well as a salad. The salad was what I expected for a starter salad: lettuce, a generous slice of tomato, red onion, and croutons.
Both the garlic bread and dinner rolls were served warm. Even though I normally always go for garlic bread, I wanted the simplicity of the dinner roll this time around, and it paired perfectly with my pasta.
For our main course, my husband ordered the manicotti, and I ordered the fettuccini Alfredo.
The entrées were generously-sized portions. I stole a bite of manicotti ($20.25) from my husband, for review purposes, of course. For those who aren’t familiar with manicotti, it’s basically a massive tube of pasta filled with cheese. For an entrée, he received two, to put the size into perspective. Manzella’s version had a nice creamy filling and was topped with the red marinara. I would definitely consider ordering this for myself in the future, but not sure if I could finish a portion in one-sitting. I would personally probably consider adding meatballs to break up all the cheese.
I’m a sucker for fettuccini Alfredo and almost always order it when it’s on the menu, although it’s one of those dishes that is usually done either really well or not very well at all. I was glad to not be disappointed with Manzella’s fettuccini Alfredo ($19.50) plus chicken ($4.95). The sauce was great, not too rich or heavy. The ratio of sauce to pasta was perfect, which spoke to traditional Italian, rather than the Americanized version of Alfredo one can expect at certain Italian chains. I took about half of mine home along with one of the dinner rolls, and they both reheated pretty well.
My six-year-old ordered the kids cheese pizza, which came with a drink, and my youngest stole off of everyone’s plate, but ended up clearly preferring the fettuccini.
The kids eight-inch pizza ($7) looked delicious, but my oldest wouldn’t share, so I can’t speak to the taste. She’s a really picky eater, even with pizza, and when it came out looking very authentic and not like the usual kid’s pizza, I was afraid she may not eat it, but she ended up chowing the whole thing down without sharing. It definitely made me want to check out their pizza in the future.
We finished off the meal with a slice of chocolate cake ($6.95) to go. The cake was rich — very, very rich. It was delicious, but really one or two bites was likely enough to satisfy our sweet tooth. I would probably skip the cake in the future and try out their cannoli ($5.50) instead, which I didn’t get, and have been regretting ever since.
Overall, the food was good, and we enjoyed the casual and comfortable environment. It’s definitely not the cheapest plate of pasta in town, but we knew we were paying for quality ingredients and recipes that go back decades.
Manzella’s Italian Patio
115 S First St
Champaign
Tu to F 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. + 5 to 8:30 p.m.
Sa 5 to 9:30 p.m.