Buona Sera

Walked in on Sunday around 6pm. Restaurant mostly full and bartender tells us it will be 20 minute wait. We say no problem and go to take seat at bar — where we looked directly at empty tables that were not cleaned off for a full 25 minutes while the bartender did less than nothing, knowing we were waiting and could see the tables, before we finally asked for our tab and left in disgust.

Not impressed with the ‘italian’ Olive Garden? Try Buona Sera.
I decided to take my Italian-​food-​loving girlfriend here for a surprise romantic date. When we pulled up we were excited to see a quant, romantic looking restaurant with charming decorations and lights.
«You outdid yourself babe.» Were my girlfriends words (take notes boys).
We walked in and were greeted with a warm smile and a delightful attitude, and man did it smell intoxicating.
«What is that haunting aroma!?»
We were seated in the back near the kitchen in a corner booth. The seating was fine, but nothing to write home about. Still, we were cozy and comfortable. There were brown ‘coloring’ mats on all of the tables in case you wanted to treat your inner 5 year old artist. #forgetaboutit
That kind of took a blow at our Sophisticated Italian Villa vibe.
Oh well. On to the menu!
Don’t speak Italian? Good luck! Most of the menu was draped in Italian Worded cuisine — to our delight! (Chef Boyardee came to the rescue for me, shout out to my childhood chef).
My girl ordered their jumbo ravioli with cheese, I induced my Inner Ron Swanson and ordered their New York Strip. It had been awhile since I went full carnivore so I was ready to devour.
The food came out, and while the steak looked impressive, the Ravioli looked like it was swimming in the Red Sea of sauce. You literally had to perform aquatic surgery to find them.
As for the steam, it was good, I guess. But I honestly think buying a cut from Target and throwing on some Montréal seasoning would have sufficed (The steak was $ 30, and was about 14oz).
The ravioli, was ok. Not much else to say there.
The romantic, Italian-​vista vibe, paired with the great service gave this review 3 stars, but I hope you had a better experience with the food than I!

Great food, incredible service. Cute and quaint too! :)

No. Try it for yourself. If you get the artichoke dip gluten free, you only get your spoon to dip in it. Pasta was al dente at least. Nothing was very impressive, or memorable. Went from hopeful to disappointed quickly. More wine didn’t help.

Excellent authentic Italian food great service

Yuck. On the plus side, it’s locally owned and the atmosphere is warm and cozy.
I cannot believe that other reviewers are comparing it to Olive Garden. It might not be very good, but it’s a real Italian restaurant. You cannot compare it Olive Garden.
We had been here once before in the summer sitting out on the patio. It was lovely, service was good, and the food was fine, but not great. It was a nice enough evening that we looked forward to returning.
Fast forward a couple of months, we went on a Friday night and were seated promptly in a cozy booth. The waiter was just weird and strangely intimidating. The wine he recommended was not good, nor was the replacement glass, and he had a little attitude. The «homemade» bread was stale and old looking. The fried calamari was good. The chicken parmigiana was enormous, but oily and the sauce was tasteless. I forget what my husband had, but he did not enjoy it. Still trying to salvage the meal, we ordered the homemade tiramisu, which the waiter promoted as the best ever, so delicious, everyone loves it. It was terrible, we didn’t even finish it. We went home feeling queasy. We were so disappointed, because it would be nice to have have a good, non-​chain Italian restaurant in the neighborhood.

Champlin’s hidden gem! Nice menu selection, full bar, and impressive wine list. Their Cacciatore is to die for. Servers are very attentive and pleasant. This place is packed with locals during dinner rush, but isn’t that a good sign? They also take reservations.

Ambience was spot on. Food was authentic and delicious. The service was top notch. I continue to frequent here when I am in the area.

We went here for date night and as always it had amazing food and a great waiter. This place is amazing. I cannot go the olive garden ever again as compaired to the real Italian pastas served here olive garden tastes like dog food.

Great food, a little odd with the interior by hey, it’s Champlin. I’ve had a few different items on the menu and never been disappointed. Very nice and helpful people working there.

My boyfriend and I went here on a whim to try something new and we both loved it. I loved the quiet neighborhood and homey feel. It’s an old converted house, so parking wasn’t super great. We found an awkward spot at the back of the lot. I’d carpool if you’re coming with a group. Food and wine were both very very good! Prices were not bad at all, ranged from $ 6 for an appetizer to $ 26 for a meal that came with soup or salad, side of veggies, and potato or pasta side choice. Service was very good. We didn’t have a reservation on a Thursday evening and got a table right away. The food came out in a nice timely manner. Appetizers and bread were quick, soup a couple minutes later after finishing that, and main course a few minutes after finishing that. We will be back! Loved it!

We love this place! Authentic Italian food here. Made my mouth water. Been back twice, looking forward to going again! I have gone back to this place numerous times. You won’t be dissatisfied!

My friend had been raving about Buona Sera since her hubby took her there for her birthday a couple months ago. Now, it was my turn to try it with her as she had been itching to come back. I didn’t give her any push back and gladly obliged. I did hear many good things about this place from others as well.
The restaurant was in the middle of residential area in Champlin and then all of a sudden, you’d see it on a street corner. It was very unassuming and it looked like an old house from the outside.
We just got done to see the movie «Gone Girl» and apparently I missed the short clip of Ben Affleck’s manhood. I was depressed because of that (not) and need some good food to cheer me up.
The truth was I was really hungry because I only had 2 tablespoons of Flaxseed with Kefir for breakfast and a glass of Kale, Spinach and fruit smoothies for lunch. I had to balance my love for food with some yucky healthy stuff I suppose.
We started with calamari. I always want to try the calamari at every Italian restaurant on my first visit. That’s my baseline. It was good and tender. Their marinara was also nice. I didn’t care too much for the remoulade but I just refrained from dipping my squid there. They gave you a lot too but it was gone in a short while. Gone Calamari.
Soup came and it was a seafood chowder. It was quite tasty. Salad looked like a salad. I’m not wasting alphabets on salad.
I ordered the chicken parm, and my friend got the veal marsala. Another baseline of mine, I tend to order chicken parmesan or spaghetti and meatballs on my first visit. I felt if they can’t get the basic, let’s not waste $$ on the other stuff. My friend had an opposite stand. She refuses to order red sauce when she goes out as she feels she can get it at home from a jar. Ah…
Mine was really good. I asked for the penne to be changed to spaghetti. It was delicious, saucy, cheesy, and satisfying. The portion was generous too. The spaghetti was cooked just right and chicken was tender and juicy. My friend’s veal marsala was creamy and topped with abundance of mushroom. I asked to add mushroom on mine. Our server informed me that the chef said no to my request as he found it to be too hard to do and decided he was not going to do it. I thought it was the most ridiculous thing to piss off customer especially since I had to stare at all these shrooms on my friend’s plate.
The veal was nice too and it came with baked potatoes and vegetables. I had a bite and though the veal wasn’t all that tender, it had a good taste. I’m not a big veal person so don’t listen to me on the veal stuff.
We ordered tiramisu and crème brulée for desserts. My friend liked her crème brulée but she didn’t like it warm. She said it had a good taste but wished the custard was colder with warmth from the caramelized sugar. Tiramisu is my other baseline. It wasn’t the best one I had but it was tasty enough. I didn’t need the chocolate sauce though.
Service was fine. Our server was okay and attentive. The runner spilled water on our table when we just arrived and made my friend’s napkin wet. She asked for a new napkin and the runner brought her a new one and placed it on the wet spot. Lol.
Looking at all the foods on other tables in this small quaint restaurant made me want to come back. I just have to remember not to ask to add mushrooms and got all worked up from being denied my constitutional right to have mushrooms. It was still a buona sera with good friend and good food.

Took the wife over here for date night. Arrived at 6 and the parking lot was a disaster… there’s more room in my driveway than this lot. There were a few people eating on the patio and it looked really nice out there. We went in through a small vestibule (which smelled like death, by the way) and then entered into the bar /​hostess area. The hostess was very welcoming. We were seated right away.
The dining area is pretty tight, I’d liken it to my kid’s 2^nd grade classrooms… the tables were as close together as desks in a classroom. Whenever someone would walk by, you could feel them brush the back of your chair (I felt like Godzilla walking around Japan while I was in the restaurant because the ceiling was so low).
All that being said, the menu was strong and when the food came out it good (had to add a little salt, but otherwise, it was seasoned well). We had typical Italian fare (ravioli’s and chicken parm). We finished with a couple of desserts and they were excellent.
Overall, a good experience. Great, friendly service, Good food. Decent ambiance. Bad parking lot. We recommend and will be back.

I was expecting much more for our family dinner here. Heard great things about it, but just didn’t deliver.
Thumbs up:
Can accommodate big groups (10+)
In the burbs, need more eateries here
Decent C.S.
Thumbs down:
You DON’T get what you pay for, $$ for eh, meh food (we ordered steak, pasta, lasagna, salad, apps. Steak was bland and not cooked right, my salad was less then appetizing)
Hardly any vegetarian options
Noisy too close and cluttery
May give it another try, but doubtful.

Last night I took some clients out for a dinner at Buono Sera in Champlin, MN. It is an authentic Italian restaurant on 11 949 West River Rd. This is their motto:
Buona Sera is a cozy neighborhood restaurant and wine bar featuring the wonderful and authentic Italian recipes of renowned chef, Raffaele Virgillo. When you walk in the door you’re treated like family. Enjoy good food, good wine, good company and of course, a Good Night.
I have to agree. We were greeted by the staff warmly and seated promptly. The ambience IS cozy as the restaurant is not large but seems roomy.
We started with a glass of wine that was recommended to us by our server who is very knowledgeable given the amount of wines to choose from and it was a perfect fit!
We placed our order starting with the walleye cakes that were outstanding! Very highly recommended! Our entrees consisted of the Balsamic Pollo with chicken, lobster ravioli, lasagne, and the surf and turf. The portions are the perfect size as they are accompanied with soup or salad and vegetables of your choice along with a basket of delicious homemade bread. Believe me, you will be contently full. The flavors meld together well.
The chef came out to greet us and asked how are meals were. Very friendly and concerned that we enjoyed it all. We assured him that the experience was fantastic and that we would definitely return.

Have taken my inlaws here on two occasions. Nice, independent Italian restaurant tucked away in a residential area. Food was good, but service was rushed, prices are a little high, and the place gets really noisy as it fills up.

Sat down at 7:30 reservation entrée didn’t come until after 8:30! Me and my wife just took our food to go. Manager said that the kitchen is small so it takes longer to serve everyone and that people that come here should expect to wait about 30 – 45 min to get their food. The night we went the place wasn’t even busy and our waitress was not attentive. The atmosphere was nice but kind of bunched together so you will definitely hear others conversation while you eat. The dinner was OK pasta was watered down Tilapia was about as good as you could make it at home. To end on a positive note the cannolis however were GREAT!

Food was great but the ambience steals the show. Quaint little old house converted to a restaurant was a nice touch. I tried the Bolognese pasta and I thought it was pretty good although I was not a fan of the sausage used in the sauce it is still worth recommending. Drinks were also good, server made a few wine suggestions which were a hit with the wife.
We were seating fairly quickly without reservations but because if the restaurant size I recommend you call ahead for reservations because shortly after we sat down the place was PACKED!

We live near here and I have never been disappointed with the food. Fantastic Italian cuisine. Went here tonite for our wedding anniversary and enjoyed it all. Bruschetta was delicious. I had the Steak Carbonarra and hubby had NY Strip and shrimp scampi. All cooked perfect and both meals were delicious. Wine selection is wonderful and I had a glass of Malbec to accompany my steak. Yummy. Followed it all with a shared dessert of chocolate lava cake. I am still full. It is a little pricey, but the food is always so good, it’s worth it.
It is a good idea to make reservations as this is a very small and intimate place.