Cibo Sano Italian Grille

What a great place. I had the Cibo flatbread with orzo, spicy sausage and spicy marinara and it was excellent. The gelato is the real deal. The owner was experimenting with a new Whopper flavor and had the kids taste test! The service was great and everyone was super nice. Highly recommend!

This is Italian food Chipolte style. I have posted a picture of their menu board which explains their prices. I had the mini penne pasta with half Italian sausage/​half meatball. I added in mushrooms, onions and peppers. Had the regular marinara and park cheese. It was hot and tasty. Plenty for a meal. With drinks, it was 24.00 for two. The price point seems a tad high but not too bad. However, it was the gelato we enjoyed after that was fun. My companion had Nutella flavor and peanut butter/​chocolate flavor but have to say I liked what I chose the best… their popcorn gelato with peanuts, caramel and a bit of chocolate. Salty sweet goodness!

Dang tasty fare that was freshly made, hot and delish and using their IPhone app it was a breeze to use. I had the penne with spicy marinara and spicy Italian sausage with spinach, mushrooms, black olives and roasted sun dried tomatoes. Only thing is they figured we were only ordering for carry out (even though we had marked dining in on the app) so they had them boxed up for us rather in one of their big bowls. The people were real friendly and you have to try the gelatos and sorbets afterwards as well. My wife and I will become regulars here and the prices are pretty reasonable as well. Their salads looked real good as well.

This place is pretty damn good, and fillling. Not to mention it is both vegan and meat friendly which is always important for my boyfriend and I. I had a cibo with orzo, spicy marinara, and all the veggies. My boyfriend had the same but with meatballs. We were both extremely satisfied and employees were friendly and helpful. It is very much like a chipotle but a lot better!

One of our new favorite places. Lots of variety. Huge portions. The owner is usually around and is super passionate about food and welcoming customers. If there’s a line, don’t stress. Get in line. It’s worth the wait.

We just had an early dinner here and it was AMAZING. The customer service was great. A man, I’m assuming was the owner asked how are food was and then gave us free samples of the gelato (which was to die for). We ordered the flatbreads, so delicious. You can customize exactly what you want in them. Perfect little place. Will be returning again and again.

The food was good, however for the price the portions were pretty sad. Very stingy with how much they’ll give and the starting price automatically goes up 2 dollars if you want to add any meat to your bowl…

I’ve been to Cibo Sano a few times now and it has exceeded my expectations each time. They continuously add new items to the menu, which is enjoyable because it makes each experience different.
I have ordered a cibo and pasta bowl and each are amazing. I like go call Cibo Sano the «Chipotle of Italian Food.» For those of you that don’t know, a cibo is like a Mexican burrito, but instead of rice a cibo has pasta in it.
I love Cibo Sano because it is a unique restaurant and I think everyone in the Lawrence community should try it. It is run by a very nice man named Dan who is very involved with his restaurant and wants everyone who goes to Cibo to leave with a smile and new craving.
I highly recommend this restaurant. It has a great atmosphere and a cibo is good for lunch or dinner. I am highly impressed by this place and can’t wait to go back again.

Exceptionally unique concept with great service. I’ve been traveling the country and had a buddy in Lawrence recommend this spot and it did not disappoint.
I got Cibo and it was FIRE FLAME! Generous portions to say the least. I got spicy Italian sausage with the spicy marinara and all the veggies. The owner served us and was extremely polite and friendly. If I lived in Lawrence, I would definitely be back.
So if you leave in Lawrence… come here! But come hungry

Unilocal has been raving about this place and after a while I decided it was time to give ‘em a shot.
The second we got in I noticed the owner straining pasta from a pot – good sign! The veggies and meats looked fresh, which is great considering it’s like a Subway/​Chipotle kind of deal. At Subway the veggies and meats have tendencies to look not so great, but Cibo looked good! Mom got orzo with the spicy marinara and I got penne with basil pesto. Lots of meats and veggies to try out. It was hard to choose.
We both liked ours a lot. The small sizes we ordered were plenty for us. We both want to go back and try more – they have salads and wraps so we might give those a shot soon, too. These guys are definitely worth checking out!

Ordered three salads, orzo, side of meatballs. Order was for takeout. It took nearly twenty minutes for preparing the order. Two plastic cups of dressing were dropped into the bag. When we got it home one cup had spilled over the entire order.
The salads were very small and very expensive. The side of meatballs appeared to be two small pieces chopped into thirds.
The food was very common, with little taste or seasoning. Someone described this place as an Italian Chipotle. This comparison had to have been from someone that hated Chipotle.

We saw the good reviews and decided to give Cibo Sano a try… SO glad We did! Dan, the owner, was extremely friendly and the food is great! My wife and I brought all 4 kids, and we ate for a total of $ 20! Great idea to take the Chipotle model and give it an Italian twist… Will definitely come back!

Don’t let the strip mall location fool you. This place offers great food and fantastic gelato! The concept is very much like Chipotle or Subway. You pick the base of your meal — thin flatbread (think super thin tortilla), pasta or salad — the start adding meat and toppings. The food is fresh and flavorful! The portions are spot on as far as I am concerned. My husband and I each had the special, which included an entrée, drink and small gelato, and we only spent)10. That’s not $ 10/​person. That’s $ 10 total. Give it a try!

The food is great, the owner is very friendly, the staff is helpful and patient, the restaurant is clean, and on top of it all they serve gelato. What else could you ask for?

The Chipotle of Italian fresco!

This is very good! The owner is extremely nice. The food was very good and quick. I am excited for the addition of gelato as I think it will really enhance the place.

The food is great! I took my 2 young sons and other family for lunch and everyone loved it. The pasta and salad can be as healthy as you want to make it… they have great ingredients. I usually bypass the menu and just make my own creation. Haven’t been disappointed yet. The staff is friendly each time I am in and the store is clean.

I got a cibo and it just wasn’t good. The only flavor I could taste was pepper. I went there with three other people and we all got different meats and sauces and we all came to the conclusion that it just wasn’t good. The workers were nice, it’s just a bummer that the food was gross.

My friend Doug P checked-​in at Cibo Sano on Facebook while I was in India and raved about the place, so I had to give it a try when I recently returned to the States after four months abroad.
The signs in front of Cibo Sano indicating that parking is strictly for «10 minutes» and «carry out» customers only was a bit off-​putting because we had to park 50 feet away and the temperature was in the teens … brrrrrrrrr! I asked why 10 – 15 spots were reserved for carry out customers when the place was empty (when we arrived) and we were told that the signs were from businesses now closed and that they were not sure why they were still there. Paint ‘em, tear ‘em out, but do not leave them there because they makes no sense, not that many, three spots max.
The interior is modern and clean, but cold and uninviting. There is little décor and the place could use some ambiance (color, carpet, art, tablecloths). The menu is a bit overwhelming and confusing at first and the prices ($ 7.99 for pasta/​wrap/​salad) did not match those on the web ($ 5.99 on Unilocal,$ 6.99 on their website), a significant difference and false advertising if you want to get technical.
It would be very helpful to have a small menu sheet and a pencil available to check off which ingredients customers want on our pastas, wraps, or salads rather than having to memorize the numerous choices (pasta or orzo, 5 different sauces and proteins, 4 of 15 available toppings, 3 different cheeses … ouch, my head hurt!). Once we got to the counter it made a little more sense, but the labels on the window between me and the ingredients did not match up with what was in the containers … more confusion.
The employees were very friendly and helpful and our pastas were quickly assembled, coming to a little under $ 20 for two of us, including a «cheesy flat bread» ($ 2.99). I had the penne with arrabbiata (spicy tomato) sauce, spicy Italian sausage, grilled diced white onion, sautéed diced peppers, sautéed mushrooms, and Parmesan cheese. My wife also had the penne, but with alfredo sauce, sautéed mushrooms, black olives, artichoke hearts, and mozzarella cheese.
The cheesy flat bread was good, coming with a ranch dressing and Parmesan sauce for dipping. The pastas were also tasty and a decent value even at $ 7.99 (extra for protein), coming in a large bowl and a good size portion. My only complaint was that both pasta dishes were lukewarm at best, not piping hot as they should be. My wife, a native Italian, said hers was good, but tasted like a pasta salad. The manager came over and asked how our meals were, so I told him they were good, but not hot enough, giving him a couple of improvement suggestions.
The pasta and ingredients are pre-​cooked and placed in a warming table, uncovered and not keeping them quite warm enough, a potential health hazard (e.g. sausage). I recommended that the pasta be pre-​cooked al dente and dipped in boiling water for a minute prior to adding the ingredients or, better yet, adding the pasta and all of the ingredients to a frying pan, heating it for 30 – 60 seconds on the grill prior to serving. The manager, a very nice and open-​minded young man, indicated that they had tried my second option, but that it took too long and customers ended up leaving. Microwaving should not be an option, not being optimal for texture or professionalism. Personally, I would prefer to wait a few additional minutes for hot pasta, but I am not as anal retentive as many these days … hurry, hurry, hurry … rush, rush, rush … calm down and relax for cryin’ out loud!
I may sound overly critical, but as I explained to the manager, I want new businesses such as Cibo Sano to succeed and my criticisms are constructive, not complaints. To summarize:
Get rid of the «carry out» signs in front
Warm the place up a bit with some fitting décor
Make it easier for people to order
Keep the website (prices, options) current
Serve hot pasta … figure it out
In all, we enjoyed our meals and will return to see if things change for the better, making Cibo Sano («healthy food» in Italian) a contender for «best pasta value» in Lawrence, a town with a dearth of decent, reasonably priced Italian food. Another plus, you can now bring your own wine for a reasonable $ 2 corking fee, a nice option, so bring your favorite vino along and … buon appetito!
CombatCritic Gives Cibo Sano An Initial 6 Bombs Out Of 10 With Room To Grow … Bombs Are Good

An interesting concept restaurant in the location of a former sandwich shop. Cibo Sano is an Italian Chipotle Grille specializing in Italian wraps, which they oddly call «Cibos.» The word Cibo in Italian just means «food.» But the name of the restaurant, Cibo Sano, is entirely appropriate. It means healthy food, and indeed the wraps here are very healthy. For example, they offer quinoa, which is an especially healthy ingredient resembling a whole grain, but is actually a seed. I will not be surprised if this restaurant expands into a successful new fast food chain.
Unlike some Italian restaurants, this one is very vegetarian friendly, since they do not use chicken stock in their pastas or sauces. But I’d like to see them add some seafood options, such as smoked salmon.
Although they do not have a liquor license, I understand they plan to permit customers to bring in their own bottles of wine. At present, I go there only for lunch, but if they start permitting customers to bring in their own wine, I’ll be back for dinners too.