Milano Cafe

Easily my favorite restaurant in Lima. I’ve never had a disappointing meal. The service is prompt and courteous. The prices are reasonable. They have a nice bar with seating at the bar or tables. I highly recommend the pasta and meatballs.

We live in Utah, so going to Milano’s is a sometime thing, but we’ve been there 4 – 5 times over the years. Whenever we are in Europe, and we are there a lot, I go out of my way to eat pork, veal, and chicken because the European version of each of these is far superior to what we get stuck with in America, but Milano’s veal comes closer to what veal is supposed to be than we have ever found anywhere else in the USA.

Really nice.
Food was great. Nicely prepared & seasoned.
Service great.
Atmosphere wonderful.
Definitely will return.

We have driven by the place several times and always said we needed to stop. We tried it last night and now we can say we have. The food had a lack of seasoning. Everything tasted the same, bland. Way over priced for what you get. I will say the staff was friendly.

The best way to describe this place is a diamond in the rough! My boyfriend and I arrived around 930pm on a Friday night. The atmosphere was clean and somewhat romantic but laid back. The staff were very friendly and attentive! We began with the calamari in a sauce consisting of olive oil, lemon, parsley and pepperoncini and it was heavenly! I ordered a chicken dish topped with marsala sauce with a side of vegetables. My boyfriend had angel hair pasta topped with shrimp, calamari and scallops. Both of our dishes came with salads with their house dressing and we both said yes to bleu cheese on our salads. Their dressing with bleu cheese and kalamata olives blended together beautifully on the salads. Our entrees did not disappoint. My chicken was fully cooked yet still moist and the vegetables were cooked perfectly being not raw and not soggy but nicely sauteed. The angel hair pasta with shrimp, calamari and scallops was so good that I was picking off of his plate. Our entire meal was $ 50 not including tip. They provide both pricey and cheap items on their menu. This entire experience was fantastic and we will be coming back!

Last week was my first visit to Milano’s and yes, I am now a fan. A one star deduction because it seemed to me nearly every entrée included mushrooms… mushrooms, mushrooms everywhere and on everything. Being a hater, my options were rather limited. But the chicken parm was mushroom-​free and was excellent. Dad ordered the lasagna (alas…mushrooms included) and said it was better than the Casa-​Lu-​Al. Mom had a bowl of vegetable soup (looked good, if you like that kind of thing) and a baked potato. Soup was reported to be excellent. Our server was attentive and all of our food was piping hot… I mean straight from the oven without delay. Décor is nice, maybe slightly outdated but Milano’s is a nice place and I recommend it.

I grew up in Lima, Ohio eating Milano’s food and I eat there every time I’m in town! They have, hands down, the best sauce and homemade meatballs I have ever tasted! I have lived in NY for the past 20 years and have eaten at some of the best Italian restaurants in the city, including Patsy’s and Il Mulino’s in Manhattan, Gargiulo’s and Bamonte’s in Brooklyn, Dominick’s and Mario’s in The Bronx, and Rao’s in Harlem. None of these restaurants even come close to touching Milano’s sauce and homemade meatballs! Every time I visit Lima I look forward to two things, seeing my family and eating at Milano’s — some times I even stop at Milano’s before I go to my parents house! My favorite dishes are, of course, the spaghetti with homemade meatballs and/​or homemade Italian sausage, the homemade lasagna, and the pasta Vesuvio. If you don’t see what you want on the menu, just ask for Frank because he can probably make it for you! So if you find yourself in Lima, Ohio and want to try the best sauce outside of Italy, stop in at Milano’s for generous portions, reasonable prices, friendly staff, and great service — you won’t be sorry that you did!

I am a 3 strikes your out kind of girl. My first experience here was not so good. The apps were great, the wine was delicious but my main course was disgusting. I order chicken piccata and took one bite and was done. It was soaked in butter, it smelled awful to the point my husband even commented.
Maybe they were having an off night I don’t know but I would be willing to come here one more time to see if their performance improves.

We met my parents here for a late Sunday lunch. (There are not a lot of non-​chain options in Lima, which is a halfway meeting point.) The restaurant has a small lunch buffet on Sundays. The food was average with the pork cutlet being the best thing in the buffet. They give you a mini cannoli at the end of the meal. Since they are not my typical desert choice and I don’t have them often, it was good. Our server was very attentive, which made the dining experience enjoyable even if the food was only average.

Was disappointed with the food. Ordered veal piccata. The house salad was somewhat aged but served with a cup of blue cheese was a positive. The house dressing was fair. But by far the veal was the worse part of the meal. It was heavily breaded and too thick for piccata. The lemon and capers were not able to be found and overall the meal was bland and lacked flavor. I added squeezed lemon and it helped a little. The pasta also lacked flavor. I ordered a cannoli for dessert. The filling was a little dry. But the cannoli itself was thick and over fried. I came here by recommendation of my hotel clerk and when I saw her upon return I told her the meal was not up to her hype. I would not return.

So far the service is sub-​par the ambiance is lacking, the décor is dated…
The garlic/​cheese bread you get for free felt rubbery at best, a little time on toast would have helped the freshness.
I ordered one of the house specialties, the Asiago Sirloin, with crispy portabello and Asiago whipped potatoes, medium rare. The steak came well done, and sure didn’t look like a sirloin… anyway, the mushroom were good but slightly over seasoned. The mashed potatoes were tasteless on the other hand, and lacked seasoning…
I didn’t care for the dish and didn’t even eat half of it, when asked I did tell them the steak was overcooked, they offered to replace it, but I wasn’t interested… they did not remove anything from my check and charged me the full $ 19.99 for the entrée…
Probably won’t be back.

The food is sub-​par and incredibly overpriced. The last time we went there, we went with a large group. I ordered the Pasta Vesuvio, which is an angel hair pasta with shrimp and scallops. I only ordered it because it came highly recommended by the waiter. When it arrived I was highly disappointed. I had ordered the full portion while the person next to me had decided to split hers with another diner. I was very angry to see that our portion sizes were exactly the same, however, she had paid half price for hers. My food was dry and flavorless. The pieces of scallop were minuscule and the the shrimp were few and far between. There was not any kind of sauce and there was just a lump of pasta. While there, I also sampled the swordfish (incredibly dry and overcooked) and the chicken Parmesan (once again, dry and flavorless). For 18 dollars, I expect much more in both portion size and flavor. The service was average, and the décor was mediocre. Overall, I expected much more and was highly disappointed with my experience. The quality of the food is terrible and it is way overpriced.

I’ve been staying in Lima for 10 days now and this is the best place that I have eaten at. All of the other restaurants around here seem to be chains. The Milano Café has great pasta and salad, and the bread they bring you to start (for free) is incredible. It has cheese and garlic on it. The service wasn’t the greatest, but honestly I can excuse that for a delicious meal in a place that lacks good restaurants.

My brother and sister in law just moved to Lima and we went to dinner at Café Milano. Fantastic service. Awesome food. Terrific entertainment on Saturday night. Can’t say enough good things. If you are in Lima I promise you can’t miss this! We will be back. Many times!

Frank and the gang know how to take care of their customers. My family goes to Milano Café at least once a week and especially during lunch time. The lunch menu has great options to choose from and at great prices and a great selection. They also have an extensive wine list and great cocktails (and one of the few places that offer craft beers)
If you are visiting Lima and are looking for a fun environment with good authentic Italian cuisine, this is the place to go.

**LOCAL BUSINESS**
My family decided to book a reservation at Milano’s for Father’s Day. It had been ages since we’ve been to Lima and my father enjoyed it very much the last time. We arrived to an empty dining area, which concerned me. First off, I advocate the patronage of local establishments in any area and secondly, it doesn’t look good from a customer’s point of view. I could hear the shrill screaming of Gordon Ramsay already.
Our table service was OK, but I dare say needs to be a bit more organized. My father has been known to order food not on the menu, and it would be appropriate to check with the chef about it. The waiter said it was possible and ended up coming back for a re-​order. Collect all of your orders at once, even if you have to some research beforehand. If it were a chain, I would have let it slide but find it a necessary point to make here.
My family always makes it a point to order the bruschetta. Everyone loves it. I enjoy the sweetness of the roma tomatoes with the tangy balsamic vinegar. I tend to wait a few extra seconds before swallowing, because that’s when I’m able to pick up the Parmesan flavor from the generous amount of flakes at the top of the dish. There are multiple flavors to it, if you’re willing to be patient.
I must confess after several years of a Midwestern upbringing, my go to Italian dishes are pastas. However, I wanted to break out of that mold tonight. I’m a fan of salmon and was curious about their Grilled Salmon Limone. The description reads: «salmon fillet broiled and brushed with olive oil, lemon and fresh herbs.» Overall, I enjoyed the dish but definitely can make a few suggestions. The salmon itself was tender and delicious, however the sauce needs to be rethought. Unless I squirted lemon juice on the fish, I couldn’t taste any lemon at all. I assume it was supposed to be in the sauce itself. The most prominent flavors were vinegar and what I swear was tomato. Milano’s should focus on the citrus angle and make the lemon (or possibly lime) flavor stand out. My vegetable side was smothered in butter, making them greasier than they need to be. Steaming the vegetables would make for a crispy contrast to the fish.
As I’m reading back on my review, some of it is a bit critical. I do tend to stratify restaurants not only by location, but by approach. Milano’s positions itself as an fine dining Italian restaurant with the promise of a better time than an Olive Garden. If that’s the case, then the little things count. Milano’s is an excellent place for an Italian meal, but it would benefit greatly from polishing the brass.

Owner and staff are very friendly and it’s all about the food. A regular stop for me when I’m in Lima. Last visit, Veal Florentini which was great. You always leave there knowing you’ll be back again.

This place was pretty good! I needed vegetarian food, and they had a couple of options for me. I tried a summer fruit salad plate with sorbet for a light lunch, and it was very yummy. Service was very good, and the atmosphere was peaceful.
Ok, 6 months later I’m dropping down to 3 stars. There are two vegetarian things — pasta with red sauce or pasta with white sauce — and the server never refilled my water. I’d go back, but I’m not wanting to endorse the place.