Lino’s

The service in the bar is horrible. Its busy with the Jazz guys playing but bartender is slow and not attentive, she was more attentive to other employees than the paying guests. The pasta was gummy and overcooked and the sauce was just blah blah. Why the fuss over this place is beyond me.

This was my second visit to Lino’s. The first time I ordered a plate of 2 different pastas. I got 2 pastas dumped on a plate with red sauce poured over the top of both. The reason for different shapes of pasta is that they go with different kinds of sauce, but this was one plate of bland. The red sauce looked and tasted like it could come from a can. Seriously, a 10 year old could have cooked the meal. There appeared to be no fresh herbs or anything to make this special. The bread that is served tastes like crescent roll dough. As in, again, something canned or frozen or otherwise mass produced.
On my second visit I had the fettuccine alfredo. HELLO, it was fantastic! The sauce was a little grainy but I hope that means it was made from scratch. I took that as a good sign. It was creamy and rich and delicious.
My husband had veal Parmesan. It was not crispy as it should have been, but the flavor was good. His side was pasta with red sauce poured over the top, again exhibiting little to no effort from the kitchen staff.
The special salad really is good and i had an excellent pomegranate martini.
What a mixed bag. Some great food, some really bad food. The price is probably a little high considering the uneven quality. I can’t call it A-​OK, so two stars is all I can give it. Maybe some day I’ll try the pizza.

Excellent pizza. Kate our server was great. The menu was intriguing and will consider it next time.

A great Italian restaurant. I ordered the egg plant Parm and my girlfriend ordered the ravioli with Alfredo. The meal arrived promptly and the waitress was very attentive. Upon telling her that this was our first time she sent the owner out and he introduced himself and thanked us for visiting. A very nice meal with great service. It’s a repeat for sure.

We love the special salad and really enjoyed the orange roughy.

Our waitress was so sweet. Food is very good. Love to the owner who came out and thanked us for coming. You can tell his family loves what they do. It was our first time there. I’m not from the area but will definitely go back.

Last night was first time at Lenos, found the best !!! Italian food in years, I remember 30 years ago having the best pasta ever. This was the same taste as I loved and could not find till Lenos pasta. Also got to meet owner and tell him how great his food was, also got to sample a piece of pizza that was also old school taste, you don’t find food or great service like this anymore. Our server was Erica and she was the best ever!!! Will return soon and often. Thanks Lenos. If we could give 10 stars we would.

I love them… we try and do the pizza, special salad and 2 liter pop for the $ 14.99 special every Friday at least… If not, we go in and order and its just great! Growing up in Chicago, Pizza is the other food group… and Lino’s has a way to making it real… people, owners, old style Italian inside eatery, ya know, close sitting, rubbing elbows, «Mangia, Mangia!”— Way better than the food chain» Olive Garden”.to commercial. Lino’s is an experience, –now, expand the park lot on each side at dine and take out and lets get some outdoor seating! ENJOY!

Double sausage pizza is amazing, the best sausage that I’ve ever had. Nice Italian themed interior, well maintained and clean. Good, friendly service with moderate prices. What more could you ask for?

Shame on me for never coming here when I lived in Rockford. I met the owner at an event elsewhere and came by to say hi while in town. The atmosphere is great and the food and service are wonderful. They do a nice job. Don’t be like me and leave town without trying this place out.

Best Italian in town. They recently raise their prices but the food is still worth the money. Amazing owners who care about their clientele and want to make the meal right. Sad when I hear people take advantage of this and say they don’t like their meal just to get a free one. Best lasagna and gnocchi in town.

Had Fettuccine Alfredo today. WOW was it good 5 stars, hug the chef, its as good as it gets. I love this place. Normally I’m a red sauce person, that’s awesome here also.
I’m glad I went for something a little different! WOW. Go There, Get it, it’s delicious.
It is REALLY that good.

Whenever I visit Rockford on work assignments, I always try to come here at least once, particularly on the evenings there is live musical entertainment in the lounge. Their bar could use some more selections of brown liquors, and am disappointed shrimp scampi is not on their menu. Otherwise, the food and service is very good.

Yum! Wonderful in all aspects! The owner came out to tell the kids about the secret ingredients… Love of the food. You could tell with every bit that these people really care about their customers! The place was clean, food came out quick, the waitress was very attentive, and we left more then satisfied. They deserve every star in this rating and I would give them more if I could.

Recmemded to me by a local. I’m in Rockford with some of my bowlers for the state tourney and the girls chose Italian. I’m glad they did, Lino’s has a lot of character and was a much better choice than a chain.
The girls all got Half and Half pastas. They all said they loved it. They got basic garden salads, I did try the special salad. It was okay. My egg tasted funny. My assistant coach got the Lino’s Chicken Special. He said the flavor was good but the breast was dry. My tilapia was awesome. I opted for the mostaccoli side. The sauce was great. I know why the girls liked their pasta so much. The bread was good to dip in the sauce as well.
The service was really slow. It was really slow. We weren’t in a hurry, but if I had been, I’d have been crabby.
Lino’s was a good find for an out of towner, I can eat at Lone Star any day.

Good food, good prices, very busy.
The little bowl of ice cream for dessert was a nice touch.
The service was okay (I think our waitress was new), but the busboy was making a huge racket with every table he cleared. It sounded like he was smashing the plates. He ruined an otherwise nice atmosphere.

We have come to Lino’s for years. My Dad grew up in Rockford and this has been a family staple for years.
The pizza is the best that Rockford has to offer. Crispy crust, sweet sauce and good toppings.
The special salad is very good and can feed at lease five when you order the family version. The fresh bread is also very good.
Some other items we have tried are the Italian beef and fries. The meat was seasoned but it’s not like other Chicago area beefs. The fries were plentiful but needed salt.
The veal Parmesan was breaded perfectly in their sweet sauce and was absolutely delicious. The side of pasta is also very good. I highly recommend this!

Went back to Lino’s this past Christmas and took the family once again. Had six of us on a Friday night. Since Maria’s is closed I guess this will be our annual spot for a dinner at Christmas time. We had reservations and the place was packed. Our reservations were for 6:30. We had to wait about 15 – 20 minutes for seating, so it wasn’t extremely bad.
We were seated in the rear of the restaurant in a booth that was next to a second booth, slightly higher than the regular floor booths. The boot was a little tight for six people to get into (especially with all having coats in the winter time), but we made do.
We ordered the house salad with sausage and blue cheese dressing. It was great. My granddaughter started eating like there was no tomorrow. Everyone loved the salad and it was better than what I thought it was a year ago. We ordered Tortellini with meatballs and it was very good. Also two of us ordered a pizza to share and that also was great. Food was excellent.
The waitress was just okay. She kept complaining a lot about all of the tables that she was working, but she did a good job.
I gave it four stars last year… I’ll up it to five stars this year and look forward to visiting again. Only drawbacks is the crowd.

Ohh Lino’s you make forget I don’t like pasta very much and that I am suppose to watch my carbs …
This place is a Rockford tradition and staple. Everybody in town has eaten here or brings their visitors here. This place doesn’t believe in letting people go hungry or even eating light. Yes, there is a «lite menu»…pfff! As mentioned in other reviews, most meals come with salad, bread and dessert. Their bread always comes out to the table piping hot and with lots of butter on the side. The salad that comes with the meals makes you forget what you ordered cause you end up ordering another bowl. Yes, it is that good! The dressing, the Italian sausage, Parmesan… too good!
As for the main entrees, pretty much everything you will get here is great. I don’t believe I ever had a bad meal here. Fridays they have baked cod or fried cod meal that is wonderful. Their lasagna is hearty, meaty and oh sooo filling. Word to the wise. portions are pretty darn big so plan on bringing back a doggie bag.

Best Italian in Rockford. The décor is great with all these little nooks and cranny tables inside walls painted like an Italian villa. It is a huge restaurant with unique places to sit everywhere, you will never be bored! All the food is wonderful and such large portions. Most dinners come with bread, salad, and a dessert. DO NOT pass the Lino’s special salad, it is great! My favorite go-​to dish is the Chicken Alfredo. Best Alfredo sauce I have ever had!
We often get the pizza and salad takeout special during the week. I believe it is a Lino’s special salad for 2, large one topping pizza, and a 2-​liter for like $ 12.99 or something.
Even though the restaurant is huge, it could get very busy with larger wait times on weekends. Try to make a reservation if you could!