Ilio DiPaolo's Restaurant & Banquet Facility

We drove over an hour from Rochester for Flight Night and it was absolutely worth the trip. Even though we showed up earlier than our 7 PM reservation, the staff seated us quickly and set the tone for a great night. But the true standout of the entire experience? Gina. She was genuinely phenomenal. Her energy, her explanations, her timing… she paced each course perfectly so we could enjoy every flight without feeling rushed. She was warm, fun, and honestly one of the best servers we’ve ever had. We even asked to speak to the owner just to compliment her because she made the night unforgettable. Now for the food — we tried a lot, and it was such a fun way to sample the menu. Drinks: The Martini Flight and Cello Flight were both hits. Everything was delicious, and the fall-themed flavors? So good. My personal favorite was the Pumpkin Spice martini <3 Appetizers: The French Onion Soup and Caesar Salad were incredible. Meatball Flight: All three meatballs were good. For me personally, the red sauce leaned a bit acidic — totally a preference thing — but my friend loved it, so it really depends on your palate. Pasta Flight: Same story with the red sauce for me, just not my personal taste. But the Alfredo? Amazing. And the pesto was one of my absolute favorites of the night. Chicken Breast Flight: This was the only course that didn’t fully land for me. I actually liked the Abruzzo, and my friend really enjoyed the buffalo chicken. The only actual miss was the chicken parmigiana cut. It seemed like we just got a one-off bad piece; when I cut into it, the texture felt off and chewing it was… not great. But we didn’t even bother mentioning it because everything else was so wonderful, and it didn’t detract from the overall experience at all. Dessert: The Cannoli Flight was amazing. My friend loved the classic, we both adored the caramel apple, and the pumpkin was my personal winner — it tasted exactly like pumpkin cheesecake. I LOVE pumpkin, so it was perfect. And the Amaretto Cherry Gelato? Heavenly. Smooth, refreshing, and the perfect palate cleanser to end the night on. Overall, we had such a great experience that we’re already talking about coming back. The food, the drinks, the pacing, the vibes, and especially Gina made it a fantastic night out. Highly recommend making the trip; we’ll definitely be returning!

I’m not one to do reviews but here we go… first time last night and let me say…WOW. My girlfriend and I had our second anniversary there and let me say it was an absolute pleasure. We both had the prime rib, banana peppers, shrimp…my goodness everything food wise was just delightful. If there’s a way to sell this place I’d say it’s on its service. The owner himself made rounds and made every single person in the house feel as if they were family. Our server Gina, simply spectacular. She was authentic and knew the menu like the back of her hand. Not only did she orchestrate our way around the menu with nothing less than perfection, she was also able to turn me on to not one but two wines when I’m a beer guy!!! She made us feel loved and warm, and at the end of the meal we revealed it was our anniversary and we were gifted a bottle of champagne. Bravo to the entire staff I’ve never had a dining experience quite like this. Thank you to keeping my love of the world of culinary arts and hospitality a great reminder that there’s always hope for a new and unfamiliar exciting night out. Cheers to Gina and the entire staff here’s to many more!

Excellent food. Outstanding service. Calm soothing atmosphere. This was a great experience and I will definitely return. Well done staff.

We ordered a Family Favorite meal to go. The portions were very generous and each was delicious! We have picky eaters who happily devoured dinner. 😍 There's something for everyone in the FF and the leftovers will make not cooking twice extra nice. My favorite was the baked ziti with cheese. Thank you Ilio's!

Great place for a nice Italian meal with a family feel. Large group of ten of us and food was all great. Tried both the Italian Wedding and French Onion Soups and both were good. I personally had the Veal Parmigiana, it was cooked perfectly and the red sauce is great. Sweet but not too sweet. Large portions at decent prices. It’s cool to see all the wrestling paraphernalia on the walls. I would recommend this restaurant when in the Buffalo area. I’ve been here multiple times.

Ilio DiPaulo’s is a must-visit for anyone in Buffalo! We visited from out of town as a group of six, and they welcomed us in at a table without reservations. Shortly after we sat down, Dennis came over to our table to greet us, and instantly, he made us feel like family. He was very personable and told us the history of his family restaurant. Kaitlyn, our server was fantastic and she gave us great food recommendations. Finally, the food and wine was incredible. Each of us loved our meals and we could not recommend this place enough to anyone in the Buffalo area. Grazie!

We were in a separate room which was very cool. Disappointed in the check. A $4 kitchen appreciation fee was added. Please pay your staff better if you the owner think they deserve more. Don't charge this to your customers. And the recommended tips were based on total bill including tax. I'm not tipping the tax. The recommended % - 18%, 20%, 25%, are out of hand everywhere. Do better. I wonder if Ilio would approve.

I've been enjoying the food from this establishment for over 30 years! Met ilio before his passing, know the family now, Dennis, ilio,.and the quality and customer service has always came 1 St! I recommend everything on menu! Not only is this a famous Italian restaurant but they never say no to the american legion down the street on electric ave post 1449! Not enough I can say about Dennis and his son ilio with how they take care of everyone in the whole area whenever asked! Hats off to a deserved recognition!

CELEBRATING EVERY BIRTHDAY HERE!! If I could give my birthday dinner more than 5 stars I would. The holiday ambiance was amazing, the girls up front at the host stand are always so welcoming when you walk in. Gina was our server and she always takes the extra moment to give great service and attention. THE KITCHEN! The food was AMAZING, everything top to bottom was incredible. In my opinion; the kitchen service is the best thing to ever happen to a check. They help to cultivate the incredible dining experience just as much as the hosts, bar, servers and bussers do. Well done Ilios, keep up the incredible work. Thank you for always making us guests feel like family

This restaurant has one of the best Italian cuisine in Buffalo area! My wife and I had a dinner at DiPaolo's and we loved their pastas! We will be back!

Food was great, great variety Service was great Had 13 people and all went well Great Bar and drinks Love the cocktails

Stopped here for flight night. They do it every Wednesday night. Got the ravioli flight. Excellent choice! You get 2 sausage& broccolini w/marinara, 3 butternut squash w/alfredo & 3 cheese & creamy basil pesto. They were all good but seriously the cheese & creamy basil pesto were my favorite. Probably the best pesto I've had, not oily at all. Our waitress was great and agreed that the cheese ravioli & creamy basil pesto were her favorite. Always a busy day at the restaurant with the dinner crowd and the busy banquet rooms.

Even for a snowy midweek night, Ilios's was hopping with full dining rooms and festive holiday parties in the various banquet rooms. You can get lost in the multitude of rooms and hallways, so if you prefer wide open spaces, this may not be the best place for you. The interior decor is sports themed, mostly boxing. In the small dining room in which we were seated, there was room for about 16 guests max and the decor was football themed. If you're into a more intimate experience, this may suite your taste. The food was very good, fresh and homemade. The warm bread and dipping oil were amazing. There are parking lots but they are individually small and separated so if one is full try another. Service was excellent and on top of things.

We haven't been here for a while and my server Amanda remembered everything! She is awesome! We love the food and the great company!

First time coming here! I've always heard about it over the years and had to try it. Parking is easy and convenient. Service was great, our server was super sweet. Food came out pretty quickly. I had the lasagna. Ambiance is old school Italian, family style! I'm rating it a 3 only because I've had better, more flavorful Italian food before. Nothing wrong with this place though, it was still great!

Went for the Wednesday Flight Night. We had a reservation and our table was ready for us upon arrival. The hostess and waitstaff were attentive and polite even with it being quite busy. The food and drinks were of top quality. Resturant was clean and inviting. The flights were perfectly sized to the pricing.

Another fabulous dinner....French Onion soup was perfect and the filet mignon was done exactly as ordered. Paige was a great server

I had the pleasure of celebrating my pre birthday dinner at llio's tonight and it was amazing. Post surgery I trusted my 1st big dinner to be nit far from delicious, and they succeeded. The place smells amazing as soon as you open the door. Like walking into a beautiful wine vineyard. We we're a party of 5 , and immediately greeted by Gina our server. She was amazing and had the best personality. Now to the food... So on Wednesdays they host "Flight Night". Which consists of food and drink Flight options. Must try!! For appetizers we order Bocce Ball (my absolute favorite!!!) It was perfection. Lol okay and stuffed mushrooms & calamari. Which were both delicious. My only take was the calamari could have been a bit for crispy. Some of the girls order there margarita flights . Which came in the flavors, strawberry, peach, and lemon. They enjoyed them :) For our main courses we ordered: The ravioli Flight The pasta Flight The soup Flight ( by the way you also get soup or salad with your fights :) Chicken Marsala & Vodka pasta with meat balls and chicken. Amazing! I'll post there Wednesday Flight Night menu Finsined off with a cannoli Flight with a happy birthday song, and a visit from the owner. It was an over all Great time. 10 put of 10 recommend. Only con was it did take a whole to place the order bit once it the food was out fast . Can't wait to try other things.

This review is specifically related to the takeout. We otherwise love the restaurant and their offerings. I stopped in to get a quart of spaghetti sauce. Order came to $17.39. I almost passed out. Paid and left. When I got home, my husband was floored. We called a couple comparable places (Chef's = $12.75 + tax and Santasiero's = $7+ tax). Never again will I be ordering sauce to go from Illio's.

I went to Ilio DiPaolo's last week for the first time and it was amazing! We unfortunately did not make a reservation ahead of time and upon arrival at 7pm we had to wait around an hour and a half for a table. We went in on Wednesday night which is their "Flight Night" (a play on words of "Fight Night" as this is known as a boxing lounge). I tried their arancini's which were perfect! The owner told me that he got the recipe straight from Sicily when he went there last. I also got the meatball flight and ravioli flight. The meatball flight included one meatball with Alfredo sauce, one with vodka sauce and one with marinara sauce. The ravioli flight included cheese ravioli with marina sauce, lobster ravioli with vodka sauce and cheese ravioli with meat sauce. Everything was delicious and was certainly worth the wait. I even purchased a gift pack for my brother's 40th birthday.

We attended a banquet here for the end of the youngest's school sport season. So to preface... it was banquet food and that should set a certain expectation. The room was clean and the staff was attentive. And the space was plenty for our group. The food brought out in the trays was fairly extensive as far as banquets go: salad, pasta (cold and hot), pizza, chicken parm, green beans, meatballs... and the list goes on! The food was all cooked well (albeit the beans were a touch over-cooked), and the potatoes were perfectly whipped and fluffy. The salad was accompanied by a house Italian dressing that was delicious. The downside of the meal though was the sauce. To try to compare it to something I've eaten before... it tasted like sauce from a tin can where water had been added to the can to try to stretch the sauce. It was very unappealing... to the point I mixed the house salad dressing to try to cover the water-down taste. Again this could be because it was a banquet. So please take that for it's worth.

The ambience is just old and vaguely Italian. The service was pretty good. The waitress was very understanding of my questions about the menu, however she really couldn't answer anything. She did go and asked the chef a question, but came back with a very vague answer. She did tell me that everything is pre-portioned. This fact gives me pause. It was pretty disgusting that there was a hair in the olive oil, and one of the soups was served cold and had to be refired. On top of that the marinara sauce that my husband got with his rigatoni was inedible -very wine forward and the wine was not cooked out. The waitress was very forthcoming, volunteering the fact that she agreed , and that it was not her favorite sauce. She prefers the house sauce. To her credit, she took it right away and replaced it with rigatoni and the house sauce , which I had, and he liked. I won't return, I make better Italian food! If you want to go out for Italian food, there are much better options, like a Mulberry and Daniela- to name two.

Mamma mia! More delicious Italian food in Buffalo! Ilio's is a staple in the 716 -- for years I've heard about how lovely it is here, and how it is a favorite Italian restaurant of so many. It took me way too long to try it for myself, but I finally had the chance a few weeks ago. I met my parents here for dinner, there was no waiting as they had made prior reservations. A salad was included with each of our entrees and dinner rolls were complimentary for the table. I opted for the penne broccoli for my meal, and was immediately wowed by the portion size. I literally had leftovers for days -- and the pasta was pretty tasty, so no complaining there. My parents enjoyed their meals as well (chicken parm and a broiled fish fry). Buffalo has an abundance of Italian establishments, and Ilio's is no exception. I recommend everyone try it out at least once!

Amazing dining experience! Waitress was fantastic! Food was PHENOMENAL! And we could hold a conversation, which is unusual these days in restaurants. One of the best X-mas eve dinners in a decade.

Our waitress Carin was so attentive and very nice. The place was packed but the service was quick. A few things were a little lukewarm but the flavors did not miss. The filet with gnocchi and garlic cream sauce was the winner for tonight. I also loved that the owner/ manager walked around to each table to see how everything was, always a nice touch. Definitely will be back!

Went to Ilios on a Thursday night. Did make reservations online the night before. Thursdays are prime rib night and half priced wine bottles over $60. We sat in the main dining room, which was nice and quiet. We ordered a bottle of wine and beer. When it arrived we also got our bread and oil we ordered the veal Marsala- it comes with fettuccini Alfredo, which was different then when ordered at other places but I very much enjoyed it! We also had the prime rib, meat ravioli, and the chicken with mushrooms and artichokes (don't remember the name on the menu) all meals came with soup or salad. Everything was delicious! Definitely want to come back on Wednesday's for flight night!

Just love their food. Never had a bad meal. Decor hasn't changed much. Our server was very overwhelmed so that could have been better. Will still go back when I don't feel like cooking

We were seated at 6:45pm. By 7:12, we hadn't even received a glass of water, much less any acknowlegement from any of the waitstaff. We left. Never coming back. No Stars

Will definitely come back here to try more. This Italian food was amazing. Service was spectacular and the staff really went out of their way to help. We were here to celebrate an anniversary and they gave us a cute sign to recognize us as well as a small little champagne bottle! For dinner we tried a little bit of everything. Their hot peppers were 'award winning' but honestly they are not worth it. They were WAY too hot and didn't seem to have any flavor besides just tasting like bread (didn't taste like cheese and had 0 meat). Overall the best item is anything with red sauce. Their sauce is so delicious and even better than their store bought jarred version. There's just something about eating it served hot and fresh for you in the restaurant! The chicken parm was amazing and I would order that again. Also their Alfredo was really thick and coated the tortellini nicely. Very tasty!

Amazing Italian for any occasion. Their house made Italian dressing is my favorite! Their appetizers are always amazing, especially their calamari. They offer specials, I tried a lobster Mac and cheese. It was to die for! Service is always fast and excellent. Very quiet and quaint ambiance especially in the side room with few tables.

We went on a Wednesday for flight night. It is very popular and parking was a bit limited. Make reservations. Even with a reservation, we had to wait about 15min to get seated (not bad at all). Our server was VERY attentive and everything came out quick and hot. The entree flights (Ravioli, pasta,etc) come with a choice of soup or salad as well so that was a nice surprise but the meatball one did not. Bread was very good and so was the new arancini appetizer. We got arancini, the meatball flight, the ravioli flight, a cup of Italian wedding soup and a piece of chocolate cake all for $60. We will be back again

I've been wanting to try this place out for so long especially during their wednesday flights. I came here with my friend and although we made reservations for 7 and were on time, it still took them 45 minutes to seat us. I'm assuming it was busy because it was during the holiday season. We tried the meatball, sweet white wine, ravioli, and cannoli flights. They were all so good and definitely worth the price! Sometimes you get little portions when it comes to flights but I can say these did not disappoint. The strawberry cannoli was to die for! I would come back but probably come at an earlier time. The inside of the restaurant was decorated so cute for the holiday season.

Their food is always exceptional as well as their staff! We love going on Wednesday for their flight night of meatballs, pasta, soup, cannolis, and sometimes drinks!

How much I love and cherish my fellow Italians and this place represents Italians very well. Pasta is cooked to perfection. Sauce is mouthwatering. Service is on top of it and cheerful. Very calm ambiance with some very timid relaxing music playing over the speakers of the restaurant throughout makes for a very relaxing meal. Love this place! Highly recommend!!!

This is a classic southtowns institution. I remember coming here as a kid after going to swim practice. Sometimes ilio would be there to welcome you. Tragically he's gone now but the restaurant is thriving. We had a really nice high back booth that gave you a really nice feel when you sat there. You had the ambiance of the restaurant but the privacy of the high back bench chairs. Our waitress was top notch, not like the checked out girls with attitudes I get in Los Angeles! She was handling her tables with super high efficiency. As for the food I had a seafood pasta dish, which was excellent. The starter salad was really good and not just lettuce and tomatoes. All my friends love their dishes and we would come back and heartbeat. One of my friends who's lived in Buffalo for the last 12 years now had never even heard of it. He said he's going to bring his family back. I think that's a good vote!

I was underwhelmed either way with the food and the service. We weren't able to order our food for over 30 minutes. 33 to be exact. our server was very nice and all 9 of us tipped him. He just kept forgetting things and taking a long time to return to our table but he was very nice. I ordered the ravioli flight. It seemed that the pasta was made in-house which is good but the seasonings weren't there. That made each pasta lack flavor. None of it was nasty they simply lacked flavor. The tomato sauce for the cheese ravioli could use herbs or more herbs and salt. It tasted bland. The meat sauce for another ravioli was pretty decent. The filling for ravioli itself was tough. I was told it was beef and ricotta. The texture would say there was not ricotta and I also didn't taste any. The lobster ravioli sauce had a really nice flavor especially with the bay leaf. I only had one bay leaf but had I had bay leaf on each lobster ravioli it would have been great. I'm not a bread person but I ate so many pieces of bread with oil and butter because our food took so long to come out. Our reservation was for 7:15. My food came out at 8:49. That's unacceptable. The owner came to our table and helped deliver some plates and asked how everything was. We had literally just received our food but many people said it was good. He seemed like a nice guy. I feel like because we waited so long they could have given us an appetizer for the table for free or something.

The smorgasbord was delicious! Italian meatballs were sublime, and the Irish mashed potatoes were exquisite. My son and I loved the chicken dish. This was our third time to have Father's Day dinner there and we can't wait until next year's Father's Day.Dennis DiPaolo Continues to be as charming as ever he always make his guests feel at home and makes you feel that you're the only one in his old world family dining room . However don't make the same mistake I did and ask him to play racquetball with you . I did that back in the 80s lived to regret it for sometime. He was a world class skilled athlete back then and from his current muscular appearance things have not changed much . I didn't like getting beat back then but I remember enjoying the opportunity to hang out with him. Both him and his beloved father graces his guest tables. My son and I are both looking forward to coming back for another authentic Italian meal like we were visiting his old country.

I had their Easter brunch, and the food was outstanding. Compared to the Italian restaurants in Chicago, the prices are quite reasonable. The service was exceptional! If you ever come to this part of NY, go to this restaurant. You will not be disappointed.

Took my Aunts and Uncles out to dinner. Wonderful restaurant and great service The Place was hopping with loyal customers Loved the pictures on the wall with history of the owners

Ilio DiPaol's is fun for a family meal or date night once in a while, to soak up the old Southtowns/Blasdell atmosphere. They do the classic dishes right, though it's not haute cuisine. We had reservations and were seated almost immediately. A raucous wedding or other banquet was going on but it was only a small distraction. You feel like you're at the reception in The Deer Hunter. I had minestrone soup and chicken cacciatore. Both were tasty but overly salty. Those who ordered wine (chianti) seemed to enjoy it. For dessert, the pistachio gelato was memorable, as was the cappuccino. Friendly and courteous service. We will return.

This place makes everyone feel like family. Food is delicious and all authentic home made recipes. Highly recommend.

Great place! Food is delicious and everyone is so welcoming. History is really cool too

This is a wonderful restaurant that my family & I have been dining at for years. There is a great selection of meats, seafood and traditional Italian pasta dishes. Some of their pastas are house made. I love their Marinara sauce. Some of our favorites are the Chicken Abruzzi, Chicken Pesto, Eggplant Parm, Ravioli and Linguini with Clam sauce. Their soups are also incredibly delicious. I like the Minestrone and the Italian Wedding. Their service is impeccable. The waitstaff makes sure you're well taken care of and Dennis DiPaolo is the perfect host. He walks through the dining room and checks with the patrons at each table to ask how everything is. They give you the impression that they truly care about providing their customers with the best possible dining experience. We celebrate many birthdays and holidays at Ilio DiPaolo's. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who has not been there yet.

Stopped here on a busy Saturday evening for dinner, we did not have a reservation but they were able to seat us after a ten minute wait. The hostess seated us and our waitress greeted us promptly. The waitress took our drink and appetizer orders and returned with our drinks after a short wait. We ordered a traditional antipasto and garlic bread as appetizers. Which were promptly served. I ordered a Wrestler cut prime rib (32 oz) dinner with a cup of the chicken soup special and pasta. My wife ordered pasta with meatballs and a small salad. We also ordered a carafe of red wine. The dinners were served after a short wait and were delicious. Our waitress helped us pack the leftovers, she was pleasant and attentive throughout the evening. We could not have been more pleased with the experience, we will certainly return.

Ilio's has long been a favorite of my family. The food is delicious and the recipes are excellent. The service isn't always ideal. Some nights it's slow, and I've had trouble with takeout in the past. But they are always willing to make it right and I appreciate that in a business.

A neighborhood staple. I came to have dinner with a friend the other night. They have a huge menu "classic" Italian American food. Everything was fine. Good service and food was prepared correctly. I have a hard time with it because it's not where I would choose to go. Everything is standard and run of the mill, but usually done pretty well. You know what to expect when you go there but nothing really stands out or is that memorable. I had a wine flight which was a nice offering that is new since I was last there. 3 X 3oz pours, which was generous. I had the gluten free pasta broccoli with shrimp and a side of vodka sauce on top. I did have some home made gelato for dessert, which was pretty impressive. If you go, try the salted caramel. All was prepared fine and had good flavor. I'm just not up at night dreaming about going back. They do have a nice gluten free offering for those that need it. Not a bad choice if you are in the area and need a place to eat. Just in my opinion not a destination.

We had reservations for 7:30. Got right in and seated. Started with a couple holiday martinis which hit the spot! We then had the stuffed banana peppers to start. They were tasty, but my two other peeps didn't like the stuffing very much. Next, I had a side salad that was nothing special but what I was expecting! The homemade Italian dressing was yummy though. My other two friends had the pasta fagioli soup and weren't big fans (and the waitress admitted it wasn't her favorite either) My chicken parmigiana was *chefs kiss* delightful. It's hard to mess up a chicken parm but the sauce was great which added to the dish. Again, my other two friends thought their dishes were decent but said there wasn't enough protein that came with the Cajun dish or the pesto dish. I will be back!

Everyone seems to love Illio's but I think it's just average Italian food. I could make the same at home.

Food & service are beyond exceptional! Promises made are promises kept! Can be a truly fun place or one for complete secrecy & privacy! Just you all try it!!

The service is always speedy and friendly! The staff takes such good care of you here. This is a great date night or celebration dinner place. We are going to be having our rehearsal dinner here and the response has been amazing from the management. Their food is so delicious, they have a great verity of food for picky eaters or foodies.

It's such an adorable restaurant, and they give great service. We usually order their family favorite meals, and we enjoy it every single time.

Always consistently good. Dennis and his staff are friendly, engaging and helpful with suggestions. Warm atmosphere, reasonable prices and quality food.

Very generic. Not at all homemade. It seems like an establishment that has enough contacts to survive primarily on dinner service. Incredibly generic Italian food. Is it alright? Sure. Is it somewhere I care to go? Absolutely not.

We always enjoy everything at Illio's when we go there or have their catering. It's an amazing restaurant.

The food was good but they were pricey and when the 4 of us got our bill and my friend had a dollar charge for a sauce that she wasn't aware had that up charge to it. They also have a kitchen appreciation charge that was a dollar and we weren't aware so when we saw the bill we asked about it and the waitress said it's optional to pay but didn't make us aware it was added, nobody had a problem with it but if it's optional they really should say something before it just appears on the bill especially because it's a dollars person so if you have a large party it really ups the bill.

The food was absolutely amazing! We ordered take out and it was ready on time. They were courteous and friendly when we picked up our food. The family all around was very pleased with presentation and food.

It really doesn't get more authentic. Old style Italian restaurant, excellent tasty food, friendly and competent wait staff. Plenty of wrestling memorabilia on the wallls as the original owner was a star wrestler in his day. The funchetti with shrimp and scallops was delicious. Huge portion. The garden pasta with steak was also a good choice. Steak was a bit too pink for my friends liking. It was sent back to the kitchen to grill a bit more. Came back out quickly so there was no delay in completing our meal. Great food.