Osteria Il Centro

This evening was our first visit to this establishment, but it won't be our last. Everything from the atmosphere, to our service, to the wonderful food, was top-notch. The setting is elegant without being pretentious. The serving staff was professional and excellent with their timing and attention. I could not recommend this place more!

This is just the best Italian place around! Im from out of town and the 1st night I came in for dinner with my 2 kids the place was packed but they worked us in. The service was BEYOND EXCELLENT, thank you Jay! And the food, well, DIVINE. So much so we went back the next night! Fast forward 3 months, im back in town and of course I want my authentic Italian! Jay immediately remembers us, what food we loved and even the wine I wanted. I cant day enough about this place! TRUE, LOCAL, ITALIAN! INTIMATE, EXCELLENT, SERVICE! get the chicken Parm and the lobster Ravioli! Heck, everything is supurb!!

This was my first time El Centro from the moment I walked in. I really loved the vibe. It’s a small place and every seat is probably always filled. They’ve got an amazing bar, which looks like at sometimes you may even need a reservation to sit at the bar, but I would recommend this place for a fancy evening with your significant other or a date night with friends. The food is phenomenal and if you’re lucky you’ll get Jay Ensor he is phenomenal and always there to serve. You have any special request. He’s got your back. I will definitely be back just to see Jay again.

Don't tell anyone. This place is fantastic!!! Neighborhood italian masterpiece. Spiedeini di Pollo (chicken spiedeini) is the best in KC. My wife had the Lobster Spiedeini. Both came with saffron risotto. Tiramisu is to die for. This place has an atmosphere that is wonderful. Very intimate. Wine and drinks are great.

Absolutely incredible experience! Even without a reservation on a busy Saturday night, we were welcomed with a 15-minute wait, which flew by while we enjoyed drinks at the bar. After about 10 min we were seated and I ordered the lamb chops and they were really good, my girlfriend's crab ravioli was equally amazing.. Every dish was bursting with flavor! Our server was incredibly attentive and checking in just enough to ensure a perfect evening. We would recommend this spot! To anyone wanting authentic Italian food!

An amazing little Italian restaurant that has been a fixture in the South Plaza for a very long time. The food and service are always exceptional. It's best to make reservations, especially on weekends but often easy to get into on non-peak days.

A fantastic dining experience. I made reservations to celebrate my birthday and Jay and his staff did not disappoint. The atmosphere was lovely; the food was delicious (easily the best Italian food I have ever eaten); and the service was stellar. The kitchen even made chicken parmesan especially for me with an extra Italian bread wedge. If you’re looking for authentic Italian cuisine in KC, look no further than Osteria. I will definitely be back.

Went for the first time to celebrate our anniversary. Every single one of the staff made us feel so welcome from the moment we walked in the door, wishing us happy anniversary, and created a special evening for us. Our waiter Brent (sorry if I got the name wrong) was super friendly and helpful. The food was delicious and I can't wait to go back.

My husband and I dined here on my birthday and it was a very special time from start to finish! All of the staff understood what great service is, and were versed in the menu and very helpful.... The courses were brought with just the right timing; appetizers were of a size to enjoy them and leave room for more- when I told our waiter it was my 70th birthday, I received a bottle of wine to take home, with a birthday message on it! And there was enough of the chicken Parmesan to take home! Il Centro is in a charming stone building with cozy old-word charm- looks to be a favorite for the diners there... will go again!

10/10, could not recommend more! We live within walking distance to Il Centro and it's our favorite restaurant. The vibes inside are perfect for the small Italian restaurant: it has a very local feel but still elegant. The food- always delicious. We both love the chicken spiedini. Service is incredible; most of the staff have been there for some time. Lastly, the drinks...!!! The bartenders have quite the contest going on who makes the best espresso martini (very much so recommend getting one) and the wine is wonderful.

Nice place.. cozy and with great service. The food, as expected from a real Italian family restaurant. Good wine selection. If there is something to improve it would be the space between tables.

What a fun spot 4 of us had most awesome dinner. We shared shrimp Ciofinidi & couple bottles of Hall cab. Lobster ravioli a hit as was short rib ravioli. Great service plus fabulous flavors a most comfortable spot. The menu had so many nice options can't wait to return.

We have been coming here for years as it's our favorite Sicilian like Italian place in town. We visited on our Anniversary on Monday and boy was it packed. Barely a place to sit and the staff seemed stretched. This is not usually the case, took a bit to get our drinks but once it did and the big group to our left departed our waiter seemed to liven up. Having said that I had the Spaghettini with sausage and it was very flavorsome. Husband had the chicken Parmesan and pasta with vodka sauce he loved it and ate it all. That's a PLUS! Excellent wine list - Hall was our pick. Delicious. Have had their fish dishes and chicken Marsala here before, so good. Recommend coming here but book early and plan for a wait as it's a small place but lively and worth it usually. Was a bit surprised by the lack of care about our celebration but as I said it was a busy night. Though it was a Monday. Maybe it's changing.... Not as cool as it used to be? Hence my 4 vs 5.

I recently dined at Osteria IL Centro and left feeling quite frustrated. Despite the promise of a great meal, my experience was marred by service issues that overshadowed the food. Upon arrival, the restaurant was not too busy, as it was early evening, 5:15 or so. When the waiter finally appeared, she seemed rather pushy, urging us to order appetizers, salads and/or soup, and then annoyed we only ordered 1 round of drinks and an entree each. The pressure felt unwarranted, as we were there to eat a meal and get out. The bill arrived, I paid with credit card and left as we had another engagement. Upon review, I was shocked to see we were charged for items we never received. After bringing this to the waiter's attention, I had to return to the restaurant to request a refund for the overcharges. (she claims they had no way of contacting me yet they phoned me because we were a bit late.) I asked that charge be voided, she assured me it would be. I then paid cash AND gave a tip. I checked my statement, the restaurant refunded the original bill but kept the original tip. BEWARE in this grifting economy, do the MATH.

Service and friendliness was fabulous when your within your 2hours of your reservation. You only get 2 hours at your table. We received our bill at 6:50pm and at 6:52pm another waitress came over and told us we over stayed our welcome & it was time to leave as she was picking up the spoons to our birthday dessert that just came out. Our party of 5pp spent over $411 before tip. There is many ways to communicate unfortunately she chooses wrongly. It was 100% wrong the way she chose. We had a great time unfortunately it's timed and someone is watching you. Watch out!

The goat cheese, incredible. I need 85 character so they let me post this shit so im just writing to take up space

Had a reservation for tonight at 7:15. My table was seated at 7:40 was completely pushed out of our table before 9:00 pm ... literally the staff said you need to go we are over booked

This hidden quaint gem is beautifully decorated with amazing Italian food. The service and atmosphere is awesome!

Starting with our very friendly and attentive server, Lisa, our experience was destined for greatness! We've eaten here a half dozen times now and never had a bad experience. Loved EVERYTHING! Even better pricing because we went during Restaurant Week!!

Food and service perfect, as usual. From the mushroom appetizer to the salad and veal Parmesan - all delicious and presentation great. Ended dinner with the famous expresso martini. Yumm!

Love this restaurant! We've been going for years as a family. It's small and intimate, and their staff are so friendly. We each got a different dish, and they were all amazing. The chicken spiedini is always a favorite, and the eggplant parm also always hits the spot. They even gave us a birthday bottle of wine to take home to continue the celebration!

I had been wanting to go here forever and finally went for the first time last month! I didn't realize how small the restaurant was on the inside, which was actually kind of nice. It made our experience more intimate and personal. our waiter was super nice and gave us some great recommendations. We started with the bruschetta and split the house salad. Both we delicious and made for a good size to split for apps. For dinner, we split a pizza and the pesto ravioli. Both great good! The pesto was delicious. The pizza was smaller than I anticipated but that's ok. I really liked this place and would def come back. Was it the best Italian I have had? No, but it was super solid and I enjoyed our meal start to finish.

Walked here after Church and we were promptly seated (without a reservation.) Our waiter, Jay, was hilarious and attentive. The atmosphere was all about friendly, fun and fabulous food. Definitely coming back.

Had dinner here to celebrate a special occasion with our family. We made our reservations WELL in advance and it was absolutely worth the planning and wait. The staff were awesome and service was top notch. Each and every dish was fantastic and their willingness and helpfulness to ensure each and every dish suited the people in our party just made it perfect. You just can't top the food and experience. Well done!

Great service! Very mediocre food...too bad. It's a real shame. It used to be so good.

Food was good, nothing too special. Service was nice and quick. Ambiance was a bit loud due to music and people talking overall. 8/10.

One of my fave happy hours in the area, with really tasty and reasonable apps (love their calamari and their goat cheese spread) and drinks and a cozy atmosphere with good service - I need to try coming for an actual meal as well one of these days!

The food at this local Italian restaurant was wonderful. Just as nice was the staff and the ambiance (we could have been in a vibrant spot in Florence or Rome)! We will definitely be going back soon! Note: the restaurant is not huge and it fills up every night. Plan ahead!

It is so hard to find good Italian food in the city, even with all its history KC is lacking in that cuisine! This was a place picked on a whim because the first place I wanted was closed...however, this is No second option restaurant. The moment I walked into the door I was immediately slapped with not only the cozy atmosphere, but very friendly and attentive staff who were the most accommodating people I've ever met. the food was by far the hardest decision as everything sounded amazing. Finally decided on the sample platter, the delicious stuffed mushrooms and then had the carbonara that was to die for! Amazing wine selection and just could not find fault in this place. I think I found my go to spot!

Always try to dine here whenever I'm in the area. The take out service items were neatly packed in sturdy containers. This time, we received a large amount of bread...not complaining thou because it's better than not having enough. The bread slices were very large; almost like Texas toast! The pasta dishes could easily feed two people! Everything was very delicious. Sorry forgot to take a pictures of the cheesecake with raspberry coulis and the chocolate decadent cake which came with a mini scoop of vanilla ice cream. Glad we ordered takeout as the restaurant has a pretty small dining area. Pick up is on 51st street. This is one of my favorite Italian restaurants. Call ahead to ask f what the soup and special of the day is. Tonight it was Chicken Parmigiana. Wished it were the veal variety!

This place was just amazing. Sat at the bar because we didn't make a reservation. The attention, the detail, the food. The genuine human kindness was amazing. Cannot say enough good things about this place. Wow. Blown away. Setting a standard for any business - food industry or not.

We thoroughly enjoyed our anniversary dinner here. I had lasagna and my spouse had the chicken walnut pasta. We both had wine, dessert, and coffee. My husband also had the small Caesar salad. From start to finish, our meals were excellent. Chris, our server, was friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. Highly recommend.

What an adorable spot! Quality Italian food and great service! I will say this place is small. Highly recommend a reservation. But the menu has plenty of options. I ordered the salmon, which was lovely. My coworkers ordered the cannelloni, and they were stuffed (with happiness)! They also have daily specials, which all sounded very yummy. I love a good local spot, and they definitely delivered!

Went here for a first date and we had Jay as our server. He was amazing and recommended the best bottle of wine that complemented the lobster Ravioli. Very pleased with the service and the food quality. The atmosphere was also outstanding for a smaller place. Everyone was very friendly and happy thanks to the great food. Date night went well, will be back soon

The food was good and that's why there are two stars. However, I've never been in a restaurant where we just spent $150 and less than 2 hours after our reservation started we were told "Ok, we need this table!" (The waitress said this as she started drumming the table with her hands.) It was abrupt and not even our waiter who approached us. We were not told we had a time limit on our reservation so it was quite a big surprise. I brought these friends and was excited to show them the restaurant and experience the food. Needless to say, I left embarrassed and disappointed.

This is our favorite Italian restaurant in Kansas City! It's small and quaint. My husband always gets the lasagna and he said it's the best he has ever had! You do need a reservation but we lucked out and they had a "no show" so don't hesitate to try to get in. Service is great and they don't rush you through dinner. A must try for everyone !!

Absolutely loved my wine and salad! The ambience is spectacular and our waitress was super attentive. I got the cannelloni which was much larger than expected. It's one of their signature dishes but I don't think I loved it as much as others do. I'll definitely be back though!

The customer service my husband and I recieved today trying to have a dinner at your establishment for our wedding anniversary was unacceptable. We were pretty much denied a proper service and were given a time limit to have a meal for just a party of two due to an upcoming reservation coming in within 45. The man who claimed he was running the floor said that we could be seated at the bar or be seated at a table and be rushed to have a decent meal. I stated to the man that it was our anniversary and he acted like he didn't care what occasion we were here for and had no empathy to try and accommodate us nor attempt to bring his manager out for us to speak with him. Insted he made the executive decision to make his own judgment call becuase he said his manager would give us the same response. We had eaten at this establishment before and wanted to come back to enjoy the service and food you provide for a very special occassion. After this encounter something needs to be done to address the floor managers unacceptable customer service. No one should be treated in a manner that we where today. My husband and i have both worked in hospitality/customer sevice for over 15 yrs and this establishment did not aim to foster a welcoming or hospitable environment. We will never eat at this restaurant again and will be sure to inform others to not eat at your establishment.

Favorite Italian. And if you're in KC and don't go here...we'll, your loss. Great food, great service and great drinks. Many times here, so many good choices. And the desserts? Always a great - oh the tiramisu! And if you are looking for a great place to take a date, this is the first place I'd think of in KC.

This was my first time at this restaurant. It's tight inside so you're basically stacked on top of each other. If you're reading this review during the pandemic and that freaks you out then you probably shouldn't go to this restaurant during high time. Our reservation was at 9pm so almost every table was taken. The salad was good and the chicken tortellini was delicious. I ordered it because the photos of it looked so good and it did not disappoint. I will return to try their signature lamb chops.

I love Il Centro. Great food, a wonderful wine list, friendly atmosphere and the best service. A great part of our community.

Their building / seating is small so make a reservation. The portions are good and the food is even better. They also have a fantastic wine and whiskey selection.

Definitely a five star experience. Very cute place! Quaint and moody in the best way. The service was nice. Very upscale environment and you're are treated as such. Also the staff is accommodating, and you know I love that. Especially because we ate here on a Saturday night. We didn't make reservations in a timely manner but they still worked with us! The food was good. No complaints here. The seafood pasta was delicious but a little light on the seafood. The quality was there but it was mostly pasta. The lamb chops were cooked perfectly, as was everything else. I want crazy about the sauce, but it's more of s personal presence thing. The chef definitely knows what he's doing though as far as pairing flavors. I don't live in KC, but I will be back next visit!

Usually the food is great but had the salmon and it was over cooked and I didn't finish my meal. Appetizer's and wine was good and the service from the bartender was outstanding. This is a nice little restaurant that is hard to get in sometimes but definitely worth a try. Normally I would give this place a 5 star but just couldn't this time.

This is our #1 favorite Italian restaurant in KC. Being of Italian decent and having lived in Italy, we are super picky about dining out for Italian. Every item in the menu is wonderful. Not easy to get into, so plan ahead!

Definitely worth a shot! You should try this restaurant since it such good service, small little place. Good has great attention to detail.

This place is a wonderful gem. The food is great and the service was outstanding. We had a reservation at 7:45 pm on a Wednesday and this place was still full! I ordered the Lobster Ravioli and it was phenomenal. So Creamy and delicious. For an Italian place in the middle of the BBQ capital of the Midwest - you'll enjoy the change of pace and everything about this place.

This restaurant is smaller than I expected on the inside, but there are still plenty of tables and room at the bar! Not your typical Italian restaurant interior, they had super cool art everywhere which I loved! They were able to accommodate our party of 6, but gave us a 2 hour limit which is understandable because of the size. It ended up being plenty of time. We stared with the goat cheese and garlic spread and the bruschetta with prosciutto and mozzarella. Both of them were very good! The bread that came with the goat cheese and garlic spread was lightly grilled, and the bruschetta was fresh and delicious! Great recommendations from our waiter Chris. Overall, my group enjoyed their meals. I had the pesto chicken tortellini, and it was definitely worth the hype. I loved the pesto cream sauce, it wasn't gloopy or super thick like some cream sauces at other restaurants. Two people on my party had the orecchiette carbonara with Gorgonzola cream sauce. I tried a bite, and it was fantastic. It had a very light Gorgonzola flavor which was nice since it can be a very strong cheese. Our waiter was awesome, very tentative and friendly. Desserts were great too! I'd definitely recommend this play to anyone feeling like a nice Italian dinner. I can't wait to come back and try their happy hour!

Simply Outstanding. Started with a Prosecco and then enjoyed really nice variety of wines by the glass to taste and enjoy. Great ambiance and Lasagna was amazing. We also enjoyed the Veal Piccata- perfect. Dessert was gelato ball- just get it- you'll be delighted. Jay is also the best server I have experienced in many years of dining in KC.

Food was excellent. Service was just perfect, friendly but professional. The food was timed just right. Prices were very reasonable considering the quality. I would normally find some flaw however there were no flaws. Great job, we will be back.. Tony.

Very cute but tiny place, definitely make reservations!! My sister and I started with a lemon drop martini and an Italian Margarita. I loved the margaritas and so did she, she ordered one for her second drink. Then we had the appetizer platter. It was all very good. Then we shared 2 entrees, the chicken marsala and the orrechiette gorgonzola. They were both good but I loved the marsala.

Yum-O!!!! I am so happy that they're taking reservations now...since in the past this is the only reason that we haven't stopped in! And I was not disappointed!!! We got seated right on our reservation time. Our server Anthony was awesome! He knows his stuff and so quick with service. The atmosphere is so warm and nice. It's a small restaurant but plenty of room for everyone! The food is the jewel of this place!!! We had the goat cheese and bread, the orange roughy, chicken spedini and sausage and pepper on the side and my oh my I wish I can lick my plate!!!!! The pasta with the sweet tomatoes sauce is so delicious. We will definitely come back, and bring some friends so they can taste your wonderful food.

I had high hopes when dining at this restaurant. Charming atmosphere, huge wine menu, dishes at surrounding tables looked delicious, server was very accommodating and gave us plenty of time to order. Unfortunately the calamari was rubbery and fishy tasting but the sauces served with it were divine. Server recommended the orange roughy so a friend and I both ordered it. Mine was ok but hers was very salty. Server was prompt to replace it with another dish but disclosed that the roughy arrives at the restaurant already seasoned - that was a surprise. The 4 of us finished up our entrees and ordered a tiramisu to share. A friend bumped her wine glass and it broke on the table next to the dessert our server had just put on the table. He took the pieces of glass my friend handed him and walked off to leave the potentially glass laden dessert for us to eat!! Really?! Who does that?? He did not offer to replace nor did he take it off of our bill. My friend that broke the glass was embarassed. I asked to speak to the manager-she said she would "bring it up with the server". Definitely not going back!

Flew in from South Carolina and we headed straight here. This place is really really good. Very small place and expect to have to wait, but it's worth it. We loved the bruschetta and calamari appetizers. My chicken Marsala was the best I've ever had. The Russian River Pinot noir we had was incredible. If ever return to this city I would love to come back and try the chicken pesto dish. Best Italian I've had in a while.

Solid Italian food at a very affordable price. I might be a bit spoiled since I live in NJ/NYC where there is a plethora of solid Italian food, but this place was above average (3.5 bordering 4 stars). Came in for dinner around 5ish and were seated with no problem. The atmosphere is very dim, romantic, and intimate. Food: HAPPY HOUR HERE IS AMAZING BECAUSE APPS ARE HALF OFF. We splurged, and got the sampler, which would originally be $24 but is $12 during HH. I think it wouldn't be worth it whole price, but it is wholly (more than) worth it during happy hour. The calamari is crisp and not too oily, the goat cheese is deliciously creamy, the bruschetta is fresh, and the hummus is also light and creamy. They give mounds of bread and pita too. The appetizer was great and filling. I ordered the chicken and sun dried tomato pesto pasta. The portion is humongous, and easily can be made into two meals. The sauce was light and complemented the penne well, although I would have liked the pasta to be a bit more al dente and for a bit more pesto flavoring. Service: Very friendly.

Possibly the best restaurant in KC?? Don't miss it. It's our go to as it's in a great neighborhood and the servers are the best. Great drinks, social crowd and fine Italian dining. Such a gem.

I have never been to a restaurant with such attentive staff. The food was absolutely amazing as well I had the lobster ravioli and tried my party's dishes of chicken pesto tortellini, lamb chops, and spaghetti with Italian sausage. Everything tasted amazing but the chicken pesto and ravioli were by far the favorites.