My wife and I went to Acquqviva Winery in Maple Park for our Valentine's Day Dinner. They offered a 5-course Pre-fixe Dinner - baked artichoke crostini appetizer, mixed greens salad with fennel, candied almonds with goat cheese, trofie pasta in pesto cream sauce, choice of entree & strawberry tiramisu for dessert. I had the grilled lamb chops with mashed potatoes & grilled asparagus & my wife had lobster tail stuffed with shrimp & crabmeat in lemon butter sauce on a bed of asparagus risotto. Pricing was dependent on entree choice and a wine pairing option for an extra $20. I guess this place is a popular wedding venue and the place is so grand and classy. Everything was excellent from the service to the food! We were so glad to have gone there and now plan to visit again in the summertime for wine tasting & tour. read more

Love this place! It is beautiful inside and out! We did a guided golf cart tour with wine maker, Sergio. It was exclusive and informative. We even enjoyed a wine tasting in the vineyard. We completed our tasting in the restaurant where Vito took excellent care of us. He was also our server for lunch! There was an issue with our rental car and Vito and Sergio jumped in to assist! The issue was operator error. The wine was that good! read more

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The wine was good! Priced higher than I expected based on other reviews that posted the menu. read more

Acquaviva Winery - Prices have increased from what we saw on previous menus! - Wineries Near Me - Maple Park, Illinois

We had reservations for a party of 8 on a Saturday night at 7pm. My initial party of 2 arrived about an hour early and proceeded immediately to the tasting bar for wine flights. I'm not huge on wine, but I will say that the cab and rose were excellent. Generally, I liked the whites more than the reds. But maybe because our first flight of 6 were all whites and the second flight was all reds. I'm guessing wines 7-12 didn't get a fair shake. The bar service was empty when we started, but picked up quite a bit as we were finishing up. With 2 bartenders, they did pretty well keeping up and being friendly with everyone. Either way, proceeded to the table a little after 7 and had a bunch of appetizers. Again, perhaps my review is slightly biased from 12 flights (I should mention that I did not discard any portion of any of the flights...cuz... why?), but I thought all the appetizers we had were great. A huge fan of the octopus and baked clams. We also had the calamari, which was also great... but I'd typically try to steer clear of anything fried. I had the zuppa di mare and it was fabulous. With the food and drinks (not counting the initial flights), the dinner bill was $140 a couple including a decent tip for the server. Not too bad for al the meal and drinks we ended up having. The server was attentive, helpful and personable. The area and building seems magical....a castle like building with ornate painting inside and wonderful ambiance. And, obviously a vineyard surrounding. There is plenty of parking and it was easy to find... although a little bit of a hike. Even with the travels, I'll be visiting again. read more

Stopped by to check this space out for a wedding, and stayed for a wine tasting! We stood at the bar and enjoyed our lovely lady bartender! Wines were great & we grabbed a bottle for the road! read more

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Visited with a large group of friends. Amazing ambience, food and dinner service! Wine tasting service at the bar could be improved. The bar tender seemed frazzled and had a frown on her face most of the time (eventually loosened up) which was a little off putting. read more

Acquaviva Winery - Wineries Near Me - Maple Park, Illinois

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We revisited yesterday. The Maple park location is beautiful! The food was excellent as well as the service by Emma! What a breath of fresh air. Emma was professional and attentive and made all of us welcomed. Thank you Emma. read more

Successful birthday dinner! Made reservations since we had a bigger group coming and everything went very smoothly. For appetizers we shared the calamari, oysters, caprese salad, and the complimentary bread which all tasted so good. The oysters were not your typical oysters. They were loaded with cheese and bacon which masked much of the traditional oyster flavor and texture so even the non-oyster lovers enjoyed them. For my meal I had the rotolo primavera with added chicken. It came in a very decent portion and tasted delicious. I also tried the Brianna wine which was good! Amazing food, service, and environment. Hope to be back soon! read more

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My experience here wasn't great until Ava stepped in. I was treated poorly , the wine was amazing the Ambiance was amazing..The food was good , the Appetizers were delicious.. if it wasn't for Ava I would not return . I'm thankful and appreciative that she listened and straightened things out. Go and enjoy a wonderful experience.. Make sure and get those Flights read more

Went to visit the winery and have the full experience including tasting, tour and a meal. To start, it is easy to find and you can't miss the vineyards and building since there isn't anything around like it. Ample parking and beautiful patio on a day with perfect weather made for great initial impressions. As we walked in were greeted and taken to the bar for our tasting. It was a bit busy and the bar tenders seemed a little frazzled and definitely stretched thin. Nonetheless, Paul was super friendly and we enjoyed his jokes. The wine was not for us, flavors were either very tart or very sweet and just not very enjoyable so ended up tossing more than half of our tastings out. If you like wine and have a pallete this wouldn't be the place for you. We know this about ourselves and Midwest wines so we expected it, but we went for the experience. The tour was quick and a bit rushed due to lack of tasting bar support, but it was cool to see and hear more about their processes. We proceeded to dinner and tried quite a few things from the menu to get the full experience: Artichoke hearts - this was ok, could've used some garlic or something for flavor. Grilled octopus and calamari - grilled octopus was delicious. The squid was whole, and I was expecting it to be sliced grilled rings, but the issue came when we cut it and stuff was in the middle that we couldn't identify. Appeared the squid wasn't washed out before cooking. Baked clams - these were ok once we added some pepper Pollo vesuvio - 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts with a lot of sweet peas and 3 little pieces of potatoes were a sad looking plate. I guess I should've read the menu closer because I was expevting bone in, skin on roasted chicken to come out. The chicken was cooked well and juicy. Overall, the flavor was good. Pollo parm - nice crispy breading on the chicken breast, good flavor, pasta was a bit bland and again did not read details on menu because the expectation was spaghetti and not orichette. Overall, the staff here really makes the place enjoyable and would recommend to give it a try for yourself and see if you like it. read more

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We had a fun time and a good meal at the Maple Park spot. We went on a 30 minute tour and tasting with Paul. He was fun and we learned some new facts too. Smart with the joke too. Enjoyed a glass of wine before our meal outside. I really liked the reds, all pretty darn good! Our meal was good. I had shrimp pasta and my wife had salmon. Very good choices for both of us. Service was great. We will be back! read more

Fine dining, with its exquisite cuisine and wines, provided a delightful lunch and dinner experience. The ambiance evoked the charm of Italy, and the beautiful decor further enhanced the overall atmosphere. The waitress was exceptional. read more

There is two locations, Batavia and Maple Park. Maple Park is the actual winery. Batavia is the Tasting Room Restaurant. I have been to both. The tasting attendant at the Maple Park location is amazing, his jokes are first rate and he is very friendly. The tasting attendant Michelle at the Batavia location is equally as friendly. The Batavias location service and food is exceptional, tasty, and service is extremely friendly. 5 star service to them. If you're looking for food and great tastes go to BATAVIA. The ambiance is amazing. Now if you're looking for Shrewd, un-intellectual, and very rude service, simply go to MAPLE PARK's restaurant just ask for DARREN. He will not be the most friendliest waiter of the year, but he will definitely provide terrible customer service. He didn't even ask if we were members. When asked about an entree which you can see below - of the same appetizer served at both Batavia and Maple Park, with the same price, I showed him the photos of how the different photos, he stated: "That's how we do things here" and snarled. Needless to say we will not be going back to the MAPLE PARK location, but will continue to patronize the Batavia location. Which is a-shame, as the Maple Park location is a nicely decorated place. read more

Acquaviva Winery - MAPLE PARK's Oyster Rockafeller, according to the waiter Darren: "That's how they make it there". - Wineries Near Me - Maple Park, Illinois

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We went to this beautiful Italian restaurant to celebrate Christmas as a family. Absolutely loved it. Our waiter was excellent & very friendly. The food was fabulous & the setting beautiful. This restaurant will be a Christmas tradition for our family. read more

I'm only reviewing the food served during a wedding held at this location. We were served salad, Pasta vodka shells, filet mignon. The salad was so chintzy. It was literally a few leaves with tomatoes and other veggies. It was so plain and small. It was a sad salad. Pasta vodka shells was served family style and was very good. You had a choice between, chicken, fish, and filet. I chose the filet. The filet was cold, and overcooked. It had no flavor and was not good. I tried their house wine and was not a big fan. The atmosphere of the winery was really nice, but the food and wine I tried was mediocre. read more

You feel like you walk into an Italian villa. Just beautiful. The food was outstanding. I had luquini with white clam sauce. Seriously, it was the best I Ever had. They have just opened up on Wednesday's for lunch so it was just us and another table. One of the owners was our server. He was funny, informative, and attentive. I can't wait to go back again! read more

This place deserves a half star. so first off myself and 4 other ladies food was terrible. my friends order this meal with seafood and artichoke hearts . over or under cooked . the spikes almost damaged their mouths , the salmon had bones . that was a first. my was over cooked and stiff . my other friends food was unseasoned and dry . horrible experience, I wouldn't recommend this place .The waitress or whatever she was horrible, I ask for Parmesan , the waitress told me to use the leftover we had. when we went to pay for our meals and purchase wine, I gave her my receipt and money , she laid my change on the counter, total disrespect . I told the waitress I wanted to purchase wine , I was ignored . I've never felt so low. This lady was terrible again . I would not recommend this place . Don't waste your money, read more

We ate at Acquaviva Winery on Thurs night. It was a full house of after graduation families. They definitely could not handle the crowd. We waited 2 hours to be serve. After the 2 hour wait we were disappointed in the portions. It seemed like they were overwhelmed with the crowd and maybe running out of food. read more

In the middle of the cornfields due west of the City, this place rises like a Mediterranean Castle. A really pretty place, inside and out. We were there for a wedding, and I tell ya, this might have been the best eats I ever had at a Wedding reception. Fried Calamari and Bruschetta for starters--both great. A nice salad with Balsamic dressing. We had 3 choices for entrée, and both Wife and I swung with the Filets. (Chicken and Fish were the other choices and those at the table who had them reported they were great). I normally eat a rare steak, and mine came hard medium. If the cut of meat is good to start off with, a filet served at that temp can still be tasty, and that was the case here. All the Filets were done medium. I'll bet this cut is FAB when served Rare. Some potatoes and asparagus were on the side and they were both tasty. There was an open bar, and I made sure to try the estate-made Whites and Reds (I forgot to jot down the exact varieties, but they were both GREAT) The beautiful expanse is normally open as a restaurant, when there isnt a Wedding or other event--perhaps call ahead to check. They also have a restaurant in Geneva. read more

WOW! What an excellent place that Vito Brandonisio  has built here in Maple Park IL. The food is Superb and was actually better than some that we had in Florence Italy. Vito - the Son...met us at the door and was an excellent host throughout our dinner. The wine was a delicious compliment to our meal and we purchased two bottles of "Prairie Star" to take home. We highly recommend Acquaviva Winery and we will certainly be returning soon. read more

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Another fine dining experience on an early Thursday evening with some friends. Had the duck egg plant pasta this time. Again another awesome dish! Everyone was impressed with their order. Spacious comfortable environment. read more

My spouse and I chose this restaurant for our 41st anniversary dinner. We had never been here before, so it was a "leap of faith". We were definitely not disappointed. The facility is very nicely done and it is a very welcoming atmosphere. But the food was even better. We had the artichoke appetizer, as well as the fried calamari. Both were more than ample, but were gone in no time. My spouse had one of the chicken dishes and loved it. I had the "salmon dish of the day", lightly crusted salmon stuffed with crab meat and shrimp (pictured). It was wonderful. Neither of us were able to finish our meals, but the made for great second meals today. We highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Acquaviva Winery - Salmon stuffed with crab meat and shrimp, and garlic potatoes and roasted vegetables. - Wineries Near Me - Maple Park, Illinois

Acquaviva has been on my list for YEARS! As someone who loves both food and wine, as well as beautiful structure and landscape, this fit the bill for everything I'd love to support. However, I'm no where near this location, so it fell down the list of priorities. My best friend surprised me with a birthday trip to Acquaviva several weeks ago and when we pulled into the area, it felt like a brand new country - it doesn't feel like the "sticks" of Illinois at all! The area is beautiful, the building itself is stunning and the inside is decorated beautifully. We started with a wine tasting and a tour of the basement/production area. Our tour guide was fantastic and loved hearing about the differences of growing grapes in Illinois. After ending the tour, we sat down for an early dinner. The menu had a large variety of tempting choices; my meal (linguine & clams) was absolutely delicious and everyone else raved about their food as well. The only part that fell short for me was the wine. We didn't receive many different wines to taste, so it was difficult to compare. We did let our server know this, and he brought several different varieties to try, which was fantastic. read more

BEST WINERY I HAVE BEEN TO IN THE MIDWEST!!!! Incredibly beautiful interior and exterior of the main building and a cert grand patio space. The owner's son was the one who assisted us and he was incredible- very knowledgeable about wines and all! If you're on the way to Rockford to Chicago or Vice versa you gotta check this place out!! The sparkling champagne was my favorite, although we did get 5 other wines in addition to this one:P. read more

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We tried this restaurant for the first time after driving by it for years. Service and food were good. We will go back.

O My. If I had only more stars to give this place. Top notch favorite place on my recommendation list for people to visit. Another one of my mini getaway rode trips from the city. My son's girlfriend gave me the heads up on this beautiful amazing hidden gem. I was in awe when we pulled up into the parking. A breathe of fresh air. I can't even begin to fully describe our visit here. Its a place you would have to come and witness for yourself. The staff wow. Many thanks to Patrick who was hilarious and awesome. He guided us on our sip & tour. The jokes were very interesting and funny. He was attentive and gave out some important informative information. After our tour we sat out on the terrance for lunch and mire wine. Our server Vito was absolutely amazing. We loved his warm friendly and family hospitality. He made our first time here off the chain. Loved his energy and personality. He was welcoming the moment we met him. I even adopted him in my family lol. Many delicious variety of wines. The food was even better. Our food was seasoned well and with perfection. If i could give out a yelp award I would definitely give Acquaviva Winery this honary award. Great professional staff. Delicious tasty wines and good food. Across the board the bomb. Epic place to visit. read more

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This review is based on several components. 1. Ease of scheduling reservation. I had purchased a Groupon in the fall. Due to COVID, they were not doing tastings for some time (understandable). However, I had called based upon what I read on their Facebook and website and the hours didn't seem to match up. 2. My wine tasting experience was great. (that part of my review would probably get 5/5 stars). The guide was pleasant and he explained a lot of the wines and we got a small tour. Overall I enjoyed most of the samples. It was nice to try both their white and reds. 3. My dinner experience gets 0 stars. After completing our tour the guide sat us at our table. A server brought us bread and water. That was it. Several servers were attentive to the tables around us but no one came back to our table. I felt that they were more concerned about clearing tables than coming back to check on us. I witnessed servers playing on their phones and talking to each other. My boyfriend and I were prepared to order an appetizer and entrees, but after sitting there for 30 minutes we just walked out. As I went to the car my boyfriend stopped back up at the bar to tell our wine guide this. I was very disappointed at my experience. read more

Went here after graduation, some of the best Italian food in Illinois and the family who runs the vineyard made the meal special for my family and I. Great date night spot too. Service was amazing and made us feel part of their family. Will come back. read more

I've never been to aquaviva before last night but I've been missing out! My friend had planned a surprise bday dinner for another of our friends and they had all been there before and loved it already. We were given a fantastic area with a big long table. They were beyond accommodating for all the party planning! My girlfriend made this table look like something out of dream but it definitely took work! The food was fantastic and so were the drinks! Our server Vito and the young ladies and young man that were assisting him were so incredibly warm and genuine! They never left us wanting for anything. The vibe in this place is so happy and bright even on such a freezing cold night. I honestly would drive the hour there to get a plate of those amazing artichokes!! read more

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We had a slightly large group go for a tour and tasting. We didn't realize that the tasting was done on the tour but we loved it! Our tour guide was funny and knowledgeable and we loved him. The wine was all great and after our tasting we were able to sit at a table and order a couple bottles of wine as well as some delicious appetizers. The building and decorations are beautiful and I can see why some would want to get married there. read more

Woooooooooooooooooooooooooo hooooooooooooooooooooooooooo loves it thanks aquaviva for being cool read more

Acquaviva Winery - Wineries Near Me - Maple Park, Illinois

My husband, and my friend's husband, worked together to plan a surprise date day for the 4 of us to have a tour, tasting and dinner at Aquaviva this past weekend.  I'd never heard of the place, so it was a fun surprise. Beautiful building, inside and out. And great service!  We started with a tasting with server, Paul.  He was the best - funny, knowledgeable (and we loved the Scot/English accent).  He gave us a little info about each wine. My friend mentioned that she needed something to nibble on during the tasting, maybe some carrot sticks (can't have bread/gluten) - and Paul brought out a whole plate of different veggies, with a dressing to dip them into.  Great service! We started our sampling of the whites, and would later try the reds during the actual tour.  I loved that their "dry" whites weren't too dry. I actually loved all of them, which is strange to say being that I usually only like Moscato or fruit wines.  My favorite was the Brianna - it's sweet and delicious like moscato. After about 5 samples, Paul took all of us downstairs for the tour, along with another couple.  This is where he told us about each of the reds, while sampling each.  I'm not a red fan, but I always am willing to try them.   After the tour, we went back upstairs to try 2 more samples - the Christmas Red (served warm) and the Sangria.  WOAH girl!  They were delicious!  My friend and I both bought a bottle of each to take home. Once we were fully sampled out, we were shown to our table for a nice Italian dinner.  I had the gnocchi, my hubs got the surf 'n' turf, my friend got a chicken saltimbocca (I think) and her husband got a NY strip.  Everyone devoured their meals - no leftovers - just crumbs all over one-half of the table (you can't take me anywhere...). Just a tip, always ask what the "market price" is for surf & turf before you get it (duh).  While it was delicious and filling, my husband wasn't expecting his meal to cost $75 once he saw the check.  We were thinking maybe $50.  Being that the guys planned such a nice day out for us girls, I can't complain about the bill though... I also want to note that my friend has Celiac's disease (severely gluten intolerant), along with many other food allergies.  Our server was very kind and helpful in helping her figure out what she could order.  It is always appreciated when servers understand the seriousness of Celiac - especially at an Italian restaurant where gluten abounds! I will definitely be back, or at least check out their other restaurant in Batavia.  I would love to try another pasta dish with a nice glass of that sangria again! read more

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Probably the most amazing eggplant Parmesan I've ever had AS WELL as the Tiramisu. Total comfort . Delicious wine. Great service and ambiance. If you love Italian, go here. I am so particular about eggplant and this place did it! read more

Acquaviva Winery - Wine - Wineries Near Me - Maple Park, Illinois

We had our parents 64th wedding anniversary on Sunday October 8. Made arrangements with Beth. She was amazing very helpful. Our waitress was Ava, outstanding waitress, and we had two bus boys one young man had curly dark hair, the other head curly light brown hair. The food, the service, the Aviance was outstanding! Thank you to Acquaviva Winery for making our parents 64th wedding anniversary so special ! read more

For all their beauty and pretentiousness this place could not get its act together. Took forever in the hot sun to catch a shuttle to their vineyard and the site of the ceremony then had everyone baking in the hot sun as they didn't put up a canopy. Hours de oeuvres were basically non existent as people swarmed the attendants as everyone was starving for something. Dinner was finally served at 9:00 pm, table by table. They ran out of cake and didn't replenish until later. The food was good I will give them that but the service really set them back. Fireworks on the patio was a nice touch but again, all show and no clue how to serve people. Dance floor is the size of a postage stamp and set up In the far far corner of an expansive room almost out of site from the rest of the wedding attendants. read more

Incredible wine, exquisite food, charming atmosphere, and outstanding staff. This is a wonderful place to come and enjoy both food and wonderful wine with a view. Can't wait to come back! read more

Acquaviva Winery - Fried calamari - Wineries Near Me - Maple Park, Illinois

What can I say this restaurant it is so beautiful. It is a winery too. They have banquets and weddings too. The food is amazing. I love Vincenzo's Italian authentic dishes they are out of this world. The restaurant has an out side lovely patio looking out to the grape orchards. The Italian waiter is very charismatic and very helpful. Who can resist his Italian accent.He gives very detail explanation about the food you are going to order. We enjoyed the experience learning how they make the wine. Thank you for a wonderful experience. Mr versace was an amazing waiter. the authentic Italian cuisine and the Italian ambiance makes you feel you are in Italy. we will come back again to Aquaviva The wine is so crisp and fragrant. I give this restaurant 5 stars for elegance, food and 5 stars for the Italian server he is amazing. Come here it is worth your drive. My entire family loved the experience. We also got to meet the owner he is so nice. Ciao read more

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I'm going to FIVE STAR Acquaviva, a first for me. Stopped here first during an outdoor Octoberfest wine event earlier in the year. It was a chance stop while out doing some Fall stuff with my girlfriend. We checked out the restaurant, enjoyed the wines out back and even went into the store/home. We met the owners and were treated like familiar friends. I knew we'd be back for dinner. The BIG HIT at this venue is the owner. This guy Vito has clearly built what he wants and living his dream. The dining room is huge, the ambiance is Italian and so is the music from solo accordion player. Yesterday I made 7:30 reservations for a special dinner for two. It was FAN-TAS-TIC. Arriving to a full parking lot for a place in the middle of nowhere was a good sign. The dining room was completely full. Table came fast and even though all the servers were busy with huge groups, the service was nearly impeccable. Four stars.. Dinner started with a couple of cocktails and an order of the Baked Clams. They were good. Five stars For entree's I got the the sauteed Italian sausage & peppers and my girlfriend got veal piccata. Both were above average. Five stars. Dinner wrapped up with a table visit from the owner Vito Brandonisio, a couple of complimentary cocktails and a great dessert. Five more stars. Great place to go experience. read more

Acquaviva Winery - The dining room is huge, the ambiance is Italian and so is the music from solo accordion player. - Wineries Near Me - Maple Park, Illinois

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Ran out here on one of the last 70 degrees day of the year. The building and grounds are beautiful. Had a quick pizza which was tasty and sampled some wine. Wines were not super but I never expect that from IL based wines but they were drinkable and worked with the pizza. read more

Had an awesome first time visit today. Food was tremendous and Paul our waiter was outstanding. We dined in the East side dining room and although the tables are close to each other, you really have a private dining experience as you cannot hear other conversations. We really liked that aspect. Following lunch, we were hoping to see the barrels downstairs but that part wasn't open when we were there. Upon a return we will the tour and tasting experience. We did visit the Market which is a cute little gift shop past the West parking lot. Cute gifts and tastings there. Weather was too cold to enjoy the outdoors today, but we will return to experience the ambiance outside. Looks amazing and inviting. read more

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