The Mrs. and I were thrilled to hear the dining room had finally opened back up after being closed thanks Covid. So we gave it a shot tonight. Sadly disappointed to find they'd ditched table service to convert to a soulless, sterilized, quick-serve style counter setup. Some restaurant consultant is laughing his way to the bank. The booths were gone, furniture, flooring and decor changed to a very plasticky sort of feeling. If McDonald's had a pseudo-Italian version, this would be it. Bread was the same, if that's why you come. Food portions were still adequate and quality seemed to be as well. But don't be surprised to find you're the only ones in there at 6 p.m. on a Wednesday (we were). It's a shame. This place has lots of great memories from eating there as ISU students to bringing our family over the years (really, you even removed the penny fountain from the entryway???). Now it's just a weird, inauthentic shell of its former self. You can feel when a restaurant is desperate, and this is what it feels like. It's only a matter of time. We're so sorry. read more

Last year I said the pricing was great. This past weekend we were downstate and I got 4 gondolas with double meat (and not even really double meat, they only gave me double ham) and it was $30. $30? That is so wrong. But the bread was still soooo good. PS - this was at the new Bloomington Location. read more

So this place was cheap and close, but overall pretty disappointing. The bread was delicious, but that's about it. My friend got the fried ravioli app and it was good. Good texture/crunch without overcooking it or making it hard as a rock, but wasn't a huge fan of the meat filling. Between my friends and I, we got two tortellini with alfredo sauce, a lasagna, and two spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs were good as well, but then everyone was disappointed with their sauce. I was the least bothered by my sauce, but I wouldn't consider it an Alfredo sauce. It tasted more like recipes where they use cream of mushroom soup as a base instead of cream and a roux. I added baked chicken to my tortellini Alfredo and found it to be inedible. I don't know what it was seasoned with, but I didn't like it. A friend did fried chicken on his and he liked the fried chicken, but disliked the Alfredo sauce so much he didn't finish his meal. No one ate their leftovers. read more

Excellent food I'll definitely come back. Great service, great food, and good for the family. Highly recommend this place! I got the meat ravioli, and it was delicious! read more

Avanti's Italian Restaurant - Great place to go with your family. It's an inexpensive place to eat great food. The bread is a must. The Ravioli is quite good. - Italian Near Me - Normal, Illinois

6/27/2018 I hate to give this review although my visit was pleasant and my sandwich was okay. It just wasn't what I recall, I've had the famous gondola before and always loved it!!! This time, I felt as though it was rather mediocre. I'm sorry, perhaps this is a case of my memory making it better than it truly was?? The person that took my order was pleasant and sandwich was given to me in the time it took to fill my ice tea. Willing to re-write the review if next time, results are better. read more

This place makes Olive Garden seem like fine dining. The lasagna was the poorest excuse for Italian food that I've eaten since the lasagna in my college dorm. The bread was soft and slightly sweet. It was the best thing on the table, which is sad, but it's definitely not Italian bread. The server actually snickered when I asked him to hold any cucumber or onion on my salad. I understood the joke when my salad arrived - a bowl of old bag lettuce with a blob of salad dressing on top. Not even a lonely cherry tomato. Also not cold. I know Avanti's is a local favorite. I just don't understand why. Go anywhere else. read more

I've been coming here for years. Would always stopped by when playing soccer tournaments in Bloomington or even Chicago because it's 10 minutes off the highway. Anyways. Every time I come in service is horrible and yesterday was so bad I decided to leave a review. I suggest sticking to the carry out option. They had a few parties but the whole staff seemed flustered when we talked in. I waited for awhile until someone greeted me. We finally got sat, we sat there for 15 minutes before I stopped a host asking if we had a server. Of course the server we had had like a 20 top, I watched him take all their orders, our order, and the table that JUST got sats order. But instead of running the drinks out and then putting in the orders or asking someone to help him. We wanted for 10 more minutes without water. Did I mention the reason why I didn't do take out this time was because I was so thirsty?! No tomatoes - I still ended up with them on my sandwich. And I saw the lady next to me take the tomatoes off her salad even though she asked for no tomatoes as well. I heard him tell 3 people "sorry, I'm so sorry... it won't be on the check" clearly he was overwhelmed. I didn't see a manager. They should have gone on a wait, or stop seating this guy because I saw other servers chatting. He never came back and refill my water or soda. I had to ask a host for a Togo box. The thing that made it worse was that our servers nametag said he was a leader.... I'll stick to carry out. read more

While waiting for family to get done at the hospital I came here like the old days. Fast hot and cheerful waitress. Pizza was great and of course so was the bread! read more

Avantis is a must-go in Normal, IL! The best is the gondola and the sweet bread slices. So glad that they have started doing gluten free bread now, but it's,nowhere near the same level of greatness that the gluten-filled bread is. We stopped on our way up to Chicago on a Sunday afternoon, and they were packed. Had a little wait, which is acceptable and understandable. However, when we got seated it took forever to get a wiatress to come and once our order was taken, they were out of regular and gf bread. So we had to wait quite a while for our meal. This is not normal for them, and it seemed strange that a restaurant revolving heavily around bread would not be well stocked. Oh well...food was amazing as always when we finally got it! Loved the updates to the flooring the did. Hope next visit goes a little more smoothly like we are used to. read more

If your goal is to eat inexpensive food that tastes cheap, Avanti's is the place for you. My pasta tasted like a jar of Ragu poured over store-brand spaghetti. The salad was drowned in dressing and severely short on toppings. The servers were not particularly interested in being there. I will never understand how Avanti's convinces so many people to come back so frequently. read more

I've lived in B-N for almost 10 years and I have yet to have my "Avanti's Epiphany" so I doubt I ever will. Yes...their bread is pretty good, but so is the bread at Jimmy John's and La Gondola. If Avanti's is anything it is a machine. They have everything they do down to a science from the food prep to the seperate carryout area (very smart idea so you don't have to step over every student who brought their parents from out of town to experience the "awesome" food at Avanti's). The restaurant is located on one of the most congested stretches of road in the Twin Cities directly across from ISU dorms and the site of the new Campus Rec Center and the endless stream of cars in and out of their poorly designed parking lot does not help. If you're entering from Kingsley you'll be ok and end up in the bigger/wider section of the lot...if you enter from Main Street...well...just don't. Maybe I'm just jaded because when you work in corporate Bloomington (you know the companies) and it's time to order lunch for a meeting it's ALWAYS Avanti's. If you're forced to order get the open-faced pizza bread. If you don't have to order, do yourself a favor and go to La Gondola for better food and service. This place is pretty much one small step above Fazoli's. I also have yet to understand what people love about Gondolas. I can make a sandwich with ham, salami, american cheese, and wilted lettuce at home for much less than they charge! One quick word of advice...don't even try it on move-in, move-out, graduation, homecoming, family weekend, IHSA weekends, Jehovah's witness conventions, Sundays, football Saturdays, etc. You'll wait FOREVER! read more

Faux Italian food that became famous because Avantis was one of the few "local" places several decades ago when there weren't so many dining choices in Bloomington/Normal. Their location is great for business too, so don't confuse that with the actual food they serve. I've had some of my worst dining experiences at Avanti's, noteworthy is the time when I didn't have enough cash but I had a wallet full of credit cards. To my surprise, they were cash only, and when I expressed disbelief (I wasn't mean about it) the employee responded by saying "Well look how successful they are, obviously they know what they're doing...". They may take credit cards now, but I've stopped going to find out. Pastas are about the same as what you get from high quality frozen pasta entrees that you buy in bulk at places like Costco or Sam's. Bread is plain, ordinary white bread, and if this bread is the talk of the town then it must be a pathetic town indeed, as far as dining goes. Why do they not have alcohol? read more

You know, on reflection, I've come to a certain conclusion. Different towns have their own institutions they'll love despite all evidence to the contrary that they are, in fact, pretty awful. Atlanta, for example, has the Varsity. Bloomington/Normal has Avanti's. I've had it a few more times since my last review, and every single time, I've said "yuck" unless I was eating a Gondola. It's just really not good. The pasta gets one star, the sandwich gets two. I know it's a tradition - it's a place that both townies and students love, and it's conveniently located near both ISU and IWU. Almost every student at either of those institutions, and almost everyone growing up in town, has fond memories of eating here and will tell you all about their bread. (Heck; when I went to IWU, it was one of a fairly small list of options for Main Street fare.) But it's just not good food. As I mentioned before, I've had more satisfying "italian" food at the fast-food Fazoli's, for lower prices. read more

Yes, people looove this place. It looks like a family restaurant inside, nothing fancy- LOTS of tables and booths, and is family friendly. I haven't been here for a couple eyars, but used to live across the street, and my roomie worked here for 3 years. The bread is VERY good. I think that's what people like best. It's soft, and a tad sweet. Is very good with a little butter. And- if you get the grilled cheese or pizza burger- it comes on this Italian loaf bread. It's what I like best here. I'm not a fan of the pasta- but I think one one night each week, they have all-you-can eat spaghetti night- and so hoards of college kids come in this night, fraternities as well. It's incredibly group and family friendly, LOTS of parking. ISU has a lot of conference sports events and such, so at any point in the year, you can find young teams dining here after the day of sporting events. The service is fast, and you may wait a bit to get a table- but it's never that long. read more

We ate at the Normal location today. This is my first Yelp post. Our experience lead me to download the app and write. The lasagna was awful. The pesto spaghetti and fettuccine Alfredo were ok. We commented we could make better at home. The meat sauce tasted like tomato sauce and paste mixed together. The salad was iceberg lettuce. Come on. I was disappointed with the bread. It did not live up to its hype. We paid $2.35 a drink and was never asked about refills. We will not return. read more

I personally think Avanti's is definately overrated, but I think its very nice on the other hand that a restaurant exists that's across the street from south campus(Hamilton-Whitten and Atkin-Colby dorms, for those who aren't in the know about common ISU lingo). Still not quite as great as other restaurants are in the immediate vicinity, such as Zorba's(which I'll review at some point). Anyway, I'd say their food is more hit-or-miss. Either really hitting a direct bull's eye, or really awful, unfortunately. I do recall the garlic bread being pretty decent from here, the few times I've gone here. Unfortunately, I don't recall much else about this place. Also, at least the waiters/waitresses are pretty friendly here. Still, if the ISU meal plan were to theoretically cover off-campus restaurants, I'd still rather go to McAlister's Deli(an on-campus restaurant inside Bone), over going here. read more

I'm'a vegetarian. I couldn't eat most of the things on their menu. I ended up eating a deli style sandwich with overpowering onions, lame cheese and flavorless peppers. Not worth it, in my book. I'd advise staying away, unless you're into mediocre food that people attempt to pass off as Italian and overcharge for. Or, if you're an old person, lots of 50+ there. It was weird. read more

I never have understood the whole Avanti's thing Bloomington Normal has with Avanti's. I admit I don't eat pork so I don't eat the Gondola and their Alfredo is ok but I have had better. A friend of mine from the University told me that Avanti's will ship anywhere in the world. If I had money and was sitting on some little in the Caribbean, I would not get Avantis. He could not believe I felt that way. He just kept saying "You can get them anywhere in the world". I guess a fool and him money are soon parted then because I can't think of anywhere in the world I would enjoy anything on that menu. However, the place is clean and the people so nice and that does count for a lot with me. read more

Coming from an east coast person as I am, this pizza is 5stars! I just wish there was more of a fluffy puffy end crust! But that is the east coast pizza lover in me coming out! I would also like to say I was not happy with my fried ravioli that was delivered..I ordered and paid for 10..yet I only got 8...but they were delicious! But still the fact of the matter. The pizza sandwich thing I got loaded with peppers and onions and meatballs was super yum! Keep it up! Sauce! ON POINT! Thank you avantis! Let's let out the crust more like the east coast! I would be your biggest fan! Besides the crust issue and the 8pc fried ravioli I got for the price of 10pc..NO Complaints! 1120am delivery time was on point as well! Love the online app too! The delivery guy was very friendly and deserved his well paid tip..is! Keep that guy! read more

Walk up service, not real dining. Order at the counter, they call out your name and you walk over to pick up your order off of a table. No real dishware or silverware. Worst part of the evening was the quality of the food. We had mosticolli and lasagna. Mostociolli was rubbery and not even warm. The lasagna noodles were mush and was barely warm. Should have walked out after the first bite, because it didn't get any better. read more

This is the type of restaurant you want to ask someone about right away in order to be able to tell if any of their advice is worth listening to. If they say it's great, nod appreciatively and make a mental note to never take their advice on anything restaurant related, ever. If you like sugar loaded white bread without a crust, this is the place for you. Alternatively, you can go buy some store brand ranch dressing and off-brand cold cuts or a jar of pasta sauce off the shelf and save yourself a couple bucks. The staff is very friendly and the locals seem to love it, but I have to imagine it's for not having any frame of reference. read more

Serve me Godola sandwiches and Avanti's pizza bread for the rest of time and I'll be a happy man. I don't stear to far away from those choices, but I've always had a good experience here. If your looking for a cheap, non-fastfood Italian place this is the spot to be. This is a must stop whenever I pass through the area. Be sure to get some bread to go. read more

Very tasty yet simple gondola sandwiches. The sweet bread is awesome. The pasta is also pretty good here. Affordable and pretty quick service. Ill be back read more

I'm trying to remember why everyone (myself included) was so taken with Avanti's when we were in college. We went back to visit 20 years later this past weekend and just weren't impressed. The only thing we really enjoyed was their bread- very white and sweet. They did seem to have a lot of people working and they did a good job. read more

Okay, this place won't kill you or anything. The food is really poor in quality. We ordered french onion soup which was encased in cheese but had virtually no soup in the crock because it was filled with odious little croutons. Ewwwww! I ordered chicken parmigiana. I liked that it came in a small or regular size entree and wasn't deep fried. The sauce totally ruined it. It was lousy and sweet. The veggie lasagna my friend ordered looked like some classic Playskool toy food. It's dirt cheap which is a neutral factor. And, just like Denny's, you pay at the front counter. read more

This is really great pizza. Tried three types this past weekend and enjoyed the cheesiness of each on the thin, light crust. Then I was at a catered lunched and thought their lasagna was maybe the best non-homemade lasagna I've ever had. read more

Good food, but I specifically asked for condiments and received none. I spent an extra $8 for delivery and didn't get what I asked for. I used to ask to substitute American cheese for the mozzarella on the deluxe gondola but that never happened without paying extra. They're slipping fast. read more

Avanti's Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Normal, Illinois

This is my favorite restaurant. The gondola is affordable and a classic staple. My favorite is the pepperoni pizza bread.

WOW!!! IF you are looking for a GREAT DELI SANDWICH COME HERE!!! Unreal! The bread is so good! You can order to go or dine in! Either way! This place has been here for forever! I highly suggest stopping by here and trying the delicious bread! Very good spot!! read more

The bread rocks ! Dip it in house dressing ! Get a large order of tortellini ! Your taste buds will thank you ! Delicious ! Avantis is a must stop on a visit to bloomington/ normal ! read more

You can't mention ISU or Blormal without mentioning Avanti's. It's like a right of passage for ISU students to come here for all you can eat spagetti on Tuesday nights. Yes, the food isn't the best (except for the awesome bread) or the most authentic. But it's been here forever and it's pretty much a tradition. So anytime I visit Blormal, you better believe I am stopping in for a gondola! read more

This is a local favorite to be sure! If you are a townie or know one you know what I mean! People love this place or hate this place, with the majority of true townies loving it! When you arrive you can tell right away this location is a staple in the town. Located right on the edge if ISU campus, it goes through different meal rush times. Most of the decor has not been updated since I have been alive, and honestly I could care less! The food has always been top notch! If you come here you have to try something with the Origional Meat Sauce! It simply does not taste like this anywhere I have ever been. My favorite is the spagetti and meat sauce dinner, wich comes with bread, and soup or salad. If you really want to get your moneys worth or have a big appetite, come dine in for this treat and you will get unlimited portions! Even if you do not plan to get more than one plate, the dinner is less expensive this night. Another pasta dish that is really top notch is the Jumbo Cheese Ravioli! Wow! This is really a treat! Very tasty pillows of ravioli with sauce. You will not be dissapointed with the cheeses and seasonings in this pasta. When I say Jumbo, I mean about the size of the palm of your hand. Good sized! No matter the size of your group, or your appetite, this is a truely wonderful place to go! It is a local favorite, and a guaranteed good meal if you are traveling and unsure where to eat in the area. Don't forget to try their fresh brewed iced tea! If you're a local, join the birthday club and you will get $10 off your meal and drink in addition to a free desert! Sometimes its been a cake, other times its been a cupcake. read more

This place never fails to deliver.....always fast service...always a great price for one to eat alone or with family...clean ...upbeat servers....portion sizes are great ..its my go to for something quick and yummy read more

I'll post this review for both locations- Avanti's is a staple in Blormal. My family has been coming here for years (I was raised in B-N, since then have lived around the US in Boston, Chicago, San Fran, Vegas and traveled all over the world...and I still love coming home and returning here again and again. 2 of my brothers went to ISU and would go on all you can eat spaghetti night and I think the most one of them ate was like 5 plates lol. The original Avantis is across from my old high school and I remember days when I or a buddy might forger lunch money and we'd bum $3 off each other and head to avantis for a helf gondola or a loaf of bread and sauce.... It's important to note that everything served at Avanti's isn't 5 star - the 5 star items are centered on their amazing bread that is baked fresh daily. I've heard that the original owner came in ridiculously early every morning to bake the bread himself long after he ever needed to work another day in his life. What a guy! When he passed, I heard others in his family took over for him and I applaud their efforts...in my opinion the standards, service and most importantly FOOD at the new location is just as good if not better than the original location. Also the takeout area is open very late which is awesome. The service is always very friendly! I remember coming in once after college and seeing my ex gf's little sister working once.... and i hadn't seen her in like 10 yrs....she looked like my ex did when we were dating in high school! LOL.what a flashback... Stick to these items - gondola's, garlic bread's, sandwiches...and maybe the spaghetti feast night over the items such as soups, ravioli and other pasta, which are more like good fast food italian. To come to Avantis and order soup or salad or ravioli even in my opinion is kind of like going to a steak place and getting a veggie plate then complaining about the quality. Not that those items aren't good, they're 3 star and not bad.. To all the haters - Avanti's isn't Biaggi's or fine italian dining LOL. Go to Avantis with your bros or hos, take your date you want to impress to Biaggis or get Avanti's take out when you're watching a movie at home...completely different experiences, price point, everything. A GF of mine owns a few Italian restaurants in Boston in the North End and she appreciated Avantis for what it is when i took her and loved it. if you can make better bread let me know, i'll give you $100 for a loaf of it. I've traveled all over the world and never had better :) read more

Great waiter, mouthwatering Italian food, I went with a group of 6 and they all agreed that this place deserves a 5/5 stars. Vegan options are scarce- the bread isn't vegan- but that shouldn't affect most customers. read more

I don't get why people love Avanti's as much as they do. I mean, the prices are ok, especially for the gondolas, but pretty much everything else is average at best and mediocre at worst. The pasta is nothing to brag about. The lasagna is not worth the price for either the size or the quality (they wanted almost $10 for a tiny little piece of greasy meat sauce). The pizza bread I got had to have been microwaved, because the crust was soggy, and the cheese and sauce had that dry, plastic look and texture. When University Housing was paying for it, I obviously didn't complain, mainly because we just got sandwiches or pasta, but I avoided going here if I was paying out of pocket. I think Fazoli's is a little better. read more

Bread is a local legend. Order a Gondola sandwich and you will discover why! Cheap prices, average service, pretty good food--dude! read more

Loved this place!! I wish we would have got our servers name, he was awesome. Food was excellent. Our first time there and was really impressed!! read more

My parents have talked about the Gondola sandwich which I never had until now. Geez Louise, I wish the task hadn't taken so long. While I'm not an American cheese, cold cut variety kind of girl, let's just say, the Gondola sandwich is on an entire different planet. OH MY GOD is that good - from that bread that's to die for (perfect for a sandwich in every way), to a healthy portion of the crispest lettuce and ruby red but firm tomato slices, the cheese and the meats danced magically together as a perfect sandwich reminding me of something during my childhood that I probably never had, but wished I did. For a "sub" style sandwich, there is no other in taste and price range. It's a shame Avanti's isn't way closer to Chicago! read more

Worked and eaten here. Went to ISU for 4 years...ate here, worked there, ate there again. Haha. It's one place I've waitressed that I can honestly say is clean enough to continue my eating there. (All the tiny little cleaning duties are a pain in the ass as an employee but as a customer its worth it!) New menu items are a great hit! Cheap prices, decent food, really great for hangovers! Ask your server for advice if you're unsure. We are always honest about what we think. Great for college kids...cheap and quick. Do NOT confuse our Bloomington store with our Normal store...very different environments and different service quality...same menu...stick with the original ;) I moved to Chicago and I will say that I do miss their bread....I even was craving a gondola the other day.... read more