If you like Italian, you'll like Avanti's. Pasta is great as is the pizza. You can choose marinara, meat sauce, or Alfredo, and all is good! read more

Avantis - Italian Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

Good old college standby. That's about it. The waitress was very nice. The Gondola was ok. The other entrees were mediocre. It is essentially Chef Boy RD served in a restaurant setting. read more

Ordered a pizza and waited over two hours! Contacted the manager "Jay" who was dismissive and offered no apology. He is NOT management material! Overall, horrible customer service. In the future I will be taking my business elsewhere. *When the pizza arrived it wasn't hot - obviously:(. Waste of time and money! read more

People allllllll across the country who grew up in Peoria know to bow down to Avanti's. Not. Kidding. I actually don't know of anyplace else in the world that makes their bread. You can't eat enough of it! I usually eat here at least twice every single time I come home. Gotta have a gondola or spaghetti with garlic bread. It's like crack - that stuff be callin' you! Eat it!!!!! read more

Not feeling the love either. It is exactly what the 3 stars indicate, A-OK. OK being the main point here. Yes the bread is amazing. I can only imagine that is why their famous Gondola sandwich is a hit. I mean, you could put canned cat food in between that bread and it would taste good. I had the chicken alfredo. Small portion and the chicken is chopped into bits! WTF is that?! It made me feel like I was in a military mess hall or something. Pizza looked to thick for my liking, but people seemed to enjoy it. They deserve credit where credit is due though. The are rediculously inexpensive. So you definitely get what you pay for, and you get a bonus that is their fresh bread. read more

This place puts crack in their bread. Cheap, delicious, and perfect sized portions. The fountain drinks they serve you here are huge as well with free refills to boot. I don't think I've ever visited Peoria without stopping into this little gem. My only complaint is that I don't have one in Chicago. This place single handedly caused the suck fest that we called Fazoli's to go out of business. Sorry Fazoli's - Cheap, delicious Italian food business in Peoria? Not yours. read more

yummmmeeeeeee! i grew up eating this food. every time i got home for a visit, we have to stop here for the bread--it is so delicious, we usually take a loaf or two home to oak park. i can eat here for less than 5 bucks. i love the tortellini, the garlic bread with cheese, the gondola, the minestrone soup... i wish they would expand into chicagoland :) read more

This place was a little shock to the system as we expected an elegant restaurant and were treated to what looked like Mel's Diner instead. Waitress was very nice though. The place was fairly busy at around 3pm, and it was because of the food (and prices maybe). Italian bread & butter was good. Salads were run of the mill. Beer (bottled) and wine were available. Then we ordered 1)Baked Cod w/spaghetti and meat sauce and 2)Chicken Parmesan w/marinara. Both were good with al dente pasta. We even ordered an extra dish to take home. That was 3) Spaghetti with mixed seafood and meatballs on the side. All three were good. With the lightly baked cod being excellent! Chicken was good/OK. On the take home dish....oops. The meatballs weren't there, but they did remember to charge us for them. Upside? 5 meatballs cost all of $0.95. Were they tiny little things? Probably. Wish I knew. Minus that screw-up it was a good place in a not so great setting. I've seen Pizza Hut's and their red checkered table clothes with more atmosphere than this place. All three meals (including the invisible meatballs), along with 2 bottles of beer and diet cola cost all of $35. For THREE. read more

My husband's grandparents live in the area and wanted to eat here. They love this place. I had the spaghetti with meat sauce and meatballs. It came with a salad (iceberg) and bread. It was soooo cheap!! $5 - decent and filling. We went on a Monday and they had all you can eat spaghetti for $4.75. It wasn't bad. The bread was very yummy though!!!! read more

Avanti's is another Peoria staple that stood the test of time. It is not an upscale Italian restaurante. Anyone who expects this is in for a rude surprise. It is hugely popular with a younger crowd. It always has been. Seniors come on Sunday for lunch at the Rockwood location because this particular store is wheel chair accessible, the walkway is covered, and parking is nearby. It's also a stones throw from Northwoods Mall which makes it very convenient to duck in and take out. Avanti's is not Chicago, and despite the negative reviews, it is not a bad place to grab a quick bite as the price is always fair and service is always reasonable. Dollar for dollar the customer will get more bang for their buck than at a national fast food chain. If it is a first trip I suggest the ravioli read more

Pasta is ok. Pizza is ok. I love their house dressing and regular salad. Their bread is the best!!!! Great service. Pretty clean and fast service. Prices are amazing!!! Me and mom go all the time and spend less than $15. read more

One of my favorite places of all time. Very affordable and always fresh. Great service for sit in, carry out, and delivery!

We have been to Texas for the last 12 years now after living in peoria all our lives prior. We talk about avantis all the time when we talk about what should we have for dinner. When we plan to visit family in peoria automatically everyone knows we need to go to avantis ASAP. We have tried to fly back with the BREAD in our suitcase. Uhhh doesn't work well! I was watching a cooking show just now and saw these breads and thought of avantis. We have tried to make it homemade but we are off enough it's just not the same. I just googled avantis bread shipping and YOU ALL WILL SHIP BREAD!!!??? Guess what I am ordering?? BREAD!!!!! Avantis...come on down to Austin I am telling you that you could make a fortune here. Texas has been odd...no avantis bread and no pork tenderloins. I hope the process of shipping the bread works!! read more

Avanti's is perfect for a college student in both price and taste. Be sure to keep that in mind when visiting. This may be a Peorian's staple but many of the transplants know better. read more

I'm not sure what the fuss is about Avanti's to be honest. Their pizza is good, but their pastas are not very authentic, sauces are about as good as from a jar, and the wait for delivery is ridiculous. The gondolas (basically a cold cut sandwich on sweet bread) are good, but nothing to write home about. As a matter of fact the only thing that sets Avanti's gondolas apart from a Subway sandwich is the bread. Not exactly something to write home to mama about. read more

This is one of my favorite places in P-town. I don't live in Illinois anymore, but when I did I went to Avanti's a lot. Who could refuse that bread? It is cheap and fast and delicious. read more

Sorry, I have to just chime in on this "gem." This place is putrid. I mean utterly inedible. Its a step below chef boyardee. To the guy who said this place was better than ricobenes - you're absurd. the pasta is mushy and rancid. It tastes like it would be served at a very large, institutional cafeteria. gross. read more

I never had a problem with Avantis on Rockwood in Peoria until now. May 14, 2016 I wanted to order carryout for my husband's birthday so I called ahead and spoke with someone named Ashleigh who took our order. I specifically asked for 2 turkey and swiss combos with 4 bags of chips and 2 drinks. However when we received our order they only gave us 4 bags of chips, a 1/3 of a sandwich, and 2 drinks for 2 people. Does this make any sense? Absolutely not! When I tried to rectify the situation with Kendra and Jim they were not empathetic at all in fact, they assumed that all we wanted was free money and food! All we wanted was for them to admit that they were wrong! :-\ I am totally displeased with the level of customer service we received. I will never visit this location again. read more

Great food! Great prices! They were even considerate to the fact we had a sleeping child with us and placed us by a quiet area of the restaraunt. Everything I had was absolutely wonderful! I'll definitely be back anytime I'm in IL again. read more

Always love Avanti's great sweet italian bread and they bring all you want. Good sandwiches and decent pasta dishes. The pasta and other dinners are not of the same quality as the sandwiches, but the bread and nostaga pumps up the votes. read more

You get what you pay for. If you're looking for gourmet Italian food, look elsewhere. If, however, you want reasonable Americanized Italian on the cheap, Avanti's is the place. Their bread, devoid of nutritional value, is pretty tasty. read more

Avanti's is a Peoria staple! I have been going here for over 20 years. Spaghetti and pizza are good, but they are best known for their Gondola sandwich and delicious bread. Extremely reasonable prices. read more

Avanti's is a great place to get superb Gondolas. If you've never had one, and are in the area, you have to stop and get one. They also make great hot ham and swiss cheese sandwiches and garlic bread. Yes, I'm praising a lot of bread items, and that's because what Avanti's is best know for always starts with their fresh baked bread. You could eat it plain it's sooo good. Anything they put on their bread is guaranteed to be great. They also have great pasta dishes and pizza, but my favorite items would be anything on their bread. Only down side to Avanti's is there isn't one in the Chicagoland area. I grew up in Peoria where they are located and miss them. I only get one now and then when I visit Peoria, which isn't often enough to satisfy my craving. So, if your in the area of an Avanti's, grab a gondola, and eat one for me too my friend, you'll be glad you did for sure!!! read more

Standard italian done substandardly. Good value if you need to fill up and run or if you just want to sit and talk with people. Nothing super great about most of the dishes, except their lasagna is pretty good. AYCE special is alright too... read more

Their food isn't very good and their prices aren't that great anymore but at least they're not playing that garbage lite rock hits of the 80's and 90's that almost every other Peoria establishment is blasting away to cover the sound of screaming kids and even more obnoxious parents. read more

I'm not really sure why everyone loves this place so much. The food isnt really that good and the famous Gondolas are just a sub where the bread is a little sweet. The food is priced right Ill give them that. read more

What a great place. I've never been disappointed by anything I oredered. Get The Gondola.

Friendly staff and great food at a reasonable price! They have dine in or carry out. Highly recommend the pizza burger prima or the gondola if you are looking for something lighter. read more

Very inexpense italian food that tastes a lot better than you might expect. Excellent choice for college students working within a budget. Be sure to fill up on the free bread - it's delicious! read more

Not as good as when I was a kid, but Avanti's is a local restaurant that has been around for decades. This restaurant was my favorite destination when I first learned to drive. But the atmosphere is nice, safe & clean. The staff is friendly but the pizza crust tasted like they added water to a mix ... not what I remember. But I will probably always go here ... it's a tradition. read more

Avanti's is quite an experience. Their bread is amazing and it's something i come back for during each visit to Peoria. I haven't had anything bad on their menu yet and i'm quite the picky eater. read more

After recently relocating to Peoria I was pleased to be near Avantis. I frequently enjoyed the chicken caeser salad for lunch at the Bloomington Avantis, with their obviously home made dressing, thinly sliced chicken breast and fresh grated parmesan. I was completely disappointed with the salad from Peoria Avantis. It was half the size with both less romaine and chicken than the same salad from Bloomington. They also must use a bottled dressing that was very bland, parmesan from a shaker and mushy croutons. Wendy's produces a better salad than I was served in Peoria Avantis read more

Poor customer service. I had a huge take-out order and they forgot the side salads but I didn't notice until I got to my parent's. They kept me on the phone forever and had me talk to a few people. Finally, they told me I'd have a credit for the next time I came. Well, I don't live in town so my parents were going to use the credit and when they tried the manager was nasty and told my mom that I HAD actually picked up the bag with the salads and they had it on video. NOT possible, as there were NO salads in any of the take-out bags. Really? Why would I lie about some side salads? I wrote a letter, no response. We will never go back. read more

Repeat customer. Good food and inexpensive dine in or carry out.

I love the bread! Personally I always get gondolas. But the last time I visited this location. Pretty poor service, no drink refills, waited for Gondolas for at least 45 mins. read more

Avantis is another example of a local restaurant doing it right. Consistently good food. I order delivery quite a bit, and its is ALWAYS correct and on time. read more

I like Avanti's. It has 5 or 6 locations around Peoria area. Great taste, and always popular for family. The price is not bad, and the waitress' service is also good. read more

have been there twice...once for take out and once for dine in. both were ok - but just ok. the gondola was not bad - but the best part was the bread and i had them sub the american cheese for mozzarella. the pastas were ok - but i think i can cook some just as well. not the best italian food, but cheap and quick - works if you dont want to cook. read more

I so agree about the crappy sauce. There is no effort to add herbs, or any spice besides sugar or salt. Bland, bland, midwestern bland! I don't think that people from this region KNOW how horrible their food is. Having moved from Colorado, I was stunned by the large amount of crap served as "Italian" here. This place is no exception. Yuck! Americanized and commercialized is right. read more

We've eaten their several times and love their spaghetti and of course their famous gondola!