Had a late dinner at Cento and it did not disappoint! I ordered the Tuscan kale Cesar salad and the scallops entree. Both were impeccable! My server, Prasad, was really the highlight! He was so sweet and informative. Went through the menu and described everything in such detail. My friend and I were visiting Madison for work and he offered us so many options to fill our free time. He takes so much pride in everything and it shows. The ambiance of the restaurant is a little on the nicer side, but they do allow casual attire. 10/10 recommend and can't wait to come back for the wine flight with the in house Somm. read more

First time at Cento for a friend's birthday today and spoiler, will be back! We all went ahead with the Boozy Brunch for $35 a person, which comes with 2 cocktails, unlimited coffee, a pastry of your choice, and any entree on the menu. Drip coffee was delicious to start. I had the lobster fettuccine and there was PLENTY of lobster in it. Pasta tasted fresh and it hit the spot! Some of our party got the French toast which looked amazing and I'll probably try next time-- peaches and pecans with it! A few of them ordered bacon on the side too and it came with plenty of it, 3-4 long strips. Cannoli was the pastry I chose and it was the perfect sweet treat. Filling had cinnamon and was dipped in pistachios, which I will be back for! Ella was our server-- simply amazing! Super attentive, knows the menu like the back of her hand, and went above and beyond for us many times. Michael was one of the hosts who went out of his way to practically give us a photo shoot to capture my friend's special day. Beautiful restaurant with an elevated feel. Open environment while still making the table feel private. They were piping pastries while we were there which was fun to see. Went on a summer Saturday around 11, and if you're from Madison, you know that means the farmer's market (aka, make a plan A/B/C for parking, plan plenty of time to get there and be patient with the crowd outdoors). read more

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Came here after a work conference. Our vendor made the reservations in advance. We were greeted and brought to our table and the 5 of us sat in a large booth. The interior is very modern and upscale. Lots of drink selections and a pretty good wine menu. We got the bacon wrapped dates appetizer and it was very flavorful. Warm bread and butter arrived and that was Al's good. All of my party finished their food. I got the pasta and liked the texture of the noodles with the tag sauce. It's a good sized portion. When the dessert came we were not expecting one order of gelato to have 3 scoops! Not bad for $9!! But I'm from San Francisco so likely why I expected one scoop for $9 ha. I'll add this restaurant to my list for the next time I'm in downtown Madison! read more

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We enjoyed the ambiance of Cento. The waitstaff was attentive but not intrusive. And there were so many choices on the menu. We both ordered pizzas. I had the Caprese pizza and thoroughly enjoyed it. My companion had the Funghi and Formaggi pizza and liked it as well. We both had leftovers for another meal!! I look forward to visiting Cento again and trying other things on the very interesting menu. read more

Cento - Caprese Pizza - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Food was beyond amazing! I was just there a few weeks ago and my mom and I left thinking wow! Our waitress was amazing and food was too. We showed up without a reservation for 3 of us, they were able to accommodate us by the bar. Definitely will be back next time in town. read more

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I've been here during the day and at night, both times felt great. During the day, light pours in through the windows and makes the whole space feel fresh and open. At night, it's softer and more relaxed. The clean design and leather seating give it a kind of effortless elegance. It's a modern Italian spot that serves handmade pasta, pizza, and a few other seasonal dishes. Most times, I want a drink and their pasta by the bar. They carry a unique Japanese whisky I rarely see anywhere else, spotted it on this trip and was genuinely excited. My friend came specifically for the beet salad, and we both loved it. The space is open with plenty of seating, but it fills up during prime hours. If you want a table, make a reservation. Bar seating is first come, first serve. Overall Service: Every time I've been here, the host and bartenders have been incredible, whether it's helping me find a seat or just making me feel welcome, solo or with friends. read more

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This was our second time at Cento but it had been a while. We were quickly reminded of why we really liked it. They have a nice variety of Italian foods & a fun drink menu. Our waitress was great & checked in often. I loved the kale Cesar salad & they were nice in allowing us to share it & actually just brought it out on two plates for us which I appreciated. I loved my salmon meal & the flavors were perfect. My husband loved the meatballs his came with. Lastly, the dessert was delicious! The ambiance is always nice & very pretty. I also appreciate that there's a variety of seating options and that the booths are comfortable. I have a disability so sitting is difficult especially on uncomfortable chairs so I'm glad they accommodated my need for a booth. read more

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I recently dined here and ordered the scallops with butternut squash purée. The dish was good, but I was hoping for a bit more flavor overall. The presentation was nice and the ingredients seemed fresh, but the seasoning felt a little subtle for my taste. I also enjoyed one of their signature drinks called Fiore Which was very tasty! The ambiance of the restaurant was really pleasant--great atmosphere for a night out or pre-show dinner. Our server was excellent and offered some helpful recommendations on what to order, which we really appreciated. One thing to keep in mind is that the restaurant is located across the street from the Overture Center, so parking can be a bit of a challenge, especially during events. Overall, it was a nice experience, mainly thanks to the atmosphere and great service. read more

Cento - Fiore - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Not knowing what I wanted for dinner, I did Google pasta near me and this place popped up after quickly reviewing the menu. I knew I wanted to eat here because the food just looked amazing. The one thing I didn't like was that I was seated in a chair, the head arms and I am not a person of size at least I don't think I am and it would be very embarrassing. If a person of size we're just sitting in one of these chair chairs. I think they should rethink the chair so they would be more inclusive, which seems to be the theme in Madison, Wisconsin other than that the food was delicious. The iced tea was good and the ambience was great. I was able to get in and out in this nice dining establishment in a quick amount of time. read more

Cento - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

What an outstanding restaurant and dining experience!!! The moment I walked in, and saw it was a full house, plus the alluring smell of fine Italian food....I knew I hit it big. I sat at the bar solo and was immediately greeted by the bartender Jack. He served up a killer cocktail (Manhattan) and was quick to offer dining options and his favorites. I went with the fungi and four cheese pizza. Outstanding didn't' cover it!!! Enough to take home for lunch the next day. While seated at the bar, I was engaged in conversation by one of the servers Josie. A delightful young college student from U of Wisconsin. She told me about the area, the university and things of interest in the area. She was attentive to her customers, but when she had a brief moment, she would reengage me in conversation. She and all of the other servers were like bees swarming all over the restaurant. Their staff are extremely hard working and diligent to their customers. This was my first time here while visiting for work assignment. I plan to make this my "must have" when revisiting. read more

This was my surprise favorite spot in Madison! We sat outside and had a great view of the Capitol building, and our server was so funny and attentive. I started with an espresso martini, which was perfectly made. I also ordered the chicken Parmesan made with vodka sauce, and it was absolutely delicious with a giant serving size. I would definitely stop back here if in the Madison area. read more

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Oh my lord the food here is incredible. I enjoy it so much. Coming here is such a treat! I love it as a date night or bringing out of towners. It's the perfect location close to the capital to showcase Madison's most iconic scene. The service also is really great. The pasta here is homemade and is delicious. I can't say a bad thing about the food. Also the Arancini is very unique and delicious. read more

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Amazing food. I sat at the bar and the staff was very friendly and funny. They gave great food recommendations. I had the shrimp pasta which was excellent. The arancini was good too. The ambiance was very nice. Perfect for date or any fun evening. read more

Cento - Canary - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Came here to celebrate my friends birthday and it was fantastic! If you like truffle I definitely recommend you get the linguine al tartufo.... the best pasta I've ever had. Ask for lucie she was a great server and super knowledgeable about the menu. We couldn't figure out what to order for drinks but she was incredibly patient and helped us pick. Ambiance was also fantastic saw a couple get engaged! Overall a 10/10 experience. read more

Cento - linguine al tartufo - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Our service was great! The 35.00 brunch deal is a steal for the quality and how much you get. I ordered the Challah French toast which was the perfect level of sweet! read more

Cento - Challah French Toast - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Walked in and asked how long wait was they said 30 minutes, got a text and waited on State st. Came back after 30 minutes and they said it would be another 30-45 minutes. They could have said that at the beginning. Disappointed, looks very upscale. Food looked good and was looking forward to trying it. Not going back. read more

Some of the food was really salty especially the mushroom side dish and the mushroom pasta that I got. The service was great and the staff was very kind and accommodating to me even if I didn't have a reservation. read more

We went in for the burger special and I was SO excited because the vecchio burger that I had in May was amazing. This time I was really disappointed as the bacon marmalade was super dry as well as the burger. It was a stark contrast from May. May was super juicy and very delicious!!! I really expected it to be as amazing as before and I left unsatisfied and disappointed. It seemed like this time forgot about it in the pan and burnt it. I debated sharing this review, but it was honestly so bad that I had to post. Hopefully it's better next time and for other guests...! Our service was great otherwise and my cocktail was delicious! I'll still be back at some point, just maybe not for the burger. read more

Cento - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

This is a great location for a celebration or special occasion! I recommend making reservations especially on weekends if you want to get in and seated in a booth or low table. The service was great and very kind. The restaurant was very classy and felt like a fine dinning experience. There was a great selection of food from burgers and pizza to pasta and seafood. My only critique is that both me and my partner felt our meals were a little underwhelming or missing something to elevate it from good to great. It may also be that we just chose poorly. They also charged us for a birthday dessert which is okay- however a heads up would've been appreciated prior to receiving the bill. There's also limited parking near by so expect to park on the street or parking garage and walking a block or two. read more

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Great service, fun vibe, great happy hour drink specials, and good food. We liked the bolognese the best. read more

Cento - Gnocchi al Tartufo - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Just an average (or below average) attempts at Italian . Two glaring errors I will now mention: 1. Truly, the most eye popping dish should have been the seafood risotto. It came out and looked like black mush. The flavor was fair, but the dish was so ugly. Why would you make it all black? We thought maybe they used squid ink, but no, it was black risotto. Why? All the seafood had a black milky liquidy gray look to it. (See the attached picture.) 2. The bacon wrapped dates were not cooked correctly. So it was basically White fat around a date. Served in a tomato sauce. Really all wrong from start to finish. Embarrassing. read more

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Food 5/5 - Food was DELICIOUS! I really liked the tuna tartare - it was very flavorful! They should keep it on their menu year round. Fried calamari was yummy and the sauce was good with it. The spicy salumi pizza was sweet and spicy. The tiramisu had hazelnut gelato on top. YUMM Service 5/5 - The staff were quick and friendly! All of our food came out super quick. Ambiance 5/5 - Very nice interior. We were seated in a very big booth even though it was only 2 of us eating. I will definitely be back to try more food! :) read more

Cento - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Our waiter Robby was the best! He recommend a delicious wine - very impressed! He was very quick and polite. He never let our water glasses get empty! Food was very good I recommend the chicken Parm. I had the Tagliatelle, very good but I think I would get something else next time. We also got the Squash Agnolotti which was very tasty. The Tiramisu was THE BESTTTT and it came with hazelnut gelato on top! It felt very high end in there. Perfect for a date night spot! read more

Cento - Tagliatelle - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Great experience! Came here for brunch with my wife, and kids aged 20 and 15. It was my oldest birthdays!!! This place was great!! It was lively, bright and laid back. Had a city feel and the layout was very open. For brunch there are both lunch and breakfast items, but not a true appetizer menu. I had the Bucatini ala Carbonara and it was soooooo good. Very filling and good portion. My wife had the eggplant pizza and loved it. The crust was to die for. My 15 year old had a plain cheeseburger with mayo and breakfast potatoes. Burger was huge!! My oldest had the Shrimp Mafaldine---in vodka sauce, grana padano, breadcrumb, basil. She subbed chicken for shrimp. Wife and I had drinks. I had a delish Cabernet and my wife had the Bellini. Mine was great but the Bellini was perfect for the brunch. Refreshing! Kids had a soda and coffee. Service was outstanding. I think our server was Kaitlyn and she was awesome. They gave us a desert to share for my kids birthday and we had the cheesecake. It was a delicious cheesecake with blackberries and some type of a rice, frozen thing as well as a lemon sauce. It was really good. Go! Here! read more

Underwhelming. Sea salt is used much too much. Disappointing. Food is not on par with the ambiance, the fixtures and the building. Would never survive in Chicago or New York. Staff was OK. Not great. Not rude. Just a blah dinner experience. read more

Made a 5:45pm reservation before going to a 7pm show at the Orpheum. The host got us seated promptly. We ordered the arincini which was interesting. I didn't realize it would have a strong generic barbecue flavor. Aside from that it tasted good. We waited quite a bit for our entree to come out. It finally came out at 6:40 so we were very limited on time. We asked our waitress to put a dessert in right away as we were running late and she was able to do that for us. For the entree, I got the Mafalda which was cooked well but a little bland or underseasoned. I felt like a little more cheese would've helped or even just salt. For dessert we got the tiramisu which was so good, Overall, there was a lot of good but also things that could be improved. read more

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i went here for my nephews birthday, had an amazing experience. food was delicious. drinks were perfect. definitely plan to go there again! read more

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I dined in on a weekend and had a late brunch, also called lunch. I went for a breakfast pizza. It was a nice twist on regular pizza. Toppings was all had good flavor. Having a poached egg on top was a good touch. The pizza was a lot to eat. I would say it would be enough for 2 people. I went at about 1 pm. I had a reservation, but at that time walk in would have been fine. Restaurant was spacious with tall cielings. Seats were properly spread with enough space in between. read more

Cento - Breakfast pizza - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

We had a, fantastic dinner at the chef's table that offered amazing tastings from start to finish! I chose the premier wine paring and had incredible offerings picked by the Semmelier who picked perfect pairings for each dish start to finish. read more

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Good vibe, great drinks, delicious pasta! Austin is a rockstar behind the bar and helped guide us towards things we might enjoy. Gnocchi was some of the best we've had. read more

Cento - Gnocchi! - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

On a recent outing, I opted for a seat at the bar. There were two bartenders doing different sets of tasks. While the initial drink order was taken promptly, successive attempts to get either of their attention ended up taking a little longer than it should have. I wasn't in a particular hurry, but that seemed odd. My choice for the entrée was the Chicken Parmesan, which, was a very large serving. The chicken itself didn't seem to be brined, but was not excessively dry either. Knowing that the restaurant has a solid reputation and following, I was a little disappointed that the dish merely met average expectations. Also, my total bill was $45 with tip and one non-alcoholic drink. I would be willing to give them a second chance, but would likely try something else. read more

Place is so so good for a date night, or to impress the in laws. Drinks and wine list are perfection and staff know what they are doing! Oh and the food! Yum! read more

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Food, service, and ambiance was chef's kiss. The place was clean and very neat. Our waiter- Logan was awesome. It was our first time here and he was so happy and friendly. Gave us multiple recommendations. We definitely will be back. Food was great, dessert was even better. Great place to go on date night. read more

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First time coming here and don't regret it. I was in town for the weekend and this happened to be the place we decided on for dinner. We walked in and luckily they were able to squeeze us in. I worked for sure make reservations in advance. They were able to let us have a table but be done by 730. Which by then it was only 545 so we had time. Seems to me like fancy dining. We ended up ordering the a couple of drinks. We ordered the Fiore and raspberry bramble. Both were very good. Entree wise, I ordered the porcini pappardelle and my cousin ordered the chicken Parmesan. Everything was so so delicious. We also ordered the rustic ciabatta bread with butter and olive oil. Ill have to come back to try others on the menu. read more

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This is such a great Italian restaurant. We don't go to Madison often but every time we do, we get dinner here. Fantastic food and fabulous creative drinks. read more

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Beautiful restaurant and lively atmosphere. Had to make a 7:00 PM show at the Orpheum Theater nearby and the staff was amazing to make sure we'd make it. Food was incredible and the overall experience was fantastic. read more

Cento - Restaurant looking from the kitchen. - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Cento is an upscale/modern Italian restaurant right off of the capital square in Madison. Their menu is mostly meat based but I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious their vegetarian and gluten free options were. Our server was excellent and super helpful with my dietary restrictions/gave me really good suggestions on what to order because of that. The fried artichokes were surprisingly gluten-free and had a fish and chips vibe thanks to their super tasty lemon aioli. The pizza was wonderful and the gluten free crust was similar to a tavern style/thin crust pizza. The mushroom gnocchi dish with the gluten free noodles was homey and warm and so delicious. Overall it was so so tasty and I can't wait to return to try more of their wonderful options. read more

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Do you love pasta? Are you a sucker for a great brunch? Yes to both?.... Then Cento is the place for you! I really am the biggest fan of their boozy brunch deal they have on Sundays. For a set price, you get your choice of 2 drinks, pastries, coffee or tea, and an entrée. Last time I went, it was $38, which I think is a great value for everything you get. What makes this place my favorite is their fresh pasta dishes. I love pasta, and Cento does it right. Fresh and rich but still balanced. The restaurant itself also has a very warm and inviting atmosphere with great service. Overall, you can't go wrong for brunch or any other meal...But I would do brunch. read more

Wonderful birthday celebration at Cento. Seated promptly even though crowd for symphony and boys' state basketball. Tried three appetizers. Wrapped dates were tops, with tuna tartare close second. Table had branzino, seared gnocchi, ravioli, spaghetti bucatini and pasta with sausage. Everything was very good. Waitress did a great job serving four large groups. Recommend, we will return to try the pizza! read more

This place is always at the top of the list when visiting Madison. The menu has a bit of everything. Great drinks, friendly attentive staff and lively atmosphere. The chef and his team put out some great and creative options! Pork Belly, The bread, the pastas and entrees are great. Love the short ribs! read more

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