They have good food, but are not at all willing to go off the menu even a little. I got there around 4:45, and they refused to take a dinner order before 5, even though there were like 2 other people there. They did get me the bacon wrapped dates appetizer though, since it was also included on their bar menu or happy hour menu, or something like that. I was also really craving fries, and they said the closest they could offer would be the crispy fingerling potatoes appetizer. I asked if they could at least fry them a bit extra, or cut them up and fry them so they'd be a little closer to fries, but they said no. Was quite disappointed by that, but maybe that's how all upscale restaurants are. I ended up getting: Bacon wrapped dates: portion size was pretty small, but overall a good dish. Dates were not too sweet, and the sauce it came with was really nice. Great combination of ingredients. Crispy fingerling potatoes: Probably the highlight of the night for me, since I wanted fries so bad! They were actually really nice and crispy, and perfectly cooked. Small enough to be really close to fries, and perfectly seasoned! Brick chicken: This was a huge serving! It was about half a large chicken, and definitely enough for 2-3 meals. There was some pesto-like sauce on it, which smelled amazing. The chicken was perfectly cooked. I could only have like 1/4 of it though, since it was so much food! read more

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Cento was a great place for a festive family dinner! The food was delicious. We had eight people, all with different entree choices. We shared tastes of many of the dishes family style, liked them all, and are certain to mix it up again next time! Our waiter Nathan (if I recall correctly) was helpful, extremely knowledgeable, and accommodating. Couldn't have asked for a better experience! read more

Another great little fine in Madison. Quite little place that serves great Italian food. Great menu selection to choose from as far as entrees. The servers do a great job on recommending not only the dishes but also cocktails. Definitely will be back again. read more

Cento - The bolognese sauce was amazing and the pasta was fresh. - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Love this place! Favorite restaurant in Madison. I don't live there anymore, but when I returned for a visit, this is the first place I went. They take reservations on Open Table and I suggest making one, especially on nights when there are shows at the Overture center because they get really busy. I always start with a glass of prosecco or wine and an order of the bacon wrapped dates! They have a large selection of wines and the dates are amazing. I've tried almost all the pizzas and pastas, and none of them have disappointed. My favorite pasta is the Tagliatelle. I pretty much get that every time now and don't try anything new - when you find something that works, why change? I also have to give this place 5 stars for service. One time when I ordered the Tagliatelle, it was mostly sauce. There wasn't a lot of pasta. By the time I finished eating the pasta, I was left with a plate of meat sauce. I pointed this out to the waiter, and asked if I could just have more pasta to mix in with the sauce. Instead, the chef made me a brand new dish (a little smaller than the usual because I requested it be a small portion) and I got to take lots of leftovers home. Anytime I've had an issue, they've always addressed it quickly and with a smile. read more

Very good food and excellent service! Celebrated a birthday and my girlfriends dessert was covered! Very nice of them to do that! A little tight at our table but overall 9/10! read more

Mixed feelings. The atmosphere was beautiful and comfy temp on a cold night. Our servers were very well prepared with information about the menu and pleasant. Two areas that could use a bit more work is food prep and the bar. No carbonation in the tonic drink, the bone found in the butternut/duck/ pasta entree and stems from fresh spices in the lamb meatball entree. Please pay a bit more attention to details. read more

Food was mediocre at best and it was overpriced. We tried the ginger scones (very dry), the crab cake Benedict (hollandaise sauce had no flavor, but the potatoes were good), the croissants (very good!), and tiramisu (lacking in flavor and the espresso powder on top was overpowering). However, the service was wonderful. We loved our server, Austin. It's definitely a place where you pay more for the lovely atmosphere. If you want a good brunch, you're better off going to Basset Street Brunch--better prices and better food. read more

Cento - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Hands down some of the best food I've had in while. Cento is located downtown Madison, across the street from the Overture. Seating is limited so I would recommend making reservations ahead of time. Even though there was a slight mishap during our dining experience I still give it 5 stars. A girlfriend and I stopped for dinner before attending a show. We tried making reservations the same day with no luck so we risked showing up without one. Luckily we beat the rush because there are a handful of high top tables that are first come first serve. We both ordered a specialty cocktail, bread, and our entrée's. The pear mules were a special that part of the price goes towards Second Harvest, and they were very tasty. I was impressed with how quick our food was delivered, BUT our bread appetizer was skipped. We had to let our waitress know it never came. I would have hoped she would have noticed first, but she didn't. I ordered the margarita pizza which was cooked perfectly. It was more than enough food for one person, in fact I think it could have fed two easily. My friend order the Tagliatelle pasta which was seriously one of the best pasta dishes I have ever had. The noodles were cooked to perfection and that sauce, omg! This dish was also a decent size. read more

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My friends and I had a wonderful dinner tonight. We tried the below dishes: Appetizer: 1.Grilled octopus kind of special but a little too sour 2.Bacon-wrapped dates: good (recommend) I love this com 3. Steamed mussels kind of similar to the seafood stew but with spicy Italian sausage Entrees: 1.Jumbo prawns: the polenta is good 2. Lamb Ossobuco: really yummy and juicy the saffron risotto is soft and a little milky taste (recommend) 3. Tuscan seafood stew: contains cute Squid and swordfish Wines: All summer 17 Living in a bubble (beautiful wine glass) What happens in earth The environment is nice The services are good as well. It is better if the server could check us more frequently! read more

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Amazing customer service every time, absolutely delicious food, and such a fun atmosphere! Can't wait to go back sometime soon read more

Cento - Potato Gnocchi Porcini Pappardelle - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Loved it! Great food and really good drinks. Would definitely recommend eating here if you are in the mood for Italian!

I would give it a 0 if I could. It took OVER 1.5 hours for our food to come out. Then, once we finally got it, it was so cold I couldn't eat it. The pizza was burnt and all black as well. When we told the waitress we got free dessert... that took another 30 mins to get. Then to top it all off, I got food poisoning and was on the bathroom floor all night! 4 other people in the group I went with also got sick. Gross. No thanks Cento read more

This spot is amazing!! The staff is so nice and so proper haha!! Very very beautiful place to eat out in the heart of Madison. The food was excellent. read more

Beautiful atmosphere and service was perfect. They were so kind to us and we were seated immediately with our reservation. I chose the Lobster Scampi and wow it was delicious. My girlfriend ordered the Tagliatelle they did not disappoint. Well priced for place and service. Plus the sour dough bread with butter and olive oil was the icing on the cake. Great dining and eating experience. I highly recommend!! read more

Cento - Lobster Scampi on the far center, fresh sour dough bread in the middle, Tagliatelle - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Yum!!! My boyfriend and I came in for brunch on Sunday 11/5/17. We made a reservation for 1:00 and I had requested a booth. We sat in a huge U shaped booth! So cool. Our server, Alsa, was so nice. She went over the brunch menu since it was our first visit. We ordered coffee with cream to start. I had the smoked pork Benedict and my bf had the daily quiche. The Benedict was the best one I've ever had. The perfect poached eggs and hollandaise sauce were excellent! I love the pulled pork vs the classic Canadian bacon. The small green salad was perfectly dressed with a light vinegarette. Ben's quiche was large portion and served with breakfast potatoes. We decided to try dessert and the tiramisu was worth the $9 price. So fresh and delicious with a little scoop of hazelnut ice cream. Loved the ambiance, the service and the food!! read more

Cento - Smoked pork Benedict. Amazing!!! - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

This is a boutique restaurant where like 4 people eat and the bill arrives for $150.00 + $30.00 tip = $180.00 total for eggs, bacon, toast, and assorted beverages. I regretted being invited, disliked being there and hope to never return. read more

Was looking forward to trying Cento for a long time, and was disappointed with the service and food. I was expecting more from a restaurant like this. Server was friendly, but missed the mark on a lot of things. We put into Opentable that it was our anniversary, and no mention of it - it's simple, but a nice thing to recognize. Took forever to clear plates even though they were not busy. At one point we had just finished the plate, and she asked how that dish was, and then instead of clearing it she just walked away. After we were done with apps, she asked us what plates she wanted her to take - how about all the plates because they're all empty and were appetizer plates? She knew we were having entrees next. It was just off. Never asked how the food was. The food was also a little off. Order the meat and cheese board. A generous portion of meats, but the cheese was strange choices and small portions, cut into little mouse sized pieces. The roman artichokes were tasty, but all that I could taste was the breading and sauce, artichoke pieces were small. The shrimp scampi was good, but nothing special. The tagliatelle beef was tasteless. They also never offered fresh parmesan, or salt/pepper - which I understand they can't put it on the table with Covid, but it would be nice to offer it. Ambiance was nice, I like the interior. The high top chairs were uncomfortable. read more

We went for our anniversary. It was so delicious. I got the rigatoni alla carbonara. The server was so kind and gave us the choice of a dessert or a drink on the house for our anniversary. It was such a nice atmosphere, dress nice. read more

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Eating at Cento was an embarrassing experience. We walked into the restaurant asking for a table. The restaurant was at 50% capacity. The hostess scanned the list of reservations and said we can sit at the bar. I asked about the open tables. All reserved. My wife and I weren't dressed badly. I wondered why we weren't allowed a seat. I went to Open Table and found a whole evening free. I booked the first one. I insisted we move our table from the bar at our time. They asked four times if we really did want to move. I said yes every time. A table was cleared and we had a decent meal. Hours later I found the restaurant canceled our reservation. I am not sure if it was because you can't leave a review on a restaurant you did not dine. Regardless of the reason, take this review into consideration before you dine there. read more

Cento - Dessert - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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What the hell happened since my last 5 star review of this place? We had an 8pm reservation, were seated immediately but didn't get our dinner until an hour later. The host was friendly, there was a group of people who walked in after us and were seated after us. Our waiter was also friendly but lied to us about what took so long to get our pasta. He said there was a big group of 20 people which caused the back up in the kitchen. But I saw the group of people who came in after we were seated eating their full entrees while we had nothing but waters on our table. If the large 20+ group caused a back up in the kitchen it would've affected the group of 3 that came after us also, but it didn't. It only affected us for some reason. We ordered the Agnolotti which was luke warm (I'm thinking someone forgot about it and it was just sitting there for a while?) and it was a really poor presentation. It looked like it was made really sloppy. Can't believe they have the nerve to charge $17 for this! I'm used to eating at great restaurants and based on this experience we had tonight, Cento wouldn't last a month in a bigger city. I've had better pasta with better presentations at Olive Garden! Long wait, poor presentation, serving food that isn't hot and poorly made, no thanks! Won't be wasting my money here next time I'm in Madison. read more

Absolutely delicious and wonderful dining experience. We ordered the calamari which was fried perfectly and the lamb meatballs were wonderfully tender. The short rib with papperdelle with short rib was so buttery. The tiramisu was so creamy! If you are looking for a date night place or just a laugh with friends and delicious food this is it! Also the service was excellent! read more

I'm a fan of Cento! My boyfriend and I went here a few weeks ago on a Friday night. We walked in and were lucky to find a high top available in their bar area because otherwise it was pretty busy. Our waitress was really friendly and helpful. We started with the burrata and it did not disappoint. The tomatoes were meaty and ripe, the arugula spicy, and the burrata creamy. YUM. I got the salmon special, and it was fresh, flavorful, and interesting - just how I like my food to be! My boyfriend got the tagliatelle (pasta bolognese), and it was awesome. I took more than a few bites. Really great flavors, hearty but not overly heavy, and the perfect amount. A great Madison spot overall! read more

Cento - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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I met a friend for drinks and appetizers here on Monday night. I had only been here one other time for an anniversary dinner with the hubs, and I was looking forward to coming back! Our waitress was very sweet; she had great suggestions and was knowledgeable about the menu. Service in the bar area felt just a little slow but it was a busy night. My cocktail was one to remember - smoke & roses - I loved it, but it definitely had a smoke finish. We shared the Butcher Board which featured three standard meats, two cheeses that are pretty easily found locally (moody blue and an aged cheddar), and just a bit of honey. Portions were great, but nothing stood out with that one except for the fight over the honey! We also shared the seared Brussels sprouts and these were fantastic. Loved every bite! The spice of the salumi was perfect contrast to the honey and ricotta in this dish. For dessert I tried the carrot cake and I was actually pretty disappointed in that part of the experience. It came out cold, like it had been refrigerated, with an excessive amount of shaved almonds on top of it. However, a very wonderful scoop of salted caramel gelato next to it gave me a sweet finish to the night. Overall I think Cento is a great addition to the fantastic line up of choices we have for eating out downtown! read more

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The food was SO good! Our waitress was very attentive. The booth we had was clean and comfortable.

We enjoyed the Sunday Brunch. Service was very good, and the food was excellent. Amongst the 6 of us we enjoyed the baked eggs, salami hash, rigatoni alla carbonara, and the tagliatelle bolognese. The pastries with the boozy breakfast were excellent, especially the blueberry scones. We'll hopefully be back sometime to experience the dinner menu. read more

Came here on a Wednesday night before a show at Overature. Our reservation was at 5:45, so we figured that we would have plenty of time to make the 7:30 show. Needless to say, we cut it a little close. We started out with some of the specialty cocktails and then ordered an appetizer of bread and fried artichokes. The drinks and appetizers came out pretty quick, and when they arrived we ordered our food right away. The bread was very good and so were the fried artichokes, although they would not be my go to dish. For the entrees we ordered the gnocchi and the chicken and brussel sprout pizza. These both took quite a long time to come out. Our waitress even came over a couple of times to apologize for the wait. Finally, the gnocchi came out at 7:10ish. However it was still another 8 minutes before the pizza appeared, cutting it very close to the 7:30 show. Everything tasted amazing, but it was sad we had to rush eating it. The waitress had mentioned that the kitchen got pretty backed up in the time that we were there, so since it took so long, they would comp some food. The manager also came over to apologize and give us another discount. Based off of this attention to detail, and the great tasting food, we will definitely be back to try some more of the menu! Also of note, the happy hour bruschetta is great! One of our favorite happy hour deals. read more

Great food. Always consistent.the menu needs to be switched up from time to time in terms of the pasta section.

Went to Cento with a group of 7 and we all had the boozy brunch, quite a few options to choose from and it includes two drinks.The hostess and waitress were pleasant and we had a nice conversation with the chef. Everyone enjoyed their different brunch and drink options and the Salami hash was awesome. Alot of parking ramps nearby.Cento was a great value for the quality and price! I will definitely return!! read more

Cento - Salami hash - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

This is a beautiful and unique restaurant. The drink selection is interesting and the wine or liquor selection is great too. Meals are prepared and presented with a flair for taste and beauty. Even a simple pizza is outstanding. read more

Sofia, our Server was very friendly and helpful with making recommendations. The food was so delicious

This place is "fancy pants". The vibe is dimmed lights, bossa Nova, excellent drink menu, tastefully modern Italian cuisine, modern 3-tier chandeliers, open kitchen. If that sounds nice - come on in! It would fit in on the island of Manhattan. Except it would be half the size, double the number of tables, triple the price, and terribly busy on all days of the week. But I digress. :) My visit here exceeds all expectations. Hostess was kind, gesturing me to the bar after answering a few quick questions. (Note: I am a sucker for the kindness of WI folks!) From there I was taken care by an attentive bartender. He recommended the potato gnocchi - filling, pleasant balance of flavors and textures. Excellent recommend! I enjoyed that with a Madison cider - when in Rome... And olives - I was darn hungry, and those warm olives were delicious, however I'd recommend sharing as it's quite a serving. The prices are in my eyes worth the quality of food and service. Best in mind, I live in NYC, so my view of prices is askewed. read more

My chicken parm was absolutely delightful. Everything was cooked to perfection! The waiter was also very kind!

I give Cento a three star due to service today only. Our meals were absolutely fantastic. This was my first visit to Cento. Our server asked us if we wanted to do the brunch special they do there that included a pastry, 2 cocktails, entree and bottomless coffee for $25. Little did he tell us, they were out of pastries. Many people in my group were excited about this part of the deal and the waiter said nothing and when we asked at the end of the meal what happened, and where they were, he said they ran out and offered us "bread". It was just really distasteful to me how it was handled. If we hadn't asked, nothing would have been said. Our table has ordered the charcuterie board, salami hash, seasonal omelette and salmon bagel. We all were thrilled so it's really unfortunate that we felt misled by our waiter to purchase the deal that we couldn't benefit fully from. I would really recommend any. This venue is also super cool, classy, trendy and slightly upscale. I loved the decor. read more

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Enjoyed the food and reasonably priced. Seevice is fast and the server was attentive and knowledgeable. I'll be back here if I'm in the area! read more

They use EatStreet for online pick up orders. For the second time this week EatStreet charged my card and did not get my order to the restaurant. So Cento had to charge me a second time and I still have not gotten my money back. My feeling is that they should not use EatStreet. Cento divested themselves from the second charge read more

Fantastic. Beautiful space. Very professional staff. Beautifully prepared cuisine with delicate flavors, beautiful presentation and attention to detail. We loved our dinner here. read more

Decent place to have some nice food. Pretty good cocktail and the flavor is pretty rich. Great atmosphere if you want to hang out with a girl. read more

Cento - Cocktail - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Cento was definitely worth the trip downtown! The restaurant itself is very clean and modern. The bar is small and crowded. But the bathrooms are clean and pretty. It has an upscale feel but wearing jeans and a nice shirt is a-okay! The menu has options for most budgets. The group I went was ordered a little bit of everything to share. For starters we ordered the Sourdough Bread with butter, olive oil, salt for $3.00. It was good but I probably wouldn't order it again because we ended up with too much food(such a thing?). We ordered the bacon wrapped dates. I would potentially get these again if someone else really wanted to get them but I would probably try something else on their menu. And we also had the Wine-Poached Beets with balsamic, pistachio-crusted and goat cheese. This was also very good but not a have-to-have for me. For dinner we ordered the Formaggi Pizza with mozzarella, fontina, blue cheese, ricotta, arugula, fig and balsamic glaze. It had multiple levels of flavors and the pizza was baked perfectly. We also shared the Orecchiette pasta. And a side of the Seared Brussels Sprouts. All of these were also very good and I would order them again! For dessert, yes dessert, we shared the Chocolate Salumi which was also tasty. Overall I had a really nice experience at Cento. Our waitress was kind and helpful and the view of the Overture Center from the dinning area was magical. Tip: Make a reservation! read more

Grandiose atmosphere with gorgeous views of the Overture Center. Tried the warm marinated olives which were amazing, and the lasagne alla bolognese which was to die for. Incredible ambiance and delicious food! read more

Cento - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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We hosted our rehearsal brunch here for our wedding and had an amazing experience. The staff here are absolutely amazing, as is the food. Lisa, the Event Director, made planning super easy and was very responsive and helpful. They were also very accommodating to our dietary restrictions, including offering gluten- and dairy-free options, which is incredible for an Italian restaurant! Our guests loved the food and the space was perfect for what we needed. Overall a wonderful experience! read more