Came for NYE. Beautifully decorated. Waiter was nice. Cocktails were unique and tasty. 3 course menu had neat options and portions were perfect. Highly recommend for a nice dinner out. read more

Excellent all the way around. Ambiance is fabulous. The Hawk and Dove and Mama Mia cocktails were our choices. We all got the Taglietele Bolangnese which is beef pork and sausage, fresh pasta and very delicious. The begginig of the popular state st intersects if you need to kill time before your table is ready. The Bar is pretty sweet to though. Only one not so friendly bartender but otherwise service was great. read more

Not the authentic Italian cusine I was led to believe. Limited menu for italian fare. Way over priced. Eclectic atmosphere. If that's more important to you then go for it. Every thing is a la carte. First so called Italian restaurant I ever ate at that charged for bread. Really! Table Bread! Nothing comes with entree. No soup or salad included. Glass of wine barely filled the bottom of the glass. Service was mediocre at best. Eventual got water glass refilled, Luke warm water no ice. Surprised I didn't get charged for that too. Added note. Spaghetti and meat balls were very good. But not for what you get price wise. That's one of only "three" authentic Italian dishes they have. Unless being seen is and wasting money is important to you you can skip this one. read more

I signed up to Yelp for the first time just to say how bad this place is. It feels like an upscale Olive Garden. From the service to the decor to the food itself. We got the Gnocchi which was one of the most uninspired version of Gnocchi I've ever had. If you want real Italian food go to Osteria Papavero, that place is amazing. read more

Came with a large party... first mistake...as they split us up across the room from each other.. gave us a NOVICE waitress she was sweet just very slow ...Saw our drinks sitting at the bar getting warm for over 15 min!! Went and asked for the manager said she might need some help! Got a little better service after that ... but don't see our company going back as the food was just OK! To many Great places in Madison that would be happy to have business!!! read more

Awful. I had to return my salad, which was miracle whip on a romaine leaves.... horrible! I never return anything. Main dish... pappedelle=white bean and ham soup poured over fake noodles. They must buy the cheapest mass distributed products and then slap a ridiculous price on it for profit. I actually was disgusted the entire evening trying to get the flavors out of my mouth and memory of my first bite of that salad out of my head. Then the cook happen to be outside smoking a cigarette and heard us discussing how horrible our meal was and argued with us that it was good and the prosciutto comes right from Reinhardt foods. Ha! Exactly read more

Took my family visiting us to Cento for brunch. We were a party of 8. Spent almost $300. Pathetic service. Waitress flung plates of food in front of us with occasional food falling off the plates. Overcooked very small slice of frittata with no truffle flavor. We asked for a blue cheese or ranch dressing for the salad and got a condescending response from the waitress about not serving 'such' dressings at the restaurants. Polenta was flavorless, crab cakes were dry. Had to pay 19% for poor service. Sent an email to General manager Andres and Alexandra hoping for a response since we have had a few good dinners in the past, but neither bothered responding. Shows how much they care about their customers. read more

Although problems with the seating due to busy time at Ironman Wisconsin, and couldn't get in due to people stealing available tables, we tried again. Awesome on our dinner, great food and staff. read more

I went for brunch on Saturday morning with a friend. It is a really cool space, delicious food, reasonably-priced, and the service was outstanding! read more

Cento is yet another uninspiring Food Fight restaurant. It's pretentious, overpriced and the food is universally bland. We had the sausage pizza and the prosciutto pizza. Both required salt and and pepper - but you had to ask for it. No salt and pepper is provided on any of the tables. The boned half chicken had a nice texture but was similarly under seasoned and required the salt and pepper. The fish items on the menu are all farm raised. The steak tartar came on a huge wafer-esque cracker that oddly tasted fishy. The tartar itself consisted of perhaps 2 tablespoons of bland and chewy beef. The only interesting item we ordered was the beet salad. It was really very good and the reason I gave Centro two rather than one stars. The dining room is appealing, the waitress pleasant, but that's about it. read more

Excited to try the latest Food Fight restaurant we rounded up seven of our closest friends and headed Downtown on a Friday evening! We had a reservation and were seated promptly, and were surprised to see the bar was empty other than us at 6:00 pm. We were seated in the upper dining room which was more secluded from the fun hustle and bustle of the main restaurant, but I think it was due to the size of our party. Overall the atmosphere and interior design were beautiful! We started with the butcher board and dates appetizers to share, which were simple yet delicious. Our table decided to order a myriad of menu items and share with the group so we could try more things, which was fun! We really liked that you can order a smaller portion of the pasta dishes (but the small is by no means too small). We ordered the veal with buckwheat papardelle, and a wood fired pizza. The pasta was great, lots of flavors, the buckwheat papardelle had a unique firmness and the presentation was beautiful. The pizza could have been cooked more and wasn't quite up to par with Café Porta Alba, but still kept to a true authentic Italian style. The drinks were good as well (I've posted a picture of the cocktail menu since they don't show it on their website) I had the Rye of the Beholder and the Vespa Sidecar. Overall the space is beautiful, the food is good, but next time we would like to be in the main dining room with a view into the kitchen! read more

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Another wonderful dinner at Cento! Thank you Chef Michael Pruett and staff for your wonderful treatment and delicious dinner. The Swordfish was excellent as were the arancini and bacon wrapped dates. We were delighted that our server suggested the Lemon and Strawberry Sorbet and told us she would mix the flavors with two of each flavor. The dessert arrived with 2 strawberry and one lemon. She apologized and as we dug in, she brought another scoop of lemon on the house! read more

I really wanted to love Cento, but sadly that was not the case. First off, the good. -The hostess were very nice and accommodating. -Our server was excellent, very attentive but not overbearing. -The decor was beautiful and I loved how open it was. The bad... -The food My boyfriend and I ordered the fried squid, the wine poached beets, the black tagliatelle, the prosciutto wrapped branzino and the panna cotta. All of it was pretty bland and seemed to lack any sort of creativity with flavor profiles. The fried squid was very chewy, to the point that it was almost inedible. The prosciutto wrapped branzino had a really odd aftertaste and really lacked flavor. However the worst would have to have been the panna cotta. It was served in a bowl and you could tell that it had been uncovered in a fridge for too long. How do I know that? Well it had a layer on top that tasted of other foods that were not panna cotta. Overall my boyfriend and I left just feeling very underwhelmed. read more

.. A little inconsistent. Swordfish main dish was not hot, and overwhelmed by a (delicious) red sauce. Mixed drinks- very good, interesting, not weak. Wine pours- average and ok selection. Starters and salads- nice calamari; grilled romain was small and rather simple; next time would get.. Brussels sprouts, reported to be great. Mains- halibut reported excellent, hot when arrived; seafood medley, same. Swordfish, maybe try again but would make sure it arrives hot and perhaps less sauce, or on the side. Everyone Loved the tiramisu. Overall, Cento is somewhat overpriced, like I feel many Madison restaurants are. $150/couple with a drink each, shared salad, appetizer and dessert, and a main course each. Very pretty space, nice variety of foods and drinks on menu. Service has been good most times I've dined, but this recent one was odd.. Pleasant staff but inexperienced and unconfident. (A wine glass from another table drops from your tray onto a customer, spilling some wine on them, you might offer a complimentary glass or dessert or something!) Hope to visit again, but for this price-range, it's likely L'Etoile for me. read more

Cento reminds me of my favorite restaurants in New York. This place is on my top five list for Madison. One of my favorite things to do here is just order every appetizer. There is so much happening on the cheese plate alone that your mouth will water the moment it is served on the cool wooden platter. Follow that with the Octopus and be transported to a culinary delight beyond your expectations. (I guess I like it!) read more

Great little find during an evening walk. We sat at the bar and had a great experience from the beginning. The staff was friendly, and attentive, on top of having great food. It was an easy walk from our hotel, and will likely be a mainstay when we visit again. read more

I gave Cento another try but wish I wouldn't have. I was still left wondering what all the hubbub was about. We started with the Burrata and fried squid which I was told was very good although the large pieces of fried jalapeno slices confused me. I can't remember jalapeno peppers ever being used and Italian cooking. The Burrata was presented in a very peculiar fashion. Instead of being in a formed ball shape it was a curdled mass served atop a one and a half by four and a half inch piece of bread that had been saturated with oil and then charred on the grill then topped with radish greens and shavings. The bitter flavor from the bread being burnt overpowered the mild cheese and ruined the taste of the dish. The way it was presented made it impossible to share if you were so inclined to eat it. The main courses we ordered were: Pappardelle Ragu which was okay. Although the sauce had a nice flavor the pasta had not been cooked properly and the noodles were all stuck together. They were over cooked and sticky because they seem to not have been stirred while in the boiling water. They were also cooked without any salt in the water making us wish there were salt on the table to compensate for this oversight. Also, I wonder why no cheese was offered to top the pasta dishes. Agnolotti which was just okay flavor wise. Each piece seemed to be cooked to a different value, some were al dente, some were less cooked then that and some were mushy. The dish was swimming in butter and lacking in flavor. Pollo was flavorful and served with an arugula salad. The citrus flavors thoroughly penetrated the meat and the chicken was moist and delicious. Fathers Day Meat Special was comprised of prime rib, pork shoulder, grilled chicken thighs and some sort of sausage and fried potato nuggets and an arugula salad. It was served on a platter swimming with oil. The presentation was not pleasing to the eye and the charred smell of the meats was not pleasing. I requested bread with our meal which seems to confuse our server because she stared at me for an uncomfortably long amount of time before complying. My daughter and I split a 350 mL bottle of wine costing $27 and we purchased a side salad for my son not realizing his meal came with a salad and not understanding why that wasn't brought to our attention by the waitress when he was asking about salads. Again I was not pleased with the waitstaff they weren't rude per se but almost seemed put out and not at all attentive. Sam our waiter in training was very nice, his trainer not so nice. She was even annoyed when I asked for ice in my ice water. Our meal totaled $185 and was not worth it! Don't waste your time, don't waste your money. go elsewhere! read more

Cento turned out to be a mediocre brunch experience, especially on the food front. The only really good dish among those we tried was the ricotta pancakes with blueberries and lemon curd. While it was delicious, the three small Swedish style pancakes lost in a large white bowl did not satisfy a modest appetite. The burrata pizza was okay but did not stand out in any way. The shaved porchetta sandwich--a 1/2 inch thick slab of pork and fat with little flavor on a baguette with a few greens--was awful. Shaving implies thin slices or shreds of meat, not a slab. Very unattractive and unappetizing menu item. Service and ambience were good. But Cento's brunch, as currently configured, does not compete favorably with Sardine, Heritage Tavern or Graze to name just a few other brunch spots around downtown. read more

We live downtown Madison and have eaten at nearly every restaurant. We get asked a lot for restaurant recommendations. I'd say we are fairly discriminating and know the restaurant scene in Madison. Our recent experience at Cento was way below average for a Food Fight operation. We sat at the bar, adequately staffed with 4 bartenders, on a Friday evening. The poor service we received was unacceptable. Where do I start... No silver ware- had to ask No napkins- had to ask Water glasses empty- had to ask Drinks empty - had to ask Overall unattentive service that only responded when I ran someone down. Food was good. Not great. Bartenders were nice but clueless and had no concept of teamwork and customer service. It impacted our experience and was noticed by a couple next to us from Chicago, who were upset with their service as well. I spoke kindly to the manager at the end of the night to share my experience. He was receptive and thanked me. Even asking for my name and number so he could invite us back to give cento another chance. To make matters worse...he never called me back. Baffling! I won't forget this. Not sure I want to go back. I've since shared my experience with others. Remarkably another set of friends had a similar experience the next night at their large table foodies. Bottom line- I had much better service at the Echo Tap and the Big Ten Pub. Cento should visit and learn a thing or five. read more

Went here last Sunday and have been meaning to get to this review. I ordered the pasta with squid in it while my girlfriend has the truffle pasta I believe. I think maybe we ordered the wrong thing since people leave great reviews and some photos look so yummy. Unfortunately, maybe it's because it was busy but our food tasted pretty average and not that of a four star restaurant. Our waitress was extremely kind and warming. The head hostess, though, seemed to have a rather unfriendly attitude. I could tell it was a somewhat average night but the way she was sitting people made us feel as a nuisance. This alone slightly makes me not want to go back. Overall, average food, great service from waitress and not so great service from the hostess. Maybe we'll give it another shot some day. read more

Cento - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Absolute dynamite. I dined solo on a business trip, and everything was beyond excellent, from the service to the wine to the burrata to the bread and finally to the Agnolotti, which was an amazingly rich mix of pasta with pumpkin and sage and walnuts in this butter/oil/starch mix. I thought it was just unreal how good it was. The price for all that was about $50, and it was one of those moments where I thought, "Oh, I am so ready to abandon the over-priced, over-hyped, over-douchebag-populated restaurant scene of San Francisco, because this is so much better!" read more

Perfect place for a fancy dinner before the theater! Nice list of wine with a knowledgeable staff, great Italian food, and a wonderful setting. read more

Very overpriced for the quality. I've NEVER left a review for a restaurant before this. Was treated here for my birthday by family. Ordered seared scallops and the beef short rib agnolotti. The scallops were nearly CHARRED. At least a quarter inch of the scallops' thickness were brown. The agnolotti was underwhelming in flavor. Will never come here again. Two stars because the pasta was not awful. Kinda angry now because my family spent so much on this food and it was an utter disappointment. read more

This weekend, I went to Cento for brunch for the first time (previously have had several decent dinners there). I had the omelet special, boyfriend had the eggs over easy. The food was great, and little touches elevated it above standard-issue Madison brunch- his bread was grilled to crispy, savory perfection--way better than plain old toast. My side salad was dressed with a splendidly flavorful house balsamic dressing in just the right amount. The veggies in the omelet were cooked perfectly- so were his eggs. Service was precisely on point (just as I've experienced at dinner). Prices aligned with portions. I've always thought Cento a beautiful space- it's more easily appreciated in the daytime. Spotless and sparkling. Why not five stars? Simply because I've not been wowed by dinner there yet. Will keep going back. read more

Omg, this place was amazing. We unfortunately did not have reservations but were able to order food at the bar. The food was amazing, my only complaint being that the bartender gave the girls next to us bread before their meal and neglected to do that for us. It certainly looked like it would taste good. The Ahi tuna tartare was perfect, they were out of the squid I so desperately wanted to try, but the bartender recommended the Speck pizza instead and I am glad he did. My wife enjoyed the Garganelli so much that she asked for one to go so that she could take it to work. Our final dish was the Chocolate Bread Pudding that was warm and amazing. Overall a great experience even if we did feel a bit slighted in the beginning. read more

Equisite environment and setting. Unfortunately, the food and overpricing make it the emperors new clothes. A singular piece of chicken with no sides at $24. Everything ala carte with pricey sides and salads, paying more for a glass of wine than one would pay for a whole bottle. That being said, it might be more acceptable if the food served was outstanding. It was not. read more

Talked a colleague into trying it based on a recommendation we'd received. Not to mention I really cherish a good Italian restaurant. The place was bustling and the wait was a bit too long so we sat at the bar. Good atmosphere and the staff were fine. But neither of us thought the food was good or very Italian and it was on the pricey side. We started with the fried Roman artichokes. The artichokes themselves were ok but they came with mayo or some kind of white cheese rather than olive oil - maybe an ode to WI but it seemed completely wrong and lacking. So much missed potential. This was the better dish of the lot. We ordered a couple of staff recommended pasta dishes and neither was good. I really wanted to love this place but I don't know if I would be able to bring myself to try it again. Sooo disappointed. read more

Perfect Squid Roast. Probably the best squid I've ever had. The rest was decent fare. Nothing spectacular to comment about. The waitresses were super friendly though and the ambience is nice. Also had the Pork Chops. Not to my preference. Get the pastas! read more

I took my fiancee here for her birthday last year, and she raved about it. I was happy she had a great time, but I thought the food was just okay. Maybe because I had high hopes for their pizza from the wood-burning oven. Soggy pizza was not what I expected. The bacon wrapped dates was surprisingly good. If she hassles me enough, maybe we'll come back. read more

Now here's a place to become a regular. What a wonderful addition to Madison's already delicious litany of downtown restaurants with good ambiance and great food. The atmosphere is perfect -- open and sleek, but not austere, with a substantial bar area. The service is excellent as well, with attentive but not overbearing waiters and waitresses who actually seem knowledgeable about both the cocktail and food menu. But the easiest thing to rave about with Cento is (luckily) the food. Dishes are made with great ingredients, prepared well, and matched with good flavors. Appetizers are often much bigger than anticipated (e.g., the charcuterie board is more like like a charcuterie table), so they can easily be mixed and matched to serve as a meal. Pastas are perfectly cooked and made (especially the gnocchi), and cocktails are inventive and delicious (most interestingly mix bourbon and Italian spirits, like aperol). Prices are slightly higher than is desirable, but the portions and quality of ingredients sort of justify them. I've been twice now, and am looking forward to returning soon. read more

The hostess was very pleasant and friendly, however, the waitress was not very good. The service was slow and not very accommodating. Usually this can all be overlooked if the food is delicious, but that wasn't the case here. The butcher board wasn't terribly offensive but the portion sizes were off. There were only two selection of cheeses but much more meat. The branzino was was much too oily and the side dishes (mushrooms and fingerlings) were both very salty. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant and I would avoid if I were you. read more

The interior lighting is five stars. Seating is comfortable and the wait staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The food is good. It is not a good value. Like many State Street high end eateries, parents of students, expense account warriors and others making funny money will tend to flock here. Italian fare should not be this expensive. Beware everything is Ala carte. I ordered the sourdough bread as a side to accompany my pasta dish. Everyone at our table thought it was complementary with the meal and helped themselves to it. Oh how I pine for the days of a Macaroni Grill where great bread is free and it is considered bad luck to cut it so breaking reigns. The drinks here are creative and small too. Glad I saw this place but I would rather seek a better value venue. read more

Go there for brunch. Very affordable compared to other local brunch institutions and little to no wait time. Their eggs Benedict pizza and Lemon Capri cocktail (limoncello and espresso over ice) are TO DIE FOR. read more

I held off on reviewing until I had a chance to try Cento a third time. First, the good: - The setting is awesome. Might be the best designed restaurant setting in Madison. - The drinks are quite good. It's definitely worth checking out the cocktail menu - Staff is friendly but not exceptional yet The not so good; I've tried a few things off the menu over 3 visits (Bacon dates, gnocchi, beef tartare, burrata, beets, porchetta pizza, bucatini carbonara, pork chop, cauliflower) so I think the following thoughts are pretty accurate. In general, the food doesn't measure up to the ambiance or price. - Gnocchi was overworked/gummy. They were described as "pillows" and they definitely didn't come out that way. I mentioned this in passing to our waitress when she asked how everything was and I got the impression that she didn't really put much credence in my feedback. - Food was underseasoned across the board. Pizza crust had very little flavor and the bucatini carbonara lacked salt - not sure how that's even possible given the fact that the ingredients include parmigiano and pork cheek (guanciale). - Pork chop was overcooked (we wanted to try the beef or lamb but both were sold out when we went ) I really hope the food continues to improve and I'm not ready to give up on Cento yet. I still love the setting and will update this review if my next meal justifies it. read more

A short walk up Madison's State Street, on a nice winter's day, had it's just reward when we entered the airy and minimalist decor of Cento. We had a light and lively lunch that satisfied our discerning palate and the excited our aesthetic sensibilities. The server and attendant staff were prim, proper and friendly to a fault and helped guide us first timers to the right brunch offerings. The bacon-wrapped dates were a robust revelation, while the Prazo and Prizze selections were sensational! The Ricotta Cheesecake was sinfully delicious. read more

Not worth it Cento is too expensive for what it provides. The food and service were fairly good but not up to par for the prices that are charged. I'll admit that I don't like spending a lot of money on dinner. But I've done it on many occasions. Usually I leave an expensive restaurant feeling like I've had wonderful food at a high price. After leaving Cento I felt like I had good food at a high price. The pizza was tasty, but not as good as Porta Alba's. The gnocchi were pleasant, but they were so light that it seemed like mashed potatoes. The bar was out of two different beers that I attempted to order from the menu. That's not a big deal, but it's a minor frustration. The service was good enough but our waitress wasn't as attentive as she could have been. These things wouldn't be significant problems in a lower-class joint. But Cento seems to think highly of itself so I set my expectations accordingly. I was disappointed. read more

3.5-3.9 stars if I could! Wine and wine presentation was great, pizza was delicious (the crust especially). I wanted Cento to be SO so good based on what I've heard around Madison. The bread was normal; my favorite thing about Italian restaurants is the bread! It definitely was good but not 5 stars. I'd give it another chance. read more

Love everything about this place. The charc platter and a cocktail after a show at the overture is the best. We biked here for brunch on Easter Sunday and it was delicious. Beautiful atmosphere and friendly staff. read more

AMAZING. Came here for Saturday brunch and had the Salami Hash. Highly recommend. Excited to go back and try more things!

A little pricey but so worth it! Great, authentic pasta and awesome drinks too. Awesome service, an overall great experience. Recommend the gnocchi! Great decor and swanky vibe. read more