Food is always excellent. Service is top notch. Decor is a little cheesy but the place is always busy. Good food and good service brings people in always. read more

Great food!!! The sea bass is phenomenal. The limoncello shot at the end of the meal is a nice touch. Lemon basil martinis are great too. Highly recommend for a nice special dinner!! read more

Great food and service! We drove down to Peoria on a whim and found this gem. It was a Saturday night and they were very busy but that did not hinder their service. Since we did not have a reservation we sat at the bar and saw how the waitstaff skillfully handled the craziness of the evening. Don't let the location fool you, it has great food and you wouldn't want to miss out! I had a lemon basil martini and it was delicious. I also had their wild boar and I was very pleasantly pleased. I highly recommend it. The ambience was comfortable, relaxing, and romantic. read more

Went here to celebrate one of the sister in laws birthday. There was 10 of us ladies. The ambience is awesome, but the service is even more so. Most of us had never been here before. It really is a hidden gem in Peoria. The food was excellent. We all had a different dish so it was fun to get the reviews of the others for our next visit. It is a little pricey but for the food and service it is worth it. Her birthday Canolli was perfect. Will not give away all the surprises but if you want a night out and want to feel special go visit Connected...I will most assured be back with my husband. read more

Last evening was our third experience at Connected. What a fun and fabulous evening we had. Our server, Ryan was very attentive and took care of all of our needs and went above and beyond to make sure that we were happy without being obtrusive. He was also a pretty fun guy! Agree with others that the location is a little odd and off the beaten track. Without Yelp - we would have forgotten about it (some folks from our party are from out of town). Kind of a different ambiance - but we really enjoy it. Enjoyed the live piano music - nice touch. The food was excellent and plentiful. We had lunch for four the next day on the leftovers which says a lot about the value of the meals. Drinks were great - one person in our party especially loved the Lemon Basil Martini. Quite unique. Peoria and the surrounding area just getting cleaned up from the flooding - I had to mop up after the abundant cappucino runneth over. I appreciate a generous sized cappucino but this was all over the saucer. LOL. Tasted great but a little messy. At the end of the meal, like the homemade Lemoncello. Can take or leave the roses but a nice touch for the ladies. We will back on another visit when we come to Peoria. read more

Might be some debate about June, but otherwise, Connected is the best restaurant in Peoria. Food is always good and the atmosphere very relaxed and comfortable. The only issues we have had with service over 2+ years of eating at Connected is with new staff that needed more training. Our family eats out routinely. We travel extensively and have eaten at multiple Michelin Star restaurants in Europe and the US. Connected certainly isn't at this level, but it is a great, relaxing place to have a very good meal. The wine list has recently been expanded as well. read more

Wait staff was incredible. We just moved here from Colorado a few weeks ago. We've been looking for good food. We found it here. It's a great 60-90 minute experience. I had the ravioli & loved it. Visually, it's one of the best well designed restaurants. Definitely worth checking out. read more

Words can not say how amazing dinner was here tonight. The staff went beyond words. My hats off too this amazing restaurant.

Live in Chicago went to Peoria for a concert. Read reviews on this restaurant and decided to try it as it was also our anniversary. Wonderful atmosphere and service above and beyond. We were treated like royalty maybe because it wasn't too crowded but it sure was nice. Food was good, drinks were reasonable, $5 for a mixed drink. We had dessert and they wrote happy anniversary with chocolate on the plate and followed up with a complimentary after dinner drink. Great experience would go again if it wasn't 2 1\2 hrs away!! The outside is deceiving, it's really nice inside. Lights on a black ceiling look like you are dining under the stars!! read more

We were visiting Peoria and someone recommended Connected for dinner. The food was outstanding, good wine list and great service. Would highly recommend to all those that enjoy authentic Italian food. read more

Would give this one 10 plus. The filet mignon was out of this world. No seasoning necessary. Everything about this place is a 10 plus. There cream Brule' was to die for. read more

This is by far the best restaurant I have ever been to! Their bartender is phenomenal and so is the chef! I have had the steak, veal, lobster and wild boar and it melts in your mouth. The steak seems pricey, however it's a huge piece. The atmosphere is amazing as well and the servers are very friendly. Every time I come here, it gets better and better. The owner is very friendly and bought our drinks one night, as well as bringing out a sample of wild boar. He truly cares about his customers and his cooking. The restaurant is very clean and it is a super romantic place to go for a date night. Me and my husband come here for every occasion now because other restaurants just can't compare to it. It's honestly the best restaurant in Peoria and the surrounding areas, and quite frankly, the best restaurant I have ever been to including St. Louis, Miami, Denver, Salt Lake City, Boston, Boise, Chicago, London and France! read more

The best Italian Restaurant around!! Red carpet treatment from the moment you walk thru the door. Ambience is unique and enjoyable. Food is amazingly delicious, staff is superb!! Surprising location but that doesn't detract from an outstanding experience. read more

Great food and pleasant atmosphere. Chef Troy is amazing. Food is somewhat expensive but defibitely worth it. Location is curious but worth the stop. read more

Best of the best.!!! Service is surprisingly awesome.. and This place is what Peoria Needs honestly.. perfect for a romantic dinner or anniversary.. I went with my boyfriend and we were soo happy.. kind of expensive but it is worthy read more

For Peoria's current dining scene, this place is near the top for creativity, ambiance, and reasonable pricing. Friendly staff and excellent service. My favorite place for nice dining in the Peoria area. Marc-Peorie read more

A wonderful dining experience! The place was packed as it was Valentine's Day dinner. The food was fresh, flavorful, and ample amounts on the plate. Service was impeccable and everything was served in a very timely fashion considering the crowd. The eggplant spread was wonderful with the Italian bread basket. The fungi salad was very flavorful with the light viniagrette dressing as was the pasta fagioli soup. If you like sea bass, you will love their rendition! Had great wine with dinner and topped it off with homemade Limoncello; it's to die for!!!!!! The long stemmed red rose was a nice finish to a beautiful setting and dinner. The young women at the coat check were darling greeters and were most friendly and accommodating. I like it when the owner comes around and asks how everything was. You need to make a reservation at this restaurant soon and experience the ambiance soon. read more

Loved this place! The location is weird-right beside the BINGO hall, but once you enter, you are in another place. The atmosphere is nice, and the food is delicious! My husband and I had the wild boar and it was "to die for",. Our friend had the lamb chops, and she said they were fabulous too. The ladies get a long stemmed rose to take home-nice touch! read more

Wow, simply wow! A hidden gem in this country town. Troy (owner) and his staff have something amazing going on here. I wish we lived closer. Lamb chops were amazing and the sea bass was perfectly cooked! We travel around the country for our work and by far these dishes are the top 5 I've ever had. Hopefully we'll make it back. Good luck Troy, you have an excellent establishment! read more

Beautiful restaurant, ambiance and unique décor. Perfect for a special occasion, I went with a friend to catch up after a rough year for both of us...and the staff was so kind and attentive...we are both pretty young so it felt nice being treated and served in such a posh style. I would give 5 stars simply for service and ambiance alone. Also I appreciated that the food was classic "comfort" old-school Italian food, it reminded me of the local neighborhood Italian restaurants in New York. Wonderful to have this place in Peoria! read more

Let me put it this way.... If God himself came down from the heavens and created an Italian Restaurant---this would be his creation. From the amazing service to the cool lighted cocktail menus to the out of this world food and drinks.... THIS is my family's new destination in Peoria. Bravo! Kelsey was amazing!!!!!!! read more

I was looking for a special place, a gem to go to in Peoria for dinner and I found it. CONNECTED. Special occasion my husband and I dined. First , we called and left a voicemail with a reservation request. Got a call from the owner chef with a warm voicemail confirming our reservation. The service is a two person team to keep with the service. The wait staff works very hard to provide an experience. We got calamari, veal parmesean, del monaco steak and a red velvet cheesecake and. Triple chocolate for dessert. It was all amazing. You go to Connected you will fall in love with the experience, from the decor, wait staff, and food. The rose and lemonchello was considered corny to some but we loved it. This is the Best restaurant i n Peoria I've been to. read more

After an initial visit to Connected for drinks, my girlfriend & I were extremely excited to return for Valentine's Dinner. Long story short - I ordered a veal marsala ($22.50) and my date opted for a sea bass dish ($25.50). Although the sea bass dish was less than spectacular, the veal marsala was an absolute disaster. The veal was tough and the marsala sauce tasted more like canned gravy than marsala sauce. To their credit, both our server and the owner's wife/hostess tried to make amends for our lackluster meals. The best part of this fiasco occurred after Chef Troy Ummel received word that I was not satisfied with my meal. Mr. Ummel immediately emerged from the kitchen to yell at me and question my comment that the marsala sauce "tasted like it came from a jar". At first I thought he was just joking / making light of my criticism. It quickly became clear that this was no joke, as Mr. Ummel continued to raise his voice, causing a commotion in the dining room & demanding that I list for him the restaurants at which I had received better marsala dishes. Unless you enjoy over priced, lack luster food masquerading as authentic Italian cuisine and you enjoy being verbally accosted by the proprietor...I WOULD NOT SUGGEST STEPPING FOOT IN CONNECTED!! read more

I was really excited to try Connected, I had very high expectations. Unfortunately they were not met. We waited 20 minutes before our wine order was taken, which we were informed 10 minutes later they were out of. After receiving our 2nd choice of wines, we were asked to place our order, but we had not yet been given menus. After some apologies and admitted confusion over who was taking care of us, we were presented with menus. My husband had the lamb, which was grossly overcooked and tough. I had the veal with mushroom sauce. The veal was again, tough and tasteless and had more marbelized fat than meat. The morel sauce was good, but there was too much of it and it overpowered any flavor the veal should have had. The best part of the meal was the caprese appetizer, which was done very well and very fresh. The bread was nothing special -- reminded me of the take and bake kind from the store. The eggplant/dill spread that came with the bread was good and different. Unfortunately the service was the worst part. After our initial snafu, we later heard the 3 waitstaff having a heated discussion over who had which tables. The place was only 1/3 full on a Friday night and not very busy. The staff seemed confused and angry. To top it off, as we were waiting to pay our check, one of the servers dropped an entire tray of dishes right in front of us which shattered on the floor. The ambiance was nice ... the darkly lit ceilings with lit trees and soft music was pleasant. I think this place has great intentions and is meant to cater to the Peoria crowd who's looking for fine Italian dining, a step up from Olive Garden and Avanti's. Unfortunately, it did not deliver in any aspect. I really hope they get their act together and can pull off a great concept. I will not be going back to find out though. read more

What a wonderful experience. Was here on my first visit to Peoria for work. Johnny, Troy, staff, and owners made me feel like I was back home. I'm from a heavily influenced Italian community. I was so impressed that I returned the following night. They serve rare traditional dishes. The excellent food is not what set them a part. They take pride in what they do. Their passion, professionalism and general caring spirit they showed in each interaction is missing today in service. They remembered my name, knew my drink, and made me feel special and like I belong there. This is the only place I will go when I am in town. Thank you. read more

OK some people on this reply page are crazy... Just ate there my first time and everything was freakin' DELICIOUS. Also I thought by the end of all their extravagant service I'd be paying way too much for the atmosphere, but NO... ended up being about 40 bucks for the best dinner I've had in forever. Me and my girlfriend could have easily spent as much at the Olive Garden and the food would have been nowhere near this awesome. Plus ladies get a free rose and everyone gets a free shot of some Italian lemon liqueur. I would.... no make that I WILL... Be going back as much as possible. Killer food. read more

Extremely slow paced. Food is mediocre. This is not a fine dining experience no matter how much they overprice the menu. Too many other choices in the area to return. We were told that they were "backed up" in the kitchen because they recently won some award. This was of course two hours after we sat down and still had not received our entrees. Not sure what the award was for, safe to assume it's not for the food or service. read more

A really, really nice restaurant in a really, really weird location. I would probably give 4.5 if I could, because the location is really, really weird. Once you are inside, away from the neon lights of the bingo hall, it is as top notch as they come. I might prefer a couple lighter options on the menu, but a strong menu overall. The service is exceptional. The food itself has always been very good. read more

Charming place. Best service in Peoria. You'll feel like you're in Italy with the piazza-like setting, and the waterfall gives a lovely white noise quality unlike the din you experience in other places. From the appetizers (calamari and carpaccio) that we had to the bean soup (pasta fazool) everything was wonderful. Veal and eggplant parma were carefully prepared. Had the flaming creme brulee which was more fun than the standard presentation you normally get. Homemade limoncello was complimentary. And when we left, I was presented with a long-stem rose. What lady doesn't want a rose? Hope this place thrives. There is nothing like this anywhere around here. If you're looking for a special place or just want a well prepared meal, you'll be glad you visited Connected. read more

Best lobster I ever had... Troy is a long time close friend of mine and I expected no less. Beautiful atmosphere. Great service. Amazing chefs. ( thanks Troy!!) Can't wait to go back! Being from Arizona, we don't get the best seafood. So I will definitely be coming back on my next Peoria visit. read more

First time to the restaurant and had a wonderful meal with another couple. I had the sea bass and my wife had the salmon and both were amazing! The service was superb and considerate. A gem for the Peoria area and we will be back. read more

"A keeper in Peoria. Don't let the lame location deter you (next to Bingo and Walmart). The food is tops for the area. Calamari, Sea Bass and wild boar all awesome. Party of 10 and all were pleased." read more

Being a very big foodie, I was tenative. All I ask from any establishment is food done the right way. That being said, I found Classic American, as has been said before, a diamond. My 21 yr old son and I went on our lunch date there. Okay the skinny, The Classic American Burger...To Die For!!! i've been everywhere...Tasted EVERYTHING (and I don't take this lightly),,The best burger I have ever had! The balsalmic onions made it. I asked for Med. Rare...it came to me Med. Rare. The roll had perfect texture. The onion rings were freshly made and you tasted it. A new Go-tTo for us!!!! read more

Reservations made a week early. When asked seating preference, I told them away from high traffic walkways. on arrival, they attempted to seat us at a table next to the doorway with one seat in front of the door. After objecting, we were moved to a table in the middle of the room. Very slow service. Arrived on time for 6:30 reservations and was promptly seated. Was over 15 minutes before any staff came to table to greet us, took another 20 minutes to receive our drinks. Basket of bread shows up at 7:15 but still no staff to take order. Around 7:30 order placed. Appetizers (prosciutto and mozzarella caprese) arrive at about 8:00. Appetizers were good but were served to cold. I had the special - boar sausage with rigatoni pasta served with tomato cream sauce. Sauce was very good, sausage was tasty but no more so than store bought. Bistecca al Barolo was also ordered, menu says 12 oz filet in barolo sauce, filet was much smaller than that, probably closer to 6 - 8 oz, steak was a little overcooked past med rare but still very tender and flavorful, sauce was very good and seasoned perfectly. Vitello con funghi morel was also ordered, veal was very tender and the sauce was good but overly salted. Both portions for the filet and veal entrees were small for this price point. In total this turned into a 2:40 dinner. The problems with this establishment arise from poor management and not the chefs. Fix the service and adjust pricing and it will rate much higher. For a celebration dinner stick to Rizzi's, 2 Chez, Paparazzi, etc. read more

Excellent restaurant to visit! The place is classy from the moment you step in until you leave. They don't rush you through your meal, but encourage a great dining experience. The food was delicious, made from scratch and very flavorful. The service was great! It was an all around pleasant evening! We would encourage anyone that likes Italian food to give this place a try! read more

My wife and I cannot say enough nice things about Connected. The person who greeted us remained our primary server the rest of the night (though about 3-4 people checked in with us during our time there). Everything was relaxed and personal. We never felt rushed so our server could turn over her tables. We did not receive our appetizers until our cocktails were finished. We did not receive our wine until out appetizers were finished, but we received them before our entrees in order to let the wine breathe a little first. Our server made excellent wine recommendations to pair with our entrees. Someone checked in on us from time-to-time to see if we needed anything; otherwise, we were left alone to enjoy our meal and evening. "Happy Anniversary" was written in chocolate on our dessert plates. This was not something we asked for, our server asked if we were celebrating anything when we sat down at the start of the evening. A lemon approteif was provided (on the house) with the check, along with a peach rose for my wife. Side note--the food was outstanding!! And proportioned correctly. We left perfectly satisfied. Full, but not stuffed. We spent $220 on three drinks each, appetizers, entrees, desserts, and tip. Worth every penny. I'll try to put this another way: My wife and I go out to a nice restaurant like this once every year or two. We've been to some great places--a few in Chicago, New York, Vegas, and Hawaii--but this is only the second Yelp review I've ever felt compelled to write (first in eleven years). Thank you to the chef, owner, and staff for a wonderful evening!! read more

My favorite place to eat in Peoria. I have had almost everything on the menu. My favorites are the Fra Diavolo and the Wild Boar. We love the egg plant dip with the bread, the calamari and the complimentary shot of lemon cello after the meal. My wife also loves the Rack of Lamb. I also recommend any of the veal dishes. read more

Connected is the best food I have had in Peoria in a long time. The chef is very knowledgable and frist rate. Best dinning experince ever

We ate at Connected last evening, our second visit to this restaurant. Five stars don't do it justice! One of us had the Veal Piccata, the other tried the Cinghiale (wild boar). Both dishes were perfection. Our favorite country in the world is Italy and our favorite cuisine is Italian. This restaurant could satisfy the pickiest resident of Florence or Rome or Siena. The veal was fork-tender (hard to do) and just the right amount of lemony. The warm brown lake surrounding the cinghiale was an amazing gingery-lemony-soy saucy creation that was truly out of this world. And the tenderloin medallions were perfectly marinated and tender, too. One of us started with carpaccio that was accompanied by abundant shavings of provolone and a few baby artichokes. We split a creme brûlée for dessert. I thought that the chef could have used a couple more egg yolks...it was halfway between the best-ever creme brûlée and very good custard. It was good, though. A complimentary shot glass of homemade limoncello topped off an awesome meal in a delightful setting. read more

Excellent dinner experience. Service was superb. I had Fettuccini which was excellent. Everyone's meal was perfect. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more