This place is great! We came in 30 months before they closed but we didn't realize until we ordered. We said we would go but the staff insisted we stay. The food was phenomenal. I went a month ago so I forgot what the names of the dishes are... but I got an Alfredo pasta with a slab of salmon. Mannnn it was delicious!! Seating was comfortable and it was a cozy environment. read more

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Yum yum yum! This is a hidden treasure in the NE part of town. Everything we ordered was delicious. The calamari was perfectly seasoned and "just right" crispy on the outside but tender inside. I hate it when the calamari is too crunchy that it might break your teeth. The half salads were flavorful. The half size portions were perfect. The rest of the appetizers were good but my favorite was the calamari. Excellent and friendly service awaits you at this restaurant. Mercedes gets a five star. She was our waitress as well as responsible for making our drinks. So just need to be patient. Spacious, clean great and ambiance. Parking garage next door and validated by Palio. Highly recommend this place. read more

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Great good! Excellent atmosphere (love the bar here). I wish they had some veal options, that would make it feel more Italian. They could also add a few higher end Italian reds. That said, great food ( bolognese or eggplant parm are our regular choices), great staff, great location. Parking is not hard once you realize that they validate for the surface lot across the street or the hotel parking lot. Plenty of feee parking options. Go, you won't be sad!! read more

We truly enjoyed our time here at Palio. The restaurant was very conveniently located next to our hotel. I typically stay in the downtown area. But there were two big concerts going on this week and the prices for downtown were outrageous! My friend and I had tied things on a little too hard the night before and we were looking for a much more quiet night. We chose to sit by the pizza oven and enjoyed watching them make our pizza from scratch. The woman making our pizzas had to be the hardest worker ever. She never stopped. And when she wasn't busy with prep, she was cleaning and shining the whole area. She was working so hard that we even mentioned it to the manager. Our pizza was delicious. We of course enjoyed some wine ro accompany our pie. read more

Palio Grand Rapids - Italian Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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The ambience of the restaurant was GREAT. We sat on the patio with our dog Yoshi. Our server Honesti was very nice and friendly. She was on top of our service and made sure our cocktails, food, and water were always available/ refilled if needed! The food itself was not our personal favorite, but you could tell the food was handmade from scratch with good ingredients. Our desserts were good, but my lemon bar crust seemed to be a little undercooked. Overall a great experience and a good Italian restaurant! read more

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Giving this experience 3 but Palio has been a 5 for me since I tried it 5 years ago. I took myself on a solo date to Palio for my first time back since December 2024 and ordered my usual the fettuccine Alfredo and the pane all'Aglio. The flavors for the pasta were still there, but the pasta to sauce ratio felt pretty off this time, which made it so soupy that it felt almost like a prank! This dish would have been better with more pasta for the sauce or less sauce. I'm not sure if it's shrinkflation or just an off night, but the bread was also surprisingly dry and didn't taste very fresh, which I wasn't expecting. It ended up being fine with the tomato basil sauce I got on the side but disappointing nonetheless. On a positive note, the bartender who also served as my waiter was friendly and attentive, so no complaints on the service side. Added pic of the same dish from my last time here to compare! I will likely come back and try this again at some point to make up for this experience read more

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my brother's girlfriend made a reservation for our group of 6 via Resy for my brother's birthday. there was a cute hand signed card on the table when we arrived but didn't notice until the end of dinner. i was told they have a parking lot dedicated their patrons but i did street parking which was free on sundays. we started off with a large caesar which was enough for everyone to get a small plate and very delicious. we also bad the calamari which was just a bit too salty and not crunchy enough for me. we had 3 orders of chicken alfredo, shrimp scampi, carbonara, and pizza. we also had the pane all, algio bread which was super good. everyone enjoyed their meals. i personally had the shrimp scampi and i liked how flavorful and big the shrimp was but i think i would try a different dish next time i come here. i also liked how they grate the parmesan with a big fresh block. the vibes in here felt cozy with the lighting, decor, and set up. the restaurant got a bit more busy as we dined but nothing too crazy. i didn't realize there was a $20 cake fee until looking at the receipt the next day to write this review. we did not ask to have our cake refrigerated or cut by the staff or anything additional besides a knife, plates, and spoons. i wish our waitress would have informed us about that beforehand. overall, palio is a solid choice for italian food in grand rapids. definitely would come back again to try other items! read more

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Ate here for happy hour and then came for dinner a couple weekends later! The food is really good and high quality. They also have some good happy hour specials and I love that they have a cheese wheel! read more

Palio Grand Rapids - Blueberry Negroni - Italian Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

I went here for a fundraiser event with Paws with a Cause and Vetr. I go to spin class right next to Palio but have never once stopped by until now. They have both an indoor seating area as well as a nice outdoor seating area. We had a server named Angie who worked really hard to accommodate our large and ever-changing group. The food and drinks all came out within really great time frames. I am allergic to alcohol, so I am always really pleased when mocktails are considered featured drinks! I did end up trying the mocktail and was pleasantly surprised. I would definitely get it again. I only stayed long enough to try the appetizers but the calamari was crispy and the saffron aioli was pretty good. I think I would've liked something a little more acidic or spicy to counteract the calamari. The arancini were something I had never had before but became a favorite. It was very rich but didn't feel overpowering nor heavy. I really enjoyed both appetizers and would gladly go back again for more. Overall, I thought the prices and portion sizes were reasonable and the service was great. They do validate in the hotel lot so that is a major plus. read more

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My daughter and I came here for an Italian experience and that is what we got! The cheese pizza was a perfect choice! It was cheesy, garlicky, and buttery. Melt in your mouth goodness! This was my first time having carbonara because it is usually made with pork. Our server was able to point out some pork free options highlighting that everything is made in house so I could order the carbonara without the prosciutto if I would like. I jumped on that bandwagon so fast! I had no idea I would be getting that plated table side but that was a nice surprise. Everyone who works here is so nice and customer focused. We had a truly lovely experience. I can't wait to come back! My only feedback is when they tell you it is peppery believe them. If you don't like peppery stay away from the carbonara. If you're like me, take it as it is served and enjoy all of it and the leftovers. If you're crazy opt for the additional topper of pepper at the very end. Food freshness and quality gains 5 stars, service 5 stars, ambiance 5 stars, and cleanliness also 5 stars! Great job guys! read more

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On vacation and dropped in after a full day of sightseeing. The food was amazing, the server was excellent and the atmosphere was so relaxing. Great experience. read more

This place is actually pretty authentic. Fresh-made pasta with a wine list and a good ambience inside. They have a private space as well for groups up to 25 in the back. Coolest thing here is that they have the famous "tableside" fettucine alfredo where they have al dente pasta and alfredo sauce tossed inside a wheel of Parmigiano reggiano. They bring the cheese wheel out and mix it up in all of its cheesy goodness and it's reasonably priced too! Solid spot for some authentic Italian pasta and pizza. They validate parking if you park in the Hampton Inn parking garage across the street from the outside lot that's between the condos and the hotel. read more

Not sure why I'm just discovering this place now. Everything about it was fantastic. The food felt very authentic Italian with fresh pasta. Desserts kind of fell flat, but would definitely come back for a savory meal again. Our service was a little slow on a Sunday early afternoon, but everyone was so kind. The vibe of this restaurant is also both cozy and fun with a Fire pizza oven and they had football playing on the TVs. Special mention for the on the house limoncello shots as a pallate cleanser just before we left, just like they do in Italy. read more

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I've been to Palio Italian Restaurant many times, and I can honestly say I've never had a bad meal here--not once. The chicken parmesan is absolutely to die for. I've enjoyed their pizzas plenty of times (and they're always delicious), but tonight the chicken parm really hit the spot--perfectly cooked, comforting, and full of flavor. I finished the meal with the espresso chocolate tort, and wow... such a rich, indulgent treat. Shout-out to my server Emily, who has waited on me several times now--she is consistently warm, attentive, and genuinely kind. Service like that makes an already great meal even better. If you're looking to try a new Italian spot in the Grand Rapids area, Palio is your go-to. Wonderful atmosphere, beautiful souls, and food that truly feels like a blessing. Highly recommend. read more

Palio Grand Rapids - Chicken Parmigiana - Italian Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

We came in after a matinee at the DeVos on Saturday, 3/8/25 around 4:00pm and sat at the bar. It wasn't really busy, but we arrived at that odd time between lunch and dinner when there is typically a staff change and there is maybe 1 server and 1 bartender. The gentleman waiting on us was so good! He was busy - but told us as soon as we sat down he had an order to take and put in and he would be with us. We each had a salad to start, he had the Caesar and said it was really good. He even ate the croutons which he rarely does. I had the house salad and enjoyed it - but wish the dressing had a bit more vinegar to balance out the flake sea salt. For our entrees he had Carne Amore pizza and it was so good! The Calabrian chiles added some nice heat without being too much. Wood fired pizza with a beautiful oven that we could see from our bar seats. I had the Chicken Marsala and it was one of the best version of it I've had. The chicken was tender and the sauce had lots of mushrooms. It was a big enough serving that I took half home for lunch! And it was even delicious reheated. We will go back for sure! read more

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We stopped in because we were staying at the Hampton inn right next to the restaurant and I would say it's definitely a gem of a restaurant. The food was absolutely delicious. We ordered the arancini balls and Bolognese pasta. The flavor was top tier and the pasta was cooked perfectly. Our server was extremely nice and the service overall was fast! read more

Palio Grand Rapids - Bolognese - Italian Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Went for a birthday dinner for my wife as she loves Italian and it was her choice. Our first time here for all 4. We ran the full gamet, drinks, appetizer (calamari was good), salads, bread service, entrees and dessert. All 4 entrees were good but not out of this world. We arrived during happy hour and the ladies got a good deal on wine which they enjoyed very much. The highlight was our server, Nia who did an awesome job of recommending wine and answered questions regarding the entrees. She was personable, knew the menu very well and was attentive. In short, she did an awesome job. read more

We had a nice overall experience here and I'd probably rate it around 3.5-4 stars. The ability to make a reservation and have validated parking was a huge plus. The ambiance is quaint and cozy, and I really appreciated that it wasn't overly loud -- you can actually have a conversation. The food tasted fresh, which we loved. That said, the service was quite slow. Our reservation was at 6:00 and we didn't receive our food until around 7:15. Granted, we didn't order right away due to the wait for drinks (which took close to 20 minutes), and we also had to flag down our waitress to place our appetizer order. The appetizers themselves were good but very small -- the arancini came with just three small pieces and the toasted ravioli was only four pieces. The tableside Alfredo was a fun and unique experience, though I'm not sure I'd order it again. Overall, the food was okay but leaned a bit plain and under-seasoned for my taste. Having grown up in a part of the country known for incredible Italian food, I may be a tougher critic than most. I'd consider giving it another try, but it's not somewhere I'd rush back to. read more

Wow what a decline!! They charge for bread?? It's my son's bday and they gave a card and no desert. The short rib was incredibly salty- chicken for $25 no side no veggie won't b back read more

Came at 4:30 on a Saturday, we were able to get a table right away. Service was great! Thank you Rachel. Decor was interesting and not too much. Nice lighting with the big windows. They have roll up doors which would be nice when the weather is warmer. There was a little wait for the food but it wasn't too bad. You can tell the food is made to order so it's worth the wait time. Will be back again. read more

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Had a b-day dinner with 12 friends that went super swell Server was fricken awesome,, thanks team! -Drinks were ok, most feedback was "too-sweet & syrupy) kinda expect that type of style from an Italian restaurant though -The food took substantial time to come out which is understandable with a larger party, however some of the food seemed to have dried out while waiting under a heater or something Pizza was cracked and dry, pasta was curling at the ends, and then ya get the 1 person with a Lamb Chop loving their meal because it probably came out last and was tended to with the most care., overall a good dining experience for a larger group but missed on a couple to really go above and beyond for referral group business. Parking is in the garage, don't forget to validate. Great music & laughter filled the rooms with more than just our table Thanks again team and HBD Nick! read more

Palio Grand Rapids - Waiting for Lemon cello, - Italian Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Had reservations for 615 pm on a Saturday night. Both young children and older adults. Our table was a high top! Was not informed when the reservation was made that was going to be our seating arrangements. In the bar area. Will be specifying in the future whenever making a reservation. And attentive service but slow. Did not finish until 830pm. Was given the option to wait for another table. The only one large enough for our group finally opened up an hour later. And very high noise levels. read more

I had a late dinner here while staying at the hotel next door. Dinner was a pizza, excellent. Also their IPA was great. read more

Palio Grand Rapids - Yummy pizza. - Italian Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Wanted to try Palio for a while. Made reservations and arrived early. We were seated right away. Noticed that it felt cold in there, looked around and most people were wearing their winter coats. It was really cold, all 4 in our party ate dinner in our winter coats. They should have told people that they didn't have heat. Anyway service was ok, a bit slow at first. Appetizers were good, salads were good, entrees not so good. My wife had the table side fettuccine Alfredo and it was not good. It ended up as chopped up noodles with cheese, it was dry and not very good. I had carbonara and the chicken was tasteless and the noodles were not fully cooked. When my wife asked about her dinner she was told that is how it normally is, and that the noodles get chopped up during the mixing of the cheese and sauce. We have had that dish at other places and it was never like this. Anyway we may come back another time to see if it is better, but it was really not a good experience overall. read more

Everything here was good but nothing was special. I ordered the salmon with risotto. The salmon was great but the risotto had undercooked butternut squash in it. While the flavor was great there was just something that missed in the execution. The sauce for the arancini was delicious but the interior wanted for cheese. Their tiramisu was a huge portion but oversaturated. The service was friendly and I'd come back to give it another shot but it lacked the sophistication I anticipated. read more

Went here after driving to Grand Rapids and im glad we chose this place! Quick service with really good food. The arancini is a must try and stole the show read more

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My food here was amazing. We walked in and for some reason my son was in one of his moods but our waitress was super nice about it. I enjoyed my mocktail. My son eventually joined us at the table (after sitting under it lol) and it was a nice time. read more

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This is mainly because of our server. Overall, I was excited about trying this place finally! Good Italian in west Michigan is hard to come by. Long story short our server was awful, had zero personality, and lacked even the slightest interest in actually serving or communicating which are key points of the job that she somehow was able to obtain. All I have to say at the end if they even read these is I don't want an apology or anything in return. Just have that person be better because from what I saw she does not belong in your building. We arrived at a dark, silent restaurant. I assume our server arrived early and left the door unlocked, allowing us in before they were ready. About 3 minutes early. I'll give the restaurant the benefit of the doubt for a return visit. It's a popular place, so I assume this was just an off day. We booked and reserved in advance for our large party of nine, so that we knew we would not be a problem. She asked us how many were in our party and we told her that we had reserved a spot. She never even asked the name for it and again asked us how many like it was too much of a hassle to look at the tablet in front of her for the information she wanted. What's the point of requiring reservations for large party's with manager approval involvement then? Anyway, We were one of only two tables in the place for our entire visit. It wasn't busy, Our server seemed confused why we wouldn't want the high top table she selected for us as we have a child who needs a high chair (which was also noted in the reservation--or if she chose to look up and see the toddler). I also had to find the high chair myself after waiting for her to return--She had left to greet and seat the other party, and everything seemed normal afterward. The food and drinks were ordered and delivered promptly, and the kitchen staff did a really great job fulfilling our order to essentially hit the table all at the same time, which I was impressed by. The manager did a table-side dish in a wheel of Parmesan and was very engaging and interactive with our kids and everyone at the table. Even if he didn't like his job, you would just think he did. We were only there for around an hour and a half total: appetizers, drinks, entrees, and dessert. Our server's demeanor and service did not improve; in fact, she seemed to get worse as time went on. She took our orders but with little actual effort to speak. She just kind of stared at each one of us and waited for us to spit out what we wanted. It's an Italian restaurant, and I was reading the actual names of the food correctly as my family is Italian. She looked at me puzzled each time I said the name of a dish and immediately tried to fill the confusion with her assumption of what I wanted--melanzane (eggplant) sounds nothing like pollo (chicken). I'm sorry--it's not like I was overdoing an accent or anything just phonetically reading the menu. Honestly, it was almost as if she didn't actually want to be at work, which again I totally understand coming from the customer service industry in my own job; you're allowed to have off days. This was all before we had even gotten our main course to the table. We had kids in our party, it was my son's second birthday, it was a lunch for our group. All of our kids are self sufficient, quiet and mostly well behaved in public as we often are together in restaurants since they were all babies (my niece is 10) with the exception of my daughter (6) who does get a little loud once in a while, and loves to talk to people when we're out. Our server actually rolled her eyes at my daughter while she was saying thank you, and telling the server how much she liked her spaghetti. That really bothered me and honestly prompted me to write a review, because a simple you're welcome would have done just fine even if she did continue telling you how much she liked the food. We spent quite a bit of money, around $400, at this place. 9 people. 20-25 dollars per dish with appetizers and drinks. She came and asked if we wanted our bill toward the end, neglected to even ask if our kids wanted their free ice cream that literally comes with the meal, and then when we added my sons request for ice cream on after she had brought the bill she asked if we wanted it tacked on to the bill she had already brought or...like we assumed it was going to be free (we didn't). She did say she gave him a smaller scoop of ice cream and decided to not charge us for that...yay. Thanks. All in all, if that is the service that is normally available I'm shocked this place is even open still. From what I saw while looking up reviews prior to visiting this is uncommon. read more

This place is fantastic! The service was amazing! The food was so delicious! This was our first time here and will definitely be back!

The has been one of the best Italian restaurants I've been to! The service was excellent. Our waiter was new but he was super friendly and patient. All of the food was amazing, 10/10! I was pleasantly surprised. I am usually not a fan of Italian food because it is always so rich, but this was perfect. The carbonara sauce was light. The brussel sprouts were crispy and had amazing flavor with the fig jam. read more

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Popped in for some late night food - first time to the Gr location (had been to the Ann Arbor spot).. overall take was good - feel like I got great food and didn't overpay. It was late with almost nobody in there so ambiance and service were hard to gauge. Will def be back read more

Palio Grand Rapids - Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Enjoyed dinner here with some friends and truly enjoyed my time! Made a reservation on their website and we were seated as soon as someone was able to help us. They were busy. Our server was very nice and accommodating. Brought us all some water and menus and gave us plenty of time to talk and decide. Ordered some drinks and appetizers. Really loved the Pinot Noir and Calamari. My friend got the bread appetizer and it was pretty good. For an entree I ordered the fettuccine Alfredo with salmon on top for $6 more. The pasta was freshly made and extremely delicious! I am in love with it. The salmon was tasty and cooked well. For dessert we got the tiramisu and Limoncello bar! Both very rich and tasty! 100% will recommend this place to anyone! Definitely would say it's worth making a reservation for. read more

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I write this on Oct. 4, '25. I stopped in at 1:05 this afternoon and stood at the check in desk for 10 minutes with no contact. A server came out to the bar to serve the fettuccine dish that is made in a large Parmesan cheese wheel, I've had this at another restaurant. She saw me standing but never acknowledged me. She was approximately 12-15 feet away from me. I wondered how many employees were working. I saw a table of patrons inside, no one checked on them while I was there. I simply wanted to look at a menu as I was in the neighborhood, I was there for a local parade. I really wanted to try this restaurant. However, I will not be able to rate the food as I will not return. I left after waiting for 10 minutes. read more

I'd give this review a 3.5 if I could. This restaurant is just okay.. its hit or miss depending on what you get. The atmosphere and service is good so I don't want to rate too low, the drinks are great as well. The margarita pizza had barely any flavor, wouldn't recommend. The eggplant parm I thought was good, you can taste the freshness of the noodle. Although the chicken Marsala was dry, the ravioli part was great though. We had the veal meatballs too and they were good. Overall very hit or miss with this place, I'd still give it another chance though since I love Italian and the price is fair. read more

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Food and service levels have gone down a bit since I last came here. Ordered a pizza and it was not crispy or well cooked at all. Actually sent it back. My family ordered the table-side prepped fettuccine Alfredo and the presentation was very long, awkward (got the impression it may haven been their first time doing it - carved out the cheese like she was carving out the inside of a pumpkin... the pasta and chicken were not very warm. The booth was near the door and every time it was opened our booth temp freeze. Overall a very disappointing evening. Honestly so disappointing that I would consider giving it less than three stars but had such a nice experience a year ago I am hoping this was an anomaly. Sharing so management is aware the experience and food has declined significantly. It will be some time before I go back - and definitely won't be coming here in the winter as any seat near that door is insanely cold. To management - improve the table side fettuccine experience. I have experienced it several times in Europe where it started and it's an incredible experience (and quick) and absent any pumpkin carving. Maybe learn from how they do in Europe as what was experienced last night was a far cry from that. read more

Overall, our experience was great. Pleasant hostess greeted and seated us quickly. Our server was great. Our entrees were great. The appetizers were not up to the standard expected from a restaurant where so many items are made from scratch. The bruschetta was 4 small crostini with a small amount of tomato. Good flavor, but nothing else. The calamari was great, but half the portion was only crumbs of the breading. They both should be so much better. read more

my girlfriend and I have been here multiple times, and the food and drinks are consistently outstanding. all the servers are outstanding as well, although you will experience different levels of going the extra mile (for example explaining the history, and quality of ingredient) but that probably completely depends on how busy it is. I love this place, it's where we go for Valentine's Day. read more

Pizza was great, ambiance was good and the service was fantastic. What I was most surprised by were the prices. Very large pizza for $15. Well worth a visit! read more

Palio Grand Rapids - Italian Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

The food is amazing! Always fresh and you can tell the items are homemade. Service is wonderful as well, very kind and accommodating. I will continue to return time and time again! read more

Our server Anna was incredibly friendly and on top of everything. Their pizza is wood-fired which, as a rule, I love, but we were here for pasta. We ordered the spaghetti, house salad, wine, and we tried the spaghetti squash gratin. Everything was good, including the ambiance on an early Sunday evening. read more

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