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Sunny Italy Cafe

3.7 (88 reviews)
ModerateItalian
Closed • Closed

Sunny Italy Cafe Photos

SUNNY ITALY CAFE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Classy
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Sunny Italy Cafe

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Spaghetti and mushrooms
John P.

I grew up in South Bend and this is absolutely my favorite restaurant! Great Italian food with a family feel. The food is fresh and expertly prepared. The wait staff and the welcome staff are so friendly. Our server was fantastic. She kept coming back to make sure we were taken care of took care of our drinks our food encouraged us to get dessert(we were so full by the time we finished eating our meal we didn't have room). We got wine to drink and then started with salads with homemade salad dressing. I got French and my wife got the house creamy Italian. Fresh excellent a nice size serving. In addition, they brought fresh Italian bread, crispy on the outside super soft on the inside just incredible. And for dinner, we both got spaghetti. I got mine with meatballs and my wife got hers with mushrooms. Again as great as I remember and couldn't stop eating until it was gone. The meatballs are solid and taste. Excellent the sauce is a little sweet, very thick and rich. Just an amazing dining experience. Highly recommended.

Spaghetti with sausage sauce and mushrooms
Richard Y.

We enjoyed a nice dinner here-- the ambiance is casual and the server we had a super friendly and knowledgeable about every dishes ingredients and prep. We ordered the chicken Parm and spaghetti with sausage sauce and mushrooms. The entrees come with bread and a side salad. A nice Pinot Noir complemented our entrees. The flavors were excellent and the only knock I have was that my spaghetti portion was more side than entree. Overall a great place to enjoy scratch sauce Italian!

Tomato basil soup.
Stephanie S.

I don't know why they have such a low rating. It's crazy. Our service was attentive and friendly. Made one great suggestion after the other. Get the bruschetta. Get the toaster chicken. Get the ravioli. All salad dressings are made in-house. Garlic was our favorite. Get the bruschetta--yes, I said it twice. The restaurant is alimony a hundred years old. It's only open 3 nights a week. Thank goodness I didn't check Yelp and instead was looking on Google maps. You can take your wine home if you don't finish it. And the wine prices are very reasonable.

Veal Parm!  Full stop. Best ever!!!
Tia B.

Wow! Just.... OMG! WOW!!!!!! If you want authentic - with a capital "A" - this is the only place to go for real Italian food. Chef Sis and her family have been creating the finest fare in The Bend for almost 100 years! Michelle is who you want taking you on this culinary journey no doubt. Get in here.... I mean RUN DON'T WALK to this hole in the wall. You will thank me later.

The split 1/2 Ravioli and 1/2 Spaghetti. Cannot let the Homemade pasta get all the credit the rich delicious red sauce is fantastic!
Jane B.

I really enjoyed the authentic feel of Sunny Italy Cafe. Red and white table cloths, warm bread, amazing homemade dressing and the pasta! Homemade Ravioli This was my first visit and. came recommended by a waiter who had worked there for 25 - 30 years. How could I not try it? They carry a good wine selection by the glass or bottle. The waitress was very attentive to me while she waited on a large party in the upper room. Looks like they can accommodate larger groups normally and my server handled this party or one like a pro while taking care of many others. I'll be back!

Bruschetta
Jesse H.

Hidden gem outside South Bend. Hands down the best bruschetta I've had in the States for a very long time. I had the half spaghetti half ravioli and it was good. Heavier sauce than I was used to but good.

$24 shrimp scampi

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3 years ago

Great food ... great service.... But tables are extremely close together... the man at the table beside us NEVER shut up!!!

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Fanellos - Tiramisu - definitely not a traditional tiramisu

Fanellos

4.3(68 reviews)
3.3 mi

Great food and waitress was awesome. Salad was awesome too . Service was excellent I had Lasagna…read morerolls with salad

It's been years since our initial visit to Fanello's so we decided to get it another try on a…read morerecent Saturday night. We didn't have reservations, but luckily it was only a 10-15 minute wait before we were seated. Our server was hustling and did a great job (never mentioned her name). The salad and garlic bread came out right away. The bar was a little backed up, but we eventually got our drinks. Just a glass of chardonnay for me and the hubby opted for the cinnamon maple old fashioned - definitely a miss with overly artifical tasting syrup. Our entrees came out quick, but were only warm not hot. I ordered the chicken carbonara, but it is not a true carbonara - it was a garlicky, heavy cream sauce. I had to ask for parmesan and pepper. There must be a shortage since salt and pepper were only on some of the tables and then another server came and took the parm and pepper before we were even done with our meals. My husband ordered the baked mostaccioli which came with meatballs and he added Italian sausage. The sausage was just sliced with no browning or coloring. The dish was definitely not baked, in fact the shredded mozzarella on top was barely melted. We ordered the tiramisu for dessert which was not good. It was layers of a thin spiced-like sponge cake instead of lady fingers and lacking in any sort of flavor. Overall, it was fine, but there are so many better options for amazing Italian in the area.

Photos
Fanellos - Tiramisu - definitely not a traditional tiramisu

Tiramisu - definitely not a traditional tiramisu

Fanellos - Pizza & lasagne

Pizza & lasagne

Fanellos - Salad and garlic bread

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Salad and garlic bread

Parisi's Ristorante Italiano - Last day to use our Groupon.

Parisi's Ristorante Italiano

3.5(141 reviews)
1.0 mi
•$$

Parisi's is the kind of Italian spot that makes you feel like you've stumbled into someone's home…read morekitchen... in the best way. Cozy, charming, and the food? Chef's kiss. I ordered the carbonara and WOW. Creamy, perfectly salty, and the pasta was cooked just right. I still think about it, honestly. The portion was generous without being overwhelming, and you can just tell it's made with love. Service was just as impressive. Our server was friendly, checked in the perfect amount, and gave great recommendations. Everyone there made us feel so welcome, like regulars even though it was our first time. Definitely bookmarking this place for my next visit to South Bend. If you're craving authentic Italian in a warm, laid-back setting... this is it.

Parisi's is a very quaint and authentic Italian restaurant that is a local establishment. We…read moreenjoyed the ambiance and the food was delectable. With that being stated, you can't be in a rush if you are planning to try Parisi's. We arrived at 7:30 and waited a bit to be seated. Our food also took a while to come out. I only saw two employees so they might be on a skeleton crew during the week. We visited on a Tuesday night. I wanted to order the lasagna but it was out for the day. We had an appetizer and some drinks to start the meal. My shrimp ravioli was very good and I loved the spicy red sauce. I was so happy with my selection. My husband ordered the lemon chicken and gave me a taste. The chicken was tender and had a tangy lemon flavor. We were both pleased with our plates. We will be back soon.

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Parisi's Ristorante Italiano - Sitting out on the patio.

Sitting out on the patio.

Parisi's Ristorante Italiano - The ONLY public place entertainer Greg Rini will perform at in South Bend!

The ONLY public place entertainer Greg Rini will perform at in South Bend!

Parisi's Ristorante Italiano - This is the supposed garden salad. It's missing most of the garden though.

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This is the supposed garden salad. It's missing most of the garden though.

Macri's Italian Bakery & Trattoria - Pastas for every dish

Macri's Italian Bakery & Trattoria

4.6(136 reviews)
0.3 mi
•$$

I first went to Macri's for a birthday cake, which didn't disappoint. The muffins are amazing. But…read moreone of the best things is their frozen lasagna. It's the best after a football game!!

Let's start with the sweets because honestly, that's still this place's strong suit. I've grabbed…read morecookies and random goodies from the case before, and they've never missed. Today though, I walked in thinking this might be it... my hunt for the best fired pizza in South Bend might finally be over. I saw the giant pizza oven and thought, "yeah, this is about to be serious." So naturally... I stayed for lunch. It was busy, but the self-serve kiosk made ordering easy. I went all in Pepperoni Pizza, Cheesy Garlic Bread, Chicken Noodle Soup, and Shrimp Diavolo. For a packed lunch rush, 15-20 minutes wasn't bad at all. Now... the pizza. I wanted to love it. I really did. But it just didn't show up. It was pretty bland overall, and most of the flavor came from the cupped pepperoni which tasted like something you'd grab off a store shelf. The sauce tried to make a comeback, but it got completely overshadowed. The rest of the food? Honestly solid. The Chicken Noodle Soup hit the spot, and the Shrimp Diavolo was actually really good. So yeah the pizza hunt continues. The oven might look impressive, but it's not ending anyone's search just yet. But the sweets? Still a slam dunk. -The interior was clean and the seating area is large.

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Macri's Italian Bakery & Trattoria - Pastries, Baked Goods, Cakes, Coffee and more!

Pastries, Baked Goods, Cakes, Coffee and more!

Macri's Italian Bakery & Trattoria - Pastries

Pastries

Macri's Italian Bakery & Trattoria - Dining area

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Dining area

Villa Macri Ristorante - Mozzarella Sticks

Villa Macri Ristorante

3.3(148 reviews)
4.7 mi
•$$

Villa Macri is always a solid choice--consistently great no matter the occasion…read more Whether I'm sitting at the bar with my husband enjoying a relaxing night out (shoutout to the awesome bartenders!) or dining with our whole family, the experience is always top-notch. Service is friendly and reliable, and the menu truly has something for everyone. And if you haven't tried the lamb chops--do it. They're absolutely fantastic and one of my go-to favorites. It's rare to find a place that delivers so well across the board, but Villa Macri nails it every time. A true Granger gem

I want to preface by saying I've been to Villa Macri many times and the dining experience has…read morealways been good. I had a reservation for my large family placed 6 weeks before Mothers Day. Upon arrival, we waited a bit and were told the table wasn't available but would we want 2 large booths across from each other. Because we were all there, and kids were hungry, we gave in. When seated, it was clear that 2 booths weren't large enough. One side crammed 4 people, etc. Flagging our server, I requested another booth because this was unacceptable. This resulted in yet another booth, but our party was so spread apart that it was impossible to interact. This was very disappointing, especially when the reservation was placed so far in advance, and confirmed, and we were paying $39.95 a person with a FIXED gratuity of 20%. (This was a BRUNCH, with no table service except for drinks). What could be done differently? On a busy holiday such as Mothers Day you need to have fixed seating times and adhere to them. I was told the party at our reserved table was finished, but NOT MOVING. Again, not acceptable. If a restaurant requires a credit card to hold the reservation, which this one did, we should expect what we requested. Our dining experience was tarnished because of this, and restaurant management should be prepared to deal with these kinds of incidents.

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Villa Macri Ristorante
Villa Macri Ristorante - Free bread

Free bread

Villa Macri Ristorante - Stuffed Asiago Gnocchi

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Stuffed Asiago Gnocchi

Sunny Italy Cafe - italian - Updated May 2026

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