The food was pretty good for a buffet of that price, but nothing to write home about. The service was top notch. They were absolutely slammed (by a high school football team I think) and still kept great service and a decently stocked buffet. Donna especially went above and beyond. She was incredibly efficient with bussing tables, greeting guests, and taking orders. She was friendly even with the rush. If we ever go back to a Valentino's it'll be this one because of how great Donna and the rest of the team was read more

I'm so glad the daily buffet is back! I think it said this location does the buffet at noon and for dinner. There was a decent selection basically the same things they used to have as a kid. Very nostalgic. Also a lot has changed. The servers do serving of your drinks, bussing taking plates and tables, looked like some hosting. Unfortunately our waitress didn't come around hardly at all and there's no drink self-serve place. That's why I reduced a star. Food was good though. Great pizza, breadsticks, ice cream, salad and pasta. Definitely will be back! read more

Valentino's Pizza - A couple original items like the chef sign I remember as a kid - Italian Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

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LOVE this place. Everything about it is just GREAT! Miss the grand Italian buffet that used to have tons of wonderful selections. They need to start it back up again! I like to eat lunchtime specials on 17 & South is the only food I can otherwise afford at Val's prices. However, most of the lunch menus already come with dinner salads when I would PREFER the salad bar in that pricing. Salad bar is charged for separately when I am trying to be able to afford to eat the lunch specials. So, if you order a cheap item with or without the dinner salad, you STILL have to pay additional charges for the salad bar of about $9? I argue with this. read more

The food was ready on time and the lady in take-out was super friendly! I love the thin crust pizza!

Waited 30 minutes to be sat, nobody even said anything. tables were open just nobody wanted to wipe down tables or walk over to sit us. (They did look like they were working really hard though, it was busy so we stayed as we get it.) the pasta part was empty the entire time we were there. There were like 3 types of pizzas out. I watched 2 pizzas sit in the window and nobody bring them out for a half an hour. They were busy, but I'm almost confused as to busy doing what since they weren't sitting anyone, and they weren't putting food out. I noticed as we were leaving and the guy went to put out just a few things that have an entire giant warmer full... but nobody put out anything... They did do dishes though as the salad bar dishes were wet. read more

Great food excellent service handicap accessible would go there again easy to find and clean

We ate at this Valentino's because if a fundraising event for Domesti-pups. The staff was incredible. We were welcomed like family and will definitely be back because of the friendly atmosphere and great food! read more

This review is not about the Val's restaurant, but about their frozen pizzas they have in some of the local grocery stores. Purchased one of their frozen Val's Special pizzas last week. Was very disappointed with the taste and texture. Have to figure it wouldn't be as good as a restaurant pizza, but for $13, compared to the other frozen pizzas priced at half that, we were expecting something much better. Will not purchase another Val's frozen pizza again read more

I started having Val's pizza when I was 13 years old, I am now almost 63 years old and my opinion remains the same. Valentino's has incredible pizza and pasta. They have an Alfredo sauce with ham and mushrooms, that I haven't seen any where else, and it's to die for! read more

I ordered 2 create your own large pizzas and a family spaghetti. Pizza1 was four cheese with Bacon and pepperoni. Almost nothing on the pizza, pepperoni was tiny pieces and really saw little if any bacon at all. the topping layer was about 1/8 thick. Crust was ordered as thin , but this was like a cheap frozen pizza. Crust was awful on both. 2nd pie was Canadian bacon, pepperoni, and anchovies. again topping about 1/8-3/16 thick at best with tiny pieces of CB and pepperoni swimming in sauce. The spaghetti was fine and tasted ok, at plus $20 it pretty expensive . The cost was $97,47, so $34-35 for the pies and had paid by card plus tip for pickup...... Never again. I don't mind paying premium prices for premium food! This was bad and I mean some of the worst most expensive pizza I have had. Too bad Vals used to make great food at a reasonable price point. I will drive to Omaha for Mamas Pizza or out to the place in Havelock for my Pizza Needs from here out. Won't spend another dime at Vals. My how times have changed for the worse for Vals food. I grew up eating Vals at the original location. We even called and let them know how all 9 of us felt about the quality/value and the manager just wanted to argue and got defensive right away. I really thought she might realize that 9 customers that all felt the same way, that they might offer to make things right. I was wrong. I can say that I rarely feel the need to right a poor review, but in this case, I feel it warranted. Very poor quality, poor customer service, and at $97.47 plus tip for 2 large pizzas and some spaghetti it was certainly a poor dining value. read more

Friendly staff, buffets appeared well stocked. I only had the sale bar but everything was good and fresh !! read more

Valentino's Pizza - Salad Bar - Italian Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

Zainab is so incredible and very personable on the phone! She is a gem! She helped my dad who uses a walker get his order to the car!

No question the absolutely best pizza in all of Nebraska. Hands-down. Nobody even comes closer in the service amazing. You may have to wait to be seated, but the weight is worth it. read more

In the early 1970's as a teenager, Val's was always our favorite place to eat. I have many sweet memories of ordering takeout pizza.. We so enjoyed hearing them call out a pizza ready for Lois Lane, or Barbara Striesand, or Batman, etc. etc. The crowd of people waiting for their takeout pizza would look searching for the celebrity and then laugh uproariously as we walked up to the counter for our pizza. It was the best pizza in town and it still is the only pizza in town as far as I am concerned. I'm so glad Val's food and service after all these years is ALWAYS high quality. I have NEVER been disappointed, as I continue to this day to eat at Vals. I continue to enjoy their BEST PIZZA in town every time! read more

Great pizza place off the beaten path and worth the drive. We drove a 100 miles to eat the pizza. Great pizza place using fresh ingredients and great service. The owner has a passion for delivering a high quality product. Give it a shot. Support local. read more

I have been eating Valentinos Pizza for 62 years! While I lived in Nebraska and now shipping it to Oregon. It is without question the BEST PIZZA on the planet. read more

What happened?! I have regularly purchased their pizza. I just got their pizza and it sucked! The crust was thin and the sauce was not noticeable. It tasted like a frozen pizza read more

We were in town for the girls state basketball tournament and after an exhilarating win at the Pinnacle we had it in our mind to have Valentinos. We headed to the one that was nearest to what we remembered "as being the OG Valentinos" which apparently was torn down in 2014(?). The restaurant was not busy. The food on the tables we walked by looked delicious. The familiar salad bar was in full view opposite to our booth. We settled on a half and half of veggie and "the two sisters" for the adults and a half cheese half pepperoni for the kiddos. My hubby spied some wings at a passing table which prompted him to order some with bbq. I ordered a side salad as well. Our server was top notch. Told us about when the other location closed and other details about his favorite pie ( the two sisters). The order was ready in a timely manner. My salad came out just before as expected. The ranch was TOP NOTCH. Not as runny as I remembered but still great. The pizza was so good. My son noted that the crust was "pillowy" which we all agreed. We were excited to have extra left overs to take home. The two sisters side was amazing. Hand torn sausage pieces, pepperoni and cream cheese. The veggie was as I remembered with ALL the green and black olives! Our bellies were full and happy. Please don't underestimate this Nebraska born pizza place. Specifically this location. read more

Valentino's Pizza - pepperoni and cheese pizza - Italian Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

I wish Valentinos was nationwide. When I'm in Nebraska I also make it a point to enjoy some Valentinos pizza. The sauce is what makes it great! (I usually buy a few jars and bring home with me.) In Lincoln, on UNL game days, they have an all-day buffet with salad bar, soup/chili, and pizza. Yum! Decor is clean and simple. The host and servers always show true midwest hospitality. read more

Excellent food, fresh and hot. Our server Donna was wonderful, courteous and customer service oriented.

Brunch is back! Overall happy with choices. Coffee is pricey but buffet is fair priced. Very good items that I tried are bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy, breakfast pizza and waffles. Special pizza was ok but not as good as carry out. Sausage links are fair to decent. Cinnamon rolls and twists were also pretty good. Fried chicken was very disappointing and they really need to consider changing it to be less rock hard breading and fresher. read more

The lasagna and the sauces (to choose from) in the buffet were very, very good. The pizza slices were pretty good as well. That lunch buffet, just in front of the University of Nebraska's East Campus, was pretty good! The service and friendliness of April, my server, was excellent! It was a relaxing, comfortable lunch break. read more

Only in America can you pay less for more. I got a large Special pizza tonight for $3 less than a small. The crust was firm and not chewy and had a wonderful flavor. I asked for light sauce and it was perfect. read more

Valentino's Pizza - The Special - so many meats. I asked for less sauce and it was perfect. - Italian Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

Says open at 11:00am on the door but it's closed. Guy next door said they open at 5. A little sign in the window would be nice!

After reading some of these reviews I was getting worried. I thought maybe Val's really lost their touch. But after eating here, I can safely say "they've still got it." I've been coming here since the early 70s and their original still tastes the same - Awesome!!!! I will definitely continue to come here. Good job Valentino's. read more

Valentino's Pizza - Hamburger Pizza - Italian Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

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The clock was advancing on 90 minutes past noon, and all I'd had that day was a honey crisp apple. I was craving Italian food, and the three minute walk from my office to Valentino's sounded a lot better than a transatlantic Delta flight to Rome. An order of meatballs and a side of breadsticks was just the thing. You see, I'd ordered this exact meal just over two weeks prior. The breadstick dipping sauce was cold and the meatballs, while robust, tasted as if they'd been made earlier in the day and reheated. Still, dear reader, it was entirely edible. And for the value and location, I was willing to make the sacrifice. Using my cellular telephone, I called to place said order. I didn't have the name of the order, but was hopeful by my description of meatballs and a side of breadsticks, that my request would be fully understood. Boy, was I wrong. The gentleman on the other end of the line proclaimed that Valentino's serves nothing of the sort. He smugly informed me that I could get spaghetti and meatballs or any pasta and meatball combination at all. Perhaps that's what I meant? No, as a man who has lived almost four decades on this earth, I quite well know the difference between an entree of large meatballs and a serving of pasta with meatball chunks on top. What happened next was nothing short of barbaric. When I insisted I had eaten the exact meal on a prior visit, the man I was speaking to guffawed and announced he had no idea what I was talking about. Exasperated, I hung up, fuming and famished. On the way home, I instructed my driver to let me out in front of Valentino's. Once inside, I procured a menu and within 30 seconds found meatballs under the entree section. I'd been had. As my wife can attest, I spent a good portion of the evening telling the tale of how I'd been wronged and vowing to never let the staff of Valentino's lead me astray again. My sour mood eventually subsided, however, it's an incident that I won't soon forget. read more

Well I'm gonna have to give this place a no go unfortunately. Three times ordering and three times sick can't be a coincidence. I've only ordered delivery so I can't say much about the atmosphere of any of the locations. I can say that the delivery is pretty fast and the food has always come as I've ordered it. The pizza is pretty good, it's not my favorite gluten free pizza I've had but it's not bad by any means. A bit saucy for my taste. My issue is a few hours later I've had stomach cramping all three times I've had it. Last weekend it was the only thing I'd eaten the whole day, so I could finally be sure it was the culprit. It's too bad really cause I appreciate the fast service and though their gluten free pizza isn't cheap, none are, it's one of the cheaper ones in the area- 15.00 for a 10". Sadly I can't recommend this place for anyone sensitive to gluten contamination as I have my concerns. If you are just eating a gf diet but don't have a formal allergy you'll probably be fine. read more

This pizza is absolutely delicious. Coming from a Chicago native, Valentino's really rocks the pizza game. It is not too greasy but not too fancy, so it's just perfect. The crust is delicious. We had good service here. Would come here regularly if I lived in the area. read more

Valentino's Pizza - The vegetarian personal pizza - Italian Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

This is Valentino's original location in Lincoln, close to East campus. The atmosphere is casual, though more like a neighborhood pizza joint than the superbuffet locations. If you get the buffet, there are pizza, pasta, salads, a small dessert bar, and a small selection of deep-fried kid friendly foods, in addition to a very small Mexican bar. It's hard to turn down, though the pizza on the menu's a little better. Hit the East Campus dairy store less than two blocks away and across the street for really good ice cream afterwards! read more

I just paid $17.00 plus a $5.00 tip for Mosticiolli. I asked for Mosticiolli and a meatball to be delivered...because that's all they are offering. I end up with a huge bowl of undercooked noodles and 4 meatballs. I asked for grated parmesian, and got little envelopes of powdered cheese. Im at a hotel...from out of town. No fork. The meatball I ate was good. The sauce was good. The rest was a waste of time and money. Not a happy customer. read more

Valentino's Pizza - a bowl of pasta and meatballs - Italian Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

Pretty good pizza, used to be delicious. My main complaint is this is a local pizza place and they advertise all kinds of specials, but when you order the specially priced items, there is always a reason why they can't honor the special - it usually says not available at this location, but the truth is it is not available at ANY store location. It just kinda bothers me, sorry for the mediocre review. read more

I have always heard about Valentino's from being out of town. It didn't disappoint and neither did the nice people of Lincoln Nebraska .

We are VERY disappointed. Val's used to be the best pizza. We went to the original location and found out they tore down the original store. We thought oh well, we are here. We walked in the new store and found out they have no buffet. We don't usually order the buffet anyhow. We were the only ones in there. A couple came in looking for the buffet and left when they found out they have none. Now about the pizza. I don't know what changed, but it isn't the original recipe. They have built many locations and we have ate at some of them. It wasn't as good as the original. We tried the new original store and the same crappy pizza came out of that store. We won't be back. read more

This place is what would materialize if DiGiorno ever made a buffet. Food: I actually say this as a complement as I really like those frozen pies. Valentino's serves up an array of delicious pizzas in addition to a very delicious creamy tomato soup, salads, and pastas (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Y2v7Mdw0w2_JNUVlibktTA?select=gFBRcCDknksMTtuf9c6pEQ#xqcOOEeo-EFP1M4uUycBYw). They have some pretty daring toppings on the pizza like jalapenos (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Y2v7Mdw0w2_JNUVlibktTA?select=gFBRcCDknksMTtuf9c6pEQ#XeI5vT5-dyOCJjBtkOgBvQ) and bacon. Is the pizza, as Spence R. purports, better than sex? Probably not, but if you like high quality frozen pizzas, you'll have some idea of how these puppies taste. I have to give them massive props, however, for their dessert pizza (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Y2v7Mdw0w2_JNUVlibktTA?select=gFBRcCDknksMTtuf9c6pEQ#xmV3ZyEUcaUGWTuabgSITQ). It was somewhere in between a coffee cake and a pie. Confusing to categorize, but undeniably delicious. Atmosphere: Valentino's is situated across from the UNL East Campus. The tables and buffet are extremely clean. It was weird for me to eat here, because the decor was a stereotypical Italian with checked table clothes and green as a dominant color, but it actually looked really nice. Most of the places in LA going for that look end up giving off a trashy vibe. Service: Being a buffet, it's pretty much self-service. Pay at the counter. Synopsis: Love that dessert pizza and the concept of a pizza buffet in general. read more

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The pizza here is NOT amazing, stop it, all of you. Valentino's pizza is a thin scree of red sauce over chewy, oily dough, covered in even oilier cheese. The sauce is cloyingly sweet and the cheese is noticeably salty. At about T-plus-20 minutes after delivery, the pizza has congealed into a sort of nightmare pizza-brownie lump. If you can imagine vomit in brownie form, complete with unidentifiable lumps ("did I eat diced carrots??"), that's Valentino's 20-minute old pizza. Fucking don't eat it, unless it's free and delivered without your knowledge, and you're a poor college student, and you're drunk and you're just going to puke it up anyway. In that case you are sparing your body the ordeal of processing it from food into puke. It'll just slide in and out unchanged, like Tim Robbins crawling through a river of shit in the Shawshank Redemption. But nevermind that. Yia Yia's is better, and it sucks too. So, in conclusion, go to Super Taco. read more

We thought we'd check out the new location, and because the other locations have a buffet, we were sorely disappointed to find out that this location did not. The food was what you would expect, the same Valentino's pizza we all grew up with. The manager heard our disappointment from our waitress (we were the only table seated, the other family after us left after learning about the buffet) so the manager sent out 2 of their new appetizers. We sampled the bruchetta and bruchetta with artichoke dip, both tasty - similar to apps you'd get at a Macaroni Grill. So in summary: no buffet, regular pizza, and average apps. read more

Stopped by the original Valentino's with some Valentino veterans -- they recommended the beer cheese sauce, cheeseburger pizza (ground beef + mustard + onions + pickles), dessert pizza, jello salad, and the Italian wedding soup. As a Seattleite, the thing that amused me the most was the fact that Valentino's has Chex Mix and Potato Stix part of the salad bar. Yes, part of the salad bar! This mid-west tradition needs to start making its way over here as potato chips on a salad is the best thing ever! Valentino's is solid buffet food -- I mean, what is there not to like about a restaurant that serves carbs for appetizer, entree, and dessert? read more

This is the best pizza I have ever eaten!!! I am not saying for this specific location, b/c I have been to several. The sauce and crust are distinctly different from any other pizza pie. They put plenty of toppings on too. When my friend told me about her love for Valentino's, I thot "sure". But she was right! This lady doesn't live in Lincoln anymore but when she visits she brings her coolers to take back some for her freezer! Now that's pizza love! read more

I have loved Vals all my life. Always have to visit when I'm back home. It's all about the hamburger pizza and salad bar. mmmmmm good

Stopped there last night with the kids. It was dead, but the remodel looked great. We live next to a Valentino's Express on 27th and Superior, but that place is GOD AWFUL, greasy pizza, expensive, and one time, moldy crust. But this place, much better. The pizza was perfect, huge, and most important, half the price of the Valentino's next to us. It's so weird. It was hot, it was huge, and it was done exactly as I remember Valentino's from when I was younger. Pizza was non-greasy, cut into squares, perfect for little kids. The garlic breadsticks, two of them had cinnamon frosting on the ends, but the kids didn't care. I thought it was a tad gross, but it worked out. The service was a tad wonky. As slow as it was, our server forgot to pick up our check. Our kids were acting up and we were ready to leave, but we sat there an extra ten minutes as he breezed by us once and floated around front. I finally had to get his attention so we could go. We were putting our coats on and he could see us, just didn't get the hint. All in all, the quality, for the money, this place is definitely worth the stop. read more