“ Awesome food, awesome service! Had the special, sausage and pasta! Best ever! Lisa was great behind the bar! ”

“ This was our second visit here, and it was AMAZING again! We had the chicken Picatta, the eggplant parmigiana, the Brussels, all outstanding! And, the bartender treated us like family - so genuine, attentive and welcoming. If you want a hidden gem, you've found it! ”

“ Rizzis is without a doubt the best Italian restaurant in Peoria. The drink specials are phenomenal. Lisa is a wonderfully creative bartender. The menu is diverse, and includes everything from simple pasta to seafood and steaks. The tortellini Michelangelo is especially good. It's a small restaurant with no reservations or call ahead seating so you might wait a while for a seat. As long as the bar is open, you'll have no regrets. ”

“ Great Italian food in Peoria! We arrived at 4:45pm on a Saturday night in November and the restaurant was packed! We were able to sit at the bar. The bar has 6 available seats. Our bartender Alexis was fantastic! One of the owners also helped Alexis a lot with refilling drinks, taking drink orders, and taking care of carry out orders. I ordered the special malfadina pasta in a rich rustic meat sauce. My wife ordered chicken Parmesan with the fresh malfadina pasta which was an up charge. All meals come with your choice of salad or soup. My wife had a Caesar salad which was an up charge and I had a house salad (cherry tomato, black olives, and cucumber) with vinaigrette and added mozzarella for an up charge. Both salads were great. Free Bread with olive oil and Parmesan also accompanied the meal. Both of our entrees had good size portions. The malfadini pasta special with the meat sauce was really good. The pasta was cooked perfectly. The chicken Parmesan was also really good but the marinara sauce was just ok. We were celebrating my wife's birthday and she received a free dessert. She chose a slice of cheesecake with raspberry and strawberry sauce. The cheesecake was so good. We loved our first time here. We will be back! Next time, we will get here at 4:15pm and wait in line to get a table! Also, ordering carry out is also a great option at this restaurant. We want to try the pizza. ”

“ Visiting town and stopped in here. I remember the one that was downtown. Food was great and prices were good and you get a ton of food. Pretty small place but that's not a bad thing. Service was great and they were attentive. Looking for some good Italian food...this is it. Very flavorful. Fyi the sausage and peppers was tasty. ”

“ Growing up in Pittsburgh and being Italian, I am a huge Italian food snob! We came here while in town from the Quad Cities, and I will be back for sure. Don't let the strip mall location or size deter you AT ALL! This place is the real deal and the food is divine. Highly recommend the manicotti and the delicious homemade soups. Waitress was super friendly and attentive. Can't wait to go back! ”

“ Some of the best Italian I've ever had!! I have been to Italy and lived in Chicago and this competes! The ambiance inside was great but we sat outside and had a wonderful evening. The pasta was clearly freshly made and delicious. Interesting options. I could have picked 5 different dishes and been happy. Apps were yummy, as were all dishes we had. The chef made a special meal just for my daughter because she wanted something with pesto and chicken. Each dish is fresh made for you. Great wine selections. The server was very knowledgeable and attentive. It was all terrific. Can't say enough how much we enjoyed it! ”

“ Family dinner tonight!! Absolutely delicious all 5 of us!! Waiter very attentive and nice!! Beautiful small intimate restaurant with a very nice bar area!! Bruschetta app! Tomato soups special! Caesar salad best ever!! I can't have red sauce so kind waiter made Chicken Parm with no red sauce and garlic butter noodles!! Rest of dinners Lasagna, Tortellini, Shrimp linguini all delicious and large portions !! Owner greeted us and he was working all tables!!! Refer to picture with two grandkids!!! My Chianti very good too!! Truly a Best Peoria Restaurant! Look forward to next visit!!! ”

“ Rizzi's is a family owned Italian restaurant known for their authentic specialties and craft cocktails. The servers are helpful and your experience may vary based on how busy the restaurant is that evening. Arrival: Rizzi's does not accept reservations. This is a small restaurant located next to Jeffrey Alan's on Sheridan Road and has ample parking in the shopping center parking lot. The restaurant has limited seating for large parties. One round table for 5-6 or half booth tables which can be pushed together for a 8-10. Pro tip: Weekends they may fill all the tables upon opening. Weeknight service is more relaxed. There is a very small vestibule with just a couple chairs to wait. We were quoted 50 minutes on a winter Saturday evening at 5:10 PM. You give them your phone number and have 5 minutes to appear or they move on to the next name. So the obvious choice to wait is in your vehicle or the adjacent store which is open until 6 PM. A few bar stools are available but may not be suitable for children. Ambiance: This restaurant is almost too small for ambiance. They have a short bar area between the kitchen and bathrooms at the rear of the restaurant. Booths line the walls and there are a few tables in the center. Saturday night the place was packed and the tables were pushed close together. The servers had limited room to maneuver around the dining room and I witnessed a couple mishaps. Drinks: Unique craft cocktails and high quality wine choices can make for a special evening and a great way to relax while waiting for your food. Since I have been there twice, I have sampled both. Tap water and a large bottle for refills are part of the standard table service. Food: This family owned restaurant has a broad range of award winning specialties. A big plus is your meal comes with a salad with the works or a house made soup. There is a lot more than just pasta with many seafood options, Italian chop house favorites featuring chicken and veal or pizza and stromboli. Both visits I chose a chicken based meal, the marsala and last time the piccata. Each is served with your choice of pasta side and a flavorful sauce. I had enough for 2 or 3 meals and they were not stingy with the mushrooms or capers. There is a reason they are so busy. Hot crusty bread with quality olive oil/parmesan or creamy butter is a nice starter unless you are tempted by the seafood appetizers or arancini. Service: They have a professional experienced staff and they remember customers on subsequent visits which makes this a friendly atmosphere. Both times we had an attentive server who anticipated our needs and checked in to refill drinks, verified we were enjoying each course and upon request presented the check along with to go containers. We had split checks which were accurate and did not seem to be a problem. On the last Saturday night visit they were very full and to put it nicely the kitchen "was in the weeds." Our server provided status checks on our courses but our plans to meet up with family afterwards were blown up while we waited for our food. The salads even took a long time. Once delivered we tried to quickly consume our food to move on. While I enjoyed my food I can honestly say that the chaos did not make a relaxing meal. Rizzi's is a great choice for a special meal or family get together. I can understand why they don't take reservations because the intimate atmosphere does not allow for them to hold a table on a busy night. Patrons need to anticipate the wait by arriving at non peak times or plan accordingly. ”