I am a U of I grad and I had never been to Dom’s Patio Villa.
Apparently I’m strange, or, at the very least, in the minority.
A friend and I took Swing lessons at the U for six weeks (as I wrote about previously.) One of the things that she and I (or she and I and our spouses, if available) liked to do was get something to eat prior to class. We ventured to Chili’s, Escobar’s, Boltini, The Great Impasta….and last Wednesday, the final night of our class, we went to Dom’s.
I always mix up Dom’s and Manzella’s and I did it again on Wednesday. I turned off University onto First, then sidled up to Manzella’s when she said, “Um, you’ll probably need to pull up a bit more.” Foiled again! (Two Italian restaurants shouldn’t be this close together….I’m sorry…at least I don’t mix Minneci’s into this!)
We went inside the windowless restaurant (after I found the right one!) and were asked whether we wanted a booth or a table. We didn’t care, so we got a hybrid of the two in the second room. I sat on the booth side, she on the table. My booth rocked. It was hilarious! I should have just asked her to scoot forward and pull the table toward me but noooooo….. I have to sit on the edge of my seat. Not recommended!
Our waitress was prompt and courteous. I got my friend’s recommendation and ordered a half and half of spaghetti and ravioli. I asked for the Marinara sauce. My friend ordered a half order of spaghetti with meatball. Well, good thing I have no allergy to meat, because my ravioli were meat filled and my sauce had nice chunks of meat as well. I might have said something if we hadn’t been in a time crunch, but due to that, I ate what I was served. It was very flavorful, even though it wasn’t quite what I planned on! The garlic bread was also very good. The prices were reasonable – her half order was $6.75 and my half and half (at least the marinara!) was priced at $9.00. We got a LOT of food and the bread was included with our meals. Again, our waitress was attentive, ensuring that my diet with no ice was full to my liking. That’s usually a big plus if you can even remember that I asked for no ice, so to ask if I want a refill and remember again….. Bonus points!
If you’re looking for quaint, flavorful “Momma’s home cookin’ ” Italian food, then I believe Dom’s might be the place. Don’t go for romantic decor – don’t get me wrong the place has ATMOSPHERE – it’s just like a building that time forgot. Some things I couldn’t even explain, but that had no bearing on my meal other than to entertain me as to why concentric blue circles were painted on the ceiling and there was a couple painted on a mural that didn’t particularly look happy.
Dom’s Patio Villa 301 S Locust St. Champaign 352-8444
I haven’t been to Dom’s in eons. I should try it again. I remember liking their baked rigatoni. The building that time forgot, indeed!