Ciao Italian Kitchen

Service is okay but i expected more flavor with the pasta. My kids enjoy writing on the table though (paper covering the whole table)

So when we first walk in someone walking out tells us «good luck». We should have just left right then. But I had this damn $ 20 certificate so I didn’t want it to go to waste. Nobody to be seen at the hostess desk, but I do notice a sign that says they have no alcohol. Strike one. How does a restaurant let their liquor license expire? Finally a very casually dressed woman (who I realize later is the manager) shows up and seats us at a dirty table.
The waitress shows up and tells us they are out of soda??? Strike two. We sat for about 10 min after our order was taken and then they finally brought out bread, which was fine. We then wait for at least half an hour with no explanation why it’s taking so long. The waitress tells us it will be about 5 min. Then about 10 minutes later the manager shows up and says somehow the order didn’t make it to the kitchen. What. The. Hell. Strike Three. This is turning into the Seinfeld episode where Elaine wants her free sub.
They put a «rush» on the food and it comes out a few minutes later (how does that work?). The food was pretty good (except our panini was just a sand which, not pressed) but it wouldn’t have mattered, the experience was ruined. The manager comped it (now I still have this damn $ 20 certificate) and brought out an appetizer as well, but all of the interactions with her were strange, she did not deliver good customer service. I don’t even know how to explain this experience except it was basically amateur hour. I think I could take over right now and run that place better, and I’ve never worked at a restaurant.

My wife and I used to visit this place often when we lived in Wichita. We visited when we were back in town at the beginning of August. After our most recent visit, we left saying «it used to be good. What happened?»
When we got there, it wasn’t too busy. First thing we did notice was paintings on the walls. Paintings with price tags. Clearly it was an attempt to sell these paintings, but we weren’t looking for paintings, only good food.
We both have very well tried and true usuals when came here. I get the fettuccine alfredo with chicken. My wife gets the Lasagna Bianco, a lasagna that uses their (formerly) to-​die-​for alfredo sauce with chicken, mushrooms, and onions.
The bread is just fine. Hard to mess that up. The entrees, however, left lots to be desired. My wife said the mushrooms were terrible and had a canned flavor. The chicken in both our meals was sub-​par. The pasta was off. And the worst part, the alfredo sauce that used to be amazing, was now bland and unappetizing.
My wife and I left and got drive-​through. This used to be a wonderful place in Wichita to get Italian food. Not any more. Amazing what happens in 6 months.

We were with a wedding party rehearsal dinner and seemed like it took a long time to get our drinks. Once we started to get our food it seemed okay. After all the plates were cleared, took forever for the dessert, so we left.

Maybe this restaurant is better when you elect to dine in. We ordered ahead for take out and were sorely disappointed by the quantity and quality of the food. I ordered the piccante pollo alfredo and the tiramisu, while my boyfriend had the Italian sausage. The pasta had decent flavor, but the noodles were incredibly overcooked and the chicken was lacking. His dish was supposed to be served over bread, but instead what we received was a box containing 6 very small slices of sausage and two small loaves of bread. Was this a build your own sandwich kit? We were very confused. There were three unmarked condiment cups containing very small amounts of ambiguous sauces and/​or seasonings. Based on our other disappointments we chose not to try our luck. I saved my tiramisu for later, but it was equally strange. Instead of being a cake it was layers of soggy ingredients in a cup. There was no effort to keep it separated or presentable, so I found myself eating a brown mess. After this $ 30 experiment gone wrong, I highly doubt we will return to give it another try.

We came here to try something different yo celebrate my birthday. We started with the Formaggio Al Forno which was very good, I just dipped without the olive tape made, saving that for Jack. He said it was very tasty. I had the Pasta Puttanesca and Jack had the Piccante Pollo Alfredo. No room for dessert. Everything is cooked fresh when you order, but the wait wasn’t long at all. Very nice atmosphere, good service too!

Delicious! Wife and I went there to dine before catching a movie. Ambiance was what you’d expect from an Italian restaurant and reminiscence of Zio’s (KC Italian restaurant) due to the crayons and paper presentation. Started with formaggio al forno, amazing! It tastes like what it would be if you scraped the top of the best cheese pizza you’ve ever tried and used toast points to dip. Mmmm. Good things to say, great server and was fast when we needed it to be. My family and I will definitely return in hopes it’s always this good.

Food was great, server was efficient and friendly. Their tiramisu is to die for!!! I brought mine home because I was too full after my meal, but I wished I had brought two! Best tiramisu I’ve ever had. We went there for lunch. They have smaller portions of some of the dinner entrees for lunch with a smaller price tag. The server kept our orders straight, and all of the requested details were correct. Our drinks were refilled without her interrupting our conversations, and she brought a to-​go cup for my soda when we were ready to leave. Very impressed with the place. We will def go back and try some of the other menu items. (They have a VERY extensive menu!).

I love love love this place! Sometimes the service is a little slow but I hardly ever notice because I am enjoying my family and the wonderful food and drinks they have there!

We were excited about eating at Ciao as we believed it would be another choice for Italian cuisine. I ordered Manicotti and a glass of Malbec wine. The wine had an off odor like it was turning to vinegar. What was supposed to be the manicotti pasta looked more like a cheese wrapped crêpe and smothered in even more cheese. I didn’t see or taste anything that could have passed as pasta. There was jut a dribble of tasteless, unspiced marinara sauce so my meal was a huge disappointment.
My wife ordered Pollo Mediterranean, which is one of her favorite dishes, and a glass of Chianti. The expectation is chicken simmered in a creamy sauce with sun-​dried tomatoes and green olives served with pasta. Instead, Ciao provided a very large bowl filled with pasta with perhaps a total of two small bites of chicken, an inappropriate large pile of olives and otherwise limited in spices. My wife ate a few bites and the chicken was gone which left the overwhelming amount of olives and pasta so she pushed the dish aside. This entrée would be an appropriate dish if someone wanted to bulk up on carbs but a poor choice for an enjoyable dining experience.
The server asked my wife if she wanted cheese on top of her entrée and cracked pepper on her salad to which my wife responded positively but neither of those were delivered or mentioned again.
During the course we noticed the family next to us was dissatisfied with their meal as well and called for the manager. Their discussion lasted about 5 minutes but I could not hear what their complaint was about.
Eventually our server asked if everything was all right and we explained our displeasure. I expected the manager to come by but he never did. Later our server brought us the bill, we paid, went home and ate popcorn and opened a great bottle of wine.
There appeared to be an appropriate number of wait staff but everyone was hurried and running. Their hustle and bustle created a somewhat anxious feel – certainly not a relaxing experience. The dining area was incredibly cold and more than half of the patrons elected to wear their winter coats. We mentioned how cold it was and our server replied, «it will warm up in here a lot as more people come in.» It never warmed up.
Overall, the food was terrible and the wait staff was only fair. The wine list needs revision by a quality sommelier. I doubt we will ever go back.