Reviews for Osteria Papavero in Madison, WI

Pictured is the duck heart and butterscotch pudding I believe. This meal was in my top 5 best meals I have ever eaten. Staff was... very knowledgeable of the menu that changes daily. Great place for date night. Delicious meal! Read more

First I would like to acknowledge how the staff was able to accommodate seating for us without having a reservation. The place... is very cute and cozy couple date vibes. I ordered the Mushroom soup it was very tasty. We also order the lobster and shrimprisotto but it had nothing but fish on it instead it was tasty but the menu was misleading and no one mentioned the proteinsubstitution. Read more

Our first time here was several months ago, we loved the food then and raved about it to our friends, even got them a gift card... to celebrate their engagement. The first time we visited it was much less crowded (I think it was mid-week?) and we got greatfood and service. Our second time, we were left feeling very underwhelmed by the food, especially at the price point. Thehomemade pasta is delicious, but always feels like it could use an extra ingredient or two (some vegetables, or mushrooms -- soit's not just pasta and a thin sauce?) The trio dishes we had last time were divine -- that's what had us coming back -- butlast night they were pretty average and felt extremely pricey for such small portions. I also find it odd that the bread platedoesn't come with butter and that it's an extra charge if you want butter for your bread. (I've since been informed by therestaurant this is because it's "European style butter"). We also didn't realize the bread was extra so were disappointed to seethat as an additional charge (the bread is incredibly tasty, don't get me wrong, but very expensive -- but I get it, if theydidn't charge for it people would likely fill up on free, delicious bread so they've got to draw a line). I'll also note thatthe rude, older woman that seems to be mentioned in a lot of reviews -- we encountered her too. We didn't have many interactionswith her, but did notice her ice cold demeanor and tendency to pour water rather aggressively and without care. I assumed shewas having an off night, but that appears to not be the case since she's mentioned in older reviews. Read more

I ordered tortellini and it was pretty average. I would say it is not worth the amount we paid for though. The main reason for... the two stars is the staff. Specifically our waitress was an older woman and was the rudest waitress I’ve ever had. She wasimpatient with our order and made me and my boyfriend extremely uncomfortable. Shown is my boyfriends water which she completelyoverflowed and didn’t apologize or clean up. She would glare at us while we were eating, never smiled, and was completelyunprofessional. We could tell she did not want to be serving us and has no respect for the restaurant to be acting like that.The overall experience may not have been that bad but she ruined our night and wrecked our experience at this restaurant. Read more

The most wonderful experience ever. They were so kind in helping my friends find ideal items for their dietary needs and two of... us had the the bison short rib tortellini, which was excellent! I absolutely love the small intimate experience this restaurantprovides. Anyone of their desserts is a great way to finish your dining experience.If you have the opportunity, try the housemade limoncello! Read more

I didn't like it all. Super overpriced and the "Pescatora" tasted like canned tuna in tomato broth. Safe to say, we won't be... returning. Only giving it two stars because our waitress Amsae was very kind. Read more

Overrated and overpriced. The fried shrimp included the head and we're not deveined. The noodle dish was undercooked and was not... spicy although advertised as spicy. Seating was cramped and the Ambiance is quite noisy. Service was good, and so were thedesserts. Read more

Absolutely fantastic Italian place. Everything we got - salad, drinks, mocktails, pastas, and desserts- were all great. Service... and ambience was great. Definitely would return when back in town!! Read more