By Rachel Morano
Everyone loves a good, old school, Italian restaurant. If that’s what the interest is, Villa Verone is definitely the place to go for the next gathering.
Villa Verone is a lovely authentic Italian restaurant in Geneva, Ill. The building itself used to be a home so it’s a very close and friendly environment. Not only is the food to die for, but the staff is like family and treats you with so much respect.
Once we entered, we were taken to our seating upstairs and met the owner, Pietro, and he chatted with us about his restaurant and even about the menu when we had questions. He moved around and was really a social butterfly.
After a little debate on the food we decided on lasagna and spaghetti with meat sauce. It wasn’t a short wait for the food but we really didn’t mind; there was live music and everyone was dancing around and having an amazing time. We sat and watched person after person go up and sing karaoke and dance around with their friends.
One of the waitstaff brought us downstairs to show us their dining room area, for those who wanted a quieter setting. It was a breathtakingly gorgeous set up with beautiful candles and elegant curtains. They explained that people could either sit where we were or down here depending on their tastes in style of seating. We were more comfortable within the upbeat and musical environment.
We went back up and continued to talk to the waitstaff and she explained that they host weddings, birthdays, and many other events at this restaurant. When our food came we dug right in and definitely were not disappointed. It was even better than expected; the lasagna cut like butter and really exploded with flavor. The food could be talked about on and on but simply put, it was the best and most authentic Italian food I have had in as long as I can remember.
After the meal, we were unbelievably stuffed but the option of chocolate cake was too tempting. We got the piece of cake and split it between all of us and shared the bill. The price was higher than that of your average restaurant but completely justified by the flavor and the overall experience.
As we were leaving, I stopped to talk to the owner one more time. All he could say were spectacular things about his staff and even more so, his customers. He really wanted to emphasize that this is a friendly, loving place and that he wanted everyone to be comfortable.
This is a very family friendly environment and I would suggest it to anyone who would listen. If you’re looking for someone to get a quick bite and not spend too much I would not recommend Villa Verone, but if the intent is going out on a date or sitting down with the whole family, I would not suggest any restaurant above Villa Verone.