Review Visit: September 22nd, 2014 La Gondola vs. Michael's vs. Avanti's. In the Peoria-area, you have 3 main choices for Italian food. The one you pick, no matter which one, is contentious. If you are a fan of Avanti's, people scoff at that. If you are a fan of Michael's, people scoff at that. If you are a fan of La Gondola, people scoff at that. It's really best to be impartial in conversations if you are afraid of getting scoffed at. I personally grew up on Avanti's. It was an easy restaurant for us to order from and cheap enough to feed the family for next-to-nothing. But, with the invention of my Travel List and growing desires to try as many places as I can, it was only a matter of time before I got around to trying the rivals of the place I grew up eating. La Gondola was an afternoon of Matt and I trying to get lunch with a friend. Said friend ended up getting busy with work and had to cancel, so we made the best of it and still got lunch together. As we entered the restaurant, I smiled to myself. The interior, which I don't have any photos of sadly, had this awesome lattice wood work going across the ceiling. Hanging from that were vines and grape bunches. The walls were a darker green, which helped set the mood of being in Italy. We placed our orders at the counter and grabbed a table. It was a quiet afternoon as there were maybe only a few other people dining inside. I could see that carry out was a popular choice as we saw tons of people come in and place orders 'to-go'. That didn't slow down the chef as we had our food out in front of us rather quick. I ordered a gondola... I'm sorry, it's called a torpedo at La Gondola. I figured if I was going to try one of the Big 3 Italian places, I would get something I was familiar with. Matt ordered his usual ravioli or tortellini. I had to tell myself that it might look like a gondola from Avanti's... might smell like a gondola from Avanti's... but that doesn't mean it will taste like one. I can confirm that looks and smell mean nothing. This was a different beast all on it's own. The torpedo here had a more flat taste from the bread. Not to say that that is a bad thing. It's just I am used to the sweetness of bread elsewhere. This took a few bites to process but one I ended up liking. As for the rest of the toppings, while some things were the same (can't do much about lettuce and tomatoes), the other stuff was different enough to remind you that this was La Gondola and they do things their own way. The torpedo excelled in not offering a sweet bread and having toppings that blended well together. I remember not being able to taste one thing over another, which was a good thing here. Our meals came with a side of chips and soda. At the time, I think I got Doritos or some other national brand. The soda they serve here are Coke products. Not much to say about those since I think everyone pretty much knows how those two things taste. As the dust cleared and I've now tried all 3 Italian places... which stood the victor? I will always have a soft spot for Avanti's but... I choose all 3. They each offer their own take on Italian food that is different enough from the others that all 3 excel at something the others don't. Try all 3 and see what you think.

I'm starting to dine at different areas I've dashed at and this was first on my list. It smelled wonderful, inside and was greeted right away. For the price, you can't beat the flavor. Well cooked and in a timely manner. Will dine here again.

Love this place. Great to grab and get for dinner, and then have dinner for the next day or so as well. I prefer not to go in and sit down but it's not a terrible experience inside. Order ahead, get the Sicilian pizza with sausage and mushrooms, and order two extra ladles of sauce. Forever changed! Great saucy pizza with a wonderful crush, and sauce for the next day to make lasagna, baked ziti, whatever! Great place, great service, and the best red sauce ever. Pasta is great too!

Love the Turkey torpedo no lettuce. It's a gotta have. Bread is great. Service is great, in and out in mins with pick up

Food is great.... customer service? Not totally.... I ordered a full sub (aware of the size) because I was heading to school and don't get much time to get food in between classes so leftovers are my best friend. The cashier literally asked me while I ordered if I was sure about it. Like that's a little rude there because I ordered what I needed. So sad because they have good food.