Bambino's Cafe - Springfield

Great Italian foodAuthentic with great tasteThey also know how and make a very good vinaigrette dressing.

We went to Bambino's on a recommendation during family weekend at MSU.

Okay, pretty darn good, generally I hate Italian food, so many noodles and so heavy feeling afterwords.

Bambinos has a really nice vibe inside, along with some seating outdoors when the weather is pleasant. It feels as if it's a cross between a more upscale Italian restaurant and a laid back coffee shop. Service was friendly and our waitress was very attentive. She offered us bread with garlic for starters. I went with a sweet tea to drink and it was refreshing with just a touch of sweetness. For someone who is not fond of overly sugary drinks, I definitely enjoyed it. I went with the vegan option, The Sorella. It was filled with fresh vegetables and was pretty good. It's great for a light meal, since the lunch portion is relatively small and does come with a soup or salad. The prices were quite reasonable given the solid food and great service. A lunch date for two came to just about $20, including drinks. Not bad at all. I would come back if I'm in the area again. My only feedback would be that I would like to see more vegetarian/vegan options offered here.

Showed up 45 minutes prior to closing on a Sunday night and was treated as if we arrived earlier. The place was pretty full for the hour and the staff was incredibly flexible in using their menu to create vegan and vegetarian variations, explaining that the meat was all prepared separately. Bruschetta was made with olive oil instead of butter; hot with tons of garlic and a sweet cold tomato sauce. I had The Zia minus chicken mushrooms, peas, cream sauce with provelle. Hearty, filling and YUM! He had the Greek minus the chicken, stock feta black olives, tomatoes and greens with penne pasta and olive oil. Very tasty!!! This staff knows how to make vegi vegan options!!! Huge kudos! Totally off the beaten path, in a local college neighborhood. Oh... and good selection of beer and wine too.