Michael's Italian Feast — Restaurant in Germantown Hills

Michael's Italian Feast is really an adventure for the eyes and a vibe that I have never seen round here.

The food is good and pretty fairly priced, tho perhaps a squidge more than I like to pay. That said, the portions were very generous. Further, these people believe in real cheese. If American is on the menu at all it was hidden cleverly and almost everything was made with real muenster!

However, the food-again good, was the least impressive part of the restaurant. I went for an open mic and found a really nice, old-fashioned sing along. Felt a little like going to church and the audience ranged from literal children to folks I would suppose were over 80. We all had a darn good time.

The restaurant was staffed by a lot of younger (high school aged?) workers who knew their stuff. They were knowledgeable about the menu, incredibly friendly and checked on their guests regularly.

I guess for me it was the incredible over the top decor that did it. It was like sitting under Juliet's balcony on a warm Italian day. You could look up at the ceiling while listening to music and see the heavens.

I'd pay $10 more to eat bad food if I could do it here. There is a little bit of a Christian overtone, which sometimes scares me, but it was in the lovely generous way so few people seem to promote now adays.

While I can't say I know this for a fact, being served by young people, in a fully muraled dining room, listening to live, local musicians at no additional charge makes me think that this business supports the arts and the community they are a part of.

I can spend a lot of money on that. Michael's Italian Feast is pretty far off my beaten path, but it's well worth a quick trip out of Peoria. I look forward to...

Review Date: September 17th, 2014

In Central Illinois, there is a fierce battle between local Italian places.

La Gondola. Avanti’s. Michael’s Italian Feast. Not only the trifecta of Italian places but also a battle of personal preference. My family and friends grew up on Avanti’s. Others grew up on La Gondola while the rest had Michaels. It seems like once you pick one, you stick to it for life. Bucking that trend, I tried them all and loved them all.

Michael’s has a smaller but very similar menu to the other places. They offer their version of an Italian sub simply called Mike’s Sub. I actually had one today since I was in the area and it was just as good as I remembered. It was served warmed and that amplifies the taste a ton.

Avanti’s has a restaurant you can sit in while La Gondola and Michael’s have areas where you order at a counter and they bring the food to you. While this doesn’t impact my review in any way, it is something to keep in mind if you visit.

After my initial visit, we popped over to FrozenSpoon for some ice cream. While Michael’s has a few locations throughout the Central Illinois area, this one is special in having a local ice cream place as neighbors. Ice cream or not, you can’t go wrong with any of the...

This establishment has always had delicious food. It's one thing to be a good server & it's another thing to be a person of compassion. You can be one without the other but this evening I encountered both in the same person at the Germantown location. I wanted this establishment & the world to know that small acts of kindness really do go a long way & is rarely seen today. This establishment is blessed & highly favored because one of their servers carries both of these traits & I am truly grateful to have been blessed with her service. I hope they see the value she brings to this business in which others can learn from. Thank you, Jaylyn, (I hope I spelled that correctly) for your amazing service, compassion & beautiful heart. Take Care, Take Charge...