Fabiola's Spaghetti House & Deli — Restaurant in Madison

Fabiola’s is an great Italian restaurant and every dish I’ve had has been thoughtfully and deliciously prepared. Madison deserves a great Italian-American restaurant and this is it! I work just up the street, and have visited many times, giving me ample opportunity to try an extensive selection of items on both the lunch and dinner menu, as well as getting to know the proprietor and his lovely family.

For lunch, my favorite sandwich is the “Braxton & Griggs,” a delectable vegetarian option with cauliflower and broccoli, served with yummy greens on the side. The name Braxton and Griggs is a nod to the historic Neighborhood House Community Center located steps away from Fabiola’s. What a way to honor the Italian heritage of the Greenbush Neighborhood, as Neighborhood House served many early Italian immigrants! Thank you to the owner Sam who shared this with me. All Sandwich names have a story/connection behind them! Very unique and thoughtful.

Now on to dinner which is even better than lunch, which is already amazing. You can’t go wrong with the spaghetti and meatballs - huge portion of three giant meatballs on top of flavorful spaghetti and sauce. Plus I love the market vegetables. Almost every pasta is served with carrots and green beans that are perfectly cooked - just a bit crunchy, which I love. Other menu highlights for me are the gnocchi and spicy penne. Love the peas in the penne and the sauce is so good! Salads are to die for - I recommend the Sunday Salad, the dressing is fresh and flavorful. Also the chicken vesuvio! I don’t even know what is in the vesuvio potatos but they are divine.

I could go on and on!!! I would be remiss if I do not mention the DELIGHTFUL spumoni I had for dessert - three different layers of flavored ice cream. And if I mention dessert then I must also talk about the drinks! A menu full of classic cocktails. Who doesn’t love a well done gimlet or martini?? Fabiola’s can do it all!!!

And of course the atmosphere and service are the really stars of the show. The staff - from the host who greeted me at the door with a dazzling smile to the attentive and knowledgeable server, and the talented chefs - all make Fabiola’s the fine restaurant it is. The owner is always present and talks to almost every table, making you feel welcome and special!! The space is absolutely gorgeous, with beautiful artwork, salvaged bar, light fixture that looks like the Guggenheim, and beautiful red leather booths. I took my Italian mother and 98 year old Sicilian papa here and they both adore it.

THANK YOU FABIOLA’S FOR BEING THE GEM THAT YOUR ARE!!!!!!! You have a lifetime customer on...

Fabiola’s and Leopold’s are gorgeous establishments. When you walk in, you immediately feel the warmth and comfort of a cozy cafe and bar. Fabiola’s menu is small, but orchestrated incredibly. Each menu item beckons for you.

The seating area of the restaurant is classy and old-school, and full of art, while still feeling comfortable. There are multiple facets that pay homage to the Rocky Rococo’s that occupied its walls for many years prior.

The eggs benedict here was stellar. The Nueske’s ham is the perfect addition. The eggs were perfectly poached, and the sauce was smooth and creamy, with no sign of any shortcut.

We had the shakshuka as well. A North African staple, we thoroughly enjoyed this, and it was well seasoned. We did feel it was missing something, but could not put our finger on it. With the skill coming from this kitchen, I do believe this dish will continue getting better as they continue serving it.

We had a few pieces of their two types of rugelach. Maybe a few more pieces than we should’ve had, lol. We were huge fans of the chocolate one. The apricot one would be better for someone who isn’t obsessed with chocolate. They were both baked beautifully and served fresh.

THE APPLE CAKE! Absolutely the star of the show, in our opinion. The only way we could see a disagreement about this, is if someone didn’t like apples or cake. It’s perfectly moist, with a sweet touch of spice. The apples have bite but still melt in your mouth. It’s a unique dish, a traditional Jewish dessert, as we were told. We’ve never had anything like it in Madison. This is a perfect delicacy.

Overall, this place is incredible. We’re going to be repeat customers for all of time. I’d also like to mention that they do not serve sides a la carte, but they very kindly made an exception for us. We have a picky 5 year old who wasn’t interested in any of the (absolutely incredible sounding) dishes on the menu, so we asked if we could get a side of eggs and Neuske’s bacon. They very sweetly obliged, and treated us like friends. They checked in on us multiple times, and they were clearly genuinely concerned about what we thought of the food, and how we were doing. Top tier customer service. The atmosphere is still in the works, but...

Second time eating at Fabiola’s last night, and it was a delight again. We walked in and were seated as a party of three immediately. Pretty amazing for a Friday night, and we were appreciative. The atmosphere there is some of the best, with their cozy and comfy vibe. The lighting is low enough to create a feeling of warmth but bright enough to read their menu easily. Bonus points that the menus are printed on a paper that has a pearl finish, so it actually catches the available light for even easier reading. Attention to detail is definitely a big part of Fabiola’s game plan. It carries through to the food itself. Our party had a plate of olives to start. Ours seemed to be a generous plate made up of castelvetranos in a delicious olive oil. We then had the rigatoni with Sunday gravy; the chicken Parmesan; and the eggplant Parmesan. All are very generous portions as well. The rigatoni has been consistently great; just as good as when we first had it. It will be a continual hit if they keep it up. The eggplant Parmesan was a heaping plate of perfectly al dente spaghetti with marinara and several pieces of delicious eggplant. I could not stop eating it until my entire plate was empty. The chicken Parmesan was a bit overcooked but flavorful, and the pasta aglio e olio was cooked to perfection. We were nearing the end of our meal when the manager came by to chat and ask us how everything was. He was so kind and courteous and truly interested in hearing our thoughts. When he heard that the chicken was slightly overcooked, he took the time to immediately go back to the kitchen to let them know. He then offered our table a complimentary dessert. In this day and age, this is something that I rarely see; but it just shows the caliber of establishment that is Fabiola’s. They take care of you because they do care. Our desserts were a selection of the most delicious gelato, made right in Sheboygan, WI. Creamy but not heavy and bursting with flavor. Fabiola’s is a must if you’re looking for some consistently delicious Italian food in a lovely space with some of the most amazing staff and management you could ask for. You, your stomach, and your heart will feel good...