Traverso’s Restaurant — Restaurant in Naperville

This used to be the best restaurant. Haven't been here in a while and then I went back and was very disappointed. At the first booth. That wasn't very friendly at all. Meal was not the greatest. Disappointing. The next day I spoke with one of the other owners or managers and he was very nice. A throaty speaking gentleman. Very nice he was the one I'd always seen throughout the years. He gave me a certificate to come back and apologized. Well I came back and I was disappointed again. I gave it a shot. It didn't work. Leaving this review. So the second time we ordered two Caesar salads. As you can see by the pictures one came out completely soaked in salad dressing and it couldn't even be finished. The other one came out with no salad dressing so again couldn't be Eaton. We ordered a grinder which had a good flavor but it definitely needed more than a few slices of meat on it. The biggest disappointment was the chicken lemon piccata. We ordered it came out and it didn't look right. I called our waitress over which happened to be the same one that served us before. And yes she had the same demeanor. And I told her that the base was supposed to be half noodles and half spinach. She looked at me like she didn't understand what I was saying. I said it's on your menu you can get noodles or you could get spinach and I asked for half and half. She said okay and walked away so as we're sharing the grinder. We're waiting for our correct meal to come. A while later she drops off a little bowl of sauteed spinach. Oh my gosh. I don't say anything. I'm tired of this. So then I go and taste the chicken piccata. It looks nothing like one that I see posted here so apparently they don't have control over the consistency of dishes. It was barely a lemon flavor. The chicken looked uncooked because it was all white. It's supposed to have some brown on it. Anyway it was horrible couldn't even eat it. Left it sitting on the plate. Two strikes you're out. I'm sorry. I really do hope that the restaurant find some consistency in their food so their customers aren't disappointed. So sad. I used to...

Traverso’s Restaurant – A Naperville Heartbeat

Whenever Bruce and I walk through the door at Traverso’s, it’s like coming home to family. From the moment you arrive, the energy is warm, welcoming, and unmistakably local—a true neighborhood institution.

Owners and brothers Paul Traverso and Mike Traverso have poured their hearts into this place since 1993. Their presence is felt in every hand-shaken introduction and every sincere “How’s everything tonight?” from the staff. There's genuine pride and care in how the restaurant is run, and it shows.

The layout is perfect. The lounge/bar area buzzes with friendly chatter over cocktails, while the dining room remains cozy and intimate. It’s a thoughtful division—great for those who want to unwind at the bar, yet still prefer a quiet dinner elsewhere. The recent remodel enhanced that charm without losing the heart of the place.

Now, the food—oh, the food. The grilled lemon chicken wings are a revelation: crisp, juicy, tangy, and always our order number one. But it's the pizza that holds a special place in our hearts. Imagine cracker-thin crust so light it melts on your tongue, topped with savory sausage and pepperoni in perfect harmony with the sauce—every bite unforgettable.

Service is consistently on point. Every visit means attentive smiles, knowing nods, thoughtful refills, and food that arrives just when you're expecting it. It’s that comforting reliability that makes you feel cared for, always.

This place isn’t just a restaurant—it’s ours. Whether for a casual Tuesday night or a family celebration in their elegant dining or event room, Traverso’s delivers excellence wrapped in familiarity. To everyone in Naperville: if you haven’t experienced the exceptional hospitality and authentic Italian fare here, you’re missing out on...

We went to Traverso's for Fathers day and it was a solid 4 stars. The fifth star will be reserved for next time if we can get out in under 2 hours bc yesterday was a long one.

I called ahead to check on a reso and they let me know they only reserve for 5 or more. That's fine, so we showed up around 5:15 and waited about 10 mins. No big deal. We were sat and greeted pretty quickly. I waited to order my wine to go with my dinner and the server recommended a really great Austrailian red blend.

We put in an order of bruschetta as an app and it came out relatively quickly (15 mins) and I got my wine then. Every entree comes with a soup or salad, I got the greens and it was really good. Very overdressed with the balsamic dressing but good nonetheless. Then we waited. And waited. And waited. Wine was gone and no food. Finally food came but from looking around our server was running everything herself (think all servers were). Not sure if they typically have a food runner but could have used one as they seemed busy enough to warrant one. I got some rolled eggplant dish and it was half amazing! Eggplant portion was incredible. Everything was seasoned well from the eggplant to the breading to the ricotta. The half that wasn't good was the half-drained penne with "marinara" sauce on it. Flavorless and ugly on the plate. Wish two things for this: 1. get rid of the ugly dish and instead put a nice nest of angel hair on the plate next to the eggplant and 2. Drain all water from your pasta.

So we were there for 2 hours getting our food 1 hour 15 mins into the experience. I'm all for non-rushed dinners but this was a little too long.

Server was very nice and knowledgeable. I love when people recommend food or wine and she made really good selections!

Overall, we'll be back to...