Bambino’s: Reviewed by Gabriella Wuller

If you are looking for a superb place with various options of pasta, Bambino’s in Springfield, Mo is a location I highly recommend to all.

Photo via Gabriella Wuller

There are two varying locations in Springfield to go try the stellar Italian cuisine. One is off of Delmar (10 minutes from Drury’s campus) and the second is off Battlefield (17 minutes from Drury’s campus). The Delmar location is significantly smaller in comparison, however, the service is spectacular at both.

The meal I ordered was off the dinner menu, titled ‘The Maria’ which is a Bambino’s classic. Angel Hair pasta covered in the fresh marinara sauce. I also chose to add the meatballs for an extra two dollars. This totaled my meal $11.

photo via Gabriella Wuller

Overall, the food was just as fantastic as the service. The pasta was cooked to perfection and the ratio of the noodles to sauce was tasty, without overpowering. The meatballs were a great addition but would have also been great without, making this meal a great vegetarian option. My mother, who was one of the individuals dining with me, also got ‘The Maria’ and felt just as I did with the popular and classic meal at Bambinos.

Photo via Gabriella Wuller

Another delightful feature of Bambino’s is the basket of fresh bread given at the beginning of the meal. There are also options to create an individualistic sauce to dip your bread in. My combination is using olive oil with ground pepper. Although garlic, salt and balsamic vinegar are also available.

My dining companions were my parents and a fellow Drury student after Drury’s family day on Saturday the 25th. Junior, Economics major Matthew Dalton ordered the House Pasta, ‘The Bambino’. This dish is made of Cavatelli pasta with meat sauce and covered in melted provolone cheese. Dalton summarized his thoughts on ‘The Bambino’ stating, “The heaping portion has more than enough creamy cheese, rich meat sauce and perfectly cooked pasta to satisfy the largest of appetites, and it’s tasty too.”

And finally, my father chose to order another House Pasta called ‘The Poppa’. This penne pasta meal was cooked with sausage, mushrooms and was finished with a spicy tomato cream sauce.

photo via Gabriella Wuller

All three of the various meals which were tried at the Delmar Bambino’s location were excellent. With extremely well-executed, large portion sizes and extra delights with the bread, I and my companions all highly recommend Bambinos.

Rocco’s Pizza: Reviewed by Julia Chamberlain

Even though Rocco’s Pizza is practically on campus (about two blocks from Wallace Hall on Division,) I’d never been inside or even eaten takeout. A friend and I decided to give it a try and had a lovely meal!

The restaurant has a casual yet homey atmosphere. There are plenty of booths and chairs, but it doesn’t feel cramped. They have it decorated with vines and Italian-esque art pieces (but it
wasn’t aggressively Italian: no leaning Towers of Pisa or mustachioed men in a chef’s hat.) They also had local sports playing on the radio.

Rocco’s offers three pasta shapes: spaghetti, penne and lasagna. I got the spaghetti, but declined the offer to add meatballs, which people have told me are amazing. My friend ordered the penne alfredo and added chicken. Our meals came out in metal pie tins, which kept them hot the whole time and made for an easy leftover container.

All of Rocco’s pasta dinners come with a side salad and some garlic bread. (Hot tip: our waitress asked us if we wanted to swap our side salad for some extra bread, an opportunity my friend absolutely could not say no to.) Their garlic bread is an Italian loaf covered in olive oil and has a pleasantly strong garlic flavor. My salad was very fresh.

The pasta itself was pretty firm but not al dente. My friend’s pasta, however, was cooked underneath the sauce and cheese, but crunchy on top. Our sauces were nice and smooth, but were more of a complement to the noodles and cheese than a standout feature itself.

The portion sizes are huge and very inexpensive, even compared to dishes half of their size. The staff worked quickly and efficiently and were incredibly friendly. Overall, we’d give Rocco’s Pizza a solid B.

Ott’s Pasta: Reviewed by Sammie Ellis

Ott’s Pasta, located at 1437 E. Cherry St., is an unassuming restaurant. However, though it may be small, the food packs a punch without punching a hole in your pocket.

Ott’s has a fairly small menu and as far as I can tell, they don’t do indoor seating, only carryout or catering. With that said, this shouldn’t stop you from ordering from there as I immensely enjoyed my Ott’s experience.

I called to order my food, and it was ready in only about 10 minutes. I got spaghetti with marinara sauce, and it came with a salad and breadsticks. The whole thing was exactly $6, and it
wasn’t a small amount of food. The amount of pasta I got was insane and it was also incredibly delicious. I also really enjoyed the salad and the house dressing they use. The best part, however,
had to be the breadsticks. They gave me like six breadsticks for just my one order, which made me downright giddy.

Overall, Ott’s is cheap, it’s good and it’s easy to order from. If you’re looking for quick, quality pasta to go, Ott’s is the place for you.