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| - I did not expect a small Italian restaurant in a strip mall to be so good. Nonno's has been one of the more welcome surprises since my move to Madison.
Apparently this place was a Mexican restaurant before I moved here, and evidence of its former life is still present in the decor, which is fine. The decor doesn't actually alter the taste of the food. I would actually not mind having a slightly more romantic dinner at this place at all, so the slightly incongruous decor isn't that obtrusive. Another thing I inexplicably get a kick out of is that all of the wait staff speaks Spanish and they sometimes have a soccer game on at the bar, which isn't what you'd expect at a stereotypical Italian place, but it's a fun piece of character.
They also have food, like many restaurants, so I guess I should talk about that. I have repeatedly and unabashedly enjoyed the Rigatoni Salsiccia several times, and though it's just a tiny bit on the salty side, the sausage is really nicely done and the pasta is always cooked right. They take the care to do it the right way instead of letting it get overdone and floppy, which is a commonly neglected area.
One area where Nonno's continuously excels is in their sauces. From my own orders and stolen bites from other plates, I can honestly say that they don't make a bad sauce that I've tried.
Overall, thumbs up for Nonno's. There's never a wait, the staff is polite and attentive, and the food is really good. Personally, I hope there's always a trace of Mexican restaurant here. It gives the place character.
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