Il PalioExcellent Service and FoodThe food is amazing! My husband and I agreed that this was one of the best meals of our lives! The mixture of authentic Italian cuisine and local ingredients is delicious and the presentation is superb. The service is also fantastic! Yes, it comes at a price, but if you are looking for a special place to dine, il Palio is perfect.6/10/2013 12:00:00 AMWaiter need help clearing the tableThe waiter was knowledgable and friendly but each time he cleared the table he carefully piled up about 30 pounds of heavy plates and dishes and carried them off. It took a while and made us a little nervous, though he didn't drop anything. We ended up helping him by handing him some of the plates. The production ended up being more about the waiter's task than our meal. This whole thing could have been prevented if another waiter or two had pitched in, or if the waiter had used a cart. The restaurant wasn't busy, so another waiter or 2 could easily have been spared for the few minutes it takes to clear a table. This is not against the waiter-- it's a management issue. By the way, the food was great.6/9/2013 12:00:00 AMLet's Do Lunch!So I get a call from my father to do lunch at Il Palio. Of course this is my favorite restaurant in the Triangle so I readily accept the suggestion to dine here and boy am I glad I did! The Hanger Steak is the best entree on the lunch menu; hands down! Don't even think of ordering anything else (except perhaps an appetizer and dessert). I chose the Wilted Spinach Salad with warm pancetta and thyme vinaigreite with gorgonzola, candied pecans and fried shallots. Yum! And for dessert I chose the Lemon Creme Brulee! Wow! My tongue and tastebuds have never been so excited! I can't recommend this restaurant enough!!!5/24/2013 12:00:00 AMTerrific dinnerExcellent dinner -- great place to go with friends when you want a special night and want to be able to talk. Food, wait service, and ambience were all terrific.5/19/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat foodThe food at Il Palio was first quality. We had a delicious spinach salad and very good mussels as an appetizer. My main course, hangar steak was delicious but more rare than the medium rare I ordered, excellent nonetheless. My wife's scallops were excellent. Very good bread served with an excellent pesto chick pea spread. We thought the food was a bit saltier than necessary as both dishes were full of flavor and needed no extra enhancement. The service was excellent and the restaurant is attractive.5/17/2013 12:00:00 AMSpecial occasion brunchWe took my mom to Il Palio for a prix fixe Mother's Day brunch, and it was lovely. We very much enjoyed the menu selection and service. It was an elegant alternative to buffet-style brunches that seem to have become the norm elsewhere. A special treat, and we all enjoyed the experience.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMFood was very good w/ one exceptionOver all the food was outstanding except for a ravioli dish one person in our party ordered. It was bland and under cooked. I believe it was a fava bean and mushroom ravioli ?? I would definitely eat there again.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMBare walls but not bare bonesWe have been there several times over the last two years. The food is excellent. My wife and I went for her birthday dinner and realized how under decorated the dining room is compared to the rest of the lobby go the hotel. It could be they are going for the bare bare wall Tuscan farmhouse look but when you are paying top dollar, it would e nice to be surrounded by a well decorated room.5/7/2013 12:00:00 AMService and good were amazing.Service and good were amazing. Would highly recommend.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent food. We were hotelExcellent food. We were hotel guests and ate breakfast, lunch and dinner at Il Palio, all meals were well prepared and very good. High marks for the attention to detail, from the house made sausage, excellent snack pizza, to gourmet dinner.4/18/2013 12:00:00 AMFabulous Twice in a RowOur first evening at Il Palio was do great. We went back the next night. The arugula salad was classic with tender fresh-picked leaves and a perfectly balanced dressing. The duck breast with sour cherry and orange sauce over farro was scrumptious. The mushroom risotto was out of the world. The excellent sommelier recommended a fabulous bottle if wine which, incidentally was well priced! The next night's fare was at least as fine ..the truffle tagliatelle was remarkable, beautiful seared scallops on thin beets and a grouper dish enhanced with a fresh brith and shellfish. AND the waitstaff was impeccable...knowledgeable and discretely entertaining! We're going back on our next trip!4/15/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful dinner. A littleWonderful dinner. A little dark, but it was really good!4/7/2013 12:00:00 AMBest meal on our trip to ChapelHillMy ravioli with lobster and asparagus was fantastic! Homemade pasta and lots of lobster. The caprese had wonderful, sweet tomatoes and perfect mozzarella.
The service was wonderful!4/5/2013 12:00:00 AMWe throughly enjoyed the EasterWe throughly enjoyed the Easter Prixe Fixe Dinner. We were pleasantly surprised to find several choices in all categories. We both had the Artichoke appetizer, the salmon, and the crepe dessert. All were wonderfully prepared and the presentation was beautiful. The salmon was the absolute best salmon entree' we've ever had-scrumptious!
The service was great. All of the wait staff work well together. The housemade Focaccia bread was an extra special treat with the best olive oil.
We always try to eat at Il Palio whenever we are in Chapel Hill.
It is located in the Sienna Hotel-which is wonderful as well. Il Palio is NOT typical hotel food...this restaurant could stand alone anywhere and hold its own.
Highly recommended!3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMIl Palio offers a great menuIl Palio offers a great menu with enough variety for everyone to find something they like. The atmosphere is splendid and wait staff exceptional. Awesome experience.3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMNormally outstanding, thisNormally outstanding, this time not great. The butternut ravioli is always outstanding. Nice wine list with a very heavy markup, next time I will look at list online and order bottle prior to visit so it can open.3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMThis restaurant was recommendedThis restaurant was recommended to me by a co-worker. The food was very good. The service was excellent. Atmosphere was quiet. Decor was nicely done. Names of the food were hard to pronounce. Make sure you ask the waiter to explain the dishes because you may be surprised with what you get. If you're a plain eater, this would not be the restaurant for you. Overall good experience ~ glad we went.3/17/2013 12:00:00 AMA wonderful experience.This was definitely some of the best Italian food we have had in a while. The shrimp scampi was phenomenal. We had an extra course because they have half size pasta dishes available which is awesome. I would recommend staying with the pastas as they were homemade, and the hangar steak dish we had was a little much. The steak was perfect, but the mushroom tart was so rich and sweet that it was overpowering. Our service was perfect throuout the evening. The wine list had some wonderful selections available. We'll definitely be back as it was worth the drive from Raleigh.3/11/2013 12:00:00 AMFresh, clever ItalianIt was a Monday night and, understandably, quieter than a Friday. Service was friendly, attentive and as engaging as we wanted (Mark).
The manager (Ryan) perfectly picked glasses of wine to accompany our dishes.
The dishes were fresh, not overly done with accompaniments or plating, nice! Tagliatelle, scallops (SO tender!), and milk-braised pork (it worked!), were highlights, as was the tasting of sherry and mushroom risotto.
And dessert - leave room for dessert! Thanks to Adam and Paulo, and the wait staff for a great girls' night out.3/11/2013 12:00:00 AM