Mancino's of Bradley is conveniently located a short walk's distance from Olivet Nazarene University, across from Perry Farm. Right away, we were pleased to find plenty of parking and a good attempt at landscaping. The building seemed clean from the outside and showed off nice Italian red, white, and green.
Inside we were greeted immediately by the cashier and picked up a menu. Mancino's offers an impressive variety of sandwiches called grinders (the history of the term "grinder" is even printed on their cups), but unfortunately does not have very many pizza options, despite "pizza" being in their name (maybe?). We chose a 12" Hawaiian pizza ($10.99) and two fountain drinks ($1.79 each).
While we waited for our food, we cased the joint. Amber immediately noticed that we were being spied on. That's right, the kitchen had one of those one-way mirror-window dooflippies like you see in Scooby Doo haunted houses. On the plus side, even though the kitchen was very large and very close to our seats, we weren't disturbed by a lot of noise. Quite the opposite: there was a Christian music station playing.
The decor was simple. There were about fifteen tables, covered with table cloths, some lighting and fans, and lots of windows (the windows were really great). Oddly enough, the chairs wobbled. I don't mean the chairs we sat in rocked. I mean Every Single Chair we checked was old and tilted a good 145 degrees (hyperbole) when you leaned forward to take a bite. Signs hung on the wall, telling you what kind of food you could order (salads, pastas, and cappuccinos (wait, what?)), and there were pictures of the food underneath each sign in case you didn't pass second grade. But seriously - SERIOUSLY - there was no picture of pizza under the sign that said "pizza." Instead there was a thermostat. So...I hope you like your pizza hot. Or cold. Or room temperature. I guess it depends on the thermostat.
One aspect of Mancino's really wowed us. One word: clean. I mean, immaculately clean. The floors were clean. The tables were clean. The bathrooms were clean. Servers walked around cleaning. Even the drink station was clean - and that never happens! We're talking sterile here, people. But in the good way. Not the hospital kind of way. A word of caution, though. Men, I'm sorry, but you can't use the bathroom. There is a women's restroom and a family restroom. That's it. You should have gone before you left.
Speaking of servers, ours came in about ten minutes with our food (not a bad wait at all). And get this: the pizza was presented to us on a silver platter!!! A raised silver platter. That spun. Awesome? We think so, yes. Time to eat. Those of you who use a napkin to soak up the grease on your pizza before eating it will be pleased to hear that it is unnecessary to do so at Mancino's. There was ample cheese, and the ham and pineapple were of a decent quality. We did not, however, particularly care for the crust (btw, no crust options). On the whole, we were happy with our meal but not really impressed with it, and the value was slightly underwhelming (especially if you want to add toppings).
How did Mancino's of Bradley hold up to our incredibly accurate and well-thought-out rating system?
Atmosphere (location, theme, vibe): 4/5
Cleanliness (bathrooms, table setting, furnishings): 5/5
Menu (variety, dining options, cost): 2/5
Food (taste, quality, value): 3/5
Service (friendliness, efficiency, helpfulness): 4/5
Total: 18/25 - Recommended!
If a friend asked us where to get pizza in Kankakee County, Mancino's of Bradley would not be our first recommendation. If, however, we were asked about this restaurant specifically, we would have a lot of positive things to say about its atmosphere, service, and non-pizza-y options. If you want to find out more or give Mancino's your own review, check out their information and website below. Thanks for reading! Until next month - YOEPOAM!
Mancino's of Bradley
200 North Kennedy Drive,
Bradley, IL 60915
815-935-7200
Website: Mancino's of Bradley
I think that any place that offers cappuccino and pizza at the same time has to be pretty classy.
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