BRAVO! Cucina Italiana

Consistent, homogenized Italian –American food that suburbanites anywhere in the U.S. flock to. Locations tend to be in smaller towns close to, but not in, a large city.
Menu has all the standard Italian– American offerings (think Veal Parm, Eggplant Parm, Chicken Marsala, lasagna, spaghetti & meatballs). Prices are lower than other chains, but quality was there .
We had sautéed shrimp, grilled mahi, eggplant parm, and a fried calamari app, lots of fresh veggie sides, all good. Nothing over the top.
So if you enjoy dining out at chain restaurants, Bravo will not disappoint. It offers the same consistency as a Flemings, PF Changs or Maggianos. Nothing imaginative, nothing extraordinary. Your dinner in suburban Milwaukee will taste exactly the same in Naples, FL. Close your eyes, and you won’t know what Bravo Cucina you are in.

Cheery atmosphere, average food, good prices. Everything about this place is made for speed from the perforated bread to the scoop of peanut butter on top of a plain brownie (skip the dessert).
Entrees come out super fast even (especially?) when they’re at their busiest, so you won’t have time to finish your soup or salad which is great when you’re trying to get a move on.

Nothing spectacular about the food.
In my mind, a typical chain restaurant.
Maybe I’m just spoiled by the restaurants where there is homemade pasta.
I guess I’ll come here in a pinch or because it’s my sister usual choice for her birthday — but otherwise, I would not come here.

Descriptive phrase: solid suburban Italian dining.
I haven’t been to Bravo Cucina Italiana at Brookfield Square Mall in years, mostly because of all the other options that’ve opened up since (Bravo was the first). But on a Friday night, without a reservation, Bravo offered us the shortest wait. I’m glad we stopped in.
We hung out at the bar while waiting. Brandy Manhattan ($ 6.50) was on-​point, and I appreciated the server coming around offering samples of one of their flatbreads to people waiting for tables.
Bravo is quite large, and would be great for groups. We got placed in a side room and were waited on immediately. Our Caprese Salad ($ 7) was enough for 3 – 4 people, and tasted fresh. While my family was less than impressed with the Spaghetti and Meatballs ($ 15.30), I couldn’t get enough of the perfect-​recipe Beef Ravioli ($ 15.50). The beef was tender, the sauce well-​balanced, and the sweet potato gnocchi a great addition.
Overall I was impressed with my visit to Bravo, and am glad to see them still performing well with increased competition.

I have come here time and time again so when I was back in town, I just had to go. This restaurant is very big and very convenient. I used to work in the mall and would often call ahead for a double house salad with extra bread and dressing on the side. Their Parm dressing is fantastic! I suggest it on the side as it can get overdressed. It is also really good to dip their bread in. Their house dipping sauce is great as well. I have also gotten the lobster bisque. It is very good, has a little spice to it but still very good. But my favorite dish of all happens to be their Fettuccine Alla Bolognese. It is super meaty and had a slight sweet and spicy aspect to it. They give you a large portion so it definitely offers left overs. And yes, the leftovers reheat beautifully! The lemonade they have is also very good and refreshing! I love going here.

If you’re shopping at Brookfield Square Mall, then Bravo is definitely a good lunch destination, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here just for the food or atmosphere.
We’ve eaten here several times for lunch, and the food was always slightly above average, as are the prices. Wait staff are courteous, but if the restaurant is half empty then service is oddly very slow. Pastas and salads have been my favorites. I’m not a fan of the pizza or sandwiches … especially the salmon (not fresh & over cooked).
Ample off street parking (but you may have to park in the outer lots on a crowded day). Convenient to Mall shopping & close to the freeway. Wheelchair accessible.

Service was great and the food was outstanding. Crispy shrimp app was very tasty and the dinner portions were quite large. I would recommend trying this chain.

Food was absolutely amazing. Service was great as well. We got there a half hour before close and they never seemed like they were in a rush to get out. Would definitely recommend.

Food was good. Meatballs had a little to much sausage for me, not the right ratio, but they were good. Our server was good. The only complaint is that everything stuck to our table. It wasn’t dirty, just sticky! Tables need to be resurfaced! Even our server said it!

I would like to say that I am impressed with the managers at Bravo. My wife who loves this restaurant gave them a call to say what had happened to me and they did an awesome job to recover our business. At the invitation of one of the managers she went back with a group of friends and they treated her like a queen. So she is sold and will be going back. Thanks to this I will be trying again.

Service– 3… was a touch slow. but attentive when they showed up!
Food-​3-​nothing spectacular. kind of greasy but decent portions and good variety.
Décor 3.5– well appointed and clean.
overall, you know what you are getting here. its a chain, and I am mostly good with chains when I am in locations that I am not familiar with. So, this was welcome choice given there werent too many other familar places in the area.

Bravo’s house chopped salad with the creamy Pamesan dressing, and the bread and oil they serve before the meal is GOOD! I will eat them again and again. I have– pretty much every time I had gone here.
Everything else can be skipped. Really I have tried several other things– flat bread, pastas, chicken and always been disappointed. Even their dessert are mediocre for the price. Brookfield Mall has better to Offer.

I wanted to like Bravo more than I actually ended up enjoying it. I’ve heard lots of raves about it and ended up going for a work lunch.
We went in mid afternoon and the wait staff seemed to be in such a rush while taking orders that the experience lacked interaction or connection with the staff.
I’m really not a picky eater at all and am generally pretty easy to please. For one of the first times ever, I actually quit eating my meal because I couldn’t manage it anymore. Amazingly enough-​it was a simple Caesar salad. Lettuce leaves were wilted, absolutely coated in dressing that was so heavy on the fish flavor that it was the main taste that came through… not good. The pre-​meal breadsticks were dry and not very appetizing.
I get that Bravo is an extension of the mall and that the mall experience may carry over in to it’s restaurants, but the prices would reflect a quality meal that should be more enjoyable than it is.
I don’t think Bravo is any more authentic Italian than Olive Garden-​so if you want similar food and a slightly smaller tab-I’d say go there. Olive Garden is actually probably a better option… or Fazoli’s…or spaghetti O’s.

I’m always weary about «italian» cuisine restaurants, especially after knowing more and more about real italian food. Came here twice, once with my wife during a date and the second time with her friends. Both times, the prices for the entire meal, sides and the works were pretty steep considering the portions. Although the atmosphere seems kind of «snooty» at times, it was ok for the most part. I’m also weary of visible and open kitchens in a restaurant.
Certainly wouldn’t come here again if I have the option, especially with reservations, don’t expect to be seated in time!

I’m really not sure how to feel about this place. I’ve been there twice.
The first time I went here, we had a reservation. We got there a couple minutes early and we didn’t get a table for a least 20 – 25 minutes past our reservation time. I get that it was a Friday or Saturday and it gets very busy around dinner time, but it wasn’t even remotely close. They get points back for my second visit (see below). The food was good, but nothing to obsess over. I got the pasta woozie and it was tasty. I got a side Caesar for $ 3.99. It seemed a bit pricey for a small salad that honestly should come with purchasing the entrée in my opinion. My pasta dish was $ 16. I joined their rewards club though and I believe I had a ten dollar off coupon, so that helped. The service was friendly, and overall, other than being sat far past our reservation time, I was satisfied.
The second time I went here was practically a nightmare. It started out good, we got sat by our reservation time on a Friday night, unlike last time. It became terrible not long after being seated. Our server got us our drinks and bread, and we were good to go. However there was two of us, and we both are rewards members. We both received an email for half off a pasta entrée that stated «per member, per visit». We both perceived it as that we could both use the coupon even being at the same table, but we thought we should just ask in the beginning just to be sure. We asked our server and they stated that she wasn’t a hundred percent sure, but that we should be able to get half off our bill. She said she would check with a manager. We received our entrees by a different woman and the food again, tasty, but nothing outstanding. I was running very low on my drink after a few minutes when our server sneaked her head around the corner of a divider and asked if everything tasted good. I nodded, but before I could say I needed a refill, she was gone (I shouldn’t of even had to ask, she should’ve checked). Then, we saw her talking to another employee and had to flag her down to get my refill. She preceded by saying it would take a few minutes without offering a water or anything. It ended up being fine because it didn’t take that long for the refill. At this point, we finished our food and received our bill. The server almost rushed off again until my boyfriend asked about the half of pasta coupons we had. She then stated that she had talked to the manager and they said we couldn’t use both (this is the first time she mentioned this to us). My boyfriend kindly pointed out, well it says «per member per visit», not per table and was going to ask to speak to a manager, but before he could ask, our server roughly grabbed our bill, stated «I’ll go talk to him», rushed away with a huff and a roll of the eyes. She came back, gave us some lame excuse as to why we couldn’t use both, but they ended up taking off half on both of our pasta entrees. As we wrote her tip (based on the amount before the coupons) which she didn’t even deserve, I saw her talking to other employees clearly complaining about us. I was very upset at how rude this server was. She was in a rush the whole time and straight up snippy at us.
I work retail, so I understand it gets difficult at times when customers just can’t work with you. However, you need to keep your composure and be polite and professional. Plus, what we were requesting was not all that crazy. We simply were asking for something that should have been done for us in the first place since there was nothing on the coupon stating the coupon was per table.
We called corporate, told them about the coupon situation. They apologized, and said that it shouldn’t have been a problem and that we should have gotten half off both entrees and they weren’t sure why there was confusion on the staff’s part. We get a free meal out of it, so that was considerate. So I don’t have a bad view of the company per say, but I’m hesitant to go back when we received such terrible service. Hope this helps!

I’m from the New Berlin area and almost always make a stop here for special occasions. They are a bit pricey but the food is always delicious! The service is the only part of the experience that is sometimes lacking. The servers always seem «too busy» and usually are pretty short with you. The one we had this past time assumed our group of 8 was on 1 check, then made it seem like it was a huge bother to split the bill. Overall a great dinner for a celebration, just focus on the people you are with and not on who is serving your food :-)

Although it’s certainly not the best Italian in town, Bravo does offer a decent meal. I stopped in for a quick lunch today (probably my 3^rd visit) and had a house salad with their spicy pasta (can’t remember the exact name). It was a good meal and quick, which was what I was looking for during a break from work meetings. Service was prompt and prices are reasonable. I sat on the patio and enjoyed a beautiful fall day.

Came here on a weekday night with my kids and a friend.
We walked in and were able to be seated right away even though it was fairly busy.
The offered my kids dough to play with and then they offered to cook it. It was a very nice touch to welcome families here! They also had a nice kids menu with large portions at kid friendly prices.
For dinner I ordered the lasagna — it was delicious. It was big enough for two people (or lunch the next day)
I will def be back soon!

Get rid of the horrible take out boxes!
Well, I’m back for the third go round… We get many $$$ worth of take out thorough the year, and while at its best, Bravo can be great, they can throw a lot of curves. The latest — plasticized take out boxes for everything from apps to entres. Worst, they are so poorly designed that they don’t get very closed… Food gets cold, and since one size fits all, entres aren’t that appetising piles. All of their comparably priced competitors do it much better.
And to top it off, they burnt my veal, which is normally a lovely dish. Cold and burnt — not so much.
Btw… If they were trying to make these recyclable, the plastic coating makes that unlikely.
Get it together, Bravo.

I’ve been here many times; it’s a favorite meeting place with my family for occasions such as birthdays. Yes it’s a chain, but they have pretty delicious food and generally great service. Their dipping oil is some of the best I’ve had (granted, I haven’t had a huge variety but I really enjoy it!). My favorite thing about Bravo is the Happy Hour menu — Mon-​Fri 3−7pm they have a selection of appetizers/​food that is $ 3.95 if you sit in the bar area. They also have a list of specialty drinks (such as moijitos and martinis) that are $ 5 during this time.
On my last visit to Bravo, I tried the Eggplant Parmesan. This is something I normally wouldn’t order at a restaurant because I know how good it tastes when it’s homemade. However, Bravo did a superb job on this dish! It didn’t have the «out of the freezer/​fridge» taste I feared, and I would definitely order it again.
I believe they offer a separate menu for Gluten-​Free diners… If it is not a separate menu, then they denote on their menu which items are GF.
Do join their rewards program card. You earn points that you can redeem for $$ off, as well as preload specials, and you get a free entrée during the month of your birthday!
My only complaint about the Brookfield Square Bravo was the same issue I had at the Bayshore Bravo (which is now closed): the bartenders need to respect patron’s conversation. Just because one is sitting at the bar does not mean the bartender is automatically included in a conversation. This is not a downtown/​nightlife bar where injecting opinions over cocktails is acceptable — this is a restaurant and I personally wish to be treated as a restaurant patron rather than someone catching a quick drink at the bar.