Brio Tuscan Grille

For a mall restaurant, this is a pretty good choice. I have eaten here a couple of times with my wife when we were shopping at the Christiana Mall. Brio Tuscan Grille tries to present itself as a fine dining trattoria; it is not. It is mall’s interpretation of a trattoria…
The food is solid and quite copious. The menu is a pretty standard Northern Italian inspired fare. The white sauce is surprisingly light. Usually when you go to a place like this, the white sauce is thick and tasteless. That is not the case here. They have clearly done their homework with their food prep. Their salads and soups are quite good. I had a Kale Caesar with grilled chicken which was lightly dressed. While I found the dressing to be pretty pedestrian but okay and their interpretation of a Caesar salad was quite inventive. My salad had Kale, egg, bacon, and Romaine in it which was quite tasty. My wife had a steak Caesar and the steak was prepared medium rare which should satisfy most palates. The portion sizes are copious so if you decide to dine here, make sure you are hungry!

First time at Brio’s, I dined outside for lunch and enjoyed my meal. This was my second time at Brio’s but this time it was for dinner, inside dining. Even though it was a busy Saturday evening, our server Luke, was highly efficient and knowledgable about the menu items. We both had Caesar salads that tasted fresh & crisp. For entrees, I had the lobster & shrimp ravioli in a peppercorn sauce. It was fantastic. My husband had the braised beef and he loved it. We were too full to eat dessert at Brio’s so we decided to take them home. We had the multi chocolate layer cake which had a WOW factor in presentation but the taste was a little off IMO. I could taste a cherry liquor. But the husband & kids loved it. When I have lots of different layers of chocolate (ganache, devil’s, white, mousse, chips), I expect lots of rich chocolate yummy moments swimming in my mouth. Not so much with this cake. Now I ordered the Brio Cheesecake. Our server told us their cheesecakes come from the Carnegie deli in New York City, so right away I knew it was going to be an experience. The cheesecake looked really plain next to the chocolate cake that had that great presentation but I decided I would be patient and reserve my judgment for when I had a taste of those at home. When I had the cheesecake at home, it was so delicious it made me weak in my knees and I didn’t want to share it with anybody (but I did)! The cheesecake was so smooth but rich at the same time without being dry. It was just perfect and the crust was really buttery soft in perfect thickness, but you could taste the graham crackers and the butter. It makes me want to go back to Brio’s just for dessert when I pop into the Christiana mall for something because I will have that Brio (well, really, Carnegie Deli’s cheesecake) again and again. Beats a 90 minute wait at The Cheesecake factory when you’re super hungry for a dinner on a Saturday night. Ps. Restrooms are clean and beautifully decorated in tiles in keeping with the Tuscan flavor that Brio’s is trying to create. When you are sitting at your dining table, take a moment to look up and around the ceiling. It is beautifully decorated along with several large chandeliers. It has a fancier feel if you take it all in, than you would expect for a chain restaurant that is anchored to a mall. Homemade pastas, great service, kitchen cooking done off of dining room makes for good entertainment (lots of high flames searing steaks I suppose!). Loved it at Brio’s.

I come to mall often and there is a huge sign outside the building that says «antipasto,» so I decided to stop in assuming they had antipasto on the menu giving the huge lettering outside the restaurant. However they do not have antipasto. So I ordered the Tuscan Brunch Bowl, which was decent, the majority of the flavor in the dish comes from the sausage, everything else on its own is fairly bland.

I first came here for brunch and the food was fantastic. I’ve been back a few times since for dinner and the food was ok — feels mass produced. The atmosphere is still great and it’s a good option if you live in the area and want a quick meal out, but I don’t think it’s a place I would pick for Italian food with so many great Italian restaurants if you can make the trip to Philadelphia.

Very pleasantly surprised with how delicious the food was despite it being a chain-​like restaurant in a mall. On a long car I had a craving for pizza that didn’t consist of rest stop Pizza Hut or Sbarro’s so we found this place. And boy am I so glad we did!
It’s funny because one of the reviews I looked at wasn’t very favorable and said the flatbread pizza wasn’t crispy, pepperoni was poor quality, and the sodas were not carbonated. We had the exact opposite experience! I loved the flatbread pizza because it was so thin and crispy. And the pepperoni’s were so delicious, not too salty. Plus there is also sausage on it which is always a plus. It comes with balls of ricotta cheese on it so I added some arugula on top to cut the heaviness and the overall flavor was perfect. Exactly what I was craving. Oh and the sodas were super carbonated. It was actually one of the first things the hubby said after taking a long sip.
He got the braised beef papparadelle dish which was fantastic. The noodles were not overcooked, which he can’t stand. It was the perfect consistency. The sauce was really tasty, not too salty like some pasta dishes. Carrots still had some crunch, not soggy at all. And the beef — oh the beef… so tender and juicy. I forgot to mention that the fresh made sourdough bread that comes out for the table is delicious. I recently made some at home and this bread put me to shame. So soft on the inside. We gobbled up the first one and felt guilty about asking for a second, but the server noticed right away and brought us out more.
You know what, coming from NY where I feel like we’ve had some pretty amazing Italian food, we were being snobby and didn’t expect much. I’m changing this review from 4 to 5 stars because although we didn’t try everything on the menu, what we did have was extremely satisfying.

Stopped in for brunch on Sunday. We had a very pleasant, attentive waiter. We both ordered the Sicilian omelette with brunch potatoes. The omelette and potatoes were on the spicy side. I enjoy spicy foods, my wife not so much. In fact she couldn’t eat either. They should mention this on the menu.
I think menu items are overpriced.
I may go back and give dinner a try.
Update: we have in the past visited for dinner and lunch and have always been very pleased with the food quality and service. I would recommend this place for a good meal and a nice time.

Whenever my family visits me at school, we get lunch here. We can never go without ordering the beef carpaccio and calamari for our appetizers. I always get the pasta alla vodka-it’s to die for. It’s a ricotta-​filled pasta w tomato parmesan cream sauce and a little crispy pancetta sprinkled on top. Staff is highly experienced and always so sweet! Definitely go here for a nice meal w family/​friends.

Typical chain Italian food. The only reason we ate here is we had come from a very long car trip in holiday rush hour traffic and this is where we could find a closest parking spot because it’s freezing outside. The only reason this place gets 2 stars instead of 1 is because the lobster bisque is good. But everything else was sub-​par. The special sausage bruschetta had a weird spinach and artichoke and onion mixture and the sausage was difficult to find. All the ingredients tasted like they came out of a freezer. The pepperoni pizza lacked crisp and the pepperonis tasted like they came from any Walmart Deli counter. My husband’s beef pappardelle was ok. The beef was actually very tender and pappardelle is always a fun pasta. But the sodas were very flat. I much prefer to go to family run Italian restaurants rather than chains, but again, we were in quite a pinch so that’s a lesson learned for next time.

I literally have no complaints for Brio. I crave their beef carpaccio every week and come here at least once every 2 weeks. My favorite pasta dishes are: shrimp and lobster fettuccine, Mediterranean shrimp with orzo, and pesto angel hair pasta with shrimp and spinach. It always tastes the same which is what I love! The fried calamari and Margherita flatbread is amazing too. It’s one of the best places for Italian food and it’s beautiful inside. Happy hour is super cheap as well with some great drinks. But that beef carpaccio!!! I’m getting some tomorrow: D

Food was lovely and we enjoyed their happy hour so much we decided to stay for dinner.
Here is where it all goes down hill!!!
We were treated like school children at a function. We were told by our waitress we couldn’t have anymore than one drink in front of us at a time due to some liquor law in Delaware.? Crazy. Due to this so called law & lack of waitress service, my poor husband sat for over 15 minutes with no drink, Not even a water, waiting for his red wine to turn up which he had ordered to have with his dinner. I decided I would go buy him a drink from the bar and bring it back to him at our table, but no… That’s apparently illegal too. I swear this is true. I had only drank one beer, & my husband had maybe drank 2 over 2 hours. Like I could possibly understand this rule if we were slamming back tequilas or something, but trying to order a wine with our dinner? Eventually it arrived with some excuse or apology. Smh. We are a 50 plus husband/​wife couple just out trying to enjoy a light meal together after work. It felt like sitting in an army mess rather than a restaurant & the place has lovely décor too. What a shame
In saying that, the Food was lovely but the odd policies the hierarchy at this establishment have invented has made me write such a scathing review; and we will never return.
Btw. We only wanted to order a red wine to have at the ready when our meals arrived. We were drinking our one beer at the time and were told no. You Can’t have two drinks. ??? Yet how’s the rule work if we had of ordered a bottle of wine? That’s 5 drinks theoretically?
And another thing. I hate the way a waitress thinks it’s more important to be over efficient on clearing the dirty plates glasses etc from your table but totally unable to deliver food and drinks to us with that same efficiency — she kept trying to take away my plate I was still eating from — smh
Idiots. Or was this the fault of the waitstaff? Who knows and who cares. They’re lost our money

Brio is an all-​around fun experience. Went in last night to meet up with my significant other and her parents— intentionally went in early to get a much needed drink before everyone arrived. Bartender is always pleasant and made some great suggestions. Once the group arrived we were seated immediately in a well kept dining room, I ordered sweet potato and chicken risotto; I had not truly lived before experiencing this dish. Best server I have had in quite some time and the food is cooked to perfection. Thank you Brio and management for yet another wonderful experience.

I was visiting from out of town for work and stopped here for dinner. Good food!

So basically I was visiting Philadelphia and I was bored so I drove down to Delaware for lunch, stopped at this random mall and being Italian I drifted over to the nearest Italian restaurant went in and ordered the calamari, got it and put it down in about 5 minutes because it was AMAZING! even better than my grandmas!
#100% Sicilian Approved

The service was just okay. We sat outside and we were kinda forgotten about, the server was overwhelmed and kept blaming the kitchen, eventually the manager had to get involved and he was awesome, very nice and willing to help. The food took almost an hour but it was good and we will go back because of that.

LOVE this place!!! I was never much of a pasta person, but after trying some of my finances meal, I was instantly hooked. Come to find out, they have actual chefs that work at this place. It truly shows in their entrees. Fresh beyond fresh.
The décor is very tasteful. If it’s nice out, you can eat out on the patio and people watch.
Very good service. Our last server was by far my favorite (and I’ve been coming here for years, she must be new). Rachel was her name. I never care for suggesting a specific server when I dine out, but she was THAT GOOD. So if you get her, you’re in for a real treat.
So all in all, if you’re a fan of Tuscan food, I strongly suggest checking this place out!

Brio is becoming our new weeknight date spot before we catch a movie at Christiana.
The Ravioli di Bello is delicious and they serve Prosecco by the glass. What more does a girl need?
What really makes this place something special though is the manager, Mallory. With all the restaurants in the area, we will continue to return to Brio because of her impeccable customer service!

Let me just get this out of the way, I had a horrible experience my first visit to Brio. However, their management stepped up to try and balance the situation — saving a sure 1 star review and lining them up for another chance.
So the background, we came here for dinner on a Thursday night. The place wasn’t empty, but it wasn’t overwhelmingly busy either. Our orders were taken, with both of us opting for a dish off the specials. Then we waited.
It seemed like we waited quite a while, but that isn’t the root of my concern. The dishes arrived clearly sunburned by the heating lamps. I had a chicken dish and the result was dry, crispy grilled chicken. VL’s salmon and crab dish was equally over cooked. It’s sad because the portion of the dish covered by the protein, which was shielded from the lamp, was rather good. However, the protein was the main and inedible.
Our waiter asked if everything was already and I expressed my disappointment, but didn’t ask for anything. He immediately sent the manager over. She heard us out and asked if we’d like new dishes. Unfortunately, while we were both hungry, we were limited on time, and declined. She showed genuine concern and seemed disappointed with the state of the food we received.
These actions certainly help put a positive spin on a negative situation. I’d be willing to come back and give them another shot.

The five stars go to the server, hands down. The food was good, but the server was awesome.
The hostess left a lot to be desired. She was put out by having to seat us. Mumbled when she talked. I thought we expressed that we didn’t want to sit in the bar area. Somehow, we ended up in the bar area.
We ordered drinks then meals — a chopped salad and a strawberry chicken salad. The chicken was sliced like deli meat — not really how I like it (thin shavings were too thin and not visually appealing). Otherwise, the salads were good.
The server, however, was just amazing. So friendly and attentive — she was my favorite part of the visit!

Sunday nights are tough for me. Mostly because I want something to be open and I want a choice that isn’t going to be too heavy, since I’m probably going to sleep within two hours. Brio seemed like a good choice, so I booked it on OpenTable and stopped here on my way from the airport to the hotel.
The reservation was completely not needed. No one came in after me and when my main arrived, I was the only customer in the place.
I did choose the chopped salad to start. A large portion of salad, for 9:00 at night it was still quite fresh with a good mix of more than just lettuce. Quite a lot of dressing though.
For my main course, the Shrimp Mediterranean seemed like a good idea. Five grilled shrimp on a bed of rice/​orzo and grilled veggies. Asparagus, broccoli, spinach and feta cheese sprinkled on top. Quite nice and maybe not too heavy. A good portion.
I opted to skip the dessert.
Service was good, especially considering that I was her only table.

I came here a while back with the fam for a celebration dinner. For starters, we ordered the crab and shrimp fonduta, per Unilocal recommendations. Believe it or not, the fondue was the most memorable part of the meal! We particularly enjoyed the parmesan crisps that came with it, so much so that we requested more. Our server brought them obligingly, without charging us extra, in addition to the bread, which we also used to dip into the fondue. Both the bread and crisps were fresh out of the oven and warm.
For my entrée, I ordered the chicken Pomodoro classico, which consisted of penne and grilled chicken with tomatoes, pine nuts, and basil drizzled with a pesto sauce. My mom went with the shrimp Verduta, a shrimp pasta dish with tomatoes, artichokes, and onions and a sprinkling of pesto bread crumbs, and my brother ordered the grilled salmon, but I forget what my dad had. We were all pleased with our selections, and felt that they were a cut above the Olive Garden, though (IMO) not quite up to the standard of some other local establishments serving Italian food (see my other reviews). Having said that, the dinner prices are a few dollars less than those other establishments, so it’s a trade-​off. I believe we also ordered dessert (the chocolate torte), but I don’t recall much about it. We left quite satiated and happy with our meal.
Overall, I’d recommend Brio as a solid Italian joint for DE. If you’re at or near the mall and are looking for a nice dinner, this is one of the better options. If you’re considering dining at the Olive Garden, drive the extra half mile for better, more interesting food. 3.5 stars.
EDIT: I just realized by exploring the website that Brio is Bravo!‘s more upscale cousin (based on ingredients and prices). I’ve never been to a Bravo!, so I can’t compare the two.