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Good Eats: Italian offerings either fancy or fast, with budget in mind

November 13, 2014
<p>Lansing resident Casey McCartney prepares a line of calzones to go on Nov. 12, 2014, at Mancino's Italian Eatery. Dylan Vowell/The State News</p>

Lansing resident Casey McCartney prepares a line of calzones to go on Nov. 12, 2014, at Mancino's Italian Eatery. Dylan Vowell/The State News

Photo by Dylan Vowell | The State News

Olive Garden

“I like Olive Garden because they give you salad and breadsticks, and everyone knows that the breadsticks are the best.” — Meagan Cortez, supply-chain sophomore

Taking a more American approach to Italian food, Olive Garden continues to be popular with students around campus. Olive Garden differentiates itself with their unlimited breadsticks and salad. According to their website, there are more than 800 Olive Gardens nationwide.

Olive Garden also has a wide variety of Italian-inspired pasta dishes including the “Lasagna Primavera” with grilled chicken — which is Cortez’s favorite dish because of its tomato basil sauce and the creamy parmesan drizzle.

BRAVO! Cucina Italiana

“Bravo is my favorite Italian place. My first visit to Bravo was on my birthday and they gave great service and free dessert so from then I kept coming back.” — Shannon Wong, finance sophomore.

Bravo! Cucina Italiana is the Italian restaurant that shows your significant other that you’re willing to spend a little more money on them. The restaurant has a rustic, classy and dimly lit ambiance — creating a more fancy and romantic feel for students who want to go on a date.

When it comes to food, Bravo specializes in genuine Italian pastas, pizzas and offers a variety of grilled fish and meat dishes. Wong said she looks forward to ordering the “Chicken Marsala” and getting their complimentary bread and olive oil mix.

DeLuca’s Restaurant and Pizzeria

“It’s a nice casual and relaxed place to enjoy some great pizza. It’s pretty cheap compared to other Italian places which is nice.” — Matthew Stone, actuarial science sophomore.

Starting out as a bar in 1960 for factory workers in Lansing, their pizza became so popular, the owners — both from Italy — renamed it to DeLuca’s Restaurant and Pizzeria, according to its website. Unlike most Italian restaurants in the area, DeLuca’s is family-owned and operated.

DeLuca’s specializes in a variety of pizza “pies” with loads of different toppings and stuffed crust options. They also have homemade manicotti and lasagna dishes and desserts that are popular among student patrons.

Samuel Mancino’s Italian Eatery

“They offer a huge menu of grinders as well as pizza and they have monthly specials that change all the time so it’s easy to get deals on different items you want to try.” — Ashley Weigel, journalism senior.

For the more budget conscious, Samuel Mancino’s is a great, cheap way to get a little taste of Italy. Along with their famous “grinders,” Mancino’s offers a wide variety of pizzas, pastas and calzones.

This little Italian place offers several different coupons on their website and mobile app. They also have a monthly coupon such as November’s “National Pepper Month” coupon where you can add peppers to any food item free of charge.

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