Dine on our Dime: Bambino’s Italian Cafe south

Reader Kat Minx describes herself as a downtown Springfield kind of gal, but after an extended trip around the United States that included spots along the West Coast, she found herself back in Springfield, living on the south side. Her new home meant finding new stomping grounds that didn’t all include downtown Springfield.

Kat’s Take

“I’ve always loved Bambino’s,” she says. When Kat saw that there was one on the south side now, too, near her new home, she was ecstatic. Being next to the Greenways trail gives Kat the opportunity to ride her bike, stop for lunch and beer, and ride home. “It’s nestled on the trail,” she says. “It reminds me of being free.”

Today, Kat and I sit outside, so we get a great view of passers-by and busy lunchtime Springfield. When she visited Portland and Seattle, she noticed that the biking communities often had shops and stops on their biking trails, too. For bikers, Springfield offers the Ozark Greenways trails, and Kat’s a fan. She’s excited to see local businesses popping up along those, too. “It’s my space to get away and feel free,” she says.

Today, she decides on the soup and salad lunch ($6.99), a favorite of hers. She says there’s no need to get an appetizer, because Bambino’s brings out complimentary bread with the goodies needed to create a one-of-a-kind dipping sauce. “You can get as much garlic as you want,” Kat says as she loads up her warm bread. “If you’re going to carb load, you don’t need another appetizer, too,” she jokes. “This bread is all you need.”

She keeps lunch light today with a house salad and the soup of the day, white chicken chili. If she’s wanting something more substantial, she opts for the Poppa, which has penne, Italian sausage and mushrooms in a spicy tomato cream sauce.

She notes her soup has a great blend of spices. “It tastes like it’s been cooking all day,” she says. “It’s fresh. It tastes homemade, and if it’s not, they’re concealing it well.” Her salad is fresh, too. “They actually use Romaine lettuce,” she says. Plus her whole meal is relatively inexpensive.

Katie’s Take

The central location Bambino’s has long been one of my favorite spots to get fresh Italian. I love their pastas, and their salads are always great for veggie lovers like me, too. I definitely don’t get to go as often as I’d like, and Kat’s suggestion is the first chance I’ve had to try the new south-side location.

It’s always nice when things creep up on bike trails. There’s something primal about the physical exertion of the bike ride, satisfied by a nice meal. The physicality of the new spot is a bit different than the Delmar location, but the menu is exactly the same.

I’m excited to start with the fresh bread. Like Kat, I load up the garlic. Bambino’s offers olive oil, Parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar and garlic. I mix them all for a tangy, spicy dip for my fresh, pillowy bread. It’s hard to stop eating the bread.

And I need to, because unlike Kat, I didn’t order light for lunch. I’m feeling pasta today, and the Thursday special — lemon pepper chicken pasta with artichokes — calls my name ($7.99). I am able to get the small size for $2 less, so I know that will prevent some temptation to overeat the pasta.

I start with a simple house salad. I’m a fan of Bambino’s tangy dressing, and this salad keeps things light, but still has enough flavor to satisfy. The Parmesan cheese gives it some substance, too.

The pasta, though small-sized, is still more than enough for me. It has huge chunks of chicken, and those pair well with the tangy, soft artichoke hearts. The creamy sauce has a hint of lemon pepper, though it’s not overbearing. This pasta is a winner. But, then again, any creamy sauced pasta at Bambino’s is going to be a winner in my book.

The Dish, The Restaurant

Bambino’s owner and General Manager Andy Faucett opened the south-side location in March. “We really wanted to duplicate what we had going on at our campus location,” he says. “We feel like we’re a part of the neighborhood over there, and we wanted that here, too.”

As a Greenways member, Faucett thought it’d be great to be near the trail. “It’s nice to have a place where families or those out exercising can have a place to stop in.”

So far, Faucett’s been pleased at the south-side location’s reception — so much so that he’s planning to expand over the winter, which will give him more kitchen and dining space. He describes his restaurants as fast casual, and the perfect place for a family to come in and get great food for not a lot of money.

The white chicken chili is made from scratch, and Faucett says it’s a fairly simple recipe. The chili started at the Bambino’s in Columbia, and because of its popularity, Faucett brought it to Springfield.

The house dressing for our house salads is, of course, made in house. The pasta I enjoyed is typically the house pasta special on Thursdays, though Faucett says he can usually make it any other day, too. “We use real cream, real butter and real Parmesan cheese for the cream sauce,” he says, thus my sheer love of the creamy goodness.

And the bread that’s perfect for dipping is made in house, too. Sandwiches come on a homemade foccacia as well.

Whether you’re a die-hard Italian pasta lover, looking for something simple like a salad, or you just need a beer to quench your thirst on the trail, Bambino’s South is clearly a great addition to this part of Springfield.

Our Guest: Kat Minx

Age: 31

Occupation: Project manager

Dish nominated: Soup and salad lunch

Quote: “It’s a great space.”

Chew on this

What: Bambino’s South

Address: 2810 E. Battlefield Road

Phone: 417-881-4442

Cuisine: Italian

Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-9 p.m. Sunday

Price range: Lunch $3.99-9.99, dinner $3.99-10.99

Accepts: Cash, all major credit cards

Reservations: accepted

Services: takeout, catering

Parking: strip mall lot

Seating capacity: 60 inside, 24 on patio

Family friendly: separate kids’ menu, high chairs, booster seats

Wheelchair accessible: yes

Alcohol: beer and wine

Smoking: no

Information provided by Andy Faucett