Family Dining: Bravo!

Situated directly off the courtyard at Northlake Mall, Bravo! has an elegant and sleek décor that could give off the illusion of not being very kid friendly. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The walls of the restaurant, which specializes in Italian fare but also serves up a number of grilled items, are painted in warm colors with faux brick accents. White and black painted stripes break up the décor at various points in the restaurant which is expansive and very clean with an open kitchen located at the rear.

Large, roomy booths with seats upholstered in floral prints are a great choice for families. We visited Bravo! on a Tuesday evening and were immediately escorted to a table. Our son was a little restless in the booth, but if it hadn’t been raining we would have chosen a seat on the outdoor patio where he could walk around before the meal without disturbing other diners.

Our server was top-notch. In addition to the paper menus and crayons, she brought each child a lump of pizza dough to play with and even offered to have the kitchen fire any creation up in the open-air oven. My daughter especially appreciated this effort. Our server also put the kids’ food order in so it came out long before they got the chance to get cranky.

The children’s menu has typical fare for picky younger kids, such as chicken fingers, macaroni and cheese and pepperoni pizza. For “small adults,” they offer scaled-down portions of chicken parmesan, pork chops, grilled seafood and chicken. Our kids sampled the spaghetti and thoroughly enjoyed an ice cream sundae for dessert.

I selected one of the healthier options on the menu, which was the Penne Mediterranean, made with whole grain pasta, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, olive oil and feta cheese for $9.79. For a few more dollars, I added some grilled shrimp to the dish, which was perfectly seasoned.

This time around, my husband selected the Pasta Woozie, an Alfredo style dish with wood-grilled chicken and fresh spinach for $9.99, but he also enjoys the Gorgonzola Filet for $24.99 and the Strip Steak Fiorentina for $23.99. For dessert, we split the sinful Torta Di Cioccolata for $5.59, a rich chocolate cake with a warm center topped with vanilla bean gelato.

Our server efficiently boxed our food and brought our bill in a timely fashion. We really appreciated the extra lengths she went to in order to accommodate our brood.

The Chow Down
Dollar deal: Desserts from $4.59 to $5.59, pizza and pasta dishes from $8.99 to $14.99, and children’s items from $4.50 to $7.95.
Kid-Friendly: Yes.
Especially for little ones: Crayons and paper menus, pizza dough to sculpt.
To avoid a wait, go: Anytime except Friday and Saturday evening.
Noise level: Reasonable
Kiddie Fare: Popular options such as pepperoni pizza, $4.95, chicken fingers, $4.95. Also offers fresh vegetable of the day, junior Caesar salad, cup of fresh fruit for additional side items.
Parent fare: Extensive wine and martini list, full bar.
Bathroom amenities: Clean, with a diaper changing station in women’s bathroom.
High chair/booster available: Yes
Got milk/juice: Both
Address: 6851 North Lake Mall Drive, Charlotte, NC 28216
Phone: 704-597-1455

Clean Plate Score: 5