Vino Cappuccino: A Restaurant Too Good to Pass

Restaurant name: Vino Cappuccino

Hours: 11am-9pm, Monday-Friday

Address: 2848 N Brookfield Rd, Brookfield, WI

Pricing: Entrée’s ranging from $12-$27

Rating: **** 4 out of 5 stars

For the past two years, I have been regularly driving out to Brookfield for work. More specifically, I have driven down North Brookfield Road past the railroad tracks and into a small square filled with businesses hundreds of times. Along with an auto shop, barber shop, a daycare center and much more is Vino Cappuccino, an Italian style restaurant I had yet to visit. Passing it during my evening shifts at work, I would always see large parties of people dressed in their fancy attire, sitting out on the patio, laughing and enjoying their food. I always assumed it was a “fancier” place that I would only get into with a reservation. Working day shifts in the summer, the restaurant seemed much less busy, and today for lunch I decided to give it a try. Let’s just say I’m thoroughly disappointed I haven’t stopped here sooner.

Andreas Protopapas, owner of Vino Cappuccino since 2011 has owned three pasta restaurants in Greece along with other Italian restaurants in the area surrounding Brookfield. His dedication to good food and customer service has been nothing short of great, especially back in 2020 when COVID-19 hit and Protopapas was determined to keep his restaurant open. He developed a two-for-one pizza and pasta special that is still around today. This special allows customers to take a pizza or pasta entrée to go for free after the purchase of one inside the restaurant. This deal kept his customers happy and helped pay his employees through the pandemic. Any owner who cares enough about their employees to help them maintain a steady pay through a crisis sets expectations high of how they must treat their customers.

As my boyfriend and I ran towards the restaurant in the pouring rain, I couldn’t wait to get to the dry indoors. However, I was shocked to see a beautifully decorated outdoor seating area right at the entrance. Despite the rain, the weather was quite warm, and with a clear plastic curtain draped around the sides of the seating area, the sound and look of the rain was a peaceful sight that we couldn’t pass up. The tables were draped with white cloths and black wooden chairs to accompany them, creating a classical and elegant appearance. String lights were draped all around the sides of the windows and on the small planted trees placed in between each table making the lighting dim and relaxed. There was even a couch with a small coffee table set as a waiting area and placed near the entrance; talk about relaxing. Old pictures of cartoons eating pasta and drinking wine lined the walls prompting us to order our drinks and food right away. Despite the slightly wet floors, which was expected with the rain, the seating area already had me sold.

We were seated right away as we arrived at 11:30a.m., 30 minutes after they opened. The restaurant was empty, due to the dinner atmosphere that most people go there for, but as a result we had an entire area to ourselves. Unfortunately, right as we sat down my boyfriend and I both received important calls that we had to take. Our waitress came to the table only to see us both busy, but instead of impatiently waiting she quietly motions that she will be back in a few minutes. She caught us right as we both finished up and I gave her a huge thanks for her patience. She took our drink orders, which started out as just water as we were still unsure about ordering drinks so early, and then placed an appetizer for us as well. As she arrived with the waters, which were two pitchers garnished with cucumber and lemon, my indecisiveness caved and I ordered the Martini Breeze. Again, with a smile and patience she said no problem and brought it out with our appetizers less than five minutes later. Our entrées arrived quickly after we ordered them, and the waitress continued to move empty dishes out of our way preventing the table from cluttering. The friendly service created a relaxing environment and made the experience that much better.

Of course, the food is what added the cherry on top to the experience overall. As an appetizer we ordered truffle fries for $5.95. The balance of truffle oil and parmesan cheese accompanied the fries perfectly, and the moist and crispy combination had me almost full by the time our entrees arrived. For a drink, I split the martini breeze for $12 with my boyfriend. This included grey goose vodka, cranberry juice and grapefruit juice. The drink was packed with punch just as we expected. Garnished with an orange that went perfectly with the look and taste, the martini lasted in sips for the entire meal. Being as we were at an Italian restaurant, my eye went immediately to the pasta. However, as I scanned the large menu filled with many options, I couldn’t pass up the seafood. I compromised by ordering the lobster ravioli for $23.95. Made with a house-made limoncello sauce, the tender ravioli stuffed with loads of lobster had me full after the first couple of bites. Along with my entrée came crispy and buttery garlic bread and a house salad. The salad was made with a house dressing that uniquely included honey mustard. I was pleasantly surprised with the taste of it all. Being the picky eater my boyfriend is, he ordered from the smallest section on the menu; a Texas BBQ Burger for $13.95. The well-cooked burger went perfectly with bbq, bacon and cheddar cheese. However, the best part had to be the bacon; crispy and cooked perfectly, bacon is usually a hit or miss at most restaurants.

Setting, service and food all receive a five-star rating from me. With friendly service, a beautifully decorated seating area, and enough food options to feed any sort of craving, Vino Cappuccino exceeded my expectations. While the food was cooked well and had an amazing taste, many options on the menu did exceed our college-student budget. With even the simplest items on the menu being no less than $12.95, I decided to go all out with what I ordered. I have been to cheaper restaurants that include just as many different options and was slightly disappointed with this aspect. However, an occasional stop here wouldn’t hurt my wallet too much to the point of no return. I foresee myself stopping her much more often for lunch and will continue to shake my head at my oblivious self who walked past this restaurant for two years without knowing what I was missing.