Are you ravenous for ravioli? Here’s where to satisfy your hunger around Springfield

Who doesn’t love ravioli?

Tender pillows of pasta stuffed with everything from goat cheese to mushrooms, seafood or beef? Take that delicate concoction and bathe it in a rich sauce and you have an award-winning dish. Well, Springfield and its surrounding communities have some incredible ravioli options. Here is a sample of five that will knock your socks off.

Cellar + Plate

One of the most delectable and unique offerings in Springfield can be found at Cellar + Plate.

It’s a premade seafood ravioli stuffed with lobster and shrimp, swimming in a rich pistachio cream sauce that is made fresh daily. There’s a smattering of fresh pistachios on top, which is a nice contrast to the smooth, creamy texture. Pistachio sauce is traditionally a Sicilian sauce, but they put their own spin on it with a strong splash of lemon, which brightens the flavor. The dish is served with toasted bread to sop up the incredible pistachio sauce.

Although the menu changes seasonally, you’ll find this dish year-round because it’s a crowd favorite, said owner Sunshine Hubbard.

Hubbard bought the wine bar in May of 2022 and is the third owner. She is a teacher, but has a decade of experience in the food industry and is passionate about wine and food.

Avanzare Italian Dining

Tony Garcia is a pasta master.

He grew up in the restaurant industry in Chicago helping his uncle peel potatoes, wipe down tables — whatever was needed. Garcia worked his way up in the kitchen learning how to create handmade ravioli and many more delectable dishes.

In 2002, Garcia opened Avanzare Italian Dining, which is family-run.

He has more than one ravioli option on the menu, but the short rib is a standout. The dish was inspired because so many people like short ribs, he said. The meat is slow-cooked for 5-6 hours.

Mouth-watering short rib meat is tucked into a homemade ravioli and the dish is covered in a mushroom, marsala veal stock sauce. The dish showcases a medley of mushrooms: portobello, cremini, shitake and porcini.

The backbone of this sauce is the veal stock, which takes 48 hours to make and uses leftover bones. It’s enhanced with marsala wine and the dish is drizzled with a kiss of truffle oil. Pair it with a glass of red wine and you’re in heaven. The tiramisu is divine, too.

Salvatore’s Fresh Ristorante Italiano

If you’ve never been to Salvatore’s Fresh Ristorante Italiano in Ozark, then hightail it over there ASAP. This fabulous restaurant is tucked in a shopping center and has exceptional food. The pasta and bread are made fresh daily and the dessert case will leave you swooning.

This venue has many wonderful dishes but the portobello mushroom ravioli is a star.

A combination of mushrooms is cooked with spinach and onion, sealed into homemade pasta and served with alfredo sauce mixed with a mushroom pesto. The Alfredo sauce is unreal. It has a strong dose of garlic and is so rich and creamy, you’ll want to take a bath in it. Instead, use the crusty, freshly baked bread to soak up the sauce.

Even though the dish is a main course, we often order it as an appetizer to share (the sauce is so rich it’s a good idea to spread the love).

The restaurant was started in 2014 by Jerry and Judy DeMaro, who were inspired to open it after a trip to Italy. In 2021, they sold it to Daniel Oawster, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Austin. The mushroom ravioli is very popular and Salvatore’s is often busy, just FYI.

Bambino’s Café

Speaking of portobello ravioli, there’s another lovely option in Springfield at Bambino’s Café, a casual spot.

There are two Bambino’s locations owned by the Faucett family. Andy Faucett opened the Delmar location two decades ago and his brother runs the East Battlefield location.

This dish features jumbo ravioli stuffed with caramelized onions and portobello mushrooms that are simmered in marsala wine cream sauce. The ravioli are premade, but the sauce is made fresh in-house and it has a pronounced marsala flavor tempered by heavy cream and accented with earthy mushrooms. It’s absolutely delicious. It’s not on the lunch menu, but Andy says you can request it for lunch or dinner. It’s available at both restaurants.

Harvest

Chef Craig von Foerster is known for his passion for quality, hyper-seasonal fare. And he makes fantastic ravioli. 

Craig and his wife Tamara own Harvest, an upscale a la carte restaurant in Rogersville that boasts an ever-changing menu. A former chef in Big Sur, Craig has more than 30 years of experience. The von Foersters grow many of their ingredients on Tamara’s family farm, which her grandparents established in 1932. Other ingredients are sourced locally or flown in.

Because of this dedication to fresh ingredients, the ravioli changes four or five times a year. They are handmade each morning.

What’s on the menu now? Green Dirt Farm Missouri Sheep’s Milk Nettle Cheese (an herb cheese) Ravioli with Spring Vegetables, Herbs and Vegetable Nage (a flavorful broth).

Although we have not tried this specific ravioli, because the menu is constantly changing, past ravioli have been excellent. This particular one is popular with vegetarian diners, said Tamara.

Harvest is open Thursday-Saturday for dinner only; make advance reservations. The menu is not published because it changes so much, but ravioli is usually on the menu.

Juliana Goodwin

Juliana Goodwin is a freelance journalist with experience covering business, travel and tourism, health, food and history. She is a former Food and Travel Columnist for the Springfield News-Leader, a former business reporter for The Joplin Globe, and has written for USA Today and Arkansas Living Magazine, among others. More by Juliana Goodwin

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