This review is for a private celebration party event that I attended here.  It was held in their back party room, with the back being by the mall entrance.   It was a very nice venue for the event and the space was at its capacity for our party of 49.  There were 3 tables of 12 and 1 table of 13.   The wait staff did a nice job of taking and keeping track of drink orders, and attending to the tables in general.  They also kept the space quite cool on a hot evening.  The menu was comprised of drinks (beer/wine) and a family style meal of 4 courses, including dessert.  Each of the courses was in turn comprised of 2-3 selections.  For example, chicken marsala, penne bolognese, and pan seared salmon were all provided as part of the Entrees course.   The Antipasti course was truffle potato skins and roasted meatballs.  The Pizza and Salad course included a house salad, a truffle mushroom pizza, and a burnt pepperoni pizza.  The Dessert course was bomboloni (hole-less doughnuts with sauces) with an option to order other items like tiramisu or brookie skillets from the regular dessert menu.  This place partners with Celebrity Chef Fabio Viviani and like all of his many restaurants, the quality of every dish here is top-notch and delicious.  The bill is also top-notch, lol, and that is also typical of Chef Fabio's places, but you do basically get what you pay for, and that includes the atmosphere, and it's all satisfying and delicious.  This menu and event ran about $100 pp all in and that covered both the menu and the use of the private room.   One of the servers, I think her name was Emily, was really good, attentive, and efficient, and she was one of those who could take 10 separate drink orders, and come back and find you in the crowd!  She in particular was really nice to have around and she made a difference. As far as the rest of the restaurant, it's a busy, vibrant, and loud place.  The fairly lengthy dining space is kind of compartmentalized into different sections, and there is a full bar both in the middle of the restaurant as well as in the back where we were by the mall entrance.  There is also an open kitchen in the middle of the restaurant.  The second bar in the back really is needed for private events.  They also have a small patio area by their mall entrance.  It looks to be a fun date night kind of restaurant.  Overall, I'll go with a 4.49 star rating rounded down to 4 for our private event with the main knock being that it's all on the somewhat pricey side, but also very good. read more

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Woof - what an "almost great" experience! I really wanted to love this meal because the sauces were delicious. I ordered the limone pasta with shrimp and requested replacing the angel hair with a thicker pasta (linguine). My husband ordered the truffle gnocchi. Unfortunately, the kitchen made the change to the wrong dish. Instead of changing my pasta, they replaced my husband's truffle gnocchi (the signature part of his entrée) with linguine, while charging full price for the gnocchi dish. That was a disappointing mistake that should have been caught before the food left the kitchen. My shrimp add-on was also a disaster. For an extra $7, I received five shrimp (plus one stray shrimp tail), which works out to about $1.40 per shrimp (the rogue shrimp tail was an unwanted bonus). On top of that, the shrimp were served with the tails still on. Having to stop and remove shrimp tails while eating pasta really disrupts the experience. Shrimp pasta shouldn't be finger food. The frustrating part is that the food itself was genuinely good. Both sauces were flavorful and well-executed, and I think this could easily have been 5/5 if the order had been prepared correctly. Better attention to detail in the kitchen and more reasonable shrimp portions would have made all the difference. read more

We visited Bar Sienna this last evening. The service is good. Quick seating, clean comfortable environment, and a wait staff that paid attention. The food has changed. We brought a very large party here back in December, and we wanted to come back because we wanted to treat ourselves to some very excellent food. However, it was mediocre. And for the cost? I'm not sure I can see us coming back. Three of us ordered the creamy angel hair lemon and we couldn't taste the lemon. It was bland. My teen ordered the Sienna Burger, she took two bites and said she didn't like it. She said there's no crunch in the veggies, something wrong with the tomato, she's looking for a good burger and this one isn't it. For the only burger in the menu? It should wow people. My other teen had the only winner of the evening, the Penne with vodka sauce. For appetizers we had the burrata, I've had this in other occasions, and tonight it just didn't taste the same. The apricot was more bitter notes. The Octopus was okay. Someone either changed the ingredients, or there's a new chef who doesn't know how to replicate good recipes, or management changed things. Whatever it is, I'm just not sure we will be back. For five people it was about $250. read more

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Ambiance is great, but the food is too salty especially the chicken marsala. Skip that one. Wagyu meatballs and calamari apps are worth ordering though! read more

Bar Siena North Shore - Chicken Marsala - Italian Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

Stopped by for a quick drink. I've been to the Bar Siena in Chicago and always enjoy their drinks and atmosphere, so I figured it would be a safe bet. The drink was ok but our bartender wasn't very friendly which made me feel a little uncomfortable. read more

Bar Siena North Shore - Italian Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

Super great experience! The ambiance was just so perfect. There were pretty lights and at our table there were lights that could be adjusted. Our server was great. His name was Julian and he was very nice to us. He got our appetizers out in a short time and our pastas came out pretty quick too. I ordered the rigatoni alla vodka with chicken and it was really good! I love pastas that are a bit spicy so this was perfect. I would definitely recommend! read more

Bar Siena North Shore - Italian Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

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Our overall experience was mediocre. Although Bar Siena is attractive, it just gave off a mediocre feeling across the board. Service was erratic. Our waiter was cheerful but forgetful. He forgot to place my glass of wine order and also needed to return to the table to ask what chicken dish ordered ( chicken parm)) . The fellow who delivered our main courses failed to bring the Parmesan cheese we requested. The food was ok, too. The portions are generous for sharing. I also thought Bar Siena was a bit overpriced for such an average experience. read more

My sister and I occasionally like to 'shmorgezborg' and we did just that at Bar Siena early today for lunch. And it's located in Old Orchard so perfect if you want to shop right after Decorated with Christmas lights draping from the ceiling Bar Siena offers a shirk dining experience. And I just have to mention that the service is outstanding and attentive. We decided to go with a plethora of dishes starting with their fried calamari to share. Perfectly tender with a light batter and served with both a house marinara and lemon aioli. Personally I LOVED the lemon aioli but the marinara not so much. I was just expecting more of a robust flavor from it. I chose my main from their 2 course lunch which is a pretty damn good deal. I chose the Baby Gem Salad and their Siena Smashburger and I knew I made a wise decision. The Gem Salad was actually the perfect lunch size and the burger...whoa. I know my burgers and this one was a good smash burger. It wasn't 'glammed' up like some burgers which I appreciated. Just the right amount of sauce and simple condiments. Next menu item...the Prosciutto and Fig Pizza. Ok today I learned that Bar Siena has major Neapolitan pizza game. The marriage of flavors drive me crazy. The difference maker on this pizza was the fact that they used real figs. Not fig preserve or fig jam but the real deal. Everything about this pizza was a home run. The crust, the toppings and even the arugula! I'm not a fan of arugula as I find it to be a little too pungent but I don't know what they did but this was so smooth and that pungent flavor was absent. Man just writing about that pizza and burger makes me excited to eat them again. Glad I have leftovers lol. Yeah def going back whenever I can! read more

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I was pleasantly surprised with this restaurant. Everything was super tasty and they make a killer Hugo spritz. Only thing is it's a bit expensive especially if you get drinks, but the portions are pretty big. Ambiance is beautiful and they have a patio area. read more

Bar Siena North Shore - Truffle Mushroom Pizza - Italian Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

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Absolutely loved the vibe of this restaurant compared to the one in West loop! They've got 3 different areas and we stayed at the heated outdoor area for a nice sunny yet fun vibe. We had the fried chicken sandwich that's paired with garlic fries which was delicious.! But my favorite was the appetizer burrata with prosciutto - I'm not exactly sure what the jam that is paired with it but it was very tasty and not super sweet. I loved everything about this location so far and I can't wait to come back. read more

Bar Siena North Shore - Burrata - Italian Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

I went for happy hour one evening and it was pretty quiet. The food and mocktails were good. Everything was very flavorful. The happy hour seems like a good deal but I think they are also smaller portions so it's hard to say. Service was just OK. I helped myself to a high top in the bar area. Of course I picked the one table that didn't have a QR code to let me place my order or pay on my phone. So we were at the mercy of the busy bartender's attention. I definitely want to give Bar Siena another chance. Maybe I went on an off night when it was too slow and the vibes were off. But the food was great! read more

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My husband and I stopped by for lunch and absolutely loved the ambiance and food. The restaurant was decorated so beautifully for Christmas and they have a very cute heated patio area. The customer service was great and the food was delicious. We couldn't decide between the truffle mushroom (white sauce) or burnt pepperoni (red sauce) pizza - the waiter suggested you pick one and add the main topping of the other pizza on it. So we did the truffle mushroom with pepperoni and it was SO SO GOOD!! The fried mozzarella was good - you will get that cheese pull. The tiramisu had a great presentation, but the flavor was decent. We would definitely go back again! read more

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Came here before going to another event. My first time at a Bar Siena. It wasn't busy, but the place is large with plenty of seating. It's right next door to the mall. We sat towards the rear, in the corner. They have bathrooms in the back, and also a gender neutral bathroom upfront. We ordered the meatball appetizer, and for my entree, I ordered the rigatoni alla vodka. Both were good. Their cocktail drinks are okay. Definitely come during happy hour. read more

Bar Siena North Shore - Italian Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

This is lovely restaurant with a romantic ambience. I entered through the back entrance from the mall, and walked through to the host stand and thought this was such a pretty setting. There was a room in the back which would be perfect for a private party. I met my friend at the front and we were seated in a booth. We would have sat outside except the weather has been so hot and humid lately. We split a delicious truffle mushroom pizza and I had a Siena Smash mocktail with luxardo cherries. Our server was lovely -- didn't rush us, patient, sweet. The menu has a variety of dishes but you must have pizza from the wood-burning pizza oven. read more

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Food, vibes , service... all exceptionally amazing . I love how quick everything came out, steak was amazingly cooked to my liking as well done no pink . The potatoes served with it was too good to not finish in one sitting. I'm not a fan of fries usually but this was amazing. read more

Bar Siena North Shore - Italian Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

They do have a reasonable happy hour everyday from 3-6 but only in the bar area. Highly recommend it if you plan on sampling some of their small plates and cocktails for at a cheaper price. Staff are friendly and food came out rather quickly. Laid back atmosphere, with Italian American cuisine that is perfect for a date night. read more

If they are seating you in the enclosed patio in winter, say firm NO and wait until a proper table in the restaurant is available. I'm sure the patio is lovely in the summer. In winter it's like having dinner in your garage -- simply dreadful. The proper restaurant is gorgeous. The service was excellent -- engaging with good recommendations. The food is hit or miss. The truffle skins were absolutely delicious. The cacio e Pepe was not traditionally prepared but was good. Nice that they have Saldo by the glass or half bottle. You can have a lovely meal here, but if they put you in the enclosed patio, you truly are better off just walking out. Sad read more

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I'm a frequent flyer at Bar Siena downtown, but got recruited by some friends in the suburbs to come out their way for lunch. This restaurant is so beautiful such a vibe absolutely love their indoor outdoor patio area, and even in the winter months is still dog friendly. The cutest pups came in to have lunch with their humans. Our server was absolutely lovely and instrumental when we deciding on what to choose from their epically good lunch special. The special has a choice of a few different appetizers and a few different mains. You can tell how distracted I was because I didn't take more than one picture. The special is $23 per person and I was torn between the burger and the chicken sandwich. So thankfully, another friend was also battling her indecisiveness between those two items and we ended up doing half a sandwich swap. FTW! However, we started with some fries for the table, and two of us got the butternut squash soup, got the burrata and got the meatballs. The soup was delicious. Had a great velvety creamy texture and pro tip, dunking fries in the soup is a 10 out of 10. Highly recommended. Not that there could ever be too many fries, but we got the side fries to start because we didn't think the sandwiches came with fries, since it was a lunch. To our happy surprise, we also got more fries with the sandwiches! The burger and the chicken sandwich were both delicious. If you have a chance to go halfsies with a friend, can't recommend that enough. My other two friends got the Bar Siena chopped salad with chicken, also delicious and a sizable portion for lunch. Absolutely wonderful experience and whenever I'm back in the area, I'll be back! read more

Bar Siena North Shore - Lunch special butternut squash soup - Italian Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

I didn't realize until today that Bar Siena served brunch. Our selections were delicious and portions were generous. Service was good and you can't beat the ambiance with each room of this large restaurant having a different vibe. We opted for the sunny indoor patio. While I enjoyed the short rib hash and poached eggs, my friends had a variety of salads, delicious creamy butternut squash soup, cacio e Pepe and a turkey porchetta club sandwich. read more

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Not impressed with this place. Went here for mother's day brunch and service was pretty lackluster. Overcharged for one extra coffee. And at the end there was a random 1% fee which wasn't explained. Tip was taxed too which since it's mandatory is treated as revenue so whatever. Tax is also higher because it's in a mall...lol. Now to the food... Overall was decent but the salmon was dry. For the price I don't think I'll be back next year. read more

Between a 3 and 4 for me. I will say that our server was also the bartender and really hustling and doing his best. He had probably 6 tables as well as guests at the bar. It was happy hour too. The host/manager helped out by running food. Cocktails were only ok. I will say they have a decent selection of cocktails, mocktails, and wine. Food was only ok. I don't usually come out to old orchard mall, but in my opinion it was only ok. read more

Delicious salads and pasta. Prompt service. Thoughtful presentation/packaging (love the little bottles of quality olive oil with takeout orders). And they allow you to modify menu items. All of which suggests a well-run establishment. This has quickly made its way onto my list of favorites, and I know others who feel the same. read more

Good service Pretty good Caesar salad but I wish they had more salad options. Good pasta flavor but too skimpy on the protein. I like the restaurant and went back for Mother's Day brunch but they have room to improve especially for the price point. read more

Bar Siena North Shore - Rigatoni Alla Vodka Rigatoni Alla Vodka - Italian Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

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Spur of the moment dinner choice. The space is very nice and clean. Service was good, we had a great lady attending us. Had the burrata as appetizers and pizza as main. The burrata had a nice presentation but it was not really fresh, was a bit dry and small compared to the amount of bread that was served. The pizza was good , had the mushroom one, very tasty. The prices are on the higher side, we spent about $120 for 2 pizza, appetizer and a bottle of sparkling water. read more

Bar Siena North Shore - Burrata - Italian Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

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Came to the bar and missed happy hour cuz there was a long wait for service. Got some drinks and it was good. read more

Bar Siena North Shore - No.6 - Italian Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

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I like their mushroom pizza and grill octopus I often order the same thing all the time plus so close to my house. read more

We went for happy hour. I ordered the margarita pizza that was excellent crust was good flavor and was good. Good amount of everything but not overdone and we had the meatballs. The meatballs were not good at all. The sauce was phenomenal. The grilled bread was nothing that great there was not a lot of flavor on it. I ordered a lemon cello spritzer. It was really sweet. The price wasn't bad. The service at the bar was terrible. We had to ask them multiple times for the truck for water the circuses they're beautiful. I think next time I'll probably go somewhere else because there's a lot of restaurants at old Orchard. read more

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First time eating here and was upset with the service. Me and three friends came around lunchtime and we were seated right away, but sat for around 15 minutes until we were brought water or acknowledged. Once the waiter came by, we were rushed to order right away. The food we ordered was good. Wish the fries were a little saltier. I added avocado to my burger and my friend added avocado to her turkey club sandwich. Both of our avocados were not ripe, PLUS it was an additional $5 to add on (we knew it would've been an up charge but the waiter did not tell us how much it would be nor do we remember seeing it on the menu). The manager did speak to us a few times, just wish the service was a little better, but maybe it's because we came at lunch time. read more

Bar Siena North Shore - Bar Siena Burger - Italian Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

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Great service. Thanks sub par food. Sienna salad with iceberg lettuce. The cheapest lettuce... iceberg. No color, no taste. Step it up to greens. read more

Bar Siena North Shore - Italian Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

The food was delicious! Service was great! Bar Siena was the perfect spot for lunch. read more

Fantastic addition to Old Orchard. I think Bar Siena has some of the yummiest drinks at the mall. I ordered the No.9 (their version of a margarita) and it tasted like cotton candy. My friend tried a spicy drink and she said it was delicious. They have pellegrino and Aquapana for water choices in addition to tap. The food is chef made. We had the octopus, the gnocchi and shared a salad. The octopus was delicious and was beautifully plated. Our waiter recommended the gnocchi and we liked that as well. The salad was decent. I would recommend the gnocchi and try the chicken next time-apparently it won in a contest. The ambience is really pretty. There were beautiful lights everywhere. The seating was kind of crowded and I felt like we had too much action on either side of us which could be distracting. The bathrooms were okay but nothing special and needed more papertowels. Fantastic food and service. Highly recommend a reservation. read more

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Bad service manager should not even be working there a bald agent very bad attitude. I will never come here again. I will call the corporate. Lots of people were complaining about the service. read more

Went to Bar Siena at OO dinner with the family and thought it was solid overall. I've been to the location in the city so I had a general idea of the restaurant and menu coming in. Would say this one is more family friendly and a good spot to go if you're bringing kids. The space is quite nice. We were sat in the front section which I believe is the patio during the summer but since it was winter it was all blocked off/covered. The space itself is really nice and had a great ambiance in the evening. For starters we got the meatballs and the Caesar salad which were my favorite parts of the meal. The meatballs were super tasty and there was a perfect amount of sauce to accompany them with toast. The salad was simple but tasty and came with a solid portion for two to split. For our mains, I ordered the cheese burger which was solid overall. They said it was a smash burger style so the Pattie's were a bit thinner than a normal steakhouse burger. The entree came with truffle parm fries which were solid but I wish they were a bit crispier. Wasn't the best by far but did the job. My wife ordered the eggplant parm but was a little disappointed it came alone and not with any spaghetti/pasta. It looked solid though and came in a huge portion. Our toddler was with us so we ordered him the chicken tenders and fries. I had some off his plate and honestly these were super good. His fries were even better than the ones that came with my burger. The servers were super nice and came by when we needed them which was even more appreciated as they were pretty busy. They even brought my son a scoop of Gelato! Would definitely go back, but think I'll likely go with pasta/pizzas as our mains next time. read more

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Went here with a friend for my birthday. We sat in the indoor patio which I was lovely letting light in while it was still light out. Excellent service! Our waiter, Irvin, was so nice and helpful. My main course was delicious (Parmesan crusted halibut), but there was this frisée salad on the side that was bitter and not really edible. I wish it had micro greens or something instead. Appetizer of garlic cheese bread was good, but fairly greasy and it's cooked and served in a mini iron skillet. You can taste the iron on the crust. I would likely not order that again. Tiramisu for dessert was excellent. read more

Really really really good food. Best chicken vesuvio I've ever had. Service was great

Took my wife here for lunch. They had a an area up front, which was covered but had the large front windows open. It was comfortable and felt good to have some fresh air. I ordered minestrone and penne ala vodka. My wife ordered the chicken sandwich. The minestrone was salty and had a lot of kale (or spinach?) in it. The pasta had some granulated bread crumbs on it. Not that it tasted bad at all; it was just an odd texture. I also got two meatballs, which were very good. My wife enjoyed the chicken sandwich and the fries were very good. Service was excellent...a highly attentive staff and very friendly...from the waiter to the folks bussing the table. Even a manager stopped by. It was pretty expensive. With tip, lunch cost us over $80 (no alcohol). read more

The reason I am giving this two stars is because of the abysmal service. We waited over 15 minutes for a waitstaff to show up and that is only because I complained to a manager. We waited again over 40 minutes for our meal. Again, it is because I complained to the manager. They finally comped our meal and it didn't make the experience better as the staff was extremely inattentive. Food is good but customer service is not their forte. read more

We had a good reservation and amazingly were seated rather quickly. They sat us in the atrium room in the front of the restaurant. It's very light and airy. The main room seemed very dark and had a more romantic atmosphere. We told our server that we had limited time as we were going to a show nearby and she said she'd take care of us. My wife ordered some kind if salad. I've stopped paying attention to the type she gets as they all seem the same with the same type of dressings. Nothing tells you if a restaurant is good by their salad capabilities...NOT!!! A salad is a salad. The only differences are whether the ingredients are fresh or not. If a restaurant can't get that right, then I don't know what to tell you. I got their burger. It was a really good burger. The bun held up, the burger was perfectly cooked, the cheese wasn't too solid or too gooey, and the aioli was nice. The fries were good too. Now here's the thing with burgers. If the meat is a good quality and is cooked perfectly (medium rare or medium, anything else and it's either mooing or a hockey puck), then the taste should be good. You don't need to dress it up with too much stuff. And then you're tasting all the crap on the burger and not the burger itself. It amazes me that many restaurants do this. Eventually I end up knife and forking half the burger and find out how good the actual burger is and then I'm annoyed because I could have had just the meat and a bun. And that was the case here. Good, but overly so. It's a burger, not a Barbie doll. Stop overdressing it and you'll be just fine. They have the ability to pay your bill off a QR code on your receipt. I like that. Overall, it was a good place and if we're in the area again, I'd definitely go back. read more

What an awesome new favorite at Woodfield old Orchard Mall! From the moment you step inside, I felt like I was someplace else. The vibe is so unique and inviting as well as the manager and staff. Absolutely love the indoor which feels like outdoor garden and all of the lights that are twinkling above in the main dining room. Nothing says pizza like a wood fire oven! And the deals on the brunch menu are spectacular, but I heard that menu is going away sadly. The French toast with raisin brioche was amazing and the Smashburger was second and none. The highlight of the dining experience was definitely the Chilean Seabass with the charred lemon, which was full of so much juice and the arugula salad could've used some accompaniment, but it was still very very good. A nice piece of bread would've gone very well with that dish. I felt a little lacking in that regard. Service was wonderful and I love how the manager kept walking around checking on everyone! Can't wait to go back next time I'm in town. read more

It was very loud. The menu is limited to sell liked favorites. My guest said the meatballs were wonderful. I had fried calamari which were pretty standard. I ordered the shaved Brussels sprouts salad and although flavorful, had a weird sweetness to it. I ordered salmon but asked for a different vegetable other than carrots. The waiter offered me mushrooms. Thru came shaved very thin and both them and a bit of spinach were sitting on something creamy which was not even warm. I think one needs to stick exactly to the menu. read more

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