Ordered a penne a la vodka just to give it a try. We didn't expect too much of it since it's more of a "fast food" restaurant that's within the Portillos restaurant. The pasta took a little longer then our food at Portillos did but we didn't mind. Once ready, our number was called up. The dish came with a piece of bread and cheese to put on top. We didn't read the menu right and didn't realize that any type of protein was extra schmoney and we had to add it to the pasta. The pasta was so good that we ended up not caring that it didn't have any protein in it. The noodles were al dente and the sauce was flavorful and creamy. The portion was enough for four us to pass around and get a few bites out of it and we allll agreed that it was very goood. Barnelli's please come to Arizona! Our Portillo's locations and people need you!! read more

Barnelli's Pasta Bowl - a piece of bread being held over a bowl of pasta - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Moved to Chicago about a year ago and couldn't wait to try portillos. Now I get it at least once a month and have a go to order it's that good. Also cheese cup with fries is a must! If you really want to get crazy dip your hot dog in the cheese cup read more

The fries were extra crispy and the cheese was just a nacho cheese like the movies and sno ball stand serves. The Italian beef reminded me of a muffelata with roast beef added. I got both the sweet and spicy peppers on it and also extra gravy. The gravy is amazing! I really couldn't just dipped my fries in the gravy and been happy. Service is really fast and the workers are very friendly. read more

Just had the worst experience. Ordered $65 worth of food including tip and delivery fee. When my food was delivered, I was missing about $55 worth of it. I just got a sandwich and was missing all the rest of my food. I have been trying to contact someone and have been calling for the past 45 minutes now with no answer. One person picked up after about 30 minutes and after I gave them my name, they said they would check on the order, put me on a 5 minute hold, then the phone call went dead. I am still attempting to call them because I just paid money for all of this just to get nothing. Maybe leaving a yelp review will finally get someones attention to contact me back. Horrible customer service. read more

Barnelli's Pasta Bowl - Me trying to call them for the past 45 minutes now. - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Not necessarily the place you come to if you want an authentic Italian meal, but definitely the place you should come to if you want delicious pasta. I've tried the Fettuccini Alfredo and the Chicken Al' Diavolo and both were quite tasty, but a little too greasy for my taste. The Garlic bread is delightfully crispy and buttery but again, a little on the greasy side and sometimes too salty. The food was served pretty fast given that the restaurant was packed. I would definitely come here again! read more

Barnelli's Pasta Bowl - Chicken Al'Diavolo - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Ordered here with very little expectations since it's a fast food pasta place but I was pleasantly surprised! The penne diavolo was very flavorful and the sun dried tomatoes gave it the right, subtle punch. The quantity of the pasta was very large and could easily serve two people per pasta order. I had ordered delivery/to-go and it was very well packaged with extra chili flakes and parmesan cheese, which I really appreciated. read more

Barnelli's Pasta Bowl - Penne Diavolo - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Our first time in Chicago! We came by for the Portillo's hot dogs and wanted to try something else. At first I thought the pasta was part of Portillo's but they are not! They share the same store but are completely different restaurants. I ordered the Pesto & Chicken Pasta and the girl at the counter did not know what I was trying to order. She kept looking at the menu searching for what I wanted and was still confused. It took her a while to place the order. The wait for my food was LONG. I waited about 15 minutes just for one bowl of pasta. There were many other people waiting too and it just seemed like nobody had their orders called for the time. Pasta was alright. It came out hot so that was a plus. Also came with a side of bread. Pretty big portion. Maybe a bit pricey. read more

Barnelli's Pasta Bowl - Chicken & Pesto Pasta - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Barnelli's is one of two "fast food" pasta places that are the best, in my opinion. I usually only order spaghetti and meatballs, which makes it easy to compare across restaurants. Barnelli's shares a space with Portillo's on Clark Street in River North. What I love about the spaghetti here is that it is GOOD! The portion is sizable, and perfect for carbo-loading before a long run. The meat sauce is pretty meaty, and there's a lot of it--best get a side of garlic bread to sop all that sauce up. The meatballs are okay, for what you pay for them. I've eaten here as well as gone through the drive through. The drive through line can get pretty long, but they are pretty efficient. read more

Barnelli's Pasta Bowl - Spaghetti and meatballs - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place has the BEST chopped salad I've ever eaten!!! It was so good. The dressing was so creamy and not too sour like other Italian dressings. The best part of the salad was the addition of the big bacon bits and small pieces of pasta on top. The lettuce was cut and fresh. It was tossed so well. I finished that thing in five minutes flat. I wish I could replicate it. If you go there for anything, go there for the salad. read more

Barnelli's Pasta Bowl - Rigatoni with a vodka tomato sauce. Very tasty. Kind of like bolognese. - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is combined with Portillos, and the staff work for both places as well. Very easy to find since it's on the main road, and includes ample seating-great for kids and big groups. I got the spaghetti with meat sauce which came with a side of complimentary bread. I really wanted to love this dish as a whole because of it's popularity but I just couldn't. The meat sauce itself definitely came with a lot of meat and was very saucy. Not that much seasoning or spices were added to the meat but it was still tasty, and not too much sodium. The noodles themselves were the letdown, maybe it was a bad batch but they weren't cooked all the way. The noodles felt like they were too thick for the dish too, if it was skinnier noodles that were cooked for 5 minutes longer it would've been perfect. The complimentary bread was so warm and had a home baked feel to it. I absolutely loved the bread more than the actual dish. All in all this fast food italian place was well worth a visit, but i think there could be better italian places out there. read more

Barnelli's Pasta Bowl - Spaghetti with meat sauce - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Pasta is my jam. And you're telling me I can have a good sized portion of it with a piece of bread for lunch for $6.50 including tax? I was going to the Whole Foods hot bar and paying $10-$15. Never again!!! I'm going to come here alllll the time ! No joke! The meat sauce is divine and the pasta is piping hot. The bread is fresh as well. I am pretty pumped to try the salads too. It looks like they chop and toss them for you. It's my pet peeve when I eat a salad and the pieces are so big I have to cut them. It's the little things in life, people! The restaurant is clean, the staff is extremely friendly and I cannot help but feel happy when I'm here. I teach at Flywheel down the street so naturally I am always hungry. I'll be back often to fuel up pre and post workout ! read more

Barnelli's Pasta Bowl - Fettuccine with meat sauce! Lunch sized. Nomnomnom - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Previously, we've been to Portillos a million times and had pasta from here once. Today I met my mizzan and puppy outside and enjoyed the Poppy Seed Fruit Salad with Chicken and Italian Sub. The sandwich was so good, warm bread, and fresh meat. Vury tastey! The salad was so over the top of what I was expecting - so pleasantly suprised. I hate bleu cheese so I was a bit worried when I saw it on the tray and got sad. The cheese was so mild, I scraped it off and what crumbs ended up in my 1/2 were just fine. Let me repeat: I HATE BLEU CHEESE!!!!! All in all, a sandwich and salad and a pop for $14 split perfectly between 2 people and a pup. Totally magically delicious. read more

This place is so gross. I found hairs in the kids mostacolli!!! To disgusting. I am never going back ti any Barnelli's or Portillo's ever again. I will post the pics. read more

Barnelli's Pasta Bowl - found hairs in barnell's kids mostacolli. hair is shown from fork to sauce piece. - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Honestly my favorite food in the city. So good. The problem is their service is so insanely awful. It amazes me how you can have so many people behind the counter all just standing around doing nothing while there are dozens of people waiting eagerly for their food. The great majority of them are apathetic about their job and come off rude and lazy. If I managed this place, I would bring at a minimum 25% less staff each night and hire 2-3 good managers that really ensure everyone is working effectively and cohesively. Even when ordering ahead on mobile or internet, my food is regularly handed to me 20min after its estimated to be done. The check in sheet is a total waste as no one is given then opportunity to write what time they were given their food and no one bothers to read it. It's really a shame I can't come more because I know it will take too long to get my food. read more

I love the bustle of this place; there's a mix of people catching dinner after work, couples, and tourists dining with their kids. Casual, crowded, and a nice place to people watch. Attached to Portillos so has built in variety. Meatball sandwich is my new meaty meal. I tasted homecooked, italian heartiness in every bite. Make sure to get a salad to break up all that protein. From their drinks menu: strawberry daquiri was like a sweet blended smooth served in a huge margarita glass. Perfect without the taste of alcohol. Chocolate cake shake is not what you want. They take it literally and actually add chunks of baked cake. Imagine throwing chocolate cake in a blender. Liquefied bread is not a good idea. read more

Barnelli's Pasta Bowl - Meatball sandwich. Less than five bucks! - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Yum! I can't speak to the atmosphere of Barnellis as I had them for delivery, but I definitely want to experience more. We shared a tuna caesar as a starter. While I normally like my tuna rare or raw, this was done well as well as being well done. Spiced with garlc and parsely, it had plenty of flavor and was quite juicy. The dressing was pre-packaged and nothing special. The bread was warm, fresh and didn't need butter to melt in the mouth, I enjoyed it as much as I did the pasta. I got two meals out of the Peasant Pasta--rigatoni with italian sausage, chicken breast, pancetta, escarole, garlic and canolini beans in a white wine broth. The pasta was high-quality with a pleasant flavor all on its own. Even reheated the following day, it stayed al dente and kept its flavor. The other ingredients worked well together to make a hearty dish that I'd definitely order again. read more

I walked into this place thinking it was a restaurant, but instead it looks like a food court run by the same owner! They have burgers and fries, italian beef sandwiches, pasta, salad, and ribs! I ordered the half slab of ribs and it was delicious! It came with soup or salad, bread, and baked potato or pasta. The portions were huge!! If you decide to order ribs here, prepare to wait a while. I waited 10-15 minutes for my order to be ready because they throw the ribs on the grill the second you order it! This place is a self serve place so I ordered my food at the counter and then waited for my number to be called. Their salads looked really good! Maybe next time! read more

I love delivery places. Here's yet another delivery review. I had the Peasant Pasta. It was a fantastic blend of "Italian sausage, chicken breast, and pancetta, seared and mixed with escarole, garlic, canolini beans and rigatoni, carefully cooked in a white wine broth." It's quite obvious they use high-quality pasta, which stood up quite well to being refrigerated and reheated. Their other ingredients were extremely flavourful, and the bread they gave away almost stole the show. My only grief was that the pasta dish was a little too oily and heavy. A solid 4 stars. read more

Greatest food ever! Not healthy food - just the most delicious. It's a chain around the Chicagoland area and each store has its own theme in terms of decor. You walk in and can grab a paper menu if you want to read the full description of each dish or they have menus posted above the cashiers. Order, pay, wait for your number to be called, and then food nirvana. All of the pastas are fabulous (chicken, pesto and mushroom pasta and their baked spaghetti are my faves), albeit you can see the oil or butter floating in the sauce. And the salads are fantastic too. Chopped salad - hands down, my dish of choice. Although, the portion of bread they give you with your meal has been cut in half in the last few months. I am a carb-aholic so I am kinda fighting with Barnellis and trying to boycott, but the boycott does not last very long. They also serve beer and wine and if you are able to save some room for dessert, their chocolate cake is to die for! The cake part is so moist and the perfect amount of chocolate icing to top it off (I hate it when I have to scrape off the icing off other cakes). Had my birthday dinner there last year. I LOVE it that much. read more

Don't get me wrong, I didn't give it 3 stars because it's not what I expected.. Many Italians wouldn't be caught dead eating at a fast food chain pasta place. Just like one might enjoy both low and high quality Chinese food, the same concept applies. However, even for a fast food pasta place, there were still some issues. I ordered the Alfredo pasta and added mushrooms (*side note, I asked whether they were canned or fresh and got into a big discussion with the lady taking my order on what the difference is. It seems like that should be something employees are taught because they were indeed canned and had I known I would not had added them). The pasta certainly catered to my cravings for a rich creamy sauce but they went a bit overboard. The container seemed to way 3 lbs because there was so much sauce. Bottom line, it's decent pasta for a fast food italian joint. But even for fast food pasta they should consider not drowning their linguini. read more

As an Italian, I think the pasta here is pretty good. Actually, I'll upgrade that to 'excellent' considering all the factors, like fast food chain type of place, owned by a place famous for other food, and how crappy the pasta and/or sauce is at other commercialized Italian places I've had the baked most, chicken parm, cheese ravioli, oven baked spaghetti, and like all of them. The vodka sauce pasta wasn't bad, just a little too spicy for my liking, and it wore on me after a while read more

What an experience!? -- Went here thinking I was going to a sit-down Chicago "must-eat" establishment. Left here feeling I had just left the State Fair. Slightly chaotic, mannequins hanging off the wall, big over the top signs & decorations... not for the faint of heart. There is no hostess so please do not stand around (--like me--) thinking someone is going to ask "How many" ... or better yet absorbing all that is going on around you -- You need to take a paper menu at the door, review it, find what you like, then go to a "station", place your order with a friendly cashier - take your receipt and wait at the end of the cafeteria style line for your number to be called. They will put your food on a tray and you will carry it to a table where you want to sit. On to the food. The pasta was $10 worth - exactly how much I paid for it. Good size portion, the additional veggies (or chicken if you so choose) was okay, nothing to write home about. I added pepper and a little salt to taste. Wasn't the best pasta I've ever had, nor was it the worse - and I was okay with that. Served its purpose. Will probably go again, but this time through the drive-thru. Decent fast-food Italian is about on-par with the food you receive. read more

The pesto and chicken pasta is awful. The conchiglie was hard, the sauce was so blend I couldn't even finish half of it. The chicken is normal nothing to comment on. It's not worth $10 for quality like this. Really cool ambience with Chicago, pub-style environment, very nostalgic. I would say most of the customers are tourists. read more

Barnelli's Pasta Bowl - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

There's so many restaurant options around our hotel and decided to stop here after a long day at the zoo! We had fries, an Italian beef, spaghetti with marinara sauce, meatballs, and a chili cheese dog. It was all delicious! Did not disappoint! read more

The chopped salad is pretty good, especially if you omit the bacon and blue cheese. And when I say "pretty good" I mean "I've never ordered anything else." I hit up Barnelli's occasionally because its close to work and you get a lot of food for your money. But lets talk about something more important: the employees uniforms. No, seriously! Those floppy hats they wear? They should be working at Great America... can't you see them measuring the kids, making sure they are tall enough to ride the swinging Buccaneer? Or how about using one of those tall sticks to prevent traffic jams in the Log Flume? Think about it... read more

the chopped salad at Barnelli's is one of my favorites. It's not a healthy salad though, don't be fooled. Gorganzola cheese. Bacon. Lots of dressing. And pasta. (Yes pasta. IN your salad.) It's just so good. This salad makes me so happy. And Barnelli's is connected to Portillo's. So husband can get his jumbo dog and fries and I can get my salad. Perfect. Barnelli's and Portillo's are not fancy. But they can be perfect when you are hankering for what they offer. I've never been disappointed. Oh. And the drive-thru is super efficient and great. read more

The wait here is ridiculous and it's not because of the amount of people here. The staff behind the counter has no idea what they are doing Been waiting 25 minutes for a simple pasta dish, definitely not coming back. read more

Mouth watering ribs in Chicago? This place was connected to Portilos. Under same company I supposed. After enjoying an Italian beef sandwich and chicago-style hot dog from Portilos, we decided to get some ribs to eat at the hotel if we get hungry late at night. Well actually I just wanted to try it since they were advertising how good their ribs were in the restaurant. Come on...the sign inside said "Award Winning Ribs". How can I not try it right? Boy were they right, those ribs were FIYAH! (off the hook). Even though we ate it kind of cold it was still falling off the bone goodness. It was still tender, tangy, and juicy. Can't go wrong with a good rack of ribs. Haven't tried anything else, but I would go back just for the ribs. ^_^ read more

The epitome of comfort food. Cheap, easy and delish. I am always, always satisfied with the soup, paninis, pastas, salads and sandwiches. If you're not in the mood for a Chicago dog from Portillo's-- grab something from Barnelli's! read more

I am absolutely in love with this place. I've been here several times and it never gets old. When I first walked in I was expecting mediocre fast-food Italian but was impressed with what I had. I get the Lasagna every time with the cheese bread. I try to avoid the place when I'm dieting but otherwise it is really good for being a fast-food type joint. Thinking about the place now makes me hungry for it. read more

If I could give 0 stars I would. Ordered from this place while the rest of my table ordered from the attached restaurant, Portillo's. My table received their food QUICK while mine, a simple pasta dish, took over 30+ minutes with myself being the sole person waiting for food over half that time. Waste of time. read more

I was shopping in the area and wanted some quick food so I gave Barnelli's another shot with the intention of trying their pasta. Once again should have stuck with Portillo's but I wasn't in the mood for a nice greasy sandwich. I ordered the Chicken Al Diavolo, but what I received was some sort of pasta soup with some "chicken" buried beneath the creamy mess. I couldn't finish it because it was so terrible. Even though I did not finish it, I still felt very gross afterward. I mean I didn't come in here expecting fine italian cuisine, but I at least expected some edible food. Barnellis does not get another chance, and has been downgraded to 1 star. The lack of non-chain convenient food in this city is slowly killin me. read more

Service is bad they were rude somewhat incompetent they took forever to make the food but it was good. The cashier was getting impatient while I was finding my card. She was just tapping her finger impatiently. read more

Ambiance 10/10, cleanliness 10/10, friendly staff 10/10. If you want a good meal and don't wanna sacrifice ambiance due to price, great place to be. 2 types of food counters and general dining area is very comfy. Will come back for SURE! read more

Barnelli's Pasta Bowl - a view of the inside of a restaurant - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The ribs at Portillos/Barnellis are very good but different than many expect. If you're expecting Kansas City or Texas type BBQ you may be disappointed. The variety of things available in the whole Portillos/Barnellis complex there should satisfy about anyone, even the most picky eaters! read more

Thanks to Chicago yelpers, we were here for a snack. We were at Portillo first, then went on line here. There was no line. They took our order right away. Our food came in less than 8 minutes. We order the angelhair pasta with meat sauce. We added 2 meatballs. We were not happy with the pasta. There was very little sauce. The meatballs were hard. There was no flavor in the pasta or the meatballs. I am giving them 3 stars for the chocolate cake. The cake was fresh and moist and very tasty. Do stop by for the chocolate cake. read more

I was trying to find a Walgreens to pick up some toiletries and my little electric device directed me to the one across the street from Barnelli's. After getting the stuff I needed at Walgreens, I thought to myself, "hey, why not try that place out across the street... the stuff shouldn't be too bad." It was late and really cold out and I didn't know my way around Chicago too well. So I step in and it's filled with people. This is like 11pm or so. The layout is kind of weird and you have plastic trays and stuff, so I just ordered my stuff to go so I could bring back to my hotel room. The guy packed my stuff up well and assured me the food would still be warm after my long, cold walk back across the river to my hotel. I just thought that was so reassuring, since it looked like it was going to begin to snow. When I got back to the room, the food (pasta, bread, plus soup) was still really warm and surprisingly, pretty good (not THAT good, but pretty damn good) - well exceeding my expectations. Next time I come back to Chicago, I'm going to try the Portillos hot dogs that everybody seems to be raving about. read more

This restaurant is located inside of a Portillo's. This is a problem for me - because unless I am dead set on getting a dog or an Italian Beef (my favorite place for this in all of Chicago) - I must get the Peasant Pasta - a divine concoction made with rigatoni, Italian sausage, chicken, escarole, pancetta and canolini beans in a lovely, light white wine sauce. It's a generous serving that I could share or because no one ever wants to share - I have it a day or so later and it is just as good. In fact, better -- because I do not have to go out to get it! read more

I had the best ever double stuffed ravioli. It was absolutely delicious and it was a lot! I think there were maybe 6 huge ravioli in a serving. I can't wait to go back in and get it again. I got a side of garlic bread with it and that was a great addition. read more

They have good pasta and excellent bread. You can get olive oil on the side and dip it. They have excellent salads and iced tea. Be sure to get a slice of cake for desert. read more