A 4.5-star affair... A fantastic Italian restaurant from A to Z. We do not get Italian cuisine like this in our hood. Thus, we love our trips out East. The TRUFFLE BREAD w/SPICY PICKLED VEGGIES was excellent, and the spicy veggies stole the show. I made my dad jealous with images. GRILLED OCTOPUS in a CREAMY SAUCE with fennel and greens: -- not ultra-tender but very delicious -- very good dish RATING = A BUCATINI CARBONARA: -- visually stunning -- thick hollow bucatini -- fresh delectable pasta -- so creamy and flavorful -- probably the best rendition of this famous dish I have ever had in 10 or more years of consuming it -- modest portion size RATING = A+ SKIRT STEAK FRITES: -- steak fries' style which are not my ideal since often less crisp -- "medium" done steak as requested -- fantastic quality steak but small portion sadly for the cost with skirt steak not being a premiere cut but more of a casual delicious cut that is very hard to overcook -- garlic aioli dipping sauce is yum -- value is "so so" RATING = A+ BROCCOLINI: -- so very flavorful that the wife knowingly comments about veggies never tasting this good at home...too many health nuts in Cali so they are usually scared of oil, butter, grease, fat etc. -- nicely seasoned RATING = A+ BRUSSEL SPROUTS: -- great char -- taste and sniff addicting -- great texture -- sauce is light but tasty and clearly there RATING = A+ AFFOGATO: -- ice cream very sweet (vanilla) -- coffee by local co. "Sparrow" is way too sour and bitter (level 5 on sour and level 7 on bitter) -- this would be better with a chocolatey nutty bolder coffee vs. a sour citrusy fruity coffee -- the wife gets this all the time and this was a miss and needs improvement RATING = B- Love the classic style and vibe inside. A great look and feel. STAFF provide exceptional service. They are located in a seriously hot dining district of the city so expect crowds. read more

We ordered several dishes to try: Appetizers: 1. Caesar salad - more anchovies but great flavors and big portion 2. Burrata - delicious with pesto and chickpeas and the prosciutto 3. Nonna's meatballs - recommended to us and they were four giant meatballs of deliciousness with marina sauce. Absolutely delicious but so filling that we couldn't finish pasta Pastas 1. Orechiette - squid ink pasta with rock shrimp; love the flavor of squid ink and cooked well. Sauce was decent. 2. Bucatini carbonara - egg on top that we mixed in. Pancetta and perfectly cooked bucatini that was unlike any other bucatini I've had. Delicious! Drinks 1. Cucumber cocktail with rosemary was refreshing but I realized I have a more fruity taste palette. 2. My hubby liked his Pinot noir. I liked the cute giant glass Vibes: giant restaurant with elegant decoration that felt homey. Clean bathrooms. And with the summer festival going on, it was an interesting contrast in indoor versus outdoor vibes. The inside is also bustlin' and loud from chatter. Service was okay, but they were too busy to really be attentive. read more

I came to Formento's with some Yelp friends for Restaurant Week and I'm pleased to say it exceeded my expectations. Given its location in West Loop, I usually expect pretty exorbitant prices for food that's just good, maybe great. At least from the Restaurant Week menu, I felt that both the price reasonable and the food was great. To start, I got the Nonna's Meatballs. The meatballs were tender, a perfect size, and seasoned appropriately. I'm usually not a huge meatball guy, but these hit the spot. Next, I got the Canestri pasta with Sunday Gravy which I felt was the highlight of the meal for me. The pasta texture is perfect, and the sauce is wonderfully light, especially after the whipped ricotta is mixed in. Third, I got the chicken parm, which is good. The chicken was crisp and there was a lot of parm on top. I'm not certain if I would get it again, though. Finally, I got the banana cream tart for dessert which I really enjoyed. The banana cream was light and the crust of the tart was delicious, although slightly too thick. Service throughout the night was about what you would expect from a nice West Loop restaurant, attentive but not particularly outstanding. The whole restaurant also has a pretty upscale feel to it (aka dark) which helped me enjoy my food. I think I'll be back at some point! Food: 4.75/5 Price: 4.25/5 Service: 4/5 Ambiance: 4.25/5 Overall: 4.5/5 read more

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Excellent choice for mid to upscale Italian cuisine and steaks. Fresh made pasta and excellent aged steak cuts including Wagyu. Full bar and excellent wine and cocktail menu. Super friendly hospitable service. Great for couples or large groups. read more

Formento's - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We just had a friends birthday dinner here! We were able to snag a 10 person rezzy very last minute which was great. The food was good as were the drinks. The service was a bit slow but that may just be because we were a large group. Also in a good central location of west loop! read more

Very expensive but great service and great portions. Nice ambiance. Charging $4 for a Coke refill is insane but I may be trash and not know better. read more

Formentos needs to be on your must visit list! Let's start with the fact that their pasta is made in house and you can taste it! The recipes here consists of food that is made from scratch with recipes from Nonna Formento - the beloved grandmother of one of the owners. It's full of flavor and that good Italian feeling that can only come from well executed cusine. Their famous Nonnas meatballs, the garlic bread with the truffle butter in the Housemade giardinara, the Parmesan chicken, the Wagyu fillet - all DELICIOUS! And the desserts? Just wow! They have a new banana tart dessert that is light but lovely if you are a fan of banana pudding and the chocolate cake? I can see why people just come in for a slice of it! It's so rich, moist and one slice is just not enough! They have a great wine list and if you ask they are more than happy to recommend a good pairing for your meal. If you are going for CHICAGO RESTAURANT WEEK - They have a four course meal for $60 which comes with an optional beverage pairing for $39! And their portions for restaurant week are still BIG! I loveeedddd that! The beverage pairing is also very well put together and you get a couple of options for each pairing. And ask for Louis to be your server! He's the best! read more

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(BASED ON RESTAURANT WEEK MENU) This was my first time visiting Formento, and most of the items were great. The service was also very good. We decided to go with the Restaurant Week menu, which cost around $60 per person depending on your selections. For the first course, I picked Meatballs. The meatballs were very juicy and paired perfectly with the tomato sauce. The dish came with two pieces. For the second course, I had the Bucatini Cacio e Pepe. The handmade pasta was fresh and chewy. I really enjoyed the texture and the richness of the sauce. I also tried a few bites from my friends' dishes. The Chicken Parmesan was amazing. This is a must order and is also available on the regular menu. The Kuro Wagyu was a great value from the Restaurant Week menu. The meat was cooked at the right temperature and seasoned well. However, the Scottish salmon dish was a disaster. The fish was dry and overly seasoned. It was the worst salmon I have ever had. I would recommend avoiding the salmon option on the Restaurant Week menu. The other items were great though. Lastly, the chocolate cake was excellent. It had a strong chocolate flavor and a beautiful presentation. I am going to come back on valentine day, I hope to try different items! read more

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I picked Formento's over a few other places for a small, special event. I visited all of the venues and met with the special event representatives of each places. Formento's had the perfect private space that I wanted. I especially liked the old brick walls and antique wooden cabinet in the room. What really helped me decide to choose this place over the others is the Director of Sales, India D. Compared to the other event representatives whom I've dealt with, India's sincerity and thoughtfulness stood out. I came back to the venue in less than a month to finalize the menu and other details. I met with India and Wendy P, the event manager. They were both fantastic. They listened to what I wanted for the event, and they also offered great recommendations. They charge a fee if guests want to bring in their own cake. You can either pay the fee or order a custom made cake from their pastry chef. I opted to send pictures of the cake design I wanted. Wendy confirmed with me that their pastry chef can create my request. The price was very reasonable too. The service that we received during the event itself was excellent. I liked the personalized menu for each guest. During dinner, Wendy came by to make sure that everything was going well for us. The designated server for our event, along with the rest of the staff, were all efficient and great. The food was delicious. We had the family style dinner which included: Starters: PROSCIUTTO TOAST, NONNA'S MEATBALLS, GEM LETTUCE SALAD Entrees: CLASSIC CANESTRI, CHICKEN PARMESAN, PORK CHOP Sides: CRISPY POTATOES, WOOD GRILLED BROCCOLINI Desserts: CHOCOLATE CAKE, VANILLA GELATO The chocolate cake from the pastry chef was amazing. It was not just beautiful, but it was moist and had the perfect sweetness. Thank you to India, Wendy, and the rest of the staff of Formento's in making this event special for my family and I. It was a happy and unforgettable evening. read more

Formento's - Cake by the pastry chef - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Manning Reservations for 5 at 6pm. Extremely slow. We were there to celebrate my wife's 50+ Birthday. The food toke a very long time to come out. The table behind us said the same so I know it wasn't me. Everyone else thought the food was good. Bad service is bad food. They quickly brought the bill and charged my card with the quickness. Won't return read more

Steak sliders, fried olives, noonas meatballs, cheesy bread, all delicious. I forgot to take pictures. Service was good as I sat at the bar for happy hour. The ambiance was great and whiskey warm. There is valet options or paid street parking. read more

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Excellent service, steaks seafood wine and pastas. Definitely recommend. Went there with a large group everyone was happy with the steaks and pastas as well as the after dinner coffees and desserts. read more

perfectly located in the heart of west loop on randolph is this fine italian eatery. we were able to snag a last minute reservation on the friday before valentine's day but the restaurant was definitely bustling. opted to sit at the bar and had the attention of three bartenders and a bar back all of whom were fantastic, attentive and charming. the octopus and celery puree was my favorite dish of the night and the lamb T-bone was cooked to a perfect rare plus temp with a great char from the wood fire grill. the buccatini carbonara unfortunately didnt really impress. i love a house made pasta, but ours came out still tasting of raw flour more than anything else. still, this wasn't a deal breaker and we had a lovely time. chicago has no shortage of italian spots, but formento's sticks around for a reason! read more

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Came in for restaurant week! The restaurant is gorgeous and both the host and waiter delivered great service! The food left a little something to be desired! I really enjoyed the meatballs, and the sauce on the pasta was delicious but I think would have paired better with a smaller noodle as it was hard to eat, at least in a classy way! I saw a lot of groups inside! Highly recommend making a reservation as this place is in the most poppin corner of west loop! Overall we both have it a 6 out of 10 read more

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My colleagues and I were supposed to eat at another restaurant nearby but their WIFI was done which meant they could not accept credit cards. So we checked some other places and Formento's could take our party of 9 at the last minute. They saved the day. Our service and food were very good. Here is what we had. Appetizers: Nonna's Meatballs Parmesan, Marinara - super yummy Whipped ricotta Seasonal Fruit, Pistachio Dukkah, Hot Honey, Sourdough - I was limiting my dairy intake so skipped this but the group loved this. Garlic Bread - I had a piece of this. It was very good. The waiter brought me a plain, grilled piece too since I was limiting my dairy intake. I ate that one too. Yum! For entree, I had a filet minion. This was cooked to my liking, had a nice grilled char flavor and was very tender. Others had steak frites, various pastas and fish dishes. We also got a few sides that were good too - brussel sprouts, mushrooms and giant white beans. All yummy! We had a really nice meal with good service. A great west loop restaurant. read more

Formento's - Filet minion - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Worst dining experience of my life. Food took 1:30 hours to come out. Dish that was recommended was awful. Ambiance was solid. read more

AMAZING food!!! Super high quality and a LOT of gluten free options! Our waiter even brought out gluten free bread for me without having to ask and informed me of all the options I had which I appreciated! Amazing wine & drinks as well. Loved the vibe, very relaxing and elegant! read more

Really enjoyed the first trip here for dinner. We had a lot of appetizers, and the kale salad was pretty good. On to the pasta, there are a couple of vegetarian options, which was nice. Also you can substitute gluten free pasta on almost any of the entrees, which is also cool. Pasta is the one thing where I have that gf issue. So the pasta with vodka sauce is what I had and it was really good. Flavorful, impactful, bam. I lived it. I had a couple of other apps too, but I can't recall. We must've been on a real trip that day, because we also had dessert. The chocolate cake was more... Like mousse vs a cake. The cheesecake was also ok. Desserts weren't great, but it wasn't enough to drop it down to 4. read more

Nice attentive service and good food Would definitely come here again, the gelato was stellar read more

Honey! Go to the bar! Marie, Mario, Josh, and Rilee will take amazing care of you! We did the restaurant week menu and it was everything but first we had some grilled oysters wonderfully prepared and then the ricotta appetizer amazing then into the restaurant week menu I had a salad then the Bucatini Cacio de Pepe, chicken Parmesan, which was amazing and the banana. I can't remember if it was a tart, but it was tart Ish.. anyway all of it divine. I went to the restroom and they were clean, which is a plus parking I did valet, but there is paid parking around the restaurant. I will definitely be back but be advised they have a 30 minute happy hour after 9 o'clock that you should definitely check out bartender Josh made us a cherry ginger fizz and I had two of them and they had me feeling right. The vibe was very family friendly but also if you're just hanging out with your girls and gossip in at the bar, amazing but also could be great for a date night.. if you go, let me know your thoughts read more

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The meatballs at Formento's are divine. So good I was eating the sauce by itself haha. The vibe in here is very formal, but everyone is so nice it's like you're at a relatives house. Food is top tier, everything was so good and I was completely full half way through the chicken parm. It made for a good lunch today though. My two friends got caccio e Pepe & they said it was very close to the best they've ever had. I'd love to come back and try during a regular week as well read more

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Beautiful, warm and inviting dining room. Classic Italian American feel. Staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Offered up recommendations and explained the menu fully. Our appetizer and entrees were all well executed. Great flavors and textures. Had a nice wine list and their signature Manhattan cocktail was excellent. read more

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Ambiance was great for a group dinner, we genuinely enjoyed everything ordered. The bucatini carbonara was definitely a stand-out dish, and kale salad was addictive. Service was a bit slower (probably due to Restaurant Week) but still very attentive. read more

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Service and ambiance were good, but I was expecting more from the food for the price. The pastas were both okay, very small serving. Salad was average, the potatoes were the best thing we ordered. read more

Formento's - Bucatini Cacio E Pepe Paccheri Calabrian Potatoes - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Went here for my birthday dinner before a show. I'm not typically an Italian food fan but it was the filet that caught my eye. We were so impressed by the quality of the food AND the service. We brought our own bottle of wine though their wine selection is excellent. The steak was cooked to perfection. The bucatini with the egg yolk was surprisingly delicious, I didn't think I'd love it as much as I did. The white bean and kale side was light and fresh. Hands down the best part of the night was our server in the bar area. We told the manager how excellent he was, he made my night extra special. There are a lot of solid Italian options in Chicago, but I would put Formento's at the top. read more

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Had a wonderful experience! The food here was fantastic - honestly consistently across the board everything we had was so good. The restaurant itself is a gorgeous place and the staff were very upbeat. Cocktail menu is pretty solid! read more

Formento's - Brown sage ravioli - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Had such a fantastic experience at Formento's all around! The ambience is comfortable but still upscale, our server was super kind, and the food was incredible. I especially loved the beef carpaccio and shaved brussel sprout salad as well as the pork chop and mussels. They were even kind enough to bring our large party some desserts since we were celebrating a special occasion, and it was easy to get a reservation for a group. Will absolutely be back, highly recommend. Food: 5/5 Price: 4.5/5 Service: 5/5 Ambience: 4/5 read more

We booked the second floor event space at Formento's for our wedding. We cannot say enough good things about the staff!!! The sales staff and event planning staff answered all of our questions and guided us through the process with patience and care. Everyone working the event was very friendly and accommodating - true professionals. Friends and family made a point to compliment the staff, they felt very well cared for. The space gave off an understated elegant vibe which is exactly what we wanted for our event. The location was perfect - urban setting close to hotels, cafes, bars with easy access to downtown for a city hall wedding. The food was delicious, which was one of the top factors when originally booking this location. I would definitely book this location again if the occasion presented itself or recommend to others! read more

I came here on a Sunday evening with a revelation, and it was surprisingly pretty empty inside. I liked the atmosphere and vibe of the restaurant. We got the calamari as a starter, and it was good. It's not the best calamari I've ever had, but it satisfied my craving for it. There were some fried veggies on the plate too, so it wasn't all calamari. I ordered the wild mushroom risotto and loved the black truffle flavor; it was so good. There was a ton of short rib on top of the risotto, so I was very happy with the portion size of my meal. I also got a complimentary birthday gelato or sorbet, so I chose a scoop of vanilla gelato. They lit up the candle for me, so it was fun to be able to blow it out and felt extra festive. The service was great, very pleasant and friendly. I went to the bathroom during the meal, and they re-folded my napkin for me. They were also very prompt with refilling water glasses. The risotto was one of my favorite meals in Chicago, so I'm definitely wanting to get it again in the future. read more

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This was my first time here and the food did not disappoint! The staff was welcoming and friendly! The house staff made sure to ask for allergies and even brought out gluten free bread for one of the guests dining at our table! The Formento's spritzer was tasty and refreshing, quite a bit of ice in it- so it watered down. The orecchiette was nice, surprisingly more shrimp than expected in it! The chili aspect of it felt a bit absent but still good! The establishment itself is clean inside-was busy from the time we got there to the time we left! Air was quite loud which at times made it hard to hear someone right next to you, but overall good experience. read more

Formento's - Orecchiette - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Good ambiance inside and it's a huge restaurant. Made a reservation a few days before. Our server was so nice and fun, amazing service but I forget his name! Food was solid too! Our favorite was the carbonara. Overall a decent place. read more

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Excellent dinner at Formento's recently. My daughter and I arrived and sat at the bar for a bit while watching college baseball. Her friend arrived shortly after, and we were seated for dinner. Our server was very attentive and did a great job walking us thru the menu. Everything was delicious - two pasta dishes and a gnocchi dish! read more

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I was in the West Loop neighborhood and decided to give Foremento's a try! Getting a reservation here wasn't that difficult. My friend and I ordered a burrata to share along with Paccheri which was a pasta dish with vodka sauce. The food was a bit underwhelming or rather Chicago has better Italian spots! read more

Formento's - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

First off want to shout out the app InKind (this is not a paid promo haha)! I highly recommend you download it and check out the restaurant offers they have because I got $100 off my meal here and left paying $47 (including taxes) + tip! See pictures for what I got + we ordered 4 lemonades (2 each) that were $4 each. Menu online has the correct food pricing if you wanna check that out! We didn't order wine or liquor so can't speak too much on that. The meatballs were yummy.. very soft and the sauce was tasty. The brussels sprouts as well were good but I wanted more vinaigrette on top to give it just a bit more of that flavor I desired. The fritto misso was a miss for us because of the breading - it tasted like chicharrones. The noodles themselves were al dente and were quite interesting. They gave the shape of a thick spaghetti. The cacio e pepe was amazing - that sauce was everything! The carbonara on the other hand lacked a lot of flavor unfortunately. Our server was really nice. We sat outside because we had our dog (super dog friendly!) read more

Formento's - Nonnas Meatballs Brussels Sprouts Fritto Misto - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Celebrated a birthday here and had a lovely time! Great service and a nice patio in west loop. Ordered the canestri which came with a side of meatball and Italian sausage. It was soooo good! Some of the girls ordered the large seafood tower (said it was amazing), cocktails, and everyone loved their order. They topped it off by bringing out ice cream for our birthday girl Thanks for a great night of homemade pastas and yummy food! read more

Formento's - Canestri - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Delicious food and great service from our waitress, Kasia! Loved the Cacio e Pepe, brussel sprouts, and crispy potatoes. They are very accommodating for both gluten free and nut allergy. They even had gluten free bread to bring out to start. The interior is dark and upscale but not overly stuffy. read more

Best service I've ever had. Justine went above and beyond. Food was incredible! This place deserves 10 stars read more

Formento's - Rib eye steak, black ink pasta and Alfredo pasta. - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went based on a suggested as they do gluten free well. Omg am I full! I chose to sit at the bar, as I was alone and didn't want to take up a table. I was immediately greeted with a smile. I wish I caught his name but he assured me I would have no issues ordering gluten free. He was on top of making sure I had all I needed including GF bread. The app was overwhelming for one, very heavy. Should have done a salad. It was so good I kept eating and I overdid it. The pasta was perfectly cooked, the sauce very flavorful, and sausages had great spice level. Very happy with my decision to go there and highly recommend! read more

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I have been to Formentos twice, and both times the service and food has been good! The most recent time was for an anniversary and they made it feel so special! read more

Formento's - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The service was great, but the food did not deliver for the price. The Chicken Parmesan had some flavor, but the side of spaghetti, although comped, was bland and lacked seasoning. The carbonara tasted more like buttered noodles than a true carbonara. The ribeye was seasoned well, and the vodka pasta was decent, but overall the meal felt overpriced and very under-seasoned for what we received. read more