The small plates are best options on the menu, in particular try the beef braciola with polenta.

The service is horrible and the food was expensive with very small portions being served. We would never go back again. Eggplant was tough and served over a strand of spinach. If you are truly hungry go someplace else. We had to stop for burgers on the way home. read more

Last week we took advantage of the Tuesday BOGO pizza/pasta special. Short story, one pizza was mis-prepared but not noticed until I returned home. Caesar apologized when I called. He had the correct pizza prepared and delivered to my home. About that pizza...to quote the menu, Salsiccia Signature Pizza 12 In. Garlic cream, smoked buffalo Mozzarella, caramelized onions, calabrian chili peppers, crumbled sausage, baby kale. Ciabatta style dough with extra virgin olive oil to develop a crispier crust. OMG! I may never eat any other kind of pizza again. So delicious! I requested the kale be omitted, so I can't judge that. The chili peppers were a bit hot for my palate so I picked them off. So good that I ordered it again this week, omitting both the kale and peppers, but requesting a sub of fresh tomatoes. Our second pizza was a Danny's Special Thin Crust with fresh tomatoes instead of mushrooms. Another winner. Two small pizzas cost us around $25 with leftovers for tomorrow. You guys will probably be hearing from us again next week! read more

La Barra - Riverside - Salsicca with tomatoes subbed for kale and peppers, Danny's special thin with tomatoes subbed for shrooms. - Pizza Near Me - Riverside, Illinois

Went in for an early 5pm dinner. We were one of the first parties there. Took a very long time to get our food. I would like to say the food was good but since it was all cold except for a pizza, everyone else's food in our party of course was awful. I will say they took some charges from our bill but I would rather pay more for good service and food than leave upset and disappointed in what was supposed to be a nice family dinner. Should have read the reviews and seen their score before going there. read more

Time after time the same quality core menu... Time after time the same friendly staff welcoming your family and friends for great experience... Time after time the well designed theme dinning room - in a casual table setting- is open! Waiting for you and your.... read more

Seen this spot across from the train station during a farmer's market today and really didn't find anything at the market and wanted something to snack on and boy did this hit the spot Place has great ambiance as soon as you enter the bar is inviting and I'll be staying there next time but we were seated quickly since it was early water and my favorite bread with olive oil and parmesan which is required at any fine Italian establishment Waitresses was cute and very kind took our drink order which I decided on a limoncello sunrise thanksgiving was very strong and great flavors On to the order I was just thinking about trying a whole bunch of dishes but I held back and decided I'd come back a few more times to get to the rest of the menu and decided on the grilled octopus which was cooked perfectly just could use some acidity Second was the toasted raviolis with short ribs nachos which were the highlight of afternoon wow great flavors and great combinations of flavors I think I'll always have that dish again and again We also ordered a 12 inch salsiccia which had great flavor and crust was crunchy with the right amount of chew all in all our visit will not be our last I'll be back for the food and that awesome bar read more

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Nice quality pasta dishes, loved the arugala salad, also. But, did not get the garlic bread (as mentioned in menu with specific pasta dish) and the prices are a bit lofty for a rather small portion of pasta. Good, but not amazing. read more

I didn't appreciate the barcode menus, The ambiance doesn't speak to me. The Tonic Water out of the pour spouts taste stale

I've been to the Oakbrook location and the food was great. This location left much to be desired as far as the food. Their short ribs were dry and I bet reheated you can tell from just looking at the photo. Rest was okay. It's amazing what a difference a cook makes. Their redeeming quality was our server, she was great. They were out of table bread so she had them toast up some slices. I'll take the drive next time. read more

La Barra - Riverside - Braised Short Robs - Pizza Near Me - Riverside, Illinois

The authentic old world Italian style thin crust pizzas are 2 die for! (A 5/5 for their dedication into making pizza the way that it was always made in Italy!). A lot of people from Chicago don't even realize that Deep Dish and Stuffed Pizzas were created/innovated/and perfected right in Chicago! Yes, give something to Americans (even if their immigrants! They catch the "Streets Are Paved With Gold" mentality of striking it rich in America! And because America is also the "Melting Pot" of cultures from all over the world! Plus, Chicago being a world-class City and no shortage of "Foodies" and the trend to make a "Fusion" of anything you can put together! Just look at the all the mutations over at the bar by the experienced Mixologists (I have never had a bad drink from any bartender here!). And La Barra has the best bar and bar stool layout (Actually the Mexican Tequila Bar is equally as nice, come to think about it!) Anyway this is one of the only places I have ever been at that actually makes specialty pizzas that are done like they are in good ole Italy! How do I know? Well, I saw a program on Italy and on authentic food including the centuries old pizza! An old world pizza will come on a very thin crust (no thicker than a stereotypical piece of Pita bread--I know Pita is a Greek bread, but I think everyone can easily identify a pita versus trying to split hairs over saying it is like a really thin crust! Anyway the mozzarella is cut from the traditional ball of soft mozzarella, usually no wider than your average regulation baseball (3 to 4 inches across). Even if it's the right type of soft mozzarella, some pizza places make the mistake of shredding the mozzarella balls instead of cutting no more than 3/8 ths of an inch thick mozzarella slices. The sauce may or may not have been spread over the entire dough! I don't know if there is necessarily an "absolutely correct" way of distributing the sauce because it was passed down over several generations all over Italy! And I don't think we will ever know which came first: Spreading the sauce evenly over most of the flatbread; or drizzling it over until the creator determined it was just the right amount ? It's similar to asking the stumper: Which came first the chicken or the egg? No one now will ever know? Anyway the reason I downgraded this fine Italian ristorante to only 3 stars is for two simple reasons: 1) It's as loud any pop concert with 100s of youngsters screaming at the top of their lungs for their eras hero: Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Pat Benatar, and even The Beatles (which was one of the reasons they gave up touring following America's 1966 baseball stadium tour because the screaming Teenage girls were still as loud as their club dates going back to Hamburg, Germany! That the original boy band decided never to tour again because they still had trouble hearing their own voices and instruments above the never ending screaming of their fans!). Well La Barra IS the loudest restaurant in town, period! For a few thousand dollars they could easily cut down the noise by 30%! But, when I mentioned this to one of the managers, she replied that the owners "want" it to be loud!? Having heard the rumors of this loudness, along with reading negative reviews confirming that this was affecting some of the sound sensitive patrons, I had purposely avoided La Barra like the plague for years, literally! So it's their view that this loudness adds to its"ambiance!?" Well, i will limit my visits from now on to just slow nights or uncrowded afternoons! 2) Despite the large square foot footprint of this restaurant! And that it can hold roughly 100 people comfortably! There is only 1 men's urinal, I men's toilet, and one men's sink in the Men's Bathroom (Banos). So don't be surprised if you are either waiting over 5 minutes to use the urinal alone! Look this could be easily fixed! Churches and the Townhall in Riverside alone have upgraded since the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1991!) I'm not saying fit a wheelchair in to the bathrooms! I'm sure both bathrooms ADA Compliant! My complaint is that this is the newest building in the center of town! And when they built it, they should have thought ahead and have at least 2 urinals, and 2 toilets! (I have heard that the woman's bathroom only has 2 toilets!) So be prepared to hold your water, if you need to relieve yourself at La Barra! You could wait up to 10 minutes if it is for the toilets! One last comment! A big heartfelt thank you to the family that owns La Barra for single-handedly reviving the business and restaurant business of "The Village In The Forest!" AKA Riverside! And now Riverside has a business district that is thriving for the first time in over a decade! So bravo! And a big Italian-style welcome for La Barra! read more

I don't know what everyone else is tasting, but this ain't it. I ordered via UberEats and was thoroughly disappointed. The mussels in white wine sauce were good (not the best but good, 7/10), but THE REAL DISAPPOINTMENT was the spaghetti and meatballs. Now I'm a bit of a spaghetti snob (it's my favorite food, judge yourself not me), so I had a taste for an authentic plate without the drive. The presentation was ugh, sauce taste like a jar and it was too saucy, the noodles weren't al dente, it's not a big portion, and it was $18. I was soooooo mad when I got it because I had high hopes. Will never order again. read more

La Barra - Riverside - Spaghetti and Meatballs - Pizza Near Me - Riverside, Illinois

Great food at a reasonable price. Building is spotless, service is fantastic. The staff takes pride in what they do and it shows.

It is a great neighborhood place and the food is delicious with awesome staff. Pretty much anything you order has wonderful taste

The food is great, but dinner was two hours and 15 mins. We had to find someone after 20 mins of no visit to our table to take an order. We are generally patient people being parents with young kids, but it seemed like there was no real consideration for any customer's time. A few other tables were waving their hands on several occasions to get someone's attention. read more

Came here with friends prior to checking their yelp review. Got here around 4:30 pm Sunday. Not busy. Very attentive and personal waitress. Contrary to the majority of the previous yelp reviews that got me a little worried after reading them. I had the River Living cocktail. Strong and felt it after two sips. Totally recommend. We had bruschetta (it was good, but only three pieces), meatballs (also only three, very tasty), grilled romaine Caesar (very tasty if you like anchovies), and Braciole (yummy, well made). Five stars for this visit. read more

La Barra - Riverside - Braciole was yummy. No complaints - Pizza Near Me - Riverside, Illinois

The food was good. It's a great local spot. The live music was good. Good family spot to eat at. I would take the family back. read more

This place is un believable if I could give a place 0 stars I would I waited 1 hole hour for my food and I still did not get it so I left the service on our waiters end was bad she did not even touch the table once again this place is un believable read more

I've visited at least 3 times, twice dine in, once carry out, and the food was amazing. The braciole shortribs, tender. I substituted the polenta for pasta. I also tried the arugula salad with goat cheese and truffle honey, delicious. Tried the Leone's lemon chicken and roasted potatoes, wonderfully seasoned. And the garlic knots and baked goat cheese sooo good. Other items I've tried was the Mediterranean Mussels in crushed tomatoes, and brushetta. Both fantastic. Especially the mussels. Amazing experience for a foodie. Gotta try. read more

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I recently had the garlic knot which was excellent and the arugula but the Lemon Chicken (with potatoes) was definitively out of this world (highly recommended). read more

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I have said this before and I will say this again, what is the deal with all the hype? The only thing I can think of is it is because La Barra is part of the Riverside community. La ti da. The food is still way overpriced and lacks any real flavor. Case in point, their $18 Eight Finger Cavatelli. It was supposed to be with a spicy vodka sauce. No sauce to be found, only dry noodles. So very dissapointing. I will not be back. read more

La Barra - Riverside - Looks pretty, but really??? - Pizza Near Me - Riverside, Illinois

This place has great food for sure ! But who do they serve? I watched the manager go to every table and talk to every family but mine and me and the mrs being the only people of color there just sat disappointed. Our server visited our table 1 time and kept checking on the family next to us and then we finally flagged the server down and asked why it took 15 minutes to get a drink and she just put her hand on my shoulder and went to get the drinks ... never coming here again read more

Neighborhood- moments in time - what else can I say. Always a good option, family friendly ( unless their is live music , then not for everyone ) read more

Great device from my waitress Becky. Thank you. The pizza was delicious and I came back for the lasagna a few days later. Helpful tip if you order the old fashioned to ask for the big ice cube. It has a great flavor profile but it will get watered down to fast if you get the bar ice read more

Why this restaurant has an average of 4 stars is beyond me. We ordered fried zucchini for an appetizer and it was severed like shoe string fries with not enough marinara sauce. Not worth $10. We also ordered a 16 in custom pizza: pesto sauce, fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil. This pizza was pitiful. The pesto sauce had absolutely no flavor and lacked salt. The cooks cooked the fresh basil to a blackened crisp instead of putting the ingredient on last as to not burn it. Toppings were nearly $3 each. When we told our waitress about the basil being terrible she said she notified the cooks, and that they sent their apologies. We we're hoping she would at the least take the basil off the bill but she didn't catch the hint. Total bill including hot tea was $38. Not worth it. Interior is beautiful and so is the outdoor patio but I don't see myself coming back. As needy as Riverside is for a good restaurant like this, the establishment's outward appeal is more gratifying than what they're actually producing. read more

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A delivery app made a mistake with my order. LaBarra took charge and the general manager personally delivered 2 delicious pizzas to make up for the outside apps mistake. Above and beyond! Thank you! read more

Visited yesterday around 7pm with a group of 9 for my friends 30th birthday. Not sure why but it smelled like pungent urine when we walked in and the smell persisted. The place was decorated beautifully, but the staff was pretty awful. Our waitress got irritated that it took us a hot minute to look over the menu (in all fairness, we were being chatty and took maybe 5 minutes after sitting down for everyone to figure out what they wanted to order). Strangely, when I ordered the fettuccini Alfredo, I was told "no, just drinks right now". Weird. Then the waitress never came back. After 30 minutes we finally gave up hope on eating and just asked for our check. No apology whatsoever. The same waitress refused to let us split the check. Super bizarre place, I can't believe it was 7pm on a Saturday and for some reason we weren't allowed to order food. (The place was pretty full and all other tables were eating dinner). I can't even put into words how weird the experience was. Also - the bread they bring out to the tables was great, but there is something wrong with the olive oil - it almost tastes like it has alcohol in it. It stings on your tongue with a chemically taste. read more

On Saturday February 26, 2022 my husband and I decide to eat an early dinner. We decided on LaBarra. The restaurant opened at 3pm. We arrived 355pm. We were told that we needed to wait till 4 because they were not officially opened yet even though there hours say they open at 3. After being seated we orders drinks and they were in a plastic cup instead of glasses. We were told that they have a glass shortage even though we noticed at least 24 glasses sitting on tables through out the restaurant. We also noticed that other people received glasses for their drinks. The service was horrible. it took 5 times before I received sugar and ice that I asked for. The food is just ok and a little pricey. read more

Wow!!! I just moved to the area about a year ago. After being spoiled great pizza in the city I had yet to find a good pie in the area....until today!!! I had their deep dish and it was amazing. Caramelized crust and just the right amount of juicy. Their pizza give "pequods" a run for their money, and it was delivered faster than expected. I found my pizza place! Ordered a pizza for the all star game. It was supposed to be delivered at 8:05.order was placed @6:50 so this wasn't bad. They usually deliver later than expected so at 8:15 I was still expecting my pizza. 8:30 I call. Yeah your orders here?? You can pick it up??? What!! How has my order just been sitting there and nobody thinks to do something about it?? The person on the phone was blaming grub hub, but how do you not do anything until the customer calls. I speak to the "manager" and explain I don't want a cold pizza. I've already waiters this long make sure the pizza does not get here cold. read more

Meh. Had never been here before. Unlike many reviews, the service was totally fine: attentive, courteous, and prompt, but it was shortly after opening and not busy. The food (eggplant parmesan and fettucini alfredo) just okay - bland. Pasta dry-ish, sauce skimpy. Pretty pricey for mediocre food. Didn't try the pizzas, so have no reports to make there. No plans to return, though. read more

Generally, I like La Barra and what they're doing for Riverside. That said, here are two pieces of honest feedback. 1) Their pizzas were solid in years 1 and 2, but have slipped in quality. The deep dish generally lacks flavor and is often scant on toppings. 2) This one is important. On more than one occasion the dough has been raw in the deep dish. What I first thought was creamy cheese was raw dough. Dangerous. We now only order thin crust pizza on Tuesday (BOGO days). Villa Nova for example, offers a far tastier, more consistent pizza, for less. read more

The food was SO good, this place has the potential to be a 5. We have been wanting to try La Barra for two years and finally decided to come in for Father's Day. We loved the fried artichokes, the mussels, the brussel sprouts and the beets, but then we were pretty much forgotten the second half of our meal. We couldn't get refills on water or a dessert menu, and finally we went inside to pay our bill because we couldn't get anyone's attention. I hope that in the future they put as much effort into service as they do the food. This restaurant could be great. read more

The Italian food here is solid, but most of the options are pretty common. Best dishes are actually their bread, appetizers and salads. My favorites are the seafood salad and the short rib and polenta appetizer. Solid wine list, singers/bands are a nice addition and the bar is really nice and becomes busy quickly since it is right by the train station so lots of Happy Hour folks! read more

Great pizza her. Had a traditional margarita pizza that was delicious I with a glass of red wine. Parking here is a bit of a hassle. I'm not a fan of valet, so this was a con for me. read more

La Barra - Riverside - Pizza Near Me - Riverside, Illinois

Haven't lived in the area long and are just trying the local places. This place is amazing! Excellent drink menu and all the food we have tried was super! They always make us feel welcome. read more

La Barra - Riverside - Village Old Fashioned. Yum - Pizza Near Me - Riverside, Illinois

Just dine if you have a to go order add a extra 20 minutes to the time that they tell you to come pick up sucks because this is actually the third this has happened why have a pick up option and tell me a eta but not start until I get there? Patio and wait staff is awesome I just wish they could get something this simple right read more

La Barra - Riverside - No staff as I wait by myself - Pizza Near Me - Riverside, Illinois

Never disappointed in the food or service. Always get a round of apps and drinks. Great wine list and reasonable. Food is not the heavy red sauce and cheese. read more

I went there for the first time Couldn't ordered anything that was fried Due to lack of staff Half of the items i saw on Yelp was not on the menu I ordered fettuccini Alfredo No flavor at all very bland And out food took FOREVER to come out. It's a Sunday everyone likes to eat get more staff.. Wouldn't recommend or go back again Did not enjoy the 2 hours I was there read more

We had a wonderful Mother's Day brunch. The food was amazing, with so many great choices, it was like a true brunch. Service was good and so was the atmosphere. While recommended for any evening dining, because their regular menu is very good, if you have a chance to do one of their holiday brunches, it is a great choice then as well. read more

I recently tried La Barra for Mother's Day for our first time and I was not impressed with the Fettuccini Alfredo, it lacked flavor/salt. My family ordered the Salmon which was also lacking in flavor. The linguine with shrimp was unbelievably disappointing, the shrimp had a very fishy taste. The service was good, and I hoping that maybe the food lacked because of the busy holiday. The appetizers were a dismal, The bruschetta was soggy, the brussel sprouts were very citrusy lacking that sweet edge and flavor from the bacon. The calamari was decent but not worth the price. read more

Was there for dinner one weekend. Sat outside, which was nice. Service was very slow. Food decent and not overpriced. Will try again for sure. read more