Thinking of going to Orso's for dinner ?, think again ! Our party had to write this review because how bad the food was and how our party was treated. On Saturday June 4, 2022, we had a party of seven for dinner at Orso's. It was one of the worst experiences we had ever encountered and the food was terrible. If you order the grilled Calamari, you should Just eat a Michelin tire because it was like chewing rubber. They don't know how to grill the calamari and they overcook it. When ordering our meal one of our guests requested that they butterfly their steak, the reply from the waitress was "what do you mean Butterfly" ?. In addition, another guest asked to add peppercorn. Again, the reply from the waitress was "what's that" ? Both guests ordered one steak well done, the other rare. When their entrées arrived neither of their steaks were done correctly. When the guests complained, the female server said, "it is what it is". As a result, we said this is unacceptable and asked her to send the steaks back and cook them correctly, which resulted with this server having this condescending attitude which was totally uncalled for. We immediately called for the manager requesting to change servers because of her attitude. When leaving the restaurant, we requested the owner of the restaurant, which never happened. Customers should never be treated this way and customer service should always be a priority. Obviously, the staff, management and the owner should have resolved this diplomatically with us. Ed M . read more

After hearing great things about Orso's, we made a reservation for a small, Sunday morning family brunch. The restaurant was pretty empty at the time and even though we were the only table of customers, the service was very slow at the beginning - we sat around for maybe 10 minutes before the server finally came back to take our order. After the awkward start, service was fine. The food, however, left much to be desired. The farmer's salad and steamed mussels were good, but both our Capellini Melissa and Rigatoni Paisano were actually overcooked - the pasta was too soft/mushy and not at all what we would expect from an established Italian restaurant. The salmon vesuvio was okay as well. Everything was good but nothing exceptional. We will probably give Orso's another try some day, but are definitely not rushing back anytime soon. read more

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The gnocchi was very disappointing in my opinion. Too much cheese filling, made it very dense and not very enjoyable. I expected so much more from this place given all the great reviews I read. read more

Incredibly average Italian food. Much better places for an Italian meal in Chicago. They do have a nice patio in the back if you are looking for a cozy outdoor atmosphere on a nice night. read more

Walking into orso's is like walking into another century. In the front they have a gorgeous long vintage dark wooden Bar with an extensive selection of liquor. The main floor dining area is intimate and dimly lit, but has exquisite chandeliers. You can almost picture some of Chicago's old mobsters sitting next to you In the dining area. There is a gorgeous piano in the back of the first floor dining room, which was not being used, unfortunately, while we were there. I found it kind of strange, when I asked the employee standing next to the piano when someone would be playing it, he snidely replied I don't know. We were there on a Thursday night and I hope they have someone playing on the weekends. Went to an event in the patio, which considering it was December, was closed and well heated. It was wonderfully decorated for the holidays and was a great atmosphere for a party! There is a separate bar on the patio, and this a great place to have an event. I'm really looking forward to returning here in warmer weather, and enjoying the patio being open on a nice day. Unfortunately, we only had pizza and wine that day. Thin crust cheese, vegetarian, and pepperoni, which was good, not great I did not get to experience more off of the extensive menu. We will plan a return visit here to try more of the food and soak in the old world decor. read more

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This is a really nice and unique place with old school interior. Very romantic. Waiters are nice and helpful food. However for the food itself, I would say it's just so so. We ordered Fumigato and Jalapeno Gnocchi, and they didn't impress us. Probably a better place for appetizers and drinks. read more

Orso's - Fumigato and Jalapeno Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Fumagata pasta was so good, my server, Ava, recommended it to me and while it's not something I would typically get, I was pleasantly surprised. It was my birthday and Ava really made my experience, amazing service. Thank you Ava, will be coming for my birthday again next year, but will be back sooner than that. read more

Located in Old Town, this elegantly appointed restaurant has a great bar and food. The dining areas are richly decorated with chandeliers and architecturally interesting details. This place maximizes the use of space. It is said that the cabernet is excellent. Its the Christmas season and the restaurant has christmas music playing in the background. I love that this restaurant gives back to the community by inviting guests to donate toys and accepting them in convenient boxes. read more

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Great scotch with a very smooth burning taste to it . I recommend it without rocks for a better experience. And for the food, if you are a salad lover and like arugula and spinach you would this plate. I recommend this plate. This restaurant is not too expensive and with $20 I was able to have a very nice lunch with a nice glass of whiskey. read more

Orso's - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I went there for brunch and had the chicken Parmesan sandwich. It was a little dry and not super flavorful. The service was ok. The place is cute and cozy but it was pretty empty. read more

This is simply mediocre. I went for restaurant week and was underwhelmed. Could have been what I had, but could have been much better. Ordered the mixed greens salad, which was okay, but the greens seemed a bit, blah. The pecans and bacon were excellent, and the dressing had a nice bite to it. Then got the short ribs, which were extremely underwhelming. They didn't have a lot of flavor and was just blah in general. Also the potatoes that came with it were good, but again needed a light seasoning or something of the sort. After dinner, got the ameretto gelato, which was excellent. Nice flavor and quality. Also had the wine with dinner, which was a good house pinot. Service was decent and ambiance was great. Had a guy playing a piano, which added to the vibe. read more

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We were impressed with how delicious the food was! Best lasagna I have ever had. Everything was fresh. Ximena was our waitress and she went above and beyond to make our time more enjoyable. I would definetely come back! Great italian place for sure! Side note: the sauce for the fried calamari was sooooo good and fresh!! read more

Stopped by because they had a nice outdoor patio as we aren't quite ready for indoor dining. Ambiance was great, service was great, food was really mediocre. Reservations were easy to make which is always a plus. There are generally two types of Italian restaurants. Ones where the portions are small and refined and ones where it's just as much food as they can fit on the plate. Orso's is the latter. Which I say only to warn others attempting to decide how much to order. My wife and I got a few items: calamari, tomato and artichoke soup, jalapeño gnocchi and the veil prosciutto tortellini. The soup was the best thing we ate. The gnocchi was a super unique from a flavor standpoint, but they didn't have a recommendation sauce to pair with it. They suggested the garlic and oil, but that felt lazy. You have this beautiful potato gnocchi with subtle peppery warmth and you just toss it with burnt garlic? Meh. The prosciutto tortellini was really underwhelming. Flavor balance was odd. There was almost too much fat with the cheese and the veal and the cream. Completely lacked balance. I'm all for rich dishes but cutting the fat is so important. Missed the mark here. Calamari was mediocre. The real saving Grace was the ambiance and service. This place is fine. Not bad, not great. Just really ok food with good service. read more

Amazing Italian Penne alla Vodka! The waiter also recommended Chicken Vesuvio which was out of this world. I highly recommend the sangria for a summer drink. The restaurant took precautions due to COVID-19 such as using paper menus, all staff wore masks and gloves, bread was individually wrapped, olive oil was distributed in individual containers, and I was seated on the upper outdoor patio, far away from other customers. The staff was so quick and attentive- special shout out to Ely (spelling?). I am excited to go back! Hoping to try the pizza next time. Thanks for a great experience, Orso's! read more

Orso's - Penne alla Vodka and Sangria - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The wait staff "Hailey" discriminated against me and my girl friend. She didn't like us for some reason and told the whole wait staff not to serve us. We asked the bartender why and he just responded "no fucking chance". I feel extremely sad and uncomfortable. read more

NEVER NEVER COME HERE!!!!!! Hailey the hostess underpromises and under delivers and is ultimately the meanest person I've ever met in my life. We complained about the wait time and she told all the wait staff not to serve us. The Bartender Jake told us "I will never fucking serve you in my life". Do not come here. They are rude. Food is average. Not a place to spend your money. I can go on and on. read more

I ordered in from Orso's. The fumigato good, but it lacked flavour according to me. The gnocchi was different, soft and had a good spice hit to it. But I wasn't able to eat a lot of it since their was no flavour except the spice of the jalapeño. The tiramisu was indeed delicious. read more

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1/Ambience for days on the covered patio which is dripping with iight and leaves. 2/Attentive and expert service. 3/The drinks are really fun twists on old classics, and especially the gin drinks. Whoa! 4/THE FOOD. Holy wow. The mussels, giant, tender, perfectly seasoned. The pizza, mouthwatering homemade goodness. The jalapeño gnocchi is the best you'll ever have, trust me. The fettuccine Alfredo is creamy and addictive. I could go on and on and on. 5/go here. That is all. read more

We made a reservation on Tuesday for five on the patio for Saturday evening. The patio itself is beautiful, I'm sure even more so in the summer (the ceiling is clear and covered with trees and branches). Service was fast and friendly, but the food itself (and in particular, the presentation), was just alright. We ordered the filet medium, but it was definitely medium-well or even well-done. The potatoes could have been crispier. The others in my party thought their meals were delicious, however, so it might have been my choice in dishes. read more

Orso's - Ravioli a Piacere, spinach with vodka sauce - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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They have such a lovely patio, but omg, the food does not have any taste. We had pizza, and in my opinion frozen pizza is much better. So disappointed, not coming back. read more

Orso's - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

In general, one of my least favorite Italian restaurants I've been to in the city. Grilled calamari and clams were fishy. Fried calamari was standard frozen, pre-breaded calamari. Chicken parm, tortellini and chicken marsala all left a lot to be desired. Service was very inattentive (took 15ish minutes to even ask for drinks.) Though I'll give this a post-pandemic labor shortage pass. read more

Been coming here for years. Came again last Sat. Both my husband and I agreed it's consistently great. Our pasta was served piping hot (seafood and clams for him and a pasta with a red sauce and sun dried tomatoes and peas for me). We shared a salad and it was huge and fresh. And the tiramisu was made in house a delicious and a very generous portion. I've also come here for brunch which is great and they offer a bottomless mimosa. Definitely recommend. read more

RATS!!! DO NOT EAT HERE. the food sucked, meatballs tasted frozen and bread was stale. right as we finished eating two giant rats came up to the table and the waitress did nothing. We went to complain and the manager yelled at us in very explicit language about how they can't do anything about it. NEVER GO HERE IF I COULD GIVE A ZERO I WOULD read more

ORSO'S : A HAIKU good food and good wine service always with a smile would go back again read more

I had their jalepeno gnocchi at their fooda pop up! It was so amazing! I can't wait til the come back to my building. Their lasagna looked so good as well. read more

Orso's - jalepeno gnocchi fooda popup - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Orsos did not disappoint. We sat at the bar, and the bartender was very friendly. The pastas were delicious. My favorite was the veal stuffed tortellini with the creamy prosciutto sauce. We also received warm bread at the beginning of our meal which was great to dip in the pasta sauces. Overall, would definitely recommend checking this place out next time you're craving Italian. read more

Orso's - Jalapeño gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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They hosted my wedding rehearsal dinner in a downtowns area that was private. They did a great job with hosting 17 people!! All the food/drinks came out in a timely manner. The waitress was very sweet and accommodating! The food was good- I especially enjoyed the cannolis!!! The private room was dimly lit and has a "sopranos" vibe to it.. I would recommend! read more

This was a fantastic find! Very cozy ambiance and beautiful covered patio and rooftop seating options! The price is so affordable and the pasta dishes were huge! We split one pasta and appetizer and were very satisfied! Would def return and enjoy the seating! read more

Orso's - Bread Appetizer - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place was awesome!! Went here with my parents and husband on a Monday afternoon after the Van Gogh exhibit. We had a great lunch... delicious, and the service was great! The above pizza (tomatoes and spinach) was great. Also highly recommend the jalapeno gnocchi with vodka sauce. read more

Orso's - Pizza Bianco - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I went to Orso's for the first time on Halloween day and the experience did NOT disappoint! Due to Covid, we were out on the patio which is actually a very beautiful place to sit. They had heaters on and we all felt very comfortable. We had a group of about 8 people split between two tables and everyone enjoyed their meals. I had the fumigata which had a rich, creamy sauce but not overwhelming rich. Full of flavor with chicken and mushrooms it was the perfect meal before a night of festivities. I also tried the tortellacci al prosciutto which was delicious and my second choice for the pasta. If you don't want chicken or dont like mushrooms, the penne all vodka is a nice alternative to the Fumigata. It seemed to have the same sauce and noodle style just didn't have the mushrooms and chicken. We capped off dinner with some espresso cocktails which were excellent. The serving staff were all very friendly and after dinner the host surprised us all with some coupons for our next visit because we had dressed up for the holiday. Great experience and I look forward to returning! read more

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Been going here off and on for years. Excellent food, joyful ambience, attentive courteous service.

I really want to love this place but let me outline the pros and cons that got me to a 2 :/ I've been here once in august and once just a few weeks ago (Feb). My lower rating really applies for dine-in service. Pros- Food: amazing classic Italian, totally delicious and good menu Location: convenient in old town by Gold Coast Ambiance: very cute for date night or a big family meal Cons- The service has been pretty bad (meaning lack thereof). Granted this is only two visits but both times I was embarrassed how sparse the service was. - took a very long time to be seated despite the table being open and having made a reservation - hardly checked in on, was going to order dessert but took too long to get someone over - took a very long time to get the check once we finally caught someone and requested it Hopefully I can update this review with a higher rating after some more visits but service needs to be improved. read more

First off, major, major, MAJOR props for their outdoor space. I've lived in the neighborhood for ten years and I've seen the ground-level dining area. I didn't know that up the stairs, there's a peaceful little oasis with flowers and strings of lights. It was an absolutely perfect spot for a meal. The problem with being in a secluded area of a restaurant? You're not going to see the waiters that often. Our water glasses fell dangerously low multiple times. I tried the jalapeno gnocchi and I'm still not sure what I thought of it. The heat from the jalepeno doesn't kick in until after you swallow it. It was an interesting flavor, but not really my cup of tea for an Italian joint. My girlfriend ordered the fumigato (rigatoni pasta with fresh mushrooms and grilled chicken in a rich tomato cream sauce). It just tasted bland. We also split the pizza bianco (Italian style thin crust pizza drizzled with garlic-herb oil, topped with a blend of fontina, mozzarella and goat cheese, topped with fresh arugula tossed in a lemon vinaigrette). Also bland. And the crust was a flavorless cracker. Also wasn't a huge fan of my wine - the Stemmari pinot noir. I almost always go with pinot or merlot, but this glass gave me a headache. For my money, Viaggio at the Park is the best Italian I've had in Chicago. Orso's is, you know, fine. But considering the ambiance, it's a shame it's not better. read more

Orso's - Outdoor space - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Orso's is a family owned and operated Italian restaurant in the Chicago/Old Town neighborhood, and today was their first time being a pop up in my office building. They brought a variety of their pasta dishes; their "fumigato pasta," which was rigatoni in a tomato cream sauce with mushrooms, bowtie, lasagna, a spicy gnocchi, plus chicken vesuvio. They also had salads, and each entree was between $6-10. When I arrived, I noticed they had sold out of their lasagna. That was ok, because I decided that I wanted to try 1/2 of their rigatoni and 1/2 of their Gnocchi stuffed with ricotta cheese and jalapeno peppers, also in vodka sauce. The gentleman was happy to oblige. I added chicken for protein, and this was only $7. Their pastas are fabulous!! I love vodka sauce, and theirs is what they call their signature sauce. It was very, very good! I don't eat pasta often for lunch, yet the 1/2 portion was perfect. I hope they come back!! read more

June 5, 2020: Guy vaping at Orso's bar close to where I'm waiting for my to-go order. Beautiful but untrained check-out gal didn't even know how to slide my credit card. Cordial manager steps in to ring me up. "Do you now allow smoking here?" I ask him. He looks dumbfounded. I point out the guy who's exhaling smoke. Manager keeps ringing up bill. "Will you or do I take care of..." He cuts me off with, "I'm taking care of you, sir." I feel like saying, I'd rather you take care of my health than my appetite." I get my food and take off with what I didn't really want since they discontinued their once wonderful line of veal dishes. Whereas Topo Gigio Ristorante down the block has four veal dishes but are closed Monday. I check the obits to see if the owner passed away since I often see I'm there. But no notice. Take note not to go to Orso's. read more

Great Italian spot with some of the best vodka pasta I've ever had! Love their 3 season patio and the drinks are always 10/10

Anything less than 5 stars is an injustice. This place was phenomenal - one of the best Italian meals I've ever had in the city. The ambiance, food and service were great - not to mention how affordable the prices are, especially for Old Town, compared to the rest of the city. Do yourself a favor and come here! Can't wait to come back. read more

Ate there for lunch yesterday. The back outdoor seating was very pleasant. The service was good. Ate with a party of three. The others enjoyed their meal. I did not. I ordered a Chicken Parmigan Hogie with fries. It had many problems. The Hogie bread was too big for the portion of chicken. There was too little sauce over the bread. So I ended up eating dry bread and chicken. There was too little cheese over the chicken. The sauce was without taste. The chicken was ok. Not overcooked. The fries were a total disaster. While the potatoes were fresh cut they ended up on the plate greasy and limp without texture probably due to being fried at too low a temperature and not double cooked. Very very bad. So a mixed bag at best. read more

This review is for delivery only: My Husband and I got pasta delivered. We live maybe 15 min away so, it might be that BUT: the pasta just melted in your mouth - which is not something pasta should do. Pasta should have a bite to it when you eat it. Again, it might be because it continued cooking on the ride over so, I would suggest thinking twice before ordering delivery unless you live within walking distance. Because of that, the meal dish just tasted like mush in my mouth :( read more

Food was decent, but the service could have been better. My friend and I were sat at a big table with lumps all over it, like the table was uneven so all of our plates and glasses had to be placed strategically on the tabletop so they wouldn't tip over. I had two sips of my wine and as I set it down on the table, the entire glass spilled in my lap. Not a single person at the restaurant even looked over, but some patrons did. We had to wave someone down for napkins. We mentioned the table was uneven and the person we told just nodded. I ordered another glass of wine, and was still charged for the first one. Not a huge deal, but really? read more