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Ovvio Italian Taverna

3.9 (71 reviews)
Open • 4:00 pm - 10:30 PM
Updated a few days ago

Ovvio Italian Taverna Photos

OVVIO ITALIAN TAVERNA ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Dogs allowed
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Ovvio Italian Taverna

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Martha K.

This new restaurant is great! We had their pasta alla vodka and the honey pizza. They were both amazing! The service was very quick and our server was pretty nice. The interior is very pretty and half of the restaurant is in bar style. Pretty cool. I will be coming back here. Only thing is the parking is valet only and if u dont want to pay/the valet is full, you have to park somewhere else in the neighborhood and walk

bunny-hopper
Nazia C.

I came with my family over Easter weekend. When we arrived, the parking lot was empty but all the spots were blocked with cones. The valet told us we couldn't park in their lot and that we could only use valet or park on the street. Free street parking was easy to find at that time but it wasn't a great first impression of the restaurant. The interior is very nice. We had a reservation so we were seated right away. Our waiter was great. I ordered from the special Easter menu while my kids ordered from their children's menu. The lamb shank was good. I'm not a big fan of risotto anyway but I ate the lamb. I had the bunny-hopper drink drink. My daughter's steak was cooked perfectly. My husband really liked the seafood dish he ordered along with a mocktail. Also, it was only after talking with the waiter we found out that valet parking is free - the valet guy never told us it was free valet.

Bucatini Carbonara
Joy C.

My kids and I have been looking forward for Ovvio's opening. The lot has been empty for several years, after the dry cleaning business closed. My son and I made reservations for dinner, a week after they opened. We were not impressed with the food that we've tried on our initial visit, so I thought of giving it another try. I came back with both my kids after a couple of weeks for dinner. For both visits, I've tried: Hand Cut Truffle Fries, Calamari Fritti, Rigatoni Al Pesto Ross, Filet Spiedini, Pappardelle Short Rib Bolognese, Maine Lobster Ravioli, Bucatini Carbonara, and the Italian Wagyu Meatballs. The only dishes I (we) liked were the Calamari, Fries and the Meatballs. Everything else was bland. We tried adding salt, mixing sauce or sides from the other dishes, just to add flavor to our dishes.. it was disappointing. The service was friendly and efficient. I've noticed that on both visits, our servers would have to look at the menu and asked us to point at the dish that we were trying to order. It gave the impression that they were not fully familiar with the items on the menu. The cocktails are good, and the interior is neat. Parking is basically valet only, unless you find parking spots on the residential streets. If ever I visit again, I hope the food will be more flavorful and enjoyable. I am glad that there is a new restaurant that is conveniently located near my kids' place. I highly suggest making reservations online because the place gets really busy.

Arugula and grape salad
Pooja P.

I was really excited to try Ovvio Italian Taverna since it's new in Glenview and so close to home. Unfortunately, the experience was pretty underwhelming. We went during a late lunch / early dinner time. It wasn't busy, yet the service was still very slow, and everything took much longer than expected. Parking was also a bit frustrating. Even at that off-peak time, the lot is quite small and it took a while to find a spot. I can only imagine how difficult it might be during prime lunch or dinner hours. The roasted Brussels sprouts had good flavor, but they weren't crispy and ended up a bit soggy. I ordered the Mezze Lumache alla Vodka, which was the biggest disappointment. The sauce tasted like plain marinara rather than a creamy vodka sauce. The arugula and grape salad was fresh and good, just very basic. Nothing particularly memorable. The highlight of the meal was definitely Nonna's chocolate hazelnut cake. It was good and a very generous portion. My friends also tried the calamari, Marsala chicken, and Wagyu meatballs. The calamari was probably the best dish of the night. The meatballs, however, were not good and ended up being sent back. Overall, not a terrible experience, but not somewhere I'd personally go back to. Hoping things improve as they settle in.

Marianne P.

First time dining at this location. We went for a lunch on Saturday. Walking in, the restaurant was actually very nice. Our server was great in the beginning but wasn't around when we wanted to check out. Two of us had the spaghetti and meatballs and two others had the bolognese. The meals were good but not worth $30 each for lunch. They should offer a lunch special. Once people started to arrive, it gets really loud. I can't imagine what it is like in the evening when all tables are filled. Because our server didn't come around, we weren't invited to take a look at a dessert menu. That was disappointing. For us, we tried it and we aren't interested in returning. I might have given four stars if a dessert menu was available.

Butter cake - looks beautiful but is a bit dry

My husband and I went to celebrate exactly one month married - we have had a busy month and wanted to celebrate with a nice time together. The staff was excellent! All staff members - host, waitress, bussers, valet - were so kind to us! The ambiance is nice and stylish while still be casual enough to bring the family. We started with the bread and house salad - both delicious!!! I ordered the roasted chicken with broccolini, and my husband the spicy vodka pasta. Both of our meals were so tasty - chicken was especially delicious. For dessert we had a butter cake and that was the only thing we would change next visit - cake was a little dry and plain, caramel sauce almost had a burnt/bitter taste, but the gelato on top was great! We will definitely be back!

Farah A.

First time at Ovvio and the food was really good. The food, service, and vibe was a 10/10! We had the margarita pizza, calamari, zucci chips, pastas and build your own pizza. Every dish was delicious. The pizzas are a hit. I would definitely come back here again. They offer valet so that is really convenient.

Mocktail
Jeremías C.

I went with my wife and kids 2 weeks ago for lunch. I really enjoyed their food and the service was great. I had the seafood pasta and it was very good. I'd go back. The only negative thing I can say was the parking. It's a small parking lot and I didn't see a valet sign so I asked If I can park and they said it's valet only. So I parked on the street. After eating the waiter tells me that the valet is complimentary. I didn't see a sign but I did speak to the valet guy and he didn't mention anything about complimentary parking and he was rude about it.

Tricia D.

I like... the dark, elegant interior. Very downtown Chicago-esque environment. Kiddos liked that the kids' menu came with a scoop of vanilla or chocolate gelato, LOL. Serving size and value for pasta entrees was very good. Husband enjoyed his carbonara. The noodles in my short rib bolognese dish were fresh; meat sauce was a little salty. Cheese log appetizer was satisfying, hot, and crispy. We liked the option of the classic butter cake on the dessert menu, but it was very average and served with stringy caramel sauce. I wish... the parking lot was bigger and that valet isn't the default option. Just my personal preference. Also wish that the bread and ricotta appetizer wasn't served with burnt bread. It was supposed to be grilled, so that was off putting to start out the meal. I wonder... if service is usually hit or miss. Our waiter was hard to get a hold of.

This shows my stuffed olives, and the "deli skewer." The deli skewer olive is smaller than the stuffed ones, but hard to tell here.
Ann M.

I feel like Ovvio will get to five stars from me soon, but there were a few little things that bumped it down a notch. tldr: The food was great, several other things were weird. First, as we pulled in, we looked as we usually do for a handicapped spot. As we pulled in, we noticed the two two handicapped spots on the right were already taken, but a regular spot next to them was open and unmarked, so I pulled in. There were also spots that were marked with cones, so I figured those were for valet. No worries, our spot was right outside the door, easily close enough for me to "cane" in. As soon as I pulled in, a valet came up to my door and gestured at me. I explained that no, we didn't need valet since we would normally have taken a handicapped spot, but since those were full, we'd parked here, thanks. He seemed a bit bothered, and only very reluctantly walked away. This experience was awkward, really quite uncomfortable, and a bit confusing. Once inside, everything was smooth. Our reservation was found, and the request I'd included for half-booth seating was enthusiastically accommodated. Our table was in what I gathered was the main dining room, and it was very nice. Our food was wonderful -- We decided to try a couple small plates and a pizza to get a good cross-section of what they offer. We figured we'd try the pasta the next time. We chose the Sausage Arancini and the Vito Sliders. Both were excellent -- the sliders were bursting with flavor, and while the arancini was a bit bland unto itself, the pomodoro zipped it up amazingly. The sliders arrived with some large fries that kind of resembled mini, peeled potato skins. I decided that was too much since we still had pizza coming, so I took those home and had them the next day topped with olive tapenade -- delish! We also each ordered a cocktail. My husband had the Glentucky, and I had the Antipasto Martini. My drink was described as coming with a "cured olive, and deli skewer." Since another martini was described as coming with blue cheese stuffed olives, I asked our server if I could substitute a blue cheese olive for the cured one. She ran to check (telling us she was brand new so didn't want to tell us incorrectly without checking -- perfectly fine with us!), came back, and said sure. When my cocktail arrived, it had two blue cheese stuff olives, but was missing the "deli skewer." I didn't notice this until she'd walked away, so I waited a minute until she came back by and asked her about it. She explained that she'd decided that rather than substituting one olive for the other, as I'd asked, that she'd just substitute the whole garnish for the olives. (??) I was disappointed, and mentioned I'd also love to have the skewer, even if there'd be an upcharge. She said this wasn't necessary, disappeared, and came back with the "deli skewer" on a plate. See the photos -- it still had the cured olive on it, which was fine, but the "deli" part was a tiny square of cheese and piece of sausage on a toothpick, each about the size of my index fingernail. I guess I was expecting something a bit (lot) more substantial since it was specifically mentioned in the menu? We'd asked that the small plates be brought out first, and that the pizza not arrive until after we'd finished those. This was handled very well! At some point a manager stopped by (I think it was before the "deli skewer" arrived, because I didn't mention that to her, as I think I would have if I'd already seen it. I did mention the parking lot discomfort, to which she replied, "I'll check, but they were probably just doing their jobs," and "The valet parking is free," as if this excused everything. Free, sure, but there was no need, and I always tip valets, so "free" isn't really free. She just seemed a bit dismissive, which kind of surprised me. A simple, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'll mention it to them so we can avoid that in the future," would have been great. Our pizza arrived on schedule, and was delicious. I love white pizzas, and was thrilled to see they had several on their menu. We selected the Meat+Cheese one. It was just as advertised, New York style (thin, bendy crust), and was the closest to authentic Italian pizza I've had in the States. Definitely five stars here. My husband was kind of lukewarm to it, but he's more of a deep dish or cracker thin kinda guy. I'm the foodie in the family, and he's more the "I would have just had the spaghetti" kind of guy. (These were his words to me when I suggested what we could order.) We each had another cocktail and skipped dessert. (Too full -- next time!) I also had to wait when the same manager was using the handicapped stall in the women's restroom, which surprised me. There were only two stalls, and she dismissed me sharply with "the other one was occupied," even though there wasn't anyone else in sight. Something to ponder. Overall we liked it and will be back, and we're hoping those little bumps have been smoothed out by then!

Mozzarella Logs
Agnes K.

High expectations after waiting a while to get a reservation here. Make sure to make reservations! However, after having dined here twice now, the excitement has started to wain. Let's start with the parking and the valet. Parking lot is small and the valet service was frustrating to deal with. Cars pull in from 2 entrances and it can get confusing as drivers don't know where to go. When you pull in by the front door most nights there are several attendants standing around but only 1 of them will open the door for the driver, the passenger is ignored while the other attendants ( usually young kids) stand around and stare at their phones. Upon entering the restaurant the service and staff are very friendly. The interior is nicely decorated but if you arrive during their peak times, it is extremely loud and difficult to converse with the person across from you. The food arrives quickly, but is disappointing. I ordered the roasted chicken and it came with dipper fries. The fries were just potato wedges that were soggy from the amount of oil in the plate, and the chicken lacked flavor.

Menu as of 12.2025

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Wow! This is a truly must-see spot with beautiful decor, attentive staff, and delicious food.

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Food was fair. Service was even worse because our server was falling all over a table of 6 young ladies at the table next to us!

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Food is amazing. Definitely get the pizza artichokes are so good. Salad is also fresh and great.

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Ask the Community - Ovvio Italian Taverna

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