Out door seating at Passero was enjoyable for a lunch! The establishment does great with social distancing and even offers sanitizer, along with suggesting to use paper towel when opening the bathroom door (which should be done with or without COVID). Our server was great and suggested some delicious salads for us. The portions are large and full of wonderful flavor. The Key West Salad was grand in flavor and size. The shrimp was perfectly seasoned. The Tuscan Kale Caesar Salad was even larger than the others and heavy, as kale is a heavier lettuce. There were Arnold Palmers and and I asked for Hibiscus Iced Tea. It was great, a little sweet, but not too much to take away from the flavor. This is a great spot for great service and food. read more

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Miguel is amazing, and his staff equally so. What a wonderful memorable night we had, all because of their incredible food, service, hospitality, and atmosphere. Thank you so much for giving my friends and I the perfect way to celebrate and wish them goodbye before they move across the world! read more

Came here for the first time during Covid. It was a weekday lunch. I did make reservations just in case. The outdoor patio area although socially distant was occupied at every table. The inside where we sat was not as full. The menu I learned changes with the seasons and what is fresh. The portions are quite fair and very tasty. The service was extremely friendly and funny. We ordered quite a few dishes as you can see from the photos I posted and nothing was disappointing. We will definitely be back and try the ever-changing menu. Parking on this edge of downtown was not difficult and it was free which is great. The pricing is also competitive considering all of the other restaurants within walking distance. I would describe the food pallet as modern American with some minimal foreign infusions and influences. Overall very tasty great casual place you can bring family friends and children. read more

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We'll one menu item we wanted was all out, ended with lobster ravioli, that was very good. Also ordered Carbonara, the portion was kind of small and didn't look like llke the picture, the sauce was too brown and for mostly a past dish it was too pricy. The service was good. The ambiance is nice but I don't like the seating, not enough privacy, tables are too close together. All and all i think the place is a little over rated. read more

We had a lovely time celebrating my sister in law's birthday here! The food was delicious and our waitress was amazing. Make sure to get the garlic bread! read more

Passero - SHRIMP SCAMPI - Italian Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

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*Downtown Arlington Heights* Modern Style restaurant with great service and food Left to right SQUID INK TAGLIOLINI - Has a bit of a kick. The seafood was cooked to tenderness perfection OUR CHICKEN PARM SPAGHETTI CARBONARA NICE PIECE OF FISH read more

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So happy about this delightful restaurant in downtown Arlington Heights. Honestly, you can't go wrong with anything on the menu. The drinks are fabulous and the pasta is out of this world. The menu rotates on a seasonal basis, so take advantage of what's on the menu now! read more

We have always loved Passero. We eat there quite often. Food is great. Ambience is lovely. Etc. Today, I have a different reason for loving this place. This past Saturday, we had brunch there after our younger daughter's First Communion. Somehow I did not realize until today (so about 5 days later) that I couldn't find my late mother's beautiful emerald ring that I had worn that day. My mom passed away in 2018 (my dad in 2016) and this ring is extremely special to me. (I always knew it was a bit loose on me, and I rarely wear it, but figured that it was heavy enough that I'd feel it if it came off....such was obviously not the case.) After looking everywhere today, the only other place I could think of looking was Passero. I arrived at 4:30 when they opened. I explained the situation. The minute some of the staff heard I had lost a ring, one of them said, "Is it green?" I said yes and she said they had it. I actually burst into tears immediately and they were all just so very kind. Some even gave me a hug. And the young man gave my daughter a cake pop while they went to get the ring. I am beyond grateful to the staff there. I'm not sure exactly who turned it in (maybe someone named Miguel as his name was on the envelope that held my ring, but not sure) but am so very appreciative they did. Rings are small and not everyone is kind and honest. Someone could have easily pocketed that and not thought twice. It meant so very much to me to have that ring back. THANK YOU to the staff at Passero for making my day, doing the right thing, and saving something so incredibly important and special to me! :) read more

Went here on a date. The bolognese was pretty good the spot has a good ambiance for the young professional going out for dinner after work. Good space for dates too. read more

Good BUT BEWARE...I know they are all doing it, but ENOUGH!!! Surcharge for "labor, benefits, supplies". Hell no! Tired of being nickled and dimed. They did take it off when I asked but so many do not even look at their bills!! read more

Friendly service, but it took quite a while to get my drink .... We didn't get a picture but my son love the turkey club sandwich....we'd give it another shot read more

Passero - Kids pizza... She liked it. I thought it was under cooked - Italian Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

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We were given a carafe of water and two small glasses. Had to ask for ice. The wild mushroom pizza was good. The chopped kale ceasar salad was passable only. The greens were only kale - no lettuce. The kale was chopped into long, skinny pieces which were hard to eat. We asked for dressing on the side, and received a VERY tiny little container of dressing and had to ask for more. When the pizza came a little while later, we had to wait for someone to come back to the table and ask for plates, salt & pepper, and parmesan cheese. This place is now really a bar that serves food. It is extremely loud in there. The music was turned up way too loud for comfortable dinner conversation, to the degree that the server said she couldn't hear me. Although the server took our order, each item was delivered to the table by someone from the kitchen who merely dropped the item on the table and immediately left -- not giving us a chance to ask for something ( i.e., plates). The tables are VERY small. Again, there was no salt/pepper, parmesan, bread/rolls. or anything on the table. On top of all of that, this place is extremely expensive for what you get. For a party of two, the bill included 2 glasses of house cabernet, one kale ceasar salad, and one mushroom pizza -- the bill was $84.00 !!! Given the poor ambience, poor service, lack of seasoning items on the table, food that is just OK, and the extremely high price -- we will not be back. There are better Italian restaurants with much better ambiance, food, and service that are more reasonably priced. This has just turned into another one of those downtown Arlington Heights restaurants/bars that's loud and mediocre and, of course, good luck finding a place to park. Spend your money elsewhere. read more

Like Danny R, we visited on June 25th and were so disappointed! We love Passero but our waitress and busboy were clearly coached by the manager to try to take our plates half finished, offer boxes, pushing us to leave. We were only there for 1/2 hour when the 'eat it and beat it' process began, with 2 tables open behind us! Our regular spot has become only interested in volume! read more

The food was amazing. The service was great, waitress was so nice, but sadly we waited for about 10 minutes. The place was so fancy.

Excellent food and service. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful. Food came out at a decent pace considering the place was full. Quality of the food was amazing as well. Key lime pie was the kicker to the meal. Not a slice, it's a big mini pie. Super delicious. Only complaint is that the crust is a little thick. Could be a little thinner. Will definitely be back!! read more

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Great food and atmosphere ! Our server Vanessa was very pleasant even with the extremely busy customer load. Venessa moved quickly to get our order in and assured us that everything was prepared as we asked. Quality place to visit. Be Back Soon!!! read more

This might be my favorite restaurant. I love the whipped ricotta app and the bucatini with meatballs. They've made the place look so nice for an evening out with friends or family. read more

If you are looking for a nice sit down restaurant in Arlington Heights with good ambience and good food, definitely give this place a try. Came here with some girlfriends on a Wed evening and it was busy. I would definitely make reservations before coming. We had one and that helped. Since it was our first time being here, we decided to try a few things. Some of us ordered alcoholic drinks, some of us stuck to non alcoholic one. Here is what we got. Drinks - Straight up Martini with vodka and olives. This was good. The waitress was good in that she gave the person ordering this drink options on different type of Vodka to use. So if you like a particular vodka, do ask. - Taken for Pomegranate- this was good as well. Not too sweet and tasty. - Non Alcoholic - Zingabreww Ginger Beer. Also tasty. Food - General Tso Cauliflower- very good. The cauliflower was fried and had a good crunch to it. Definitely not soggy even though it was nicely covered in a General Tso sauce. Definitely recommend. - Pull apart garlic bread - this was. The bread was hard to pull apart and felt it was not worth getting. - Fire Roasted Calabrian Brussel Sprouts. Also very good. We asked them to remove the bacon and they were good enough to do so. Felt it could have been a little spicier but overall had a good crispy flavor to it. - Wood fired Beet Salad - this was one of their seasonal option offered on their menu. There were a lot of greens with good amount of dressing. There was one goat cheese ball, fried. The crushed pistachio was a nice touch to it. The one thing we didn't like about this was there were hardly any beets. They were cut up so small and if you were lucky if you got one. So that was disappointing considering the salad is called "beet salad" - Fusili Ala Vodka - this was one of the best dishes here. There was plenty to share or for one person to eat as entree. The vodka sauce mixed with ricotta was very good. Highly recommend this dish. - Shroomin - wood fired mushroom/arugula pizza.This was super good. Plenty of mushroom, arugula and full of flavor. Highly recommend this as well. Dessert - we got a tiramisu as we were celebrating a bday. They do a nice presentation job with an electric candle. The tiramisu was big and easily 4-6 people can share. The taste was good. So if you are in downtown Arlington Heights and are looking for a nice place to eat, I would definitely recommend this place. read more

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I have ordered carry out several times from Passero over the years, but this was the first time I dined in. I had reservations, but when I walked in, I was not greeted , nor acknowledged, and walked myself to the table ( my friend was already seated). Service was a 1 out of 5. We did not have an appetizer, just entrees. Three of out of 4 dinners arrived, and we waited and waited. Our waitress was standing near the bar talking with another server. We tried to get her attention, but she was so involved in the conversation, she did not see us. We finally asked the kind gentleman who brought out our food if he could find out where the 4th dinner was. Finally our waitress went to the kitchen to get it , no apology ,nothing! The same guest ordered a Coke and waited and waited. After dinner I ordered a coffee. The waitress asked us if we could pick up the dessert menu for her because her nails were so long she could not. The food was good, but service was horrible. Also we paid by cash, but they add a surcharge , above and beyond ! Not sure I would return ! read more

Passero - Italian Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

The service is excellent both inside and outside. Great choices. The pretzel appetizer was very good. Excellent presentation and delicious for the main course. All three of us were caught off guard on how spicy our food was but very good. We had enough left over for lunch the next day. Excellent choices of wine. Passero's is a trendy place but open to all. We sat outside. The downside to being outside is they are by the Metra station and tracks. So when the trains come through you have to hold conversation until they pass. The food, service, friendly staff and all the rest were great. I would not drop a star because of the trains. You just need to be aware if you sit outside. read more

Started off with the restaurant not having our reservations in their system. Hostess not too happy about setting up a table for nine. Two of the tables were wobbly. Food quality seems to have gone down and prices up. Chicken Vesuvio was dry and overcooked. Kids chicken fingers did not come with any sauce. When asking for sauce, they had Apple Ranch. Not sure how many kids like Apple Ranch? Cheesecake is New York style and too dry for my liking. We did enjoy the Whipped Ricotta, Garlic Bread appetizer's. Be aware that they apply a 3% surcharge on all bills even if paying with cash. Total BS. They should just be transparent and tell you they are charging 3% for the pleasure of eating at their restaurant. read more

As close to city quality dining as it gets in the suburbs, Passero is among our most frequented spots for date night. My wife loves the Caesar salad which changes seasonally but is always banging. The burger is terrific and the fries are among the best around - always come out piping hot. The pepperoni pizza with hot honey is as are a number of the pasta options. The vodka sauce is read more

I have been to Passero multiple times since I have moved to the suburbs. I am beyond impressed by it and choose it among many restaurants located in downtown Arlington Heights and just in the area. Their service is beyond impeccable, and it reminds me of dining in the city, which is hard when it comes to someone like me since I have been extremely particular since moving to the suburbs. The cocktails are hand crafted perfectly, and every food order is arrived on time with perfect temperature and presentation. Every person that works there knows their food, and they strive for excellent service. Reservations are not the most difficult to get if you plan in advance and it's great for just trying to go sit at the bar, making a reservation for two people and we even went with a group of eight and it turned out to be the most perfect night. read more

If you're looking for an amazing brunch to enjoy with friends or your spouse Passero is the place go! The drinks are phenomenal and the food is delicious. What's even better are they $20 bottomless mimosas! How can you beat that on a weekend with your girls? Drinks: Resting Beach Face- I ordered two of these and trust me if you try one you will end up doing the same. Starter: Whipped Ricotta- This was honestly the best I've ever had Food: Lobster Benedict - OMG! Amazing Side note: Their pizza looks very tasty. I'll be trying that on my next visit. read more

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I don't give 5 stars often, but damn if this isn't one of the best places I've ever dined at in my life! I didn't even get to try everything, but I did get a good sample of dishes. We had reservations for four on a Friday night. The area was full of bars and restaurants and was jam packed! You wouldn't have thought there was a Delta Variant global pandemic going on with the amount of people out having a good time. Hopeful everyone was at least vaccinated! We ordered a bottle of Planet Oregon 2016 Pinot Noir for dinner and started with the following appetizers: Fire Roasted Calabrian Brussels Sprouts, General Tso's Cauliflower, and Meatballs Al Forno! Everything was great! If you are a vegetarian, the Brussels Sprouts serve the delicious Publican bacon on the side so everyone can enjoy this appetizer! I could not stop eating the Polenta served with the meatballs. I was shocked as well that I would make such a statement. Don't worry meatatarians there is more to come later. The Cauliflower was good and it did taste like the General Tso's sauce I'm very familiar with. Next time I will be trying the Whipped Ricotta and Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Loaf. Now for the main event. If you are familiar with the famous burger from Au Cheval, the Our Double Cheeseburger crushes it in taste and price! The juice of the Slagel Farms beef, the snap of the red onion and house pickles, and the bite of the aioli sauce on the brioche bun! Ohhhhh, its so damn good! You will not be surprised if you feel that this burger was one of the best you ever had, I wasnt surprised. I was just looking on my calendar to plan my next trip for that burger! I know what you are thinking. Why should I order a burger for dinner when there are so many good things to choose from? Order them all! Make sure one of the items is the Charred Pepperoni Pizza! The Charred Pepperoni Brick Oven Pizza! Ummmmm, so good! Can you spot a theme going on here? I would put this pie with some of the best that I've ever had, including Spacca Nappoli Pizzieria in the Ravenswood neighborhood. It's called a Ezzo Cup and Char style for the Pepperoni. Can I get this style for all of my meats? This is fantastic! The best Charred Pepperoni I've ever had! The mozzarella is called Fior De Latta and other ingredients include the Heaven's Hot Honey and Basil. All I can say is give me more! We also ordered the Spicy Lobster Brick Oven Pizza which was good with the Fire Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Calabrian Chile Lemon. But I prefer the Charred Pepperoni Pizza and I think my buddy would vouch for this as well. Our wives ordered salads and I'm sure they were good, but I can't comment on these dishes as I didn't try them and wouldn't choose over burgers and pizzas! We didn't get a chance to order any desserts because we had to catch a show, but I will definitely order next time! In summary, if you want to dine in a restaurant with a great atmosphere, outstanding service and memorable dishes. Please do yourself a favor and reserve a table here for your next night out! I didn't even try what they are known for, the Italian cuisine! Imagine that? My next review will probably be 10 stars if possible! read more

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The food was good and so was the service. The music was too loud and suitable only for the younger set.

We just had dinner 5:45 reservations they made us wait over a half an hour the hostess offered us a round of drinks and then charged us for them, She said we waited only 20 minutes and the blamed the waitress for not giving us the drinks Don't go Not worth it I tipped the waitress but I despise lying read more

What a fabulous establishment. We had dinner there on a Thursday night. Service, drinks and meal were fabulous. The calamari and Brussel sprout appetizers were delicious and generous. We had little room left for a main so we split the Rigatoni Passero and had enough left over for lunch. We then had an event, welcome and rehearsal dinner for our son's wedding, on Friday for 30 people. The manager, Nicole Bierdrzycki, was amazing to work with: good communication, courteous, efficient and effective. Our servers were FANTASTIC- Daniella and especially Miquel. The food was spectacular - whipped ricotta and meatballs for appetizers, salad, chicken Parm and Fusilli pasta. A must is the chocolate peanut butter pie for desert. So delicious and not too heavy. It was served family style. They provide soo much food. It was PERFECT. read more

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Nice, nice friendly staff. Good at their jobs. Nicely cold drinks. Do not order the brown sugar old fashioned. Tastes like pot pouring. Chopped salad abd the bread, delicious, a bit pricey. Vesuvii lacked some chicken, not enough chicken for the price. Potato not crispy. Delicious halibut. We would try it again. read more

I just tried Passero for the first time a few days ago, and I will definitely be back soon! The portions are pretty big and the food is delicious. Everything that I tried was just so good. If you like sweet drinks like me, I got the Sweet Emotions cocktail which was refreshing as well. The burrata and Brussels appetizer was for one, huge! Loved that it came with a good amount of Brussel sprouts and thick cuts of prosciutto. I saw the table next to us get the chicken parmesan and that's how I decided that was going to be my main entree. To end our meal, the chocolate and peanut butter pie was such a great way to end our meal as it wasn't super sweet, but a good balance of that combo of peanut butter and chocolate. read more

For a suburb Italian-ish restaurant I would say it's pretty good! Service was fabulous, the interior design was cute...food was pretty good too. I found their menu to be a little surprising...they have handcrafted pasta, brick oven pizzas, some spicy Asian flare appetizers, and also one of the best burgers in the area. I wish I understood more about the chef and why certain items are on their menu. Regardless, great dinner spot. read more

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A solid 4-star restaurant located in downtown Arlington Heights. All the food we had was pretty tasty, and honestly for the ingredients I think a fair price. I came with a friend and we started with the housemade pimento cheese which came with pickles and everything bagel chips which were the size of an actual bagel (albeit much thinner) and had the "everything" sprinkled liberally all over each chip. I ordered the Spaghetti Carbonara which came with an raw egg yolk the waitress mixed in at the table. My friend had the Fusilli Vodka which had a dollop of ricotta to mix in. The food was very good, and you can tell there was care taken with each of the ingredients. The bacon in the carbonara was not just bacon, it was chipotle brown sugar bacon. And the pasta was cooked al dente! I swear sometimes it's so hard to find a good restaurant that doesn't overcook their noodles. It was a good amount of food and I even ended up taking home leftovers. We came on a Friday night and it was pretty loud (acoustics) in the front where we were waiting, however in the back it was a little easier to have a conversation. I definitely recommend making a reservation on the weekends as it was pretty packed the Friday night we stopped in. There's plenty of street parking nearby, and also a covered public parking lot a few blocks away for those that need it. But it's also within walking distance from the Metra. read more

Passero - Homemade pimento cheese - Italian Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

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Patrons are only permitted to stay for one hour and 45 minutes before they will receive their bill. The bill must be paid within 15 minutes and they are expected to leave. This is after a $25 deposit just to make a reservation. The food is not good enough to warrant this. We will never go here again. read more

I'm from Arlington Heights originally but now currently living in Chicago but, I heard that this is one of the newest spots in town. I was here last Sunday for my Best friends Birthday brunch. He made reservations for a party of 8. I walked into the restaurant and I really like the vibe and the decor, very cute and modern. The hostess took my temperature before she walked me to our table I was the first one to arrive. As far as the menu they had a good selection of Brunch/Lunch meals and also good selection of cocktails and wine list! They do have bottomless mimosas which is $20/person which is good but a little tricky if you drive. I ordered the regular Bloody Mary and it was delicious and for my meal I had the chicken and waffles with a side of bacon. It was the bomb! I recommend getting the side of bacon, it's a 3 piece chicken they're a little smaller however but still really delicious! The bacon is not your regular sized bacon it is thick! A friend of mine got the same thing but they forgot to add the butter and the syrup and I also have a friend that ordered the Chicago pizza but they messed up her order however they made a fresh batch and they gave the pizza that they messed up to us on the house which is good customer service for sure. The waiter was really nice, friendly and attentive and I like the contactless payment and the cute postcard that they give us. The service was just a little slow though, it wasn't really that busy that time. Overall we had a really great time, customer service was good, the food taste great and the restaurant is really cute right in the heart of downtown Arlington heights! They have outdoor seating so it's definitely a cute spot especially in the warmer days. I'll definitely come back again whenever I come visit the town and probably check out the dinner menu. read more

Passero - Bloody Mary - Italian Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

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Server was slammed. Drinks were slow. Food was slower and then no bread! 2.5% surcharge? And then an additional 2.5% for using a cc? They have lost my biz! read more

We came in around 7pm on a Sunday. We ordered the ff: Whipped ricotta- very good Loreta's chopped - good Tagliatelle - very rich, good Steak fritte - very bad, burned and very salty The orders took a while to come but the ambience is good. read more

Our first experience at Passerro, definitely not our last! From the service to the food to the atmosphere, top notch. It was a very special evening and we were on a very tight schedule without a reservation. They went above and beyond to accommodate us and set up a special table just for us. The food was outstanding and service was great! We'll definitely be back again soon! Thanks Passero! read more

Passero is consistent, the food is always very good. I'm a huge fan of the chopped salad (my favorite of any chopped salad I've had in the area) and for the first time I tried the wild mushroom pizza which was also excellent. Service was nice - Miguel was very friendly and the pace of the meal was great (plenty of time between appetizer and dinner.) The menu prices are reasonable as well and the decor of the restaurant very nice. I only have two criticisms. The black metal chairs are so uncomfortable! In previous visits we've been seated at tables with the upholstered chairs but this last visit we were not. If I'm paying $16 for a cocktail, I'd like to sit in a reasonably comfortable chair. Last comment, we noticed they add a 3% surcharge to the check to cover increasing costs. You're given the option to have removed but that's just weird. If your costs go up, then raise menu prices. It just feels kind of sneaky and I'll bet most people don't notice. read more

Looking at all these other pictures, i'm really wishing I'd had space for dessert when I was there!!! it looks amazing. We arrived probably just before 8 pm. There was a wait, and we requested to wait for an outdoor table (there are only like 4-5 total outdoor tables). it appeared that two of the tables were close to being done and there was one person waiting ahead of us, so we thought we were set. Unfortunately they sat and talked and we ended up waiting like an hour. The hostess and waitress knew that we were waiting so they did their best to turn the table over quickly. Once we were seated (around 9 pm) we were very happy. It's such a quaint little location, and we loved the ambiance of the lights, the summer weather, the people walking through town. It was wonderful! The wait staff was quick to bring water and come get our orders. The food was delicious! Be sure to try the sourdough bread (at a steep $12 cost) but by God is it amazing!! I had the Papardelle, which was quite tasty. The waiter said it's one of their best sellers. It was very rich, so next time i might try something else. My dining partner loved her dish as well. Highly recommended!!! But be prepared to wait. Good food Good service Good ambiance The only negatives are space: the interior of restaurant is tiny, thus so are the tables. read more

The ricotta appetizer was so good, I ordered it for my entree too! Inside was very noisy so we moved outside. But, the service was exceptional!! A+ read more