This restaurant has been open for about 8 months now and this was our visit time stopping in! The staff was welcoming, attentive, and the food was simply delicious! I highly recommend this place for their homemade food and dessert. Peep the pictures! read more

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Loved everything we had tonight! Thank you Raffi's for another great dining experience :)

We were passing thru the area and gave Raffi's a try. Great call. Had a couple of outstanding dishes and an all around positive experience. Outstanding calamari salad appy. Not fried! Actually ordered one to go for lunch the next day. Meatballs were solid. Homemade pasta was very good as were the baked stuffed clams. They have a great house salad. BYO meant that a big meal was under $100 for 2. Owner Raffi came by to inquire about our food. Very good guy who is passionate about his restaurant and making sure that his patrons have a great experience. Service was excellent. I would def recommend! read more

First I must say that I am glad to see this establishment thriving. This location has been home to several different businesses that have failed. But tonight my family went for a birthday dinner. Most of our food was very good. The exceptions were the stuffed artichoke which was blah at best, and the linguine con gamberi was awful. Shrimps were high quality but the pasta as described in a marsala sauce was terrible. I was offered another dinner but said I'd prefer couple desserts instead. Bill came and they charged me for my dinner and comped 1 of 2 desserts! 1 $7 dessert doesn't equate to a $25 pasta which probably costs $7 to make. My advice is if your in this area go to bar tucci! read more

Rafi is one of the best restaurants we've ever been to. His kindness and friendliness makes this place so memorable. The food and ambiance is superb. We drive from the western suburbs just to enjoy his hospitality and food. BYOB! This is my favorite place at heart! read more

Raffi is a great host. Very friendly and inviting. Food was delicious!!!! I will definitely eat there again.

We walked out! Arrived at 5:55pm for a 6pm reservation. We were told it would be a few minutes. We waited at the bar as many people walked in. Finally a few tables turned at 6:20pm and those tables were given to other guests. Not one word from the owner so we left and went to another restaurant 2 miles away and luckily it was amazing. We had been there before and enjoyed it-doubt we will return read more

Friends introduced us to this fabulous restaurant which is very inconvenient. We live in Evanston but nothing will keep us from going back again and again. The Sea Bass Francaise is delicious. I have ordered it 3 times, always perfect. The attention of servers is wonderful - help with pouring and getting glassware for wine, they are kind and friendly. What more can you ask for? We have introduced our family and friends to Raffi's and all love it. We will take photos next time. Ann and Deek read more

Great neighborhood place. Great service and excellent food. I had one of their weekend specials, it was very good.

Love Raffi s Locale. Awesome food and service small cozy restaurant. Food is delicious. BYOB keeps price lot less. The Sea Bass Francese is delicious. Same chef from Basilico on Cumberland. Basilico closed now. Boo hoo read more

Raffi's Locale - JOANNLKITCHing and Mike - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This was a very disappointing meal. The soup was good but everything else was not. The mussels were very small and tasteless. They should not have been served, such poor quality seafood. Pasta dishes had too much garlic. We could barely eat any of it. The dessert tiramisu was nice. I requested decaf latte, I know now at 2:30 am , I was given regular caffineinated coffee. Overall, an expensive poor quality meal. We cannot recommend at all read more

The gnocchi were fabulous. The risotto, while tasty, wasn't prepared like risotto. More like rice with sauce on it. Nice restaurant ambiance. Service was great. Will come again read more

Excellent! I can't say enough good things about this place! We started out with fried calamari that was cooked to perfection. Several of the group had veal which was a fan favorite. The escarole and beans was absolutely delicious. Two of us had the sea bass special. Honestly, I haven't had a meal that good in a very long time. The generous portion of sea bass was accompanied with shrimp, scallops, artichoke hearts, and tomatoes (in a white wine sauce). I couldn't finish, there was so much! We were too full for dessert this time, but will indulge the next time. The atmosphere is lovely, very welcoming. For Covid conscience, know that the tables are spaced nicely and the staff is fully masked. Don't miss out on this hidden gem on Irving Park! read more

Bad restaurant. Me and my daughter were treated horribly. Totally ignored when we walked in. Nobody approached us for 15 minutes. And we know the owner, the bartender and the server saw us waiting to be acknowledged to no avail so we went to our favorite Italian restaurant called Vince's. Shame on you Raffi's locale!!!!!! read more

Excellent food, great portions. We have ordered take out and delivery and both were excellent; food was hot, stayed hot, and was still delicious by the time it got to our table. The Lobster Ravioli is a favorite here. Interior of the restaurant was beautiful when we went in for take out. Parked on the street just around the corner from the restaurant. Definitely should try this one out! read more

Food was fantastic, and so was the service! Very cute atmosphere too. Will definitely be back!

We ordered takeout. Because it was the first Friday of lent we ordered meatless entrees. The lobster ravioli and linguini and clams were out of this world. The fried calamari was lightly battered and cooked to perfection. Both entrees came with soup or salad and the shrimp bisque was amazing. I look forward to dining in next time! read more

Raffi's Locale - Lobster ravioli, linguini and clams in white sauce, fried calamari, shrimp bisque soup and side salad - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great Italian food, fresh ingredients, savory sauces and wonderful service. We started with baked clams and stuffed artichoke, both dishes had a delicious buttery breading. Rolled Eggplant with ricotta and red sauce was a great combo of flavors. The veal special was cooked perfectly. Salad is included with entrees. We love the BYOB option. Sophia, our server was excellent. Pleasant, comfortable atmosphere. We will return. I typically don't review restaurants but this one deserves praise. read more

The food was delicious!! Very fresh and made to order! The owner was friendly and inviting. Our server Mya was fantastic!! I would definitely come back here anytime I'm in the area!! read more

I just discovered this gem yesterday, after day-dreaming of home-made carbonara. The dish was absolutely perfect, on point. No cream added, just eggs and blended cheeses. We also had tortellini with salmon and dried tomatoes on a creamy tomato sauce and could not believe how tasty it was. The owners are fantastic and so friendly. Highly recommended and I can't wait to return! read more

This is the team from Basilico and the food continues to shine! Most dishes continued (mussels Diablo still the best around) with a few new items and variations. BYOB for now so take advantage while you can. read more

The chefs and manager are the same as basilicos and the food taste exactly the same! It's sooo good! I was so sad when basilico closed so to have the new raffis is amazing! Also byob option! read more

We were so excited to hear some of the same team from Basilico's reopened with a different name & location, but the same amazing food!! Some familiar faces just as friendly and accommodating as always. The BYOB is a nice touch. We've been there now a few times with many more to come in the future. Thank you Rafael! read more

I'm trying to figure this one out. The place was packed when we arrived on Friday evening -- a good sign, right? No one came to the entrance to greet us. I had to search out the owner at the back of the restaurant. Despite the crowd, "Raffi" assured me that he could get us in. I told him I didn't have a reservation. So I brought my family. We waited and waited -- about 45 minutes. My kids were starving. At some point, Raffi wanders over and asks me if I have a reservation. He knows I don't because I told him. Then he says, he can't seat us. No apology, nothing. I'm Italian. My father lives in Italy. This is not how you treat customers. I don't care how good the food is. read more

Need to meet the chief. His food is one of the best in Chicago. High recommend this place.

So glad this place has joined the neighborhood! When I heard the chef was the same as the beloved Basilico on Cumberland I was even more excited to give them our business. Super friendly and the food was delish!! Great portions and the menu has something for everyone. read more

Delicious food. Cozy ambiance. Owner is a wonderful man. BYOB is awesome. Had the stuffed eggplant. Melted in your mouth. Highly recommend.

Great food, I recommend the chicken Parmesan. The risottos are amazing. Staff and food from Basillica's, the owner is a great guy.

EXTREMELY RUDE! I called to see if they were open on Saturday before mothers day. The owner stated yes. That's all he said. He did not mention you needed a reservation. We showed up on Saturday, walked in and asked for table for 5. There were plenty of empty tables. He only said "reservations?" We said no we didn't have one. He then only said, "no reservation, no table!" That's ALL he said! Why didnt he tell us that when i called to see if we could come on saturday! So we left. We will never return with that poor business rudeness and attitude! read more

The food and service was excellent! I will definitely be back. It's BYOB which is a nice bonus! Highly recommend this place!!!

What a great restaurant that you wouldn't expect on Irving Park Rd. Wonderful menu,nice people and a BYOB. Been. there 12 times and only had one thing twice. Nice menus would highly recommend. read more

Today, myself and six co-workers decided to order take-out from Raffi's. We figured with all the positive Yelp reviews, it has to be good. Boy, were we wrong! To start, they totally forgot to include one of the dinners in the order. It wasn't until we got back with the food that this was noticed. Additionally, one of my co-workers ordered the eggplant rolls. Unbeknownst to us, they ran out of eggplant and instead substituted the order with one of the daily specials, Chicken Scarparelio, which contained both chicken and sausage. They substituted a vegetarian dish with a meat dish, and didn't call back to let us know beforehand! Seriously!? I can't believe they didn't call us back to inform us of this fact, and ask what the person would like instead. Now lets talk about the food. . . Was it bad? No, but it wasn't all that good either. The general consensus was that the food ranged between bland and tasteless. It just lacked flavor. The minestrone soup was watery to the point that it was more vegetable soup than anything, and was quite flavorless. One of my workers ordered the arancini, but didn't receive red sauce with it. So she had to choke it down dry. I personally ordered the Chicken Scarparelio special, which I found severely lacking in taste. The chicken breasts seem like they came from one of those big bags of frozen breasts that you get at the supermarket. I don't know if that's the case, but it sure looked and tasted like the ones I get when I go shopping. I will say this though, and all my co-workers agree, that the loaf of bread included was very good. In fact, it was our favorite part of the meals. Two co-workers ordered the lasagna bolognese, and were happy with it. It wasn't the best lasagna they ever had, but it met their expectations. Lastly, let's talk price. We paid $160 for six carry-out dinners, which were not all that impressive. For that kind of money, I expect to have my socks knocked off and be full afterward. Instead, all of us except for the lasagna eaters ate about 1/2 of our food and decided to throw in the towel. To cleanse our pallet, we ordered a sausage pizza from Joe's Pizza and called it a day. In closing, none of us will be ordering from here again. Unfortunately, restaurants really only get one chance to make a good impression. Sadly, this one failed. read more

I ordered delivery from here and was really happy with the stuffed gnochhi and chicken parm. Definitely one of the better experiences because Italian doesn't always travel well. This was really good. read more

This place was awesome. The former manager of Basilico recently opened up this gem. Many of the same staff from Basilico are working here. I ordered the cheese ravioli and my husband the shrimp risotto. We also split the tiramisu for dessert which was plenty for two people. We ordered our food via carry out and the food was spot on. As of now, I believe it is BYOB. read more