The food has always been mediocre to me but the thing that keeps me coming back for more.... the calamari! omg i love calamari. Rosebud has a very lightly breaded calamari that gives it just enough crunch. This is extremely important since too much breading makes me feel nauseous.. The pieces are large too so theres still a great squid taste. In my experience, theres usually more rings than tentacles (which would be appealing to some people i know who get grossed out easily.) I went to this location recently and saw on the menu "spicy calamari available by request". this peaked my curiousity and i am soooo glad it did. it wasn't spicy at all. (*EDIT: i went back and had it again and this time it was spicy but not as garlicky. still delicious!) but they were sitting in a thick oil/garlic sauce that gave it a completely different flavor. It still retains a little bit of crunch but not much. (especially the ones at the bottom). But it is WELL worth it. Rosebud has always been on the top of my list for calamari... but this "spicy" version may have been the best I ever had... (i love garlic with a passion btw) I'm drooling as i write this... read more

I cater this place on a regular basis, so can't speak to the interior, but the food is yummy, and an awesome catering option. Mama's meatballs rock...they're huge and covered in homemade marinara Penne bolognese always goes over well, as does the cavatelli arribiatta. We always get Caesar salad & bread w/olive oil. I'm a huge fan of this place, it's reasonable, and the crew is always thrilled when it's on the list. read more

OMG! This place is amazing. I enjoyed one of my now all time favorite lunches in Chicago. Huge portions, excellent desserts and the service, well, you never had to ask - they almost read your mind as to what you needed. Thank you to my dear friends at the Anthony Marano Company for taking me to this amazing restaurant - I will be back. The sooner, the better! read more

I actually love the food at the Rosebud. My husband and I have dined there several times. I'm giving a one star rating due to the staff's lack of respect for customers. I had accidentally left my jacket there after dinner one night and had called when I got home to have the staff keep it in a safe place for me. I was out of town and went to pick up my jacket two weeks later, one of the staff said that it was thrown out. He did not even apologize! If it had been a month or two, I would understand but I had literally called the place and told them to hang onto it and the response I got was come whenever! No one told me that if it wasn't picked up urgently, it would get thrown out. I'm just extremely disappointed. read more

I ate at Rosebud on Rush several years ago so I was excited to try the original. Oh, Rosebud, you did not disappoint! Did a little Yelping before we went so I could figure out what to eat. Love eggplant and the reviews on the Napoleon Eggplant Salad were spot on. Absolutely delicious. I knew the entree was going to be huge so I decided to save some room and I'm glad I did. We had a woooonderful server, Sarah M., who was ridiculously attentive without smothering. Sarah, patiently answered all our questions and made great suggestions. I wanted the pappardelle but not feeling the marinara. Sarah suggested it with vodka sauce and crumbled sausage. Manna from heaven! Hus had the special which was veal chop parm. Huge portion and he raved about it. Others had the manicotti and rigatoni. Loved how she did a subtle up-sell of a side of meatballs and sausage combo to one of my dinner companions. Well done Sarah! The only thing not to like about this meal was the fact I didn't have room to finish it all. Great food, service and ambience. A culinary trifecta. read more

Always check prices, often have 50 dollar items on special that are not worth the price, better food and prices exist all over the city, split entree is a given, it's not fun getting a 100 dollar bill for pasta you take home. Food is good no question , but it's typical overpriced chicago restaurant that ruins a meal with unreasonable $$ , if you do not care about 20% higher prices manga away.. the staff owes it to the customer to point out prices on specials, it's good practice and helpful and shows respect to making customers come back, I m not only out, not recommending the place and explaining this is why.. read more

I love the Fish Salad at The Rosebud at Taylor it is unique and the best ... of you try it at other locations is not as good at this one and the pick up Service the best thanks read more

This place is for people who have no idea what Italian food is supposed to taste like. Portions are humongous though so maybe that's the point...? My friend from Iowa wanted to come here and proclaimed it "excellent" so we dutifully showed up. She ordered some slab of pasta that had a sauce that was similar to Chef Boyardee. My fish was over cooked and the spinach it sat on swam in a 2" deep pool of olive oil. I tasted our other friend's lasagna and it was gummy and awful. Bottle of overpriced Abruzzese Montepulciano was OK but nothing u can't find at Trader Joe's for $7.00. Cannot fathom why people eat here when there are SO many really good Italian spots for the same - or even less- money. read more

An employee of mine went to a Restaurant called Grill 23 in Boston this past week and it got me to thinking about this establishment when I was living in Chicago. The restaurant in Boston sells a Brick Chicken for about 25 bucks but it wasn't enough to feed 2 people.....however the Brick chicken sold at Rosebud is more than enough for 2 people. The ambience is great....parking can be difficult but worth it. Service is great....and besides the chicken which I highly recommend the other food is great as well. However be advised both establishments are very pricey so don't just bring your appetite bring some serious money....and remember to Eat, Drink, and be Merry my Friends!!!! read more

Visiting little Italy on our trip to Chicago, my friend and I wanted authentic Italian where we could eat outside, enjoy the weather, and take in Chicago and The Rosebud allowed us to do all of that. Our first real meal of the day, we went into Rosebuds as soon as it had opened and the first clue it was authentic Italian food was the Italian couple seated at the bar speaking Italian. We asked for the sidewalk seating outside which was set up very cutely under string lights, trees, and umbrellas. They serve warm, loaf bread with a slice of butter. My friend ordered the cheese ravioli and I ordered something that they only make at The Rosebud which was an Eggpland Napolean salad. I was thinking "eh, just a salad" so I also ordered a side of potatoes. My friend raved about the sauce in her dish, claiming that she would eat it as a soup. I did not try her dish because I was too busy eating and relishing in my AMAZING, oh-so delicious salad. Potatoes were definitely not needed as the salad was pretty large. Fried eggplant stacked with fresh mozerella, tomatoes, basil, leafy greens and in a vinigarette sauce that was to-die-for! Don't think it's just another fancy caprese salad because it definitely is not! The eggplant was cooked perfectly and the cheese was so fresh and yummy. Because I did order them, I did try the potatoes which were a little bland and I left them alone after a bite so I can finish my salad because I would rather have spent my tastebuds (and money) on that. We also ordered the Chocolate mousse cake served with delicious ice cream. There are other Rosebuds around Chicago but if you want a nice, little setting that is away from the big city, check out Little Italy and the Rosebud there. read more

I stopped by Rosebud for a solo lunch. I was a bit intimidated at first because the lady in front of me had reservations. I thought it was going to be one of THOSE restaurants. Thankfully the hostess was amazingly sweet and the service was great. My waitress was patient enough to go through the menu with me and explain the dishes as I was a first time diner. I settled on their specialty squared noodles and switched the sauce to their meat sauce. It was very good. The meat sauce actually had chunks of meat and vegetables and was very filling. The plate was a bit pricey, $17 just for me, but I ended up boxing half of it for home. The noodles were a bit soggy in some areas, that might have been because they had to fold the noodles over. However, I would definitely try it again with a different type of pasta. Overall, it was a nice experience and the flavor of the sauce made up for it. read more

Came here with my family on a recent trip to Chicago and was not disappointed. The atmosphere felt like I was in an episode of The Soprano's. Using recommendations from Yelp, I ordered the square noodles with vodka sauce. This dish did not disappoint. The noodles were absolutely delicious, perfectly complimented by the creaminess of the vodka sauce. Yum yum yum. The other dishes I sampled were great too - brick chicken, meatball (my other favorite) and veal marsala. The portions are huge - so definitely share, or take home leftovers! read more

Finally decided to use a gift certificate from last year. We sat outside since the weather was perfect. We started out with the spicy calamari which was plentiful and good but the sauce stayed at the bottom like a soup and turned all the calamari breading soft and soggy. For a main course I had the veal Marsala which was very good. The wife had fussili carbonara which was also good. The wine selection is abundant. The service was good and parking on the street wasn't too bad. The only thing that was bad was the house-made limoncello which I would skip. Also the chocolate gelato tasted like a frosty so that could be good or bad depending on how you feel about frostys. read more

Pretty disappointing! The waitress spilled wine on my friend and was extremely aggressive. We ordered chicken vesuvio and the peas were still frozen. We all had leftovers and threw them away the next day. The next morning all three of us were ill. We spent $300 and will not be returning anytime soon. Stay away. read more

I went here having pretty high expectations. I was not let down. The restaurant itself was absolutely stunning and decorated for Christmas. Everybody was super friendly (and not the fake kind of friendly). Their bathrooms were clean and that means a lot. I had unsweetened blackberry tea (you get the whole bottle), their complimentary bread and I ordered the Alfredo with crumbled sausage. Everything was amazing! They give you so much meat!! There was even a man who's job was to walk around constantly filling waters. So great. Beautiful and delicious! read more

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Over priced food . & honestly it was almost like Olive Garden just super expensive! The service was great friendly waiters and etc . The bread was good too lol but it's over priced and not the best . read more

I always feel like a little kid when I go here - the dark atmosphere, everything is wood, the old school windows, oh, and I always order spaghetti and meatballs. This is good Italian fair, nothing that is going to blow your mind, but the pasta and vodka sauce is delicious, as are the square noodles and the ravioli. The meatballs are fantastic, and are the size of a baseball, if not larger. The service was great, too - we sat even before our reservation time. read more

There are many great Italian restaurants in Chicago but you can never go wrong with Rosebud. This place still has the feel of an old Italian restaurant with dark wood and traditional Italian cuisine. I even had the "mobster experience" once when I was there and decided to eavesdrop just a little on the neighboring table before asking them to lower their voices as they were very loud and obnoxious (a one time occurrence). Then I heard them talking about beating people down, extortion and it was time for us to change tables. Back to the food though. the seafood linguine with red sauce is one of my favorites as is the calamari, the lasagna and the garbage salad. If you want a real treat there is a bone in veal chop which is extraordinary and the house Chianti is wonderful as well. Don't leave without desert though. Get the triple Godiva chocolate cake. A word of caution though on a Friday or Saturday night you may have to wait over an hour even with reservations. read more

We live 2 blocks from the Rosebud. We prefer to go for a late lunch. The portions are huge. You really do not need to order an appetizer or salad. The bread with the delicious olive oil and a good cocktail are plenty prior to the entree. Entrees are sided with pasta with homemade marinara sauce which is a bit tart-exactly the way I like it. I love the Veal Piccata. I rarely order dessert here. My husband enjoys the eggplant here. The wines are a bit pricy and the service can be iffy, but all in all this is a good value for your money. read more

Very classic Italian food with no frills. Hearty big portions with a homey atmosphere. The eggplant salad was great with thinly sliced fried eggplant with layers of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and greens drizzled with a thick balsamic sauce. I had the rigatoni alla vodka with italian sausage, and it was tasty but not really anything memorable. Pasta was cooked well though- al dente. Chianti was not bad either. Overall it's an average place for just classic Italian food, but don't expect any creativity or imagination in the dishes here at all. I don't think that is their goal anyway. Too many other fun restaurants in the city to try to go back here again. read more

The first time we came here was during the Taylor Street Festival last August and I really enjoyed it. The outdoor seating environment made this a pleasant dining experience. Our second and most recent time was on Father's Day of this year. It was too hot to even consider eating outside so we went in and found ourselves sitting in a dimly lit, traditional Italian decorated room. The menu has no description! The warm bread came without any offering of crushed black pepper. The portion of food was more for a family of four, an obese individual or someone who enjoys leftovers. With that said, the price for the Chicken Parmesean which sits on top of a pile of spaghetti was reasonable. I recommend this place for groups of people so you can share plates. I guess it's something I overlooked when we met up with friends last year. It's just too much for two people who want to eat different entrees. read more

This is by far my favorite Italian restaurant ever!!! Even though I had a reservation I've had to wait a couple of times, which I'm really good with because I know what's to come always blows my mind. The great thing about this place is even though I am not Italian, I feel like I am at my Italian Grandma's house sitting down for the meal of my life. The lighting is low. So, could be romantic if you can either cancel out each others garlic breath or you don't mind the smell. My staple used to be Chicken Vesuvio, they have a claim in that says they invented it, although so do a couple of other places. But, it's so good... ask for just Chicken Breast if you're like me and think the bones make for a lot more work. Now though, I love the Brick Chicken... It makes my mouth water just thinking about it. They make the chicken with a brick on top of it so it's flat... and has some great crispiness to it. I'm not a drinker but they have a great selection of wines and drinks. Go here, now if you are like me and LOVE Italian food! read more

Really good food. I try to get a Caesar Salad at most Italian restarants and this one ranks up there as one of the best of the city, cafe la cav, is another one. Oh and Wendys. Alright the last one was a joke. Well I got the chicken special and gnocchi.,, the sauces are always the best. to bad i didnt talk very much or say thank you to the person that paid the meal. my fault. read more

If you are not lucky enough to get Angela as your server, let me help guide you to happiness on a plate. I am gushing about~ The Tomato and Onion Salad. Add Blue cheese.. The Eggplant parm salad (not on the menu)- Layers of delicious fried eggplant between mounds of Arugula. Ask for it, they'll make it for you. The Brick Chicken- unbelievable! Square Noodles, substitute bolognese. These noodles are hand made and devine. This is the pasta dreams are made of. The tiramisu- usually not a fan- it won our whole table over. If you can't tell, I love this place. I think my Uncle and I almost cried during our meal, we were so happy... Great service, huge portions, reasonable prices, classic Chicago locale- How could you go wrong? read more

It had been about two years since I had been here, and was really looking forward to the crusted shrimp scallops I had last time...quite possibly one of the most memorable dishes of my life. Was very saddened that it wasn't there anymore which lead to some disappointment. The service was sub-par...our waitress to interested in laying silverware (even though there were plenty of bussers and it wasn't packed) than taking out order. Water was hardly filled. I got the sea bass with grilled vegetables, and definitely can't complain on that. Everyone else's food looked pretty delicious as well and smelled fabulous. We started with the calamari and bruscetta, probably the best calamari I've had in a long time (except for this hole in the wall Greek place in the sticks) and as always plenty of hot bread to go around. Atmosphere was good, a little cramped, but that adds to the flair of this place. Lots of scratches on the walls that I don't remember from last time. Still, a staple in Chicago dining and a must visit for any tourist. Stay away from the one on Rush/Division...it doesn't beat the real Rosebud. read more

This is a nice Italian restaurant that we visited upon a friends request. They have an extensive menu. I had the Fettuccine Alfredo and was not disappointed. Some items are a bit Spendy, but most items are very comparable to other Italian chains. ($14-18 for a pasta dish) The lighting is low and some of the elderly crowd were using their cellphones to light the menu, so If you have problems seeing in dim lighting I would suggest asking for a seat near the window or bringing a small light of some sort. The atmosphere nice. The staff are in jackets and ties but we didn't feel uncomfortable being in hoodies and jeans after a day of walking the city. This is definitely a place that would be appropriate in black tie attire as well. The location is great as it is right in the city- accessible via the CTA. We rode the Red Line up from Sheed Aquarium and then ended up walking all the way back to our vehicle at the Field Museum (it was a beautiful night). read more

I love Italian food and have added Rosebud to my list of great Italian restaurants in Chicago! WARNING: Portions are big!! Similar to Maggiano's, so you can definitely order one dish to share! Having been to this location twice, I can say the service is mediocre. I had a good experience the first time, but was kept waiting multiple times my last trip and had to flag down another waiter in order to be served! However, I love the food and while I am a lover of fried calamari as an appetizer, I would highly recommend the stuffed mushrooms! Spiced with fragrant herbs, they're soft, tender and tasty! But moving onto the main course, you really can't go wrong! The Rigatoni alla Vodka is one of my favorites, but Chicken Marsala is also a great option, albeit a bit salty. I've always been too stuffed for dessert, but I can safely say Rosebud is a great place for a fun dinner with friends, birthday or date! The ambience is great and it's dimly lit inside. The area isn't too busy, so come summer, go sit outside! read more

So, I'm a little partial to this place as it is where my honey took me on our first date. We sat outside on a warm fall evening, I had wine, he had beer, we both ordered the fettuccine alfredo. It's not the best pasta on Taylor street, but it was a great atmosphere and good service. I'm always a little sad to see the tables put away in the winter, as the sidewalk dining is really what made that first date perfect for me. read more

One of my favorite Italian places to go to get delicious calamari and pasta. My favorite dish here is the Fusilli Carbonara. So creamy and tasty! They give you a huge portion so I get to enjoy it the next day for lunch. The calamari is consistently cooked to perfection. It is a must! The service here is great and the servers are very attentive. Haven't had a bad experience here out of the many times we've been there. read more

This is not an Italian - this is an AMERICAN Italian. So expect americanized Italian food. Loads of sauce, loads of cheese on top etc. (If you want Italian go to Follia) Its ok for an american italian, the pasta is actually not too bad. Service ok, too, wine selection decent. Good for larger groups, too, there s enough space upstairs. Value for money - well, a pasta dish for $16 ? A bit over the top , then again the portions are americanized, too, so more on the large side. read more

Nice place for a great dinner. Had the flattened veal and linguini. Could not finish it but it was so good. I now have a new place to come to whenever I am in Chicago. The one missing star is for having to drive around awhile to find parking. read more

This is a nice place, nothing too special about it in my opinion. I went here on a lunch date and it was nice, but very busy and not really cozy. The service was good, the food was good. We got the calamari and while it was good, it wasn't my favorite (my date begged to differ). I personally like Mia Francesca's better. I got some weird grilled vegetables salad that was surprisingly really good and really filling. It was lunch after all and I had just had fried calamari so I wasn't about to go for some really rich pasta dish. I would be curious to see if the ambiance changes much during dinner. If I went back here, I would probably do lunch again (it just doesn't seem *special enough* for dinner). The location is good if you want to do shopping after...which is what I did. read more

Ah, the Rosebud....a veritable feast for the senses.... Went there on a Saturday nite with reservations for 7:00.... We were right on time, but had to wait about 15 minutes before we were seated. Meanhwile....a whole slew of people showed up at the door and pushed and pulled until they could get to the head of the line to tell the hostess/host they were there and early for their reservation by 1/2 hour. What a mob scene! And what's it with elderly people who are so anxious to get a table they'd crawl over you to sit down??? Anyway, we were finally seated, perused the menu and decided on the Ceasar Salad for my hubby and the house salad for moi. I liked the Ceasar better, but the house salad was also very good. For entrees, we both had a taste for the linguini with white clam sauce. Clams were everywhere! Pasta was cooked al dente and the flavor was savory - neither one of us complained... For dessert, I ordered my fave - Tiramasu - HUGE piece I wanted to dive right into. I ended up taking most of it home and ate it the next nite for dessert. Hubby got the chocolate mousse cake - and ate it all, so I'm guessing the look of yumminess on his face says he really liked it. Prices were about right. Wine was great and reasonable. We're going again. I'm taking away one star because of the lack of elbow room at the hostess station - the bar was packed and there was nowhere to stand as we waited and were jostled by all the eager patrons. read more

This is one of my favorite restaurants ever. Two words: vodka sauce. I always order off-menu-the cavatelli with vodka sauce. Note that everything here is family style. Do not expect to order a salad and get anything that resembles an individual portion. Pasta portions are way too big. It's never a bad idea to share. The atmosphere is pretty cramped which is a down point. It isn't always easy to get a cab. I haven't been here since Chicago went smoke-free but I can't wait to do so. This was always a pretty smoky place and I'll be very, very glad to see that gone. I've been here with a pretty big group. I wouldn't recommend doing that. Service diminishes greatly with a group. Make a reservation if you plan on actually getting a table! read more

Took my boyfriend here for his birthday, late near closing. It was very quiet, dim, romantic. I would say this is my favorite place in Little Italy, hands down, and I've eaten at every place on Taylor St. The prices are pretty much the same as all of the other Italian joints around town. Next to Greek food, Italian food is my favorite cuisine, and I've never had better red sauce, lasagna, or veal in my life. I can't remember which veal I had--it was slightly fried with a light wine sauce and a lot of lemon--and it just melted in my mouth. Sometimes you get veal and its a bit chewy. This veal was buttery and superb. The lasagna my boyfriend had was phenomenal, and it was a huge, hearty portion. If you want to spend the evening on Taylor Street and simply cannot decide which place to get dinner at, hands down I would suggest Rosebud over all the rest. read more

Not a fan of this place at all. Food wasn't that great. Only the ceasar salad was good. Prolly wouldn't go back

Great authentic Italian in Chicago. A must when in Chicago. Simply a wow experience. We make sure we visit every time...

A pretend to be Italian restaurant. A pretend to be restaurant. Enough to get me sick! First of all, (and I am not a purist) if you want to operate an Italian restaurant, you should have the correct Italian names on the menu, at least for the Italian dishes. It's "linguine", not "linguini"; "Scaloppine" not "scalopine"; . What do you say if I would give you an "HAT DOG"? 1) Calamari (spicy Calabrese). Everything was wrong with this dish. Overcooked in old oil therefore, rubbery, rancid and burned pieces of who knows what... but not calamari. How can you have old oil on Tuesday lunch time? You can if you don't replace the oil in the fryer after the week end. 2) Linguine with clams (kind of...) The dish was served in a large white plate, the right plate but this is it. Drowned in oil and salty watery liquid (probably wine?) and "decorated" with a branch of cilantro... Like a tree that fell in the kitchen. You use parsley, not cilantro. Only the chopped leaves not the "log". Some linguine were cooked al dente some other overcooked. This happens when you mix precook and stored (fridge cold) pasta with right-away cooked pasta. Very salty, very salty, very salty. I am not sure what wine they used but... it was very acidic. Probably tossed in a cold pan with the linguine. Not enough time for alcohol to evaporate. Nothing kept the "ingredients" together. Six clams, eight shells (???). Asked for pepper that never came and... I got very sick, very sick, very sick... Before traveling. I haven't tried other dishes... I am not going to. read more

This place got better again. It has been a while since eating here. Last time it was not so good. But this time it was delicious again. Angie read more

It had been about two years since I had been here, and was really looking forward to the crusted shrimp scallops I had last timequite possibly one of the most memorable dishes of my life. Was very saddened that it wasn't there anymore which lead to some disappointment. The service was sub-parour waitress to interested in laying silverware (even though there were plenty of bussers and it wasn't packed) than taking out order. Water was hardly filled. I got the sea bass with grilled vegetables, and definitely can't complain on that. Everyone else's food looked pretty delicious as well and smelled fabulous. We started with the calamari and bruscetta, probably the best calamari I've had in a long time (except for this hole in the wall Greek place in the sticks) and as always plenty of hot bread to go around. Atmosphere was good, a little cramped, but that adds to the flair of this place. Lots of scratches on the walls that I don't remember from last time. Still, a staple in Chicago dining and a must visit for any tourist. Stay away from the one on Rush/Divisionit doesn't beat the real Rosebud. read more