This place serves what I assume to be authentic Italian food. First of all, I/we were introduced to a really good and reasonably-priced cabernet sauvignon (The Cab) by the bartender ($38/bottle). It was a recommendation for a "very dry wine." Alcohol content was 14.5%. When you first taste the wine, make sure you let it sit (tres smooth). I've only had to send one bottle of wine back at a pizzeria in NYC. But even the waiter agreed that it was amiss. The bartender was good about letting you sample wines, and he washed and dried glasses each time we sampled. The food was pretty extraordinary, and the plates were heaping. You can probably eat 2 meals per 1 entree. This restaurant is in the "Little Italy" of Chicago. Ambiance is perfect for a business meeting or romantic tryst. They were playing Frank Sinatra (radio station?), so yeah, it was that kind of Italian place. I tried the Italian Wedding soup. I think Sarah (our server) mentioned that it had veal sausage. It was really good, but some of the pastas were clumped, which made me question if it was entirely fresh. However, it was definitely homemade, and anyone that loves soup knows that the longer soup sits after its creation, the more flavorful. So I give that soup a 8.5+ (I give room for the best soup, which I haven't found). The closest delicious soup I've ever tried was from Dean & Deluca (which had tarragon and potatoes/perfectly filling for vegetarians). I also tried the seafood salad. It was good, but too much for one person. Make sure you share it with others. I sampled the veal special from one of my friends. It was really good. The tomato sauce was excellent (consistency and taste). I also tried the chicken Vesuvius, which was topped with peas (also excellent). If this restaurant existed in NYC, the meal would equate to double the price we paid. You, Chicagoans are lucky! read more

My husband and I went to The Rosebud last night and it was great! Everything came out hot and fresh and the service was excellent! Our waiter was "Tony" and he was wonderful. Our water (yes, we drink a lot of water) was never low and the bread and olive oil was brought quickly to our table after we were seated. We started with the mussels in white sauce (garlic, white wine, I believe) and they were nice and juicy. Cooked to perfection! I also like that they brought us small forks to eat them with - we have not always gotten this at other restaurants when ordering mussels. Our server was also patient as he did not act annoyed when we had difficulty deciding what to order (we had been to The Rosebud once before and wanted to try different entrees). I ordered the Rigatoni alla Vodka and my husband ordered the Cavatelli alla Rosebud. We liked both entrees! The Cavatelli alla Rosebud was especially good because the mushrooms, green beans, and roasted peppers gave it an extra texture (and we love mushrooms) and the sauce was very light yet flavorful. The Rigatoni alla Vodka was also good. The sauce sort of reminded me of Mac n Cheese grown-up style, minus any stringiness that you get with mozzarella. As pointed out in other reviews, the portion sizes are enormous! We ended up spliting both entrees and went home with three lunches worth of leftovers!! We saved room for dessert though, as we heard it was good here. I ordered the spumoni (spelling?) and my husband ordered the chocolate cake. Both were also huge! We split the spumoni and took almost all the chocolate cake home for leftovers :) The spumoni was especially good because it had more flavors than I recall having at other restaurants. I believe the flavors were: pineapple (?), strawberry and/or raspberry, pistachio, and chocolate. The only negative to going here is that it is sometimes difficult to catch a taxi, although we won't let this keep us from going again! Also good about this place is that you can either dress up or go a little casual and you probably won't be out of place either way. Just probably not jeans. read more

The Rosebud jumpstarted our experience by telling us we might have to wait 30 minutes (totally reasonable for a Saturday night), then calling us 3 minutes later because one of their reservations cancelled... Brownie points! No hungry hippos like to wait. The location by the university is much larger than it appears upon entry because there's an upstairs with quite a bit of seating. The lighting and decor make for a very nice atmosphere, and we enjoyed the humorous Rosebud ads framed on the wall next to our table. Now for the food... Yum... If you like artichoke (I love it), don't miss the stuffed artichoke for your appetizer! Just when you think it's gone, it's not - it keeps going. And when the artichoke is gone, there's plenty of sauce left to dip the house bread in. Bring on the garlic breath! Rosebud's Caesar and vinaigrette dressings were also tasty-tasty if you do salad between your appetizer and entree. Now for the entrees, they're h-uge! One of my coworkers managed to eat, no, CONQUER the whole brick chicken, but I only made a dent in my flat noodles. It was a dent I enjoyed, though, and I wished I wasn't flying out the next day because I had a feeling the leftovers would've been equally enjoyable... We went to RB for a work dinner while in town for a dental convention, but I tell you this place would be a great date if you're in the mood for some love and Italian food! read more

I've been going to Rosebud for many many years and I love their food. The day after Christmas wasn't overly busy and we didn't have a hard time getting a table. I ordered the same thing I always get, fried calamari as an appetizer and chicken parm as an entree. Delicious! The portion sizes here are huge, I have enough left over for at least 2 more meals. I tried some of the other dishes, the pasta carbonera was good, the whitefish was very good. Even the complimentary bread served is great. The service was a little disorganized but not so bad that it annoyed me. And they lost my Open Table reservation, not a big deal since it wasn't busy. read more

We had a group of 8 with reservations at noon on a holiday weekend and the weekend of graduations from UIC. Despite the craziness, we were seated prompted, attended to immediately, and our food came out at a reasonable time. The food was delicious. Great flavor. The complimentary bread came with olive oil and shredded Parmesan cheese (my favorite). YUMMIE. There is a lot of seating in this restaurant. However, I suggest getting seating upstairs if possible. When we ventured downstairs to use the restroom, the seating area was very stuffy and hot. Upstairs was definitely cooler and more comfortable. The place loses a star because I had found a small piece of paper in my dish (probably from the packaging of the prosciutto) and my friend had a small piece of plastic in her dish (probably from the packaging of the meat). Our dishes still tasted good though. At least it wasn't a piece of hair!! read more

Yummy and the portion sizes are huge with the price. Love this place and will come again

Phenomenal restaurant!! Service was outstanding, food was out of this world! I would recommend this to anyone out for a nice fancy dinner. You're greeted right when you walk in, never had a bad moment. The waiters take very good care of you and they know their stuff. Don't hesitate ask any questions. Your glass is always topped off with what you're drinking and you always have bread!! Fantastic!!!! read more

Hmmm.....it's a nice cool evening out and I wanted something healthy but good. Head over to Rosebud on Taylor and sit outside. It's summer out and I like to eat lighter so the dinner menu is out. BUT the apps are in. For the same prices (ok a little higher but not too much higher than you can pay for a burger and fries somewhere else) I had the grilled calamari, baked clams and stuffed shrooms. The shrooms had a reduction sauce that was really creamy and garlicy while the calamari was olive oil and lemon fresh - there were even little baby pulpo grilled to char crisp. All were priced under $11 and were really fresh and especially tasty. For those interested I didn't eat all that food but split it with a friend. The apps and a couple of Pieroni's and I was immobile. OH, almost forgot to mention the warm Italian bread and Greek EVO w parm cheese.....burp. read more

I have dined here many times , the price reflects " The City " so you will be over paying a little . However last night I went for dinner before the Blackhawks game ( Which was a Monday night ) . The waiter did not describe the specials correctly , one was a Lamb Osso Buco the other a large Veal Shank , they both came with Risotto . I ordered the Veal it was a very big leg shank which was tough and over priced at $110.00 . It was clear this was a left over from the weekend and if it wasn't , then double same on them . At the very least this was the worst form of price gouging I have ever experienced , Shame on THEM . So if you go , stick to the appetizers and ASK the price of the specials as they are not mentioned by the staff when they describe to you , better yet avoid them completely as they are not worth it . read more

The best place for Italian. Huge portions, the sauce is amazing and lots of cheese! My parents are from the east coast and The Rosebud takes them back to their childhood. It really doesn't get any better than this! The atmosphere is reminiscent of the rat-pack and the food is just delicious. read more

Eh, it was fine. It feels like a tourist joint. The service was fair (we were never told of the specials, which sounded great as we eavesdropped on another server at another table, and the bread was delivered late and slightly cool). The food was OK (the linguine shrimp I had was OK, but where I was expecting melt-in-your-mouth shrimp, I think I got the just-out-of-the-freezer shrimp). All in all, I didn't *hate* anything, but I wouldn't recommend it. read more

My family and I came here to eat during the Taylor Street Festa Italiana. I love eating at Rosebud to begin with, so to experience al fresco dining during the fest was beyond amazing! We split our dishes as usual because we like to try different things. We did not want to leave. Two of our friends wound up coming to meet us last minute and were accommodated with no problem. The GM Louis Folinazzo was of course seeing if we were taken care of like he always does. What a great choice in making him GM! He's fantastic! He brought us out 3 desserts even though we were stuffed from the delicious meal but it was well worth it. Loved trying them. Thanks Rosebud & Louis Folinazzo! We will be back again! read more

So I read the reviews about this restaurant and decided to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday with a bunch of friends at Rosebud. I made reservations a week before the event, and when we arrived, we had to wait 40 minutes in order to be seated. They didn't have the tables ready for us, so what's the point of having a reservation if they are not ready? I guess it's difficult for a party of 16. The service was poor. My friend ordered a chopped salad and mentioned it without cheese since she was allergic. Well what do you know, she got a chopped salad with cheese. Then near the end of dinner, I told one of the waitress that I have a cake on hold and would like to take it out to eat. It was nice of them to cut the cake and serve each one of us and making sure everyone had a piece, but what's really shady was that they charged $2 per cutting of the cake WITHOUT telling us. We found this out when we got the bill. So I ended up paying $32 for the cake cutting service, and what's even dumb was that two of my friends already left early so it was really 14 people who actually had cake but was charged by the count of reservation (makes sense, but I am still angry that there was a charge of cutting the cake without our knowledge). After the bill was handed to me, we did not see any waitresses or waiters. Although that isn't a surprise since they put us on the second floor, and we only saw our waitress four times throughout the night (first time was to get our order, the second was when she brought the food to us, the third was to give us the cake, and the fourth was to give us the bill). When we needed refills or assistance, we just have to wait for one of those "more important" times. If you are looking for feeddbacks on food, it isn't bad. I liked my dish, but other places are better. One of my friends ordered a pork chop, and it was pretty dry. If you have a big party, I would suggest going elsewhere. read more

I stopped into the Rosebud on a Saturday after doing some shopping. I was craving something from the Mediterranean and boy did I pick the right place! It was beautiful out, so I sat outside- very quaint and it had that European neighborhood feel. The waitress was very nice and very knowledgeable as well. She riddled off the specials for the day which consisted of about 20 items- no lie! I ordered 2 appetizers because I just wanted something light. Man, you should've seen what came to the table! One GIANT order of fried Calamari and a huge dish of Sausage and Peppers! These were just appetizers! I had two glasses of wine and two HUGE appetizers- plus a tip and it cost me around $40. This also includes fresh bread and olive oil that was brought to the table as I waited on my meal. The food was excellent as was the service and it made for the perfect spot to duck into for a quick Saturday afternoon meal. I'm a huge fan of the Rosebud now! read more

I'm disappointed with the food, not the service. I had high expectations of this restaurant given that it is a well known Italian restaurant in an Italian neighborhood. My chicken marsala was extremely plain and the Marsala sauce was bland. It wasn't very appetizing in presentation either. I think I'll hold off coming here until the cooks learn how to cook a simple chicken dish. read more

First time here. Great and great services. Especially Jay our server, and Pedro: they were friendly and attentive. Definitely will back again. Love this place. read more

Delicious, great service and ambiance. However, portions are HUGE so highly recommend doing a family-style type of ordering if you're in a party larger than 2... enough food to go around and all can try a bit of each. Had leftovers for several days. read more

Delicious Italian no matter what you order. The service is very attentive and the atmosphere is just what you would expect of any Rosebud or Carmine's location. Its got that old world Italian feel. Who knew there was a little Italy in Chicago?! Not five stars because it isn't my favorite Italian spot. read more

Excellent food and service but still felt too commercial. You can't go wrong with the spaghetti and meatballs to fill your tummy though it's impossible to finish off the Lasagne in one sitting. read more

Wonderful experience from start to finish! Seated immediately upon arrival on a very busy Saturday night, manager stopped at table twice to see how things were going, our server (Jay) was outstanding!!! He knew everything about the menu and very detail about the specials. We started with the shrimp special per Jay's suggestion. Wow! Delicious. I couldn't decide which pasta I wanted between 2 of them On the menu so Jay said he'd take care of me and boy he did! He had the chef make a combination of the 2 (carbonara and vodka sauce) and it was perfect. My husband had the Ciopanno for 2 so We could take some home for our teenage soon. There was so much seafood in that dish it seems it is more like a dish for 5!! Ended our evening with the very best tiramisu in the world!! Yes, I am the tiramisu expert and Rosebuds is truly mouth watering amazingly delicious. Thanks to Rosebud for a wonderful evening and anniversary celebration!! We can't wait to go back!! read more

After just moving from Chicago to Wisconsin, we went to Rosebud looking for a Chicago Italian meal....and this place delivered. Good service, great beer/wine, large and delicious portions...all while sitting on Taylor St and listening to the Blackhawks getting closer to a win! I highly recommend the Salmon Vesuvio...it was a hefty portion but good quality. The only downer was the coconut cake...it was light and airy but with a processed Little Debbie taste....it wasn't even close to homemade. Rosebud, you can do better!! Overall, I really enjoyed myself on a beautiful Chicago evening. read more

Food was good and that's about the only thing that was. Our experience with the staff was beyond contempt. They were very rude and dismissive. This was my birthday celebration and we all wanted to go there and have our favorite dish - the vodka sauce pasta. When we ordered it , a very condescending manger felt the need to critique our order and made a rude comment about our choice. My family has been in the Chicago restaurant business for the past 40+ years and we would never tolerate such horrific treatment of a customer. The vodka sauce is really good but not good enough to come back and risk such a terrible experience again. So sad. read more

I have been in Rosebud probably more than five times, every time, the food is great. I have tried many of their dishes, but my favorite one so far is linguine carbonara - not in the menu, but you can order them, and they are delicious! Cook into perfection and the sauce is so good - highly recommended! When I am in the mood for some good pasta, Rosebud is definetly one of my go-to. read more

The five stars is for a truly wonderful group outing. A great Italian restaurant, was Frank Sinatra's choice whenever he frequented chicago. Great little intimate dining experience for a couple but much better when dining with a large group. I have been here 4 times with a large group, and as long as reservations are made a few days in advance, they will set you up with a private room with your own waiting staff and soft italian dining music in the background. I'm telling you, round up all of your friends and go here you will not regret it. Last time I was there, the total bill was around $500 for 11 people. This included at least 4 bottles of wine, appetizers, meals, and gratuity. very reasonable. Afterward head to Bevi Amo for a night cap. read more

Ok, I think it's silly to order Fettuccine Alfredo at a restaurant. It's an idiot proof dish to make at home if you're absolutely fiending for it. But my friend said I would HAVE to try it, so I did. And boy, did it it deliver. Creamiest and freshest Alfredo I have ever tasted. The grilled jumbo shrimp I ordered with it were juicy and well marinated. Did I mention the outdoor seating under the trees under balmy Chicago weather? It was excellent. read more

Food: Average at best; a notch below Olive Garden. Mussels were average, bruschetta was a bit wet, antipasto platter was swimming in oil. Service: Eh. Okay. Price: Obnoxiously high. $68 for three apps and two drinks? Are you nuts? If the food was actually *good* I'd have no problem with it. Don't bother unless this is the only place you can get a reservation. read more

We were extremely pleased with our dining experience! Be prepared for very generous portions and great service (it can be slow when they're really busy though). While the background noise was fairly loud, the amazing food made up for it. And the *original* Rosebud is a must-see nestled into a cute college town/city. read more

Decent service. Decent food. Altogether, just decent. Fettuccine Alfredo was good but no Fettucine Alfredo should be $30. Altogether, two plates, no drinks, no appetizers came out to $60 for two people... Probably wouldn't come back. Treat yourself to the other restaurants in the area. Also the quality in their burgers have gone down during the years. read more

I went to Rosebud for the last time, last summer. I have been trying to get over the utter disappointment to craft a fair and reasonable review. Once, a heralded Italian classic, literally for the ages...no one who I knew placed any Italian restaurant, in Chicago, higher on their list. I ate there regularly. I took out-of-town guests there. The last two times that I ate their food (mostly because my wife knows the GM) I noticed that something was missing. Maybe, Rosebud's better days were behind it or it was just ordinary from the start and I enjoyed the neighborhood and the atmosphere more than the food. Last summer, we sat on the patio for a Sunday afternoon dinner. First, the service was very slow, especially considering that the restaurant wasn't and usually isn't busy on Sunday at 2-3pm. The server didn't bring the drinks, at all. I ordered the eight finger cavatelli (baked). I have enjoyed that dish at Rosebud many, many times over the years. That day, however, I asked if they could make it with an Arrabiata sauce: something a little spicier. The dish arrived at the table and I immediately noticed that there was far too much "green" in the plate...maybe an overabundance of basil? Nope...they probably didn't have Arrabiata or someone who could make it, because there were large chunks of jalapeno in the sauce...the "green." The inexperienced server should have just said, "No arrabiata," instead of having the kitchen attempt this brutal miscue. I thought about sending it back, but 1) I was really hungry, 2) the server was really inept, and 3) our friend, the GM, doesn't work on Sunday. I ate the pasta and navigated the jalapenos and melted cheese. It was like eating a cavatelli / burrito suiza plate. Jalapenos in an Arrabiata sauce, at Rosebud! SACRILEGE!!! I love seeing the 4 and 5 star reviews for this place. That's why I feel really good about spending my cash elsewhere...they'll never miss my cover. read more

I'm not going to say the food is bad... cuz it's not. But the way the business is run... REALLY? Went in for pickup. The price was $6.48. The girl let me know they don't use change. So... she only gave me back $3.00. What kind of business ethic is that? RIP OFF! I won's be eating here or picking up from here again. read more

Sheltered here with some friends for a late lunch during a blustery snowstorm one recent Saturday afternoon. Couldn't have picked a better spot. We lingered for 4 hours over appetizer (tasty but super-rich stuffed artichoke), entrees (veal marsala was fantastic, and the lasagna was the most gorgeous I've ever seen), drinks (the house wine is a great deal), and dessert (go for the chocolate mousse cake, skip the cannoli cake). Yes, four hours, and we were never once rushed or made to feel as though we were imposing. Rather, the waiters seemed happy to have us lingering, almost like family. The restaurant was beautifully decorated for Christmas and felt like a million bucks, and then the final tab was so reasonable (especially given the insane amount that we ordered over those four hours) that I thought they must have forgotten to add several items to our check. If you want to have a special meal without breaking the bank, I'd go back here in a heartbeat. read more

The rosebud is a classy joint perfect for a date. My girlfriend and I had the lasagna and fettuccini alfredo and added meatballs. Patrick, our server was a witty and polite, offering direction to our order and attentive service to our evening. The food was amazing and the portions large. Noodles we're perfectly cooked and the meatballs tender and flavorful. If you wander into The Rosebud, say hi to Patrick and be ready for a great experience. read more

We went here for a quiet dinner and left full and content. The servers were attentive and the Fettuccine Alfredo really hit the spot. The atmosphere is old school Italian and classy. read more

Food was a bit over cooked. Staff was very polite about issues. Just didn't really solve them for the price of ticket involved.

This may be known as the place to go, but I will not be back. I have been in the restaurant business for 30 years and know a thing or 2. I ate here because my niece wanted to eat here on our trip to Chicago. It is over hyped and priced. She had the spaghetti and meatballs $26. Meatballs were huge, but dry. My husband had the Chicken Marsala $30 which was a huge portion, enough for 2 people, but came with a small side of pasta. Chicken was slightly rubbery (over cooked) and sooo much salt. I had the lobster risotto special $48 that had about 4oz of lobster on top and BAY scallops. Was also SUPER over salted. It was hard to get soda refills for my niece. I did have a pre dinner old fashion and couple glasses of house wine with dinner. We finished our meal and paid our check while all my empty glasses sat on the table. I expect better service when I am paying these type of prices on food and drinks. I was also so bloated from all the salt by the time I got to the hotel room that it ruined the rest of the evening. read more

without a doubt, one of my all time favorites in Chicago, located in the heart of Italy district of Chi town. Not fancy, not pricey, just awesome food and many options. I love the sausage and peppers appetizer and anything visouvio style. read more

I really tried to like this place but could not. Our mussels were quite fishy - not just one or two, the entire bowl. Pasta was mediocre and the service was fair. I wont go into to details since a 5 star review deserves and will get more of my typing time. I have had so much better for so much less $$. I really think that the real reason people praise this establishment is because of its Chicago history and nothing more. read more

This place is great. Definitely satisfies my fix for very good Italian food everytime I go there. The portions are huge, so make sure to go there ready to eat. If you're there on a date and will do more talking than eating, then sharing a pasta dish will certainly be enough for both. I would actually say that the portions actually caused me not to give this place that last star. You might be thinking, "whoa, it's not their fault you stuffed yourself like a kid recently escaped from fat camp. You can't penalizes them for that!" ... and yet, here we are. read more

The Rosebud may be famous for it being the original location in the heart of Little Italy, but seems unable to set itself apart from other italian restaurants nowadays. I've been here twice and while their fried calamari, Rigatoni alla Vodka, Meatballs and Veal Parmesan tasted great, I would not say it was better than other italian franchises such as Maggiano's or Buca di Beppo. Considering that the price of the entrees in Rosebud seem to be a tad higher than those other italian franchises it would be hard for me to recommend anyone to go out of their way just to drive to the city and eat here. If you do live in the city there are far better italian options in Lincoln Square (such as Buona Terra) that you should eat at. read more

I love Rosebud. If you have guests in from out of town - this is the place to take them. I'm never disappointed with the quality of the food. The calamari appetizer is great - a favorite of my family. Pretty much every pasta/meat dish I've tried is great. Of note - I went once with a group of 3. Our waiter read us the specials (did not give us a menu with prices) and 2 of us ordered off of it - both entrees were over $40 and HUGE portions. I'm not a big girl - I obviously couldn't have finished it (hell, a family of 4 probably couldn't have finished it). That annoyed me, but it is 1- my fault for ordering off the specials menu w/o seeing the price and 2- the waiter's fault for not letting us know PORTION sizes. Otherwise, all awesome experiences here, will definitely be going back! read more