Calamari in lemon butter can't make a mistake Excited to try…read morethe special squid ink linguine Highly recommend their seafood risotto, so creamy and very delicious, each bite is full of crab meat.

Booked a 12:30pm reservation for two on OpenTable for Saturday, Sep 5 (labor day weekend). It…read morewasn't super busy, surprisingly - plenty of open tables inside, but not many outside. Wait staff was attentive, helpful and courteous. They let me order the risotto even though it's not in the lunch menu. Missus ordered the spaghetti and we got a grilled calamari for starter. The bread they serve is two types: whole wheat and white. Both go well with oil. Ambiance is kinda like an Italian bistro fused with Chicago art scene? Hard to explain. Overall, food was good (not "mind blowing"). I probably wouldn't come back, though - there's plenty of other great Italian places to try first. As a visitor, it's probably fine to try, but if I was local this would not be a regular visit (kinda pricey).

Excellent waitstaff and atmosphere. Heard wonders about the…read moregarlic knots- they did not disappoint. (the rest of the food was fantastic too.) will be back! just a gem of a spot.

* Takeout * Their…read morefood travels well and tastes delicious! - garlic knots ($8) were garlic-cheesy and buttery - mozzarella sticks ($14) were huge! Had a nice crunch plus covered in more cheese! These we're better when popped in the oven - both the Tagliatelle bolognese ($26) and Tonnarelli with Sun Gold Pomodoro ($24) were plentiful and the fresh pasta was cooked perfectly Honestly everything on their menu looks appetizing and makes me hungry! Next time I'm in town, must try in person!

Elina's has been on my list for a while and it was a great experience. Service was awesome,…read moreknowledgable and friendly server. Cute date night spot. Love that they give table bread! Meatball: 4/5 Cesar salad: 4/5 Chicken parm: 4/5 Vodka pasta/: 4.5/5

I have been hearing a lot about Elina's and was excited to try it out recently. I enjoyed my meal…read morebut thought the service and vibes were just ok. It all just felt a little too trendy and "instagrammable" to me. We started with some wine, the Caesar salad, and the baked clams. Wine was good, Caesar salad was fantastic, and clams were ok - the bacon didn't really work for me and there was way too many breadcrumbs, it felt like they totally drowned out the clams. We saw other guests with bread that looked good but didn't see it on the menu, so my date asked the waitress if bread came out with dinner or if we needed to order it. She looked at me and said "Now YOU must've been looking us up on Instagram!! Yes it's our special surprise... the bread comes out with dinner!" Special Surprise Bread was comically gimmicky to me, and for the record we hadn't seen anything on instagram the people next to us just had it and it looked good! And to top it all off, it wasn't even that good at all!! It was very basic white bread with some marinara sauce on top, could've been frozen bread heated up in the oven. It was fine, can't complain about free bread, but clearly the instagram allegations got to me... For our main course, we had chicken parm and the vodka rigatoni. Chicken parm isn't my favorite to begin with, but it was pretty good. I liked that the piece of chicken was thin and the breading was delicious. Vodka rigatoni was probably my favorite part, very tasty. The ambiance overall was nice, very small and intimate dining room. Overall, I enjoyed my meal but didn't love it. Service was ok and ambiance was nice.

Sat down on a nice Saturday afternoon in old town. We sat outside and enjoyed people watching as we…read moreate our lunch which consisted of calamari Friede and the gnocchi with mushroom cream sauce both were excellent although the calamari needed a little bit more seasoning with garlic or jalapeño. Overall the experience was enjoyable and really enjoyed my beer and my wife had sangria great place to people watch and enjoy some excellent pasta.

I love Orso's and have been coming here for more than 20 years. The food and service is…read moreconsistently good. With so much change and fast turnover in this neighborhood, the long term mainstays on Wells have endured for a reason. We had the clams casino and the risotto on our recent visit and they were fantastic. If you're in Old Town you should give Orso's a try. If you sit inside you might even get to listen to live piano music!

We went here for a double date and honestly picked this place because we heard about their live…read morecheese wheel pasta and wanted to try it. We ordered the Pecorino al Tartufo, Rigatoni con Pesto, and Burrata. The food was really good, and it was fun watching the pasta being prepared right in the cheese wheel. Definitely something different and worth experiencing! The ambience is really nice and perfect for a relaxed dinner. Service was good too--everyone was friendly and welcoming. We had a really nice time, enjoyed the food and the whole experience, and would definitely come back again.

Looking for great Italian food and tired of the crowds in the triangle? This place never…read moredisappoints. Daughter and I wandered in last night and had a perfect meal. Carpaccio and bruschetta starters that were imaginatively presented and tasty. We ordered a pesto pasta and bolognese pasta and shared. Both great. The bolognese would win in a city wide contest . Fresh pasta cooked correctly as well. Washed it down with a couple of glasses of Super Tuscan. And daughter had a 10/10 Tiramisu for dessert. Try this hidden gem on Chestnut .

Still drooling thinking about our meal here this past Saturday…read more Finally made it in to see Alex one of our favorite servers/bartenders in Chicago! We normally go to Bellvue or Gibsons but I'm so happy we finally tried Carmines! Alex surprised me w the besttttt spicy skinny marg! Highly recommend! Not too sweet or too tart, just perfect with a nice salt rim! Everything from start to finish was absolutely incredible! The table bread is heavenly! They great you with plates of olive oil and Parmesan for dipping your bread. The bread is warm, soft and pillowy on the inside w a slight crunch on the outside. You can tell it's made in house & soooo good!!! What we ordered: Spicy rigatoni as an appetizer 12/10 the pasta was cooked to PERFECTION!! 12 oz filet 10/10 cooked perfectly to a medium w a nice char on the outside Brussel sprouts 9/10 Fries 10/10 they are cut in house & fried in beef tallow. Soo good!! Chicken piccata 10/10 nice tender white meat We were all extremely full but had to get dessert. The dessert menu has to be one of the best in the city! We had such a hard time deciding between the banana Oreo pie, chocolate cake or tiramisu. We split the banana pie as Alex recommended it and he also brought us out a slice of the chocolate cake. O M G BOTH of these desserts were HEAVENNNNN!!! If you like decadent chocolate cake, do NOT skip this!! We had leftovers and they tasted even better the next day. The terrace is really cute overlooking Gold Coast and the inside of the restaurant is gorgeous! Thank you Alex for a PERFECT dinner and amazing service!!

Three hours on the second floor terrace on a flawless Chicago night, and none of the four of us…read morewanted to get up. That terrace is brand new. Carmine's went dark in 2023 and stayed dark for nearly three years while Rosebud put $4 million into rebuilding it, reopening this past January. The terrace over Rush Street came later, in June, roughly 125 seats looking down on Mariano Park. Reservations are not optional here, but the terrace is luck of the draw and ours came up. If you have any say in it, ask. Service is the part I want people to hear about. It was my wife and me and two of her old friends who live in the city, and we had a full team on us all night, every one of them welcoming, quick, and never hovering. The managers stood out most. They worked the floor the entire evening, watching tables, checking in, quietly holding a standard. When leadership is that present, the whole staff plays a level up, and you can feel it from your chair. Bread landed first and it was terrific, a real crackling crust with a soft middle. We went through more of it than we meant to. The table opened with the clams in red sauce. Spectacular, and that sauce is reason enough to keep some of the bread in reserve. Two specials carried the mains. I took the Chilean sea bass and loved it, rich enough that I slowed down halfway through and enjoyed the second half more for it. Tara and one of our friends both ordered the Dover sole. Beautifully cooked, and Tara found the seasoning a little timid. In fairness to the kitchen, our friend had no such issue with hers, so this may be a palate difference more than a miss. Our fourth ordered the short rib pasta and called it spectacular without pausing to think about it. The bar knows what it is doing. Tara's vodka cocktails were good across the board and my old fashioneds were built right. One friendly piece of intel that will make your drink better: ask for the big rock cube. They will not use one unless you request it, and on an old fashioned that single choice decides whether your drink holds up over an hour of conversation or turns to water while you talk. Noise on the terrace was pitched perfectly. Four people, one table, three hours, and nobody had to repeat themselves. On this stretch of Rush Street that is worth something. Easy walk from the Michigan Avenue hotels, so skip the car. Fair warning that a 3% service surcharge lands on the check. Five stars. Tara and I did not score every plate the same, but a terrace like that, bread like that, those clams, and a floor team that never let a thing slip is a night we are already trying to schedule again.

dinner was amazing. great food, great service. Neekoh was an amazing server! so funny and…read moreaccommodating

Have had this spot on my list for a while now and glad to have had time to check it out this…read moreweekend. Dined in for an early dinner and was able to get seated without a reservation. Nice cozy restaurant with subtle lighting. We started with the focaccia and were blown away by how crispy the outside was with maintaining a soft and airy inside. Served with olive oil and balsamic, it was a great portion for the price we paid. For entrees, we went with the pesto Genovese pasta and it was such a good choice. I've never had pesto pasta taste so creamy. The noodles were chewy yet not too firm and gummy. We also ordered the diavola pizza and the truffle really stood out to me. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful with helping us decide on our dishes. I would highly recommend checking Eduardo's out.

I've been to Avli River North twice, both times with a large group from work. The first time, the…read moreservice was excellent; the second time, it was noticeably slower, although the food was still good. Some dishes can be a little hit or miss, but the ones that are good are really good. The atmosphere is nice and works well for a group dinner--not overly trendy or fancy, but still a good ambiance and an enjoyable place to spend the evening. For our group of around 12 people, the total was about $1,200 including food and drinks, so it can get pricey with a larger group. Overall, a good spot for a work dinner or group gathering.

Great spot for a work dinner, date, friends gathering. Food is really good. So are the drinks…read more We tired a bunch of apps, ofc Saganaki is a must hehe I had a Pork Gyro for dinner - super yummy. And then the fries... mmmmmm really good! Highly recommend this spot!