An authentic Italian experience! The food is excellent, the owner and the waiters are Italian, and the ambience feels like restaurants that we've gone to in Italy. Highly recommend! read more

The outdoor patio was cute and the owner was very sweet! Unfortunately the service left much to be desired. No smiles or hellos when we walked in, we didn't see our server after we were seated for 15 minutes and she hardly spoke to or checked in on us. Food was okay, but nothing special after waiting 45 minutes for our entrees. Also should note there were several tables around us complaining of similar wait times for the food. We left pretty disappointed after hoping this would become a neighborhood favorite. read more

Trattoria Gianni - Tortellini Baronessa - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Stopped in here Sunday night for dessert and a glass of wine. We ended up also getting antipasto. This is a very cozy place with very friendly staff. I will be returning for dinner some day soon! Great place to warm up at in the cold months. read more

Trattoria Gianni - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Don't dare to voice your table preference when you enter this restaurant, you'll sit where the owner tells you to, period. The squid ink risotto--a dish I've had all over the world, was not risotto and contained nothing recognizable as squid ink. (Casati's on Clark Street had an excellent one until it fell off the menu.) The grilled polpo (octopus) was flavorless and presented on a bed of mashed potatoes, a form of this vegetable I've never before encountered in any Italian restaurant, foreign or domestic. The broiled lamb chops were perfectly done and utterly flavorless. If you crave outstanding Italian food, Vinci, just across the street, is invariably authentic and excellent. read more

Came to get a drink an appetizer before Steppenwolf, the place looked nice. However, the host or owner made something meant to be easy an issue for them on timing and what time they decided I did not have. Sure you're business to decide to seat me but what a waste of my time to question me about what I wanted to do. Could of been a simple drink order and appetizer to try the place instead left with a bad sense of what to expect from the full restaurant experience. Others beware. read more

Tastes of Italy! Octopus, arancini, and all the main courses we tried were prepared perfectly and absolutely delicious. Nice ambiance and service was also perfect. Will definitely be back! read more

Trattoria Gianni - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We dined here last night. It's been about a year since we were here. The food is always fantastic! I always choose a special and last night was a shrimp, saffron risotto that would rival any risotto in Tuscany, so good!! I can't wait to go back! read more

Gianni's is a great restaurant. The outdoor patio and the dining room inside are both very nice. It's a great place to grab a bit to eat before a show or have a family gathering. The lamb and tiramisu are delicious. And the wait staff are kind and professional. read more

We are visiting the area and found this delightful place. There is lots of outdoor seating. The pasta was excellent! We had gnocchi and tortellini. Both delicious! The service was very good and pleasant. There's a full bar. read more

Absolutely delicious- affordable, delicious, great service, and wonderful ambiance. The bottles of wine are reasonably priced (and delicious!). We got a delicious bottle of red, and it went great with our entire meal. We started with the caesar salad and the arancini. And oh my goodness, the arancini was the best I have had since being in Italy. It was perfectly fried, cheesy, and delicious. I personally got the gnocchi and my mind was blown- it was so light and fluffy and stuffed with the most delicious ricotta. I have never had such light gnocchi- I didn't even know it was possible! We ended the night with the pana cotta which again, was light, full of flavor, and left me wanting more. The service was great, and the patio was beautiful. It felt like we were in someone's backyard enjoying a home cooked meal. I could eat here every night! read more

A 3% "inflation fee" was added to our bill. What a ripoff! I've paid credit card fees and health benefit fees at restaurants, but this is new. Just be transparent and raise your prices. The risotto was mediocre. The server was sweet but inattentive. Nice outdoor area (quite sunny at 6pm) and a quaint interior. There are many better restaurants in Chicago. read more

Been to this restaurant many a time and it never fails to please. The staff is so great and courteous to everyone that walks in the door. We started with the gnocchi and I have to say it was the fluffiest, lightest gnocchi I've ever tasted. It is hard to believe how good it actually is. Would recommend any day of the week. The pork shoulder special was also absurdly good. The veggies and mashed potatoes complimented it very nicely. The tiramisu is always a hit, especially when accompanied with a coffee and Irish cream. Will be back as I always do, I love this place. read more

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My wife and I stopped here for dinner last Sunday. Thankfully their outdoor seating was open because it was finally nice that day. The patio is absolutely enormous and has a really relaxing ambiance. The whole place has an old school Italian kind of vibe. There is a nice selection of wines by both the glass and bottle. After drinks we started with their minestrone and tortellini soups - both good! For entrees we ordered the spinach ravioli and the gnocchi. The ravioli was really tasty and refreshingly light while the gnocchi was incredibly soft and just melted in your mouth. Our waiter (I think it was Robert) was very friendly and did a great job taking care of us. Prices were a little high but I'm guessing are needed to stay afloat in Lincoln Park. Very good experience overall! read more

Trattoria Gianni - Spinach ravioli - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Would not recommend this restaurant. The service here was terrible. We waited far too long for mediocre food, including a ridiculously overpriced bowl of buttered noodles for our toddler. When I raised the cost of her meal ($23 for noodles and butter!), the manager essentially shrugged his shoulders and said too bad. We will not be back. read more

I had a very mixed experience at Trattoria Gianni. The things I enjoyed were the arancini (very flavorful and I loved how there were peas inside!) and the tiramisu. Both were delicious. On the other hand, my entree, the tagliatelle bolognese, was extremely disappointing. The pasta was over cooked and the sauce was flavorless with hardly any meat. The restaurant was also very crowded, with the tables very close together. I did like the fireplace though, and there was definitely a friendly, family-style ambiance to the place. My other issue was that had to wait a long time for the waiter to take our order -- I'm usually okay with waiting a little bit but this time felt abnormally long. It would take forever for him to come back between courses, bring us drinks, etc. read more

First time here - got seated right away. Server was very attentive and knew his selections of what to offer their guest. I got the shrimp & scallops linguine very tasty. Must try this restaurant. read more

The best of the best The best True Italian food in the city We've been going since the opening and will always consider Gianni Trattoria family The Rozenfeld Family read more

My boyfriend and I went for Valentine's Day. Even on a busy evening, our service was superb (apologies didn't get her name, but wearing a ND mask). Our app was Carpaccio & Minestrone - both of which were good. I ordered the filet, which was even better in a nice gravy type sauce. The star of the show was the Tortellini With prosciutto in a cream sauce. One of the best things we've eaten in a long time, will without a doubt be back to specifically order that dish again! read more

Trattoria Gianni - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Avoid, so many better places that deserve your business. We had been here a couple of times, and Went there on a nice Saturday and sat outside, there were 6 of us. Plenty of empty tables both inside and outside for the duration of our stay. Spent over $700 with tip ***for 6 people*** and the manager had the nerve to say to one of our party when he went to the restroom that he should be charging us rent for how long we've been sitting at the table. Wth. We were there from 6 - 10 pm but spent well over $100 per person. Again, there were plenty of empty tables while we were there so we weren't keeping anyone from turning a table. And frankly, the food was pretty bad. Photo of flavorless tagliatelle bolognese. I literally threw my leftovers out, and I never do that. read more

Trattoria Gianni - Flavorless tagliatelle bolognese. Rude manager who obvi doesn't care of your party of 6 is spending $700+ on dinner. - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Some of the best Italian food I've had in Chicago - a favorite by far, somewhere we frequent on special occasions (but also weekday nights when we're get that pasta craving!). Great spot, prices are reasonable for the area, but the food is incredible so it'll be worth the spend, promise. The patio is absolutely perfect. read more

Great for pre-show at Steppenwolf. Fast and professional, pleasant service. AMAZING pasta. Reasonable prices. Homey. Easy, classic Italian.

A standard Italian spot for Chicago! Came for dinner on a Saturday after a movie and got seated immediately. We sat on the patio since it was so cute! I loved the rigatoni and the arancini is also a must. read more

I'm all in favor of supporting family owned businesses especially those who have been around for decades. So I was really looking forward to having dinner here last night albeit an impromptu dinner. No regrets about the impromptu dinner as the company was great as always however the food, not so much. I opted for the Ravioli Burro e Salvia which featured Homemade spinach ravioli, stuffed with ricotta cheese, burned butter, sage & parmigiano. Sounds good right? That's what I thought. I'm not sure if it was the ricotta or something else but this dish was real salty. It was so salty that I ate 1/2 and didn't want to bother to take the rest home. I was really disappointed. The service was great and the basket of bread was fresh in nature. It was a slightly cool night and after leaving noticed an outdoor patio which would be amazing to dine in. Valet parking is available if you cannot find metered parking. Plus it's on Halsted so you could bus it up or Red Line it and get off at North & Clybourn. I would try this place again and opt for a different dish next time around. read more

Trattoria Gianni - Looks good right? Unfortunately it was too salty - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My husband and I live in the neighborhood and thought we would order pick-up from Trattoria Gianni (we had previously dined on the patio and enjoyed a nice enough dinner). When arriving to pick up our food, the maître d told my husband that he had to go to the back alley to pick up our GrubHub order. My husband went to the back door, knocked a few times, and nobody answered -- so he came back to the front. The maître d told him to "go back to the alley." After being told that nobody was answering the back door, my husband was taken to the kitchen, placed in a space asked to stand there until the food was ready. Do not order pick-up from this place. The process for pick-up is ridiculous and the maître d is downright rude. No love for folks in the neighborhood who are trying to support local business. On another note, our caprese salad was equally as disappointing (see posted photo). With all the great Italian in lincoln park, there's no need to deal with a place like this. read more

Trattoria Gianni - Caprese salad for pick-up. Pretty sad. Don't recommend. - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My husband and I enjoyed dinner here before a show at Steppenwolf. Trattoria Gianni is a quaint little place that just explodes with Italian flair. I had gnocchi and my husband had lobster ravioli. Both our entrees were fantastic! Drinks and appetizers were good too. I honestly don't think a single bad thing could come out. Everything looked and smelled and tasted delicious. read more

Last thursday I took 3 friends for dinner , the restaurant was empty we ordered , 1 a fish that was cold and dry , 2 fish soup was bland looked very unappetizing , 3 veal that was tough and 4 a chicken dish that was good . Before 2 of my guests were finished with their dinner they were clearing the dishes , I said to the waiter I felt like we were being hustled he replied nastily "You are not " no apology and walked away . The bill came $328. plus $47. that my guest paid for the desert. Next day when I checked my AMX card they put a $111.00 second charge on my card I called , the owner said it was someone else's charge and they would credit my account .How did they swipe my card twice ?? Now 5 days later I still do not have a credit . $375.00 for poor food and service . Never again. Michael A. read more

I really wanted to love this place as the reviews look really great, but I was just disappointed. The ambiance was great (we sat on the patio), the service was great, but the food was just lack luster. Maybe I ordered wrong, but this does not look like tagilatelle!! Nor is that bolognese. The pasta was like a boxed fettuccine, and the sauce was watery and too sweet. It was not worth the $24 price tag. Has anyone else had this happen? I have trust issues because of this pasta. read more

Trattoria Gianni - Tagliatelle Bolognese - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

"Here's your food. Have a nice day. Bye." This pretty much sums up our experience here tonight. Where do I begin? The food - meh. It's Chicago. There are literally hundreds of places to get good Italian food here. If you're mediocre, don't bother. There are so many other places that get it right. This place is horribly understaffed and poorly managed. We came in with a reservation at 730 and there was a line out the door. I would guess 50% of the tables were open but hardly any were clean and prepped. In a city with so many choices why wouldn't you have clean tables ready for business? This place was a complete cluster. Lack of management was clear. Understaffed. Servers don't work together. At one point I asked a random server for lemon and she asked who my server was and told me I should ask him. Are you kidding me? Based on my experience tonight I WOULD NEVER come back. I mean, if this is what is going I'm in the front of the house, what is the kitchen like? My experience deserves zero stars. Ugh. read more

Aw I love this little spot. I hate when places I like have less than a 4 star rating! I fancy myself to be pretty Yelp knowledgeable, and usually every time I go to a lower rated place, it lives up to the rating. But not Trattoria Gianni! I was so pleasantly surprised with this lil restaurant. Me and my boyfriend have gone a few times and we like it for server all reasons. 1. The patio is AMAZING. Really great vibes, I could sit here for hours. 2. The servers are all adorable. They are all Italian and the owners/GM's always come around to help out and make sure everything is great. 3. The food is delicious. Is it the best Italian food I've ever had? Well no, I've been to Italy and it's not at that level, but it's pretty good, and for the price it's definitely on par with other Italian places in the city. I think this place is better than Piccolo. We were bummed last time we went that the squid ink pasta wasn't on the menu.... add this to your menu to stay!!! It's the best. My favorite part of the meal is the free bread and Parmesan cheese they give you... I could eat that all day every day! What's better than bread with fresh cheese on a patio? Nothing. read more

Trattoria Gianni - Great vibes on the patio - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Not really impressed for our dinners here last night with my family of 5. We started with the Mixto Pesce special appetizer, which came with a laughably small mixture of calamari and octupus slices. Two people in two bites could have finished it. My wife's tortellini soup had measly pieces of tortellini in it and was bland. My squid ink spaghetti had the smallest pieces of calamari in it I've ever seen. My father's shrimp pasta had three pieces of shrimp in it and the sauce tasted as if someone merely melted butter on top. Service was okay for our table, only that they are rather stingy when it comes to parmesan at the table. If you don't ask for it formally they won't bring it and won't leave it at the table either. It's a tad more budget friendly than Vinci across the street. But the quality to cost ratio is definitely more worthwhile across the street than at Gianni that's for sure. read more

I went here for the first time and loved the truly authentic Italian food! Giavanni, the owner was there as well and he's a very charming man. This place has been a local favorite for decades and I noticed many regulars talking to Giavanni. If you want true Italian food at a small, quiet, quaint Italian place then this is a must. read more

Trattoria Gianni - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Meh is all I got. There clearly is no reservation system, despite them taking reservations. One man up front trying to seat people but takes him literally twenty minutes to find a table for people who've already made reservations. Hint: don't take reservations if you don't know where you'll sit them for the time they've reserved. Service: appalling. I had to stop our waiter from walking away three times so I can finish ordering drinks and appetizers. Said appetizers arrived before the drinks or complimentary bread bowl. We were there to celebrate a birthday and when we told him, his response: "Oh." The other table with another waiter received a song and a cake. Food was nothing to write home about and what they called a panna cotta was really a flan. It was really old and stale too, with a weird film coating it. For $8, they couldn't even bother to put real fruit as a garnish. Instead, we got one maraschino cherry. Take your money elsewhere. read more

If you walked into Trattoria Gianni at 7 PM on a Saturday, you would think this was the hottest restaurant in town - packed to the nines with people dressed to the nines, loud and boisterous, the way only great food and drink can cause. The adjective "pre-Steppenwolff" is ubiquitous in the reviews up on the walls in the entryway, going back and spanning over a decade in Lincoln Park. We even saw what looked like a pack of prom/formal attendees with corsages and all. Our waiter, a Bradley Cooper with traces of a young Gérard Depardieu (think the nose) was charming and very hospitable to our large group of 9, assuring us this was the "best Italian in the city" - then catching and correcting himself, "Well, I'll let you be the judge of that". He let us pick out a pinot noir and upon a request for a second red, recommended a valpolicella that he described as a young amarone. The pasta took a while to come out. Some ordered gnocchi the waiter assured us were "little pillows of heaven" and while I might not have gone so far, the pasta in general was really authentic, perfectly cooked and seasoned. I had conchiglie al mercanto, leftovers of which are still in the fridge because I'm still savoring / having difficulty finishing. In terms of desserts, the tiramisu and the cannoli are yummy - a little too much cocoa powder on the tiramisu (I inhaled a little too hard and almost choked, that's one addictive powder you're not meant to snort), but nothing bad, certainly. Overall, it was just a terrific meal with a entertaining atmosphere. By 10 when we left, it was absolutely empty/dead - this place is like a loop lunch spot, with a crazed dinner hour. At the beginning of the night, as this spot is two houses south of 1723 N Halsted, I gazed at Alinea wistfully on the walk down the street to Trattoria Gianni...but at the end, as we walked by, I didn't give it a second glance. The food was hearty, the price tag right, and I'd had a wonderful night. read more

Simply the best Italian spot in Lincoln Park! Get the Tortellini Baronessa - it's amazing!

I was seeing a show @ Steppenwolf Theater and since this pretty sweet Italian gem is right across the street from the venue, I figured dinner would happen here! Once I entered, the host showed me and a friend to our seat. This is a nice looking place in terms of traditional italian-american places as it has a classic look and feel to it. We were cutting it close on time so we were not able to start with an appetizer so we just dove into the entree portion of the menu, of course after ordering a nice glass of cab-sauv! I love rigatoni so it was only right to go with the Rigatoni alla Nocerina. This was different from most rigatonis I have tried as I usually have a tomato based sauce included but this version came with a cream sauce with basil, garlic, mushrooms & sun dried tomatoes. This was as good as any other rigatoni I have ever tried...no doubt! They have a gluten free menu as well if you're into a healthier option. Definitely an awesome italian restaurant that delivers the goods in terms of food, atmosphere and service...thumbs up here! read more

Went for drinks at 5 when they opened. Was nearly empty. We asked for a table for 2 and only ordered drinks. The host then came over to tell us next time we come (there won't be a next time) that we need to explicitly say we are only getting drinks and he would have sat us at the bar. I said okay thank you. Then he repeated the exact same thing out of anger and it was very awkward. It was weird the first time and then he felt the need to re-hash it. I understand you want tables to be available for people ordering meals, but they had just opened and were at maybe 1/4 capacity by the time we left. I also spent $40 on 2 drinks, which is a restaurant's most profitable area anyways, so I'm not sure why you would yell at your customers when almost nobody else was in there and it should not have been an issue read more

Among all the good restaurant choices on Halsted, Trattoria Gianni did not disappoint. This is a charming little Italian place with great food and great service. We started with the grilled calamari, which was fantastic. We both ordered the Chicken Vesuvio, which was incredibly moist, flavorful, and delicious. Even the vegetables tasted good. We finished the meal with a fantastic chocolate cake that was so rich it should have been called "Death by Chocolate." The atmosphere I'm sure is a lot better during busy weekend nights, the place was a bit empty on a late week night when we went. Our waitress made good suggestions and was very attentive. Overall, I was satisfied with my experience here. read more

I've been here twice. Food is top notch. The fresh bread, appetizers, and pasta plates were delicious. Very reasonable prices as well. I don't understand how this place always has open seats. read more

Small cute place with great food. Service was excellent, very attentive without being annoying. I recommend the Rigatoni Nocerina and the Fried Calamari. The calamari was perfectly fried, not too oily like you find at a lot of places, and not overcooked either. They give generous portions, so generous I didn't try any deserts, but I would guess they are good, everything else is. If you take public transportation the Halsted bus drops you off right there and the red line stop is a short walk too. read more

This place is right across from the Steppenwolf, so it's super convenient before a show. I got the Linguine Portofino (Scallops, scampi, cherry tomatoes, olive oil and garlic - $17.50), which was pretty tasty but nothing amazing. It wasn't that salty, but I think it could use more shrimp and scallops for the amount of noodles. Then again, for the price, it was pretty good value. The bread here was also good. Service I think is a little awkward, I'm not sure why, but I think it's because of the set up of the tables. It's a struggle to get water to some of the locations. Also, our waitress got really flustered thinking we underpaid when in fact we had given a 20% tip so that was a bad last-impression of the restaurant before going to the theater. read more

Trattoria Gianni - Linguine Portofino - pasta with scallops and shrimp in olive oil - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois