The Village at the Italian Village

“We were celebrating the first night of our honeymoon and we were treated to a special table in an alcove with a great view of the restaurant. The food was delicious and the service was attentive and friendly. And a complimentary cannoli for dessert.”

“My friend and I came here, Chicago’s oldest Italian restaurant, for dinner. We didn’t have a reservation but they found a seat for us. The village and authentic Italian ambiance was such fun. Some people were eating in little “cottages.” Our service was good and my meal was yummy. My friend said hers was fine. It was fun to learn about the history.”

“My partner and I went here for our anniversary and we were not disappointed. For our appetizer, we got the mozzarella sticks. I've never had homemade mozzarella sticks before, so these were easily the best I've ever had (I've never been to a place that made their own before; it's always the same Sysco pre-breaded ready-to-fry ones). The bread basket was also delicious, fresh, fluffy, and warm. My partner got the four cheese ravioli and house salad. She noted the salad was well-organized, not drowned in dressing, and had perfect cuts. The ravioli was delicious. I got the Chilean sea bass (from the daily specials menu) and minestrone. The soup was divinely rich and the vegetables perfectly tender, and I enjoyed it so much that I ended up using a slice of bread from the basket to soak up every last drop of broth. The sea bass was perfection: the fish was fresh and perfectly tender, every bite an explosion of flavor. It was easily the best fish I have ever eaten. And the bed of saffron risotto it was served on was also excellent. The restaurant is beautiful and well-decorated for the holidays, and the music is quite tasteful. I hope to visit again in the future.”

“We stopped in on a Monday afternoon around 2pm. We started with the Garlic Bread for $11...quite disappointing for that price point. It is listed(and pictured on other reviews) as coming with parmesan cheese on top. The option of adding more cheese(mozzarella) was an extra option and charge which we didn't do. Well, the bread came out with no cheese at all. Luckily, they keep parmesan cheese shakers on the table with the salt & pepper. So, we put it on ourselves. The Chicken Vesuvio was pretty lacking on the potatoes...but flavor and cook on the chicken was good. I feel like the portion was not as generous as other pictures we had seen online. My husband left still hungry...pretty sad when $45 a person doesn't fill you up. The Shrimp Tuscany is one of their "house specialties" and once again, the cook on the protein and pasta was good. But, it was pretty boring and bland flavor wise. I took the top off of the black pepper and went to town. That definitely helped but I still wasn't wowed. Both entrees came with a soup or a salad so we went with one house salad and one minestrone soup. Both were yummy. And they also bring a bread basket to the table after you order entrees. So, don't waste your $11 on the garlic bread, just eat the bread they bring and dip it in the olive oil and parmesan cheese that's on the table. Also, this is the darkest, most drab, and outdated place I've seen in a long time. It's very stereotypical "Italian decor." And there are no windows looking out to see the city...so you're just "trapped" in a cheesy(no pun intended), wore out, cliché Italian restaurant. And don't go here if you have mobility issues. It's tight quarters and there is a large set of stairs leading up from the street level entrance. I didn't see an elevator but maybe I missed it? And there is no handicap stall available in the women's bathroom. Although without an elevator, a wheelchair wouldn't make it up those stairs anyway. Final verdict: the meal was fine, although overpriced imho($107 all-in for two entrees and one appetizer, no drinks only water), and a sad dining atmosphere. I wouldn't recommend it nor would I return.”

“Portions are generous, which is great. The meatballs were hard and dry, though. Chicken Parm was overcooked—tough and not juicy at all. Seafood pasta came out pretty plain, lacking flavor or seasoning. Dessert was fine, nothing special. The atmosphere is charming and worth experiencing for the history, but the food didn’t hit the mark for us this time.”