First time here and the service and food was amazing. It’s hard to eat at an Italian place when guests have dairy restrictions. They had a dairy free menu so it was not a problem. Highly recommended place. The drinks were also unique and very tasty.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rosanna
The greatest rigatoni al amatriciana I’ve had outside of Italy!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Carciofo Alla Giudia
Dan Schmidt
Favorite Italian restaurant in Chicago.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Meghan Webber
The best service and freshest pasta you will have in Chicago, yes chef!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
scottdD5818FZ
I don’t usually post on things like this, but I felt it worth it given our experience here last night. The title of my review sums it up. The food was fine, nothing special. A main issue is the portion sizes are so small that you need to order many dishes to make it a true meal - basically Italian tapas. In my opinion this is just a sneaky way of charging more. Ambiance was ok, also nothing special. Overall feel of the place felt unapproachable and a bit like the staff was doing us a favor by letting us dine there. The value for the price you pay just isn’t there.
866TaylorB
This is what a Roman Italian restaurant is all about, renowned chef/owner Joe Flamm's exploration of the Eternal City's cuisine. In a magnificent setting that features dark woods, hand-made tiles, plush fabrics and natural stones that speak of age-old trattorias and ristorantes in Rome, including an open kitchen with chef's counter seating, a Pasta Lab, a dining room with expansive windows and a massive patio, Flamm has produced a "Roman Holiday" atmosphere with a menu that features such classic Roman pastas as cacio e pepe, carbonara and amatricana, traditional antipasti, Roman-style pizza, hand-rolled pasta, milk-fed lamb and goat, shellfish, ricotta and pecorino romano cheeses, escargot, lobster shells, shrimp shells, fava beans, globe artichokes and rabbit bones. Located at 1045 West Fulton Street, in Chicago's West Loop and Fulton Market district, Il Carciofo is open from 4:30 to 10:30 Sunday through Wednesday, 4:30 to 11:30 on Thursday and 4:30 to 11 on Friday and Saturday. I started with a salad of little gem lettuce, pistachio, watermelon radish and pecorino Toscano cheese. For an entree, I couldn't resist Veal Saltimbocca with sage and prosciutto with a side of spaghetti. For dessert, what else? Tiramisu. Fresh and delicious.
MIbeachgirl
This Fulton St. area restaurant was certainly hard to get a reservation Aton a visit last month. We did get one this weekend, and I had to wonder why I wanted to visit so much. The food is ok, but nothing so fabulous that I would return. We had three starters, the arancini, which was boring/bland, the artichoke which was deep fried and also fairly dull, and the salad which was the standout of the three. The Mortadella pizza saved this restaurant from a much lower review. It was delicious! We had three pastas which were average, except for the asparagus go Chet Tishri h had a very strong and unpleasant taste. Service was overall good. Second glass of wine took longer than it should have, but no big deal. Noise level was higher than some, but not unbearable.
CultureVulture60657
Chef Joe Flamm (Rose Mary and previously Spiaggia) opened this Roman food restaurant in late 2024. It’s a pretty big space with a “pasta lab” at one end which doubles as dining space in the evening; there’s a big open kitchen with a pizza oven along the back wall. A large awning and French doors along the front hint that they will serve al fresco when the weather warms up. The menu items are meant to be shared with appetizers, pizzas, pastas and main courses. Our waiter suggested ordering one item from each menu section. We chose 2 appetizers (the namesake fried artichokes and raw swordfish in a citrus marinade) followed by rigatoni à la carbonara and a seafood stew. Plus one dessert, a zeppola with amarena cherries on top. The menu is notably lacking in leafy vegetables or salads, however. There are beers, cocktails and wines by the glass. Reading over the full wine list was a trip down memory lane with wines listed geographically from north (Alto Adige) to south (Puglia), many regions we’ve visited over the years. I contented myself with a tasty spritz cocktail and a potent blood orange liqueur in lieu of dessert. Everything was tasty and well-prepared although the pasta with its morsels of guanciale made me thirsty all night. The artichokes were delicious; I could have eaten several of ‘em but the dish contained only one for each of us. The seafood stew, while good with a piece of halibut and shellfish in a tomato broth, wasn’t memorable. The portions aren’t large but what we ordered was enough to satisfy us. The restaurant wasn’t completely full. We were fortunate that the two-tops on each side of us were unoccupied for most of our meal. Tables are not too close together, so while there are a lot of hard surfaces, the decibel level was fairly tolerable. A 4% surcharge is added to the bill to offset rising costs. With tax but before tip, dinner for two came to $170.
brmusicman
Dined here shortly after opening. Rose Mary, one of chef Joe Flamm's other restaurants, in a Chicago standout, so I was excited. Overall, a decent but not extraordinary experience. The menu focuses on Roman cuisine--a handful of small plates, some pizzas, a number of pastas, and a small number of protein-driven mains. If you like Italian food, you won't struggle to find something you like on the menu. It's a sharing concept, with things coming out as they are ready, so it's probably not best to go here with people you don't like sharing food with. Overall, the food was good, but not remarkable. We started with an arancini-like appetizer with a pesto interior. These were fine--crispy exterior, pillowy interior. Next was the meal's highlight--a delicious small plate of fall-off-the-bone ribs with a yummy glaze. Pastas followed. The pastas on offer were classics--ravioli, cacio e pepe, etc. The ricotta-filled ravioli were satisfying, but not memorable. Pappardelle with a meaty ragu was a great plate; the handmade pasta had nice bite and the ragu was rich and had a great, chunky texture. We shared the fish stew as a main. This disappointed. The halibut was overcooked, the other seafood was scant, and the plate was under-sauced, contributing to the fish being bland and dry. The interior is modern and was stuffed full--definitely a stylish crowd, but still casual. It's very loud--a little too loud. Service was kind and well-intentioned, but on the slow side...for example, a wine we ordered to enjoy with our pasta was served after the pasta. This might have been due to kinks in the service flow being worked out in opening week. All in all, a nice meal. I would go back but not put it on my list of ultra-special Chicago places.
First time here and the service and food was amazing. It’s hard to eat at an Italian place when guests have dairy restrictions. They had a dairy free menu so it was not a problem. Highly recommended place. The drinks were also unique and very tasty.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The greatest rigatoni al amatriciana I’ve had outside of Italy!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Carciofo Alla Giudia
Favorite Italian restaurant in Chicago.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The best service and freshest pasta you will have in Chicago, yes chef!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I don’t usually post on things like this, but I felt it worth it given our experience here last night. The title of my review sums it up. The food was fine, nothing special. A main issue is the portion sizes are so small that you need to order many dishes to make it a true meal - basically Italian tapas. In my opinion this is just a sneaky way of charging more. Ambiance was ok, also nothing special. Overall feel of the place felt unapproachable and a bit like the staff was doing us a favor by letting us dine there. The value for the price you pay just isn’t there.
This is what a Roman Italian restaurant is all about, renowned chef/owner Joe Flamm's exploration of the Eternal City's cuisine. In a magnificent setting that features dark woods, hand-made tiles, plush fabrics and natural stones that speak of age-old trattorias and ristorantes in Rome, including an open kitchen with chef's counter seating, a Pasta Lab, a dining room with expansive windows and a massive patio, Flamm has produced a "Roman Holiday" atmosphere with a menu that features such classic Roman pastas as cacio e pepe, carbonara and amatricana, traditional antipasti, Roman-style pizza, hand-rolled pasta, milk-fed lamb and goat, shellfish, ricotta and pecorino romano cheeses, escargot, lobster shells, shrimp shells, fava beans, globe artichokes and rabbit bones. Located at 1045 West Fulton Street, in Chicago's West Loop and Fulton Market district, Il Carciofo is open from 4:30 to 10:30 Sunday through Wednesday, 4:30 to 11:30 on Thursday and 4:30 to 11 on Friday and Saturday. I started with a salad of little gem lettuce, pistachio, watermelon radish and pecorino Toscano cheese. For an entree, I couldn't resist Veal Saltimbocca with sage and prosciutto with a side of spaghetti. For dessert, what else? Tiramisu. Fresh and delicious.
This Fulton St. area restaurant was certainly hard to get a reservation Aton a visit last month. We did get one this weekend, and I had to wonder why I wanted to visit so much. The food is ok, but nothing so fabulous that I would return. We had three starters, the arancini, which was boring/bland, the artichoke which was deep fried and also fairly dull, and the salad which was the standout of the three. The Mortadella pizza saved this restaurant from a much lower review. It was delicious! We had three pastas which were average, except for the asparagus go Chet Tishri h had a very strong and unpleasant taste. Service was overall good. Second glass of wine took longer than it should have, but no big deal. Noise level was higher than some, but not unbearable.
Chef Joe Flamm (Rose Mary and previously Spiaggia) opened this Roman food restaurant in late 2024. It’s a pretty big space with a “pasta lab” at one end which doubles as dining space in the evening; there’s a big open kitchen with a pizza oven along the back wall. A large awning and French doors along the front hint that they will serve al fresco when the weather warms up. The menu items are meant to be shared with appetizers, pizzas, pastas and main courses. Our waiter suggested ordering one item from each menu section. We chose 2 appetizers (the namesake fried artichokes and raw swordfish in a citrus marinade) followed by rigatoni à la carbonara and a seafood stew. Plus one dessert, a zeppola with amarena cherries on top. The menu is notably lacking in leafy vegetables or salads, however. There are beers, cocktails and wines by the glass. Reading over the full wine list was a trip down memory lane with wines listed geographically from north (Alto Adige) to south (Puglia), many regions we’ve visited over the years. I contented myself with a tasty spritz cocktail and a potent blood orange liqueur in lieu of dessert. Everything was tasty and well-prepared although the pasta with its morsels of guanciale made me thirsty all night. The artichokes were delicious; I could have eaten several of ‘em but the dish contained only one for each of us. The seafood stew, while good with a piece of halibut and shellfish in a tomato broth, wasn’t memorable. The portions aren’t large but what we ordered was enough to satisfy us. The restaurant wasn’t completely full. We were fortunate that the two-tops on each side of us were unoccupied for most of our meal. Tables are not too close together, so while there are a lot of hard surfaces, the decibel level was fairly tolerable. A 4% surcharge is added to the bill to offset rising costs. With tax but before tip, dinner for two came to $170.
Dined here shortly after opening. Rose Mary, one of chef Joe Flamm's other restaurants, in a Chicago standout, so I was excited. Overall, a decent but not extraordinary experience. The menu focuses on Roman cuisine--a handful of small plates, some pizzas, a number of pastas, and a small number of protein-driven mains. If you like Italian food, you won't struggle to find something you like on the menu. It's a sharing concept, with things coming out as they are ready, so it's probably not best to go here with people you don't like sharing food with. Overall, the food was good, but not remarkable. We started with an arancini-like appetizer with a pesto interior. These were fine--crispy exterior, pillowy interior. Next was the meal's highlight--a delicious small plate of fall-off-the-bone ribs with a yummy glaze. Pastas followed. The pastas on offer were classics--ravioli, cacio e pepe, etc. The ricotta-filled ravioli were satisfying, but not memorable. Pappardelle with a meaty ragu was a great plate; the handmade pasta had nice bite and the ragu was rich and had a great, chunky texture. We shared the fish stew as a main. This disappointed. The halibut was overcooked, the other seafood was scant, and the plate was under-sauced, contributing to the fish being bland and dry. The interior is modern and was stuffed full--definitely a stylish crowd, but still casual. It's very loud--a little too loud. Service was kind and well-intentioned, but on the slow side...for example, a wine we ordered to enjoy with our pasta was served after the pasta. This might have been due to kinks in the service flow being worked out in opening week. All in all, a nice meal. I would go back but not put it on my list of ultra-special Chicago places.
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