My favorite restaurant in Evanston. The food is amazing and the proportions are extremely generous, which helps to justify the higher price points. Outdoor seating for COVID was excellent and frequently there is a musician singing and playing acoustic guitar which makes the atmosphere fantastic. I would recommend this as a great date spot and as a nice meal for a family.
Ss j
Today is Sunday it is 4:00 pm right now, I’m in front of the restaurant, and it’s closedOn their website it says they are open on Sunday from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm , where are you then ??Why you are closed?? LiarsYou make me buy a Groupon coupon and I LOST MY MONEY NOW
Barry T.
We went there for an amazing surprise-the outside seating and pleasant life dinner music was perfectThe meal as planned prepared and served under the talented direction of chef/owner Emanuele Bianchi was superb - we enjoyed every aspect of our evening and will both recommend it to our friends and return for more savory true Italian fare
Tammi Schuitema Tyson
Absolutely delicious!!! The pasta was A-MA-ZING and the pizza was literally the best I’ve ever had! The wait staff was attentive and the owner greeted us — the most gracious man! We sampled the fish featured on the menu and it too was delicious!!! Attention to detail with every bite! Every ingredient was chosen with precision! The entertainment was also a phenomenal experience! What an enjoyable evening! 5 stars and definitely future visits when we return to town!!
Michael Place
Had a wonderful time, enjoyed the food, the wine selections, wait staff were very nice, went above and beyond, would recommend as well as return again..
Ed Rascati
Very good. Wife had zuppa de pesce which we enjoyed. Salad with apples, grapes, walnuts and blue cheese was delicious! I had bolognese which was good, but my only complaint was the pasta was overcooked. I much prefer al dente. Overall a very good meal, friendly staff and I will definitely return!
Sara Jane Abbott
I had the Branzino with roasted vegetables. The chef and owner came to the table to filet it right in front of us. So fresh and delish!
Nathan Rubenstein
New owner has brought many upgrades. Some of the best pizza I’ve ever had. Branzino did not disappoint. All around great meal.
Melissa M.
My family and I went to La Macchina to eat dinner and sat in the outdoor patio area last night. The bread that came out before our meal was not good (almost like an egg type bread) and dry. We ordered the bufala caprese salad which was not bad but for $14, I feel that this is overpriced for slices of tomatoes and bufala cheese. For our entrees, we ordered the grilled seafood (mussels, clams, calamari, prawn, etc) over a salad special ($32), potato gnocchi with tomato sauce/buffalo mozzarella and pasta with black truffle and parmigiano cheese. The gnocchi was over cooked and mushy and the truffle pasta was inedible (was buttery and there was too much truffle. Truffle should not overpower a dish). The grilled seafood salad was okay but not worth $32. Some of the seafood items were fishy and some of the clams were not opened and could not eat them since they would not be cooked properly (restaurants should not serve closed clams). The service was good though. Side note: If you eat in the outdoor patio furniture area, know that it will be very windy (that area is in a wind tunnel) and there is a constant whirring/mechanical sound from the area across the street.
Ms. Holly A. Rumpel
Thanks to the outdoor cafe seating, a colleague and I met for lunch on a Friday. The new owner regaled us with stories about his culinary expertise and adventures and was most hospitable . We ordered several items on the menu (all delicious) and were advised on the best wine pairings. How lucky we are to have such a quaint authentic place to meet friends!
It's been a while since we've been back at La Macchina Cafe, and it was just as we remember it. Great italian style brunch at a great price. Best Smoked Salmon and Egg Frittata in E-Town. Cheers!!!
Jim R.
If you'd like to take a big step up from Olive Garden, go to La Macchina Cafe. My wife and I were happy to finally be able to sit outside and dine on Italian food from an owner who should know -- Emanuele Bianchi is from Italy. Great service from a masked server, which we understand. And we had tasty dishes for our vegetarian palates. We know we will be back.
Candace D.
Went to La Machinna Cafe for first time and am hooked! Absolutely loved it! The food was delicious and chef / owner amazing. We had personal attention the entire night from the chef, who led us through a tasting of various after dinner Italian liqueurs and wines. The fresh pastas are unbelievable.
Romana Y.
BEWARE- Owner tried to get my Yelp review taken down, as he did with other truthful/negative reviews. Worst experience for food and service. First, the food- Bread and ricotta dip with garlic cloves: -1 (3 tiny slices of stale, dry bread, and a disgusting ricotta dip... one of the most vile tasting dips). Caesar salad w/ anchovies: 2 (it was only decent because the rest were nauseating. Linguini w/ scallops/shrimp/mussels in white wine sauce: 1 (generic/bland taste, no spices or flavor, old/dried up crustaceans that were reheated, and next to no sauce in the dish). Lattes: 1 (extremely bitter taste, and they, strangely, do not have half-and-half in this restaurant). Then, the service- Our waiter was a nice, young blonde man that was too good/respectable for this dive. On a Saturday afternoon, we were looking for a decent spot for lunch while avoiding the typical Joy Yee, Flattop, LPQ spots. We settled on this establishment, unfortunately, even though red flags were indicated by its mere emptiness. We are just to walk in, when an obnoxious comedian introduces himself and curses left/right to convince us to stay for his comedy show. He tried very hard for 5minutes to display his humor, but he sounded like a total moron (swearing itself isn't funny... that's not comedy) and wreaked to high heavens of alcohol. Gross. Totally inappropriate on a Sat afternoon... not sure how the owner failed to think this through. The owner, and his heavyset male partner, were obnoxious and incompetent to say the least. The owner walked over to us, introduced himself as the owner/chef, and asked us how he could improve his newly acquired restaurant (since October, he said). We had already complained to each other about the disgusting food, but because we liked our server, and we had a great morning/afternoon, we were willing to let it all slide. We are, after all, very fortunate to have fabulous chef-cooked meals at home every night, so going out to lunches/dinners is oftentimes unexciting (with exception of ambiance, which this place had none). HOWEVER, he pressed for info on the food/"comedy show", and so we eased into it. We told him the pasta dish was one of the worst we've ever had, as it was sauce and spice less, and the seafood thrown in tasted as though they were sitting under a heat lamp for hours. Just awful. The bread/ricotta were awful (to which he said the ricotta was from Italy. To which I said, it was God awful). Then, he said he can see the pasta dish wasn't cooked right, because he sees there are missing spices, and sauce, etc. So after a while, he says, "sorry guys," and waltzes away. His heavyset thirty-something staff member was incredibly rude and obnoxious, but I won't bother ranting about this clown. The owner/chef is responsible for his employees' behavior, and thus the greatest clown of this circus is him. Do NOT recommend.
david r.
Alas, I've been a customer for years and enjoyed the amazing Organic Chicken and wonderful Staff for years. True, the food was often uneven but the gregarious nature of the place, it's eccentric regulars and well-poured drinks kept us coming back. Since the ownership change, with the wacky Italian proprietor gone the place has dissipated and is off our list. The staff now is at the very least, disinterested - the good reasonable food we liked is off the menu and the pastas are less attractive and 20+ dollars. I wouldn't go back if they were ten. This is not a very professional operation + I will be looking elsewhere as many of the regulars have.
My favorite restaurant in Evanston. The food is amazing and the proportions are extremely generous, which helps to justify the higher price points. Outdoor seating for COVID was excellent and frequently there is a musician singing and playing acoustic guitar which makes the atmosphere fantastic. I would recommend this as a great date spot and as a nice meal for a family.
Today is Sunday it is 4:00 pm right now, I’m in front of the restaurant, and it’s closedOn their website it says they are open on Sunday from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm , where are you then ??Why you are closed?? LiarsYou make me buy a Groupon coupon and I LOST MY MONEY NOW
We went there for an amazing surprise-the outside seating and pleasant life dinner music was perfectThe meal as planned prepared and served under the talented direction of chef/owner Emanuele Bianchi was superb - we enjoyed every aspect of our evening and will both recommend it to our friends and return for more savory true Italian fare
Absolutely delicious!!! The pasta was A-MA-ZING and the pizza was literally the best I’ve ever had! The wait staff was attentive and the owner greeted us — the most gracious man! We sampled the fish featured on the menu and it too was delicious!!! Attention to detail with every bite! Every ingredient was chosen with precision! The entertainment was also a phenomenal experience! What an enjoyable evening! 5 stars and definitely future visits when we return to town!!
Had a wonderful time, enjoyed the food, the wine selections, wait staff were very nice, went above and beyond, would recommend as well as return again..
Very good. Wife had zuppa de pesce which we enjoyed. Salad with apples, grapes, walnuts and blue cheese was delicious! I had bolognese which was good, but my only complaint was the pasta was overcooked. I much prefer al dente. Overall a very good meal, friendly staff and I will definitely return!
I had the Branzino with roasted vegetables. The chef and owner came to the table to filet it right in front of us. So fresh and delish!
New owner has brought many upgrades. Some of the best pizza I’ve ever had. Branzino did not disappoint. All around great meal.
My family and I went to La Macchina to eat dinner and sat in the outdoor patio area last night. The bread that came out before our meal was not good (almost like an egg type bread) and dry. We ordered the bufala caprese salad which was not bad but for $14, I feel that this is overpriced for slices of tomatoes and bufala cheese. For our entrees, we ordered the grilled seafood (mussels, clams, calamari, prawn, etc) over a salad special ($32), potato gnocchi with tomato sauce/buffalo mozzarella and pasta with black truffle and parmigiano cheese. The gnocchi was over cooked and mushy and the truffle pasta was inedible (was buttery and there was too much truffle. Truffle should not overpower a dish). The grilled seafood salad was okay but not worth $32. Some of the seafood items were fishy and some of the clams were not opened and could not eat them since they would not be cooked properly (restaurants should not serve closed clams). The service was good though. Side note: If you eat in the outdoor patio furniture area, know that it will be very windy (that area is in a wind tunnel) and there is a constant whirring/mechanical sound from the area across the street.
Thanks to the outdoor cafe seating, a colleague and I met for lunch on a Friday. The new owner regaled us with stories about his culinary expertise and adventures and was most hospitable . We ordered several items on the menu (all delicious) and were advised on the best wine pairings. How lucky we are to have such a quaint authentic place to meet friends!
Restaurantji Recommends
It's been a while since we've been back at La Macchina Cafe, and it was just as we remember it. Great italian style brunch at a great price. Best Smoked Salmon and Egg Frittata in E-Town. Cheers!!!
If you'd like to take a big step up from Olive Garden, go to La Macchina Cafe. My wife and I were happy to finally be able to sit outside and dine on Italian food from an owner who should know -- Emanuele Bianchi is from Italy. Great service from a masked server, which we understand. And we had tasty dishes for our vegetarian palates. We know we will be back.
Went to La Machinna Cafe for first time and am hooked! Absolutely loved it! The food was delicious and chef / owner amazing. We had personal attention the entire night from the chef, who led us through a tasting of various after dinner Italian liqueurs and wines. The fresh pastas are unbelievable.
BEWARE- Owner tried to get my Yelp review taken down, as he did with other truthful/negative reviews. Worst experience for food and service. First, the food- Bread and ricotta dip with garlic cloves: -1 (3 tiny slices of stale, dry bread, and a disgusting ricotta dip... one of the most vile tasting dips). Caesar salad w/ anchovies: 2 (it was only decent because the rest were nauseating. Linguini w/ scallops/shrimp/mussels in white wine sauce: 1 (generic/bland taste, no spices or flavor, old/dried up crustaceans that were reheated, and next to no sauce in the dish). Lattes: 1 (extremely bitter taste, and they, strangely, do not have half-and-half in this restaurant). Then, the service- Our waiter was a nice, young blonde man that was too good/respectable for this dive. On a Saturday afternoon, we were looking for a decent spot for lunch while avoiding the typical Joy Yee, Flattop, LPQ spots. We settled on this establishment, unfortunately, even though red flags were indicated by its mere emptiness. We are just to walk in, when an obnoxious comedian introduces himself and curses left/right to convince us to stay for his comedy show. He tried very hard for 5minutes to display his humor, but he sounded like a total moron (swearing itself isn't funny... that's not comedy) and wreaked to high heavens of alcohol. Gross. Totally inappropriate on a Sat afternoon... not sure how the owner failed to think this through. The owner, and his heavyset male partner, were obnoxious and incompetent to say the least. The owner walked over to us, introduced himself as the owner/chef, and asked us how he could improve his newly acquired restaurant (since October, he said). We had already complained to each other about the disgusting food, but because we liked our server, and we had a great morning/afternoon, we were willing to let it all slide. We are, after all, very fortunate to have fabulous chef-cooked meals at home every night, so going out to lunches/dinners is oftentimes unexciting (with exception of ambiance, which this place had none). HOWEVER, he pressed for info on the food/"comedy show", and so we eased into it. We told him the pasta dish was one of the worst we've ever had, as it was sauce and spice less, and the seafood thrown in tasted as though they were sitting under a heat lamp for hours. Just awful. The bread/ricotta were awful (to which he said the ricotta was from Italy. To which I said, it was God awful). Then, he said he can see the pasta dish wasn't cooked right, because he sees there are missing spices, and sauce, etc. So after a while, he says, "sorry guys," and waltzes away. His heavyset thirty-something staff member was incredibly rude and obnoxious, but I won't bother ranting about this clown. The owner/chef is responsible for his employees' behavior, and thus the greatest clown of this circus is him. Do NOT recommend.
Alas, I've been a customer for years and enjoyed the amazing Organic Chicken and wonderful Staff for years. True, the food was often uneven but the gregarious nature of the place, it's eccentric regulars and well-poured drinks kept us coming back. Since the ownership change, with the wacky Italian proprietor gone the place has dissipated and is off our list. The staff now is at the very least, disinterested - the good reasonable food we liked is off the menu and the pastas are less attractive and 20+ dollars. I wouldn't go back if they were ten. This is not a very professional operation + I will be looking elsewhere as many of the regulars have.