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Trattoria Isabella
Category: Restaurants Italian Italian [Edit]
217 N Jefferson St(between Adams St & Fulton St)
Chicago, IL 60661
Neighbourhood: Near West Side
(312) 207-1900
- Nearest Transit:
-
Clinton-green (Green Line, Pink Line)
Grand-blue (Blue Line)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11 am - 10 pm
Fri 11 am - 11 pm
Sat 4 pm - 11 pm
Sun 4 pm - 10 pm
- Parking:
- Street
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
109 reviews for Trattoria Isabella
Review Highlights
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"The staff is great and the outdoor patio wonderful." In 17 reviews -
"The fish was fresh and my penne arrabiata was delicious." In 4 reviews -
"...in the bar area, near the wood-burning brick oven used to..." In 4 reviews
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109 reviews in English
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Review from Keith L.
Chicago, IL
4/23/2012 1 Check-in Here
Everything about Trattoria Isabella makes it a classic, fine dining Italian Restaurant. From the the tucked away location in the West Loop/Fulton River District to the large outdoor terrace to the decor inside to the waitstaff to the classic Italian dishes.
Trattoria Isabella is a great place for either lunch or dinner with family, friends, or your significant other. During the summer, the outdoor terrace is also a great spot to get a drink after work.
The wine selection is huge and the food menu offers numerous classic Italian dishes (goes beyond Eggplant Parm, spaghetti meatballs, etc).
My only complaint? The grilled calamari was average and they should take a page from Vera down a few blocks which in my opinion, has the best grilled calamari in the city. -
Review from Taylor A.
3/27/2012
A couple of buds and I randomly stopped in here one unseasonably warm March evening the night before St. Patrick's day. Their outside dining space looked so appealing I didn't even check Yelp! I know, blasphemous!
I had a mushroom pizza for $13 that was much better than I expected. Incredibly cheesy and covered with mushrooms.
My friend had the sea bass special, and even at $35 he loved it.
Awesome patio, service, and pretty good food. Four stars! -
Review from Anne C.
2/24/2012
A hidden gem in the Fulton River District. We've dined here several times and have always enjoyed ourselves. The atmosphere is casual and the food is always delicious. They have a pretty extensive menu and always have a variety of specials so it's a fun place to go because I can try something new every time and never get bored.
I have to admit that I have never actually dined inside this restaurant. They have this great outdoor patio with a bar and dining area in the warmer months and it's the perfect place for a summer date night. -
Review from Lisa B.
Chicago, IL
5/21/2012
Overall I was disappointed in Isabella. We requested to be seated in the patio area, which is huge and very nice. After we sat down it took the waiter/bus boy 15 minutes to come to our table, fill our water glasses, take drink orders, and deliver bread. After we had ordered, service was almost non-existant. My fiance ordered a delightful chicken dish wrapped around goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach. I ordered a pasta dish but requested the gluten-free noodles. When my dish was delivered, it lacked the gluten-free noodles I requested. Very disappointing. Even worse, when I asked if these noodles were gluten-free our waiter said "oops" and then proceeded to say it would take 15-20 minutes for a new dish with the gluten free noodles! I don't have celiac disease, but I often choose to eat gluten free so I just said I would eat what was delivered. Our waiter didn't compensate us for his mistake on my order or go above and beyond to recify the situation. Overall, very basic italian food you can get almost anywhere. Atmosphere is good but service is AWFUL.
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Review from Judy S.
Chicago, IL
5/16/2012
My husband and I recently moved into the neighborhood and have been enjoying Trattoria Isabella frequently. The manager always remembers us and the servers are very friendly. I often get the daily fish special but my husband loves the traditional dishes like veal marsala. I have also had the home made pappardelle, the mushroom risotto and the gnocchi with pesto sauce. All were excellent.
The restaurant has two dining rooms - the traditional dining room and the more casual side with booths, bar, brick pizza oven and televisions. Both are very nice. But the best place to sit is the patio when it is warm.
We walk to the restaurant but they do have a parking lot. -
Review from Carmen B.
2/12/2012 1 Check-in Here
In the midst of the great restaurant options in the West Loop, I'd forgotten about Isabella's -- and I'm glad that I remembered to stop in.
I made a special request for eggplant parmesan (not on the menu), and I was really pleased with the entree. The bartender was very friendly, and the regular patrons were fun to talk with during my meal. Also - the prices were reasonable. If you're in search of good italian food with a very mellow scene, this is your spot. -
Review from Leo I.
Oak Park, IL
12/19/2011
The staff at this restaurant are friendly and very helpful. Somehow there is a lack of coordination. After our party was seated, we ordered drinks. While we were waiting for our drinks, two more waiters came by our table to take our drink order. Not a big deal but usually a disappointing indicator of things to come.
One of us asked for a hot toddy. We were told that even though the barman worked at famous hotels' bars for years he'd never heard of the drink. Maybe. Even so, they could have looked up the drink on their copy of Professional Bartender's Handbook. Or they could have looked up the drink on their computer (yes they have at least one connected to the internet) or on a smartphone. C'mon now.
Bread was brought to the table. Stale and dry, and at room temperature, as if it was sliced hours ago. Is it that difficult to serve the bread warm?
Next disappointment: no homemade pasta except for the papardelle. This is a pet peeve of mine. No italian restaurant worth its olive oil uses dry pasta. If you can make dough for papardelle you can also cut it into spaghetti, tagliatelle, and just about anything else you want. If I can do that at home with my little Imperia roller, so can you Trattoria Isabella.
The antipasto plate we ordered for starters looked like a presliced plate you find at supermarket's deli counters. That was disappointing as well. With so many decent salumeria's in Chicago, there is no excuse for serving Wild Boar-quality antipasto. The roasted beet appetizer was ok. The beets were too thin for this kind of dish, I think.
The main entrees were unremarkable. The portions were decent. What the dishes lacked in flavor they compensated with the richness of butter or cream added in them.
Given the restaurant's location, it could be an awesome destination for city dwellers of the nearby high-rise buildings. It can also be a popular after-work destination. The staff is friendly and eager to help. But intentions alone will not cut it. Whether it's language barrier, lack of initiative, and lack of effort, these issues must be addressed or the restaurant will not do well.
4 guests, 3 appetizers, 4 entrees, 1 hot toddy, 1 bottle of zin ($14 retail, $50 after restaurant mark up), our total came to about $210. -
Review from Michael P.
Chicago, IL
1/6/2012
Admittedly, I go here more in the summer and have drinks at the bar on the outdoor patio but I have also had dinner here as well and this is really a very good place tucked away in the West Loop.
The staff and owner are always way friendly and the general feel of the place is comfortable and nice.
I'm gonna give it try now during the cold part of the year and I hope others do too so we all don't just go during the warmer temps.
Thumbs up to this little, hidden gem. -
Review from Lauren D.
Chicago, IL
11/28/2011
As a West Looper I've been an occasional patron of Trattoria Isabella over the last few years. Normally I would rate the restaurant 3 stars but after my experience with them today, rating them more than 1 star would be far too generous.
It's a chilly day in Chicago and my husband and I wanted some soup for lunch. My husband picked up a couple of bowls of minestrone for a reasonable $5.00 each. Normally Trattoria Isabella's minestrone is a flavorful red broth full of vegetables. Today it was a thin clear vegetable broth with a couple of chunks of cauliflower and onion and literally ONE chunk of carrot and zucchini each. Also, the bowls were much smaller than they used to be, which normally I could deal with. But if you're going to give me something that could have come from a can, at least make it a respectable portion. It truly is beyond me that Trattoria Isabella would ever expect a customer to actually pay money for that soup. Ridiculous!
Normally I'm an easily pleased customer but today, Trattoria Isabella, you have actually managed to kind of piss me off. -
Review from Dana F.
9/15/2011 ROTD 5/26/2012
After a 15 hour drive to Chicago, my "Welcome to the Neighborhood" dinner had to be something both laid-back and comforting.
We were completely ravenous after a day where coffee was our only nourishment. Perhaps this is why the warm, crispy basket of bread, brought out with garlic-infused olive oil, seemed so amazing.
For wine, we ordered Terrabianca Campaccio Super Tuscan that at one point in time, we had at home on the wine rack. The mark-up at the restaurant was a bit steep, as to be expected, but it fit the bill for our heavy dinner.
We decided to share two appetizers, the grilled octopus and a gnocchi pasta special. We received an entree-sized portion of octopus for around $9. My tastes are forever biased after living in one of the octopus capitols of the world, but I did find the texture of the octopus at Trattoria Isabella to be tough and chewy in spots.
The gnocchi was a delightful surprise! These little potato pillows were just a tiny bit firm (mushy gnocchi? - no thanks!) and were cooked in a plum tomato sauce of the perfect acidity.
For the main course, I ordered whitefish, which came with assorted vegetables. The fish was lightly prepared in a lemon butter sauce, topped with diced shrimp, and the portion was large enough to have leftovers for the following day. It was a solid and simple dinner; comfort food is generally not meant to overwhelm the senses.
I also snagged a taste (and some leftovers) of bucatini in a meat-based tomato sauce. (Bucatini looks like spaghetti, except the center is hollowed out.) We asked whether the pastas are fresh and made on-site. Unfortunately, they are not which is surprising for a "traditional" Italian restaurant. This was also a hearty, comforting dish prepared in an excellent sauce.
For dessert, we shared the "famous" tiramisu. It broke my heart to consider this tiramisu. A sad, pathetic slice of sponge cake was topped with whipped cream that faintly tasted of coffee. Where was the marscapone? And the coffee-soaked savoiardi? Accept no imitations!
3.5 stars - I'll definitely be back to Trattoria Isabella but I will also be on the lookout for venues to feast on homemade pasta. -
Review from Ying Y.
Chicago, IL
11/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've only been here for brunch, so keep this in mind when reading my review. I came here with my roommate to experience the lovely patio they have next to the restaurant.
If we were on Sesame Street, the letter of the day would be W: for waiting. We waiting a while for our menus, waited for our orders to be taken, waited for our food, etc, etc. We had to flag down the waitstaff repeatedly (they all stand skillfully hidden in the shadows to avoid attention) to remind them we ordered coffee. We finally get our coffee seconds before our food (want to guess if we got a refill?).
I wouldn't mind waiting or even having to flag people down to remind them of my order if a place is busy, but we were one of 3 tables dinning. I would also be willing to over look a lot if the food was good, but it was also very sad. The food was lukewarm and all kind of tasted the same. I got the crab cakes and my roommate got a frittata: two things that should NOT taste the same.
The service in itself or the food in itself don't really deserve a 1-star rating, but together it made me regret spending my money on such a place. It may be this place just doesn't bring its A-game for brunch, but I probably wont be back to find out. -
Review from Maren B.
7/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
We came July 4th which may have explained the slowness (since I'm assuming they were seriously short-staffed)... but after a while it just got ridiculous. We literally had to beg our waitress to bring some bread, although I can't necessarily blame her for that since she was literally running between tables.
I got the Rigatoni al Filo di Fumo, which was basically rigatoni and pasta sauce - not bad, but not exactly what I was expecting based off of the menu description: "pancetta, mozzarella, fresh basil, marinara sauce".
Also, it's not the best neighborhood for people-watching, but they do have a nice sized patio to sit out on.
They say first impressions are the most important and although I wasn't super impressed, it was just good enough for me to be open to giving it another try. -
Review from Michelle D.
Chicago, IL
10/6/2011
I've been here a couple of times. Each time the food is OK. But the patio is great. The sauces are good- and if you are looking for a simple good bowl of pasta while sipping wine outside this is your place.
I most recently got the penne arrabiata with a garden salad...pasta was good, nice and spicy (maybe a little over cooked), but then salad had soggy lettuce and barely any dressing.
The wait staff is a little rude...I went through an entire dinner with one glass of wine, when I would have ordered 3 had the server been around to fill my glass. Also expect to wait a long time for the bill.
Overall- a good place- I'll go back. -
Review from Teri Y.
6/8/2011
Frankly, I do not know how this place remains in business with so many other top notch and well celebrated restaurants at a stone's throw from this place.
The food at Trattoria Isabella is mediocre at best and nothing to rave about. The marinara sauce that came with the pasta and pancetta was so sour that it was quite difficult to enjoy. Their fried calamari is just adequate but forgettable.
I think the saving grace for this place is their outdoor patio. The patio is probably the only reason they remain in business. In the summer, their patio is always packed but once you peek into the dining room, it's empty. Last summer on a weekend, my husband and I ate at the dining room as it was a little too hot for comfort sitting outside. We were the only ones in the dining room while the patio was bustling. It was strange. During winter, we don't see many people inside the dining room either whenever we walk by it. My theory is that they depend on the summer profits from the patio to compensate for the lack of business at the dining room when it's not summer. And really, I think people are there in the summer just to hang out at the patio since their food is lacking in goodness.
We live in the area but we don't seek out this place when we are going out for Italian food.Listed in: Fulton River District
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Review from Bethany B.
Chicago, IL
8/7/2011
A-OK.
I was looking for a simple italian place to order a simple italian-style bowl of pasta. Not looking for anything fancy or mind-blowing, but too lazy to cook for myself on Friday night. Ordered the rigatoni with panchetta and it was good - and big! Definitely didn't need to finish all of it (though I did, of course). Bread basket was fine, soup appetizer was fine.
One weird thing we noticed - the service was very very eager to clear our plates throughout the meal. We had to say "no, we're still working" at least 4 times during the course of our meal. This was strange to me as the restaurant wasn't nearly half full, so I can't imagine they needed to rush us out. My friend jokingly mused that perhaps they were running out of dishes in the kitchen, and thus needed to clear the ones being used as soon as possible to be re-used..
I would go back if I was in the neighborhood craving a simple pasta dish, but definitely wouldn't go out of my way. -
Review from John R.
Chicago, IL
3/19/2011
We went there as a party of 7 for lunch. The bread was stale, obviouly yesterdays. They had no katchup for the fries. The ceasar dressing was tastless and appeared to be mayo thinned with milk. We went there for the wood fired pizza, but they no longer serve pizza at lunch. I didn't see it on the dinner menu either.
Needless to say, we were disappointed. eras -
Review from Justin M.
Chicago, IL
6/10/2011
3.5 stars.
Had a work lunch here recently. Trattoria Isabella has a great patio and outside bar that is very charming indeed. If I didn't have to go back to work I would have taken more advantage of such a pleasant setup.
Service was fairly good and to the point. They have a reasonable range of draft beers and a large variety of Italian dishes. My friends selected the tilapia special, which looked good and they were quite pleased with it as it came with two filets of tilapia, potatoes and greens. As for myself - just a straightforward bolognese which I find is one of the most reliable barometers of an Italian restaurant. It was ok - sofrito thankfully was not overt and obvious - sauce had a nice taste overall but nothing really stood out about it.
I would come here again and try something different out.. -
Review from Amy L.
Chicago, IL
5/5/2011
The atmosphere was nice, we sat next to the brick oven and watched them make pizza.
The food was blah. I got chicken stuffed with spinach, cheese, sun dried tomatoes and spinach. The sun dried tomatoes were in a huge clump, and a mouthful of sun dried tomatoes is not appetizing. The asparagus on the side was soggy and not so good either. I probably will not be returning. -
Review from Tiffany K.
Chicago, IL
7/12/2011
one star for the beautiful outdoor patio, one more for the friendly host (i think he may be the owner the restaurant.).
service was horrible.
our waiter was slow with EVERYTHING!
the only guy that was bringing out food kept placing it on the wrong tables.
(pretty amusing to watch, i must say.. but after a while, it got pretty annoying when our food took almost 40 minutes to arrive!)
ok so service was not that great from the start so i was hoping the food would make up for it.... i sure didn't get what i hoped for..
calamari- it was just OK. marinara sauce was way too watery.
bruschetta- again, it was ok. but then again, i'm not a fan of this anyway.
vongole al forno- breaded fresh baby clams in white sauce... there were about 6 clams.. ha! the sauce was good but not enough..
aaaaaand for our main entree..
farfalle al pollo- bowtie chicken and mushroom pasta. this was the best dish out of all the dishes we ordered! and it wasn't the best pasta i've had.. the chicken pieces were very teeny tiny. i remember every time i'd find a chicken, i'd get excited.. ha..
we also had some tilapia dish and the fish did not taste too fresh.
prices are decent but i wish the portions would've been a little bigger..
all in all, i was super disappointed with everything.
i've been wanting to try this place for over a year and it's within walking distance from home. maybe i'll give this place another try if someone wants to go but definitely thought it was a waste of money.. :( -
Review from Nicole C.
8/4/2010
I love the outdoor patio at Isabella, but am continually disappointed with the food and the service. Come here for drinks and fresh air, but go somewhere else for dinner.
The last time I was here -- a few weeks ago -- they seemed to have run out of most ingredients. Unbelievable. They had no melon (for prosciutto + melon), no fresh mozzarella (for caprese salad), no mussels, and the daily specials were no longer being offered because they had run out. Considering that Jewel is just down the street (and we were there in the late afternoon, before the dinner rush), I find this to be completely unacceptable. You can't run a successful Italian restaurant in this city without basics like fresh mozzarella. When confronted, the server and manager just shrugged and walked away. Thanks. Very disappointing to say the least. :( -
Review from Mopsie B.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 10/3/2011
I went back for dinner and ate inside this time. They had some interesting wines by the glass, although I wish they had more of a selection. But I'm adding stars for the absolutely PERFECT linguine with clams! I was not expecting anything above average, but the waiter told me it was his favorite and it did not disappoint. For such a simple dish, lots of places find ways to screw it up. Isabella rocked it. And, the bread basket was to die for. I'll definitely be back.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/20/2011
It's not for lack of trying, but this place just doesn't deliver the goods. The outdoor patio is… Read more »
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Review from A W.
Chicago, IL
8/27/2011
Nice location and nice patio but the service was slow and the food sub par especially for the cost. But the bonus, you can eavesdrop on rich people talking about their fancy vacations to the Hamptons and jewelry purchases
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Review from Debbie E.
12/12/2010
Eh. Very upscale lunch crowd - they kind that drink martinis at lunch. We had a large group (9 of us) and they managed to pull a few tables together in the back. We even had reservations and they didn't seem prepared for us. The other patrons were more dressed than business casua - suits and dresses or slacks and heels at lunch.
Typical Italian menu with pasta and seconi dishes. The food overall was edible but I wouldn't say fantastic. I would have thought that there would have been more a selection but it was either real basic (penne with marina vodka sauce) or really fancy (meat dishes). The iced tea was fountain (blah).
The waiter was right off the boat authentic. So much that he had a difficult time communicating with us and our requests. Service overall was slow but we did ask for a "rush" item since one person had to leave to catch a plane and that meal came out super fast.
We came in the winter and did not experience the outdoor seating.
While I am waffling between 2 and 3 stars, I am giving it 3 stars in hopes that I can come back and try a nice leisurely meal with a wine selection off of what looked like a good wine menu. -
Review from Michael K.
New York, NY
7/24/2010 1 Check-in Here
When I saw that the Zagat review for this place gave it a 26 out of 30 (which is very high), but Yelpers largely don't like it, I was somewhat shocked. Well, Yelp was right: this place is crap.
Everything is overpriced and underflavored. The pasta is clearly frozen, the sauce comes from jars, and the sausage is the low-grade crap you get from Domino's pizza. Save your money. You can make better stuff at home. -
Review from Helen H.
Chicago, IL
1/15/2011
I actually really like this place. It was a really nice atmosphere out in the patio area. The service was very authentic and I always love it when they can pronounce everything so fluently.
The bruchetta was excellent just the right amount of tanginess and spiciness.and fyi, not very garlicy for date goers. The seafood salad was quite light and refreshing and I loved the lemon dressing. Pizza was very good with a great thing crust and a great sauce. The spagehetti was delicious too with a great tangy-ness. Forgot which one we got but it had prosciutto and onions.
Fish and lobster ravioli were a bit rich though. tiramasu is good
Overall delicious and I will come back! -
Review from Kelly A.
Los Angeles, CA
5/1/2008
Great addition to the neighborhood! I finally got around to dining here last night although I've been meaning to for awhile now since it's right around the corner from me. My sister and I came in around 6:30ish... there were only a few other tables there at the time, but when we left they were really filling up. We started with the calamari (fried of course - but for the more health concious, they also offer grilled ) and it was really good. The marinara had a nice kick to it. Then we split a couple entrees - the gnocchi w/ vodka sauce and the chicken stuffed w/ goat cheese, sundried tomatoes and spinach. Both were really great, but since the chicken was also in a vodka sauce, I wish we would've gotten the gnocchi in pesto instead. Guess I'll try that next time.
The prices here are pretty moderate... like between $12-$16 for most dishes. The place is also decorated really well - looks pretty upscale. Also they're still in the process of finishing their patio, which includes a full bar and looks like it will be awesome this summer!
Finally, I just have to address the comment below by Rose regarding the "third world staff". Uhh, seriously?? Please keep your ignorant self out of my neighborhood, thanks. I personally found the staff to be nothing but delightful. -
Review from Mike K.
Chicago, IL
3/19/2010
I don't know if I've been picking bad restaurants lately or if people in Chicago are just simply not going out to eat any more because lately the places I've been going out to dinner to have been pretty dead. Such was the case on a Friday night at 7 p.m. at Isabella.
We walked in through the bar entrance and found 3-4 people at the bar and perhaps three tables occupied in the bar area. We opted to sit in the dining room because the bar had a guy on a Casio blaring tunes.
When we got to the dining room we saw one table occupied. I started to hope this wasn't a harbinger, as it was at one particular Italian-French place on West Randolph that ended up being a disaster.
I ordered the rigatoni with vodka sauce. She had the cheese tortellini with some chicken added. We also had the bruschetta for an appetizer. The bruschetta was alright and a steal at $5. She liked her tortellini. I tasted it but only thought it was okay, as it was a bit bland. As to my rigatoni with vodka sauce, I was pretty disappointed. I've had vodka sauce quite a few times at Italian restaurants and cook up pasta myself at home with vodka sauce. This wasn't a vodka sauce. It was an arrabiata sauce, of which I'm generally not a fan. It was spicy and not creamy whatsoever. I ate it, but I was disappointed.
Service here is a team effort and was generally good, but they really dropped the ball badly but not having any parmesan cheese for the olive oil and bread or my pasta. That is a major faux pas in an Italian restaurant.
By the time we left at around 8 p.m., there were 6-7 tables occupied in the dining room, making it approximately one-quarter full. I don't know if that's due to the economic times we are in, the quality of the food or a combination of both.
There are too many places that I think are better than Isabella for me to return here. Tuscany, Rosebud and Orso's and three places that immediately come to mind that are much better.
I tried, Izzy. Two stars. -
Review from Leah P.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 3/18/2009
I REALLY want to like Isabella, it is so convenient and they have an awesome outdoor patio, but I always leave feeling disappointed. Turns out, the outdoor seating is the only decent thing about this place. Here are my problems with Isabella:
1. Too expensive
2. Unoriginal Menu (mostly pasta, sauce, and cheese)
3. Frozen tortellini
4. Understaffed
5. No daily wine/food specials or coupons
6. Bring out the wrong food and still try to charge you for it
7. SLOW Service (slowest I have seen Chicago, see #4)
8. Everything on their menu I can make at home for less than $4
9. I would rather go to La Scarola and Rose Angelis are both cheaper and MUCH better.
10. Lady friend of the chef or owner was throwing up in the bathroom in the stall next to me..... Can't say I blame her, I felt the same way after paying $80 for two bowls of pasta and a bottle of wine on a Tuesday night.Listed in: Best of the West (Loop), Oh, no you di' int!!!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/18/2009
OMG Did anyone else see those horrific huge pictures of food this place had on the front of the… Read more »
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Review from Carol K.
1/2/2010
I was looking for a neighborhood trattoria with some great wine and some good Italian food to soak it up. What I got was a bit of a puzzle for while Trattoria Isabella welcomed me with open arms ( a very friendly manager/owner greeted us and asked for our return business upon our departure), the food and service in the dining room, did not live up to my expectations.
First the positives. I liked the bar. The bartender quickly poured me the perfect drink and the patrons were friendly as I waited for my friend to arrive. The music was a bit funny (all Bee Gees all the time) and played at a high volume that they finally turned down when they realized it was playing at the same volume in the dining room as well.
In the corner of the bar area was the wood burning oven making the room warm and toasty. I probably should have gone with the wood fired pizza as it looked terrific coming out of the oven and the melted cheese smelled amazing.
But on this blustery night- warm, filling comfort food was needed so I knew I was going to be having pasta.
First up- for my appetizer I went with the grilled calamari salad. While there was plenty of calamari on the plate- it had such a charred after taste it was not good. And my friend's minestrone soup came up cold and it needed to be sent back.
The highlight of the dinner was my bow tie pasta with chicken, peas and mushrooms in a creamy red sauce. Quite tasty and a huge portion (there will definitely be leftovers for later). Unfortunately, my friend's whitefish was not as good and came drowning in the sauce.
Service was just okay but not overly attentive. We could not get the servers attention to take the soup back to heat it up. We finally had to flag down a busser to get the server- here again- a good server is usually more aware of what people are doing in their section, and not eating their food, should be a clue to a problem.
Dinner for two with no drinks and no dessert ran about $67 before tip.
With so many great Italian restaurants in the Chicago area- I doubt I will be back unless it is too have a drink in the bar. Too bad- as there are not alot of places in this neighborhood within walking distance of my friend's place for Italian food. Darn! And I had such high hopes. -
Review from Melissa K.
Brooklyn, NY
2/22/2008
I'm so happy this place opened. It's brand new and in my neighborhood and I couldn't be happier. My boyfriend loves Italian food and we've yet to find a place that we both enjoy. Yes, I realize that sounds strange but all the places we've been too we've been with other people and so this is our spot.
Well today was the first night they were opened. I wasn't expecting much because I've opened several restaurants when I was in college and I know how stressful the first night/week can be. The only issue we had was it took a bit longer then we would have liked to get our main dish. The manager apologized and bought us dessert. The decor is pleasant and inviting. The busboys were great and the staff in general was very quick and friendly.
Now to the food. I was pleased looking around at all the dishes at the tables near us. All the portions are huge and it appeared that either everyone finished theirs or they took it home to eat it later.
To start with we got a Caesar salad. I'm a big fan of Caesar salads and this was quite good. Not the best, but it was very tasty and I will definitely be ordering it again. For dinner I had the farfelle with chicken in a vodka sauce. It was great. Because it was so huge I had to take it home and I can't wait to eat it for lunch tomorrow. My boyfriend had this chicken thing with goat cheese, spinach and peppers. He loved it. I was afraid he was going to lick the plate when he was done. For dessert we tried the pane cotta. It was very tasty.
I can't wait to go back, this place will definitely be a great addition to the Fulton Market District. -
Review from Dennis S.
10/1/2009
Excellent outdoor setting. No other reason to go.
On a warm summer Saturday afternoon four of us decided to find an outdoor setting for margaritas, one with parking nearby since we were already in the car. Trattoria Isabella was suggested, and it worked out just fine. Once we convinced someone to serve us.
Apparently afternoon visitors who want a table but don't want dinner are unwelcome. The outdoor bar had half a dozen patrons, all ladies enjoying their illegal cigarette smoking. So that option wasn't too appealing. We were seated at a table near the bar, amidst a sea of empty tables. Only one other table was occupied. We then watched the debate down at the end of the bar about who would get stuck waiting on us. While four waiters argued they sent over a busboy to remove our napkins and silverware. Finally one waiter did come over. We ordered margaritas and settled back to enjoy each other's company.
The sun was hot and it all worked out fine. We ended up ordering bruschetta, and then some calamari. Both were really good. Now the waiter was our friend. And yes, they did bring back the napkins and silverware. But without sunshine and free parking, you won't see me there again. -
Review from Shannon B.
Chicago, IL
11/17/2008
If your Sicilian Grandmother used put plates of pasta in front of you while reciting, "Manga, Manga--- eat you are too skinny!" when you were struggling into a size 14 jean, well... you may be slightly disappointed.
If you just like some Italian food, you will most likely be happy.
The staff is great and the outdoor patio wonderful. I went for four stars since this neighborhood needed this place desperately, it is a nice calm place- you don't have to scream over music or other people and it is comfortable.
Here is the breakdown:
* Wait staff: Great and attentive
* Drink Full bar, decent wine list
* Menu:Italian
* Parking: Walk if you can. It is a block off the Clinton Green/Pink Line stop and there is metered parking around if you have to drive.
* Dress: CasualListed in: Fulton River District/West…
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Review from betsy b.
7/15/2011
After seeing this cute patio a million times we finally tried it out. It's in a random spot in the city but you don't feel like it once you're seated. The calamari was sadly some of the worst I've had...it was tough and the fried goodness was just bland and missing but the sauce it came with was great with the bread. The entrees made up for the shitty appetizer. The salmon with pesto was really good and my husbands sausage and peppers risotto was too. We had side of vesivo potatoes cause baby wanted some more carbs and they were awesome. I'd come back here again but I would think it's strictly a summer place so you can eat outside.
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Review from Kristi K.
Chicago, IL
7/13/2009
I visited this place as part of a large group, which let the restaurant know we were coming (probably about 25 people?). I don't know if they were completely frazzled or what. But the service was terrible. Not like "I'm overwhelmed...I forgot to place your order" terrible, but "I refuse to let you all pay with credit cards--so figure it out amongst yourselves" terrible.
Seriously...I would say 3/4 of us would have had more than one glass of wine. 1/2 of us would have gotten dinner. Instead, most of us cut after one drink because you refused to accommodate us. We got some song and dance about how their credit card server would fry if they charged that many cards. The way I see it...we could have all been there separately, and charged our food and drink. You would never tell 25 individuals they couldn't pay with cards.
Bright side: the food we did all split was pretty good. Nothing spectacular, but decent. The outdoor eating area is awesome. I wish the service didn't suck, because otherwise I would go back. -
Review from Taylor O.
6/2/2008
Sunday afternoon in the West loop is a dire affair, walking by some of the most outstanding restaurants in the city with no lights on and locked doors. Alas, the new addition to the neighborhood came to the rescue with their even more recent patio and bar addition. It was a sunny afternoon and cafe style fit the bill.
Yeah I read Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential last week and I pretty much figured Sunday was going to be the previous nights leftovers but I still gotta eat. Our Menus arrived at 12pm and it clearly was labelled 'Dinner'; I inquired about this since it was a bit early for dinner and was told it was dinner all day as it would be too much to switch over from lunch. I might agree if the menus were that much different other than a sandwich section. Fire up your damn Foreman grill and make me a panini! We were offered to split a plate as the waiter assumed the reason I wanted the lunch menu was money. That was insulting; I just don't feel like eating a full Italian spaghetti and meatballs at noon on a Sunday.
So at any rate, I at least avoided the specials and ordered Farfalle Pollo in pink sauce. The sauce that arrived was orange, the portion very large, but mostly just pasta, sauce and a few peas accompanied by about an ounce of chicken. Don't skimp me on chicken, I'll bring you a rotisserie chicken from Dominick's to mix in if you insist; protein people.
The atmosphere from the nice day, large patio and tasteful outdoor addition/bar was very pleasant and the main selling point.
Yeah I'll be back because I live around the corner and the restaurateurs have yet to swoop in on the weekend hours, probably waiting until the mega-condos complete. Next time I'm holding out for a better experience though. -
Review from Kara K.
Chicago, IL
3/30/2010
A few girlfriends and I came to this wonderful Italian restaurant on a Friday night for a birthday celebration and had a blast! The party was set up in the bar and guests were served several tasty dishes including roasted peppers, mostaccioli, rigatoni and bruschetta. The pear martini was so good I had to have four of them.
Rat Pack music blared in the background until about 11:30 then it switched over to club music--and that's when the real party started. We got our groove all the way on and Paolo, the owner, even came over and two-stepped with us. I plan to come back for a sit-down dinner. Fun, fun, fun!Listed in: Now THAT's Italian!
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Review from gfiddy f.
Chicago, IL
8/27/2011
Lovely patio & quite good food.
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Review from John H.
3/13/2010
"Try the veal. It's the best in the city."
I really wanted to enjoy this place. It's close to the Loop, the layout is nice, and they've got big comfy booths. When you walk into a place as empty as Trattoria Isabella was for dinner, though, you almost feel like you're doing them a favor, and your expectations self-adjust accordingly.
I had a few Manhattans to loosen up and allow the Trattoria Isabella staff to serve me in my natural state. The Manhattan is also a fine aperitif of a cocktail, so I was ravenous by the time my veal was brought out. Now, you don't expect a Great Outdoors steak when you order veal, but I was hoping for more than this. The pasta and sauce that accompanied it may have come out of a can. Very mediocre.
A slice of cheesecake was all I could order to prevent me from nibbling on my arm, and that still didn't cut it. I'm not prepared to spend 45 bucks at any restaurant short of Charlie Trotter's leaving without feeling full. I departed hungry, poor, and only relatively buzzed (my three most despised states of being). -
Review from Anastasia K.
Chicago, IL
6/25/2008
I work across the street and this place has been jumping for weeks with both lunch and dinner crowds. The outdoor patio is nicely spaced so you don't feel like everyone around you is sitting at your table. Indoors is just the opposite, a little too crowded for the seating, but the raised floor gives a nice view if you're seated by the windows.
The food is always fresh and delicious. Groups I've gone with have had pastas, burgers, and meat entrees. No one has ever said anything bad. Be warned, though, that the food arrives HOT! Be careful before taking your first few bites, don't want to burn your mouth! The servings are very generous, so we haven't tried their desserts.
If you go for dinner, you have better chances of finding metered street parking than you would at lunch hour since most of the workers from surrounding buildings have left for the day, but it's only 1 block from the Clinton el stop, so easily accessible by the CTA.
Overall, the food and experience is good and the wait staff is friendly and attentive. I'd reccomend for a nice dinner out. -
Review from Swati B.
Chicago, IL
5/28/2010
I love the atmosphere of this place. Outdoor patio seating, how can you go wrong!? The service is a little on the slow side but nothing crazy (I personally had great company so I didn't mind it!)
They have a great wine list, and plenty of beers on tap.
The bruschetta was ok..not the best I've had ...the pasta I ordered was with Arabiatta sauce...which was amazing! The perfect amount of spice.
The Tiramisu was to die for...!
The prices were fair, you didn't feel like you were getting ripped off.
I definitely will be back!!
