Volare

In Short – Volare means "to fly," and this Streeterville restaurant has earned its wings with attentive, friendly service, a pleasant atmosphere and reliable Italian fare. Regulars fill the dining room, which features trompe l'oeil murals, chandeliers and white tablecloths. The menu includes options like grigliata mista (grilled seafood drizzled in vinaigrette), chicken Vesuvio and an assortment of mix-and-match pastas, from ravioli with marinara to spaghetti topped with salmon fillet.

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User Reviews (51)

ambiance	100.0% positive	“Our waiter was very attentive and polite, and the atmosphere was inviting.” “You're downtown, you pay for the ambiance, experience and of course, the great food and great service.” “Although the food and atmosphere were great, we had a reservation and waited over an hour.”
dessert	100.0% positive	“The service was excellent the food was even better, and the desert was to-die for.”
drinks	100.0% positive	“Service was great, wine list was terrific, appetizers and salad were wonderful.” “The veal medallions (in a light lemon and white wine sauce) was great, small portion though, lasagna generous portion and great, the fish special my friend ordered was mushy and terrible.” “We came here for the first time right after my husband had proposed to me and toasted the occasion with really good wine and pasta that tasted fresh and interesting.”
food quality	89.25999641418457% positive	“My husband loves the seafood dishes, especially the risotto.” “Greedy bastardized failed waiter by the name of Benny and his silly cohort of cooks who will make you wait for 45 minutes for an overpriced steak.” “Great food.” “The red sauce on the chicken parmigiana was some of the worst I have ever tasted--not red but really orange.” “You're downtown, you pay for the ambiance, experience and of course, the great food and great service.” “The white sauce was way too thick, and my friend said it tasted like macaroni and cheese, the bolognese was way too chunky, and overall I left far more food on my plate than I ever do in a good Italian restaurant.” “Decent food, Bad service, Reservations no honored” “Everything is almost absolutely delicious.” “Whatever the fish special is get it, but oh yes, with a side of fresh pasta rather than the usual sides.” “If you want good Italian food, go to La Vita in littile Italy.” “Avoid this restaurant if you want great Italian food” “Although the food and atmosphere were great, we had a reservation and waited over an hour.” “Service was great, wine list was terrific, appetizers and salad were wonderful.” “Best late dinning beautiful at night and great Italian food!” “The pasta (so they tell me) is fresh and the ingredients are never a day old.” “The portions are obscenely huge - esp the aforementioned lasagne (unusual, but tasty).” “If you want great food at reasonable price this is the place.” “This is the best Italian food I have ever had.” “Not only was the food horrible (the ravioli consisted of 4 apettizer sized ravilol's ) in size and in flavor, but the waitor was rude and very slow.” “The food was beautiful and the Tiramisu was heavenly.” “I've been here over and over again, and still never tire of the fresh pasta and sauces!” “The veal medallions (in a light lemon and white wine sauce) was great, small portion though, lasagna generous portion and great, the fish special my friend ordered was mushy and terrible.” “Then kept coming back with family and discovered their wonderful fish with mustard sauce and other things.” “The food was excellent and dining outside completed the experience.” “Visiting Chicago for the first time, I really wanted some authentic southern Italian cooking, Chicago style.” “Great meal!” “Every dish I have ever ordered has been great.” “The service was excellent the food was even better, and the desert was to-die for.” “The pastas were cooked perfectly, not overcooked and the sauces flavorful; we ordered three pasta dishes with the vodka sauce, marinara and bolognese (meat) sauce.” “We came here for the first time right after my husband had proposed to me and toasted the occasion with really good wine and pasta that tasted fresh and interesting.” “had the osso buco, which was delicious.” “The food was wonderful - we liked the ability to choose the type of pasta and the type of sauce making for many possible variations.” “The chicken was tender and covered in a perfectly cooked sauce made of fresh red peppers, mushrooms, onions, green olives.” “But, the food was amazing!” “The bread was delicious - there were two types included.” “You won't get the trendy dishes available elsewhere, but, you will get great food at a great price, in a friendly setting.” “On both occasions, the restaurant has been very noisy, the service mediocre at best and the food just so-so.” “had the fish special which was also delicious.” “Authentic, fabulous food with great servers who seem to love what they do!” “After having a wonderful meal here over the summer, we stopped in during a visit with family.” “The lasagne is superb, the veal and chicken dishes are divine.” “Looking for great Italian food?” “The food was really good.” “The homemade pasta is great!” “Outstanding food, good value, great vibe, good service.”
overall	100.0% positive	“If you are looking for a good Italian place in Chicago, this is not it.” “Volare is a very nice neighborhood Italian restaurant.” “If you want great food at reasonable price this is the place.” “understand this craphole is a bait for those who think that sitting in a small prickly place where some of the waiters can't wait to jump in your lap and on average you are expected to leave in 30 minutes, is a nice Italian restaurant.”
service	65.93999862670898% positive	“It is very small but has great service.” “We ordered a bottle of Freemark Abbey Chardonnay and the bartender tried to serve it to us warm, not chilled at all.” “You're downtown, you pay for the ambiance, experience and of course, the great food and great service.” “Not only was the food horrible (the ravioli consisted of 4 apettizer sized ravilol's ) in size and in flavor, but the waitor was rude and very slow.” “very friendly staff happily takes care of anything you need.” “The service was excellent the food was even better, and the desert was to-die for.” “Our waiter was very attentive and polite, and the atmosphere was inviting.” “Essentially me and my guest would have wound up waiting over an hour for a table inside with a reservation, poor customer service.” “The service was professional and friendly; we really enjoyed our dining experience at Volare and look forward to returning on our next visit to Chicago.” “Decent food, Bad service, Reservations no honored” “can however speak about how horrible the customer service was.” “The service was attentive but not overbearing.” “The Pasta is amazing and the service is good.” “Outstanding food, good value, great vibe, good service.” “Authentic, fabulous food with great servers who seem to love what they do!” “We cancelled and ended up at Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery on Grand Avenue and had a blast along with great service.” “Greedy bastardized failed waiter by the name of Benny and his silly cohort of cooks who will make you wait for 45 minutes for an overpriced steak.” “understand this craphole is a bait for those who think that sitting in a small prickly place where some of the waiters can't wait to jump in your lap and on average you are expected to leave in 30 minutes, is a nice Italian restaurant.” “After being seated the service was very attentive and ended up being well worth the wait.” “You won't get the trendy dishes available elsewhere, but, you will get great food at a great price, in a friendly setting.” “This place needs to be shut down, there has to be some law against the terrible service, unscrupulous owners and pretensions managers thinking they're in Godfather movie or something.” “On both occasions, the restaurant has been very noisy, the service mediocre at best and the food just so-so.” “Overall, they did not honor my reservation, why take them if you are going to turn around and make people wait 20 plus minutes and the offer them to sit in a supposed warm enclosed area when in actuality, it wasn't.”
value	87.88000106811523% positive	“The portions are obscenely huge - esp the aforementioned lasagne (unusual, but tasty).” “You won't get the trendy dishes available elsewhere, but, you will get great food at a great price, in a friendly setting.” “Our waitperson was outstanding - she helped with suggestions on portions, recommended dinners after talking with us and asking a few questions about our likes and dislikes instead of just taking an order - she hit the mark each time.” “Outstanding food, good value, great vibe, good service.” “Impressive and good value” “Greedy bastardized failed waiter by the name of Benny and his silly cohort of cooks who will make you wait for 45 minutes for an overpriced steak.” “think the prices are reasonable as well.” “After being seated the service was very attentive and ended up being well worth the wait.” “And the prices are very reasonable!” “The veal medallions (in a light lemon and white wine sauce) was great, small portion though, lasagna generous portion and great, the fish special my friend ordered was mushy and terrible.” “If you want great food at reasonable price this is the place.”
wait time	25.0% positive	“Not only was the food horrible (the ravioli consisted of 4 apettizer sized ravilol's ) in size and in flavor, but the waitor was rude and very slow.” “Overall, they did not honor my reservation, why take them if you are going to turn around and make people wait 20 plus minutes and the offer them to sit in a supposed warm enclosed area when in actuality, it wasn't.” “Greedy bastardized failed waiter by the name of Benny and his silly cohort of cooks who will make you wait for 45 minutes for an overpriced steak.” “understand this craphole is a bait for those who think that sitting in a small prickly place where some of the waiters can't wait to jump in your lap and on average you are expected to leave in 30 minutes, is a nice Italian restaurant.”

12/28/11

Excellent Pumpkin Ravioli

by Dominicthorn at Citysearch

I love homemade pumpkin ravioli. Chef Massimo does a great job with his fresh spin on traditional Italian food. The wine selection is good and the ricotta cheesecake has my vote for a must have.

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10/02/11

Horrible 1 HOUR Wait and Indifferent Staff

by Chitown7 at Citysearch

I live in the neighborhood and tried this place a couple years back but was very disappointed in the portion size (and I'm a petite girl who doesn't eat a lot)! But I decided to give it a second try so I made a reservation for a table of 2 last night and when we arrived on time at exactly 8:30 we ended up waiting ONE HOUR for a table! What's the point of a reservation? I felt lied to since when we arrived they never mentioned that they were behind schedule nor each time I checked in with the hostess I got the run around--vague estimates on when we would get seated "we'll call you when you're table is ready". The waiting area was sooo overcrowded that we got bumped into several times. One waiter fell so hard trying to squeeze by that it shook the floor. Another waiter dropped a small tray near us. Many other customers waiting had somber looks on their faces probably from waiting so long, which made for an uncomfortable atmosphere. Service was friendly but frantic and slow. It took 20 minutes to get a drink at the table:( When the manager (I assume he was the manager) came around to ask how everything was, I mentioned that the food was pretty good but it was very upsetting to have to wait an hour to sit down. He nodded and moved on. He did NOT compensate us with a free appetizer or anything. Very disappointing. What's the point of asking how things are, if you're really don't care!? I'm Italian and love Italian food but found this place to be of average quality. Not worth the wait! Will never go back again.

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09/14/10

Best Italian Food Volare Chicago

by drozek at Citysearch

We it comes to Italian Food - Volare Chicago is my Favorite. The Meatball Salad is to die for and the Italian Ricotta Cheesecake will make you smile and curl your toes. I have eaten at Volare many times and I have always had a wonderful dining experience. When in Chicago or by Navy Pier eat at Volare and experience real Italian Sardenia Cuisine.

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08/31/10

Great food and service

by Studio City Becky at Citysearch

I have never reviewed a restaurant before, but I just wanted to counter some of the recently posted negative reviews. I'm not from Chicago, but have eaten in many great restaurants in other cities. I thought the food and service were wonderful. It is a bit noisy when all the tables are full.

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06/14/10

Looking for great Italian food?

by tripofthemonth at Citysearch

We made a reservation for 6:30 as last time we were seated much later than our reservation time. We ordered a bottle of Freemark Abbey Chardonnay and the bartender tried to serve it to us warm, not chilled at all. We sampled the only chilled house chardonnay and it was terrible. At 7:00 I went to check on our reservation, they crossed our name off and did not get us. We were seated then finally. They brought an ice bucket for our wine. The veal medallions (in a light lemon and white wine sauce) was great, small portion though, lasagna generous portion and great, the fish special my friend ordered was mushy and terrible. She sent it back. We had to flag down another waiter to get any help at all. She ended up sharing the lasagna. It was so hot in the restaurant, women were wipping their brows with their napkins apparently they either don't have air conditioning, or didn't mention a mechanical problem. They did take the fish off the bill. I tore up the business card and left it on the table -never to return.

Volare

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What People Are Saying About Volare

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12/28/11

Excellent Pumpkin Ravioli

by Dominicthorn at Citysearch

10/02/11

Horrible 1 HOUR Wait and Indifferent Staff

by Chitown7 at Citysearch

09/14/10

Best Italian Food Volare Chicago

by drozek at Citysearch

08/31/10

Great food and service

by Studio City Becky at Citysearch

06/14/10

Looking for great Italian food?

by tripofthemonth at Citysearch

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