Coco Pazzo Cafe

06/04/10

Not the best Italian

by Amber Gibson at Citysearch

Coco Pazzo Cafe is weak imitation of Cafe Spiaggia, trying to be the hip and casual counterpart to Coco Pazzo like Cafe Spiaggia is for Spiaggia, but failing miserably. It is mediocre in every way

Bread and olive oil to start out were acceptable. I had the Salmon with asparagus, fregola and citrus. I had never had fregola before, and was looking forward to trying this couscous or quinoa-like pasta. I was disappointed when the fregola turned out to be bland and burnt. The salmon itself was pretty basic, nothing memorable. There was nothing exactly wrong with it, but my mom cooks better salmon at home. The asparagus was tender though, and I liked that the oranges were served chilled.

Dessert was the best part of the meal. The tiramisu's sponge cake was dowsed in rum, with the perfect balance of liquor and mascarpone. Definitely one of the better tiramisus in the city.

• Pros: Tiramisu
• Cons: Everything else

02/10/09

Rudest sous chef?

by katej0805 at Citysearch

I've been researching a project and chatting with chefs across America. The sous chef hung up on me without even listening to what I had said. If that's what service is like in the kitchen, I can only imagine what the food is like.

02/18/08

Not a romantic dinner spot

by JStrine at Citysearch

I made reservations here upon a recommendation from a friend for their great food. Online reviews were favorable so I thought 'why not?'. I should have been suspicious when I was able to make a reservation for two at 7 p.m. on a Saturday night the day before (on Valentine's Day weekend) without a problem. My husband and I were expecting a romantic evening out and were very disappointed. We were seated in the corner of a very small alcove with barely room to spare. NOT ROMANTIC. No music, no dim lights. Our fellow diners were TOO close, and the server had to lean over the head of the table next to us to take our order. We felt totally rushed by the wait staff. I had no sooner ordered my martini and taken a sip when our main course was delivered to the table, and that was after I had ordered wine to go with the food. I am not exagerrating when I say that the food was delivered to our table within 10 minutes of being seated. I would applaud this kind of service during the lunch hour, but not on a Saturday evening. The Ravolini was delicious, and so was the spaguetti, but the atmosphere was totally lacking in ambience. I would not recommend Cocco Pazzo for a special occassion, or romantic dinner. The only way I would try it again would be in the summer, for lunch, on the patio. Wine list was just okay.

12/14/07

Delicious food, great service

by dmet at Citysearch

Best Italian food I've had so far. I had the Tortino di Asparagi, the Ossobuco, and the Frutta con Zabaione and EVERYTHING was delicious! I highly recommend this place. I'll definitely make this restaurant a stop every time I'm in Chicago.

• Pros: Great food and customer service
• Cons: Parking (?) or you can always take a cab

12/04/06

Nice service and good value

by sugarywitch at Citysearch

The food was very well done, classic dishes with a slightly fancy spin. The lasagna and the duck pasta were both great. I might skip the cheese plate at the end, though the walnuts on it were very good. Large selection of wines by the bottle including some less pricy options. The service was also very nice, not hurried but not inattentive either.