Doesn't Recommend

Amber Gibson

Joined 3 years ago

Not the best Italian. 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.

Doesn't Recommend

katej0805

Joined 4 years ago

blah. hard

Doesn't Recommend

JStrine

Joined 5 years ago

Not a romantic dinner spot. 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.

Recommends

dmet

Joined 6 years ago

Delicious food, great service. 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.

Recommends

sugarywitch

Joined 8 years ago

Nice service and good value. 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.

Recommends

luvs2travel

Joined 7 years ago

Great lunch spot after shopping. We love Coco Pazzo's on Hubbard st and love this spin off also. It's a block off Michigan ave so it's a great spot to relax and have lunch after hitting the stores. We enjoyed the outdoor seating, though if you don't like pigeons don't eat outside in Chicago (they are a fact of life). The food is great, though a bit on the pricy side.

Recommends

croche312

Joined 7 years ago

Nice italian cafe. Very nice food, the crowd is like fish out of water. Alot of people who look like they rather belong the the gold coast than on St. Clair street. The outdoor cafe attracts rolex wearin' aston martin driving puff your cheast out dudes in search of the most expensive thing on the menu.

but the resturaunt itself is great

Recommends

darealdeal

Joined 8 years ago

Great date place. i was in chicago last week for only 2 days and on the second night i met an engineer from new york. i would have never gone to this place if this engineer hadnt invited me. i had calimari and bruscheti for the first time! the food was excellent! my friend had the ceasar salad and she said it was the best salad shes ever had! i had lasagna, which was also exceptional. service was good too, they let us stay for almost 45 minutes past closing time, awesome! highly recommended

Recommends

david1055

Joined 8 years ago

teeth grinding ambience. Pazzo has standardly decent Italian food, certainly no worse than dozens of other Chicago restaurants. I understand in summer, their outdoor cafe is quite nice. In winter, however, through a combination of terrible acoustics and poor ventilation, you dine in the din of dozens of shrieking corporate types getting progressively blasted. Despite whirling ceiling fans attempting to clear the air, cigarette smoke is the order of the day. It's a lunchtime restaurant and except for the crowd at the bar, the place was virtually empty at 7:30 PM

Recommends

jason vicars

Joined 9 years ago

Chicago's Best Italian. I have lived here for a little over a year and this is the best Itailian restaurant I have found in the city. Always consistant! Try the specials they are always great and the caeser salad is the best!