Cafe Bionda
Chicago, IL 60622
Phone: (773) 342-2100
- Price:
- $$
- Cross Street:
- North Avenue
- Directions:
- El: Blue Line to Damen
- Hours:
- Mon-Thu 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat 11am-12am, Sun 11am-11pm
Editorial Review for Cafe Bionda – by Jennifer Olvera
The Scene
When weather allows, the din of passing traffic can be heard through large, open windows at this laid-back trattoria. Indie-types from the neighborhood wander in and are seated at butcher paper and candle-topped tables in front of the dark wood paneled space. In back, a small bar sports a flat-screen TV in the corner and a few high-top tables for kicking back pre- or post-meal. Abstract pantings and a black tin ceiling add interest.
The Food
The by-the-books menu focuses on crowd-pleasing southern Italian dishes. First courses stand out--especially garlicky breadcrumb-stuffed mushrooms in lemony, herb-flecked cream sauce. Its namesake salad, an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink melange with hearts of palm and tangy-tart red wine vinaigrette, is memorable. Plate-sized veal Parmesan arrives caped in bubbly, browned mozzarella, but orecchiette is overcooked. When sliced, chicken saltimbocca reveals a whirl of crisp, salty prosciutto, sage and cheese. For dessert, housemade Joe's Italian ice-floating in Belvedere Cytrus-refreshes.
Hits: Portions are large, and leftovers reheat well.
Misses: Slow-cooked sauces, while nicely seasoned, sometimes lack the anticiated depth
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
Know Before You GoThere is a chalkboard near the host stand and another high on the wall of the dining room that lists daily specials--including a fish dish--not found on the regular menu.
The ExtrasThe menu includes a number of customizable options. For example, Milanese preparations come three ways--with chicken, veal or eggplant--and can be topped with arugula salad or sauteed peppers.
When to GoThe restaurant is hopping late night. That's also when the volume level can be deafening.
User Reviews for Cafe Bionda
02/16/2008 Posted by kenkubes
My wife and I live just a block away from the restaurant, and we went there a couple weeks ago for the first time and had a good experience. Tonight, however, we had a terrible experience. We invited another couple to join us at a "great new Italian restaurant in Wicker Park," and were utterly embarassed and disgusted at the way we were treated. We made an 8pm reservation on Opentable, and arrived promptly at 8pm. When we hadn't been seated by 8:30, we politely talked to the manager, who did nothing more than offer us a free drink and lament that "there was nothing he could do." At about 8:55, when a table of 4 had finished and left the restaurant, another group simply helped themselves to the now-vacant table, as if the restaurant were a seat-yourself corner bar. After we and several other parties who had been waiting for close to an hour (some also with 8pm reservations) complained about this, the manager and hostess tried to remove the people who had overtaken the table, but quickly backed down when the customers talked back to them and said that they "knew the owner, so don't mess with us." Utterly disgusted, our group left and told the manager that we would share this experience with our neighbors and warn them about the way the management treated return customers who had been waiting an hour after their reservation time. We then walked over to Chaise Lounge and had a great dinner. Sadly, we would obviously no longer recommend Cafe Bionda to anyone, based on our experience.
02/09/2008 Posted by emkor
Love. That's all I can say. Make sure you can take a nap afterwards, it's cozy, clean, and absolutely Delicious.
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