07/10/09

Spot -on!

by Annazenato

The food, ambience and service here is consistently great. Always a good experience.

• Pros: Great Service

02/20/09

Amazing Italian

by cmroma

Chic and delicious. Very Italian with excellent service. A beautiful dessert plate was made for me to celebrate my 30th birthday. They made the evening very special for me and my family.

• Pros: Ambience and service

12/30/08

New chef is great!

by bonvivantsuisse

I have been going there for years and it is better than ever. They also always have great wines by the glass. The new chef is great and the service is always good. It is my favorite for pre-theater.

• Pros: Best Italian

10/10/08

Disappointed

by SBergman99

Me and my wife had dinner at Coco Pazzo last week. We used to go quite often when we still lived in the city. It was our favorite restaurant. I realize that every dining establishment has "OFF" nights, but our experience was terrible. We had a 6:00 PM reservation and arrived at 5:45 ( we were going to the theatre afterwards).We were greeted at the door by a short Asian man with acne who insisted on seating us next to service station. My wife asked for a table near the window but we were told they were all reserved. We explained that we wouldn't be staying past 7:15, but the answer was still NO. He made no attempt to accomodate us. The dining room was completely empty except for some people at the bar. We were tempted to leave but decided to stay.

The service left alot to be desired. Our server was unfriendly, she never smiled once. When the amuse bouche was delivered, we asked what it was and the person delivering it had to go back to the kitchen to inquire and returned a few moments later. The bussers were polishing silverware and making noise. Everything seemed so sloppy, I could understand if the restaurant was busy, but it was almost empty.

The food was just OK, but very overpriced. Our pastas were bland and the portions were small. I found the wine-list to be ridiculously marked-up! Towards the end of the meal, we asked about the Chef Tony, and were told that he left to open his own restaurant. That explained the mediocre food.

As we were leaving, my wife remarked that almost all those tables next to the windows remained unseated. We probably wouldn't have noticed all of the other shortcomings had our request for a window table been honored. Overall, BAD experience.Rude staff, mediocre over-priced fod and wine. The only positive thing is the decor. I don't think we'll go back anytime soon.

06/16/08

extremely attentive

by rb7691

We went on Father's day evening and had a really enjoyable evening. There were 3 generations at the table ranging from 75 years old to 10 years old, added to that , half the party was vegetarian. The wait staff were wonderful, guiding us through the vegetarian options and providing a lovely plate of crispy bread and a white bean dip (for free). My father in law asked for a bruchetta (which wasn't on the menu) and they made it for us and it was delicious. The food was excellent especially the pizza. Again, for dessert my son wanted just plain chocolate ice cream and they got it for him.

The evening was wonderful made especially so by the really attentive wait staff.

01/27/08

Delightfully delicious

by cpnbk

What a wonderful meal. The Gnocchi appetizer was just the right size and I thought it was spectacular. Next was the Tortelli DiZucca, and all I can say is, Oh My God! You should experience it to truly understand it. The Ossobuco was the most tender I have had in....ever. The wine was exceptional, the wait staff was always there, but did not hover. We will definitely return, as often as it is possible.

• Pros: By far the food and wait staff
• Cons: A little on the noisy side

12/15/07

Existing on old reputation, current offerings don't live up to old standards, avoid disappointment go elsewhere

by dmpca

What a disappointment. The restaurant was half empty for good reason. The food was underwhelming at best. The desert menu was a tired rehash of common deserts and the appetizer and mains where so average that we didn't even want to try a desert (my husband loves desert and we always order it). We had more then three waiters, the first disappeared after taking our order the second when the mains where served and the third got our check. When asked about it we were told service was "in the round". This loosely translated meant- we don't have enough customers tonight and we are having staff leave early. There was no sommelier, wait staff and senior management staff were not familiar with the wines on hand. The wine list was almost exclusively newer vintages that were highly over priced. We were extremely disappointed and to avoid disappointment we recommend you try somewhere else.

06/10/07

Good food and nice atmosphere

by sugarywitch

The ambiance at Coco Pazzo is quite lovely. The restaurant is casual, comfortable and bustling but still chic enough for a nice evening out. The food was well prepared and fresh. The rib-eye might be a little too marbled, but the flavor was wonderful and it was cooked perfectly. The seafood stew and squash blossom appetizer were both fantastic. The service did seem a little hurried at times, but as soon as they realized we were in the mood for a longer meal they slowed down a bit. They did forget to bring a dessert drink, but remedied right away after a little reminder. Overall a great pick for a nice Italian dinner.

• Pros: Good food, fun atmosphere
• Cons: Service isn't bad, but it isn't great either

12/15/06

Ups and Downs

by widespreadpanicfan

Went on a Friday night, reservation was for 7 and got there at roughly 645. The man in the suit at the front (assuming he's the manager) seemed irritated at the fact that we were there early, and was not friendly whatsoever. The waiter was nice, attentive and helpful for the first half of the evening, and once it got a little crowded, he sucked. Not really his fault, he may have been assigned too many tables at the time. The food was pretty good, but nothing really stood out or was "to die for." (and we tried an appetizer, two salads, and two different entrees). I've not eaten at many italian places in Chicago, but If someone asked me about this place, I would say there has to be better italian food in Chicago.

• Pros: I can walk there from my place
• Cons: below average service, average food, older crowd.

11/07/06

Tuscan treats--including homemade pasta--continue to garner praise at this Northern Italian hotspot.

by Elisa Kronish

Nestled into a former furniture factory with a dim-lit, loft-like feel, this wood-beamed dining room with cream-colored walls and imposing velvet drapes enjoys a who's-who, repeat following. With seasonality in mind, Chef Chris Macchia crafts memorable plates, from a first bite of pear, taleggio and speck tart to housemade wild boar sausage alongside lentils and watercress. More substantial main courses could mean osso buco sprinkled with gremolata or stunning wood-grilled, tableside-sliced Bistecca alla Fiorentina for two. Eggless panna cotta is a sight to behold.

• Pros: great food
• Cons: hosts have attitude