Horrible 1 HOUR Wait and Indifferent Staff. 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.…

Best Italian Food Volare Chicago. 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.…

Great food and service. 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.…

Looking for great Italian food?. 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 Ristorante Crapola Universale (read-sux ass). Here's the crappiest, shittiest restaurant in USA, you can quote me on that. 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.

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.

I 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...but it isn't.

The crappiest place that can be on this side of Rio Grande is called Volare, do yourself a favor and avoid this place, hit the subs place if you're really hungry or something.…

Horrible Guest Service. We came downtown for our friends 30th birthday weekend bash! Our friend is an italian food connoisseur and after reading most of the reviews on Volare, we decided to make Saturday night reservations for her special night.

We had reservations for 6:30pm and called around 6:00pm to check to make sure that we would be ready to be sat when we got there. I talked with a very snotty young man who refused to give me his name who informed me that he couldn't seat us until 9pm even though we had a reservation.

When I asked what the point was to have a reservation if it wouldn't be honored he replied "seriously honey, its saturday night, we don't have the time to honor everyone's reservation request".

We cancelled and ended up at Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery on Grand Avenue and had a blast along with great service. So, I can't rate the food, b/c we never had it. I can however speak about how horrible the customer service was. Just imagine how it may have been in person!! I'd spend my $$ at someplace else even if it is a bit more expensive. You're downtown, you pay for the ambiance, experience and of course, the great food and great service. Volare has alot to work on!!!! Take your $$ elsewhere!…

Order the Chicken Cacciatore. It was our first visit to Chicago, and Volare was highly recommended to us. Our waiter was very attentive and polite, and the atmosphere was inviting. The menu offered a variety of dishes which anyone would have difficulty choosing from, so I asked the waiter to surprise me with a dinner of his choice. I was brought Chicken Cacciatore and it was magnificent! The flavor and texture was everything that made every bite to be savored. The chicken was tender and covered in a perfectly cooked sauce made of fresh red peppers, mushrooms, onions, green olives... and the pasta was coated in a thin yet tasty tomato/garlic sauce which I have never tasted the likes of before. Later we walked by the Volare during rush dinner hour and it was packed. MY SUGGESTION would be to avoid the rush dinner hour so you could savore the experience of this small yet lovely place and all it has to offer. It is packed during dinner hour for a reason! Once home I tried to google recipes to duplicate this dish, but was unsuccessful in finding anything that closely matched the ingredients. Would I eat at Volare again during my next visit to Chicago? In a heartbeat!…

You've Got to Be Kidding Me... This place should be shut down. The service is horrendous and takes the words "disgusting, and inhospitable" to another level. The food is absolute junk - it's a complete tourist trap because it's next to the Inn of Chicago which is another place that should be condemned. You want Italian food? Go to Little Italy or another place - take your money and time elsewhere. You'll wait at least an hour for under-whelming food. If you like this place, you obviously have no taste and must not be from a metropolitan city.…