Solid Italian fare, but nothing mind blowing or on the same level as Volare or Riccardo Trattoria. First impression is of the awkward separated dining rooms -- was led outside by the host to the other dining room. The only connection is seemingly through the kitchen...
Service is decent, on par with what you'd expect from the pricing (~$20/entree). Good bang for your buck, pastas are quite large. Furnishing and decor is average, some of the tables are a little too close for my liking.
The calamari was very good -- not overly breaded or seasoned, allowing the squid to be the highlight of the dish.
For entrees, I only had their homemade pastas and was very pleased. My only critique was for the lobster ravioli which I wish used chunks instead of an almost lobster paste.
If in the area and Spacca Napoli (best pizza) is not open, Caro Mio is a good alternative.
Huge servings, but not great. Â I don't really have an issue with the prices, as others have, because it is BYOB.
Certainly not authentic, but still alright.
I think there are better Italian places nearby, albeit with smaller servings, which is an acceptable trade off. Â Probably wont be back.
Solid Italian restaurant that is BYOB with no corking fee. Â Do you even need to hear more? Â
The entrees may be a teeny tiny overpriced, but considering how much you save on bringing your own bottle of wine, who cares? Â I've gone many times, ordered many things, and never been disappointed. Â I also love the cozy feeling and interesting artwork. Â They've mastered the concept of an intimate neighborhood restaurant that feels classy and casual at the same time.
Really nice little spot (or not so little... they expanded!) for homemade pasta in giant portions. Pesto stuffed gnocchi is unbelievable and there was enough leftover for lunch the next day.
Solid service. Food took a bit, but our water stayed full and we got glasses for our BYOB wine immediately.
Decent ambiance. The art is bad, but the lighting is low, so it's not too noticeable.
I will certainly be back here often!
I brought 4 girlfriends here last Friday night and we all LOVED it. I will come here again and again. It was a nice break from eating downtown where it's crowded and long waits. They let you make reservations for 6 or more. We each ordered a pasta dish and they were each almost family sized! Such a great surprise, not to mention the bruschetta appetizer came with 5 huge pieces, perfect for our group. It's BYOB and no corkage fee which is hard to find in a GOOD restaurant in Chicago. The service was unexpectedly amazing too. One of us spilled a glass of wine and the glass broke near someone's meal and one of the servers insisted on bringing a new plate for her meal and a side of sauce. They add 20% gratuity for groups of 5+ but we tipped on top of that. Best $35 spent at a group dinner.
Review Source:Believe it or not, Â I was turned on to this place by my retired Father... now my wife and I can get enough of it. Â
Solid southern Italian classics often served with a twist. Â Like Quin C. says the bruschetta is always great and they offer a variety of preparations. Obviously you can save some $$$ because it is BYOB... Have yet to find a decent wine shop close to the restaurant though. Â Any suggestions Yelpers?
This place is definitely solid. I have a continuous love affair for trying new BYOB restaurants. We went here for my hubby's birthday and it was perfect. Candle lit, romantic, not crowded, and no weird BYOB "rules" I've seen at other places. All in all, a really nice dinner.
We started with the polenta and some calamari. The calamari was light, crispy and huge pieces compared to the tiny crumbs you get at most places. The polenta itself was good, but I didn't love the sauce it came in. Â A little chef Boyardee flavored. Oh well, trying new things...
Our main dishes were where it's at. HUGE portions, I got the pesto stuffed gnocchi in vodka sauce with added italian sausage. Omg I wanted to order a glass of that sauce and drink it. Â Ok, maybe not. But it was gooood. Hub got a seafood pasta thing with a big variety and lots of seafood, really good too. All the pasta was homemade. Oh yeah,I also got a caprese salad with giant mozz and giant basil leaves and he got a tortellini soup that was fantastic also. Our server was so cute and nice.
We did have one little issue at the end of our meal that I will refrain from getting into in order to let the place save face, because its an honest mistake. Lets just say they handled it! Loved this place, definitely worth a try.
My husband and I loved to the area a few months ago from Rosco Village and we're looking for a fun date restaurant on Saturday night. I yelped BYOB's in the neighborhood and Caro Mio popped up. The reviews were fantastic, so we thought to give it a try.
OMFG...can I please say it again OMFG. Hands down best pasta I've ever eaten. I love Italian food and am constantly let down by boxed dried pasta at resturants and this place is 100% the real deal. The texture of this pasta is insane. It's perfect....literally perfect. I had the pesto and asiago stuffed, yes STUFFED gnocchi in creamy tomato sauce and my husband had the clam linguini. They were both fantastic  and the portions are crazy huge. It's a bit on the pricey side, but well worth it, b/c it's more than enough food for two meals and it's a BYOB with no cork fee...can't beat that. Â
If you haven't been go RIGHT NOT. :)
This review is for the newly opened lunch buffet. Â The dinners are fantastic- so I was very excited to see they opened up next door (expanded) to have private parties and buffet lunch. Â I guess buffets are hard- but this felt like it was a different chef/kitchen. Â The pastas were flavorless, the desserts felt like hotel boring options, the chicken was over done- and the entire offering was just not up to Caro mio standards. Â The service was very friendly- and faster than the usual food since everything was already made- but I wouldn't go back for lunch unless the quality dramatically improved.
Review Source:I have been meaning to right a review for Caro Mio because everyone needs to know that this place is awesome! Â Seriously, we go here at least every 6-8 weeks and every experience is tasty! Â First, BYOB, can't go wrong. Â Second, homemade pasta, can't go wrong! Â This is a neighborhood gem with great food and atmosphere. Â Great for a small or large party. Â I love, love the lasagna and my husband loves anything with seafood in it. Â You will not go wrong with anything you order here, you will enjoy it and have leftovers to bring home with you.
Review Source:I'd read the reviews and heard first hand from friends of the amazingness that is Caro Mio. Still, however, I don't get that excited about going out for Italian food. Not that I am a culinary superstar or anything, but I've always prepared pretty fantastic Italian food at home. I saw no need to go out for it. Caro Mio changed that for me.
Caro Mio was a backup choice after my original dinner plans fell through. From the outside, you wouldn't really expect much. It looks like a small mom and pop type of restaurant. The interior is nice, but not over the top . Caro Mio is dimly lit and romantic in the evenings. I like it.
On my initial visit to Caro Mio I ordered the zuppa di pesce. It is amazing. It was filled with seafood deliciousness. At first I thought $25 was a bit pricey for the dish, but there was enough food that It fed me for  two days! Well worth the price.
On my most recent visit to Caro Mio I had the linguine alla pescatore puttanesca*. Another seafood dish, this time it was shrimp and calamari. It was fantastic. One of the best things I have eaten all year. Once again, there was enough leftover that I had the remainder for lunch the next day. It was just as enjoyable on day 2.
Caro Mio manages to produce Italian food that I know I can't replicate at home. The service has been steller with each visit. The dishes I have had have been Italian culinary perfection. They also are BYOB with no corking fee. This is great because the food isn't cheap, but your booze can be!
*Food trivia: Puttanesca means "whore style". Supposedly , the name is derived from the quick, cheap style of pasta ladies of the night prepared between "visitors". The more you know.
I've been wanting to go to Caro Mio for some time and finally made it there last weekend. It's homemade Italian, BYO with no corkage. What else could you want?? They don't accept reso's but seating seemed ample.
We started with calamari, which was really crisp and tasty. They also provide the staple of bread with olive oil and Parmesan cheese. Hands down this was the BEST olive oil I've ever tasted. OMG. I wanted to put the bottle in my purse. With self control and restraint, I managed not to.
For my main dish I ordered the chicken tortellini with fresh tomato sauce. This dish knocked my socks off. The freshness of the homemade pasta is virtually unmatched. The winning dish at my table of 4 though was one of the specials- homemade rigatoni with bolognese sauce topped with chicken parm. The dish was huge. The best part was definitely the noodles. They were thick and perfectly cooked. I've never had anything like it and I'm still dreaming about it. (My husband was sorry he ever shared because I couldn't keep my fork off his plate).
Everything sounded perfect, so why the 4 stars? The ambiance was a bit lacking for me. Had we been seated in the main dining area, this might have been a 5 star review. However we were taken back outside to enter their private dining room, which I guess was open to the public that night. Â It did not have nearly the charm of the main dining area and I thought it smelled odd. It was chilly out too so the lack of a winter door left us shivering every now and again. But make no mistake, this does not detract from the meal. In fact, I'd eat in the bathroom if it meant I could shove my face with those rigatoni again.
Sure, its Italian food and you already have an opinion about it what it must be like. It's all the same, right? WRONG! This isn't your generic Olive Garden Italian (I had a little throw up in my mouth just then). Nope. This is legit homemade noodle, homemade sauce, delightful chef specials that will knock your socks off with flavors. Wow. Do you want to experience the difference that homemade noodles makes? Go to Caro Mio. You won't believe it. Noodles you won't see elsewhere too - thick, long, rigatoni style that were superb. Never had anything like those. Amazing. The portion sizes are huge. All 4 of us took leftovers home. We started with the calamari appetizer which was quite good. Not the best I ever had (Hello Club Lucky!) but very good. I had the rigatoni putanesca which was rich with terrific marinara sauce, black and green olives, and wonderful capers. Yum. My wife had the papperdelle arrabiatta which was a spicier sauce with amazing noodles. Wish I had ordered that! My daughter had a fabulous tortellini dish that still makes my mouth water thinking about it and my son-in-law had the best of all - a special with a huge chicken breast over the tastiest rigatoni-like noodles I ever saw. To die for. Wow.
BYOB and no corkage fee. Ice bucket for the white wine too. Fabulous. Although the place is a bit disconcerting - we entered the restaurant and were greeted with "how many in your party" and were told "follow me". We proceeded to go back outside, down the sidewalk two doors to another entrance that initially said "private parties". While I didn't mind too much, it was brutally cold out that night and when they kept bringing other diners down, the constant opening of the door put a bit of a chill on things. But the food was worth it. SO worth it. I want to go back. Second best Italian food I've had in Chicago next to La Scarola.
I was told this was THE place to go for Italian in the area and I was not let down. I am glad it was BYOB with no corkage, def made getting an appetizer easier. The Bruschetta was spot on and huge, a great way to start the meal!
My girlfriend got thw Zuppa di Mare (her fav) and was enjoying every bite to a point she stopped talking. I was eyeing the Stuffed Gnocchi in vodka sauce. The waiter reccomended I add sausage, I thought eh...ok. I was then thinking about the great mark up he just did and how this won't end well. Little did I know they would proceed to cut the sausage into pieces the size of quarters! There were so many pieces I was able to have a little bit of sausage in every bite and thus making this one of the greatest Gnocchi dishes I have ever had!
The place was small with not much of an ambiance but what does that matter when the food is so amazing?! I highly recommend this place and don't judge a book by it's cover when you see it from the street, this place is it and it's worth it!
We were really dissapointed in Caro Mio. Having read such great reviews, and living locally, we were eager to try it out and we don't get to eat out as often as we would like.
I had a Salmon pimento, which was salmon, balsamic, pine nuts and spring onions. I expected balsamic drizzled over the salmon. I got my salmon engulfed in a lake of the most sickly sweet and sticky balsamic vinegar. There must have been about a quarter of a inch of balsamic on the bottom of the bowl. The pine nuts and spring onions floated on the top. I had to struggle to eat the dish. My husband ordered an aubergine parmegano which had chewy aubergine, and to our taste was too salty. Â
If the meal had been inexpensive I don't think I would be as gutted, but the salmon dish was well over 20 USD. The staff were nice enough but I'm not sure we want to risk coming back. Maybe the pasta dishes are more reliable. Â We also ordered off the menu, rather than the specials, and it was a Monday night so I'm wondering whether the regular chef had had the night off. Real shame.
After a failed attempt at dining next door, my friend and I were lucky enough to snag a table for 2 at 6:30 on a Friday night.
From the moment we were seated until we got out the door, the experience was top notch. Â Impeccable service. Â Food that makes me hungry just to think about. Â And BYOB to boot. Â
It was especially nice that we were not rushed out after finishing our food, but left to linger over our (already poured) glasses of wine.
The only thing keeping this from being a five-star review is $$. Â Yikes. Â $20+ for a plate of pasta (or gnocchi in my case) (that doesn't have any meat in it) is pretty steep. Â But it was delicious and I had plenty to take home for another full meal the next day.
While it's a bit pricey to become a regular haunt, I have definitely found a place to return to!
Went here with 2 of my gf's and I can't even remember what we ordered but it was very good. I wish I wrote my friends dish because I would order it weekly.
It's BYOB, can't beat that. Maybe it was because we had a bottle at home prior to coming here that made the place 4 stars, I don't know but all I can remember is this place was awesome. Waiters were very attentive, friendly and offered great suggestions. Â Will def be back.
A friend had been telling me for years that Caro Mio was their go-to Italian spot. Â Why didn't I believe him? Â Why did it talk me so long to go?? Â
On a nice Wednesday night, we decided we needed some Italian food. Â Just off the brown line, Caro Mio is in a perfect little spot. Â BYOB you say? Â Well, I've got my bottle ready. Â
The restaurant was half full which is nice on a weekday. Â We sat right away and were given water and wine glasses. Â There were lots of specials that the waiter told us about, but we settled on the portabella al gratin as an appetizer and gnocchi gratinati and pappardelle arrabiatta don gamberi for dinner off the regular menu. Â The waiter was happy to take our appetizer order and then come back to get our dinner order. Â I love that. Â I really hate it when a restaurant sort of rushes you through everything. Â
While waiting for the appetizer, they brought out this wonderful soft fresh bread and garlic in olive oil. Â YUM. Â It was so tasty! Â The chunks of raw garlic are a bit spicy so we added a little cheese and some more olive oil and it was perfect. Â The appetizer came pretty quick. Â Perfectly cooked portabello mushrooms layered with cheese and surrounded by marinara sauce. Â I can't even begin to describe it. Â The only thing I could think was "I have to bring my mother here!" Â I only say that when I've come a cross a truly amazing vegetarian dish because we've dragged her to so many BBQ places and steak houses over the years. Â She really is a good sport for being the only vegetarian in the family!
Plates cleared, a little wine sipped. Â It was so nice and relaxing. Â Dinner came and Oh my goodness!! Â The gnocchi gratinati was baked in a dish with some meaty bolognese sauce and tons of cheese on top. Â I hate it when baked things are way to saucy. Â This was the perfect amount of sauce and cheese to compliment the fluffy gnocchi. Â I will admit it... I'm a sucker for those little potato dumplings... Â I could eat gnocchi every day! Â The pappardelli arrabiatta don gamberiwas amazing. Â You could tell that the pasta noodles were freshly made. Â And the spicy arrabiatta sauce was the perfect compliment. Â The shrimp were cooked just right and the veggies gave it a little texture. Â I loved this dish. Â There was so much food that I had to take it all home! Â
I was eyeing the dessert menu but settled on just an espresso to sober me up a bit... Did I mention it was right by the brown line? Â Next time I need to remember that! Â
Frendly staff... check. Â Byob... check. Â Close to transportation... check. Â Delicious food... Â check. Â I think we have a winner!
BYBO=Best Part! Went on Saturday night about 9:30PM, seated quickly.
mah Mah dey, Mediocre at best.
Bread was not very fresh, so the fact it was never refilled was ok.
Garlic infused oil was a hit with me.
We ordered Veal Parm, which came buried in sauce. Didn't expect much else after looking at dishes on other tables while being seated. Veal was tough. Huge portion which came with small side of pasta. That part was good. Unsure if it was the cheese or the chef, but veal was very salty.
Waiter recommended seafood pasta and that was just ok
.
We did enjoy the Chocolate Souffle. Not the best but still tasted good.
With all the places you can get Italian in Chicago, probably won't be back to this place.
Holy crap this place is good! I have been longing for a BYOB on my side of town that offered the same quality and options as the many restaurants have available in other areas of the city. Not only does Caro Mio have a huge menu with tons of traditional and contemporary items, it also offers obscenely large portion sizes for a reasonable price.
At first, I was a bit put off by the seemingly inflated prices, but am so glad I came here anyway to see what all of the fuss was about. It is priced a bit higher because each entree can easily serve at least two people with big appetites. My leftovers alone have resulted in two separate meals. Heyo! To top it off, the food is unbelievably good -- it was hands down the best meal I've had in a very long time. You really can't beat this place.
A gem of a place in walking distance of where I live. BYOB, with no corkage fee is reason enough to go.
Pasta is amazing. Gnocchi are cooked to perfection and melt in your mouth. I always get the pasta special with the meatballs and the sauce with onions and garlic. Penne cooked al dente and with just enough spice. Food served hot and they give you enormous portions!
Waitstaff are amazingly friendly! We had so much fun with our waiter last night that we asked him to join us for a glass of champagne.
The only downside was that although the dipping sauces for the bread are great, the bread is like the basic stuff you find at Jewel. I wish they would get better authentic Italian style bread.
Espresso wasn't strong enough and desserts are good but not amazing.
This place is very accommodating for big groups and is well worth the wait!
I wish they had outdoor seating!!!
PASTA HEAVEN! I have been here a handful of times. Sometimes it is great and sometimes it is AMAZING. Great place for a date or for a group. BYOB which keeps the cost at bay. Haven't found a better place for handmade pasta and savory italian sauces. I've never had a bad experience. GO you won't regret it. To finish get the tiramisu.
Review Source:Remember the best sex you ever had? Â Pillow-clutchingly, lip-bitingly, sweat-pouringly amazing passion that leaves you breathless and satisfied but always wanting more? Â Caro Mio is your real-life food-so-good-it's-like-sex restaurant. Â It's like a gang of pasta-and-sauce prostitutes that lures me back to the corner of Wilson and Wolcott for more and more and more.
Although they have plenty of non-pasta options, I cannot helped but dive into carb overload here. Â My first true love was the agnelotti rossini covered in chunks of prosciutto in a cream sauce deliciousness. Â I was then tempted by the fruit of the gnocchi stuffed with asiago and pesto (a.k.a. gnocchi stuffed with ecstasy). Â Most recently I have found a new love with their "special" - breaded chicken parmesan baked in mozzrella topped with a meaty bolognese sauce set upon bed of house-made rigatoni! Â OMG. Â Seriously. Â Party in your mouth... party in your tummy... crazy party in your pants! Â Meat bonanza! Â If I could trade sex for this chicken parmesan every day, I would*. Â (Totally kidding. Â I could never do that to myself. Â Plus, that would severely piss the S/O off. Â And me, too.). Â I wouldn't be surprised if E.L. James's next novel was "50 Shades of Italian" and based it on Caro Mio. Â
The food here is to die for. Â No wait ... dying sucks. Â This food is TO LIVE FOR! Â
Don't be turned off by the prices - the quality and portion sizes are WELL worth it. Â The plates range anywhere from $15-$22 (with a few specialty plates higher) but it will easily be 2, maybe even 3, foodgasms. Â Unless you're hungry like Chris Farley in "Gap Girls"; in that case, 1 1/2. Â
This is literally one of my top 5 favorite restaurants in all of Chicago, so if you've never had any Italian in you, swipe your v-card and head up to Caro Mio. Â It'll blow your mind... and... other things.
Went there for a birthday dinner with a group of 15. Â We had 8:30 reservations, and probably got seated around 9:00. Â That wouldn't have been bad, except there is nowhere to wait, so we all stood outside. Â Â They do not have a bar area.
This is a BYOB restaurant with no corkage fee - huge bonus!
The portions are huge and prices reasonable.  I think everyone in the group enjoyed the food.  I had the special rigatoni of the  night and the sauce was amazing.  They do have gluten free options.  Menu is huge. Â
The place is small-ish and very loud. Â They do not have any music playing at all, which was strange. Â
I would absolutely go back.
My favorite cuisine is Italian. Â I also love BYOB's. Â I figured at some point, I would be able to combine these two awesome styles of restaurants.
But in my own NEIGHBORHOOD? Right under my nose? Â
I love the decor and the lighting. I also love the fact that it was 8:00 on a Friday night and hubby and I didn't have to wait. Â
Hubby is a sucker for service, as am I. Â Our waiter was phenomenal. Â He also had a side-of-his-mouth grin that made me want to order anything he told me to. Â When he said "garlic bread appetizer special with fresh mozzarella on top," I said "YES YES YES"
Speaking of bread, they give you a lot, and offer you fresh minced garlic to go with it. MMM.
Hubby loves Chicken Vesuvio, so he ordered that, which is just like any other place's Chicken Vesuvio. Â That might reassure some people. Â I could care less because I go for pasta!
I decided to take a chance and go with a dish on the specials list. Â It was chicken breasts with portabella mushroom ravioli in a mushroom sauce. Â It ended up not being the best choice for ME personally because the sauce was soooooo rich. Â It made for great leftovers the next day though when I wasn't stuffed from eating so much bread :)
Next time, when we're back (and yes we will be) I will be ordering some kind of pasta dish with red sauce to cut down on the richness!
We were too stuffed for dessert so I can't really comment but I'm sure it's just as amazing as the rest of the food!
Lastly, the only negative comment I have is that the portions are huge, and it's pricey. Â Entrees run from $17-$23 and they charge you an extra $8 to split an entree. Â Ouchies. Â Still worth checking out!
Move over, Viaggio? Â Ummm....uhhh...it's close...very close. Â Like everyone has already mentioned, its BYOB, the portions are huge, and the food is delicious. Â It was Saturday night, and they don't take reservations for parties under 6. Â I was worried the wait would be hours. Â Luckily, they found a little table for my date and I, wait time = 0 mins. Â
After eating 2 loaves of bread with olive oil and parmesan, I was ready for the appetizer. Â I went with the crowd and ordered bruschetta, which was mouth watering. Â They just take a slab of fresh mozzarella and thump it on top of garlic tomatoes and put it on a little piece of bread. Â Very simple, very awesome. Â
She had the salmon picatta, I had the chicken parmesan. Â The chicken breast they used must've been from Foghorn Leghorn, because it was damn near the size of the table. Â Each bite was better than the last.
I say this a lot but rarely mean it....I can't wait to go back.
Don't go expecting cost effective dining. Â Tis a bit on the pricey side.
Or excellent decor. Â The dining room setup looked a little cheesy. Â What is UP with all the plants in the window? Â
GO FOR THE FOOD.
It's divine.
The gnocchi with bolognese smothered in melted cheese is insanely good. Â The portion is ginormous with plenty of food for dinner and about two meals after that.
What I didn't like was the pricing. Â $20+ for a plate of pasta? Â For serious? Â We're in a little out-of-the-way nook in Ravenswood, not River North.
BYOB, though. Â That's cool.
What a pleasant little italian restaurant. Â Perfect for a date as I did or a big group which we saw enjoying the night as well. Â
We went for my birthday and loved it. Â We enjoyed some bruschetta to start, I had the agnelotti rossini and it was totally worth my carb intake! Â For dessert there was a hazelnut gelato goodness that made it a great birthday dinner.
I would mention how awesome our wine went with out meal, but that was all us, because oh yeah ITS BYOB!
The first night I arrived in Chicago I had the pleasure of being invited to come and eat here. It was clearly packed and I was part of a large table. A bit cramped but I didn't complain due to the enormous aroma that was in this establishment.
I was literally drooling from the aroma of the fresh food.
This place is BYOB so my friends and I bought several bottles of wine to eat along with our food.
We asked for the specials which varied from lobster ravioli, spinach gnocchi in a Gorgonzola cream sauce, another regular white gnocchi in a fresh tomato sauce. Â
We started off with the Bruschetta which had a different approach to it. It didn't have the traditional fresh basil leaf on top. It had actual  small pieces of dry oregano on top of the mozzarella cheese cheese with a crostini that was crispy but not too dry. The tomato was also minced, not chopped that was nice because in one bite my tomato wouldn't fall off, haha.
After the appetizer, I ordered the spinach gnocchi and it was super rich by means that the sauce stuck to the plate. The portions here are not too bad. The flavors are so stick to your rib, you have to have a to-go box. The creamy gorganzola cheese sauce was good but lacked just a bit of flavor, I prefered the one with the tomato sauce which was Super flavorful. The gnocchi was super good though, it was airy and fluffy.
Tried a bit of my friends lasagna portion which was more than plenty and pretty delicious. The one I wasn't too fond of was the Lobster ravioli, which could have been the sauce that it was paired with, it almost clashed. However, my friend enjoyed it.
If you must visit, please RSVP the place is super small.
The staff is super accommodating and nice.
Would definitely come back again.
This place is always packed. Theres usually one of two reasons for that. 1.) the food is excellent 2.) its Byob, you're cheap and you have a party of 8.
Caro Mio is #2. My food was ample, but it wasnt good. The caccitore was butchered in a way that made it seem the chicken had fought for its life. The arrabiata dish i ordered had jalapenos in it......italian food doesnt have jalapenos. (red pepper flakes, sure). Its a kitschy place, but i wouldnt say its romantic. Or maybe it is if your date just wants to get hammered on 3-4 bottles of wine for less than it would cost on a wine list. Also, there is no main course less than 15$ in the menu......this aint Alinea.
Sountrack wise on the particular night i was there, elliott smith gave way to what sounded like 105.9 "La Ley" as the bumpersticker says.
This is my favorite restaurant in all of Chicago. Â The food is fantastic (Bruschetta you dream of) huge portions and BYOB, it's everything you could ever ask for. Â Did I mention NO corking fee???
BYOB and good food alone is enough to get me to a place but when there is zero corking fee and amazing food, SOLD forever.
Be warned for first timers, when you walk up to it...it's in a little odd shopping center and at first glance you might go errr a strip mall restaurant..really??Trust me go inside.
Since I am Italian and have experienced authentic food in Italy, I am really hard on Italian food. I almost never eat it at restaurants because it's typically the usual lame, boring pasta.
I have to say I was impressed by Caro Mio.
Its main detraction is the price (~$20 for a pasta dish is a bit ridic, IMO), but the dishes my friends and I had were full of flavor. The portions are HUGE, so the fact that you get another meal out of the leftovers almost makes up for the cost.
I ate some ziti with tomato-based sauce with pancetta, onion, homemade meatballs and Italian sausage. It was absolutely delicious. I am pretty sad that the bussers mixed up my leftovers with my friend's...I got stuck eating her pappardelle with bolognese the next day (it was okay, but not as good as mine).
A friend had the gorgonzola gnocchi. Too rich for me to order, but it tasted excellent just the same.
Anyway, the place is small, so make reservations if you can. We were fortunate to be seated without one, but the folks behind us weren't so lucky.
Unfortunately I recommended this place to a girlfriend for her birthday dinner, solely based on the location and great Yelp reviews. Â We and her other guest were less than impressed and don't plan to return to Caro Mio. Â I can tell the owner/manager and wait staff are trying to deliver good service, but overall I did not get what I paid for and there were a few simple expectations that I just think failed to be met.
It's an Italian place....I was expecting a decent lasagna and perhaps some variety of pizza. Â They didn't have the latter at all, and the lasagna was mediocre at best...unless you like 80% meat and the rest "meh" pasta and cheese. Â We also got the eggplant appetizer and based on the price (and just common sense) we were expecting a bit more than a single serving of eggplant....it was like ordering bruschetta and getting a single piece of toasted bread with the toppings. Â
My meal was good...pretty much what I would expect from any decent Italian place, but at $23 (food/tax) for a pasta dish it lacked quite a bit in value. Â The food is good and staff are friendly, but you can do MUCH better most anywhere in Chicago for Italian dining.
I have found my Italian -go-to finally!
Homemade pasta is outstanding. Never realized how much of a difference it makes, but holy canolli, I don't ever want boxed pasta again! To me, it's the pasta that made the experience but there were other rewarding aspects as well.
*bruscetta made with the freshest most mouthwatering mozzarella ever
*extensive menu with so many specials that sounded delightful and made decision-making challenging
*BYOB with no corkage fee
*friendly, informative (cute with Italian accent) servers that gave us lots of recommendations (he also was nice enough to explain that the portabello appetizer might not be the best option to split between 3 people)
*the bread and olive oil that began the meal was also accompanied by crushed garlic and red pepper
*the portions were large enough for all of us to take home leftovers
The only reason I did not give it 5 stars was merely because they did not have BYOB advertised outside therefore we had no idea and also I don't think the prices are outrageous by any means, but I personally can't afford a $24 plate of pasta every time I crave Italian. Although, saving money on wine probably evens it out in the end. So let's call this 4.5 stars!
We stopped in on a busy Saturday night around 8:30 and the place was jammed. Â It seems that everyone in the vicinity was having a b-day party here with 10 of their closest friends. Â I don't mind waiting for a table but we weren't even greeted. Â Everyone was hovering around the front door, wondering if there was some order to the chaos.
We finally were acknowledged but the host didn't take our name, he just said that he'd be with us soon. Â
Once we scored a table, our waiter came to uncork our bottle of win. Â Not pour, uncork. Â To his credit, he did tell us that he was supposed to still be in training but they had to put him on the floor.
The menu is very extensive but very pasta-heavy. Â I know, it's an italian place, but usually there are at least a few options that have veggies or potatoes. Â I ordered the Suprema de Pollo which was very good but heavy on the cream sauce.
I would come back here but maybe not on a Saturday night.
Ever since terragusto closed, I've been in search for an italian restaurant that makes their own pasta. Â We finally decided to try this place and it blew my socks off! Â
They have daily specials which all sounded very good. Â There were so many dishes I wanted to try, but I opted for the pappardelle con porcini. Â It was absolutely amazing, the pasta was al dente with the sauce that melts in your mouth goodness. Â My husby had the vitello vesuvio and he was pleased with his dish as well. Â
The interior of the restaurant was very romantic, great place to bring a date. Â And it's BYOB with no corkage fee. Â Buon appetito!
I want to give this place 4 stars, I really do, but I didn't have anything that stood out. SO, I guess I found it a little boring. And good Lord! There's like 3 items on the menu that don't involve heavy cream or oil sauce. Please. Pretty please, vary the menu, chef. I know there are Italian dishes out there not intended to hasten my death due to clogged arteries.
Otherwise, the atmosphere was great. It's very home-y feeling. A little on the pricey side for such a lack of variety (I kid you not the menu mostly read cheese, cheese with cream, cream, cream with tomato, cheese) though the portions are pretty large.
I can't say I'll be back anytime soon without being dragged, but the experience here was overall, A-ok.
Really people...? Â 4 Stars? Â 5?!?!?!?! Â Noooooo, this place is just alright. Â I have no complaints with the service or ambiance, but the food just didn't do it for me.
I was out there this weekend with a party of five. Â Two off the boat Italians, and 3 who were born here (myself included in the three). Â Admittedly, I'm more critical than most reviewers, particularly of Italian restaurants. Â But hey, you're not reading this for a yes-man. Â You're on yelp to find out what the place is really like before plunking down your hard-earned cash.
Despite what the website says about reservations only for six or more, they accommodated us. Â We were informed of the oft-noted "2 hour limit", which I don't really have a problem with. Â They're running a business, we were there on a Saturday night, and being a BYOB, (no corkage fee) they lack the significant margin alcohol typically carries at a restaurant. Â They have to make it up on turnover. Â Get over it people.
So onto the food:
For me, first impressions at Italian restaurants come down to be bread on the table. Â Good bread excites me. Â And this place has bread that was average. Â Not a good start, and very surprising since they have the more traditional olive oil/chopped garlic/red pepper plate instead of the more American olive oil/Parmesan.
In general, the dishes were large portions that only the heartiest eater could finish. Â On the downside, they were heavy on the salt and VERY heavy on the oil. Â Not at all how Italians cook. Â We use simple, flavorful ingredients that don't need much doctoring.
Here's the part where you can stop if you want. Â From here on out, I'm just going into more detail about our particular dishes.
Appetizers were grilled eggplant and polenta. Â The eggplant was terrible - very seedy, and therefore, bitter. Â The chef compensated by using a lot of salt, but it just made it inedible. Â The polenta was OK - lacking some flavor, but the sauce was very flavorful and made up for it.
Going around the table:
Gnocchi in marina - The gnocchi were surprisingly light, but had no flavor whatsoever. Â Sauce was good, but again, salty.
Chicken in some kind of reduction with mushroom-stuffed ravioli (one of the evening's specials) - the chicken was pretty typical, but the ravioli were tasty. Â Both the pasta and the stuffing. Â Unfortunately, the person who ordered this spent half his meal scraping off the sauce. Â WAY too much. Â Seriously, it was like soup.
Veal arrabiata - Veal was tender, but not cut-it-with-a-fork-tender like the good stuff should be. Â For the price though, it represented a decent value. Â The gravy had just the right amount of spice, (present but not overpowering) but again, way too much on the plate.
Veal in some kind of a wine sauce with potatoes - Same issues with the veal, sauce, salt, etc. Â A little bland, even with all the salt.
Linguine frutta di mare - tons of calamari. Â Good calamari at that. Â Actually, all of the seafood was good. Â This was my plate, and I found it to be oversalted to the lowest degree of the plates we ordered. Â The pasta was of good quality and cooked al dente. Â The biggest problem I had was the amount of oil in this plate. Â EASILY 1/3 of a cup, maybe a half a cup remained after I had finished. Â I was actually eating the linguine the old-school Italian way - twirling it in a spoon - out of necessity to wring as much oil out of it as I could.
Slightly disappointed, we skipped dessert and took our business elsewhere.
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