Went last night to Francesca's with my favorite aunt visiting from out of town. We were greeted immediately by a very friendly host and seated in the fabulous corner window seat. I'm gluten free and was giving the extensive gluten free menu to order from. We shared the Insalata Caprese, my aunt had the raspberry salad and the special artichoke ravioli, and I had the gluten free pizza with artichokes and mushrooms. We shared the Torta Lava with gelato and each had coffee. Everything from start to finish was absolutely delicious, and I think the gluten free pizza may have been the best I've had at a restaurant. So flavorful! The service was attentive, and they didn't seem to mind at all that we stayed for over 2.5 hours. Our server was Samuel Ferraro and he was lovely. The atmosphere is warm and cozy. Highly recommended!
Review Source:I live in the area and have been to Francesca's a few times. The food is definitely excellent, on my most recent visit i tried one of their specials which was a squash ravioli. i thought it was wonderful, the portion was just right since i finished my plate and i never do that. it was a perfect portion where i was very content and did not have to box any of it up. i also ordered the creme brulee for dessert which was also yummy. i would recommend this spot to anyone, maybe as a date night, i would not recommend it for children. it's pretty quiet in there more of an older crowd.
Review Source:Sergio gave very good service at our Restaurant Week lunch. The husband enjoyed his RW lunch immensely; fried calamari, roasted tilapia and tiramisu. My green bean, tomato salad and spinach tomato pizza were great,
Francesca's on Taylor continues to be one of our favorite neighborhood go-to places! Â The decor is tasteful. Â The washrooms are very clean. Â Street parking can usually be found - because we are neighborhood residents. Â Without the appropriate sticker for our zones, use the valet unless you snag a spot on Taylor (metered).
The specials usually change every week or two. Â Everything is always beautifully presented, properly cooked, and delicious. Â I love the seafood, and the composed salads (eg. String beans, tomato, onion in a lemon juice vinaigrette or grilled asparagus in vinaigrette with shaved fresh Parmesan). Â There always is a special risotto. Â The husband and daughters and son-in-law love the grilled calamari.
Daughter the elder loves the Negroni straight up. Â Daughter the younger enjoys trying different specialty cocktail and enjoys each of them. Â The son-in-law enjoys their excellent choice of high-quality beers. Â They serve NA Beck's lager as well.
Individually sized pizzas are a specialty and there always is a special pizza of the day.
The pastas are made in house and are combined with vegetables and light sauces in most cases. Â Chicken and meat dishes are available and can be added to the salads. Â The bread basket is wonderful. Â Ask for the olive oil in which to dip the bread. Â I love their fish preparations!
The portions are large, so come hungry and be sure to save room for dessert. Â They make the gelati and sorbetti in house so be sure to ask which flavors are being served. Â The husband enjoys the tiramisu, gelato, sorbet. Â
The service is very good. Â The waiters, hosts, and busses work well together to ensure you receive good service.
I highly recommend Francesca's on Taylor.
Do you really need another review after 200+? Well this is not for the common folk. It is for the manager at this location. The food was 4 star! Lobster cappallacci and Mahi, mahi. Were both delicious. The drinks at the bar and the bartender herself, were very tasty and a joy, in that order. This two star fiasco is for our server, who really could have cared less about his job and it showed. He plopped the menu's down and said here's the specials and took off for the hills! Now being at Frans, you know how tight the tables are. Every other server told their patrons what the specials were. Obviously this guy didn't have time to be bothered with memorizing the list. Actually, I could have told him because I heard it 3 times by that point. He whizzed by several more times to bring other tables their food and drinks.And I saw that nasty little man glance over at our empty glasses. That is why I pushed them to the edge of the table. I asked for butter twice to no avail. I just wanted to reach over to the next table and take theirs. My chair was pointed at the waitress stand and he had plenty of time on his hands to do more than nothing. And that's what he did! When I finally got a new drink, I ordered a soda because I was driving. Apparently you only get one of those also! This is the perfect example of how to screw up a wonderful evening.
Review Source:Francesca's is my sisters all time favorite Italian place in Chicago. We made a reservation for four at Francesca's on a Friday night, the restaurant was pretty busy, but we were seated immediately. I ordered the Linguine Al Sugo Di Gamberi - sauteed with shrimp, scallops, garlic, and olive oil in a spicy cherry tomato sauce. The service size of the pastas here is ridiculous! The bowl was seriously big enough to last me three meals. I ate my heart out, and I barely made a dent in the mountain of pasta, so I took the rest of it home. For dessert we shared a slice of the ice cream cake that had a cookie dough base, it was amazing. Overall I had a great experience here, the servers were very friendly and accomodating, and the food was top notch. I also love that they rotate their menu, definitely helps keep us foodies on our toes!
Review Source:The first time my husband and I dined here, the food was delish and the service was average. The second time, we invited friends who took our word based on our first experience. Unfortunately, the lobster pasta (a ravioli, I think), was salty and I found 3 shells. By this time, I was about half way through my dish. When a gentleman asked if we were finished, I left the shells folded in a napkin on the plate and explained to him why I did not finish my meal and asked that he notify management and my waiter. He seemed agitated by the feedback and did not apologize. Note: Our waiter did not check on us after dinner was served and my husband's glass of water was not refilled for over an hour.
When our finally waiter stopped by to ask if we wanted dessert, he apologized for the shells and asked if it was found in only one. I confirmed that I found it in only one and clarified that I could not finish my meal because of concern that there were other shell fragments throughout the dish. It was clear that he did not notify the manager, who was present upon our arrival (he checked our coats). After our waiter realized it was only one pasta, he did not offer a discount or even a gift card, for that matter. I was disappointed and embarrassed, to say the least, for making the suggestion that we dine here. Our friends originally suggested Maggiano's which, although a large chain, would have been a better option. I gave Francesca's on Taylor two stars because our first experience was uneventful.
TERRIBLE! There is sooo much hype that this place is soo awesome.. WRONG. Â
Pros: its clean and the staff seems friendly. Â Thats about it.
Cons: Well.. for starters... the food is terrible. Theres no real selection... that would be fine if something on the menu were edible. Â I love gnocchi with meat sauce and meatballs. If u ask anyone.. its my favorite dish. Being Italian.. im very passionate about my meat sauce and my meatballs. When i ordered....THEY DONT HAVE MEAT SAUCE! This is an "authentic" Italian place and they dont have bolognese sauce. So.. ok... totally disappointed but i got marinara sauce. It had no flavor whatsoever! It just tasted like bland tomatoes. The meat balls were the worst id ever had. Took one bite and gagged...literally. Ive never tasted a meatball so disgusting... tasted like actual dirt.
The reason why i decided to write about meat sauce and meatballs is because they are a staple in Italian culture... and this place failed miserably.
In addition... if you are vegetarian or kosher they have zero options for u. This was requested by others at the table and they could not be accommodated.
With all the good Italian places on Taylor... skip this one. Heck.. Olive Garden is better. Lol
Well that terrible waiter doesn't work there anymore and we've been back numerous times and have had no problems, amazing food and great atmosphere. The manager there is also very friendly and aware of everything going on - job well done since they got rid of that one bad waiter. WE go all the time again now! :)
Review Source:We had our wedding shower here, and to say the least, everything was great.
Starting at the top with service, the staff at Francesca's was attentive the entire afternoon, and were accommodating with a number of requests.
The space is huge, and can probably hold an army of two. The decor is classic, dark wood everywhere, large windows along the perimeter.
The food was pretty good. Courses were brought out family style to our tables, and there was plenty of food. Consensus from our friends and family: food was delicious. I'd be interested in dining here for dinner.
First time going to a Francesca's; and it was an excellent experience. My penne was cooked just-right al dente; Mario Batali himself would have applauded. The pizza we ordered was also delicious, overflowing with slice after slice of prosciutto.
The ambiance is more homely than that of Davanti's - an apt environment for a family meal.
Nice place. Directly diagonal to another favorite place of mine.
The decor is calming and inviting. The food is delicious. The servers are great.
We had the Penne Integrali with mushrooms as well as the Rigatoni del Pastore with spiced sausage. Both were equally amazing in different ways. We also shared the bruschetta alla Toscana... nom. The wine was tasty and effective.
There will definitely be a sequel. Francesca's Part Deux
I went here for lunch the other day and was amazed. Â For $18 the fixed menu is the way to go!! Â You really can't beat it! Â I haven't been for dinner, but I will most likely be back to try it. Â The food was all delicious and the portions were generous, but not overwhelming. Â I had the Salmon (highly recommend) and my mother in law had the ravioli and she loved her selection as well. Â The service was great, more on the casual side than fine dining, but everyone was very friendly and attentive.
It's a great place for a nice lunch!
Always enjoy eating at this Francesca's location. Its never dissapointed. When we aren't in the mood to try anything new and just want to go to a place that we know we will get great italian food, this is our pick.
Its a great spot for date night or with a group of friends. I have always had great, friendly service here as well.
On our most recent visit, we had the prosciutto and burrata appetizer, which was soooo good! My husband had the grouper, and loved it. I had a sauteed chicken with veggies (can't remember the name of the dish) and it was also very good.
This is my 3rd time going to Francescas and my 1st time visiting this location. Â This is my favorite location thus far. Â My friends and I came here the friday before we ran the Chicago Marathon to get our carb loading on! Â We def picked the right spot. Â We all started out with the procuitto pizza to share. Â It had a fried egg on top and loaded with cheese. Â It was delicious. Â We each ordered a different pasta so we could have a variety to try. Â We tried the gnocci, whole wheat pasta with roasted vegetables and the tortellini with chicken. Â Each were amazing. Â Really wish we had room for dessert because it sounded amazing. Â I will be back for sure!
Review Source:Did you ever have that time you are so full but you want to keep on eating because the food is so good? Â That happened here at francescas.
If you don't mind carb loading, their bread is freshly baked and their spinach ravioli is pretty delicious. The cream sauce was very tasty. Overall great dish. My husband had the chicken polla alla romana and he really loved it.
There wasn't a lot that caught my eye on the menu but the waiter recommended both of those items and they didn't disappoint.
Service is great. I'd recommend it!
Service was great but food was ok......
I had higher hopes after hearing great things about Francesca's in the past. The one highlight of the dinner was the Banana Pudding desert which was great. Overall the spaghetti special was ok at best.
I will try again to see if it was an off night
Francesca's is generally solid, but it can miss the mark sometimes. Recently I got their seafood spaghetti, and it wasn't worth the price. The work was only decent, and the portion was small. Our waiter was obviously not in the zone, as he forgot our requests a few times, even though the restaurant wasn't full.
Tiramisu was pretty good, but the meal cost almost $25. I simply can't give more than 3 stars.
We came here on a Wednesday evening in July.  The food was good & the service was not too bad.  Why the 1 star?  I found a long blonde hair in my caprese salad.  (It wasn't  mine, I have dark hair).  The waiter apologized for it and it was taken off our bill.  I would think for something like hair in food we should be compensated with something much more. Â
The chefs in the back should be wearing hair nets!! Â What an annoying experience... I won't be returning to this place.
So this is supposed to be in Little Italy and from the outside it looks very elegant and professional but once you taste the food you know the truth...Italians know this is true. My family is from Sicily and I made the mistake of taking them here when visiting Chicago, oh no, never again...their food is okay but definitely NOT Italian and you can get better taste in Olive Garden at an even cheaper price. The hostess was kind of rude too, and I feel sorry for the waiter who was trying to be super nice but couldn't make up for all the other things (including how expensive this place was).
Review Source:Francesca's never disappoints me. This weekend I had a jumbo shrimp salad with lentils and it was really refreshing. It was not something I planned to order but it sounded too good to pass up and it was.
Do not miss the pizza with artichokes and egg yolk. This is one of my favorite pies in the entire city. You also can't go wrong with anything here that includes tomatoes and basalmic - simple, very fresh and perfect.
Service is always very friendly.
came here on a week day for dinner, and were immediately seated. we ordered
linguine alla sora assunta - al dente pasta with lots of seafood. good sauce
porkchop with potatoes - tender pork with seasoned potatoes
thought the food was decent for the price and much better than last time.
Had lunch here with my maid of honor to finalize wedding details. Over all it was a great experience from beginning to end. The waitress was wonderful and we were never thirsty. Our table was cleared without feeling overwhelmed. I would say the only thing I was not happy about was lack of parking. I understand they cannot control that and they offer valet parking. But for someone like me, I had a bad experience with valeting my car once, I had to park 2 blocks south. In the grand scheme of things it is not a big deal.
That did not deter me from having a wonderful lunch and enjoying my afternoon.
Delcious Italian food that is perfect for small or large group dinners, with friends, family, or loved ones. Â The menu changes regularly to reflect the freshest ingredients, and service is always friendly, considerate, and very knowledgeable about the menu. Â Some of my favorites include the pizzas, the skatewing (it's amazingly tender and the portion was huge!) when they have it, and the tortellacci with lobster.
Drinks are reasonably priced as well. Â Go here when you're in the the area! Â They also have party rooms for larger events, and are quite accommodating for those who have dietary restrictions.
I have a rule to never order pasta at an Italian restaurant because after numerous disappointing orders, my husband and I have come to terms that my pasta at home is just as good (or actually better) for a fraction of the price.
That being said, we ordered the veal medallions and quattro stagioni pizze. We were NOT disappointed! Â The veal medallions were so incredibly tender and perfectly seasoned... probably the best veal I've ever had, and I love me some baby cow! My husband's pizze was really tasty too! We've had the best of the best pizze in Naples, Italy, and while the pizze dough was very "American", the ingredients were classically Italian and well executed. Â I would definitely order this pizze again for the bargain price of $11!
I really want to rate this place 4.5 stars... I'm taking off "half" a star because their bread pudding was just okay. I had the best bread pudding of my life at an Irish restaurant in Las Vegas, and all the other bread puddings just seem mediocre in comparison.
Francesca's was OK. I used to go there 20 years ago with a client and it had a much more intimate feel back then. Now there are several locations (franchises?) and they've lost the intimacy.
Met a friend there, that I hadn't seen in a long time. We were eager to catch up and enjoy a simple quiet evening. We started with martinis at the bar. The Hostess (somewhat frustrated) came over to announce if we didn't grab a table soon we'd lose our chance. Hmmm just as we were ordering our second round of martini's. We snickered at this treatment and the bartender made a joke "hey she's scaring away my customers!" The bartender was great, carrying our drinks to our table and somewhat apologizing for this treatment.
The Hostess then proceeds to put us next to a table with toddlers. I said 'no' we need a better table that that, and she then gave us a more intimate table in the back.
The server was ok but in huge sell mode. No need to be agressive, we were going to order a bottle of wine anyway. She proceeded to tell us all her favorites on the menu, her favorite wine, her favorite entree. Personally I like when a server finds out what you like and then makes recommendations. She was just a little too intrusive, I like my servers in the background making sure every need is met, not part of my conversation or party.
We felt pressure to turn the table but we weren't buying into it. We were rushed from the bar, we weren't giving up our table.
Since we were not a rush, we could've sat at the bar, had drinks, maybe an appetizer and then taken a table later in the evening. That didn't seem to be on the staff's agenda though.
The food is good enough, there are nice selections, I would've looked more thoroughly but we were eager to get to the conversation so we went with many of the server's favorites.
I'd bring a tourist there if they wanted to go, but me personally, I look for a more intimate feel when I'm dining.
Before anything else, let me just say that the dessert I ordered here was probably the best I've ever had. Â It's called Torta Lava, and it's to die for. Â It's a flourless chocolate torte (I know, I know, we've all had 50 of these- this one is better, I promise). Â It's topped with mint ice cream and something else I don't remember. Â Unlike most chocolate tortes where the lava in the middle is the best part, this entire piece of amazing-ness was melt-in-your-mouth to die for. Â Mmmmm...
I love their rotating menu. Â If I lived in Chicago, I would come here all the time to try their new selections. Â I don't remember the name of what I had, but it used fresh Orecchiette pasta with artichokes, mushrooms, and goat cheese in a simple tomato-based sauce. Â It was superb. Â The goat cheese complemented the sauce perfectly. Â The bf had a pasta that was very similar to carbonara. Â It was also delicious.
In addition to the fabulous food, the ambiance & service was also wonderful. Â It's surprisingly affordable for the quality of the food.
My only complaint was that the Calamari was not very good. Â I'm a huge Calamari fan, so I was pretty disappointed. Â I guess I should have ordered the server's appetizer suggestion.
Other than that, this place was amazing! Â I plan on coming back next time I'm in Chicago.
We came here intending to use our Groupon ($20 for $40 Sun-Thurs). Â Instead, we went with the 20th Anniversary tasting menu, which could not be ordered with the Groupon. Â We live around the corner so we figured we'd be back to use to the Groupon another time, even though this was our first time. Â The "tasting menu" was $19.92 per person for three courses (app, dinner and dessert). Â We also had a glass of wine each.
The ambiance is nice. Â The hostess that greeted us could stand to perk up a bit. Â Service was friendly and effecient. Â But the food was just ok. Â For the price it was pretty good but I also wish we had been told that the portions would be so huge. Â If we had known that the "tasting menu" consisted of such huge portions, we would have just split one tasting. Â Everything was fine but nothing I'd rave about or order again. Â I had the rigatoni entree with sausage and egg plant. Â The egg plant was cut in huge chunks while the sausage was in small ground pieces. Â I had the lentil starter was kind of bland. Â I couldn't taste the shallots. Â Desserts were fine.
We'll go back with our Groupon and hopefully update this post for a neighborhood spot that we really want to like.
My fiance and I came to Francesca's for a much needed night out. I really enjoy the way Francesca's rotates their menu to offer new items as well as some old favorites. I enjoyed a prosciutto and parma salad with some tomato and balsamico and it was amazing. A nice antipasto to kick off the meal. Unfortunately though, I've never been a fan of the calamari they serve at any of the locations. The size of the calamari are what make it not so great when it's fried. My suggestion would be to buy it fresh and you'll have no complaints. However the rosemary-infused olive oil makes up for it.
The pasta and tilapia were so good. The tilapia had almost a cinnamon flavor to the juice it was served in. Tasted great the next day as well. We also enjoyed dessert! It was a big night out...stomach aches to follow--the good kind. We'll be back!
Finally came back here to experience the complete meal. I would give this place 5 stars for the warm, fresh bread they serve. But everything else was fantastic too. Delicious food, simple flavors but impeccably made.
Loved the gnocchi, rigatoni and their pizza with garlic. The service is great, ambiance is great and I would definitely recommend this place for their solid Italian food.
I highly recommend this place, they have a full gluten free menu. I got:
Sausage and Peppers - tasty with a delicious tomato sauce. fresh veggies. B+
Goat cheese appetizer - said goat cheese on the menu, but, it was mozzarella? weird. C
Italian rice w Mushroom something - this was under the app menu but my baby got this as an entree and it was mad real. Reminded me of Rizzoto. Very tasty. A
Pumpkin gelato - AMAZING served in a baked baby pumpkin, the bottom of which is a delicious sort of baked cake thing. A+
Turtle Cookie Dough Cheesecake - Man, so decadent. Â Great crust. A
Ambiance - very nice, accommodating, lots of room, seemed like a high class crowd. Good place for people watching. Why are the menu's hand written and on a single sheet of 8x11 paper? Kind of weird, amatuerish.
Service - Customer service is top drawer here. After learning we wanted a gluten free meal, after we ate already, the manager? owner? Francesca herself? comped our 2 desserts, which were amazing.
I will be back.
MAMMA MIA! Â I didn't know the food was THAT good at Francesca's! Â Now if only I can figure out a way to eat there every day and not gain 50lbs.
The moment we walked in the service was very attentive, if not top-notch through and through. Â The bread that they brought to the table coupled with their flavored olive oil was phenomenal - the best I've ever had at any restaurant (and I eat out a lot)! Â It's safe to say that we couldn't stop eating the bread, but do yourself a favor and save some room for the amazing meal you have ahead of you. Â The thing I found most impressive is that they gladly worked with my diet (when my bf called ahead of time, they said they'd make something for me even if it wasn't on the menu). Â I can't remember the name of the pasta that I had, but all I have to say is that it was truly phenomenal! Â The ingredients, flavors, and skill that went into my dish were definitely among the best. Â Do yourself a favor and eat at Francesca's as soon as possible! Â It's even a great place to take a date.
We went there yesterday for dinner.
There was a festival going on that street, so just be sure to plan ahead about parking -- we had to park really far.
We really liked the food -- yumi, flavorful , delicious. I ordered the LInguini al sugo di gamberi and my husband had theSalmone alla fresca.
We also had appetizers and the Bruschette con Rucola is more than delicious.
The only thing i didn't like was the desert. Â They had a sort of special, a red velvet cake with many layers and..ugh... i just didn't enjoyed it. Â But my husband liked it, so maybe this is just about my preferences and tastes. Â I was under the impression that the desert wasn't "fresh" enough.
Overall, we had a really good time and I look forward to go back!
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