Wow...has this place changed - and not in a good way. Always thought of it as a reliable local spot to grab some decent pasta but sadly no longer.
Bread was cold and uninspired. At least heat it to give a crust! Salads had a couple of small pieces of cucumber and a few giant slices of carrot. Our entertainment became trying to cut the carrots into manageable size. Italian dressing had not one bit of herbs in it. Lasagna entree was meager with runny sauce. For $15.99. Really? Never thought I'd say this but Olive Garden is a much better deal...sigh.
"Authentic" is a term bandied about loosely; make no mistake, this is American-Italian food. Delicious, abundant, cheesy, saucy, Sunday dinner at second-gen Nonna's food. More for the gourmand than the gourmet. Mmmm... Â definitely not a complaint in my book.
Sure, the décor leaves a bit to be desired, and the side salads, which are kept in an over-chilled cooler, invariably arrive slightly frozen, but the fresh appetizers, homemade pasta dishes, eggplant parmigiana, and pizza are all quite palatable. Diners seem to enjoy the lunch buffet, but it's not a good value for vegetarians, so I only order off of the regular menu. Good wine selection.
The catering options have saved me on several occasions when I simply didn't have the mental fortitude to manage an obligatory large dinner party. Tip: Always order extra sauce.
My lone grievance is the European-style pace. And by "European-style pace" I mean unfathomably slow service that seems to have no correlation to the dining room capacity. The Sciarrettas are super-sweet, I just don't have that kind of time on my hands.
Went to Italian kitchen last night for dinner and we were only a party of 3. We ordered appetizers and entrées and received the appetizer about 45 minutes later. Finally an hour and 15 minutes after we ordered our food our dinner came.  When we received our food the pasta sauce was very watery and all of our food was very cold.  There was a couple next to us with two children that ended up walking out after an hour and a half after and still no food. He spoke to the owner and the owner said that this time is expected to receive your food. The owner  was very rude and didn't care that his customers were leaving without eating. Â
  We had such a horrible experience, unfortunately we will not be returning back to Italian kitchen!
plus- the value is good. It's decent for families with really young kids
negatives-the food.
came in, the waiter brought bread. the bread was stale. we asked for a new one. it was stale but this time warm. I don't know how you function as a restaurant and pull this but they did.
then we ordered beer. they were out of the first. then out of the 2nd. we succeeded on third. they also have a charge for "sharing a bottle of beer".
ordered dinner-the salad is not fresh made, they take it out of a fridge and put it on the table. not sure how long it was sitting in there but this is deerfield, not lake villa.
then ordered the chicken parm. it was chicken nuggets with sauce and a piece of cheese.
wanted to like the place but stale bread-twice, out of beer-this was a weekday night with lots of old people in there-not exactly a boozy crew, and chicken parm that wasn't fresh.
next.
As far as authentically good Italian food and cuisine, it does not get better than this restaurant. Â I have lived in the area since 1981 and have been frequenting this eatery the entire time. Â As a foodie surrounded by Italian heritage cooking and spoiled by it, if this restaurant has our approval, it is good! Â Add to that the reasonable price for what you are getting and the consistently good service. Â Don't expect to go here and have a fast meal, that will probably not happen unless you are at a downtime, it is more European and the pace is more relaxed. Â I also have to say that as far as a local establishment being supportive of its community, this place has consistently donated their fare without thought of reward.
Go here and you will not be disappointed if high quality, good Italian food is your goal, with excellent service and a reasonable price! Â It is great from the lasagna to the pizza, and don't miss the Chicken Limon!
Heard this was "the place to go for Italian food" in Deerfield and was very disappointed. Â Went with another couple and our three year old child. The place was packed with families and an older crowd. The service was friendly but horribly slow. Â They kept telling us our food was on its way out but after 20 min of this, still nothing. Â The food was mediocre at best and the price was the same as a chain restaurant. Â I should also mention that for a place that is touted as kid friendly, they brought the kid meal out last and only after we asked twice for it. Â At least the bread was plentiful, though hardly memorable.
Review Source:Not very Italian. What I call an Antipasto Salad & they call Italian Salad was mediocre at best. Cubed cheddar and pepper jack cheese, cubed ham and salami were just ok, no peppers, giardinera, etc. The Italian dressing that came with it was Wish Bone-like. Ordered a plain cheese pizza and it was, again, just ok. Cracker crust not flavorful, sauce plain, cheese sparse. The servers were scattered and confused, missing our drink order several times, taking away clean plates before food came, etc. In the Chicago area, you can do a whole lot better.
Review Source:Food was delicious! First came the bread basket and the garden salad with house vinaigrette. Nice way to start the meal. Â Had the lemon scallops. When it came to the table with only 3 scallops I was a bit disappointed, but that soon changed after I tasted them and the risotto below them. Was actually very filling. Didn't even have room for dessert. The other meal at the table was the salmon (don't remember what the specific name on the menu was) and my dining partner said it was the best salmon they had ever had.
It was so good that we returned for a second helping during our business trip. I had the scallops again. One disappointment for my colleague is that they were out of the salmon the second night. He ended up having some sort of tilapia that was on that nights specials menu and he wasn't disappointed at all.
Prices were about average (Lemon Scallops was $19.95, I think). Very casual crowd. Would definitely go back if I am in Deerfield again and would recommend to anyone that is in the area.
In the words of Kyle Broslovsky. "[Italian Kitchen] Kill yourself." Â
I have never eaten from a worse "Italian kitchen". Â Frankly, this was low grade dog food. Â
And there is basically nothing on the menu that was Italian. Â This is Barilla pasta with some canned tomato sauce, some wonderful herbs to top it off. Â
I think if I had been smoking wonderful herbs, I would still have noticed that the food was uninspired, defrosted garbage. Â If you actually know Deerfield's community, you would know that the restaurant appeals to the cities classiest, most middle class elements. Â
Perhaps the waitstaff knew I was daring, having suggested the "house cheese stix" and the "Fresh N Tender grilled octopus" Â in the same breath. Â Perhaps they recommend these dishes to all of their customers. Â I frankly don't care, as I will never be coming to the good ole "Italian Kitchen" ever again.
I give it two stars since it was really cheap and portions were plentiful, it could certainly be a viable option if science diet down the street isn't on sale and rover's ribs are showing.
As we say in Turino, "E, Sti Cazzi!"
Being Italian, I don't go out for Italian food (except for pizza) by choice on a regular basis. Â I find that I can either make or be served (yes, by my mama) better Italian food at home than I can at any restaurant. Â Also, people who like the Olive Garden baffle me.
Back to Italian Kitchen. Â The interior is cute. Â Very homey, retro-style Italian place.
Menu was standard Italian fare with some house specialties. Â I had the fettuccine alfredo, because the menu touted that the fettuccine was house made. Â More like a tagliatelle in shape (wider,) it was most definitely house made, and most definitely delicious. Â
The other entrees on the table (spaghetti carbonara and spaghetti marinara) looked delicious, and the carbonara was authentic (pancetta) which made me smile. Â Next time I'm there, I'll probably try that.
The service, however, was inconsistent. Â My wine and water glasses were never ever empty, but the rest of the service was really slow. Â It took an exceptionally long time for the appetizers, entrees, and check to come. Â Maybe it was just an off night?
Three of us went there on Saturday night. Â The place was hopping and bopping, lots of energy...a good sign so far. Â Once seated, we were informed that the appetizer we wanted was not available, still not too bad. Â The rest of the experience should be a SNL skit.
Two people ordered the "all you can eat" pasta. Â One person ordered a salad and soup. Â One of the pasta people ordered spaghetti and the other one ordered linguine. Â The person who ordered the salad took two forksful of pasta from one of the pasta dishes to sample the sauce. Â We were then informed by the waitress that because someone had "sampled" two tiny bites of pasta that they would be assessing a "sharing" charge. Â We asked that the manager be sent over. Â She said that since she didn't see it, there would be no charge for "sharing."
Here's where it gets over the top. Â The spaghetti person wanted to try the linguine from the other person's plate. Â In order to avoid any possible conflict, the linguine person asked the waitress if it was ok for the spaghetti person to sample the linguine without being charged. Â Keep in mind that they both ordered the "all you can eat" pasta and paid the same amount for each dish. Â The waitress gave a dirty look and said she would have to send the manager over to our table and it would need to be discussed with her!!!
I believe that eating a meal at Cook County Jail involves less stress than eating here. Â Do they really have hidden cameras and federal food police hiding in the salt shakers? Â Unbelieveable experience!! Â
Would have ordered more wine, dessert, etc. but needed to get out of there.  The pasta sauce was tasty but  way oversalted....probably by the little men hiding inside the salt shakers!!!.
Would NOT go back!!! Â .
Came in for the $10 lunch buffet and it was about what I expected it to be. Buffets by nature do not necessairly serve up the hottest, most fresh food, so that is something to be considered.
My favorite dish was the spinach lasagna - I added marinara sauce to it, since I typically prefer a little pasta with my sauce. Their special was some type of chicken and vodka sauce wrapped in a type of pasta shell and my boyfriend loved that.
Not anything to write home about, but certainly not horrible! I might order takeout from there some time, but I'm not sure I'll pay $10 to go back for lunch.
Buffet! Â
I came here for lunch one day with my buddies since it is right by my office in Deerfield. Â I was a bit sketchy of the place because it's in a tiny parking lot. Â My buddies and I decided to try out the buffet. Â They have a non-buffet item as well but I know we were curious about the place and wanted to give it a try. Â The food was actually pretty solid! Â They had some pasta dishes and chicken as well. Â I really enjoyed the lasagna, as it was thick and juicy. Â I also enjoyed the cannolis for dessert. Â Service was great and it was a good bang for your buck.
The only authentic Italian restaurant in Deerfield. If you want a corporation serving you canned, pre-planned, computer generated food, then go to one of the "newer" Italian spots in town. If you want the real deal, a real Italian restaurant, owned by an Italian family, the Italian Kitchen is the authentic choice in town. You don't need high heels or a Louis Vuitton purse to be seen here, just a smile and a handshake to your neighbors. You never leave dissapointed. Favorites include : Chicken Limon over Linguini and good old fashioned spaghetti with meatballs. Big portions, full belly.
Review Source:I go out of my way to make the trip to Deerfield, just to eat here. They make THE best minestrone soup I've ever had. I recommend bringing some home for later, if you can keep from eating it on the way home!
I loved their home made filled pasta dishes and gnocchi. The arriabiata is excellent too. The owners are very nice people and will go out of their way to make sure you have a great meal.
Fairly priced as well.
A chance at four stars blown by small portion of fish. We have always enjoyed Italian Kitchen and appreciate a local home cooking restaurant. All of our food was delicious and most portions were huge. The only thing knocking the Italian Kitchen down from four stars is the very tiny serving of whitefish for 16 bucks. Come on, whitefish usually is something that looks like a filet. This serving was smaller than a deck of cards. Veggies with the fish were excellent and it looked to me the large portion of them was trying to makeup for the size of the fish portion.
It's too bad. Â Stick with the Pasta!
Not such a great experience. The food was authenic. Yea yea. Whatever that means. The service is average at best.  All my requests were met with blank  stares as the servers continued doing what I asked them not to do. I wondered if maybe they did not speak english. (not the case)
Plus I really dislike the strip mall atmosphere. Prices are fair enough though.
I'm not hugely familiar with Deerfield, but I imagine there are better places in the area you could go for Italian. Â I came here on a Sunday night with my finace and his family and they were out of several menu items. Â I ordered one of the specials, the grilled mahi, which was supposed to come with mushroom truffle risotto, and they served me the fish with no risotto becasue they were out of it. Â BOOO! Â I ended up filling up on bread and fried calamari (which was pretty good) because I'm sorry, one piece of fish and some veggies is not enough to satisfy me. Â Our waitress was nice, but since we were the only people in the restaurant (it was about 8:30 pm) I felt a little like we were being rushed out. Meh.
Review Source:The food is excellent. Â The service can be somewhat slow (there's one waiter in particular), but the pasta is homemade so obviously it will take a bit longer to prepare. If you are looking for a delicious Italian dinner in the north suburbs, this is the place to go. Decently priced as well.
Review Source:Not a bad place, but not great either. I think one can do better elsewhere without trying too hard.
I had to take a couple of tries at the menu because the waitress kept coming back to me to tell me they were out of stuff. Once perhaps, more than once is an immediate turn off. I think I got the fish and it was OK, but the rest of my family are pasta heads and they were not impressed.
Nothing bad to report, but for the money spent, we will most likely not return.
I ate here for the first time this afternoon for a holiday lunch. Â The Italian Kitchen is very unassuming and casual. Â The decor inside is simple, not fancy at all without the Maggiano-esque black and white pictures and Frank Sinatra piped in.
The Italian Kitchen had a wide array of lunch specials for $10 - which gave you a good portion of food as well as a soft drink. Â Not a bad deal. Â I went with the spaghetti Arrabieta which was excellent. Â There was a good amount of vegetables in the sauce - mushrooms, green peppers, red peppers, and olives which really added to the flavor of the dish. Â Also, you can get the dish in varying levels of spiciness. Â Overall, the group liked the food and commented on the taste and flavor of their dishes.
The service was good. Â We were a large group and the waitress did a good job of being attentive and making sure we had drinks throughout lunch.
I'll be back again.
Wow, I'm kind of surprised Italian Kitchen doesn't have a higher rating. Â I guess some folks must have different expectations. Â For my money, this place is 4 stars because it usually exceeds my expectations.
For starters, it has good authentic Italian food. Â
Second, I don't know if it's family-run, but the service is very friendly and sure gives the impression the owner and family members are on site.
Third, they have good portions and reasonable prices.
Granted, this place is not fancy. (is that what other folks are basing their ratings on?), but it is a nice little place to go for a good lunch or dinner.
I grew up on the North Shore just minutes from here and my first time eating here was last night. It's an easy place to miss, but I was definitely missing out.
The menu was not huge, but they had some really nice specials. We ended up getting a few appetizers and a large pizza. Both were really good. The pizza was ultra thin and was loaded with fresh veggies. The baked clams and portabello topped with cheese was cooked to perfection.
My only complaint was that our server was inattentive. He literally disappeared for fifteen minutes before our appetizers came. I had downed my water five minutes into his disappearance. It was still a great little place that I will be coming back to.
Service can get a little slow as there aren't that many ppl working here. Â This is a family restaurant with good traditional Italian food. Â The portions are huge, and when you eat there you get bread and a side salad with your entree. Â However, if you order carry out, it is ala-carte=(. Â My favorite there is the tortellini with the special red sauce. Â They charge extra for the special red sauce, but it is so worth it. Â I always have to doggie bag because the portions are so huge, and I literally have enough for another meal. Â So, the value is there and the food is good.
Review Source:Italian Kitchen is an excellent authentic Italian restaurant, awesome food, big portions, and great prices! Â I've been eating here for 5 years and I have yet to be disappointed. Â Â It's family owned and very cozy, they even decorate the place every single holiday!
The menu has a nice wide variety of things, not just pasta dishes, but really good sandwiches and pizzas! Â I especially love that they have new dinner specials every week, so there's always a variety of new things to try! Â
Their risotto with truffles is to die for, on one special they served it with Chilean seabass, another with pan-seared scallops. Â Around Thanksgiving they had the most delicious, buttery pumpkin ravioli I ever had! Â Also the daughter-in-law of the restaurant owner makes the most wonderful deserts! Â Around Christmas-time she made an almond tiramisu....soooo good! Â
I don't have any setbacks to say about this place, although if you are into a fancy atmosphere to impress a date, this may not be the place for you. Â (Just your typical red and white checkered tablecloths and some hand painted pic of Italy on the wall) Â But, if you just want awesome Italian food in a cozy setting, go now!
How many times have you been to an italian restaurant and the food was just exceptionally fantastic? Â Probably not many. Â My point is that an AMAZING italian restaurant is few and far between; maybe it's that it always tastes the same, maybe its that I could make it at home. Â Either way, Italian Kitchen falls into the majority.
The dishes are what you'd expect.  Standard big portioned pasta dishes for around $10 and not-very-special "Italian Specialties" go for $15.  The décor is modest in a small, intimate atmosphere. Â
I wouldn't come here to impress anybody; but it's a decent spot when you're looking for a casual, reasonably priced meal.
Pretty decent local Italian eatery.
It's got a nice small atmosphere, but still seems to maintain privacy for it's occupants.
I always see the same chef (assuming head chef and apparently owner) walking around the front talking with customers and giving suggestions that usually end up on the spot.
Their food may seem pricey, but their portions are pretty huge. So far everything I've ordered there has been delicious and their take out holds up really well too.
My high school friend and I were craving Italian food, and as we both work in the big pharmas in Deerfield, we felt like trying something new. I googled Italian restaurant and found Italian Kitchen.
A small restaurant nestled on the corner of Deerfield and Waukegan, it was a cute location. Lots of small shops nearby and quite the "quaint" part of town. I liked it.
However, I'm not sure why the reviews raved about the food. I felt like I've had better food? Yes, the service was slow, but it's a small restaurant with a wait staff of about 3. What do you expect?
I ordered the linguini with mussels and clams. My friend ordered the chicken cacciatore with mascotti, both dishes were $12 each.
First, the bread was alright. I kinda wish it came out warm? It came out on a basket right when I sat down.
Second, the salad we were given.... wasn't salad. It was poorly chopped lettuce with half a slice of tomato. Wheeee.... salad. :P I asked for creamy garlic dressing.. and it was way too thick.
I got my linguini and mussels... but missing the baby clams. I'm not sure where it was? The dish was definitely big- I didn't finish it and the mussels were plentiful- that's why I gave this restaurant three stars. However, the pasta was a bit too salty for my taste and a tad too much olive oil.... had they held off on the oil and salt a bit and actually ADDED the baby clams, this would have been a good dish.
My friend's dish was GIGANTIC. She got about half a whole chicken..but her mascotti looked sad. It just looked like pasta in a small corningware with red sauce on it.
Overall, the dinner was ALRIGHT. I mean, this restaurant is DEFINITELY an Italian restaurant, as I couldn't recognize half of what was on the menu (perhaps I ordered the wrong thing?) and the wait staff, although few of them, were definitely nice, so I would go back.. but it just didn't "wow" me. Food was decent, but amazing? I'll go to Little Italy for that.....
I've dined in and taken out dozens of times from Italian Kitchen, and I've never walked out disappointed or hungry. Â The food is great, the prices are reasonable, the staff is attentive, the portions are generous, their wine list is good, their desserts are fantastic, and they often have some great specials. Â I also very-much enjoy their thin crust pizzas and sandwiches. Â This has become a regular place for my friends and I to dine.
Review Source:First, let me say this: I've never eaten IN the restaurant, so this review is based solely on take-out orders. Â
Their food is wonderful to serve a group! Â The portions are enormous (I'd order roughly 2 entrees/3 people), and get a wide variety. Â Even if you have picky eaters in your group, they'll find something to love. Â
When I got married, my parents hosted the whole affair in their backyard, and we did a lot of the work ourselves. Â The night before the big day, we needed something low-key to calm down after all our preparations, and something to please a small group of future in-laws and various siblings. Â Italian Kitchen was absolutely perfect - everyone loved the food, it was easy, and quite reasonably-priced (since we were of course over budget on the wedding!)
If you live in Deerfield and want excellent Italian food, where do you go? Of course the service will be a bit slow. They do a large volume of deliveries and quite a bit of catering. It is a Family owned business and everything is made FRESH! This takes time. I have been eating there for over 35 years and never had a bad experience. The food is wonderful across the menu. I am however partial to the house special pizza. Sausage, Italian beef, bacon, peppers, onions, mushrooms and fresh tomatoes.
That being said, I may be biased. I know the family very well. I have lived in Texas for 3 years now but I visit a few times a year and perhaps get special attention because I know the owner. But I have NEVER seen anyone get poor service there. The waitstaff consists of the owners Wife, Sisters, Father and a young man that has been there for years, I don't recall his name. The business is their livelihood and has been there a long time. They cater to dine in, carry out, delivery and a catering business. It's just too small of a building to hire more staff. They want to serve you, but the place is not Burger King. You want faster Italian food? Try Chuck E Cheese.
Linda, (this is only for you) you seem to be a Texan and that alone disqualifies you from reviewing food.  (You people eat briskit. Can't find one of those at Jewel in the Commons I'll bet. And Tony's Subs  has no breakfast tacos either, I called and asked). Reviewing a Red lobster? Really! It's fast food, how do you qualify that? I am sure the Red Lobster serves the same bad food in Gurnee that they serve in Texas. Do you think a Big Mac tastes better in Highland Park than it does in Waco? Count your blessings that you are living in the real world.
Linda and T.C. if you want quicker service, may I suggest opening a can of "Spagettio"s"!
Food is GREAT - service is HORRIBLE. Â I've lived in Deerfield for almost 8 years and have only gone to this place three times. Â The food is awesome, but because of the bad experiences I've had there, I refuse to go back. Â When dining in, we waited over 20 minutes before a waiter showed up at our table. Â Mind you it was just my husband and I, and there are only about 10-12 tables in the entire place. Â Once we finally placed our orders, it was another 30 minutes before our food arrived. Â Not acceptable in my opinion.
On another occasion, I placed a take-out order. Â I was told to pick up the order at 5:00. Â Knowing they always run behind, I showed up at 5:15. Â Even then, I had to wait ANOTHER 20 minutes for my order. Â When I got home, I realized they didn't pack a few of the items I ordered, but when I called I was told they would send the remainder of my order over "immediately". Â Well, two phone calls and 40 minutes later, my food arrived cold and soggy. Â When I called to complain, I was told they would give me a $2.00 credit off my next order. Â No thanks - there won't be a next order.
It's such a shame that food this good is ruined by the extremely poor service.
First the food is GREAT. Â I'm pretty generous in my ratings, so I'm reluctant to do this.. but... every time I've eaten in this place, its been a horrible experience because of the waiters. Â I don't know where they find these guys. Â Slow service every time - thats bad when you have little kids. Â Once I asked for more tomato bread and the waiter told me they were all out for the evening. Â Fine, but then a few minutes later another table got some. Â C'mon, lying to me about the bread?
Because the food is so good we'll order in occasionally. Â And the owners are great. Â One holiday evening (Xmas or New Years, I forget) we wanted to order in and they took our order - even though they were closed (staff was there prepping for a big catering job). Â They just took the order like it was no big deal! Â The food still came out great.
However, I can't stand eating in places where I feel like I can't leave a tip. Â Its been three years since we've eaten in their dining room.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,317 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,986 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
