The Italian Village Restaurants

Dynamite job.  They really knocked the ball out of the park with great service, great food and great ambiance.  Superb all-around.  Great job.

I'm kinda bummed. I used to go to this place a decent amount as a kid, and it was always something special. I love the ambiance, it's still really fun to come here, but the food is just kind of "meh" now.

I went here for lunch, and they have a pretty good deal on lunch specials. I got the tortellini with pesto and a cup of soup for 11.95. The soup was chicken broth with about 10 small pieces of pasta in it -- not bad, but nothing special.

The pasta portion was HUGE, which is great since I love leftovers -- but the pesto seemed like something from a jar and the pasta wasn't really anything special. Overall it just tasted like weak pesto sauce and so-so pasta. A bit disappointing.

I've been here for dinner before and had a better meal, so maybe I just came at an "off" time.

I have been here multiple times since I was a kid and have found The Italian Village to have consistent service and food. I have always gone to the Village upstairs. You have to know what to expect when coming here, Piccolo Sogno or Spiaggia, this is not. Italian Village is classic, red sauce Italian-American cuisine that has been executed well for almost 100 years. The decor is not modern and trendy, it is kitschy and old-school in the best way possible. I come here for the best lasagne in town and finish it off with a tiramisu.

The wine list has a great list of well known and obscure Italian wines. The prices are very reasonable especially considering you are downtown. The waiters all seem to be lifetime employees and provide great service. This is old Chicago dining at its best, the restaurant is in its 3rd generation of family ownership and I am in the 3rd generation of my family's patronage.