We tried this place because my husband bought the Groupon. Despite being in a strip mall, it is very intimate and nice inside and the wait staff is very attentive. We were there mid-afternoon on a Sunday, so it was a very quiet time, although it was Mother's Day. Also there at the time were 2 or 3 very big family groups, so you can tell that the place has some devoted regulars.
I ordered a special of the day ($22!) linguine with shrimp, scallops and veggies. Way more veggies than shrimp and scallops (about 3 of each) and not much flavor. My daughter had spaghetti and meatballs and loved it. My son had a 3 cheese manicotti what was good, but kind of bland. My husband had the gnocchi, one of their signature dishes. It was a huge serving but the gnocchi was mushy and the sauce was kind of bland.
Then they wouldn't accept our Groupon because it was "a holiday" on Mother's Day. Since we still have the groupon we' will probably go back and give it another try. but I'm not raving about it, except for the service. the people were all very nice and accommodating.
The Dude had a Groupon for La Notte Due, so we trekked over to Darien. We were there on a Saturday night and the place was busy, which was a good sign. The ambience was great, very intimate with lots of candlelight.
Right off the bat, we experienced the cardinal sin of Italian restaurants - the bread wasn't homemade. It was just a sliced loaf of Italian bread, the stuff you can buy in the grocery store. What the what? Still, I wasn't ready to give up on the place.
I ordered homemade eight-finger pasta with broccoli and Italian sausage. It was delicious and the portion was big, but not huge. I still had enough to take home for a second meal. The Dude had the eggplant parmigana and enjoyed it, but it wasn't his favorite.
We also had two tiny shots of limoncello and almost had a heart attack when we saw on the bill that they they were $6 each! I shudder to think of what a limoncello on the rocks would have cost us.
Overall, it was a nice dinner and the restaurant is lovely, but it doesn't really stand out in the crowded Italian restaurant market in Chicago.
Delicious food & great service pretty much sum up this little gem. It is hidden in a little strip mall that I drove by almost every day...next to a bakery and a liquor store that I never noticed either!
Of course, bread and oil with parmesan cheese start your meal This was our third or fourth visit & I have yet to be disappointed. This time, I ordered the pork oreganato and it was delish! It has this lemony yumminess ( I think I just made up that word ) Â that just speaks to you.
Give them a try, I am sure you will not be disaapointed.
I was given a gift certificate for La Notte Due so I went with my bf on a Friday night. Around 8 we were seated immediately and greeted by our server. Service was fast, not overly friendly but the environment was intimate and dark. We started with a Caesar salad that was simple but had great, flavorful dressing. I continued with the cavatelli that was baked with ricotta and marinara, topped with cheese. It was a large portion but delicious. We both ended up having lots of leftovers. I am not sure I would go to La Notte Due without a gift certificate as prices are pretty high for the suburbs. The food quality was great as well as the atmosphere.
Review Source:I'm glad that I didn't read the reviews first or I wouldn't of bought the Groupon and gone there and had a had a great meal with my wife. The service was great the portions were so big we brought home half of our dinners, yes we will go back there again, next time I will save room for desert
Review Source:We have heard about ths place for the last few years and have been meaning to try it out so when a Groupon came through...we were there. Â First impression was dark, "musty" , stuffy and stale. Â And it went downhill from there. Â The bread was stale and the olive oil flavorless. We ordered the grilled calamari ($12.95) which was like chewing rubber bands. Â We didn't eat much of it and told the busboy when he came to take it away why we didn't want it wrapped to go. Â He said he would tell the server so we were surprised when it appeared on our bill anyway. My husband had the veal parmesan and I had a special shrimp, veal and chicken over angel hair pasta dish. The dishes were ok and the portions were ample which was good because this place is pricey! But with all the really good Italian options, we feel no need to go back. Â Thank goodness our Groupon absorbed some of our disappointment. Bottom line...forget about it!
Review Source:I was excited about trying a new Italian restaurant, we made a reservation (as the groupon asked us to) and came in after 8. We were seated right away which was very nice, and offered drinks. What I didn't like what that, for an Italian restaurant, their wine list was very limited. I chose the Riesling and my fiancé got Pinot noir. My wine was OK. We ordered our food at the same time we ordered the wine. It wasn't incredibly busy in there, meaning most of the other customers were already eating when we came in... But it seemed like our food took an eternity to be brought to us. I could see the kitchen from our seat and it wasn't like it was sitting there waiting to be brought out, it was just taking forever to be cooked. Idk if there's only one chef back there or what... Also, the service seemed to be very slow. People really take their time in here. I'm not sure if that's because it's seemed to be a family owned business or if it was because we came in later and everyone was tired.
When we finally got our food we were not impressed. Â It looked better than it tasted. I ordered the chicken alfredo w/ broccoli, and he ordered eggplant Parmesan I think. His looked delicious.l, but he said it was decent. I liked that my pasta tasted like it was made from scratch and was cooked perfectly, what I didn't like was that the sauce and the chicken were not seasoned at all. I had to keep putting on salt and pepper throughout eating. Also, on top of the chicken being flavorless it didn't seem like good quality meat it was tough and just not good, if I return I won't order anything else with meat in it.
Overall, the place has a nice atmosphere, but not a good selection of wine, and just OK food. Not really worth what they're charging for it, I'm guessing you're paying extra for them to make everything from scratch which would be ok if it was seasoned better.
So the waiter was great..... But everything else was not. When we came in there was a musty smell. I couldn't get over it. The decor was ok. Food was very mediocre and expensive. Had salad, and it was just that. Apatizer was bad as well. Almost as if they has a child prepare it. Â Dinner, pasta was undercooked and it missed spices and taste was bland. I would not go back again.
Review Source:Just had a lunch and was not pleased. Â Bread was cold, pop was flat and meals were mediocre at best. Â One of dishes was off the mark all together. Â Wrong noodle was served and sauce was not as described. Â The other dish was served with almost mushy noodles and very watery for a garlic and oil sauce. Â Be careful if you have a coupon. Â They are not always honored. Â We left cash and saw manager put money I his pocket. Â Will never go back, even for free food. Â Stay away!
Review Source:Understated and underrated. Â Notte Due is our default Italian restaurant. Â These people understand good service, and the food is very good. Â Be careful not to over eat. Â The portions are big. Â We like their tilapia in particular. Â I like going here because there are no headaches.
Summary: Â Fantastic service, very good food.
I have eaten here a couple times and I loved the meal served. Â I had the Tilapia over risotto and I had the chicken and spinach dish. Â Huge portions enought for two meals. Â And served hot and very tasty. Â But the last time I was there my friend ordered linguini with clam sauce. Â And in her meal she found a piece of wire. Â Like the wire from the metal pot scrubber for heavy duty cleaning. Â So this was disturbing. Â She sent back the meal and changed to a shrimp and vegtable dish. Â Which she said was very tasty. Â But after this wouldn't you think they would comp this meal or something? Â Nothing was comped. Â So that is why I only gave this place a 2 star. Â Â Bad managment and cleaning staff. Â But the food was good.
Review Source:YUM!! I love finding a nice, new restaurant! I've seen this restaurant several times but never thought to go check it out because it's in such a dive strip mall!! The potholes alone are scary enough! This was a Mom & Pop store front location, very small, maybe only 25 tables? They have  a full bar on the other side with some old men that look like they live there! Everything was homemade! The bread was fabulous served on the table with oil and cheese. We had their soup which came with the entree, also great! I had the Chicken Francese which was YUMMY!! I loved this place, it was a great find!
Review Source:The negative reviews almost scared of us out of dining here, but luckily we stopped in and discovered quite possibly our new favorite Italian restaurant in the neighborhood. Stopped in around 5:30pm and were seated immediately. Â Shortly after, ice water and bread were delivered to our table and drink orders were taken. Our host and subsequent server was very pleasant to speak with, had no issue with us using an Amazon coupon, and made sure we were waited on hand and foot throughout our service. Fresh bread and minestrone soup were solid. Ordered a few entrees which all came out together and in a very timely fashion. Every dish was hot, cooked properly, and tasted great with plenty of flavor. Between the Risotti Fungi (Mushroom), Manicotti Lanotte, and my Eggplant Rolatini, the fam can't decide what they enjoyed the most. Plenty of traditional entrees, appetizers, and drinks to order from, as well as their delectable desserts. Everyone was overstuffed by the end of dinner service, making dessert simply an afterthought. That was until, however, our server delivered some complimentary spumoni to the little one, putting the proverbial icing on the cake for our dinner tonight. One thing, it can get a little expensive dining here so bring your wallet, but you will definitely get you monies worth, as all of the portions seemed pretty big and left us with plenty to take home. Not sure why everyone else has been so unlucky dining here, but we found our new Italian fine dining spot in La Notte Due.
Review Source:The only reason this place might not get 1 star is the wait staff was kind and was nice enough to comp the glass of wine we found the wine cork in... not some cork, the full damn rubber cork was submerged. That is the best thing you will read from me in this review.
Appetizers were not good. Artichokes were ehhhh, grilled calamari is NOTHING compared to Claires and rather fishy tasting.
Dinner portions were smaller than I expect at an Italian restaurant and all 3 of us left with minimal, if any leftovers.
I would give the place 4 stars in a better location, at $10 a dish and able to provide basic, clean service. At $30 per adult, in a strip mall with a table that has a view of a parking lot, this is a 1 star place. The waiter being gracious to two loud toddlers and quickly comping us a glass of wine almost gets the 2nd star.
OH OH OH, I forgot desert.... they were out of it. Seriously, we were there for a 5PM dinner on a weekday, No Tiramisu. The waiter offered, it was on the menu... but they were out of it. How the hell do you run out of deserts when we are one of three tables occupied EARLY, on a weekday.
The questions reminded me.. Why were there plastic patio sets outside, do people actually come here and pay this much to eat in a parking lot? I'll call the ambiance classy & romantic as that is what they are going for with the decor but missing it in all around delivery.
Thanks but I'll get from Salerno's a few doors down and eat in my car next time.
Recently my husband and I went there for our date night. We have been there before having both good and bad service, but we really had a taste for Italian and decided to give it one more try. Strike 1: Arrived at the end of dinner service so there were many tables opening up, but we got seated at a table in the far corner. We felt like a sardines.
Strike #2: Due to our table being shoved in the corner our server kept forgetting about us. When we finally ordered our appetizers we finished them and sat for another 15-20 min. before our server came back to take our dinner order. Meanwhile our drinks had run out as did our water and bread. Strike#3: When our food finally did arrive it was luke warm, and the pasta was mushy. Â Once again our server was no where to be found. We get our check and pay, as we are exiting we see that had server had been at the bar socializing and watching the Bulls game. We will not be returning to La Notte Due again. The service was terrible, and our entrees were mediocre at best.
For dinner, I had the Sausage Giambotti and Pasta Fagiol. Â The soup was almost tasteless, the bread was unremarkable and the Sausage Giambotti tasted like heavy black pepper. Â The mushrooms in this dish tasted like they may have been sitting around for a few weeks - Â a bad taste ! Â Even the olive oil seemed off. Â Â I will not be going back.
Review Source:My fiancé and I, his best friend, and his wife dined here for dinner on Feb. 20, 2010
Food - 4 out of 5! Â HUGE portions! Â Desserts were so so.
Service - Top notch! Â 6 out of 5! Â Waters were refilled right away. Â Our bread was kept refilled. Â Busboy was on top of it when it came to clearing our plates and packing our food.
Ambiance - 4 out of 5
Parking - free lot
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Â GREAT FOOD, GREAT SERVICE, REASONABLE PRICES.
La Notte Due is a great find in my mind. Â Their current location as part of a small strip mall might turn off some, but it behooves you to at least give this restaurant a try if not for the pedigree of service alone. Â Victor, one of the owners, remembers all of his frequent guests names and is one of the best I've ever seen about customer relations.
While service is one part of this equation, the food itself is just as important, if not more. Â While I was waiting to finish my job at their location I opted to get some lunch. Â I decided on the pasta carbonara; if I remember correctly, it was reccommended by the host whose name escapes me right now. Â I was ever so pleasantly surprised by what I ate that afternoon. Â Here I am, a guy whose Italian grandmother saw to it that I never went hungry, and this single location, not necessarily run by Italians but Italian restaurant with a small but loyal client base just knocks one out of the park. Â My parent's live not too far from here, and I hope I'll remember next time I visit and we can stop in again. Â Definitely returning.
Full disclosure: this was one of my clients at a previous job.
Further disclosure: since it's a previous employer I can now say it was quite enjoyable making late night service calls here and getting hammered with Victor afterward.
Please... you've got to be kidding... Maybe I'm a little spoiled after living in SF and NYC for so long, but come on...
I went to La Notte Due for dinner with a group of 25 people, so we got some kind of prix fixe menu, which honestly did not impress me much:
- the appetizers were actually the highlight of the meal: fried calamari was pretty good but a bit tough sometimes, bruscetta was tasty (but it's pretty hard to f*ck up).
- the salad that came next was the lamest thing I ever ate at a restaurant: bagged (and not so fresh) lettuce tossed in balsamic vinegar... that's it... lame.
- three entrees then followed: some salmon dish which was reasonable, some pasta dish which was boring and not great, some chicken which looked so unappetizing I did not even bother trying it.
- dessert: one bite size piece of cheesecake (literally), tasty but tiny.
We also had some wine: a red Tuscany that was suggested by one of the waiters and turned out alright, and a Pinot Grigiot that was pretty terrible.
Honestly, I was more than ready to give this place 3 stars, until the check arrived: $45 per person?!?! Are you f-ing kidding me? There's 25 of us, the food was mediocre, and still you find a way to charge us $45 per person? Good lord. In NYC I'd have given this 1 star. And what's up with the lame music mix anyways?
This is a great place. Their original restaurant opened in Berwyn a few years back and we went there all the time when we lived there. Delicious food, great service and killer tiramisu! Â :o) Â We went there the night we found out we were pregnant and the owner (at the time...he had known us thru our constant visits when he was running the berwyn location and had been waiting and waiting for us to get pregnant already!) was all excited and brought us free desserts. How sweet is that???
Review Source:
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
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 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
