Super cute decor but the acoustics made all the conversations in the dining room way too loud, and the seating arrangements are a bit too cramped for my liking. My beau and I had a later dinner and so the noise started to die down by the time our entrees rolled around, and that better suited my preferences. This is definitely a more business casual rather than formal dining dress code, but I am sure you could get away with jeans and a nice top.
The food itself is delish, albeit more on the bland side. If you are looking for robust flavors, I might recommend elsewhere. We had the caprese salad, bleu cheese salad, roasted salmon with tomato entree, and a cheesy chicken entree served with a side of pasta.
Service was wonderful all-around and I am glad that we tried Francesca's out.
We went for dinner on Valentine's Day and had a pleasant experience. We showed up with a reservation at 7:00 and thought that we'd have to wait awhile because the place was packed, but we were seated right away. The wait staff was very attentive, and even refilled our bread basket as soon as they saw us take the last piece. The wine was good, and our entrees were very good. My husband had the salmon, which was cooked in a light and flavorful sauce. I had the gnocchi which was amazing! Although the dining area was packed with many close tables, we still enjoyed ourselves and would definitely come again.
Review Source:Went last night for Valentines Day. Â Our reservation was for 7:00. Â We got there at 7:05 and the place was packed. Â They immediately seated us and although the tables are tight, it was pleasant as we had the corner table by the front window.
Service was great. Â We weren't rushed and the experience was very relaxing. Â So far, 5 stars. Â The dissapointment was with some of the food. Â The lobster risotto was really good, a little heavy on the tarragon, but it had nice chunks of lobster. Â The Ceasar salad was a little over dressed for my liking. Â I had the roasted half chicken in a sauce that was a little overpowering, but was very flaovorful. Â My wife got the shrimp and scallop dish that was just okay. Â Something that could easily have been made at home. Â So only 3 stars for the food. Â Wine was good so overall a 4 star experience for me.
Was given a gift card here. Its a cute little place. bread was amazing that they served when you are seated. But the main meal was not that great my boyfriend and I both ordered different pasta entrees and both of ours were just missing flavor. was not impressed. Mine tasted like I was eating roasted vegetables and noodles defiantly not flavor.
I have heard that the chicken Parmesan is amazing! should of tried that.
Great! The lobster ravioli is to die for. I am very picky about calamari and i love their calamari. For dessert I had their oreo cheesecake or something like that. Also very good. The only complaint would be some of their tables are too close together... but its understandable. Can't wait to go back.
Review Source:I've been here twice- the first time I was extremely disappointed in my entree (a sausage broccoli pasta), but the pizza served to other tables looked so good that I decided to give it another shot. And so glad I did.
The downstairs is romantic and small, although if you are seated on the floor it can be cramped and semi-loud. The waiter I have had both times is awesome; knowledgeable, energetic and friendly. The bread they serve is limitless and delicious, and there is a spiced olive oil on the table for dipping. For dinner my date and I split the Quattro Stagioni pizza, and a lamb stuffed ravioli in a meat sauce. Both were excellent. I certainly want to go back. It seems like just be wary of basic pastas.
Do not eat here if you are gluten-free.
They offer a gluten free menu, which is misleading because as we found out last week it is not actually gluten-free.
My girlfriend, who is completely gluten-intolerant ordered a penne pasta dish off of the gluten-free menu only to find a string of spaghetti mixed in with her pasta. Â The gluten-free menu offered no spaghetti dishes, so we immediately brought this to the attention of the wait staff and eventually the manager.
The manager apologized and was very concerned about the effects this would have for my girlfriend and then said she has been telling the kitchen staff to NOT use the same utensils for serving the gluten and gluten-free dishes but HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET THEM TO COMPLY.
Seriously? Offering a gluten-free menu when you know you contaminate the food with gluten is almost like me inviting someone over for dinner with the intention of giving them food poisoning.
No wait.
It is exactly like me inviting someone over for dinner with the intention of giving them food poisoning.
Irrespective of the post-incident deference and concern, the reality is that if you are gluten intolerant you can't trust this place, so don't eat here.
I have been going here since they opened. Never had a bad meal. This time  Everything was great but the entrees. I had the whole wheat pasta with vegetables. The dish had no flavor, very bland. My husband had the pasta with sausage and had the same experience. It's almost like the kitchen forgot the sauce. I have always felt that Francesca's sauces are the best so this was very surprising.
Review Source:Hadn't been here in a few years because it's always crowded and the tables are close. Because our favorite restaurant Raffi's closed, we're back to dating other establishments in Naperville. The food here is, of course, delicious. Although I'm not much of a meat eater, the pasta with Italian sausage, spinach, and blue cheese was decadent. The peach sorbet was the best I have had in recent memory. We had a nice dining experience mainly because we arrived at 5 pm on a Wednesday night. By the time we left, it was packed. Our server was really nice, although not well versed in the wine list, and there was a little confusion about who ordered which dish upon delivery. We were so used to the impeccable service and servers at Raffis, dating is going to take some getting used to. We will go back to La Sorella again.
Review Source:We'd ended up here after a disappointing attempt at another restaurant.
Francesca's was packed so we didn't think we'd stay. Â But my hubby managed to find 2 seats at the bar as I was using the washroom.
We ordered, and were promptly served our 2 drinks and an order of calamari (which was excellent!)
The staff was very busy, but also very attentive. Â It was a pleasant experience that helped us forget the inattentive waiter at the previous restaurant.
I've also had lunch here several times and know that the food is very good!
I highly recommend Francesca's!
My husband and I went here for a nice date night a couple of weeks ago.
The decor is excellent and we were seated right away, on time for our reservation. This really could be an excellent italian restaurant, there were just a few issues.
Likes:
 really nice wine selection; both of us enjoyed our glasses
 the noise level was really pretty good, considering the tables were very close together
 food came quickly  (husband really enjoyed the pork chop)
Dislikes:
 my husband is from Virginia and still hasnt switched his license over. The VA license are vertical which gives some restaurants pause, but usually they just take it to the manager and they verify that it's real. No issue, right? Except here the waiter comes back and tries to tell us that they can't accept the ID because "Naperville ordinance doesn't allow it", which isn't true because we've eaten at 3 other restaurants in downtown Naperville and never had this issue. Luckily my husband had another form of ID so it worked out, but I was still miffed that they tried to bull**it us like that.
my pasta dish was good, but extremely salty. from a restaurant of this caliber, I expected a fresher taste and less salt.
Great Italian food and good service. The menu is always changing (a great sign of a good chef!) and we ordered the carpaccio which was excellent and I had the Pollo Umbriaco which was lovely.
It's a great spot for a big or small groups and had a nice atmosphere. Definitely plan to go back.
Hrm. Â Came in with a group for an event last night. Â Not sure if the regular non-party food is any different but this is based on our experience as part of a group.
The service was excellent - during the beverage portion at the start and all the way through, timing was great and refills came very quickly. Â The dinner was family style and there was plenty of food and more, if we ran out, which was quite nice. Â The room we were in upstairs was perfect for our gathering - it was on the second floor, though that did present problems for a couple of people in our party because the stairs are steep and there are many, but there was a restroom just off our room and the space was comfortable in general.
The food itself felt a little lacking. Â We had a salad and margherita pizza to start and while the pizza was a little acidic, it was decent but the salad was a bit overdressed. Â Our mains were the chicken pagliacci and the bowties with cream sauce. Â I liked the sausage and the sauce on the bowties was pretty tasty but the chicken was fairly lacking in flavor. Â I very rarely salt my food and that really needed it. Â For dessert, we had the profiteroles, which had some tasty filling, and assorted gelatos. Â Mine was mint and it was pretty fantastic while some of others at my table included what I think was raspberry (tart and quite lovely) and then vanilla. Â The vanilla had a slightly weird and plasticy taste to it, unfortunately.
I may be convinced to come back and try the regular menu to see if we have better luck with any of the normal stuff. Â This was a bit disappointing but that seems to be not unusual for most places that have party menus.
We went here to celebrate my in laws anniversary. The food was pretty good. The bread and dipping oil was good, as was the calamari. I was dissappointed though because I had my heart set on lobster pasta, and they ran out of it even though it was on special. After that let down I ordered something else which was tasty, but all of the items that were supposed to be in it, prosciutto, red peppers, and spinach, were diced so finely that they really didn't come out in taste of the dish. Overall, it was just ok. If I'm really wanting good Italian in Napeville though, I'd rather go to Biaggis. My drink that was made with lemoncello was good.
Review Source:My food was great, but I definitely wouldn't order cocktails again, even if I did get a lot of drink for the money.
Was here earlier tonight, and it was walk-in empty straight to our table for 2. Â Our server was a bit pushy at first (maybe the weekday crowd is used to rapidfire ordering) but she backed off once it became clear that we were there for a nice slow meal. Â We ordered cocktails, but very frankly, both were extremely strong until we waited half the meal for the ice to melt. Â Stick to the vino.
The menu changes frequently, but all the options looked great our night. Â I got the gnocchi with marscapone filling and mushrooms, in a veal brandy sauce. I had hoped the gnocchi would have been more reasonably sized- it felt like marscapone dumplings rather than true gnocchi. Â Either way, the sauce was delicious and very mushroomy. Â My companion's chicken was also delicious- savory with a slight spicy kick in the finishing aftertaste.
Would definitely recommend this over any of the chains in Naperville- just stick to the vino when choosing drinks.
Loved this location! It had everything ... Class, atmosphere, great service, fab food. What more can I say??? Oh yes, Thanks Gigi. Olivia WAS the best server. We sat in the lounge/bar area in a semi private area. It was great. She was so surprised that I could recognize her from your description. She says that she's never heard of Yelp! What? She will be checking it out though. We will definately go back. And yes, the manager took our $10 gift cards (all 4) at the same time. Thanks Francesca's
Review Source:This is my second time at Francescas but the first in this location. The food was excellent (I had the Monkfish Saltimbocca), served promptly and was delightfully hot (food served lukewarm is a dissatisfier for me). I take off points for a mediocre Mai Tai and uncomfortably close quarters. Every time I moved even a little bit I bumped into the diner behind me. Another point I was not fond of was the incredibly noisy atmosphere. Do people really have to be so loud that no one can be heard unless the raise their voices?
Still, the food was excellent.
Impossible to find something on the menu that wont satisfy.Caprese salad and Carpaccio are always a good way to go. If your indecisive or dont like to try things too far outside your comfort zone, get the POLLO ARROSTO ALLA ROMANA.
Service, Environment, and Location are all great. Hard to say this is not one of my favorite places to go to for lunch, a date, or even to grab some good grub togo in the NPV.
this place is pretty consistent on service, food and atmosphere. it's usually loud and busy and on the weekends tough to get into. but it's pretty easy to walk in without a rez on a week night. the wait staff is always spot on with refills and clearing the table.
i haven't ever had a bad pasta/risotto there either.
i don't particularly like their seating, the tables are jammed very closely together and you could very well end up sitting elbow to elbow with your neighbor.
We ADORE La Sorella Di Francesca - it's our Naperville restaurant of choice! Love that their menus change every two weeks, although if there is something you remember and it's no longer on their menu, they will make it for you if they can.
The staff is nothing but nice and helpful.. quick with refills but they also leave you alone to enjoy your meal. We have never feel rushed (which is my biggest pet peeve).
And the food is delicious! Everything tastes fresh and the calamari is some of the best we've had. Prepare to spend $100 for a couple of glasses of wine, appetizer, entrees and dessert - but you can also enjoy for a lot less if you split a salad and entree (which are usually big enough for two people).
Hands down, our favorite restaurant in Naperville!
Our party had a wonderful experience at La Sorella di Francesca. Â My party had a reservation for 6 pm and we were seated immediately in the upstairs dining area, which I prefer because the downstairs gets quite loud. Â We ordered the risotto with escarole, pancetta and saffron and it was the perfect appetizer. Â I chose to have the dinner salad and my only complaint was there was too much dressing. Â But that's just me, and I should have ordered the dressing on the side.
For my entree I had the pan-seared grouper with peas, white onion, oregano in a garlic white wine tomato broth over creamy polenta. Â And it was quite possibly the tastiest dish I have ever eaten. Â The other people in my party were delighted with their dishes as well. Â As always our server was very attentive and knowledgeable. Â Another wonderful experience at La Sorella!
I went to Francescas in downtown Naperville this past weekend for an anniversary with my boyfriend- Normally we go to the locations in either Elmhurst or on Taylor St.. We had a reservation for 7:00pm, but weren't seated until about 7:45 (which was OK because we had a good spot at the bar while waiting). The place was packed!
I wish I remember the name of our server because she was fantastic! She was very attentive and quick with refills.
Food: One of the reasons why I love the Francesca's chain is that their menu is constantly changing and I'm always left with great anticipation. The Bf and I shared a caprese salad, he had the veal, and I had a pasta dish. All of our food was fantastic. Also- I mentioned to our waitress a dessert that I'd had a few months back but didn't see on the menu- and to my surprise, she put in a special order to the chef to specially make it for me (chocolate chip banana bread pudding).
The Naperville location is much smaller than the others that I have visited, but it gave the place a very romantic and intimate feel - although, I could see feeling cramped if we had a table in the middle of the restaurant (we had a booth in the corner).
Pros: Amazing, fresh food. decent prices. attentive service. good drink list. changing menu. local feel.
Cons: parking can be difficult in downtown Naperville on the weekends.
Delicious and FRESH. Always. And a bonus: the menu changes daily! (It's handwritten every day and copied/printed. So cool.) My family and I come here often and is a great option for a "nicer" dinner out in Naperville.
My mom always orders the chicken limon with a side of pasta to come with it. Since it is more than enough to feed one person, she usually takes it home and eats it very slowly to savor the goodness. (I do this too.)
My dad typically gets the seafood pasta and is never disappointed, as he continues to order similar dishes. His last order was some type of sausage pasta dish, and while I'm not typically a huge sausage fan, I loved his food (and kept sneaking bites of his leftovers).
I can never remember what it is called, but I've ordered the half-chicken with potatoes a couple of times. It is juicy, well-seasoned but not overpowering, delicious and a favorite. For Pete's sake - it's a half chicken! - and I can probably wolf the entire dish, if I'm hungry enough...and I do not have a large stomach.
Get dessert and order anything from the dessert menu, because it's all to die for.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover how inexpensive this fancy restaurant is during lunch hour. Â Aside from the entree prices, and in considering the location on Jefferson in downtown Naperville, there were still numerous items from $7.99-9.99.
Our eyes were both caught by the Gamberi dish, which had some of the best shrimp I've tasted in a long while (be sure to check out the menu at the web site for a description). Â The Italian sausage sandwich was out of this world! Â Neither of us wanted to eat just one of the items, so we decided to split them. Â They were both well-presented and delicious.
Before our orders came, we ordered their bruschetta, and it was, again, some of the best I've had in a long time.
Without a doubt, I will be making a return! Â Enjoy.
Five for Food. Three for service.
I don't think I've ever had a bad meal at a Francesca's restaurant.
I was here on NYE last year, so I knew it would be packed (we had a reservation though). Â Not much of a bar area to wait in, so I wouldn't plan on going on a busy night without a reservation.
I ate the chicken with prosciutto which I enjoyed, but not as much as my girlfriend's lobster ravioli! Â That was some good stuff. Â We started with sauteed calamari - personally I prefer fried or grilled. Â It was OK, I'd prob skip this next time.
Also - if you're a Costco member, I believe you can get $100 GCs for $80. Â It was about $100 for the two of us, so I should have bought the GCs beforehand. Â If you're going to have an app, a few drinks, and dinner, plan on $100 for two.
Above average fare and service but not spectacular. The bar is pretty decent with a nice selection of beers and wines.
I don't think you could go wrong here unless you are trying to economize. You get what you pay for - it's priced like a 4 star restaurant.
I have a personal bias against downtown Naperville because I find it overcrowded with a lack of parking a congested roads.
La Sorella has decent Italian food. Â Menu changes every few weeks and there are daily specials. Â The menu is not extensive--a few pasta dishes and Italian-influenced entrees. Â I'm still trying to find fresh, tender homemade pasta and didn't find it here, but the penne w/sliced sausage and fresh mushrooms was very good. Â Most dishes are served on either penne or linguine, although they "may" have other pasta available.
Linguine con mare e monte was just ok - shrimp were overcooked and tough; sauce was a bit bland. Â Pasta portions are generous.
Service was very good--attentive and friendly. Â They have a good wine list, although most by the bottle, also have a bar. Â My cosmo was served very cold in a frosted martini glass. Â Atmosphere can be very noisy - upstairs is the best bet if you want to have a conversation. Â They can also handle groups upstairs.
So fresh and delicious!
Came by for Mother's Day dinner, and what a busy service night they had! Â Waiters and busboys were walking around serving tables nonstop; it was hectic for sure, but service was a little spotty for our table.
The mussels are a great way to kick off the meal, and both Mom and I also thoroughly enjoyed the penne con prosciutto and eggplant/mushroom pizza. Â I wish I had unlimited amounts of that pizza! Â Drool.
+100 on Opentable.
Really.... for the price it doesn't get any better.
InCREDible team oriented service that is never overbearing.
The food, and we shared, was plentiful to the point of gluttony and just delicious. Penne with prosciutto and snap peas. Pork chops with some kind of sun dried tomato and mushroom garnish that was heavenly. Salmon on a bed of spinach that was perfect. I had the penne and I can EAT folks. It was all I could do to finish. Better off getting a little to go. Â : )
Good, but overpriced, wine list. That is the only poor value here. $32 for a $10 bottle of Monte Antico is a complete crime. lol
This review is on service, NOT FOOD. Â
I love Francesca's food, it's amazing. Â My beef is with the front of the house. Â My husband and I walked in well before any dinner rush crowd and asked for a table for 3, my mother-in-law was parking and told us she was on her way in shortly. Â They wouldn't seat us until our "whole" party was there. Â Er, what? Â We asked again letting them know we were only waiting for one more and was planning on ordering some wine (as soon as I could get it to my lips with the way my day had been going) and again they said no with blank stares. Â So there we are in an empty restaurant just standing there...like they needed the tables or couldn't possibly...
I MEAN WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THIS?! Â Seat me, damnit! Â I almost wanted to just say "okay, forget it, party of 2" and lie to them just to sit down instead of starring at each other with 3 feet of uncomfortableness. Â I rarely have problems with people but this is ridiculous.
I solved the situation by hitting the bar for an immediate glass of "house" red which...somehow was $7... a house/cheap red that's $7 a glass?? Â What's going on here? Â Not happy with the people, and it's all about the people to me.
I've been to virtually every Francesca restaurant and this one has to be
the best! I love the ambience, the food, and the music in this place.
I've been coming to this particular Francesca's for over 13 years. Their
menu changes daily and I love that!
My most favorite items are the "Brushette alla Romano". I love this
appetizer so much that I usually order one just for myself because I
like it all to myself *rubs hands together in a greedy gesture*. I don't
share this one.... My other favorite is a dessert, the "Peanut Butter
torte". I haven't seen it on the menu in a while and I really hope it
comes back.... :) Â It is just as stated, a "peanut butter torte" with a
heaping dallop of fresh whipped cream on the side. YUMMY!! The
menu features many other tasty dishes as well.
I hope to be coming here for another 13 years.... :)
I love this place! Â Probably the best Italian food in Naperville. Â (Not that Naperville is like some Italian-American mecca or anything, but you get what I'm saying.) Â It's a great "date" place - not super-fancy, but not, y'know, Olive Garden. Â Their menu changes all the time, which keeps things interesting. Â I usually stick to various seafood pasta dishes, all fresh and delicious (including a seafood primavera with asparagus that was like buttah), and they have a really yummy lobster bisque. Â Oh, and I'd probably eat any of their desserts off the floor, that's how good they are (also, I have no dignity).
So why only four stars? Â Unfortunately, when this place gets crowded, shit gets TIGHT and LOUD. Â Instead of whispering those sweet nothings to your date, you might be forced to yell them.
The food is wholesome and tasty . You can never go wrong with the calamari or the mussels for appetizers. The gnocchi  is to die for. I always had gnocchi with vodka sauce, when I had it with the bolognese sauce, it is just as fantastic.The desserts selection is very good. The Tiramisu is excellent. I am often tempted to make the looooong drive down from BG to Naperville, just for the gnocchi and tiramisu.
The restaurant is ALWAY LOUD. The setting is very posh and romantic, but the loud noise takes away from any romantic conversation.
I was so disappointed! Â After reading the other reviews, I really looked forward to my dinner here and it was not at all what I expected. Â We also had the experience where the item ordered off the menu didn't match what was delivered. Â Here are the details....
First I tried to make a reservation for 6:30. Â They told me that they had nothing available, so I took 6:45. Â When we walked in at 6:30, there were tons of empty table! Â They seated us right away, so what's up with that?
Our waiter was a nice guy. Â Kind of like Kevin James from the King of Queens. Â He was a little scarce, focusing on the table of 6 guys behind us, but he was good at answering our questions and recommending some good wine.
We got the calamari and portabello mushroom appetizers. Â My husband said the calamari was very fresh and he got lots of it. Â I got one portabello mushroom that had goat cheese on it and some red, bland, sauce.
I ordered some linguini with shrimp and mushrooms with a red sauce. Â My husband ordered an item that said it had potato dumplings in it. Â Well, it didn't. Â When he asked the waiter he said that there were cavatelli noodles. Â Well, that's not potato dumplings. Â Then he brought over the manager, who said the same thing. Â Potato dumplings are not pasta! Â So after a civilized debate, they asked him if he wanted something else. Â He order a rigatoni with pesto sauce and asked for extra garlic. Â They brought his order without the extra garlic.
Meanwhile, I just picked the shrimp out of my linguini with it's bland ragu-like sauce. Â It was supposed to have basil in it, but I didn't taste any.
After dinner, they brought over a complimentary piece of tiramizzo and were very apologetic. Â Then I overheard the waiter explaining to the guy next to me that there weren't any potato dumplings in the entree that my husband ordered!
So when we were finished eating, the check was dropped at our table. Â They charged us for 3 entrees and the dessert and then took it off at the bottom of the check. Â Maybe I'm old fashioned, but the guy could have stopped for 5 seconds and explained that. Â It would have made him look like a winner.
When we were ready to leave, I stopped for a pit stop. Â The rest room was very clean, but I couldn't get the toilet to flush! Â My husband said I looked like I was going to blow a gasket when I walked out of there!
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