After writing my review, one of the staff contacted me. She was very apologetic about the service i received and requested that I give it another shot and it would be on them.
So I took them up on their offer. The day I wanted to go I wasn't able to eat in so i can't write an update on the service. But I can talk about the food. When I called for pick-up I spoke with the staff member who contacted me and she was, again, very apologetic and gracious. Because I was so turned off by the food the last time, I asked her what she would recommend. Surely something recommended by the restaurant couldn't be bad. Also, I didn't want to take advantage and order an expensive dish just because it was free. She recommended the Frutte Di Mare, a pasta and seafood dish with red sauce. I thought it sounded ok so I went with it.
When I went to pick it up, I met the lady, who was again apologetic once more and said that they try very hard to please their customers and just want me to have a good experience and be happy. I thought that was nice. I took the food and left.
Well, I have to say, I was in 7 Heaven! I thought the dish was one of the best pasta dishes I have ever tasted in my life. It was exquisite. It's two weeks later and I can still taste the deliciousness! I really can't say if they made it especially yummy because they wanted me to write an update on Yelp or what...I'm hoping that it's this good all the time.
So, glad I gave it yet another shot. I'll probably go back for pickup and stick with the Frutte Di Mare.
I'd like to give this place 4 stars but the service really hurts here.
This is the second time I've been there. The first time I went to the bar downstairs which is a really cool place. I went with a friend, another professional, we loved the low key atmosphere and great prices. BUT we were hounded by some marketer that wanted to give us free T-Shirts and take our pictures. We weren't into that.
Tonight I ate upstairs with two friends I haven't seen in a long time. We just saw some theater and were looking forward to a quiet, leisurely dinner. The place was empty. I ordered the Filet Mignon. It was really good, great portions, cooked well. We ordered a good bottle of wine too at a nice price. The only problem was I had to fight the busser to keep the plate in front of me. He asked several times if he could take my plate. If my fork wasn't constantly moving he wanted to take my plate away. No breathers, time to talk or digest your food allowed. The challenge of keeping my meal was getting a little exhausting.
If you want pretty good food, and a drink at a nice price and are in a mood to endure so so service, this isn't a bad option.
I've been to Pazzo's on a number of occasions, and it really isn't that bad. It is a bit strange because it has a mix of professionals and college students. Sifting through the reviews, it seems students have less of an experience at the restaurant and professionals have less of an experience at the bar.
The food in the main room isn't bad. The best dish I've had there was a scallop linguine. Scallops were made nicely, though not the best quality, also not bad. It's def better than chains like Olive Garden, but not as good as a chain like Biaggi's. I wouldn't complain much because prices are fair and what else would you expect in a restaurant in the Loop.
The bar in the basement definitely appeals to the college crowd with its beer pong tables, video games, and karaoke. I haven't ever seen them in use, as I typically came on weekdays for happy hours, but you know that they attract different crowds on different days of the week.
All in all, good for a work function on a weekday or during business hours.
Of all the restaurants in Chicago that I've had, fast food included, this has to be the worst that I have ever had as far as price to quality goes. I ranted about this place to my boyfriend for hours already and reprimanded him for suggesting we go here instead of Chipotle. I was especially disgruntled I had to pick up the $50 tab because I said I would because I'm always up for trying new sitdowns.
We had AntiPasti, he had Linguine, and I had the Grilled Mahi Mahi Sandwich. I was excited because I had always seen this next to DePaul and had wanted to try it. Sbarro was closed and we had just finished studying in the library in DePaul Center and were hungry. I wanted food and since I had tried Rosebud before we decided to try Pazzo's. Big mistake. Let me start with the service.
The waiter treated us disinterestedly and indifferently, didn't really bother to check up on us so we barely had or glasses refilled, and hardly seated us. But that's just the cherry on top of the urinal cake. First off the italian bread that they had to offer with the parmesean and cheese was disgusting. It was too hard to cut into and was already stale and not warm. Not the norm at other restaurants I've been to.
We started with the antipasti which was more than disappointing. We didn't eat most of it as I found the mix distasteful and everything over olive tasting. I have never had antipasti before, but that makes me not want to order it again anywhere.  When my boyfriend's linguine came, it was already cold. Which was completely disappointing because we wanted a warm meal but the waiter didn't  bother to come back to check on us till the end of the meal. Also the red sauce was extremely bland and he barely ended up eating half.
As for my mahi mahi sandwich, the fish was extremely dry, cold, and tasteless. I felt like I was eating rubber. I only ate a fourth of the sandwich.
I advise against this restaurant. It's not worth it. The prices surpass even Rosebud and it's absolutely disgusting. I'd have rather eaten a Big Mac for dinner.
i've only been to the bar downstairs so this review is only for the section... service is slow even when it's not busy (so annoying!), the food is ok, I like the french fries and the pizzas...only reason i come here is because it's a change from chipotle or any of the other fast food places around and its a bar and sometimes you need a drink after class
Review Source:Give it a miss. Â The service and food were both sub-par. Â Waited forever for our drinks, while watching table after table get served. Â Did we have any questions about the menu? Â Why no, we've been looking at it for 20 minutes, thanks! Â The food took forever, also, and tasted distinctly microwaved. Â Served with a side of dry bread. Â Overpriced and poor experience. Â Not what I expected, and a shame considering its DePaul Loop location.
Review Source:Very yummy and chic!
This week i went to a business lunch and had a great meal. The atmosphere was very modern and our waiter was very attentive. I had the Chicken Vesuvio entree which was recommended by a coworker that frequents Pazzos. It was good but i was a little disappointed. When my friend orders the Chicken Vesuvio Sandwich it come with a pasta salad, which is what i really wanted. Unfortunately my entree had a side of oven baked potato's, which were still good, but i had a taste for the pasta salad. All in all, my time here was enjoyable and my lunch companions were happy as well. I will definitely return.
My review is of the basement bar. Â Â I'll try to be fair here, because there are many people in Chicago who enjoy horrible karaoke, spray-tanned apathetic bartenders, poor beer selection, mediocre food, and garish decor. Â Â If you are a lost Lincoln Park frat boy with low standards or a lonely tone-deaf downtown office worker, this could be the place for you.
Everything about my visit to this establishment was wrong.   From the moment I walked in, I was assaulted by the most horrible karaoke imaginable (private party for some office) and the smell of unavailable hot food (for the private party only).   To make matters worse, the karaoke was "MC'd" by a really obnoxious DJ determined to fill even the briefest silent moments with his own desperation for attention.   (Seriously, how could anyone not want  to build a time machine in their  basement, travel back to 1989, and beat this man to death with an axe handle?)
I wanted to turn around and leave immediately. Â Â But my friend, a die-hard Cardinals fan (it's genetic), was waiting for me at the bar parked in front of the television. Â Â The game we wanted was on television, there was a special on "sliders", and there was one or two beers available that were not too terrible. Â So we stayed. Â Â In retrospect, this was a mistake.
(Side note: Â How can you tell if a bar caters to douchebags? Â Their food specials are chicken wings, Sliders, and Coors Light!)
Our bartenders were two of the most spray-tanned, over-mascaraed trixie trainwrecks I've ever seen outside of Lincoln Park. Â Â This would have been bearable had the service not been so atrocious. Â Â I've gotten better service (and better beer selection) at TGI Friday's for chrissakes. Â Â Everything about this bar made me feel completely out of place and unwelcome. Â Â I found myself hating everyone who had ever been to this unholy place.
By the time my friend's ballgame was over, my ears were bleeding and my stomach was turning. Â Â Even an hour later, after decompressing with decent beer and music at Cal's down the street, I still felt the horror of BAD BAR EXPERIENCE. Â My evening was ruined.
So, intrepid traveler, if you have any standards at all, avoid this establishment. Â Turn tail and run. Â Â Go home and tell your significant other that you love them. Â Call and old friend. Â Find a safe refuge, drink a shot of bourbon, and thank your lucky stars that you are too good for this place.
You're welcome.
I went to the downstairs bar & grill on Saturday afternoon. Â Other than the party of three I was with there was no one else in the space. Â We sat down and ordered beer, nachos and sliders. Â The sliders were disgusting little slabs of what I was told were beef and they stabbed the pickles to the top of the buns with a toothpick. Â This was the oddest presentation of sliders I have ever witnessed. Â The nachos looked like a typical plate of nachos. Â They tasted very much like nachos as well. Â Ah, American bar food how unapologetic you are!
I asked the waitress to turn on the Northwestern game. Â She asked, "What kind of game is that?" Â I said, "Football" and she responded, "We only get local sports team games".
Within an hour a large group had descended on the bar area. Â One of them approached me and stated they had this space reserved for their private party. Â I responded, "It would certainly seem so. Â You can have it since you clearly spared no expense".
Came here with a few coworkers. The location is in the DePaul Law School, where sociopath lawyers are trained to be ruthless and heartless, but I won't hold that against what is a perfectly pleasant little restaurant.
I did not try the food, this review is for the bar area downstairs. The upstairs interior is nice and stylish, though.
Downstairs, it's like someone's frat party basement. Bud Lite specials and giant TVs. For our event, though, they were accommodating, and the staff was great. The bartender was a gorgeous, friendly woman who remembered what I was drinking when I walked up. A vodka tonic, so it's not such a stretch, but still - it's a nice thing.
We were also able to set up a Wii for a dance thing, and I was able to show the people I'm working with that yes, this ol' girl still has the moves.
Went here on a whim. I just happened to be walking in the financial district late at night on the way to the train and wanted to grab something to eat. There' s not that many places open in that area so having a standard Italian place that is not Italian Village was a welcomed surprise.
I didn't really have many expectations for the place. Everything seemed pretty standard. Standard wine list, prices were reasonable and service was simple. Don't know when they opened but there are a few kinks I would work out as time goes on.
Servers should be extremely knowledgable about the menu and the specials.. The one thing that is a little annoying when I come into a place like this is when the server is reading the special off of a piece of paper. It makes me think that you rushed into work at the last moment, put on your apron, and asked the chef what the specials were right before you walked over to the table. If you aren't excited about being there why should your guests?
That sounds like I'm ranting but I actually did enjoy my time here and the food was filling. I know with a little more time and focus this place could do really well.
I've been here a couple of times now. The first was shortly after it opened and it was obvious they were still working out a few kinks. I was always a fan of the location on Hubbard and on Wacker Drive and after returning last month I was very pleased with our food. I had the Chicken Vesuvio sandwich which was incredible, (thought the potatoes were a little on the dry side) We also had our holiday party here and every one of the h'ouer d'oevres were very good.
Review Source:Pazzo's is the new guy on the block here at DePaul's loop campus. I came here after class with some friends to grab dinner and a couple of drinks. The upstairs section was fairly dead, but a whole different atmosphere was in the bottom level. Lot's of seats and tables but people prefer to stand and drink. Quite loud, and typical alcohol prices for being in the loop.
Food averaged about $9-$12 for an entree. I got the Nacho's as an appetizer and an Italian Sausage Sandwich. The beef nacho's were pretty good, but the sandwich was kind of a miss. This place is a nice little spot to go to after class every once in a while.
Yeeeesh. Â Save your money and go somewhere else; anywhere else!
Pazzo's is not my cup of tea. Â By that, I mean that I tend to like restaurants that use flavors other than salt to season their dishes. Â And that don't feel like a suburban bar-and-grill chain. Â
The ambiance is yucky. Â Very clean and brightly lit with big TVs for the game. Â Really, their interior decorator clearly got their design inspiration from an IHOP in Wilmette. Â The waiters uniforms didn't help this.
The bread with the meal was dry and seemed day-old.
We had the house salad (ok, but not worth 7 dollars in size or quality) and stuffed pasta that had zebra in the name, but will henceforth be called salt stuffed pasta. Â Like I've said in other reviews, I am a true blooded American that enjoys salt just like the next. Â So when it's hard for me to swallow something because it's too salty, its salt content has clearly surpassed the upper limits of the law. Â Aside from that, the pasta itself was really chewy and dry and no other discernible flavors.
For 15 or 17 dollars, I can't remember, the salt pasta left me hungry for my money back and a gallon of water. Â They can't even hold a candle to La Gondola. Â I might spend 17 dollars on a pasta dish there, but when I get three to four orgasmic meals out of it, it's worth it.
Pass!
A solid Italian restaurant that is very reasonably priced for downtown Chicago. Â In a neighborhood with a lot of fast-food and lunch spots, Pazzo's is a solid choice that is open for dinner. Â Atmosphere is very casual - lots of tv's on the walls and football was on during our dinner. Â In my opinion not quite as good as Francesca's, but our pasta meal was just fine.
Review Source:Service and food were both terrible, in my opinion. Also, the waiter brought the wrong change with my bill. And when I asked for the manager, the owner came out and backed up the errant waiter. They owe me money! It wasn't worth fighting for. But these folks do not live up to their financial obligations. Miss this one.
Review Source:Went here with two friends for New Years Eve dinner. Â I found this gem on open table, when I recognized the name as a place I used to work at, many moons ago. Â They had a location near the airport under a different name. Â The menu is pretty much the same as I had remembered. Â We started out with the calamari and polenta cup to split between the three of us. Â I'm quite picky about calamari, this was ok, but not the greatest I've had. Â The polenta cup, however was fabulous. Â I split a ceasar salad with one of my friends, as it's large enough for two. Â It was as great I remembered. Â I had the Torteloni Bugonesta which is AMAZING. Â My friends has the lasagna and Zebra Panzottini and they were impressed with both. Â The atmosphere is great, decor is cozy and the downstairs bar area seems like it could be a great place for a private party. Â I can't wait for my next visit so I can have the Pollo Rigatoni, which was my second favorite dish back in the day!!!
Review Source:Pazzo's is a relatively new addition to the area. Â I've been here for a Happy Hour with co-workers, and I had a pretty fun time. Â You can tell they are still getting settled in because the waitress didn't know too much about the menu, and had to ask other servers questions about our orders. Â I'm sure once they get comfortable, things will run a lot smoother.
I have yet to try the upstairs restaurant, but would like to! They are a bit pricey, so I would probably only come back once in a while or for specials. Other than that, it's definitely a decent place to grab a drink or a bite in the Loop.
A little gem I found on my walk home from Union Station.
Pazzo's Cucina Italiana has a nice bar area when you walk in for those who want to stop in for a cocktail or for those who travel on business and are dining alone.
I really enjoyed the Tutti Colori Pappardelle and would stop back again on my way home for dinner.
(+) Â Tutti Colori Pappardelle - Chicken, sun dried tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, roasted eggplant and garlic in a white wine sauce with colorful strips of pasta that tasted homemade.
A good friend and I went there pretty late (around 9pm) and got world-class service. We got a great meal for very good value (we had a Travelzoo voucher); the owner/manager could not have been more friendly and accommodating, the waiter was friendly and helpful, everyone was so kind and the food was delicious. A great time overall!
Review Source:My wife and I went here with a TravelZoo coupon. Â The deal was $39 for an appetizer, two entrees, two glasses of wine, and a dessert.
For our appetizer we ordered the bruschetta, it was okay. Â The tomatoes were kinda of flavorless, but I know its been a tough year to find good tomatoes (so I can give it a pass), but they also did not put very much basil on top of each pice of bruschette (like one little leave at best). Â maybe they were out of basil? otherwise it was good, delicious buffalo mozzarella.
For our main courses, my wife got an Italian bouillabaisse (my description), they had a name for it, but I don't recall it (and their menu is not listed online). Â It was a ton of seafood, shrimp, scallops, calamari, clams, mussels, and a huge crab claw in a spicy red broth, delicious!!, and the seafood was cooked perfectly (not rubbery)
I ordered linguine with with seared scallops and sun dried tomatoes in a white wine sauce. Â The scallops were again cooked perfectly, and the sauce was good but a bit on the heavy side (I guess I'm just used to "thinner" white wine sauces, this one had the consistently of an alfredo) again not bad, just different then what I'm used to.
Dessert was vanilla gelato with imported Italian cherries (like maraschino except way better). Â The only issue is that it was not vanilla gelato, it was vanilla ice cream. Â Not bad, but don't try to pass off middle of the rode ice cream as gelato.
Service was good. Â We'll be back.
They also have a down stairs which caters more to the college crowd for sporting events. Â They seem to have good specials on game days, and a ton of flat screens down there.
Its important to note that the owners have done a good job separating these two areas, so you can absolutely enjoy a nice meal up stairs (with the ambiance you'd expect), while fans are cheering on their team down stairs.
I wrote and posted the following review on yelp's first listing for this Pazzo's location, which subsequently had its address and cuisine changed, which seemed totally fishy. We visited the restaurant on 8/9/11.
Pazzo's is overpriced and bland. Went with two other diners and experienced some of the most mediocre food i've eaten in the loop. Would have liked to enjoy this place cause it's close to the office but it's not good and not worth recommending.
Why won't I be coming back?
Salmon: Overcooked. This after the waiter asked my friend how he would like it cooked and he said "rare"
Gnocci: tough and mealy with a bland sauce.
Fettuccine frutti di mare: mediocre. Needed salt. Shrimp overcooked.
It's new, of course, so perhaps they'll improve with time. Our experience was so lackluster that I will never go back and find out.
WOW!!! Fantastic, truly authentic Italian food! We were in Italy last summer, and this is amazing. They have another location at 311 S. Wacker Dr. They also have a basement bar with lots of TV's. As of August 8th, they don't have their liquor license, so we brought our own, and they didn't charge us a corking fee.
REALLY wonderful food. Go. Really, get up right now and go.
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