Quartino is a solid 4 star, but I'm giving it 5 to make up for the underrating as well as to give the management and staff a high five on jobs well done! Â Located close to the Red Head I'd been by Quartinos many many times but never dined there...
We had a group of 12 that I booked through yelp/opentable late afternoon on the day of. Â Our numbers changed up and down, communicated with Quartino a couple of times, then ultimately wound up with 11 after all, conventions are always a challenge locking down folks for dinner...I equate it to herding cats!
When we arrived we checked in and were told it would be about 15 minutes....no problem...we negotiated the bar area and got a round. Â It was Monday night and the hustle and bustle, tight quarters, and upbeat feel of the patrons was an ambiance that just felt comfortable. Â Some where around the 20 minute mark, a manager came by, identified our group, acknowledged our wait time and assured us our table was next up...then bought our group a round at the bar for having to wait longer than expected. Â Well done Matt. Â Well done. Â Within minutes we were on our way to our table.
The waitstaff were welcoming, knowledgeable, and prompt. Â The variety of choices and small plate style really works well for a group. Â Our table had a variety of the offerings, all of which were very good with the pork shank and meatballs standing out in my memory. Â Overall a very nice experience at Quartinos.
Good people, good food, good times...
This place is my go-to spot when I need a large group reservation and FAST. They have an enormous space, so it's not too difficult getting a reservation the week before. The food is somewhat average, it depends what you order really. But my favorites are the gnocci, pappardelle, and cavatelli. They are usually the table's favorites, so it's a must order every time.
Their seafood is actually pretty fresh and really delicious too. The best thing is that this is all tapas, so I get to try a little bit of everything each time. Also, they have a selection of 1-2 bottles of Red/White that are only $20, so everyone gets pretty ...happy... by the end of the meal!
I am hosting a birthday party here next month for 20 people, so I wonder how service will be because it was a little on the slow side the last few times I came. All in all, a great place for big crowds!
Tapas which are cold, tough and clearly not Spanish - not that they advertise it to be, but they need not call it tapas either. Anyways - terrible food. They only get the footfall because they are in the middle of everything. The pasta was soggy. Salumi plate bad to say the least. $100 down the gutter.
Review Source:So while in Chicago, we had a few folks flying in so I turned to my foodie friend and he was able to direct me to Quartino for a nice team dinner. This place was perfect in my mind because I love Tapas and Italian Food. What a great idea to have small plates for Italian food. Bravo.
Our team arrives here at 6 PM on a Thursday and we were still missing two folks. They told us that they would seat us once our party arrived which I did not mind and felt was fair. Finally the last two members joined the party and we were brought into the main dining room of the bustling restaurant. It is quite packed in here and there is not a whole lot of wiggle room as a warning to folks. Since it is in fact pretty packed, the noise level is on the loud side as well. The décor of the joint was inviting and casual which was reinforced by the tables placed closely together. It made it seem like one large family at a dinner table ready to consume a delicious meal. I was a fan of the ambiance.
The service was also super friendly. The waiter was very knowledgeable over all of the food including what vino to order based on what type of vino we were looking for. They were attentive throughout the meal even though each waiter seemed to be waiting on multiple tables.
We ordered a ton of plates to share which included the veal meatballs, the Bolognese, penne ala vodka, the margherita pizza, and the parpadelle. Everything was delicious honestly. A solid joint and definitely hearty enough to share with folks. The penne alla vodka was one of my more favorites and the meatballs were great as well. I was worried that they would be a bit bland but they were flavorful so definitely a plus. Everyone loved the small plate experience as we were all able to try multiple different things without getting full quickly.
This is definitely a great place to bring a group of folks to spend some time bonding with folks. Solid food and a relaxing atmosphere. I will definitely be back to try a few more plates during my next Chicago visit.
Holy over-rated Batman. Â This is the 42nd review I've written today and, by far, the rating with which I'm most puzzled. Â Its not bad, but it's certainly not good. Â I'll agree that the concept of Italian tapas is somewhat novel, but really it just equates to getting a greater variety of mediocre food. Â I have a theory that the majority of the positive reviews are from out-of-towners in awe of its novelty. Â I base this on nothing more than its location and my incredulity towards its ranking.
On an aside: I'd say that around 30% of the time, when I was trying to coordinate the location for a date with a girl I did not know very well and asked her where she wanted to go, the answer would be Quartino. Â Let's just say, at the very least, a girl who responded with that answer was playing catch up for said date.
This place is always pretty good! Â I usually think this place deserves 4 stars but I am going to give them a small demotion based upon the attentiveness of the service and the value of the food, which is always good, but was not as good the last time I went. Â The problem with this place is a lack of table maintenance and overly expensive drinks.
Gnocci is the best thing I have had on the menu and everything else is always pretty yummy as well.
I am definately coming back even if my last experience wasn't perfect.
This place was a gem of a find! We got really lucky and found an open reservation here for New Year's Eve. We LOVE eating family style and getting to try more than a few things on the menu, so Quartino was perfect for us. Italian food is easy to make, but extremely difficult to make well. I've only been to two Italian places that have made memorably delicious Italian food, and this is one of them. Everything we ordered made us say "mmmm..." The food was well seasoned, cooked to perfection and served in perfect proportions for one person to eat all him/herself or for at least 4 people to be able to share pretty fairly. Between the four of us, we got 5 pasta dishes, a pizza and a bottle of wine and I think it only came out to be around $30/person...fantastic!!
Reasonably priced, great service, absolutely delicious food. I can't wait to come back!!
If tapas, and Italian food are your thing, I'd highly suggest Quartino as a spot in Chicago to come and try. What's great about tapas is that there's so much variety and the dishes are small. This offers a lot of food tasting, and is really great to socialize with.
I came here with two of my other friends, and got seating right away because this spot is LARGE. There's a big first floor, and just as large second story. It's quite unbelieveable. Having such a vast menu, I would just suggest you not overly think about it, and just order what you think sounds good & have at it. That's the best way to do it!
Foods don't come in any order. It's what ever is cooked and it just comes out. For example our sampler plate of meat and cheeses came last while the pasta and baked stuff came first. Odd, but not bad at all!
Off our dinner adventure, I would recommend the following:
1) Eggplant Parmigiana - I'm enjoy eating eggplant, and when breaded, I love it even more! Rich with flavor. Excellent!
2) Steamed Clams - YES! Must get. Small clams, delicious in flavor. Rich! Save your bread and dip it in the juices. So much yum in a plate!
3) Pappardelle al Sugo di Manzo - Pasta ribbons with braised beef in tomato sauce. As a pasta lover, this was devine. The braised beef was so soft. Very simple and well made.
4) Veal Meatball Slider - Different and good. Eat this when it comes out and don't wait on it because it will get cold!
Other tidbits -- if you are a Neopolitan Pizza lover, this spot may also be for you! The options for their pizza's were pretty large, so I'm going to assume that this is their bread and butter on top of tapas actually. For a couple that comes in, this may be the way to go if tapas isn't your thing.
Wine options galore. Middle of the road pricing in my opinion. Not cheap, but not too expensive. We had 6-7 dishes, myself a 1/2 Sangria, and my other friend 1/2 red wine, the total came out to $130 not including tip. $35-40/head ~ can't complain when the food is great!
I have been coming to Quartino for over a year now. It was one of the first places I tried when I moved to Chicago and have been coming back ever since.
Food: Tapas style which is great for sharing and sampling multiple items without getting too full. I love all the pizzas but my favorites are the vegetarina and the melanzane. I am also a huge fan of the veal meatballs napoli and asparagus risotto. I honestly don't think you can go wrong with any of their dishes!
Recently I have gotten hooked on the monthly wine bash event. The last Wednesday of every month for $20 you can drink as much wine and eat as many small plates as you want from 7-9 (It is quite a steal!!). I think it has been a great way to unwind with friends and coworkers during the week. Perfect excuse to go out on a Wednesday night, even in the middle of winter!
I would recommend making reservations as it always seems extremely crowded no matter the day for dinner. I would recommend this restaurant for anyone who loves Italian in the River North area.
I love Quartino! It was a regular spot for my boyfriend and I when we were living in Chicago, and when we're back in town Quartino will be our spot once again. We became quite fond of the bartender Erik, because he's friendly & personable, and great at his job - especially when it comes to pouring carafes of wine! The restaurant and bar is always super busy, so we always opted out of waiting for dining room service and sat where ever we wanted in the bar. That being said, the hostesses are all very beautiful so if you get to talk to them, the wait may not seem like such a bad option.
The food is great! Our go to dishes were the Beet Salad (yum!), Chilled Zucchini, or any of the awesome vegetarian pizza choices, which are gourmet style with creative topping combinations. For a Chicago restaurant, Quartino does offer quite a few options for vegetarians, (YAY!!) One time we ordered a pizza that already had several toppings on it and asked to have fresh arugula added. The pizza arrived shortly after with a huge pile of crispy arugula on top! They know what they're doing.
The service is fast! Each item takes about five minutes to arrive once you have ordered it. It makes the whole situation very simple as you can sit there drinking your wine and order as you please until you are full. I like that.
They always give you bread and oil before your meal and it's difficult not to dig in and eat a whole bunch - It's filling! They also top everything with a healthy dose of oil, which is nice to indulge in, but oil is fattening, and in my eyes is unnecessary in most cases. Lemon or lime juice is a much tastier, fresher, and healthier topping for salads!
The price, service, food, wine, and atmosphere are all Excellent - Quartino is awesome!
I really liked this place--more than I thought I would.
Like everyone has said, it's tapas style, which I normally don't think of when it comes to Italian food, but actually makes a lot of sense.
Our waitress, Alysia was super helpful and fun and great and she really made our experience even better. She even gave us suggestions on where to go for the rest of our trip since we were visiting Chicago for the first time.
One of my favorite parts of the restaurant was that it's open late. I love eating late and am on a super late schedule so it was so great to see something open late that serves really good food.
We started with the white bean hummus (YUM), the dates (holy shit!) and the carpaccio (alright). The bread basket was placed down immediately after we were seated and olive oil & balsamic were already on the table, which I loved. We also got the braised beef papparadle which was phenomenal and the scallops which were equally as good. I was super happy with our dinner! Oh, and we spilt a very affordable bottle of wine, which makes any dinner better! ;)
Things do come out when they are ready, which I kind of like, especially since we were warmed about this beforehand. If I wasn't told, I would probably be confused, so be warned :)
This restaurant, part of the Gibson group, has become my and my boyfriend's go-to date night place. It's easily accessible and really well priced and the food is fantastic. A dinner for two, with a shared dessert comes to around $35 with tip.
A couple of things should be noted:
- Quartino's is a large restaurant and packs people in so at times it can be very loud, especially if you are seated near the bar area. Although I don't normally like sitting by the kitchen exit space, it is actually one of the quieter corners of the restaurant
- They are known for "family-style" dining. This means that their dishes are meant to be shared by a group of people, each of whom takes what they want from a plate and passes it around. I personally don't like to share my food but have never experienced a problem with portion size. However, if you do find their portion to be small, it's cheap enough that you could order another entree easily.
- They are great for groups and for kids. They make really accessible Italian food - especially their entrees. Their apps are meat/dairy place centered, which isn't my thing. Â A lot of people go here for bachelor/ette parties or after work, so their staff is used to accommodating large groups of people. The attire isn't casual per se, but suits aren't required. It has a comfortable elegance.
- For those that drink, they have an extensive wine and beverage list which looks fantastic. They also always have a crowded bar.
Recommended dishes:
Eggplant parmesan, pizza margherita, zeppoles with dark chocolate dipping sauce
This place is absolutely lovely. For being such a large restaurant, it feels very intimate. The staff is incredibly helpful, prompt, and very sweet. My water glass never ran dry, which is always one thing I take note of in a busy restaurant.
My foodie companion and I could not decide what to get, so the waitress allowed us a lot of half portions of many things, which I thought was very accommodating and greatly impressed me. We tried the Spinach & Arugula salads (both good, Arugula was better), Spaghetti all' Arrabbiata (perfect amount of spice), Cavatelli (ricotta made it very rich and creamy...delicious), and Fettuccini.
This is traditional Italian at its best.
Just like the restaurant description says..... "Italian Tapas"
Super chill and mellow vibe with the friendly Italian welcome!
Lanny was our server and he was very helpful and friendly! He gave us suggestions and answered any and all of our questions! Always checked in with us and provided superb service! The Manager (i think) also stopped by to check on us as well...(thats always a bonus in my book!)
On to the fooooood!!!
Did the Lunch special (3 choices of plates for $25)
- Veal Meatball Sliders: TASTY!!!!
- Linguini with Clams: Buttery and tasty!
- Fried Calamari: Crispy and not wimpy calamari!
***The portions are very generous...so come with your appetite!!!
- Also paired it with Pinot grigio/Pinot blanco blend....went perfect together!!!
Our only disappointment was they did not have Bone Marrow. Our server, Lanny tried to ask, but he informed us it was seasonal. BUMMER!!!
Awesome food, great service....highly recommended!
Great energy with amazing wine and home-made pastas!
Saturday night, this place is packed, from bar to restaurant, wine is flowing, everyone is in their best garb and all I spell is amazing food. Â Girlfriend and I shared a pitcher of wine along with a pastas dish and bacon wrapped dates and ended our meal with some zeppoles!
Everything was amazing, I would definitely come for a return visit!
This place is AMAZING!!! Â I had never had Italian tapas, but Quartinos definitely made it work.
I wanted to bring my friends, who are from Cali, to something special in Chicago. They definitely enjoyed it. I made reservations on a Friday night at 8:30 PM. We were running a bit late so I called half an hour before our RSVP and luckily they were nice enough to push it to 9:00 pm. Upon our arrival, the lobby was a madhouse. People were elbow to elbow. Luckily, we only had to wait for 5 minutes for our table.
For our table for a party of 4 girls, we only ordered four dishes. While its recommended to order more considering its tapas style, the four dishes worked well for us. We got the shrimp risotto, wild arugula salad, paparazzi pizza, and the rigatoni that had chicken and broccoli. All four dishes was delicious. It was nice to share and try a little of everything. We also ordered a bottle of wine which our waiter recommended to us. I forget the name but they have a nice selection. Our bill came out to be 25pp including tax and tips.
I highly recommend this place. Come with reservations and a big group so you can try more dishes!
We got here at 6 and the wait was 4 hours for a table on a (long weekend) Saturday night, so we found a seat right away at the bar instead. Â We had white Sangria (with cubes of apple and orange in our glasses), spinach and pear salad, mushroom risotto, and octopus. Â The portions were small, but everything was delicious and very reasonably priced. Â Explains the long wait. Â We'll be making a reservation the next time we come.
Review Source:Quartino, I wanted to love you unabashedly, but I just can't. It all began in your entryway. What is up with that space?! At 5'2" I tend to get lost in a crowd, but all the pushing and shoving as patrons traipsed in and out was an immediate turn off.
We had reservations for 6 and were seated at 6:45. Typically, I would have been mildly annoyed, but as we were going to see "The Book of Mormon" at 8, being seated this late meant a rushed dinner and no dessert. Don't mess with a girl who lives for dessert.
You earned some love back after this debacle because the manager greeted us and  provided is some drinks on the house; gotta say I love a restaurant (or any business for that matter) who works to keep guests happy.
The service was spotty. I'm not saying it was our server's fault as she had a crowded section and a dangerously narrow gauntlet of tables to get around to, but it was s...l...o...w despite the food coming out quickly.
That, and maybe at 32 I am a bit of a curmudgeon, but the place is LOUD. It was hard to hear my date across our tiny table (that as a tiny person I nevertheless felt crammed into).
The food was okay. I personally tried the sausage and tagliatelle bologese. The tagliatelle was mushy and the sauce a bit sweet, but the sausage was delish. This earned another star in my book.
The third star comes with the plentiful, aromatic and freshly baked bread that we enjoyed with our meal.
Maybe I would come again, maybe I wouldn't. Might have to listen to "Eye of the Tiger" to get myself pumped up and would have to make sure I had nowhere to go immediately after.
After Osteria Via Stato blew our reservations for 6, we decided to walk over to Quartino and what an awesome surprise!
Absolutely loved my experience here! Â Our waitress could not have been any cooler. Â She had a great personality, was super helpful, and had a great sense of humor too. Â She knew when to butt in and when to leave us alone.
As for the food, we enjoyed most of it. Â It's not what I would call authentic italian, but it's pretty darn good. Â They have an odd twist with some plates. Â Like raisins with the veal meatballs. Â Not so good. Â The sausage on the pizza was a bit too processy for me (if that's a word) and the steamed clams were a bit bland. Â But all of the other plates we got from pasta to bean and garlic spread to the carpaccio were all great.
We all got a half liter of wine and the sizes to choose from were really good. Â Plus all of the wine and recos the server made were spot on.
We just had a really good time and will definitely go back soon!
Osteria's loss and Quartino's gain!
We came here after a 6 hour bus ride from Detroit to Chicago. We had reservations for like 930 or 10. I don't think it was needed since it was so late. First thing I noticed was how freaking loud it was here. We were sitting pretty close together and I still could barely hear.
The food came out quickly though:
Roasted Baby Octopus - This had the potential of 5 stars but unfortunately for some parts of it I felt like I was eating cancer (char) and the veggies were too salty.
Vegetarina Asparagus, Cauliflower, Zucchini, Eggplant, & Wild Arugula - $12 : It was basically a pizza with a wild arugula salad on top. More like two separate dishes in one.
Gnocchi Potato Dumplings, Green Beans, Potatoes, Arugula Pesto, & Pork Stock - $10.75: I was surprised I liked it but I probably won't order this again.
So we were pretty tired so we just wanted to head back to our hotel and sleep. Our waiter was chatting up with this table for 10 minutes before we were able to get his attention to get the check. Same thing when we signed our cards.
Considering how Chicago has so many great restaurants I don't think I will be coming back.
1 star for the cavatelli, 1 star for the awesome busboy. Â i don't understand the hype of this place, but give someone enough wine and anything will taste good.
our food was dismal at best. Â even the bread you start with is "blah". Â we started with the caprese which was decent (at least the mozzarella wasn't slimy), moved on to the eggplant parmesan which was soggy and bland and the cavatelli, which i actually really enjoyed, then onto the margarita pizza which was also bland (it looked better than it tasted), and lastly had the scallops. Â the scallops were lukewarm like they had been sitting out for some time and one was majorly burnt. Â it looked like a mcdonald's operation in the kitchen so i can imagine why everything is so-so.
our waiter, to be nice, sucked. Â he didn't stop by once to ask if we needed anything after we ordered, just asking once if everything was okay. Â no water refill, no asking if we wanted a refill on booze. Â with that said, the busboy compensated for that, asking if we wanted more wine, getting us a new bottle of water, asking if we needed anything else with our meal.. and all with a huge smile. Â the fact that our waiter just didn't seem to care really bothered me.
dessert was decent (we had the sorbet) although the biscotti could have broken your teeth. Â they also sent us with cans of tomatoes. Â i'm still left questioning that, but it at least made me a little happier with my experience.
Great feel to this downtown restaurant. There was a nice vibe and atmosphere. Tuesday night and the restaurant was packed. Small plates are all the rage in Chicago and Quartino was no exception. We started with the Caprese Salad - good but nothing outstanding. Buffalo mozzarella was fair. Veal sliders were ok but not a must try. Roasted Octopus was very tasty and tender. Mushroom Risotto was a favorite and pays out on the appetite appeal of the description. Pesto Gnocchi was tasty, a good balance of flavors. My only real ding on the place was the volume. Per my preamble, I like a restaurant that's buzzing but I also like to talk during dinner. This is definitely perfect for a fun night out but not for business.
Review Source:The roasted baby squid: Melts in your mouth and is kind of amazing.
Ravioli: Delicious.
Prosciutto D'Anitra: Different yet tasty. I found the wild arugula to be really bitter so make sure you have some duck prosciutto left!
Profiteroles: Ordinary.
You have to make reservations as it gets so packed every single day. The food came out in a timely manner and service was good.
I like this place.
Comfortable set-up, sort of close together in the dining room, but still comfortable. Â Also not overly loud, which is something that I like. Â It's a big open room more or less so there could potentially have to be some yelling to be heard but we did not have to do so.
Good service - not overly aggressive but very timely and the food came out quickly, which was nice because the people we were with were on a tight schedule that night. Â Good with bringing refills, too.
These are small plates and you could probably get away with ordering a couple of starters and then eating your own small portion. Â I like to share so this is a good place for a group and a good place to get to try a lot of different things. Standouts were the sausages on the meat and cheese platter and the octopus was a big favorite at our table, too. Â I also really liked the gnocchi. Â We also ordered the zeppole for dessert - these were probably my most favorite item of all. Â I mean, who can resist light, airy puffs of doughnut and chocolate for drizzling? Â I would be of a mind to just order that for my whole meal next time. Â Awesome stuff!
There's valet if you think you want to drive and don't want to have to park, too.
Overall, quite lovely and I would be glad to go back!
I didn't love it. Â It's a strange mix of family style sharing typical of Italian restaurants, but in small plate format. Â You order and the kitchen just sends things as soon as they're ready. Â Bread with balsamic and olive oil is in constant supply as you wait.
We had a salumi plate which was and underwhelming pile of slices of meat next to some homemade gardiniera. Â Next the veal meatballs came out--these were bland and dull and I wouldn't recommend. Â Next our pizza came out--the Campania (basically a margarita pizza with ricotta) is a great, basic choice. Â Thing and crispy crust, perfectly cooked. Â Next out was our short ribs--these were delicious, just definitely not enough for 5 to share. Â I'd recommend ordering 2 so you get more than a mouthful. Â I think we also had the sauteed spinach--it was standard. Â Last out were our pastas--homemade gnocci with too-crisp green beans in a sauce that was lacking, and more short ribs mixed with the pappardelle. Â Pappardelle is a big yes. Â
We finished off the night with two desserts: Â the zeppole (donuts) light and fluffy, served with melted chocolate and honey, and the Nutella panini--exactly what you think: Â toast with nutella between the layers. Â Good, but I could have made it at home. Â The donuts though, those were worth it. Â
Wine prices are reasonable, and the menu is well organized. Â I think 5 of us split 2 bottles, sangria and all the above entrees for $40 each, including gratuity, which isn't a bad evening out.
I'm a big fan of Quartino's....you can't go wrong taking a group or a date or a friend here. Â It literally has something great for everyone. Â They really make the tapa concept work great here. Â I've had very few dishes that I haven't loved. Â Some of my favorites are as follows:
-The short ribs are great...juicy and tender and the salsa verde sauce works well with it.
-The mushroom risotto is simple yet nice. Â I love risotto but don't always like to order it as my main entree so it really works for me as a tapa to share.
-Polenta fries - Probably one of my favorite things on the menu  BUT please bring me more of the sauce!
-We ordered an olive plate and one of the olives was stemmed and salty...kind of like okra with no pits. Â I can't remember the name but I loved them. Â
Overall a great place to go and I love the subway tile and millwork throughout the restaurant.
A great place for a group to try tons of delectable plates. There is a wide variety of options for every diner: vegetables, seafood, pasta, pizza, olives.....
My absolute favorite was the roasted octopus, which was tender and super flavorful.
Hardly any wait for a table and the staff was very attentive.
Very crowded, a reservation must, a great crowd, type of place. VERY BUSY. We made reservations for 5 a week ahead for a Saturday night 7:00 P.M. and got seated at 7:30 P.M. Bar was too crowded to catch a drink and I'm sure they serve full service on first come first serve seating there, but there was hardly any moving space.
I love how we could share everything. We started with two bottles of wine at the table that were listed as specials for 20 dollars each. We were offered to taste and we all drank out of regular style drink ware sets (they did not provide wine glasses).
Food, however, did come quickly! Which is always a plus and bread was served fresh and they brought in more complimentary.
Here is what we had and everything was delicious:
-Veal Meatball Slider (one per person) for 2.25. Veal was excellent, no sauce was on it so that's  why it was not my favorite. It did come in a huge roll (which most of us didn't eat) because that's too filling.
-Romaine Hearts Salad, for 6.75, fresh, delicious, a great way to start the meal
-We ordered many pasta dishes and they were all graciously served but my favorite was Cavatelli. That is what I would order If I went back.
We were too full for dessert but the menu for it looked good. My girl friend is having 20 girls here for her birthday in April. I know they take large group reservations which is perfect because this would be a great way to save money on food with small dishes and for everyone's food tastes.
I like RPM better. I know reservations can be a pain to get there but everything from the appetizers to pasta to the drinks are amazing.
I ordered Salumeria tasting every time I went there. It is a fun plate and you get to taste a little bit of everything!
While the food was amazing, I really like this place for its ambience. Family-styled unpretentious Italian food for sharing with loved ones. I just like the place really :)
I've long been an advocate for Quartino as a great place for a group outing. Â It's especially great if you have some picky eaters in the group. Â But my most recent outing was a bit upsetting (sat night, 7pm).
The reasons I love Quartino for groups - good food, cheap prices, the cheapest, drinkable wine in town and a rowdy table doesn't feel out of place, because it's so loud. Â I would not go for a "foodie" meal, but it's great for a group.
I've not been there in just over a year, but our experience was a bit disappointing. I'm hoping it's a blip on the radar and not the new typical.
- 25 minute wait for our table, despite a reservation
- 25 minutes is spent crammed in the first floor waiting area, they just have too many people there waiting and nowhere near enough waiting space for a restaurant that seats that many people (this place is HUGE)
- Most rushed meal I've had in a long time - the small plates came out fast and furious, we were done within 50 minutes of sitting down. Â Not really the sort of experience I was wanting.
I'll give mgmt credit, we had a problem during the meal but it was handled to our satisfaction.
I'll keep an eye on reviews and will probably go back at some point with a few friends to check it out - I really want to keep it in my arsenal.
I had a thoroughly enjoyable meal here tonight: crisp romaine hearts salad; shared Caprese salad; farmhouse chicken, perfectly tender with a tangy/zesty light sauce; some of a friend's tiramisu (special). I also enjoyed some of the small but diverse bottled beer selection: Founders Centennial IPA and Great Lakes Brewing Co.'s Eliot Ness Vienna Lager, both outstanding (reviewed separately on <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fratebeer.com&s=624294b96534dd9e6b0270792401600510f63ef90ac419f316f36cc1d20e6ce9" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://ratebeer.com</a>). (Unfortunately, no drafts.)
Food prices were quite reasonable. Beer at $6 was standard for a restaurant and the quality of beer. Service was great. Note that the place is quite loud, and the restaurant was packed on a Thursday; make reservations.
Quartino, I think I love you. Â Seriously, you delivered!
With such a great and diverse menu, I decided to put our server to work right away. Â I asked her to bring a few cheeses, a pizza, and 2-3 other dishes for the three of us. Â We quickly found out that this was the way to go! Â Here is the lowdown:
Wine:
Lazio - If You See Kay - Awesome cabernet sauvignon based blend
Cheese:
Asiago Vecchio - wonderful sharp asiago
Taleggio - another winner...so good
Pizza:
We had a great pie that was half Fumo Negli Occhi and half Campania. Â Put it this way...I am going to order it again on my next visit.
Tapas:
Sea Scallops - Perfectly cooked
Tortellini (Half Order) - I could have eaten the whole plate
Pappardelle (Half Order) - Â Excellent pasta, delicious sauce
Overall, I enjoyed a great dinner with some great company. Â I will be back for sure.
Hungry on a late night and demanding quality food? Come here! We needed to find a place to eat that was open late and wasn't McDonald's, and was happy to find this place. They've got a full bar, a comfortable atmosphere and great service.
I'd recommend the Pappardelle al Sugo di Manzo - it's thick and rich. And you cant go wrong with any of the pizzas.
In the spirit of the Yelp 100 challenge and my friend helpfully having her 30th birthday dinner here last night, here's an updated review.
Great place for groups. Â House white and red wines are very drinkable and can be ordered by the half liter or liter. Â Served in non-traditional wine glasses that can be used to play quarters at the table. Â That was with another group, but it was quite classy, I assure you.
Food! Â And all of it for very reasonable prices.
-Pappardelle - great pasta choice, though last night I found the noodles a bit more al dente than I'd like.
-Penne ala vodka - another solid choice. Â In fact, we got two orders of this.
-Mushroom Risotto - we requested it with non-pork stock as a member of our group doesn't eat pork. Â Still tasty.
-Beef short ribs - um.. delicious delicious meat. Â Tender, flavorful, can't go wrong.
-Gnocchi - gnocchi really isn't my thing, but for gnocchi lovers, I'm sure this would suffice.
-Polenta fries - piping hot! Â No for reals, it's hot, but delicious. Â So eat carefully.
-Calamari - pretty standard. Â Less breading than some places use so more flavor comes through.
-Soprano pizza - political incorrectness on very well executed crust.
-Linguine with clams - white sauce, get it with the white sauce. Â Tasty broth. Â Lots of clams so hopefully you like those.
-Zeppole - this was courtesy of our waiter for the aforementioned birthday. Â We sang happy birthday loud enough to drown out the noise of quartino. Â If you've ever been, you'd know that's loud. Â That's how we roll. Â These were good, but I prefer beignets. Â I'm a diva.
I've had lots of other stuff here too and it hardly ever disappoints. Â The noise level is deafening, but works well for large rowdy parties. Â We used it to play telephone.
Probably wouldn't take a date here. Â Unless you don't want to talk to your date, then it's a good strategic move.
We went to Quartino last night for New Years Eve dinner. Â We had plans downtown for midnight so we were looking for somewhere to eat around 10. Â About a week before NYE, I called all of our usual places trying to get a reservation and there was nothing available! Â
After reading a ton of Yelp reviews I decided to give Quartino a try. Â They had a reservation available at the time we wanted so we put our name in via Open Table. Â
Last night we ended up arriving downtown about an hour earlier than we anticipated. Â We stopped at Purple Pig first but they had a 3 hour wait! Â So we went to Quartino and they were able to get us in right away! Â The service at the hostess stand was really great. Â
The ambiance in Quartino is really nice. Â I love the subway tile walls, the antique candleabras, the open airy feeling and the downtown views. Â The restaurant has a very European bistro feel which was really unexpected in the downtown touristy area.
The food is Italian small plates or tapas. Â We ordered the following:
Polenta fries: crispy and delicious, really unique! Â I wish they came with marinara sauce though instead of the red pepper sauce.
Tortellini w/ alfredo sauce, peas and prosciutto: my partner loved this dish, he wants to come back for it!
Ravioli w/ braised pork and fava beans: this dish was delicious but a little saltier than it needed to be. Â With the prosciutto and parm they don't need to add so much salt!
Chicken: garlicky and delicious
Calamari: fresh and well seasoned. Â The portion was a bit too large for tapas though.
The best thing about our meal was our server. Â I can't recall his name but he was really friendly and outgoing. Â He explained the menu to us and even got me a free drink when they didn't have the one I wanted! Â He went above and beyond and that is just a great feeling. Â
We weren't too thrilled to be going here on New Years since it seemed like any other Italian place (of which, Chicago has plenty!) but we were pleasantly surprised and will definitely be going back again!
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