Great italian food!
They had a great deal going on for $68 which included bruschetta, 2 house salads, basil chicken gnocchi, clam/oyster/shrimp/scallop spaghetti, tiramasu, and a bottle of wine. Everything was delicious - no complaints at all. Our waiter very friendly and helpful. The staff in general is great. There is constantly someone filling up water or clearing your table. It's a very small yet classy restaurant. We enjoyed every aspect of Sapori!
Second time we went the service sucked! Slow and unattentive. We'll see how the third time goes.
Was completely "underwhelmed" at this place. Â The ratings and reviews made it seem like it was going to be a genuine experience, but not so for us. Â The host is this big guy that makes you feel like you're interrupting his life. Â Might have been that he spends most of the time on his cell phone as your standing there. Â He's on the phone as he walks around the restaurant. Â He will stand in the way of the runners while - yep - talking on his phone. Â
It's a small place with seating in the front and the back. Â As the noise level was pretty high in the front we asked to sit in the back so we could talk. Â There's also a little more room back there where the tables in the front are pretty packed in/close together.
While it was quieter from a "customer" perspective - meaning not as many, less chatter, it's NOT as quiet from the kitchen, food runners, etc. Â It's a little like a "runway" back there with a center aisle that they literally are running back/forth on - that is when the host isn't standing in their way on his phone. Â
While we like a nice ambiance, we came for the food. Â Unfortunately, it didn't deliver. Â It was rather boring, flavors were weak, temperatures weren't correct and while it was "ok" it's not anything worth coming back for. Â
To be honest, it was a big disappointment from what we had expected. Â Wasn't the worst and the food is ok, but with so many better choices with better food and a staff that know how to act like restaurant staff - why spend your money here? Â Can't see that happening again for us.
Second visit and was not disappointed. Made reservation through yelp 90 min before arriving and had a very short wait (less than 5 min). Â The service was excellent, food great and a reasonably priced Malbec to boot. Â Enjoyed the Crostini Avocado, and then the squid ink Gnocchi. Â Last time the Zuppa Di Pesca (asked for Spicey) that was huge and fabulous. Â Checked in and got a free Capachino. Â Overall a good night.
Review Source:I'd definitely come again.
I went here with my foodie cousin on a Groupon deal: 1 app, 1 salad, 2 mains, and a dessert. Â We started with the avocado crostini...wow! Â I love avocados anyways, but this was a great way to start the meal. Â It had tomatoes, cheese, and was a neat take on (sort of) a bruschetta. Â Definitely recommend.
Next we had the Stella salad. Â They split it up in two bowls for us, and I also loved this one. Â The champagne dressing really hit the spot...I love champagne.
Next, my cousin had gnocchi and I had the lasagna. Â These were both tasty, though nothing spectacular. Â It was probably the only part of the meal I wouldn't get again. Â Don't get me wrong, both were very good, but I didn't think they compared to the first two courses we had. Â And a word of warning, I think the lasagna is actually 3 meals worth, so be prepared to take some home.
To finish, we had to pick a dessert. Â I asked the waiter what his fave was, and he suggested the panna cotta. Â i groaned, b/c I'm not a huge fan of panna cotta. Â But I agreed since he was pretty certain about it. Â Man...he was right. Â It almost tasted like a chocolate mousse, and it was very tasty.
I also had a nice glass of wine, which was the featured one that night, for a fairly reasonable price.
All in all, the Groupon price was DEFINITELY worth it...$47 for all of that (excluding the wine), and both my cousin and I took leftovers home. Â They seem to have other specials throughout the week that I would look into.
One last comment, I found the service to be nice (maybe a tad slow, but nothing crazy). Â And the atmosphere is very nice too. Â All in all, I recommend this place for a nice Italian dinner!
It's been a while since I've eaten at Sapori, but I remember the food and service being impeccable.
What's more is the chef's generosity. I think it's been at least 3 years since I've been there, but he sends me handwritten notes with discount offers on my birthday and every major holiday i can think of. It's always written in a charming, mad scribble of words both inside the card and on the outside of the envelope. I now recognize his handwriting before I even look at the return address.
For this attentiveness alone, I wish I lived closer to Sapori so I could become a regular visitor there.
I've been back several times, so it must be good, right?
Great food, excellent service. Their veggie lasagna is not to be missed!
Also, love that the chef sends me all these crazy hand-written notes on deals in the mail.
This place has an adorable ambience and some pretty great live music on Tuesdays!
I will definitely return.
Some have commented on how small this place is. Â Not so. Â The restaurant seats a LOT of people and is broken up into various small rooms that keep going toward the back.
I had the Pennete Cardinale which was a pasta dish w/chicken, artichokes and sundried tomatoes all garnished w/fresh basil. Â The sauce was a thick, creamy style which I loved and the portion size was large enough for another meal the next day.
I liked my boyfriend's lasagna - especially the bolognese sauce that was used.
Their bread is good and the grated cheese that they have at the table is also very nice.
Service was top notch and our server was not only efficient but entertaining as well.
Dinner entrees are mostly in the $20s.
Loved this Italian restaurant!! Too bad I don't live closer because this would be my go to Italian place. The portions were big enough for leftovers. The Caprese salad was amazing! I had to fight off my family from eating it all. The bruschetta was excellent too. The salmon was perfectly cooked, and I had my aunt's veggie lasagna the next day, which I think was better day 2. The service was attentive but not overwhelming.
Just writing the review makes me want to go back and try other things....
It was my mother's 70th birthday, and she ventured downtown for a theater production and dinner. Â She does not ever enjoy coming into the city because of the hassle, the traffic, the lack of parking . . . on and on. Â When we get to Sapori Trattoria, the manager, Ricardo, was outside the restaurant (in the cold) waiting for us to let us know that we could park right in front so we wouldn't have to walk. Â We were only a party of 8, but he went above and beyond to roll out the red carpet, so to speak.
My dad, 86 years old and not easily impressed, was IMPRESSED. Â He grew up in a time when customers were the priority, and as he sees customer service fall away, he has gotten more and more disappointed. Â He was anything but disappointed with the service here. Â Our waitress, Angela (I think that was her name), was patient and very attentive. Â Ricardo was on top of EVERYTHING. Â Â
Without my knowledge, the restaurant made menus that had "Happy Birthday Dianne" written at the top and laid each on at every place setting. Â The atmosphere was quiet and cozy with candle light and exposed brick. Â My parents were extremely comfortable and happy. Â We didn't have to yell over loud music or a noisy atmosphere. Â It was elegant and perfect.
Now to the food! Â I am gluten and dairy free, so Ricardo made me feel very at home. Â They made me a pasta dish from scratch using gluten free pasta. Â It was DELICIOUS! Â All of our meals were wonderful. Â Not one complaint. Â The flavors are rich and authentic. Â
We were there until after closing, and we never felt rushed to leave. Â It was a wonderful experience, and I am just so grateful that my mom had a special birthday. Â I would recommend this place, hands down, to anyone.
The food is slightly above average for italian food. This is a cozy place with comfort food. The portion sizes are huge - especially with the lasagna. Most of the options are pretty traditional, nothing unexpected - although the grilled calimari was a nice change. Â The Tiramisu needs to be improved though - all i could taste was the cream on top - barely had any flavor from espresso/rum and missing texture.
The biggest drawback to the meal was the waiter. Ive been there two times with a different waiter - and each time they we either rude or sarcastic. Suck it! No one wants to eat food served by an arseh*le
Great atmosphere!! so cozy and welcomy.
Delicious food!! I highly recommend the salmon
and I gotta say, probably the best of all was the service; I had a groupon and called ahead to make sure i could use it and everybody was REALLY nice. from the hostess who took my reservation, the manager who allowed me to use the groupon, our server, to the busboy who make sure my glass was filled with water at all times.
a really good experience, my friends and I love it and will certainly go back.
fyi, they have free parking at the Home Depot garage, which on that area is a real perk!!
I have to admit that this review is a little late but I hope that makes up for the delay.
This restaurant is outstanding , my server I'm embarrassed to say I forgot his name but if I saw him I would request him as server .in a minute
As A chef, Â I don't get al lot of time off.
I'm so happy we went to Sapori
Knowledgable server? Yes, very prfessional, he never had to say 'I don't know, let me check " Â he knew his job and the chefs menu in and out
Room a little quirky, but I liked it and it felt comfortable
The only problem I had was the menu. I didn't know what to order . I wanted to order it all looked so good
Lovely caprese style appetizer
I had the carbonara, such a simple dish that gets ruined by so called Italian restaurants was done perfectly done classically. One of the best things I've eaten in a long time.
My lovely lady the spaghetti with veal  meatballs . Another. classic dish done perfectly. No reinventing the wheel. Solid good classic Italian.
As A chef partner at a close by restaurant when people ask "where do you eat?" I recently have been saying last great meal I had was at trattoria sapori and can't wait to go back, and I will again very soon
PHENOMENAL!
5 stars across the board. I've been here a few times and each experience was out of this world! The Ossobuco is a "religious experience" that can not be matched. My lady friend had the pesto gnocchi and we shared the asparagus salad. Brilliant flavors.
To top it off, it occasionally will offer a 50% off coupon on groupon! Unbelievable deals.
Service, food, ambiance, experience all deserve 5+ stars.
The Milk and Honey Baby Back Ribs, Zuppa di Mare, and Vitello Portafoglio were top on the list. All courses of our dinner were prepared very well including the very flavorful avocado buscetta. Â It was reasonably priced for the quality of food you get. I rate our server very good and attentive, congenial and a good sport when we engaged him in short conversation. I agree with all other reviews, the food was excellent, comforting and heart warming.
My party of 6 had reservations for 5:30PM. So I am not sure how I would have rated it had we have a later reservation due to the following: I would have rated the over all service higher had we not had an unpleasant experience towards the end of dinner service while having dessert. The coffee served in the carafe was cold. I raised the issue with the manager; but nothing was done about it. The dessert is not exemplary and common bistro dessert fare. Adding insult to injury, the manager asked our party to leave to free up the table for other patrons waiting; when in fact we were just waiting for our bill to be rectified. One couple's bill read $ 1.62 only which took within normal time to rectify it. The manager was rude and did not gather his facts with our server to assess the reason for the wait. Instead, he approached one of my guest to inform us to leave. NOT GOOD FOR BUSINESS! My guest returned him that he was rude and explained to him the reason for the wait. It left a bad taste in my mouth and the manager did not offer any apologies. He lacks the skill set to be a restaurant manager in what may have been a stressful who did not handle the dinner rush crowd very well. I wrote the owner/chef to inform him of this very unpleasant experience that cancelled out the very good food experience.Will I come back? Not sure. It depends on how the chef will reply to my concerns when I sent him a personal letter.
Off the bat, I loved the atmosphere - Very intimate. The noise level was perfect and the lighting fantastic. Our waiter, Benji, Â was great; he was attentive and knew when to check in with us, as we were talking the majority of the time. His wine recommendation was spot on and he seemed very knowledgable about both the wine and the menu.
To start, the bread is fantastic! I knew we had made a good choice just by the bread alone.
As an appetizer, we had the fried calimari, which is often a hit or miss. Thank God this was a hit. It was breaded just right, so I felt like we were getting a good amount of squid. The marinara sauce was light and delicious.
Our entres were HUGE! I'll be eating left overs for at least two days. But it was so good!
Great date place. Casual, yet romantic and intimate. Nice place to have great conversation.
Great atmosphere and food = quality italian.
I don't give many 5 stars, but I can say that Sapori Trattoria deserves it. The atompshere is fantastic. It's a tiny restaurant which creates an intimate atmosphere with a lot of humble flair. You might mistake walking by it, but once you step in the ambience is great. The service is the lone blemish at this place. It's was a little slow at times and cramped, but still good.
The food is what really shines. Fantastic grilled calamari, seafood risotto, and tiramisu made for a very happy stomach. They also have a huge wine list and bar. Best italian I've had in Chicago so far. It would have been pretty expensive, but they give out deals often and we got $30 off our meal. Overall a great experience!
Atmosphere: 10/10
Service: 8/10
Food: 10/10
Guys. GUYS. Sapori Trattoria's chocolate hazelnut panna cotta [TRUMPS] my pop's homemade flan [TRUMPS] life (this says a lot if you knew how much I adore my father's skills in the kitchen). Eye rolls back glorious, basically.
Order some gnocchi or steal your date's. Or your friend's. Or someone at the neighboring table's. I would say just have a bite, but steal is the word of choice for a reason.
Veal meatballs = Holy sh*t!!!!
When the grilled calamari hits your table just take a big ol' whiff before you scarf it down and try to gather (and mentally lick off because you don't want to look like a caveman but in retrospect you probably should have anyway) what's remaining of the sauce and roasted red pepper.
Plus I give 'em kudos for being EXTREMELY patient with our indecisive/running late/probably downright annoying group. I know that stuff's not easy.
Incredible restaurant - probably the best I've been to in Chicago. The lobster ravioli was just too damn delicious and the atmosphere was mind-blowing. Also, the service was top notch - Matt is very friendly and social, he could probably pull off a career as a stand-up comedian!
GO HERE! Perfect date place
Went with the wife this Saturday night. Â We split the grilled calamari appetizer and Stella salad. For entrees, wife had sea bass over spinach. I had the Zuppa di Pesci (fish soup). Each dish worked so well, it was one of the most enjoyable and tasty meals we've had in a while. The pastas and other dishes we saw coming out looked equally delicious.
As far as service, the waiter was accommodating and knowledgable, adding to the whole ambience. I wish i got his name, but he was a tall young guy with glasses. The rest of the staff was helpful and friendly too.
It's a long distance for us, but we'll be back again and again. Â Love this place.
This place is quite a gem. Like a lot of great local Chicago restaurants, its pretty unassuming from the outside. The food is great. Every time my dad come into the city, we have to go here so he can get the Zuppa Di Pesce (this is a 2 or even 3 person portion!). Tons of great pasta dishes as well. My mom got the
Pennette Cardinale last time and it was everyone's favorite meal.
A little understated on the exterior, but opens up to a rather warm inviting space when you walk in. Live jazz bubbles out of the corner while you're seated in the moderately dim sky blue room. It's near-twilight from sundown to sunrise in this room. I took my mother here, she was visiting for the week, and the least I could do for a woman who birthed me and raised me was to go out on the town for an Italian dinner.
A young, curt bearded but well-groomed man came to out table to help us. My mother ordered wine. The opening delivery of bread to the table proved a bit tough rather than soft and warm, but of acceptable quality. The baked mini-pumpkin was a bit sweet for my mother's taste; squash and sage-filled sausage were telling well of the autumn. The presentation of which was quite rather, well, cute.
Entrees served were the rabbit ravioli. The sauce was delicate, and the textures were smooth, but the evening's highlight was the heap of clams over linguine (alle vongole). Of which there was really quite a lot.
Overall, quite satisfied. It's a bit on the pricey side, but certainly tastes of class.
I ADORE this gem on Halsted!
Yes, I have heard how amazing it is for the past two years; and have finally enjoyed the food nirvana about eight months ago...better late than never! Â Since my first exposure to this amazing restaurant, I have been here six times. Â I can safely say that I am addicted to the Italian goodness!
The crostini di avocado is a great way to start the dining adventure. Â The fresh avocado and olive oil complimented by the earthiness of provolone is a calculated and successful decision by the chef. Â I am always wanting more! Â Gnocchi al Brivido, Rigatoni Caprese, and the sea bass special are to die for. Â Again, the ingredients are very fresh and compliment each other very well. Â A party in my mouth!
The wine list is extensive and offers various price points. Â I have not ordered a "bad" wine yet.
The servers are always helpful and entertaining. Â I am usually laughing for the majority of my dining experience, and it is not always because of my friends. Â Many of the servers crack me up.
The space is perfect for a romantic evening or a gal pal night out. Â I can sit by the front window and people watch or sit in the intimate, second dining room and relax, while enjoying my evening out.
Will I be back here again?!? Â Heck, yeah!! Â Probably within the next month or two...
This place is fantastic. Â The food is excellent. Â Everyone that I was at dinner with really enjoyed what they had ordered. Â The big hit was the Vitello Paesana.
The service was really good as well. Â We had an error with the number of people in our reservation. Â They were very accommodating and set up a new table for our group. Â This was on New Year's Eve, so I thought that was great they were able to do it on such a busy night.
The only downside is that they do pack the tables in tight and unless you make a reservation, there will be a long wait. Â Other than that, this place is great for a nice dinner out.
Great menu selection, ambiance and service are amongst the best in Chicago. Most of the things that I've tried so far were delicious. Now on the food crtique side of the last visit review: my girl had rabbit ravioli which was in her and my opinion way owerpowered with onions in the sauce. I had ribs, whichwere delicios I cleaned the plate, my cousin had very fresh and natural looking I think seafood risotto and everything was delicious besides scallops.. Scallops got to have caramelized tips for me to like them, and these were like raw to me :)
On my way back home i had to hurry to the restroom.. I was having a baby.
I visited this place last month after staying away for a year or so. It was just as good as I remembered it.
This place makes for a great date night. It is very nice and cozy. We always get "handwritten" letters from the owner/headchef giving us money off for a birthday or anniversary or for any occasion really. The food is very good but we only go to this place for special occasions since it is more pricier than most places, for us at least.
The food is excellent and filling. The service is always friendly. Sapori Tratoria will always hold a special place in my heart.
Sapori Trattoria fell into my lap as the anniversary dinner of choice for my boyfriend and I. I purchased the Yelp deal before the holidays and the timing worked out perfectly with needing to find a restaurant for our special dinner.
I've driven by Sapori Trattoria multiple times without even noticing it; it's a fairly nondescript building at the corner of Schubert and Halsted, just north of the massive Home Depot that catches my attention instead. Once inside, it's quaint and intimate. I think we got the best table in the house: off the beaten track from the rest of the tables, but still accessible for the waiters and bussers. I wish I could remember our waiter's name, but it's escaping me - regardless, he made us feel welcome and gave some great recommendations for appetizers, entrees, and dessert. Â We took the appetizer recommendation (grilled calamari), made our own decisions on entrees (zuppa di pesce and spaghetti allo scoglio), and had the recommended bread pudding for dessert.
Overall: learned that I'm not a huge fan of grilled calamari (in a texture kind of way), but the flavor was great - kind of balsamic-y, with a hint of red pepper; really enjoyed the seafood in the spaghetti; the man friend had an ABSURD amount of food between the seafood and linguini - I mean seriously, he had an entire casserole dish and when he was full, it looked like he had barely scratched the surface. (The only complaint with that meal is that his oysters had more than a little bit of grit - he described it as a "small rock.") Â Both entrees had great flavor and were entirely too filling. But, the real star of the dinner was the bread pudding. I've never had bread pudding before, so I can't make any comparisons, but it had a light brandy flavor and the best flavor of all was the raspberry puree on top. Phenomenal.
Overall, it would have been a little too pricey for a regular dinner, but with the $30 Yelp deal, it was a more appropriate price. If Italian's your fave, I'd move it towards the top of the list for a special occasion dinner.
Make sure to sign up for the Chef's list. Â First of all it's the nicest form ever - seriously read it. Â Then after you sign up take advantage of the numerous great discounts they offer. Â Then - How many restaurants send you a hand written thank you and birthday card?
The service is just one level of how wonderful this place is.  The food is also excellent.  I often or lasagna at italian places, because I find that it's a good way to see how serious they are.  Too much  sauce, meat or cheese? Home made noodles?
All of the plates we've ordered here have been excellent.
Consistently delicious food and stellar service.
I have no complaints about this place. I've been here 3 times for different occasions (night out with my cousin and two medium sized family gatherings) You can't go wrong with anything you order.
There are coupon deals all the time despite it being a nicer restaurant. The prices aren't horrible... the atmosphere is a little dark I supposed, but that's kind of the feel of a lot of Italian restaurants.
The bar is super small so it's more of a sit down dinner type place.
My girlfriend and I went to Sapori Trattoria for my birthday last week and was very happy with my experience. Our server (I forget his name) was outstanding. His knowledge of the menu impressed even I, a former restaurant manager.
We started out with a lovely appetizer. 2 slices of baked Italian bread, with an Italian oil dressing soaked into it, a giant glob of fresh mozzarella, freshly sliced prosciutto and sun dried tomatoes scattered about. It was a perfect sized app. Very good.
Next course we shared a bowl of minestrone soup. It was serviceable, but didn't really carry enough broth with the amount of veggies and beans. And the beans seemed mushy which created sort of a grainy texture to the broth. It almost appeared like it was over stirred and damaged the beans. I wouldn't order it again :(
The entrees were next and they came out piping hot. My girlfriend ordered the gnocci chicken entree with a pesto sauce. She was practically full at this point but insisted she enjoyed it and would take it home to eat it. Which she did! I witnessed it!
I ordered the Lobster ravioli. Nuff' said. It was fantastic! It came with some sort of creamy tomato sauce which was a good compliment to the noodles and cheese.
We wanted to save room for dessert, because hell, it was MY BIRTHDAY! I ordered the lemon sorbet which came out in hollowed out frozen lemon. It was very tasty.
Overall, I loved it! I left full and with food for later. Good job all the way around.
All of the Yelp reviews that guided me to Sapori Trattoria were completely spot on. This has to be one of my favorite places in all of Chicago. Small, intimate, and just a little bit off the beaten path. Came out when treating someone for a birthday dinner and not a single thing disappointed. The staff was very helpful and knowledgeable. Our glasses were never empty and the mind-blowing bread came out fresh from the over. We ordered calamari for an appetizer and it was huge. Way too much for the two of us to handle. For our entree's we went with the meat lasagna and the milk and honey baby back ribs. More than enough for two meals in both and the flavors were amazing. If we had any room left by the end of the meal we would have tried the tiramisu but we were stuffed.
They also have a great special on Mondays for couples (Groupons and the like can't be applied) for $21 a person where you get 2 appetizers, 3 entrees, and a dessert. Can't be beat!
I took my wife here for her birthday with a Groupon that gave us 1 appetizer, 1 salad, 2 entrees and a dessert.
Service: This place has top, top service. When we first got there, we were shown a table for 2, but the host asked us if we preferred to wait for 10 minutes to get a better table in the back. We agreed because the table was right near the door and the winter winds were blasting in cold air. We were rewarded with a cute table in the back corner, screened off from the hustle of the hallway. Our waitress was incredibly kind and polite. She could have come back more often - or just left a pitcher of water on the table - but the place was jammed and I think they were understaffed. A-
Entree: We split the muscles in white sauce. This is a pretty standard dish and Sapori offers nothing new or original. I think I would have preferred the red, but I really have no complaints. The muscles were well cooked and buttery. B
Salad: We again split this one and ordered the Caprese salad. Meh. I was actually disappointed that an Italian place could serve a mediocre caprese salad. It was under seasoned and the olive oil served with it had no real flavor. I actually used the salt and pepper shakers on the table (something I haven't done in years) to flavor the dish ever so slightly. That said, everything tasted fresh and light and just simply needed some better ingredients. C-
Entrees: I ordered the Ossobucco and was greeted with a plate of super rich, super awesome heaven. I've never had this dish before, so I have no basis of comparison, but it was really good. I only did finish half. The veal shank is served atop a mini meat lasagne which provided a nice break from the dish and gave a different texture and flavor. At $33, I don't know if I would order this again, but I was certainly not unhappy with my choice. My wife ordered the lobster ravioli and she cleaned the plate up. The lobster ravioli was served with some apple chunks, which we thought was just odd, but I guess they were there to cut through the sauce which was slightly tangy and think. A-
Dessert: We ordered the tiramisu. This was a throw away dish. I was fine, a standard dessert to end the meal, but I was not really happy with it. The ladyfingers were either not soaked and simply drizzled with espresso or they used really subpar espresso. The chocolate sauce served on the side came straight from a bottle marked "Hershey's" or the equivalent there of. Again, for $7, I don't think this dessert warranted the price. C+
In the end, I'll rank Sapori Trattoria a good solid B. I would gladly go back and invite other people to come with me. If you find yourself hankering for good Italian, this is a good place to check out.
Only great things to say about this restaurant.
First of all, checking in on Yelp got me a free cappuccino, and I used the $15 for 30 that popped up on the app, which was great.
Matt was our server and he was extremely helpful and friendly.
I loved the atmosphere of the restaurant, it was quite small with a romantic vibe and great decor.
The entrees run from about $20 to 30 dollars, not bad at all, and good quantity. I ordered some sort of Calamari pasta from the specials menu which was fantastic. The Panna Cotta was recommended over the Tiramisu by Matt, again delicious.
Highly recommended!