First off, this fantastic restaurant is not an upscale elegant type of ambiance. Yes, it’s in downtown but it’s not what you all might think. I dined with my brother and my mother for lunch and OMG all that we ordered was superb. Absolutely phenomenal. Lux Paul was our server for the afternoon and he was pretty hip, nice, & informative as well. Selections of wine and spirits are awesome. I’m a pasta freak, so even those selections were hard to not order them all 🤣. My brother ordered the Tortellini and spinach - mom ordered the salmon and eggplant - I ordered the shrimp risotto and rigatoni w/ lamb. It’s all a la carte so we all shared from each Plate. The complimentary bread was also very good and endless (Yeyyyyy!!!). All of these plates were - kid you not - all at a very reasonable price. Late night until 3am. I will definitely be going to this spot again and again.
Management: one thing though...turn fans off if at all possible. It was chilly coming from the outside and to then feel a cold breeze from the fans was kind of a bummer and got our food cold quick however, we forgot all about it - still, just FYI 😀
I loved it, ran into this place accidentally. Me and my buddy had the spinach salad, young octopus salad, margarita pizza, duck prosciutto, a lemon desert when i dont have a sweet tooth and the service was amazing. When i go back to Chicago this is my last meal before going coming home meal. Amazing!!!
We were at Quartino last night. Staff is excellent, knowledgeable of the menu and helpful with questions; very friendly, welcoming and personable. Food was fabulous!!! I asked for a risotto dish prepared with pasta and Amanda our server was helpful and the chef surprised me with Tuscan sausage with sun dried tomatoes and peas over penne! Superb!! Bar waitress Madeline went out of her way to be helpful with great service! Will definitely return!
Everything was just wonderful....from the waitress to the decorations to the food....Best fondue and Cannolli....love to share so the small plate concept worked great for us...will go back...
A must “dine place” for anyone going to Chicago! One of the best pasta dishes I’ve had anywhere in the world! ��
Fantastic authentic Italian food!
Relatively short but very diverse and delicious menu, great and attentive service in a beautifully historic setting. I will be back and back and back. Any excuse I can find to come back to Chicago will include a trip to my new fave restaurant.
I don’t know which was better the food or the exceptional service. It was the best Italian meal I’ve had in years. Capresi salad, veal meatballs and pappardella. The noodles were thin and perfectly cooked.
I highly recommend!
We enjoyed Great food, Great staff, and a Great atmosphere with family and friends for a birthday celebration!
Great food and great atmosphere! Designed to be family dining with meals shared. First time ever to some place like this and it was great.
Great meal. Rowdy atmosphere in the bar area on sat nite. Great service for such a busy nite. Highly recommend
Interior so charming — old time Italian vibe, beautiful. Delicious food - incredible staff and busboys. Dirty / done with plates do not sit on your table!
Came here for a get together, and the food was delicious. Every appetizer and pasta we ordered were amazing, not even one disappointed us. The meatball was so, so good!!! Highly recommend if you're looking for good Italian food in town, and the price was very reasonable.
This place surprised me!!! Amazing, good quality, family style Italian food! The place is very charming and the staff is very kind. They take true care of you when you’re there. Bread with Olive oil, Parmesan and balsamic to start and the food just got better with time. The food comes out as it’s made and it is all fresh ingredients and hot! Added bonus being the food being very affordable and generous portions- again family style. We ordered 3 dishes and a drink and payed around $50 for everything- TOGETHER! would highly recommend and will be going again on my next visit!!
Not pretentious at all. Staff seem to like their job and enjoy the customers. Great food, awesome atmosphere. Waiter was very helpful and kind. 💕 Highly recommend.
And the pizza is amazing. Or so thinks my husband.
And the salad with goat cheese and shrimp was spectacular. So tired of frozen rubbery shrimp. This place actually serves fresh shrimp and a great salad.
We were 5 days new to Chicago. Glad we found it. This place will spoil you and other places will pale in comparison.
I’ve been to Quartinos a handful of times, and the food is always consistent - all the food is pretty good, but nothing special. The Penne Alla Vodka, Eggplant Parmigiana, and mushroom pizza are my go-to. This place is open pretty late, so it's an excellent place to eat post-games! I’ve been here for a few birthdays, and they can host large parties, which is nice!
We went to Quartino’s as a birthday dinner. I will admit, our experience didn’t start off great. We had an 8:30 reservation and had to wait about 35 minutes to get sat. We couldn’t sit outside due to a lack of servers I believe. Inside was very hot and loud, but that’s expected for an open kitchen layout on a Saturday night.
We got sat and could immediately notice our server, Julian I believe was his name, just got several tables all at once. The manager came over and was nice enough to get us started with drinks and explain the menu while we waited. We ordered a TON of half portions. It was so much food and every dish was better than the next. I highly recommend the slider, gnocchi, clams, and mussels.
Julian was absolutely fantastic. He made sure to constantly check up on us and even brought us over a little birthday sorbet (without singing thank god). Definitely will be requesting him out next time back in!
It's a decent Italian place. We were excited about the small plates. My favorite of all was their Caesar Salad. One of the best I have ever had.
Aside from that, we tried a few small plates but another worthy mention will be their Risotto. Cooked to perfection and has decent enough meat and vegetables in it.
We tried the polenta cakes but it wasn't necessarily something people were excited about. Also they were super hot and I wish the server would have given us the heads up and prevented one of us burning their tongue.
Service could have definitely been better compared to what we got. We had to ask several times even to get a check.
Great place and great food. The prices are pretty reasonable. However, this place gets really packed. Service may be a bit slow due to the number of customers, but we had a really good server. Reservation is a MUST! I also suggest Uber or Lyft.
Great place to get Italian. Food was well made and tasted great. We sat inside and it felt a little stuffy - might’ve been due to dim lighting. Our server Latoya had great recommendations for us when we had questions about the menu and was overall amazing.
This Italian gem in Chicago will transport your taste buds to a world of shared flavors! With each plate costing around $15, you can savor a variety of delectable dishes with your loved ones.
The pizza dough is a divine creation that I'm almost certain has a cheese infusion, resulting in a heavenly combination of crunch, saltiness, and flavor. Don't miss out on the tiramisu—it's an absolute must-try!
Step inside, and you'll be transported to an old-world Italian restaurant, with traditional decor that immerses you in the ambiance of another country. Be aware, though, that if you prefer a quieter atmosphere, this bustling spot may not be for you. Even at 10:30 pm, the place was packed. However, the wait for the food was surprisingly short.
Lastly, the staff here is incredibly friendly and accommodating, adding to the overall warmth of the experience. Don't miss this delightful culinary adventure in Chicago's dining scene!
My husband and I traveled to Chicago for the holidays and decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner. We are pasta lovers, so my husband booked a table at Quartino. The sign outside made it look a bit like a liquor store, and my eyebrow went up, wondering what the quality of food would be. The place is obviously popular, given that it was packed. They cram a ton of seating in the space, which made it challenging to get around, but curiously, it didn't detract from the experience. It was a well controlled hustle and bustle, like a large family trying to gather everyone together. Abbie was our server, and she seemed knowledgeable about the history of the restaurant and the food. She was very friendly and took the time to chat with us despite being busy with several tables. The portions were just right, which I appreciated because many Italian places in my experience sacrifice quality for a humongous plate of mediocre food. We started with the polenta fries, mortedello with pistachios, and gorgonzola. The meat and cheese came with candied fruit and an apricot spread, which were delicious. Our entrees were a bolognese and an Australian strip streak with broccolini. The steak was a perfect medium. The pasta was light, airy, and came with just enough sauce. Everything was super fresh and looked good enough to eat. We should have shared a dessert, but as usual, our eyes overruled our stomachs. I thoroughly enjoyed a coppa alla banana, and my husband devoured the hot chocolate cake. Either of these was enough for two people to share without a fight ensuing. We would definitely recommend Quartino and will likely be back for another visit.
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes