La Gondola Italian Restaurant
Categories: Italian, Pizza [Edit]
Neighborhood: Lakeview2914 N Ashland Avenue
(between George St & Oakdale Ave)
Chicago, IL 60657 (773) 248-4433
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
107 Reviews for La Gondola Italian Restaurant
One of La Gondola Italian Restaurant's Favorite Reviews
Who knew I would find my favorite Italian restaurant in a strip mall! I ate here for the first time on a whim because I was shopping in the area and spotted it. So glad I did. This TINY restaurant which was very obviously once a take-out joint has only about 6 tables but they added a fresh coat of paint, table cloths, and some nice art on the walls to make for a pleasant dinner environment.
The dinners come with bread and oil and soup or salad. I always get the minestrone soup and it is out of this world, especially when garnished with the wonderful parmesan they supply at your table. You can also buy large quantities to take home with you! The sauces are all fresh and so, so flavorful. I usually order the Gnocchi Piemontese which has a tomato cream sauce with mushrooms basil, basil, parsley, and romano. I seriously have a smile on my face the entire time I'm eating it.
The service is usually friendly, but sometimes the food can take a while. It's worth the wait though. I haven't tried their pizza but it looks really good and I hope to soon if I can only resist ordering the Gnocchi.
***Edit***
Have to add that the fettuccine alfredo is the best I've ever had. Perfect and so so flavorful which is hard to find.
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Maybe it's because we had carryout? The portions were good portions. It was just ok, the Agnelotti Mezzaluna was disgusting. Yuck. The other three dishes were good, but nothing spectacular. It was well-priced, but I think there are other places in Chicago to try out. I don't think I'll try again unfortunately :(.
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We ordered delivery from here. (Small delivery charge of less than $2) The rigatoni boscaiola and chicken saltimboca were pretty good. Those were the dishes that I definitely wanted 2nd helpings. The salad is just average - just like bagged salad from the grocery store. I wasn't a big fan of the Agnelotti Mezzaluna - a bit dry for my taste. I think I would've liked the Eggplant Parmiagiana if I liked eggplant, but I don't! But it was still decent.
Portion sizes are big tho'! And when eating your entrees with bread, you don't have to order as many dishes as people if you're in a group unless you want leftovers! We ordered 4 dishes for 6 people, and that was plenty.
Although it wasn't bad and gave us a good meal for dinner, I probably won't be back to try it again because I don't live in the area.
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Last month, my mother-in-law was celebrating her birthday, so we decided to take her out to an Italian restaurant she had visited in Chicago ages ago. La Gondola had since changed locations to a tiny storefront in a strip mall, located between a hair salon and a popular tax preparation company office.
I know what you're thinking... a strip mall? But get that doubting thought right out of your head. As soon as you walk in, you're transported to a charming dining room filled with the smells of Italian authenticity. The small room bears only six tables (5 four-tops and 1 table for two), so be sure to call ahead and make reservations.
I have to admit, our visit did not start out well. We made a reservation for 7 p.m. but a table was not yet ready when we arrived so we waited patiently. When a table finally did become available, the staff gave it to another party... who had showed up after we did. Um... excuse me? Trying to show patience, we waited as another table was being cleared. Unfortunately, a friend of the restaurant's family showed up, and as we were standing within earshot, one of the young waitresses suggested out loud that the host "bump somebody [on the reservations list] down" so they could give a table to their friend. Needless to say, we were a bit annoyed. A word of advice to the staff: you may want to give table preference to those customers who are actually going to PAY for their meal.
Once we were seated though, the experience was incredible. We nibbled on piping hot bread dipped in cheese and olive oil until our immense plate of antipasti arrived (Genoa salami, imported mortadella, provolone cheese, fresh-cut tomatoes and cucumbers, and kalamata olives), served on a bed of iceberg lettuce with vinaigrette. It was a good thing there were three of us; we may not have finished it otherwise. At another table, I saw an appetizing platter of fresh black mussels in marinara sauce.
Entrees at our table included the tortellini panna (with imported prosciutto, mushrooms, and pecorino Romano in a light cream sauce), chicken vesuvio (half of a large chicken fried and baked with olive oil, fresh garlic, and rosemary, served with vesuvio potatoes), and a signature dish--the rigatoni boscaiola (with cream tomato sauce, fresh mushrooms and sage, and sauteed Italian sausage). The waitresses and even the owner came to check on us several times so we were never left without bread or beverage. With incredible flavors and fresh ingredients, the three of us ate as much as we could and then some, to the point where we didn't think we'd be able to move out of our chairs.
But just when we'd had our fill, the restaurant treated our birthday girl to a good-sized piece of homemade tiramisu, complete with "Happy Birthday" spelled out on the plate in chocolate. Mom-in-law was elated. I was happy too because she shared! With stuffed bellies, we were barely able to walk to our car.
Got delivery here last night with a bunch of girlfriends - and ordered the following.
1. Rigatoni Boscaiola - good
2. Eggplant Parmiagiana - disgusting and mushy
3. Chicken Saltimboca - mediocre
4. Agnelotti Mezzaluna - GROSS - the ricotta was almost inedible
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I'm going to marry the risotto, make babies with it, and eat the babies.
I also drunkenly slipped a few slices of pizza past my teeth, and it's pretty fucking wonderful. I'm not going to die, but I sure will hurt tomorrow.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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06/02/2008
I am totally breaking my "not reviewing businesses with more than fifty reviews" rule for this.
I… Read more »
I have been wanting to try this restaurant for a long time esp. since it is around the corner from my house. We ordered a few different dishes, 2 pastas, eggplant, and chicken. The food was just okay. It was nothing special. Maybe my expectations were higher since they got such rave reviews but I just was not impressed. The portions are large so it made for an affordable group dinner but the taste and quality could have been better.
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(NOT SO) HIDDEN GEM
Wow, over 100 reviews for this not so hidden strip mall gem.
La Gondola excels at serving large portions of well-executed Italian fare at reasonable prices in a surprisingly quaint setting. Who would ever guess that next to a Pier 1, a Game Stop, and a Chinese take out place you'd find people sitting down at candlelit tables to a fine Italian meal?
Their sauces are excellent and some of my favorites include the rigatoni boscaiola with fresh Italian sausage and sage in a light tomato cream sauce and the eggplant parmagiana with layer upon layer of crisp eggplant, melted mozzarella, and fresh marinara.
My only complaint was that on my last take out order my bread and salad were subpar. Other than that, I'm a big fan.
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The food here is generally quite good. Much better than Fiorentino's across the street. But the staff is so-so (sometimes very good and sometimes not so good). And the place is quite small. Even with reservations we've had long waits. The last time we were there (we were a party of four) another party of four arrived with a reservation for the same time -- 7 PM. But there was only one table available and we got it because we arrived first, but the other party stormed off swearing a blue streak! I've only been there on Friday nights, so maybe it's much better during the week. But as I said at the beginning, the food is very good.
p.s. Since I posted this review I've updated it and added an additional star. I got a message from the owner in which he apologized for the mixup. I very much appreciate that! It shows that the folks who run La Gondola really care about their customers.
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I'm not a big pizza eater, but this is amazing. Thin crust, throw some basil and zucchini on that pie and watch me smile.
It is good.enough said. order online. better yet, use the resource foodler.com
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I just went here this past weekend....my wife and I were impressed.
Started the meal with a bottle of wine...WHOA!!!!!...Is that a Magnum bottle of wine for $18? what a steal!!!!
The breat was great, but the olive oil lacking in flavor
Then comes the grilled calamari...outside of a habachi, this is the biggest darn calamari I've seen in my life. Unfortunately for me, it was served cold (by design I believe)...my wife loved it, i would've liked it better warm. I'll do the fried calamari next time...if it's the same size I'll be happy.
Next comes out pasta meals...Rigatoni Boscaiola and the same dish with smoked salmon instead of sausage. This was fantastic!!!!!! and the portion size...OMG!!!! I rarely leave food on my plate, but i did here. and I think my wife left more on her plate than she ate.
Service was discombobulated....he claimed it was his first day. nothing disappointing, but not memorable. The place is small, so make sure you reserve a table no matter how dead you think it'll be. There was a couple who walked in who apparently had a reservation and they were told it was lost and they'd have to wait. The owner came out and seemed to comp them pretty well, but they were standing quite a while.
Why did i dock it a star? 1) while I loved the place, I like to reserve the 5 stars for only the best 2) The prices are a bit high....when you consider the portion size, it's a good value, but I'd rather have smaller portions at a better price.
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So, I am tagging on Deanna M's review since I ate the same pizza, though she never offered up the Risotto!
Apparently, yes, they even threw in an extra pie and some wine since Jenny Z is a loyal customer.
Cannot remember the exact topping list, but various meats and simple veggie-like were to the two pies we ordered and they threw in a chicken and pesto.
Backstory: I did not really know pizza other than Pizza Hut or some various frozen kind or another until later in life when I moved to NYC. In NYC you have competing factions - John's or Grimaldi's or Lombardi's. There is Patsy's but they are all corporate after a large feud with lawyers and such and stole the name from what is now Grimaldi's. If you are in NYC and eat there... well you ain't getting the best... just a corporate knock off. All of the three make pies that are wicked thin crust, coal fired melt in your mouth loveliness. Me... well, though I hate to ditch BK, I liked Lombardi's best. Just always thought the topping list was better and more consistent pies came out of there oven. Of course one might say that about the others, but who's arguing here. We were talking about La Gondola's, right.
Ok. so the pizza here is very similar to what you find in the good shops in NYC. The crust, maybe not as thin, but compared to this "Chicago Style" insanity you call pizza here, well done. well done. The ingredients were fresh and simple. I am a bit of traditionalist, so the chicken pesto was not what I would have ordered myself, but was Fantastico anyway. I cannot vouch for whether the pie here is coal fired or not, so if anyone knows, let me know.
I will definitely order more and more and more. Actually... mmm might just order me up some right NOW!
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Woah, is all I can say, please remember the following is my own personal opinion, and that's why i can write this. I have had 2 experiences of La Gondola's food and I can confirm from the second opinion that I will not ever be going back. No offense but seriously little Caesars pizza for $5 was better than the cheese pizza from here. 1st time I came here i ordered the Agnelotti Mezzaluna, which was the half moon shaped pasta stuffed with fresh spinach, ricotta cheese and percorino romano with marinera. It was at best ok, bit dry and to be truthful not very enjoyable.
I have had some great experiences at other restaurants like Volare, and Tuscany, but unfortunately La Gondola was not for me.
The one bonus I can say from my experience was that I didn't have to pay full price thanks to the Restaurant.com voucher. In conclusion, if this is where you want to go, make sure you take the voucher with you, otherwise you'll be kicking yourself later. =)
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This place was fantastic. We went based on good reviews found on yelp and around the internet and we weren't led astray. The vodka rigatoni was delicious and the chicken parm hit the spot. When you're finished with that, make sure to try the tiramisu. It was really good. The portions are quite large. Our waitress had just started there and did a great job as well. The dining room is very small, so if you plan on dining in, a reservation will probably be your best bet. Take out seemed to be quite popular.
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I came here due to the positive ratings that I found here on Yelp. For anyone else who reads these reviews, definitely consider trying it out but MAKE A RESERVATION! I had no idea that this little Italian hide-out was so small inside. There are no more than seven tables inside. We were told a 15-30 minute wait, and it ended up being 50 minutes. Since there is no room to wait, we had to rely on our last resort, the car.
Once we came in, they knew we had been waiting and were very accomodating. The fresh bread and oil came out right away, along wtih our drinks. The Gondola salad was very good, especially if you like Greek olives and Gouda cheese. I had a taste for pizza and had the Margarita pizza. I was expecting more basil than what was tasted (instead of whole leaves, it was only little torn pieces), so it was average (yet the crust had a nice crispy texture). Next time I'd like to try the pasta.
Something neat: Most likely you'll meet the cook and owner himself who has kept the business running since 1984. Nice guy, I just wish the interior was larger and not concentrating on take out/delivery so much.
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I was diggin the Rigatoni Boscaiola with italian sausage and cream tomato sauce. However, the chicken marsala was not to my taste. I thought the sauce was too runny. I also wished they cut the chicken breast a little thinner so marsala sauce could permeate through. You can tell the sauce was weak because even the mushrooms had no flavor. I may give this place another chance with a restaurant.com certificate, but I'm not gonna risk another marsala fiasco at La Gondola. As they say, first time shame on them, second time shame on me.
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One of my favorite delivery options. I've had a ton of different pastas and they were all good. The chicken parm sandwhich is really good and huge too! I've never eaten in the restaurant, but that may change very soon since restaurant.com has gift certificates for this place.
Minus one star because one time they messed up my order, but I was too lazy to call and have them fix it. I ate what they gave me and it was good so I guess it really wasn't that big of a deal.
Next time I get delivery I want to try their pizza, since apparently it's really good.
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Deanna was done in by the sake. As for me and Jenny Z., well...we drank one 1.5L bottle of wine, drank one 750 mL bottle, and cracked open another when the food arrived. We gorged ourselves on the feast. The lobster ravioli was so amazing. Nothing like it.
I remember asking Jenny to order bruschetta when she phoned in the order. I can't remember eating it. The receipt laying next to me is evidence that it arrived, but I can not remember. I have no idea. I only remember the lobster ravioli. And we ordered five dishes. Hmmm?
Update 6/4/08
I am also told we had gnocchi. Damn it. Gnocchi and bruschetta. Two of my favorite foods......*sigh*
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homey italian in a strip mall...nuff said
tiny seating area, but it's very quaint and actually very romantic...good thing i was with the lady...oh yeah...
food was basic italian done pretty well...standouts were the mussels in diavolo sauce, even if it was more like a slightly spicy marinara...their signature pasta didn't let down--the rigatoni bosciola was very well done with a smoky tomato cream sauce and well flavored sausage...also, try the special spinach soup...definitely unique...
i only wish they would deliver south of north ave...
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I was incredibly disappointed with my La Gondola experience. I will never, EVER return here. The veal parmigiana (my favorite food in the world) was tough. I could seemingly get past this fact if the sauce compensated for the less-than-stellar quality of meat. I thought that my friend's rigatoni boscaiola (a signature dish) would be better than my dinner. Oh no, it was definitely worse. There are so many amazing Italian restaurants in the city of Chicago - this doesn't even merit a mediocre rating. If you're looking for anything more than below-average, don't go to La Gondola.
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Fabulous! There isn't a better word to describe it. We eat there, or should I say order from there, 3-5 times a month. First off, let me say I'm a pan pizza guy and nothing will change that, however, I'm in love with their thin crust. I literally have eaten at Lou Malnati's for lunch, my favorite, and craved La Gondola's thin crust for dinner! It's that good. We've tried a fair amount of the menu and everything is delicious, fresh, and worth trying again. The restaurant is cozy and always full, so call ahead or just do carry out, that's what I do, and the food is still hot when I get home. Enjoy!!
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I was pretty skeptical when the girlfriend told me she wanted to order Italian for delivery, but La Gondola proved me wrong. Most of the things we've tried have been quite good, and the prices are right. We've had mostly pasta dishes and they've been good, especially since they all come with a side salad and a hunk of bread. The standout was the rigatoni Bascaiola (the menu says its their signature dish). It's rigatoni with mushrooms and sausage in a tomato-cream sauce. Do yourself a favor and order the homemade tiramisu for dessert. The only thing that was a disappointment was the mushroom risotto. They probably shouldn't offer it for delivery. If you've made risotto before, you know that it needs to be served immediately--so I'm not sure why I thought it was a good idea to order it. It showed up dry and starchy. Next time, I'll stick with the pasta.
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The place is kinda small but the atmosphere is nice. Make reservation before you go.
We ordered appetizer Bruschetta and I love the fresh tomato. Also the thin crust La Gondola Special pizza and Riatoni Gondola pasta. They both are good tasted but I prefer the ones in California pizza kitchen. The dessert baby cannoli is cute and unique.
The price is reasonable. The waitress service is fantastic. The waiter even explained every dessert on the menu.
I would go back and recommend this restaurant to people.
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Last night we just found ourselves in the area after someplans fell apart. Thank heavens! This place was wonderful, just wonderful. I had the fettucini and it was fantastic. Oil up the bread, sprinkle with parmegan and go for it! The service was fast and our server had a smile the whole time.
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Excellent super thin crust pizza. We ordered delivery and they delivered within the hour (Friday night). We hope eat there soon.....since their menu looks great. Oh and there breaded mushrooms are tasty.
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I'm not accustomed to dining in strip malls in the city, but La Gondola is the perfect reason to change my habits.
Not only is the food delicious, it's also a great value (large portions of pasta for $12) and the staff is very friendly. On my first trip there, we met the owner and his wife who so graciously gave us a free dessert. Our group tried 3 of the rigatoni dishes and one special (lobster ravioli) - all delicious.
This place is small so definitely make reservations ahead of time.
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I absolutely love La Gondola. My only regret is not discovering it sooner. We order from there at least once a week and frequently more. Their menu is huge with a lot to choose from, but typically we order pizzas and lasagna, with the occasional chicken parmiagiana thrown in. I love their stracciatella, it's my favorite soup, and it's difficult to find on many Italian menus. Their prices are extremely reasonable and their staff is very accomodating.
If I had one very minor complaint, it would be that they put the salad that comes with your entree in the same bag (carry-out or delivery) so the salad is often wilted from the heat of the hot food. Not a huge deal-I just make sure to tell them to bag it separately.
La Gondola-I beg you, please open for lunch. It's so hard to wait until 4:00 for your deliciousness!
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Based off of previous reviews we decided to order in some food a couple of months back. It was good, not great. However, we did not try the pizza.
Fast forward to this evening. After a rough night last night, tonight called for the couch and some pizza, instead of round 2. Facing the ever-daunting task of trying to pick a pizza place, I decided to search Yelp and once again, I was reminded of La Gondola. And I am glad that we did.
We ordered the extra thin crust and it was great. I won't say perfect as it was just lacking that little something that would take into the "exceptional" category. The crust was a nice mix of crunchy and chewy. The sauce was perfect and the amount of toppings was just right.
We will definitely be ordering the pizza from La Gondola in the future.
I would like to point out that their online ordering system is, by far, the best one that I've encountered: easy, complete, and very intuitive. And the delivery time was spot on.
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I love La Gondola. eat here twice a week and will do so for as long as I live in Lakeview. BTW. the last 3 reviews here look as if they are in spite of LA Gondola speaking the truth. look closely at the dates and reviews. La Gondola was perfect until this jeleous trio slammed them. ask them to meet you for a drink. then ask me. I'll show up. PLEASE READ MY REVIEW OF FIORENTINOS for the truth on this hack restaurant. I have eaten at both and La Gondola is as far from a 1 star as a restaurant can be.
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Yum! Everything is fresh and delicious! I usually order delivery, but have eaten in the restaurant once. The dining area is small and cozy, and the staff are very friendly.
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The ONLY good pizza in Wrigleyville. It took me months to find a thin-crust pizza I enjoyed. The suburbs spoiled me a bit, what can I say?
La Gondola has flat out, awesome thin-crust. I get it with pepperoni and jalapeno's, but it's their sauce and cheese combination of taste that will have you ordering on a regular basis.
Try it out.
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Really a hidden Gem for Italian food. The Chicken Parmesan is top notch, and the pizza is quite tasty as well. It is a small place, so its not easy to get a table. We mostly get take out from here.
The food is really, really good. I give it 4 stars because the order usually takes longer for them to prepare than they say it will when you talk to them on the phone. Also, I attempted to have this delivered, and it took 2 hours.
Take out might be your best bet. Good food.
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i'm very discerning when it comes to italian food - especially when it comes to italian delivery. thankfully, la gondola pulls this off. their food tastes like rainbows. and their delivery is fast (you can order on their website - always a plus).
i've had the pizza, which is really good, but my favorite is the rigatoni with the sausage in the creamy tomato sauce. DEAR GOD. so good.
know what else is good? the tiramisu. especially when i order the "tiramisu for two" and then eat all of it myself. because i am selfish. and because it's fanastic tiramisu (large pieces of dark chocolate crumbled on top? sign me up).
i say YES to la gondola, and you should too.
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My GPS said it was nearby, you just couldn't see it from the street. Its within the strip mall sharing the lot, facing North.
Again, it is such a tiny location, if it was on the street, you could easily drive past it. Cozy could be a better word, there are only 4 or 5 tables. Still they've got two waitresses and a few waitstaff.
Food was great, this coming from a guy that hardly ever goes out for Italian food. They had a pasta dish claiming to be spicy, I was surprised to find such a tasty and (surprisingly) spicy dish. One thing to caution would be on the amount of food you order. We were a crowd of three, started with appetizers, salad and then the main course. There was too much food, leftovers from every course. The menu is priced moderate, dinner for three with drinks(wine and ALC) ran us about $70. My only grievance, I had soda with my drink and it was flat. That ruined the scotch. If you'd like to check it out, as another Yelper mentioned, you can find a discounted gift cert on www.restaurant.com Also, if coming during normal busy hours, call ahead. Trust me, the restaurant is smaller than your living room. I assumed there were no restrooms, because there aren't any visible, in the rear through the kitchen one is available.
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I've lived practically a stone's throw from La Gondola for nearly two years, but I just tried it for the first time last weekend with a friend. And I think that experience may have created a monster, because I've now been craving it on an almost daily basis, which could be very dangerous for my waistline! The restaurant is TINY but cute & cozy. Our service was excellent. We had an appetizer of mozzarella sticks-- nothing to write home about but always a comfort food favorite. Then I had the stuffed gnocchi in pesto sauce... man, was it good. And my leftovers were just as excellent the next day, which says a lot-- I practically never think leftovers are as tasty as they were the first time around! My friend had the rigatoni boscaiola. She was nice enough to give me a taste, and it was delicious as well. We had a reasonably priced bottle of wine with dinner, and it was actually pretty good wine, especially for the price. Actually, everything at La Gondola was very reasonably priced, particularly for the quality of food that we got. I am so pleased to have given La Gondola a shot. Had I not seen all the raving Yelp reviews, I would probably have continued to pass up this little strip mall business, and that would have been a shame. I will be back, especially to pick up take-out on a night when I just don't feel like cooking!
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Found this place on a whim when I moved into my place 5 years ago. Wanted to try new pizza places and since then La Gondola has become a staple when I'm ordering in pizza. It is great for the stay in and rent a movie and order in pizza nights. The extra thin crust is great (great taste and texture) and the cheese is perfect for that- "I want a basic movie night pizza." - - - I get pinapple and greenpepper and I've tried other ingredients- all are fresh, nicely placed and good quanty on the pie.
I've also ordered food from them- also pretty tasty. Eggplant Parm is real nice!
I always tell people about this place when listing my pizza places and it seems like not many have heard of it- so maybe a little hole in the wall- but surely an awesome secret to share!
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mmmmmm this place has some good authentic italian cuisine. A little pricey but certainly worth it. They even deliver to Logan Square!
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Decent pizza but the italian food is bland. Just a few tables in this pizzeria and they turn down the lights to try and create atmosphere so I would say you are better off taking the pizza to go. Their prices for italian food are high and the taste is low. Plus the owner aggressively emails you if you give a neighboring restaurant a good review on yelp and puts down the other restaurant to try and advertise his own. VERY tacky! With such a lack of integrity I would never trust their food again.
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What a fantastic find this was. I originally found La Gondola when ordering a Restaurant.com gift certificate at a low price. I chose La Gondola solely because they didn't have 5 pages of restrictions (such as "GC is invalidated when ordering a salad with ranch dressing").
Like everyone has said, the place is tucked away in a strip mall and I never would have bothered stopping in had I not had the GC (c'mon, it's smashed between a Supercuts and a H&R block). What I walked into was a drastic contrast from its exterior - cozy, with 6 tables, and the smell of great Italian food).
We were seated and treated to some great bread, which put me to the test in trying not to eat the whole thing before the appetizer even arrived. Good thing - the grilled calamari was amazing. Not chewy, nicely flavored, and accompanied with artichokes and roasted red peppers.
We both ordered pasta dishes; both of which were excellent. The Lobster Ravioli, in particular, stood out above everything else. N