Club Lago Restaurant
331 W Superior St
(between Franklin St & Orleans St)
Chicago, IL 60610 (312) 951-2849
- Nearest Transit:
Chicago (Purple Express, Brown)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
38 reviews
Neighborhood: Lakeview
"Superb!! I was highly impressed with our visit to Fiorentino's. The inside is cozy, but elegant, with hardwood floors and white linen…" read more »
40 Reviews for Club Lago Restaurant
The owner was friendly, and I do love a family-owned business, but it takes more than charm to run a restaurant. I found the food to be decidedly sub-par.
My date and I had a simple garlic bread, which was quite good, then he had the chicken parmesan, and I had the manicoti with a side of meatballs. The chicken parm was huge, which was good... I guess. But it didn't taste like it was made with quality meat. My manicoti was palatable, but it didn't taste anywhere near fresh. The leftovers were fairly vile upon re-heating. The food was so blah that we didn't have the faintest desire to stay for dessert.
Next time I want good, home-made Italian, I'll go up North to Caro Mia or Lucia's.
I started hanging out at Lago when the Nardini brudders' father was still running the place. He is a wonderful guy who knows how to make you feel at home, and his sons, Guido and GianCarlo, are smart enough to have learned what their father knew so well
I've always said, if the Nardini Brudders don't know you when you come into Lago, they will before you leave. Aside from the bragging rights of knowing a couple of local boys named Guido and GianCarlo, Lago is just plain old school fantastic.
The menu doesn't qualify as Nouveau anything, and that's probably the greatest thing about it. From the egg plant parmesan to the best blue cheese salad dressing in Chicago, Lago food is great Italian comfort food.
Mind a quick side story about Guido and GianCarlo? A business partner and I made a habit of meeting every few weeks to talk shop and have a couple too many adult beverages. On one such occasion, our final stop of the night was for "just one more" at Lago. We probably stayed a little longer than planned, laughing and retelling stories. And about the time we were asking ourselves if we could handle one more before the cab ride home, Guido appeared from nowhere with a big plate of meatballs, a grin on his face and said: "Maybe you boys oughta have a little something to eat."
Man, I love Lago.
Not much to say except that the place has excellent old-world ambiance, and really solid Italian dishes. Nothing that'll blow you away, but overall this place is an old school Chicago Italian classic. The daily specials are typically pretty good. I prefer the veggie pasta dishes, including the confusingly named "francaise," which pairs pasta with just-soft-enough broccoli The place also works well as a bar, so if you want to check it out, commit to a beer, and if you like what you see, sit down and have a nice meal.
One more thing, Lago is family owned, and one of the family is almost aways there to greet you warmly. It doesn't seem to take long to become a regular.
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If you are looking for a an incredible little family owned Italian restaurant, this is your spot!
The food is great and reasonably priced, the staff rocks and the owners Guido and Giacarlo are seriously the coolest cats in town!
This place was recommended to us by a local. The prices are more than reasonable. We wanted some Italian food that wouldn't break the bank and that is just what we got. My friend and I both had the linguini with clam sauce, and my boyfriend had the carbonara, which he said was really good too. I have had better clam linguini, but for the price it was good. It was a Monday night so it was kind of empty, dark, and sad inside, but I'm sure there are busier nights there. The waitress (Jamie) was awesome and she said she had worked there for 6 years. Great service. We stayed until closing drinking.
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Thank you! Excellent service, great atmosphere, the kind of place you could sit for hours drinking wine and shooting the shit with some old friends. The food was great, the owners are two of the nicest guys I've met. Nothing bad to say. Love all the old photos of their family that started the place in the 50's, they'd be proud.
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I love this place. The brothers that own this family business are very welcoming. The food is fresh and the decor is like stepping back in time. It's a very relaxed atmosphere. A great spot for an easy delicious meal.
Went here the other day, for an office lunch. Either get there by noon or you will have to wait. The key to some good here, stay away from the red sauce! Honestly the sauce tasted like it was from a can....
I wish I could say it was great considering this place has been around forever, though I guess everyone has different tastes and standards for their food!
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the best thing about club lago for me was the server, who was polite, knowledgeable, and quick. The food was okay, but I probably won't eat my leftovers. especially since i threw it in a trash bin two blocks away. but i love how the place looks. and could totally see myself trying to be all swanky in the booths.
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Great Italian Resto in River North neighborhood corner of Superior/Orleans.
The house wine reminded me when I was in Italy. Always good!
Calamari appetizer met my expectations.
Italian sausage/Peppers appetizer I liked it because the sausage is finely ground nice for a change.
Salad w/house vinaigrette excellent.
Our whole party ordered veal dishes we all shared and it was unanimous we will all be coming back.
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OK, lets start with the good. I ate at the bar and bartender was very friendly to me and to all at the bar. One look at the menu and you know you're not going to throw a c-note for dinner for two. I had them make me the Pasta Francois (vegetarian) on Green (spinach) noodles. Actually slightly above average. But there won't be a next time sitting in this run down, depressing place.
I was here 2 years ago with my teenage kids. Food was slightly above average even then, but I swore I would never set foot in the place again because it reaked of cigarettes- far worse than most smoky bars. And never returned until now, with a smoking ban. Maybe I was expecting them to make the place a little less depressing and spruce it up now that the stench of cigarettes is gone. Ah, wishful thinking.
I may order in from here at some point in the future because I live so close, but if I crave good Italian there are SOOO many great alternatives in the area- Volare, Orso's, Topo Gigio, and Quartino's
Okay is the word that comes to mind after last night's experience at Lago. The atmosphere is very old timey and wonderful. It's just what I adore in a restaurant. The service was very slow, even with the dining room being less than half full. Though, every time I said something akin to "this is taking forever!" the waiter would appear in no less than ten seconds.
I had the linguine with clams in white sauce, and it bordered on inedible. The sauce was all too reminiscent of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup. I almost wanted to check the menu and make sure I hadn't ordered cream of linguine and clams. My partner in dining had the mostaccioli, which was decent but not amazing. He attested that the meatballs were flavorless.
Were I ever to venture back to Lago, it would be only for the bar. The bar area was hopping all night long and seemed to be a decent place to hang out. You win some, you lose some.
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I hope the brothers who inherited this business don't read the review calling it "depressing" and mess with the impeccable period decor. This is anything but depressing--it's cozy, informal, beautifully preserved, and was among the first mainstream establishments to adopt a less than reverential attitude toward G.W. Bush (cf., the Nation cover illustration posted over the bar in which the leader's face has morphed into the Mad magazine "What, Me Worry?" icon). I brought a client here for lunch and he fell in love with the place and said it, and the walk up Franklin under the El tracks, was like being back in New York. I also love the way the menu reproduces a 1955 drawing by a fellow who appears to have been an outsider artist with some disability that involved heightened attention to complicated literal detail--I think he lived upstairs and was a regular when the place was in its infancy. Good calamari, too. They can also handle large groups efficiently; I organized a friend's birthday party here post Friday gallery crawling and they were cool with our somewhat disorganized and episodic arrivals.
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If you go here with the right mindset, you will have a great experience.
Club Lago reminded me of a small town Italian restaurant my parents took me when I was a youngster. It was called Cully's, and was owned by 1st generation Italian immigrants in a railroad town. The lady at Cully's had a mustache better than anything I could grow even now. I was terrified of her. I mean, aren't there products to remedy that situation? I know, you don't care. I'll stop babbling now. On to the review.
Club Lago is not about fine dining. And it is not priced as such. Most entrees are under $15. I ordered the chicken parm, and it was as big as my fucking head. I wear a size 7 3/4 hat. I have a big fucking head. The chicken parm was tasty.
You go here for the old-school atmosphere and camaraderie. There is a picture of the three generations of owners behind the bar. Guido and Gian Carlo currently run the place. I bullshitted with one of them for an hour or so after dinner - nice guy. They treated us like regulars even though we were just some chumps from out of town.
If I lived in Chicago, I would be a regular here.
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Atmosphere: Old School, needs an update
Food: Americanized Italian
Service: Excellent
Place has a long history, owners are the best, very nice, very accommodating. In dire need of restaurant makeover. Our food was good not great. The veal was above average! This place with a little more attention to the food and atmosphere can really hit the ball out of the park!
Guido the owner gave us a complimentary canoli dessert which was excellent!
Rick
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Old skool Italian, indeed. Red checkered tablecloths at this place are somehow not cliche. Visibly dusty HVAC systems are somehow . . . charming.
What takes them down a star is charging $3 to split an entree . . . huh!? Their portions, while delicious, are HUGE and two chicks wanting to split an entree should not be upsold on getting another entree . . . we wanted a reasonable amount of food, remember?
Other than that, great bar, delicious food, unobtrusive yet attentive waiter.
The food. Mmmm . . . calamari without too much breading. Carbonera pasta - decadent, delicious. Drinks are bracing without being solid alcohol. I've been going here on and off as long as I've lived in Chicago - a great alternative to the tourist tripe in River North.
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I've been going to Lago for over 10 years and I love this place. The guys that own it are the best and the staff is all super friendly and easy going. I love the food and enjoy hanging out here with friends. It's definitely all Chicago... This isn't a phony Italian chain - this place has been around for 50+ years and real Italian family restaurant spanning 3 generations.
The veal is the best thing on the menu for dinner and if you go for lunch be sure to try the toasted club sandwich on wheat. I always get the Insalata Dante because it's a great salad for dinner.
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This is one of my favorite "hole in the wall" Italian joints in Chicago. I like to eat dinner in the bar area and then stay for a good portion of the night. The entrees are really good and incredibly inexpensive, like a veal entree under $15. The wine selection is mediocre at best, but it's not a place for big wine connoisseurs or where to expect an extravagant wine list... go to tons of other great Chicago restaurants if you're looking for that. I usually share the decent sized carafe with the person I'm with of the house Chianti and it's great. The co-owners brothers Guido and (I forget his name) are so nice and make you feel at home. Also, they have Old Style which is awesome.
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Awesome awesome awesome. Don't come here expecting your usual downtown upscale Italian restaurant... this is more like eating at a family member's house. They were busy on Saturday night, but we got a table right away and the service was great. A simple dish of mostaccioli and meatballs was just great- tasted like homemade. The girlfriend had that night's special, gnocchi cesare, which was a garlicky cream sauce and broccoli and cauliflower- it was great.
The place was very comfortable, very reasonably priced, and I loved feeling like I was in such an old restaurant. It reminded me of some of the old places in St. Louis on the Hill, it brought back some great memories. We'll definitely be back.
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Food: OK, not great. But it's priced to be OK. Fun pricing fact from their menu: "items not on the menu may be available for a $2.50 extra charge". Good: chicken marsala. Not so good: sausage panini on untoasted wheat bread. Today's lunch: 6 people, $75 including tip.
Best men's room in the city.
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My parents started taking me here when I was 10, when the place closed at 9pm, they only took cash and I never truly knew where it was. I re-discovered it when I worked across the street about eight years ago. It has an incredibly warm, family atmosphere. Gian Carlo, Guido and their staff will take good care of you whether you are a first-timer or a regular. My husband (this place has been kind of integral to the development of our relationship) and I have been taking our soon to be 3 year old daughter here since she was 2 weeks old.
I recommend the chicken and veal dishes highly. Veal Sassi (think marsala with porcini mushrooms and artichoke hearts, yummm) and Chicken Vesuvio are my favorites here. The sauteed broccoli and spinach are delicious. I am really picky with my sauces, so I veer away from most restaurant pasta, but on Tuesday they make a mean Tetrazzini. So what if you feel kind of dirty eating it, it is creamy deliciousness. Nothing fancy here, just good food, decent prices, nice strong bar drinks and now that there is no smoking it is even better.
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I remember our waiter...
They had some sort of special that night and he proceeded to tell my friend that they had a 'lake fish' with a 'whore sauce'. She made a face, at which point he told her that it wasn't in reference to her, because she was clearly so 'virginal and beautiful'.
Laughter ensued.
I had a great experience here overall. The food was great (my friend's veal tasted awesome, and my fettuccini alfredo was amazing), the atmosphere was nice (dimly lit, stuff to look at on the walls, nice looking bar up front), and the staff was friendly (our waiter gets madd props for not only being nice and attentive, but funny to boot! I love when you go somewhere and the waitstaff can personalize their conversations with you. I HATE generic waiters.).
To sum this place up in 7 words or less:
Fun, fun, fun and yum, yum, yum!
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I have heard that Club Lago is now the holder of Chicago's oldest liquor license, with the closing of The Berghoff. Club Lago is old school Italian thru and thru. I went for the first time about 3 weeks ago with a friend and his little brother, who happen to be Italian. They said the food was very much like what their Grandma and Mom cook for them at home. I had veal saltamboca, it was great. The chicken cattachtore was also phenomenal. Antipasto tray was a nice starter.
Don't go to Lago expecting to make the scene. It's a bar with some tables in the back and some of the best Italian food you'll find in Chicago.
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You're almost like family when you come to this joint. The Chicken Vessuvio is excellent. So is the pasta. Like everybody says, this is like traveling back in time with it's old school feel. The atmosphere (love the music!!) and food make this a great place for lunch, dinner or even just a drink.
The host/owner Guido remembered I went there with a friend. He said the she did not get off of her cell phone the whole time we were there. Sadly she was a friend and nothing more. I was impressed that he remembered that.
A great Italian joint for sure....! Just wish I there was an entrance through the kitchen for a truly gangster experience.
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A good option for lunch if you work in the neighborhood, though I wouldn't go out of my way to good here. For one it's very small, secondly I don't smoke and I can not stand when I'm trying to eat my food with smoke lingering all around me!!!
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I wouldn't say the best Italian food ever, but the ambiance and the prices are what set this restaurant apart. I would definitely go back to just soak in the atmosphere and eat and drink with friends. The portions were large but easy to finish, and the servers were attentive and efficient.
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I really don't get in here often enough. This place is solid. Total old-school vibe. I love it. Just good food, good prices, no frills.
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From the moment you walk in, one of the brothers will greet you and treat you like a life long friend that comes in once a day. Even if you don't.
The meat sauce is better than my Gramma's which is one helluva feat in itself. I would eat it a bowl of it with no pasta, it's THAT good!! The marinara is also fantastic. There's so much flavor in a seemingly simple little sauce.
Service is great. The ambiance is fantastic. Whether you're at the bar, or at a booth or one of the tables in the back, it's like being rocketed back a few decades.
If I could give it 8 stars, I would.
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My old friend Carlos took me to Club Lago for dinner. He started coming here 25 years ago, when he had his first advertising job at BBDO. This is where they all used to hang out after work, back when you could still get shot in North River after dark. Carlos is friends with GianCarlo the owners grandson. He took good care of us.
Lago is is real old-school chicago - authentic, gritty, and affordable. The menu is standard northern italian - no surprises. Everything I ate was well prepared though. The calamari was fresh, the veal tender, and the maranara sauce well balanced. We washed it down with a few icy bottles of Miller Light. classy.
Honestly, this is more a place to go for the atmosphere. Robert DeNiro wacked a guy here in 'Mad Dog and Glory', the decor still exactly matches the film. The tin ceiling hasn't been cleaned since they opened in 1951, and the cast at the bar are equally dusty.
A fun place to go if you want to escape the wanky spots in the now gentrified surrounding neighborhood.
I came here for a post happy hour dinner and LOVED it. The food was delicious and the staff was uber friendly! It was crowded and had that family-style, old school feel to the place. It's very reasonably priced, too! We had 2 appetizers and 3 entrees and the bill was only $55!
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This is a real old-school Italian joint. The outside looks a little fancy, but inside it's all about down-home Italian cooking and friendly service. When I walked in, I was greeted by the bartender, who was very friendly and funny. My friend and I ordered chicken parmegan (not many places serve this anymore!) and garlic bread, and both were fantastic. I was less impressed with the meatballs, but still an overall delightful meal. I recommend it for a very chill night.
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My husband and I went to Club Lago for dinner tonight and we cannot say enough bad things about it. We went in with the understanding that it wasn't going to be "upscale" or extremely "fine dining," so it was by no means the atmosphere that bothered it us - it was purely the awful food. We split the chicken parm which we ordered based on a review that we read online. It was beyond horrible. The dish tasted like chicken fingers bathed in ketchup and swaddled in tasteless cheese.
We also ordered meatballs - we each took a bite and didn't even try for seconds - they were dry and tasted like a well done hamburger mixed with tart, canned marinara sauce.
We really wanted to have a good experience since the restaurant is in our neighborhood - but it was truly just bad.
Like the warm feeling I got when I went inside. The food could be better though, and they have olive garden prices so you get plenty of food for fraction of the price.
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I went to Club Lago last night to meet up with friends for post happy-hour dinner and drinks. I ordered a spaghetti which was pretty good as I think they make their sauce (and I know the meatballs) from scratch. It was a little weird being served merlot in a water glass and the bread was a little stale but overall it was a pretty decent joint. Very diverse crowd, someplace I would take my kids to for dinner on a Friday night to do something different.
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A bar and a restaurant? go figure. good thing the brothers believe in history. they'll hand it down to their kids some day!
great food, family owned, good prices, red wine served italian style - in a short tumbler glass.
old style beer here!
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I went to Club Lago today for my first time. I've passed this place for years but, I've never had the chance to stop in. I actually went in for lunch, and was very suprised. The decor is much more simple than I had imagined. The decor works though, and it is much more old school Italian than i could have imagined. The lunch waiters at least, are the managers too. A couple of nice guys, they made me feel at home. The food was pretty good too. I mean, not the best, but made with care and decent ingrediants. However, the food took FOREVER to come. There was a lunch rush of course, but I saw many guests get their plates before I got mine. I think they were regulars or something, because my server, (Greg) knew all of thier names. However, he asked me my name when I left, so hopefully I can get my food sooner if I show up again.
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Walking in to Club Lago is a bit like taking a time trip back to the old world. Inside its dark but cute. The outside is very uninviting. Its probably the kind of place you could walk by 100 times before thinking about going in to try it out.
Scenes in the mobster movie "Mad Dog and Glory" were shot here--it's kind of fun sitting at the spot where a guy was murdered in a movie.
Every time I've been there, I've always had veal. They make it a few different ways, and its always outstanding.
This is a family oriented location. Looks like an old Chicago restaurant. Its a decent atmosphere with huge portions. Their butt steak is good. I really enjoyed it.
Not the best Italian food I've ever had but the inside is family styled so its a pretty cozy place and the prices are reasonable.
I love this place! This is a place the rat pack would have hung out in back in the day. The food is good-- best chicken Vesuvius in the city and the price are very reasonable. They are family owned and make you feel like part of the family. I always take my out of town guest here and they love it too!
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