La Cantina

 

18

149

jose g.

Chicago, IL

The staff is the friendliest of the three Italian Village levels, and I should know. An out-of-towner relative was there with friends, and in finding them, I had to check each one. Cantina was last.

While there, I was treated to an eggplant parmigiana, one of my favorite Italian dishes, and I have to say, yes this place is expensive, but that was an amazing dish. Damn. The waiter was also a non-pretentious, funny guy. For a super-expensive downtown constant of the ruling elites, La Cantina surprised me with inclusivity and a quality (and not tiny) entree.

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Elite '08

19

106

RJ W.

Chicago, IL

First, please note , this is a REAL review by a REAL yelper. Below me are a number of obviously fake ones. Please keep that in mind..

We called ahead to make reservations. We were shoved in the basement, a.k.a. The Cantina... a.k.a.  A bad suburban basement. The decor was right out of a bad movie...from the 70s! I believe it was supposed to be something like a winecellar,, but they only got it half right.. the ambiance was of a .... cellar

The food was not good and, accompanied by a really surly waiter, just one of the most disappointing dining experiences I have had in a long time. I ordered spaghetti and meatballs, a pretty hard thing to screw up. Apparently they confuse large meatballs with tasty meatballs. Mine were just boring.  And the sauce non-existant. The bread was cold, which surprised me.  At our table we also had a number of other dishes, ranging from seafood to veal. No one at the table said they would come back.

And, to be frank, it was not horribly inexpensive. For about the same price, maybe $5 more a person, we could have gone to Rosebud. I know I will be in the future....

THEN, to top it all off, the VALET stole money out of our car!  Granted, it was not smart to leave it there... but it is OUR car, OUR property and our money....

Just an overall really bad experience. I assure you, I will never go there again. I  suggest you do not either...

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Elite '08

59

215

Sonia C.

Chicago, IL

Nothing special about this place.  Each of the three Italian Village restaurants in the building apparently have their own special theme and La Cantina was supposed to be the inside of a wine cellar.  I guess that means it's in the basement and it's narrow, dark, and a little cramped.  Of the three restaurants, Vivere (on the street level) is apparently the fanciest and most expensive.

I came to La Cantina with a few friends and was seated very close to a large party of middle-aged people celebrating a birthday.  I have nothing against 45 year olds or birthdays, but these people were just really loud!  "How old are you?"  "Oh, I'm just turning 18!"  "Old enough to vote!"  This charming banter was usually followed by lots of loud laughter - and the volume just kept escalating as they kept drinking.

The waiter was nice and friendly.  He brought over a loaf of bread which was, disappointingly, not warm, as well as a huge plate of parmesan cheese.  Upon his recommendation, I ordered the cacciucco - Tuscan seafood stew with squid, scallops, clams, mussels, and chunks of fish in a tomato-based broth.  It was nicely spiced and served piping hot.  My friends ordered the veal parmesan which was HUGE - easily the size of a face.  I don't eat veal so I didn't try it, but they said it was good, and you can't really go wrong with cheese and tomato sauce.

We split a tiramisu and some chocolate mousse thing for dessert.  The tiramisu was really good - not too sweet - and served in bowl since there was more mascarpone than lady finger.  The chocolate thing wasn't great as it was way too rich and dense - I felt like I was eating chocolate butter.  I like my "mousse" light and fluffy.

The bill came to about $30pp w/tax & tip ($40pp including wine), which wasn't bad.  Pretty similar in quality and quantity to Rosebud, but less comfortable seating.  Not sure if I would come again, but it's a decent option.  Just stay away from the older people that are secretly unhappy about birthdays.

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0

3

Al C.

Chicago, IL

Great Place for Steak and Italian Food. I loved the Ribeye, fantastic quality and good aging. The pastas were very good . try the Mare Monte which is pasta with a wide variety of Seafood , mushrooms . Very flavorful. The Staff goes out of their way to please you by coming bye the table constantly. The room is very romantic and cozy...a  Wine Cellar. The Wine List is like a Bible. Long but well put together . They have a great variety of Italian , California and French. Ask for help as I did on several occassions. I give a Big Yelp out for this place !

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11

105

Mike S.

Chicago, IL

So I was going to write a review here and talk about how the food is really good and the servers are all nice (and I think Russian), and how cool I think it is that the only two taps here pour pretty good beer.

But instead I'm going to write here to tell you that, if you go here and sit at the bar during lunchtime, you will be surrounded by some friggin strange people.  And I don't mean mafioso strange, I mean just really, really weird people.  And they will inevitably drink too much (on lunch, no less) and start awkward conversations with you.

That food was really tasty, though.  So 4 stars, despite the strange people.

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2

13

Mae Y.

Chicago, IL

I went here 3 times - first with a friend for lunch.  I got chicken enchiladas which were bland, but the chips and salsa had some kick.  A week later I ordered a chicken burrito for carryout.  They served me chips and salsa while I waited, which was cool, but when I got the food home I discovered they had given me a STEAK burrito.  As someone who hasn't eaten red meat in 3 years, I almost threw up when I took a bite.  People who live in the area know that there's not many places you can walk to after 6 if you want a bite to eat, so I ended up there a third time.  Sitting in a booth under glaring lights, watching mtv espanol (which is practically porn) and eating my impossibly bland, bean-less chicken "burrito", I decided I was definitively done with La Cantina.

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3

9

Milesh Milan J.

Chicago, IL

Great Italian restaurant in the loop area.  Perfect for lunch and reasonable than the Italian Village restaurant upstairs.  I & my friend loved their interiors - reminds us of the restaurants in europe.  I had Manicotti (crepes filled with ricotta cheese and cream sauce) and they were even flexible to add veggies to the cream sauce as I requested (for an extra charge)!!  The chef loved my suggestion and next time you are there you might see that option on their menu :) Their service was great too!  The rum cake was good, if they go light on the whip cream it would be great!!  Definitely would go again for lunch.  Expect to spend $20-$25 with tip.

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