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- Price Range:
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$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
8 reviews for Traverso's Restaurant
All Reviews
Great homemade ravioli and thin crust sausage pizza that tastes even better a day later reheated. Interior is a bit aging.
Went there on Weds. May 19. My mother ordered minestrone and got a beef soup instead. She didn't want to say anything. I ordered lasagna and being Italian myself, when I eat lasagna out, they have to live up to my grandma's and my mother's cooking. The lasagna fell way short. It was runny. There was something missing as there was no "texture" to it.
The waiter, she tried to take my salad from me. I had salad in my mouth and could barely speak a horrified "No!" when she went for the plate. I was irritated by the time I left. The salad was the best part of the night.
I'll say this right off the bat: we didn't eat in the restaurant. We ordered pizza as carry out.
The pizza itself was decent. I mean, nothing to write home about IMHO (but then again, I am a Louisa's loyalist), but good enough. Fair amount of topics. A bit expensive, but it definitely didn't taste "cheap". Overall, that was good.
We also ordered these little cheese things--maybe they were cheddar?--and they were fan-freaking-tastic.You need these, quite possibly to live. Definitely order these if you go.
Will we be back? Eh, probably not. If we're splurging on pizza, it's Louisa's, and if we're looking for really good but not break-the-bank good, we'll hit Aurelio's. But I don't regret giving it a shot. And like I said, those cheese things are not to be missed--a true religious experience for your mouth.
My husband, daughter and I went to Traverso's last evening for an anniversary dinner. I had high hopes based on the Yelp and Metromix reviews I had read. I was sorely disappointed. I can honestly say that this was the worst dining experience I have ever had. Both the service and the food were terrible. Here is a little rundown of the issues we had.
The hostess was unfriendly, she basically barked at us, led us to our table, threw the menus down and walked away.
We asked for a high chair upon arriving, it was never brought to us.
We sat there for ten minutes before anyone even acknowledged us. The table behind us arrived (truly probably ten minutes after us), and our waitress helped then and they got their drinks before she even said hello to us.
The boy that brought our water was totally unfriendly. My husband thanked him for the water and he just walked away with no smile or comment. Very rude.
My husband was served lukewarm "iced" tea with no ice in it, and when the waitress left after we had ordered, she forgot the menus twice and only took them when I reminded her.
The staff in general was a bunch of ambivalent teenagers who clearly didn't want to be at work or seem to care about much at all. When not working, they all stood visibly in a side room where it appeared that they were just talking about everyone in the dining room.
When the food came, I hoped it would make up for the awful service, but unfortunately it did not. My husband's chicken was tough and rubbery. His green beans looked like they came out of a giant can...something straight of a school hot lunch. And my ravioli was cold in the middle. We are not talking lukewarm and should have been hotter...it was completely cold like it hadn't been thawed properly.
After dinner our waitress took our plates, but it took her another ten minutes to bring our check. My daughter was supposed to get ice cream with her kids meal, but it was never brought out, and after waiting so long I ended up taking her to the car because she was getting unruly.
I will never ever go to this restaurant again, nor will I recommend it to anyone. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. We are polite, undemanding, and easily pleased. This was truly a BAD experience.
My family has been coming to Traverso's for at least 30 years, if not more. We have had birthdays, anniversaries, going away parties, and tons of other family get-togethers here throughout the years. I don't think I have ever been here with less than a dozen people, though more often than not, we're a party of 20 or so. The party room in the back should have a plaque with our name on it! (Oh, and we're not Italian, by the way. We're Swedish!)
The first thing you will see as you enter the restaurant is a giant piece of wall art, made out of some kind of macrame carpet or something. It's this giant multi-colored blobby thing. Kinda trippy, actually. I'm sure that in the early 70's, when this location opened, it was totally "far out" or whatever they used to say back then. To be honest, the thing is ugly as sin! However, seeing it always makes me smile. We have taken TONS of family photos in front of this shaggy monstrosity. I could probably trace my childhood through photos of the carpet wall at Traverso's!
The main thing we all come to Traverso's for is the thin crust pizza. Is it the best pizza in Chicago? No. But it is pretty damn good! Would I "traverse" the city for Traverso's pizza? Hell yeah I would! The sausage is my favorite. I love pizza cut into squares, where some of the middle crustless pieces are nice and bite-size--perfect for the inevitable "I'll just have ONE more piece!"
Honestly I have never had ANY of the entrees here (I know, HOW many times have I been here?!) but I have heard that the Italian beef sandwiches are really good. Of course they also have a selection of pastas and other traditional Italian entrees.
The appetizers are pretty standard, but they also hit the spot. The mozzarella sticks are nice and crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside, and not soggy at all. The fried mushrooms are also a nice treat. The bruschetta comes with yummy grilled garlic bread.
This place has a great family atmosphere. Not just my family! I always see lots of parents, kids, and grandparents there.
Ok, ok. Maybe my 5-star review is more for nostalgic reasons than for the food. But, if you ever find yourself in Orland Park and have a jonesing for some pizza, stop in to Traverso's--you won't be disappointed.
Take a picture in front of the carpet wall on the way out! Maybe you'll start a new family tradition. :)
Best homemade meat ravioli and lasagna in the country. Get with extra sauce. Great bread and salad or soup served with meal. Get the creamy garlic or house dressing. Thin crust pizza is very good. Have come here over 30 years. Big portions.
Traverso's is a good place. The food is good. The building is old, but it's nice still. The staff is great there, that's what really got it that fourth star from me. The pizza is good... not great, but good. And the other food is good too. The prices are what you'd expect. And the atmosphere is great here. They have a party room, normal seating, a bar area that also has seating, and a patio area that is open when the weather is good. My family has parties here sometimes and we always leave happy.
This place is a class act. After attending a wake they were more than willing to stay a little late for our family. we called just before close and asked if we could bring in 25 people. they were more than willing to stay open a little late and take care of us. We ate a lot of pizza which was very good, and were able to have a good time as a family. I would tell anyone looking for a family friendly restauraunt this place is great.
