This inviting establishment has everything a neighborhood restaurant should aim for: fresh ingredients, a wine list with something for everyone, seasonal delights, and some of the friendliest service around. I challenge you to find something that isn't delicious. As far as this experience went, the octopus was the most tender I have ever had, the arancini was delicate & flavorful, and the pappardelle was simultaneously light & filling. Slip the host/hostess a sawbuck to get Armando as your server, you can thank me later. read more

Anteprima - grilled octopus , potatoes , red onion , chilis , parsley , lemon , olive oil - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I came here during Andersonville Restaurant Week, we arrived on time, there was a maybe 10 minute wait while tables were cleared, with our party of 4 and 2 more parties (a table of two and another table of four) also waiting to be seated. Once seated, our server was by in short order to introduce herself and fill our water glasses. Her service was attentive and knowledgable throughout. While the ambience is cozy, unfortunately tables are really too close for my liking (so much so that it was hard for bussers and servers to move about and do their jobs!) and the restaurant was really REALLY loud, so much so that I felt like we were yelling across the table to each other to be heard. This is one of my pet peeves in a restaurant and while I understand this is a small space, there can be baffling and sound absorption options to reduce the noise. On the food front, portion sizes were perfect for a three course menu, however I felt the food was lacking flavor/seasoning, which was a little disappointing. I asked our server if it was normally as busy or if it was because of restaurant week and and she told me that it was always this busy. Unfortunately, as a result of the tight quarters and how loud the restaurant is, I don't have a need to return. read more

Anteprima - Brussel Sprouts - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

We were hopeful of having a good meal, but the food and drinks were meh. The mushroom appetizer and accompanying toast were not good. The espresso martinis had no espresso and felt more like milkshakes with vodka. For two appetizers and two drinks, $60 seemed like a lot for meh food. I would try again but hopefully the quality of the food and drinks is more elevated in a future occasion. Despite the food not being up to par, the service was great. read more

Delicious Italian, beautiful back patio, excellent service. Our server provided an wonderful wine suggestion and the bottle paired with appetizer, mains and even dessert. read more

Anteprima - Tiramisu? - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We have wandered by this place a number of times and the girl suggested we hit it up for her birthday, had no idea about the Prix Fixe Menu when we got there but it was had to ignore when we read up on it. Starter, half pasta, entree /or/ starter entree and dessert for $32 Great food, amazing selection and a friendly staff make this place one that we will go to again. read more

This wonderful Italian restaurant is located in the trendy Andersonville area, about eight miles north of downtown. The only negative thing I can say is that it took more than 30 minutes to drive here in rush hour. But it was definitely worth the effort. My friend lives close by and knows the owners, so she's a fan. But this was my first visit, and I was overwhelmed by the choices... I could have been happy with just about everything on the menu. We both chose the $32 Prix Fixe Menu offered Sunday through Thursday. Appetizer, 1/2 pasta or dessert, entree... cheaper than ordering an appetizer and entree a la carte. I started with the grilled octopus (fingerling potatoes, red onion, parsley, peppers, lemon, olive oil). Used the bread from the breadbasket to soak up every bit of the sauce, it was that good. Asked the waitperson for a "light" recommendation for the 1/2 order of pasta and settled on a daily special... the homemade fettucini with tiny bits of squash and cauliflower in a creamy sauce. Not sure how light it was, but the flavor was delicious and the noodles cooked perfectly. Finally the entree, also a special for the day... a huge Milanese pork cutlet akin to a schnitzel, only much better. At this point, I was full and only had a few bites, but it tasted almost as good warmed up the next night. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. The only miss here are the desserts, which are uninspired. My friend had a lemony flan thing that neither of us liked. Street meter parking for $2 an hour. We dined early so didn't have a problem finding a spot. It was a Monday night and the place was full when we left at 8:00, so reservations are probably best. There's a cozy bar if you have to wait. Outdoor seating. read more

Anteprima - Grilled octopus appetizer, the best I've ever had. - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Pleasantly surprised by Anteprima. We came here without a reservation after our first choice didn't work out and what a treat! We sat on the patio which was comfy and warm for the winter. We started with the arancini and even though it was fried, it felt very light and delicate-tasting. The busiate al telefono pasta was delicious! The sliced New York strip was EXACTLY medium, it is rare to find in restaurants these days who actually do Medium cook meat. It was very well seasoned and juicy. Loved the arugula on top. The slowed cooked greens paired fantastic too. Good wine selection, and the Italian sodas (lavanda specifically) were SO refreshing. Great closure with a tiramisu. The people who are giving bad reviews due to small portions clearly have never been to a fine dining restaurant. read more

Cozy, cute restaurant just small enough to feel intimate. Went here for my birthday and staff was very accommodating with reservations and special requests about payment. On the pricey side, but good was worth it. Ordered the pumpkin ravioli and it was delicious. I was with a party of six and we all received food and drinks quickly. read more

Anteprima - Seasonal menu - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great food! The breadsticks alone are to die for! Friendly staff, good service. Reservations highly recommended.

Serving sizes were SO TINY for the price and somehow the beet salad was way too salty. My husbands dish was also overly salty. We actually went to another restaurant after eating here because we were still hungry even after appetizers, salad, and pasta. The "half" portion is more like a quarter portion (I finished it in four bites) Too expensive, too stingy with portions. Find another dinner spot read more

I go to Anteprima monthly to enjoy delicious food and a good book. Start with the unmissable bread basket: amazing foccacia bread and crispy breadsticks. From there, get the daily soup made with seasonal ingredients that will warm you soul, or one of the salads: what these chefs do to kale will make you fall in love with it, trust me. For a main dish, you can't go wrong with the Chianti braised pork or any of the house made pastas. Prices are reasonable, portions are large enough that I always have leftovers the next day, and every bite is like a hug from your Italian grandma. The waitstaff, bartenders and FOH manager are all super friendly, and when you meet the owner, he'll make sure to let you know there's no place he'd rather be. On my last visit, he was handing out menus and packing up to go orders with a huge smile on his face. Every visit is better than the last, and my "Anteprima Day" is rapidly becoming my favorite day of the month. Do yourself a favor and try this hidden gem on Clark Street-maybe you'll start going once a month, too. read more

Ordered the black linguine and it was just oil and rubber shrimp missing all flavor. The chicken Meatballs were phenomenal. I mean soft but cooked fully, explosion of flavor in every bite. The service from the older Latino server with braces was HORRIBLE. He got into a spat over silverware with someone in our party which was so trivial in my opinion. The guy wanted to keep his forks and the server removed it after he was informed several times to not touch it. I'm a former hospitality employee and know better then to touch a plate or silverware if the client is still using it. Over all we live in Chicago with some amazing Italian restaurants and amazing servers so I'd suggest going elsewhere! read more

Incredible experience! Family owned and operated. As an Italian - I felt very at home. :) read more

Anteprima - Arugula , Shaved Parmigiano , Lemon Montepulciano D'abruzzo Spelt La Valentina , Abruzzo - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I'm just so tired of going to pretentious restaurants that really are over their skis! - ridiculously small portions of over priced food. Cramped tables and timed arrival times and strict leave times - even if this influences your menu choice! This restaurant SUCKS! As I get older, I have less and less patience for places that simply do not offer a nice meal for a nice price! Come on! -- The Alfredo's main ingredient was black pepper and I'm sure that's not right!!! My friends bucatini was so spicy and the apps were laughable size! read more

Came here on a Friday night at 8pm. It was busy and apparently very popular, so I recommend making reservations in advance! Their bread basket was simply amazing. They serve it with a side of olive oil. My favorite were the long bread sticks, I could eat them for days. I ordered the Orechiette pasta (large) size. And to my dismay, it was a lot smaller than I expected. It looked like it could be a child's portion. But besides the small portions, the pasta was delightful. The pasta is homemade, and the sauce was light and flavorful. The sausage added just the right amount of subtle spice to it. I also tried the pork loin, it was good but a little on the dry side, and again, pretty small. Although the portions were small, the food filled us up, but was hoping to get more especially for the price. Service was top notch though ! Great place for a date/anniversary. read more

See all

I was disappointed in the sparse amount of sauce and poor presentation. The martini was ample!

We had a party of 8 and came for my son's birthday. Service was FANTASTIC and the food was even better!! Highly recommend!

JUST MAKE UR OWN PASTA At HOME Omg yuckkkk! My boyfriend and I decided to treat ourselves and instead this meal made us feel like idiots. And guilty that while ppl go hungry We paid 50 entire American dollars for something so clearly not worth it I'm not one to write a bad review during a global pandemic.. but this place is beyond the pail terrible. paid $50 for a half entree (ravioli), a full entree (rigatoni), and a literally disgusting red cabbage "salad" (did y'all serve me sauerkraut in a to go container???). HIGHKEY I've make better food. Not even Italian, don't have a profesh pasta maker, and I've made better pasta! Beyond overpriced and bland. Every dish worse than the last. Where's the flavor. My ravioli (~$3.75 each) was just in sitting straight up butter. The dough so thick and the inside so flavorless I thought they were pierogis... The rigatoni was a mess. An overpriced, under-sauced, overcooked messssss. Do notttttttttt go here! And if this is your restaurant GET IT TOGETHER read more

Anteprima - Um sad. And disgusting. Seems homemade by somebody who doesn't know how to make pasta-- thick enough that they tasted like pierogis - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Horrible experience disgusting/rude owner! I'll rather spend my money elsewhere! Owner didn't even bother to solve an issue I had with my dine in experience He told me "if I don't like it, you can leave my restaurant!" I Will gladly do & leave a bad review! Horrible experience! read more

Five stars because I can't think of anything I'd change about my dining experience or food. Anteprima can perfectly fit many moods, comfy and casually elegant it's perfect for a date night, however you can have dinner with friends. Service was pleasant and informative, I had a couple of questions and our server was well versed in the menu. For a starter I had the asparagus milanese, which I was concerned it may be bland, it was very fresh tasting, I ordered the lasagna special for my entree, filled with portabella mushrooms, spinach and ricotta cheese. Unlike typical lasagna that can be heavy, this was delicate, my dessert of tiramisu was very traditional and delicious, it was about an inch high which is what it should be. Most places try to impress you with what looks like a layer cake. I inquired how tall the dessert was, the server looked puzzled but fielded the question just fine. I ordered a special that allowed you to pick items off of the regular menu and the specials for the day. For 32.00 I was able to pick a starter, entree and dessert. They have an ample wine list, and their pour is generous, one glass of wine with the meal was just right. I also had an americano with my dessert, and even that was above average rich, mild,caramel nutty taste. No cream or sugar necessary. You'll find metered parking on Clark, however with a bit of effort you can find free parking on the side streets, I was less than a block away. As I said, nothing I can think of to change. read more

See all

Good food but if they could they would charge for air... everything is a charge Parmesan cheese, bread etc.

I love this place it was my first time here. Went to dinner with my husband, service was excellent, atmosphere was grand. Best Italian restaurant on the the north side read more

Anteprima is one of our favorite go-to restaurants in the neighborhood. They have great service, cocktails, starters and entrees. We love the house made pasta! We are also always tempted by something from their monthly specials. The two of us often share two starters (love the brussel sprouts) and a full pasta (often the orecchiette) and leave pleasantly full. We felt safe eating on their patio during COVID. The tables were appropriately spaced. All diners were asked to wear masked when not eating / drinking and when the staff were at the table. Go support a great local business! read more

Everything was amazing. Our server was really attentive and friendly. I got the asparagus caprese, cacio e pepe, and salmon with ramp pesto. My fella got grilled ramps, a deliiiicious risotto, and the roasted chicken. So much flavor packed into every bite. I loved the atmosphere - it was cozy and welcoming. For an impromptu date night, I was so so impressed. Can't wait to return and try other dishes :) (My low quality photos don't do it justice. I sucked down the pasta and salmon too fast to photograph.) read more

See all

Delicious food, wonderful ambience, and impeccable service! My partner and I went to Anteprima for our 9 year anniversary and had the best experience. The moment we walked in the door, the host wished us a happy anniversary (I had put that it was our anniversary in our reservation) which is rare these days. I've put a special occasion as a reason for a reservation at other restaurants many times and very rarely does the restaurant actually acknowledge it. We had a table on the patio and it was so lovely, private, and comfortable. We ordered several different appetizers to try but the highlight was definitely the trumpet mushrooms, they were DELICIOUS. When our main course was served, I had ordered a pasta with ragu, something that as a vegetarian I did not realize meant that the sauce would have sausage in it. I was super embarrassed but our server, Amy, handled the situation with kindness and grace and got me a vegetarian pasta out pronto. Both my partner and I work in the service industry so we know how obnoxious those requests can be but Amy never showed any signs of being annoyed or inconvenienced which I so appreciated. Our main dishes were delicious and after the meal, Amy brought us a complimentary glass of moscato to celebrate our anniversary. It was a great dining experience from beginning to end and Amy was an excellent server! read more

My boyfriend and I came here for date night. We loved the food and are adding it to our rotation of date night spots! We ordered the arugula and parmesan salad to start. Perfect hint of lemon and plenty of parm. Then we split a small cacio e pepe and large orecchiette - highly recommend both of these dishes! I'm still dreaming about them now. Service was good, but we did feel a little rushed. Either way, we'll definitely be back. read more

See all

10 years later and the attitude of the wait staff seems to have not changed. God forbid you challenge why pasta with butter and cheese for my kids is $19 per. Waitress was ready to get into it and we were celebrating birthdays, so I held back. Really? pasta, butter and cheese is the same cost because the only difference than the one on the menu is that we asked for no pepper? Shameful. My oxtail ragu was pretty flavorless and had a small portion of the sauce. It also seems that they are pushing the limits on occupancy. It's very tight. I think we're finally done with this place. read more

Came here a few weeks back because another restaurant we tried to dine at nearby couldn't seat us. I've passed this place a million times and thought why not. If a place can seat you easily on a Saturday maybe that's not a good sign. Learned my lesson. Because they're only open a few hours they really rushed us out of there after we had the smallest, most lack luster food imaginable. We won't be back as there are so many other Italian restaurants in the city with more to offer. read more

This place has come to feel like home over the years. Worth the hike from the suburbs. Super classy folks. Consistently great food and aura. They do business the right way which is why we'll always keep returning. Highly recommended! read more

So warm and cozy on the patio! The other reviews are spot on- lemon panna cotta is super to die for- everything was fab! Started with the farro and carrots - great idea.... octopus was bangin- tender and everything so flavorful! Eager to try the lamb some day! Will definitely be back. read more

Anteprima - Amazing trumpet mushrooms!!! - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Honestly much better places for the money. Food was bland. Pasta whole homemade was too thick. Needed a couple more roll outs. Service was good, Not great. Good. read more

Truly a gem in Andersonville. So many restaurants on Clark, but most are not very interesting. Anteprima has such a wonderful menu with well prepared food, a lovely wine list and that out-door patio is absolutely beautiful. Service has always been spot on. read more

Quality of the food/ingredients were obviously very good and the service was attentive and friendly. However, the food overall was hit or miss. The food: 1. The focaccia--which is generally what I'm most excited to eat at any Italian restaurant--was dry, flour-y and in desperate need or salt or some sort of flavor. Along with the focaccia, you get two small slices of bread (ours didn't taste fresh) and grissini, which was the best item in the basket but still not great. 2. For dinner, I had the orrechiette which was decent but actually pretty spicy. My husband had the ravioli which almost tasted minty....? It was an odd flavor, to be honest. 3. The meatballs were good, they were probably our favorite part of the dinner. The ambiance was nice but it was VERY loud and unfortunately my husband and I are old farts in that we're young(ish) but have crappy hearing; we had a hard time talking to each other. A nice experience overall, but I'd probably go to Calo next time we're wanting Italian. read more

Decent and would go back! The Italian Manhattan was delicious. My group ordered small plates including arancini, meatballs, bread basket and the charred broccoli, and all were all perfectly delicious. If I had to nit-pick, there were only four small sections of broccoli for $10, so it felt strange eating my share of one $2.50 small broccoli section. The half order of rigatoni with pancetta was delicious, al dente and rich. When we arrived we were greeted warmly, but then the restaurant became busy, so there was an energy shit where the waitstaff all had a similar solemnity, or an almost snooty attitude once we put in our orders. read more

We were just seated on the back patio and no one came to our table even when we got up to leave 20-30 minutes later. No one even said anything to us on the way out. Disappointing. It was my friend's first experience with this place. And we were going to order a $50 bottle of wine or two. The only reason we waited so long is because we were having a lengthy conversation about things. Still no excuse to be ignored. read more

Horrible experience. The owner is very rude and the food is very expensive for what it is.The dishes are very small and not much flavourful. Also, the drinks are horrible. Is definitely not worth to spend your money here. read more

Wood fired octopus.. perfectly tenderized and amazing flavors with the potatoes and shallots. An obvious choice for any first timer considering octopus. They also do half size portions of pasta so you don't have to feel gigantic as you walk your fatass out. read more

We called for a reservation for two, they said we could have a table inside for one hour or a table outside and have more time. We wanted to take our time, so we chose outside. The soup was very good, but one of our entrees was cold, and the salmon was still raw on the inside and they took it back to cook again. We had two cocktails each and as soon as we finished our last sip, the waiter told us the next reservation had already checked in and we needed to leave. We were only able to sit for one hour and 15 mins total- The whole meal felt extremely rushed. The drinks and soup were good, but the food and service was just okay. read more

Used to love this place but tonight has me wondering...ordered the full portion of a pasta (bucatini, cheese and oil; NO protein) for $19. When it came, we were sure it was the smaller portion by mistake. But our server assured us it was the full size. Manager then came over (we did not ask to see him) and said "is there a problem?" We said the portion size was very small for the full portion. His response: "it's been that way for 14 years". So they've been ripping customers off for 14 years! read more

Anteprima - This was it before I ate any of it!! $19??? - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Outstanding food! I highly recommend the cauliflower appetizer and the tagliatelle. Service was great - server was friendly and knowledgeable. Can't wait to return! read more