Been to Bar Roma many times and I normally have a 5-star experience here but my last visit was a 3-star and it has me nervous. I hope things haven't changed -- it's been so reliable! Everything just tasted so basic, the pasta still seemed home made but was a little mushy, the calamari tasted ordinary and the cocktail sauce tasted like out of a jar. Normally, it is elevated Italian, both in flavors and presentation. The service was great as always, the ambiance is really nice although it has always been a little loud. read more

Stumbled on this place during a quick trip to Chicago, and so glad we did. Outstanding food, tremendous service, wonderful vibe-- and the fairest, friendliest, best curated wine list I've seen since I don't know how long. A large number of great dishes that easily translated to meatless (for the vegetarian in our group). Great spot in every way! read more

If you have to get one thing from Bar Roma, I would highly suggest one of the meatballs. Bar Roma is beautiful inside. You can tell that whoever owns the restaurant put a lot of time into creating a great vibe. Bar Roma is what I imagine all Andersonville restaurants to look like. It is trendy and it has always been packed when I have visited. They have a great happy hour discount in which they offer discounts on certain food items along with some drink specials. They have a variety of meatballs that you will happily want to chose from when you visit. My fiance and I ordered three different kinds. I was in love with them all from the very first bite. I did not realize the meatballs would be sizable and filling. We thought you we would blow through the meatballs in record time but we could only finish about half of the food along with the drinks we ordered. I was first introduced to Bar Roma from one of my Yelp buddies and I am so happy for this introduction. I originally visited Bar Roma for their brunch, which is an experience within itself. The brunch is a most attend event. You get bottomless mimosas along with a breakfast entree. The food options on the bottomless mimosa menu is decent. I was able to easily find a few items that I really wanted to try. The food was pretty good. I was able to try a few of my friends dishes and I was impressed with the quality of the food. The waitstaff makes sure you do not see the bottom of your glass. I love a restaurant that knows the importance of a good brunch! read more

See all

I'm not one to frequent Italian restaurants. They're seen as more as a romantic destination for a meal, and I usually am eating for one. However, I had the pleasure of taking someone to dinner, and decided on Bar Roma after reading the reviews on here and looking through their menu. Sure why not? Italian restaurants? Always a good choice for a date. We were both pleased with the spot the moment we took our seats. Ambiance was nice. Intimate lighting, but still a casual feel to it, with lively music playing in the background and fair level conversation throughout the dining area. If you want an even more casual setting, you can have the option to sit at the tavern area, with bar seating and TVs too. Lots of lovely photos portraying the wonderful country of Italy posted all throughout the restaurant. Bar Roma is located in the heart of Andersonville, so expect it to be busy if you're looking to dine in on a weekend evening. Luckily, reservations are available to make. Meal time. After ordering a tasty Peroni, I went with the Parmigiana di Melanzane (baked eggplant, smothered in some incredible house made sauce, topped off with some arugula). While it looked like a small dish for my usual standards, it was anything but! Once I took every last bite of that eggplant, I was fully satisfied with what I just consumed, not even interested in indulging in dessert (which is available, I just did not look at the menu). If you are not a fan of alcohol, they make specialty mocktails too. Service was very attendant, formal, and overall professional with us throughout our stay; it was very much appreciated. If you are looking for a nice spot to take a special person, or for a small group of people for a special occasion, I wouldn't overlook Bar Roma. I think they deserve the ratings they've received on here, with not only their dishes, but the environment they've created to make their guest feel a strong sense of comfort and satisfaction. Would definitely try to woo anyone by taking them to Bar Roma. Would love to come back and try some more of their dishes. read more

We visited on a Friday night at about 7:00 with some friends of ours who live in the area but had not yet been able to try this place. The restaurant was a part of a dining week in Chicago, so we knew it could be busy. We were told they had no available tables without a reservation, but that we were welcome to seats at the bar when they became available since happy hour had just ended. We were extremely blessed/fortunate as 2 different groups left 4 seats at the corner of the bar right by the host area within 5 minutes. My wife and I prefer dry red wines, so we each ordered a glass of their Montepulciano ($14), which is an 8 oz. pour and comes with a small glass in addition to a carafe with the remainder of the pour that didn't fit in the glass. It was an excellent accompaniment to our meals. We had eaten a late lunch, so we only ordered pasta entrees from the menu. The service at the bar was extremely prompt without being pushy. They quickly fulfilled our drink orders and our meals arrived in what seemed like less than 10 minutes. The house bread they brought out was very good and excellent for collecting the sauce from our dinner plates. My wife ordered Cacio e Pepe Ravioli e Gamberessa ($24), which tasted AMAZING! It was Rosa's house made ravioli filled with ricotta, pecorino, parmesan and fresh black pepper. It was served with sauteed shrimp. It would be difficult to return and not order this dish. I ordered Ricotta Gnocchi ($22), which was also very good. It included hand rolled ricotta dumplings with asparagus, pine nuts and a sage butter sauce. I very much enjoyed the combination of flavors. The serving sizes were not huge, so this isn't a place you come to for quantity necessarily, but the quality of our meals were outstanding. Our friends indicated that they intend to return very soon. read more

Excellent food and service! Been there a couple of times for dinner and once for happy hour and it was fantastic every time. Highly recommend! read more

A new favorite in the neighborhood. I've eaten dinner here, and had drinks at the bar. Dinner: MEATBALLS! Several varieties, and they all look good. The pork belly meatballs I had were perfectly seasoned and juiiiicy! My BF's Gnocchi was a hit as well. Sunday is a great day to sit at the bar, sip sparkling Rose and dish with the bartender. Quite a few specials on tap as well, for Sunday Funday. I'll be BACK! read more

Bar Roma - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went for happy hour, and it was worth it. $6 Cabernet was not bad wine and great portion. Half priced appetizers and meatballs. Tried a handful of appetizers, and they were all good. Busy but the bartender did a fabulous job attending to everyone at the bar. read more

See all

If you're reading this GO NOW! This place is INCREDIBLE. I truly think it's unrivaled in its flavor. The staff also goes above and beyond! I have a fun story of this experience: I was trying to go to a magic show and showed up here a bit late for our reservation, but they seated us and gave us a wonderful place by the window for our bday dinner. We had about 20 minutes to order, drink, eat, pay and scramble to the show! Food came out and we had about 10 minutes to spare. We gulped this down like monsters and washed it down wish delicious cocktails too- it wasn't hard considering how freaking tasty this all was!! I've got to come back ASAP and sit down longer so that I can truly appreciate my time here, haha. I just remember the 20 minutes being a complete delicious blur of Italian food that I am already craving again!!! read more

See all

A quaint neighborhood restaurant with amazing food and service. Come here alone and sit at the bar and get to talk to the bartender who makes phenomenal cocktails. Or come in with friends and have laughs in a lively environment that doesn't overdo the food, but makes it just right. You can't go wrong with any selection, because everything is perfectly portioned and made. read more

Delicious pork dish that has this yummy eggplant sauce. Only oddity is the pork dish has this super spicy potent sausage that doesn't seem to 'match' the rest of the dish (I just leave it/don't eat it, which is a bit of a waste). There's also the spaghetti and meatballs dish which is simple but super delicious. Good service, good ambience/location. Every other week we're here. read more

What a cute restaurant! I love how I almost felt like I was dining outside with the big huge open window. We were seated right way and received complimentary bread and oil & parmesan at the table. I came to "Order the Yelp!", which was duck foie gras meatballs. This wasn't on the menu, so I didn't know what the price was, but it was 30% off with the check in. I also ordered Maiale meatballs $8 (spicy pork belly, garlic, rapini and red pepper) and bombolotti $18 (tubular pasta and spicy pork cheek ragu), which came out first. The pasta was perfectly al dente, which is a little too dente for my preference, but tasted great. I thought maybe the foie gras meatball would take longer since it was off menu, but turned out that the kitchen never got the order. They arrived soon after we notified our waitress and they were good. I was hoping for something richer in flavor and didn't find them to be anything spectacular. They were $15 ($10.50 with the discount) and smaller than the spicy pork belly meatballs. The owner stopped by our table to apologize and offer us a complimentary drink or dessert. I thought that was a really nice touch to show they cared about their patrons. Since we were stuffed, we took her up on the offer to take cannoli to go. Paid street parking was easy to find on a week night. ....| \ _ , , , - - , , _ , .../ , ` . - ' ` ' . _ \ - ; ; ; , _ ..| , a - ) ) _ . ; . ( ` - ` - ' - ' ' - - - ' ' ( _ / . _ ) - ' ( _ \ _ ) read more

See all

We had dinner with friends for the first time at Bar Roma. The food was outstanding and the service was excellent. The dining experience was special and we will return. read more

during Taste of Aville, my BF and I stopped in Chamber of Commerce ran out of our dinner choice color wristbands so instead of pink it was purple Owner happened to be there handing out the samples She berated my BF for not having the pink band and all but called him a liar when we explained they ran out of that color band She was awful and tried to humiliate us like we were getting over on her for the 3 bites of spaghetti sample Will never return read more

Walked in around 6pm on a Saturday and sat at the bar. The decor was the familiar modern rustic, and the door to the patio provided a constant light breeze on a beautiful summer evening. We started out with cocktails and I had the Hemingway 1919, which was lightly tart with a nice kick. We ordered the spicy pork meatballs and the suppli (reminiscent of arancini) and both were generously sized and delectable. The tomato sauce was fresh and light, the meatballs were dense but tender with just enough heat. The suppli were creamy, cheesy, and crisp on the outside. All accompanied by a chunk of delicious bread and olive oil with freshly grated cheese. The service from our two bartenders was fantastic, both were friendly and attentive, and it was fun to watch them expertly shake and stir. What a beautiful place to stumble upon! read more

Happy hour has been extended to seven days now, they also added the Impossible Burger meatballs into the mix where before it was excluded from the half off appetizers. There's a selected wine at 6$ still. Really great neighborhood vibe, awesome bartender and friendly hostess. Overall the type of place you can become a regular at. read more

The ambiance is a lovely old brick building. I appreciate that they left the brick interior and didn't try to "fancy it up". The service was congenial and the servers very nice. However, the food was bland, but the fresh bread was a saver. No green salads, not a good sign. I really wanted to like this place because it is so cute. But I came in expecting good, flavorful food and was sadly disappointed. Rediscover oregano, basil and garlic! These are the very basics of Italian cuisine. I may go back for wine, but dinner, ummm no, until I hear they have reinvented their sauces. There are so many other great, small Italian restaurants with flavorful sauces and fresh salads. read more

A great little spot in Andersonville. Homemade pasta and an extensive wine list! #winning . The place was crowded for a Thursday night. It was a great place for dinner with a friend as were able to chat over a bottle of wine. Service was good and so was the food. We started with their Suppli al Telefono which in my book as an Italian is a really fancy name for an Arancini ball. However their presentation was not round but more tubular. Filled with my favorite, cannaroli rice and mushroom as wellS. Super yum! We also went with an order of the Maiale. Spicy pork belly, Calabrian pepper, rapini, crispy applewood bacon. It was good flavors that blend well together, but honestly just a little to spicy for my palate so beware on that folks. For dinner the bucatini with spicy pork and Ragu. Also delish, but a little kick in the sausage as well. And last but not least my favorite food group. DESSERT! One of my all time favorite Creme brûlée mixed with Nutella. Talk about the perfect marriage in a dessert. Be sure to check this place out. Great food, service, wine offerings and more. It's a sure hit! read more

See all

Great happy hour. Quality food. excellent service. We love sitting at the bar...meeting new friends.

On a dreary Sunday you need a corner restaurant that will put some wind in your sails . We came here before a play. Our first impression is this is a cool place that feels like a corner Italian restaurant. We sat at a window table and our waiter Matthew made us right at home. We ordered a few glasses of wine and waited for the Tuscan Kale Salad. Wonderfully plated and with citrus and some cheese it was tasteful. We then had the spicy Malala meatballs. The first taste was odd, but then got used to it. Then it was on to Cacio de Pepe which had Al dente pasta. Slightly runny sauce but overall a flavor profile. We ended up with the Limoncello sorbet that was a good palette cleanser. Overall this is a very solid restaurant. read more

Five stars for the food: fresh, simple, delicious and true to traditional Italian cooking. Had the cacio e pepe with garlic spinach, paired with Verdicchio. Ignore the decor, especially the wall of shame sporting every Italian cliche, and the drab lounge music. I'm not asking for Sinatra or opera, but can you play something more up tempo and continental? There's a lot of good world music out there * (q.v., Global Village from KMUW/Chris Heim for inspiration). Excellent wine list and reasonably priced. Shout out to server Nadia: well done! Attentive, paced the meal well and gracious. * Like Italian neo-folk music read more

Wow! Great Italian spot in Andersonville Perfect neighborhood spot for drinks, appetizers or dinner. We started with the grilled octopus and shrimp appetizer which was prepared to perfection, but the pork belly meatballs stole the show. I'm wishing for more. For entrees we ordered the short rib pappardelle ....Fantastic and the squid ink pasta with clams and calamari. BRAVO Bar Roma well done. read more

Bar Roma - Short Rib Pappardelle...Damm Good - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

If you wanna treat yourself to real Italian food. With A bottle of the best wine. This is A cute Lil place to pamper your Appetite. read more

Bar Roma has been very good to us and to the neighborhood during quarantine/Covid. When dine-in was allowed, they had a fixed price menu that was an excellent value. Now we're back to take-away only so it's a la carte. Their Cacio e Pepe is super tasty, and I love to get a side order of the wood-grilled artichokes. If you love artichokes and anything smoky flavored you have to try these! Our other favorite items are the Chicken Parmigiana, the Eggplant Parmigiana, the Spaghetti al Pomodoro, and the Fettuccine Isabella (seafood pasta). I haven't tried the Trout yet but it's next on my list. Their menu is seasonal, so items are slightly different each time. They also give us an order of bread & EVOO plus a small bag of biscotti or Italian cookies with each order. It's one of our weekly indulgences! read more

I know the hospitality industry is having a tough time right now - I get it and feel terribly for foodservice professionals. However, the level of incompetence and recklessness I experienced at Bar Roma on 2/14 was beyond inexcusable. Yes, I get it - it was Valentine's Day. However, they took way more orders than they could handle. When I went to pick up my order - for 7:35 pickup, they were nearly an hour behind filling orders. There was only one person working up front, so no one had any idea what was going on. The vestibule and front area was packed with people - not how any establishment is supposed to conduct itself in a pandemic. I would have been happy to wait outside (even though it was cold) or just leave, but the one person up front could not keep up with communicating with customers and I could not get close enough to ask. Finally, it was announced that there were a lot of orders they could not fill. I couldn't figure out if my order was going to be filled or not, so I just left. I did get a call 15 minutes later telling me they could not fill my order. I am so unbelievably angry - disappointed that I didn't get my order, but more angry that I spent time in a crowded place - I pray that I didn't catch covid - just trying to figure out what was going on. Inexcusable. The number one place I will refused to frequent when all of this is over. You guessed it - Bar Roma. read more

Nice Italian based restaurants. Love their food and wine. Always have good deals going on.

First experience was excellent! Top notch fresh made pasta to super friendly and knowledgeable service. We'll be back!

We wanted to try this place out after having a delicious experience with the Taste of Andersonville offering they did a few weeks back. Impromptu visit on a Wednesday evening, plenty of tables, and we didn't wait long for a seat. We ordered two cocktails - they were okay, nothing amazing. Then we had the kale and peach salad- delicious Chicken meat balls- very very bland, could have been so much tastier. For main we shared the squid ink seafood pasta- good, though I didn't really understand the need for the squid ink pasta, it didn't add anything to the dish which was a seafood medley and the pasta was not the star of the dish. Then we had the oxtail ragu with the thick cut pasta. Honestly they could have used any cut of beef and we'd have been none the wiser. I've had oxtail before and was expecting the rich flavour of it and got none. Overall we were glad to have tried the place, but won't be going back, and won't be recommending. It was all just meh... even the service. read more

This is the only restaurant I visit with one of my friends who lives about a block away. The two of us have tried to go to other nearby restaurants and have been disheartened by the long waits for tables. We've always been able to walk into Bar Roma and get seated right away. We love that it's relaxed but still nice. The service is attentive and friendly. I am impressed that the owner can be easily spotted walking around and checking on guests. The food is alright. I really like the bread and olive oil. That's noteworthy for two reasons: 1) I don't usually care for bread. 2) It's weird that the bread stands out more than the food. None of menu items that I've ordered are memorable except for the gnocchi which is surprisingly disappointing. The gnocchi is polenta. I don't like polenta. I wish that the menu or the server warned me that it was polenta when I was eyeing it. A little heads-up such as, "This gnocchi isn't a pillow-like potato dumpling. It's a polenta pancake." I know now that this is a different preparation (interpretation?) for gnocchi, but it's unfamiliar and I wish I'd been warned about it. I like the artichokes (Carciofi Alla Giudia) except that the exterior is tough and can't be chewed. I can't tell if it's because the artichokes haven't been stripped enough to reveal the tender interior OR because they've been fried and the tender leaves are hardened. Either way, the artichokes taste good and are a pleasure once you get through the chewy outer parts. The sauce on the Cacio e Pepe separated on my plate. Does Cacio e Pepe even have sauce? I just checked - no, it doesn't. So, there was a pool of oil on the bottom of my dish and I'm not sure why. If you've read this far, I'm sure you can tell that I'm not the biggest fan of the food, but it gets the job done. When the servers come by and check on me, I don't have any complaints (except for that gnocchi). Bar Roma is a good go-to place for this neighborhood but it's definitely not a destination. I think it'd be most ideal for drinks (which I've really enjoyed) and the bread. read more

See all

When this pandemic started in March I never in my wildest dreams thought that it would affect my DECEMBER birthday. And here we are. To ring in a new year of life, I had one thing on my mind - Cacio e pepe. I have been obsessed with it over the past few years and it's just so hard to find somewhere that does it perfectly. Turns out some of the best is right down the street at Bar Roma! We ordered everything! Well, not everything, but... plenty: -Burrata - perfect portion for two people, accompanied by arugula, balsamic, lentils, and another vegetable we could not determine exactly what it was. Tasty of course! It came with 3 crostinis which was not enough so we cut some bread at home. -Manzo (beef) and Pollo (chicken) meatballs. 3 per order and quite large in size. I liked the Pollo and my partner like the Manzo the best, but both were excellent. -Cacio e pepe - the star of the show, of course. I loved everything about it, and purposely saved some for leftovers so I could have it again the next day. -Bucatini - this is the dish my partner ordered and it looks equally as excellent as mine (but you really can't beat Cacio e pepe, ever) -Polenta - if i had to pick a second favorite item it would be this. It was like a fried triangular shaped kind of thick pancake and I recommend ordering extra cause it was so good. -Brussels sprouts - if I had to pick on thing that was just OK it was the Brussels sprouts. Nothing to write home about. Although it would have been a lot better with everything plated by the staff I thought we did a pretty good job at home. The food looked just as beautiful as it would have in the restaurant, and tasted just as great. If you are in need of a nice meal for take out Bar Roma is a great spot. I'll definitely be getting more of that Cacio e pepe and polenta ... soon! read more

Far and away the best place in Andersonville to socialize and eat. Devon, the bartender it's very attentive, and very knowledgeable when it comes to drinks and sports. Get the Isabella fettuccine . Amazing. they have half-price appetizers and wine until 6 PM. You'll love the warm feeling atmosphere of the restaurant. read more

Bar Roma is absolutely one of my neighborhood spots. Been going here for dinner or happy hour since it opened. The cacio e pepe is what I personally come back for every time. Devin is an amazing bartender that can make you any drink and it's going to be amazing. The bar and dining room are also wonderfully decorated for a very comfortable dinner atmosphere. read more

Considering I live a stone-throw away from this restaurant, I'm shocked it took us this long to try it. My husband and I went in on a Friday night without a reservation. We were able to sit at the bar without a wait. The service is prompt, pleasant, and our server was very knowledgeable about the menu and answered all our questions. The food is truly wonderful. We tried the meatballs - which are perfectly seasoned, well prepared (not too mushy and not over done), as well as assorted pastas. The pasta was cooked to perfection - al dente just the way I like it. And the sauces were so flavorful without being overpowering. I truly cannot stop thinking about this meal and look forward to going back. read more

Small menu, a kitchen that's putting out dishes with pride and generosity, and wonderful Italian wine pairings. Add to that a warm, attractive, neighborly look and vibe. It's easy to see why Bar Roma is a favorite up here--especially on Wed. nights when bottles are half off. Sometimes we just sit at the bar and get the beloved meatballs and grilled artichoke hearts. read more

Food was amazing! I ordered the Pappardelle with braised oxtail. OMMMMMMMGGGGGGGGG. So good, service is outstanding, drinks were good and they have an happy hour. Come for their happy hour. I can't wait to come back. I maybe a regular here. read more

Excellent meal. I had the fish off the day and it was delicious. My friend ordered chicken breast and vegetables which made me feel sorry for her. However when it arrived I was a little jealous. The chicken was perfect and the vegetables do well seasoned. Nice device to read more

Came here for a friends birthday dinner and Bar Roma did not disappoint. We started off with appetizers for the table: Liuzzi Burrata - Italian buffalo milk mozzarella, caponata, spicy soppressata, grilled bread Abbacchio - lamb merguez style sliders, goat cheese, kosher pickle Carciofi alla Giudia - crispy fried baby Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes), spicy giardiniera mayo All the apps were delicious, but my favorite were the fried artichokes. They were crispy on the outside and soft and flavorful on the inside - the spicy mayo was a nice compliment to the dish. The burrata was creamy and paired nicely with the caponata. For my entree I ordered the Papparedelle con Coda alla Vaccinara - wide ribbon noodles with braised ox tail ragu, and pecorino. Absolutely delicious dish!! This was the first time I had ox tail and it was superb in a ragu. The rest of the party thoroughly enjoyed their meals and we all left content. Great service, great food - I'll be back!! read more

Bar Roma - Ox tail ragu - delish!! - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Banger place. Great food, nice atmosphere, and awesome drinks. Came here alone, listened to a podcast and played chess, ate some great food, asked a waiter to recommend a cocktail for the dessert, and it was fantastic. Came back on another night with a guest and it was a perfect choice. read more

I went to dinner with my brother who has a severe food allergy. This information was shared with the waitress, who checked ingredients on the bread. When I ordered an appetizer for the table, I requested she make sure it was egg free. She agreed. When a different server delivered it to our table, there was a fried egg on top. This was obviously very concerning, as it was literally the exact opposite of what we needed. When our waitress eventually returned to the table, I informed her of what happened and she got us a replacement. That was the main problem, and the reason I'm writing the review, but overall service was not great, the food was fine, and the restaurant didn't really do anything to correct for the error they made - we were still charged for the appetizer. I don't recommend going if you have food allergies, though the 50% bottles of wine on Sundays is a good deal. read more

We came in as a group of 10 for boozy brunch on Sunday and it did not disappoint! The mimosas are pre-made but still delicious and strong. I ordered some poached eggs as part of the $24 special and though the kitchen forgot to add in my smoked salmon, the waitress was very apologetic and gave it to me on the side. Overall, it's an excellent deal and I'd love to be back! read more

See all