I stopped in here for lunch the other day, and was pleasantly surprised! I really liked the front of the restaurant that opens to the outside, and the decor was simple yet elegant. I ordered the meatball salad appetizer for my lunch, and it was HUGE! It was a delicious homemade meatball, and the salad was fresh and delicious. I also tried a wine that they call Menage a Trois. It was delicious. My server, Kyle was extraordinary, and left little to be desired. I'll definitely be back with friends. I think this is a great place to relax, eat, and have cocktails. read more

Okay, I've decided on a new rule: no yelping a place until I've been there at least twice (unless I need to report something extreme... as in extremely useful, funny, or cool). I want to avoid making snap judgements based on first impressions. I tried Cafe Bionda awhile back and I was like, whoa, is it possible that there is a restaurant this delicious located a mere stones throw from my house? And after a second visit, a vehement YES. I like it almost as much as I like Mia Francesca. It's that good. read more

Yummy, fresh, flavorful Italian favorites here. Basically, this is a cute Italian hideaway in a diverse South Loop neighborhood. So let's summarize. SERVICE - Great! for once, a dining experience where the server isn't eye stalking you or walking by to repeat for the 10th time, "is there anything else I can get for you?" which we all know really means, "Will ya get outta my station?" BREAD - This is not really a category but definitely worth mentioning since it was good. For once, I didn't get an handful of hockey pucks in a basket with a side of ice (er....butter). APPETIZERS - We had only one. The fried calamari. Light, crispy, non-greasy, and not overcooked! ENTREES - I was with two other diners and I was the one with plate envy the whole time. Of the three dishes - chicken saltimboca, Rigatoni alla vodka, and Nanna's Gravy - mine (saltimboca) was the only one that was just good, not great. The Nanna's Gravy dish was incredible. Basically, a big bowl of parmesan-infused rigatoni with chunks of super tender pot roast. All slathered with some tasty tomato sauce. Yum. The Rigatoni alla Vodka was not just beautiful but boutiful, too. They served it up in a big ole pasta bowl that was the size of a football. The aroma was fragrant with vodka. It also contained a nice amount of gooey mozzarella cheese bathed in basil and cream sauce. Yum x 2. AMBIANCE - Warm, polished, and neighborhood-y type place. Small bar and two rooms (front and back) with semi open kitchen. Seating was a bit cramped due to the narrow layout of the place but were weren't necessarily so close that we could smell our neighbors aftershave. BOTTOM LINE: Their menu selections across the board were very appealing so I am seduced to return the next time I take my Northwest Suburban self out to the South Loop. read more

I'm not a huge fan of going out for Italian food. I mean, I like pasta and all but I always feel like I could make the same stuff at home. Bionda does a number of things differently. I had the dish with pot roast in the sauce the first time I came here because I had never heard of such a thing. The waiter cheerfully offered to add broccoli when I asked about veggies in the sauce. They also gave us bread and marinara sauce to dip while we were waiting. Be careful, as this can be a pretty filling meal! Everything always tastes great here, I like the old school vibe, and for the price the quality is very good. Sometimes they go a little TOO old school and it's too dark, but other than that I have no complaints. The mussels were great too! read more

Trying new restaurants can be very hit-or-miss. One one hand it's exciting to think you might come across the next gem of the Chicago dining scene. On the other hand, you never know what you're going to get with a place that's still trying to figure things out. Unfortunately, Cafe Bionda turned out to be more of a "miss" than a "hit". But first the good. Service was excellent -- they gave off the whole "We just opened so we're going to try extra hard to be nice and friendly" vibe very well. The hostess was very gracious and sweet and our server was attentive and professional. Judging by the profuse amount of sweat on his forehead, he was either very hot or he was trying very hard to make sure we had everything we needed. However, when it comes to judging a restaurant, the more important criteria for me is still the quality of the food. And in this department, Cafe Bionda ended up disappointing big time. We started off with the Salami and Parmesan salad, which was actually pretty good. But the entrees that we ended up ordering (linguine with clams and chicken saltimboca) were both woefully over-seasoned. The linguine had way too many red pepper flakes in it, which completely overwhelmed the taste. Likewise with the chicken saltimboca, except sage was the culprit. It's not that I don't like the red pepper flakes or sage -- I just don't want every bite of my food to have only those two flavors hitting my taste buds. I will say that the food is pretty affordable ($10 for the linguine, $17 for the chicken), though I wasn't too keen on paying $6 for six measly stalks of asparagus. Another minor gripe about Cafe Bionda would be their atmosphere/ambiance. I had initially Cafe Bionda was a restaurant but then I wasn't so sure after sitting through dinner with U2 blaring in the background and a plasma TV showing the Sox game while we ate (we weren't sitting near the bar, btw). If they want to pitch themselves as a restaurant, then they should consider turning down the music and getting rid of the TV. For what it's worth, Cafe Bionda JUST opened up so I expected them to work out some kinks in the beginning. As much I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, the food just wasn't very good. And given the number of quality Italian restaurants in the city, it makes me wonder how long this place will stick around. read more

Today's rating a one star! Truly is our favorite place but a plastic ziplock found in arugula salad, ok pass - requested bread and Parmesan cheese no show waited 30 min nothing ... improve service notice repeat customers please... waitstaff follow up! read more

We ventured down here because we knew someone who works there and had heard how amazing the food was. Cafe Bionda lives up the its word of mouth and is more old school italian. We got there on a Friday night and made ourselves comfy at the bar since we expected much more of a wait, but we were pleasantly surprised. For an appetizer the fried zucchini was amazing!!! Better than the already good breaded and lightly fried zucchini was the Dijon dipping sauce which was so yummy! Their bread was good with the marinara sauce, but I prefer places where the bread is warm so this was just ok in my book. Everyone was pleased. I ordered the Stuffed Cheese shells in the vodka sauce which was yummy. It was almost on the too rich side and I only made it through a shell. I also tried the Veal Parm - you literally get this giant plate of meat. Tender. The best part: these made excellent leftovers. I think I liked my stuffed shells better the next day. What was nice is that this is a place that you can have a three hour dinner without being nagged or rushed out. The service is quick and knowledgeable. read more

Gets pretty busy on weekends - suggest reservation. Good food. Service depends on who you get, since we go there regularly we usually get the same server - he's awesome. Flat out - BEST MEATBALLS IN TOWN. I'm not kidding. I wasn't even a fan of meatballs until I came here. My favorite combo - Meatball Salad (yes, I said salad - just try it it's great!) and Fried Zucchini. I know its not healthy - but I could eat a meatball salad and fried zucchini every week from this place. Love it! read more

I have been to Cafe Bionda a number of times and have always enjoyed it. The food is great, the service is great, and for the amount of food they give you, it's extremely reasonably priced. I held my graduation dinner there, and the entire staff was fantastic and so attentive, which was quite a feat since there were 23 of us. They made sure that everything was perfect, down to the cake that they ordered for me. This place is great for a group, but also good for a romantic dinner for two. I've tried many things on the menu, but my favorite is the scallops. I definitely recommend that you give it a try. read more

Recommended by a friend as the best Italian in Chicago The place is rather small and in an under-developed type of an area We were seated in the back at a small round table Bread with marinara sauce was brought over -- ok We ordered: clams oregonata --OK linguine with white clams (see picture) -- presentation was amazing! but food was mediocre chicken parm --average Overall -- too expensive for the quality of the food (BTW I am Italian and I was raised on Mom's homemade food so I may be more critical!) read more

I had heard great things about Cafe Bionda, and I was looking for a new Italian place to have my birthday party this year so I thought I would check this place out. Cafe Bionda is an example of why you should never judge a book by its cover. On the outside Cafe Bionda screamed "casual elegance" on the inside it screamed "oh goodness why did I come here???!!". The bread was TOUGH Where do I begin- I ordered the Aunt Mimi's stuffed cheese shells (at $17). I was very hungry yet at the end of the meal I was upset I had wasted so many calories on that dish. My poor friends were less than satisfied with their meals as well- The Rigatoini Alla Vodka and the Linguni, Shrimp & Broccoli. Our server was rather nice, and refilled my friend's Coke from the fountain after my friend learned that the Cokes are served in 8oz glass bottles. (he did not have to do that) I probably will not be back to Cafe Bionda despite its great location and atmosphere as the food was eeehhhh and overpriced. Overpriced I can handle the "eeeehhh" not so much. read more

I had the pleasure of visiting this lovely establishment for a business dinner with my boss and a customer. My boss comes here frequently and talks about it a lot so I was looking forward to trying it. It's a cozy little spot and the atmosphere would be perfect for a romantic dinner...but it was also perfect for our little business dinner. Also nice that the owner, Paul, came around to each table personally and talked to all the customers. Love that personal touch. To begin, they bring out a bread basket with a warm marinara sauce and thumbs up to this. Perfect for a cold night as last night was. We ordered the antipasto platter which was also delicious. There was plenty for the 3 of us....and the selection of meats, cheese, olives, peppers, etc, was perfect. I had the banana pepper pork and my boss had the same dish but substituted for chicken. Wow. Loved it. The sauce, the potatoes, the peppers - YES! My pork chop was slightly dry but just barely...and it was so amazingly flavorful that I can overlook that. We finished with the molten chocolate cake with pistachio gelato and my gosh...I wish I'd gotten my own instead of sharing 1 with the table. I'm not even a chocolate freak but God Almighty...LOVE IT. I really love this spot and look forward to coming back soon! read more

Can't believe I'm just finding this place after living right next to it for years! Our dinner last night was delicious and quick! We were in a bit of a time crunch but were able to get in, order and eat all within 45 minutes. That's fast service. The menu was pretty big and everything looked amazing. Lots of yummy appetizers to try in the future! We had the eggplant Parmesan, the rigatoni alla vodka, and the chicken special, which was some kind of roasted garlic chicken with potatos and peppers. Yum! The eggplant came out on a giant platter and literally took up the entire dish! It was crispy on the edges, but the eggplant wasn't too thin to where you couldn't taste it. Really good. I tried the vodka pasta and it was also excellent. The pasta was cooked to perfection and the fresh ricotta on top really made it stand out. My friends chicken dish looked and smelled amazing, and he raved about it. Looking forward to coming back! read more

Cafe Bionda - Eggplant parm, side of pasta, and chicken special - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very interesting... this place was a little slow on the up take the night we came in with a reservation we made on OpenTable.com. The three young girls at the front were cute but didn't register that we showed up. The waitress was definitely having an off night (or at least I hope she was), the silverware was dirty and as it got busier, the worse the service got. I did notice that there seemed to be a stream of older and more distinguished clientle that might be neighborhood regulars who were stealing the good service. My vodka sauce dish was lovely with a mascarpone/fluffed ricotta topping and I highly enjoyed it. My boyfriends pasta was drenched in a cup of oil and did not look appetizing at all. Overall the price was a little high for the quality of the food. I might try it again in a few months to give it another try... I will let you know how that goes... for now go to Gioco. read more

One of the best places for Italian in the city.... Food is awesome and the service is great. Wish it wasn't always so damn busy! read more

I've had 2 very good cafe bionda experiences, and 1 not so good cafe bionda experience, so we're averaging out to 3 stars for now. The good: Fresh, warm bread served with "gravy" - this delicious, warm, slightly spicy marinara sauce. So much better than olive oil! The linguine with mussels - huge portion of HUGE mussels with delicious sauce. I ate the entire plate. And then the waitress said that that was the first time she had ever seen anyone finish the dish. And then I felt awesome :) The meatballs - perfectly sized, perfectly seasoned The not so good: We got the hard core up-sell last night. I'm sure that your salads and calamari are delicious, but there were only 2 of us, and I was about to do some serious damage to a plate of meatballs. I didn't really want any calamari, and I'd appreciate if you weren't snarky about it. The lasagna - I could tell that this would be really, really good - at 5 pm - which is when it probably first came out of the oven. We ordered the lasagna at around 8 pm. It was definitely not warmed all the way through. There was also a layer of fresh cheese on top, which was sadly hiding the old layer of fresh cheese, which was burned and rubbery. Not so appetizing. We mentioned it to the waitress, and she took it off the check, but I would expect more for a slightly upscale Italian restaurant. All in all, I will definitely be back. We just won't do lasagna again. read more

This has very quickly become our Go to Italian place. Love the neighborhood vibe and that they always remember us. We always get the same things, baked clams/gnocchi/vodka rigatoni, but the Caesar salad is my new fav. The service was shotty at first but since the addition has improved. I know to ask for our fav waiter now! read more

I've been a regular here since moving to the South Loop about a year and half ago and the food & sevice has been great every time. The Lasagna on Wednesday is maybe only second to Rosebud's on Taylor. The grilled calamari and meatballs are some of my favorites. I highly recommend this place for a nice laid back dinner. read more

You know, Italian food is always interesting. It's stuff I can easily make at home so I don't like paying alot for it. I was worried when I read other reviews that it was overpriced, but actually experiencing it, I can see why they priced it the way they did. The entrees are huge. Bigger than Francesca's for sure. I think the entrees are meant to be shared. The stuffed shells are pretty close to perfection. I think I would have wanted a less creamier sauce kinda to balance out the meal a bit better, but overall the best dish we had. The chicken francese was super tasty. Though once it got cold, it was a little strong on the taste and the chicken dry, so make sure you eat it first. The other pasta dish was standard. I wish I had room for dessert, next time! Def a keeper, too bad it's so far south! read more

I have had this food before and it used to be outstanding, I don't know what happened. I ordered a Bionda Burger for pick up and the Burger was cold, no flavor at all (even a little salt would have helped), the Fries were in a separate container and also cold, and for $14 there was hardly any fries, I find it hard to believe that they don't have heat lamps to keep food warm, I picked it up on time so the food should have been hot. what a disappointment that they can't even serve a decent Burger and fries. they must have been taken over by someone else, not worth your time and money. read more

Food was fantastic and service was even better!!! Would definitely recommend this. We came from NYC for a conference and this restaurant was recommended to us. read more

Fried calamari is light and fluffy with a nice outer crunch. Wine selection is diverse. Past al dente and sauces zesty. Not over the top upscale like so many others are trying to create in this area. Cozy, comfortable atmosphere, good food and attentive service. It gets loud when the restaurant is full because of the hard tile ceiling but that is easily overlooked by how wonderful everything else is... read more

Very welcome addition to the neighborhood! This is a small, intimate Italian restaurant with a much different vibe than the nearby alternative, Francesca's Forno. I prefer Cafe Bionda. Everything was terrific. We had the eggplant appetizer, and for my main course I had the rigatoni with vodka cream sauce - delicious! Service was friendly and prompt, and the noise level was good for conversations. read more

I live in the building so I may be a bit bias due to the convenience... but I must say.. this place is always packed and for a good reason! Their food is amazing and their prices are even more amazing. Their dinner entrees are huge so my husband and I usually share (and let me tell you, he has quite an appetite, so thats how big the plates are!). Service is a little slow, hence the 4/5 stars, but when you're with the right people, it doesn't really matter much. I love Cafe Bionda! :) Favorites: Veal and Chicken Parm read more

I live above this restaurant. Great Food, fantastic service and a friendly staff. Joe has done it again. The only downside to this restaurant is the tight quarters. Sometimes a bit hard to navigate, but well worth it. The spaghetti is wonderful, you really can't go wrong with anything on the menu. highly recommend. read more

If I had to describe this restaurant in one word, it would be 'adequate'. The food is pretty good, but nothing spectacular. The menu is pretty complete with all the standard Italian dishes. We went on a Monday night in December, and it was pretty full. So that may say something. The dining room was actually a bit loud, but the atmosphere was nice. There were no issues with the service. It was good. We had a nice time but nothing spectacular that would make you come here for a special occasion. read more

Very good. Came here on recommendation from the Hyatt hotel over by the convention center (a desert of good restaurants) it was a decent walk, but worth it. The service was excellent all around and very good with the kids. I saw no other kids in the restaurant, but our 3 and 4 year olds were very well treated and catered too with quick gratis food, the waitstaff was really good with them, etc. For the adults I had the veal parmigiana and it was the biggest piece of that such dish I had ever had. I hate ordering it and getting like some tiny medallions, this was a huge amount of veal. It was all very good. I also had some crispy calamari appetizer which was good. My wife had stuff shells which were good, though very rich and heavy, which is not really a bad thing, but be warned. The desert we had, a chocolate lava cake, was also delicious. On balance, the two things that stood out most, were the veal portion and the service. read more

I would give Cafe Bionda 3.5 stars, and this is why.... I went to Cafe Bionda for the first time last night with a group of friends. In total, we had a party of 7 and were seated at a table at the back of the restaurant. I was the first person in our party to arrive, and before I could fully sit down in the chair, bread, a bowl of marinara sauce and a plate of olive oil with shredded Parmesan cheese were brought. They bread was good, especially dipped in the marinara sauce, but it wasn't warm or hot, like it is at other fine Italian restaurants. This is simply a preference, i know....I like my bread warm. For drinks, I had the Prosecco which was good-nice and cold. Others at the table had soft drinks. Be warned: the soft drinks are brought in fairly tiny individual glass bottles, so there are no free refills. For appetizers, we had the grilled AND fried calamari, and a dozen baked clams. The two calamaris were good, nice flavor (it's hard to mess up calamari) but the portions were not very big for the price. The baked clams were pretty good, however they were very small....the clam shell was about the size of a tablespoon, and the meat was smaller than a teaspoon. And for a dozen clams, it was $14! For dinner, I had the Rigatoni alla vodka. It was good, but not great. The sauce was rich and heavy and after a while it started to taste a little like chef boyardee. A friend of mine had the veal marsala, which I tried, and the marsala sauce was very sweet. It was almost syrupy sweet. Another friend had the chicken Parmesan, which was very good. It was topped with both mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. For dessert, we shared spumoni and chocolate tiramisu. These were both fabulous. The spumoni was very smooth and creamy and just the perfect softness. The chocolate tiramisu was so good we had to order more. All in all, I had a good time at Cafe Bionda. Our waiter was attentive and the bus boy always kept our water glasses full. The atmosphere was warm and dimly lit. If you are on a budget, I would recommend sharing an entree because they come in big portions. If you are a vegetarian, there aren't a lot of choices here (there are only a couple entrees to chose from) and of course there is always salad! The down sides are the small, but pricey appetizers and the beverages are also expensive. I am not a big dessert person, but I would recommend saving room for desserts because they are bellissimo! read more

Love Cafe Bionda. It's near my house so it's the "go-to" neighborhood Italian restaurant. Appetizer highlights include the grilled calamari. Always tender. They add a few red pepper flakes in the sauce for some spice. Baked clams are a good choice too. They are good sized and seasoned nicely. For the entrees... Veal or chicken francese. Lightly egg-battered with a tasty lemon sauce. The chicken parm is huge. No way I could even finish it. If lamb chops are on the special, it's a must. And I'm Greek, so if I know one thing, it's my lamb! Healthy portion once again. They come with thinly sliced potatoes all in a lemony sauce. Fantastic! One thing about the restaurant. It does tend to get a little loud in there. A few of the other reviewers also mentioned it. It's not overbearing, but when the restaurant is full it can be a bit much. The good food makes up for it though... read more

I wish I could do 3.5 stars here because the food was good but I wasnt blown away by this place. I think it lies somewhere in the middle here. So Friday night out for dinner and we heard really good things so of course we had to check it out. To begin our first waiter (yes we had two) was a bit pretentious. I could barely hear a thing he was saying to us and everything we did hear was arrogant. Thankfully he had to leave before we got our app so it worked out. Our second waiter was quite pleasant and funny and he really redeemed the quality of our service. I really liked the idea of the marinara and warm bread to start for every table I mean who doesnt love a cheesy marinara dip. We ordered the scallop special which was interesting. It was sea scallops topped with pieces of pulled roast. It wasnt bad I just didnt get it really to be honest. For the entre I ordered rigatoni alla vodka which was good but I dont know it vodka sauce is that hard to mess up. My date had the spaghetti with italian sausage, which from the minimal remains of his huge portion he must have really enjoyed. So all in all I think not a terrible experience and the food was good, but I didnt really order out of the box on this one so I didnt get to flex my tastebuds. Cute italian family atmosphere with a pretty decent wine list that I will definately try again. read more

A friend and I wandered into Cafe Bionda last night, and I have to say - for the price point they're operating at, I wasn't impressed. We arrived around 7:30pm. No reservations, but we were seated right away. Our waiter was disinterested from the beginning. We had to flag him down several times, ask him for more water, and we waited forever to get our bill. And the bus staff was weird - the busboy took the dish I was putting my mussel shells in and never came back with another one. What did they want me to do - throw them on the floor? I had the linguini with mussels. This dish looked promising - they used the huge mussels that are very meaty. But they were overcooked - very rubbery and not flavorful. The pasta was nicely cooked, but the sauce they were in was very, very watery and lacked flavor. My friend had the penne alla vodka, and she said it was just ok. Once again, the pasta was cooked well, but the sauce just didn't do it - she had to add a lot of pepper and parmesan to get anywhere with it. The wine list was good - we had a nice pinot grigio for $25. And the room was nice - it felt like an old-school Jersey Italian joint. I really, really wanted to like this place, but I walked away really disappointed. For $70 + tip, I just can't say I feel like this place was worth it. There are so many good Italian places in Chicago, I'm not sure why you'd waste your money here. I won't be back. read more

Hmm what to say, not that impressed? I've been out of the country for a few weeks and having overly indulged in Asian food, I came back home craving for anything NOT asian (I didn't think it could be possible, but yes, it's possible). The BF and I came on a weekday (last minute decision to have a mini break during the week) and it was relatively packed. We were able to grab a spot in the free parking lot in the back and were seated right away (table by the back entrance with a view of the TV +1). The waitress and busboys were relatively attentive and filled our water glasses and brought us bread with piping hot marinara sauce with fresh parmesan cheese really quickly (+1). We ordered the fried calamari, clam linguine and spicy sausage oricchiette. The portions are quite large (+1) but the flavor is not there: fried calamari was served hot and nicely fried but pretty bland I got a full plate of clams over my linguine (quite impressive) but again, kind of bland and lacking anything special. BF had the oricchette and it was quite different from the pasta's we normally order but we're not quite sure if this was a good type of different. The wait for the food was quite long (much longer than you would expect for a weekday night). I can't imagine how long it would take for a packed night. Also, you need to talk rather loudly here or you won't be heard. I'm not sure if its the layout of the tables or the layout of the whole restaurant but its oddly kind of hard to hear each other sometimes yet you can hear the next table's conversations really clearly. Pricing is decent for the amount of food you get but I rather get better quality than quantity. Doubtful I would be back since there are so many great italian restaurants in Chicago but if I do, I would definitely try something else (maybe the rigatoni vodka that people seem to love). read more

Ate here again last night and it was spot on. I've eaten here maybe 10 times over the last couple years and still love it. It's an amazing neighbood place. It's my neighborhood place. It's always lively and fun. Good portion sizes with respectable prices is one thing but they deliver on flavor every time. My gnocchi with mushrooms, sausage and peas was spicy and delicious. I can't wait to have leftovers this morning for lunch. And nothing beats the bread and marinara served to start. 5 stars every time. read more

Man, I wish this place was better (on a consistent basis). I have been here several times, with the most recent visit being quite disappointing. I have ordered the Nanna's Gravy several times, and it really is good...but last night it did not come with the "rigatoni giganti" (as written on the menu, and as I have always had it, and one of the reasons I love it), but rather regular rigatoni, that was overcooked to the point of mush. Not good. BF ordered the Sunday special, which is on the menu and also on the list of specials on the table. When my BF ordered the "Sunday Gravy" the waiter was like "Huh?". We had to tell him that it was the Sunday special and he was like "Uh, ok". Anyway, it was totally disgusting! It is sauce cooked with ribs and neckbones....I get that this makes it tasty, but the dish was served as a bowl halfway filled with bones! There was absolutely NO meat on the bones at all, and they were totally gross looking....the sauce was not very tasty, and the pasta was the same overcooked rigatoni that I was served! BF didn't eat hardly any of it (but is not one to complain). Nobody checked on us to see if everything was ok or I would have told them about the mushy pasta and nasty bowl of bones! The Bionda salad really is quite good, and large enough for 2 to split generously, and I do love the bread with marinara served when you sit down. The place was like 100 degrees when we got there, and I have experienced this there before...the heating system is messed up, as is the ventilation system...the place was filled up with smoke from the kitchen to the point of making my eyes water last night. I'm sure I will be back here sometime...I should probably try the meatball salad that everyone raves about, and the Nanna's Gravy really is delicious (but next time I would specify that I want the large rigatoni. Al dente).....but for the most part, I will take my Italian cravings to Taylor Street. read more

I'm such a food snob now that I've lived in Portland. So going back to Chicago now doesn't really excite my taste buds like it used to. However, I know that there's lots of places that I never got to venture to during my time living there. I tried out Cafe Bionda after a recommendation from my sister-in-law for a quality meal w/ good service and romantic ambiance. This place hit all three notes. The food was very tasty from the appetizer salad we had (can't remember the name) to my chicken parmigiana which is the best that I've ever had. The waiter was EXCELLENT. I don't think I've ever had better service on the South Side of Chicago...EVER. The prices were right not super cheap but not super expensive either. This place is such the hidden gem. I'm a believer. Oh yes and the marinara sauce is BOMB.com. I couldn't stop eating the marinara and breadsticks before my meal. Nom, nom, nom! read more

I was hoping this was going to be my place, but eh....good but forgettable. A previous review said it best..."adequate". I love the mussels, and decent wine choices. All in all...kind of pricey Italian food. UPDATE: Been back recently after work. Was in the mood for a glass of wine and something light to nibble on at the bar. WELL i must say i was impressed. Great wine selection by the glass, and great apps. Place has more identity than when i last went, ..i mean sheesh..the bartender was wearing knee high boots on a mesh matt! YOU GO GIRL! read more

Wait, they have condo's above this place...DANGEROUS! VODKA SAUCE. The food here is awesome and full of flavors. Waitress that we have had all three times(weird) is always on point a knows her specials. I consider this a "go to" Italian place. I have a buddy that swears by it and when we have folks ask it is either this or one other. So, our waitress suggested we add the crumbled italian sausage to our dish...delish! Wow, like, lick the bowl, steal a neighbors dish and run through the kitchen good....yeah, that good! It is 8:30 am, writing this review makes me want VODKA SAUCE! maybe, vodka...do I have a drinking problem...hmm..NO, it is the amazing sauce and the crumbled sausage! Check it out on any night and leave fat and happy! read more

Everything you expect from a good Chicago restaurant. Food was great. Service came with a smile and the prices were typical downtown prices.

This place is great. Went here on a Saturday night. The place was packed and we had to wait about 15 minutes past our reservation time. There were several big parties and, once seated, we found that the tables were a bit shmushed together. And it was loud. There was a private party going on, with a band no less, and the music from the band competed with the Sinatra music playing over the sound system. Quite a din. That all said, the food was tremendous. Our server, Jason, very helpfully steered us away from ordering one salad per person -- he said one salad served two or even four. We got two for our table of four -- tomato/mozz and chopped. Both were excellent. Entrees were perfect. I had stuffed shells sprinkled with sausage -- a dish that dreams are made of. BF had Nonna's Gravy -- pot roast with rigatoni. The others at our table (my parents) had gnocchi and saltimbocca. Everyone was EXTREMELY happy. Portions were large and we all took leftovers home. Dessert, tiramisu, was good although nothing to blow us away. All in all, everyone at the table agreed that we will come back to Cafe Bionda. read more

I guess I can say my husband & I are regulars at this restaurant. Great food is a must for me when dining out BUT service & atmosphere make the experience that much better. There are very few restaurants that have such a "homey" feel. The owner is there frequently and he never hesitates to talk to the customers. They make you feel like family. We have a favorite server, Guy, who knows how to treat customers. He makes our dining experience special EVERY TIME we're there (and sometimes that's every week)! I have tried SEVERAL dishes on the menu and have never been disappointed. My favorites are the baby arugula salad, grilled calamari, seafood fettuccine, lasagna..... you get the picture !! read more