A but difficult to get a reservation but I see why now. They don't open until 5:30pm and is a pretty small spot...they definitely pack in tables about as close as possible. However, the food definitely lives up to the hype. We started with the chopped salad which was a good portion for 2 or 3 to share. My favorite chopped salad I've ever had! It also came with complimentary tomato focaccia, garlic bread and salami which were all wonderful...and even better for free. Lastly we got the cherry pepper ribs and rigatoni alla vodka to split. Both were fantastic and recommendations from our waiter (who was great as well). Not a large menu but didn't have one bad thing. Looking to come back again soon (if I can get reservations!) read more

Elina's - Cherry Pepper Ribs & Rigatoni alla Vodka - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This was a truly wonderful meal! My friend and I enjoyed everything we ordered. We split the chopped salad (fresh greens with a bright dressing and crispy salami), chicken parmesan (very thin and crispy), and rigatoni alla vodka (creamy and delicious). Everything was to perfection. We also enjoyed the complimentary bread service (two pieces of garlic bread and two pieces of what seemed to be pizza bread). Our only complaint would be that due to the small restaurant size, the tables are seated VERY close together. It was a bit uncomfortable -- especially when we got up to leave. Otherwise, we thoroughly enjoyed our meal here and will definitely be back. read more

Elina's - Chicken parmesan - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Chicago has a lot of great Italian restaurants and therefore, sets the bar pretty high in terms of what is exceptional Italian vs enjoyable. Elina's has a two week waiting period and great reviews which set the bar pretty high. I ended up rating it 3/5 because i thought it was okay. The ambience was cute and the place was small. We had a reservation and still were seated at the bar which makes me think there is really no space for walk ins at the bar. Our server was nice and service was fine- not the best I've ever had Food: -complimentary bread, salami and pickles: first, the bread was amazing. The focaccia was warm and delicious! The garlic bread was also great. The salami was pretty standard- enjoyable but nothing to rave about. The pickles were soft and mushy but the flavor was good; I was hoping for more of a crunch when I think pickles or something bring pickled. PASTAS: -rigatoni a la vodka: this was the best dish of the night. The sauce was creamy and rich, in my personal opinion I was hoping for a bigger kick of spice and more sauce to dip bread in. But the pasta was cooked perfect and this was a win. -fusilli bolognese: this reminded me more of Alfredo sauce meets pesto. It was a great flavor but due to the shape of the pasta some bites were more salty and pepper heavy. But again this was still enjoyable Mains or secondi: -chicken Parmesan: this was a real upset for me. I do prefer my chicken parm to be thin but this was so thin that the chicken became stringy and chewy. Also it was less crispy than I like- this was a big upset for me in our meal. -Silvio's meatballs: again another meh dish. The were plain and the sauce was okay (I didn't even want to dip the bread in it). They are moist and cooked great but I felt they were plain, simple and nothing special- wouldn't order again. The BYOB is 10$ a person but was great especially since we brought a nice bottle of wine Overall, the food was just okay. I don't know when we will be returning. read more

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Another Italian restaurant in West Town area?? How do these places keep being delicious on their own right!?Food is tasty, but I must be in the minority group who does not feel this is the best meal I've EVER had in Chicago. But delicious! I have wanted to snag a reservation for quite some time and it has finally been my time to shine. Exciting! It's a really small space, which explains why it's difficult to come by. There is a bar area that's first come first serve and I would chance it if I ever decided to come back (pre 7pm if you don't want to wait). The complimentary starts are bomb. There's a bread basket which is a mixture of garlic bread, which is just standard fare, and some pizza-type bread that was a huge hit! The salami and pickled eggplant were very fun and welcomed. For starter we chose the baked clams, which I really loved. The perfect hot temperature, the beautiful shell casing, the BREADCRUMBS!!! Would get these over and over again. For pastas we chose the crowd favorite rigatoni alla vodka, which was textbook execution. Al dente, silky smooth sauce, slight tang to break up the richness, and the addition of the Calabrian breadcrumbs really tied it up with a gorgeous bow for me. I am obsessed with angel hair pasta, so that was a no brainer. Angel hair with crab, lemon and parsley? DUH! Y'all it was bomb. The broccoli was the perfect side, with the charred flavor really coming through in a nice way. I felt like I was picking up on some really interesting flavors of not just lemon but maybe some anchovies? Great elevated side. WITH ALL THAT BEING SAID: We were both so incredibly sick after this meal. Not food poisoning or anything serious, just deeply sick in the stomach for hours after.. probably due to the sheer amount of butter that is found in these dishes is all I could come up with. It's for that reason i'm not sure if I will be able to return, but the flavors were on point without a doubt. read more

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Foods presentation was great, but lacked flavor overall. The chicken was dry, and the scallops weren't cooked properly. The best part of the meal overall was the meatballs, but they ran out after us. Had to ask for the bread service and got attitude from the server after. read more

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Favorite Italian in the city...by far! Hesitant to even write this review because it feels like such a hidden gem. I have been a few times and every time the food has been so fantastic. Each time I went with a friend and we split the following: - Cesar Salad (8.5/10) -- really good a little more anchovy forward than I'm used to but filling for two and tasty, Branzino (100/10) -- absolutely delicious and cooked to perfection, Crab Scampi (9/10), Eggplant Parmesan (10/10) -- best I've had! The ambience is romantic/candlelit but also good for a celebratory dinner/catch up with a friend. House Wine is $9 a glass and it's good quality bottles, not cheap stuff. read more

Elina's - Crab Scampi - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Well, it's only taken about a year for this place to no longer care about it's customers because they're now popular and successful. Certainly the owners know how precarious the restaurant business is. You keep alienating customers . . . eventually there are less customers. This was are go-to favorite Italian place last year. Took friends there every chance we could. Ordered takeout almost every Friday. We just went a couple weeks ago with friends. It was their 1st time here and my wife & I had really talked the place up. Unfortunately every aspect of Elina's has gone down. Food and service has really declined. My party of 4 was really disappointed. The food wasn't as good and they changed part of the menu in not a good way. The service was rushed and with a poor attitude. We ordered appetizers which appropriately came out first. Then our party ordered 4 pastas and two entrees. Inexplicably all 6 dishes came out at once. Including an expensive Dover Sole for two. How do expect 2 people to eat all of that without all of it becoming cold and inedible. The pasta congealed and the fish was ice cold. We can't be expected to play beat the clock with all that food at once. It's literally called "primi" and "secondi". Let me translate for them: 1st and 2nd. Not everything all at once! We were also disappointed they took the filet off the menu. They replaced it with a 40oz ribeye. I go out to dinner with vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, and some people that just don't want steak. Now, how can anyone order a steak without getting the entire table to commit to also having steak? They can't. The pasta which used to be their main draw was also average. I hope they turn things around and start caring again. We've sworn to never dine in again or recommend to friends. We might still order take out of only Rigatoni Alla Vodka occasionally, because that's really the only thing they've got going for them. It's a real shame. read more

What a great place! If I could rate it higher than 5, I would. I definitely recommend this place and will be back. Everything was awesome - starting from the complimentary focaccia/garlic bread with salami and yummy pickled eggplant to the chopped salad, the best chicken Parmesan I've ever had and the vodka pasta. It is a byob place which I was unaware of so I will be bringing with me a bottle of wine next time. It was very cozy, atmosphere was great. My only complaint was about the host who constantly was taking off his mask. read more

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Went to elinas last week and loved it!!! We ordered: Fritto Misto : calamari & shrimp : so delicious! The breading was very light, the tartar sauce was the best & the shrimp was gigantic Fusilli alla norcina: sweet sausage & broccolini: so delicious! Definitely a portion for 2, so order some meat & share everything. The pasta had a little heat to it, just enough to make it taste even better! Shrimp scampi : Also a shareable meal! Shrimp was delicious, the bread with it was super moist & tasty. For drinks we got the Kerner wine (my new white favorite now!) and old fashion (which my bf said was delicious). Great atmosphere, great people, very intimate place! It's hard to get a reservation but they open at 5:30 and I recommend going as soon as they open & getting a seat at the bar! read more

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my quest... for cravable eggplant parm ends here! the caramelized texture of the eggplant and just the right amount of cheese plus not too tangy or salty sauce makes this the winner! i admittedly almost finished the serving for 2 haha. the broccoli side was not as amazing - it was oddly on the sour side... also, i had hoped for more/additional veggie options -- particularly for salads/sides. great service and i had a beautiful red wine (that i can't recall at the moment). read more

Great food! We made a Friday night reservation for 2 and had a wonderful time. We ate inside. The restaurant is very cute, the ambiance is nice. It's trendy. You can dress up, but it can also be casual. There were a lot of people dining and the tables were pretty close together, so it was a little loud at times. One of the coolest things is that it's BYOB! So we definitely took advantage of that! They did have a bar set up, so I'm not sure if the plan is to have a bar in the future. We had the eggplant parmesan, rigatoni a la vodka, meatballs, fusilli de rabe, and frito misto (listed in order of my favorite to least favorite). Everything was delicious though! We were debating between the eggplant parmesan and chicken parmesan. We ended up trying something new and didn't regret it! The eggplant parmesan was unique and so savory - layers of past and battered eggplant. Absolutely delicious. The house made pastas were also great, perfectly cooked. The rigatoni was so fun to eat and the sauce was yummy. An order of meatballs comes with 3, but you can also buy them individually, which we did. My boyfriend really liked the fusilli de rabe, but the sausage flavor was a little overpowering for me. Definitely a good one to get for sausage lovers! My boyfriend also loves fried calamari, so we got the fritto misto, which came with two delicious sauces. The shrimp were a good size and the texture was perfect. We unfortunately didn't find any fried zucchini. We ended the meal with a cannoli, which was one of the best cannolis I've had! Overall, it was a great meal and we can't wait to go back! The 5 dishes we got were excellent, but was too much food for 2 people. We are looking forward to the leftovers though! read more

Elina's - Fritto Misto, pretty good; excellent sauces! - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Usually love this place and have spent tons of money here. My bf and I decided to get takeout and I asked him to get the focaccia bread that they usually serve when you sit inside, so he went to pickup our order and asked if he could order the bread as well and offered to pay for two orders of it beings as we were dining out not in... the rude lady at the front told him no because they only serve it if you sit inside.ITS BREAD. Absolutely ridiculous especially when someone is OFFERING to purchase it. Unbelievable and left a bad taste in our mouth. Will not return after that. One star. read more

Christmas time! While I try to be generous at this time of the year, this place was pretty disappointing. The food was only ok. We had a reservation at 8, but we were running early and showed up at 7:30. They said that they couldn't sit us until closer to our reservation time. This wasn't a problem, but half of the restaurant is empty which was kind of odd. We chalked it up to Covid and sat at the bar. At about this time, I got a text from Resy saying that our reservation was in 30 minutes AND it's a BYOB. A BYOB? Where are we going to get wine now sitting at the bar. The bartender (and later our server) suggested we buy wine across the street at that restaurant. However, that place was closed. My dad wanted to go somewhere else, but where are we going to go on Christmas Eve? Luckily, we were seated at a booth around 7:45. It was an empty booth the whole time. When my dad asked about the BYOB, the server claimed it's the on their website. It's not. It's only on the bottom of the screen on Resy. Anyway, the food was only ok. The highlights were the mozzarella grilled cheese appetizer and the vodka pasta. Both were pretty good and showed potential. However the chicken parm was only ok and slightly over cooked. It also needed more sauce which we asked. The Vesuvius potatoes were undercooked, but edible. The absolute worst was PROSCIUTTO and penne. The PROSCIUTTO was boiled ham and that wasn't penne. What a disappointment! They also did not seem to have any other drinks besides water. This was recommended by a friend and the reviews looked really good, but this was pretty standard Italian food that was not worth the price. The food was edible, but there are much better places in the area! read more

had to leave Chicago with the bang it deserved and Elinas made that possible - can I get a CARBONEEEE DUPEEE? if you don't know what Carbone is...you're a nobody. that's a tik tok reference. plz get it - this places main chef like worked with the carbon chef or whatever so it's a chicago version of the famous nyc restaurant even with the same famous pizza and garlic bread baskets!!! they come with pickled eggplant (never had and I LOVED, pickled taste but soft) and a dried meat that saltiness paired perfectly with it the bread and eggplant - we got the spicy vodka rigatoni and it was perfectly Al dente, you could tell they make their own pasta. I would want more sauce but I can acknowledge the real genuine quality of this dish - the steak came with a garginzola on top, sweet glaze, and chives that all paired absolutely so well together. I'm someone who likes to take their food apart... so this is a huge compliment from me - got the frito misto and the green dipping sauce redeemed the dish. the fried seafood was super super puffy which was a great texture but it was a bit much after a few bites and the dense dense puffy breading drowned out the fish flavor. chill w the breading and you've got a killer appetizer right there - ambience is adorable and the service was lovely. Didn't feel rushed at all and they honored reservation time! read more

Elina's - Spicy Rigatoni - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great Food, I got the spicy vodka rigatoni and easily one of the best if not the best in the city. Also had the mozzarella "sandwich" really good too, and the best part is that the prices are very reasonable for the quality of food that you are getting.. also very nice intimate setting great for date night! read more

The food was great when I dined in. This is a $17 Caesar salad ordered online... do not order to go. read more

Elina's - Caesar salad - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

While the food was decent, our reservation was at 7:30pm and it was close to 9 before we got our entrees. There were other tables that arrived much later than ours that were served first. Overall disappointing, read more

Home for Thanksgiving, my friend suggested we try Elina's. Currently, they are BYOB, so if you'd like wine with your meal, plan ahead. We ordered the Caesar salad and clams to start. Along with our appetizers came complimentary bread, salami, and eggplant. All were delicious. The calms were heavily breaded and a bit disappointing. The salad was fresh and delicious. For our mains, we split the chicken parm and rigatoni. The rigatoni stole the show. It was creamy and flavorful, making me wish I wasn't sharing it. The parm was delicious as well. I will definitely be back! The service was consistent and friendly. Slightly pricy, but definitely worth it and if you are splitting with a friend, more than reasonable. read more

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This restaurant had such good food and cocktails. The portions are huge & the wait staff is very kind. Hard to tell it's open with the construction but it definitely is A must try! read more

Cait was our server and was so lovely. We loved the crab scampi best and it's a very cute ambiance.

Sorry to hyped. For the price I can make 10x better more then younger generation. Descent food.

Pretty good food and great service. Good spot for a casual friend dinner or for a date night read more

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Similar to Sandy W's review, we were given someone else's leftovers. This tainted the entire experience for me, since we ordered plenty of food with the intent to have a lot of leftovers. Instead of our $30 pasta, we were packed someones half eaten table bread and a few sad pieces of lettuce. I tried reaching out to management and similar to the other reviewer, no one ever responded to a few attempts. The food is pretty good, but at this price point, you can find good Italian food with great service elsewhere. read more

Elina's - Anticipating pasta and finding this :( - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

might be my favorite italian spot in chicago and there are quite a few italian spots to choose from! the vodka rigatoni was to die for as well as the lobster scampi! the meatballs were so delicious! they have cute match boxes you can take and the ambiance is so charming with the taper candles. it is quite small in there so i would recommend getting a reservation or going early! the service was great and we will definitely be going back here !! read more

Loved the ambiance in here - perfect romantic date night spot with candlelight and cozy interior. The espresso martini was perfectly rich. Highly recommend everything we got: Caesar salad with unbelievable croutons, chicken Parmesan, fusilli, and the spicy vodka pasta of course. Also the bread service they give at the beginning is so fireeee. Loved it here!! read more

Elina's - Spicy vodka pasta, chicken Parmesan, fusilli - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Space is small and it is crammed with tables. During our meal, we had to move our table to make room for people that were to be sitting next to us. We also had to move our table again when we finished our meal and were getting ready to leave. The complimentary bread was good, and our eggplant parmesan was a generous portion. The vodka pasta was nothing special. Overall, the experience was underwhelming but they are very generous with their portion sizes. read more

Okkkkkkkkkkkk. Where do we start?!? Arrived for a 7:45PM reservation, not served with bread which is no big deal. Ordered about 12 platters and was advised that they were out of the ribeye & MEATBALLS!! I get it, I understand business, what I don't understand is how you can run out of the most popular items on the menu two hours into dinner. Regardless, the food was decent and the staff was great. Ownership really needs to set up inventory especially when people wait 1+ months to dine here. Don't be surprised when they run out, waitress said "it's the norm". read more

The food was exceptional. The focaccia to start is SO good - it's on the house. For four people, we ordered one Caesar salad, one fritto misto, one Penne & Prosciutto, and two Rigatoni alla Vodkas. We tried to order meatballs but they only had 1 meatball left at 7:45 on a Saturday so we each had a bite. We also ordered a bottle of wine and some cocktails. It was plenty of food and worth the price. However, the service was just... off. Each time we asked a question (for ex, red pepper flakes or extra bread) we were met with confusion or scoffing. Several staff members took care of us as well, and it was consistent across the board. Our plates were also taken in the middle of eating, which was strange. The space is very small, so the lack of warmth from the staff felt more like NYC than Chicago. After fighting for a reservation, I wish we had a more hospitable experience. We felt very awkward and unwelcome, esp. as a high-paying group. I'd be fine ordering takeout for my next time. read more

We had high hopes coming here. Considering the restaurant mimics Carbone. The food was no were near as good and was overly oily. BYOB spot, but they charge you $10 per person. read more

Elina's was to die for!! Some of the best pasta and calamari I've ever had. And the Chicken Parm was cooked perfectly!!! Highly recommend and will be coming back!! read more

Elina's - Chicken Parmesan - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We experienced severe food poisoning after eating the crab angel hair pasta. It may have been due to the seafood not being fresh. While we really enjoyed the atmosphere of the restaurant, unfortunately, we're scarred forever read more

We were really excited to try this place. The food was just ok. Nothing blew us away. The vodka rigatoni was fine, I've had much better around the city and at Carbone itself. The branzino cioppino was disappointing. The branzino itself was small, but good. However, the sauce was like ketchup. I was expecting amazing flavor such as the delicious kind one can get all over San Francisco. The angel hair scampi was decent, but the noodles were mushy and overcooked. There are so many options/fresh pasta and Italian around Chicago that I do not know why anyone would choose this place. The ambiance is nice and the manager and waiter were very nice and helpful though. If the meal ended there, I would have given Elina's a 3/5 rating. However, our bill came which was over $300 for 4 people (which was expected) and there was a "3% processing fee" on the bill which was not on the website or the menu. It just felt like we were being nickel and dimed. If you want to charge an extra 3%, just build it in to the menu prices or tell me about it. I asked the manager if it could be removed and he said that he did not have that power, but he could ask the owner for us. This is when things got bad. One of the owners, Mr. Eric Safin, came out to speak with us. If he was pleasant and nicely explained the $8 fee, we would have gladly paid it and been done. He, however, was such an incredible jerk to us that we were left speechless. I don't think I have ever had anyone not just in the restaurant industry, but the service industry as a whole, be so insanely rude. Our entire table felt so awkward afterward. If this guy treated us the way he did, I cannot imagine the way he treats his staff. Over an unannounced $8 fee on a $300+ dollar meal, Mr. Safin left such a poor taste in our mouths that none of us would EVER walk back in to his establishment or recommend it to anyone. Luckily, the food was average so we have plenty of other options and will not miss Elina. read more

This place definitely lived up to the hype but very similar to lots of other popular Italian spots in Chicago. All the food was excellent! read more

Elina's - Caesar salad - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Lovely experience here. Very small intimate restaurant. The food was wonderful. The location is a little far from other big Chicago areas but worth the trip read more

Elina's - Bread - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Remember to ask these abusive restaurants to remove their BS "service fees". you are NOT required to pay it. The food was good, not super memorable. service was not the most attentive. read more

When they say mini carbone... maybe they're right. I've been to nyc location a number of times when I lived there and recently in Miami. Would say this is very good - hard to compare to carbone just given the nostalgia for me, but glad I've found a spot going fwd in the Chi! Price might be the only consideration but everything was good -- from the spicy rigatoni, ribs, bread service! read more

my mum was in town over the holidays and we treated her to a goodbye dinner at Elina's, which had been on my list for a while now after coming across them somewhere. my mum both loves Italian food and is a notoriously difficult and finicky person to please restaurant-wise. and we made the correct choice! it was a lovely way to finish the trip. starting with the breads (she's a sucker for great bread)! the garlic and pizza-style bread were incredible. the caesar salad (those croutons!) and shrimp cocktail were great to start with and share. and all the dishes we ordered were fantastic. i particularly enjoyed the simple and tasty angel hair scampi. and the fries were perfect. the portions were significant and good to share. i'm a sucker for fizzy drinks so the Casamara Club Soda (both styles, though i prefer the more bitter one) was the perfect accompaniment. the spot was also super cozy and small (and easy to get to and park as we had a car during her visit). the missing star was for the disappointing lack of dessert, just cannoli it seems (i'm not a fan, but i'm sure it is tasty). a more robust dessert option would push this over for me. read more

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Top 5 Italian in Chicago , thought the vodka rigatoni would be over hyped but it's everything they claim it is , also don't miss the Dover sole picate, absolutely amazing spot ! read more

Go here. Vodka rigatoni and chicken parm are the bomb. So is tiramisu. I was very impressed.

The food at Elina's was excellent, we loved the Casino Clams and the Calamari appetizers. We all had pasta for our entrees and each dish was delicious. The drinks were well made. The problem came when we asked for more bread, and we were told that they only made enough for one basked per table. We then ordered another round of drinks, which never arrived at the table. Our waiter was pleasant and knowledgeable but didn't come back to the table often enough to check on things and didn't follow up on our drink orders. I would say give Elina's a try, it's small, cute and very cozy; but make sure to follow up on your own drinks and don't go if you are big bread eaters - the sauces are too good to leave on the plate. read more

Elina's - Angel Hair Scampi with Crab and Rigatoni all Vodka - DELICIOUS - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois