Went here to celebrate my 4 year anniversary. I saw this online and heard this was the "Chicago Carbone" and we really like the Carbone in Vegas so we thought to give it a try. The Ambiance was nice, it is pretty dark in there though as the restaurant has dim lighting for a more intimate or romantic vibe. But I would say the restaurant is super small, so reservations add up quick, so i recommend trying to get one in advance and not a day or 2 before just so you get a spot at your preferred time. We were seated a little late about 10-15 minutes. But for drinks, my fiancé got the Italian Mojito which she loved and finished. I on the other hand went with the Rosita(tequila,Campan,Vermouth,Orange), it was very strong...which is good for some people and depending on the night you're having. But it wasn't my favorite drink, and drank half, but everyone's drink preferences may be different. Our Appetizers, we got the Caesar salad with the garlic bread croutons. I thought it was good but not amazing, I still think Carbones is way better...I think it needed more cheese. The croutons weren't the crunchiest which we were both expecting , overall decent salad if you like Caesar it's good. Entrees we got the Chicken Parm 7.5/10 Cherry pepper ribs 8.5/10 honestly one of the best ribs I've had in a while, they were fall off the bone, the flavor was good. That was my favorite thing we ate. And of course we got the Rigatoni Alla Vodka. I would give it a 8/10 it was really good, the pasta was cooked perfectly, I just wish the sauce had more of a spicy ness to it. Service was decent, and pretty attentive, our food came out pretty quick. Restrooms...there's only one restroom I believe for both genders so you do have to wait if someone is in there...kinda a funny looking bathrooms it's really long to get the the toilet from the sink lol. Overall we had a great dinner , a unique restaurant and I heard it's only about 3-4 years old. I've been seeing more off this place on social media. Glad we gave it a try! read more

We ordered: Rigatoni Alla Vodka - Calabrian Bread Crumbs Dover Sole Piccata Broccoli Carbonizado Caesar Salad I've never seen a garlic and pizza bread basket so that was a fun start. The flavor and portions of everything we ordered was top notch in my opinion. Dove sole was lean yet so tender. Rigatoni was made fresh. Broccoli was crispy and well spiced. Service was good. Not a fan of the dim lighting and loud music. read more

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Maybe unpopular opinion but my expectations for this restaurant may have been a little too high. The space is small, so I was excited to finally get a chance to have a reservation on a busy Saturday night. Upon entering, we were just told to go to a table by the window and not walked over. I was seated in an unfortunate spot as I kept getting bumped into by the servers. Service was otherwise fine. It's on the louder side and dark in this more modern Italian restaurant. The bread was tasty and comes with salami and pickled beets. We ordered the Caesar salad to start, and this was delicious. Almost comparable to carbone's. The rigatoni alla vodka however was not as good as carbone's- not spicy at all and more on the sweeter side. The pasta was good but not as mind blowing as I was expecting after hearing all the rave about it. We also got the chicken Parmesan, which was a thinner but wide cutlet. Nothing special either and didn't come with any pasta. The table red wine with the meal was tasty. I would say the restaurant is fairly good Italian but not the best in Chicago. It's also pricier but at least portions are good. read more

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First time coming here and honestly the place is pretty overhyped. They have to move tables around to be able to fit people in between them to be seated. Not the best having people's butts on your table when they squeeze in between them. We also we came at night and it did get pretty dark in there and you cant even really fully see what you're eating. The complimentary bread and salami is good but the pickled eggplant was disgusting. We got the chopped salad which was a huge portion and delicious. For entrees we got the chicken parm and the vodka rigatoni. Both were good but nothing special. The vodka rigatoni did come out a little cold. read more

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

Good food BUT prepare to feel uncomfortably hurried. Our second time eating at Elina's and this experience mirrored our first, the food was good but you feel like they're trying to get you in and out at record speed. Great caesar salad (awesome croutons) and wonderful clams casino, to start along with the very nice bread basket. As soon as we put our forks down out came our pasta (rigatoni with vodka sauce), and the dover sole with eggplant. No breaks between courses at Elina's! Previously we ate at the bar and it was even worse, multiple courses arriving before we had even finished the previous ones. Highly recommended for the food but "service" isn't very friendly and is definitely too rushed. Go here for a meal with someone you'd rather not spend time with ! read more

I've heard great things about Elina's so we wanted to give it a try. The restaurant itself is super dark and compact. I understand there is a desire to fit more tables so more people can dine at a time however it was super annoying having to always scoot in or get up for people to walk in between tables. The tables are also so close to eachother it feels like you're eating with the people beside you. Anyways! On to the fun part.. The complimentary pizza bread with salami and pickled eggplant was the top of the entire meal. The flavors of the pickled eggplant with the cheesy bread.. phenomenally paired. For appetizer, we shared the breaded bacon clams which was so tasty. The clams didn't give a fishy flavor and tasted fresh. Definitely could have eaten 2 orders of that myself! Between two, for entrees, we shared the chicken parm and rigatoni. I've actually never had chicken parm but chicken, cheese, basil.. what's there not to like. The chicken though was extremely dry and hard to chew. The texture of the chicken was not good at all. We ended up only eating the cheesy parts and the burnt ends. It was tough trying to chew it. The rigatoni was very rich and good in flavor but it came out not too hot so it didn't take long for it to get sickening and cold. Overall, glad to have tried Elina's but the food was underwhelming or the entrees were. The appetizers were top notch. We did also enjoy the whiskey sour! Totally wasn't expecting it to be a slushy. Was so fun! read more

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I really enjoyed my dinner at Elina's. It was pretty obvious as soon as we walked in why it's a little tougher to get a reservation, and that's because it is tiny on the inside! The tables are very close together so we almost felt like we were having dinner with the strangers next to us. The menu is small and concise but everything we had was very delicious! The angel hair scampi was my most surprising love of the night! The rigatoni vodka is a must have as well. The bread and amuse-bouche included were really lovely. The eggplant was probably my favorite. The only thing I didn't love so much was the broccoli and that's only because it was spicer than I typically prefer my veggies to be. Overall, a really great meal! I would definitely return. read more

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Was so excited about the "sister to carbone" to open up in west town!! We scored a reservation, which I'm so glad we did because I didn't realize how small the restaurant was. It's so quaint and cute I see how the spots fill up so fast, however, I did notice spots at the bar open so I highly recommend trying to snag a seat there if you can't nail down a reservation. The rigatoni alla vodka was definitely the star of the show but ! I would probably skip out on the fusilli next time. All of the waiters seemed super knowledgeable and attentive! read more

Elina's - Rigatoni alla vodka, chicken Parmesan, and fusilli alla Norma - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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It still shocks me that so many people don't know about/haven't been to Elina's. Every time we go, we're more and more impressed. This time was no exception. It's a small, intimate space but every seat is always filled. Their complimentary bread service is superb & not to state the obvious, but do not skip their pasta dishes! read more

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From the presentation to the ambiance to the actual taste of the food... everything was lovely! The indoor of the restaurant looked like a speakeasy and was smaller than I expected. Order the vodka rigatoni, that was a favorite! We ordered a bunch of dishes and everything was yummy! The Spritz drink was great too! read more

Elina's - Chicken park and Penne and Rigatoni - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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LOVE it here I wish I lived closer because I would be at the bar having the vodka rigatoni nightly it's insane. Nothing isn't excellent here, the rigatoni, the crab pasta, the chicken parm, the clams casino, the wine (we had the orange), the table bread.... It's all so good and not heavy at all I could go course after course here. Set era are super helpful with wine suggestions and also pacing courses. The place is romantic and candle lit and feels like you're in a library just without all the books. Resys are tough to come by on the fly but if you intentionally plan when you wanna go just snag it when they're released and you'll be fine. Or go right at 5:30 and the bar will be a breeze. read more

Elina's has been on my list to try for so long and I was so happy to have finally tried them. It was delicious. The pasta was so fresh and their signature Rigatoni allá vodka was phenomenal. I was so impressed by their basket of bread that included pizza bread and pickled eggplant. Service was great and attentive and the ambiance is small, loud, but cozy (like a NYC vibe). I can't wait to return and try more dishes! read more

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Italian restaurant in Chicago tan by Carbone alums. Classics executed perfectly in a quaint, elegant space. I dined in with another girlfriend and we were warmly met with the free starters -- bread, salami, etc. All the free goodies were so good. Can't go wrong with grandma style and cheesy garlic bread. Our waitress did a great job recommending to us how many dishes to order & her suggestions. We ordered the chopped salad, rigatoni alla vodka, and chicken parmesan. The chopped salad was acidic and spicy with the pickled peppers and salty with the crisped salami. Rigatoni was perfectly al dente, delicious creamy sauce. Chicken parm was breaded well and smothered with cheese. Generous portions of home cooking style Italian! I loved it & can't wait to come back again on my visits to Chicago. Only downside is that the space is a bit cramped between tables. I felt like the next 2 seater could hear my entire convo. read more

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

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We came in with no reso and snatched 2 spots at the bar. We ordered the clams and rigatoni alla vodka, as well as white wine. The environment was inviting, the bartender was very insightful on food and drink menus. Such a cute date spot, the portions are huge so we suggest to share. We'll def be back! read more

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

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I was able to get a reservation at 5:30pm on my husbands bday (a Wednesday) online about a month or so in advance. It's always tough to get in here! I was a little disappointed that despite making a res so early, we were seated at the bar. It's a very quaint place without much seating so I see why it's hard to get in. The service was good at the bar I will say. Things came out quickly and hot. We started with the broccolini and meatballs. We were able to order just two for $12. The meatballs were solid but nothing magical. The broccolini had a very tasty sauce. Then for entrees we split the vodka pasta and the crab linguine. The linguine was very flavorful and tasty. Highly recommend! The vodka fell short for me... I was especially disappointed given how much hype it gets and the fact that it's my fav pasta. Just lacked flavor... I would say Alla Vita is the best I've had in Chicago and Tripoli Tavern was better as well. Overall, I would still recommend trying it out but I can't say I give the vodka pasta the glowing review I have seen others give. read more

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Celebrated my friend's birthday here on a Wednesday night. We had 5:30pm reservations and the place was definitely packed. Service is great but I will say this is a very small restaurant. The tables are almost on top of each other which is uncomfortable and makes it a bit difficult to enjoy the restaurant. Food wise I have no complaints. I had their spritz which was tasty and refreshing. We shared the complimentary breads, a Caesar salad (their croutons are the best I've ever had), rigatoni alla vodka, and scallops. It's family style and for 2 people they recommend 3-5 dishes. We were definitely full with what we ordered. We ended the night with espresso martinis. Overall a nice meal, just wish there was more space. read more

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Always an amazing experience at Elinas! I wanted to try something new but couldn't stray away from the trio - Caesar salad, rigatoni, and chicken parm. read more

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We visited Elina's for my birthday dinner. Service was fast, friendly, and attentive. The food came out FAST. I was surprised when it came out 5-10 minutes after we ordered. Awesome. They start you with some complimentary hors d'oeuvres of two different kinds of bread (cheese and tomato), some cured meat (I think salami or prosciutto), and pickled eggplant. Really delicious spread and nice to be on the house! We ordered a few drinks - can't remember the names but I got the one with mezcal and grapefruit, which paired very nicely. Then the food - we ordered the following: - Meatballs (ridiculously good, I wish they served with a side of pasta as I could eat this as a main. Yes I also know spaghetti and meatballs is not really Italian) - Rigatoni alla vodka - great sauce, Al dente noodles, really decadent and creamy. - Chicken Parmesan - classic dish done perfectly. Plenty of cheese and a nice addition of a basil leaf on top. This is a huge piece and could serve 2-3 easily. - Tiramisu - really decadent and delicious. You can tell the attention taken, as the ladyfingers were actually soaked in espresso to the point where the plate was a bit wet. One of the best versions of this dessert I've had. Overall very satisfied with the serving sizes for the price. Definitely a good spot to order 2-4 dishes and share amongst friends. read more

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The restaurant made me feel like i was in a small tucked away spot in Europe. It was cozy and intimate but still cute for a dinner with the girls. Our server helped us decide between dishes and was attentive to our needs. For starters they bring you complimentary bread, salami plate, and pickled eggplant. the pickled eggplant was delicious and not what i was expecting. We ordered 2 pastas, the vodka and the bolognese, as well as the chicken parm. I have zero complaints about the dishes. everything had great flavor and was satisfying. for desert we had the tiramisu and pistachio cannoli, which you can't go wrong with either! Overall, very pleased with Elina's and would return. read more

LOVED Elina's!!!!! Everything we got was a hit & would for sure go back to get the same exact thing. It is pretty tiny inside, so I would recommend making a reservation. They have a very cute patio as well. We sat at the bar and still had a great experience. Staff was very nice and accommodating when we wanted to move from outside to inside seating. We started with a Caesar Salad that had the most amazing croutons on it. They melted in your mouth and were truly the star of the show. I would order this salad again just to have the croutons. We also split chicken parmasan & the angel hair scampi. There was only 2 of us & this was more than enough food. We had a lot of leftovers. We loved both these entrees too. The angel hair scampi was perfectly light, the sauce wasn't too heavy at all. The crab in the scampi also melted in your mouth and went really well with the thin angel hair noodles. The picture of the chicken parm speaks for itself, it was HUGE and yummy! I didn't eat a ton of it, but my friend was a huge fan. Hope to come back here sometime soon to eat this meal again!!!! read more

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Excellent food and service, the patio was very cute to sit in when the weather is nice. Loved the vodka pasta and the Cesar salad read more

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Elina's is by far one of my favorite Italian spots! I would highly recommend getting a table outside when it's warm out but sitting inside is nice too! The waitresses were all very friendly and the service was fast. If you get one thing, let it be the vodka pasta. It was the best vodka pasta I've had in my entire life and I've tried a lot. read more

This place has been on my list for a while and it did not disappoint! Came for dinner last night with two friends right around opening time. For drinks, I got the Strawbobby Baccalaquiri which was okay. My friend for the Nuovo Vesuvio which I preferred more. Also got some Aperol Spritzes which were great too. Appreciated the house bread they gave, with the salami and pickled eggplant - so yummy. Ordered the Caesar Salad, Rigatoni Alla Vodka, and the Chicken Parmesan to share and it ended up being enough for the three of us. The table favorite was definitely the Rigatoni - it wasn't too saucy and didn't taste dry, so flavorful. We also enjoyed the Chicken Parm but thought it could use a bit more sauce. It didn't have a super oily or fried taste which was appreciated. As for the Caesar Salad, it wasn't bad but we thought it had too much dressing - should have requested the dressing on the side. We also shared the Tiramisu which had an awesome coffee flavor with good hints of chocolate. Not overly sweet and a nice way to end the meal. Overall, it was a lovely dinner spot. The ambiance is great and the service was good too. Would come back to try other pastas! read more

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Food and service were fine, but didn't blow me away. Leaving the water carafe at the table would be an automatic bonus point. I liked the environment and the intro bread the most of anything. It's very tight quarters between tables. All dishes seem designed for 2+ people to share, and become a bit overwhelming in flavor/size if you don't. read more

Elina's - Meatballs and the complimentary bread/meat - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Cozy little storefront that won't break the bank. Small tables really close together but everyone is in their own conversation so not a problem. Two of us shared a chopped salad. Very good & large enough to serve 4. Nice wine selection by the glass only. Our eggplant entree serves 2 people. Very good. I'll definitely go back in the warm weather to eat on their back patio. Convenient street parking. read more

Is this the Carbone of Chicago? No? Yes? Yes it is! Food was immaculate and the spicy rig was miles better in my opinion than Carbone. Dishes were very reasonably priced for the quality. Spacing was limited in the restaurant but you get a tight intimate dining experience. The Dover Sole Piccata was one of the best plates of fish I've had in Chicago, no joke I could eat it everyday. The cook on the fish was perfection and although it wasn't crusted the depth of flavor from the cook made it taste as if it were fried with breadcrumbs. The baked clams casino were great, an old school dish packed with lots of flavor. The Italian fries were a good side although the marinara dipping sauce was quite watery, would pass on them next. The tiramisu was just like my grandpa made it, heavy with rum. A great treat to end the night. Service was great our server was awesome. Drinks were well made. The frozen whiskey sour was refreshing and surprisingly addicting. read more

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This is one the first reservations I made a month before visiting Chicago! I was excited to try Elina's and it definitely did not disappoint. My reservation was at 9pm and we were seated promptly. The restaurant is very small and the tables are close to each other but that's what gives the restaurant intimate and romantic vibes. I forgot our server's name, he was very welcoming and friendly. He even gave us tips about Chicago since we are from SoCal. We ordered a bottle of rose wine and it was delicious. Their bread, salami, and pickled eggplant was a perfect way to start the meal. I normally don't like eggplant, but their pickled eggplant had the perfect tartness. We ordered the chicken Parmesan and rigatoni alla vodka! The chicken Parmesan was tasty; perfect breading and the cheese on top was yummy. And their rigatoni alla vodka is AMAZING, the pasta was cooked al dente and the sauce was delectable, the bread crumbs also added a nice touch. I couldn't stop eating the pasta lol We finished everything and was super full when we left. We probably would had leftovers, but we were traveling. Elina's has a good price point and big portions. I can't wait to go back when I'm in Chicago, I'd love to try their other dishes (probably would order the vodka pasta again, it was that good). 10/10 recommend for an intimate romantic date night. read more

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This place was great for Italian food. The rigatoni a la vodka as well as chicken Parmesan along with a few other menu items we ordered were all delicious. They give you complimentary bread too which is so good. Can't wait to go back again. read more

A cozy Italian American spot with great vibes. Very much feels like a neighborhood restaurant and the service has always been wonderful. My fave dishes here are the clams casino and the vodka pasta which i normally don't prefer but they do it so well. It's the best in the city and I will stand on that. It's very difficult to do the emulsion sauce right for vodka pasta and they just nail it. Not too much sauce and the pasta is hand made and so so good. It also comes out PIPING hot which is the only way i want to eat my salad. The mains are decent and the eggplant parm is really delicious but the pasta is what you need to get. Also love a good Caesar salad and they do it so well. The giant croutons are the best! read more

Ok.. this is a pretty hard reservation & I had high expectations, they said. Walking in.. it's really dark with some tables in front/ booths in back flanked by a beautiful bar! The space is very nice and again I really liked the bar plus it was already packed in there at 6 PM! Extensive wine list with many regions covered but I just stuck with the Red, very good. They offer many cocktails & beers as well. The menu consists of about half a dozen appetizers, pastas, mains & specials! Prices are on the high side but they say each dish is enough for two? Opened things up with Baked Clams and they were very good and a nice size order; would recommend! After seeing 100's of pictures of the Chicken Parm.. I had to have it. In all honestly it was one chicken breast pounded thin with three small pieces of Parmesan and very little sauce.. thrown in the salamander for a bit too long. This dish needed more cheese and more sauce. Average at best, they said. Now.. onto dessert.. the most important part! They have a Tiramisu here that is a must order. Large slice of lady fingers SOAKED in rum with some kind of chocolate beading inside? Trust me here this is the best I have ever had! Service was great and the bartender gave me many suggestions. Would go back to try other items but I think you gotta go off the beaten path here and order things that aren't Instagram posts!! Talk later read more

I came here to try the infamous Carbone rigatoni alla vodka. However, I think the dish fell short. The pasta was overcooked for my liking (broken from being mushy) and there wasn't enough sauce. Skip this place if you're going for the rigatoni alla vodka. I also got the caesar salad & that was pretty good but nothing amazing. They do give complimentary bread, salami, and pickled beets that were great. The service was very good & the ambiance is intimate and chic. read more

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One of my favorite find this year!! A friend was in town visiting for work, so of course a big group of us got together for dinner and drinks. While thinking of places to visit, I suggested Elina's. SO glad I did!! Since they have a smaller menu we decided to order one of everything. It's tapas style to things come up as they're ready!! This worked perfectly for our table! We started off with the caesar salad and the salami. Both were amazing! We followed with Cherry pepper ribs, Chicken parm, Rigatoni a la vadka and the Shrimp scampi. Everything was amazing!!! We of course finished off with a cannoli! High recommend this place, especially their patio!! read more

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Must try restaurant! My husband surprised me with resos for my birthday and I was not disappointed. We were seated promptly and greeted by such a friendly waitress. She walked us through the menu and I appreciated how small and well throughout it was We started off with the chopped salad and frito misto. Both very delicious. I've heard the Caesar salad is delicious but my husband doesn't like Caesar so we went with the chopped and it didn't disappoint. We got a lovely bread basket with focaccia and garlic bread. Then we went with the rigatoni a la vodka DELICIOUS! Eggplant- yum! It had a bit of an Asian sauce which was interesting and didn't pair with anything else but it was good as well. The final think we ordered that I was not a fan of was the filet. It came with topped with blue cheese which was not on the menu or disclosed and I was just not a fan. We ended dinner with a cannoli that the waitress brought out for my bday and that was delicious as well. read more

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Super excited to try out this place, we made reservations for 8 pm but wasn't seated until about 8:30 pm. Not sure why because there were several tables open. We sat at the bar for a bit and wished we brought another bottle! It's BYOB (can't remember if their was a corkage fee or not). Ended up getting seated at one of the tables that have been vacant the entire time *eye roll*. The complimentary focaccia and garlic bread was nice. Also came with some salami and pickled eggplants. We were set on ordering the eggplant parm but unfortunately they ran out so we settled for the chicken along with the rigatoni a la vodka. They were both good. The chicken parm was slightly over cooked for my liking. Service was fine, felt rushed at times meaning that we still had a bite left and they were already to clear to plates. Romantic ambiance but maybe a bit too intimate... with the table next to us. Could clearly hear their entire date. Otherwise, it was a better than average meal. read more

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Elinas is a cute and quaint Italian restaurant that truly has the classic dishes downpact. I came here for a nice date night early dinner and the service was absolutely impeccable. The dishes were timed right, we didn't have wait to long and I can tell the food came out right when it's ready. When we sat down the waitress was very knowledgeable of the menu and gave really good recommendations. Upon sitting we were given a Bread Basket that came with Cheesy Focaccia, a garlic bread, pickled eggplant and salami. We ordered the Caesar Salad, Dover Sole, Rigatoni Alla Vodka. The dishes are made to share but honestly you can eat the pasta by yourself. All of the food was delicious but next time I probably wouldn't order the Dover Sole, it was good but I think the branzino or the chicken parm would have blown me away. read more

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I love it. It's so much better than Daises. Penne ala vodka. Not even being mean. Xoxoxo.

The food was all really good and great for sharing. They have a nice outdoor patio as well. read more

Elina's - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The vibes at Elina's were great. The restaurant is dimly lit with many real candles burning and art hung up. The tables had white table clothes. The tables for 2 were closely together against the wall, so I wouldn't recommend if you want to have a personal conversation as your neighbors will be able to hear everything. When you order food, you get complimentary pickled eggplant, garlic bread, a salami type meat, and a pizza sort of bread. This was fantastic to get complimentary but it did full us up before our food. My table of 2 split the rigatoni alla vodka and the chicken parm, and we were incapable of finishing it because we were full. I have had a lot of chicken parm in my life and I would say this one was average taste but great presentation. The rigatoni alla vodka was good but pretty standard. Hoping to try some of their other dishes in the future! read more

Elina's - Chicken parm, rigatoni alla vodka - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Spectacular spot in west town! Cannot recommend enough - it's a must go Chicago Italian spot. It's very small inside but it makes it feel much more intimate which I liked. I definitely want to come back and sit at the bar, it's adorable. Food wise, the pastas are amazing - surprisingly we loved the carbonara the best, but the classic and famous vodka pasta is also great. The ceasar is a must and the frito misto was so unique, almost like a tempura batter. Service was classic and friendly and we didn't feel rushed at all. Will be back for sure and definitely need a trip to the patio in the summer! read more

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This is a top restaurant in Chicago that everyone needs to try. The inside is vintage with large wax candles and smooth dinner music that give off a relaxing, yet upbeat dinner. We came on a Friday at 6:00 with no reservation and easily sat at the bar where it was a young adults crowd The Rigatoni with vodka sauce was incredible and would easily dethrone Carbone's. The pasta was incredibly fresh, had the perfect amount of creaminess and breadcrumbs for the perfect crunch. All of the staff is super friendly and the bartenders make high end unique cocktails, such as Colombian Mojito's. I couldn't recommend this place more if you are looking to wow a date. read more

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