We have been going to Francesca's for at least 20 years. Never disappoints. From the wine…read moreselection and bread through the tiramisu. Excellent food in a congenial atmosphere.

Delicious Italian and cozy spot in the heart of downtown barrington. We had a nice family birthday…read moredinner on a Friday evening here. We started with a bottle of Chianti, tasty complementary bread, and some appetizers. Service was great, and they allowed us to bring in our own cake - they cut and had candles for it as well! The burrata, calamari, and mussels were all excellent appetizers to share in our big group. We also had the Francesca's salad to share with our entree, and this was a nice portion as well. The ceasar salad was tasty and large too. I got shrimp on it which were okay. The linguini con calamari was delicious with a nice kick. The linguini scampi was also a group favorite. My dad's pork chop was scrumptious and well cooked. Everything was great and perfect for a celebration or nice night out!

We came upon this place serendipitously. Changing our plans for another restaurant because we had…read moredecided to see a movie, and scanned Yelp for a place nearer the theater. We consider this quite a find. Quiet, beautifully decorated (but not overly so), back room with brick walls and "windows" that appeared to look out in an Italian neighborhood. Just nice, nice. To the food: crusty bread served with an EVOO based dip to start. We ordered a baked clams starter (delicious and decent sized clams), a lovely small mixed salad. Lovely wife ordered the double stuffed eggplant, I opted for the short rib ravioli with vodka sauce. Both excellent and enough to take some home to enjoy. We skipped dessert, but the selection we saw on the way out looked very appealing. By the way, the service was excellent, and our waitress made an excellent suggestion regarding the sauce for my dish. Afterwards, I asked aforementioned Lovely Wife when we recall the last restaurant meal we had that was any better. We had to think a bit. Based on one visit, this earns an enthusiastic Five stars. We'll be back. Soon, I hope.

Arrived mid day. One table was just settling up. We were the only other patrons…read more Server didn't provide silverware. We just took some from another table. Ordered food and asked for water. At least 10 minutes go by. I go up to counter and ask, do they do bread and butter there? "Yes" at no charge. Ok can you bring some over. And asked for water again. 3 rolls provided with a bowl of butter. A bowl full of odds and ends butter chunks. No way two people could use that on three rolls. What do they do, just throw it back in the fridge and give it to the next customer? Ordered coffee. Added their creamer, which was spoiled. Went back to the counter to ask for water again. Food came. Pretty good. When I asked for the bill, they were having computer issues. It would just be a few minutes. After another 10 minutes, I go back to the counter and ask if I can just pay cash. "Sure, you even get a cash discount". So they couldn't tell me that 10 minutes ago? First and last time.

We chose Neoteca to celebrate Mother's Day. It was outstanding. From the moment we walked in we…read morewere greeted by an organized staff ready to make sure our celebration was perfect. Our servers name was Joyse she was very attentive and knowledgeable with ideas for great appetizers to start our night. There were 8 of us and we all loved our dinners. A couple of us had Salmon. It was perfectly prepared. The pizza was Amazing. Our experience was outstanding. We will definitely be back.

Kari's Rating 8/10…read more Decent pizza, I actually liked the thin crust butter than the regular crust. The thin crust was very crispy and for some reason it felt like the thicker crust pizzas weren't fully cooked in the middle. This is the first time I've been at this place and I probably wouldn't order it again unless I came with a group, but I was happy I tried the style. I think it's relatively expensive for what it was especially because we're in a suburb. I only did a pick up so I wasn't able to check the ambience of anything, but the kiosks weren't working very well when I was there because the power had gone off earlier, but they eventually got things working.

Wish I could give this more stars. Went for my birthday dinner with my husband and in-laws. Right…read moreoff the bat, the required valet was a surprise but fine. Made me think that the experience was going to be great. Disappointed. We were sat practically in the waiting area because it's such a small space and there were just tables and people everywhere. The bar was so incredibly overcrowded with people just standing behind the bar chairs, practically leaning on my husband while we ate. The food was delicious don't get me wrong but don't eat here on your own dime. It was so loud my family and I were practically yelling at one another just to get through our meal. Our waitress checked on us maybe twice and never offered any of us a refill on our drinks. As we were leaving someone at the bar ordered "table side" mozzarella / tomato thing and practically boxed us in from leaving. Disappointed as I was really looking forward to the meal as it seemed much more intimate for my celebration.

Lago by Fabio was an outstanding dining experience from start to finish. We began with the…read moreMediterranean octopus and the whipped ricotta bruschetta, and both were absolutely delicious--the perfect way to start the meal. For our main courses, the Lago chopped salad was fresh and flavorful, and the Mishima Wagyu New York Strip was cooked perfectly and incredibly tender. Dessert did not disappoint either. Fabio's tiramisu was rich and authentic, while the classic cheesecake was the perfect sweet ending. The cocktails were just as impressive--the dirty martinis were excellent, followed by a great espresso after dinner and a refreshing limoncello dessert wine to finish the evening. The food, drinks, service, and atmosphere all came together to create a fantastic experience. The vibe is warm, inviting, and upscale without feeling pretentious. We'll definitely be back and highly recommend Lago by Fabio to anyone looking for an exceptional meal.

We went for the Mother's Day brunch. And everything tasted so good. I was so happy they had the…read moreTiramisu its my favorite and they have one of the best ones. I also loved their nutella cheesecake. The prime rib was cooked and seasoned perfectly. The ham looked dry but i did have it and it wasnt dry so looks can be deceiving lol. The Garlic roasted chicken was also a fav, the chicken was juicy and tasty. Service was great and they had a Valet service specificalky for this occasion. Definitely coming back because i still want to try their grilled octopus. Happy Eating!

We met here with a work group. All of us in town for a meeting. The food took so long and it got so…read morelate I had to go because I hadn't planned on eating so late. The table server was kind and polite but could not cover for the slow cook. I left my coworkers who opted to wait it out. The slow food service kept the others another 30 minutes before they got their orders served. Could have been an anomaly but I'd call this a failure. I hope for their sake they find a chef.

We hadn't been to Za Za's in a while, but everything was as good as it has always been. The food…read morewas excellent, the service was outstanding, and the atmosphere is perfect. I would recommend it to my most discriminating friends, because I know they will find no fault.

Don't get me wrong, it was good but not great. For the prices I would have expected to be blown…read moreaway by the food and service and just.. wasn't. Again, it was fine, it just wasn't extra special. It's worth noting that we were there on a Friday afternoon for lunch service and we sat outside but we were also there for a wedding rehearsal lunch and nothing about the experience felt special other than the occasion and the people we came with. I ordered the Aragosta & Gamberi which intrigued me for a number of a reasons. As a non-seafood eater for most my life I'm trying new things. I haven't had lobster but once before and very rarely had risotto so a lobster/shrimp risotto sounded divine. Again, the dish was fine. Nothing outstanding to me. The lobster did not have much flavor - to be clear, this may be completely normal! I don't have much to compare it to, but it seemed light on lobster meat and flavor. The service was also slow despite it not appearing to be busy (we sat outside which was mostly empty, I did not go inside so it's entirely possible it was busy inside). Drink orders took 20 minutes or so to be delivered. We also had 1 food order that was incorrect; however, to their credit they told us to keep the incorrect dish and quickly replaced it with the correct order. Nothing off-putting about this place, just nothing that struck me as super special.

Always good been in Barrington for years!…read more Take out only - clean - quick and efficient

I absolutely recommend this place. The food was great and my kids loved it. Service was amazing and…read morethe cashier was nice. The place is small and looks like they have a lot of stuff from Italy.

My first time here! How did I not know about this place! It's only been open 27 years!…read more I walked in. The restaurant is well decorated. Sparse crowd for a Tuesday. However, Santos (bartender extraordinaire) made the experience great. He made great drinks and provided great recommendations! The food was great. I'll be coming back! Love this place.

The service was great. Wonderful waitstaff with an upbeat positive attitude. Quick to refill drink…read moreorders, always important and had a wonderful disposition. Our meals, table of four, were delivered promptly and the presentation was great. My wife had the egg plant parmigiana and I had the meat ravioli with bolognese sauce. The only discount on my overall rating was the raviolis were skinny. Seriously the thinnest meat raviolis on record. On the plus side, the sauce was so plentiful, it could have covered another platter of ravs. My wife teased that I should have gotten a go box for the sauce. All in a delightful evening. Music was fine, but just a tad loud for my liking. Not a complaint, just a comment. We live minutes away. We had not been for perhaps 10 years. We won't wait that long to return! Miss the free shot of lemoncello at the end of the night!

Super friendly staff. This always sets the tone for the meal…read more Had eggplant parmigiana and came wide side of Alfredo pasta. Candy bacon and sirloin bruschetta were just right with flavor that wasn't overpowering. Sirloin was lean but not too chewy. For dessert, express, blood orange and vanilla gelato. Big serving for 2-3 peeps. Conversation friendly and nice lighting. Definitely coming back soon!

This is for the coffee and dessert I had today for a treat…read more Sometimes I make wrong choices. The server was fine, friendly and asked how things were. I got the white chocolate bread pudding and their brand coffee . Coffee was fine, standard. The atmosphere was slightly busy and pleasant surroundings. However, I will not be repeating the dessert again. Served without warning that it was burn your tongue hot. Really. Had to have ice water to the rescue. I let it sit and still, hot! so I cut it up to cool it and I have to say, not very flavorful and totally smooshy texture. Like I said, sometimes we make bad choices and someone made one on adding that to the menu. And it was white chocolate so I'm not sure why they overwhelmed it w the dark chocolate sprinklers which overwhelmed any lightness to it. Oh well, other than that, Biaggis is pretty ok. This is for the coffee and dessert I had today for a treat. Sometimes I make wrong choices. The server was fine, friendly and asked how things were. I got the white chocolate bread pudding and their brand coffee . Coffee was fine, standard. The atmosphere was slightly busy and pleasant surroundings. However, I will not be repeating the dessert again. Served without warning that it was burn your tongue hot. Really. Had to have ice water to the rescue. I let it sit and still, hot! so I cut it up to cool it and I have to say, not very flavorful and totally smooshy texture. Like I said, sometimes we make bad choices and someone made one on adding that to the menu. And it was white chocolate so I'm not sure why they overwhelmed it w the dark chocolate sprinklers which overwhelmed any lightness to it. Oh well, other than that, Biaggis is pretty ok.

What a cute and unexpected place! Had the caprese eggplant…read moresalad. What a delightful light but full of crunch and flavorful dish. The grilled shrimp added the rich savory touch. Portion was just right. For dessert, shared the tiramisu and it was perfect with their house coffee. The waiter was attentive but not overbearing. I will definitely go back to try more salads and pasta.

Dined in for our final meal before welcoming a new child and everything was perfect…read more We've eaten food from Gianni's many times and have dined in one other time, but this time seemed to be the best. Kyle was our server and he was excellent. His attitude was positive and he took time to converse but was also quick with his service. The server often makes the experience and Kyle did his part well! As for the food, we started with a half plate of grilled calamari which was more than enough for two people. The calamari was excellent tasting and perfectly cooked. The sauce was tasty and great for dipping your bread in (you get warm toasty bread at the start of your meal with a plate of seasoned olive oil for dipping). Next, we split an entree of Chicken Franchese which was more than enough food for two people...especially after the calamari. They split the meal into two plates in the kitchen, without us asking, which was really nice. The chicken was tender and flavorful. We substituted angel hair pasta and used the sauce from the chicken instead of marinara. It was excellent. We had some food left and Kyle boxed it carefully for us right at the table (I typically don't like when they take your food elsewhere to box it. I typically do it myself but this was good). Prices have crept up over the years but portions are huge and with service like we had, it makes it feel a bit more worth it. The restaurant is small and a bit cramped inside. There's typically an early crowd that thins out around 6:30 pm. You may have to wait a bit to be seated if you don't make reservations. Hopefully they move into a bigger spot in the mall they're in to make it a bit less packed. Two bathrooms are single occupant and clean but there can be a wait to get in. Gianni's is an excellent restaurant with a great team. You should check it out.