Horrible customer service experience this time around. I'm not sure if they're going through budget cuts or what but the bartenders they have here are not up to par for this level of a restaurant. I was here this evening, stopping in to have an after work cocktail so I decided to sit at the bar. The two bartenders are the worst I've experienced in a long time and the first I've experienced in this type of upscale restaurant. They're both Hispanic and are not friendly. They do not greet you when you sit down. You have to let them know what you want and the one with the ponytail is so rude when he didn't hear me because the level of music along with the restaurant noise - his response to me was "What?" I mean like don't you know answering someone what is rude as hell? How about an "can you please repeat that?' They speak Spanish to one another only behind the bar which is also rude. They never asked me once my food came if everything was Ok, if I needed anything or if I would like anything else. Not a single check in, but there was a couple sitting next to me who must be regulars and they both asked them "how was their meal" "if they would like more bread" "if they would like more ice tea." I was so appalled at the low level of customer service and outright disrespect. They both need customer service training, like expeditiously. This experience has left be feeling so underwhelming with my experience that I will not be back if these two are still behind the bar. read more

Went here for a pre-pre New Year's dinner, one last hoorah to wrap up 2022. Let me tell you it was great! The food was WONDERFUL! From the complimentary bread, to the meatball appetizers to each course - wonderful. Nonna's meatballs were so tender and crisped juuuuuust enough for a little added flavor. Delicious. Now let me tell you, when it comes to pastas, I don't know one thing over the next. I literally need to look everything up for pictures, so I was hoping for the best when I ordered my strozzapreti. I was thrilled with the tenderness of the pasta (not too soft) and the flavor of the sauce. Add that with a glass of wine from their extensive list and some well-seasoned broccolini and I was in heaven. Don't skimp on the dessert - that tiramisu was an explosion of flavor. Pair it with a scoop of gelato - woosh. Wonderful. And don't get me started on the service. SUPERB. We sat outside and those heaters that lots of restaurants have are not my favorite - especially when there are a lot of them turned to the max and close by each other. I was sweating forreals. BUT, the busser reached out to the manager who personally came out and checked on me and adjusted it. Just. Like. That. And then checked on me AGAIN later. Wow. I am so thankful for the service, from the manager to our waitress to the busser to everyone else who smiled and asked if everything was alright throughout our night. Real MVPs. Thank you, Formento's! read more

Formento's - Chicken Parmesan, Strozzapreti, broccolini, crispy potatoes - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very gluten friendly restaurant! They have gluten free pasta and bread that they served upon request for the burrata. The gf pasta is homemade! I got it with the carbonara and it was absolutely delicious read more

Formento's - Gluten free carbonara - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My cousin and I dined here back in May and had an amazing experience! We sat in the bar area for dinner and our server, Nina, was fantastic. We both have food allergies, gluten (celiac) and nuts, and she was so accommodating. She took so much care to ensure our food was safe to eat. Dining out with food allergies can be risky, but Formentos does an incredible job at making it safe and enjoyable. Our meal was absolutely delicious and we can't wait to go back! read more

It's very clear that Thom and the rest of their team care very much about their customers. I was invited back to re-experience Formentos, and I was not left disappointed. Between the excellent service and the quality food I was left with a different experience than I had been previously. I still absolutely highly recommend the chicken parm and the pasta dish that really stood out to me was the carbonara . This time around I can truly say without a doubt I will be back. read more

Formento's is a beautiful restaurant that you can always rely on for amazing Italian. I got the Canestri pasta this day which is a nice red sauce with red meat. Pasta cooked perfectly! Great spinach too. Ambiance 10/10, great for date night. Service wonderful too! Server always attentive to when water needed to be filled which was nice. read more

Formento's - Canestri - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Loved my dinner at Formento's! A friend and I split the cauliflower appetizer and I ordered the cacio e pepe for my entree. Both were delicious! I would say the cacio e pepe is one of my favorites in the city. I appreciated that the pasta portions were small allowing you to try a little more of the menu. They do offer to up the pasta to a full entree size if you ask though! read more

Formento's - Cacio E Pepe - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Visited Formento's for an event so we had a private room. I was able to sneak a peek in the dining room (which was warm and inviting) and the bar (cozy) on my way upstairs. While I can't comment on pricing as I thankfully didn't see the bill, I have to say the service and food were good. The appetizers were delicious. Wellington meatballs were unusual and delicious - very flavorful. The ricotta was also delicious - a unique flavor combination - light and airy and also super flavorful. I had the chicken parm and some pasta for dinner. Chicken parm was delicious. Perfectly cooked, not greasy but tasty with a nice amount of sauce and cheese (and huge portion). Had the simple pasta (cacio e pepe) - which was only ok - on the side. I usually love this type of preparation but this time it was heavy and not super flavorful. I could have skipped it. Service was friendly and helpful - no complaints. Wine was good quality and plenty of options in a range of prices. I would return, but stick to the meat entrees and appetizers. The pasta for me just was decent but not a standout and I'm happy I hadn't ordered it for a main meal. Chicken though - delicious! And everyone at the table enjoyed their steak entrees as well. read more

I am beyond amazed by the food and service here. I visited from Michigan for my wedding anniversary, and did lots of research on Italian places as there's a ton. But WOW this is the best food I've ever had, the flavor, quantity, service from EVERYONE was unmatched. They even brought out a free scoop of gelato for our special day with a candle. If you want fresh authentic Italian food you HAVE to come here! Thanks read more

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Formentos? I'd keep looking. I went here with a friend about a month ago. We were very excited because we heard good things and the person I was with is Celiac and it looked like there were options for gluten free. Food: My friend enjoyed her chicken parm ok. I had the cauliflower and didn't care for it. I also had the chocolate cake which was good. There's a little texture added from the hazelnut praline which was nice. We also had drinks which were ok. Service: The service started out good and turned into an awkward and unprofessional circumstance. We were a late dinner reservation so nobody would be seated after us. We both had drinks, dinner, I had dessert and my friend a late coffee- so not a small bill. Our waitress had built a little rapport with us which was nice but when we were given the billfold we were still chatting and having our dessert and coffee. The issue came when a waiter who had not yet interacted with us picked up the billfold and when we said it hadn't been taken care of it yet he said "Oh- ooops" set it back on the table, walked to our waitress in our line of sight and said to her "I tried" and they were giggling. A couple issues with this unprofessional behavior- 1. We were not sitting an excessive amount of time and nobody would be seasoned after us nor was anyone waiting at the door. 2. IF our waitress need less to move us along SHE should have approached us. This would have been a 3 star had the wait staff been professional. One additional suggestion I'd make is a little more variety to the menu that is more vegetarian friendly. I hope others have a better experience than I had, but I'll skip Formentos next time. read more

Formento's - Chocolate Cake - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is top notch! Attended a work dinner here recently, and couldn't have been more pleased. I had a non-alcoholic cocktail at the bar while I waited for the rest of the group to arrive. The bar tender was very helpful, while I was deciding, even offered to craft the recipe a bit to make it more to my liking if I wanted. And the actual food and service in the restaurant matched my experience at the bar. The food was delicious, and service impeccable. It was on the loud side, especially for a Tuesday, but I think I'm getting old, lol. We ordered lots of starters and salads to begin. All delicious. I ordered a pasta for my entree, which the server warned me would be small, but it was actually a good size portion, considering all the apps I had! We also ordered some sides to share, and I can't say enough how delicious the potatoes and Brussel sprouts were. Also sampled 2 desserts, the tiramisu, and chocolate cake. This was hands down the most delicious tiramisu I've ever had!! Would def go back! I'm sure the meal cost a fortune, so not sure how often I'll go, but def a special occasion place!! read more

My boyfriend and I came here for Valentine's Day 2024 and it was amazing!! The service was incredible our waiter went through the menu with us and explain their Valentine's Day menu. Once we got our appetizers and entres we got to taste how truly delicious and fresh everything was. I got lobster and shrimp pasta shells, my boyfriend got ribs and we got spinach and broccolini to share. The food was amazing. We had a corner booth and the overall ambiance was so elegant but also cozy. We were here for 2 hours and time flew by. An amazing and delicious Fulton market spot. I recommend 100% read more

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Get the chicken parm!! Excellent service and a great ambiance. Right in the heat of west loop.

This was excellent. I got the Buccatini and Whipped Ricotta. Both were excellent. Would recommend. 5 stars. read more

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Been wanting to try this place for so long but haven't been able to without a reservation, so definitely plan ahead! Formento's gives its customers an upscale, fine dining experience for a reasonable cost. During summer months, they offer an open outside patio. Now as we go into winter, they converted the patio to a heated patio with covering. My favorite dish by far was the Pacherri. The vodka sauce x bread crumb combo will have me coming back for more. read more

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Came here for my birthday dinner with my boyfriend! The vibe is great, dimly lit, the perfect date night spot, booths are so cozy. The meal comes with house bread and delicious olive oil. Then we got a dozen oysters, and some espresso martinis. The oysters were amazing and I love that it came with a little hot sauce. For our main we got cacio e Pepe and the orrechetti. The sizes were interesting. We both wanted our own, but our waiter recommended getting 2 6 oz portions. Ended up being way too much food. The cacio e Pepe was amazing, the noodles were perfect! Ended with them bringing out a birthday desert. Cant wait to come back! read more

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This place is ok. They claim they have the best espresso martini however I have had many better. Not to mention the inconsistency in the drinks. I ordered an espresso martini which came half full and super light brown not the usual coffee color. Then my friend ordered the same thing and it came in a completely different type of glass, different color, tasted way better. I got the meatballs which were cold so I had to have them reheated. The whipped ricotta was not good and my friend said she had it the week prior and it was different. Again, weird inconsistencies making the quality unreliable. The service was great and our waiter was amazing. However, based on the food I would not come back. read more

The man at the host stand was very nice, smiled, made eye contact, and used a friendly tone. the server was nice, and the bus staff was quick at cleaning. Service in general was well trained! The agnolotti pasta was incredible! It had a truffle sauce, and yummy mushrooms. my only complaint was the size. I only received 5, and was still very hungry. The portion was more like an appetizer. my husband got the chicken Parmesan, and though it was very good (large piece, flavorful)- it was $39 and didn't come with spaghetti. it was incredibly expensive for what it was. We shared the Ricotta spread appetizer. it was very yummy, and had figs. it came with enough toast which was fresh and still warm. a complaint foe the restaurant was the temperature. I was uncomfortably cold!! however, I will say, I do run a bit more cold than most. wait times were slightly too long. we were thanked at the end! read more

Came here to celebrate a birthday, and it was overall a good experience. Probably wouldn't come back for a special occasion, but for a regular dinner I think it's more fitting. Thee Orecchiette was really good! (5/5) The pasta is handmade and the ingredients tasted really fresh and well balanced. We also ordered the Wagyu Sirloin for 2. (3/5) This was from the special valentines menu. This sounded really great, as me and my boyfriend really enjoy eating steak. However, the meat was really tough and it tasted a lot like a pot roast. It was underwhelming but the effort was there. Everything nice drink: (3/5) Just tasted like lemonade with some extra spice. It was good, but definitely overpriced for what it was. Chai Grape Tapioca Dessert: (3/5) This was definitely a really unique dessert. However, I think the flavors of the fruits and the spices were way too strong and collided with each other a lot. I liked the tapioca pudding itself, but the flavors were not very complementary with one another. Service: (5/5) Our waiter was really nice, he had explained how the menu worked and was attentive. Although we were celebrating a birthday I was a little let down there wasn't any specials or anything for it but that's fine. Overall still had a good experience. read more

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I've been here twice. It's kinda overpriced and underwhelming. The staff is really kind tho. Burrata was lack luster :( and I've tried their " best meatballs" in Chicago. Okay. Tried their two main pastas and it was aight. read more

Formento's - Burrata - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've visited twice in the last month and both visits were mediocre. 1st visit: 8 ppl, team dinner for work. We did have a vegetarian and some dietary restrictions but the server did a great job in working around those. I ordered a steak, medium rare and it came medium/medium+. One person ordered a 6oz serving of pasta and the server referred to her as 'hungry girl'... After that nothing memorable. 2nd visit: 4ppl on a Friday. We ordered various dishes to share with the table. Took 15 min to get a beer which isn't great. The food was fine but after spending $100+/person I wasn't very full and nothing was spectacular. Both times the servers were great, they know the menu and have good recommendations based on their personal favorites. Final thought, I don't think I'd go back, with both visits I left feeling underwhelmed. There's plenty of other places with better food to spend your money at. read more

We had our wedding ceremony and reception here this past weekend. Originally, we were working with two people who handled private events, but unfortunately there was a staffing change a week or two before our event. That added some stress to our plate, but everything went smoothly with the new coordinator, Karen. People raved about the family style food! We had a party of less than 80, and I think that was the perfect amount for the Ballroom. The room is absolutely gorgeous at night with the dim lighting. Bartender made good drinks, and wait staff was attentive. My family and friends are still raving about the event and how good the food was! I was worried family style wouldn't feed everyone at the table, but people were satisfied. The bar package was only for 3 hours. To add an additional hour was around $2k, which we thought was excessive. Also, there might've been a slight miscommunication on when the bar opens after the ceremony. Everyone lined up right after, and we had to wait for everyone to sit down so dinner could be served. This also cut into our dancing time. We also booked out the small dining room across the hall to change and get ready. The room doesn't have a lock, so that was a small disadvantage. read more

Food came out quick is about the best I can say. Cinque Terre cocktail was fine. Chicken parm was $39 and a tiny side of spaghetti another $5. Both were pretty bad. Won't be back due to price and taste. read more

Formento's is a pleasant restaurant in West Loop serving tasty Italian fare in an enjoyable atmosphere. They're a bit of a run-of-the-mill Italian that won't send you home disappointed. We visited with a small group of friends to celebrate a birthday and were seated at a comfortable semi-circle booth with two additional chairs. It was the perfect spot for us! Our waitress walked us through the menu, answered questions and made recommendations, and continued in this fashion the entire time. She provided this expert service throughout our meal. The menu has some interesting items but, ultimately, everyone should be able to find something they like and find it to be well prepared. Nothing particularly stood out to our group but no one complained either. The only downside was dealing with the valet. In all my years of partaking in valet service I've never experienced what we did that night. To make a long story short, do yourself a favor and request them to park your car, return your keys to you, tell you where the car is (then verify it yourself), and pay up front. Otherwise you are subject to the valet charging a ridiculous rate (they charged us $50 while holding our car hostage; the stated rate is $16...) while they deny any wrongdoing and take zero accountability for their actions (or lack thereof). We enjoyed our Formento's experience but the altercation with the valet, and their ultimate scam, left a very bad taste in my mouth. Enough of one that I cannot recommend eating here and highly doubt I will return again in the future. read more

My daughter and I along with our little Maltipoo dined here in Feb. They were the only restaurant we could find that allowed us to dine in their heated enclosed patio w/ our pup. The food was delicious and the service was really efficient and friendly. We were greeted with smiles and Leo got lots of pets all-around. We'll definitely dine here again the next time we're in town. read more

This is a nice spot for Italian food. We came here for restaurant week so we got a pretty good deal! All of the dishes we got were good, but I didn't feel like anything was particularly unique or standout. I got the little gem salad to start and I really liked it, especially the light and zesty dressing. I also tried the meatballs and they were good but they seemed like your pretty standard meatballs. I tried both pastas, the bucatini cacio e pepe and the canestri Sunday gravy and they were both good. The bucatini had a nice light flavor but the portion size was a bit small. The canestri was hearty and delicious. For my main course I got the branzino and I really liked it! This fish was tender and had great flavor. And finally for dessert I got the hazelnut chocolate cake and it was so good! It was heavy with chocolate and hazelnut but not overwhelmingly sweet. Overall I'm glad we tried this place for restaurant week and I felt like we got a good deal on the food. I'd be interested in trying some of the other pastas sometime since there seems to be a wide selection! read more

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Rachid M was the best server ever! He mad our experience so special! The food was amazing and we had a great time here.

$257 wasted. Went to Taco Bell after. Slow service all day. I saw a couple wait 20 min for a bill. We waited 10 min when we sat down till anyone talked to us. Food below average. Noodles under cooked on two dishes. Bronzino average. Wine amazing. It sucked and waste of money (minus the wine). $257 before tip. Taco Bell after. I'm sick from eating so much Taco Bell right meow but will never go back. I'd rather get an enema from a Taco Bell volcano all day for a month straight than spend another dollar there read more

Formento's - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Always one of The Best restaurant experiences in the city. Delicious food and deserts! All that for under $70 a person on average. Their mouth watering Italian food reminds me of my childhood but with an upscale high-end flare. There are several waiters attending to your table to make the experience special. The restaurant is dark and modern with a lovely view of Randolph street. The bar area is up-scale fancy yet very welcoming. Especially for their happy hour specials. $10 cocktails, $8 food items. All Sooooo Good! I cannot say enough great things about this place. Oh and the staff - so polite and friendly. The waiter David is wonderful and makes the best suggestions. read more

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Went to Formento's in West Loop and was super content by their dog-friendly patio although service was a bit lacking. For the food though, recommend a check out! Cacio e Pepe: My friends got this and split it. This is what they had to say! Per my friends: "I really liked both the pasta shape / texture and the sauce but portion was a little small" "Based off of the texture of the sauce I didn't know if it was made in the authentic way but it still did taste good" She also felt the portion was a bit small! : 8/10 : $19.00 (+tax) Orecchiette: This squid ink Orecchiette was everything I'd ever want in a pasta and then some. There was spice from the peppers, tanginess from the sun-dried tomato, and creaminess all wrapped into a dish. I would highly recommend checking this dish out! : 9.5/10 : $20.00 (+tax) read more

Formento's - Orecchiette, Cacio E Pepe - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This time around was a great experience. The staff was very friendly and on top of everything. The food was flavorful and enjoyed the wine selection. I recommend the meatballs and the Brussels sprouts. They both were delicious. read more

Formento's - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Came here for the first time for a "dedication" reception and we were about 20 people in a private room in the second floor. Service was friendly and impecable even with kids spilling stuff, servers were on point. The food was sooo good. That kale salad my new favorite, the meatballs so tender and delicious sauce, the pastries so yummy? Not pictured the amazing hash with bacon pieces wow never had anything like it. Can't wait to go back for more! That tiramisu with cocoa on top was one of the best I've ever had!!! read more

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First time at Formento's. It was recommended for good pasta dishes. It did not disappoint. My wife and I ordered the Butcher's steak and Canastri pasta. We ordered 3 appetizers: Burrata, Calamari and Meatballs. For dessert, we ordered the chocolate cake. The Burrata was good. It was topped with a creamy like cheese and arugula. The calamari was breaded and fried. The aioli was amazing. The Butcher's steak was amazing. The Canastri was delicious. It was made with pork meat, slowly cooked and melted with every bite. Formento's offers a variety of pasta dishes and I would definitely return to try more. It also had more meat dishes including lamb, chicken and other cuts of steak. My drink was great! I had a Derby Brown! It's made w/ Bourbon and grapefruit. Very refreshing! Definitely check it out and form your own opinion. read more

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This place is simply amazing! The best mussels I've ever had! The white sauce in the mussels dish was so good that my boyfriend couldn't stop sipping it. The bread was buttery/garlicky and goes so well with it that I could literally eat it every day. The pasta is cooked Al dente & the sauce is cooked to perfection! Overall super happy to have visited this place! read more

Formento's - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This spot was SO romantic and SO delicious. The food and service were incredible. Our waiter was so nice and patient and looked at my open tables profile in advance. She even was super intent on our foods not containing bacon or alcohol. This is a halal restaurant (beef and chicken). This is a restaurant in the west loop and it's perfect to celebrate anniversaries, birthdays, graduations etc. I recommend this place to a steak lover and a pasta lover. The steak was so juicy and tender and the pasta was just different. Parking kind of sucks here so it's better to just valets. The best table to get would be inside because they do have outside seating available but inside it's dim light and so romantic and calming. read more

Formento's - Chocolate Cake - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Lunch service was amazing. Service, prices, and quality of food and drinks was superb. Not exaggerated. Not dinner is a bit more expensive but this West Loop experience is well with it if you're in the area or feeling adventurous. read more

Formento's - Menu page 1 - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I've been here previously for an event where there were only drinks & small bites so I wanted to come back and try out their actual menu. We dined here this past weekend and felt like most of the food was heavily salted. We ordered the calamari for an appetizer and it was extremely salty. My fiancé and I didn't want to be those people but we literally could not eat it. Our waitress could tell that something was wrong and offered to bring us a different appetizer instead. Along with that we got the bucatini, fusilli, scallops, and brussels sprouts. These other dishes were okay but unfortunately nothing really stood out to us. However, service was phenomenal! Lilly was very friendly and attentive. 10/10 for her - best service we've had in a while. Really wanted to like this place and kind of bummed that we didn't enjoy the food as much. Heard that they have a fabulous happy hour, might come back for that. read more

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Instagram targeted ads are no joke. How on earth did they know I was craving pasta? The bucatini looked sooo good, I just had to have it! And of course that's what I got. We also got the cauliflower and calamari to start, the whole branzino for our second entree and the chocolate cake for dessert. The cauliflower and calamari were absolutely amazing. Calamari was so crispy, and the cauliflower was cooked with peppers that gave it a nice spicy kick and made them super flavorful. Highly recommend both of those! The bucatini was just as I had imagined. The egg yolk added a nice flavor and made it very creamy. This entree hit the right spot and fulfilled my weekly high carb craving. It was so much food, I think I could have done with the appetizer portion as my entree and still been satisfied. The branzino was also delicious, very tender and juicy. It was grilled, so it had a nice light smoky essence. The crispy garlic really diversified the texture of the dish. Finally, the chocolate cake was a perfect way to finish our meal. It was like a ferrero rocher in cake form. Dark chocolate mousse with a hazelnut praline, so decadent and rich in flavor but also not too heavy. I would highly suggest getting this to share! Service was excellent, food was excellent. Thanks Instagram for knowing my tastes better than I do. read more

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We've never had a bad meal at Formentos. We stopped in last night for dessert, and the staff welcomed us back, which is always a very nice touch. The new manager came to our table to introduce himself. Good service is hard to come by these days, but you always get exceptional service at Formentos as well as good vibes. The chocolate chip cookie was the perfect ending to our night out. Looking forward to going back soon! read more

Was in town for a concert and celebrating my birthday, decided to have dinner at Formento's and i'm so happy we did! Best dinner i've had in a while truly! Our server was so sweet and attentive, she gave good recommendations, cleaned the table after we finished our appetizers, and gave us ice cream to celebrate. We also ordered Eggplant Parmesan and Orecchhiette which were both delicious. read more

Formento's - Oysters and Burrata - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois