15/10 service at the bar. Love the bartenders, so attentive and excellent on a busy Saturday night. The one with the ponytail and the little one are the best! read more

I finally stopped in for dinner after driving by for so long. This was some of the best pasta I've ever tasted. I also had cauliflower for an appetizer. It was cooked to perfection. I had the dark chocolate cake with mouse. I love, love, love chocolate, but this was a bit too much chocolaty. It's good to share with another person if you're in the mood for chocolate. I was had a great glass of red Tuscan wine that was recommended by my waiter. Service was excellent. Can't wait to return for another pasta dish. read more

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We were among the first diners of the evening and the place filled up quickly on a beautiful Saturday night. The warm foccaci and olive oil was a tad salty but otherwise quite good (my dining partners disagreed and thought it perfect). Roasted garlic in the oil was perfect though. The tempura calamari was light and the texture perfect, but could have been a bit more flavorful. The sauce was very nice, though. My companions raved about the meatball appetizers. Everyone was very pleased with their meal. My tortelloni (black truffle ricotta. Burro fonduta, peas and fennel) was excellent. The sides were fantastic. Chocolate cake was rich and delicious with a hint of hazelnut and pralines, not too sweet. The servers were very attentive and the service was superb. They rushed us a bit to turn the table over, but did so politely, so no real harm. We'll be back. read more

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We went here for a friend's birthday. I haven't been here in a few year and remembered it being good. The service and atmosphere was great for the occasion. Their homemade pastas were outstanding per usual, but I wish the dishes were bigger portions. Three meatballs for $19 seems pretty expensive. Also, for our friends birthday desert (even though it was delicious), was only a single scoop of ice cream. This was a big reason why I wouldn't rate this restaurant five stars. Also, the Cesar dressing had too much dressing on it. Everything else was great though! read more

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Excellent place to stop in for wine and food. The whipped ricotta was amazing and worth a return visit. The cauliflower, kale pasta and olives were also delightful. The service was great and we enjoyed our visit. read more

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

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Maybe Chicago Restaurant Week (CRW) wasn't the best time to come here? We arrived right on time for our Friday 8:15pm to find a lobby filled with people waiting - not a great sign. Once we checked in, we basically just stood around for half an hour before being seated. Now to their credit, they hooked us up with some calamari, which were good with a pepperoncini aioli providing a surprising kick of heat. For the restaurant week choices, I went with the meatballs, Sunday gravy pasta, branzino and chocolate cake. The meatballs were fine, a little spongy texture but good sized. I enjoyed the pasta - both mine and my partner's cacio e pepe were perfectly al dente, but I guess they leave the meatball out of the CRW canestri. I did not like my partner's butcher steak, I thought it was a bit too bitterly charred on the outside. I liked my branzino more, which had a nice mild fishy flavor and an almost melt in your mouth texture. The chocolate cake was another highlight, with the hazelnut providing nice little crispy bites. As far as CRW value goes, I don't really think it was there. Obviously you're not going to get full sizes of everything, but I probably would've been happier just getting stuff off the regular menu, especially since this is priced as the higher CRW price point. Overall, everything was decent, but nothing really wowed me to the point where I'd really want to come back. read more

Dinner was the best for 6 of us last night. All of the pasta is made in house. I had the agnolotti which was just amazing since I wanted a vegetarian dish. The bread before our meal was so good, reminding me of a savory french toast. The brussel sprouts side dish were amazing. One individual got the chicken and said it was delicious. The service was outstanding. They have enough staff that worked together to make the experience seamless. Such a wonderful experience for authentic Italian cuisine. The Chef there is professional to make this an outstanding meal. read more

We actually hit this place as part of Chicago Food Planet's West End Food Tour, so the restaurant was only open for us. We tried the meatball. It was delicious! At the end of the tour, the vast majority of the group said it was their favorite. They also paired it with the 2016 Ezio Cabernet Sauvignon from Donati Family Vinyards. I've done a few food tours and normally you won't get this class of wine for a sample tasting. The meatball was delicious, the wine was delicious, and they paired perfectly! Unfortunately, we left Chicago the next day and weren't able to come back for a full meal, but we will definitely book a reservation on our next visit. I also highly recommend the food tour. It was also amazing! read more

Formento's - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Always good food. Have always appreciated the service. I'm a repeat customer. Planning on my next visit as I write. By the way, try happy hour-good deals read more

Went here for a Valentines Day dinner and it was great. We sat upstairs and it was lovely/romantic and quieter than downstairs. The food was great, we got a small plate, a medium, a large and dessert. The staff was really nice and the drinks were good too. Would definitely go back for a date night! read more

Food was amazing. No complaints. The whipped ricotta was chef's kiss amazing. You cannot go wrong with anything on their menu. However, our server was gosh awful. It wasn't a crazy busy Sunday night. He didn't bother to give us the time of day. Took forever to flag him down, he pressured us to order drinks as soon as we sat down when we stated we have never been here before. As soon as he took our order, he was never seen again. Never checked on us or see if we needed anything. One of the meals came with a side that was not ordered and we could not get him over to ask. We ordered dessert and it was said the ice cream ( we didn't order) was compliments from him, but then continued to charge us. I should also mentioned, he chatted up with the other tables and checked on them continuously. Completely avoided eye contact with my table. Disappointed with the service. read more

I came here with a few friends for Sunday brunch. It is spacious inside, and the ambience is pretty classy, but not too formal and fancy. There is a outdoor seating area as well. I had the bucatini, which I learned is straw-shaped pasta that soaks in the sauce well due to the hollow shape. It was in carbonara sauce and topped with a raw egg yolk, and while the pasta was cooked perfectly, I found it a bit too rich for brunch. I also had a side of bacon, which was cut thicker than regular bacon and tasted great. The service was attentive and quick throughout the meal. The check came out to be ~$30, including tips, for my bucatini + side of bacon + soda. read more

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

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We came upon Formento's by chance this past weekend, and we will definitely be back to try more dishes. Our experience was great - from the server to the atmosphere and more importantly, the food. We started with the charred Cauliflower - which had some spicy Chilies, small dried Pepperoni, and Lemon. It was really delicious, and we cleaned the plate. It was a light item to start. For entrees, we had the scallops and the Strozzapreti Squid Ink pasta w/ Rock Shrimp, Tomatoes, Green Chilies, and Mint. The pastas come in two sizes - appetizer and entree. We ended up with entree portion and I'm glad we did b/c my husband kept sampling my pasta! Personally, I would have been more than fine with no shrimp in the dish and just to have the pasta. The pasta was outstanding! I would highly recommend it. My husband said his scallops were really nicely cooked. After having such a great experience with our appetizers and entrees, we opted for dessert. And I wish we hadn't. We got the Gelato sandwich of Vanilla Gelato, Toffee, Crisped Rice, Chocolate Dipped. What we didn't realize was the the entire "item" was entrenched with chocolate. We're not huge chocolate fans, so it was overpowering - to the point where we left a large part of the cookie/dipped and just ate the small amount of gelato. It was a disappointment to us, and we wouldn't recommend it. We really enjoyed our experience at Forments (sans dessert!), and will definitely come back. read more

Ordered lasagna to take home. May be the best lasagna I have ever eaten. Now understand I have not eaten in the restaurant or had anything else off this menu, but I am telling you this lasagna is amazingly delicious! Absolutely will be ordering this again! read more

CHICAGO has many great Italian restaurants. Formento's has potential It's a beautiful place in a great area. Perfect spot for a night out in the west loop. We started with the kale salad which was very good and the meatballs which were ok. For entrees we had the bucatini which was very good and the veal Parmesan. It was well prepared but nothing special. Formento's is a solid 3.5 stars, but not deserving of that 4 th or 5th star. My reviews are strictly based on food. I will certainly be back based on the great location atmosphere and service and hopes both our meals are excellent. Buon Appetite! read more

I've come here solely for the chocolate cake twice. The best way to describe it is basically a Ferraro Rocher in the form of a cake. It's got a ganache like top, dark chocolate mousse layers, something slightly like a wafer's texture in the middle, and hazelnut praline to top it off. Heavenly and to die for. Would be perfect with a cup of coffee for a GREAT afternoon snack with a friend! If there's any chocolate cake to try in the whole of Chicago, it's Formento's! The service here is also superb, always so sweet and attentive. read more

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

We went here for a work dinner. Excellent choice. The interior is awesome. The food, service and ambiance was great. I will be returning. read more

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Flavorful meatballs and great atmosphere with inside and outdoor seating. I would return here for the pasta dishes that looked great too.

It hurts me to write this review cause the food and ambiance of the place was outstanding however I just can't bite my tongue on how awful the service was that we received. Not only did he barely acknowledge us or treat us as people but I have never, NEVER before in my life seen such shameless upselling from a server. First words out of his mouth were "I'd recommend the pappy van winkle" which is ridiculous to suggest us a $60 cocktail off the cuff. Next time around he had the audacity to recommend we order not 1, not 2, but 3 of the $185 grand seafood towers, which as you may have guessed it was the most expensive seafood tower on the menu by a wide margin. His only other suggestions were an $895 bottle of wine and multiple porterhouses (shocker). Overall worst performance I've seen by a server at a non-chain restaurant. That being said this place still ripped. 4 stars. read more

I want to update my review. The first experience visiting the restaurant was negative. After that, Henry Mizhquiri, the Director of operations at Formento's, contacted me and invited me and my family to come back again. We decided that there was no better reason than the birthday of my mother-in-law. It was a completely different service, all dishes, from appetizers to main courses, were really well prepared, everything was delicious. Attention to details and extra set of eyes here and there to make sure everything was smooth. We were all very pleased, and we are grateful for such attention and for the fact that we were able to change our opinion about the restaurant. Seriously, it is just so amazing to see that these group of people truly cared. We will come back here again. There are ups and downs in service and restaurant industry, but its how certain establishments handle these situations. Formento's handled it like the pros that they are. Thank you to hosts, esay, our server, cooks and the food runners. You were all great! P.S. I also want to note the work of the waiter and sommelier. These guys made our evening very special. read more

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Found this place through "hangrychicago" on Instagram and the pasta was truly a hit. I've never had better carbonara pasta. I've recently been on an Italian fix, and love that this place served all homemade pastas. Took a girlfriend here with me and we loved it! Will definitely be back again. The tiramisu was okay, it could have been fluffier in my opinion. Definitely order the Tivoli (vegetarian) and bucatini carbonara if you get the chance! read more

Formento's - Bucatini carbonara - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Second time coming here and got the carbonara with the truffle! I'm not one to come back because let's face it there's tons of Italian places to try in Fulton market, but the service and people there are superb. Dan, the manager took care of my mom and I when there was a bit of a hiccup with our order. Very professional and kind. Will be back :) read more

Formento's - Carbonara with added truffle - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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One of my favorite restaurants in the city! Great choice for a girls dinner, date night, family meal, or group celebration. Very spacious inside which I love so you don't feel like you're bumping elbows with your neighbors or having to shout to be heard. If the weather is nice you should sit outside on their charming patio. Thoughtful seasonal food that's executed at a high level. Knowledgeable, friendly, attentive service from the entire team starting with the hostess to the server and the runners. Love that they offer delivery also. Some of my favorites: -CALAMARI WITH PEPPERONCINI AIOLI. Who doesn't love fried calamari?! The pepperoncini aioli is awesome and I want to dip everything in it. -BUCATINI CARBONARA. No words...just order this. adjacent Nonna's. The fennel sausage is fantastic too. -SCALLOPS. I've had the winter preparation and the most recent spring version with barley, spring vegetables, and pea puree and every time, the flavors and execution of the dish have been wonderful. -CRISPY CAULIFLOWER WITH PEPPERONI, GREEN CHILES, LEMON. Best veggie side dish/appetizer! The chiles give a nice kick and the lemon add brightness. -CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH DARK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE AND HAZELNUT PRALINE. Without a doubt the best chocolate cake. Period. This is the cake I want to devour on my birthday...or any day. It's outstanding. Next visit I want to try the VEAL PARMESAN or the CHICKEN PARMESAN I've been seeing people rave about on social media! It looks amazing. read more

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Food was okay but the portions kinda small and my food came out a little cold which was unfortunate. The tortellini had great flavor and the pasta tasted fairly fresh but the cream sauce was a little bland and again it was cold. Mostly the three stars comes from the bread and the cake. Over all I didn't feel like it was anything too special read more

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

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We've made a point of coming here whenever we visit Chicago and it's totally worth it. We came with friends who ate here for the first time and were equally impressed. The chef took the trouble of coming out to meet us and gave us his signature chocolate cake to try. Each course was better than the one before. Get the whipped ricotta and buratta tomato salad for appetizers. All of the pastas are incredible and worth trying. It was so special to be treated like family. Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Super good, the cacio e Pepe pasta was maybe some of the best tasting pasta I have ever had in my entire life! Also got the eggplant parmigiana (they make this for vegetarians, it's not on the menu though), which was incredibly good as well! Only thing is that the pasta portions are small, so make sure you keep that in mind when ordering read more

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

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4.5 stars Enjoyed a nice dinner on a Saturday evening with a couple friends. Reservation was easy, and we were seated on their patio. I enjoyed the food very much, half a star was taken from here because it's a bit overpriced. For a table of 6, we got: a dozen oysters, Gem lettuce, mushroom, grilled Bronzino, chicken Parmesan, bucatini carbonara, canestri, orecchiette. Portion are on the smaller end for the price, but all are packed with flavors. Oysters were fresh, we got half east and half west, and really enjoyed the contract of flavors. Gem lettuce fell a little short on our ranking tonight, it was dressed a bit too heavily, but still offered a nice taste break. We got the mushroom on their special menu, and was a little taken aback on its portion given its $15. The flavor profile was still beautifully crafted between the sweetness from carrots & radish and the intensiveness of pesto. Onto the main course: Besides the portion for its price, everything was amazing! The quality is really good with a modern take on the transitional Italian menu, and we loved all the pastas! The squid ink orecchiette was so good with generous amount of shrimp, and my friends really enjoyed the spicy kick from the chilis. The carbonara was a lovely elevation with bucatini and very in rich flavor. Canestri was al dente & tomato based, served with meatball and sausage on the side. Loved the ricotta on top! Overall, we loved all three pastas and the variety of flavors was great. Chicken Parm is one of the priciest chicken parm in my life, and the spaghetti is $5 extra. Chicken was just a tad dry but still moist, and the potion was solid. Bronzino was grilled and served with head and tail, topped with veggies, we loved how smooth and melty it was. Beware of the bones though! Besides the higher price tag, I really enjoyed everything. If you are looking for nice Italian in west loop, don't miss out on Formento's! read more

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I have been wanting to go to Formento's for the longest time, and it certainly met my expectations. My friend and I shared the saffron risotto an seasonal black truffle fettucine. The texture and preparation of the pasta was exceptional. The flavor was mild but extremely comforting. I felt like I could eat it endlessly. The risotto had a completely different flavor profile. It was very bold and rich and also just as addicting. For dessert we had the chocolate cake. My friend normally loves sweets, but this cake was also TOO dense and decadent for us, but delicious nonetheless. I would love to visit Formento's again and try their happy hour. read more

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Went with friends. Nice ambiance and we sat outside. Slightly noisy but not enough that you can't have a conversation. Staff was great, friendly and accommodating. Lamb chaps were good but everyone felt like there was something missing a little. The pork chop was cut when received, tough and dry and didn't really have a taste. Plus, they took the bone out and left it on the side, which is where all the taste is. There risotto was good but had some type of a taste from an ingredient which is probably from the braised beef that's inside it. The spinach side was extremely salty, asparagus side was bland, and the brussels sprouts were charred right through and had some type of orange taste that was overbearing. The calamari was excellent, as was the crispy potatoes. I didn't care too much for the meatballs, they tasted like they were frozen bought. Tasty cocktails, and the bartenders were rockin it. read more

Went for restaurant week and it was so fun! The courses were awesome and we were so full at the end. We started with a cocktail and then did the wine pairing with the restaurant week menu. So delicious and I loved the different wines with each. The port with dessert was do good and I wouldn't have known to order it if it wasn't for the wine pairing. Ended with a round of espresso martinis. read more

always solid. great food, great service. the ambiance is welcoming - will be back for sure.

Solid brunch menu and great location right in the heart of the West Loop on Restaurant Row. Love the swanky, plush interior and cozy booths for large parties. Make reservations on Open Table then settle in and enjoy a filling, savory meal! We started with the toast and jam ($7), four generous slices of country bread with whipped marscapone and fruit preserves- so yummy! I had the jumbo lump crab benedict ($14), a tasty twist on the typical eggs benedict. My guy had the mortadella and egg sandwich ($14), which came with Dijon mustard and melted mozzarella on ciabatta bread. It's on the heavier and greasier side but still so tasty. The breakfast potatoes ($5) are the best deal on the menu and plentiful for sharing. You'll leave stuffed and satisfied. I haven't been for dinner yet, but will be back soon! read more

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First time experience at Formento's and we definitely were not disappointed! Our server helped walk us through the menu and even recommended some amazing dishes for us to try! For appetizers we had Nonna's meatballs and whipped Ricotta. Our server recommended us to eat the meatballs with the ricotta on bread and we were in heaven! I would definitely go back again just for those two dishes alone! For our entrees, I ordered the halibut special and my bf ordered the bucatini. We were both very satisfied with our order. Both entrees were delicious! Parking in the area is a little tricky to find. They do provide valet parking for $15. read more

I've been twice so far, and both times, the food was just incredible. We went once for restaurant week and once for a standard dinner. The service was top notch, and this is one of my go-to places to bring visitors! We haven't been steered wrong by recommendations from our waiter, so if you aren't sure what to order, take their recommendations! read more

Formento's offers consistently good Italian food, great service, and a changing menu. I went there for my birthday in March and just a couple weeks ago for Restaurant Week, and there were only a handful of menu items that stayed constant. I like a place that is constantly experimenting and offering new dishes. The bucatini carbonara and the chocolate cake are two things I have to get every time I'm there. This isn't your standard chocolate cake - as someone who doesn't even like chocolate, this ish is the bomb. The pricing is pretty fair for West Loop. Can you get cheaper Italian food elsewhere? Probably. Will you have the same experience? Probably not. read more

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This place is legit. My wife and I stumbled upon it, for drinks after our dinner elsewhere, while walking the neighborhood. The bucatini dishes were great, as was the cauliflower app! Great drink list and great service. Highly recommended for anyone to give it a try! read more

Recently came here for the first time for a covid dinner and loved the food. We ordered the burrata with tamato tampenade, whipped Ricotta with pomegranate (fav), cauliflower app (which they can make without pepperoni for vegetarians), and the crispy potatoes. Every single app was delicious in its own way and did not disappoint!! They have limited vegetarian entrees on their menu. However the chef made a spicy pomedoro pasta with mushrooms, broccolini and peppers, which was really appreciated. We also ordered the cacio e pepe. Dessert was by far our favorite we got their signature chocolate cake which was perfect and had a crispy layer which was fun- def recommend. I will say the server and service was just okay he disappeared a few times when we had questions and wanted to order. Another time he brought over the wrong drink selection. However, the food made up for this :)! read more

This place was FANTASTIC! Great food, great drinks, and possibly the best server I've ever had. I really wish I could remember her name but I took too long to write this review after dining in. Everyone at the table loved their wine and cocktails. I got the lemon drop and it was a bit strong but delicious. We tried a ton of food and everything was delicious starting with the warm, complimentary bread and oil. We also got the whipped burrata (amazing!), the crab avocado toast (not my cup of tea but others liked it), the calamari (soooo good), the squid ink pasta (really good), the ribeye (delicious) and a couple other dishes. We were celebrating a birthday so they brought out complimentary gelato which is some of the best gelato I've had! We also ordered the hazelnut cake which so so decadent and indulgent in all the best ways. We were all so happy with our experience and I would definitely recommend this place; especially if you're celebrating something special! read more

Formento's - Lemon drop - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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we went here for a friends bachelor party weekend dinner. we ordered one of all the pastas, multiple appetizers, veal special and chicken parmesan. all the food was excellent and our service was good. read more

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Ordered a pasta and swordfish ! Their pasta dishes are fabulous ! The swordfish was good but would recommend their handmade pasta over any of the other dishes. The sorbet for dessert was homemade and super flavorful ! Regretted getting the tiramisu, tasted old and refrigerated . Would not recommend read more