Very pleasant place to eat. Good food good people and a great time. Incredible service from Peter and overall a great experience I will be delighted to come again. read more

Myself and five of my friends went there yesterday for a birthday dinner. I have heard a lot about this restaurant, but I was somewhat disappointed. We ordered various appetizers to share and several main dishes to share as well. I tried everything and was somewhat underwhelmed. Nothing was very good. It was ok with one exception - Pizza margherita. It is one of my favorite dishes, and it was NOT good. It was just plain, blunt, no taste. Such a disappointment. On the other hand, the service was good. Our waiter was attentive and friendly. Overall, I am not coming back. There are better Italian places in the Chicago area. read more

Delicious! Very nice place for a romantic date or family dinner. There's plenty of options for seafood lovers, those looking for a hearty meal, or those who'd like something a bit lighter. Service was great and helped us pick out nice wine selections. Don't skip out on the dessert at the end! Great place to go if you'd like to treat yourself to a full experience from tasty appetizers to amazing dessert. Whether it be a more casual dinner out or for a special occasion, this is a great place to choose! read more

Francesca's Amici - Italian Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

I had much higher expectations than I should have, I guess. The staff is careless and pretty rude. The tables were not clean. The food seemed normal to expensive in price, for Italian food. I ordered the salmon alla Fresca. I asked for no avocado. The waitress said she didn't know if they could, it might already be mixed up. Um, what? Just cut up some onions and tomatoes and put the Fresca on there without the avocado, or is it too hard to make it fresh. That was eerie. I guess they found a way to do it, because it came out with a very small amount of onions and tomatoes, nothing else with that. The salmon was very fishy tasting. It was not good. And you get 3 asparagus spears. It is way overpriced. My boyfriend got fettuccine alla pascada. The sauce was awful. Akin to eating a garlic clove like an apple. He said it tasted like an armpit. He couldn't take more than a bit, and sent it back. He ended up just getting linguini. We had to get our bill adjusted, because she left his first dish on there, along with the linguini. I won't be back. read more

We had a party of 30 people for dinner/drinks. The waiters (Jeff and Jerry) were beyond fabulous! They might be the best waiters we've ever experienced! The food was excellent, especially the calamari and the pasta. The tiramisu and the profiteroles were perfect. Planning the party was easy with Francesca's party planner, Nancy. The pace that the food was delivered to the tables was great. We've always loved this restaurant!! read more

Francesca's Amici - Enjoying our party at Francesca's! - Italian Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

Food was delicious. Service was outstanding, as always. Peter and Edwin met us in the crosswalk with an umbrella, when they saw that we were walking over in the rain. You will not be disappointed with a meal at Francesca's! read more

This place rocks! The atmosphere is great, the staff is super nice and attentive and the interior design gives off fancy vibes in a casual relaxing way. The food was super tasty and the portions were big. I will definitely be coming back! read more

This location is amazing. My girlfriend and I enjoy the food, atmosphere, and overall ambiance. The service is prompt and professional. The food is fresh and comes out quicker than any other restaurants. The music is amazing as they play Lana Del Ray. read more

Fun, clean. Great place for a rehearsal dinner! A ton of wine choices. Food was cooked perfectly

We recently had a memorial luncheon for my mother-in-law who passed away. I want to let everyone know what a great job everyone did. We received exceptional service along with exceptional food. Jose and Paul were very respectful, sensitive and attentive to all of our needs. We would recommend this place to anyone who needs to have a special private luncheon or dinner. read more

All our food was delicious! The risotto, the pollo dishes, and the pasta were all first rate! What a wonderful restaurant--highly recommended. read more

Great restaurant with a variety of authentic Italian dishes. Wonderful service and ambiance in the heart of Elmhurst.

Awesome great service and super great food . Service staff is on point. And happy hour is the bomb

We had a fantastic dinner! Staff and owner went above and beyond to make our experience top notch!

The food is good that's why I keep coming back. Service is terrible they always make excuses about why they can't get you a drink or take your order. Dirty plates just stack up. Get a clue on how to run a restaurant. read more

Hands down, a wonderful experience! From the onset through the end, everyone was awesome. You're attention, candor and focus to customer experience were 2nd to none. My wife celebrated her birthday this evening and we could not be happier with Francesca's Amici. Thanks again and keep rocking it! Kudos to the staff as we felt we were among friends! read more

Love this place! Service is great and food is excellent. Our server recommended a fantastic bottle of wine that was half off. We were able to take the remaining bottle home too! Great place for a date night or for the entire family. So happy this is in Elmhurst. read more

We enjoyed a no frills biz lunch here. Basic food was served--a chopped salad, a plate of pasta, and my chicken Parmesan sandwich with side salad. My rating is for the ordinary food that underwhelmed. The chicken parm sandwich was blue collar. Crispy chicken patty. Check. Provolone cheese. Check. Plain marinara. Check. Side salad with straight greens. Check. The soft, pillowy focaccia had a straight from the microwave texture. Good service couldn't make up for the food. read more

Whenever I visit my grandma in Elmhurst and we go to lunch, this is THE place we go to! It's usually her, my mom, my sister and myself. I guess you could say my grandma is a regular there because everytime we go in, the host always remembers her and gives her her usual spot in the corner. That's one of the first great things about Francesca's; they always remember their regulars! One of the biggest reasons we go here, besides their great service, are their cosmos! Mmmm yum!! They make the best cosmos in town (in my opinion). You have even one and you get a little silly. They're quite pricy but if you go in on I believe Wednesday (or maybe Thursday?) the cosmos are half price ($6.00) so it's pretty worth it! We also looooooove the olive oil, grated cheese and bread they give us before our meals. My meals have been great there. The menu is hand written, but that's alright because it makes the place even more homey and less franchise-y. I always go for their rigatoni pasta. It was so delicious last time I was there. It doesn't usually come with meat but if you ask them, they'll put some chicken in their for ya anyway! My aunt usually goes for the salads and my mom loves their carpaccio and it's served on a plate that makes it look so great! They really make their food beautiful there! I really have no complaints. Everyone is delightful and we are treated very well. The food is really some of the best Italian food in town so go get it! read more

Myself and five other women went for a Holiday dinner a few weeks, and we had such a wonderful experience. Though we arrived a little bit on the late side, everyone was accommodating and welcoming. The decor and atmosphere was festive with great lighting. We order two bottles of Malbec, and wine service was nearly perfect (and honestly it's not a fancy enough restaurant that really mattered) and delicious. I had a pasta dish with mushroom, prosciutto and pea which was fantastic and enough for a second meal. I do not recall our server's name, but he was a great blend of attentive without interrupting conversation. I would definitely recommend! read more

Always a fan of Italian, and always trusting my college best friend's family's choice in Italian eateries (especially pizza), we trekked out here this past Sunday for said BFF's (surprise) birthday bash. While 290 did not cooperate and we missed the big surprise :::sob::: the food and service did not disappoint. We were in a banquet room off to the side and very carefully attended to by two very quick servers. I mean, I don't know how they knew that I needed my glass of red wine stat, and I don't care, but the expediency in which it was brought to me was greatly appreciated. We had a smattering of great specialty pizzas (the mushroom 'za was especially amazing...great cheese) and wonderful pasta with goat cheese and sausage, and salads with pancetta (my second love after bacon). Marvelous. I'd return for dinner, pizza, pasta or another party. read more

We've been coming here for many years, and I still love Francesca's, but unfortunately, I've got to downgrade them to 3 stars. For some reason, the last year everything I have had here is loaded with salt! From a tilapia dish to a bowl of minestrone soup, it just seems like they've been using the salt a bit liberally here. Did they change cooks? Because we used to come here about once every couple of weeks for a number of years and haven't had this problem; only in the last year. And I've had a couple of friends mention the same issue. Management here is so nice and responsive, and it's a great bar to hang in - if they could only get this salt problem under control! read more

We went for Father's Day dinner and it was easy to get reservations that morning. Service was great and it's a good location with easy street or lot parking nearby. You get bread so we skipped an appetizer. It was yum with oil mixed with salt, pepper and cheese. I tried: - Ravioli with chicken- pretty good - Carpacchio- really good but my brother got it as his entree and it was a little acidic to only eat that - Side of asparagus- Honestly my favorite part of the meal - Pork Chops- Pretty good - Shrimp pasta- Not that great - Salmon with side of veggies- Really great! I don't think I'll be back but a good option if you are nearby and want a decent quick bite. Also half priced bottles of wine on Sundays! They forgot to give us the discount on the bill but quickly fixed it when we asked. read more

This is my second time dining at Francesca's Amici and have to say food, service and ambience was phenomenal! I was here for an engagement party and cannot express how attentive everyone was, especially Angel, he made sure we were well taken care of. Edwin also made such a fun and amazing experience! I will be coming back not only for the food but for the service! read more

Been there many, many times, Mostly in the bar after a show. I have told management and staff numerous times how the noise level in the bar area is so loud it is on the brink of uncomfortable. The staff tells me they get the complaint many times each night. I know the sound is part of the desired vibe but it really is too loud. I wish they would install some sound baffling as it is a great place otherwise. The best way to get them to listen Is for others to know how bad it is. Unless you are 3 inches from the other persons ear they can't hear you. My ears ring after I leave like I was at a concert. If you agree like this post. Maybe Management will listen if they see how many customers wish it was less loud. read more

Mediocre to borderline bland food. Rubbery mozarella that barely resembled cheese. Soggy and poorly seasoned salad. Acceptable pasta, and uninspired chicken Francese. It was so mediocre, I can barely find the energy to formulate complete sentences for this review. Really good service though! read more

Yesterday we had a funeral luncheon for my mother at Francesca's Amici and I couldn't have been more pleased with the food, the service and the room accommodations. We frequently dine at other Francesca locations but usually the ones closer to our home. The funeral home recommended this location because it was close to the cemetary. They have an established menu for occassions like this but they didn't blink an eye when we wanted to deviate and I thought the price of the meal, for what we got, was more than reasonable. Our group consisted of about 50 people so we were seated in the private room just off the bar - it was comfortable and bright. The servers were so professional and prompt (they quickly accommodated my niece who is vegan with a delicious vegetable entree). I honestly didn't worry about one thing once we arrived - I really needed to de-stress and enjoy the time with our family and friends and I trusted that Francesca's would take care of everything and they certainly did. Our food was fantastic - plentiful and piping hot when it was served. Our guests were raving about everything, from the Fried Calamari appetizer and the house salad to the Rigatoni con Mozzarella and the Pollo ala Romano that we served as the main entree. The Profiteroles al Gelato were the perfect ending to the wonderful meal. We could have picked other choices for this important occassion but I'm so glad we chose Francesca's - we can't wait to visit again. read more

DELICIOUS. Went here to celebrate my mom's bday on Saturday. We got the beef carpaccio, fried calamari, and a salad (on special that day) for appetizers. The carpaccio is always very good (light, but flavorful). The calamari was good, but I have had better. The salad was very tastey as well. I got the penne alla butera (penne, sausage, and peas in a light vodka sauce). The sausage was slightly spicey and the sauce was not heavy/uber creamy at all for being a vodka sauce. I cannot stress how amazing it was. I didn't have leftovers because everyone else at the table kept picking at mine. All the other meals at the table were yummy, but I liked mine the most. I do like that they switch their menu up, but that meal should be a staple.We had the banana bread bread pudding which was decent: not fabulous, not bad. Overall, our bill came to $210 w/ tax (not including tip) for five people. Mind you we had three appetizers, everyone had at least one cocktail (martini, makers manhattan, etc), five entrees, a bottle of wine, and desert. Not bad at all if you ask me. My one suggestion is to make reservations, especially for the weekends. This place gets busy and you can get stuck with a nasty wait time. read more

I've never had a bad meal at a Francesca's. Simply delicious food. We had a reservation and were promptly seated and given water and bread. Our waitress was not overly friendly, but nice and accommodating. The water was constantly being refilled, and service was overall very prompt and good. And the food... was totally wonderful. We shared a pizza for an appetizer (just sausage), which had a wonderful crispy crust, great sauce, just enough cheese. I had gnocchi con ricotta, which had a wonderful slightly spicy sauce, fresh spinach and basil, and tons of creamy fresh ricotta. Drooool. My husband enjoyed his linguine with pancetta and declared it delicious. We both brought leftovers home. You can't really go wrong with Francesca's, that's my opinion. read more

This place is super convenient to the Elmhurst Metra and int he heart of downtown Elmhurst. I was surprised on how packed it was on a Wednesday night! They have a bar setup in front and the restaurant more in the back. We opted for the usual calamari appetizer which was pretty tasty. My husband had this amazing grilled salmon with salsa and avocado on top. I kept on stealing bites of it and he pretty much polished off his entire plate. If he could lick the plate, I think that he would have. I ended up with the gnocchi with a sausage based sauce which was still good. Our friend tried their chicken which she said was well done and not too dry and not dripping in juice either. We topped off our meal with their chocolate lava cake which came with a scoop of mint ice cream and berries. A delicious experience in Elmhurst with friendly service. read more

I've always had a great experience when dining at a Francesca's famiglia member's table. My December 7th trip out to Elmhurst was not a pleasant one but we made the best of it by stopping in to Francesca's for a lunch while waiting to conduct some rather delicate and unpleasant business down the street. We arrived a few minutes prior to their 11:30 opening which was no biggie, we could've bounced into the nearby shops for a few to kill some time but the sorta surly manager opened the door and let us in along with another patron looking to place a to go order. Now, I know more than just about anyone in all of Yelp land what its like to get a restaurant up and running for the day and what a pain in the butt it is when people come traipsing on in before we are ready. So yes, he let us in from the cold but then just left us standing there, completely in the way and feeling like we were an imposition. Enter the ray of sunshine waiter who warmly welcomed us, helped us with our coats, seated us, brought us menus, suggested the three course $15 lunch option (YES! 3 course $15 lunch) and basically bent over backwards to make us feel welcome and comfortable. The food at Francesca's is always reliable. I opted out of the soup for a rustic bruschetta while my friend and I had the Pollo Limone and Tilapia over Polenta for entrees. Both were delicious and beyond filling, so much so we could've skipped the dessert, but we didn't. Rich, creamy tiramisu was a great way to finish the meal. As we wrapped up the lunch rush was in full force and the bar and dining room were jumping but never once did our fantastic server miss a beat. On the way out, we thanked the curly haired, glasses wearing manager/host dude for a great lunch and letting us in early but he never looked up from his cell phone. Giving the 4th star for the awesome waiter and wish I could remember his name because he truly salvaged what was a disaster in the making! read more

Thank you Francesca's for making my birthday wonderful :] I'm Vegetarian and I have Celiacs Disease which makes eating anything like bread and pasta (which contains gluten) impossible....so I was thrilled to see Francesca's had a whole menu of gluten-free items..including desserts -- yes!! We walked in last Saturday to find our reservations had not been written down, but they found us a spot anyways (thank goodness)...and even though it was in the bar, it was nice to sit facing a window. We all ordered and I asked for a Tomato Caprese appetizer (gluten-free) which consists of a thick slice of tomato, mozzarella cheese and basil leaf. It was tasty, don't get me wrong (I've made it quite often myself) but for three pieces, it's not worth the price ($7+). I ordered a gluten-free quinoa asparagus pasta (which was supposed to have pine nuts but they forgot them -sad face-)...delicious none the less with a light lemon cream sauce ($14). Then for dessert, our waiter brought out a gluten-free chocolate flour-less cake. It was gorgeous! (and unbelievably good!!) I'm coming back for date night with my hunnie very soon. First time customer, and now a permanent one. Thank you again Francesca's :] read more

Probably the bets of the Elmhurst eating options....though Robertos would be close as would Angelo's. Enjoy having one beer at the bar. Moretti and Peroni are good options. Pasta always tasty and do not forget the fish options. read more

This place was amazing! They accommodated my gluten free needs and the bolognese was sooooo good! My husband had the gnocchi and he said it was out of this world. A little pricey but super good! read more

This place is awesome... Food amazing Staff is wonderful. My favorite place to sit is the bar. All bartenders pretty cute and fun. Carlos the manger is spectacular.. read more

Great food. I enjoy the ambience the service is great. Francesca"s is romantic to come with your date. The prices are great too

The seafood is amazing and they have half off wine bottles on certain days! Ive been to this restaurant 3 times and it does improve every time I go back. The first time was with my hubby and it was a disaster to say the least. Big disappointment. So much so that I called management to complain the following day. It was resolved and I returned the following month for pizza and wine at the bar. I think the Francesca Brand is spectacular, the details to each restaurant they are affiliated with is always up to par. The food, the wine, the ambiance is aways great. The food has never been a disappointment. Just spectacular. Note the 4 stars because of the servers and my past experiences with the service and not the food or the restaurant itself! Ill update this review the next time around because this is for 3 visits and I didn't give any credit to specific dishes that were served. read more

I'll admit we just went for appetizers, drinks and dessert, but--from that--I'm not sure why this place gets such great reviews. The calamari was better than average for sure, but the bruschetta and dessert we had (pistachio ice cream between two pastries with chocolate sauce) were both average. The service wasn't very good either--in that it was quite slow. I wouldn't say it's bad by any means, but I'd rather go to Roberto's on Spring. P.S. -- If anyone from Francesca's reads this... If you have a Jack Daniels based cocktail called The Outlaw, don't put it in a martini glass. Nobody who orders said drink wants to sip out of anything other than a classic rocks glass. read more

Let me start by saying that we enjoyed the food that we were served at Francesca's. Two of us had a pasta dish that was very nice and another at our table had the fish special and reported that it was good. We all started with a soup or salad and we all thought the food was good. I had a martini to start the evening that was well-made. However, another in our party had a Moscow Mule that didn't taste right and seemed to lack much alcohol, oddly. Despite the Mule, everything we were served was pretty good, not great, but definitely good. However, an evening dining out at a nice restaurant is supposed to be about the entire experience, not just the food. And on this Friday night, despite having a reservation, and despite the restaurant not being full, we had the great misfortune of being seated next to a large table of ill-behaved kids and inattentive parents there celebrating a birthday. Immediately after being seated, and before we even ordered, I asked the server if we could reseated. She leaned over and whispered that she totally understood and that she would talk to the manager. Excellent! She returned 10 minutes later and said that there was nothing else open (despite the fact that two tables on the other end of the room remained open the entire evening). It had been a long week, I needed a drink, so I agreed (much to my later chagrin), and we plowed ahead. After the first drink arrived the activity at the next table became louder and more unsettling. I proposed to my party that we pay for drinks and a salad and seek refuge at a more accommodating establishment. Seeing it was already 8:15, and the first course was ordered, my companions persuaded me to remain. We ate our meal, paid our tab, and left. I think I left the restaurant more stressed out than I had entered. And I was pretty surprised that the manager didn't thank us, if not apologize, all things considered. He clearly came in shortly after our request and was discussing the situation with our server. Remarkably, when we left the restaurant, it was not full and the bar was not crowded. There are many nice places to get well prepared Italian food served by an attentive staff in an atmosphere that promotes relaxation, enjoyment, and digestion. Francesca's is not one of them in my experience. read more

Francesca's Amici - Italian Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

This IS my favorite restaurant - that's just how it goes. The food is RIDICULOUS, and I can't stress that enough. Everything you eat is orgasmic. The menu is always changing so that they have fruits and veggies in season which is completely symbolic of the quality of the food and small details that make this place just a little bit better than every other place. There are herbs in the olive oil on the table - I could drink it. ....If you have any questions please email me, I know it ALL. I will make one slightly negative comment - don't go on Valentines Day. This place is so packed and chaotic that you get the great food but the staff are overwhelmed and it's a zoo. But seriously, when the food is this good what else would you expect?! Thank you Sharon, best server I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE. Just the nicest person in the world, thank you for being...above and beyond. read more