OMG!!!! i went there for the first time after hearing my brother brag about this place, wow was he right. We ordered the wings, they were awesome just the way i like them also we had got the rocky philly cheesesteak another omg a little spicy but great. I love this place and will definitely go back. read more

Having been born in Philly and now living in the Chicago burbs the thought of finding good Philly fare was just a dream. The thought of eating anything listed as a "Philly cheese steak" made me move to the burgers instead. Yesterday we visited Monti's and for a short time, it was like being back home. The rolls are brought in from Philly and are finished baking at Monti's. The cheese steaks here are actually made to order. It might take a few extra minutes to be served but well worth the wait. The meatball grinder was fantastic and the red sauce was incredible. The fries were crisp, tasty with a hint on seasoning. Lastly...the pork loin..... broccoli rabe, peppers, cheese, and the incredible role. Was it as good as the one in Reading Terminal Market? For us, it was better. The service was great, professional, and friendly. read more

Wow. As good as, or actually, way, way better that Pat's or Geno's. Staff is great. The ambiance is cool, darn fine beer list, and they are doing a lot of take-out too. WORTH IT! read more

Was here to try the cheesesteak tonight. I got the original with provalone; it was delicious and absolutely an authentic Philly! I'll be back! read more

First time I've had a Philly cheesesteak and it was delicious. Saw Monti's on "Chicago's Best" and had to try it that same day, and as I write this, I am getting hungry. Bartender was really nice and I got to chat with one of the owners while they made my lunch. Cool place and a great Philly cheesesteak! read more

I had such high expectations for Monti's after reading all the positive reviews. Sadly, I was hugely disappointed. My husband and I placed a to go order early Saturday afternoon. It was ready in 15 minutes just like we were told. After the five minute drive back to our house, we dug in. First of all, our appetizers (calamari, wings, and even the fries) were already lukewarm, despite being packed in Styrofoam. The calamari was tough, too chewy, and overcooked, with some pieces even being crunchy with little to no breading on it. The breading was too salty, making some pieces inedible. I was disappointed that the lemon had been deep fried along with the calamari and I wasn't able to squeeze the juice over the pieces. The marinara to dip the calamari in was just OK, nothing special. We also ordered buffalo wings. The sauce had just enough zing but since it was cooling down already, it started to congeal at the bottom of the container and looked unappetizing. I am not a fan of breading on my wings. Again, since the wings were not hot anymore, the breading was soggy and the skin was flabby, not crispy at all as I was expecting. It appeared that the celery and carrots were placed in the container along with the wings and the sauce was poured on top. The veggies were not crisp but were also flabby after swimming in the buffalo sauce. The side of ranch was quite tasty though. We split a 12 in authentic Philly cheesesteak wit and the cheddar cheese sauce. The meat was tender and juicy and the onions were distributed throughout the sandwich. I wish there would have been more cheese sauce on the sandwich though. The bread had a nice chew to it and it held up to the mounds of meat on it. The french fries were over salted and tasted like they had been sitting in the warming basket for half an hour before being served. Considering the high price for our meal, $35 for two appetizers and a 12 inch sandwich, I was expecting the food to be at least average and not such a huge disappointment. I understand that our take out food would not be as fresh and hot as if we had dined in but I was not expecting the food to be lukewarm from our five minute drive home. I have had fast food stay warm longer than our food from Monti's. Although we enjoyed our cheesesteak, the rest of the meal was basically inedible. We will continue our search for great Philly cheesesteak in Chicago. read more

By reading all the great reviews I guess I could say I was expecting more out of montis. I thought the location was a little odd and I was assuming it would be a bigger restaurant with more of a dining room. Anyways, the service was decent, nothing spectacular but also wasn't bad. Since it was my first time I figured to try the authentic with white American. Pretty good sandwich, a little greasy and the bread seemed like it was toasted...but it was a generous portion that came with fries. Next time I will go with the 8 inch sandwich and less salt on the fries. It's ashame I don't live closer to this place. It was quite a drive for me. Oh well, it was worth the experience. I'll have to add that nothing hits home like a cheese steak from actual Philadelphia though. There's something about the history of philly steaks and the atmosphere of pats and ginos battling right across the street from each other for so many years. read more

OK, full disclosure. I'm not from Philadelphia; I've never been to Philadelphia; I actually know very little about Philadelphia. So, as far as knowing about "authenticity", I'm not going to be much help. I DO, however, know an amazing sandwich when I see (or rather, taste) one, and Monti's? They make amazing sandwiches. I tried a roasted pork loin grinder: I've heard that while the cheese steak may be what Philly is known for, locals actually prefer this sandwich (see, I guess I DO know something about Philadelphia). I can see why: tender and juicy pork, sweet peppers and a nice, bitter bite from the broccoli rabe (plus there's some heat: something in here has been introduced to some pepper flakes or something similar. I'm guessing it's the broccoli rabe). My wife had a Niko the Greek, which is essentially gyro fixin's incorporated into a cheese steak format: good stuff (amoroso rolls have an almost pita-like pillowy consistency, so this came together well). Can't wait to try the actual cheese steak(s). read more

another 5 star for Montis. only even sliver of a complaint is its kind of pricey, but hey its cheaper than a flight to philly but the quality of the food warrants the price. will be back as often as i can! read more

There is no other cheesesteak place that tops this one in Chicago...NO OTHER!! They are a bit pricey (I paid $10 for an 8" sandwich) but boy oh boy is it worth the money...and the drive (I came from the south suburbs during rush hour traffic and it was still worth it!) I heard about this place a few years on ABC 7'sHungryHound and I am definitely a cheesesteak lover. So years later I tried them out and I'm mad I waited so long. This place is a great spot. Small but intimate. Quick service, great selection of beers and hard cider and amazing food! This isn't for the dieter, but we all need a cheat day right? Well, make Monti's your cheat day meal, you won't regret it. I had the Authentic Philly cheesesteak 8" with an Angry Orchard hard cider. I did see someone order their buffalo wings and they smelled delicious but I didn't have any. I only wish they were open later, so after clubbing I could head here instead of Jew Town. Will definitely go again!! read more

Good food. Nice place, Kera was great, salted caramel martini was tasty,philly cheese steak was good. Ceasar was good. Coconut chicken was good, not very coconutty but good. Pretel bites-yummy. Fun place, will be back, literally 3 blocks from home! Bonus! 1 super minor critique, my fries were over done, only miss to whole meal. Really great food and service, just a wee bit expensive, $100 for dinner for cheese steaks, Ouch! read more

Food is great, bread is wonderful...service is so-so and we were one of 3 tables there. But overall the food is delicious and although I wouldn't know if it is authentic, it is good. Will definitely go back! read more

I have never had anything bad here. Never had anything "ok" here. Everything is great. The beer and cider list is small but high quality. All food is amazing. read more

I. Love. This. Place. My husband works on NW side of the city so he went here for lunch a while back with some co-workers. Told me about it. Well, that's pretty much been it for going to Philly's Best now. They were the closest thing to what I remember having in Philly. Monti's beats them, by far. Soooo delicious. I get the regular Philly with white American, and my husband loves the Rocky, as he likes things a bit spicier than I do. The fries are delicious - just the right amount of crispiness. We got the kids' chicken strips and fries for our 3 year old. The chicken was fantastic, too. Very juicy and not too much breading. He is a very picky eater right now and he gobbled the food up. We also got the wings for the first time. They were fantastic too. Large and a decent amount of sauce coating them. Had the buffalo sauce - would recommend it. Lastly had the Nutty Fig drink (a type of Moscow Mule, I think it is). Yummmmm!! Can't wait to go back. Dang you Monti's. You are too darn yummy to stay away from! read more

Sooo delicious. Love the cheddar sauce with the pretzel nuggets. The cheesesteak was awesome. All of the employees were super helpful and genuinely nice. I wish I lived closer! read more

I just tried Monti's for the first time and really liked it! I have never had the sandwich before and couldn't care less if it's authentic, but they won me over with the fantastic bread and tasty beef. Service was good, portions were sizeable. We tried a turkey grinder as well, which wasn't as good as the beef, but was still good. (I don't think turkey would ever win in a fight against beef though.) The wedge salad was fresh as well, and the owner was really accomodating with special requests. I will be back and bring friends. read more

A friend suggested we try this place as he had heard good things and I must say we were impressed. The place is a little hard to find the first time since it's on a side street but look for the bright red awning and you're set. They had great cheese steak and the server was friendly / attentive. read more

I love this place. The cheesesteaks are the best in town and I really like the water ice, too. Location is a little inconvenient and the parking can be tough but it is worth the trip. read more

Yum! Friendly staff, and if the owners are there they'll come talk to you and make sure everything is all good. The cheese they put on top of their sandwiches is made from scratch and all natural, so while by no means is it GOOD for you, it's at least not that fake chemical cheese whizzy crap. They always have one beer on draft, and a great selection of bottles. $1 house Fireball shots! Buy a round for the cook and bar staff and make friends for life! read more

We live a few blocks away and noticed a new place on the block. We took our two kids (2 and 4) and decided to give it a go. You can tell they are still getting things sorted out, but the food and service was excellent. We started with the pretzel things which were really nice. The kids split a pizza which was very good. Nice thin crispy crust and perfect size to split between two little ones. I had the traditional philly cheesesteak and it was REALLY good. Reminded me of the beer and chedder sandwich at Morseland up in Roger's Park. Good meet, good cheese, good bread. Awesomely good. My wife had the soy sausage cheesesteak and I tried some of the 'meat' and I have to say, that was really good as well. If you don't eat meat and are tired of lame veggie options, then run, don't walk to try this one. Fries were good as well and all the staff I talked to were really nice and very professional. Good addition to the neighborhood. Worth a try. We will be back! read more

went here tonight withe my wife and we absolutely loved this place. had the pretzels as an appetizer and she had the turkey cheesesteak and i had the rocky cheesesteak. Food was fresh and hot and the owners were great and really care about the place. so nice to see a family run business that has owners who are really nice people. we will for sure be back. place is awesome. oh and the fries were tasty and perfectly crispy. read more

Hooray for Monti's! We've been in a few times now, but even the first time we felt like regulars due to their incredibly friendly vibe. I'm probably not qualified to compare their cheesesteaks with Philly's, but the owners are natives and are most definitely doing them justice, because every sandwich I've tried is outstanding. I actually want to thank them for having a really tasty vegetarian cheesesteak option. I was blown away by how good it was. They have a great beer and cocktail selection as well. Go find Monti's! They're on a side street off of Lawrence, but don't let out of sight be out of mind, or you'll be missing out! read more

Food and service both outstanding @ Monti's. You can get that all over the City. What separates them is their genuine interest in their customers. That's hard to bottle. read more

This is one of our absolute favorite restaurants! Being celiac with lots of allergies, Monti's makes my food so I can eat it! The owner comes over and checks on our table every time we are there (which is kinda often) and makes sure everything is ok. We've used Monti herself as an example of amazing customer service to show our children how to treat people. Our kids love the place and so do we!!! read more

This place was awesome! Cheese steak was incredibly delicious. And I found my new favorite beer here!

First time at monti's. Great food and atmosphere. A real, authentic neighborhood restaurant!

Best Philly in town PERIOD! Can't wait to come back. Last time i had was with Wiz, I will try something different next time.

Great place--- I tried two different sandwiches and fries, it was all really good, and reasonably priced. The server and owners are really nice, they've done a great job with the space (it is much better than the old business). Will definitely be back! read more

Stopped on in walking by and enjoyed it a lot, and a welcoming addition to the neighborhood. Had the cheesesteaks and they were great... thanks for coming Monti's! read more

Terrific cheesesteaks and great selection of beer. A piece of Philly in Chicago!

born and raised in NW Philly. This place makes the best Cheesesteak outside of the 215 area code.

This place ROCKS! We'll definitely go back. My girlfriend had the original and I had the Cheese steak Hoagie, unbelievable! The service was 5 stars!!! This is going to be one of our "once a month" restaurant to eat in. read more

Having lived in Philly, I appreciate what makes a legit cheesesteak. So does Monti's...if you're from Philly, you know it is all about the bread, and using Amoroso rolls puts them tops in Chicago for their sandwiches. I've had a variety of different steaks here, as well as the pork loin grinder (which is my new addiction), and it has been great every time. The service is friendly & fun. I've introduced a number of friends to Monti's and they have all become repeat customers. They have a great beer selection, and their other non-steak menu items have been tops. If I lived in Lincoln Square, I'd probably be in a couple times a week, easy. Fun, friendly & delicious, and a staff that recognizes repeat customers. Monti's is easily one of my top places in the city. read more

As a Jersey girl, I give Monti's 5 stars! Authentic, delicious, great service, great beer, and tasty cakes! If you want a good cheesecake, this is the only place to go. They get their bread from Philly which makes a huge difference. read more

The second I read the description and saw that they were actually making authentic cheese steaks I looked at my girlfriend and said "this is it, we have to go today". Well, we went and It was great. Born and raised in Philadelphia I am very picky about my cheese steaks, since moving out to Chicago I have been looking for a comfortable place with great food,a warm atmosphere and great service to watch my Eagles, Sixers, Flyers and Phillies while enjoying some great food! I am hooked! The couple that own it are extremely nice and authentic people. Love having some Philly Phan's out here! I highly recommend going to Monti's for food! Oh also, on my way out I found out they make Buffalo chicken pizza! Ill be seeing you guy soon! Thanks again! read more

Awesome! Best cheese steaks around. a true neighborhood GEM!

The best Philly Cheesesteak I have had outside of the Philadelphia area...with "authentic" choices for cheese ("white" american, provolone, or aged cheddar sauce) on the basic sandwich, as well as variations with tomato sauce, horseradish sauce, and the Cheesesteak Hoagie, which I have never seen outside of Philly or suburbs. They also have other, great Philly originals, like the Roast Pork Loin Grinder, with roasted peppers, broccoli rabe, and provolone (OK, not sharp provolone and not as good as DiNic's at Reading Terminal, but a very good sandwich). Monti's is also a very comfortable, friendly, local bar, with quality beers, good service, and sports on TV if you are so inclined. read more

First impressions are all for first dates and job interviews not new (to me) Chicago eateries, having said that I'm sure this place will work at it and have what Chicago likes some day. What's to fix, prices too high for what you get 16.50 (that does include 3.tip) for a 8" Philly, cup of soup and water to drink, over the top on spices any cut of beef is tender cut that thin but hard to know what cut of beef when garlic, salt and maybe wine? cover all the meats flavor. Parking is not their fault, searching will find a meter or maybe a free residential street spot. Looking around they have put money work and thought into this bar/sandwich cafe and I'm sure take all feedback and put it to use. Always give a dining place a second or even third shot before giving up. Was with a friend who had Philly & fries and they were in love at first bite. See drinks and appetizer there with a date or friends for now. read more

Very friendly staff, great selection of beers, and truth in advertising for a very spicy sandwich!

Love this place, the cheesteake is incredible, the gyro grinder is amazing, and the boneless buffalo wings are amazing as well. That is all I have tried so far but I am super impressed. They only have one beer on tap, it changes every few days, it always different and always good. The owners are a husband and wife team from Philly that really know how to give it that authentic Philadelphia charm... I ve never been there but I do watch it's always sunny.... good stuff! read more