Called last night to place an order for delivery and was told they don't deliver. I had to call back because I wasn't sure I wanted to leave to pick up food but ultimately I decided pickup is fine. I called right back and said that I'd like to place an order anyways, and the girl asks "For pickup?" Well if you don't deliver, how else am I going to get my food?? Kind of a duh moment, so I laughed and said "Yes..." (Yelp says they deliver, and while anyone can edit that, people have said they've gotten delivery, so I don't get it.) Anyways, I ordered a dozen buffalo wings with blue cheese on the side and an 8" cheesesteak. Tried to order some of those Tasty Cake things but they were out. I was told it would be ready in 15 minutes. I arrived around 15 minutes later, food was ready, everything was good (so far). Got home, checked the food, they forgot the blue cheese. The wings were overcooked so the chicken was tough and dry and there was barely any sauce. Only good thing about them was that were actually jumbo. Which was disappointing because I was craving buffalo wings! As far as the cheesesteak, coming from a place that puts an emphasis on cheesesteak, it was very bland. Overall, very poor food. As if that wasn't enough for me to not go back, reading the bad reviews and the rude comments from the owner is tasteless (like their food!) and unhelpful. Why not try to apologize and correct the problem like a good business owner should instead of acting unprofessional and pushing people away? I will never go back or order from here and will definitely tell friends the same. -------------------------------------------- I received this message from the owner today: "Bobby, I'm sorry we forgot the blue cheese. Usually if you call back and let us know we run it to your house personally. Before I respond publically to your review I thought you should know that people are making fun of it. It's the only reason why I knew to check Yelp. I'm not saying to change what you said or the one star but people are making disparaging remarks about your first paragraph. I thought it only fair to tell you. I will wait to respond publically for a few days. Again, sorry about the blue cheese." Please feel free to respond publicly. I appreciate the apology in regards to the blue cheese, but why not address the rest of the review? I shouldn't be belittled because you or your staff are making fun of it. Your responses to bad reviews says volumes about your tact as a business owner. read more

Monti's is only steps away from my house and I am very happy that they are open and in the neighborhood. I spent quite a bit of time here this weekend and was more than happy with the service, the food, beverages and the ambiance. I felt very relaxed and was welcomed heartily by the staff every time I came in. We (my boyfriend and I) had a great time chatting with Jennifer Monti, and the 2 bartenders we have met, Clayton and Kiera. They are attentive, very friendly, customer oriented. On our first visit, we came in on Friday night. I had never had a Cheesestek before and now, I am a huge, huge fan!! They use very good quality ingredients for the chesesteaks and other sandwiches. I feel like the prices are appropriate for the sandwiches. They are really big and come with fries that are hand cut and dusted with celery salt. My boyfriend ordered the pizza steak and loved it! For St. Patrick's Day, they featured some food and drink specials that were rockin'! For one, they were giving away free wings. Fresh, hot, made to order and not just mass produced. They use organic chicken and have different sauce options to choose from. YUM!! The Irish Sangria was so refreshing and delicious (white wine, Jameson, ginger beer, sugar, lemons, limes, oranges and granny smith apples!!) The Pot O' Gold fries were so very, very tasty. We didn't actually order these, but one of the owners, Jennifer was kind enough to share with us. The server just brought some over to us and we enjoyed every bite. I have also tired the pork grinder with broccoli rabe and peppers. I adore this sandwich as well. Today, my boyfriend and I tried the pizza---the topping choices are all fresh, well balanced and there are lots of toppings to choose from. We had a pizza with basil and lobster. YUM!!! Yes, lobster...and it was high quality lobster. It was sweet and tender and the pizza dough is so light, chewy and crispy. Just the way I like it. not too thin and not too thick. Oh, and the Bloody Mary's...the mix is house made, from scratch. They tasted fabulous!! I look forward to visiting Monti's again and again. Welcome to the neighborhood, guys!! Keep doing what you're doing!! read more

Well i came here in hopes to eat a really good cheese steak since the owners are from Philly, first i ordered the sampler, the three sandwiches i got were The where is the beef, which should be changed to where is the shit since after i ate it i went to their bathroom and left a nice little surprise. complete shit. didn't even taste like meat, instead it tasted like rats. The second sandwich i had was The rocky, now. THIS IS REALLY FUCKING ROCKY. now what killed me about this was that is just cheese steak with peppers. SERIOUSLY? can you be anymore unoriginal. ate it. had to shit again. i dont understand if they put laxatives in their food because this is just insane. and were just at the second sand which Third, The cheddar, this is supposed to be aged cheese, tasted like newborn cheese. WHAT. what a waste of money. its not even worth it too damn expensive for crap. STAFF: Now. when i went it looked like a nice pleasant place but i soon found that to be completely wrong when i walked in i was seated by some european girl and she was extremely rude, and kept looking at my mole. what kind of sick twisted freak would do this to a human being, now i didn't say anything because i was really hungry, the place was dirty and the person busing tables was sick!!! he was coughing all over when he would come out how is that sanitary? that's terrible. I would never ever go there again, unfortunately i made a big mistake. Service and food was so bad i just had to write a review. terrible just terrible. read more

As a New Jersey native moving to Chicago in the mid-1990s, I was depressed that hardly anyone knew about authentic cheese steaks or pizza steaks, let alone where to where I could find them in Chi-town. After 17 years, the wait is over! Monti's has awesome cheesesteaks (made w/ black angus ribeye) and pizza steaks (cheese steaks w/ a red tomato sauce). They also have pork loin sandwiches w/ delicious roasted red peppers and broccoli rabe (think of a veggie somewhere between spinach and kale) and a host of other yummy sandwiches. Monti's even has neapolitan-style pizza with amazing toppings that range from capicolla to Italian sausage to banana peppers to basil to lobster. The pizza is fantastic. The atmosphere is warm and inviting for either eating in or taking out. Bartenders Clayton and Kiera make tasty drinks and are very fun to talk to as are co-owners Jennifer and James. If you don't know anyone when you first go in there, you'll feel like you've made a new friend or two by the time you've left. Negative aspects are few and far between at Monti's. The caesar salad is a tad expensive at $7.95. The bottled & canned beer selection is somewhat small for right now, but they do have some good ones such as Blue Moon, Allagash White, Domaine DuPage, Warsteiner, Daisy-Cutter, Rolling Rock, Bud, Bud Light, etc. Although the space is stylishly decorated, it is a little small for large parties. Overall, it's a great place to eat a tasty meal with some cool but unpretentious people. read more

This place... What can I say? I feel what ever I say won't do the food justice.. but for the sake of the internets and whoever is reading this, I will try my best. The Cheesesteaks here are (F-Bomb)'N AWESOME!!!!! I mean, HOLY, UNADULTERATED, PLEASURE ON MY TASTEBUDS.... I'm sure all my tastebuds smoked cigarettes after this meal or maybe it was the spiciness of my meal. I've been here twice and both times I've ordered The Rocky cause its spicy deliciousness and burns so good. How good, you ask? Well I have this saying.. (That I made up; I'm cute and clever) You know spicy food is good and spicy when it burns 3 times. First in your mouth.. Secondly in your tummy, and Third when you... well, when you're on your Throne. The meat is tender and juicy, the bread is soft, and the sandwich has the right amount of cheese! This place always has a great selection of craft beers to quench your thirst. If you're a cider drinker, even better, cause it also has a great selection ciders too. I'd also recommend my favorite cocktail, "The Nutty Fig" its their take on a Moscow Mule and is gingerly superb! The service is friendly, attentive, and the environment is relaxed, but beware it can get busy really fast. (Disclaimer: I have never had an authentic Philly Cheesesteak from Philadelphia) Why is this important? I dunno, cause haters gonna hate. Why hate, when it is so much better to love and eat good food... and thats what you will find at Monti's. read more

Since Yelp is deliberately keeping me from responding to Kelly S.'s review in public, I thought I would respond this way. I feel as though her review, while accurate in some ways, is what is wrong with Yelp. I did not set up this account (my best guess is that Kelly S. set it up "for me" just to write her review) for the very reason that I did not want to get mean-spirited, one-sided reviews about errors in our service when we have only been open for three days! I was particulary upset when they said we wouldn't make it! I have opened a restaurant in an awful economy. I have hired over 10ppl most of them previously unemployed and yet this person is sitting in judgement of the fact that we our order of crayons didn't come in in time! FYI - when I was speaking to you "like sixth graders" I was actually addressing your young child. I am sorry you felt as though your experience was not stellar my advice is to stay away from brand new restaurants or show a little bit more compassion and tolerance, like the rest of the public does. BTW: I am only giving us four stars (like everyone else has) so that I didn't scew the reviews! Thanks to everyone else who has given us constructive feedback. We will continue to take it to heart and make changes to improve your experience at Monti's. read more

This place is amazing. I must admit I have never been to Philly so i do not know what a true philly tastes like but if its anything like this place, I will love it! I have tried everything on the menu. The buffalo wings are tasty, they are cooked just right and sloppy with the sauce which I enjoy. The calamari are a good go to when it is date night with the wife. Something yummy to pick at. I'm a fry person and I do not know what they do to their fries but my oh my they are delicious. I love to dip them in the spicy ketchup they have on hand. Now to the best part. I have tried all of their cheesesteaks. The rocky is incredible but be warned because it will punch you in the throat! in a good way of course. I appreciate that when they say spicy they mean it. A lot of places claim for a spicy item but really its not at all. The rocky is definitely spicy and amazing. The south side johnny is my absolute go to! The mushrooms, the horseradish, the cheese, the perfect bun. The pizza steak is to die for with the spicy ketchup. Of course, you can not go wrong with the authentic cheese steak. Even the egg cheesesteak is good and i would never think to order that when going out. They have a great beer menu and they also have a variety of hot sauces. You can not go wrong with this place! read more

I've lived in the neighborhood since before Monti's was Monti's, so my boyfriend and I finally stopped there for sandwiches and martinis before a party. Oh my goodness! I never thought I'd love a pile of beef so much. I got The Rocky (they were happy to accommodate my no onions preference) and it was amazing. The beef was so thin-shaved and juicy. The peppers were diced so tiny for subtle but bold flavor. The cheese wasn't overwhelming, just a perfect amount. Once I dipped a single fry in the spicy mayo that tops the sandwich, I had to ask for a little side of it to dip the rest. The fries are crispy and seasoned to perfection, too! By the time we were stuffed, we looked at each other and declared how much we couldn't wait to go back again already. Seriously, break away from the "heart" of Lincoln Square and move on over to the... kidney, I guess, because this gem should NOT be hidden! read more

Okay, I've already started a couple arguments with friends already, but authentic Philly Cheese Steaks officially kick the butt of Chicago's Italian Beef, no contest. It's all in the bun-- not bready at all and with a perfect chewiness. Also, the ingredients at this place are the best (black Angus rib eye and authentic rolls shipped from Philadelphia). If you want to try something a little different, get the South Side Johnny, with mushrooms, grilled onions, swiss cheese and horseradish sauce. Also of note, their fried calamari, which you would never associate with a cheese steak place, but trust me, perfectly breaded with some delicious lemons wheels and banana peppers thrown in to jazz things up. I am rating this place 5 stars as it is worth the 45 min train ride from downtown where I live to the northwest side. This is totally a destination restaurant for me. read more

Montis is a fantastic spot for authentic Philly cheesesteaks in Chicago! I've never had a cheesesteak in Chicago but we came here off a recommendation from a friend who claimed it was the best in the city so I was excited to try it. The sandwich was delicious, packed with flavor, and came with chips and a pickle--a nice touch. The beer selection was also great, with plenty of options to pair with the meal. I got the Christmas seasonal beer from Revolution which was cool they had those options on tap. The vibe inside is casual and welcoming, with both bar seating and tables available; we opted to sit at the bar. Service was quick--our food came out in less than 10 minutes! Our bartender/server was also great! If you're looking for a legit cheesesteak experience in Chicago, Montis is a must-visit. Not sure if you'll find any better options in the city! read more

The so-called $5 "martini" night is blatant false advertising! "mar·ti·ni /märtēnē/ noun a cocktail made from gin (or vodka) and dry vermouth, typically garnished with an olive or a twist of lemon." Point is, the word "martini" has an actual definition - what they offer are mini cocktails made with whatever booze and mixer they want. You can't just pour whatever you want into a martini glass and call it a martini!! So I could NOT get an ACTUAL martini for $5, just one of their fake mini cocktails. Seriously please re-consider this false advertising! We came in Friday as big martini fans for nothing, just disappointment. (btw only two stars instead of one because at least they were polite when delivering the disappointing news) read more

BEST Philly Cheesesteak in Chicago....I would even go so far as to say in Philly too! The rolls are legit so you know they are not screwing around...the meat is Black Angus Ribeye...nuff said! They have a really decent beer selection so I usually go there for a cold one and a steak at the bar. They got martini's and a kid's menu which means I bring the Wife and the Kid there too. Its got a nice cozy atmosphere with a few TVs to watch sports. The owners are almost always there...if James is there start up a conversation about beer...you won't regret it...that guy knows his craft beers! Great Food, Nice Atmosphere, Friendly Staff....what more could you want?!?! read more

I met Jennifer Monti at a Ladies of the Hospitality Industry networking event. She is the founder of this monthly networking event and has tremendous energy! I visited Monti's last month and was blown away by the Philly Cheesesteak! It was so delicious it melted in my mouth! We had the wings for an appetizer and they were huge and seasoned very well. I brought home Tastykakes which are flown in from Philadelphia. It was a great breakfast treat the next morning. I cant rave enough about the Cheesesteak from here! BEST EVER! read more

This is a small place and it can be a little pricey, but it is worth it. I've have been a number of times and never been disappointed. The steak on the philly cheese steak sandwiches is real steak, that they have made and sliced in-house, and you can taste the difference. It's a delicious sandwich! They have a great craft beer selection and even the sides and desserts are good. The restaurant is in a random section of town and it's a small business, so support this deliciousness folks! read more

Best Cheesesteak this side of Philly. Even had a Tastykake chaser! You need to get Birch Beer on the menu, but the Goose Island Root Beer was very good! Haven't lived in Philly for 20 years but when I go back, I always have a Geno's Steak. Very nice local place. If I didn't live 40 miles away I would try it on a Friday or Saturday night just to see this place "rock". Great beer selection too. Good Luck. Clean, pleasant staff, nice decor, good service and great food. read more

A group of friends all went out to try something new and we were very impressed with Monti's! It's comfort food with a gourmet twist. I especially loved the 'Rocky' - really packs a punch, please pardon the pun. The ambience was welcoming with great flair. I really enjoyed the fun, friendly staff. Anyone who wants a true taste of Philly, incredible Chicago pizza or just a good neighborhood joint to have a drink, should go - and often! read more

Don't get the hype. Its good, but at that price I expected much better. So they ship in their own bread and meat from Philly? Big deal. Its nothing special, just a gimmick. I used to live right next to it for 8 month and maybe ate there three times. Each time I regretted it and thought I should of went across the street to Nhu Lan and got a sub. They do have a nice craft beer selection. read more

We waited for over an hour at the bar there to try to order takeout. Nobody acknowledged us until we finally had to ask. It was quite amusing being the only ones at the bar at the time. Once we actually placed the order it took another 45 minutes to get our food together on a slow Sunday night. The food itself was bland and left you wanting more. Had to add our own seasonings. read more

From reading recent reviews, I noticed a reply from business owner David W. This guy sounds like a real smart a** and real piece of work. How does an owner of a business reply to a reviewer in this fashion. Bad for biz IMHO and for that simple reason, I would not do business with a "blithering idiot". Typical A P attitude with a twist. Good Luck David W!! read more