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    Orso's

    3.7 (721 reviews)
    ModerateItalian
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Order Orso's Takeout or Delivery

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    ORSO'S ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Romantic
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Orso's

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    Reviews With Photos

    Bruschetta
    Amelia B.

    Right on par with its description, Orso's is indeed a charming family-owned Italian restaurant serving a variety of dishes to suit even the pickiest of palates. Had the pleasure of dining on the back patio which one might call a "little slice of heaven." The dishes ordered were all delicious. The favorite of the night was the prosciutto pasta!

    Jalapeno Gnocchi
    Amisha R.

    A classic Italian spot with comforting pasta, pizza and entrees. The tiramisu was also delicious. I ordered the famous jalapeno gnocchi which is flavorful and a bit spicy, and comes with the option of olive and garlic sauce or vodka sauce. The bruschetta is a bit messy. The service was chaotic, with the server completely missing one of our appetizers. A bit of a disappointment, but the food was great and the ambiance romantic.

    16 inch Thin Crust Pizza with green peppers, mushroom, and sausage
    Andrew D.

    Whoever said a "third times a charm" never ate at Orso's. My wife and I returned for a third time last night to celebrate her birthday. We thought we would try the pizza this time. Honestly, we were hoping to enjoy some beer and pizza. Unfortunately, strike three. I really want to love Orso's. The location and interior decor are sublime. However, all that is lost on the first, second, and last bite of their food. I'm certain that I am not the only one who struggles to eat and digest the food. Service is good, but not great. Our waiter came to the table to take our drink orders. He looked at us and stated "I think I've served you before". He was our server on our last two visits. His name is Scott and he was surprised that I remembered. The problem isn't the service it's the food. We decided since we were having pizza we would start our meal with a beer. I ordered the Crispy Beer for Pizza which was described as a light IPA. My wife ordered a Peroni Draft. Both drinks were draft beers and served warm. Not a good start. Draft beers should always be served in a chilled glass with a slight head of foam. Scott returned to the table and took our pizza order. We opted for a 16 inch thin crust with sausage, green pepper, and mushroom. The pizza came to the table and the first bite was dry, yet crispy. The pizza had a scant covering of sauce and the toppings (if you could find them) were practically nonexistent on the pie. The pieces on the edges were crispy; however, as we ate the center pieces the pizza was greasy, soggy, and flavorless. I mentioned during our meal, and when making the reservation, that we would be celebrating my wife's birthday. I ordered the Tiramisu and my wife ordered a pistachio gelato. Scott brought the gelato to the table with a candle and sang happy birthday with me to my wife. Thank you Scott. I appreciated the gesture. The tiramisu was melted and warm. It looked and tasted like it had been sitting out defrosting before being served. It definitely was not fresh. Again, I really want to love Orso's. I just can't until they improve upon the disaster that is going on in their kitchen. It's a shame because the location, interior decor, and patio are stunning. I could sit in Orso's dining room all day and be happy, as long as I'm not eating. "I am a sucker for those old traditional places, and [Orso's] is as good as it gets"; however, the food needs to match the magnificence of the decor. It does not.

    Inside
    Mary R.

    Love this place . It made me feel my heritage . The food was amazing . The house salad had many olives and cheese. It is beautiful with many dining rooms. The dining room were in is standard and European beauty. Our server victor was excellent. I will most definitely come here again .

    Jalapeno Gnocchi
    Ali B.

    I ordered through uber eats so I can only speak to the food and that the food was ready on time! They did well on making sure they got everything ready on time and it arrived fresh! I couldn't say no to jalepeno gnocchi, two of my favorite things together, and my dad got a bruschetta panini, also two of his favorite things together! I got the the oil and garlic as my sauce and I think it was maybe too much oil and garlic like I should've had a different sauce. I also added mozzerella which was a good choice! I had a bunch left over. My dad said his bruschetta sandwich was delicious and he had leftovers. He had sweet potato fries as his side and shared them, yum! Pricing was very reasonable given the large portion size. Glad we ordered from here.

    Calamari Fritti
    Erica B.

    Cute Italian spot in Old Town though I wish we had been seated inside instead of out back. They had table bread, but it was just plain bread with oil. For apps, the Caesar salad was amazing; so good we ordered a second with dinner. The bruschetta was decent. I'm not a big calamari fan and this was no different. The burrata caprese was also just fine. For mains, the Tortellacci was reallllly good - between the sauce and they gave a lot of prosciutto. I also really enjoyed the tomato-ness of the penne Alla vodka. The mushroom risotto was also really good, but could've been a little cheesier. We got the special rosemary chicken and the chicken Marsala and both were pretty good, but the broccoli that was with it was boring. I wasn't a big fan of the pizza bianco. Too much arugula and barely any cheese.

    Bat gluten-free pizza and regular pizza in the city so far! AND a place in Chicago that actually still makes chocolate martinis and they are delicious! Thank you! We searched all over Chicago and have only found one other place that makes a legit one. I've had many gluten free pizzas around the city. This one actually tastes like regular pizza, even my boyfriend likes it and he's usually not a fan of GF anything. Their regular pizzas are what a pizza should look and taste like as well! Great sauce flavor, sausage was excellent, veggies were cooked just right, a good amount of ingredients all over and all the way to the edge, perfectly cooked! So good! We actually worsened twice from there bc it's legit. Our new fave pizza spot. Outdoor atmosphere was cozy. Server was excellent!

    Lisa L.

    We made reservations and were seated immediately. We sat in a large area and in the back that was an open concept. The pasta ala vodka was great and the calamari was very good. The drinks were on the strong side and our server was attentive.

    Chicken, Bacon, Sun Dried Tomato, Spinach Pizza
    Anastasiya K.

    Went to Orso's for the first time today for their Wednesday buy one get one free pizza deal. We sat outside on the patio. The ambiance was nice and the NA Aperol Spritz was good, but the food was bad. The pizza used frozen crust and the toppings were flavorless and felt thrown together from random items in the kitchen. Would not recommend and will not be returning. If you're looking for a good Italian meal, look elsewhere.

    Jalapeno Gnocchi Thin Crust pizza  Penne alla Vodka
    Rahima J.

    Orso's went above and beyond with its service. They accommodated a group of 20 people an hour before closing, got all of the food right and out on time, and were very gracious with the party the entire time. The jalepeno gnocchi is to die for and I think about it at least once a day. I will be coming back for that.

    Calamari alla Griglia
    Ernie H.

    Let me start with the positives, cordial staff and host, fair pricing for old town, large portions, excellent bread and good food. Shout out to the clams casino and tortellaci al prosciutto. You can skip the grilled calamari and portobello mushrooms. Why 3 stars? It's because we were seated in the Tiffany room otherwise known as the basement. Granted we're not the only ones there. I ask for outdoor seating up front which was all taken-fine. But I later discovered they have a huge beautiful patio outback. IDK maybe that was full too this Saturday night but that doesn't negate my feeling like a second class citizen in the basement.

    Chicken Verdino
    Anirudh J.

    I came here with a group of friends and it's the perfect spot for a get together! The ambiance felt like being in a little town in Italy, it was cute! We could hear the live music playing too! The waiters were great and quick with service. I ordered the chicken verdino! It was a juicy chicken and the mushrooms were beautifully sautéed! I just didn't understand the use of potatoes. They weren't bad or anything, but I wasn't expecting it. One doesn't expect potato wedges with their Italian food, and it wasn't on the menu. It stuck out like a sore thumb. Overall, the ambiance and service exceeded my expectations, but the food could be more cohesive with a traditional Italian dining experience that is advertised.

    Sample menu made by cousins family featuring meal items for the family style dinner
    Chrissy F.

    Probably the best tiramisu I've had in my life so far. Initially visited for my cousins rehearsal dinner and loved the family style servings and space for family and friends. Good spot for date night, dinners, parties. If it wasn't for my headache I'd enjoy the food even more but each bite I had was comforting and delish. I can see why the couple enjoyed their dates here enough to have their rehearsal dinner! Service was attentive and they made the best use of their space as they could. Could bathe in their Alfredo sauce *yum*

    May 2024

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    Page 1 of 19

    Orso's Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Orso's

    Is the spinach ravioli vegan? I can't find if its only spinach or if it also has cheese in it.

    If I had to guess, probably not. Most raviolis have egg in the dough if they make it fresh so I would inquire with the resteraunt!

    What is their current happy hours?

    Here you are my friend, only took 3 seconds in google to help you out! Monday Specials 1/2 Off Wine… Read more

    Do they allow dogs on their patio?

    No they do not. Just checked today and they turned us away

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Peanut Park Trattoria - Sausage and Peppers

    Peanut Park Trattoria

    (160 reviews)

    University Village

    Food was fantastic. The special burrata with the prosciutto and apple is a must order. The main…read morecourse of pastas was fantastic. Though fresh parmigiana and red pepper was offered my orrichetta (sp?) and my friends bolognese were both soot in Drinks- wine and mixed drinks were generous and delicious. As good as all that was--. It eas the service that stuck out. Maggie was fantastic. Attentive, pleasant, and consistent in her attention. An incredible dining experience. Ill be back.

    Although I am a new customer, I've been loyal to Peanut Park for the past six months and have…read morerecommended it to many friends and family. Up until tonight, my experiences had always been positive and the food was fantastic. Unfortunately, this visit was more than disappointing. I ordered a salad I've had at least a dozen times before, accept I added grilled chicken on top. I live for this salad and was just there maybe three weeks ago. Unaware that they have changed their menu, I ordered as usual. The name of the salad has not changed on the menu, but apparently the ingredients had been completely altered. When the dish arrived, to my surprise, it was drastically different and not something I enjoyed at all. I politely informed our server, who was kind and accommodating, and offered to replace the dish. However, it was now 6 p.m. we had tickets to see The Wiz at 7 p.m. and didn't have time to wait for another order, which I also informed her. I asked if the salad could be removed from the bill since it was essentially untouched. The server checked with the owner, who refused to remove the $30 salad or offer any kind of discount. When a restaurant changes a dish but keeps the same name, it creates a reasonable expectation for returning customers. When that expectation isn't met, basic customer service should step in. What makes this even more frustrating is that the restaurant was willing to prepare an entirely new dish, but not willing to remove the uneaten one from the bill. That simply isn't logical. If you're prepared to replace an item, it clearly acknowledges there was an issue, so refusing to comp or adjust the original charge is unreasonable. That decision was extremely disappointing. I, in-turn made the decision to eat only the additional grilled chicken on top, leaving the rest of the salad, paying the full bill and promptly getting out of there so we could be on time for our show. The only positive part of the experience was our server, who handled the situation with professionalism and kindness. Sadly, the new menu leaves much to be desired and this experience has cost Peanut Park my business and my referrals going forward.

    Ciccio Mio - Black Truffle Bucatini

    Ciccio Mio

    (632 reviews)

    $$$

    River North, Near North Side

    Truly one of the most enjoyable Italian food experiences in Chicago. It's worth the effort to plan…read moreahead and make a reservation. Reservations are released 21 days ahead of time, which I personally find impossible to make. Every time I've checked over the last several years there have been no availability. Yesterday I decided to pop on their website again and was delighted to find that they had released same day dinner reservations for patio only dining. The weather was perfect for outdoor dining so I went ahead and booked a table for Friday night. I felt like I won the dinner lottery. Service was wonderful and I didn't mind sitting outside at all next to the road with cars. I actually never stepped foot in the restaurant so cannot comment on what it's like inside. But do not give up that patio dining reservation if it's available. All of our dishes were delicious. I was really impressed by the meatball appetizers, chicken vesuvio (the potatoes are a must get as a side if you skip this dish), and branzino. The meats and sauces were wonderfully balanced and tender. Nothing tasted overly salted. Ironically, the pasta felt less of a star compared to the other dishes. And of course I had to get the gelato, which was so aesthetically presented and the taste just reminded me of an Italian summer vacation.

    Downgrading bc of the pickup service I had today. (Spoiler: Karen the host is aptly named). I…read moreconsistently order pickup (direct and DD) and it's usually quick and consistent - my order is always ready before the quoted time. Today, I came in and there was no host at the front for long enough that several people just walked straight back (maybe they were meeting someone but didn't seem like it) and several servers walked in and outside without greeting. By the time Karen shows up again, it's me and another person waiting. Instead of asking "who was here first?" She services the white man, why would you assume he's there first?, and I have to listen to him asking if he can sit at the bar, doesn't understand why he can't sit at the bar, needs recommendations nearby where he can drink and wait at, if they'll hold his bags, and his whole life story. She's about to walk away with his bags when I say that I was here first and I'm picking up. She tells me go to the side window outside which I've never been prompted to do. I say so and she asks for the name, if I'm the person it's for and the gets on her walkie to see if anyone can walk it up. No apology and didn't appreciate her tone throughout the exchange. I like the bucatini and spicy rigatoni but if I order next time, will avoid Karen who had terrible vibes.

    Orso's - italian - Updated May 2026

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