My wife and I had a wonderful time here on a date night! They had ample outdoor seating available which is wonderful during these odd covid times. Our server was quick and attentive so we never felt like we were waiting too long nor like we were being bothered. We ordered the lamb chop and short rib entrees. Both were amazing! Wonderful flavor and ample servings - both worth the price! Thumbs up to their mixologist as well as our cocktails were delicious and poured with a heavy hand! We will definitely be back to Rustico! read more

Has definitely become a local favorite! Lovely interesting foods for foodies and regular eaters alike! Great wine list too!

Food and ambiance was amazing! If you're in the area do yourself a favor and give Rustico a try! You won't regret it

Warm and cozy atmosphere. The service was exceptional and the food was delicious! I will definitely go back for more! The food was fresh and to our table 15 mins from placing our order. read more

The atmosphere in here is great. The woodwork and decor gave this place a really cool vibe. The service was very friendly and attentive. I ordered the red wine sangria and it was very tasty! So far so good but the food made me the happiest. The portions were very generous and the presentation was very pleasing that I just had to take pictures of all the yummy dishes. I will be dreaming of the white chocolate creme brulee tonight. I will be returning for happy hour! read more

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New to the OP neighborhood this place stands out with its beautiful interior and friendly staff! My girlfriend & I both had pollo paninis that came with delicious hand cut fries. Delicious. Great wine selection also. read more

Wonderful. I went with five hungry friends, and I feel like we tried pretty much everything. It's pretty much like I've been there three times for all the deliciousness we experienced! Smooth and knowledgable service, a varied and well executed menu, and tasty cocktails. Definitely has a Mediterranean feel -- warm, vibrant, colorful -- and plenty of garlic!! Will definitely be back. read more

What a super disappointment this evening. Went there with my family. Service was far beyond bad. Didn't speak English. We where not told of the specials. No kids menus. Took 40 minutes for the spaghetti for the kids to come out. Menus where dirty. I will def not be back. So many other choices in OP. read more

I loved the food, the service, and the amazing staff! I also felt very safe with their Covid safety protocols.

This place was great! Came on a Friday night, very short wait. Service was excellent, and so was the ambiance of the whole place. The food was cooked well, tasted amazing, and was fairly priced! We had the gnocchi and the paella. And the dessert, Rustico bizcocho, was a yummy coconut dish with ice cream. Overall, big fan of this spot. read more

We had dinner here last night and absolutely loved it. Everyone was very happy with their food, I had the braised short ribs and it was fantastic. Great service and very nice ambiance. We'll definitely be back. read more

We had dinner here on a Sunday evening and it was a nice vibe. The food was great. Loved the small plates and main entrees. The seafood Paella was delicious. Will definitely return to this restaurant. read more

Oak Park has a handful of my favorites, but this one is topping that list. Both times we visited, we had an exceptional experience. Service is wonderful and the food is amazing. Tapas portions are big so ordering one tapas suffices. We tried couple different ones and I couldn't choose a favorite. Definitely coming back. read more

Just phenomenal! We usually head out to Hillside for Tapas because it's close to home but keeps us from having to go into the city. . .this is our new place. Fantastic service, outstanding food and all around excellent. We loved their dog friendly patio and the cocktails and sangria are some of the best around. Food was exceptional and the desserts were delicious! Chef Gabriel came out at the end of our meal to thank us for coming in and we promised him we will be back. So glad to have found this place so close to home. Definitely try it out! read more

Love this place! Food is always delicious and the service is always top notch. We did the family meal and got a variety of pasta and meat. We added the wine onto the order. I love letting others pick the wine so I can try something new. He picked a great one that went with the meal perfectly. read more

Great experience. My wife and I dropped by on a Saturday night without a reservation and it was packed. We waited a fairly short while and when a couple spots opened up at the end of the bar we took those. It was right next to the kitchen section and we got a front row seat to the cooking action which added a nice extra vibe to the dinner. The head chef chatted with us for a little - very nice fellow. They have a large menu of entrees, plus you can opt to select from a tapa's menu. We went with the tapa's and had the Brussel sprouts (awesome), crab cake (awesome), and shrimp skewer (very good). This was our first time there and we were both thoroughly impressed, food was great and overall a very pleasant experience. read more

Ventured out to the burbs to experience what Oak Park is all about and found ourselves headed to Rustico for dinner. They were bustling and crowded on this Saturday night, but our table of 6 ended up only waiting about 10-15 minutes past our reservation time. Everything was so delicious and so reasonably priced! We had two bottles of wine, which were both really tasty and under $40. Our table indulged in multiple tapas options and I would recommend everything we got: - Caprese Salad ($11): We ordered 2 for table of 5, which was just enough. Standard caprese salad with a good portion of mozzarella. - Calamari con Gambas Frito ($13): Delicious, lightly breaded & fried calamari with shrimp & a creamy aioli sauce - Queso de Cabra ($9): Creamy, baked goat cheese with marinara and crostinis to dip in! - Gambas al Ajillo ($11): Shrimp in a warm white wine sauce & cherry tomatoes. - Patatas Bravas ($7): Fried potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce and creamy aioli on the side to dip! - Pincho de Solomillo($13): Beef skewers with green/red bell peppers and caramelized onions. Probably my least favorite dish, because it was a smaller portion size to split, beef wasn't super tender and it was one of the most expensive! - Marguerita Pizza ($13): decent sized, typical marguerita pizza = delicious! We had a night of delicious wine, delicious tapas and an affordable bill to top it all off! Definitely would stop in again! read more

Excellent dinner at this spot in Oak Park! Our server Sal was really helpful in terms of suggesting wine and some appetizers. We started with the Plato Rustico - a great mix of cheese and cured meats. Their burrata was amazing and we also shared an order of gnocchi which was a stand out of the meal. Gambas al Ajillo was another dish we enjoyed which is shrimp in a wine sauce with cherry tomato. The chef even said hi and described how he makes his gnocchi! Friendly atmosphere and this place is worth the trip from downtown. read more

I have a new favorite Oak Park restaurant. I finally, after months of talking about it, got a chance to stop in for cocktails and tapas last night. I was very impressed with both. The cocktails are crafted by a very talented bar staff and my wife was similarly happy with her drink. Likewise, the three dishes we had while sitting at the bar were all equally delicious: we had the goat cheese, Brussels sprouts, and roasted calamari. There are a few different restaurants in Oak Park that do great Brussels sprouts, but Rustico has the best offering. The space is very comfortable and has a cool "Spanish cantina" vibe. Finally, the service was exceptional and you're made to feel welcome. We'll be back soon. read more

I love this place! This is my 2nd visit. I need to come back more often. The beets carpaccio with scallops was amazing. The steak skewer was great both times I have visited. Nice wine list, A variety of cocktails. Really good Sangria and the staff is attentive. read more

Excellent Italian and tapas restaurant in what I consider a "good food" restaurant desert in Oak Park. Seafood paella and seafood fettuccine were both great. Keep up the good work! read more

Best thing about COVID has been discovering this place. Absolutely delicious. Short rib risotto? Amazing. Pappardelle bolognese? As good as my Italian family's. Costilla? Holy cow. Look forward to going in person someday. read more

I went to Rustico last night with my daughter. What a treat from the first step inside! The atmosphere is warm and inviting. Long bar to the left and beautifully set tables to the right. Our water choice was immediately served and warm bread quickly appeared at our table. There is a tasty olive oil for dipping. We both ordered vodka gimlets. Though a simple drink, many places can't make a good one. Rustico made a very good gimlet! We decided to have 3 tapas for dinner. We started with a meat/cheese/olive board, which was enough for two and just right. Then we had a garlic shrimp dish with tomatoes. Delicious....my daughter started soaking up the sauce with her bread, not wasting a single drop. Then we had a beef skewer with crispy French fried potatoes. Everything was top notch. The staff couldn't have been more friendly or attentive. Dessert?! We opted for the salted caramel banana with ice cream. Oh my goodness! Simply yummy!!!! We requested the check, but before the waiter came back, we decided to extend our wonderful, relaxing meal by asking for some Bailey's on ice. Perfect! Somewhere along the line, the waiter realized we were there to celebrate my birthday, so at the end, the owner came to wish me a happy birthday. He could not have been nicer or more gracious. If you live in the area, Rustico is a place that will give you a 'downtown' feel and interesting food choices closer to home. If you live in Chicago or western suburbs, it is worth a drive to Oak Park to eat here. The prices are more reasonable than in the city, too. We were told there is a wait for tables over the weekend, so if you want to enjoy this new restaurant without a wait, come during the week. It won't be long, though, before more diners will find this new restaurant, and the weekdays will be busy, too. Rustico is really a special restaurant!!! read more

Chef overheard me asking if there is a cheese plate available. He came over and offered to make me one. He presented me with a gorgeous antipasti platter of cheeses, artichoke hearts, peppers, and olives. The platter and our dinner were delicious. Love the care and attention provided.Great new restaurant. Tapas and other Spanish fare. Tapas portion size larger than other restaurants. Good flavours, fresh ingredients. Staff is friendly and attentive if occasionally overwhelmed during peak hours. read more

This is my go-to spot for a night out. The food never disappoints, and is consistently fresh, delicious and flavorful! A few stand outs are the scallops with mushrooms, grilled octopus, beef short ribs, and of course, the paella. Great wine selection, great food, and great service! read more

We had a party there and everyone's food was fantastic, especially the desserts. It was very crowded on a Saturday evening and the only problem is that it's very noisy and a hard place to hear what's being said even at your table. read more

I was very excited to try the steak. The night we went we sat outside, which was very nice. We had called ahead to make reservations but when we showed up it was obvious that reservations were not necessary. I was excited that the special of the night was a New York strip. But the meat was tough. It had an obvious seam in it. I've rarely sent food back, but in this case it was necessary. I had ordered it medium rare and while there was pink and it looked juicy, the problem was mostly with the quality of the meat itself. Out of curiosity, because the waiter was being so helpful, I asked where the meat had come from. He was pretty generous to go ask! He returned with the information that it was from IPB, which, if you Google them, you see that they are the largest meat packers in the United States and that they're very anti labor, which translates to poor meat quality. I didn't think that this place was a farm to table restaurant, that wasn't me this as poor of quality as was the cut I was given, it's time to maybe rethink? The cocktail I had was great, and the server was very nice, but we won't be back. read more

The tapas is a good size. Everything tasted more than we expected. The noise level is high inside, so if you want a quiet seating, outside is recommended...weather permitting, of course. read more

Solid new addition to the Lake Street dining scene. The beef skewer tapas is particularly delicious. Good service and a lovely build out of the old Mexican spot read more

Excellent!!! Food was delicious and hot. I will definitely pass the word around. Bravo....

My new favorite restaurant in Oak Park. This place has awesome tapas, a killer watermelon margarita (and good, reasonable wine list), and while it doesn't have a kids menu, has options like pizza and pasta that my kids eat happily. Try the patatas bravas, goat cheese, octopus and truffle gnocchi! read more

Do not go here. We have been twice previously and it was ok. Not great. But ok. Tonight, Valentine's Day, we went and were seated at a table so filthy that the chair literally stuck to me when I tried to get up. When I complained, no one did a single compensatory thing about it. Not one. My pants were literally covered in goo of some sort. Any restaurant worth a dime would have offered to clean my pants, and buy us dinner. Not Rustico. Instead, they reported to Open Table that we had failed to show for our reservation and I faced an angry email from Open Table in addition to filthy clothes and no dinner. As my husband so aptly put it, nothing could compel me to eat somewhere that dirty ever again. read more

Pizza was undercooked and lacking flavor. I love brick oven pizza, so was excited to try this. My husband's pork tenderloin was overcooked and a little chewy. Service was very attentive. Overall, it was just ok. read more

Here for lunch with friends on a Sunday afternoon. No wait, small place but lovely ambiance. I ordered the smoke salmon ravioli and others ordered the prosciutto and arugula pizza, fettuccine frutti mare and fettuccine Bolognese. All food was delicious, great service and overall enjoyed dinner here. read more

If you're looking for a great dinner in all aspects try this place! I highly recommend their pizza and pasta dishes! The black truffle gnocchi was to die for and they had a special with salmon that was absolutely divine. It doesn't stop there because they also have dessert and the creme brûlée was so rich and creamy I cant stop thinking about it. Y'all must try it out!! read more

Wow New comer hits a home run. Properly priced wine list and incredible quality and selection. Gabriel is so much on top and pleasant. read more

I wanted to love this restaurant. It's very well put together, great ambiance and service however the tapas I ordered lacked flavor: patatas bravas and gambas al ajillo. The bread was good and they constantly filled our water, so I'd say it may be worth a trip back if you don't order the tapas. read more

Our first visit this week. Great atmosphere, wonderful food, great service! We tried the meatballs tapas and crab cake tapas -- both full of flavor. And the shrimp thin pizza was delicious too. Why did we wait so long to try this place? read more

When you walk in you about drool because it smells heavenly in here! The waiter was very sweet and I was ready to eat up! My eyes were much bigger than my stomach! read more

Great dinner,lovely place. Came here on a Saturday night for my Bday dinner with four girlfriends;tried the pulpo,patatas bravas,beef tenderloin skewers,goat cheese and crab cakes for apps/small plates. All were super flavorful and cooked perfectly. Looooooved the skinny little fries that came with one dish,forget which one. I had the lamb chops which the server recommended-probably one of the top 5 lamb chops I've ever had. One girl had the steak and it was like butter (ribeye?) another friend had the penne with sausage in a tomato cream which I also tried and it was perfectly al dente and delicious. Everyone liked their dinner and immensely enjoyed the coconut cake and homemade strawberry gelato,so much as to order dessert to take home...If you like good food then come here. Super nice people,cute place for a group or a date,or a family meal. Full bar and tv to keep an eye on the game(GO CUBS!) Happy from bread to dessert. Oak Park is lucky to have such a gem. Will be back. read more