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Monastero's Reviews List
Monastero's
Escape on a culinary tour of Italy to satisfy your every gourmet desire. Monastero's Ristorante has been serving the best Italian "food with flavor" for over 46 years. Begin your journey in our contemporary Main Dining Room or Garden Atrium, selecting from our extensive menu of traditional Italian and Sicilian specialties or one of the mouth watering new creations of Executive Chef, Joseph S. Monastero, Jr.
Joe, along with his parents, Joseph and Martha, fellow second generation members Maria Elizabeth, his cousin, and Maria Giorgia, his sister, and their welcoming and attentive staff look forward to serving you a true taste of the best Italian cuisine has to offer.
For Reservations of 9 or more guests, please call 773-588-2515
See more Monastero's details
63 Current Reviews
Summary of Diner Ratings & Reviews
Overall
(Outstanding)
4
/
5
Rating Breakdown 63 reviews
5 stars
(23)
4 stars
(26)
3 stars
(9)
2 stars
(3)
1 star
(2)
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
3.9
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
Filter Reviews By:
Diners classify this restaurant as:
- neighborhood gem(42)
- good for groups(26)
- special occasion(26)
- romantic(15)
- fit for foodies(12)
- kid-friendly(10)
Monastero's Reviews List
Review 1 for Monastero's
Overall rating
(Fair)
2
/
5
Monasteros
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Fair)
2
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Went for mothers day brunch. Waiter was slow and inexperienced. Food was poor at best. No taste. Very bland.
Way overvpriced. Paid 29.99 for 3 shrimp and some bland noodles.
Would not recommend."
Way overvpriced. Paid 29.99 for 3 shrimp and some bland noodles.
Would not recommend."
Dined on 5/12/2013
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Review 2 for Monastero's
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Great service and the food was terrific! Really nice menu selection and unique dishes. You'll love it!"
Dined on 4/30/2013
Special Features: good for groups, romantic, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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Review 3 for Monastero's
Overall rating
(Fair)
2
/
5
This was my first visit to
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Fair)
2
/
5
Ambiance
(Fair)
2
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"This was my first visit to the restaurant. Had to wait several minutes before being acknowledged by anyone at the hostess desk. Then had to wait a bit prior to being seated. Felt the service was slow. The waitress only mentioned cream of chicken soup when I ordered and it wasn't until my husband ordered that she told him they also had minestrone which I then changed my salad to minestrone soup. Food itself tasted fine but the prices were too high and service too poor to warrant a repeat visit."
Dined on 04/20/2013
2007
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Review 4 for Monastero's
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Wonderful neighborhood family
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Wonderful neighborhood family place. Great food. Live piano music added to ambience. I think this was our waitresses first night. Probably not a good idea to have a new waitress handle a bigger table right away. There were 7 of us. She made a couple of mistakes on the drink and food orders, but managed to correct them when they were brought to her attention. I think she was a big overwhelmed. Food was a long time coming, but very good when it finally arrived. Of course, we will go there again. It is a family favorite."
Dined on 04/06/2013
2006
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Review 5 for Monastero's
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Wonderful food and service. All
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Wonderful food and service.
All four of us found the food we ordered to be very good, and with no appetizers, a very sufficient meal."
All four of us found the food we ordered to be very good, and with no appetizers, a very sufficient meal."
Dined on 04/06/2013
2004
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, kid-friendly, neighborhood gem, special occasion, great for lunch, hot spot
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Review 6 for Monastero's
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Extremely friendly service
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Extremely friendly service and comfortable old world italian charm. Everthing is homeade.I will definetly return as they owners and help really appreciate your business. The owner came to our table three times to thank us,the server couldn't have been more attentive."
Dined on 03/26/2013
2010
Special Features: good for groups, kid-friendly, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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Review 7 for Monastero's
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Had live music--piano & opera
Food
(Poor)
1
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Had live music--piano & opera singer. That made up for marginal food."
Dined on 03/23/2013
2011
Special Features: good for groups, neighborhood gem
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Review 8 for Monastero's
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Early Lunch
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"I have been before for bridal showers and Christmas luncheons. Recently I have been twice for lunch. On both occasions we had the same waitress, she was very pleasant and efficient and didn't mind us holding a brief meeting or just talking once we had finished our meal. It was a very pleasant experience and convenient for those of us who live in nearby neighborhoods."
Dined on 03/12/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, great for brunch, neighborhood gem, special occasion, great for lunch
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Review 9 for Monastero's
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
I've been to Monastero's several
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Poor)
1
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"I've been to Monastero's several times and usually the food and service are good. However, on this last visit, the service was exceedingly slow. There was only one waitress working the room, and because we were talking, I think she thought it was okay to not attend our table for long periods at a time. In fact, because of this slow service, we arrived at 6:30pm and did not leave until 10:30pm. On top of that, one of the guests at our table ordered the whitefish entree; it had an off flavor (almost tasted soapy) that made it inedible. However, the waitress never came by to ask about our food. I know that a restaurant can have an off night, but we all walked out saying that this may be our last visit."
Dined on 03/09/2013
2007
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Review 10 for Monastero's
Overall rating
(Fair)
2
/
5
food was good, service was
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Fair)
2
/
5
Ambiance
(Fair)
2
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"food was good, service was on the slow side, the opera singers were a little to loud at times, the wine list is a joke. Selections were bad and the pricing was way off, cheaper to order 4 glasses than buying the bottle. the place could a little upgrade on the decor.
Very little attention paid to detail."
Very little attention paid to detail."
Dined on 03/09/2013
2001
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Review 11 for Monastero's
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
It had been over 30 years
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"It had been over 30 years since we'd eaten there. What a pleasant surprise. We'll be back soon. Pasta homemade, very accomodating service, and the food was really good."
Dined on 03/07/2013
2010
Special Features: kid-friendly, neighborhood gem
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Review 12 for Monastero's
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Great Itailian Food
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Food was very good. Service excellent! Added bonus of having an opera singer perform during dinner. Parking is a problem - no where to park once their lot is full.
One critisism is that one of the waitresses dropped the off one of the cake trays. She put it on the side and served the cake. About 10 minutes later when she thought no one was watching she proceded to put the cover back on the cake and into the refrigerator. The cover was dropped in a well traveled area and who knows what stuck to it when it hit the floor. If this is done in the dining area who knows what happens int he kitchen."
Dined on 03/02/2013
2008
Special Features: neighborhood gem
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Review 13 for Monastero's
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Pianist and vocalist -- terrific!
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Pianist and vocalist -- terrific!"
Dined on 03/02/2013
2004
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem
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Review 14 for Monastero's
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Always an enjoyable experience.
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Always an enjoyable experience."
Dined on 02/23/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies
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Review 15 for Monastero's
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Great food, great music, great
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Great food, great music, great time. Just wonderful. A hidden jem."
Dined on 02/23/2013
2004
Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, good for groups, late-night find, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, romantic, special occasion
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Review 16 for Monastero's
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Quiet on weeknights -1,000
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Quiet on weeknights -1,000 points offer- delicious meal & attentive service."
Dined on 02/13/2013
2006
Special Features: good for groups, neighborhood gem
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Review 17 for Monastero's
Overall rating
(Poor)
1
/
5
Absolutely Horrible
Food
(Poor)
1
/
5
Service
(Fair)
2
/
5
Ambiance
(Poor)
1
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Absolutely horrible. We wait for a host to seat us, the bussers and servers all looked at us like we were aliens. No one said hello or seemed to care we were there. 2-3minutes after standing there a server took us to a seat. It then took 5 minutes before we were greeted. Ordered prosciutto wrapped artichoke, well it wasn't wrapped nor was it on a bed of mixed greens and the prosciutto was low quality. I ordered linguine in clam sauce and it was awful, I wanted to send it back but I hadn't eaten all day and it was 7pm. It is honestly the worst meal I've had in chicago in the last 5 years. My fiance ordered meat tortelini in bolognese sauce, which the sauce looked like ragu and there was no meat in the sauce. DON'T EAT HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Dined on 02/10/2013
2010
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Review 18 for Monastero's
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
It was my friend's birthday,
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"It was my friend's birthday, and he is Sicilian along with friends and family members. Everyone loved their food, and the cannoli cake was so fresh."
Dined on 02/08/2013
2005
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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Review 19 for Monastero's
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Gracious Hospitality
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Generally consistent meals, great for our group of 10 friends who gather every other month for dinner. We enjoy the service, the food and Monastero's management is always accommodating and gracious."
Dined on 01/17/2013
2005
Special Features: good for groups
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Review 20 for Monastero's
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
we always enjoy the food and
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"we always enjoy the food and the family of owners, they are great!"
Dined on 01/26/2013
2011
Special Features: good for groups, neighborhood gem
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Review 21 for Monastero's
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Nice dining area, good service,
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Nice dining area, good service, my water glass was never empty."
Dined on 01/26/2013
2012
Special Features: neighborhood gem
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Ratings-Only Reviews for Monastero's
Based on the average of (42) ratings-only reviews
Overall
(Outstanding)
4.2
/
5
4 out of 4 recommend this product
Food
(Outstanding)
4.2
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
4.2
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate