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Il Vicinato RistoranteReservations
Restaurant Reviews List >
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Italian Restaurant Reviews
Il Vicinato Ristorante Reviews List
Il Vicinato Ristorante
IL Vicinato is immersed in the Heart of Chicago’s Little Italy Neighborhood. This authentic piece of Italy is a hidden gem that has passionately created dishes from old world recipes for 40 years. Appetizers are a great start with such favorites as twice Baked Clams, Red Roasted Peppers, and Grilled Octopus. Our signature dishes include Homemade Veal Ravioli’s, Chicken Vesuvio, and Steak Rinaldo that will make your dining experience an event to remember. If you save room, choose from one of our delectable desserts! We have daily specials; some created and named after customers. Our welcoming atmosphere and family orientated staff will make you a “regular.” Customers come from city and suburbs alike to dine with us. Corporate events welcomed. Dishes are plentiful and accompanied by an extensive wine list and full bar. Great stop before United Center, U.S. Cell and Soldier Field. See us at Check Please, and a recent review by CLTV Chicago's Best.
See more Il Vicinato Ristorante details
37 Current Reviews
Summary of Diner Ratings & Reviews
Overall
(Outstanding)
4.1
/
5
Rating Breakdown 37 reviews
5 stars
(17)
4 stars
(11)
3 stars
(6)
2 stars
(3)
1 star
(0)
Food
(Very Good)
3.9
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
4.3
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
3.8
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
Filter Reviews By:
Diners classify this restaurant as:
- neighborhood gem(23)
- good for groups(12)
- fit for foodies(6)
- romantic(6)
- kid-friendly(5)
- special occasion(5)
Il Vicinato Ristorante Reviews List
Review 1 for Il Vicinato Ristorante
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"A very comfortable restuarant with great service."
Dined on 5/13/2013
Special Features: good for groups, neighborhood gem
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Review 2 for Il Vicinato Ristorante
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Pretty Good
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"It was OK, middle of the road. The prices were reasonable but with ALL the restaurants around there and Little Italy, I probably wouldn't go back. I had the gnocchi with gorgonzola it was ok, and my husband had the carbonara which was SUPER greasy and not at all what we were used to. They were very accommodating to my kids and seemed to understand that with a 3 and six-year-old, you're in a time crunch. Service was really good."
Dined on 5/12/2013
Special Features: kid-friendly
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Review 3 for Il Vicinato Ristorante
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Food was great, staff was attentive, comfortable place"
Dined on 5/03/2013
Special Features: good for groups, neighborhood gem, great for lunch
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Review 4 for Il Vicinato Ristorante
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
What a wonderful dining experience!
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"What a wonderful dining experience! The roasted peeper appetizer melted in my mouth. And the Chicken Parmesan was simply incredible. This has become one of my favorite Italian restaurants. Not only for the food but the ambiance that reminds me of a small cafe in Italy."
Dined on 04/20/2013
2013
Special Features: good for groups, late-night find, neighborhood gem, romantic
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Review 5 for Il Vicinato Ristorante
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Simple, standard and very
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Simple, standard and very well done."
Dined on 04/11/2013
2012
Special Features: kid-friendly, neighborhood gem
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Review 6 for Il Vicinato Ristorante
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
My wife and I were overwhelmed
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"My wife and I were overwhelmed by our dining experience this past Saturday. The meal began with roasted red peppers that simply melted in our mouths. The main course pork chops and home made gnocchi were simply out of this world. And the ambiance made us feel as if we were dining in a small cafe in Italy."
Dined on 04/06/2013
2013
Special Features: neighborhood gem, notable wine list, romantic
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Review 7 for Il Vicinato Ristorante
Overall rating
(Fair)
2
/
5
Il Vicinato Ristorante was
Food
(Poor)
1
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Fair)
2
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Il Vicinato Ristorante was a complete disappointment."
Dined on 04/06/2013
2013
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Review 8 for Il Vicinato Ristorante
Overall rating
(Fair)
2
/
5
Not so good.
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Fair)
2
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"I picked this restaurant because it had been so well reviewed on-line. Our experience, however, was not that great. We had four adults and four children and were put at a large round table in the bar area. The service was slow for us, and we noted that people at the next table, who had arrived later were waited on well before us. While our waiter who eventually came (after my husband asked for service) was gracious enough, we were not overly impressed. My veal special came almost raw and I had to send it back, as I had asked for medium. The linguine which the other adults had was way too complicated and intense (seafood on black pasta). No one other that the two children who had ordered a steak seemed to enjoy their meal."
Dined on 03/30/2013
2009
Special Features: kid-friendly
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Review 9 for Il Vicinato Ristorante
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Dropped in with friends to
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Dropped in with friends to celebrate our 40 year wedding annivesary. Wouldn't have it any other way. Turned out to be the perfect choice for this special occasion. Kudos all around. Thanks to all your staff for making it happen. Love Roy & Stella Obregon.
P.S. The steaks were awesome!!! ;)"
Dined on 03/30/2013
2013
Special Features: vibrant bar scene, good for groups, great for brunch, kid-friendly, late-night find, notable wine list, romantic, special occasion, great for lunch, hot spot
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Review 10 for Il Vicinato Ristorante
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Chef
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"We asked the Waiter to select the menu for the evening. There were five of us. He also paired the wine with the meal.
Our bill, with 3 bottles of wine and 5 courses, was around $100 per person. Our dinner was not rushed, which allow time for laughing and joking, was about 2-1//2 hours.
Definitely throw away the menu and let the chef do what they do. This is the third time I have dined at Il Vicinato"
Dined on 03/26/2013
2006
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, neighborhood gem, notable wine list
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Review 11 for Il Vicinato Ristorante
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
yummmm
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Went for the Chicken Vesuvio AAAA++++ My husband had the pork chops Italian style Delicious sometimes Pork Chops can be dry NOT HERE.Saw this on Chicago's Best They were spot on."
Dined on 03/17/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem
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Review 12 for Il Vicinato Ristorante
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
We saw this restaurant being
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"We saw this restaurant being profiled on Channel 10 do not remember if was Best Food and we decided to try it. The ambience, decor and service were outstanding. The food was also outstanding. Very quaint and warm establishment and the waiters made you feel at home. We were surprised to hear this restaurant has been around for 30 years and we never heard of it!"
Dined on 03/15/2013
2011
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Review 13 for Il Vicinato Ristorante
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Slow Service and Just Ok
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Even with reservations, we waited approximately 15 minutes for a seat, though there were several tables that were empty. Waitstaff was nice, but very slow. The big tables and dueces seemed to get the most attention over our four-top. The calamari was very bland, no seasoning and rubbery. The dipping sauce was delish. The simple iceberg salad with their house dressing was skimpy the dressing was bland. I had the chicken vesuvio, which I know takes longer, but it was WELL in excess of an hour. It arrived fresh and hot; the skin was perfectly crispy and the chicken was most. However, there was no hint of lemon, just a TON of garlic (which was great), olive oil and SALT that made it just short of inedible."
Dined on 03/09/2013
2005
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Review 14 for Il Vicinato Ristorante
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Needs a second chance...
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"I was excited to see this restaurant listed in the little Italy section of Italian. However, it is about 1.5 miles SW of there. This is a well established place of over 40 years. I liked the homeyness of the dinning areas and the vibrant if noisy nature of the crowd. I was underwhelmed by the food. The seafood pasta appeared to have a sauce thickened by corn starch. The black linguini was perfectly cooked but the dish tasted flat-no fresh flavor. I want to like this place but if the food is mediocre the next time it will be my last."
Dined on 03/02/2013
2013
Special Features: good for groups
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Review 15 for Il Vicinato Ristorante
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
We came in after we saw chicagos
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"We came in after we saw chicagos best. Made a reservation but when we got to the restaurant it was very busy. We had our choice of a couple tables. They were reserved so we then had to move to another table that wasnt very good and that was all that was left. We were very surprised since i did make a reservation. Not sure if they heard us complaining but we were then moved back to the table we just came from. I think the group it was for decided to sit in the bar area. We both had the Chicken vesuvio. Lots of garlic, very tasty but maybe sitting in a little too much butter/oil. Waiter was great. Would come back but would order a different entree."
Dined on 02/16/2013
2007
Special Features: neighborhood gem
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Review 16 for Il Vicinato Ristorante
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Had a wonderful evening there
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Had a wonderful evening there with a couple of friends. We will definitely come back!"
Dined on 01/26/2013
2002
Special Features: good for groups, neighborhood gem
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Review 17 for Il Vicinato Ristorante
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
This is a wonderful hidden
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"This is a wonderful hidden gem. Atmosphere is very nice, although we would have preferred Italian music in the background and not multiple monitors with various sport events.
Food is excellent, not at all "restaurant-taste" but tastes like your mother or grandmother cooked it (if they were Italian!). The waiter knew about the various dishes and his recommendations were perfect. The Chicken Vesuvio was as described in many places: perfect and so was the Osso Bucco. The wine list was "OK" but the wine I drank must have come from a bottle that had been opened for sometime... We would still recommend it warmly and will probably be back."
Food is excellent, not at all "restaurant-taste" but tastes like your mother or grandmother cooked it (if they were Italian!). The waiter knew about the various dishes and his recommendations were perfect. The Chicken Vesuvio was as described in many places: perfect and so was the Osso Bucco. The wine list was "OK" but the wine I drank must have come from a bottle that had been opened for sometime... We would still recommend it warmly and will probably be back."
Dined on 01/26/2013
2006
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, great for lunch
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Review 18 for Il Vicinato Ristorante
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
I would definitely return
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"I would definitely return to this place and have their delicious food"
Dined on 01/25/2013
2013
Special Features: romantic
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Review 19 for Il Vicinato Ristorante
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
My husband and I always enjoy
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"My husband and I always enjoy going here. Best chicken vesuvio, hands down and the price is right! For $7.00 you can get a good glass of wine, very reasonably priced.
One of my all time favorite Italian restaurants. We make a point of going there at least once a month, especially before Bull's games...."
One of my all time favorite Italian restaurants. We make a point of going there at least once a month, especially before Bull's games...."
Dined on 01/21/2013
2005
Special Features: neighborhood gem
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Ratings-Only Reviews for Il Vicinato Ristorante
Based on the average of (18) ratings-only reviews
Overall
(Outstanding)
4.2
/
5
3 out of 3 recommend this product
Food
(Outstanding)
4.1
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
4.3
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
3.8
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic