Coco Pazzo

The food, ambience and service here is consistently great. Always a good experience.

Pros: Great Service

Posted 07/09/09

Chic and delicious. Very Italian with excellent service. A beautiful dessert plate was made for me to celebrate my 30th birthday. They made the evening very special for me and my family.

Pros: Ambience and service

Posted 02/19/09

I have been going there for years and it is better than ever. They also always have great wines by the glass. The new chef is great and the service is always good. It is my favorite for pre-theater.

Pros: Best Italian

Posted 12/29/08

Me and my wife had dinner at Coco Pazzo last week. We used to go quite often when we still lived in the city. It was our favorite restaurant. I realize that every dining establishment has "OFF" nights, but our experience was terrible. We had a 6:00 PM reservation and arrived at 5:45 ( we were going to the theatre afterwards).We were greeted at the door by a short Asian man with acne who insisted on seating us next to service station. My wife asked for a table near the window but we were told they were all reserved. We explained that we wouldn't be staying past 7:15, but the answer was still NO. He made no attempt to accomodate us. The dining room was completely empty except for some people at the bar. We were tempted to leave but decided to stay.

The service left alot to be desired. Our server was unfriendly, she never smiled once. When the amuse bouche was delivered, we asked what it was and the person delivering it had to go back to the kitchen to inquire and returned a few moments later. The bussers were polishing silverware and making noise. Everything seemed so sloppy, I could understand if the restaurant was busy, but it was almost empty.

The food was just OK, but very overpriced. Our pastas were bland and the portions were small. I found the wine-list to be ridiculously marked-up! Towards the end of the meal, we asked about the Chef Tony, and were told that he left to open his own restaurant. That explained the mediocre food.

As we were leaving, my wife remarked that almost all those tables next to the windows remained unseated. We probably wouldn't have noticed all of the other shortcomings had our request for a window table been honored. Overall, BAD experience.Rude staff, mediocre over-priced fod and wine. The only positive thing is the decor. I don't think we'll go back anytime soon.

Posted 10/09/08

We went on Father's day evening and had a really enjoyable evening. There were 3 generations at the table ranging from 75 years old to 10 years old, added to that , half the party was vegetarian. The wait staff were wonderful, guiding us through the vegetarian options and providing a lovely plate of crispy bread and a white bean dip (for free). My father in law asked for a bruchetta (which wasn't on the menu) and they made it for us and it was delicious. The food was excellent especially the pizza. Again, for dessert my son wanted just plain chocolate ice cream and they got it for him.
The evening was wonderful made especially so by the really attentive wait staff.

Posted 06/15/08

What a wonderful meal. The Gnocchi appetizer was just the right size and I thought it was spectacular. Next was the Tortelli DiZucca, and all I can say is, Oh My God! You should experience it to truly understand it. The Ossobuco was the most tender I have had in....ever. The wine was exceptional, the wait staff was always there, but did not hover. We will definitely return, as often as it is possible.

Pros: By far the food and wait staff

Cons: A little on the noisy side

Posted 01/26/08

What a disappointment. The restaurant was half empty for good reason. The food was underwhelming at best. The desert menu was a tired rehash of common deserts and the appetizer and mains where so average that we didn't even want to try a desert (my husband loves desert and we always order it). We had more then three waiters, the first disappeared after taking our order the second when the mains where served and the third got our check. When asked about it we were told service was "in the round". This loosely translated meant- we don't have enough customers tonight and we are having staff leave early. There was no sommelier, wait staff and senior management staff were not familiar with the wines on hand. The wine list was almost exclusively newer vintages that were highly over priced. We were extremely disappointed and to avoid disappointment we recommend you try somewhere else.

Posted 12/14/07

The ambiance at Coco Pazzo is quite lovely. The restaurant is casual, comfortable and bustling but still chic enough for a nice evening out. The food was well prepared and fresh. The rib-eye might be a little too marbled, but the flavor was wonderful and it was cooked perfectly. The seafood stew and squash blossom appetizer were both fantastic. The service did seem a little hurried at times, but as soon as they realized we were in the mood for a longer meal they slowed down a bit. They did forget to bring a dessert drink, but remedied right away after a little reminder. Overall a great pick for a nice Italian dinner.

Pros: Good food, fun atmosphere

Cons: Service isn't bad, but it isn't great either

Posted 06/09/07

Went on a Friday night, reservation was for 7 and got there at roughly 645. The man in the suit at the front (assuming he's the manager) seemed irritated at the fact that we were there early, and was not friendly whatsoever. The waiter was nice, attentive and helpful for the first half of the evening, and once it got a little crowded, he sucked. Not really his fault, he may have been assigned too many tables at the time. The food was pretty good, but nothing really stood out or was "to die for." (and we tried an appetizer, two salads, and two different entrees). I've not eaten at many italian places in Chicago, but If someone asked me about this place, I would say there has to be better italian food in Chicago.

Pros: I can walk there from my place

Cons: below average service, average food, older crowd.

Posted 12/14/06

We love this place. The food is always exceptional. The wine list is varied. The service is always really great. And the ambiance is warm even though you are surrounded. Though the main room is huge and open it doesn't echo like so many do because of the drapes. There is a nice buzz to the room yet you can hear your companion easily. And anywhere that drills a hole in a potato to use as a bud vase gets a thumbs up in creativity from us.

Pros: Great food & wonderful ambiance

Cons: price

Posted 11/03/06

Coco Pazzo was a complete delight! The service was right on time and overwhelming. When you plates came out there would be a number of staff that offered you pepper, cheese etc. The manager checked on us twice to make sure that everything was just the way we wanted it. The restaurant is extremely open with no real view blocked. The interesting thing was that the sound level was overwhelming and we were able to carry on normal conversation. The wine list was spectacular with pages of Italian wines. We started the night with Fughi Arrosto & the Risotto di Giorno (1/2 order) which was prepared with Pumpkin and Pancetta. The Fughi Arrosto was absolutely outstanding with intense and succulent flavor. My main course was gnocchi with veal in a cream sauce which was very light and flavorful.

I will most definitely be eating at Coco Pazzo again!

Posted 10/24/06

What is good:

Very attentive wait staff
Focaccia Bread and chef's humus muse
Food is very good, but perhaps not memorable
Valet and self parking availability
Wine list had a nice selection and $ range
Great noise control with draperies
Gracious owner who talked to us at our table
High class patrons

What is less than the best:

No 1/2 bottles of wine

Pros: Great noise control - you can have a conversation!

Cons: No 1/2 bottles of wine

Posted 09/18/06

The service was awful. The waitstaff ignored some people at the table when taking drink orders, simply because they hadn't been the one requesting the wine list. They also had a habit of constantly rearranging drinks of the table so that they were sitting perilously near the edge. No matter where you set it, it would always be moved back to where your arm could hit it. It was almost comical to our group. Very odd. Drinks ordered as dinner was served didn't arrive until after dinner was finished. Won't return, just because there's too much out there.

Pros: Atmosphere, Location/Parking, Food

Cons: Service, Poor Value

Posted 06/06/06

We go there every visit - this restaurant is also Our first stop. Great Italian food and an excellent value. It can be noisy on warm summer nights after work - if you want romance, go on a weeknight, not during Friday happy hour! Love the dessert wines...

Posted 05/22/05

When the waiter came over and said that he bet "we were wondering what the table with food was doing when we first walked in," I knew we were in trouble. I've been to many Italian restaurants, and yeah, some have antipasto tables set up. So when the waiter said that, I knew we just stepped into a tourist trap. The tacky, gold wedding factory chairs totally blew the cool, loft ambiance (not to mention the over 70 crowd). Now the food...tasteless. The rack of lanb was so overpowered by the sauce, I couldn't tell if it was lamb or skirt steak. All in all, a truly tasteless experience.

Pros: Loft space

Cons: Tacky chairs, Tasteless lamb, Over 70 crowd

Posted 04/30/05

We had been fans of Coco Pazzo, using it for business as well as personal dining. Until last night we considered it one of Chicago's better restaurants. Last night the food was good at best but the service was fair at best. We had to ask for bread, pour our own wine and wait for the entree. The worst was being seated next to the wait station which in itself was not terrible but the wait staff's use of it was. Leaning over my shoulder to get plates instead of going to the other side, throwing silverware into drawers and talking loudly around it were just a few of the problems. Needless to say we have written the restaurant off our list.

Pros: food

Posted 04/17/04

Coco Pazzo still is a great Chicago standard, even after not visiting for three years. The waiter was able to recommend a resonably priced Italian wine that was wonderful. The specials were terrific and even the menu, with it's excellent mix of standard and eclectic pastas and entrees gives any patron something fun to eat. Although a little on the expensive side, it's a great spot for a special occasion. One of Chicago's best Italian!

Pros: Atmosphere, Specials, Service

Cons: Pricey

Posted 04/20/03

Coco Pazzo should be embarrased to represent chicago. this place is definitely subpar. they were out of 3 of the 5 wines we ordered. ridiculous!

Posted 04/12/03

When I'm in Chicago this is my first dinner stop. Sometimes my second as well. Excellent food and service.

Posted 09/19/02

Coco Pazzo stands out in my memory for their incredible foccacia. It's amazing that such a small detail could impress so strongly! For a price break, try the Coco Pazzo Cafe in Streeterville and sit on the patio in the summer.

Posted 07/24/02

Coco Pazzo is a treat that I regrettably don't get to enjoy as often as I would like. I literally cherish every bite when I have the good fortune to eat here. The room is elegant. The service is very attentive. The presentation of each dish is clean and beautiful. Then, you get to eat. Coco Pazzo is outstanding.

Pros: food, service

Cons: parking

Posted 05/28/02

The service here is attentive and gracious and the food is hearty and quite delicious. The dining room is more cavernous than cozy, but it has a warm feel and it's a comfortable place to dine. Great for large groups.

Pros: Good quality food, Excellent service

Cons: Pricey, Off the beaten path

Posted 05/13/02