Insider Pages Reviews for Fiorentino's

5 Stars: Best Italian in Lakeview/Lincoln Park - Hands Down (by olgah2004)

olgah2004 — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 09:00:00 GMT

We live pretty close to Fiorentino's and are lucky enough to walk there. Our favorite appetizer is the fried calamari - which is consistently very light, tender and fried to perfection. The sauce they serve with the calamari is TO DIE FOR. You'll want to dip your bread in it! We've tried alot of the entree's there but a couple are standout favorites -- the Speidini is the best thing on the menu. It is very tender filet mignon that is thin and sauteed with spinach and lots of garlic with Vesuvio potatoes. (my mouth is watering as I write this...). The Fettucini Alfredo is also incredible - so rich and creamy its like a sin on a plate. Everything here is homemade - down to the noodles. The Lasagna is delicious as well. The portions are very large so expect to take a doggy bag or two home with you. We have never made it to dessert but I'm under the impression its just as good as everything else. They now have a full bar which makes a pretty darn good martini and their wine list has something for everyone. You will really be treated like family when you go and the food will keep you coming back.

4 Stars: A Romantic Evening Out! (by saribou)

saribou — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:00:00 GMT

My boyfriend and I went here last night for our anniversary... the place is small, so make a reservation because it fills up fast! I wish we had come earlier, though, because the patio is non-reseveration, first-come-first-served basis, which is too bad because it would have been really cute to sit out there! But nonetheless, the inside was still cute, if a bit crowded. We ordered one of the less expensive wines, but I was not disappointed, as one usually is when ordering affordale wines out. It was pretty good! For our appetizer, we ordered the baked clams, which were actually pretty bad. It didn't seem like there was any clam in there at all, just a lot of breadcrumbs and oil. Fortunately for the restaurant, our main courses arrived looking much better than the appetizer, and they were able to redeem themselves. My boyfriend ordered a veal dish, which was good, but not completely outstanding. I ordered the Linguine with Mussels, in the spicy tomato broth, and wow! it was great! I'm still thinking about it today actually! The sauce was really good, and the mussels were plentiful, huge, and bursting with juices!! All in all, it was a satisfying experience, and a great place to go for a classy, romantic outing. I can't wait to go back and eat more mussels!

4 Stars: Romantic Outdoor Italian Dining on a Warm Summer Night; Food Hit-or-Miss (by mrjustice)

mrjustice — Thu, 31 May 2007 09:00:00 GMT

Arrived early (6pm) on a warm night to enjoy the outdoor Patio (told on phone patio is not reserv.). Very pleasant and romantic atomsphere outside. Initially Server was friendly and talkative, but perhaps because it got busier she seemed to grow indifferent (especially after we declined desert?). We did, however, Order 3 appetizers -- Muscles in Wine Sauce: tasty sauce and tons of Garlic, but some of the Mussels tasted less than fresh. Grilled Baby Octupus: Fantastic presentation, very fresh, best I've had. Tomato & Mozzarella Salad w/basil: Light, fresh & delicious as expected. For Entrees - Tortellini w/ proscuito, peas & mushrooms in a cream sauce: filling of course, but loved it. Riggatoni w/ Artichoke, Tomato, Olives & Onions -- not so good, sauce too astringent, too many onions, and only sparse artichokes. House Sicilian White Wine was really nice. All-in-all, a pleasant albeit not spectacular experience.

1 Stars: OK @ best, tries hard but falls short. (by tommylakeview)

tommylakeview — Sun, 06 May 2007 09:00:00 GMT

Had Fiorentinos on our list before a big night out on Friday, I personally wanted La Gondola across the street, but my wife insisted we give Fiorentinos a shot, the people working there were nice but un-attentive, started off with the fried calamari, not bad, but way too salty, the wine we had was good but kinda pricey, entrees were big but lacked the "wow" we were looking for, over all it wasn't a bad place but straying from my favorite (La Gondola) was hard to do, there menu was similar but fell short of the "perfect" meal and ambiance I was used to, no offense to Fiorentionos, it was decent, but the only positive thing that came out of that trip was satisfying my wife who has been wanting to go there since they opened, if I was forced to go back it wouldn't be the end of the world, but I would know my heart belonged somewhere else, overall I give them 6 stars out of seven, It wouldn't hurt them to greet customers @ the door before they fin ished there Cigarette, even after the forced greeting, I felt like we were intruding.

5 Stars: Best Italian food in the city! (by janoonan)

janoonan — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 09:00:00 GMT

I LOVE this place. The stuffed gnocci is amazing and I actually crave it quite regularly and have to go back often to induldge! The calamari is amazing as is the triple chocolate mousse cake. This has become my favorite restaurant and I'm so glad that they're open!

5 Stars: Fantastic Food, Service Needs Some Work (by jsmith4332)

jsmith4332 — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 09:00:00 GMT

This is a fantastic addition to the neighborhood. Great atmosphere and really top-notch homestyle Italian food. The only kink left to work out at this new restaurant is the service -- we've been four times now and it is consistently bad. Waitstaff is generally slow (particularly to greet you at your table and take your order) and unattentive, forcing you to track your waiter down and ask for things you shouldn't need to ask for (clean side plates, sweetener, etc.). Regardless, I still highly recommend it -- the food is second to none!