La Gondola Italian Restaurant
| Address: | 2914 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60657, USA |
| Phone: | +1 773-248-4433 |
| Site: | lagondolachicago.com |
| Rating: | 3.9 |
| Working: | 3:45–10PM 3:45–10PM 3:45–10PM 4–11PM 4–11PM 11:45AM–10:45PM 11:45AM–9PM |
Location
Photos 44
Reviews 10
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Heather Payne
Trust me when I say the worst part about this restaurant is its location. When I think of good Italian fare, I never consider restaurants located in strip malls. We drove around looking for the restaurants address before realizing it was actually right between a Game Stop and Office Depot. If it werent for the fact that we were meeting friends here, I probably would have driven off as soon as I discovered where it was. Luckily I put my food-snob mentality aside for the time being and went in with an open mind and a hungry stomach. The interior is super cute and literally reminded me of my time in Italy. There are all of three tables inside so you can be sure service is nothing less than perfection. The food is all prepared with close attention and focus on details. The house wine was smooth and rich and even after we finished our carafe, the lovely server insisted on pouring us more on the house. We all ordered different pastas; which tasted fresh and homemade with flavorful, hearty sauces. I must admit I had envy over the pizza served to the table behind us. Make sure to look past the location and go see for yourself, but make sure to call ahead because the server/possible owner said on any given weeknight they can be booked until 8:30.
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A Private User
I had never been here and made a reservation for two. Upon arriving we were given the table cramped between the front door, wall, cash register and line for take out. This location just barely physically held the table let alone some place to enjoy a meal. Yes they really tried to give us a table that would have been unacceptable for a pizza by the slice kind of place. This table really needs to be taken out or they should tell you "Hey were gonna seat you in a crappy place is that OK?" Furthermore had we stayed .... we had to be gone in one hour because their was someone else coming. What is this V-day?! No its a Thursday night and I would like to enjoy a meal without doing math. 5 minutes to order + 25 minutes to cook the food + 30 min to eat of which i would need approximately 40 bites and 20 chews per bite. Thus needing to take a bite of food every 30 seconds and 1.5 seconds per chew ... and that doesnt even count transit time from the mouth to stomach and beverage consumption. If you ask me this is a demanding schedule. We left and went to Me Dee Cafe for thai food with plenty of time to enjoy the food relax and talk and enjoy a bottle of wine.
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Sean Thornsburry
Ive spent thousands of dollars at this spot over the past 10 years. Initially, I liked La Gondola...its close to my house and they make a decent pizza. In recent years, Ive noticed a decline in quality and a hike in pricing. Tonight I ordered Spaghetti with clams in a white sauce ($18). I was essentially buttered noodles with a tablespoon of canned clams and two clam shells on top. Seriously? Prior to tonight, I ordered two orders of lemon chicken ($40). Each order is a single chicken breast, split and pounded out. I was paired with a vegetable. This is very expensive for the quality and quantity. Moral of the story, for this neighborhood and this pricing, the quality of the ingredients and the effort placed into preparation should be much higher. Im going to take a break from this place and revisit in 6 months with high hopes of improvement.
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A Private User
Have to say that La Gondola is one of those places you should not waste your time at. Food is below average. Found a small bone in the pasta. Took forever to get my food, which is surprising since they only have a small amount of tables. I Couldnt wait to leave this place. You would think with this place being in a bad location they would have to serve good food or have great customer service to survive. My guess is the only reason anyone was there is because they had a groupon. I notice everyone in there was using this to pay for their dinner. Only way this place continues to do business is if they give their food out for free or at discounted prices. I would have given it zero stars if that was an option.
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David McMasters
A cozy 6 table homemade Italian restaurant in a strip mall which provides a nice dining atmosphere. Be sure to make a reservation, most of the times you wont be able to walk in. Try their other location on Belmont which has 30+ tables. My meal started with warm bread which I dipped in olive oil and parmesan cheese. This was followed up by the Stracciatella (spinach egg drop soup). Never had this before but it was tasty. For my entree I shared the lobster ravioli and the popular Rigatoni Boscaiola. The Rigatoni was excellent and a large portion. I would recommend that. Service was excellent and the water glass was always filled!
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Steve Black
The food was good. I had the gnocchi and my wife had one of the pasta dishes. I thought the gnocchi was delicious, but the portion was pretty small. I had eaten several pieces of the bread, but the dinner didnt fill me still. My wifes pasta dish was plentiful, but the dish didnt have very exceptional taste. She complained that it was fairly bland, which is rare for her to complain about food. The cost wasnt bad, especially with a Groupon, but I think you can find plenty of other Italian restaurants in the city that offer food that is equal in quality for less.
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A Private User
service friendly but average i had the mussels which were tasty and meaty and plenty of them .as a main course the eggplant parmesan was 2 1/2 stars out of 5. they definately say their entrees are freshly prepared and the flavor does show that .so if you are in hurry order accordingly . i did notice regulars and groupon users so i think the program worked well for them . ONE giant plus is plenty of parking ! if you are looking for a nice way to have some good italian food without a lot of hustle and bustle GIVE them a try !
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David Luberda
I have ordered delivery. Half way trough my meal i have found about two inch long piece of wire. I have called and asked for manager and they said they will send me new portion. Before i got to manager they said that it happens from time to time. I will not order from that place again. Please make sure your food does not have anything extra in it. The manager told me that that wire could came from cleaning brush. They did not bother to send someone to even apologize for something that could couse big trouble. I got lucky.
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A Private User
After reading about them online, my husband and I went to La Gondola for an anniversary dinner. The entire experience was superb... great food, wonderful service, professional and relaxing environment. The tiramasu is the best Ive ever had, including in Italy. The location is a bit odd, but I will boast about this jewel for a long time to come.
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A Private User
I love this Ashland location and their food is much better then on Belmont which was greatly dissatisfying. Thats a shame because we live accross the street on Belmont. Anyways, back to Ashland; great food, best service, personal attention, warm atmosphere. Highly recommended by your Avin Lady.
