La Scarola
| Address: | 721 W Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60654, USA |
| Phone: | +1 312-243-1740 |
| Site: | lascarola.com |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | 5–11PM 5–11PM 5–11PM 5–11PM 5–11PM 4–11PM 4–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
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Adam Ruben
Armando was hilarious and gregarious, made us feel like family (as he did for every diner in the packed room), fed us like kings and just made us smile all night. Jose, our waiter, was a pro whose recommendations and attentive service were spot on all night. La Scarola is the real deal - it would be at home in the North End or San Fran - classic dishes immaculately prepared. Were still aglow from an enchanted evening of fun and fabulous flavors. Now some specifics: Scarola & Sausage special app - tender escarole and tasty Italian sausage, awesome. Mussels in White Sauce app - fresh mussels with flawless flavor and texture, garlicky and decadent sauce worth dipping every piece of bread you can find into. Pasta Vesuvio - perfectly al dente linguini with chicken breast browned perfectly and suspended in a rich wine/mushroom/garlic sauce. Vitello di Franco - Jose pushed us toward this one and he was not wrong. Crispy scallopini with garlicky fresh chopped tomatoes. Uh, yeah! Pasta Amore - special of the day, penne with seafood in a creamy sauce - basically seafood pasta alfredo and 100% fabulous comfort food. Pollo Italiano - fuggedaboudit - so good. Cannoli, vino, cocktails, cappuccino... Thank you Armando!!! See you soon.
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Stephanie Leopold
WOW, what an interesting place. Went here with a group and a baby...probably not the best place. It was JAMMED on a Sunday night. I mean, it was like sardines in there. We had a reservation but ended up waiting like 20-30 minutes to be seated. Theres old pictures up all over the place of famous people, etc. The restaurant definitely has an old vibe to it. Even a little bit of a dirty vibe, but cute. We wanted an old school place. Originally we were going to go to Club Lago, but its not open on Sundays. The menu is extensive. Its a little disappointing because they dont make any of their pastas. I know, I am a snob. The mussels in the white sauce were fantastic. I love dipping the bread in the sauce...Mmmmmm! I had this risotto seafood special and it was delicious...but GARLIC-y! Also the spaghetti and meatballs is delish. The meatballs have a lot of flavor. HUGE portions. Be prepared for your carb fix and then some. The specials are handwritten! HA! The price point of this place is definitely right. It is cheap as hell.
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NLS S.
We enjoyed our pasta and appreciated the hospitable service by our server. This is a little hole in the wall joint. Nothing fancy. You arent going here for the atmosphere, but rather for the hearty, authentic and delicious Italian pasta dishes. We walked in here and the first thing I thought of was the final scene of "The Sopranos" season finale where Tony Soprano is sitting in a restaurant with his family. This is a classic, old-fashioned throw-back restaurant. We went here for a graduation celebration. It is a throw-back to the old-style Chicago mobster type restaurants from the mid to late 1980s. In fact, the mob boss owns the bar next door and has been known to dine (eat) at La Scarola restaurant (as we witnessed when we were here). The food is really, really authentic with quality cheese and fresh pasta. The portions are monster huge, so you should pace yourself here. If you are seeking good, authentic food La Scarola may be your jam!
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A Private User
I had made a reservation (on speakerphone, so my husband heard) for a Saturday night because we had people coming into Chicago to visit us and we had heard great things about this restaurant. When we went in with our guests the host looked at his reservation list (which is unprofessionally a yellow note pad with chicken scratches on it) and said, "We dont have it." He proceeded by asking us to get out of the way of the servers. There were no apologies, no compromise or even telling us when the next reservation was. It was rude and they acted like they didnt need our business. Yes it was crowded but the place is tiny. In todays economy one would hope that service would try to be accommodating because they do need our business. The host and waiters were extremely rude and I will continue to tell colleagues, friends and family to not go near this miserable tiny restaurant- they apparently do not need our business anyways.
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Kelly Litton
Not only did we drop $133 for dinner for two, which was just average Italian food, the owner ASKED us to leave so he could turn the table and I hadnt even finished my wine. Then, when the valet brought my car, the window was smashed and the car was ransacked with everything stolen. The restaurant said "Its not our problem, you have to deal with the valet company" and again pushed me out into the cold. I had to call the police while the valet company gave me their contact information and taped a garbage bag on the window. Guess what? The valet company does not have a valid address (it is a drivers license facility in Naperville) and the phone number is some poor college student who has to take peoples calls at all hours. DONT DINE THERE-- unless you want to pay for bad service and certainly DONT USE THE VALET-- unless you want to pay for their damage yourself. THIS PLACE IS NOT WORTH THE REVIEWS THEY GET.
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A Private User
Wow what an amazing experience. I went with my spouse on a Monday night and the place was packed, thank goodness for a reservation! The place is a little small but that really adds to the experience. We had calamari, asparagus and fried zucchini for appetizers the food was fresh and exquisite. The main cours of the sea bass and filet was even better. The sea bass was buttery and melted in my mouth. The filet was tender and the sauce it was served in gave the meat such a savory flavor. The tiramisu was the best I ever had and the lemon ice was a great way to end the dinner. Is the place noisy absolutely (it is a hip place without being pretentious), is the food amazing? absolutely. Is the wait staff friendly? above and beyond and the owner always asks how you are doing. Great place and an exceptional experience.
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Tyler Pontarelli
This italians favorite italian restaurant in Chicago, and its not even close. Yes, its small and the waits are long even with a reservation, but La Scarola is unrivaled in terms of consistently spectacular REAL italian fare. Forget the mushy pastas slathered in red sauce. Special dishes like homemade gnocchi with sauseege and arugula are the reason to come to this place. Fish specials are always fresh and expertly prepared; I usually skip pasta dishes in favor of one. But if pasta is why youre here, theyre always willing to cook up exactly what you have a taste for. Want the Fra Diavola over capellini? You got it. Thats the kind of place Armando runs, and if you play your cards right, youll get a tequila shot with him as well.
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Naomi kim
What can better on a cold wintery night than delicious grilled calamari! I guess many other things, but here at La Scarola they do the dish well. The eggplant was also a delight. The risotto on the other hand was quite awful. The dining environment could be better. My group had reservations and we still have to wait an hour before we were seated. There was a celebrity dining that night; so we received the butt end of the service. The place is small and cramped; so it was quite difficult to maneuver with big winter coats. We had to practically yell at each other to hear our conversations as the sound bounces right off of the walls. Overall, I would consider coming here again to try the food but on off hours.
