Quartino Ristorante

Reviews 6

ER

Erin Thor

I know people love this place, so Im willing to chalk our experience up as a fluke. With that said, I do think its important to note specific examples from our mediocre experience so others can look out for the same mistakes. We sat in the bar area, which was lovely. I very much enjoyed that you could order a variety of different sizes of wine instead of simply "glass" or "bottle". As for the food... we got a large selection of meats and cheeses. They were all good, but I have had better. I think we also made a mistake by not ordering pizza, so we will return to do so. I consider myself a meatball fanatic, so obviously we had to order the veal meatballs Napoli. I was just not impressed! I didnt enjoy the golden raisin sauce and while the meatball was flavorful, we didnt even finish. That is rare for a plate of meatballs and me. We also got Polenta fries, and those were just good. Better than the meatballs, but nothing wed order again. The one standout dish that I loved was the Papardelle al Sugo di Manzo. I licked the bowl clean. The worst part of the meal was the octopus. My fiance absolutely loves octopus, so we order it almost whenever its on a menu. When this came out of the kitchen, the entire bar smelled like the inside of a fish market. We saw peoples heads turning and looking around, like "who ordered THAT?" When it was set down it did look good, so we were willing to get past the smell as long as it tasted delicious. Unfortunately, it tasted worse than it smelled. I can honestly say that I would expect that kind of fishy quality from a fast food restaurant, but NOT Quartino. We sent it back. Finally, the dessert (Sgroppino) was delicious, and we got half priced bottles of wine to go. Certainly not a terrible experience, but I was hoping to leave with a new favorite, and that did not happen... at all.

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ZA

Zach Smith

This place has been a treat to go to for me every time I have family come into town visiting. Everything just combines into a fantastic food/drink experience that combines good presentation with delicious food. Everything Ive had on the menu is delicious. From the homemade pastas to the in-house cured meats. There is clearly hard work put into each dish. I highly recommend the Tagliatelle a la Bolognese which provides a deliciously textured house-made noodle that is thick enough to hold a rich red sauce that is donned with a variety of meats, you will not be disappointed. I have only had delicious things on the menu but usually cannot pass up the Bolognese. The presentation of the dishes is sporadic and keeps your pace of eating at a moderate tempo. Everything is brought out as it is completed in the kitchen so you can pace your meal to a unique food melody every time you go there. Combine this with the tapas/family style approach where everything is shared and you get a delicious well-rounded meal. Finally, the Soccer Jersey clad service staff are always enthusiastic and knowledgeable of the diverse menu. Almost every time Ive been there a manager has come by asking how the experience is. Both are aspects of a restaurant I appreciate, and combined with the delectable and affordable culinary experience I can highly recommend this restaurant.

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SA

Samuel Tan

If you want to eat at Quartinos, it is strongly advised that you make reservations. Especially if you are planning to go there on a weekend. When we went there, the wait for the patio area was 1hr and the inside seating was a 25 min wait. There is however, an option - the bar. You can take any table that is available at the bar and get the full service menu. We didnt want to wait and got a table at the bar within 15 seconds. BUT... you have to contend with the noise of lots of people at the bar, the blaring, thumping music and the frequent announcement of the party whose table is now available. It makes for a really jarring, uncomfortable atmosphere. The food is excellent. I had the scallops and the veal meatballs. Both these dishes were cooked to perfection - tasty, well seasoned with the right combination of flavor profiles. The veal meatballs paired with sundried tomatoes and golden raisins were a perfect combination - it was almost like the meatballs were cooked in wine because of the raisins. They say the plates are meant for sharing, but be warned that the portions are not huge so be prepared to order a few more dishes that you might be expecting to.

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UR

Uriah Ezri Sayres Cantrell

My girlfriend and I decided to stop into Quartino when we were out walking one day and looking somewhere new to try. I have to say, we were very pleased. The dishes are small to medium in size and are meant to be shared. I read a review of someone saying that the portions are small enough to "starve a bird". While I commend them for being funny, its a huge exaggeration. Quartinos portions are perfect! Often restaurants force me to overeat with their heaping, bountiful plate portions with plates the size of my head. At Quartino, this is not the case and it is a great experience. The server was polite and attentive and made recommendations and was knowledgeable. We tried the fettuccine (which is in a delicious, mild red sauce) and the eggplant parmigiana. Between the two of us, this was more than enough food. We decided to splurge a bit and tried the torta al cioccolato which is a warm, fudge-like decadent pie topped with vanilla gelato. There is a hint of coffee in the cake, which was a pleasant surprise. I definitely recommend this place. With tip and tax without drinks, but inclusive of desert, expect to spend about 40-50 for two.

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MA

Matt Uhlman

We came to Quartino for a late night dinner after an evening at Navy Pier and the experience was not incredible, but also didnt leave us wanting for much. It fell right around 2.5/5 and got the bump because our service was good. The spot seems perpetually busy in the evening as we the place was swamped at 10:30 pm. Love that you can use opentable here PS. The dining room was packed and the atmosphere was bustling. To us, it seemed like a much more local and open layout Buca Di Beppos. There was indoor and outdoor seating and the palce was really loud. Beverage options were good as far a wine went. Not a ton of beers to speak of, but the vino was well priced and had a lot of size options. The food was good, not great and we ordered predominantly small plates. The most exciting item was the Polenta fries, followed closely by the veal meatball. We also built a small cheese and meat tray. The bleu cheese was good, but lacked the smack ya upside the head bite that we were looking for. Good spot for late night digs and chilling with friends, but not THE spot to go to for great food.

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JE

Jenny Beverage

I love this place! I went in for the second time for my birthday last week. I had a migraine starting and we had to wait about 2 hours for our original reservation time. We hoped to be seated early but they were freaking packed, which is understandable. I started feeling very sick while waiting for my medicine to work. They were so nice to me. Let me take a a seat at the tables by the bar, brought me water and bread. Being able to rest got my migraine to go away and I was able to really enjoy my birthday dinner!!! I honestly dont think most resutrants wouldve done that. It was so incredibly busy and they helped me out so kindly. Saved my birthday. The food is so good yet fairly inexpensive. Amazing cheese and drink choices. They have both cheese and chocolate fondue.. You HAVE to have the chocolate fondue for dessert. The place is packed and loud but.. I love it. Make a reservation for the weekend for sure. I cant wait for the rain to stop so we can eat on the patio.

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