Barcello’s
1647 N. Milwaukee Ave. 773-486-8444
“Drop dead delicious! You can’t beat the price, and the eggplant parm antipasto is to die for! And it’s $3! Three dollars! Go! Now!”–Enith B.
“The ‘trattoria style’ pizza is bland and does not come with tomato sauce and mozzarella as one would expect on a pizza. The crust is also thicker than it should be and tasteless. Besides all that, it was served lukewarm instead of hot from the oven. The portion of pappardelle pasta that we ordered was four bites worth of food. All this took almost an hour to prepare. Still working out the kinks, I’d say.” –Rosenberg
“They are BYOB now, which caught me by surprise. I don’t know [why] they mess with the cloth napkins and other ‘fancy’ things–the beauty of this place is the simple, moderately priced food.” –a local
DeLaCosta
465 E. Illinois St., River East Art Center 312-464-1700
“From the decor, to the food, to our amazing waiter, we had a great evening. The ceviches were delicious, as were the mussel empanadas. The lamb, tuna, and tenderloin entrees were perfect. . . . Great people watching … love this place!–Judith G.
“Went to visit DeLaCosta with my girlfriends. I thought it was way overpriced and overrated. Portions were ridiculous. Tapas? That is not tapas. If you want to go somewhere just to be seen. … Go for it! If you want to eat a good meal and get what you pay for, skip this place!”–Julia
“The food was generally good (especially the ceviche) but nothing sensational. I was a bit surprised at how limited the menu is. The service was pretty poor … we waited for everything. . . . It is clear that the restaurant has a lot of kinks to work out. I would wait for a while before going there.–Bob
Marigold Indian Restaurant
4832 N. Broadway 773-293-4653
“A perfect experience! After being warmly welcomed–including the host taking the time to learn our names–the greatness continued. Wonderful, flavorful, beautifully presented food. Warm environment that was completely unrushed. A bit noisy, but a minimal distraction with the incredible food. A definite must–I will gladly return soon!–plady
“I loved this place. The food was neither too trendy nor too banal; the flavors popped and the plating was lovely. Our server, Nick, was the best I’ve ever had. Anywhere.”–Ben
“I had high hopes for Marigold, but found the food to be bland and predictable. A stylish place and nice people, but I didn’t leave hungering for more.” –Kristen
“Great food. Cool atmosphere. Laughably slow service–20 minutes for drinks and over an hour for food to arrive. . . . Don’t go if you are in a hurry!–Ravi
Mundial Cocina Mestiza
1640 W. 18th St. 312-491-9908
“I live in Pilsen and was very excited that this restaurant had opened. The atmosphere was very cute and unpretentious. The food was splendid and creative! Unfortunately, the server we had could not [have been] any worse. We walked in and waited 20 minutes before anyone came to see us or bring us water. . . . I would still recommend going, because the food was so well done and put together and super tasty.”–j.l.
“Went there with my wife and a friend. Their dishes looked and tasted amazing . . . but the service was terrible. I know they haven’t been open long, so hopefully they will work out their kinks. The wait staff was obviously understaffed, and it took about three attempts to get anything. Don’t think I’ll be back, but I hope they do well in the neighborhood.”–Mark
“Flavorful, fresh food! The dishes were well seasoned but did not overwhelm the flavors of the meat and were a proper portion size. An appetizer, two entrees and two desserts for under $50–can’t beat that deal for food of this quality!”–Emily
Rios d’ Sudamerica
2010 W. Armitage Ave. 773-276-0170
“I love this place! The service was great; the food, authentic as it comes. The place was busy, good music. Ceviche and churrasco were awesome. I’ll be there again soon . . . “–Stefenia
“Dined here last weekend, and it was probably the worst dining experience I have encountered in Chicago. I ordered the halibut (which was supposed to be a signature item), and it was bland and had about a quarter-inch thick piece of gristle/fat on it. The waitress only checked on our table once within the first 45 minutes we were there … Our food took over 45 minutes to come out of the kitchen . . . Overall, the food was not good, and the service was even worse.”–C.
“Had a party here. Excellent food and service. I had the halibut, and it was excellent. Others had shrimp, rabbit and duck dishes and raved about them . . . Would definitely recommend Rios.”–Eddie from Ohio
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Reviews compiled from readers’ postings on metromix.com.
metromix@tribune.com
