Gioia Ristorante e Pastificio

This review is for my two trips here --My mother in law was visiting 2 months ago, and we were wanting to try an upscale Italian. So we came over here and enjoyed the experience. The wine selections were great and at the time, we had both table side pastas for mains and had the burrata, fried calamari, and meat balls as appetizers. We were in a food coma by the end of our meal. Since we had such a great first experience, when some friends wanted to try a place in the west loop, we suggested to go here for dinner! I didn't get pictures of the appetizer but we ordered the cheese and meat board, as we figured it would be good for sharing. It was fine, but since I have had the other appetizers, I would have enjoyed other choices more. For mains my husband and I got the cacio e Pepe tableside and the casoncelli. This time I think the cacio e Pepe should have had more cheese so when I return I might make that little request but the brown butter sauce of the casoncelli had a lot of flavor. If you like the richness of the sauce, it's great. My husband is a tomato sauce fan so he would have preferred if we chose the linguini - I guess we will do this next time. The desserts were heaven just like the first time. The place is gorgeous - super modern, comfy and seductive all rolled into one ambiance. The staff were a pleasure - they knew when to chime in with recommendations without being pushy. Great experiences both times, will return.

My girlfriend and I decided to give Gioia Chicago a try and I will say it was really good! We tried then: Carciofi, Linguine, and the La Parmigiana. Every dish was amazing! I would say my Personal favorite was the Linguine as you could have the sauce at the bottom of the plate with some bread and it kept making you want more!

Great food and cool atmosphere. There's a large bar near the entryway and tons of indoor and patio seating. Service was just okay. It got quite busy and we think they needed more servers. Best meatballs we've ever had! We've been judging Italian restaurants based on their meatballs and this place hit it out of the park. We had the simple salad and the bresaola salad - you could probably do either or. I'd recommend doing the table side cacio e pepe for two!

we were here on a Saturday night with party of 7 people. Originally booked a Chinese restaurant, but obviously we mixed up the time of booking, and at last minute we found out that our table is gone. So we were desperately trying to booking another restaurant, and found this one still have table available for 7. We went in with some doubt, but the restaurant looks nice inside, and we were seated shortly. And ordered 5 different appetizers and each of us get an entree. Wow, the food is amazing! Though the price is not cheap. With 7 of us, without dessert, we walk out with a bill above 700$! Include the bottle of red wine. We are grateful we got this place available at last minute. Service is prompt and efficient. One of the guest had some concern about his steak, the manager came and recooked a new fillet. What a service! I'm impressed with this place and i think the yelp rating is under rated.

Oh. My. God. This place is amaze-balls. I learned to cook from Grandma Fabiano and I am picky about my Italian food. Gioia does not disappoint in any way, shape or form. The real standout was the Cacio e Pepe with truffles, probably the best pasta I've ever eaten. But, the saffron risotto with grilled octopus was also delicious, and the tiramisu, infused (somehow??) with air took a somewhat tired dessert and made it fresh, new, and delicious. Everything was amazing here.

It's really tough to stand out as an Italian restaurant in west loop with all the competition; however, I did enjoy my dinner here with no real complaints. The restaurant has a simple classic, elegant ambiance and filled up by the time we were done with dinner on this Saturday night. Complementary bread was a plus, and service was good.My Chianti went well with our meal - we started off with the side of potatoes, which turned out to be chips. It was a surprise to us, and the chips were rich and salty. We also had the carciofi salad, which was excellent and light. The gnocchi was nothing special, but the bucatini cacio e Pepe was delicious. Overall it was a good experience, but it's tough for this restaurant to stand out amongst so many great restaurants in the area.

Excellent Italian food at this upscale spot on Randolph Street's Restaurant Row. It's a square room, bar to the left, tables to the right as well as sidewalk seating when weather permits. Decor is sleek and modern, sound nicely muted for easy conversation. We were seated quickly, our reservation honored to the minute. Our server, Brandi, did a great job. Explained the menu, encouraged a couple of suggestions, and kept the meal moving at just the right pace. Thank you! Fresh bread and olive oil for dipping is served immediately while waiting for wine to be poured. Started with Arancina. A delicious baseball-sized ball of saffron rice, laced with taleggio is deep fried to golden brown. It's served atop a pool of pea-based sauce swirled with apple saba and garnished with pea shoots. The saffron makes it unique. The caramelized tart of the saba mixed with the sweetness of the peas are the perfect foil for the rice. An excellent start! On to the main course - Pici Toscana. Pici is best described as fat spaghetti. It's thick, hand-rolled and made without eggs which creates a unique taste and texture. It's served under a ladleful of outstanding ragu. As much meat as sauce, this is hearty and rich, earthy from a splash of chianti and delicious. I totally asked for an extra slice of bread to make sure I scooped up every last bit. Delicious! Shout out to the Branzino alla griglia. The branzino is served as a fillet, seared perfectly on the grill. Light, flaky, flavorful and perfectly seasoned. Another winner. Dinner for 4 was $209, including wine. Considering the quality of the food, service and atmosphere, very reasonable. Recommended!

Gioia is one of my favorite places to dine in the West Loop! The food is absolutely amazing, and the cocktails are some of the best in the neighborhood! The atmosphere is intimate and friendly, and the staff makes every dining experience so enjoyable!

This place was soo good. We ordered the dish that comes with table side service and bibs lol (can't recall the name) They have a cute bar area as well, so you can consider happy hour instead of dinner. I had my team in town and they all enjoyed the experience. Great place for an after work/biz meal!

Gioia has become my regular go to. The staff is fabulous always friendly/warm and attentive, the food and drink selection is always excellent, and the ambiance is classy meets cozy. I especially love their outdoor seating, it's intimate/quiet and away from the overcrowded area of Randolph.