The Village

On my first trip to Chicago, I happened to be staying at the Hyatt Centric Loop that was a block away from The Village (the neon sign reads "Italian Village"). The restaurant advertises that it is the oldest Italian restaurant in Chicago. Lured by the desire for a classic Chicago experience, I made a reservation at 7 PM on a Saturday night, and at the appointed time, my friend and I ventured into a restaurant that had been open since 1927. After entering the doors, we climbed a staircase to the main floor. This is an eatery from a time when windows were thought to distract from the food and the decor transports you to the owner's vision of Italy. Landscape frescoes adorn the walls with prop awnings and other architectural decor fitted with twinkling lights. There are little alcoves positioned in various places against the wall for a private dining experience. The front of house acknowledged my reservation and my friend and I were seated at a two-top at the back of the restaurant near the kitchen where I could see the large compliment of staff moving back-and-forth. We did not wait too long before our server checked in on us. The manager even stopped by to make sure that someone had touched base with us. While we reviewed the menu, baskets of fresh hot bread were provided. Olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and chili flakes were already on the table.My friend and I decided to share the entire meal so we could order a full complement of courses. My friend started off with the Chardonnay and I had sparkling water. My friend enjoyed the white wine, and my sparkling water came without ice which was exactly as I ordered.We selected for our antipasti the meatballs. Two meatballs arrived, and they were large and had the proper amount of luscious marinara sauce that was balanced and not too tart. The meatballs had the right proportion of beef, pork and binder so that they were juicy and delicious.For our second antipasti, we ordered the two soups that were available. My friend had the minestrone, and I had the chicken soup with pastini pasta (tiny pasta balls). Both soups were tasty, warming, and obviously homemade.To avoid overeating, we ordered a side of mostaccioli pasta with pesto as our pasta course. I added the pasta side late and didn't see that pesto was not on the menu, but without making a fuss, they accommodated my request, coating the pasta in a light mixture of olive oil, crushed basil, and garlic. It was tasty and I enjoyed it. The pasta was cooked perfectly.For the primi, we ordered the veal marsala. It came with four healthy sized pieces, served on a bed of capellini--everything was nicely covered in a mushroom marsala sauce. The pillows of veal were possibly the most tender I've eaten in an Italian restaurant. The sauce did not have a strong marsala wine flavor, but I enjoyed the mushroom-forward sauce. The service was impeccable. All of the courses were timed so as soon as we finished one, the next was only about a minute or two away. Staff cleared the plates and provided new silverware for each course.We ended our meal with their rum cake and spumoni. The rum cake was the star. It was light as a feather, with just a hint of rum and a creamy white frosting. The two scoops of spumoni was a nice counterbalance, adding the traditional Italian flavors.This is a an excellent, casual Italian restaurant. We enjoyed our dining experience at the Village and recommend it without hesitation.

We made a last minute reservation at The Village for dinner before going to the theater. I actually received a notification that our table was ready 15 minutes prior to our scheduled arrival time. We were quickly seated and put in our dinner orders. I had the Gnocchi Con Salsiccia, which is gnocchi with a spicy vodka sauce and crumbled Italian sausage. It was delicious and a hearty portion! One thing to note: there is a long and steep stairwell to get up to the restaurant and the table sit pretty close together. But the ambiance inside the restaurant is quite scenic!

It takes a village to satisfy my appetite. Well it feels that way at times. On a recent trip to Chicago I had a taste for some good Italian food and what better place to try than The Village at Italian Village Restaurants. It is actually called Italian Village because there were other eateries but they are no longer operating at the moment. The name kind of sells itself and it was a suggestion to try. It is listed as one of the oldest restaurants in Chicago serving Italian food. You cannot miss this place on West Monroe and as usual in downtown Chicago if you are driving go ahead and scout out a parking garage or you could get lucky with street parking that you have to pay for of course. I will also tell you that the restaurant is actually upstairs and if you have some leg issues you have been warned. It is the oldest spot for this food.We went with the calamari as an appetizer and this is one of my standard apps that I enjoy getting. Very tasty and fried just right. Many times when you get this it is a hit and miss with being over seasoned, breading falling off and can be rubbery. Not this time. The calamari was fried nicely and you can tell it was not just sitting under a warming lamp waiting to be picked up. One of my faves at an Italian eatery is the chicken parmigiana although there are many options to choose from. It was a tough decision between that and the veal cutlet parmigiana. I was not disappointed with my choice. I actually prefer my parm to come out with a bit more cheese on it and not to have the pasta covering it. Without telling them my order came out the way I wanted it to. I just feel that you are hiding something when there is nothing but pasta covering up my chicken and I came for dinner not for hide and seek with my food. Drinks are also pretty good and had a chance to sample the cinnamon crush and the Capone. A good way to wind down in the Windy City. Plenty of spots to choose from when in this area no matter what type of food you may have a craving for but if it is Italian then take your taste buds here.

Went based on the gluten free app. They offered numerous options for someone with gluten allergies orSensitivity. I have gluten sensitivity. I suggest reservations as we did have to wait but not very long. They will text you so you do not have to wait there. When seated we ordered drinks and an app of calamari. I forgot to take a picture because we all dove in. The entree comes with a soup or salad. We all loved our choices. I got the veal marsala with GF pasta and the sauce was perfection. My friend got the gnocchi and said it was very flavorful with a kick of spice. My other friend had the eggplant parm and said it was on point. The atmosphere is cute with someLarge tables and some tucked away in little cubes. Overall outstanding experience and would go again!

I came here with one of my old coworkers. She recommended this place for a ladies night out. We had an amazing time and enjoyed the dining experience. Italian food is one of my favorites to eat. Very beautiful inside. They have several private rooms to dine with family/friends or a date night.The food was delicious and seasoned well. Our waiter was a little over the top with his commands. But, we still enjoyed our night and the food. Prices are reasonable and food portion were decent. This was a great way to kick off the holidays

We dined here on a Friday and was so satisfied that I had to take my dessert back to the hotel. I'm staying at the JW and they have a lobby bar with bar fare and also an Italian restaurant that are nothing compared to Italian village! My pasta was fresh, calamari was crispy and tender, the pasta soup was nice hot and flavorful! I had spumoni gelato for dessert and my new favorite waiter Hugo suggested I take the tiramisu to go! I'm so happy I did bc today I'm eating it right now! It maintained well in my hotel fridge. Ugh so delish, I want another one. There was also another server (Hispanic taller, young too) he also came to greet our table, that is what I called teamwork. I leave Tuesday Back home but I'm stopping by after my meetings for a pizza and a couple deserts to go.

Food was less than average. Lasagna reminded me of chef boyardee. Venue is very nice and you feel like you are in a trattoria, but feeling was quickly dispelled by water boy that didn't even speak to us and a rushed, but kind waiter. I really wanted to enjoy this experience since we were only in Chicago for one night, and this place was conveniently located next to our hotel. We were lured in by the 'history' and promises of authentic Italian. Will definitely need to do more research next time. Left our salads and lasagna half eaten and waiter responded with 'are you not hungry'? Disappointing.

If you're in Chicago, you have to check out the oldest Italian restaurant in town! The seafood ravioli and tiramisu were absolutely amazing, and the service was top-notch. The authentic ambience made the experience even better. A must-visit for Italian food lovers!

We could have not been HAPPIER. The ambiance hits you in the most traditional sense with some magical feels. The waitstaff even to the bus boys were SO PLEASANT. Abraham was our server and we couldn't have asked for anyone better. The Village has bread to start which is beautifully fresh. The calamari was awesome, made to perfection. Every dinner was great & gobbled up. We had the salmon, gnocchi and eggplant Parmesan. It was a delight and a great "family" dinner to leave us swooning to come back to Chicago. Thanks for having us.

Ordered a caprese salad, eggplant parmigana, and fettuccine alfredo. The fettucine and caprese salad were both somewhat okay but the sauce on the eggplant parm was some of the worst sauce I've ever tasted in a restaurant. I was honestly a bit shocked that a longstanding old school italian restaurant serves sauce that tastes like it was straight out of a jar and very tomato paste-y! The service was pretty mid as well. We had a few odd moments of confusion with our waitress just due to a lack of clear communication. I do like how they have "nooks" along their main dining room to serve larger groups in a more private area. Seemed like it could get pretty crowded in their too so not sure how comfortable it would be to eat in one of those. There are PLENTY of delicious Italian restaurants in the city. Don't waste your time and money here!