Ciccio Mio — Restaurant in Chicago

My fiancé and I just ate at Ciccio Mio and left incredibly underwhelmed and unimpressed. The food was fantastic, but the service was so bad that I'm still thinking about it hours later and cannot give this restaurant more than two stars.

From the moment we walked in the service was lackluster. We arrived early on purpose to enjoy a drink in the elegant and atmospheric lounge. We sat at the couch and waited about 10 minutes only for water to be served.- no drink order taken. We had already looked at the drink menu and were ready to order, but the waiter rushed off right after setting the water down without even asking if we were ready to order. About 20 minutes after sitting down our order was taken, and the drinks were finally brought out another 10-15 minutes after ordering them, which is also when we were told our table was ready (earlier than our reservation, to be fair, but we had been waiting a total of half an hour for drinks). So much for enjoying a nice drink in the lounge.

Our waitress, Bella, was kind but inattentive. We were there to celebrate our anniversary (which I had noted on the reservation) and our last date out before we get married next weekend, but our special occasion was completely ignored. Normally this wouldn't have been a big deal, but every table around us was asked whether they were celebrating something special, whereas we received the most lackluster service I've ever experienced at such a highly rated and expensive restaurant.

Bella came by to check on us only two times throughout the meal, and several other waiters ended up attending to us because she was so MIA. I ordered a glass of wine before the main courses came out, and ended up waiting about 10 minutes after the courses were served for the wine to be brought out before finally deciding to simply start in on the food. We ordered the meatballs, Caesar salad, truffle bucatini, and vodka rigatoni, all of which were delicious, as was the house bread. I was also looking forward to trying a dessert, but the service left so much to be desired that we couldn't bring ourselves to add any more to our bill.

I had been eagerly anticipating making a reservation at this restaurant since March, when I first heard about it. As a Chicago native who now lives out of the country and seldom visits, I was very excited to bring my fiancé here to experience a classic fine dining experience in the city, especially after hearing a friend rave about her experience here only four days prior. To say that I'm disappointed is an understatement, and I will certainly not be back. I hope Ciccio Mio reaches a better balance of waitstaff, because the service I saw Alfredo give to the tables on either side of mine compared to the service Bella provided my table and the attention we received in the lounge was glaringly different, to say the least.

We went back and forth on whether to choose Ciccio Mio or Bavette's for our anniversary dinner, and it's safe to say we...

Reservations at Ciccio Mio have got to be some of the most sought-after in Chicago. I had long since given up trying to battle the Resy bots for a seat here but when a weekday spot randomly opened up, I knew it was finally my moment.

Hogsalt restaurants are known for their stunning interiors: spaces that feel both nostalgic and timeless. I’ve been to a few and Ciccio Mio is easily the most beautiful of the bunch. As you pull open the door, you immediately see Victoria Arduino’s The Venus Bar, an intricate antique copper coffee machine sitting proudly at the center of the front bar, which also serves as the host stand. If you’re already impressed by the front space, the dining room tucked behind the curtains takes it to another level. The space is filled with a warm glow from candles, crystal lamps, and chandeliers. Red velvet lines the seats and booths, adding to the room’s opulence. The walls are covered with picture frames in various sizes and styles. The atmosphere is dark and moody yet feels so romantic. The servers only added to the charm: playful, personable, and refreshingly unafraid of a little banter. Their easy humor made the experience felt as warm and inviting as the space itself.

I hadn’t been particularly impressed with the food at other Hogsalt restaurants but I was pleasantly surprised at Cicio Mio. We started with the truffle mozzarella sticks: beautifully golden and crisp with a distinct truffle flavor accompanied by a bright, flavorful red sauce for dipping. For the pasta, we went with the spicy vodka rigatoni and the ricotta gnocchi, which were both cooked perfectly. The rigatoni was coated in a luscious sauce that struck a nice balance between the fresh acidity of the tomato and the richness of the heavy cream. However, I did find this dish a bit undersalted. The best way to describe the ricotta gnocchi would be cheese pillows: impressively soft and tender with a great pan-seared crust. These delicious morsels were served in a rich brown butter sauce that really brought everything together. The coal-roasted chicken, boasting a beautiful crisp skin, was juicy and flavorful all the way through. Grilled asparagus was nicely charred and finished with a generous grating of parmesan.

For a little while, I forgot the city outside. Inside Ciccio Mio, the red-lined booths, the candlelit haze, and the hearty food suspended me in something that felt timeless. I stumbled out of this little swanky hideaway and back onto the Chicago sidewalk wondering what just happened. Was it the little lamps on every table? Was it the gnocchi? The fact that my server made me laugh twice? Whatever it...

Let me start by saying Chicago has many great Italian restaurants to offer, especially downtown. I have been lucky enough to try MANY of them, from the authentic to the trendy to the most upscale. When I’m deciding where to dine out- obviously food, and for me personally the wine selection, are of the utmost importance. However, as previously stated, there are many Italian restaurants to choose from, and many good dishes to be found, so most often service and atmosphere are more my deciding factors than even the dishes are. To take it a step further, When speaking about going BACK to or frequenting a particular place, ambiance and customer service undoubtably play huge role. Ciccio Mio can not only deliver GREAT food and wine, but their customer service and atmosphere cannot be beat! I will mention if you’re looking for somewhere “see and be seen” such as RPM Italian(nothing wrong with that, it’s a cool place) Ciccio Mio may not be for you. It is smaller (can’t be more than 12 tables) with a more intimate, moody vibe. I felt an exciting yet unpretentious air of exclusivity, which is difficult to achieve. Every element of the decor is well thought out and consistent. Delightfully eclectic and rich with detail. The lounge area is by far my favorite which is not even really a part of the rest of the restaurant. Instead it is partitioned off from the dining area and has, again, just wonderful details of wood, leather, sparkle, and warmth. Hats off to Benjamin who was our first point of contact when we walked in the door. He is a perfect compliment to the rest of the experience, very welcoming and animated, he made us even more excited to be there. Our waitress was equally as lovely as she was knowledgeable. Since this was our first time I asked her for some wine suggestions to start. My boyfriend and I like different wines, so she really took her time to listen to us and brought back a couple of samples. The samples she chose were dynamite. It only went uphill from there! The food was fantastic, my favorite being the truffle pasta that transported me back to Italy with an abundance of shaved truffles covering the top. To my delight, the dessert was also incredible, not anything I typically would’ve chosen on my own (it was a soft serve gelato containing fennel and honey and other ingredients) but our waitress assured us it was worth a try. She was absolutely right. Needless to say we will be back, and we will walk a little bit faster next time knowing what awaits us at this new...