Labriola Ristorante - Chicago — Restaurant in Chicago

ZERO STARS IF I COULD..THIS RESTAURANT “ACCIDENTALLY” CHARGED ME $455*

I took my daughter and grandson out for an evening lunch to one of my favorite restaurants, Labriola. We were seated immediately and after 30 minutes of sitting, an adjacent table had noticed that we still hadn’t been greeted by our waiter. The table mentioned this to a manager, and soon after our waiter, Angel V. finally arrived. We ordered our food, and it was brought out 40 minutes later. Throughout dinner, Angel was often inattentive and no where to be found. I had to utilize the services of two other nearby waiters who had no problem assisting us. Even though Angel was only serving my table and the one behind us, I know sometimes the waiters have to do “extra work” in between waiting tables —so I didn’t count this against his service.

Angel delivered my $89 check to the table then disappeared as usual. We had a drink mishap earlier on, and I was told that it will be corrected on the check, but it wasn’t. A nearby manager had walked to our table and asked us how our evening was going. I told him about the drink mistake, and he fixed our check right on the spot. Soon after Angel came to retrieve my debit card. Ten minutes later another manager named, Dionisio Viveros came back to our table to announce that ANGEL “ACCIDENTALLY CHARGED OUR CARD $455 -BUT NO WORRIES BECAUSE IT WILL CLEAR UP IN 5 BUSINESS DAYS.” With a smile on his face, he gave us his card and told us to call him if the money didn’t return in 5 days. I explained to Dionisio that this was unacceptable because I have rent, a car note, bills, and other monetary obligations that the money was planned to be used for. His response was that after the $455 clears we will be charged the original $112. I explained to him that the amended bill was originally $84.50 ($94.46 with tax) but Angel included an automatic gratuity of 18% (that he definitely didn’t deserve) for a party of three.

After trying to explain to Dionisio that our meals should be completely COMPLIMENTARY especially since close to $500 was withdrawn from my bank account on a Saturday and wouldn’t be back until 5 business days later. He refused. He came back after disappearing into the night just like his staff member Angel and said, “I understand that some people like you are on a budget so we will only charge you $50.”

What? I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t do anything but stare at him. NEWSFLASH to Mr. Dionisio: in a world where inflation, rising taxes, and better competition exists, Labriola could go under at any time and he and his unprofessional staff could soon be on a budget as well.

I think that it was insane to say that to me. I would have understood if they mistakenly charged me an extra $50, $75, or even $100 but $455?!? UNACCEPTABLE.

I believe that Angel purposely charged our card $455 instead of the original $85. Here’s why:

1.) Angel was clearly incompetent to believe that a group of three people ordered $455 worth of food. Most waiters are aware of which tables they are responsible for, especially if you are ONLY HAVE (2) TABLES TO SERVE. His other table was only a pairing of two.

2.) I believe that Angel was upset because his co-workers kept reminding him to serve us. He was also annoyed because two different managers had to get involved earlier during lunch before the whole check debacle began. When he did show up to our table he often gave us attitude.

3.) Angel claims that he was talking with another co-worker and became distracted and pressed the incorrect table, thus resulting in the $455 charge. I find it miraculous that he

“RANDOMLY” pressed on the most expensive table dinning in the restaurant. The receipt clearly states that it was a table of 10. It was the largest group of people in the restaurant— the rest of the restaurant was only composed of smaller groups.

If you dine here, BE CAREFUL because they may accidentally charge you $500 for spaghetti...

With all the COVID madness it is nice to find a restaurant in the city with outdoor dining. I was able to find a seat fairly quickly (the host was away for a bit.) This place being one of the only places that is not only open, but has outdoor dining means it is a bit crowded. Pretty much every table was filled & there was lively chatter reminiscent of what used to be a bustling Chicago. I ordered the Richie Burger & Meatball pie to make sure my hunger was satisfied.

Price wise everything is on par with "gourmet" bars. Burgers are $15-17 & come with fries. The deep dish pizza is $27 for a 12" & $32 for a "15. 3 out of 5

I was told the deep dish pizza would take 45 minutes, but it came out in less than 20.

Richie Burger - Presentation - The burger & fries are neatly prepped. The pretzel bun is a nice touch, but it is cold & doesn't look to be toasted. They let the juice soak into the buns as well which is always a nice touch. The burger is made of finely ground angus which oddly textured as it comes across as a turkey burger upon first bite, but you get used to it. Another oddity is the double tomato slice. 4/5

Taste - The abomination that is the double tomato slice needs to go. It makes the burger thicker than it needs to be which increases the possibility of the entire stack (of which it is a pretty tall stack) falls apart. Other than that the meat itself is a mixed bag. Some parts are perfectly seasoned while others are too salty or bland. Overall everything is fresh. Do watch out as the burger is JUICY.

Meatball Pie - Presentation - Not the prettiest pie in the world. Tomato sauce is simply mashed tomatoes with some cilantro & onions thrown in for good measure. The crust was also burned. For reference think Lou Malnati's, but less neat. 3/5

Taste - Thankfully the burnt crust had little effect on the pizza. Everything blends well & nothing really stands out. I forgot the pizza even had ricotta on it until I tried it individually to which I confirm it is a very mild ricotta. Still, the pizza is GOOD...not great, but good. The meatballs are tender with perfection baked into every bite. The crust is buttery soft & just melts in your mouth. I could see this as a weekly lunch regiment if they offered slices. For reference think Lou Malnati's, but much better. 4/5

Overall Labriola has a lot to offer & is willing to do what it needs to do in-order to make sure it stays in business. I was even able to witness them change out the propane tank on the tableside heaters (something which I had been looking into for my deck at home) which is a plus. The prices are fair for what's offered, but could always be lower. The food is tasty which some minor imperfections that can easily be overcome with consistent preparation.

4...

I travelled from MN to visit Labriola Friday, December 22nd. I made a reservation online and it was very simple and easy to do. I had my reservation at 6:00pm and was seated promptly. I sit down at the table where a nice lit candle awaits for me. I turn over and see what I assume is a pitchfork. All I could think to myself was how ridiculous I would look eating with this gigantic fork. I look over the menu and decide on a 4 cheese tortellini while my guest orders a cacio e pepe and an old fashion. Our waiter arrives and serves us water. I do not drink alcohol and was unable to locate the drink menu. This being said, I had hoped our waiter would inform me of the nonalcoholic beverages but did not. We placed our order and our food arrived in a reasonable manner. I felt like a farmer with my pitchfork except my crops were tortellini. Our waters were not refilled throughout the night without requesting it first. Although it was 6:00pm, the whole dining area was very loud. I did not expect this but could hear the kitchen from the front of the restaurant. I did not enjoy the disturbance as I tried to eat my meal in peace and quiet. As for the food, it was good. It was like any other 4 cheese tortellini I’ve had. I was very sad to find no real wow factor. In the midst of eating my pasta my fork made an appearance. The giant fork came to haunt me. I experienced a cramp in my hand. After recovering from my cramp I was able to try my guests Cacio e Pepe and found it bland. It lacked salt and more importantly pepper. The shrimp was decent, although they were cooked unevenly. 2 of the shrimps were well cooked but the other 2 were very rubbery. As we tried to enjoy our meals, my guest screamed in agony. She quickly discovered the dangers of sitting at a wooden table. She had a very large splinter ride up her arm. We quickly informed the waiter but he looked at my guest in disgust. This was very unfortunate as we tried to be very understanding. We are well aware that it is not the restaurants fault but I am warning you all to think twice about sitting at a wooden table. The waiter came back to inform us that management was informed and shortly after the manager walked over. We explained the situation and they offered us a dessert on them. We were uninterested in a free dessert as it was not their fault but when we received our bill one of the pastas was taken off. We appreciated this greatly and we left. Overall if you’re looking for something quiet I do...