Quartino Ristorante — Restaurant in Chicago

My boyfriend and I came here on a Saturday night at 21:00. We had a reservation for 21:15, but were sat before our reservation time.

We were sat right next to the kitchen- which is one of my favorite spots to sit in any restaurant because I can see all the beautiful dishes before they get to their respective tables.

Our server was friendly and expedient. He asked us if we had been there before and when we said no, he went on to explain the sizing of the plates- which is small to medium- a pizza is medium which could be enough for 1 person, while a past dish is small- likely not enough to fill up a person.

I asked about the pizza with arugula and prosciutto on top- one of my favorite pizzas in Los Angeles it usually comes with the toppings over a cheese pizza. However? At another restaurant in Illinois, it came with only olive oil underneath, which was not enough flavor, so I asked the waiter whether it had cheese and sauce underneath. He thought it didn't, but went back to check with the chef who confirmed that it actually did come with tomato sauce and cheese- so I ordered it. I'm glad I did. This pizza was covered in arugula which I believe had been tossed in lemon juice and maybe some olive oil, and a ton of prosciutto. I mean, wow! It was so much, I had a difficult time eating it without it falling off, so I took it all off and ate the toppings like a salad and then the pizza after. Honestly, this was even better way to eat it than I expected, and I had some pizza to take home. I reheated it and it was still fantastic! So don't worry if you have to take some home and reheat, it keeps well as long as the arugula and prosciutto are taken off. The only criticism I have is of the dough. I've had pizza in Naples and at other italian restaurants in Los Angeles that do a great traditional dough- bubble up along the edge but thin in the middle. This dough was thicker than I'm used to. It was good, but not the best I've had. However, Compared to other chicago pizzas, this dough is great. 4+/5

Pepperoni pizza- came with a lot of pepperoni. My boyfriend thought this was delicious. He also took some home and reheated and it kept well. I can't comment on the flavor bc I didn't have it, but he thought it was a 4/5.

Pappardelle Al sugo This was amazing! This pasta is made in house and it was cooked to a perfect Al dente. The ragu was so flavorful and tender, just thinking about it right now makes my mouth water. I love love love this pasta. I've worked at italian restaurants before, and eaten a ton of pasta, this dish is not one to miss. It salty and savory and oh so good. 5/5

Tiramisu This dessert was awesome. My boyfriend and I were fighting over it. Haha. The espresso/liquor? Flavor was very prevalent. The cream was perfect. I highly recommend this and if there are two of you, each get their own. Lol I only wish it were bigger 4+++/5

Aperol spritz I love a good aperol spritz- the contrast of bitter, citrus, and sweet is usually wonderful, but the drink made here is more on the bitter side. I'm not sure if they chose a different Prosecco than I'm used to, or if they used tonic water instead of soda water, but either way it wasn't what I'm used to. It was still good, but not great. 3/5

I ordered a passion fruit italian side- but they unfortunately ran out so I didn't get to try it.

Overall, I think this place is great. It was packed on a Saturday night but we were seated and fed quickly. I will definitely be back to try more of their pastas and...

Updated Review July 2025: Still one of my favorite restaurants downtown. I love how much versatility their menu offers, from different plate sizes so you can try different dishes to varying wine order sizes, allowing you to order just what you need.

This visit we tried two new menu items:

Fungi Pizza - sooooooo good, though it is lightly sprinkled with some spicy (like Thai red pepper spicy) red pepper flake, so order without it if you don’t want a spicy kick at the back of your throat. That aside, this pizza is fantastic with an earthy, savory mushroom mix and perfect cheese pairing.

And the crust is so unique. Pillowy soft, not heavy, and dusted with sea salt or something that makes it very memorable. Normally, I don’t eat the crust on pizza, but this was hard to say no to.

Spaghetti Pomodoro: so this is like your basic village pasta, nothing fancy, just plump little tomatoes mixed with pasta, but I have to say, it was good! The sauce, so simple and balanced, not overly acidic or salty. If you are looking for a bright, light meatless dish, this is a great one. My only gripe is that I would have like to see more fresh basil in it - that was largely lacking.

Cozze (in red sauce): this is the one dish we order every time we visit, and usually it retains its position as the star of the show, unfortunately, this time around the mussels were not as fresh, very stringy, and a bit too strong of a fishy aroma. I expect they would do better job of ensuring the seafood is fresh, so this was a miss for us this time.

Definitely recommend!

Original Review: We really love this place. This was our second visit, as I like to get a feel for consistency before I review, and it was so good.

The atmosphere has a rustic and charming quality to it, where it could be fancy if it wanted to, but it is more interested in feeling like a packed restaurant in Italy. The constant chatter, the coziness of the table layout all adds to the authenticity of the place. We have experienced similar restaurants in our travels in Europe.

What we love most is the sharing concept of small plates. You can order a variety of dishes and not feel like you have to commit to one thing or feel overwhelmed by choosing a variety of yummy stuff.

Recommended dishes:

The Cozze (mussels) in red sauce - incredible depth of flavor to the point that you want to sip that sauce like soup broth. If you order, save your bread for this dish.

Tuscan Kale Salad - very unique blend of flavors and textures. Great starter!

Linguine with clams (white sauce) - I read a review that said it was too much garlic and knew that was a dish we had to try. It was one of the best I’ve ever had!!

Pappardelle pasta- wonderfully rich sauce, perfect as a small serving to share.

Dessert, try the Coppa alla Banana, it was soooo delicious!

The last time we came here we had the Orecchiette which was just “okay” nothing spectacular. We also shared the Porcini mushroom and truffle Risotto, but it was way too salty to enjoy.

This has now been added to our go to places when we are in downtown, highly recommended if you are looking for rustic, homemade...

We had reservations for 6:30pm on May 16th at Quartino Ristorante Chicago location. The table reserved wa so small in the patio section filled with tables and about 60 customers. there were two small side tables that ws given to us. Why?

It was warm and poor vents and loud. No windows opened and of course no table settings no napkin no silverware. The cheese shaker was dirty and plates were wet. No olive oil. The water in the glass bottle was warm as it appeared to be there for a day or so, nothing like warm water to drink and one glass had a dirty film of smudges fingers on it...Plus the table next to us was overfilled with 6-7 people and one girl sat in the aisle walkway next to our tiny table! Why?

then I had to move our table back so I was backed up to a doorway behind me that had constant servers of food and wait staff walking in and out hitting my back and chair constantly! Now from the side snd people was walking next to our table and hitting my arm and elbow as they walked back and forth. We had to constantly make sure that our fork and spoon on our pasta dishes were not ripped off the table and onto the floor. WHY?

So I decided to wait for the napkins, silverware, warm water, dirty glass, hot noisy warm room no ventilation, tiny table which cannot fit a pizza on top of table either tink about that! I needed to go to restroom and reset this bad reserved table and no manager nor a wait server anywhere to be seen or heard. WHY?

Perhaps, I needed a washroom break. So I went upstairs and walked through the tiny space to get by our tiny table with warm water and pass by the dining room and see that empty tables were available and 2 people sitting in a well lit cool area. There were plenty of tables available. But why did this host seat us into a tiny warm icky table with no table settings warm water and dirty cup and we had to sit sideways when there were tables available in the dining area and upstairs? WHY?

Plus we had reservations ahead of time and was to celebrate a special occasion and our reservation!

Now the meal was so late and intervals and no bread until we asked for some and napkins. The pizza never came but our pizza never came until we asked for the check! The pasta was less than full portions like kids size. The pasta was lukewarm warm and hard and little to no sauce. The salad was more cheese than romaine lettuce simply overwhelming like cheese and no bread yet to come. WHY?

This bad summary has more to coment on if requested by future customers with reservations and has special occasions to come to "QUARTINO RISTOTANTE." ?

I would be happy to give you advice before you arrive. After I hope to hear from the general manger of Quartino Ristorante.

Sorry for the poor food and atmosphere experience but you asked for my honest review feedback about our experience at...