Cefalu Seaside Sicilian — Restaurant in Elk Grove Township

I decided to celebrate my 30s at this place. We were coming here several times before with my friends and we really like it. We booked the private room, went thru the menu with the manager(owner), we preorder everything. He offered us to order aperol Tower that would cost $135, he showed us photos and it looked so pretty so we agreed. Yesterday i had my actual party. When we came we were shocked. The Aperol tower we were promised and the photo of it we were showed had nothing to do with our aperol tower. When i asked the waitress what happened and why it doesn’t look the way they promised us, our waitress said that she was told by manager thag we paid only for one bottle ( which wouldnot make a sense to pay $135 for one bottle, neither that anyone would mention it to us. Because it looked more like a scam to us!). The manager/owner came to our room and started giving us a BS excuse that it the same he showed us but it doesn’t have as much ice as on the photo he showed us. Again didn’t make any sense. 10 minuted later he came and brought us another bottle of champagne and said its on him, mind you even with that bottle it was such a scam system. The food was also terrible. It was cold, appetizers were not in that amount as we ordered. The salad that we ordered look more like from cheap dining and tasteless. The pasta was bitter on taste. The entrees were cold, steak that we ordered were cooked inappropriately and not what we wanted. And again everything was cold. The gelato thay we pre ordered apparently melted and they put it back in the freezer and then served it to us. Me and my friends felt scammed, my birthday was ruined and i feel like i was scammed and i paid way more than i was supposed to pay. DO NOT RECOMMEND this place, don’t plan to celebrate here anything important because it will get ruined. Also never coming back here. Ps: aperol tower that we were promised vs what we got ( photo attached, also that bottle on the top is after we complained that it is not what we...

I was at Cefalu recently and found it to be an exremely pleasurable experience. Very nice ambiance. The restaurant is bright and the tables are spacially separated so you are not close to the diners next to you. They offer a variety of seating options including high-tops for casual dining. Service: the service was impeccable. The waiter was extremley conscientious and came to our table numerous times to ask if we needed anything or if we were pleased with our entrees. He also accomdodated a special request that I had for pasta dish which was not listed on the menu. Probably one of the best waiters that I have ever had. The managers and owner also stopped at our table to ask now we liked everything. Not one, but 3 people stopped by, introduced themselves and asked if we were enjoying our food. Food: I am Italian and my parents were both born in Italy so I am probably pickier than most people. My favorites? Definitely, the fritto misto and 30 day aged proscuitto. I always order the fritto misto or a grilled version when I dine at an Italian restaurant. It was made perfectly, very light and it was not saturated in oil as I have found in other restaurants. The proscuitto was by far the best proscuitto that I have ever had (including Italy). It was tender, perfectly sliced and has just the right amount of salt (some proscuitto can be very saltly). As a matter of fact, I enjoyed it so much that I asked them if I could have the brand name which they happily provided. The pizza was very good. My friends tried the meat balls, arancini, mussels (mussels perfectly sized) , chicken parmesan, and various pasta dishes. On another visit, I tried the chicken piccata and the chicken was tender, most, and cooked to perfection. The deserts are very good and generous in proportions. The cappucino was perfect! On my next visit, I looking forward to trying the octopus.

They also offer music on the weekends.

I look forward to my next...

A Sicilian Sojourn: A Mixed Bag of Flavors My recent visit to this Sicilian restaurant was a tale of two halves, a blend of visual delights and culinary disappointments. A friend's enthusiastic recommendation led me there, and I was immediately struck by the restaurant's stunning interior. Clearly, a designer had been employed, and the result is a stylish and Instagram-worthy space – perfect for those seeking a picturesque dining experience. The vast, open seating area further adds to the ambiance, creating a sense of spaciousness and comfort. Live music, courtesy of a talented singer, provided a pleasant backdrop to the evening. The menu, heavily focused on seafood, promised a taste of the Mediterranean. My choices, a trio of shrimp, octopus, and mussels, unfortunately yielded mixed results. The shrimp, sadly, were undercooked and lacked any discernible flavor – a disappointing start to the meal. While the mussels were presented beautifully, the taste was woeful. It was clear that a mass-market marinara sauce had been carelessly poured over them, masking any natural flavor of the shellfish. A true culinary crime! However, all was not lost. The octopus, ah, the octopus! This dish was the saving grace of the meal. Perfectly cooked, it was melt-in-your-mouth tender and exceptionally delicious. It showcased the kitchen's potential and left me wondering what could have been if the other dishes had been prepared with the same care and attention. In short, this Sicilian restaurant offers a feast for the eyes and ears, but the food is a gamble. While the octopus was a standout, the undercooked shrimp and mass-market marinara on the mussels left a sour taste. If they can elevate the quality and preparation of their other dishes to match the excellence of the octopus, this restaurant could truly shine. For now, it's a beautiful setting with inconsistent cuisine – a place I'd recommend for drinks and perhaps the octopus, but...