Campagnola — Restaurant in Evanston Township

The AMBIENCE I found it a tad bizarre there were two doors to walk in and no one to really greet you. We didn’t have reservations and I never even heard of this place but the reviews seemed to be positive and we wanted to give it a chance. We were starving! We walked in and eventually someone asked if we wanted to sit by the window - where we kind of felt like an afterthought - the bar seemed empty - not the typical full of beautiful bottles of liquor. Also the crowd is skewed pretty darn on the mature side and I felt besides the waiters we were the youngest couple in this place. Overall it’s fairly small and only a few tables and looked very promising. We were very excited! The tables on the side where we were seated were fairly small yet the tables in the main area were massive in comparison.

The FOOD.

DRINK We got a couple glasses of the Malbec and were ready to dig into our appetizers.

EAT We got the following appetizer plates and wanted to just get this so that we could try everything. Bruschetta Diver Scallop Wood-fired Radicchio Ricotta Gnocchi Octopus

We start off with the bruschetta and it’s ok nothing grand but you can’t really mess this up. It was yummy. We then moved onto the scallop - and here was a problem. I had grit in my mouth from the scallop which made it difficult to eat - very unappetizing! We moved on to the Radicchio and I was again not a fan and at this point I began to be a little worried. The ambience was good but what was happening with the food. At one point I actually spit out one of the appetizers because it was so awful. I didn’t even know what to say. I am ok sometimes with mediocrity but when its not appetizing at all - that bothers me a lot! We taste a couple of the other appetizers and just really killed our mood for the evening. I felt bad because I took a really good friend here and we ended up walking fairly far to get here. Huge disappoint! We followed up with dessert and it was ok.

The SERVICE Our waitress was really nice and service was prompt and very well done. We only had an issue where we had no room on the table for other appetizers and were forced to just let them go to waste - I think they should have waited till we finished or maybe a little better pacing.

The LETDOWN I was really upset about the food here. Everything on the menu described sounds delicious and the plating was nice but what happened to flavor? It just didn’t work for my palette. I would not come here again - also I spent over $130 in Evanston for 2 people - I think a...

We have dined here before and either the place has deteriorated or it was an off night. Things started off on a bad note before we even arrived when I discovered Chicago Avenue was closed at Kedzie for the Custer Street Fair. My parents cannot walk at age 90 and 95, so my sister had to drop them at the corner and come back and park south on Chicago. Second, we were put at a terrible table right near the bathrooms and in the direct, constant path of waitstaff near the kitchen. Somebody banged into my chair multiple times. Third, there was no toilet paper in the bathroom, so we had to ask someone to change it.

As with so many other restaurants, it was far too loud so you could only talk to the person next to you. Three drunk and incredibly obnoxious guys were sitting right near us. They were laughing so raucously and one of them went to the ladies restroom because he didn't want to wait to use the men's. I expected to see pee all over the floor when I had to use it - it was a little messy but no pee!

A little surprising they serve such nice bread with a cold slab of butter. It isn't easy to spread this and you'd think an expensive a restaurant would offer olive oil and Parmesan with bread. Considering the prices, the food was one big MEH! The best thing I ate was the asparagus soup - very tasty and unique with the lemon creme fraîche. The trout was disappointing - flooded in stewed tomatoes and juice - skin on a very small piece and only ONE almond in the entire dish! It was also so hot I nearly burned my tongue. My husband's short ribs were delicious but the vegetables were under cooked - especially the four turnip turds, and there were only three tiny potatoes. My dad's halibut special was completely uninspired. The linguine and tagliatelle were good but nothing special. The amount of wine by the glass for $14 was a rip-off and the desserts were tasty, but nothing to write home about. The service was excellent, although harried given how busy it was. I don't quite understand why this restaurant has such a...

Stay Away from this place. I would rate this place with zero if there was an option. About a week ago me and my family of 7 celebrated a birthday party here. We enjoyed the food so we decided to return a week later with other friends. The service we received this time you wont experience it even at your local fast food. We called in advance to make sure it was ok to stop by for dinner on a sunday night. We were welcomed over the phone. Once we arrived, our rude waitress tells us we have only 10 min to order because they were closing. That is why we called!!! We ordered everything at once rushed. The food kept coming fast and you could tell waitress was trying to get us out because she kept asking if we were done with food still on our plates. We were in and out of the place in roughly about 1:15 min. On our way out the greedy waitress had no shame to make a comment in the lines of "thanks for the big tip". This is the first time I have experienced this level of rudeness on what is supposed to be fine dinning. Our bill was close to $300 for 4 people and close to $1,000 within a week including the birthday party. Almost $1,000 spent in a week and the waitress has the guts to be rude and disrespectful towards clients because she is greedy. The tip is a reflect of service. Whatever is left for you it should be appreciated. If you weren't happy with the tip you received, you should have stopped by the table and asked what was wrong with the service. Instead you decided to bad mouth under your breath as we walked away. Very low!!! Shame on...