Caro Mio Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Lake View Township

It gets one star because they are BYOB. Their prices were high so I expected much more. This evening was to celebrate several things so I chose Caro Mio because I read a glowing review from the Tribune's Metromix which I later found had the wrong address, (slightly), and more. Here is the Trib header statements:

"Caro Mio is everything you'd want in a romantic little Italian ristorante. From its inconspicuous location under the "L" tracks to the candlelit dining room and dark red walls, it's no wonder that marriage proposals are a common event here. Family owned and operated since 2000, this BYOB spot features Italian cuisine like Nonna used to make."

This Tribune review is garbage. Not one word is true. Well, actually the walls were an off shade of red. They have obviously moved from 1825 W. Wilson to 1833 or they expanded. There were no candles, it was not romantic at all. It was a storefront overlooking Wilson Avenue. I couldn't possibly think to propose at this place. If it is a family place, the family was off to Italy for the winter because all I saw were Asian and Hispanic staff.

The service was very good with one exception. When I told them I had a birthday we were celebrating and asked if they had a slice of cake with a candle, the waiter said yes of course. In the middle of dinner he told me they had a slice of Tiramiseau and would that be good. I said o.k. but never saw the Tiramisou until it showed up on my bill. For my birthday they gave me a chocolate pot with whipped cream which was very good but not what I wanted or agreed. I was avoiding chocolate for medical reasons. It upset my stomach and woke me up all night to eat bananas for relief. The rest of the food was marginally edible.

The Homemade Italian Sausage as a side dish was really very good.

The Tortelloni Di Pollo was not "with sauteed Julienne sliced chicken breast", as their online menu said, and the Tortelloni tasted not of chicken but paste with no flavor. No "Nona" would ever serve this. The dish also had 1 cooked shrimp in the sauce which didn't come from any dish we ordered. In disbelief I took it out of my mouth and showed it to my wife who was also surprised.

The Pasta Bolognese was only good if you were starving. I have easily have made better from canned sauce and I am not a good cook. The two ladies with us have made me the same dish incredible much better. I was surprised such a great dish was so lackluster.

The Calamari was dry.

One of the dishes was $1. more than the Tribune online but that I don't blame the restaurant really. I will never use Tribune Metromix again.

The wait staff kept trying to remove everyone's plate before we were all done which is not at all polite. However, I don't find fault with Caro Mio on this because, unfortunately, most restaurants do the same. It always makes me wonder if they have enough plates. For example; at the end of the meal my wife was finishing up and I turned to look out the window and when I looked back, they had snatched three plates leaving my wife to finish alone. Don't they know?

Out of curiosity I asked two of my guests to rate the restaurant on a scale of 1-10, ten being highest. We had no discussion of the food quality during and prior to my question. They knew I was paying though. Two gave it a 3 and my wife later gave it a 1.

This is a great example of "Fake News" from...

We recently visited for an event and they had totally packed the place. The last time I ate at Caro Mio, they were located off Montrose so it was nice to see their newer location on Lincoln where the would get more traffic to see their location.

If you're able to find street parking without paying, that's great as we were able to do, but parking is tough, so if you can rideshare, grab a cab, take the "L", or walk, you're better off.

We were treated to a mixed green salad, their insalata della casa, (not my fave type of lettuce, so I passed). My wife said it was good. Then we had chicken parmesan. It was the thinnest chicken parm I've ever had. The sauce was good, but it overpowered the parmesan and the chicken. It had the thickness of maybe 4-5 sheets of paper.

Next they served up their tri-colored rottolo. It actually looked more like a spinach lasagna. It was very tasty. Not as much sauce (thank g-d as it would have overpowered this dish as well). So, it was nice to be able to get the full flavoring of all the ingredients of this dish.

They served fresh steamed broccoli that was very brightly colored which my family again said was very good.

Lastly, they served their risotto funghi porcini (mushroom risotto). Again, not my ave, so I skipped, but my wife said was really delicious.

They had red and white wine to share, hard seltzer and beer in cans or Coke products in cans.

The place was decked out in interesting artwork that I assume family members painted which gave Caro Mio a very homey atmosphere.

The staff was friendly, but several servers seemed not to understand English, so when I asked what each dish was, they just looked at me, smiled, and said that either they didn't understand what I was asking or they pointed to someone else.

The food was decent. The atmosphere was nice, and is a cute little place for a date. If it's packed and you worry about the close proximity to everyone, this isn't your place. Lots of great Italian spots in the city. Caro Mio is a decent enough neighborhood spot. Skip the chicken parmesan, and order the mushroom risotto or...

I live nearby and have been here twice now, and the food was really fantastic both times. The garlic bread especially was a highlight for me--they put so much fresh garlic on top that it was almost spicy, so if you love garlic I would highly recommend it. Everything was very flavorful. Atmosphere was a little cramped, but they were very busy both times so I didn't mind. I also appreciate that it is BYOB--while I sometimes love trying new wines or suggested pairings, that can get very expensive, so bringing my own is welcome.

Because yes, I am in my 20s and like saving money, which brings me to my only complaint, and the reason I am deducting 2 stars. Being young doesn't make me cheap. The first time I went here, I was with my aunt and uncle, who are older, and service was fantastic even though they were quite busy. The second time, it was just my boyfriend and I, and the service was really bad--even when compared to the table right next to us that had with the same waiter! He would come check on them and not even glance at us, it took forever to order our entrees, and later dessert (we were there for more than 2 hours), I had to ask for more water. And the whole time we were watching someone else get better service from the same person for no good reason. Was it because they were older? Are they regulars? Were they better dressed?

When calculating a tip, I always start at 18%, and go up to 20% if service is great, or down to 15% if it sucks. Perhaps our waiter assumed we weren't worth the effort, and is now thinking he was right, since after being treated so poorly there was no way were would leave more than 15%. So now the next young couple will get the same treatment. I find this extremely frustrating.

Due to the location and the flavor, I really want to love this place, but I'm struggling with the way I was treated last time and not sure I want...