Sapori Trattoria — Restaurant in Lake View Township

I found this place while looking up some spots in the Lincoln park area to take my Girlfriend for her birthday dinner and she had a taste for some good Italian food. I found this place and made my reservations and believe me when I say this is definitely a special place that we will be coming back to. Upon arriving our hostess was a delight, very friendly and welcoming, we chose to sit outside and as soon as we were seated we were brought out some very cold water, and some fresh lightly crispy bread, with very good olive oil and a small cup of I believe romano cheese to sprinkle on top of the bread to add a small amount of saltiness. The olive oil was fragrant and the bread made a beautiful starter to stimulate the appetite. We started with our appetizers and drinks, I ordered the Sangria de Luna which was robust with a full a fruity and lovely sweetness to it which seemed like a perfect match for the weather. My girlfriend was beautifully accommodated with a mocktail that she described as one of the nicest drinks she's ever had. We ordered the burrata platter which was sublime, the toasted focaccia bread that came with it was crisp and all the ingredients fresh and full of robust flavour. The mozzarella was soft and creamy which spread over the bread perfectly while the outer walls of the mozzarella still had the chewy texture giving you the best of both. The sundried tomato paste that they give as an accompaniment with this platter was my personal favorite, it was full of deep, rich flavor with a very good balance of sweetness and savoury. My girlfriend enjoyed the garlic paste, it was very strongly flavoured and I too enjoyed it, but I would not recommend it for a first date unless you are trying to keep your date safe from vampires. And finally there was pickled peppers and the prosciutto, the peppers had a good balance of vinegar and heat, and the prosciutto was full of umami, as someone who has never had it before it was very much an experience. For our main course I ordered another drink by the name of "A lil pick me up", I will be honest, it was good but even I know the drink might be strong for the average consumer, the mix of mint and basil in the drink made it oh so refreshing with a kiss of sweetness. My girlfriend ordered the pasta contadino, the pasta was full of creamy and smokey flavour with crisp vegetables that added a nice freshness to offset the heaviness of the bacon and the richness of the sauce. I ordered the gnocchi Al brivado, the gnocchi was soft and springy that just splits smoothly when bitten into with a satisfying bite, the sauce was very herbal, the pesto sauce is very strong and the only complaint I would have with the dish is the chicken, the chicken is cut very thinly in this dish which gets overshadowed by the strength of the sauce, and then even more so get lost with additional strips of sun dried tomatoes which add an additional boost of salt which would get overwhelming if not for the pesto sauce. Lastly, for dessert my lady ordered the Vanilla Mascarpone it was perfection, the sweetness from the honeycomb danced on your tongue with the smoothness and creaminess of the mascarpone, the addition of the candied walnuts was much needed, adding a good amount of texture change and sweetness combined with the nuttiness of them really balanced the whole dish. I had ordered the Cacio e pepe cheese cake solely out of curiosity of how the flavors would play together. I was surprised when I was told it gets flambeed, a nice show before getting to try it as it got lit ablaze with brandy. The cheese cake was very very good, very creamy, and sweet with the honey that surrounded it, the pepper added a surprisingly good amount of bite and sharpness to the dessert. However and this is very much a personal preference, it pairs perfectly with a bit of coffee, I had ordered the dessert to share the moment with my lady but I am not a sweets person but I did very much enjoy it. I would highly recommend this establishment.

TLDR: Amazing food and drinks, great...

I cannot say enough good things about this restaurant. It's a lot bigger inside than it looks outside. The staff was so friendly and gracious, I felt like I was having dinner at a friend's house. Well, until I got the bill. But, I was out alone and decided to treat myself to an epic dining experience. This restaurant did not disappoint.

First Course - Drinks

While normally not considered a separate course, I like to start everything with a drink course and a lot of thought is put into the the decision on what to drink. I usually like to have something I've never had before or something specific to the restaurant. I started with a drink called a Chicago 75 - Koval Dry Gin, Fresh Lemon Juice, Prosecco, St. Elderflower

Fizzy bubbles from the wine tickled my taste buds. Or was it the lemon? Either way, this cocktail is absolutely fabulous. It tastes delicious and freshens the air with lemon oil. In the middle of Fall, this drink feels like Spring.

Second Course - Calamari Fritti with Pickled Peppers and Marinara.

Where do I even begin. The Calamari is thinly battered, crispy, and tender. The marinara, ripe tomato goodness was spiced just right - not salty, not hot, but seasoned to perfection. The pickled peppers was shaved thin, letting you control the heat. It was the perfect flavor finish for the combo of tomato, seafood, and lemon. Did I mention the Calamari was just rings? Not one squidlet in sight.

Third Course - Insalata Stella.

This salad consisted of mixed greens, Provolone cheese, raspberries, apple slices, pine nuts, honey mustard - champagne vinaigrette.

Ok, this was just damnably yummy. Apple slices and the chopped mixed greens were the largest pieces in the dish. The salad was packed with tiny cheese squares, pine nuts and raspberries and together that packed a huge flavor punch. Everything was amazingly fresh. The honey mustard champagne vinaigrette was flavorful and very light. It coated everything without overpowering other delicate flavors, and every few bites I tasted Carmel Apples.

Fourth Course: Milk and Honey Baby Back Ribs.

First you see it. Baby Back Ribs, nestled on a bed of fried sweet potato shavings, and piled high with a thick mushroom sauce. Then, you smell it. An earthy, sweet aroma like barbecue and maple and oak. Then, you taste it. Oh. My. God! The ribs are so tender. A few flicks of a fork completely cleans a bone. The sweet potatoes underneath add a slight crunch and just a kiss of sweetness.  The rib meat is so rich and delicate. And the mushroom sauce is rich and creamy. It's like eating a fine stew where all the ingredients compliment each other, instead of just ribs. These are not just ribs. This fourth course was the pinnacle of an epic dining experience. Or was it?

Fifth Course - Bread pudding with vanilla Brandy Sauce and Vanilla gelato.

The bread puddings texture was softer than a fresh crepe and even more delicious. It was warm, and Cinnamony, and light and fluffy. And it went so well with vanilla gelato and coffee. At the end of the meal, I'm glad I had room for a few bites of this.

This meals was not cheap. Was it worth it? Yes! Am I worth it? Hell yes! But you don't have to spend what I spent to have a great meal here.  You can stop at an appetizer and entree or go for even more courses if the mood strikes you. The decision is up to you. If you want to experience a restaurant that's worth your hard earned money, this is the place to be. Check out the menu as soon as you...

There was so much hype around this restaurant but honestly thats all it was.. hype..

I made reservation and arrived about 10 minutes early. We walked in and the hostess was crowded with people in such a small area. They seated up right away and walked us up stairs to the very back part of the restaurant. We were in this small cut away area with two other tables.. the inside wasn't that nice and it disnt look like much though has been put into the esthetic for a very long time..

When we sat down, and our server came to get out drink order. I ordered a glass of the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, El Halcon, Rioja Alto Spain and my cousin ordered the Lady Fiori cocktail. The wine was recommended by our server and it was very enjoyable. The Lady Fiori was very strong with lots of changing flavors.

They brought bread and Parmesan to the table and we enjoyed a slice while we waited for our food. We ordered the Calamari Fritti, the Vitello Meatballs, a Ceasar Salad, the Gnocchi Al Brivido and the Bucatini Carbonara. The bread was pretty good but we didnt eat it all right away because we wanted to enjoy it with our pastas. Unfortunately a server came to clear out table of appetizers ans took the bread before we could say anything..

The Calamari Fritti was very good! But for 19, they did not give us a lot.. that was unfortunate because it was the best thing we had to eat there.. the Vitello Meatball was cold when we cut into it.. we actually notified the server and she was like "okay put it back in will bring a new one" and she said it in such a rushing way we just did it. She brought out a new one and it was steaming got when we cut into it. She said it was cold because of the ricotta cheese on top of it but that wasn't true because the second one didn't get cold. The meatbal kind of fell apart as you ate it like it had no integrity ans kind of reminded me of a meatloaf. it wasn't impressive.. The Ceasar Salad was very well dressed and enjoyable.

The Gnocchi Al Brivido was very fragrant and had good flavor but the chicken seems like it wasn't and good quality. The sun dried tomatoes in it were a very nice touch though. The Bucatini Carbonara was a huge serving, I was shocked when it came to the table, I was very excited to try it but i have to say it did not impress me.. the pancetta was bland ans fell apart every time I tried to grab a piece with my fork. The pasta was a lot thicket than spaghetti which made trying to eat it all little difficult. It wasnt that creamy either and when I tried to eat it, the noodles stuf together as if they had been sitting like that for a while.

Honestly, it seemed like non of the food came out fresh or hot. I think a lot of things sat for a minute before being brought to out table.

Where we sat was a little enclosed and they sat a group of girls in that very small area which made their voiced very loud and it was hard to hear each other at our own table..

Over all the food was okay but it was not worth paying $150 for okay service, painfully loud area, luke warm and just okay italian.. I...