312 Chicago

This is my third time here. So far I’ve only had fish, which I think they do an excellent job on. If you order the Branzino on their regular menu, you’ll probably want to lick the plate clean!

More of a 3.5.
Came here Friday afternoon with coworkers. We were seated promptly upstairs. I really enjoyed the space as it was classic and quite fancy. It was nice and quiet, as we were able to converse with ease.
We shared the carpaccio di polpo, crostini de peche, and the buffala for the apps. These were all pretty good, but not amazing. While I enjoyed the flavors of the octopus dish especially with the arugula topping, everything on the plate pretty much could have equaled one bite. I wasn’t expecting hefty portions, but I probably would not get that dish again.
I got the ahi tuna salad (rare). Presentation here is definitely very nice. While I enjoyed the salad overall, I wasn’t all that impressed. The tuna pieces were unevenly cooked and the grill on the outside was inconsistent with each piece, as some were more cooked while others were more rare. I could have also used a few more olives. All the ingredients and flavors went well together though.
The best thing here was the focaccia bread brought out to us in the beginning, accompanied by a yummy tomato olive oil spread, as this was the only thing that was truly memorable to me.
Overall, food was pretty good. Our server was pretty good. We didn’t have to wait too long for service. This is a good place to go for a client meeting or an important team outing or other occasion to impress someone, as options are limited in the loop, since most place are all pretty standard and serve generic bar food. Aside from that reason though, there are better options for food with similar price tags in general.

Awesome food, great restaurant. Little bit on the expensive side… But well worth it. They will treat you very well. No matter how old. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not really a kids place, but they definitely treat us right when I went there with my son, who’s 12. He gave them two thumbs up.

Came here with my boyfriend’s family. They were staying in the very beautiful attached Hotel Allegro. The food was pretty good — I had the scallops and the ravioli with ricotta. But the service was terrible. Our waitress was short, unfriendly, and kind of ruined the experience. I wasn’t impressed and left feeling kinda bummed out.

I’m fairly happy with this restaurant. I ordered the tortellini or how they spell it tortelloni? It was very small, there were like 6 tortelloni’s on the plate that were so small. I was hungry after my meal. The flavor development was very good though. The server was very friendly. I would never come here again and order this dish agin, just because of how expensive it was for the tiny amount of tortelloni’s I got. The beer was also good here, but not enough to keep me coming back.

We selected 312 Chicago for lunch as we were going to a show at Cadillac Palace theater. I knew they were close together, but had no idea how close– almost next door to one another, so this is a perfect spot to grab a bite before a theater performance. Our service was excellent, our server Luis was funny, helpful, and had great suggestions for our lunch option. We started with a Riesling to drink, and a delicious mini-​pizza esque appetizer– it was fantastic. We each had a panini sandwich that was delicious. However, the highlight of the meal was dessert. If you go here, you must have the PECAN TART! It was one of the best desserts that I have eaten. We also had a delicious banana bread pudding dessert– I would eat a dessert only meal here in the future!

Mediocre at best. Had brunch there. Food was okay. Service was not great, and the restaurant has a foul smell that my guest and I both noticed.
I’d skip, if you have other options.

My bff and I came here for Restaurant week 2k16. We started with the Buffala, it was way too salty for our taste, the Maiale it was awesome and the Torta di Cioccolato, it was wonderful. The waitstaff and the entire restaurant were great.

walked by here all the time but never really noticed it. had a work lunch here today, and noticed that it was actually quite roomy inside. it is a good place to host team lunches. they have those round tables that can accommodate 10 people, and it is easy to talk to each other
the service is good, they give you plenty of time to discuss work, and does not rush you out
the food is so so, not bad compared to the other sit down restaurant in the loop for lunch on weekdays.

My girlfriend and I went to 312 Chicago before going to an opera at the Lyric. Everyone we came In contact with was not only helpful, but friendly and inviting!
Marco was our server and he was nothing but helpful and attentive! We told him that we would not be drinking alcohol. While most places would treat one with less attention when one has indicated not to order alcohol; that was not the case with 312 Chicago. We received the same amount of attention and they made certain that neither mine not my girlfriends water glass ever hit bottom!
Everything we are was absolutely delicious! We tried the meat and cheese platter as an app, she had the caesar salad (grilled lettuce-​it was delicious), I had the tortellini soup (which was amazing!!) for dinner, I had the pork chop and she had the linguini with shrimp, shallots, muscles and clams. Everything we ate was absolutely delicious!!’ And we were paid and out of the restaurant with 10 minutes to spare!
Overall, we had a 100% 5 star experience. We will definitely be back! And we will definitely request Marco’s section!!!

My boyfriend and I came here for lunch and were happy with our meal overall! We both tried the prix fixe menu, which came with three courses for $ 32.
To start, I had the soup of the day, which was a pureed carrot soup– perfect for a cold day! The carrot flavor was strong and was a fresh start to the meal. My boyfriend had the Buffala, which is grilled buffalo mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto with artichokes and sun dried tomato pesto and balsamic. It was a good but a little on the salty side.
For entrees, we had the Tortelloni di Zucca, which was homemade and filled with butternut squash and brown butter sage sauce. The tortelloni was great, but the sauce was a little too oily for my taste.
Finally, for dessert, we had the Torta di Formaggio con Espresso (Espresso Cheesecake). The cheesecake had a great chocolate crust and some delicious fresh berries on the side.
Overall, the atmosphere was very inviting and the service was fast. It was a great restaurant for a three-​course meal in under one hour.

I had a work lunch this week with a colleague at 312 Chicago. He’s gone here often as it’s close to our office so I figured I’d give it a shot. We had a noon reservation and were seat immediately. The waiter took our drink order and we were left to check out the menu. All the options are pretty reasonably priced for a loop restaurant near the theater district and there was even a 3 course lunch deal for $ 29. My colleague opted for the lobster bisque soup, a pasta dish, and then sorbet for dessert off of their lunch deal menu. I opted for the pollo panini as I wanted something a little lighter for lunch.
While we waited we got a basket of bread which was very good. The basket had a few different types of bread which weren’t right out of the oven but were still soft and very fresh. While we were sitting at our table the restaurant around us started filling up. Two different groups were seated at tables near us and placed their orders long after we did. This generally isn’t an issue until those same people start receiving their food before you do. We brought this up with our waiter and he went off to check on our food. Moments later the manager stopped by and said our food would be right out.
When our food finally arrived it was pleasant enough. My colleague enjoyed the pasta but because we waited so long for our food he had to get his sorbet to go… My panini was lukewarm at best but tasted fine. Perhaps it was left sitting in the kitchen for 20 minutes.
Would I return? Probably not. We were seated for 90 minutes at the restaurant and barely got through our lunch. The fact that it took that long to cook a plate of pasta and throw a panini together is embarrassing. The food would probably warrant 3 stars but the service was terrible bringing this down to 2 stars.

This is one of the most casual but elegant restaurants in Chicago. It is the hotel restaurant for the Allegro, a Kimpton Hotel, and it definitely lives up to the Kimpton brand.
It’s located across the street from City Hall and for this reason many city government employees eat here including Rahm Emanuel himself.
Authentic Italian is the cuisine with a specialty in seafood and nothing we had disappointed.

Stopped in right at closing and they sat us for dinner. I hate coming in to a restaurant late bc usually the entire staff is mad-​but this staff was welcoming and so pleasant! The food was amazing! I had the filet and my son had a pasta dish… really superb.
Also I highly recommend the Irish coffee!

We were staying at the Hotel Allegro right down the block and we were in the mood for Italian so 312 Chicago was the perfect choice. For a Friday night it wasn’t too terribly busy; we were able to get a booth for two right away and as the night progressed it became a nice quiet setting. Our waitress was very friendly and recommended a great wine. We ordered the dry aged New York strip and the Bucatini Carbonara.
The steak was absolutely perfect and very hearty, I believe it was 12oz and was served with tasty roasted potatoes. I tried my girlfriend’s pasta dish and it was also quite delicious.
A great upscale place for a meal if you’re near by or just want to stop by the bar. Just be aware that it can be a bit pricey for the food.

3.5 stars
Good service, decent food for dinner. Mix of italian /​new american. A plus is the flexibility — they did my squid ink aglio olio rather than creamy sauce, which was much appreciated! Not bad at all.

After reading all the positive reviews I was truly looking forward to dining at 312. Everything started off great as I secured a seat at the non-​crowded bar and settled in to watch the Thursday PM NFL game. Bartender was spot on and I quickly received a delicious adult beverage. I ordered the Caesar salad and the black ink pasta.
My salad arrived without delay and it looked wonderful. However it had a creamy taste to it. I expected a sharper taste with my Caesar salad. I believe someone else commented on the creamy Caesar salad as well. The kicker was finding a hair at the bottom of the salad. My first instinct was to just report, pay, and leave. But, unfortunately, hunger got the better of me. The bartender was apologetic and the manager, I believe, stopped by a few minutes later to apologize as well. She asked me if I had already ordered my entrée. She then asked if I had ordered another drink, yes and yes. She then smiled at me and said well, OK… and walked away. I see that 312 reads and responds to reviews so here is some advice use this situation as a learning experience. When I worked in the food industry and this situation would occur, and it did, I would:
— Apologize
— State of course you will not be charged for the salad
— Offer a complimentary cocktail or dessert
— Come back to check in before the patron left
Now on to my entrée. I have never had black ink pasta and seafood with a creamy buttery like sauce. Creamy seems to be the standard theme here. It was OK but I have certainly had better. Oh and finally it took forever for my entrée to appear. The bartender stated there was a large party upstairs. Well it did not effect the diner aside of me who ordered after me but received her pasta and was finished before I even received mine.
When I asked for my check the bartender, a good guy, stated that I will not be charged for the hairy salad, hooray!
Always follow your initial instinct.

I was positively delighted with the service, food, and atmosphere of this restaurant. 5 stars, well deserved.
I was visiting Chicago with my mother, and we’d had several abysmal dining experiences in just two days. We came here expecting a quick breakfast before hitting the town. We were greeted quickly and seated. Our server arrived with coffee and juice in hand. My mother ordered the American breakfast and I had the short ribs hash. Everything came quickly but was obviously freshly made. We ate leisurely but we’re never without water or coffee fill ups.
If you’re staying at or near Hotel Allegro, there’s no better place for breakfast.

Came here for dinner and drinks with a friend.
I had two cocktails, the Giardino and the Dolce Vita. Both were refreshing and fruity, yet still had decent strength, which I think is perfect.
For the food we had the Buffala as an appetizer, which is buffalo mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto. Very delicious, but we were only given 3 pieces. Fortunately we only had 2 people, as with more folks it would be just a tiny bite for each person.
For the entrée we both had fish. I ordered the salmon, which to my pleasant surprise could be cooked to order as I don’t see many places doing that. I asked for a medium and the center was nice and soft. My friend ordered the sea bass, which came with delicious perfect grilled crispy skin. Both were delicious!
Overall it was a good experience. I do think their things are overpriced for what you get, especially since I’m used to Italian restaurants serving giant portions at relatively lower prices.

Met a friend for a late lunch on a Friday afternoon. We did not have a reservation but it wasn’t a problem. We had the choice of indoor or outdoor seating. I chose indoor due to the humidity. Ambiance was great as we sat next to a wall of wine bottles — decorative and practical storage! Although the table next to us was pretty close.
I chose the wild caught salmon and she chose the halibut. My salmon was perfection! Wow. I specifically asked them to throw in some fava beans as I noticed they were on the menu elsewhere and I love them. They put the salmon on a bed of romaine and fava beans. This place is going into my permanent rotation in Chicago! Plus, I was able to walk to it from my hotel!