Cafe Spiaggia

This is my first review even though I read others all the time. I’m a pretty relaxed diner but have felt compelled to write this review as our meal was a massive disappointment. Key issues throughout the night included:
* being seated, offered water and had nobody come by and offer any drinks or introduce us to the menu. We had to hail a server for drinks and then hail another server to place our dinner order (after waiting some time for each)
* staff carrying big buckets of dirty dishes through the restaurant and out the front door… constantly…random
* had 5x wait staff serving our table and we left the restaurant still unsure who our actual server was. It was super random!
* starters arrived way too quickly which is always suspicious. Not a surprise as the starters were pretty mediocre at best.
* mains arrived and they were… meh. Could easily get something with more punch at local bistro.
Sorry for the rant! But my advice is to invest elsewhere!
I need to add that the staff were very polite but the organization was all over the place.

Delicious food — bad service. The Emiliano fried gnoccho with prosciutto was so delectable, and the gnocchi with wild boar melts in your mouth. However this was overshadowed by the quality of service. You could tell that the staff was overworked and stressed out to the point where I actually felt bad about asking for something. We were there during a very busy time so hopefully it improves.

The inside is beautiful, just absolutely chic. And the food was pretty good BUT I have to say I was disappointed by it. Other reviews got me excited for a spectacular meal, and while most of the small plates that I ordered weren’t bad, I could find at least one problem with every one of them. Not bad, but not great.

Disappointing and pricey experience at Café Spiaggia.
We expected to visit this place for a while, that did not worth it.
The raw salmon to start is kind of joke. 14 $ for four pieces of one and a half inch long. Being generous it should weight 20 grams… Luckily it was fresh.
As second starter we had an egg on top of polenta with truffle shavings. It was really nice with a creamy, melting and cheesy polenta. The only acceptable dish, and a good one (16 $).
This was followed by the «small pasta». Small cannot be choosen better. These were rather samples than dishes.
On one side were three spoons of tomato pastas (yes, other ingredients being transparent, 14 $). On the other side, four spoons of onions pastas… The dominating flavor was indeed the onion, coming in large uncooked chunks. This leaves a very unpleasant sensation, especially when you expect asparagus pastas (16 $). Anyone who has a little experience at cooking will make much better at home.
To make thinks worst the environnement was really noisy, but seating was nice with tables located next to the windows.
To sum up, 80 $ wasted for three samples and an egg with polenta.
At least, the bread was good…

Great Italian food. The service is a little slow, but the food makes up for it.

The new modernized Café Spiaggia doesn’t disappoint! From the warm greeting provided by /​Manager Christine Mars when we arrived to the excellent service provided by Gustavo and Sommelier Anika. I highly recommend putting yourself in the hands of the kitchen and staff. My wife and I were blown away by all the choices the kitchen made for our meal. Also after a brief description of what we were looking for in a White & Red wine, Anika made amazing selections that truly enhanced our dining experience! Thanks Café Spiaggia, this is one of the best italian experiences in Chicago! Can’t wait for my next visit!

Came here for a triple date for Restaurant Week, and I have to say this menu was very on par! You definitely get more than double your money’s worth if you order the Salmon, Duck Confit Pasta, Prime Steak, and the Panna Cotta. This was well worth the $ 44 and I highly recommend it! I tried a little bit of everything, see pictures below:
Raw and Roasted Beets — This was a beautifully presented and equally as delicious. There was a great mix of sweet and savory within this dish. It was a generous portion, and I had more than enough to share with others.
Salmon Crudo — This could have been better seasoned. The salmon was not as fresh as anticipated.
Duck Confit Pasta — This was slightly salty, but all in all, really great texture and flavor. The duck was super tender and the mushrooms added a slight crunch. I recommend this over the other pasta dish.
Nduja Pasta — This was a bit underwhelming — a bit smoky from the Nduja but not as well balanced as the duck confit.
Prime Steak — this is a good piece of meat and is perfectly seasoned. I highly recommend getting this dish!
Panna Cotta — this takes the win as far as desserts go. The panna cotta was perfectly cooked and garnishes with apricot and other delicious things. It’s the perfect end to a meal!
Lemon Mint Sorbet — This was very interesting, it’s almost like a lemon mint sorbet float because they poured in some San Pellegrino. The more I had, the more I liked, but I am not sure I would have been fully satisfied if this was the only dessert I tried.
Definitely well worth Restaurant Week!

Wow, what a great night.
We visited Café Spiaggia during Chicago Restaurant Week, and were excited to try the 4-​course menu.
When we arrived, our table wasn’t available yet, so we were seated at the Spiaggia Lounge next door, until the table was ready. The team at Spiaggia were amazing — they brought us wine, cheese and few types of prosciutto on the house while we were waiting. The treats were really good, and we were off to a good night. totally worth the wait.
We sat down at the restaurant once the table was available. The best dishes of the evening were:
The Campanella (confit duck pasta) is HIGHLY recommended. This might be the best past I’ve ever tasted!
The prime skirt steak was done perfectly, and was very taste as well.
During the dinner, one of my friends was a bit disappointed from her dish, so the waiter immediately replace it with another one, which was just perfect.
The big surprise of the evening was when our waiter told us the the whole evening is on the house because of the wait we had when we arrived! These guys know how to make their customers happy.
Overall, amazing food, although pricy the value-​for-​money is good, and the service is great.
You won’t regret spending you evening here!

Came here for dinner during restaurant week and had a delicious meal! They were very accommodating the the one vegetarian in our party. The pasta was al dente, the pork shoulder could be sliced with a fork, the polenta just melted in your mouth, the panna cotta was to die for, all really really good stuff.
The bar was a bit backed up making cocktails, but the waiter came by and apologized/​told us they were coming asap so we did not feel ignored.
One con of the experience, the waiter asked if we wanted sparkling$, bottled$, or … tap water. But that is a small complaint in the grand scheme of things, and definitely would not stop me from returning.

I’m honestly not sure what to say about this place. The ambiance was great, although the restaurant itself was a bit tough to find upon entering the building. (You go up an escalator and then down some winding hallways, passing Spiaggia, to find it). I came here for lunch during Restaurant Week, and maybe the issue was just that I didn’t love the options on the menu at the time, but I was pretty underwhelmed with the food. I started off with the Seasonal Soup, which was decent but nothing amazing, and that was followed by the Campanelle, which was my favorite of the three courses. The dessert, although presented beautifully, was a bit of a disappointment, as the Lemon Mint Sorbetto had a strange taste that I didn’t love, and I had trouble finishing it. The service was certainly kind, though, and I’m hoping to give this place another try by ordering something from their regular menu if I visit again.

I’m giving Café Spiaggia a review based on my experience during restaurant week.
I came here with a friend on Saturday for lunch. The restaurant is on the second floor of the building, across the hall from Spiaggia (its sister restaurant). It’s a quaint space, very well decorated and looks great. We came here specifically for the restaurant week menu and both ordered the Skuna Bay Salmon, Campanelle with duck confit, and the Lemon Mint Sorbetto.
Presentation wise, I’d say each of the courses looked great. When I first tried the salmon, however, my mouth tasted entirely of salt and something sour/​acidic. I was hoping that the salmon would cut through this, but it was ultimately not successful and the caper berries and the cheese did nothing to help. Next, was the Campanelle. I thought the duck confit was flavorful and tasty; I just wished there was more than 10 bites in the dish! It was seasoned very well and I thought the bread crumbs and parsley was a nice garnish. Disappointed by how small the dish was. Lastly, came the lemon mint sorbetto. Loved the concept of the dessert: lemon sorbet with mint and a pistachio brittle, topped off with San Pellegrino. Pistachio brittle was delicious– not too sweet and gave a nice crunch to the rest of the dessert.
Service was good, and the staff members were friendly. Sadly, I was expecting more from Café Spiaggia. The salmon and campanelle were slightly disappointing and I left feeling half full. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be returning.

This was a great food experience in Chicago! The server was knowledgeable and helped us pick out our dishes (2 appetizers and 2 pasta dishes) my absolute favorite dish was the truffle polenta appetizer!!! I still have flashbacks. The burrata appetizer is unique and very delicious. As far the pasta went the gnocchi was fantastic and I’m not even a fan of gnocchi.

Great food. I went here the other night with a group of 7 and we all enjoyed the food. We had a few appetizers including the large charcuterie board (loved the pickled cauliflower), warm burrata, and farm egg over polenta with truffle.
Second course were shared pasta dishes, we had the rabbit orecchiette, gnocchi ragu, and Campanella with mushrooms. All were good but I loved the rabbit. Supposedly the gnocchi are a favorite of the regulars but it wasn’t my favorite, but still good.
For dinner we shared Pork Shoulder, Whole Branzino, Skirt Steak, and Farm Chicken. All were very good and the pork shoulder over polenta was excellent. The fish was my least favorite but only because I am not a big fennel fan.
All in all a great meal!

I was lucky enough to come here for an event and got to sample a ton of the food. I was expecting small bites, but I was able to get a healthy sample of everything. I can’t tell you how amazing each and every dish was. The experience started with the wait staff. They were friendly, knowledgable, and caring. The food is visually beautiful and while I didn’t know half of what I was eating it was awesome. The charcuterie plate the one dish that really stood out as the meats were mind blowing. I need to come back here for a date night with my wife. She was very jealous I got to come here without her, but I was nice enough to send her pictures. Thanks again to the great staff for having us!

I stopped in for an early dinner, thinking it will be light, but who am I kidding? The dessert alone was 4 stars and no where near light.
We shared the bucatini pasta which is simple with very good flavor and the arugula and chicken salad along with the bread plate.
Then came the bombolini, the tiramisu, and gelato along with a few sips of Riesling. I just can’t skip dessert when coming here, because it is 4 star heavenly. The food and service were also very good. Great for dinner, dessert or a night cap, especially if you want just a taste of Spiaggia.

I can see why this place is always listed on so many food blogs in Chicago – the service is great and extra friendly and accommodating, the food is inventive, and you really feel like you have gone out to experience dining in a food city like Chicago when you come here.
We came here with a large group in one of their private rooms and we started off the meal right with a large charcuterie board with Coppa, Sopresseta some with tasty fennel mixed in, some fancy cheeses and this toasted bread that I swear was some of the best toasted bread out there. But if that wasn’t enough cheese, we got more cheese! The Burrata! I had difficulty sharing this with my table since it was covered in honey and sea salt and it was just pure joy on a plate.
But then there was the polenta with shaved truffle – my goodness was this dish something that I will always remember. I don’t like mushrooms, but I do love me some fancy truffles, This dish is something to go back for, so I can’t wait for that. And nothing quite like heirloom tomatoes and lemon and chives!
The whole chicken dish I think was my least favorite of our meal though. Just didn’t really seem very novel or exciting to me, so I passed on a lot of that dish to make room for the pasta dishes. The gemelli with lemon and prosciutto made my tastebuds very happy indeed! The other campanelle dish was also okay, but the star was the gemelli for sure.
It was the star at least until that PRIME SKIRT STEAK that was decorated with gorgonzola and fennel and chevril… so tender, so juicy, so mouth watering… that was probably my favorite dish of the night other than that buratta since I have a slight cheese obsession.
All of this with some wine from one of the largest wine lists in the city, an amazing Wednesday night :-)

I was excited that I was invited to such an amazing restaurant. We were invited as a small group and couldn’t be happier. Our servers were extremely pleasant and welcoming. I had a few cocktails of their Spiaggia Sunrise which has Aperol, vodka and prosecco (very refreshing.) I was impressed by the pasta salad which had a lemon flavor and prosciutto that I couldn’t get enough of. It was followed by a delicious piece of chicken which I am unsure how it was cooked but I secretly wish my chicken at home could be so tender. There was a also a serving of skirt steak which was cooked to perfection. It was so soft and juicy (how steak should always be cooked). Our dessert was gelato which had tea and also came with a sorbet of different berries. I will be back to enjoy the great view and wonderful food.
Thanks Spiaggia!!!

When you are invited to a dinner here, do not send your regrets. You RSVP Yes ASAP. Trust me.
Our dinner was fantastic and despite our large number, service did not suffer.
We opened with the large charcuterie board with Coppa, Sopresseta other choice meats, cheese and rustic bread. Then came the Burrata – which is always welcome – drizzled with honey, plums and sea salt. We also shared the Heirloom Tomatoes, lemon ricotta, basil and chives. And then the scene stealer – the Polenta with shaved truffle, and Grana Padana. There was not a bad dish in the opening set. Everything was wonderfully presented/​plated and the flavors were fresh and delightful.
Our pasta course consisted of two different dishes. GEMELLI – summer beans, preserved lemon, pecorino Romano, prosciutto di Parma and CAMPANELLE – Illinois corn, soppressata, goat cheese, chives. The pasta was cooked perfectly and the flavors were so on point – simple yet well-​executed. The Gemelli was my favorite because I’m a sucker for preserved lemon, but both were very good really.
I had to skip out so I missed dessert (mommyhood) but I did thoroughly enjoy every bit of the experience. The drinks also complemented the meal well-​both the house cocktail and the sommelier’s choice for white wine (I am completely blanking on the wine).
Stellar and enthusiastic service, a warm open café layout with great views of Michigan Avenue. I can’t wait to return!

The food is exceptional and the service phenomenal. The staff will work to find you the perfect wine. Your plates are cleared and replaced immediately upon finishing a course. The food is as delicious as it is beautiful. Every table has views of Michigan avenue. Expensive but worth the price.

My family still doesn’t have diplomatic relations with regular Spiaggia after the Great Birthday Reservation Incident of 2003. But we did decide it would be okay to try Café Spiaggia more than a decade later, and I’m very glad we did. Everything we had was very good, and the pastas exceptionally so – one a mélange of rye, kale, flaxseed, and leeks (trust me); the other a deliciously salty and al dente carbonara. That’s not to knock the chicken, the livers, the burrata, or the salad, just to say the pasta is the heart of this joint. Some moderately obscure Italian wines, too.
In Chicago, there is extremely strong competition in the genre of «fancy Italian restaurants in or around River North.» Café Spiaggia, Piccolo Sogno, Coco Pazzo, and many more. It is not the most innovative genre, but you can benefit from this competition by learning to like really delicious fresh pasta and I’d recommend you do. Though if you’re really searching for superlatives I would probably send you to Coco Pazzo.