RPM Italian

I’m really glad that I gave RPM another shot since I left less-​than-​impressed the last time we came in. I can pretty confidently say we all left full and happy this time and very impressed (in love?) with the service/​staff.
We had reservations for a party of four at 7:15 PM and had to wait way past our reservation time. By the time we were seated, we were pretty clearly hangry and not thrilled with the situation. The manager came over to our table and apologized directly and our waiter sent out fresh bread & fried zucchini to our table. Hanger was quickly mitigated and the apology we received says a lot more about the character of RPM’s staff than the long wait.
RPM is really intended to be more like an Italian tapas spot. This time, our waiter guided us through the regular menu and restaurant week menu and gave realistic ideas of the amount of food we’d need to order (2 – 3 plates/​pp). The food for restaurant week was amazing. You have to try the Lemon Sorbetto and the Pork. The Pork melted in my mouth and the Lemon Sorbetto was light and crisp. We tried to coffee ice cream concoction, and while delicious (they cold brew the coffee in house), it was way too much caffeine for dinner. Expect to spend around $ 50-​$ 80/​pp.
At the end of the night, someone proposed at a nearby table and it was such an exciting sweet moment. I was really impressed with the quality of food and staff and will be back! Thanks guys for dealing with our hanger well :)

***This is more of a 4.5 star rating and only pertains to their restaurant week menu.
In a review I wrote for Shaw’s last week, I mentioned that the atmosphere there was not really my style. RPM was the exact opposite. I loved the way the restaurant was set up, the furniture and fixtures, etc. It wasn’t too dark, the music wasn’t too loud, and I liked the playlist. I even liked the white coats all the servers were wearing. I watch E! with a religious fervor, so I’m also just a huge fan of Giuliana Rancic in general :)
We came for restaurant week, and it was 3 courses for $ 44. They also had a red and a white wine picked out that I assume were discounted. I opted for a martini… two martinis.
To start, I ordered the toast option, which was two large pieces of toast spread with ricotta, honey, and garnished with walnuts and truffle. My friends had the smoked salmon. Both were really good. I had the octopus Bolognese for my entrée despite never having eaten octopus before. I enjoyed it, but was a little underwhelmed. For dessert half of us got the hazelnut affogato (a coffee based dessert made with RPM’s own cold press coffee and hazelnut gelato) and the other half got the lemon sorbetto. Both were amazing. I’m not usually a huge fan of sorbet, but this one was remarkable.
Lastly, our server Dre was great. He was enthusiastic, helpful, friendly, etc. I can’t say enough good things. I managed to get lost on my way back from the bathroom (??¿), and he even found me. He also got us set up with their frequent diners program. Overall, it was a really nice evening.

After we raved about RPM Italian, this became the spot for my sister’s birthday dinner and even better, they have gluten free pasta. It also happened to be restaurant week, but that wasn’t the main draw. Unfortunately, RPM Italian failed to deliver the 5 star experience we previously enjoyed.
Service was excellent as before. They made sure to make the birthday girl feel special which was a nice touch. We ordered one restaurant week menu (salmon burrata with truffle; octopus bolognese; lemon sorbeto) and added several items. Most of the food was great as before. Specifically, the ribeye main course with the mashed potatoes and the mushrooms was a standout! It was cooked perfectly and juicy, tender and a large portion. The misses/​skips: casear salad and the restaurant week octopus bolognese (light on the octopus; expecting more flavor from the peppers and generally unimpressed).
The big problem was the timing and subsequent bigger seemingly related issue. We waited a very long time for our pasta course and really started to wonder if they forgot it. It became clear that something wasn’t fired or timed right as they brought the 2 pastas with the ribeye and sides. If it was that alone, I’d let it slide. My sister noted her gluten free carbonara pasta wasn’t hot. By the time the table tried it, her pasta wasn’t just not hot, but it was cold. You just cannot serve cold food and be a 5-​star restaurant in my book.
In hindsight, I should have sent it back for my sister. We weren’t checked on right away and as she said, she had the steak and there was plenty of food (we did over order a bit). Was this a Restaurant Week snafu? Maybe. Our excellent prior experiences help cushion the fall (and I’d probably give them a 3.5 if this was my first time in), but I expect better particularly when you are paying $ 100+/per person.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5
I found a restaurant I like better overall than ZED451! RPM Italian might be my current favorite place to dine!
My husband & I tried RPM Italian during restaurant week. We arrived about 15 minutes early so we decided to wait at the bar and grab a drink or two. My first drink, the Jalisco Pera (Casamigos Blanco, Laird’s Apple Brandy, Pear, Honey, Lime), was refreshing, not too sweet and delicious! The Bellini (Fresh peach, prossecco, peach bitters) was good. The thick peach juice on the bottom reminded me of Jumex.
The décor inside of RPM is absolutely beautiful. Even the waiters are dressed in dapper white outfits. My friend had told me that the staff look like models. They are definitely not offensive to look at!
FOOD
The food was just as pleasant as the ambiance. My husband and I both ordered from the Restaurant Week menu (basically, I chose for the the both of us).
–Walnut, ricotta, & black truffle honey toast: heavenly. I need to go buy some ricotta and try the poor-man’s version at home
–Smoked salmon & burrata: good, but nothing spectacular. The salmon was fresh.
–Gnocchi with ricotta & freshly shaved black truffle (not part of the restaurant week menu. This was a special of the day). It was slightly salty for my taste, but overall fantastic. I might dream about this dish. They shave the black truffle table-​side. *drool*
–Milk-​braised Berkshire pork: tender, savory, and delicious.
–Octopus bolognese: good, but nothing spectacular.
–Lemon Sorbetto: generous serving. refreshing.
–Hazelnut Affogato: milky, creamy, nutty, and sweet. I loved this dessert. They come poor the cold pressed coffee table-​side.
SERVICE
Alex, our waiter, was great. He gave us just the right amount of attention. My husband and I never felt neglected nor bothered.

We had dinner at RPM Italian on a Friday night with some friends and had an enjoyable meal.
Note: this is definitely «modern» Italian and not a classic Italian-​food spot.
Décor: It’s an Italian restaurant but there is zero hint to that in the décor. From the outside it just looks like any other place. And inside it is very modern and chic, super clean and trendy. There are a bunch of tables all over the place but you don’t feel crammed in next to others. Additionally, there is a large, multi-​sided bar with plenty of high boys. The restaurant overall is not very well lit but each table has several «spotlights» that provide more than enough light to see what you’re enjoying.
Bathroom: It is clean, well lit, and inviting with several «private» stalls.
Staff: The hostess was normal but our waitress was outstanding. She was very knowledgeable about he menu, on hand whenever we needed her, friendly and jokable (is that a word?) with our table, and just overall a good person.
Drinks/​Food: We started out with some drinks (beer, of which they don’t have a huge selection, wine, pretty extensive list, and cocktails, a good-​sized selection) before moving on to some apps. For starters we had the Fresh Homemade Riocta, Ciabatta Toast (very tasty), Butternut Squash Arancini (very tasty!), a Tuscan Kale salad (good, but not large enough for more than one person), and the RPM Caesar Wedge salad (not a «traditional» wedge salad). Moving onto the main meal we enjoyed Maine Lobster Ravioli (a small portion, but decently tasty), Spicy King Crab spaghetti (a smaller portion, also decently tasty), Eggplant Parmesan (so-​so), one of the specials (some kind of spicy pasta that was very good), and sides of brussels sprouts and garlic whipped potatoes. For dessert, we finished with classic affogato (enjoyable), Bill’s Chocolate Budino (interesting but enjoyable), and Lemon-​Basil sorbetto (more basil than lemon but very tasty and enjoyable).
Value: For an upscale and classy joint like this you can expect to pay a little more than normal. We certainly experienced that. For an Italian place I’d like to see the portions be a bit more hearty… but the service was there, that’s for sure.
We had a tasty meal, one that didn’t have any «amazing» moments, nor anything that jumped out to us as «terrible», so we would return in the future but I would certainly try out many other spots before then.

High Rating Deserved!
Although you need to make reservations weeks to months in advance, it is quite worth it. The top rating is well deserved. The food and service are great and the atmosphere is fun and energetic.
Definitely going back!

Amazing atmosphere and food! The service is very professional and attentive.
We started out with the shredded Brussels sprout salad and the lobster caprese salad. The Brussels sprout salad was mixed with avocado and was hands down my favourite dish that I had. It felt like a simple dish but tasted great. I could literally eat a big bowl of this! The lobster caprese salad was okay in my opinion. The mozzarella had a bit of buffalo taste but not much. Not much to say for me.
We did not order any of the entrees but just the pasta since we were not super hungry. We ordered the carbonara and the bucatini pomodoro. The pasta in the carbonara was cooked perfectly and it was a tasty dish overall. The bucatini pomodoro tasted better in my opinion. The pasta was al dente and the dish was perfect overall!
For dessert we had the hazelnut tartufo and bomboloni! If you like Ferraro Roche, you’ll love this dessert. It’s literally like the larger version of the chocolate ball. The beniets come with sides of mascarpone, Nutella, and lemon curd. The waiter recommended we put some mascarpone on top of the puffy puff pastry and then some Nutella on top. It was so so so good! The puff pastry was light and fluffy and the combination of the mascarpone and the Nutella was amazing! They also gave us a small plate of mini gelato which was pretty flavourful even when it’s bite size.
I would definitely recommend this place if your looking for some tasty food, along with an awesome atmosphere and staff!

If I can give more than 5 stars, I would!
This place is amazing! The food is amazing! The drinks are amazing! The service is amazing!
We came here for our 1^st year anniversary and went to the bar while waiting for our table.
We started off with couple drinks at the bar, I had a lemon drop and hubby bad old fashioned. The drinks were so good, were strong yet flavorful. Sometimes drinks can be either too strong or too weak or too sweet but these were perfect and strong. While sitting in the bar, my husband started talking to another person sitting in the bar too, who had just ordered a dish called carbonara which looked soooo good so I had made up my mind about having that already even before we were seated.
Once our table was ready, the server thoroughly explained everything on the menu. And left to get our drinks while giving us time to figure out our courses. He came back with two complimentary glasses of champagne for our anniversary which was a total surprise :-) and then gave us our drinks.
We started off with their brussel sprouts salad along with their truffle garlic bread. The bread was soooo delicious! I love any kind of bread but this was just too good, it was light, full of flavors and crunchy!
Second course was our little pasta, that carbonara which we had seen a guy having at the bar. It was carbonara with egg yolk and Parmesan cheese which gets mixed in at the table And it was as good as I thought it would be.
Third course was our main entrée, in which I had lobster ravioli and my husband had veal shank with bone marrow sitting on top of saffron risotto along with brussel sprouts as a side. I loved my ravioli but Hubby’s veal was the highlight of the day! It was so moist, so tender and the bone marrow of it was literally melting in our mouth.
Even though we were so full by dessert time, I still had to had some. I ordered tartufo which was a bigger version of forerro rocher chocolate. But before the dessert came out, our server brought out complimentary cannoli with a candle in it for our anniversary and then came our dessert. The Tartulo, which had hazelnut gelato in a chocolate almond shell was beyond delicious!
By the end of our meal, we were so full that we were not able to move. This place was truly amazing, we were there for more than 3 hours and not even once we were rushed, everything was spaced out perfectly so we can enjoy it and have some time in between our courses.
This is def one of the best restaurants in Chicago and we will definitely be back here

another awesome experience for guests we had visiting from out of town. If you want a fun evening with great food and wine then RPM is the place. Trendy for an Italian restaurant but very comfortable… Love the simple elegance and hip scene. We had the meatball appetizer which was excellent along with pasta dishes for our main course. Not big plates so you can try many options. We live in the city and we will be back.

Very professional and attentive servers, with a high end atmosphere. It was not to loud, and we were able to enjoy conversations with each other.
The wine and beer menu was large, with many different options.
We started off the night with the fried olives, garlic bread, and meatballs. The waitress recommended dipping the bread in with meatball sauce. It is a must. All of the appetizers were amazing, and would recommend them to anybody.
For dinner we had the Gnocchi and the Mama Depandi. All were very fresh and delicious.
We did not have room for desert, but all of them sounded really good. We loved everything, and will recommend it to anybody visiting Chicago.

I’ve been here a couple of times now, and despite not being a huge Italian food lover, I’m definitely a fan of RPM! I’ve never had a bad meal here, and the service is attentive.
Came here recently with a friend for a girl’s night to catch up, and we were both really happy with the choice. Despite a reservation (on a snowy Monday, no less!), we needed to wait at the bar for about 20 minutes before we could be seated. This wasn’t the best start, but I don’t really mind having a drink before dinner, so it was fine. Once we were seated, we were in for a parade of delicious food.
We started with the fried mozzarella and the olives stuffed with sausage. The mozzarella was somewhat generic– it was essentially odd-​sized mozzarella sticks. Not bad, but not special. The olives were amazing! Super savory and flavorful. We then split a lemony kale salad, which we both liked. I loved that it was both substantial (from the kale) and light (from the lemony dressing). We then split lobster ravioli and the scallops. The ravioli were perfectly al dente, and if you like lobster, you’ll love these. I was a bigger fan of the scallops which were large, nicely seared, and came on a delicious bed of pureed vegetables and were sprinkled with toasted hazelnuts. Amazing! We shared a tartufo for dessert, and I can’t recommend this enough. It’s substantial (definitely enough to share!), and the combination of smooth gelato and crunchy chocolate studded with hazelnuts is phenomenal.
If you’re looking for a good Italian place in River North, look no further– you’ve found it.

Very crowded. Very noisy. We had reservations but still had to wait an hour for our table.
The good news is that service was fast and efficient. We were famished so we asked that our appetizers come out quickly — and they did. One in our party had some diet restrictions and the manager came over to give advice on the menu and provided some special items for us free of charge.
The food was excellent. Meatballs=outstanding. Prosciutto, excellent. Rib eye, tender and flavorful. Scallops were amazing.
I mark them down due to the long wait and very cramped tables. Our party of five was crammed into a small four top table in the back by the kitchen. Other than that, the service and food was top notch. However I don’t think I’d want to entertain clients here again.

I’ve been to RPM Italian a few times and it still is one of the best restaurants around. The staff has always been kind and informative. The food is really good. Most of the dishes are small so you can share and try a few different things. I love the Lobster Caprese, 600 Day Prosciutto, & Veal Chop. The pastas are top notch as well. I have had the grilled octopus that everyone loves but to me it is over marinated and loses all the texture that octopus should have.
The one negative I have is the seating on some of the tables, jammed. I am not a fan of sitting right next to other people you don’t know but clearly hear all the conversations around you. I know this is common but I still hate it. Last time we sat next to a ‘4 person’ table but there was a giant post in the way. Meaning its really a 3 person table but they jammed a 4 party at it anyway! Seriously?! Paying this much $$, respect your customer… RPM is NOT hurting for $$. This is a «If they complain we will deal with it then» situation, I felt so bad for them. This isn’t Maggiano’s… Small rant over.
So to wrap it up Make your Res early and get a booth!!!

The food and experience were ok. I was expecting much more. We arrived and had a drink from the bar while waiting for our meal. The bartender was great. He was very friendly and made good drinks.
We were a group of 4 and decided to split a few different menu items.
The fried olives were good. The truffled Garlic Bread could have been warmer when it came out. The Caesar salad was good, if you like anchovy.
We tried the special spicy pasta with Lobster which was great. We asked them to make it slightly more spicy which turned out very good.
We also tried the Pappardelle Bolognese, I am a big fan of papperdelle bolognese, so I enjoyed it, but I rate it on the low-​end compared to others I have had.
We inquired about Splitting either the Chicken parm or the RPM steak and decided to go with the steak. They brought out both. We explained the man bringing the food out that the chicken parm was not ours, so before placing it on the table, he took it back. The waitress came back a few minutes later with the man, with the chicken parm in his hand and tried to convince us that we did indeed order it. This was a little odd, because all of us were engaged in the ordering and knew that we didn’t.
Not a bad restaurant, but nothing special.

Obsessed! Such a killer night! Loved everything. Would come here all the time if I lived in Chicago.
My celeb obsessed mother made the reservation. We were seated promptly at 7. Sexy swanky décor. I would have had no idea but the owners are some celeb apprentice and E new anchor plus Rich Melmon (restaurant-​mogul). They crushed it!
Food was awesome. Everything was perfection. Started with the cheese plate. One of the best I’ve had and I am cheese plate obsessed! It’s tapas style (although they have mains as well) which was great because we could try lots of little things. We ordered a few dishes at a time — the pasta was fabulous, pumpkin ravioli was melt in your mouth, lobster caprese was as good as you could imagine. Tiny pizza light and crispy. Just perfection. Loved the burrata cheese as well. Everything was petty light too so you didn’t feel like you needed a wheelchair when you left. Bob was our waiter and he was super nice, helpful, knowledgable and just all around present without being overbearing. Can’t wait to return!

We went after dinner for dessert. It was nearby and I wanted to check it out. We decided to sit at the bar. The bar set up is attractive– very open and airy. I got the Spumoni ice cream dessert. Wow it was phenomenal put that on the list of death row meal items now! Others got the pistachio ice cream which was also very good.
I’d like to come back and eat a meal here.

YEARS LATER! AND STILL– Favorite Italian restaurant. I just love the vibe at RPM. I also like the small changes to the menu over the years.
Never ending favorites:
–Zucchini Frites and Truffled Garlic Bread (Perfect to share)
–Meatballs (Tender, Full of Flavor, Filling)
–Cremini Mushroom Pizette (Very thin, very easy to share in two, perfect with a pasta dish)
–Carbonora, Spicy King Crab, and the Pumpkin Agnolloti– favorite pasta dishes!
Beautiful presentation, perfect portions, professional and friendly service, just a great environment for any occasion. I’ve come so many times for happy hour for a glass of wine, late night hunger for meatballs, a casual date with my husband, to a formal dinner with girl friends. You can never go wrong with RPM– that’s why this is my 3^rd review!

Came here with 3 people without a reservation and we were able to find 3 consecutive seats at the bar. You will need a reservation if you want to eat at the dining area. This place gets very busy quick.
We ordered the Spicy King Crab pasta, Atlantic Swordfish, and Eggplant Parmesan wood-​oven baked. I only got a chance to try the Spicy King Crab pasta and Atlantic Swordfish.
Both were excellent dishes. In general, I would say the portions for this type of restaurant is on the smaller side. That’s just unfortunate. The amount of king crab was proportionate to the amount of squid ink spaghetti you got. The crab meat was fresh and there was no water left at the bottom of the plate after consuming the spaghetti. There was enough spice/​kick to the dish. It may be a little strong for some people so beware. The pasta itself was delicious. It was cooked perfectly and didn’t taste any flour. The amount of squid ink used was just right. Sometimes some places overdo it with the ink and it leaves a weird aftertaste in your mouth.
The Atlantic Swordfish was surprisingly moist and flaked off nicely. I thought it would have been a meatier fish and assumed the dish would be on the drier side but they cooked the fish quite nicely. Only issue was that it was over seasoned. Other than that, the fish was cooked perfectly and even got grill marks on it.
The service at the bar was great. The bartender was very nice and got our drinks and food in a timely fashion. It was very busy that night so we didn’t get a chance to chat with him.
I would recommend this restaurant and would definitely come here again. Both aforementioned dishes were excellent and would recommend them.

About a month before our Saturday night dinner, I requested a 6 PM reservation time, but the heavily booked restaurant’s closest time available was 4:30. That worked out fine as I don’t like to eat too late the night before a marathon. We were seated immediately in the front of the dining room when we arrived and were given a preview of the menu and the specials by Noelle. The restaurant was dimly lit with a sleek, modern look in which black and white seemed to be the dominating colors.
I would classify most of the items on the menus as pretty classic Italian which suits the palettes of my family and for me especially since I didn’t want to tax my digestive system too much before the race. For appetizers, we shared the fried olives, the prime beef meatballs, and the fritto misto. The fritto misto was definitely our favorite with a crispy, light breading and a nice variety of vegetables and seafood.
For entrees, the spaghetti & meatball, chicken parmesan, and the crispy roasted chicken were ordered. I had the spicy king crab squid ink spaghetti, a side of angel hair pasta and marinara (had to get in some extra carbs), and a glass of Red Tail Ridge Chardonnay. There was plenty of king crab tossed with a spicy sauce and house made pasta in my dish. My daughter usually eats like a bird and I knew for sure that I would get to finish off any of her leftovers, but it was so good that she ate the entire large portion.
For dessert, we had the acquerello rice pudding, the vanilla panna cotta, and the «tiramisu.» The rice pudding with vanilla gelato and ceylon cinnamon was the clear cut winner. We finished everything and left satisfied. Overall, RPM met the tastes of what everyone was looking for.

I was excited to try RPM but once we walked through the door, I noticed right away it wasn’t really my style of restaurant based solely off of the décor. It was fine, we were there — it was the evening before the Chicago marathon and I was there for carbs! Which of course they have.
We were seated about 30 minutes after our reservation time which was a bit annoying. I despise when any one place or person is inconsiderate of ones time. Especially when for myself I was hoping to eat on the earlier side of the evening and be done with it so I could get to bed early, but it is what it is.
The place is massive. We were sat on the side behind the bar which visually is ever so slightly more appealing than the other. Although we were at a high table top, with chairs rather than a cozy booth.
We had eaten a couple of hours before this so we didn’t go about the menu as our server mentioned it was set up to do. Ordering multiple courses from each three areas. I opted to only order their smaller ounce size, Mama Depandi’s Bucatini dish. Which I felt was a perfect size for me, who was eating this as my entrée. We also ordered the garlic bread which I was not impressed with at all. A frozen garlic bread from the grocery store may be better tasting than this one.
I skipped on wine as nothing on the by the glass menu caught my eye and we skipped on dessert.
Service was friendly and time food took to arrive to our table wasn’t terrible.
I wouldn’t personally recommend this restaurant — it’s just not my style and as we walked away after dinner my boyfriend and I mentioned neither of us would want to return and if someone asked us to, we’d offer up another suggestion.
RPM just didn’t win me over in any way. As a newer restaurant it felt dated and as though they were trying too hard.