Trattoria Isabella

Currently walking home after a very lovely evening and meal at «Trat Izzy.» Hugo, our waiter, was a peach. From the wine he poured to the ravs he served, nothing was less than fantastic. Also the atmosphere outside is as romantic as Tom Hank’s witty charm in You’ve Got Mail. The reason for four stars and not five is that we weren’t offered freshly ground parm cheese. Other than that I can’t wait to go back and ask for my man Hugo and try some more delicious dishes.

Some co-​workers and I stopped in because out usual spot down the street has a patio that was under construction. It had a beautiful patio and it was just too nice out to sit inside. We were greeted by the owner or manager or whoever he is talking on his phone. He continued to stay on his phone while he grabbed menus and seated us. Our server came over and we soon learned they were out of all the bottles of wine that we wanted. We settled on a bottle of Rose. We immediately put in our food order since the bottle took some time to get to us. 2 simple pasta dishes and a salad. Halfway through the bottle, THEN they decide to bring out the bucket with ice… a little too late? It took a little longer than it should have for our food to come out, but we had drinks so we were fine. The food came out and it was delicious! No complaints at all about the food. We ordered an extra glass of wine as we were winding down our meals since we had to get back to work soon. After waiting and waiting and WAITING for our server to come back, we had to literally SHOUT over to him for a box and our check. We shouted like 3 times before he actually paid any attention to us. Mind you, this was NOT a busy time. I think there were maybe 2 tables inside and two outside. He had another server bring out our check and since the service wasn’t exactly quick, we had our cards and ready to just split it 3 ways evenly. We waited another 20 minutes before I just walked into the door and stood there as the owner and two servers stood there running our cards. Once they realized I was standing there he explained to me that because we had 3 cards it took some time. I explained that I was a server and it shouldn’t really take that long to swipe cards. No apology, no offer for a drink, nothing. We then signed out tabs and quickly left. Do not go here unless you have 3 hours to sit around and maybe see your server 2 times.

Delicious, authentic Italian food. BEST patio in the area! Perfect for a meal with friends, coworkers or parents in town. Michael, the owner, has treated us like family every visit. Could come here every night.

DO NOT GO HERE — THEY ARE THIEVES. Long story short — there were four of us at dinner, and the waiter took the check back to swipe four credit cards. He swiped and charged four, but brought back three. After informing him that mine was missing, he could not care less. He maybe took a lap around the restaurant and kept saying, «I don’t know I don’t know» He also said it was my fault that from the time he swiped my card to the time he brought it to the table, it somehow went missing. I spoke with his manager, and he could not care less. He said he will deal with it Monday. He also told me it’s not a big deal and to just cancel my card. He sat smoking his cig by the bar while I was wandering around looking for my all of a sudden missing credit card. He would not comp my meal — he said, «Well you ate…» Anyway, after additional people were involved and the situation was getting more so out of hand, SOMEHOW MY CARD MIRACULOUSLY SHOWED UP. The waiter was screaming at me to call the police on him, and the manager was like shaking his hands in my face. I can’t fully describe what these people were doing or saying on this public forum, but I would highly suggest you don’t go here unless you want your belongings stolen by the staff.

I have been at Isabella many times and have never come away disappointed. The food has always been first rate, whether it was the various pasta dishes or the scrumptious Chicken Vesuvio. The pizza is a great option as well. The crust is always nicely crisp without being burnt. Michael, the owner, works hard to insure that your experience is top shelf. A solid wine list also adds to the wonderful times had by his loyal customers. The topper is the incredible outdoor space. While not possessing a fantastic view, it allows you to dine outdoors without bus fumes or annoying sidewalk gawkers. Truly an undiscovered gem. All of this with free parking… hard to say no.

Super nice staff! The atmosphere is Frankie S and old Italian. The food is average but the staff makes this place a 5 star place!

So here is why I go here. 1) free and easy parking. 2) always has a table 3) good portions 4) Decent food. My favorite is the chicken marsala with a side of penne bolognese. $ 23 for both, comes with broccoli and asparagus, and I usually can’t finish it. The service is hit or miss, but they try and for me this place consistently delivers when I am hungry and I just need a decent meal or am in a bit of a rush.

This was the seventh visit here and the first bad experience. The Calamari Fritti appetizer was as ordered and delicious as always. For my lunch I ordered the Pollo alla Parmigiana Panini (sandwich) that is served with a side of french fries. When the meal came, I was brought chicken parmesan and a huge pile of spaghetti as the side, not what I ordered. When the server was near I called him over and pointed out the discrepancy. He was certain that what was brought is what I ordered, even mentioning that’s what I was pointing at on the menu as I ordered. After a couple back and forths, he left to get a menu and prove me wrong. As he was showing me what I actually ordered, he realized the mistake was his and apologized. A manager overheard, came by the table, and also apologized. But the apology failed to turn this huge entrée into the simple panini I ordered. After a few moments and realization I was keeping this, I requested a to go box. The server and manager both returned and asked «You didn’t like this?» (I had taken a few bites and, no, I didn’t like it.) I said it isn’t what I ordered, would like a box and the check.
To add insult to injury, I was charged for the entrée, a menu item that is $ 5 more than the panini I ordered.
Until this visit, the food has always been great and service attentive. But when a problem arises, there is no customer service to ensure things are made right.

Ordered delivery via Grubhub. Including tip spent about $ 77. The meal began fine until I bit into something hard; I had ordered eggplant parmigiana. At first I thought it was some kind of bone but was positively horrified to find out that it was a thin, small piece of metal almost like a wire. I called Grub hub immediately who contact in the restaurant on my behalf and said that the restaurant «apologized.» Grubhub offered me $ 15 toward my next purchase but the restaurant did nothing to correct the mistake. I have three very small children and would not feed them the rest of this meal. The metal was definitely small enough that it could have been accidentally ingested and I guess I’m just lucky I found it. Although it hurt somewhat to bite into it.
Poor customer service. I understand that accidents and mishaps may happen but what kind of restaurant does not fix the mistake by making the meal complimentary? This was a potentially dangerous situation to my kids. Clearly I don’t recommend eating here.

I am not one for writing reviews, but it’s rare to find a outdoor patio with such old school charm. Pleasant surprise that they had the food to match. Not quite sure of the name but the fruits del mar was hard to match. Definitely recommend this place for old friends or first dates. We started at the bar and Maria took care of us until a table opened up. The owner Michael was sure that we always had a drink and by the time we sat down we felt a part of the family. Leaving one star to spare because they ran out of my favorite wine… but I suppose that is an easy fix. Check it out, in a neighborhood of new hotspots this is a constant classic.

I had the most lovely experience at Trattoria Isabella. Upon my arrival, I was greeted by an adorable server named, Bridgette. She was an absolute doll and really made the whole experience very memorable. Her pleasant attitude and attention to detail were much appreciated. Her recommendations were spot on– the Bruchetta, Calamari, Chicken Marsala, and Chicken Saltinbocca were all spot on. The meal was finished w chocolate gelato topped w fresh mint– absolutely delish! One of the best patios in Chicago and amazing Italian Food with the best Service.
Thanks again Bridgette! I’ll be back.

We ate at a booth in the bar. Great, comfortable atmosphere & awesome service from Bridget.
The arugula and pear salad was delicious, as was the rigatoni special hubby had.
The homemade tiramisu was one of the best I’ve ever had.
Will def be back!

This place was decent for Italian the one time I tried it, though I came with a friend who raves about it, so it makes me want to give it another go. Bread comes out in the beginning, which I always appreciate. We shared a bottle of wine, which made for happier conversation. General atmosphere and waitstaff were pleasant and attentive.
My entrée choice was the salmon in pesto sauce. The fish was well cooked and I enjoyed the sauce with it. The vegetable accompaniment included asparagus, if I remember correctly, which went with the pesto sauce quite well. I live near here so I would definitely come back to try a pasta dish. They also deliver so that could be a future option as well.

The service of the bartender, Bridget, made up for the lack of imagination of the menu and the awkward temper tantrums from what I found out later, was the owner. They have a gorgeous patio and I’m sure they would get more business if the staff wasn’t preoccupied by the owner’s demands. I watched 2 parties wait and subsequently walk away from the hostess stand because no one was there to great or sit them. I’m hoping that this is a neighborhood institution, because from what I experienced last night, I can’t imagine it being in business for very long. If you want great service, sit at the bar. The menu is lackluster at best, reminds me of an early Olive Garden.

I’ve been living off Jefferson for over and year and finally found this gem!
My parents were in town for mother’s day weekend. so right off the bat feeding them in Chicago what going to be a challenge. Gayle hates crowded loud spots and eating Italian every weekend and having to walk to her meal. (#notfromchicago) Gary loves eating Italian everyday. (#we’repolish)
So how does one accommodate? esp when my sister adds her two-​cents since she will be running the Chicago marathon in July so she needs a good spot to carbo load.
I found trattorria Isabella was across the street. How much easier can you get. we had reservations, but we are more bar kind of people and they didn’t mind at all letting us hit up the corner and share everything.
And share we did. The baked clams were awesome. the Carpaccio was great as well, but different. It also had artichokes and hears of palm (which I love and my dad had no clue what they were… win win!)
the gnocchi was excellent. I am a sucker for anything with goat cheese and sundried tomatoes. M dad in his never ending search for great pasta, compared this one to Angelo’s in little Italy NYC, his go to for judgment. We have a winner!
I would recommend this awesome restaurant to anyone visiting the west look area. The bar tender was super friendly and I hear the patio is awesome. I was too cold when we went. I look forward to being back!
Two thumbs up. thanks for a great dinner Trattoria Isabella. I will be back

Been here 3 times and have had the same opinion every time… not worth it. Bread and oil to start was basic, not warm, soft, or overly tasty. Caprese salad to follow was pretty bland. Minestrone soup and spaghetti with marinara were both good, but nothing worth repeating. Top that off with a wait staff that wasn’t too inviting.
Great potential, but doesn’t execute.

One star instead of zero because the food here is still decent, but unfortunately I will not be coming back. My girlfriend and I come here often, but the past two times we have been here, we were treated like our patronage was an inconvenience to the staff. I was excited to eat at Trattoria tonight because we recently purchased a good LivingSocial deal: an app, two salads, and two entrees — up to a $ 70 value for $ 45. We arrived around 7:30 and were seated promptly. There was one server/​bar tender for the entire restaurant. This was not a problem at first since there were no more than 2 – 3 other people there. Our fried mozzarella app was good (the spicy marinara was a nice touch), the salads were fresh, and the pasta was decent. The service was not.
When we asked for the check, we told our server about the living social deal and my girlfriend pulled out her phone to show the online voucher and barcode. The server came back after about 10 minutes to tell us they were «working on figuring it out,» and then 15 minutes later comes out with the manager to explain to us that the LivingSocial deal was started by the old manager and they didn’t know how to apply the voucher. Even after they finally figured it out, the manager then tells us we are being charged for the appetizer — we had to pull out the voucher again to prove to the manager that what we paid for included an appetizer. Once things finally got settled up, the manager then comes back with a business card and asks us to email her the link to the living social deal so this won’t happen in the future.
I feel badly that whoever transitioned management at Trattoria did not explain that the restaurant is selling LivingSocial and Groupon deals, but we were made to feel like we were an inconvenience and that the situation was our fault. This place was one of our go-​to spots for pasta, but we will likely not come here again. Not sure if they switched owners recently but there has been a noticeable drop off in service the past few times we have been. The service is disorganized, inconsistent, and the staff is nice enough but apathetic and not knowledgeable in the slightest about the menu (which rarely changes). Not worth the prices they charge for mediocre pasta.

Wow! I was blown away by Trattoria Isabella! The service was efficient but the star of the restaurant is the food. Lunch on the patio is the best and don’t forget your four-​legged best friend — they welcome dogs.
I had the Penne Arrabiata which is my new favorite. The Arrabiata sauce was fresh and perfectly balanced; not too spicy in my opinion.
I’m glad TI is so close to home as I recommend it to my friends and family. We will definitely return many times over.

We went to Isabella’s to meet friends for dinner — they been here several times and it’s one of their favorites. It was solidly a good experience. The best part about it was the outdoor patio and it happened to be a perfect, early summer evening in Chicago. The area it is in, is a very low key neighborhood — it might have been even better of you could see some foot traffic stroll by but that’s not the case here.
The wine list is mostly Italian but nicely affordable. We started with an appetizer and then had several main courses, mostly pastas, and their lamb chops. I had the Linguini Calabrese (shrimp, broccoli, spinach in a white wine sauce), very nice. The portion sizes were average for dining in the city.
The service was attentive and friendly, the owner stopped by to say hello and ask about our experience, which is always a nice touch. We ended our meal with espresso, cannoli and lemoncello gelato — all delicious.
All in all, Tratorria Isabella is a solid choice for Italian if you’re in the area. I’m not sure it was good enough to rate a special trip, but if you’re looking for a great patio experience on an 80 degree Saturday evening in the city — you should absolutely give it a try.

Went for Lunch and they earned their 3 stars based on the one dish we both had. The mushroom risotto was what our server recommended so we went for it. So why only 3 stars… I think it was a little pricey for the lunch experience. Pasta dishes started at about $ 12 and went to $ 20 and if you wanted gluten free, it was $ 5 more than the same thing with gluten. Panini’s were about $ 13 and the chicken and other meat ones were at least $ 17. Dinner this would have been fine, but I think more of a lunch sized assortment with more lunch centric prices would have been better.
I think the risotto was one of the few dishes that were good for lunch and the portion was spot on. OK, enough about the pricing.
Service was decent. Our server had a trainee follow and the server was very perky and showed some personality and checked up on us as needed — therefore, the trainee seemed to be in good hands. So good job there.
I had the cappuccino for dessert and it looked delicious but was a bit lukewarm for some reason. not sure why. I didn’t complain because it was lunch and our time is limited. (And still drinkable.)
So will return and hope I can upgrade this rating next time as things have potential to be better given the delicious dish we had.