Francesca's on Chestnut Review

Lovely place. Great atmosphere. Super staff. Food very good

The management and wait staff at Francesca s on Chestnut consistently offer superb service and outstanding food quality along with impeccable service. Food allergies and any other menu adjustments are always handled in a most professional and hospitable manner. The wait staff are very accommodating and friendly. You can be assured of an enjoyable and satisfying cost every time!

Francesca's on Chestnut is part of a family of Trattorias across town that serve a solid, dependable and satisfying Italian menu. This particular location benefits from the lack of other reasonable Italians in the area and, I dare say it may well be the only reasonably priced restaurant of any cuisine in the area. It can get busy in there and not all the staff can take the bustle with the same equanimity than some. Still, the overall experience is consistently one of friendliness, of deft tastes and of rich aromas.

The food and the service was nothing very special. I never got the salad I ordered and a colleague of a table of eight was served the wrong meal.
The atmosphere was really good but I'm not real sure o would recommend the place to anyone else.

Came here for lunch. Two of us got lunch specials and i got pasta. Soup of the day was good, bruschetta very good. Two weird things: 1) waiter mentioned that lunch special pasta portion is half the size. However, after ordering the regular, it turned out to be exactly the same size as of those who for special. 2) Seafood pasta had way too much pepper. Killed the flavor. Overall, a shame to Franceskas name.

Great neighborhoood spot. Love the capresse salad.

Excellent service and environment. Food was divine! Recommend to anyone!

We are once again having Christmas dinner at Francesca's. It is a wonderful place to dine, the food is excellent and cooked to order. This will continue to be a tradition to enjoy family and friends over the holidays!

This is a good place for Italian food. We had the asparagus salad and the carpaccio con avocado which was really good and the seafood pasta that was on special. The food was delicious. We enjoyed our meal and the wait-staff was very good and accommodating even with our 2 year old.

The service here is wonderful and the food has amazing flavor! We had Gluten free options and they were full of flavor and cooked to perfection!!! I will definitely return here!! Highly recommend this restaurant!

Great food. Entire menu is great. Willing to take a custom order.

Yummy. You can't go wrong with this Italian spot. I have gone here on a date as well as with my family. This Chicago-based chain really has a unique spin on each of their locations to make it truly authentic.

Food was delicious. Not cheap, but not outrageous. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

Food and service ok, price was reasonable for downtown Chicago.

Francesca's always provides a good atmosphere with good quality (while being affordable) Italian food.

Service was outstanding. Lina is informed, friendly and awesome all around.

If I could give 0 stars I would. Worst restaurant service ever . They dropped 3 of my friends meals . That took another 15 minutes to arrive . Gave my other friend who is a vegetarian the wrong meal which had prosciutto and forgot my other friend s drink. The worst and most insulting part of it all was they added more to the bill stuff we didn t even order and then didn t even give a discount for a party of 9 with the insane amount of mistakes they made . Please don t come here .

Great atmosphere and food. Forgot to take a pic before we ate because it looked so good!

Upbeat and classy Italian. Great staff. Tables are to close together though.

We really enjoyed the dinner. Excellent italian food. Very tasty and highly recommendable.

I went for my birthday dinner with a friend so it was just the two of us. We ordered 4 items in total and the waiter had an attitude and said we should not order anymore food because we won t be able to finish. The food portions were also on the smaller side.

Great service and great italian food with quite a good selection. Highly recommended!

My husband and I stopped there after the Friend's musical show. I ordered the chicken dish in a brandy sauce he ordered braised beef pasta. Both were just ok. I wished I would've went around the block to Ditka's, where I know the food is AWESOME and the service is just as awesome as their food! So disappointing... will NOT go back.

Awesome experience, spectacular customer service and great food!

This nice cozy italian restaurant refined what "al dente" pasta should taste like for me. Would definitely go back.

We ordered 2 meals a split them. Both meals were excellent! Waiter (Jessup) was very friendly and quick to serve. He went above and beyond to take care of us. Would strongly recommend this place.

The best food I've had in Chicago! Delicious, authentic Italian. One entree yields a generous portion for two. Absolutely incredible food.

Food was very good. Best calamari I've had by far and the service was spectacular!

Great italian cuisine and fantastic wine selection. Not your traditional restaurant. The service is friendly and the food is more similar to hearty home cooking.

Great staff, food and wine selection...I go here and always get a consistent and personalized experience.

Excellent! Dinner was beyond delicious! Started with mussels in spicy tomato sauce, and mushroom polenta. Then had the signature salmon sauteed with cherry tomatoes and spinach, and roasted chicken. Cozy atmosphere in the landmark building only a block from bustling Michagin avenue.

Excellent food and service. Would recommend if you like good foof

Great service and delicious food. Carlos was fantastic! Wonderful suggestions for dinner. Thanks for a great evening.

Great friendly staff and fresh fresh food. One of our go to picks!

One of the best Italian restaurants. Every dish is delicious, even the bread. I love the tilapia so much that I flew all the way from New York to Chicago for it.

First time at this location. Typical very good food that I expect from Francesca's. The table split the risotto and carpaccio as appetizers and both were excellent. Pollo Romano, Salmone Acqua Pazza, Rigatoni and steak special were all very good entrees. Staff were very nice. Would certainly go back. Sorry no photo's.

We ordered food that wasn't even on the menu, and they hooked it up. We got food to go and it was so Delicious. Cant wait to go back for more.

They created a lovely patio just for us, so go!!!
Food as amazing as always and the service as professional as ever! And respect them and wear a mask when ordering or conversing with them!

Pluses:
+getting seated immediately even though we were half an hour early of our reservation time
+spicy mussels were fantastic; I could literally lick that plate clean of the sauce alone!
+food came out quickly
+live music (at least on Friday night)
+super friendly waitress

Minuses:
-steak salad for $24 bucks was a piece of joke. I ordered the steak medium and it came out well done - yikes!
-pasta dishes didn't offer much meat (at least accordingly to my 2 male friends)

All in all, it was a good dinner. Not memorable by any means and for $38 per person, not worth a second trip in my opinion.

Ate here with family this past weekend and had impeccable service from our waiter. Every menu item we ordered - appeteizer, entree, and dessert - was cooked wonderfully and had a fantastic flavor profile. I personally enjoyed the bruschette alla romana and pollo arrosto alla romana. The bread was great and the chicken was savory. The pricing is not bad for the area, but the menu is limited in scope for an Italian restaurant.

I had a terrible experience. The waiter did not provide helpful insight into what to order and our drinks came our flat and watered down. I later asked for water w/o ice and it came luke warm. The food was undercooked and later gave my stomach issues. Overall, never going back. Just FYI, I went on an average Thursday (no holidays, or special celebrations).

We walked here from a friend's place in this street and had the most lovely time and an excellent Italian dinner a couple of nights ago . The wine list is outstanding as well . We loved it .

Disappointed that the menu on the website is not the same as the menu in the dining room and the choices weren't as good. If it had been the actual menu, probably wouldnt have stopped here. Service was very good, food was ok. Lobster ravioli have a very weird, strange almost spoiled flavor and texture. At least the minestrone soup and tiramisu were really good!

Excellent food, easy to get to location, and the staff was friendly and attentive.

Amazing food and service at Disotto, downstairs from Francesca! A lovely hidden gem!!!

This place was great. Wasnt busy until later on in our meal. Pasta and dessert were both on par. Our server was awesome. I believe his name was Pablo. Id def reccommend it if you are in the area.

The pizzas were not too far from what you would get in Italy

I had a great time with my fiancee at Francesca's on Chestnut! The food was delicious and priced appropriately. It is conveniently located next to Water Tower Place. It was a great end to a great day!

great food, extremely friendly staff. Reservations would be best but not mandatory unless its busy. The meal could be a lil pricey but its worth every penny. Quick Service with a convenient parking garage 2 buildings down from the restaurant.

What are the odds of visiting a new restaurant, hundreds of miles from home and them having your favorite dish on special!?! It was supurb, affordable and no hassle over splitting the dish (portions are huge). I only wish I had eaten so much at lunch so there would have been room for one of their deserts.

Our experience at Francescas on Chestnut was 10/10. The service was the best I have ever experienced. Francesco our waiter was attentive and knowledgeable. The food was delicious and came out promptly. Joe, the manager, checked in on us and made sure we had a wonderful evening. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! We are also having our wedding reception here next fall and we couldn t be happier with our venue choice after a night of incredible service and food. Francescas makes you feel like you re part of the family.

I was there with work; but it was fantastic! The people who work there were very friendly. The food was amazing. I will def be back!

Family dinner, staff and service amazing, and the food superb. Selection of spirits exactly what you'd expect at an Italian restaurant. Didn't think the calamari was the best, but good. No dessert for anyone, too full. Don't think you'll be disappointed.

It's everything I want in a fancy-ish Italian restaurant without being stuffy or crazy expensive.

If you like good Italian food, you should certainly go to Francesca's. The ambiance is great, bit loud. If you like a romantic dinner like in a French Chateaux, then ask to be sitted in the wine cellar. It's a cozy basement that you will enjoy!

I call this special restaurant once a month as I like the ambiance that is unique to this place. The team is awfuly friendly and skilfull. The service is extremely efficient. Needless to say, the food you get is first-rate. I came more than once and I was always satisfied. The price is modest. I suggest this restaurant to to all.

I really enjoyed going here with my mom for the atmosphere, but I didn't like my meal all that much. I would expect a little better for the price.

Very good food and a top service at a very reasonable price

over here you can find very well-made Italian food for a reasonable price. I was actually quite surprised about the quality and the amount do you get to eat plus they have a wide selection they have antipasti Pizza dinner type main course and dessert. I ate calamari, wild mushroom and cheese capellacci, and the pistachio ice cream cream puffs with a cappuccino. they also have a nice cocktail and wine selection. Also since they are so close to Oak Street beach I recommend a walk after eating because it will be necessary because the food is so delicious and plentiful. Since this is Italian restaurant you have to remember that it's always full of people past 7 I came there at 5 and it was empty save for two people.

Authentic Italian cuisine, wait staff, outstanding!

An amazing Italian restaurant that we enjoy every time we visit Chicago. Never disappoints.

Love it! Great food and ambiance, superb service, would be glad to eat there again!

Solid menu and great food. Good for business engagements or a family outing.

Quality food, family environment, friendly service, beautiful setting.

Delicious Dinner, awsome desserts. My favorite restaurant!

Particularly enjoyed the warm and comfortable atmosphere, plus Francesca serves perfectly timed salmon.

Lunch salmon was excellent. Pastas are always great flavor and excellent quality. Desserts are good as well.

Loved my experience at Credo so much, and I can't wait to go back!

Portion sizes are quite large, so be mindful of how much you order. Burrata, Octopus, and Chicken are all incredibly delicious. Loved the presentation of the Rigatoni in a pizza bowl.

Cocktails are also great. Definitely a pricey meal but well worth it for service, food, and quality.

Amazing Food! Excellent service! Must try. Will definitely return

Wonderful location! Loved the downstairs bar area. Attentive and knowledgeable bartenders. Great wine list.

Very high prices. Pizza was good. Small pasta dish but a big price. Just not what im used to...

My wife wanted spaghetti & meatballs but it wasn't on the menu. We asked if might be an option and they went and made it for her and she said it was delicious. Service was good and prices were reasonable.