Monteverde

Wow, my local Chicago friend invited me here. Foods, atmosphere, and the service were all great. The large plate is actually “large” so don’t underestimate it :) Their pasta is very soft and chewy which tastes fresh. Their ham sandwich has great combinations of the ingredients. Every plate was rich in flavor😋 Highly recommend for Chicago visitors!!!

This Italian restaurant captivates the essence of Italy with its authentic flavors and inviting ambiance. Perfectly crafted pasta dishes ,each bite is a celebration of fresh ingredients and culinary expertise. The attentive service and warm atmosphere elevate the overall dining experience, making it a must-visit for lovers of Italian cuisine.

Great experience! Food was great! Spent a bit of money but we were expecting that going in. Make reservations ahead of time, they took us as a walk in but we're disciplined to get us out in time for the reservation at the same table. We were happy they politely accommodated.

During my research on top Italian restaurants in the United States, Monteverde frequently appears in articles from various sources, so I have decided that this is a must-go when I visit Chicago. After today, I have decided that it was absolutely the right choice as the food was out of this world. Many items were impeccable on every level. I highly recommend every pasta lover give this restaurant a visit when in Chicago, whether as a vistor or as a local resident. My friends and I arrived at 11:30am when the restaurant just opened. I reserved the restaurant one month in advance as I knew they were really popular. Surprisingly their lunch menu contained almost the exact same food items (and even slightly larger than their dinner menu) for the same price, so I decided that lunch would offer me the best experience. We ordered every available pasta on the menu so we could all share, so yeah, all six of them under Pasta Atipica and Pasta Tipica. Every single item was a hit. The cacio whey pepe was rich and creamy yet not overpowering and not rich to the point of causing a stomachache. The sweet corn agnolotti had great combinations with corn, truffle, chanterelle mushrooms, and goat cheese. All the flavors blended together and every single bite with a fork had the same distinct flavor, which was amazing. The sheep's milk ricotta ravioli contained so many flavor profiles that every bite was fabulously different, which was very pleasantly surprising. The lumache was a solid meat eater's experience with the sugo very clearly tasted and the goat cheese as a nice complement but not too strong. The gnocchetti con pesto was lighter than the rest because of its ingredients and was a nice way to refresh my palate. Finally, the spaghetti al pomodoro's highlight was its fresh pasta. The pasta was very soft and tasteful. The red sauce leaned more towards the ordinary side while everything else was spectacular. We also ordered five desserts which attracted a lot of other tables' attention, and we collectively agreed on the tiramisu, the citrus dark chocolate sorbet, and the lemon blueberry sundae as our favorites. The tiramisu was gigantic, and every bite was soft, sweet, and melty. I won't say too much about the dessert but just know that whatever you order on the menu will be a hit. But limiting it to one or two will be good enough because each dessert is relatively big in portion. There was always someone ready to take away our plate, and always someone who was ready to refill water and take away all of our utensils once we were done with all the pasta. As a result, I will say we were served very well, too. Oh, and the best part about eating there was watching through the reflection on how the pasta was made. It was magnificent to watch as the workers swiftly made a bunch of ravioli, as I understand how hard it is to make those things. Truly amazing. If I am picky, I will say that the pasta is not big in size so maybe one plate of pasta itself will not fulfill a person's hunger. But even then, quality is more important than quantity, and Monteverde got it. In conclusion, any Italian food lover in Chicago must not miss this place.

Revisited after a year - easier to make lunch reservation now. Burrata e Ham is definitely their signature dish and the harmony of various different flavors and textures was memorable. Also tried the stuffed cabbage - interesting cuisine and was veggie cooked to give the heartiness of meat. One could see fresh pasta being made through the mirror - tried Tortelli di Zucca and Potato-filled Žlikrofi and liked fillings of both which were rich. My only complaint was that oil/butter seemed to be too lavishly applied to all the dishes (sans that burrata one) so that things became much less enjoyable after several bites.