Karan Hariani
Gussies had a great vibe. The place was popping which I guess makes sense given it was a Friday night. Service was good and servers were friendly and helpful. The night started off hot with the table bread but really stopped there. Octopus was decent but nothing worth raving. Pasta was also just fine (pesto which is usually my favorite didn't really do it for me).
So maybe stop by for a table bread + cocktail during happy hour but I'm not sure this is standout spot given Chicagos culinary prowess, especially in Italian food.
Laura Brantley
Gussie's is fantastic! The bread with garlic & cream cheese is to die for. I had the evening special of scallops & wild mushroom ravioli (hopefully it's a permanent item on the menu now) was phenomenal! The lemon curd pie was a bit like key lime pie so not true lemon curd but still tasty. Cocktails are fabulous and the service is friendly & professional. Gussie’s is located across the street from Second City so perfect for dinner & a show. I've been twice and will definitely return!
petersonA95
Divided on this place but I’ll definitely come back. For starters the complementary bread is incredible. It’s a garlic bread with cream cheese. In fact it was so good we ordered a second serving. The meatballs we had were a rip off. They’re the tiniest 3 meatballs for like $10?! Not worth. The carbonara was also weird, not my favorite at all. Didn’t taste like other carbonaras I’ve had. The arrabiatta pasta we got was really good though.
SERGELATO
Gussies was a great experience with the staff being very well versed in the food and the recommendations for pairings. I really enjoyed the Sunday Special Lasagna. All of the food was packed with flavors, and really did feel like a neighborhood go to Italian spot. I’m pleased with my visit.
Nick Hwang
The garlic cheese bread is the reason I will revisit this place. We ordered mussels for appetizer but there was sand in all of them. Thankfully the server apologized and took it off the check for us. I ordered the carbonara which was a little bland, I think it was too much water added. The tagliatelle was amazing though and I would definitely come back to try some other items on the menu. Wine selection and cocktails were classic and well picked. Loved the atmosphere as the windows were all slightly open letting in a nice natural breeze.
Patrick Ho
Amazing pasta joint!! The pasta is homemade and delicious. And the free starter garlic bread is to die for!The vibe is also great and our server is so knowledgeable of the menu and had great suggestions. The service was also amazing. Highly recommend!!
Megan Gillen
Had the BEST Italian here! Stopped in for dinner and enjoyed everything we had. Even their complimentary bread was incredible! I got the tagliatelle and my partner got the lamb (one of the specials) and it was in the most amazing red wine sauce ever.
Gina Williams
The scallops were cooked to perfection. The ravioli was delicious. I would say be careful of the sauce that they sautee the mushrooms with because it was very salty. Other than that, the dish was delish.
Chase Wiggs
Gussie’s was absolutely delicious. The house bread they give you is to die for- you need to come here just to try that. The pasta is also fresh and delicious. The brown butter honey ravioli and the arta arrabbiata tagliatelle both hit the spot.
Jennifer S
Amazing spot. Excellent service. Good atmosphere. Their house bread was incredible. The ravioli was fresh and delicious!
Savannah Watkins
I've been meaning to review our experience for months. It was so delightful, I can remember it like it was yesterday. These days I'm just a happy patron of the Chicago restaurants owned/operated by David, Bruce, & the Addingtons. Years ago, I was their server. Their outlook on what good service looks like sets an incredibly high bar, and their staff consistently shows the same commitment to that mission. Always with a genuine smile on their faces.
Worth noting: I brought my boyfriend, a gifted chef, with me on this trip to Chicago for his first time. We hit at least 10 different restaurants. Our evening at Gussie’s was, by far, his favorite meal, atmosphere—overall dining experience.
For starters, the complimentary bread (as others have raved) is something that will live in our heads, rent free, for all eternity.
From the antipasti section, we got the Meatballs and the Grilled Octopus. Meatballs were 10/10 for both taste and texture. There was discussion of ordering more but we responsibly held off. The octopus dish, one I've gotten to try before, was equally delicious; taste and texture were perfect and that side salad has the perfect “spicy-to-refreshingly crisp” ratio.
For our main course, we each got pasta. I opted for the special, Mushroom Ravioli w/ Seared Scallops. It was brown-buttered, perfectly seared—just absolutely delightful from start to finish. My boyfriend went with the Carbonara, a classic he loves to make, and was very pleased. A man of few words, we could sum this up as “no notes”. On the other hand, he came home with plenty of inspiration for handmade Italian dishes and presentation. Consider me very lucky!
We shared everything and could have stayed at Gussie’s all night—but we had a wedding to get to, and they seemed like they had a busy night of reservations underway. Rightfully so.
We love Gussie’s!! Hope to see you all again soon!
Bessy Tam
This garlic bread 🧄 got me 🤤 @gussiesitalian 📍Old Town, Chicago
Opened in Nov 2020, gussies handmade Italian is named after the owners grandmother ❤️ Augusta aka "Gussie". They boast house & freshly made Italian food everyday - very approachable yet authentic.
🍷 The owner also goes around Europe sourcing unique wines you can't find anywhere else. I had a glass of super dry white wine "vietti arneis" from Piedmont that was once almost extinct!
🍞 I can't even begin to explain how good their COMPLIMENTARY garlic bread was . Literally made fresh, so hot we couldn't even pull it apart for a "pull apart "video 😆 driZledd with garlic olive oil and herbs, stuffed with creamy mascarpone. Crispy bottom and soft fluffy brioche
🍝Gussies "Sunday dinner" is $39 and you get a soup or salad (we got their delish bean soup), with Grandma Gussie's signature lasagna, and house wine. Lasagna is made with fresh pasta + a white Béchamel sauce. The pasta was soft and fluffy and meat was nicely browned and seasoned. So good
🍝 Also got the Tagliatelle Arrabiatta , it was our servers favorite. Nice heat from the chilli + fresh tomato sauce with fresh tagliatelle 🤤 added italian sausage that was really nice and smokey with a good bite & well seasoned.
Excited to come back for their tiramisu
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Located right across from the Second City (we came here at 5:30 before our 7pm show)
📍 227 W North Ave, Chicago IL 60610
Book on @exploretock
Generally open 5pm - 9pm (till 10pm on weekends)
Closed on Monday
Jessica Hajny
The bread is even better than it looks and I would recommend going just for it. The pasta was classic and fairly priced. They have house wine by carafe too that was delicious and again very fairly priced.
Scott Seymour
Cute little local Italian restaurant. Fair prices and great fresh quality pasta. Awesome customer service and ambiance. The starter bread roll is amazing! The shrimp Alfredo was perfect with a light sauce and fairly good sized prawns. The brown butter honey ravioli was delicious. However, I would recommend the brown butter honey ravioli as either an appetizer or a plate to share, having it as just an entre, the flavor can get boring very quickly. Overall great experience and I would definitely recommend.
Erica Khan
Cozy. Elevated Tuscan Italian in a casual atmosphere. Perfect unpretentious date night spot or with a group 6 or less.
Service was attentive.
Whole table gave this a “home run”.
Can’t go wrong with fresh pasta!
Next time would like to try the seafood options.
Linda Kim
Bread, amazing.
Carbonara, eh. Was disappointing
Tagliatelle was pretty good but not amazing
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