Bella 'mbriana

This place is fantastic. They've got really great, strong coffee and their food is delicious. On my first visit, I got an espresso and a delicious sausage/mozzarella/spinach sandwich and it was a perfect lunch. Came back for dinner a week later and the entrees were even better. Make sure you try one of the pastries! They're baked fresh daily and are unlike anything you'll find at another cafe. Just an awesome neighborhood spot!

In one word this place feels authentic. Every time I've been here I hear the owners talking to some patrons in Italian. My first time here was just to grab some coffee and it was a solid cup with the right balance of taste. The second time here we grabbed some dessert. We debated over getting their gelato made in-store, but ultimately we were feeling like getting something baked. I ended up getting a pastry with strawberry jam. The jam itself was dense and delicious. Next visit will be to check out their entrees.

Brought my family here on over the weekend (during their soft-open) for a light dinner and was very impressed! Great food and service, very reasonable prices. This will definitely be my new go-to cafe. I will be telling all my neighbors to go here. We need more places like this in the neighborhood!

2 stars for being non-kid friendly, having few menu options, having no standard sensible Italian options, seating us at a table too small, and not keeping better track of your thermostat. I went to this place based on the ratings and was very surprised at how much I disliked it. Went with my family, our group consisted of 3 children and 5 adults. First thing I noticed that was amiss was when they sat us they put us at a table too small for our party. They sat us at a 6 seater. Then there were no kids menus, the waiter recommended ordering a certain 2 items from the menu and combining them to make a kids friendly option which we did, however it ended up costing $16+ per kid to do this whereas most kids menus at the highest end of restaurants offer options around $6-10. They also had no kids cups so we we're constantly fending the kids away from open water glasses on a table that should have been a third bigger than it was. Over all just not a kid friendly place. If it had stopped there I could have still rated at 3 or 4 stars. However, the experience continued downhill from there. The menu is 4 pages long, however only 1/2 of a page is devoted to their food options of which they only have 5 pasta options and 5 Secondi options, which I took to be more like add-ons (2 meatballs for $10 for instance). Of the 5 options they were all fairly outlandish for someone with a fairly normal palate and menu taste. For an Italian restaurant you would have expected a few freebie options such as spaghetti and meatballs, no such luck. My wife ordered their special lobster ravioli which she did not like as most of the ingredients were raw on the plate. I ordered the beef gnocchi which I actually thought was okay and the only reason for the 2 star rating. I did not see anything else on the menu I could have liked however. Of everything the kids raw pasta and meatballs was actually the best food and the raw pasta want even on the menu. Lastly the night we were there the temperature must have been about 85-90 degrees in the restaurant which did not add to an already not so great experience. Try Calos just up the street under a mile for better Italian options at the same price.

Good for coffee GREAT for dinner. Everything on the menu is delicious - I know bc my wife and I live down the street and have tried almost everything on the menu. If you don't live in uptown, make a trip here and eat dinner. If you love authentic Italian food, you will love this place. Plus it's byob - how many delicious byob places are there in Chicago? And they make the gelato in house. Get the gelato on a homemade brioche...it's unbelievable. Seriously. Do yourself a favor and eat here as soon as you can.

Just opened. Nicely done space, more intelligently use with more larger comfortable tables than the former occupants cha'va. We only had gelato and desserts - everything fresh made in house. Delicious, reasonably priced. Family run, very friendly. Good place for dessert, a fresh pastry or coffee. Will come back to try the pastas, soups and sandwiches. Looks like the neighborhood has a real winner here!