Go here. Vodka rigatoni and chicken parm are the bomb. So is tiramisu. I was very impressed.
Nolan F.
We ordered: Rigatoni Alla Vodka - Calabrian Bread Crumbs Dover Sole Piccata Broccoli Carbonizado Caesar Salad I've never seen a garlic and pizza bread basket so that was a fun start. The flavor and portions of everything we ordered was top notch in my opinion. Dove sole was lean yet so tender. Rigatoni was made fresh. Broccoli was crispy and well spiced. Service was good. Not a fan of the dim lighting and loud music.
Anon A.
Every single item we ordered was absolute perfection. The service was so good. Everything made up for the fact that the tables are super close together. I'm from New York so I'm quite used to this. Get the chicken parm and the rigatoni. They are everything. I rarely write yelp reviews but had to run to write this after my birthday dinner last night. This place is incredible.
Steven H.
Food and service were fine, but didn't blow me away. Leaving the water carafe at the table would be an automatic bonus point. I liked the environment and the intro bread the most of anything. It's very tight quarters between tables. All dishes seem designed for 2+ people to share, and become a bit overwhelming in flavor/size if you don't.
Morgan K.
First time coming here and honestly the place is pretty overhyped. They have to move tables around to be able to fit people in between them to be seated. Not the best having people's butts on your table when they squeeze in between them. We also we came at night and it did get pretty dark in there and you cant even really fully see what you're eating. The complimentary bread and salami is good but the pickled eggplant was disgusting. We got the chopped salad which was a huge portion and delicious. For entrees we got the chicken parm and the vodka rigatoni. Both were good but nothing special. The vodka rigatoni did come out a little cold.
Danielle G.
Foods presentation was great, but lacked flavor overall. The chicken was dry, and the scallops weren't cooked properly. The best part of the meal overall was the meatballs, but they ran out after us. Had to ask for the bread service and got attitude from the server after.
Pooja P.
One of the best Italian places I've been to in Chicago so far! I think one of the best qualities of Chicago restaurants is good food without pretentiousness, and you definitely get that here. It has a very "neighborhood Italian" vibe. The decor is understated. The food and service was great, everything does better family-style so it'll only be better with a group, but my husband and I went together and it was still great. It's a little tight as the location is small (outdoor seating also wasn't open when I went during Easter weekend), but I personally enjoyed it. It is a little dark, which I didn't mind now but might when I'm a bit older! I have been to Carbone in New York too, and I'd say Elina's is definitely the Chicago version of that!
M R.
Amazing food and cocktails. The ambiance is a throw back to the small Italian place, you always love going to. Servings are plentiful enough to share and you will still be bringing leftovers home with you! Delicious!!!
Catherine Hickey
My friend and I ordered the Rigatoni alla Vodka and the Chicken Parm, and they were both great! The vodka pasta definitely deserves all the buzz surrounding it! The pasta was served in adorable china which insulated the heat so well that the pasta stayed hot through the entire meal. The restaurant also provided complimentary appetizers including, pizza & garlic bread, salami, and pickled vegetables.Our server was very attentive and all of our dishes came out quickly. Overall, we loved our dining experience and can’t wait to snag another reservation!
I've heard great things about Elina's so we wanted to give it a try. The restaurant itself is super dark and compact. I understand there is a desire to fit more tables so more people can dine at a time however it was super annoying having to always scoot in or get up for people to walk in between tables. The tables are also so close to eachother it feels like you're eating with the people beside you. Anyways! On to the fun part.. The complimentary pizza bread with salami and pickled eggplant was the top of the entire meal. The flavors of the pickled eggplant with the cheesy bread.. phenomenally paired. For appetizer, we shared the breaded bacon clams which was so tasty. The clams didn't give a fishy flavor and tasted fresh. Definitely could have eaten 2 orders of that myself! Between two, for entrees, we shared the chicken parm and rigatoni. I've actually never had chicken parm but chicken, cheese, basil.. what's there not to like. The chicken though was extremely dry and hard to chew. The texture of the chicken was not good at all. We ended up only eating the cheesy parts and the burnt ends. It was tough trying to chew it. The rigatoni was very rich and good in flavor but it came out not too hot so it didn't take long for it to get sickening and cold. Overall, glad to have tried Elina's but the food was underwhelming or the entrees were. The appetizers were top notch. We did also enjoy the whiskey sour! Totally wasn't expecting it to be a slushy. Was so fun!
Deliciously authentic Italian food served up on grandmas china. Cozy atmosphere excellent service and plenty to eat
Pamela Rose
Great food & service. Our server was super attentive and had great recommendations. We really enjoyed meeting the owner Eric!! The chicken parm was amazing, I can’t wait to go back & try their other dishes!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pamulahh T.
Great food & service. Our server was super attentive and had great recommendations. We really enjoyed meeting the owner Eric!! The chicken parm was amazing, I can't wait to go back & try their other dishes!
Maya R.
Elina's is by far one of my favorite Italian spots! I would highly recommend getting a table outside when it's warm out but sitting inside is nice too! The waitresses were all very friendly and the service was fast. If you get one thing, let it be the vodka pasta. It was the best vodka pasta I've had in my entire life and I've tried a lot.
HeidiC
Our server was wonderful, food lived up to the hype. It's a really tight squeeze to get in or out of your table though (I'm a tiny person and still had to ask guests to shift their chairs for me to leave), so avoid if you're claustrophobic. Also, the table time limit is pretty strict (which might be nice if you're a walk-in).
Go here. Vodka rigatoni and chicken parm are the bomb. So is tiramisu. I was very impressed.
We ordered: Rigatoni Alla Vodka - Calabrian Bread Crumbs Dover Sole Piccata Broccoli Carbonizado Caesar Salad I've never seen a garlic and pizza bread basket so that was a fun start. The flavor and portions of everything we ordered was top notch in my opinion. Dove sole was lean yet so tender. Rigatoni was made fresh. Broccoli was crispy and well spiced. Service was good. Not a fan of the dim lighting and loud music.
Every single item we ordered was absolute perfection. The service was so good. Everything made up for the fact that the tables are super close together. I'm from New York so I'm quite used to this. Get the chicken parm and the rigatoni. They are everything. I rarely write yelp reviews but had to run to write this after my birthday dinner last night. This place is incredible.
Food and service were fine, but didn't blow me away. Leaving the water carafe at the table would be an automatic bonus point. I liked the environment and the intro bread the most of anything. It's very tight quarters between tables. All dishes seem designed for 2+ people to share, and become a bit overwhelming in flavor/size if you don't.
First time coming here and honestly the place is pretty overhyped. They have to move tables around to be able to fit people in between them to be seated. Not the best having people's butts on your table when they squeeze in between them. We also we came at night and it did get pretty dark in there and you cant even really fully see what you're eating. The complimentary bread and salami is good but the pickled eggplant was disgusting. We got the chopped salad which was a huge portion and delicious. For entrees we got the chicken parm and the vodka rigatoni. Both were good but nothing special. The vodka rigatoni did come out a little cold.
Foods presentation was great, but lacked flavor overall. The chicken was dry, and the scallops weren't cooked properly. The best part of the meal overall was the meatballs, but they ran out after us. Had to ask for the bread service and got attitude from the server after.
One of the best Italian places I've been to in Chicago so far! I think one of the best qualities of Chicago restaurants is good food without pretentiousness, and you definitely get that here. It has a very "neighborhood Italian" vibe. The decor is understated. The food and service was great, everything does better family-style so it'll only be better with a group, but my husband and I went together and it was still great. It's a little tight as the location is small (outdoor seating also wasn't open when I went during Easter weekend), but I personally enjoyed it. It is a little dark, which I didn't mind now but might when I'm a bit older! I have been to Carbone in New York too, and I'd say Elina's is definitely the Chicago version of that!
Amazing food and cocktails. The ambiance is a throw back to the small Italian place, you always love going to. Servings are plentiful enough to share and you will still be bringing leftovers home with you! Delicious!!!
My friend and I ordered the Rigatoni alla Vodka and the Chicken Parm, and they were both great! The vodka pasta definitely deserves all the buzz surrounding it! The pasta was served in adorable china which insulated the heat so well that the pasta stayed hot through the entire meal. The restaurant also provided complimentary appetizers including, pizza & garlic bread, salami, and pickled vegetables.Our server was very attentive and all of our dishes came out quickly. Overall, we loved our dining experience and can’t wait to snag another reservation!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Bread, Chicken Parmesan, Pickled Eggplant
I've heard great things about Elina's so we wanted to give it a try. The restaurant itself is super dark and compact. I understand there is a desire to fit more tables so more people can dine at a time however it was super annoying having to always scoot in or get up for people to walk in between tables. The tables are also so close to eachother it feels like you're eating with the people beside you. Anyways! On to the fun part.. The complimentary pizza bread with salami and pickled eggplant was the top of the entire meal. The flavors of the pickled eggplant with the cheesy bread.. phenomenally paired. For appetizer, we shared the breaded bacon clams which was so tasty. The clams didn't give a fishy flavor and tasted fresh. Definitely could have eaten 2 orders of that myself! Between two, for entrees, we shared the chicken parm and rigatoni. I've actually never had chicken parm but chicken, cheese, basil.. what's there not to like. The chicken though was extremely dry and hard to chew. The texture of the chicken was not good at all. We ended up only eating the cheesy parts and the burnt ends. It was tough trying to chew it. The rigatoni was very rich and good in flavor but it came out not too hot so it didn't take long for it to get sickening and cold. Overall, glad to have tried Elina's but the food was underwhelming or the entrees were. The appetizers were top notch. We did also enjoy the whiskey sour! Totally wasn't expecting it to be a slushy. Was so fun!
Restaurantji Recommends
Deliciously authentic Italian food served up on grandmas china. Cozy atmosphere excellent service and plenty to eat
Great food & service. Our server was super attentive and had great recommendations. We really enjoyed meeting the owner Eric!! The chicken parm was amazing, I can’t wait to go back & try their other dishes!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food & service. Our server was super attentive and had great recommendations. We really enjoyed meeting the owner Eric!! The chicken parm was amazing, I can't wait to go back & try their other dishes!
Elina's is by far one of my favorite Italian spots! I would highly recommend getting a table outside when it's warm out but sitting inside is nice too! The waitresses were all very friendly and the service was fast. If you get one thing, let it be the vodka pasta. It was the best vodka pasta I've had in my entire life and I've tried a lot.
Our server was wonderful, food lived up to the hype. It's a really tight squeeze to get in or out of your table though (I'm a tiny person and still had to ask guests to shift their chairs for me to leave), so avoid if you're claustrophobic. Also, the table time limit is pretty strict (which might be nice if you're a walk-in).