Volo Restaurant - Wine Bar: User Reviews

I normally don't write reviews but I have to chime in on one of my favorites. Volo is about the only place I can get real haute cuisine by way of small plates (ala tapas). The quality of the food sourced is a value. Yes, they specialize in small plates... with almost all of them offered at anywhere from six to twelve dollars each (steak tar tare, steamed mussles, marrow bones, sweetbreads, heirloom tomatoes, etc.). The chef ran MK previous to opening Volo and the sublty of the food shows it. Outstanding pizza rustica as well. The staff is very bright, friendly, and helpful in finding wonderful wines from their constantly changing and exceptional list. Half the wine list is made up of selections in the 30 to 40 dollar range. They even have their own pastry chef. This is a real place, in a real neighborhood, that is not to be missed. Yes it is crowded on weekends. It is also low key early in the week - so choose your pleasure. Overall, keep up the good work.

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We came with a large birthday group - approximately 16 people. The service was hard pressed at best and the servers seemed totally overwhelmed. The waiter took orders from each end of the table, but never the center of the table until the two ends were served - and they had to be asked if the center of the table could order. Very disorganized. The restaurant has a very cool wine garden out back, and the restaurant could have a very fun atmosphere if it wasn't being stressed out by overwhelmed staff and underattended customers. The food was okeh - the oysters were good - but everything was so random, it was difficult to enjoy. They acted put out that we were celebrating a birthday, but finally conceeded to bring a very simple dessert with a candle (for a exoensive price) This restaurant could be a sucess if their service and food could rise to the setting. Hope they can get it together.
Will not be going back.

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I organized my friend's birthday party at Volo the other night. I now regret it and personally will never go there again. There were no weekday specials, nor did they give us any specials for bringing in a group of 20 on a Tuesday night. On the contrary, when I arrived with a box of homemade cupcakes for my friend, I was pulled aside by a staff member and told there would be a mandatory $70 "plating fee" ($3.50/person) despite the fact that we brought napkins and needed no plates or forks. The staff person would not budge on this until I said we were going to leave and go elsewhere, and then suddenly he agreed to waive the fee. (As he did this he condescendingly told me to remember in the future that a plating fee was standard for "bringing pastries to a restaurant of this caliber." Excuse me?! I was bringing cupcakes to a friend's weeknight birthday at a Roscoe Village wine bar. The cupcake issue aside, the place is extremely expensive (2 drinks and an appetizer will easily put you in the $30 - $40 range). If you're considering Volo, my advice is to go to Jack Sullivan's/404 Wine Bar on Southport for just as nice of an ambience and much better service and prices.

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Although the ambiance was quite relaxing, the service was quite frustrating. Our waiter seemed to not have any sort of patience for questions nor did he have much respect for new wine drinkers. The service was very snooty for the Roscoe Village neighborhood. Further, the food did not quite meet the price. The portions were small and not satisfying. The saving grace was the menu's wine and cheese pairing. Ultimately I would not revisit VOLO with all the other great places the area has to offer.

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The outdoor eating area is one of the better ones around. Not very big, so it can be cramped depending on the night. Would not recommend eating inside unless you are prepared to share your conversation with the party next to you. They will be inches away.

While the food was prepared very well, the portions size was shocking. Order the lamb chop and you get two of the smallest (not much more than one bite per chop) I've experienced. Other dinner entree' at table were equally down sized to appitizer portion while maintaining entree price levels.

Service the night we were there was inconsistent. The fourth entree at our table arrived close to 8 minutes after the other entrees' arrived. Server never returned to see how we liked the meal.

Definately not worth the entree prices for the amount of food provided.

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This place is magical. Their backyard is cobblestone with a fountain, great lighting, and music. The wine list is outstanding. There are wines on the list that are really hard to find and they are offered by the glass (most of the times i only see them by the bottle). Our food was outstanding the presentation was on point and the pairings were great. Our server was great. She was attentive and knowledgable about the wines on the list and wines in general. We will be back with friends. We plan on checking out their other restaurant, paramount room
HIGHLY Recommened.

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Living in Volo, IL, I thought it would be fun to actually go to Volo because I'd heard some pretty decent things about the place. Unfortunately I was pretty disappointed. Two friends and I had a table in the outdoor section which was very nice. It took a few minutes before we were approached by the server and was told it would be another few minutes. When he came back, he was pretty much expecting us to order. He didn't offer to explain the wines, which was supposed to be the signature feature of this restaurant. We started off with flights of champagne and wine, which were very good. We eventually ordered the veal marrow, the asparagus salad and the beets. The marrow came out in a decent amount of time but the rest of us just watched until the server came back and asked us if anything was missing. After we got the first course, we waited and waited and eventually the server came back over and took the order for our second course, which consisted of the fried green tomatoes, crab cake, polenta and the pizza. It seemed to take FOREVER. Eventually, three of the four items came out. The server forgot the polenta. Not once was there an apology for the slow service or for the order being incomplete. The server was not attentive at all, and it appeared that they were quite short-staffed. We arrived at 7:30 and we didn't leave until almost 10:30 and considering we ordered 7 small plates and a little bit of wine, I thought it was completely ridiculous that our bill was $153 for 3 people with such a small amount of food. On a positive note, the food was fantastic, once we got it. I overheard our server tell the table behind us that the kitchen had gotten bottlenecked. Proper kitchen management would have prevented that from happening.

I really wanted this review to be positive, and there were some nice aspects, but until they get their staffing issues under control, I would not recommend....

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My boyfriend and I had a wonderful, enlightening experience at Volo. Dean was magnificent, it was like we had our very own tableside sommelier! He really opened our eyes to how food and wine interact in a way that will inform each and every food/wine pairing for the rest of our lives! We started with the mussels, shrimp and octopus ceviche and the marrow bones. Dean suggested a white wine, which we, being die-hard red fans, were quite skeptical of. He brought out not only the wine he suggested, but also a sample of a French Chardonnay which he said would complement the marrow bones. We both found that the white went wonderfully with our appetizer picks.

Next, we had the clam bake pizza, which Dean paired with a Malbec and a Pinot Noir. This pairing also worked for the entree we shared , the braised kobe beef with egg noodles and spring vegetables. We were much too stuffed and happy to follow up with dessert, but I'm sure Dean would have great recommendations for that too!

The food was good, the wine was great and Dean was awesome! He told us all about Santa Barbara chardonnays, why Malbec is a great choice for food pairings, why a big cab or zin might not be the best pick for what we were eating. Overall, a wonderful experience, we'll be back, and we'll be bringing our friends! Tip: Go early (like 5:30) on a weeknight so the staff can give you this kind of service and attention.

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Gosh, where do I start!? This is the first review I have ever written and joined metromix just to write this. I grew up in Chicago, live in Chicago, love food, love trying new places, and I was just astonished at how horrible their service was.

From the moment my friend and I walked in, we were greeted by the hostess with a "we don't have any availability and it's standing room only, it will be at least 30-60 min" very rude attitude. We looked at each other a little like, geez, should we leave, doesn't seem like they want us here? But, we wanted to give it a chance so we replied "that's okay, we'll just grab a drink and put our names on the list" Ohh, we should have followed our first instinct...

So, we chatted with our glasses of wine for about 30 min and were seated into these 2- person crammed seats (one side booth, other side chair). I actually think the ppl sitting on both sides of us could hear our whole conversation. Nonetheless, that was fine, and actually a lot of restaurants in Chicago have this seating. (I was really trying hard to give this place a chance).

We ordered 4 starters to munch on with our wine and a cheese plate for dessert. I have to say the food is definitely delicious! We were very happy with the quality, presentation, and portion size of the food. Then, we were getting ready to leave and my friend went to the bathroom apparently overhearing the waitress swearing out that she needed help and how she was the only server in the whole place. My friend told me when she got back, and we actually joked how she probably makes great money working there, b/c it's very pricey.
Anyways, we finally get our check and my girlfriend puts in cash, and the waitress puts the rest on my card. I get the bill, and see she has the original total written on it, and I thought, I know, I know the total, you will get your tip, no worries. So, I put a generous tip for my portion on the receipt. As soon as I sign it she picks it up right away and stands right behind our table (if I had to describe it, I think she looked like she wanted to attack us : /) We, then get stopped by our waitress on our way out, just as we pass by her staring, like about to pounce stance "nothing personal, but you just gave my an 8% tip". We turned around and were both like "what, what do you mean?" I was like, I gave you a generous tip, and she was like, no, your friend's cash was taken out of the total. My friend and I both stared at each other, and realized she didn't take the cash tip out of my friend's portion and then put the rest on my card. In the end, we took back the receipt and changed the tip.

The main thing is, my friend and I both understood it was just a simple understanding. But, she decided to go off on us and gave us probably the most rude behavior and attitude I've ever encountered in my life! We all have our bad days, I waitressed for 4 yrs and completely understand, but it's your job. Stay professional, and respect your clientele. She could have easily approached us, #1 when we were paying to ask us how we were dividing it up, #2 without the attitude, #3 in a professional manner. I feel like an innocent bystander of a misunderstanding attacked by a vicious beast. eeeek : ( With all the great restaurants in Chicago, the only way this place will survive....hrmmm, hire new employees ; )

btw. went to the new Otom restaurant the night before with some friends and had great service!! And the food was delic : )

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Horrible service. Waitstaff and hostess are unprofessional and rude, while prices are ridiculous and unjustified. Our waitress was unattentive and actually disputed her tip with us as we were leaving. I eat out a lot in Chicago, and found the service/price ratio completely unacceptable. Read the other ten reviews and they will say the same- the management obviously doesn't care otherwise they would have done something by now. Do yourseld a favor, and go to Webster's Wine Bar instead. Your money will be far better spent and you can have a more sophisticated wine experience.

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