Cibo Matto: User Reviews

My sister and I went to Cibo Matto last night before going to the Goodman Theatre. We had a really nice experience there. The restauant design is stunning and the booths are very comfortable. The waiter was excellent. He was knowledgable, made great food and wine suggestions and was not intimidating at all! The busser was also super nice. They filled water glasses often. The food was delicious. We each had a simple salad that was very tasty. I had Skate fish and it was fabulous. I've had it before, but this prepartaion, was unique and I finished every morsel. We are not the typical patron that goes to the Wit, but we felt welcomed and very comofortable. I would definately go again!

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Had a fantastic dining experience at Cibo Matto. Our waiter was enthusiastic and knowledgeable and the food was delicious. Everything we ordered was great. The atmosphere and high booths are fabulous.

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I was there last night (Saturday 8/1)
After read the most recent reviews..."warm white wine, bad service & attitude,etc"...
I braced myself for a less than average experience.
What I found was a great menu,interesting food,intense flavors,an extensive...yet navigable wine list.....served by an attentive young man.
I am not sure if the previous reviews were authentic, had an ulterior motive....or maybe the restaurant got their act together after reading them.
Nevertheless...I was pleasantly surprised...and recommend getting in there before reservations become impossible.

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Went for dinner tonight with some friends. It opened two weeks ago and we were looking for something new.

Food: Hit and miss. The braised short rib and chicken were excellently cooked and seasoned, coupled with great pairings. The zucchini blossoms and salads were fabulous. However, their pasta and desserts left much to be desired. Many of their dishes were over-salted; especially the bucatini. The ravioli was tough and chewy. Their desserts didn't taste all that great and were very low-key in terms of presentation. Most of the dishes were quite familiar without anything particularly exotic or unusual.

Drinks: Excellent wine list and a really good sommelier who provided good advice and knowledge. They need to chill their white wines, though, since our bottle was served near room temperature.

Ambiance: Fantastic setting, great surroundings, and a really good location. The restaurant has a stylish flair which works well. The booths didn't feel particularly private and were easy to sink into, but still, very comfortable.

Service: They need some serious work here. Everything just felt so disorganized. Trays were not used to bring food out or take dishes back, meaning servers were running around with armfuls of dirty dishes. The servers were friendly, but everything just felt so chaotic. Our server forgot some of the specials. Other servers periodically brought food and drinks to our table we didn't order. The host just aimlessly wandered around the restaurant without doing anything, be it talk to diners or make sure the servers were doing their jobs.

Overall: It seemed like this place is feeling its way towards an identity. Perhaps in a few weeks, the disorganization will be straightened out, the food will become more consistent, and the desserts more memorable. Until then, I'd recommend looking elsewhere.

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but I am compelled to write a review lest others are tempted to waste a perfectly good dining opportunity at this pretense of a restaurant. Started with an unending 'dig me, aren't we hip' nightmarish welcome from our 'waiter', had to ask to order cocktails (lukewarm martini), forgot one of them, out of the Pieropan Soave (out of it? you just opened!), the substitute came warm ('that's how all our whites are kept'), 1:12 to get appetizers, forgot the primi course entirely (thank god, no time), tried to ask a question about the menu but apparently that wasn't in the script, secondi really just not special in any way, 'made up' for it all by bringing 4 deserts no one asked for (who knows if they were what we would have chosen -- never saw a desert menu) washed down with warm, flat Moscato. I could go on but I need to move on. I feel worst for the lady who slipped and fell because none of the immense number of staff thought to wipe up a spill. You'd think one of them might have had time to put soap in the men's room though. If you find yourself in the Wit go to the roof for a drink and then leave to eat anywhere but Cibo Matto. They need to shut it down, train the staff, figure it out, and start over. Or better yet . . ..

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Cibo Matto has MANY many kinks to work out before it starts to compare to the other restaurants we have in Chicago. Service was poor - we waited in the cocktail hour before we were seated and after sitting there for 30 minutes, we had to flag someone down to take our drink order. I'm sure the ambiance of the room would help make up for the lack of service, but we wouldn't know as we were seated by the entrance to the kitchen. So close to the entrance that we got the glow of the kitchen's fluorescent light on our table, a waiter dropped a fork in my friend's hair, and someone broke some wine glasses that landed at my feet and under our table. Also, while our waiter wasn't serving us, he just stood by our table! It was very uncomfortable as it seemed like he was trying to listen or join our conversation at points.

After the waiter talked us through the entire menu (no joke it took about 15 minutes) we were left feeling like the food was so-so. It was good, but not great.

I hope that Cibo Matto gets everything up and running soon as I’m sure it will attract people that are staying at the WIT as well as Chicagoans looking for a new restaurant to try. I for one though, after visiting many restaurants here in the city whether it is with friends or entertaining clients, I not be going back nor will I recommend Cibo Matto to friends or coworkers.

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Service is just terrible. They don't even set the table right. no one offered bread until we asked for it. The waiter did not know the specials and said he would come back and tell us but did not. The room is great. Modern and interesting and a nice size without being too big. Some of the food was good other stuff had too much going on and was too rich. We went out to the upstairs bar which was super crowded on a Thursday night. They have a pizza oven outside. It would be nice to sit out there and have a drink and a pizza.

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Translated "crazy food" ... But I didn't think it was that crazy. Pretty traditional if you ask me. Really, though this is only the 3rd day of business. I've been waiting for it- but Jeeze (with a capital J)- step the crazy factor up (like bizarre ingred) and beef up the portions with a starch or something with a little sustinance!
If you go- I'd wait a few weeks- order trout, snow pea ravioli, water buffalo mozz, fried blossoms, and hazelnut cake,plum cake with blueberry sorbet, and Panna cotta with citrus.
Little pricey based on the physical ammount of food on the plate:( But tasty. Go if you're a foodie or you have guests that need some impressing but be prepared to order a lot or go home hungry!
P.S. The Interior design is tres sexy.
P.P.S Mucho Kudos to the presentation And depth of flavor brought forth by the pastry chef. All deserts were fabulous looking and tasting.

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