Gioco: User Reviews
It was just ok. We had the calamari, which was good. My pasta was good, but my husband got the tagliatelle and it tasted worse than hamburger helper. It's not too pricey. Would probably not go back unless I had a fantastic coupon or something - there are way better Italian places in Chicago than this!
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I went there for the tasting menu. It was okay, but the place is filthy. The room looks old - floor needs to be redone, chairs are scruffy, and the kitchen needs a good scrub as there is grease everywhere. The waitstaff are going through the motions and not friendly. It was not welcoming or interesting place. Basically it needs to be closed, cleaned and the concept revamped. Will not return as there are so many other good places out there to visit.
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I was there for lunch today and ordered a grilled chicken salad with the dressing on the side. I was able to see the order come up on the counter before it was delivered and then witnessed the server use a squirt bottle to administer a heap of olive oil on top of the salad. If I wanted hundreds of extra calories on the salad I would have had the dressing. The server got an attitude with me and tried to talk/force me into having the salad anyway. I said I wanted a "dry" salad with no extra oils, dressings, sauces, etc. and he told me that they would probably just throw that same chicken back on the grill so the extra oil would be on it again. What?! It was an awful lunch experience and I don't plan on going back there any time soon. There are too many other places to enjoy in the South Loop.
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I am so surprised by the terrible reviews I see written about Gioco here. I am 100% Italian myself, raised in a family with owners of Italian restaurants, banquet halls, and grocery stores, and I must say Gioco knows how to cook. They succeded with every dish we had. The Lamb was perfect down to the last bite, the homemade pasta was the perfect texture, and the rapini was exactly how Nonna makes it. The ambience was cozy, hip, and warm. I love how we walked past the open kitchen on our way to our table (that's where I eyed the rapini and knew I had to have it). The only things I could ask for would be a more passionate server, and perhaps some zucchini blossoms? What can I say, those are my fav.
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This crew is incapable of handling a brunch crowd. Ordering took 20 minutes and our food took 45 minutes, during which our server didn't stop by our table a single time. When it finally arrived the panini was cold because it sat on the counter with no heat lamp for 8 minutes (we timed it) while it waited for the other entree. When we pointed out the French toast was burnt the server looked like he didn't know what to do and then said "it's supposed to be like that". We had watched 45 minutes worth of French toast pass us by and not one of those was burnt black. Unbelievably stupid response. Water glasses were refilled one time during a 1.5 hour (!!!!) brunch. At no point did anyone in the restaurant apologize for the pathetically slow and bad service. In Italy we'll put up with slow and bad service because hey, you're in Italy. In the South Loop, not so much.
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Atmospher was nice when you first walk in but the temperature was about ninety degrees. I was with a group of 13 and we all agreed it was a horrible experience. When we went to order the waiter informed us of the sea bass special but failed to inform us the items on the menu that they could not offer. I order veal, they did not have it, I ordered the ribeye, they did not have it, I ordered the porterhouse, tthey did not have it, I ordered the filet, they did not have it. I finally just told the waiter to bring me something they did have.
The special (Sea Bass) was under cooked and unedible.
When the manager finally came over to our table he was nice enough to offer us coupons to come and enjoy the dining experience all over again. NO THANK YOU.
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I haven't been there in a while, but used to go all the time...
By ChicagoFoodie from Suburbs, December 28, 2008
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When the South Loop was up and coming 02/03 this was the first restaurant I tried in that area. My first and several later experience were great! I would usually go with my sister or husband and we would split a Caesar salad (not on the menu but they will make it if you request it), a margherita pizza, the mussels, and sometimes the gnocchi. Hopefully the negative reviews were based on one bad incident.
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Went for dinner with a group of friends last night and none of us were impressed. For an upscale type of Italian eatery this place was horrible. Our waiter had the worst attitude, he refused to be helpful at all times. He was extremely rude. The food was so bland and nothing special worth noting. Some of the pasta dishes were under cooked. I will never go there again. EVER!
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First and foremost the server had a bad attitude and to make things worst he was not familiar with the drink menu and food menu. They brought us out pasta that was not fully cooked and when we brought it out to the servers attention he acted as if he did not care. Overall the food was not good at all and the sample sized deserts were not impressing either. Oh yeah, and their garlic mashed potatoes sucked! They didn't even have garlic on them but by then I was too tired to even say anything.
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I brought my parents (from another state) to Gioco hoping the dining experience would measure up to the charming appearance of the building and its interior. The food was good, but the service was downright insulting.
Our waiter was terrible. He did not offer us appetizers or offer to bring out additional drinks or wine. He was also nowhere to be found for most of the meal.
I ordered roasted chicken, which was delivered to the table undercooked and gushed blood upon being sliced into. A new dish was brought out to me just in time for my parents to be finished with their food. When I received our bill, I was surprised to find my dish on it. I asked to see the manager, at which point a young man in a short sleeve shirt with tattoos covering his arms came over to the table. (I personally have a tattoo so I have nothing against body art; I just do not feel it is very professional for someone supposedly managing a restaurant of this price point to interact with customers with his ink out for the world to see.) I told him that I wanted my dish (which was about 10% of the total bill) taken off. He was extremely arrogant and actually argued with me before eventually taking the chicken off the bill.
I live in the South Loop, so this experience is especially disappointing since the food was actually good (when it was finally cooked) and the place is so close by.
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Review Summary
The following scores represent the average rating submitted by 111 users:
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