Il Mulino New York: User Reviews

This restaurant clearly markets itself as being very authentic and boasts itself as being "very Italian". Upon entering, you're greeted warmly with a "buona sera". I suppose I had very high expectations given the VERY high prices and the renowned reviews from others.

The food was really good - we had the vongole casino which were excellent, my husband had the risotto ai frutti di mare and I had the veal chop sage. We also had the tartufo for dessert. BUT....

for a place that charges as much as it does and tries to create an aura of authenticity, I believe it failed. I realize I may be coming off as a bit of a snob when I write this, but too bad.

Strike 1 - huge pet peeve of mine - calling the complimentary bruschetta, BREWSHETTA!!! There are NOT two ways to pronounce this, and whoever tells you there are is grossly mistaken. The Italian language is relatively simple. Except for just a few rules, if a letter is there, it is pronounced. This particular word falls under one of the few rules. "s-c-h followed by an I or an E is pronouned ski or ske, respectively. That's it. End of discussion.

Strike 2 - the server and staff speaking Spanish and trying to make it come off as if it were Italian. If we were called Senor y Senorita one more time, I was going to lose it. Now, there's absolutely nothing wrong with speaking Spanish - but NOT in an elegant Italian restaurant. And not when the proprietors are clearly attempting to create an "Italian experience of authenticity".

Strike 3 - Upon my husband being presented with his risotto ai FRUTTI DI MARE, the busboy asked if he would like any fresh ground pepper and/or some GRATED PARMIGIANO!!!! I realize the customer is always right, and if they want it you should oblige. BUT anyone who knows Italian food, knows you should NEVER put grated cheese on fish! EVER!!!! So, don't offer it. As Tony Shalhoub's character Primo says in the movie "Big Night", "if you teach them, they will learn."

To conclude, it was very good food with a few complimentary items served upon being seated (which I'm sure are buried in the item prices), but the managers really need to train their staff better. As a result it did not meet my expectations. If you want to check it out for a special occassion (as we did), then you should. But to go back again....no thanks.

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I love Il Mulino - I eat here all the time. And I'm not rich.

The moment you sit down - you get a slew of complimentary tasty treats. Loads of fresh, garlic and buttered bread, fresh chunks of parmiggian cheese, a plate of meats, a plate of freshly fried zuchini, and complimenary bruschetta. This is all within the first 5 minutes!

You can order the $50 Osso Bucco - or you can get a nice Pasta or meat dish for $25. I have done both - and both are great. Their food is truly exceptional.

The wine list is reasonable - again, you can spend 35 on a bottle or 235. Your choice.

Every meal concludes with complimentary Grappa - every week is a different, fresh flavor. Pear, peach, strawberry, lemon...all delicious.

Try it and you will be glad you did!

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We celebrated out anniversary at Il Mulino & what a fabulous & romantic restaurant! Our meal started with a selection of excellent antipasto (on the house!) & finished with a shot of blueberry grappa (also on the house!). Delicious food and excellent old-school service. I could not afford Biggs & Chez Paul when they were in business & never got to either, but Il Mulino is that kind of elegant, special place.

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The food here is similar to any run of the mill italian in the city. The bread was stale and the pasta dishes were just okay. Desserts were good, but none of it is worth the cost. There are much better meals to be had in Chicago!

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My wife and I visited on a Friday night, but it was very slow. That meant we received excellent, attentive service all night long, with carefully timed courses. The mansion is beautiful.

We began with an array of complementary openings: fresh Parmesan, salami, several kinds of bread, bruschetta, oysters, fried zucchini, all delicious. We ordered the Caprese and a pair of spinach salads. All were a bit heavy on the oil, but the mozzarella melted in your mouth. My wife's tortellini was tasty, but a tad al dente; my veal was very good, but the sauce seemed a bit too dominant. Very good, but just a touch off the mark of five-star excellence.

Dessert was fantastic. We ordered the cake sampler: the ricotta cake was mouth-watering and moist, the flourless cake melted in our mouths, the tiramisu had an excellent flavor. And, of course, we finished with the complementary grappa, a strong, sweet passion fruit flavor. We'll definitely visit again.

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The dining room is very nice and romantic and the service is attentive without being intrusive. However, the compliments stop there. There was nothing particularly wrong with the food but there was also nothing worthy of the hefty price tag (and I'm one to willingly spend a fortune on excellent food). This is a place where quantity is valued over quality, and where the price point is way out-of-whack. Having said that, the food is fine; it's just run-of-the-mill Italian food. If you want exceptional food (or even better-than-average), skip this place.

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I've been here twice and had great experiences both times. The food is excellent, the atmosphere is refined, old school, but not stuffy. The service could not have been better. This place takes you back to a time and place where everything is about making sure the customer has a perfect diing experience. I went here after I proposed to my fiance and recommend it for any type of special occasion.

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Came for a special occasion. Crowd noise was absurd. Felt like I was immersed in everyone's conversation, except my own. Services was very disorganized. They rely on busboys to most of the customer interaction. Great place if you are in the mood for noice canceling ear phones and a solitary meal. Its too bad because I liked the food.

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The service at Il Mulino is great, no question about it. The atmosphere is sort of funeral parlor/dilapidated mansion. I had to wonder how clean the place could be given how old the mansion clearly is. The style of the decor is very Munsters like.

The food at Il Mulino is pedestrian. They walked these langoustines around - an exotic large crustacean with a great presentation - we ordered some at $28/appetizer - and the things come out fried. They didn't even tell us! Plus the portion was around the size of a shrimp and a half. Who fries exotic sea food and doesn't tell you? Fresh fish looked great, but was cold by the time it was de-boned. The veal chop was ordinary. But at $55 for a veal chop – it’s just too much for ordinary fair. All in all dishes have too much garlic. People commented on my breath the next day.

We had $300 of wine, but the bill was $750 for three people. It’s just not good enough to justify the price.

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my best valentines day ever. had to get a reservation 2 hours later than i wanted but when we arrived we were seated right away. We loved all the complimentary "goodies" they bring to the table, (especially the bruschetta). service was probably the most attentive in the city yet not at all overbearing or stiff or artificial. the bufollo mozzarella and eggplant appetizers were truly outstanding as we were informed by our waiter, my Dover sole was amazing and my dates pasta was good but way too big. but what made it really special was the end of our meal and I don't mean the awesome cheesecake and complimentary grappa. We saw someone with a guitar case and asked if he could sing for us and they nice enough to let him but the biggest surprise was when the chef himself came out later and played and sang for us! what a memorable experience!

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