Macello: User Reviews

Overall atmosphere was nice. Had a few decent appetizers but meals were overpriced and okay at best. Seafood risotto was undercooked. The seafood was good but there was not enough of it to justify the price. Companion had pasta that was more spinach than anything. New York Strip was a fair price but just okay.

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we waited over a hour after our reservation to be seated when their was always a table open. then they didnt have the wine we wanted and ran out of the fish special. the pizza was ok (hard to mess that up with a wood burning oven)and the bone in filet was over cooked with way too much fat but hey! the deserts were good. but unfortunately thats not why we came there. as we left our server never even said thankyou for our 25% tip .then we had to run down the street to racine (in the rain) to catch a cab because macellos is in a bad location under the el trackes. I will not be returning (maybe for a desert)

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Reserved and re-confirmed "the back room" for our large group, we showed up and a) someone else was using the back room, and b) they had not set up a table for us elsewhere either, in other words, they ignored our reservation. Luckily they had enough small tables to put together (while we stood around waiting) to seat us. Service was otherwise good, but as the evening progressed and the main room where our table was filled up, the noise level became excessive and it was not possible to have a conversation with people sitting across or even next to one another without shouting, and even then it was difficult to communicate. Being in the back room might have obviated this issue.

The antipasto appetizer was fine, the wine was very, very good, the seafood in my risotto was properly grilled. However, the risotto itself was like paste, not creamy like it should be (try Pazzo's for perfect risotto). Big disappointment, no one who got risotto liked it. The good news is, the desserts were excellent.

I gave the service 4 stars in spite of their not being ready for our party or seating us where they promised because the wait staff did great job for us. Would I go back? No, just far, far too noisy for an enjoyable conversation over dinner.

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I was skeptical about this place because its kinda in the middle of nowhere, but when I went inside the decor was beutiful that was a plus, and the hostess was dressed very elegently. So far so good, the waiter came to the table, and delivered the specials a little to many specials to remember. We ordrered the fried eggplant caperese salad it was very good, then I ordered the Jumbo prawns the presentation was great not what I expected they were awsome. We didnt have room for dessert, but when I go back and believe me I will I want to try the crocantino.

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My friend made a reservation for 8:30pm on Saturday and after checking back with the hostess at 9pm (and her telling me that they had to sit a pregnant woman before they could seat us and we'd be another 5-10 mins) we sat around 9:10pm. The waiter came up to us and didn't introduce himself but rather asked if we like mahi mahi. It was quite odd. We ordered and didn't get our food for quite awhile afterward. The food was very subpar. I had an endive salad (decent) and pasta. While it was ok, my friend's pizza with prosciouto looked like someone slopped some lunch meet on top of some dough and tomato sauce. She told me the pizza was pretty bad (and the waiter reccomended the pizza). The good news was our water glasses were continuously filled but the waiter was rarely around. I don't need to go back here.

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A good friend just adores this spot, unfortunately I cannot share in her excitement. Perhaps it was an off night, but there were misses with many points of our meal. The atmosphere is very hip and fun with the open brick oven. As for our dining experience: we were disappointed that a bottle of wine recommended to us was unavailable that night, especially because the alternative cost $15 more per bottle. The wine was the highlight of our meal, however, and Macello has a very nice wine list. Servers should note that they may want to follow correct protocol and let the patron test the cork, rather than pocketing it. We ordered the eggplant special, a dish which sounded divine when described but lacked any real flavor or any complexity to the flavors in the ingredients. It was bland and on par with something served at an old folk's home which uses little to no spices, salt or pepper. For my main course I ordered the risotto with fava beans and mushrooms, I believe the spices needed in my appetizer made way to my risotto, unfortunately it was done to excess and my risotto was far too salty and the texture was not gummy, but also not creamy. Desert was the only other bright spot as their tiramisu was very good with a rich cocoa flavor that was heavenly, if only the other courses in our meal had the same subtle intensity to it's flavors we might say we MUST go back. Unfortunately, I will frequent several other Italian restaurants over Macello and I don't see myself recommending it.

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If you choose to dine at Macello, I would recommend the pizza - I enjoyed mine. If you choose to work at Macello, I would recommend apologizing if a huge wad of gum appears on the bottom of a plate at one of your tables. Why did we have to wait until 8pm to arrive if the restaurant was sparsely populated when we arrived? I think Macello might last until the beginning of 2009, but I might be the odd man out in my prediction.

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Food was very good. Pizza is excellent thin crust like you will find in Italy. The restaurant is warm and nicely decorated. My only complaint is the seating...they have the most uncomfortabe chairs you will ever find in a restaurant....I ate very quickly so I can leave, the chairs kill your back. Please, owners of Macello, change your chairs...or sit down on one and try comfortably eating a meal.

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A group of friends and I pick a new restaurant to go to each month and this month, I chose Macello. I was very much looking forward to it. When I went to make a reservation using Open Table, I tried to make a 7:00 reservation, but the only available times were 6:00 or 8:00. We arrived at 8:00 to find a restaurant that was 70% empty. It remained this way the entire time we were there. Our waitress had the personality of a rock. I would never hold that against someone. What I would hold against a server, however, is not even apologizing after a two foot long string of gum came out from under my plate as it was carried away. This was totally disgusting. Everyone at the table was shreiking. The waitress was standing right there and said nothing. I was appalled. I have had better customer service at McDonald's. Although the food was not bad, I strongly believe this place will not last more than 6 months. There are far too many other Italian options in the city that are a better value and have much better customer service. I am embarrassed that I chose Macello for our February dinner.

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Two big issues, first in a very empty restaurant the service was slow.........not the end of the world in most cases. However, the chairs that you get to wait all of that time in are like sitting on a board. Bad selection!
Service was poor. My friend's first glass of champagne arrived flat, salads arrived one at a time. Dinner service was even slower. First the pizza arrived, then the lamb chops, (time passes)......the pork chop.....(time).....pasta dish....(time).....the seafood risotto. All of this time in a very empty restaurant.

The food was okay. I had the pork chop, just okay. the porcini risotto still had grit in it from uncleaned mushrooms. We ordered a plate of roasted potatoes for the table that were mushy and old.

The kicker of the whole night was at the clean up of the dishes. My friend "L" had the pasta. When the bus boy cleared her plate we found a huge wad of chewing gum stuck to the bottom of her plate as well as the table. Not a great thing to see after you eat. The sever and the bus boy were both at the table, not one of them apologized for the surprise.
I give this place until mid summer. Chicago is full of many wonderful alternatives.

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