Mia Francesca: User Reviews

Very romantic
By Colleen R from Lakeview, August 23, 2008

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This restaurant was amazing! My boyfriend and I have wanted to go for a long time and I am so glad last night we finally did. Even though it is kind of small and very crowded we still felt like it was just the 2 of us. The drinks and food were great. The waitstaff was very patient and knowledgable. Although it was busy we never felt rushed to order or finish our dinner. I was blown away by all the flavors in the food, they were fantastic. The prices weren't to high and portions were huge and I was glad because it meant I got to eat more today! I highly reccomend everyone check this place out.

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Good food...inexpensive
By JB from Old Town, August 1, 2008

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I ate here on July 28th at 7 pm and sat outside. The menu was solid, the food was good and came out hot and in decent time. Drinks were moderately priced and the server left me with no complaints.

I have eaten at the Francesca in Forest Park on Madison and thought it was slightly more upscale.

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I Don't Get the Hype
By hayzbo from Lakeview, April 26, 2008

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I don't get the hype. It's okay. Good food, but way over-hyped. I'm not a huge fan of the atmosphere & tables on top of one another either.

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Love that Vongele!
By day-v from palatine, February 20, 2008

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Been here tons of times. Pasta's are great! If you don't see what you want on the menu, they will make it for you! Friendly service. If you are looking for a quiet spot, don't go here, it can get real noisy. Portions and value are a definate plus here. Not a good kid place.

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Quality slipping
By cohoeye from Uptown, December 2, 2007

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I've lived in the neighborhood for years and always considered Mia a reliable place for an excellent meal. However, a friend and I stopped in a few days ago for an early dinner....While the meal was OK (no big complaints and we had good service), the execution of the dishes left something to be desired. I went for a pasta dish; the pasta itself was fresh enough and tasy, but the included shrimp was way overdone and rubbery. The real problems involved my friend's mahi mahi. It sounded great as described: a great combination of the fish, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, capers, etc., all pan-fried in a brown butter sauce. Problem is, everything was so saturated in balsalmic vinegar that that's all one could taste.
This and two other recent visits have left me with the feeling that the place still has great potential (i.e., the chef directing the menu knows what he/she doing), but that the people working on the line are screwing things up.
Until these problems can be worked out, I'm going to give Mia Francesca a pass. There is too much competition at this price point ($20-$30 for an entree), where I know I can go and be "wowed" by the kitchen, with great service to match.

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Great food, very good service...
By Mallory from Chicago, IL, August 26, 2007

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Great food, very good service just a bit noisy, but I guess some folks like that. Wonderful calamari, ravioli and tilapia. This was our family's first visit and we will defintely be back.

Mia is at its heart...
By JohnD from Chicago, IL, July 21, 2007

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Mia is at its heart a very good restaurant that also gives you solid value for your money- tasty, overflowing entrees for $10-15. Most other Italian restaurants charge more for less. Unfortunately, it is always packed. Not a place to just pop into, ever.

The negative here baffle me....
By M Shapiro from Chicago, IL, June 8, 2007

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The negative here baffle me. You actually fault a restaurant that honors their reservations? Bizarre. My wife and I love this place, great food, knowledgeable staff and a hopping atmosphere tho it can get a bit louder than necessary. We have taken many friends over the years, including people visiting from Italy, and they have found the food to be exceptional. If you want food similar to what people in Italy eat, this is definitely a good choice. If your idea of Italian is limited to spaghetti and meatballs or eggplant parm, then you will be happier elsewhere. And on a final note, I've always found the management to be friendly and extremely accommodating.

One of my favorites in...
By Jeff H from Chicago, IL, May 7, 2007

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One of my favorites in Chicago. Always consistent high quality food. The servers, most have been there for years, remember their customers and treat you like family. Most people don't realize you can substitute things on the menu, creating your custom dish. I will continue to go often!

Part I: We went to...
By Bachelorette party from Chicago, IL, April 15, 2007

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Part I: We went to Mia Francesca for a bachelorette party with 10 women, and had a fairly terrible experience at what turns out to be an inexplicably pretentious establishment. To begin with, the food was far from remarkable. The pasta dishes, though overflowing with pasta, contained astonishingly little in the way of meat, seafood or vegetables. The pizza was ok, but the bread that was served before the meal was perhaps the most remarkable part of the dinner (obviously a bad sign). Having lived in Italy for over a year, I can attest that the dishes served at Mia Francesca hardly merit any use of the word authentic (and I tasted multiple dishes). If the food had been the only disappointment, we would have enjoyed ourselves and ordered an extra bottle of wine. HOWEVER, the service, both on the part of our server and the manager, was unrelentingly abysmal. To begin with, the pleasant...