Labriola Ristorante - Chicago

Reviews

• BD

  B D

  Oct 13, 2025
  4.0
  This is a bustling Italian restaurant in a busy location. My review is based primarily on the main dish I had - Penne Alla Vodka with chicken. I would not order that again. The vodka sauce was pretty tart and lemony and the chicken was kind of chewy and tough. Despite this, it tasted fine overall. Bread with oil and butter was very basic. Spicy mango sangria was good. Service was pretty quick but waiter was not attentive. Nice atmosphere. Overall, very average but it works.
• RD

  Reilly Donofrio

  Oct 10, 2025
  3.0
  Labriola’s in my neighborhood, and as someone who’s always craving a solid Italian classic, I had high hopes. The meatballs were fine—definitely edible, maybe even worth ordering—but don’t expect them to be the best you’ve ever had. They’re more “meh” than memorable. The dish I kept hearing about was the 8 finger cavatelli, and that’s where things really fell short. It was surprisingly flavorless, and the pasta was overcooked to the point where it lost all texture. For a signature item, it felt like a miss. On the plus side, portion sizes are generous and the prices are reasonable, which makes it tempting for a casual night out. But honestly, with so many great Italian spots in the area, I’d steer you toward one of those instead. Labriola isn’t terrible—it’s just not a standout.
• JR

  Jonathan Reed

  Oct 6, 2025
  5.0
  Our first deep-dish pizza in Chicago and we are very, very satisfied (and extremely full 😋). I knew coming to Chicago that there would be many choices if you're looking into deep-dish pizza. Labriola was only a 10 minute walk from our hotel in River North and what initially intrigued me was the focaccia-style dough and dark crust. Our waiter informed us that the deep-dish would take 30+ minutes, so knowing that do order right at the beginning or possibly ask if they can prepare ahead of time. He also mentioned we could split our single pizza into 2 halves to try different offerings. We ordered a 14-in split Burrata & Basil and Danny's Special between the 4 of us. The 8 slices (2 of each per person) along with 2 appetizers and some desserts were definitely enough for us being very hungry after a day traveling. Of the two we enjoyed the Burrata & Basil a bit more as it highlighted the flavor of the dough, crunch of the underside which was dark but not at all burnt tasting, and the blend of sauce and cheese/basil/burrata toppings (a bit like an elevated Margherita pizza). The Russo sausage on the Danny's special was great, though I think I'd recommend just ordering the pizza with sausage than also ordering it with the veggies. For apps we had the meatballs and kale salad. Only 2 normal-sized meatballs, but with toasted bread and polenta were good along with a cool lemon kale salad (and to save room for the pizza). Desserts were absolutely great, especially the Gelato. We had the cookie skillet, cannoli, and a pistachio Gelato. Each were great, the cannoli was more a layered dessert than traditional round but was a nice contrast to the large pistachio Gelato. For only $6 they were very generous with the scoop they gave us and honestly if you only wanted desserts totally worth it too. In all for a single 14-in deep-dish pizza, 2 apps, and 3 desserts we were just over $100 after tax before tip, so ~$25 a person which felt fairly reasonable to what we ordered. The two main caveats, only slight, were our wait for the desserts was a bit longer than anticipated for a Sunday ~20 minutes or so after finishing our pizza, and upon arrival we did not realize at first the restaurant is located on the upper level above Grand & Michigan. Luckily we found a large sign for the restaurant front of the staircase nearby. Thank you for a great meal 😋
• JL

  Jazz L

  Oct 5, 2025
  5.0
  I visited Labriola Ristorante while in Chicago for a girls’ weekend, and it was such a pleasant surprise. The restaurant is large, lively, and welcoming with both indoor and outdoor seating. The staff was outstanding—friendly, attentive, and genuinely hospitable. We ordered the deep dish pizza (Danny’s Special), which was delicious and loaded with flavor, and the “Rum Forrest Rum” cocktails were amazing. Portions were generous, prices were reasonable, and our server even boxed the leftover pizza separately for each of us to take back to the hotel. Overall, excellent service, great atmosphere, and delicious food. I definitely recommend stopping by if you’re in Chicago.
• JG

  Joe Gunawan

  Oct 2, 2025
  4.0
  All in all, this is a pretty darn good classic Chicago Italian restaurant. We have a day off to explore Chicago and we wanted a quintessential Chicago Deep Dish Pizza and Labriola delivers, taste wise. The Danny Special with its Sausage, mushrooms, onions, and green pepper is its take on the supreme pizza on deep dish and it has a nice balance of the fluffy full body deep dish with a nice crispiness over the top. Of the crust. It's fulfilling, that's for sure. The fillet slider is not too bad, but is largely forgettable. I think it can use a bit more flavor with the fillet itself, if anything. A bit more seasoning could help. The garlic knot is surprising because the dough is pretty darn flaky, not doughy. I thought it'd be more like a pretzel or sourdough variety, so it was interesting. It can use a bit more kick on the garlic, however. Overall, the service, decor and ambience are great.