Gaetano's & Ristorantino Mediterraneo

My wife and I were celebrating a couple of items in our lives. We had been to Gaetano's (Forest Park) on a few other occasions... every time a wonderful experience. We are never able to select from the menu, so we opt for the "tasting" menu. And it could not be more wonderful... the food, and the service are without equal in the immediate area. Definitely a "go-to" restaurant for anyone wanting an exceptional experience... and will be going back.

A great little restaurant with AMAZING food! The scallops were the BEST! The service was spot on...attentive but not hovering. Special dietary restrictions were accommodated easily and with a smile!

Always enjoyed dining experience at Gaetano’s for its consistent excellent food and service. The tasting menu was delicious!

Gaetano’s is my favorite restaurant for date nights with my boyfriend. The service is truly amazing and the food is impeccable. They make you feel like family and you never want the meal to end. We have gone to Gaetano’s many times and will be back time after time again!

Good food. Fair service. Terrible parking.

Incredible food and superior service.

Table side pasta preparation by Gaetano himself was a special treat. We thoroughly enjoyed everything.

Great food. You have to know it to appreciate it...but then maybe just tasting the flavors allows the amateur foodie to know they have found a gem. Been following this Chef for years. He only gets better.
The service, Francisco as well as all the others, the restaurant, and just being around people that know how to appreciate good food. Gaetano is the best. Always there to say hi and welcome you.

Thank you

Gaetano is so talented, I'm always so happy after a meal there. I had the branzino with am eggplant caponata, and my husband had a short rib with saffron risotto. Both had a beautiful presentation and were cooked perfectly.

Slow service. Food was average. Probably won’t return

We have been to Gaetano's many times and it is always a great evening. The food is always wonderful. The staff are always welcoming and provide excellent service. Dave is always great and helpful with a wine recommendation that never disappoints. He is also great at helping you pick between dishes on the menu.

I really can't recommend Gaetano's enough!

I’ve been dining at Gaetano’s for 10 years, and have never had a bad experience.

Excellent restaurant with delicious food, great wine and top notch service!

Birthday Dinner. Restaurant needs to be re decorated

This was our second visit to Gaetano's and we were pleased with the service and the food was excellent. We like our red wine chilled more than others and we were very appreciative for the restaurant to have our first bottle of wine chilled in advance of our seating. Our second bottle of wine was the Super Tuscan and they found a way to get it cold, and fast. Many thanks. Our guests were very happy with the entrees. We tried new items to compliment our first visit and we found them very very good. The scaloppine ai funghi and Rigatoni alla travesteverina were delicious. We had the dates, the cavolfiori and also the beet salad. All superb.

Love this place. Love the food, the chef and everything about it!

Every dish is perfection. One of Chicago area's most consistently great restaurants.

Great find on Open Table! Hostess and David our waiter made us feel very welcome! Food and wine were delicious! Looking forward to going back soon!

Always a great experience. Dave and Chef Gaetano make you feel like family.

Fantastic!! It was our first time visiting, and we loved everything about it. The ambiance was charming, the staff was incredibly attentive. And the food was stellar!! The chef came to chat with us and was absolutely wonderful. A Perfect evening!

My husband and I had dinner here to celebrate an anniversary. When we first got there, there was maybe two tables filled and we were seated at a little table in the corner of the restaurant at 6:15 in the evening. My husband and I ordered a couple appetizers, two different cups of soup and our entrées. My husband ordered a ribeye steak for dinner and I had a fish dish that was prepared table side priced at $30. By 7:00 or 7:15, it looked like the place was busy and every table plus seats at the bar were filled. When my husband’s steak arrived, the waiter said he’d be right back with his steak knife ... and never returned. After 10 or 15 minutes my husband had to get up and go ask for his steak knife himself. I was still picking bones out of my fish for the remainder of my meal after the server made a show of cleaning it at our table. For $30 I would’ve been happier with having my fish fileted properly in the kitchen and then served to me at the table. Our waters were filled at the beginning of our meal and then didn’t get checked again until the dessert course at my request. Both of us ordered dessert. I ordered a standard bread pudding that was dry and unimpressive. I get the impression that the minute they got busy, the wait staff forgot about us and focused on the subsequent patrons that arrived. We wanted to try a new place and that’s why we came here, but for the amount of money we spent, I don’t feel we got our money’s worth. We were a bit disappointed. Next time we’ll try someplace else.

We absolutely love Gaetano's!!! I have a large family and Gaetano's is ALWAYS able to accommodate us and the food and service are incredible!!! The first time I went there was when they were located on Circle in Forest Park and we all had the chef's selection - amazing! Monday night we were celebrating my parents 63rd wedding anniversary and again, Gaetano's was AWESOME! Thanks for providing "downtown" dining in Forest Park!

The food is always great. We got the chefs tasting menu which was excellent a mix of old favorites and some new dishes. Service is also excellent.

Best Italian around.

We love chef Gaetano, Dave, and the staff at the restaurant. Gaetano creates the best dishes and Dave picks the best wine pairing. The staff provides great service. My husband's water glass is always full! We've traveled to Italy, but this is best Italian food we've eaten.

The food was just ok. I honestly feel like I could’ve gotten the same meal for half the price. They served bread and hummus with olive oil which really threw me off. Didn’t scream Italian to me but maybe I just haven’t been exposed to that Italian style before. The decor was over the top for me. It was like, hey, I’m an Italian restaurant so let’s make it look like Tuscany in here but in the most cheesy way. The dessert menu was blah. My waiter was great though. I believe his name was Greg. And the wine was delicious. Overall, I don’t think it’s worth going back.

The food is so good my 2nd time here. My boyfriend is a picky and he loved it

Outstanding food, wine and service. Wonderful night out with friends.

Wow. Wow.

The food, ambiance and service were absolutely upstanding. I could not have asked for a better birthday dinner. Outstanding restaurant.

Excellent food. Really enjoyed it

The food is outstanding, and the service is fantastic. It’s a little gem in Forest Park.

A wonderful dinner was had by all! In particular was the pasta in melted pecorino cheese with pepper. Outstanding! Will have it again! Very fresh salad.

Love, love Gaetano's. So much so that we are going back in two weeks. That will make 3x in 6 weeks! It's a good thing as there are so many dishes that we want to try. Food is awesome! :-) Try anything with mushrooms, scallops, pasta. Heck even the salads are special and beautiful.
Gaetano himself is a real presence in the dining room. The entire staff is thoughtful, accommodating and don't take themselves too seriously. The place is warm and perfect year round.

Not a great value and the rear room where we were seated was uncomfortably cool.

The description of this restaurant is Casual Elegant but "Family Elegant" best describes this amazing dining experience. Chef Gaetano is out and about not just asking how you are but rather intricately involved in your adventure. You are dining in his home. We had amazing Carpacio as well as the Calamari and Asparagus for appetizers. Dinner was Sardinian handmade Ravioli and the Lobster Tagliatelle. Melt in your mouth richness and perfectly light simultaneously. Just wonderful. So many more items we are excited to try next time.

Thank you Chef!

We have enjoyed Gaetano's for many years and especially on special occasions. This one was our anniversary and we were not disappointed. As always the menu was creative with seafood, pasta and meat choices and everything was prepared impeccably. My dish was a fresh homemade pasta with mussels, scallops, shrimp in a rich tomato-cream sauce with a roasted habanero pepper on the side that allowed me to add a little or a lot depending on my tolerance of heat. Before that, we shared the beet carpaccio which was delicious as usual. Service was impeccable. Being Wednesday January 2nd, the restaurant was quiet, as I'm sure most people were starting their recovery from the Holidays. We highly recommend Gaetano's for perfectly prepared, always creative Italian-influenced dining with excellent service in a relaxing environment.

Food was great. I will defintely be returning. I was there for New Year's Eve and had a pre fixe meal. I can't wait to go back and order more delicious ravioli!

Spectacular and authentic Italian food. Worth traveling to Forest Park to visit.

Always excellent food and great service

So much creativity, so much flavor! Food worth eating! And the service is right on par with it.