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Gamba Ristorante, Merrillville, IN

Gamba Ristorante

4.9 (1222)
$31 to $50
Italian
455 E 84th Dr, Merrillville, IN 46410

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 10 times today

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Good for business meals
  • Romantic
The former owners of the Venezia Bar & Grill and Café Venezia, Benito and Hilda Gamba, have combined their efforts into the Gamba Ristorante. Located in Merrillville, this restaurant is housed in an architectural masterpiece, which is hard to miss with its circular design and copper roof. Modeled after upscale restaurants in exotic European locations, the menu offers classic Italian cuisine. The wine room boasts storage space for 1,000 bottles. A banquet hall holds up to 175 people and looks out onto an open courtyard.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Wine Bar, Cocktail Bar
  • Hours of operation
    Mon, Thu 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Lunch Mon–Fri 11:30 am–2:30 pm Dinner Tue, Wed 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:45 pm
  • Phone number
    (219) 736-5000
  • Website
    http://gambaristorante.com/
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    William Potts, Razvan Bancos, Joe Flores
  • Private party facilities
    Gamba Ristorante is the ideal setting for any special occasion. It is perfectly suited for weddings, holiday parties, rehearsal dinners, corporate lunch or dinners, brunches, birthday parties and bridal showers.
  • Location
    455 E 84th Dr, Merrillville, IN 46410
  • Neighborhood
    Merrillville, IN
  • Cross street
    Connecticut St.
  • Parking details
    Private Lot
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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Offers

  • Thirsty Thursday

    Multiple dates available
    Thu - 4:00 PM - 8:45 PM
    Join up for Happy Hour Every Thursday 4pm. to 7pm. Craft Cocktails and specialty Menu

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 1,222 people are saying

Gamba Ristorante reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.9
4.9 based on recent ratings
  • 4.9Food
  • 4.9Service
  • 4.9Ambience
  • 4.6Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

  • Chicago / Illinois

    Italian

  • Northwest Indiana

    Best Overall

  • Northwest Indiana

    Best Food

  • Northwest Indiana

    Best Service

  • Northwest Indiana

    Best Ambiance

  • Northwest Indiana

    Best Value

  • Northwest Indiana

    Great for brunch

  • Northwest Indiana

    Innovative

  • Northwest Indiana

    Good for groups

  • Northwest Indiana

    Healthy

  • Northwest Indiana

    Great for fine wines

  • Northwest Indiana

    Great for outdoor dining

  • Northwest Indiana

    Romantic

  • Northwest Indiana

    Good for special occasions

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Gamba Ristorante offers an "exceptional" dining experience with "amazing" food and "impeccable" service. It's a "hidden gem" in northwest Indiana, perfect for special occasions. Guests appreciate the "warm, welcoming atmosphere" and "thoughtfully paired" dishes. Despite some minor service hiccups, it remains a "top-notch" choice.
1,222 Reviews

  1. Steven

    Chicago / Illinois2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Very well ran operation Food was excellent menu is small owners are very nice loved ambience price is fair don’t mind paying for good food and good service not the greatest location but worth the find we will be back

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  2. Matthew VIP

    Chicago / Illinois2 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on May 31, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    There are very few good restaurant options in this area so we really want Gamba to continue thriving. We are a bit worried though based on our last visit. We had the first reservation of the night on Saturday. When we sat down one of our menus had old dried food all over it and my cloth napkin had a hole in it on one end and threads hanging out on the other. This is a very expensive restaurant ($300 for my wife and I to eat) so we expect everything within the restaurant's control to be pretty much excellent. If it was the middle of the dinner rush, these things might make sense, but for the first reservation of the night we expect everything to be neat and tidy if nothing else. The food was good as always but, again, we had some concerns about the current state of things given the portion size on the Octopus appetizer. It was less than half of a tentacle with a quarter stick of celery, two olives, and three cherry tomatoes for $19. At $19, we expect an appetizer that can be shared. This was not enough for even one person to enjoy. My wife ordered the Hamachi appetizer and there were six pieces of Hamachi which was reasonable for the $20 price tag. I ordered the elk chops which were excellent and very well cooked. Our server was excellent. Very polite and helpful. The food remains very good, but some of these little issues lead me to believe corners are being cut. With so few good restaurants in the area, we hate to see one of the few good ones losing its luster. At $300 for two people, we have high expectations. Hopefully it was just an off night for a good restaurant.

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  3. Kenna VIP

    Chicago / Illinois48 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 27, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We sat on the patio and had it all to ourselves. Our server, Maria, took excellent care of us - giving us time to catch up and eat in a leisurely manner. The octopus was especially yummy.

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  4. Catherine

    Washington, D.C. Area5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 19, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    From the service to the delicious food, everything was amazing and spot on. Can’t wait to go back.

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  5. Richard VIP

    Chicago / Illinois18 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 17, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Another excellent meal at Gamba! Food is delicious, excellently prepared and presented. The Grilled octopus and Beet salad appetizers are wonderful, as was the Spicy pork shoulder and Calamarata mains. Service is prompt, meticulous and thoughtful. top-shelf cocktails are modestly priced and the atmosphere/decor make for an enjoyable evening out. 5 stars!

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  6. Michael

    Chicago / Illinois2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 14, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Gamba is by far not only the best restaurant in northwest Indiana, but one of the best restaurants in the Chicagoland area!

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  7. Alex

    Indiana1 review

    5.0

    Dined on May 12, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Fantastic ambiance for a romantic dinner. The food is spectacular and priced accordingly. Service is top notch. Highly recommended!

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  8. Arthur

    Chicago / Illinois17 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 11, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We were beyond pleased with Gamba's Mother's Day Brunch. The quality of the food was excellent! Our waiter, Juan, was super nice and attentive. NO complaints whatsoever! Would we go there again? YES!!

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  9. Melchishua

    Chicago / Illinois1 review

    5.0

    Dined on May 11, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Me and my Daughter Loved everything about the restaurant so upscale, the food was good and the environment of people we’re nice.

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  10. Jason

    Las Vegas5 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on May 10, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Food was very good but I only received a bowl of meat and sauce...could have had rice or potatoes with it something....daughters dinner didn't even mention spicy but was bit to her pallet...no dinner side salad for those ordering pasta meals...for the price of the meals do better on giving something besides bread.

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FAQs

Gamba Ristorante offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (219) 736-5000.

Gamba Ristorante is rated 4.9 stars by 1222 OpenTable diners.

Gamba Ristorante does offer gift cards which you can purchase here.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. Chicago / Illinois
  4. Northwest Indiana
  5. Merrillville, IN

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 10 times today
Google Map for Gamba Ristorante

455 E 84th Dr, Merrillville, IN 46410

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Connecticut St.
  • Neighborhood
    Merrillville, IN
  • Hours of operation
    Mon, Thu 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Lunch Mon–Fri 11:30 am–2:30 pm Dinner Tue, Wed 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:45 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Wine Bar, Cocktail Bar
  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Private Lot
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    William Potts, Razvan Bancos, Joe Flores
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Website
    http://gambaristorante.com/
  • Phone number
    (219) 736-5000
  • Private party facilities
    Gamba Ristorante is the ideal setting for any special occasion. It is perfectly suited for weddings, holiday parties, rehearsal dinners, corporate lunch or dinners, brunches, birthday parties and bridal showers.

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