Trattoria Gianni

The service was excellent. Our waiter asked us if we were seeing a show that evening and at what time. This put us at ease and the pacing of the meal was very good to ensure we were finished at a comfortable time. We arrived at 6:00, ate a salad, primi, secondi, and dessert, and were finished by 7:30. We had valet parked and were able to walk to our theater. The quality of the food, value, and noise level is where the marks go down. The dishes were hit or miss (2 out of 6 dishes were satisfyingly good) and the price was high considering. If you go, I would recommend the braised short ribs and semifreddo.

The server was excellent, the food was great and they seated the six of us at a quiet table. We arrived at 5:45 to go to the Steppenwolf for a 7:30 curtain. They timed everything well and the ambiance and our whole experience was great. We had Entrees ranging from fish to pasta to pork chops. Everyone liked their meals.

Just ok. Honestly just ok

We love Gianni's. Delicious and authentic Italian cuisine with a wide variety of choices, delightful specials added to the regular menu and delicious wines by the glass. The service is excellent and the room is warm and inviting. Many of the staff speak some Italian which makes it even more fun for us. Great spot for dinner prior to heading across the street to the Steppenwolf Theater

Great service and fine food.

My friend and I both ordered the same salads. My salad was half the size of her’s. No one seemed to care!

it was okay but not great. it was a perfect spot before seeing a show at the royal george theater. the portions were not large and the drink pours were terribly small. there are way better options for italian in the city.

Great food and service and convenient to the theater.

Very nice, intimate, trattoria. It appeared that we were in the midst of a big pre-theater crowd, but we made our reservation at the last minute, had a very nice table, and overall, had good service. Overall, we thought the food was good, but fairly average Italian fare.

Really nice place to eat before a play. Food was great.

Overall, the food is reliably good and the specials we had on this occasion were delicious. Wish the service didn't rush us out though. I thought they were going to remove my plate while my fork was in my mouth. I suppose they saved me from eating another piece of bread which would have nicely sopped up my remaining sauce.

Great spot with terrific food. Great wine list with more than fair prices.

I'd go here for a simple, inexpensive dinner. The restaurant was fun but the food was just OK... nothing to write home about!

What a wonderful neighborhood italian restaurant! After a matinee at Steppenwolf, we went for an early dinner at Gianni’s. The vegetarian antipasti was fresh, delicious and plentiful for two. We each got the house made tagliatelle, one topped with bolognese sauce and the other the special of the day with tomato basil with short ribs. We enjoyed both flavorful dishes. We shared the semifreddo with pistachios to end the meal — attentive service and pleasant dining room to match the delicious meal!

Always a good spot after the theatre. It is convenient and very pleasant, and additionally they have a nice, diversified menu with the specials that are available.

Very disappointing. My carpaccio was good but my friends each had a (different) chicken dish and neither was anything special. My friend doesn’t eat potatoes and asked for a vegetable substitution, for which she was charged $6! Not necessary! The bill was a lot for how little we had.

Delicious, welcoming and great location. Perfect for pre-Steppenwolf theater dinning. Great wine list.

We now live in North Carolina but love it when we can get back to Chicago and visit one of our favorites. I proposed to my wife at Gianni's 25 years ago and the food has remained consistent and awesome. Everyone in our party of 6 loved their meal. My daughter is a a huge gnocchi fan and reports none better than at Giannis. All the pasta dishes were terrific and the duck was outstanding as well. We arrived very early (4pm) before a hockey game and had first class service. Bravo!

Challenging evening with snow outside. Service was outstanding.
Great place for a special dinner.

Food was excellent, service friendly and efficient. Tables are jammed close together so you’re quite cozy with fellow diners.

Really great atmosphere, food and service.

Great time! Great place!

Fabulous food! Waiter was new and uninformed.

Service was very slow.

Classic Italian. Right across the street from Steppenwolf Theater. This was our second dinner at Gianni. Friendly people serving good good. Good selection of appetizers and entrees. Decent wine list. Reasonably priced. My wife had a delicious rigatoni with sun dried tomatoes. I had a chicken breast with mushroom and spinach. The spinach was soggy but the chicken was very tasty. Even so we'll definitely go back.

Cozy neighborhood. Italian dishes. Pleasant room that lets you have a conversation. Nice lighting. Big selection of dishes: starters, salads, pastas, entrees, desserts, drinks. Nice service. Tables not too crazy close. So why only 4 stars? The food is good but not great. There is better pasta to be had at other Italian restaurants. The salads are fresh, but nothing exceptional. The dressings are bland. The meat and fish dishes are good, hearty, not over salted like many places, but lack some pizzazz. Drinks are good, wide selection, on the small side. Valet parking available and essential if you are driving. Pre- and post-theater diners from Steppenwolf are accommodated with ease.

Highly recommend the rigatoni alla vodka. It’s not on the menu, but one of our favorite dishes. We also loved our server who was very attentive and gave great recommendations. We will definitely be returning!

The 3 of us arrived early for a 6:15pm reservation and were seated immediately. Service was excellent until the point our entrees were delivered. The food was excellent. Once our food was delivered, we did not see our server for a very long time & had to wave her down eventually to ask for a desert menu & then for the check. We were able to have a conversation until the restaurant filled up, between 6:15-6:30. At that point, it was necessary to yell to be heard across the small table. The first time we went to Trattoria Gianni it was summer and we sat outside. We are unlikely to return until the weather permits outdoor seating.

Exceptional food ambience and service

Everything about the experience was a pleasure, from the greeting at the door to the attentive, but not pushy, service. The food reminded of my mother’s and grandmother’s cooking, while the ambiance felt like restaurants I have enjoyed in Florence, Rome, and Venice.

Good quality, old fashioned Italian menu with an attentive staff and lively atmosphere. We enjoyed our experience and will be back.

Never a bad experience at Gianni’s! We will definitely be back soon and highly recommend for a great Italian meal.

Enjoying Christmas in Chicago with family🌲

A Chicago Classic! Amazing food and great service wrapped in wonderful neighborhood ambiance.

Still our favorite Italian restaurant. The best food and service around.

Excellent food and service. We were a loud family group; it was fun!

We always enjoy our meals at Trattoria Gianni. Their food is very good as is their service. We especially enjoy the summer months on their lovely patio. A great choice pre-theater or just for a relaxing dinner.

We had a fantastic pre-show meal. Great service and food. Perfect for a pre-show meal right across from Steppenwolf.

There’s no better place for authentic Cucina Italia than at Trattoria Gianni. A variety of traditional pasta dishes supplemented by novel specials. Try it. You’ll like it.

We go with the same six friends post-theater. The owner knows us now and some of the servers. A neighborhood place! The food is great, the ambience is plain but white table cloth, the noise is fairly loud but we haven’t seen each other in a month or more so we are excited by theshow we had seen and the friends we can talk to....in short, we are loud, too.
A good time with good food! What’s not to like?