It would have been nice to know that the night we were there was the last night they were to be in business. They were closing October 1.....it use to be a great restaurant, but under the circumstances things were not norm. It's always good to know what you are getting involved in and we did not..

First visit to restaurant. Sat outdoors, beautiful Fall evening. Service great. I am very particular about Italian food, and especially red sauce. It was VERY good and the eggplant parmesan, one of my favorites, was delicious!!

First time I've been to an Italian restaurant where they didn't have a caprese salad. In fact they do not even carry fresh or buffalo mozzarella. It was on the menu on the open table app but they do not have it at the restaurant. We had a new waitress and it was her 2nd day supposedly it it seemed like it was the first time she herself had looked at the menu. Disappointing night.

We were meeting friends I haven't seen in some time and I feared that it would be too loud. No problem. There was plenty of seating outside and the noise level was low. The food was great, plenty of free parking next door and a nice atmosphere. The waitress had a little problem coming back enough to check on us but I think she was new and she did seem to try hard.
Definitely we would come back.

This is always a nice place, good service, and very well prepared food. The fish here is always cooked flawlessly!

We showed up late in the night, they were very friendly, welcoming and made us feel at home. My father enjoyed his lobster ravioli greatly. We ordered three different pastas and they were all great.

Great outdoor patio. Traditional southern / Sicilian food is basic but well prepared.

Fun outdoor patio, noise level was as expected for an outdoor Chicago dining experience. Delicious lasagna and salad. Nice bar, friendly staff. We'll be back for sure!

I really like the very nice outdoor patio. There is free and convenient parking-very unusual for the city! The bruschetta was not remarkable but the 2 seafood pasta dishes we had we very good. Mine had a white wine sauce, my fellow diner had the special with brandy cream sauce and crab---he found devine! The service was helpful and genuine and there whenever we needed him. We are looking forward to coming again!

we enjoyed the neighborhood location, attentive staff and reasonably priced meal.

I ordered the lobster ravioli. I was disappointed when I saw my dish. The ravioli was drenched in way too much sauce. The presentation was bland. The waiter never came back to ask how we enjoyed our food. We will be back for another try!

Our server was very friendly, polite, and knowledgeable. We just wanted to try it out and found that we weren't as hungry as we thought we'd be. As a result, we ended up sharing the special- seafood linguine, which was excellent. We will be back!

This is a great "go to" restaurant for a business meeting. Well prepared Italian foods, well stocked wine list, professional and friendly management and wait staff that always picks up on if we're on a time line or desirous of a leisurely dinner. The calimari and mussels are a good start, and the pasta and fish dishes are excellent. I tried the veal piccata and it was well prepared with tasteful veggies. As always, I'm a cannoli lover and it's always freshly stuffed before serving it.

Food was not great. Service was spotty. Would only return for the lovely patio.

Decent. Not great

The calamari was rubbery. Milk was spoiled. We sat inside when most sat outside which impacted our service. We told them we needed to leave at 7:00 and we had to hunt someone down to pay our bill. There was a reason this was one of only a few restaurants in the area that had reservations available.

Great food! Equally great service!

Sat outside for lunch and the meal was perfectly fine. The service was very slow but maybe the waiter just had an off day. I will go back for the food but if the service doesn't improve it will be my last trip.

Wait staff are very efficient and friendly. Love the traditional Italian meals.

Isabella has a lovely outdoor patio! The west Loop location is easy to reach, convenient. Italian fare, some traditional dishes and some creative selections, well executed. Service is good, adequate wine list. There's free self parking in the adjacent lot late afternoons and evenings. The patio is a great place to enjoy cocktails, appetizers, or a nice meal, enjoy while the weather permits (the indoor lounge and dining room are nice, too).

Went there last night and had outdoor seating, the staff was so nice and made the dinner worth it. Hugo (our server) was very helpful and made our night even better.

This place is it just around the corner from our place, so ease of access has some weight in our rating....but the food and service is just great. Overall, I would put this in the "casual Italian" category, not a formal white table cloth kind of experience (although their table cloths are indeed white!), and thats what we like about it. Michael, the owner, is a sweetheart and is quick to offer wine suggestions (and in my case, suggest what wine NOT to get). I am a pushover when it comes to Italian in general, but am snob when it comes to arrabbiata. This place serves the real deal....not just marinara loaded up with red chili flakes. Highly recommend!

We had been to Trattoria Isabella in the past and the food was good. We were disappointed with our recent dining experience. Our son had eggplant parm. that was greasy and very thin. Did not taste good and not appetizing to look at. The place is quite rundown and could use a face lift. We did start with an appetizer that was also greasy and did not taste fresh. We would not recommend this restaurant to anyone! We will not return!

Nice website, but not consistent with the reality of the restaurant. Entrance and sign outside were worn out and certainly not welcoming. Table had to be propped up. Staff was very pleasant, but not well trained. Several menu items, including meatballs (!!!) were not available. Food was average. Would not go back.

This was a great little find within walking distance of the Civic Opera House. We enjoyed some homemade risotto and pasta along with a wonderful Mussels with white wine sauce appetizer. We have eaten a lot of mussels from here to the East coast, but this white wine sauce was one of the best we have ever had. Mussels were on the smaller side, which we appreciate. After eating we walked over to the Oglivie and caught our train home. If you find yourself planning an outing to the opera consider this quiet little gem for a great meal.

The place was empty on a Friday night and they huddled three couples next to each other with no background music... very awkward!
Food was overcooked.
Manager was rude and did not acknowledge us.
Over Priced for the poor quality.
We will not be going back!

We were seated in the bar area, which certainly is different than the main dining room. Dining with my mother and 2 children in a bar with TVs on was not what I had in mind. I've been to this restaurant before and gave it a great review and loved it. My experience this time was not good at all. Every meal we ordered was average to below average. My daughter had the steak - it was like leather. My other daughter had tortellini that had absolutely no taste. My mother had spaghetti bolognese - it was average. I had gnocchi - there was so much garlic I couldn't eat it.

Will not return a third time!

My wife and I ate here on a Wednesday night and we were the only ones in the dining room. Was worrisome for a time until the wine and food came. Simple Italian dinner but without the gratuitous pasta. Minestrone soup, halibut special with grilled vegetables and the chicken marsala all very nicely prepared. I suspect desserts very nice but we were too full. We certainly plan to return.

Went to Trattoria Isabella on Saturday night looking for home made tasting Italian food. I found it. The red sauce was thick and mild, but flavorful. The veal parmagiana was tender with a crispy crust. The cheese was ooey gooy. Bread was crusty on the outside, tender on the inside. The salad had just enough dressing , a sweet Italian, but wasn't swimming in it. I had the Super Tuscan wine. It was a great blend. Our server José was attentive. I was surprised that it wasn't busier, but it is in an out of the way spot.

Made reservation through open table. Received confirmation for reservation. Even thought it was a little out of the way, we thought we would give this restaurant a try. Upon arrival, we noticed the restaurant was closed. As you can imagine, this was very disappointing. If you are going to be on open table, you need to figure out how to only take reservations when you are open!

Consistent service and food is amazing! Quiet place adorable patio!

NOT CROWDED, NOT NOISY, NOT EXPENSIVE, VERY EASY PARKING, DELICIOUS FOOD
ALL AROUND + great service!!

Food and service was fine. It was a very cold evening so there were not many people there. Parking is a plus!

This was the seventh visit here and the first bad experience. The Calamari Fritti appetizer was as ordered and delicious as always. For my lunch I ordered the Pollo alla Parmigiana Panini (sandwich) that is served with a side of french fries. When the meal came, I was brought chicken parmesan and a huge pile of spaghetti as the side, not what I ordered. When the server was near I called him over and pointed out the discrepancy. He was certain that what was brought is what I ordered, even mentioning that’s what I was pointing at on the menu as I ordered. After a couple back and forths, he left to get a menu and prove me wrong. As he was showing me what I actually ordered, he realized the mistake was his and apologized. A manager overheard, came by the table, and also apologized. But the apology failed to turn this huge entrée into the simple panini I ordered. After a few moments and realization I was keeping this, I requested a to go box. The server and manager both returned and asked “You didn’t like this?” (I had taken a few bites and, no, I didn’t like it.) I said it isn’t what I ordered, would like a box and the check.

To add insult to injury, I was charged for the entrée, a menu item that is $5 more than the panini I ordered.

Until this visit, the food has always been great and service attentive. But when a problem arises, there is no customer service to ensure things are made right.

Friendly and quiet neighborhood place, with moderate prices. Service was very friendly and attentive. The menu is large and varied, if not particularly distinctive. Food was decent and we enjoyed the overall atmosphere early on a weekend evening.

Always a top choice in/around the loop when looking to entertain someone special or have team meetings in Chicago. Other than the location, everything about this place puts it on the top of the list when going out for Italian. Great food and wine selection, always above-average service and reasonable prices make this a winner with all of our guests.

The staff is very friendly and the food is very good! I would definitely return to this place.

If you don't like parking problems, waiting in line, big noisy crowds and want
a decent Italian meal, give this place a try! You park right out front, just feet
from the front door, no charge, no valet; the place is never crowded for some
reason; it is spacious, and the food is very good. If you are into the see and be
seen scene, try somewhere else.

Picked my wife up at the airport and we headed to our 9:45pm reservations. Service and food were great and made for a nice end to our evening.

I've been dining at Trattoria Isabella since its opening and the wine, food and service has always high quality, friendly and professional. This last experience was a business dinner and the guests were into quality wine and food. We had the grilled calamari and mussels to start and one of the guests requested that a second helping of mussels come with our entrees. The main courses ranged from fish to the home made pasta special to the pork chop special, and everybody cleaned their plates. Always good and never disappointed.