Reviews for Club Lago in Chicago, IL
What a gem of a place. Walking through the front door you're transported back at least 60 years. The service was excellent in... the food was really good. You can't go wrong at Club Lago. Read more
This place was my favorite stop when my crew had a Chicago food tour. Such delicious and juicy sandwiches. I had no idea about... its history of it, so it was definitely an awesome experience, and the waiter who was also the owner was a great guy! Read more
Lovely homemade Italian cuisine, and the folks were very kind when I noticed that my credit card did not work. The interior too... is fun, makes you feel at ease directly Read more
Club Lago is a very cozy diner with a warm and inviting interior. I reckon that everyone coming here has been coming here for... the past several decades. Service is prompt and welcoming, no issues there at all. I already knew that the menu was quite basic,but I wasn't expecting 'frozen-food-aisle' level of basic. First of all, the marinated calamari salad has nothing on Rosebud'sequivalent, where the peppers and every other ingredient in the salad were also perfectly pickled in the same marinade/brine.Club Lago's salad only had the few pieces of calamari marinated. The rest was just chopped washed salad with olive oil. Speakingof which, I applaud their efforts to recycle items and use a ketchup bottle for the olive oil, but my issue was how bland theolive oil tasted. Honestly, could have been canola oil. The bread was cold and at least 1 day old. Didn't bother throw it in theoven for a few seconds before serving it. The 'best in the city' Onion Rings, are not even the best in the block. Bland andoily, soft and soggy. I don't get it. Back to the main meal, I had the Vitello Parmigiana. Honestly, it's the same tier offrozen aisle veal parm. The cheese was tasteless, the sauce felt like it was poured out of a jar, with too much sugar to dilutethe blandness. The pasta isn't fresh nor are they advertising it as fresh, but the meat sauce again tasted like something eitherout of a jar, or something your mother would put together in a hurry before leaving. The fish was nice and flaky, but spicedusing a store-bought spice mix my wife immediately recognized. The fish came with a side of Broccoli. We love fresh broccoli. Westeam it everyday and it tastes just incredible. This on the other hand didn't have the taste of broccoli. It tasted like... rawgarlic. We couldn't even go through all five florets. I'm guessing they weren't fresh, and frozen broccoli is kindof tasteless,so they cooked it with garlic instead. The Espresso Gelato was really good, however. This re Read more
Club Lago is a unique, old-school, charming experience. The decor is somewhere from the 50's with random bits of 80's thrown in.... The staff is laid-back and welcoming. The drinks are strong, generous and fairly priced. And the food... OMGosh the food. Westarted with the fried mushrooms and zucchini and they were super fresh, not overly cooked, lightly breaded and lighltly fried.So good! We also had veal parmesan that melted in our mouths and baked Mostaccioli that had the best "gravy" on it that we'veever experienced. The food is incredible. We finished with a cannoli that was literally the stuff dreams are made of. I highlyrecommend Club Lago. Bring your appetite and expect a charming, laid-back experience with the best food ever. Read more
Traditional Italian in the cutest space. Feels like I’m in my grandmas kitchen! Everything we had was phenomenal and the... service was impeccable. The owners came by to see how we were doing and just felt so welcomed. Not to mention, I have nevereaten so much in my life it was so yummy! Read more
Yum! Visited for the first time today! I highly recommend the sausage pizza bread, the chicken parm, and the chicken marsala!... The onion rings were okay. The menu is pricey- $$ my only disappointment was my $11 glass of wine served in a whiskey glass????but overall, the service was fantastic and the food was good! Thanks Paulie! Read more
OG Italian joint in River North. I’ve been coming here since I first moved to the city in the days of yore. It is an... institution, and it hasn’t changed but the the neighborhood has gone high class. Club Lago has remained a family ownedbusiness and you experience it in so many ways. The service is causal but attentive. The ambiance is like a friendly butboisterous extended family dinner. The food is spectacular and it is the reason that this place survives & thrives to this day.The food recipes, the quality, and the flavor is from mamma’s kitchen. Buon Appetito! Read more