Reviews for Fornetto Mei in Chicago, IL
Food is was not great when I visited. Service too slow especially when you are the only person in dinning room! Waited 10 min... before I got a menu and another almost 15 min wait to get my order. Waiter never came back to check if things was well. Read more
My boyfriend and I stayed in this hotel and ate here on Valentine’s Day ! It was amazing! We were the only ones in there which... was great considering other places all day would be extremely crowded ! Service was great and the food was amazing!!! I hadshrimp scampi and he has swordfish ! Highly recommend this restaurant! Read more
The ambiance is great for a couple. The food is very good... But the tiramisu was memorable.
Quiet, you can visit and enjoy conversations. Good, pleasant service and delicious pizza and food okay too.
Fornetto Mei is nestled into The Whitehall Hotel, a hidden gem on a tree-lined street of Chicago's Gold Coast. After passing... the threshold and strolling through the lounge/bar area a sense of time travel encapsulates the mind and transcends theexperience to another era. One of mahogany memories and speakeasy splendor. The romantic dining hall boasts a "beautifullittle pizza oven," and is exceptionally quaint. We made same day, late night reservations via OpenTable and were promptlyseated with smile. However, it seemed as though walk-in service would not be frowned upon. The menu showcased seasonalingredients, and the wine list was simply perfect to select from for the food offered. We sipped Coppola Pinot Noir which wasreasonably priced and familiar. Though the wine service lacked enthusiasm and knowledge. The meal began with veal meatballs andmushroom bruschetta; both delicious and perfect portion sizes. Chef Steve's short ribs and polenta was a dish that I wanted tosavor for many moments. In fact, I may or may not have licked the plate clean. The tasty and tender meat melted into thecreamy polenta. Truly soul food and a dish worth spotlighting. If you saved room for a dessert, indulge in the tiramisu for apleasant finish. A lovely Chicago Restaurant Week prix fixe experience that left me craving a return to taste the remainder ofthis season's menu. Fornetto Mei is definitely worth considering as your next spot for a romantic date, a small celebration oran intimate conversation with a friend. Read more
Timing - friendly for a Friday night: A friend and I ate here for Restaurant Week. We made same-day reservations through Open... Table for a Friday night at 8:00 pm, although it seemed they had available tables even without the reservations. ----- Location- tucked away and intimate: The restaurant is in the back of the Whitehall Hotel - the signage wasn't so clear, but the staffwere helpful and it felt like a bit of an adventure finding it. The setting is simple but quiet and good for a niceconversation. ----- Cuisine - tasty and simple: We started with the beef carpaccio with micro greens, capers, and sea salt. Thesea salt was a lovely crunch, the carpaccio was soft and delicious. I would definitely get it again. It isn't served with bread,so we had to ask for it, but ate it on its own and would probably have it that way again, it was so good. For the main course,we both had beef short rib with creamed polenta. The flavor was lovely and I ate it easily. I could tell my friend was a bit putoff my too many soft textures, so it could be accompanied with something crunchy for people with similar sensibilities. Fordessert, I had the lava cake, which had a nice flavor and came with a good raspberry sauce. It could have been more melty in thecenter. She had the tiramisu, which also had a good taste, but after all the rich and soft textures, it was probably a bit toomuch for her. ----- Drink Selection - choose wisely: We had a bottle of the lowest cost chardonnay, which wasn't a greatchoice, and the wine service left a bit to be desired. ----- All in All - great spot: All in all, this was a great value for asolid meal that I wouldn't hesitate to repeat. Definitely a good spot during Restaurant Week. Read more
we had a lovely dinner for 7 on a saturday night. hostess is terrific & outgoing. all of our meals were excellent, with the... oxtail gnocchi & pork bolognese standouts. good thin crust pizza. the chinese is largely gone and it's virtually all italian.we'll be back. Read more
Great food great atmosphere we'd loved this place