I Monelli Trattoria Pizzeria

The pasta I had was very fresh, and the recipes are very authentic. The pizza is delicious and is unlike most of what you’ll find in Chicago.

Good neighborhood Italian food. Almost nobody is ever eating in, but always seems to be doing a brisk take out business. A little on the pricey side, and have had some experiences where the food takes a very long time to be served. Kid friendly. BYO.

C and I have been going to I Monelli, on and off, for years. We like that they have outdoor seating available and the pizza is good.
Food — 4 stars
Ambiance– 4 stars
Service — 3 stars
BYOB — Yes

Service isn’t great. I’m out of pop and finished eating. Nobody is in dining room but me yet I’m waiting for a check. The pizza is cut so that every piecechas crust. I love that. It’s also very greasy, crispy and thin. Best pizza I’ve ever had in my life. A bit pricey but worth it!

I LOVE THIS PLACE! It is just amazing! Seriously, check this restaurant out! The pizza is just absolutely delicious, and the staff is very professional. Sorta small, but very clean and it has authentic Italian pizza. Give it a try!

The suppli were light and crispy and were served with a bit of spring mix. Gnocchi alla rustica are made in house. Now, I don’t pretend to be a gnocchi expert, and I’m content to gnaw away on the chewiest of dumpling, but these gnocchi were textbook: light, fluffy, just enough chew to make me want to eat them all, which I could not do. The service was nice as well.

This was a disappointment. While it is BYOB, the waiter didn’t ask if we anything other than water to drink. When specifically asked, he did bring a beverage menu.
The pizza is thin and crisp but it puzzles me why in the height of tomato season the tomatoes on the pizza margherita were so pale and why they were cubed rather than thinly sliced. Cubes of tomato really don’t work on a thin crust pizza.
The portion of fish was generous and the presentation with slabs of seasoned potato similar to steak fries, a few stalks of asparagus and several thin slices of carrot was appealing. Overall, though the food was far too salty.
The waiters were unpolished. The noise level in the restaurant was exceptionally high due to two large parties in the room.

I really really like this restaurant. The pizza is among my favorite thin crust pizzas in Chicago. Nice and light and crackery, it’s sort of melts in your mouth. I’ve tried two of their pizzas and they were both spectacular. Like I couldn’t stop eating them. The pasta is decent. It isn’t bad but it’s definitely not the best. I’ve also had their chicken pizzaiola which was good, but not the best chicken dish I’ve ever eaten or something. Oh, their suppli!!! They are sooooo good. Crispy and light on the outside and gooey and delicious on the inside.
In short, go for the pizza and suppli. Order some pasta «on the side» to round out your appetite.

By far best Italian place in the neighborhood. Great food, great service. I love the daily specials they have posted up on the wall, if you don’t know what it is the wait staff is on top of their game with the menu ! That’s a plus ! I came here quite a few times and loved every experience. I love that it is byob and there’s a liquor store across the street. I recommend this place to anyone who lives in the area you won’t be disappointed !

This place was recommended by my daughter! My fiancé and I dined in, not only was the service excellent, the food was even better. DELICIOUS!!! We definitely will come again!!!

Great pizza! The crust is amazing! We had it delivered and it came quickly and hot. The garlic bread with mozzarella had something to be desired, however.

Make reservations! Especially if it’s a Friday… Right before my 8pm reservation, the small, charming dining room was all but half full. A customer walked in and they were told the wait was 45 minutes. Thankfully my boyfriend and I had a reservation and we VIP-​ied ourselves to our table for two.
The place is BYOB and immediately after we were seated our bottle of wine was cranked open. All servers appeared to have extensive knowledge of the menu and further of authentic Italian flavors. Our server had actually lived in Italy for several years and boasted that the pizza at Monelli was as authentic as it gets!
I ordered a cheese pizza and asked for mushrooms. It was definitely quite satisfying. I mean that golden, flaky crust was out of this world. And the crust, to cheese to sauce ratio was just perfect and really did the fresh ingredients justice. They also added a perfect amount of mushrooms. I hate when pizza places are stingy with the mushrooms. My boyfriend ordered a pesto chicken dish. Sooooo not boring and bursting with flavors.
Our server was not overly attentive but did check on us here and there which was just fine as he was so friendly. I will definitely be back for the Byob in a warm and welcoming atmosphere and of course thoughtful, delicious pizza!

We love I monelli. We mostly order carry out but have also dined in and had excellent service and love that it’s byob. Also, this is a super charming neighborhood spot-​very similar to a lot of the places I experienced throughout Italy.
The food also reminds me of real Italian food-​not Americanized Italian dishes. To be fair-​I love American Italian too, but in Italy it’s more about simple preparation with top quality ingredients.
Our favorites are the homemade Italian sausage, the pizzas (the potato and rosemary is amazing), the tagliatelle bolognese and the spinach salad. My only very minor suggestion would be to serve a little more of the sides of veggies with the entrée meals. There will literally be 3 pieces of potatoes, 2 broccoli florets and 2 carrots. They seem more like a garnish as opposed to a side.

Great food. Great service. BYOB is an added bonus, especially since the liquor store across Winnemac had a nice wine selection.

Unfortunately this was our worst experience at I Monelli since we’ve been coming here…
We had a new waiter this evening who started things out as if we had white linen tablecloths and napkins. We were surprised at his reading the entire specials menu to us considering our previous experience at this restaurant, but we thought he was just new and either he needed practice or he was stalling for the kitchen; either way we were patient and listened, though being a vegetarian, I don’t always enjoy hearing about restaurants «lamb» specials.
The food was not as well prepared as we have grown accustomed to, and while we were dining after 9pm, were quite surprised at the situation that arose with the TV and basketball game. The waiter and a table of four got up near us and stood to cheer on their basketball game; while we attempted to enjoy our nice evening dinner and wine… It wasn’t very considerate considering we didn’t think we were dining in a sports bar…
The waiter also got up afterwards to ask us about our dessert, which was the worst panna cotta I’ve ever had — while chewing his own food and talking at the same time. That put me over the edge. Clearly, he SHOULD BE in training. Having lived in Italy for numerous years, this would be considered a disgrace.
Sadly, this place comes off my list of restaurants to recommend or return to… It’s a shame, but the owners should respect their patrons dining experience and train the staff.
They should also clean the place better, the dead plant in the entry way is not inviting.
I could say more, but I’ll leave it at that.

Absolutely the best Italian in the city. everything I’ve ever gotten there has been outstanding and authentic. Staff is always friendly and helpful. Great prices for the quantity and quality and its BYOB!

One of my go-​to indies for pizza in the city. More often than not I carry out, but the place is BYOB, so feel free. We usually start with the Suppli (Fried Risotto & Mozzarella Balls), and order several of the salads, Mele E Gorgonzola, Caprese, and Gustosa. All are good choices and they help to balance out the cheeses on the pizzas. For the pizzas, we typically order the smallest size and order several different types. Rucola (arugula), iMonelli (house version of the Chicago Special), Vegetariana, Patate E Rosmarino (Potato and Rosemary), Margherita, and 4 Formaggi are all good options to try.

I have only ever ordered delivery from GrubHub, but this is my favorite pizza place in the city.
The crust is phenomenal, the toppings are fresh and original, and the delivery time is usually 45 min.
I am from the West Coast, and after moving here I have friends from all over the country. This place has satisfied everyone’s craving for amazing pizza.
My roommate and I are addicted to the Hawaiian, there is something special about the ham they choose, it’s extra thinly sliced and they do not hold back on cheese. My favorite is the Vegetarian pizza with eggplant. I don’t know why, but it’s addicting.
I order from here very often (between my roommate and I this last year, maybe once to twice a week!). In my whole experience a pizza has only been slightly overdone twice, and still quite edible. And once has it taken them the full hour to get my order to me.
Their pastas are lovely, though maybe a little small for the price. Their deserts are wonderful as well.

Okay, confession time… I order food from these guys, well… a lot. I’ve never dined in, so I can’t *really* speak to the service, although I will say that the folks I’ve talked to at the counter have all been very friendly. They also all recognize me at this point. Slightly embarrassing, but what can you do?
I almost always get the same thing there — the 5″ quarter margherita pizza, and I add onions, prosciutto, mushrooms, and fresh mozzarella. Comes out to about 10 bucks. Too much for me to eat in one sitting (though trust me, I have tried). I’ve also tried the garlic bread, the house pizza, and a few caprese panini. My favorite part about the pizza is that it’s rectangular, so a «quarter» pizza means you still get a rectangle (not a quarter of a circle) and it’s cut into squares (meaning no pesky leftover crust that you always get in a circular pan pizza). It’s about the right size for a personal pizza. It’s also super easy to add whatever toppings you want, so you can just start with a cheese pizza base if you want and throw on other toppings as you desire. I really like the crust of this pizza — it’s crunchy and actually holds its own in terms of flavor, versus a lot of pizza places where the crust kinda just tastes like bread. The fresh mozzarella is delicious and I like the mushrooms a lot too. The prosciutto is sometimes hit or miss for me — sometimes it’s sliced super thinly and has just the right texture, and other times it’s too chewy/​fatty for my taste. Other than that, no real complaints.
Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the neighborhood. One of these days, I’ll stray onto the pasta side of the menu, I promise.

Although, reading other reviews, experiences seem to run absolute hot or cold. I love the pizza. I am a baker and this crust is, in my opinion, the best I have ever tasted. Rich, good mouth feel, not soggy. Usually we have things delivered. In person the restaurant was clean, service good and the food (yes beyond pizza) was superb. Toppings on the pizza are fresh, plentiful and not overcooked.
I don’t challenge that others have had poor customer service, but mine has always been top notched. Courteous and eager to help solve any problem. For me, this is definitive pizza and Italian food.