Mia Francesca

This was one of the restaurants I could find on open table for a last minute dinner reservation. The food was average. The other folks in our group actually liked the food but said they wouldn’t specifically seek out this place again. My husband’s salmon was pretty well cooked but there was a mix-​up with the order so he got his food late. They took that off the check to compensate but that wasn’t exactly seamless either. We were super confused by it. Eventually they took care of it. I don’t think my rating was heavily influenced by that incident. I wasn’t really blown away by anything here. It was overall just OK in pretty much every aspect. Not sure I’d recommend it to anyone looking to have a great Italian dinner in chi-​town either.

My wife and I were excited to dine at Mia Francesca this past Friday, but it turned out being a really crappy experience. We were seated in their «annex» which is an upstairs area directly adjacent to the main restaurant. I’m thinking that they are still learning how to manage that portion of the restaurant, but it was as if we were dining at a completely different restaurant. A few highlights from the evening:
* The waiter had no idea if their Restaurant Week prixe fixe menu was still going on. Turns out it was, so he brought those menus by about 10 minutes after we were seated.
* Mid appetizer, we hear a man at a table next to us exclaim «YOU SERVED MY KID RAW CHICKEN.» Yikes! They left promptly after that.
* The time in between courses was painfully slow. Luckily, my wife and I had no other plans that night and were happy to sit and drink our wine together. However, if we had other plans, it would’ve been a big problem.
* After our main entrees, we waited about 25 minutes and the waiter finally brought us our check. Buuut we were hoping to order some dessert, so we asked for a piece of Tiramisu.
* After dessert, we waited for the check for 30 minutes. During those 30 minutes, two separate runners tried to serve additional dessert plates that were supposed to go to a different table.
* During the wait, we noticed every other table was waiting for something. It became comical because of how bad it was.
* The ordeal lasted 3+ hours.
We won’t be returning to Mia Francesca for quite a while.

Checked out this location today during Chicago Restaurant Week. Nice menu choices, as would be expected of any of the FRG spots.
The offerings comprised an app, pasta, main and dessert. The linguini with shrimp and asparagus was spot-​on, and a pork chop with peppers and mushrooms was very tasty while a bit overcooked. The star was a mini lemon bundt with lemon glaze and whipped cream.
The staff were as nice as could be, and it’s an all-​around great standby.

We usually dine at Francesca’s North in Northbrook but, since my son lives in Wrigleyville and we were celebrating my Birthday we ventured to the location on Clark Street. Parking was easy for us, cause we have the #383 parking permit which is required in this neighborhood. However, Mia does offer valet service for reasonable $.
This location is super narrow and doesn’t accommodate many tables, so make a reservation. We got to Mia before it became really crowded and our waiter was not as prompt as we would have liked. When you have to encourage the waiter to take your order, it’s disappointing.
For a starter, we ordered the Bruschette con Coppa, which came to us over flowing with tomatoes. Very good.
We dine at Francesca’s often cause we know the food is going to be consistently good Italian cuisine, this time it was just «ok». The kitchen staff seemed to be non-​enthusiastic that night.
In my Open Table reservation I noted that I was celebrating my birthday and was given a complimentary dessert complete with a lite candle, which was appreciated.
Note: Upon our arrival I had to use the women’s restroom. The person who had just occupied the bathroom stated there was no toilet paper, ugh! I tried to find a waiter to re-​stock and OMG! That was interesting, no one seemed to know where the TP was located. Finally someone went downstairs. It took awhile, my family thought I had left. Question: prior to the dinner hour, shouldn’t this be on their list to research the bathrooms and see if they need cleaning or re-​stocking?

I went to this restaurant last night before seeing a show. We had a group of 10 people. My friend and I arrived a little later than the others who were already seated and eating their meals.
My friend and I ordered food at the same time. My friend received her dinner in a reasonable amount of time. They kept telling me it’ll be ready in a minute. This went on for 20 minutes. Finally, with still no food, I told them when it was ready to just put it in a box to go. That never showed up either.
I had to leave as the show was starting in 20 minutes. I never got the food, only ate the bread and olive oil and left hungry.
I complained to the manager Fredrico, who offered nothing to satisfy my frustration.
My entire group of 10 are never going back there again. Their food was thrown at them at not in the correct order either.

Love this place. I live a block away and have been going there for almost two years. My fiancé and I call it the «fast-​food Italian place.» The food is great and the menu is consistently changing. The service is quick and considerate. I highly recommend this restaurant.

I made reservations here on a Saturday night for a group of 4 of us. I would highly recommend reservations on a weekend anyway, because it was very busy in there. The tables are sat pretty close together, but it’s not uncomfortably close.
Our server was friendly and nice, but took her a few minutes to come to our table when we sat down. But when we asked her for recommendations she was very helpful. The portions are pretty big here, but nothing super special about any of the food we got here. We ordered fried calamari to start. Our group ordered 2 Linguine al Sugo di Gamberi (seafood linguine), Vitello alla Disperata (veal), and Pizza della Foresta (mushroom pizza). I enjoyed the pizza the most.

Upscale yet welcoming atmosphere. Accommodating and attentive staff. Perfect pasta and fresh seafood (get the calamari). Unexpectedly child-​friendly, which added to the warmth of this neighborhood standard.

So delicious! I ordered delivery from here one night (I was trying the new Caviar app, and feeling Italian). I ordered the Dei Sardi (rigatoni with sausage and mushrooms), the mixed vegetables, and asparagus.
SERVICE: The food came so quickly — I was quoted an hour, and it came within 40 min easily! Not only that, but they included a huge chunk of fresh Italian bread (still warm!!) with olive oil and Parmesan. What great service.
FOOD: the food itself was delicious. The sausage was so flavorful, and they were very generous with the portions. The bread was amazing; even after being delivered, it was still warm and crusty. The olive oil they provided with the bread even had bits of basil in it. I would have preferred if the vegetables were a little fresher. I understand that they had to travel a little farther than had I eaten it, but the asparagus and mixed veggies alike were both drenched in sauce. The asparagus had a creamy garlicky sauce (delicious, but heavy), and the mixed vegetables were swimming in oil. When I order veggies I prefer them to balance out the carb-​heavy pasta and bread, not add to it!
Overall, a great place. I live a little far to justify going frequently, but definitely a solid choice for Italian if you live nearby or are in the area.

We’ve been here a few times hoping that the food served was an anomaly… its just beneath average unfortunately. Gave them a fair shot… about 10yrs ago it was a good place to dine, but the quality of food has suffered drastically since then. We’ve had some bad service issues, poor delivery issue… and the food isn’t worth those problems.
Note: do not order gluten free pasta dishes as the noodles (which are typically rice based) are just falling apart… that will kill your entrée.
Train your bar staff to be attentive– not just friendly… when my wine glass is empty, ask if I might want a refill. I might even like a glass of water with my meal!!!

We’ve been making the rounds to all of the neighborhood places we’d miss after the move. This restaurant pretty much ranks up there in my list of top ten Lakeview eats. Good food, good service, easy-​going neighborhood buzz. The kids menu is such value too — $ 6 for a main, a drink, and a gelato! Word of advice: try to get a seat in the outdoor patio if you can. They don’t take reservations for that section but dinner alfresco during the warmer months is a much better experience than in the main dining room, which can feel a little claustrophobic due to the tight table spacing and crowds.

oh yea… i really liked this place… I blew in from the west coast and have an Italian uncle from Brooklyn as my background so I know good Italian. My unc can cook!
Carpaccio Con Arugola, Asparagus, Blue Cheese, Tomato, salad, salmon, chicken picatta and Parmesan were great! Had another salad w/​great dressing
Cernia con Asparagi — Pan-​roasted red grouper with wild mushrooms, asparagus, sun-​dried tomatoes, white wine, garlic, lemon and balsamico is incredible. I used to live in FL… I know grouper… and this grouper deserved a diamond ring!
If i lived in Chi town I’d be here… like…all da time!

I took my parents here for a celebratory dinner. The food and atmosphere lived up to the occasion. It was very busy but our waitress was still very attentive to us.
The portions were large and delicious. Some times you go to places where you think they give you a lot of food but it’s cheap, poor quality. Not at Mia Francesca. On the contrary, everything tasted fresh and homemade. I’ll definitely go back.

Still the best of the Francesca chain in my opinion. We were a party of 4 last night and the food and service was perfect! Never thought you could combine avocado and chopped tomatoes over Salmon, but it was one of the best combos I have ever had.
I’m still amazed how they serve so many people so quickly — they are ALWAYS packed and it works. Been coming here since they opened and have NEVER had a bad meal!

I used to love this restaurant. I haven’t been here in years… like 7 – 8 years. But it wasn’t how I remembered it.
Definitely still bustling. It’s loud. It’s crowded. It’s crammed.
Service was really meh. Server wasn’t engaging & didn’t really offer up much for suggestions when asked.
The food wasn’t how I remembered either. It tasted like a step above OG or Magiannos. Very plain, very cookie cutter, very meh.
Overall, there are about a million other Italian places I would rather spend my $$ on. It’s really just ok. I probably won’t go back.

My first visit to Mia Francesca was on New Year’s Eve, 2014. We sat next to a very loud table of 12. It was nearly impossible to get our waiter’s attention. I checked my phone and he didn’t come around to get our entrée orders for 50 minutes. Five-​oh. Fifty. Minutes.
Granted, the place was packed for New Year’s, but that table told us they pre-​booked a package. We, too, had made reservations, so it’s not like they didn’t know they’d be busy. You’d think a manager would swoop in when they saw us waving at the oblivious waiter. It seemed like a total breakdown of operations.
I’m trying to take that with a grain of salt. Too often on Unilocal,people blast a restaurant for circumstances out of its control. Yes, they should have been more heavily staffed. Or they could have apologized. Or comped a glass of wine. But they didn’t. And that put an unfortunate bad taste in my mouth.
Now, to the food…
* Prosciutto con Burrata — prosciutto di parma with creamy burrata cheese, basil-​pine nut pesto, balsamic glaze and extra virgin olive oil. I loved this. The prosciutto was great. I used it to roll up some burrata bites. Most excellent.
* Pollo Arrosto alla Romano ($ 17) — Roasted half chicken with garlic, shallots, rosemary, lemon and olive oil, served with roasted potatoes. Quite good. An enormous serving for $ 17. The chicken sits in a pool of delicious gravy-​type goodness. I couldn’t eat much of this because I went to town on the complimentary bread while waiting a minor eternity to get our entrees.
I believe Mia Francesca could be an awesome place on a quieter night. I may revisit it in the future.

My wife and I have gone to Mia Francescas since the night we got engaged. Every year since (5) we have returned on our anniversary and the experience is great every time. The food is outstanding and so is the service. The staff is very welcoming and treated us to complimentary champagne and desert for our special occasion… you can’t beat that!
Another great quality I enjoy about Mia Francescas is the perfect amount of service. This is a personal quality I enjoy, and my opinion may vary from others, but I’m going to put it out there anyway. The service is much like it is in Europe, the waiter/​waitress comes by very little, and I LOVE that. I cannot stand it when a server comes over 12 times during my dinner and interrupts a conversation, reaches in front of me while I’m still eating my salad, or filling up my water so many times that the table looks like the mens room floor. Our waiter was perfect in his timing and the staff cleared our table at the appropriate times. Some people like it when the waiter is coming by every minute… not me, so I appreciate the way Mia Francesca operates.
As always, my wife and I will continue to dine at Mia Francesca every anniversary, and even date nights.