Osteria Via Stato

Went there and was beyond surprised how great it was. Everything is homemade and beyond amazing. Staff was A++ and food was as good as it gets

Wow
Just wow.
We accidentally found this place while in town and it was so good we went two times for dinner.
They have a nice wine list and reasonable prices as well. Service is impeccable. It’s well paced. Not rushed.
Their house baked bread is addictive. The marinated olive plate consisted of many different types. The rigatoni with a duck ragu… soooo good. Mini veal meatballs… amazing.
The second time we barely got lucky enough to get a reservation and they even accommodated a special table request.
Try the housemade dark chocolate bar with candied oranges and almonds for dessert.
A great place for a romantic dinner or a night out with friends.

I don’t normally Unilocal review but tonight I’m making an exception. We had a party of 10 celebrating 2 birthdays and I messed up when booking. I booked Sunday instead of Saturday. I called horrified that I ruined the night. Alex was the most wonderful person ever! She accommodated and switched our reservation to Saturday graciously, then she came out and greeted us so friendly and nice. Soup to nuts was great. Fun night! Thank you Alex!

Great service, great food, great company. I highly recommend the spicy calamari and rigatoni (sp). The «Last Stand» is a smooth cocktail containing a rye.

Amazing food and service! One of my favorite restaurant experiences in the city. Prosciutto Americano pizza is a must have. Nadi our server was so sweet and very attentive. Definitely will be back.

We really loved this place from the beginning to the end. Food was really clean flavors, pizza was really good, pasta super delish, we will be coming back soon !

You want amazing food, customer service and ambiance, look no farther. Yes, this is an Italian restaurant, but so much more than just an Italian restaurant. I have been to Osteria Via Stato several times but most recently for my sister’s wedding. Everyone is still talking about the amazing service and delightful food and drinks.
Food. I have had a majority of their menu and there is not one thing I have not liked. Start with their bread and roasted garlic cloves. I could just eat the olive oil garlic cloves by themselves they are that good. For antipasti the La Queacia Prosciutto. Salad, get the Chop. Onto entrees get the short rib, filet or scallops. For sides, I love the broccoli, I promise it will be the best broccoli you will ever eat. Yet, I need to warn you their vegetable is seasonal so the next time I went back they had Brussel sprouts, equally as amazing as the broccoli. Don’t forget to try the Calabrian potatoes, they have a little kick and are quiet tasty. For dessert if you are a chocolate person, the tart is decadent. Not a chocolate fan, go for the cheesecake!
Service. From the wait staff to the managers, everyone at Osteria Via Stato wants to make sure you are enjoying yourself. They go above and beyond and without a doubt I can say Osteria Via Stato, from their restaurant to their private event space, is the best customer service I have ever received. I feel like this means a lot considering I do event planning for a living so I work with many different Chicago venues. If you need a downtown wedding venue choose Osteria Via Stato. The Special Events Manager, Allison, made the planning of my sisters wedding flawless. Allison was quick to respond to all our questions and help walk us through the whole process. I do not know what we would of done without her!
Night of the wedding, servers Mark and Liz went above and beyond to make sure the guests of the wedding were never without a drink or something they needed. I was blown away at their amazing customer service.
Ambiance. Beautiful rustic wood tables, candlelight and cozy. Osteria, is not pretentious so you can wear anything from jeans to dressing up. It is great for any occasion.

A-​OK is right. Came here for early dinner with the boss around 5:45 so there weren’t a lot of people. The server was really nice throughout.
We were started with a garlic oil thingy which I really enjoyed… more than my entrée actually. Bread was really fresh too.
There are plenty of good sounding entrees, including a good amount of vegetarian ones. I decided on the eggplant parm because eggplant is time consuming and tricky to make at home. So I was shocked when the food came out legit within 5 minutes. Granted, not many people in the restaurant, but eggplant takes forever to make even if semi pre-​cooked. When I tasted it, I could tell that it wasn’t super fresh. If it was made fresh, the bread crumbs, even after being topped with marinara, would still have a slight crunch and olive oil taste on the edge. So, I wasn’t fooled Osteria! I found the marinara to be pretty boring and in need of salt which I didn’t find on the table.
Seems like other people have enjoyd their meals, so maybe just the eggplant parm didn’t hit the spot?

Surprised. That’s how I felt when we arrived for the heirloom tomato dinner at Osteria via stato. Surprised, because I’ve never been there before, and it was lovely to look at. The dark wood, the subtle lighting, and the nice acoustics made it feel comfortable yet classy.
Surprised, because the food and drink were exceptional. Chef David started with the idea of using one of nature’s greatest treasures, locally grown heirloom tomatoes, as the basis for a multicourse dinner. He took off from there into ethereal heights.
From the fluffy-​inside, crusty-​outside Italian bread, served with olive oil loaded with roasted garlic and a plate of olives, to the passed appetizers — succulent and uniquely tasty, especially that little gem with Gorgonzola cheese and bacon — the starters were uniformly mouthwatering and delicious.
Then we moved to the real stars of the dinner — the primi, the secondi, and oh yeah, the fabulous desserts. More to come at
. Suffice it to say this was a wonderful experience, and I will be back to see if next time can equal this time. If it does, it’ll be a genuine pleasure to award a fifth star.

Super cute little spot right inside the Embassy Suites.
Can’t beat the 3-​course $ 10 lunch. Meatball sandwich hit the spot! Tap beer selection was just ok.

I love this place. This is my new go to special occasion restaurant.
We came here with family a couple of months ago and were really impressed. It is a nice but comfortable atmosphere. Both times we went all of the staff was exceedingly friendly and helpful.
The food here is outstanding. The trout I had yesterday is one of the best entrees I’ve ever had.
Last night my husband and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary here. It was a perfect night to eat outside, so we sat on the patio. We ordered the Italian Dinner Party which is $ 40 per person. It was perfect. I told the waiter we didn’t eat beef or pork, and he said that was fine they would just switch those parts to something else. When food was being delivered, we were told each time what type of meat was in a dish. This was a really nice and reassuring touch!
The bread and roasted garlic are amazing. We had the pea brushcetta in place of the short rib brushchetta and it was quite good. We ordered seconds of the Italian vegetable salad, it was very good and close to being healthy. I’m not a huge fan of polenta, but it seemed fine. The Parmesan encrusted sweet onions was amazing. It really blew me away. The pennete pasta was fine, but not my favorite. The mezze rigatoni with chicken was great. We debated about getting more of it, but were getting full. You can order as much as you want of all of that! It was a lot of food though, so even though my husband and I are good eaters, we only ordered seconds of 2 things (salad and broccoli)!
I would have been quite happy to end the meal here. In fact, maybe we’ll come back and do just those parts since that’s only $ 25 per/​person.
But then our entrees came out. I had the trout, and my husband had the chicken. The chicken Mario was great, but the Local Trout was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.
The entrees came with crispy calabrian potatoes which were delicious and broccoli which was very nicely cooked.
My husband was shocked when I said I was too full to order desert, but really at that point I was uncomfortably full. I had been full for a while, but just kept eating because everything was so good.
If you know me, you know that I like things to be a good value. In general I think a lot of places are not worth the cost. This place is not cheap, but it is a good value. It is amazing food in a nice setting with great staff.

I’m updating my review because the last several visits to Osteria have been great in terms of service…& as always, the food is consistently delicious.

Nothing remarkable, which is a shame. The place is cute and the service is good, but there’s no unique differentiator here (unless the ridiculously loud trio of couples from the J Crew Spring catalog swearing, guffawing, and trash talking their friends-​not-​present counts).
Which means I’ve experienced better.
Originally chose a spot down the street which was packed– like, super packed.
This joint had plenty of available space.
Makes one wonder.
An’ if I’m wonderin’ if the other spot is worth the wait (and the Joey and Basic Battalions, respectively) then something’s wrong, or at least not Right.

The layout of the place is kind of confusing but after finding the hostess stand we were seated immediately.
The food was all exceptional. We had the mussels appetizers, cavatelli and the cheese ravioli.
The bread that you start with is rustic and crusty and mouthwatering. We mushed and spread the roasted garlic and olive oil on it. Heaven.
The mussels were the highlight of the meal for me. I was literally using the shells to spoon juice into my mouth. Yes.
The cavatelli and ravioli were both equally as good but in different ways. They both had similar ingredients– butter and mushrooms. But the cavatelli was enjoyable because of the soft dumpling-​like noodles. The ravioli was more rich with the cheese and truffle oil together.
Service was outstanding. The server was a chill dude who probably definitely gets high and eats high quality fare.
Lettuce entertain you, you’ve done it. I’ll be back.

Came Saturday evening at 8 with a party of 8. A little peeved that we had to wait a bit for our table to be ready, but everyone was pretty friendly and accommodating.
We did the Italian dinner party and boy was it a lot of food, which makes me happy, but the antipasti and pasta (which you can have more orders of) alone will fill you up. The salad was light and refreshing. Gorgonzola and pear bruschetta was pretty tasty. Roasted garlic with balsamic vinegar and olive oil was yummy, although I prefer it without the balsamic. I also very much enjoyed the polenta. The mortadella and provolone was probably the only thing I didn’t care for. We also ordered a couple plates of prosciutto which were yummy.
Both pastas, the orecchiette and gnocchi were very good. I had the risotto of the night as my main entrée. I thought it was okay, but definitely better things to be had here. The sausage didn’t quite come through for me and the whole dish wasn’t as cohesive as I would have liked. Rice was cooked almost perfectly. Tried the parmesan crusted chicken and that was very tasty and tender.
Just when you thought you were clear of endless food, there’s more… the sides! Didn’t try the brussel sprouts but the potatoes were yummy with the perfect crispy texture.
Overall, didn’t find the food to be too salty or heavy, in which is a common problem I have, especially among Italian places. The table enjoyed their wine, which was one of the recommendations by our server. He was very helpful and friendly throughout, catering to all of our needs, including a vegetarian in the group. My water was constantly refilled, which is a must for me. My cousin was surprised with a gelato for his birthday at the end which was nice.
For $ 40/​person doing the family dinner pre-​drinks/​extras/​gratuity, it still is a pretty good value. Will consider this place for more group gatherings, as I enjoyed most of the food.

My friend and I came here for a weeknight dinner. It had been a while since I had been in, but I remember being impressed with their service. Overall, it was good, but not great and in need of an update.
To start, we split the prosciutto appetizer and the gnocchi. The prosciutto was as expected and very fresh. The gnocchi dish was okay, but I thought it was a bit under seasoned and bland. I don’t think its worth the $ 17 and I’d skip it next time. The entrees were solid. My friend ordered the Parmesan crusted chicken which she really liked. We split the spinach as a side. It was good but rather small. I had the short ribs. They were very tender and it was nice over the potato purée.
Service was great. Our waitress was friendly and knowledgeable. She was particularly helpful in recommending wine. We described what we liked and she pointed us in a great direction. She was also attentive without being overbearing.
It is a solid 3.5 star spot. However, for a $ 140 tab for two (w/​a bottle of wine), there are just other Italian places I’d choose first.

I had checked in with Shannon, Manager, who was very pleasant and was able to seated me right away. Due to a busy night, I was placed at one of the communal tables. There was a party of six guests at the the table and I was at the end of the table. There was a divider between us. I was checking social media during my meal so it wasn’t a big deal with me. It wouldn’t be for anyone.
Liz had greeted within a couple of minutes after sitting. She was very gracious and answered all of my questions. I had ordered a Caesar Salad as an appetizer then the Salmon for the main entrée with a side order of cauliflower.
The Caesar Salad was delivered. The presentation was great. Instead of being chopped up, the leaves are long with garlic croutons. The dressing was so delicious — just enough garlic. Highly recommended to begin with.
The salmon and the roasted cauliflower was brought shortly after I was completed with the salad. The salmon was crispy and so flavorable. The roasted cauliflower was stemmed and seasoned quite properly.
The dessert menu had enough great options. I had the Gelato Platter. After a great meal, this really his the spot. Throughout the entire meal, Liz was fantastic.
I look forward to my next trip back to this restaurant and would recommend it.

We checked into the Embassy Suites in Chicago on a cold February night and didn’t feel like venturing out in the 0 degree weather for dinner. Lucky for us, Osteria Via Stato, with an entrance in the hotel lobby, turned out to have outstanding food and service.
Dinner started off with a complimentary helping of fresh-​baked bread and olive oil with roasted garlic. We also went for a dish of the house-​marinated olives — colorful and very reasonably priced, although I wasn’t wild about the citrus flavor.
The arugula salad had enough greens to make me feel like a healthy eater, but also came with generous amounts of peppered bacon and parmesan cheese. I demolished it.
My tip on the main dishes: if you’re a normal eater and you’re getting a salad and pasta, the «side dish» portion of the pasta is plenty. I went for a side dish of the orecchiette with pork sausage and rapini. The pasta was done to a perfect al dente, and the overall flavor of the dish was complex and interesting.
Osteria Via Stato also has a casual bar area with draft beers, wine by the glass and a good lunch menu. There was a $ 10 special when I was there that included a cup of bacon and bean soup, a sandwich and a piece of chocolate cake. My dad and I ordered the BLT and chicken pesto sandwiches and traded halves. I’m glad I got to try both because they were excellent, but the chicken pesto was my favorite.

What an awesome experience we had.
Service was five stars.
Food was five stars.
The entire experience was five stars.
And the price was very reasonable.
Four of us had dinner here last night and we were greeted by a basket of complimentary crusty bread and a bowl of garlic cloves in olive oil.
My wife raved about the white sangria. We shared two appetizers– the Parmesan Crusted Sweet Onions ($ 6.95) and the Grilled Octopus with Fingerling Potatoes ($ 9.95). The onions were unbelievable– sweet, cheesy, buttery decadence! And the octopus? Holy moly was that good! Tender slices that tasted a little like scallops. This was just the second time I had octopus, the other time was at Costa Del Sol in Hartford and I don;t remember the meat being as tender and tasty as it was last night. The dish had a few chunks of potato in an olive oil & garlic dressing. It was amazing.
My entrée was Spaghetti Arrabiatta in an intensely delicious sauce of crushed tomatoes, olive oil, and Calabrian Chilies, I went for the smaller portion (a steal at $ 5.95, and added a side of shrimp to the dish. The dish reminded me how wonderful a simple spaghetti and tomato sauce can be when the pasta is perfectly cooked and the sauce is stellar. I LOVED my dinner. Seriously.
I also tried a few forkfuls of the night’s risotto special– tonight it included some braised short rib. It was ridiculously good– melt in your mouth goodness.
Dessert for me was a scoop of melon granita served with cantaloupe cubes and that was a refreshing and perfect ending to the meal.
Osteria also offers a $ 39.95 Prix Fixe «Dinner Party Menu» — a feast of Antipasti, pasta, sides and entrees, That would be a real blast.
So if you combine great food, great service, great value, and great atmosphere, you have Osteria.
Come hungry…

I was in the pizzeria side of this restaurant for an early dinner, and I had a great time — the décor is a little a dark, but cozy, and I love the reclaimed wood look of the tables.
We ordered grilled octopus with fingerling potatoes (the octopus was so tender and delicious) and the prosciutto pizza (I love prosciutto, and, between that and the arugula, it was the perfect balance of flavors). I also had a cocktail — I forget what it was called, but it was pink and pretty and sweet, with moscato and proseco (I think).
Service was great — definitely not one of those restaurants where I spend half my meal planning how to get my water glass refilled — and I ended with a really, really delicious burnt caramel gelato. The caramel flavor was really strong without being overly sweet, and the gelato was, for the most part, really smooth, although I did get a few chunks of ice in mine. It was topped with some great almond praline, which tasted great but wasn’t as crunchy as I might have liked.