Rosebud on Rush

Decent Italian food but expensive for what you get. Great for convention groups.
I’ve eaten here for over the past 20 years and it has remained consistent (that’s a good thing). Nothing gourmet here… however, you will get large portions.
The Pappardelle in a light tomato sauce was good but it’s pretty simple for the price. The Tortellini Carbonara was calorie-​laden wicked combo of cheese-​filled tortellini with a carbonara sauce… sounds like it should be heavenly but was heavy heavy heavy. I love decadent pastas and sauces but this was just heavy.
Chocolate cake was fine. Again, big slice but nothing out of the ordinary.

I am not generally a big fan of Italian food, but Rosebud on Rush delivered rich, substantive flavors that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Seated on the semi-​outdoor area (there was an awning and plastic windows that prevented the weather and some of the noise, but allowed us to look out onto the street), our group of 5 watched as the city made its way home for the night after a long Wednesday. We were kind of crammed into this space and it was evident that the servers would have preferred a bit more working space as well. It wasn’t uncomfortable, just close.
Service was adequate, but not exceptional given the price of the meal. I would have preferred a little more attention paid to my beverage situation, but I wouldn’t call it «slow» by any means.
The food was the real star of the show here, though! The flavors of everything held both bold and subtle notes that were thoroughly enjoyable. Everything from the bread to the salad, our appetizers to our main entrees were a treat to devour.
Given the wealth of options in the city, I’m not sure that I would make a return trip, but I still greatly enjoyed my meal!

Our group was in Chicago for a convention and we decided to celebrate our week at a restaurant that serves something for all. We were delighted to have selected this restaurant as it is one of the better Italian fares in Chicago, IMO. The service was impeccable, atmosphere congenial and of course, the food was simply delicious. Oh, the wine selection was not too shabby. Our group had a range from pasta, to veal, to seafood, but all in all, everyone was simply delighted. We also noticed they catered to locals, always a good sign. If I’m ever back in Chicago, will make it point to patronize this restaurant again.

This place was just okay for me. They don’t open until 9 am and we arrived around 8:50 and although they sat us, no one came to our table until shortly after 9. They have several French toast options, omelettes and Benedicts… so there is plenty to choose from. However, the bar was extremely slow as was the kitchen – which surprised me because once we ordered, we were 1 of 3 tables. Our server was also extremely inattentive on just about all aspects of serving. For an $ 85 breakfast, I expected much more. We went there because we liked the patio and their French toast sounded great but we were pretty let down. My crab cake Benedict was delicious and so was my bf’s quesadilla. I will say one great thing is the portions are HUGE.

I had very high expectations after hearing how phenomenal the food was from my coworkers and peers… however, I will tell you straight up that the service was not that good… and the food was essentially inedible.
We were greeted by a hostess in a belly top. YES, a belly shirt. As the waiters walked around in their pencil skirts, button downs, and slacks, the hostesses walked around in crop tops and bodycon skirts, which I find to honestly be a little unprofessional. And with the price you pay to eat here, I don’t think it’s a wild claim to make.
The bread they gave my friend and I was completely old. It looked like it had been rifled through, and was completely old, stale, hard, and cold. It seemed as if they had literally given us bread that was leftover from a previous diner. Gross. We had to request new bread, which quite honestly, was extremely average.
The stuffed mushrooms were pretty good– they were honestly average, nothing spectacular, and honestly overly salty.
The cavatelli was inedible. The sauce was ridiculously salty, and was cold when it arrived. The cavatelli was hard, dense, and not light nor airy. It definitely was not worth the $ 25 that it cost, as it was absolutely terrible.
It was not a good dining experience, and I don’t think I’ll be coming back. The food was ridiculously horrendous, and the service was not that great. Don’t waste your time.

Service was fantastic, food was fantastic, atmosphere was fantastic!!! We were seated on time and had 2 servers and had very good suggestions… I would recommend to anyone and we are a very picky group!!! Bön appetite

Not even 1 star! Chicken dry! Old salad with no taste, it should be fresh and give you good energy! Worst pasta fagioli soup, imagine somebody just mushed tomatoes and put some macaroni in it! Terrible! Manager not professional. It’s not about the money 20 bucks, whatever! It’s about listening to the complaint and if the customer is not happy and telling you this is the worst taste ever, you know what you should offer impeccable customer service so people can give you a chance! Prediction: if they continue like this, this restaurant will close! And let me tell you something usually when I say this it happens! No joke! Shame on you Rosebud on Rush! Note for the cook: you have to cook with Love! Try sometime…,

If you want terrible service and awful food, this is the place to be. This establishment makes Olive Garden look like a 5 star restaurant in the realm of Italian cuisine.
My coworkers and I asked for a table of 5 at 7:10pm when the restaurant was half empty. They sat us right in front of the kitchen hallway, which was a busy intersection throughout our meal. Frankly, it wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing view.
After looking over the very unimpressive menu, we quickly ordered our food — basic dishes of 3 pastas and 2 steaks (not even well done). We were grew quite hungry so we reluctantly ate most of the bread on the table. Our necks grew long with disappointment as every dish came out from the kitchen, just to learn they were for other tables. Due to our convenient seating location, our waiter walked by us multiple times but failed to acknowledge our existence every time. After flagging him down, we finally got our main dishes at around 8:15pm.
You would think the food would be redeeming, but it wasn’t. Our waiter did not even offer us any fresh grated Parmesan cheese or fresh pepper, even though we spotted them just a few feet away from us.
My basic tortellini with «prosciutto,» mushrooms and peas was so unappetizing I was only able to force down a few bites before I had to call it quits. The «prosciutto» bits tasted like rubber, the tortellini was thick and dry, and frankly there were about 5 small itty bitty mushrooms that played hide and seek with me. The peas were the best part of the dish, sadly.
Not to mention my Baked Clams were very fishy. They did not taste fresh at all.
How does an Italian restaurant screw up pasta and baked clams???
By the time we were asked if we wanted dessert, we were skeptical and asked if it would be fast. The waiter had the audacity to tell us our dinner service was the normal amount of time — quoting 25 – 30 minutes. When we told him it was a lot longer than that, he denied it. This, above all, was the most aggravating.
It was waste of our time and certainly an embarrassment to the other fine Chicago restaurants to the city. I would NOT recommend this place to anyone under any circumstances.

Two of us had a great meal on a Thursday evening. The service is good but the atmosphere is a bit noisy and crowded so it makes the servers a bit rushed. It is a beautiful restaurant but because of its large size it loses some of the ambiance.
My clam linguine with a white wine sauce was absolutely fantastic as was the generous dinner salad. Thus the four stars because it is certainly above average.

Almost started off bad. I hate when they won’t seat you until everyone is there and we had to wait in a hallway. I didn’t see a bar nor was one suggested.
When we were seated the great service took over. The spicy calamari was a great start and more than enough for 4 of us. I had the pappardelle bolognese which was terrific. Others had the linguini shrimp and broccoli, which was huge. The chicken Parmesan and white fish were liked. We finished with a large cut of Italian wedding cake.
The menu covers all the Italian foods you might want and good cooking.

This is a Chicago staple restaurant. I am partial to their location on Rush street even though It can be a little cramped especially if waiting for a table or at the bar during dinner service, but that would be my only complaint — need a better «holding area».
Food is always amazing and the service is impeccable. If you are expecting a private dining table for a quiet date then it is probably not the best spot. Tables are close together and has the atmosphere of a great Little Italy restaurant from New York.

I came to Rosebud on Rush for my birthday dinner, and I definitely was not disappointed! The restaurant itself is clean and cozy. We were promptly seated, even without a reservation, which was a nice touch.
Service was efficient and pleasant. The starter bread was warm, fresh, and mixed very well with the olive oil at the table.
We started with bruschetta. I LOVE bruschetta and have very high standards for the dish. There were four MASSIVE pieces of fresh Italian bread covered with tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and pesto. As I mentioned, I am very hard to please when it comes to bruschetta. Rosebud certainly rose to the occasioned and delivered a fabulous dish.
For my main dish, I ordered Veal Saltimbocca. This dish consisted of veal cutlets covered in prosciutto, sage, mozzarella cheese with a side of pasta. I remember trying this dish in Washington D.C. at another great Italian restaurant, so I jumped at the opportunity to order the full dish for myself. Overall, the dish was outstanding and I am extremely satisfied with my decision.
I didn’t think I had room for dessert, but quickly changed my mind when the server kindly brought out a treat to celebrate my birthday. It was a small chocolate cake that was easily one of the richest desserts I have ever tried!
I left Rosebud full and satisified. I highly recommend this restaurant for anyone looking for a great Italian restaurant in Chicago.

This place was recommended to us for our first trip to Chicago. I’m Italian and enjoy good Italian food! This place was GREAT! We had the regular calamari for an appetizer and it was amazing! Cooked perfectly and they gave us a generous portion of calamari and sauce.
I then had the Chicken picatta. The chicken was extremely tender and the sauce was perfect. It came with a side of pasta, but not like what usually comes with Picatta. It was rigatoni with red sauce. I was expecting spaghetti in the lemon sauce. Either way, it was delicious!
My boyfriend got the Rigatoni alla vodka with chicken. This too was DELICIOUS! I am a huge fan of both of these dishes to begin with, so I am usually critical of both. They were both delicious and I would recommend them!
The bill came to about 77 $. This was with a side and a beer. It was less than we were expecting.
I highly recommend this place for good Italian!

The service is absolutely perfect. They’re at your table, pronto, to pour your wine glass. The calamari appetizers are almost a meal itself. I had the chicken piccata and it was lemony and flavorful, but not 5 stars as chicken wasn’t quite tender. They will substitute any side dish, so I ordered asparagus rather than pasta. I would return again for sure! We had a lot of leftovers.

Great place. Outdoor seating, great people amazing food. We Love this place!
Being in the city. This is our number one stop to have lunch. My son and husband love this place alway a relaxing environment. Authentic Italian food hit the spot;)

Went for dinner on a Tuesday night. It was chilly out, but we were seated outside after no wait. They have a nice screened off area with heat lamps so you can still enjoy the evening outdoors. The waitstaff was friendly and quick. We ordered the 5 cheese ziti and fettuccine Alfredo, and they were both delicious! We cleaned our plates. I wish we would’ve saved room for dessert because it looked incredible. I would definitely go back.

Awesome brunch. Bloody Marys could be spicier, but that could just be us.
Even though this is probably a very trendy touristy place to go, I enjoyed my time here at a resident of Chicago. Definitely the place to go to show off the city for out of town guests.
Warning, it’s sort of a casual bar, but don’t be fooled, everyone is very trendy so take off your hat and put on those heels!

Everything Is Good Here. I Mean It.
This Is A Classic Chicago Restaurant.
I Had The Most Perfect Dinner Which Only Added To The Romantic Night Ahead Of Us.
Fellas, She Will Love You For This.
Clean
Superior Service-​Knowledgeable About All The Entrees And High End Wine List
Friendly Staff
$$$
Authentic Italian Cuisine
Superior Italian American Entrees

Rosebud has several locations throughout the Chicagoland area and was once considered one of Oprah’s favorite Italian restaurants in the city: P The menu offers brunch, lunch, dinner, and a dessert menu, as well as wine & drinks. My friend and I came here for dinner one evening, and we were seated at a downstairs table. The seating arrangement was a little off, as our view was of of pedestrian feet, walking on by on the sidewalk outside: P I had the Chicken Marsala, which was a 6oz boneless chicken breast, dusted in flour and sauteed, with mushrooms in a Marsala wine, butter and a demi glacé reduction; this also came with a small side of pasta marinara. The Chicken Marsala was a bit too sweet, whereas the sauce was more of a syrupy consistency. The side of pasta was a little too overcooked, making it a little mushy, and the marinara sauce was a bit watered down. My friend had the Rigatoni alla Vodka, with a light marinara and mascarpone cheese sauce, which she also commented on how slightly watered down and overcooked it was. For dessert, we had the cheesecake and the Crème Brulee, that had a slight crispy top. Service was pretty okay, and this restaurant sits right off of Rush.
+overcooked pasta
+watered down marinara sauce

Rosebud on Rush is my favorite Italian restaurant in Chicago. Every time I come here I receive great service and thoroughly enjoy my meal. I recommend trying:
Appetizers
— Stuffed Mushrooms
— Fried Calamari
Entrees
— Eggplant Parmesan (one of the best I’ve ever had)
— Chicken Parmesan
— Pork Chops Calabrese