Campagnola

Delicious from start to finish! Beautiful Cesar salad and the best veal I have ever had anywhere paired with amazing polenta and spinach. Loved the ambience… cozy and intimate. I was visiting my brother from Cleveland… wish I lived closer… still thinking about that veal. I can see why he frequents Campagnola often!

We were one of Campagnola’s first customers when they opened 20 years ago. We went there alot prior to having kids (which kinda puts a damper on date nights…) Anyway, we unloaded the kids with Grandma yesterday then headed straight for Campagnola. The owner/​manager guy actually remembered us from years ago.
Just as we fondly remembered, the restaurant met our very high expectations. The food was amazing. Everything we tasted was incredibly good, I just wanted to sit there and taste everything on the menu. Unfortunately, my stomach ran out of room far too soon. I desperately wanted to enjoy dessert, but alas is was not in the cards.
This is a great place to go on a date. It’s not for kids… in fact, please do all of us a favor and leave your kids at home. Also, keep in mind that this is a very small restaurant, so reservations well in advance are required, even during the week. The neighborhood has been undergoing a dramatic revitalization, and Campagnola is perfectly situated to become the première restaurant in the area.
I’m so glad we returned to Campagnola after all these years. It was a terrific dining experience that we will remember for a long time.

Very good Italian restaurant near downtown Evanston. Great food, great service and romantic ambiance. Highly recommended for a date or special occasion. Not very large so best with 4 or less. Definitely worth a try.

Really nice and authentic Italian food. The Linguine was awesome. Shrimp and tomato very fresh. Wish the portion was bigger

Excellent dinner and good wine selection. Lovely atmosphere. We will be going back.

Having dined here several times, the food and wine selection and quality is often quite nice. I do love the atmosphere — it is a great quiet-​but-​not-​too-​quiet, dim-​but-​not-​too-​dim dining spot. On my most recent visit, had a very unfortunate customer service experience. Basic questions about the food preparation were treated flippantly. The waitress volunteered to ask the chef (as she seemed to not know the answer but was also unwilling to say that), never did, then came back 45 minutes after the dish was served to whisk it away for additional cook time without waiting for confirmation that this was a desired response. Finally got the overcooked food an hour after it first appeared — not appealing, to say the least. Unsurprisingly, the waitress also disappeared, and we spent the last 30 minutes of our visit communicating through the busboy — requesting dessert, ordering dessert, requesting the check.
Too bad, as I know many friends and colleagues who prefer Campagnola as their Evanston restaurant of choice. There are other good options, and I think I’ll stick with those in the future.

Our favorite restaurant in Evanston. Consistently great food, excellent service, comfortable space. Can’t recommend it highly enough.

Campagnola is the best restaurant in Evanston I have been here three times and each time the service and food has been amazing. It’s a really cute atmosphere too. I’ve gotten the bolognese twice and the short ribs once and they both were fantastic. My brother got the New York strip special and he loved his as well. My dad got the lamb chops they were very juicy and delicious. I always look forward to my next visit to campagnola.

4.5 is certainly okay if combining food, atmosphere, and service. I give 4 for which I had:
Diver scallop: soft and juicy. Slightly salted with a hint of sea smell.
Carpaccio: nicely divided into portions for the table, and the carpaccio is just amazing!
Tagliatelle: the sauce is full of mushroomy flavor, must try if you love mushrooms;
Roasted duck: crispy outside tender and juicy inside, what can I say? GET!
Lamb: my friend had it and I tried a piece. Did not ask for a second piece. Do you get it?:“P

I had the mushroom pasta and my partner had the penne. The pens tasted like a margarita pizza. Good but not special. My dish was better. Not a huge menu but that was ok. Dishes starting around 18 $.
Great bread. Butter served hard but still good.
Limited beer options. I had red wine. 12 – 14 $/​glass.
Got free street parking after 6p I believe.

The food was very good and surprisingly the entrees were pretty large! Its very cute inside and we had good customer service. The food is not cheap but the food is good.

Comfortable and private place.
Went to the restaurant to send off my friends.
We called in 30 minutes before and got a table for two easily on a Sunday night.
Ordered the scallop at starter, T-​bone steak (the special item), and the bolognese.
The scallop is certainly amazing and I will strongly recommend! It comes with two scallops, so it’s perfect to share. (Actually the waiter put them into two plates. Very considerate!)
The t-​bone was great too. The portion is huge tho and there’s no way I can finish it :/​ (I got a box but had no idea how deal with it TT so ended up wasting at least half.)
Bolognese looks delicious but I heard tagliatelle is better.
Great dining experience but the service is a bit slow.
And also I had a super high expectation for the restaurant (cuz I was recommended by my friend to check out the place), so it slightly disappointed me. (But still, the food and service are on par!)
Overall a good place, but it’s kinda far, so I’m not sure if I’ll just make a trip down here just for it.

Great restaurant! We came here over the weekend and had a great experience. We were promptly seated for our 8pm reservation (a must for weekends) and had great service, drinks and food.
We began with bruschetta and diver scallops, both dishes were great. I would have liked to try the carpaccio (sounded great) but it was a little too adventuresome for some of our group. For dinner we had bolognese, linguini and the NY strip special. All of the dishes were really tasty, my husband commented that the bolognese was the best he had ever had. For dessert we split the toffee cake and the strawberry panna cotta, each was really tasty.
Overall a really great experience and I’m glad we were able to bring my husband’s parents here, everyone was happy with their meals and it was really great to spend time with them and catch up.

Was up in Evanston for an evening Christening/​Easter Service at St Luke’s. Friend of family and so came here with my parents for an early dinner.
They’ve done a bit of redecorating since I’ve been here last and it looks great. Modern but very comfortable. The corner we were sitting in was a tad too dark for my Dad to read the menu.
Many things on the menu sounded great. My Mom had the Porchini Mushroom Soup with Truffled Crème Fraiche (Fa La La La La… South Park Reference) and it was delicious. Rich texture being a more vegetable purée vs a creamed out soup. Nice and earthy. Dad had the Gnocchi with Pork Cheeks, which was outstanding. Gnocchi were impossibly light, the pork was fall apart braised and a delicious ragout. Wood Grilled Octopus was good but wasn’t quite there. Wasn’t feeling the gigante bean ragout with it and the octopus was a bit tougher than I’ve had from other places. We also ordered a Carpaccio which was pretty fantastic, though I’d rather they shaved the Parmesan into smaller pieces vs two large but shaved squares. We still enjoyed it.
Entrees, Mom had the Linguine with Grilled Shrimp in Pomodoro and Black Olives. Simple, but it was very good. Pasta was perfectly al-​dente and the sauce/​accompaniment was rustic; in the Pomodoro were baby tomatoes blistered in the pan with garlic, black olives, lemon zest and finished with basil. Generous on the shrimp as well. I went with the Guinea Hen special with Mushrooms in Maderia and Potato Purée. Guinea Hen was bone-​out and cooked perfectly with a crisp skin and juicy meat. Hen-​Of-​The-​Wood (maitake) and Porcini mushrooms with a rich stock, thyme and maderia sauce. Very good! Dad wasn’t really hungry so he had a house salad and had some of my Guinea Fowl.
2 martinis and 3 glasses of wine, bill was $ 185.00. No, it isn’t inexpensive but it’s not outrageous.
Service was affable and efficient. One of the waiters I think has been there since the opening, about 20yrs.
It’s a really NICE place with very good food and worth the trip.

Though around for as long as I have lived in the city, Campagnola has rapidly become my favorite restaurant in the past year — mainly because I moved nearby.
I will preface and emphasize by stating the following: their Vanilla Bean Bread Pudding is the best that I have ever had. Ever. I strongly advise you to leave room for dessert and experience it at least once. Upon my last visit I learned that you can order a whole sheet for special events.
The atmosphere is cozy and quaint. The restaurant is pretty small and boasts about a dozen tables. The menu is succinct and delicious. Portion sizes are adequate, but not excessive. I highly recommend their duck entrée or whatever fish they have as a special.
While entertaining in-​laws one weekend we went to Chicago Grill on the Alley one night and this restaurant the next. Our meal here was twice as delicious and half the price — and that included a bottle of wine. The food is phenomenal but not nearly as costly as some of the places in Downtown Chicago. It is family-​owned and you can definitely tell.
Parking is not difficult as the restaurant is right on the cusp of a residential area. There are plenty of metered spaces nearby where you can pay by app or credit card.

Service was very good (though a bit slow as we were one of the last tables of the night, it seemed like some of the staff was focused on their end-​of-​night back of house duties).
The food:
we shared the carpaccio salad which was incredible
my date had the bolognese and loved it
I had the pheasant which totally blew my mind
the drink prices were reasonable for an ok glass of wine, only one beer on tap I believe.
Would definitely return!

Phenomenal! I would have liked to give them 4.5 stars and I would say that they are flirting with 5 stars. My wife ordered the linguini and it was excellent. I had the trout filet which was exceptional. The accessible wine selection was quite good as well and the pours were also generous. Everything from the bread to the bread pudding was delicious and the service was top-​notch.

This restaurant is damn good. Would reccomend it for anyone.
Went with my mom and brother and was enjoyed by all. Had a glass of wine and had the papperdelle bolognese. Cant go wrong. At the end of it i was due for a nap.
Ill be back some day

Campagnola has been going strong for years now, and it’s still doing everything right. It’s small inside, but has a second floor to accommodate more than it would appear at first site.
The food is fresh, locally sourced, and delicious.
Service is spot-​on.
Management is always friendly.
Prices are on the higher side, portions on the smaller side, but it’s worth it at Campagnola.
Not great for kids, as the vibe here is quiet and romantic, and the menu doesn’t really lend itself to little ones.

An intimate upscale Italian restaurant with good food and great ambiance.
I tried three three tasty dishes: The diver scallops appetizer was a bit heavy, almost floating in butter, but tasty. Caesar salad was traditional and tasty, but served in «kit» form requiring a lot of cutting up to assemble it. The barramundi special was a tasty piece of fish enhanced by the horseradish crème fraîche, but the beets and kale didn’t add much.
Very reasonable wine prices, and attentive, cordial service. I loved the intimate atmosphere, subdued lighting, and low noise level.