Restaurant Review: La Gondola Restaurant in Chicago, Illinois

Have you ever tried a new restaurant and hoped that you wouldn't be at McDonald's or Burger King or some local pizza enclave afterwards trying to salvage the evening? This night would be one of those "experimental" nights for me, my wife, and two of our friends.

It was our third wedding anniversary and my wife and I were waffling on where to go or what to do for this special occasion. We were picking up some friends from the airport so that became part of our memories of that night, but before we got there we found this restaurant online and decided to try it out; we're so grateful we did.

La Gondola Restaurant is a quaint Italian restaurant located on Chicago's North Side at 2914 North Ashland Avenue. I say quaint because it's not like most restaurants where you can just walk in and wait to be seated. Research says that you should make reservations there, and for good reason... there are only six tables in the entire establishment. On a given weeknight it is easy to fill up the restaurant. Heeding their advice I called in reservations for four people for a Wednesday evening dining experience; with that we were on my way to the airport.

After picking up our friends, we were on our way to the restaurant and upon pulling up to La Gondola my cell phone rings... it was La Gondola reminding me of my reservation. I'd set up an 8:15pm appointment and didn't arrive until 8:25pm due to traffic and other factors. I'm not sure if I was about to lose my reservation or not but fortunately I was there just in time. A word to the wise - if you're about to be late call and let the restaurant know or you may get bumped. Customers are waiting for your seats if you don't show up.

The atmosphere of La Gondola was cozy and intimate; great for a date or conversational gathering. There isn't loud music or even live music, just a relaxing background. La Gondola Restaurant was a small place that didn't feel small at all. As far as location, La Gondola Restaurant is within a strip mall so you're not really looking for a restaurant that stands alone. There are large windows to look through and nice wallpaper and other objects of interest on the inside. The size of the restaurant makes you interested in the décor. The bathrooms are small and you must go through the kitchen area in order to get to them. I had fun seeing what kind of products they use on the way to and from the bathroom; it's rare you get that kind of exposure to a restaurant.

The service at La Gondola was excellent and friendly. The waiter was gracious enough to explain to us the specials of the day. He had a sense of humor and was entertaining and didn't hover over us which would have been easy to do in a place that size. During our two-hour plus stay we didn't get bored and not once did we have to hunt down someone for assistance.

The food was tasteful and filling. We all took food home and were still eating off it throughout the next day. Automatic bread comes with olive oil comes to your table and soup or salad is complimentary with your entrée. As far as appetizers, go with a sampler platter to get a good variety; get two if you want to share with others there. One of our friends had the pizza bread which I'd recommend you try. I wasn't particularly fond of the fried food I had there. Something about the batter wasn't very tasty to me. I tried the fried ravioli and chicken tenders and neither terribly impressed me, although the chicken itself was good and so was the inner component of the ravioli.

For an entrée I had a penne dish with Italian sausage and a tomato-cream sauce that was wonderful. The food was fresh and the portions were plentiful. By the time the entrees came out the conversation had died down, which in some respect is a good indicator of how good the food was. About one-quarter the way into the entrée I was asking for a carry-out container as were my friends for their meals. Needless to say, we didn't have room for dessert.

For pricing, the average per-person cost with appetizers came to about $25.00 including tax and gratuity which is not bad at all. Add another $5.00-7.00 if you want dessert. I highly recommend you try La Gondola Restaurant if you're looking for somewhere new to try and want to get away from the normal choices; it'll be a refreshing surprise and you'll be glad you did. If you don't want to sit down they do have take-out options for you. Try one of the pasta entrees and if you're willing, try the pizza as well. La Gondola Restaurant is a place you should go to at least once in your Chicago experience... and eventually you'll find that it may become one of your regular spots.