This is classic old school Italian style food with white tablecloth tables and great pictures of patrons on the walls. Excellent food and great service in this best of Chicago restaurant. Make a reservation and show up ready to enjoy a great restaurant I had veal piccata and a pasta side with great minestrone and some garlic bread. The service was impeccable and all the food was delicious too. It's tight inside but worth every effort to get there and enjoy it. Highly recommended for a great Italian restaurant experience. Best around. Go you'll be very happy you did. Enjoy!!

Old school good. Everything we go it has been great service and food. Recommend to my friends

Came in again for round two for more of this fantastic pasta, amazing espresso martini , INCREDIBLE salmon and the best service ever from Brandon!!!!!!! Brandon stole the show on this visit with my mom, he was attentive, funny and simply the best!! Someone give him a raise! All our food came out perfect but the salmon was insanely delicious and I will be back for it'! My plate was completely clean lol

Don't skip on La Scarola! I was visiting my cousin in Chicago and this is her favorite Italian place she likes to take guests to. We came here for an early dinner and it was already busy, luckily we had reservations. Walking in we were greeted by the staff. There's tons of pictures all on the walls which gave homey cozy vibe. The Italian food here is wonderful! We ordered the escarole and beans and mussels to share. Both dishes were delicious, very light and love the garlic flavor. For the entree, I ordered one of the specials, pasta amore which had shrimp, scallop, zucchini in a garlic creamy sauce. This dish was so tasty! Full of flavor and good amount of seafood. The pasta was cooked al dente which is to my liking. Others in my party order the eggplant Parmesan and the Chilean sea bass. I sampled a little bit of those dishes and it was pretty good. The eggplant was tasty and not too heavy. Also sea bass was very tender and pretty flavorful. Overall, we had a lovely meal and great experience. Next time I am visiting Chicago, I will be stopping by here again!

Love La Scarola! Always great food, always fun! Try the chicken vesuvio or any/all of the pastas! If you don't love it you can find me and tell me, and I'll know you have no taste. A classic!

Ok I have been to Italy and I don't think this is 100% authentic Italian cuisine. I think it is more of a Chicago style Italian food. We came here to celebrate my nephew's 8th grade graduation. He wanted Italian and he was happy with our choice. We were greeted by the owner right at the door and seated immediately, even though we were waiting on one more person. The restaurant quickly filled up by 5:30p (our reservation for 3 was at 5p) and it was already bustling. By the time we left, there were people waiting outside for a table. The decor is kitschy - wallpaper of celebrity pictures, lots of Chicago memorabilia but it works. The owner brought us two tequila shots, just complementary! Greatly appreciated. We ordered and shared the following: Calamari - delicious, crispy and incredibly crunchy. The batter wasn't falling off, every bite was so good. Burrata - very plain, the tomatoes did not appear to be heirloom and they were large, presentation was lacking and so was the flavor. Ravioli - it looked like a lasagna, and was hot, cheesy, and good. Linguini & Clams, in white sauce - this was my favorite, so so so good! I did wish the clams were more meaty but overall, I took the leftovers home and ate them later that night. Service was intense, everyone was on it and I think the owner runs a tight ship because all of the waiters and servers were standing right as you come in waiting to be dispatched to their table.

I love this old school Italian place - it's possibly my favorite place for Italian food in the city. Portion sizes are huge. I typically get their rigatoni with vodka sauce, peas, and sausage (pasta mandera, $26.95). I usually take my friend out here and she's ordered the whitefish on one occasion and chicken vesuvio on another occasion. It's a great place for graduation dinners, family style dinners, and other celebratory occasions. I went here also in 2019 after a graduation with my family and had a fabulous time. I make sure I have a reservation especially on a weekend, because it does get quite busy and seating is limited.

10/10 vibes FEELS LIKE YOU'RE IN ITALY! The food is authentic and the wait is worth it. It's super lively and fun on a Friday/Saturday night and reminds me of a spot that would be in Trastevere neighborhood in Rome. BONUS POINTS if you let your server order for you - you won't be disappointed.

I absolutely love everything about La Scarola except the limitations with getting in. Simply put, reservations must be placed by phone during restaurant hours. Showing up without run is likely to result in an hour plus wait or being turned around. If you overcome this hurdle, you'll understand why it's a staple that keeps patrons returning whenever they can. I've never ordered an item that I didn't enjoy and I dream about their vodka sauce and grilled octopus. Add to that pricing is reasonable and they're usually a handful of featured items to keep things interesting. In terms of ambiance, the walls are filled with photos to celebrity and notable diners. Thank me later.

Authentic Italian restaurant. Small tables and lots of people. We were given a bread basket throughout. Nothing special. The fried calamari was amazing. Had that fried feel but super light and not excessive batter. Got the pasta mandera per the waiter's recommendation. Plenty of food as I took half of it home. The chicken was juicy and the peas were sweet and crunchy. I couldn't really taste the sausage or garlic. Lots of rigatoni and vodka sauce was indeed creamy and tasty. Great place to come with friends or family and enjoy a nice Italian dinner.