Maggiano's Little Italy - Oak Brook, IL Review

My wife and I both love Italian food; she not as much as I, but she would never turn down good Italian cuisine.  And finding a good Italian restaurant in the suburbs of Chicago has proved challenging to say the least.  But not long before we were married we attended a ballet production of Don Quixote in downtown Chicago and happened upon Maggiano's Little Italy not too far from the theater.  The experience was a memorable one, from the food the atmosphere, from the wait staff to the service, everything was perfection, and it left quite an impression. 

Now it is a rare event when we get into Downtown Chicago together; my work takes me into the city frequently, but we live some forty miles west of the loop (main business district of Chicago).  But we loved the Maggiano's Little Italy experience so much that we wanted to go back, and decided that it would become a Wedding Anniversary tradition.  Just on a whim I looked the restaurant up on the Internet and discovered a location much closer to us in Oak Brook, Illinois only 25 miles from our house in Aurora.  So, for the past five years Maggiano's Little Italy in Oakbrook has been our Wedding Anniversary tradition.      

My Viewpoint

Now Maggiano's Little Italy is a chain restaurant but is has the look and feel of an established neighborhood icon.  The very first Maggiano's Little Italy opened in 1991, and the restaurant boasts that most of their recipes "have been handed down from generation to generation, some date back to the 1890's. Our dishes are made with the freshest ingredients and are prepared from scratch every day." 

Maggiano's Little Italy restaurants are now located in 17 states and the District of Columbia,  but unlike other chain restaurant, that seem to proliferate like a plague of locusts, populating every strip mall in every town, Maggiano's Little Italy usually has only one restaurant in any one given state.  There are exceptions; for instance Illinois has four restaurants all in and around Chicago. 

The Maggiano's Little Italy in Oak Brook is actually part of the Oak Brook Mall complex and as such is not a stand-alone restaurant.  It is co-located with a Corner Bakery establishment.  However, the outside façade of the restaurant is decorated in tasteful old-Italy style motif that is mirrored to a large extent on the inside of the establishment.  Self-parking (valet parking is available) close to the entrance of the restaurant is difficult but not impossible.  Most of the spaces are taken up by valet signs, and admittedly even handicapped parking can be difficult to find.     

Inside the semi-dark restaurant the tables and booths are made of dark woods and together with the lighting invoke a cozy feeling as soon as you step foot inside the restaurant.  The tone engenders a romantic ambiance that couples will find inviting, but there is also a family atmosphere denoted by the large quantity of booths in the restaurant, and the large number of long tables for family style dinning. 

Our food always arrives in a respectable amount of time; we have never had to wait longer then 25 minutes or so for our main course to be served.  And while we wait, there is always a full basket of freshly baked (warm) bread on the table, accompanied by olive oil and butter.  The food always arrives piping hot, never cold or semi-warm and it is always delicious.  The table is always stocked with plenty of freshly grated parmesan cheese and red peppers, along with salt and black pepper.

The wait staff is attentive and courteous and he or she usually checks in once or twice during the meal.  They never hover or try to be too attentive; there is nothing worse then being asked multiple times during the course of the meal if everything is okay; rest assured I's be sure and let them know if everything was not to standards; after all the food at Maggiano's Little Italy does not come cheap. 

Speaking of food, each Maggiano's Little Italy has an Executive Chef on staff; for the Oak Brook location his name is Hasan Mulhem.  In addition the menu is divided up into several different menus including the Lunch menu, Family Style Luncheon menu, Dinner menu, and Family Style Dinner menu.  And of course as I mentioned above, there is a Carryout menu, the food from which is packed in foil containers to maintain the heat.    

The menu choices above, the selection of food at Maggiano's Little Italy is quite extensive, and like most chain restaurants the appetizers tend to be meals onto themselves.  As I mentioned above the prices at Maggiano's Little Italy are not cheap; even the lunch menu is fairly pricey, but it well worth the cost.

Appetizers range in price from $3.95 for an order of Crispy Onion Strings, which is described as "[T]hinly sliced onions, dusted with seasoned flour and fried until crispy," to $12.95 for the Bombalina Platter, which is described as "[A]n assortment of our favorite appetizers, including stuffed mushrooms, crispy zucchini, bruschetta, and spinach artichoke al forno."  Be prepared to spend at least $20.00 per person for dinner and beverages at Maggiano's Little Italy. 

Sample Dinner menu prices:

Minestrone - Cup: $1.95 Bowl: $3.95

Caesar Salad - 1/2 order: $5.95; Full order: $9.95

Classic Chopped Salad with Chicken - 1/2 order: $7.95; Full order $10.95

Fresh Asparagus: $6.95

Creamed Spinach:  $5.95

Chicken & Spinach Manicotti, Maggiano's Style: $12.95

Lasagna, Our Special Recipe, Meat or Marinara Sauce: $13.95

Veal & Mushroom Ravioli   1/2 Order: $10.95 /$14.95

Spaghetti, Meatball or Sausage: 1/2 order: $10.95 /$13.95

Shells, Roasted Vegetables, Tomato Pesto Broth: 1/2 order: $9.95 / $12.95

Linguine, White Clam Sauce   1/2 order: $11.95 / $14.95

Garlic Shrimp, Shells   1/2 order: $12.95 / $15.95

Chicken Saltimbocca, with Prosciutto, Provolone:  $14.95

Whole Roast Chicken, Rosemary, Garlic   1/2 order: $12.95 / $15.95

J. Cammarrari's Roast Chicken Vesuvio: 1/2 order: $13.95 / $16.95

Beef Medallions, Portabella Mushrooms, Garlic Mashed Potatoes:  $25.95

Prime New York Steak, 18 ounce: $37.95

Veal Milanese: $19.95

Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes, Mustard Sauce: $22.95

Baked Shrimp Oreganata: $22.95

Concluding Viewpoint

Maggiano's Little Italy is by far our favorite Italian restaurants.  The atmosphere is cozy, the service is always impeccable, the food is delectable, and the prices, while not as low as I'd like, are tolerable given our location.  If you are looking for great homemade-style Italian cuisine in an intimate setting for two or family style layout, you can do no better then Maggiano's Little Italy.  Next time you are in Oak Brook, Illinois stop by.