Follia

What a sad day it is that Follia is closed.
Thanks for all the great memories.
:(

Rating is for Folia, next door, as there doesn’t seem to be an individual entry for the restaurant.
Definitely slick and expensive, and the pizza, while having a nice crust, was lacking in the toppings department. Though 4 people theoretically ordered different pizza varieties, the pies all appeared to be «ham and cheese.» For a glass of wine, average pizza, and a shared salad, I shouldn’t have to pay $ 50+.

I ventured out here with a few friends and let me say that I’m not a fan of the Fulton Market area in the first place – it’s no New York meatpacking district – so if I go out of my way to go there, the restaurant better be good and unfortunately I can’t say that for Follia.
We were seated promptly at our reserved table but our server was slow to show up and service remained slow for the rest of the evening. We tried the four cheese pizza (which was the only really good thing on the menu), the risotto, and the halibut. Food was just so-​so, nothing that would warrant a return trip and the view of the desolate street in front of us did nothing for my appetite or dining experience. Restrooms for the restaurant are downstairs and shared with Fulton Lounge next door.
Too many people with fake tans here on the night I went. And I found the futuristic décor distracting and don’t really get the concept of fashion combined with dining. Are you a boutique or restaurant? In my opinion, Follia is too much image and not enough substance.

The first time I went here, I just saw some good reviews on Unilocal and decided it would be a good place to bring a date. The menu looked very vegetarian friendly and also tasty.
When we got there, the location was a bit questionable, but that’s something you can overlook because of the awesome food.
I had the spinach pasta and my friend had the pumpkin squash pasta and both were amazing. The appetizer Caprese was sooooo good. I could eat 10 plates of that right now. Ok maybe not 10, but it’s really good. Everything there was so fresh, even the desert. We ordered this monster volcano chocolate cake kind of thing, and it was soooo warm and fresh from the oven. It did take about 20 minutes to cook it, but it was totally worth the wait.
Our waiter was awesome, he helped us pick out great meals and he was attentive to when we needed to ask questions.
Overall great experience. I would have liked to know where I could park so that I wouldn’t have had to pay for valet, but that’s the price you pay when you are going to go out to a nice restaurant in the city.

I went here with a large party and everyone enjoyed. To start off with this looks like a clothing store from the outside. Do not be surprised, I had a hard time figuring out which door to go into. The location of this puts it next to great restaurants but it’s on one of those streets that makes you wonder for a second. The restaurant is small and cute. In the back they have a woodfire pizza oven and all night long someone was out there taking fresh pizza dough and making pizzas. I had a bite of someones at our table and it had great flavor and a perfect crust.
I had the pan roasted halibut and all I can say is FABULOUS. It was perfectly cooked and so yummy I could not believe it. I loved every bit of that piece of fish. The sauce was interesting and the mashed potatoes were good. Someone else at the table had the mushroom tagliatelle pasta. That had great flavor also.
We tried three different desserts. The pistachio gelato which was great. A chocolate tart and lady fingers with marscapone. The lady fingers were wonderful. The chocolate was just ok. Even those at the table that prefer chocolate just said it was ok. I’d love to go back and see what the appetizers tasted like.

I went here last night with a couple of customers. We sat down at 6:30 pm for our reservation. Keep in mind there were exactly 4 other parties the whole time we were there.
We ordered a cheese plate and the caprese. Absolutely delicious caprese — in fact, I think I just got hungry thinking about it. The cheese plate was also a very nice selection, but nothing overly innovative.
For dinner 2 of us had the halibut and fava beans. The halibut was deliciously cooked and had a yummy, salty, perfect crust on it. One of my guests ordered the stuffed pork chop (I believe it was stuffed with proscuitto and cheese) He mentioned that it was also VERY good.
The big problem is that our entrees were not served until 8:45!!! Come on guy! You are killing me here — It was painful, and because I was entertaining clients, I didn’t want to make an awkward scene arguing about how terrible it is to have to wait 50 minutes between courses. GRRRRR Our waiter did apologize a couple of times, but other than that there was nothing done for our patience. Not a free drink, dessert, or glass of prosecco that the others talked about. To me — unacceptable from a place where you pay a premium like this.
I would have given a much higher rating if it weren’t for the terrible service. I mean, if you can’t get it together when there are only 4 parties — you’ve got issues. There are plenty of restaurants where you can get great food for this price point and also have the service to match.

If you are an italian in the US, go there to feel at home. Even if you are not an italian — upmarket italian cooking is hardly getting any better than at Follia. Ravioli with chestnut filling in combination with pancetta in sage butter, then a classic pizza (could be the best pizza this side of the Atlantic), then Torta alla madorle — excellent, fresh, you can feel the love.
Its not hard, is it? I am glad the chef believes in ITALIAN cooking, and not the American version of it. Some accessoires a bit overpriced, $ 6 for a tea… well, I guess you pay for the quality. Service is sort of italian, too… dont rush through it. Thoroughly enjoyable, after dinner head to the lounge next door.

Follia cooks a respectable pizza – more Lazio style than Neapolitan. That is to say, the crust is much thinner and more crispy. The amicable owner is definitely from Milan and if I remember correctly, the venue doubles as his wife’s clothing boutique. The interior is smartly designed but time is taking its toll on some of the details.
First point off for the location – it’s not a pleasant or appetizing walk through the fish-​scented streets of this west-​side warehouse district. Regardless, the food probably warrants the adventure at least once.
Half a point off for the prices – probably $ 2 – 4 too pricey for the pizza and about $ 5 too expensive for the main courses. I simply don’t think the quality matches the pricing.
The final half point off for the bathrooms – either clean more often or change whatever cleaning supplies you use. The smell sent my appetite into hiding.

I teetered between a 3 and a 4 stars on this one. The food was terrific (more on that in a minute) but the atmosphere was SO trying hard that it was almost distracting. I mean, don’t try to be weird just to be weird. Put me in an atmosphere that is conducive to eating, not to looking around and scratching one’s head. Spotted in the space: dresses hanging on form, grass on the wall, loads and loads of tile, very large palm fronds, a wall of white plastic forearms and hands that all face palm down in a zombie-​like fashion, a random window to nowhere in the tile wall. See how I’m scratching my head rather than enjoying my food?
Food (by course) …
Flat bread with rosemary, parmesean and salt — perfectly delicious. It came before the appetizers and it set the bar high. Simple but so delicious that we surmised we were in for a good meal.
Antipasto — OMG. Order it and in droves. Nothing was bad and there was loads of variety. The beets and pork were my favorite but you really can’t go wrong.
Pizza — only tasted my co-​workers and it was a little cold by then but delicious, thin crusted, and perfectly seasoned.
Shrimp Scampi — apparently the Crustacean Halving Machine salesman really made a run on Chicago. This was the second place where my shellfish was halved right down the middle making the consumption no mess, no fuss and fab. Please see photo for an example. It was a little crazy to see these huge shrimps with heads, claws (more like langousteins than shrimp, I think), eyes and the like halved from the brain to the tail … exposing it all including the roe. But, it’s a really nice way to enjoy the food and enjoy I did. It was light, delicious, simple and something I would have again and again.
I can’t remember the name of our dessert but it was a lovely ice cream covered in cappucino, I believe. And it was downright tasty.
So I’m totally a fan of the food, just wish the atmosphere were a little less über trendy. Keep it real, folks, keep it real.

A cold beer and a slice? For sure. But sometimes it’s wine and gourmet pizza that I’m after…
Follia’s space is designed simply and cleanly. Modern without that heavy futuristic feel I despise. I think that showcasing the fashion works of different designers is a cool idea, but a bit too kitsch-​y. Just my opinion.
The pizza, however, doesn’t need the help of gimmickry. It’s outright fantastic. I had the quattro formaggi, and the Gorgonzola update made it a fresh take on an Italian classic.
Oh, and they don’t have pepperoni. Let me save you the embarrassment of asking. My ‘down home’ friend from Texas merely inquired after noticing its absence on the menu and got a look from our server that could’ve killed. I get it, pepperoni isn’t fashionable but no scoffing, please.

We’ve been going to Follia for three years now, and up until last night it has been one of our neighborhood favorites for many occasions – a night out, a night ordering in, and to show off to our friends who visit from our hometown in san francisco.
So we have friends in town from CA this weekend. This is their second time visiting Chicago, and the one place they wanted to go back to from their first visit was Follia. They brought really special bottle of wine – a 2002 Shafer Hillside Select – with them from CA specifically to enjoy with Follia’s pizza. So we decanted it at home yesterday afternoon, filled the bottle back up and made our way to Follia for our much-​anticipated dinner.
As Bruno was seating us, he tells us we can’t bring our wine in. Not because they have a policy of not allowing corkage, but because his restaurant is Italian and he only allows Italian wines. When we tried to explain that we planned to buy at least one other bottle of wine (there were 5 of us in the party) it didn’t matter to him. «Trust me, I’ve been doing this a long time,» he said. We then explained that our friends were here from CA, this was a special bottle of wine they brought with them from CA to enjoy specifically with this meal. It just didn’t matter to him.
We left and went to Machello and had a great meal.
We won’t be back to Follia. What a bummer, because the food is incredible. The good news is there are many other great pizza places in town.

I don’t get the whole food/​fashion thing, as most people who fit into runway clothes don’t eat.
That’s a horrible stereotype! Many models are completely healthy; the industry is ruined by the Kate Mosses of the world.
Fine, but I’m sure they don’t eat pasta and cheese in mass quantities.
Well of course not, pasta is all carbs and cheese might as well be painted on their asses.
My point exactly. So, again, I don’t get the food/​fashion thing, /​at least in the context of an Italian restaurant/​.
Thanks for clarifying.

What an excellent restaurant! I was lucky enough to get over to Follia for a friend, and fellow Unilocaler Brett D.‘s, birthday dinner on Saturday. Of course, I expected excellence from a restaurant chosen by Ms. D., and my expectations were not let down. Not one bit!
We ordered the antipasto platter, which was customized for the number of diners in our party. It included lots of tasty treasures like zucchini, eggplant, artichokes, prosciutto, cheese, nuts, etc. We decided to split a few entrees to share. Good call! The pizzas are as good as all the rest of the reviews say they are, and the risotto with truffles and asparagus and lemon pasta were killer. We also loved our complimentary after dinner drinks (thanks Bruno!) and desserts including the espresso custard and coconut sorbet.
The space is intimate, well lit and fashionable. Most def one of those «see and be seen» locations.
The service we recieved from our server, bartenders, Bruno and even the Fulton Lounge next door, who held a table for us while we were finishing our meal, made our group feel very well taken care of. All in all, an excellent Saturday night dining experience!!!

After reading the reviews, I wish 2 things. 1) That I had read the reviews more carefully before coming here; and 2) that I had ordered the pizza! Even though I didn’t, I still enjoyed the restaurant.
I really liked the atmosphere and décor, even though some other reviewers described it as pretentious. My date and I started out with the cheese plate, which was really good, but overpriced in my opinion. I had the spaghetti with baby lobster tails as an entrée. I enjoyed it, but the serving size was very small, and it was also overpriced. For dessert, we split the tiramisu substitute, which was superb. Nice wine list. Service was stellar.
While my experience at this restaurant was favorable, I guess I would suggest ordering the pizza in lieu of the pricier entrees, because the entrees weren’t so fabulous as to warrant their price. I will be back to try the pizza for sure.

Outstanding. Just… outstanding.
The service was very attentive the night we were there and the atmosphere & décor is very cool and minimalist. I don’t really «get» the mannequins in the front windows, but to me that is different than what you normally see in Chicago, so that’s cool. Shows me the owner is trying something new.
Ketel One martinis were awesome. I had a lemon one and an orange one, BF had pomegranate. We then shared the beet salad, which was arugula, balsamic vinaigrette, beets, walnuts and the most deliciously creamy piece of Gorgonzola on top. yum. We thought the pizzas would be small, so we each ordered one, but they were huge! I ordered the margharita and he got the prosciutto & mushroom. For dessert I had to order the panna cotta, and boy that surely did not disappoint. BF ordered this lemon sorbet that was drizzled with some sort of liqueur.
It was all very decadent and fabulous — perfect for a special night out. I am very glad I finally got to try Follia and will definitely be back.

I guess I’ll just have to come back and try the pizza. Pizza seems to be where it’s at.
Husband and I made reservations for NYE last night at Follia. We’d been wanting to try it for some time now and just kept putting it off. Being such a big night we decided to have something other than the pizza. I started with the salad w/​beets, blue cheese and walnuts. It was pretty great… Husband started off with the prosciutto and Parmesan, he was quite pleased with it.
It came time to order entrees and I was a bit torn between three of the four pasta dishes. So I nicely asked our server which she preferred and she was kind of taken a back that I would even ask which dish was preferred… she kind of «tsk’d» me and said they’re all very good. Well fabulous, I didn’t ask which one was the best of the list, I specifically asked which she preferred, what her favorite was, usually seems to be a good way to decide when you’re torn. So I decided to try the lobster and spicy tomato dish w/​linguine. Husband had the Chilean sea bass.
We should have ordered the pizza. Husbands bass was lukewarm and over cooked on a potato patty of sorts. It didn’t taste bad, but it wasn’t a $ 30 fish dish, that’s for certain. My lobster, eh. I wouldn’t have paid $ 15.00 for it at Red Lobster… never mind that I hate Red Lobster. Our bill w/​tip was close to $ 200 after 5 drinks between the 2 of us, apps and entrees. We were very disappointed and can’t even blame it on the business of NYE crowds, because it wasn’t over packed by any means.
I do want to go back and try the pizza’s, we really should have just gone with what they seem to be known for… next time, there will probably be a next time.
2 Stars from me for only one decent part of a meal, less than desirable service and severely over-​priced establishment.

I can only comment on Follia’s pizzas. I have eaten at this restaurant on several occasions but because the pizza is so out of this world good, I have yet to try a different item :(
In the summer, I will have an arugula salad and share a pizza with a friend. Good wine list. Great people watching. I rarely see suburbanites (and for me that is a good thing) but I do see a nice set of «smartly dressed» people of varying ages.
Finally, I think the owner is a warm and friendly man and that usually makes it a worth while visit for me.

Chicago’s own version of the NYC meatpacking district has produced some true culinary delights with Follia being no exception.
I’ve had two outstanding dinners here… one as a large group (approx 12) and another as a pair dining a deux.
The fashion displays that revolve monthly are funky, creative and totally play to someone just like me. Follia, serving traditional italian fare, does not in any way look like a pasta and sauce type joint. It’s clean white lines, teal glass tile and chrome accents are sleek, modern and sexy. Trendy without being obnoxious.
My meals have been amaaaaazing. I’m still dreaming of the Osso Bucco and the Tortelli al Tartufo — homemade tortelli stuffed with spinach, ricotta and sauteed in butter and black truffles. OMFG.
The antipasto rustico platter is a chefs choice of daily fresh ingredients… the perfect starter to an amazing meal. The platter was practically the size of our table plated high with cheeses, meats, fruits, veggies, eggplant, spreads, nuts, you name it!!!
Everyone drools over their thin-​crust pizza and rightfully so… they were amazing. Every last one of them, although no one would try the anchovy (napoletana) pizza with me. I may just have to make a special trip back alone to dine with my sardines and without disgusted looks!
We enjoyed delectable dishes, sweet prosecos, amazing wines, complimentary lemoncellos, and great company all wrapped up the pretty package that is Follia. I will surely be back… again… and again… Avere la Botte Piena e la Moglie Ubriaca! Have your cake and eat it too!!!

I liked Follia but a few things could have been better in my opinion. This restaurant is set up for warm spring/​summer nights, not for cold weather which in Chicago happens more than just a few days a year (hello???). We sat across from the front door and every time someone came in, we got blown by this cold breeze and after a couple of times, it got to be quite a pain. The other complaint I have is that the pasta menu is pretty limited. Only 3 pasta dishes + 1 risotto. And if someone tells you that this place is conversation friendly, don’t believe them. High cielings and no carpet make it for a loud environment.
Ok, with all that out of my system, I must say that my Black Tagliatelli with Shrimp was simply to die for. And my husband’s pizza was awesome too.
But for some reason, if I think of Follia, the word «naked» comes to my mind. A naked place with a naked décor and a naked menu.

I decided to check out Follia for my birhday last week.
My thoughts before I went there:
— It’s supposed to be extraordinarily expensive
— The service is said to be snooty
— The place looks very plain
— The portions are too small and not worth the $
My reactions after my bf took me there:
— Staff was great! They gave my bf the exact table he requested over the phone.
— They had flowers he ordered already placed on the table with a candle.
— The staff was really nice, the owner said hi, they didn’t act obnoxious at all, even though I had to be on the phone a few times to accept birthday wishes from friends.
— We ordered just an appetizer and a pizza, then ended with the tiramisu-​substitute dessert. And were very full and satisfied. The pizza was done to perfection!
And I loved my experience there! The ambiance was soothing and stylish, staff was nice and friendly, food was good, paid only $ 30 (we are vegetarians and don’t drink) — great birthday overall !!!
Only one con if I may add: The noise! It was LOUD in there!