RoSal’s

We just finished a ballgame last Saturday night nearby and called to see if they had room for us (5:30ish) and thank goodness they did! It’s a small restaurant, we sat downstairs but they do have an upstairs, I’m not sure how large it is. The service was so so friendly. The owner was out in the dining room speaking with everyone for a good portion of the time we were there — I love that. It didn’t matter if you were a regular (there were many there that we could tell) or a first timer, you felt so welcomed.
Let’s get down to the food!!! They have a great kids menu — entrée, drink and lemon ice dessert for $ 8. My son got the spaghetti and meatball, the portion was huge and he ate everything. I thought my dish was the stand out of the evening. It was pasta w/​a lemon cream sauce with shrimp and prosciutto. OMG!!! Seriously amazing! Large portion size and the shrimp were legit — no salad sized small shrimp.
Really reasonably priced wine list.
We will definitely be back!!!

I’m from Omaha and I love this place found it by accident whenever in town I try and go there

I’m hesitant to review this place. It’s the best Italian in Chicago and I don’t want to lose it to the unworthy. My advice, give the waitress a vague idea of what you like so she can recommend the dish for you.

I had the most wonderful experience at Rosals. I was visiting from out of town with a group and since I grew up in NYC in an Italian family my group challenged me to find Italian in Chicago that I would approve. Our group has challenged me in every city across the country over the past 3 years and nothing has met the standards of what I can create in my own kitchen. I reviewed over 30 menus and reviews locally and based on Rosals menu I determined that their menu is closest to what I might enjoy. That was an understatement as tonight I was blown away by how authentic to my home the food was. The mussels, clams, artichokes got my really excited followed by an incredible main course. Hats off to Rosals for really making it a great experience. There was a saying on the wall by our table that said something to the effect of come in as a customer, leave as family. Its the perfect way to describe your business and I will make it a point to visit every trip to Chicago in the Future. Thanks again. Ken

My absolute favorite restaurant in Chicago! The food is fresh, flavorful, and plentiful. The staff is always very friendly, responsive, and helpful. The owner always comes to our table to chat when we stop in and remembers exactly what we spoke about during our previous trip (which are usually months and one time a year apart). The restaurant is beautiful and cozy. I absolutely love Rosal’s.

Went there with a small group on a Sat. night. Service was OK. Food was not not bad but nothing to write home about. The place was not packed for a Sat. night. We might go there again but just by ourselves. Waitstaff seemed mildly miffed because we did not order bottles of wine. I think this is a good old-​fashion Italian place, but they may be trying to be fancy in the wrong way. Nonetheless, we will try it again.

This place is great. The only place that I might enjoy just a little bit more is Sabatino’s. But with that said, if that’s the only place in this sort of «class», that’s good company.

This place has great food! However the ambiance, particularly upstairs, is lacking. The carpet upstairs is dirty and the décor is awful, making the experience upstairs, aside from the food, quite unpleasant. The ambiance downstairs is better than upstairs but it is not great either.
The restaurant has one single unisex bathroom, which is unappealing to me. I also find the service to be unusually slow at this restaurant– expect your dinner to take a long time even if you tell the waitstaff you need to be somewhere.

More or less everything you would want out of a white tablecloth but homey Italian American dining room. Staff was friendly, server smiled and chatted with all her guests, and food was generous and delicious. A table of three gets a large warm loaf of crusty bread with oil and cheese to take the edge off hunger. The wine list had a couple of bottles for $ 30 — we enjoyed a 2012 Merlot from Sicily. I had the chicken marsala — angel hair was al dente, sauce was a aromatic, sweet thin coating around every noodle, mushrooms were meaty and plentiful, and the two pounded chicken breast filets were tender but could have used a touch more seasoning to permeate the meat. Only flat note of the night was that our server did know some customers very well and spent some time at a table near us catching up while we were trying to catch her attention and head to our next destination. Otherwise, RoSal’s is an example of why Italian cuisine still rules upper-​middle class dining in American cities.

Through and through just an excellent dining experience. My girlfriend and I dined at Rosal’s for Valentine’s Day. The atmosphere is everything you’d expect from a traditional «red-​sauce» establishment in Little Italy.
Our host and server was outstanding. Knowledgeable and helpful, but by no means overbearing. We shared the fried raviolis as an appetizer and nearly licked the plate clean it was so good. For dinner my girlfriend had the shrimp Alfredo and I have the Veal Parmigiana. It was one of the best meals I’ve had in a very long time.
They have made lifetime customers after that meal!

Best Italian food in Chicago on famous Taylor street! Amazing service, great owners, and even better food! Gnocchi’s, linguine al frutti di mare, and the dessert like are all amazing!

As in other reviews the portions are huge so you can split a main course. Had the Rigatoni Diablo. The pasta was very fresh but the sauce wasn’t spicy and not very tasty.
My wife had the gluten free pasta which cost a premium and not too good.
The restaurant is cute and staff was nice but average food.

Walking in, the atmosphere is great. The owner came over and introduced himself. Food was pretty good but not best I’ve had in Chicago. Great place for a date though and awesome customer service!

Ate here on Friday 1÷8÷16 in a group of 7 and had an exceptional meal. The calamari was perfectly cooked, the mussels were probably the best I’ve ever had, and the handmade pastas were incredible. Great spot for date-​night, great spot for Hawks/​Bulls pre-​game, and a lot of fun for a bigger group as well. Classic family-​style Italian but more authentic and cozier atmosphere than those restaurants that try hard but come up short; we will absolutely go back.

The place was small but nice. Family pictures were the decorations on the wall. Also, Italian music was played throughout our time there. Food was amazing. I loved the fried ravioli and fried shrimp spaghetti. Their sausage and lasagna were great too. We parked on the streets as it wasn’t hard to find one. But we realized there was a valet parking too at the restaurant. The wait for the food was about 25 mins. The waitress was really sweet. I’ll probably visit again. The price is definitely on the higher end. The portion was quite big though so it’s worth the money.

We chose this little gem of a restaurant because we wanted an authentic, non chain option in little Italy. So happy with our choice! Went with a total of 5 people and all of us got different entrees. The starter Friend Ravioli and Rolled Eggplant was so delicious! I would have don’t an entrée of wither of these. My entrée was the Chicken Carbona, and let me say it was the hit of the table. Perfect blend of cheese sauce, the best I’ve ever had. Other people had Veal Parm (SO GOOD) one had a Special of the day with Sausage and Chicken (Sausage had the best homemade taste and 2 gnocchi with different sauces, Everyone was so happy with their entrees. We also ordered the Cannolli and the Chocolate Peanut butter Pie (to go!) SO GLAD WE DID! Atmosphere is that of a small restaurant, we sat upstairs and that is set up like someone’s living room. LOVED IT. Prices were very reasonable and portions were huge! WE had a great waiter and the owner stopped by 2x to check on our meal. I cannot wait to go back!

The fourth of four evening meals on a recent trip, every one a winner. Chicago is a great eating town.
This is an enlarged hole-​in-​the-​wall Italian. Nothing unexpected, and also nothing wrong: you’ll get exactly the traditional fare you’d predict. Friendly staff, decent wine list, crowded tables in a storefront setting: perfect low-​thought food in large portions. So the 3* is exactly what the ‘A-​OK’ description should be: not fancy, but reliable, a place to go and meet old friends where the focus will be the conversation rather than the food but you’ll leave full and happy.

One of Chicagos best. Small neighborhood place serving great food with great service. Six of us at dinner and each dish was great. Fried ravioli app was great as well as the eggplant rolls. Service was friendly and prompt.

This place was amazing. It felt like I was eating grandma’s Italian cooking. By far one of the best Italian places we have ever been to. Looking forward to returning to Chicago and eating here again. Every thing we ordered was amazing!

Went here for a corporate dinner —
The minute we walked in I was hooked. It’s a quaint little Italian restaurant that is dim lit and cozy.
The appetizers were amazing — we ordered calamari which was absolutely delicious. I’m so glad it was fresh and not breaded so you could really get calamaris true flavor. We also had the ravioli which was outstanding.
They have duck stuffed ravioli which is on my bucket list to get next time I dine here I’m sure it’s outstanding!
For dinner I ordered the cod fish which was on top of penne noodles and a light lemon cream sauce, broccoli and capers. It was so delicious!
Heads up though! These dishes are family style. Next time I go I definitely know to share with everyone else because your dish alone is for at least 2 – 3 people.
Overall AMAZING! I highly recommend!

Great food! Great service! Large portions. I was sad we were headed to a show and couldn’t take our leftovers with us. The fried ravioli is amazing. Can’t wait to come back and try something else.

RoSal’s has exceptional food, exceptional service, and very fair prices. My wife and I wanted to try this place out after a recommendation from a friend and we were so glad we did! Everything about our experience was stunning. We were greeted by a pleasant hostess, seated immediately, and given fantastic recommendations by our waiter. We tried to fried ravioli for appetizers and were absolutely floored. When we got our main courses (rigatoni diablo and shrimp alla anival), we were even more amazed. The food was piping hot and delicious – and big enough for 2 – 3 meals! The price was very reasonable and we were extremely happy with how we were treated and how our food turned out. Highly recommended. We can’t wait to come back here again!

We found RoSal’s on the Check Please site and took a chance. The décor is elegant but puts you at ease. The service was very good. As a former waitress, I have very high standards that, frankly, are rarely met. There was nothing to complain about and everything to compliment regarding the service at RoSal’s. Now for the food, may I just say-​sublime. Down home Sicilian. Go there. We will be back. PS. They have valet.

I don’t understand how folks could give this place one star.
We went to RoSals on a double date and couldn’t have been more satisfied. The service was amongst the best (friendly, knowledgable, personable, unintrusive) we’ve seen anywhere. The food was exceptional; highly recommend the fried ravioli (the sauce was out of control), the gnocchi was perfect, chicken florentine was out of this world. The environment was very comfortable, not loud, and perfect for conversation; you feel like you are a guest in somebody’s home. The owner came and talked to us for a while; very charming man who gave us a few laughs and gave us a little history of his business and his passion (the food).
We highly recommend this place if you’re looking for great food and a family experience.

Great food! Came here with the 2 pickiest men on the planet. My boyfriend and my son. Both left full and extremely satisfied.
The ravioli app is a must! We got the chicken florentino very good but a little too much cheese. We also got the salmon and artichoke heart pasta which was amazing! Really great portions for the price. You definitely won’t leave this place without being full to the max!

Pros: Good sized portions (if that’s your sort of thing).
Cons: Indifferent service, food overcooked.
Our group of seven went to RoSal’s for Mother’s Day dinner last night; we won’t be going back.
Food: The most notable sin at RoSal’s was that most of the dishes came out overcooked. The biggest problems came with the steaks. Two out of three were not cooked to temperature. A filet that was ordered rare came out medium well, and another filet was undercooked and unevenly cooked. I know what you’re thinking «why order steak at an Italian restaurant?» (I agree) but simply put, if a dish is on the menu, a restaurant should have proficiency in properly cooking it.
Generally speaking, the food had good flavor and if I was rating on flavor of the dishes alone, RoSal’s would have merited 3 stars.
Service: Our waitress was very indifferent and didn’t spend much time with our large group. I did not expect fawning service (I don’t like that anyway) but it was only after we had been waiting 20+ minutes for our entrees that she strolled by to say that the delay was because of the steaks we ordered (note: the restaurant was only ²⁄₃ full, and it doesn’t take 20 minutes to cook a steak).
When one steak came out VERY overcooked, the waitress whisked it away with nary an apology. The replacement steak was brought to the table after everyone else had finished eating. While I don’t expect free food, the manager should have at least come to the table to apologize or offered to comp something. It puts a damper on the dining experience when six people have to wait on someone else to eat due to the kitchen’s mishap.
Later, we had the following conversation with our waitress:
Waitress: Would you like dessert menus?
Us: Yes.
*Three minutes passes*
Waitress: Would you like dessert menus?
Us: Yes.
Not the end of the world, but typical of our interactions. When dessert menus came, they were hurriedly passed out upside down. Certainly not a crime, but indicative of an inattention to detail.
Ambiance: The restaurant has a casual, unassuming vibe. I saw a couple reviews state that it’s romantic; it is not. The restaurant was noticeably cold on our visit; so much so that we had to ask the waitress to turn up the heat. Her response: «I’ll tell them to turn off the air conditioner». Why the a/​c was on when the temperature was in the 50s is a question to which I will never know the answer as I won’t be returning to this establishment.

A good friend has been going here for years with his family and highly recommended Rosals. Unilocal reviews fully supported his recommendation (solid 4 stars). Rosals just celebrated 25 years in the heart of Chicagos Taylor Street, they must be serving great Italian food, right?
Right!!!
Nope.
Our server was very friendly and explained we could basically create our dish and made some recommendations. The caprese lacked any character (and used some really tasteless tomatoes) but we were willing to overlook it. The Rigatoni Arrabiata also lacked any punch (had to supplement with red pepper flakes which I’ve never used in my life) and the Rigatoni Gambini was a complete disaster— sauce that resembles watered down milk, same tasteless tomatoes borrowed from the caprese topped with spinach sautéed to minimize flavor.
I wanted to send back the Gambini and ask if that’s how it’s intended to be prepared but, hey, they’ve been there for 25 years, I guess someone likes how it’s made.
Stunned it has more than 2 stars on Unilocal.Almost went to La Scarola the next day to remind ourselves what Italian food can taste like.

As soon as I walked in the owner came up to us and was very friendly. He was humorous and inviting. He walked us upstairs to our seats. It was a very comfortable atmosphere and so old school.
Now when I got upstairs to my seats the waiters were very friendly still and attentive. I got moscato that was perfect to taste.
I ordered the chicken alla Ramon. It was absolutely amazing. I couldn’t finish it all Because I had so much bread. But my food was very good. It had a lot of flavor, and was spicy.
The music was very fitting. It wasn’t too loud. It was romantic. It was a perfect night and I would definitely recommend this place.

Eating at RoSal’s reminds me of Sunday dinner at my nonna’s when I was a kid. The atmosphere is homey with an old-​country décor, and they make me feel welcome. (Only no one pushes me to clean my plate.)
Hadn’t been here for at least a year when we visited last week, so wasn’t sure what to expect. Glad to report it hasn’t changed much. I ordered the shells with fresh broccoli and shrimp, sautéed with just the right amount of garlic. Delicious. My friend had the ½ chicken RoSal’s, perfectly seasoned… but his vesuvio potatoes were overcooked. Our salads were nothing special. But the scooped-​out pineapple filled with homemade sorbet and the tiramisu were both awesome.
The waitress was very attentive. She didn’t hurry us, even though it was busy. Refilled out coffee several times without asking. The food here is good, but I think it’s the service that sets this restaurant apart from most of the others on Taylor.