Shells & Sauce

Generous portions. It appears to be always crowded so make a reservation– you’ll thank me for the suggestion. The food is tasty and the service is right-​on. The Reason for 4 stars not 5, the restaurant is very noisy and crowded. It is a gem in a residential neighborhood.

The food is always delicious. The only drawback is the hostess just always acts incredibly rude and makes you feel stupid for wanting to eat there. Kind of a buzzkill.

In one sentence: reasonably priced large portions of delicious italian food.
Things that are great about this place:
— The waiting staff was extremely helpful
— Portions are very large, everyone in our party was stuffed at the end of the night
— The fried brussles sprouts with chipotle mayo is a must have for the table to share
— Chicken piccata was chock full of flavor
— The bartender (Jose) was knowledgeable and friendly
Things that could be improved:
— The waiting area is this little hallway that is separated from the restaurant by a door which makes waiting for your table to open up a little awkward
— Tables are very close to one another especially near the walls, this place is great for an intimate date but the proximity of the tables means you’ll get a little intimate with your neighbors as well

This is probably closer to a 3.5 but it was pretty good. The plates are really giant so unless you’re sharing appetizers with the table, I might skip them altogether. The mozzarella sticks are 4 giant bricks and you can’t help but say ‘whoa’ when you see them — just to let you know a bit about their portion size. Their lasagna can EASILY feed 2 hungry people. It’s almost silly. The lasagna was good but could have used a little more sauce. That said, it had a proper ratio of ricotta to meat to pasta. The shells duo was ok. The sweet potato filling was a little too sweet and the pesto cream sauce didn’t quite cut that sweetness. The cheese shells were slightly congealed but the time they made it to the table. Their salmon plate was giant and delicious. Certainly a big piece of fish for $ 20. The chicken in the chicken marsala was perfectly cooked (always a bit of a litmus tests for restaurants). While this place is good, I think for the quality and the price, I would prefer Cherry Tomato over on 23^rd and Dexter.

The Vesuvio Skillet is very filling, very good and you need someone to eat it with you. Their green chilli is superb! Must come back for Braised Pork Arepas!!!

The veal here is so amazing I really didn’t even feel guilty about eating veal. I would not recommend their entrée called shells and sauce, but I would totally recommend their INCREDIBLE table bread. It might be might favorite part of the whole thing since you get one every time.
Their drink the «Cabana Boy» is super delicious.

A friend brought me here for brunch, but would love to come back for dinner! Great meal and enjoyed the selection… I love how homey it feels and will be back soon!

I came here for brunch. I was really in the mood for pasta but based on a recommendation from the staff I got the chicken and waffles. They were super good! The chicken was juicy and well-​cooked. I had just the right amount of syrup, and the bacon and scallions were a nice touch. I also had a mimosa which was just right. Tommy, at least per the check, who was the bartender was friendly friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. I had a great experience and look forward to going back to try some other things.

What can I say about Shells and Sauce? I was thoroughly impressed with our food here. My friend brought me here to celebrate my birthday. Our table was upstairs with a view of the neighborhood. I’m so happy my friend made reservations because the place was packed.
I ordered the house Riesling. I wasn’t to impressed, but I didn’t want to send it back as the rest of my party already ordered drinks and appetizers. I had a bite of my friend’s crab cake and it was delicious. I ordered the mussels. They were cooked well but I didn’t care for the sauce. I know it sounds like I wasn’t that happy but the experience gets better from here.
I don’t really want to fault our server too much because there was a serious language barrier. I think if that wasn’t the case, it would’ve been easier to communicate with her. We had the pleasure of meeting the GM and he was WONDERFUL.
I ordered the salmon/​pasta dish. My salmon was cooked perfectly and the pasta was super fresh. I loved the sauce on this dish. My friends said all their dishes were delicious. We got many different desserts. Can I tell you that the Cheesecake was bomb! It was so fluffy, it looked like red-​whip was the filling. Even if you don’t eat, be sure to go there just for that.
All in all, I had a wonderful time and I can’t wait to go back.

I’ve been here for brunch and now dinner. Time for an update. The Unilocal special when you check in doesn’t apply anymore. No happy hour wine… Boo… They should update that. Service was okay… But it must be said that The host was pretty rude, he rolled his eyes when we said that we didn’t make reservations. Yikes. Our server was just tired. She seemed overworked. Overall service was underwhelming but the food, was fantastic. I had the classic clams pasta. My friend had the stuffed shells. Also delicious. Yum. Those clams were perfect. Their bread paired well with the sauce… I also shared the crab cake app. So lovely. It really is a Lovely spot for food. It’s a bit cramped. But it’s got charm. A neighborhood bistro with a Lovely intimate feel. Service needs a lift but great delicious dishes and the brunch is great. I love their brunch options. Chicken and waffles… Yum. Def coming back.

Usually a great dinner and brunch spot on most days, I’ve been here many times without complaints. However GM and disgruntled host Oscar went out of his way to ensure that we had a less than sub-​par experience. We put our name in at 11 a.m. on a busy Sunday morning for a party of six. We are told it would be half an hour to 45 minute wait and we were told that the restaurant cannot seat incomplete parties… Nothing out of the norm. But the real kicker is we then proceed to wait over an hour and a half. Then we watch in astonishment while three LARGER and INCOMPLETE parties seat ahead of us. People funnel in 30 – 40 minutes apart for a parties of 8 and a larger party of 10. All the time we are the only people waiting.
No one appreciates being lied to, or feels as if they are at the subject of unequal treatment to other guests. We ask Oscar why this was the case…“why were larger and incomplete parties were seated ahead of us?” He then goes into a flailing tantrum, shows us «time stamps» of when we have arrived and is totally adamant about proving that he was in the right rather than fixing the situation. We then learn that the reason why that the other parties had priority seating was because they made a reservation. Great. Easily could have saved everyone’s time and patience with that fact stated earlier.
Let me be clear– we thought Oscar was seating guests because he was a host. But to learn that he was the General Manager of the restaurant was very discouraging. Every encounter became a little more frustrating that he was so stubborn and hostile in his arguments. «You should have known!» or «It’s not my fault!» are not typically in a restaurant manager’s lingo. He was very rude and unaccommodating.
A learning experience nonetheless. We’re making a reservation next time.

Wow I cannot believe I haven’t written a review for this place yet!
My absolute favorite neighborhood brunch spot… that being said I have only had brunch here, so I can’t speak for the rest of their menu, but I can only assume it is equally amazing.
First of all, this place is absolutely adorable on the inside. Their patio is always bathed in sunlight during brunch hours, and their main dining area is bustling. The bar seems like a pretty legit place to sidle up to as well, and the bartenders pour a mean bloody and mimosa! If the place is super crowded (always) you might be sad upstairs in their «attic» space, which has it’s very own bar and is equally as awesome!
The service each time I have been here has been stellar, and on times when the service was slow, my server has offered to buy my drinks for me to compensate. Talk about customer service!
I always order the chicken and waffles, and for only $ 12, you get a massive belgian waffle and the largest chicken breast I have ever seen, which is moist, juicy, and crisp all at the same time! And it’s an entire breast itself that is filleted and fried. no bones here! The Stranahan’s whisky butter is one of a kind as well. I can’t lie and say I’ve never thought about eating it solo. Also, they serve real maple syrup! Not that garbage Aunt Jemima stuff.
Their homemade biscuits are fabulous, as are their benny’s. Next time you’re in the Cheeseman neighborhood during the hours of 10−2pm, stop by Shell’s & Sauce. You won’t be disappointed!

Fabulous brunch spot! We brunched here on a Saturday morning thanks to Groupon. Some tips:
–Book a reservation on Open Table. There were tons of people waiting and we just strolled in and were seated automatically. Just do it.
–Pass on the Vesuvio skillet. I was stoked to see this on the menu because I loose Chicken Vesuvio but it was pretty lackluster
–Order the Chicken and Waffles, even if it’s just to share. Every table other than ours had chicken and waffles and I instantly had food envy. I had the crab cake benedict and it was pretty damn amazing but am still sad I didn’t try the chicken and waffles.
–Bring earplugs. Seriously. It was so loud in there, I’m not ready to admit I’m getting older so I will keep it at it’s the environment thats loud!
–Don’t expect a lot of conversation with wait staff. Our lady was efficient but not chatty. It is what it is.

I have to say I was not impressed we thought we would try something new for some reason I just thought there was a lot of garlic everything I ordered I did love the mozzarella sticks however

Great brunch spot! I never knew this little area of town existed and yet is super close to where I live. I need to return to try a few other establishments. Call ahead or go to Open Table to get a reservation, otherwise you would be waiting an hour plus on the weekend. They have a nice outdoor patio, but do not allow dogs on the patio. A lot of people tied their dogs up on the fence outside of the patio. One customer left his poor pup outside of the restaurant while he dinned inside. Let’s just say the dog whined the entire time until he was done eating and left. Quite annoying to everyone eating there. (Don’t be that guy!)
Shells & Sauce does serve bottomless mimosas, so they got that going for them. I had the Garden Omlete, then added the Jalapeño Elk sausage. The Elk Sausage was amazing! It added a nice kick to an already flavorful omelet. I noticed there were also pastas on the menu for brunch. I have not tried myself nor did anyone in my group, but I would love to return and try.
The dinner menu also looked very good, so let’s just say I will be returning in the near future!

Love this place, the service and the food were both amazing!
We came for our 5^th anniversary on a Thursday evening and the restaurant was packed! We didn’t have to wait long for an outside table, probably like 3 – 5 mins. We had an amazing server, his name was Jaime/​Jamie (sp?) Really funny guy. You know how sometimes you just connect with people? I felt that from our server.
First off I’d like to say that their bread is probably one of the best bread I’ve ever had at an Italian place. Toasty, warm, well-​seasoned and super soft/​moist on the inside. The sauce was perfection, I love anything balsamic so it really hits home. I would go back for the bread alone. Another server was so considerate, he walked by and said to be careful with the bread dipping going through the patio table grates. I was very appreciative of that, as my bf always gets food on his clothes… :)
We ordered a bottle of Rose, delicious and dry, just how I like it. It was perfect for the summer. I ordered the Creamy Piccata with Salmon w a side chopped salad and he ordered the Filet Tip Stronganoff w a side of Caesar salad. The Filet Tip Stronganoff is definitely a manly meal, filling and a good size portion. Flavor was great and creamy for sure! I wish I had more pasta in my creamy piccta cuz the pasta was literally 2 bites, but the salmon made up for it, and it was pan fried to perfection.
The chopped salad had a really good tangy flavor but I thought the dressing was a bit much, however, the Caesar salad was super delicious, with an anchovy on top.
There were some customers that were seated after us in the next table, they were seated probably 15 mins after us, ordered and got their food before us. Before I even had a chance to waive down Jamie, I saw him looking at the other table and went back to the kitchen to get our food. He cracked a joke saying that he went and yelled at someone for us, I sure hope he didn’t, but it was very attentive of him to notice when they were super packed. I highly recommend this place, great atmosphere, great food, great/​amazing service… everything I’d look for for our anniversary dinner.
Thank you Shells and Sauce, it was so nice to meet you. You bet we will be back with friends and family… or just us alone so we can have more of that delicious bread!

This restaurant epitomizes a true neighborhood hot spot from friendly staff, non pretentious food to the relaxed vibe. Not to mention the prime location in Congress Park and a nice rooftop patio (opens Thur-​Sun). I have dined here on several occasions for brunch, happy hour and dinner and I can honestly say that the food has been consistently great!
Brunch: you can’t beat the $ 3 Mimosa/​Bloody Mary deal! The grilled portabella and asparagus Benedict was a very good option for vegetarians. However, the Rocky Mountain Frittata was the apparent winner with elk sausage, goat cheese and whiskey cream!
Happy Hour: a great selection of tapas, pizzas and small plates. Happy Hour doesn’t get much better than this! You get a very decent sized pizza for $ 5!
Dinner: they usually have nightly specials handwritten on the chalkboard right above the open kitchen in addition to the normal dinner menu. They portions are very generous. Their thin crust pizza was cooked in such a rustic manner that reminded me of the authentic pizzas I had in Italy!
Do yourself a favor and check out this bistro when you’re in the neighborhood. I promise you won’t regret it!

I have been to Shells & Sauce twice, once for dinner and once for weekend brunch. When I had dinner here, we sat outside on the patio and had decent service (nothing to phone home about!) and I ordered the classic spaghetti and meatballs with wine. It was pretty good and decently priced! I enjoy the atmosphere outside, as you feel you are at a little bistro in Italy. There’s definitely a warm, neighborhood vibe to the restaurant.
As mentioned before, Shells & Sauce is a cute Italian bistro known for their classic Italian fare, so I was unsure what to expect during brunch (pasta and eggs kind of weirds me out– this is on the menu though!). The inside of Shells & Sauce is very intimate and what you would think of when the words «Italian bistro» come to mind. Since my friend and I arrived around 11:30 AM, we decided to sit at the bar to avoid a 30 minute wait for a table. The bar was somewhat retro, as the counters were sleek black with colorful circles sporadically placed, which I enjoyed. Disco mindset for a Sunday morning!
While we looked at the menu, the pleasing price of $ 3 for a Bloody Mary really caught my eye. You oftentimes don’t find Bloodys for a meager $ 3 anymore, so I wasn’t sure if they would be good or bad. Ahah… But, Shells & Sauce… You really executed the $ 3 Bloody. I ended up having two of the Bloodys, although I could have had even more if I wasn’t going to drive a bit later. On a side note, I ordered the Vesuvio Skillet Breakfast with Italian sausage and green chili, which was AMAZING! I used to order skillets all the time but switched to benedicts two years ago, so the Vesuvio Skillet was a nice reminder of the good ol’ days.
Check out my full Bloody Mary review here:

The ambience and décor at this place is absolutely beautiful and the glistening icicle lights at night is just the perfect touch. It’s the perfect place for a 1^st date or any date for that matter =)
The food is so-​so which is why i am not giving more stars. The bread appetizer is this huge round piece of bread that is very awkward to share and requires it to be cut. While this is fine but if you’re on a fancy date, you woudln’t want to get your fingers all greasy trying to cut the bread apart to share with your date. The dip is also very sour for some reason. The crab cake was good but there wasn’t a lot to go between our table of 5. We also tried the mussels which were much better than the other appetizers we tried that night.
For the entrée, i went for the chicken parmesan because I craved it that night. But in hindsight, I should have probably gone with a seafood option like the rest of my table but those were a lot pricier and I wasn’t sure how they would taste. The chicken parmesan was pretty dry but the chicken was tender. It was a HUGE portion so I took some away with me for the next day because I simply couldn’t finish after all those appetizers. Next time I would definitely go with a seafood pasta option and hopefully it’s better than the chicken parm.

I love this place. They are a great, unwavering member of the community. You’ll get good food, good portions, and honest prices. I’ve never been waited on by anyone who wasn’t anything but attentive and polite. Not to mention their 3 dollar mimosas and their killer bloody Mary’s.
I always go for the specials. Most of the time they are good, but every so often they are out of this world. I remember this one sandwich they were serving during brunch; they called it a «grilled cheese prime rib» something or another. It was cheesy, melty, savory, the meat was tender, and you dunked it in a homemade au jus. It was amazing.
It stays just busy enough to keep the atmosphere lively and fun, but not so busy you wait around forever for a table. I’ll keep coming back as long as they’re open.