Best Mediterranean Restaurants in West Loop

The food is excellent. We were with another couple and ordered the cauliflower, zucchini pancakes, baked clams, tortellachi, brandzino and duck. Everything was delicious. Our server was very attentive & brought two samples of wine to taste. It was an extremely cold night & the tables near the door are drafty. Avoid if possible. Also no valet parking so plan to look for parking in the neighborhood.

Phenomenal food, ambience, and service. Small restaurant so expect to be close to others, but the food is well worth it. Brussels sprout salad, short rib hummus, and chicken shawarma are all A+ dishes, can’t go wrong!

We dined at Il Carciofo for first time 2 nights ago. We were five people, celebrating a couple birthdays. Overall, it was excellent. For antipasti, we had the artichoke, lamb ribs and calamari. All were excellent. Lamb ribs were a little fatty for my taste, but lamb is fattier, and everyone else at the table loved them. Terrific flavor with the glaze, so tender. Artichoke was also a fave. Next we had the mortadella pizza (really more like a panini) - so, so good - one of the best things we had. For pasta we had the rigatoni carbonara, rich and delicious, the oxtail tagliatelle, my personal fave, and the mezza rigatoni alla amatriciana, spicy and very good. For the forgo, we had the halibut with clams and mussels - was good, but not special, and a tad overcooked. We also had the veal saltimbocca, which was very good and enjoyed. We had the potatoes and fungji e formaggi as contort (sides). Potatoes were great; the funghi were special, really loved them. Finally for dessert we ordered pistachio gelato - did not enjoy; it was not creamy, a bit more grainy (coursely grpund pistachio?). They also brought us the Zeppole di san Giuseppe for the birthday dessert, and it was delicious. Our server was really great, attentive but not overbearing. She explained all the dishes and did a nice job on a very busy Friday. The restaurant is lively and kind of loud, but not so much that you can’t hear others at your table. Wine list is good, some nice, creative cocktails. Overall, a great experience that I highly recommend, and I congratulate Joe Flamm and his team on another great restaurant.

The place itself is perfect for groups or drinks. It’s a little loud and very airy/big room so not very romantic for a date. The food is all interesting, each dish has its own unique flavor. Our favorites were the brown butter hummus and pistachio ravioli.

I was so happy we were able to get in last minute. We looked at reservations for tonight around 11 am, the only thing available was 9:15. Maybe 45 minutes later a 6:45 pops up and we were able to snag it. We had the short rib humus, whipped feta, hamachi, pork belly, steak & frites, fried halloumi and two kabobs. Perfect for all 4 of us hungry eaters. 100% will be back- if you can get in I highly recommend trying anything and everything on the menu. Service was impeccable. Food was courses perfectly and everything came out hot right out of the oven. If you have been to Bavel in LA you will love this “sister” in Chicago