Campagnola

My husband & I plus 2 other couples went to this restaurant for dinner last night. It was so good! Three had pasta dishes they loved, 2 had their halibut special (delicious!) & one had their ribeye special (so good). We all had their bread pudding for dessert and agreed it is the BEST bread pudding we’ve ever had. Definitely a restaurant we all recommend. Hope to be back!!

Great little place with very good food. Ambiance is upscale casual. Portions are not huge but the food is quite good. Pricing is a bit on the high side but sort of what you would expect for the area and the size of the restaurant which is somewhat small. Reservations are recommended. Pricing on the wine is a bit high and it adds to the overall cost of the meal. The appetizers were all great and the mains were all above average. I would say average price for 2 with appetizer mains and dessert is likely between $125 and $150 with wine. I will return but likely special event dining for our budget.

Truly a wonderful experience!! Generous portions when you order food for the table and share it. Incredibly delish duck and octopus for appetizer. Best service 🫰🏻

Steve and Wayne are the absolute best! We sat at the bar as the place was very busy, and we were greeted immediately with warm welcomes, great recommendations, and great laughs. The short rib was exceptional, and so was my old fashion. My new "Go to" spot for when friends and family are in town.

Great little Italian restaurant to tuck into. Both indoor and back patio dining is available. We sat at the back patio. Great prompt service with good expertise. It’s a popular destination so make reservations. The highlight of the show was the scallop dish. If it’s on the menu and you like seafood don’t skip it! Great wine list. What impressed me more was how our waitress was attuned and kind; my friend asked for an off the menu cocktail that’s diluted since she can’t drink much. It was met with zero resistance; and delivered promptly. Now that’s customer centric hospitality. We had the arugula and beet salads - both perfect for summer and sharing. Portions are well sized for sharing, especially if you like to try more dishes. It is reasonably priced. Parking is easy but it’s street parking, we found a spot within 2 min walking distance. It’s located in a good safe area with other restaurants on same street. If you happen to be in Evanston or visiting definitely check this place out, you will have a great dinner. Ok, now let’s mangia!

Wonderful meal and great service from the owner at the bar. Stumbled in after a happy hour and had one of the best meals we've had in Chicago. We still talk about it frequently. Rigatoni alla vodka and the duck was delicious.

We had one of the best Italian food we ever had. Everything what we ate was really amazing, full of textures and flavors. Our server was very knowledgeable and polite. Right away we ordered a dry martini with olives staffed with blue cheese.

We found this place accidentally and we loved it, such a great food and nice service, the place is small but super cozy l, the food is amazing, the place where you want to go again, super friendly and nice

Recently dined at Campagnola after several years in Evanston and am so happy to finally be adding it to the rotation (although I'm a bit late!) Great Italian cuisine with a rotating menu. Staff is consistently friendly and helpful. Ordered the papardelle bolognese and it was fantastic. Bruschetta also amazing (although not my typical bruschetta I'm used to). Fish special was also fantastic.

This little gem is unassuming from the outside. I've lived within walking distance from it but never could make out any impression of it from the outside! Last night, we gave it a try and were pleasantly surprised! This restaurant is a cozy, intimate Italian dining experience in south Evanston. Great ambiance for a date night or gathering with a small group of friends or family to break bread and have some good conversation. We were greeted warmly as soon as we walking in and seated immediately. Our waitress was fantastic from the moment we sat down. Never overbearing, so kind, and anticipated our every need with perfect timing! We ordered the bruschetta as an appetizer, and didn't realize we would receive complimentary fresh warm bread as well! Yummy! The bruschetta was a unique experience! I've never seen or eaten bruschetta with no tomatoes! They used an interesting combination of roasted potatoes, onions, and Lima beans! Oh and cheese! Really interesting and delicious! For our main course I had a mushroom pasta dish. Unfortunately they could not add chicken as a protein, only sausage was an option (I don't eat pork). So I just had the mushroom pasta as is. My partner had the roasted chicken. Both dishes were delicious and so flavorful and rich!! The chicken has such a great rosemary flavor and the subtle gravy over the mashed potatoes and spinach was a divine combination! The mushroom pasta was quite creamy and rich! Just slightly too rich for my stomach, but I would recommend it because it was really delicious. We finished the night off with the raspberry cheesecake, and neither of us even like raspberries that much! But we smashed that cheesecake! It was light and a beautiful blend of flavors! We left feeling happy and satisfied! Definitely recommend this place and will be back!

Fantastic food and friendly, attentive service. We were here for our 15th anniversary. My husband makes his own pasta and recently spent six months cooking dishes from all regions of Italy. I love to cook too, and we're often disillusioned with restaurants (overpriced mediocre food that we'd do a better job cooking ourselves, although sure, we're just home cooks and not pros). Campagnola didn't disappoint in any way. We had the arugula/parmesan salad, linguini diavolo with shrimp and scallops, short rib with broccolini and potato, Sancerre and Prosecco, and cheese cake with raspberries and whipped cream... everything was wonderful. Definitely the best meal we've had in Evanston, but definitely up there with great meals we've had in Italy.

Since we were heading to a concert at Pick- Staiger Hall, we wanted to grab dinner close by. Seeing that Campagnola was only a few mins away we decided to try the place out. The restaurant has dim lighting and seating was maybe about 15 tables. We went right when it opened and before long the place was packed. Our waitress was the best! Super friendly and gave great recommendations. The food was SUPERB! Everything was delicious. For an appetizer, we ordered the Diver Scallops. The scallops were big, fresh, and cooked perfectly. For our main dish, I ordered the Linguine Diavolo and my husband ordered the Short Ribs. Both were so good. The Short Ribs were tender and the seafood in the pasta was plentiful and fresh. After a great meal, we decided to end the evening with dessert. We ordered Sticky Toffee Date Cake. My husband was very skeptical about it but once he took the first bite, he couldn't stop. The cake was moist and not overly sweet. Everything we ordered was soooo good! If we were ever in the area again, we would definitely be back!

Evanstons best restaurant! Go for a full authentic and inventive Italian menu if you like but if you want small and perfect dessert, go there just for the bread pudding and a glass of Sancerre. Thank me later

Wonderful restaurant in Evanston with amazing Italian food! We arrived and ordered cocktails and wine... very good, although I prefer my old fashioned with one large rock vs on ice. Warm fresh bread with butter, or olive oil by request. Love a restaurant that will split portions in the back , so we were able to easily try more food options. The beet salad was delicious! Fresh, lightly dressed and with creamy goat cheese, roasted beets and oranges. The salmon was perfectly cooked and served over fresh lentils, spinach and crème fresh. Creamy tagliatelle with mushrooms was heavenly. Pappardelle bolognese definitely great as well! We enjoyed our time leisurely enjoying each bite and never rushed by the attentive, friendly staff. Food was reasonably priced and good portions. It was a bit crowded inside and challenging to hear at times, but otherwise, a wonderful neighborhood gem!

I've known about this restaurant since the 90s, but had just never been here. My husband loves Italian so I thought, with it being close to our home, it would be a nice spot for our anniversary dinner. It's a small space with a bar up front and good ambiance for a date. They don't have signature cocktails or drink specials, just an extensive wine list ($16-18 per glass or bottles) or a full service bar with a good variety of liquor. The menu is small, but my husband had his heart set on the veal he had seen. To our disappointment the menu was just changed and the veal was taken off. (Our server said they rotate the menu every 3 months.) It was substituted for chicken Parmesan and hubby was super disappointed. They do have a few pasta dishes that sounded good but he doesn't care for pasta. We ordered the scallop appetizer to start. An order of only two, but they were large and served over a bed of delicious cauliflower puree. Hubby didn't see anything else he was interested in so he settled on the salmon. I ordered the highly rated short ribs. Our entrees were both well prepared and satisfying (although the brocolli rabe that came with the short ribs was bitter.) We were full from the martinis we had and their delicious crusty bread. We ended up having an ok evening but I don't think he wants to come back here due to the limited menu.

Food was excellent. The scallops were divine. Fish and steak and dessert were all great. Can't fault anything. service was good. Seated fairly quickly. Definitely a gem

So we started the night with the Divers Scallops with a cauliflower puree, pine nuts and golden raisin relish. The scallops were perfectly prepared for us. I ordered the Salmon and my wife got the Braised short ribs My salmon was cooked perfectly! Frank was our waiter he was wonderful. We did not get a desser. Well I was disappointed they didn't have veal on the menu but all in all my entree was excellent. The restaurant ambiance was moderate and the music was light we had a very good experience. Good job Campagnola. My only discrepancy would be never take veal off the menu

Consistently fantastic food and service. My favorite restaurant in Evanston. A classic.

Delicious and interesting food in a cozy environment. Only issue for us is that they were obviously short staffed.

I went here because of the building. Architecturally a beautiful building. I think that's why I added the 4th star. It's good. Decent food, very good service. Just an ok experience overall. We'll return though.

I have been to this restaurant probably 4 different times and I have had the best experience every time. This is my favorite Italian restaurant in Evanston and it may be my favorite of all time. The service is incredible but that's not even the best part. The bread is airy and delicious and I always have to control myself from eating too much. The pasta is phenomenal, you won't be disappointed with anything on the menu. My favorite is the Pappaedelle Bolognese. It's a big portion of pasta but it's one of those dishes that you can't stop eating it because it's so good and then it's all gone. The restaurant itself has a perfect ambience but it is an older crowd. I've never felt unwelcome at this restaurant and have always left more than satisfied. Such a good spot!

Wow ! We found a new place we love. This place had it all. Atmosphere, food and wine. I always like a place with a lot of gluten free options since I am celiac. I ended up getting the octopus appetizer and then the short ribs. It was great. The staff was cool too. I am guessing you need recreations because the place was packed but I don't know 100% but we did. Anyway - a big thumbs up for this great find in Evanston.

Loved it! Enjoyed everything about this little gem, will return and bring friends! The food was DELICIOUS and what was really special was the service, stood out because it was very old school, attentive, not intrusive, timely, perfect, have been missing that a lot these days.

We had one of the best Italian food we ever had. Campagnola is excellent! Everything we ate was really amazing, full of textures and flavors. Our server was very knowledgeable and polite. Can't believe we found this place such a wonderful little Italian restaurant, not much to look at outside but the food is delicious. The short ribs were tender and the polenta was soft and tasty. Good food and pro service. I would recommend this place and eat here again.

Good Italian joint in Evanston. The dishes were really good and the portions were very generous. Very worth it for the money. Only complaint is that they charged us $15 cake fee for bringing a cake for someone's bday (WHY) - kinda wish they also mentioned this cause it came kinda as a surprise. They also don't have an online reservation system and service was a bit stuffy and not very warm. Other than that, all good food-wise 1. Roasted beet salad: this was good and refreshing. I especially loved the goat cheese with the orange and pistachios. 2. Shells: usually not a big fan of Ragu but I liked how it was a chunky sauce with lots of sausage and spinach 3. Tagliatelle: very rich and umami filled with mushrooms. This gives steakhouse mushroom side vibes in a good way. Probably a bit too rich if this is all you're having but good nonetheless 4. Duck: this was amazing. The portion size was especially generous with 2 duck leg quarters. Sweet, sticky and downright delicious with the cherry sauce and polenta

Outstanding food. Great service. Friendly atmosphere We had a family wedding party there for a relative from England. They did a magnificent job.

Lived here for 26 years and had never been - first visit and was wondering why I hadn't! Small menu, everything we had was done to perfection, from short rib to sticky toffee date cake. Staff was super friendly and a perfect spot for Friday night dinner.

Great food! Delicious pasta!!! Really love the taste!!! The bread is also great!! Love the design style

Excellent place. We celebrated my father's 90th birthday dinner and they made the setting very memorable and pleasant. Even the other restaurant guests were very kind. My dad left feeling like a king. Just a great place for those special moments in life. Oh, the food was top notch too!

This is a very friendly and comfortable neighborhood Italian restaurant. Menu offers a wide range of apps, dinner, and desserts. Cooking is outstanding! Prices are low for the quality.

Great food and drink options. The atmosphere is usually a little loud and busy, but it will not take away from your dining experience. You won'tgo wrog wirh your meal choice. The chef does an excellent job with meat and fish. I look forward to my next dining opportunity at Campagnola.

Campagnola is our go to place in Evanston. These lovely people saved our lives during COVID. Dependable, exceptionally well made, delicious offerings, served with grace and charm or to go. This bistro keeps us centered and sated. Thank you for always being excellent.

Best restaurant in town. Never disappoints. Not sure why they even care about reviews since they've been around for so long and people keep going back. Only wish I lived closer so I could waddle my way over a few times a week.

Great service. Loved my appetizer and entree. Lovely setting. Wine list is extensive. We'll be back.

Love this Italian restaurant . Great food and wines. Make a reservation early on . Limited space but worth eating there.

This place is such a gem! I was able to easily get a late night reservation by calling during the same day. The atmosphere was very nice and intimate - perfect for a romantic date or celebratory meal. We received great service all night. Two epic dishes you MUST try are the Duck with Sour Cherries and the Bread Pudding. Both exceeded my expectations and were incredibly delicious. The entrée was so good that my fiancé kept eating off my plate! He also said he was too full for dessert, but when this bread pudding came out, he couldn't help himself! lol We will definitely be back.

Oh Campagnola, I can't stop thinking about you!! My friend and I went to dinner on a very cold night, expecting a quiet evening. What we found was a cozy, bustling dining room, filled with fans already in love with this adorable spot. We were greeted warmly by Wayne, who took our coats and seated us immediately. We sat at a nice corner table, that allowed us to enjoy the warm aesthetics the room offers. Varnished wood, rustic brick and interesting art create the perfect backdrop for a delicious meal. To start, our cocktails were expertly crafted. They were bright and fresh. The bread was crunchy and chewy. It was sooo good! My friend loved her soup that was rich and creamy. I LOVED my chopped salad with homemade champagne vinaigrette. Every bite was amazing. For dinner my friend ordered the linguine with shrimp. It looked beautiful and she said she loved it. I too, loved my grilled salmon with wild rice. The rice had tasty little bites of grilled onion and other veggies. I would definitely order this again. Dessert was the perfect way to complete a lovely meal. My friend enjoyed Chocolate Pot de Creme. It looked adorable. I was crazy about my Vanilla Bean Bread Pudding. It was seriously the best bread pudding I have ever had. The texture and flavors created a delicate dessert that matched the quality and creativity of our dinner experience. The service was handled beautifully. Our server and busser were kind and attentive. Wayne, up at the front was incredibly gracious and personable. I cannot say enough good things about Campagnola and will definitely return very soon.

This place is probably one of the best restaurants in Evanston and the North shore and that says a lot. The host here is always always gracious and accommodating and is one of the reasons we keep coming back. Of course food needs to be excellent, which it truly is. On this visit, we had huge martinis, split a radicchio salad. Entree-wise, I wanted to order a veal preparation but wanted to sub chicken because I'm NOT going to eat a poor baby calf so the server said she could do that. What came out was a bone- in chicken and not a paillard so she gladly sent it back and so I ordered something else from the menu with no fuss or attitude. This is why this restaurant lasts! Campagnola has been around a long time and they've lasted for a reason: outstanding food and service without attitude!

Great food and ambiance. Good spot for a date night, special occasion, or just wanting a very good meal. I have been twice and both times it has been packed but I have received good service. The octopus is very good as well as the duck, and the bread pudding is incredible. I highly recommend.

Fine dining done well. You get what you pay for here: great service, atmosphere, dishes. No notes.

We were recently at Campagnola, in Evanston, Illinois, with friends for dinner. Evanston is a large and diverse suburb of Chicago, directly north of the actual city. Everything about this small-ish restaurant was big! The service was professional and friendly. The wine (we had a couple of bottles of Chianti Classico Reserva) was big & delicious. Our food was absolutely big in flavor & portions. Food included perfectly seared scallops, pasta Bolognese, which was perfect & came hot! One friend ordered the pork chop and declared it yummy. But, I must say the special that two of us ordered really stole the show; halibut on wild rice & spinach with pomegranate seeds. Spectacular!! We will return soon.

Campagnola is pretty good, especially for Evanston! The space is a bit old/stuffy, but the food is pretty good. The scallops were really well cooked, and so was the Milanese (picture not included). Staff was nice and worth the meal if you're nearby! (From @tastessky on Instagram)

Food was very good! Had options for vegetarians and otherwise. Bartender wasn't great, don't recommend any mixed drinks. Ambiance was nice but location is not ADA friendly.

just incredible food, pretty decent service (can be very slow at times i am afraid), and nice a proper ambiance. def go if you ever find yourself in southern evanston!!

Really great flavors and sauces. Nice portions, especially the duck. Very cozy atmosphere. Very busy and full for a Thursday night. Definitely need a reservation. One great Italian restaurant!

Outstanding food, outstanding service. Shoutout to our server Frank for being friendly, prompt and diligent. The space was warm and inviting, which made for a lovely date night. We can't wait to return, especially for their date cake (10/10)!

Excellent food, service and ambiance. Had dinner with the family. The pasta and pork chops were delicious. Everyone loved the food and service was amazing. Prices were very reasonable.

This place is wonderful. The service was attentive to our table 10- which I'm sure wasn't easy. The food is the star. My favorite is the grilled octopus appetizer. The scallop appetizer is amazing also. Of course all of their mains, from pasta to seafood to steaks are delicious. The desserts are also to die for. You do need to make a reservation as this place is very popular.

Food delicious, service is wonderful, the place is not for quiet conversation. I is for enjoying good wine, food and friends.

I did not have the same outstanding experience at Campagnola as what the other reviewers had. I picked and called for a reservation at this place for a Friday night dinner, because of the almost 5-star rating it has. There are metered parking spots along Chicago Ave and the place inside is nice, with neat interiors and dimly lit, which gives the place a more formal vibe. My friend and I arrived on time and were seated right away at a corner table, near the end of the bar area. We were not too happy about our table but we were thinking that maybe all the other tables are already reserved. Anyway, our server was prompt, efficient, friendly and knowledgeable of their wine list. We ordered the following: ROASTED BEET SALAD- delicious and refreshing OCTOPUS- it was average SCALLOPS- too small to appreciate (they just appear big in the pictures) SHORT RIB- the meat was very tender but once it's not warm anymore, it gets very dry since the polenta underneath absorbs all the juiciness of the meat and the sauce TOFFEE PUDDING- satisfying and definitely good for sharing None of the dishes stood out and guess what the saddest part of my experience here was. FRUIT FLIES. They were at, on, and around our table! I covered my wine glass with a napkin to make sure that a fly does not get in. I asked our server about it, he just said "Oh yeah, they are everywhere." Then he walked away. Oh great(?)!, yippee(?)! No other guests sat at the unoccupied tables until we left the restaurant and I am guessing that our table was the only one getting visited by the flies since it is the closest to the bar. It really made the whole experience a disappointment, besides the average food. Now I have Campagnola crossed out of my "To Try" list. It is now on my "Not Again" list.

The carryout dinner for 4 is terrific. Big portions, very moist chicken and super bread pudding. I'm never cooking again......

Hadn't been there in a long time and was excited to return. It was just as I had remembered, bustling and cozy. Sadly, I left feeling very disappointed. It took a server twenty minutes to approach our table and ask for a cocktail order (6pm reservation). I ordered a beet salad and the salmon entre. Both were "meh". I make better versions at home. Beet salad was skimpy. Salmon was dry, unseasoned and sat on a bed of bitter lentils and greens. NOT ONCE did our server return to our table to check on how we liked our food or ask if we wanted wine with dinner!!! I'd be furious if I were the manager, as I know that's where they make their money.

Excellent food and pleasant ambiance. If covered patio is open in the back, take advantage. It's delightful.

This place is amazing. It's a small Italian restaurant with a cozy feel. I came here with a friend. We had the bruschetta appetizer which was delicious, a bit different than the usual but we loved it. I had the Pappardelle and my friend the Salmon. Both were amazing! They have an extensive wine list. Finally the service was fantastic. Thank you for a great night!

A favorite forever. Always wonderful. Love Steve and love Campagnola. Great service. Fun place to go w a date or a friend.

Awesome service, awesome menu and lovely ambiance. The ricotta gnocchi and skirt steak were unbelievable delicious.

Come earlier if you have don't have a reservation and don't want to wait for a table. Lovely atmosphere and setting is romantic but not stuffy. You start with free bread and butter. For a party of four we got 1. Two appetizers: the ricotta gnocchi and the wood-fired radicchio. Both were relatively small plates but they were hearty. The radicchio seemed unique and was very flavorful from the bacon. The ricotta gnocchi was more mild, but the soft texture was out of this world 2. Everyone ordered their own entree. For dinner I got the trout and it was cooked perfectly. Not a single bone and skin was crisp. The dish comes with some greens, but that's all. 3. To finish we shared two desserts -- chocolate panna cotta and the cake they had on the menu at the time. Both were delicious and good sizes for sharing as we all got to have a couple bites of both. Overall, good food and good service. We left feeling stuffed.