La Barra

Made reservations the night before. When we got there we were met by a "Karen" at the host station. Telling us our reservation was canceled. But we never canceled so that was weird. Not even greeting us in. Then apparently it was so hard for her to put a couple tables together for only 8 people. News flash. Basic customer service 101 Greet EVERY CUSTOMER with a smile & ask if they are celebrating anything special or??? Waitress was nice but place was DEAD & she didn't check in on our table often enough. Then we actually requested the restaurant play music becauseit wasn't on. You run a business...do you care about what new customers think??? Like wow 1st impressions of this place was awful especially cuz we were celebrating a bday & someone who was soooo looking forward to the BBQ pie. Unfortunately disappointing. Won't b back but they need to step up their game if they want return customers.

We got two pizzas a signature and a thin pizza. They were super good amazing crispy crust on the thin. Best thin in the area for me. And amazing customer service on a error we had. They truly went above and beyond. Mistakes happen but they were A++ in making it right and quickly.

This was our second visit to LA Barra, first was good food and cocktails, but bad service, we thought to give it another try, and the time the server started out great, but when my friend pulled out a strip of a plastic out of the bottom of his drink, the waitress took it.\nAnd said I'll just tell the bartender it wasn't good, and poured some water into it so it wouldn't appear that he drank most of it. We didn't understand for logic, anyway, she brought him a new cocktail. Then when our food came, unfortunately, the same person at our table started to eat his food when he discovered along black hair cooked on to his piece of chicken. He did not want to say anything about it. So I called our waitress to the table and I explained my friend won't say anything about it , but I will and showed her the long strand of black hair, she looked with disbelief as if we put it, there, took the plate away and brought back half the portion that was taken away from that point she stopped checking on our table. After that, neither my wife or his wife could finish their portion of food nor did he. She, our waitress brought to go boxes. to the table, we took the leftovers, but through them out once we got outside. There was nothing taken off the bill. I have experienced working in restaurants, so does my wife, we could not believe they didn't even offer anything for the inconvenience we encountered. More so, my friend who got worst of it, a piece of plastic in this drink and a hair in this chicken. Terrible, we won't be back there again. We paid over three hundred dollars for the four of us , including tip, which was still a little more than twenty percent that she did not deserve.

Has both indoor and outdoor seating. There is another location I believe in Oakbrook area. I feel as though this location has much more to the cocktail menu. Is very kind, helpful, and informative. Food was filling and tasty. Honestly prefer this location over the Oakbrook based off of the service and food quality not that the other location has anything that is bad. I just prefer the home or feel options available here. Appetizers on trees and dessert. Everything is made well and he will leave feeling full and happy. I would definitely recommend for a good family dinner or easy lunch. I enjoyed the cocktails. They also have a good wine selection. Also available, which I always appreciate. I love they have a little events as well so please always check out their website for what’s going on throughout the month for specials and events.

The pizza here was delicious. So was the octopus I just wished there was a bit more of it for its worth of $20 dollars. The fettuccine pasta was a bit plain and not very flavorful which was sad. Overall the waiter was very friendly and funny and I’ll come here for a bite again!

We had sausage appetizer, pasta, and deep dish Pasta with vodka sauce was too dry not enough Deep dish is not enough sauce. There are too much cheese. Veggie and sausage got burnt because too little of the sauce. Service was nice , decorated is nice. We paid almost $100 but a lot of room to improve food quality. One table was smoking on the patio, I believed there is a law you can’t smoke in restaurant where it is not dedicated area. The staffs ignored and let that lady smoke and ruin the whole guests.

Post Wedding appetizers... went for dinner, everything was exceptional. The Halibut was moist and delicious, the pork shank was perfect. Might have been the best burger I have ever eaten. All in a beautiful location.

The deep dish was really good. The thin crust was excellent! Pictures don't do it justice.

Compliments to chef Pepe Incredible food and staff! The pizza was perfectly cooked, the pasta was perfectly seasoned, the vibe was majestically driven. Cheers

A/C never ever works!! I keep asking why it's so hot in there and I get a different answer every time. None that makes sense, Also I got charged from stranger sitting next to me. Really ?

$27 for a very small serving of lasagna in this economy is crazy work! Smaller sizes and higher prices. Will just stick to the pizza from now on

Excellent food!! The Best thin crust pizza in the burbs! They also have daily specials so be sure to check the menu. Love their Caesar salad, a little disappointed to see smaller portion on the "Chopped salad", which is my favorite, delicious but small. Really nice, attentive staff, excellent service! I love that they have live music on Thursdays. Lively atmosphere, Family friendly, outdoor seating, neighborhood gem.

We went for an early dinner on Tuesday. We sat at the bar, the bartender informed us of the BOGO Tuesday special for pizzas and pastas! We had the arugula & mushroom artisan pizza, very good! Also enjoyed the zucchini chips - next time I'll ask for it to be extra crispy). The orecchiette pasta was also very good in flavor - not spicy at all. A couple nearby ordered a white fish with capers and It looked good so we decided to try it as well. It was light and I loved the capers. The bar is definitely a popular place to sit, there were high boys available against the windows but we noticed people wanted to wait and get a seat at the bar. I heard they have a patio when the weather gets nicer, I'll be back to enjoy a menu out there!

This restaurant has a nice large patio seating. The service was decent and staff were friendly. I tried the Caesar salad which was typical but a decent size for $10. I also had the cup pepperoni artesian pizza. It was good but I couldn't taste the hot honey as much as I hoped.

Recently went for a Sweet 16 party and had a pleasant experience. Staff was so kind and on top of drinks and food. The food was pretty tasty overall as well! We're excited to come back to try other food options.

My favorite restaurant in the riverside area- I have always had an exceptional meal here. The white fish piccata and Leon's lemon chicken are my favorite dishes. The flavor and freshness is very high quality. I could piel my whole plate the Picatta sauce is so delicious! For pasta I highly recommend the dinner menu the LINGUINE ALLA VINGOLE makes me feel like I'm back in the BOSTON Italian are of east end, that is how authentic and exceptionally tasty the dish is. The rigatoni bolognese is also very yummy! Their Chopped salad is the best I have ever had! Even when I go to LA I can't find a better chopped salad. Also on the summertime they has a watermelon salad which was to die for, I hope they bring it back every year. Needless to say I love this place it is in a beautiful little neighborhood and the restaurant is the main reason I drive all the way their from where I live downtown.

Great place! Awesome environment and delicious pizza! Crust is particularly good with a burnt cheese edge!

Great service, yummy food, pleasant live music! We celebrated my wife's birthday with daughter and her family. Garlic knots and Brussels Sprouts, steak sliders, were delicious starters. Ravenous grandsons enjoyed the above with Mac n cheese and we shared an arugula salad with apple slices and cheese that was delicious! Two pizzas: the cupped pepperoni and another with arugula and mushrooms really hit the spot! Server and colleagues were attentive without fluttering and the Birthday girl's huge piece of chocolate cake had a perfect taste to conclude a very nice night!

Food is phenomenal, great location. I would highly recommend. Their pizza is great. Good service

Solid place - good pizza - good drinks. Salads are pretty good as well. Service can be slow at times, but the restaurant is a nice place to have sit and unwind... the patio on a nice day can be great to people watch by the train...

Omg the artichoke dip appetizer and chicken Limon with mushrooms is absolutely delicious as is all their menu. Come and enjoy any day!

Great local pizza/Italian spot in the heart of downtown Riverside that appears to be patronized by the neighborhood. Came here on a Thursday around 6pm and it was pretty packed in the main dining area. I was only going to be here for a short while so I opted to sit at the bar. Looked over the menu, which they also had daily specials. I decided to order a salad and cocktail because I was not that hungry but didn't want to sit there killing time while my daughter was in test prep and not order anything. I chose the strawberry salad and passion fruit Paloma. The strawberry salad was delicious! Never knew a salad with strawberries, pecans, cheese and strawberry vinaigrette could be so good but it was and reasonably priced as well, only $12. The Paloma was Ok, I didn't really enjoy the taste and I've had better. The service was Ok, the reason for the one star reduction was because once I received my food no one came back to ask me if everything was ok or if I needed anything else. This is an important part to service in restaurants and many servers and bartenders miss the mark on this. The vibe was cool. There was live music on this night and this is possibly the reason why it was really crowded. Parking wasn't an issue because like I said most people that come here are locals and live close so probably walk. I may not can't walk but I will definitely drive the short 5 minutes from my daughter test prep center on the days she is there to try more items from their extensive yummy looking menu because a couple next to me ordered a deep dish pizza that looked so good and cheesy that I told myself I would have to try it on one of my future visits.

Great staff, good environment (inside and out), and some of the best pizza and pasta around! Try the sausage pizza.

This is a very elegant Italian restaurant that my boyfriend found near the Brookfield zoo! Great food with nice presentation, amazing interior/atmosphere. There were people celebrating birthday, and I think it'd also be lovely to celebrate anniversaries here too! I liked all our food. I especially loved the sausage dish and the side of potatoes that I ordered. They're very flavorful. Definitely recommend this place for special occasions!

Love this corner place. Great pizza. Awesome bar. Outdoor seating in the historic downtown riverside is nice but loud as the trains pass on the next corner every 10 minutes. A regular spot to visit.

I had the Ceaser Salad that was a "wedge" of cut lettuce and thrown on the grill to be charred. The salad was horrible and lacked visual presentation as it was also missing some staple ingredients in a traditional Ceaser salad. Overpriced taking advantage of the area. It's unfortunate because this is a prime location.

A fantastic dinner with excellent service and entrees. I was surprised at how many small children were here and more surprised that mine were the quiet ones for once! It is a loud place and was very crowded by the time we left on a Saturday around 6:30. We ordered pizza and pasta dishes and loved the mocktails too! and even with a few drinks, the total was very reasonable and worth the drive through the winding streets of Riverside!!

Service is Ok. Food dishes are par. I would recommend having pizza with a good glass of wine.

Pizza, going with a white sauce, spinach and mushrooms. Our go to salad, antipasto . Service is very fast now, it's not crowded and the atmosphere is wonderful. It's clean it feels like a family place, a lot of children!

Love the food at La Barra! Very good pizza and desserts. Try it! I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Excellent evening at La Barra tonight! This location had been recommended by a friend and it did not disappoint. We had 2 sharing plates, the Roasted Beets and the Braciole. Both were fantastic. The beets were perfectly cooked, not too hard or mushy. The lemony yogurt and pistachio dressing was delicious. We followed with the Caeser salad, Eight Finger Cavatelli and the Rigatoni Bolegnese. Every dish was great! Good balance of flavors without being overly salty, which can be a problem with dining out. We were pretty stuffed by the pasta so have plenty of leftovers. Our server, Zeraphina (hope I recalled her name correctly and have not misspelled it terribly!?) was attentive and delightful. We will absolutely be back!

laBarra Riverside is a fantastic family operated bar and restaurant! Italian cuisine with a great bar and wonderful wine selections . LaBarra Pizza is the best!!! We enjoy watching the games on the many hi-def televisions . Dining out doors in the Summer is very nice as well. Hope to see you there Cheers

The service is horrible and the food was expensive with very small portions being served. We would never go back again. Eggplant was tough and served over a strand of spinach. If you are truly hungry go someplace else. We had to stop for burgers on the way home.

Probably the best pizza I've had in awhile. Not so great the next day but I'm glad I gave this place a shot. It was my first time dining in; it wasn't too crowded and the vibe was cute. I initially planned to order pasta but succumbed to my curiosity about their "CUPPING PEPPERONI" house made pizza. Especially because it contains hot honey. The addition of the honey hot to the pepperoni pizza was just magical. I really didn't know what to expect going in but the pizza was so good. The service was also pretty great. I also got to try their gelato which was really tasty. Excited for the next visit!

Worst deep dish. Very LOW QUALITY Cheese. and LOTS of it. Hardly any sauce. Note my giant "cheese" ball, accumulated from peeling it off. Pasta is VERY DRY. Came with a very light coating of sauce. Complimentary bread tasted like it was pulled from the bargain shelf at a grocery store. VERY RUBBERY. One bright spot: My bottled Coors Light was refreshing!

Time after time the same quality core menu... Time after time the same friendly staff welcoming your family and friends for great experience... Time after time the well designed theme dinning room - in a casual table setting- is open! Waiting for you and your....

Be mindful that this establishment does not follow typical promotions, etc. as they are operated and owned by a different company/individual, at least what we were told. We went there because of the seemingly happy hour specials. It was pretty annoying that they only applied if we were specifically sitting in the bar stools. If I go out at 4 pm on a weekday, I can expect specials anywhere, so I don't know what was up here. Regardless, the waitress was gone for like a good chunk of the time and actively avoided our table and other tables. I believe it was the assistant manager that came and serviced us. The food was okay. Compared to other La Barra restaurants (e.g Lombard), this one is not the best.

I love this place. The food is great. Love the pasta, the salmon, and the variety of wine and desserts. The service is simply amazing! Always with a smile, always happy and friendly. Thursdays are my favorite because of the live music performances. GO and check it out!

Went in for an early 5pm dinner. We were one of the first parties there. Took a very long time to get our food. I would like to say the food was good but since it was all cold except for a pizza, everyone else's food in our party of course was awful. I will say they took some charges from our bill but I would rather pay more for good service and food than leave upset and disappointed in what was supposed to be a nice family dinner. Should have read the reviews and seen their score before going there.

Great food at a reasonable price. Building is spotless, service is fantastic. The staff takes pride in what they do and it shows.

This place is un believable if I could give a place 0 stars I would I waited 1 hole hour for my food and I still did not get it so I left the service on our waiters end was bad she did not even touch the table once again this place is un believable

I don't know what everyone else is tasting, but this ain't it. I ordered via UberEats and was thoroughly disappointed. The mussels in white wine sauce were good (not the best but good, 7/10), but THE REAL DISAPPOINTMENT was the spaghetti and meatballs. Now I'm a bit of a spaghetti snob (it's my favorite food, judge yourself not me), so I had a taste for an authentic plate without the drive. The presentation was ugh, sauce taste like a jar and it was too saucy, the noodles weren't al dente, it's not a big portion, and it was $18. I was soooooo mad when I got it because I had high hopes. Will never order again.

The small plates are best options on the menu, in particular try the beef braciola with polenta.

Nice quality pasta dishes, loved the arugala salad, also. But, did not get the garlic bread (as mentioned in menu with specific pasta dish) and the prices are a bit lofty for a rather small portion of pasta. Good, but not amazing.

The authentic old world Italian style thin crust pizzas are 2 die for! (A 5/5 for their dedication into making pizza the way that it was always made in Italy!). A lot of people from Chicago don't even realize that Deep Dish and Stuffed Pizzas were created/innovated/and perfected right in Chicago! Yes, give something to Americans (even if their immigrants! They catch the "Streets Are Paved With Gold" mentality of striking it rich in America! And because America is also the "Melting Pot" of cultures from all over the world! Plus, Chicago being a world-class City and no shortage of "Foodies" and the trend to make a "Fusion" of anything you can put together! Just look at the all the mutations over at the bar by the experienced Mixologists (I have never had a bad drink from any bartender here!). And La Barra has the best bar and bar stool layout (Actually the Mexican Tequila Bar is equally as nice, come to think about it!) Anyway this is one of the only places I have ever been at that actually makes specialty pizzas that are done like they are in good ole Italy! How do I know? Well, I saw a program on Italy and on authentic food including the centuries old pizza! An old world pizza will come on a very thin crust (no thicker than a stereotypical piece of Pita bread--I know Pita is a Greek bread, but I think everyone can easily identify a pita versus trying to split hairs over saying it is like a really thin crust! Anyway the mozzarella is cut from the traditional ball of soft mozzarella, usually no wider than your average regulation baseball (3 to 4 inches across). Even if it's the right type of soft mozzarella, some pizza places make the mistake of shredding the mozzarella balls instead of cutting no more than 3/8 ths of an inch thick mozzarella slices. The sauce may or may not have been spread over the entire dough! I don't know if there is necessarily an "absolutely correct" way of distributing the sauce because it was passed down over several generations all over Italy! And I don't think we will ever know which came first: Spreading the sauce evenly over most of the flatbread; or drizzling it over until the creator determined it was just the right amount ? It's similar to asking the stumper: Which came first the chicken or the egg? No one now will ever know? Anyway the reason I downgraded this fine Italian ristorante to only 3 stars is for two simple reasons: 1) It's as loud any pop concert with 100s of youngsters screaming at the top of their lungs for their eras hero: Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Pat Benatar, and even The Beatles (which was one of the reasons they gave up touring following America's 1966 baseball stadium tour because the screaming Teenage girls were still as loud as their club dates going back to Hamburg, Germany! That the original boy band decided never to tour again because they still had trouble hearing their own voices and instruments above the never ending screaming of their fans!). Well La Barra IS the loudest restaurant in town, period! For a few thousand dollars they could easily cut down the noise by 30%! But, when I mentioned this to one of the managers, she replied that the owners "want" it to be loud!? Having heard the rumors of this loudness, along with reading negative reviews confirming that this was affecting some of the sound sensitive patrons, I had purposely avoided La Barra like the plague for years, literally! So it's their view that this loudness adds to its"ambiance!?" Well, i will limit my visits from now on to just slow nights or uncrowded afternoons! 2) Despite the large square foot footprint of this restaurant! And that it can hold roughly 100 people comfortably! There is only 1 men's urinal, I men's toilet, and one men's sink in the Men's Bathroom (Banos). So don't be surprised if you are either waiting over 5 minutes to use the urinal alone! Look this could be easily fixed! Churches and the Townhall in Riverside alone have upgraded since the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1991!) I'm not saying fit a wheelchair in to the bathrooms! I'm sure both bathrooms ADA Compliant! My complaint is that this is the newest building in the center of town! And when they built it, they should have thought ahead and have at least 2 urinals, and 2 toilets! (I have heard that the woman's bathroom only has 2 toilets!) So be prepared to hold your water, if you need to relieve yourself at La Barra! You could wait up to 10 minutes if it is for the toilets! One last comment! A big heartfelt thank you to the family that owns La Barra for single-handedly reviving the business and restaurant business of "The Village In The Forest!" AKA Riverside! And now Riverside has a business district that is thriving for the first time in over a decade! So bravo! And a big Italian-style welcome for La Barra!

I was super excited to go there to get pasta and a pitcher of sangria with some friends; however, they have super rude staff who act entitled. When we ordered for a pitcher of sangria. The server kept saying if we were sure because it takes a while to make the sangria... we said that was fine... and she kept asking if we were sure we wanted it because they had to cut up the fruit and all. She literally went into detail of how it was made like we didn't know. We said yes and we actually wanted two now.. she rolled her eyes and stormed off. For a place that isn't even that upscale the service was so terrible.

I didn't appreciate the barcode menus, The ambiance doesn't speak to me. The Tonic Water out of the pour spouts taste stale

Seen this spot across from the train station during a farmer's market today and really didn't find anything at the market and wanted something to snack on and boy did this hit the spot Place has great ambiance as soon as you enter the bar is inviting and I'll be staying there next time but we were seated quickly since it was early water and my favorite bread with olive oil and parmesan which is required at any fine Italian establishment Waitresses was cute and very kind took our drink order which I decided on a limoncello sunrise thanksgiving was very strong and great flavors On to the order I was just thinking about trying a whole bunch of dishes but I held back and decided I'd come back a few more times to get to the rest of the menu and decided on the grilled octopus which was cooked perfectly just could use some acidity Second was the toasted raviolis with short ribs nachos which were the highlight of afternoon wow great flavors and great combinations of flavors I think I'll always have that dish again and again We also ordered a 12 inch salsiccia which had great flavor and crust was crunchy with the right amount of chew all in all our visit will not be our last I'll be back for the food and that awesome bar

We ordered online and did pick up. The food was ready when I arrived and staff was cordial. Once I got home, I noticed one of the pizzas was missing the meat toppings. I called to let them know. They said, "We are sorry, what do you want us to do?" I replied, "just let the kitchen know so they dont make the same mistake." I didn't want to fight of $3. We began eating it anyway and then we noticed the crust kinda tasted funny. We flipped the pizza over and noticed black spots. We've had deep dish too many times to know these spots aren't from charring in a pan. The spots almost looked like the crust had soaked up burnt grease. Who the heck knows. The next day, there were many trips to the bathroom. I usually like La Barra, but between this experience and the soggy gross zucchini strings from our last visit, I think we are done eating here for a long time.

I've been to the Oakbrook location and the food was great. This location left much to be desired as far as the food. Their short ribs were dry and I bet reheated you can tell from just looking at the photo. Rest was okay. It's amazing what a difference a cook makes. Their redeeming quality was our server, she was great. They were out of table bread so she had them toast up some slices. I'll take the drive next time.

Last week we took advantage of the Tuesday BOGO pizza/pasta special. Short story, one pizza was mis-prepared but not noticed until I returned home. Caesar apologized when I called. He had the correct pizza prepared and delivered to my home. About that pizza...to quote the menu, Salsiccia Signature Pizza 12 In. Garlic cream, smoked buffalo Mozzarella, caramelized onions, calabrian chili peppers, crumbled sausage, baby kale. Ciabatta style dough with extra virgin olive oil to develop a crispier crust. OMG! I may never eat any other kind of pizza again. So delicious! I requested the kale be omitted, so I can't judge that. The chili peppers were a bit hot for my palate so I picked them off. So good that I ordered it again this week, omitting both the kale and peppers, but requesting a sub of fresh tomatoes. Our second pizza was a Danny's Special Thin Crust with fresh tomatoes instead of mushrooms. Another winner. Two small pizzas cost us around $25 with leftovers for tomorrow. You guys will probably be hearing from us again next week!

It is a great neighborhood place and the food is delicious with awesome staff. Pretty much anything you order has wonderful taste

The food is great, but dinner was two hours and 15 mins. We had to find someone after 20 mins of no visit to our table to take an order. We are generally patient people being parents with young kids, but it seemed like there was no real consideration for any customer's time. A few other tables were waving their hands on several occasions to get someone's attention.

Why this restaurant has an average of 4 stars is beyond me. We ordered fried zucchini for an appetizer and it was severed like shoe string fries with not enough marinara sauce. Not worth $10. We also ordered a 16 in custom pizza: pesto sauce, fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil. This pizza was pitiful. The pesto sauce had absolutely no flavor and lacked salt. The cooks cooked the fresh basil to a blackened crisp instead of putting the ingredient on last as to not burn it. Toppings were nearly $3 each. When we told our waitress about the basil being terrible she said she notified the cooks, and that they sent their apologies. We we're hoping she would at the least take the basil off the bill but she didn't catch the hint. Total bill including hot tea was $38. Not worth it. Interior is beautiful and so is the outdoor patio but I don't see myself coming back. As needy as Riverside is for a good restaurant like this, the establishment's outward appeal is more gratifying than what they're actually producing.

Came here with friends prior to checking their yelp review. Got here around 4:30 pm Sunday. Not busy. Very attentive and personal waitress. Contrary to the majority of the previous yelp reviews that got me a little worried after reading them. I had the River Living cocktail. Strong and felt it after two sips. Totally recommend. We had bruschetta (it was good, but only three pieces), meatballs (also only three, very tasty), grilled romaine Caesar (very tasty if you like anchovies), and Braciole (yummy, well made). Five stars for this visit.

Neighborhood- moments in time - what else can I say. Always a good option, family friendly ( unless their is live music , then not for everyone )

A delivery app made a mistake with my order. LaBarra took charge and the general manager personally delivered 2 delicious pizzas to make up for the outside apps mistake. Above and beyond! Thank you!