yummy italian tapas! loud and noisy, but that’s what makes it a fun atmosphere!

yummy italian tapas! loud and noisy, but that’s what makes it a fun atmosphere!

I love this place! I remember a friend mentioned Quartino’s before so I always kept a mental note to try it next time.

This weekend my brother was inviting the whole family to go out for dinner. My sister just happened to watch an episode of Check, Please! the previous night with Quartino’s as one of the highlighted restaurants. She suggested we go there— perfect! We made reservations for a Saturday evening at 7:30 pm and, boy, were we glad we made it because it was packed!!! Our table wasn’t ready when we got there so we had to wait about 10-15 minutes, but I didn’t mind waiting since the host asked us very graciously if we could wait.

Good thing my sister Tivo-ed that episode of Check, Please! so I was able to watch it and keep in mind what people had ordered and loved. We had the braised lamb shank, organic veal skirt steak, crisp calamari, ravioli, sea scallops and pizza w/ gorgonzola, walnuts and pear. Everything was delicious, even the olive oil and bread that came before the dinner! It was the first time I’d tried a bellini— yummy!!!

My favorite had to be the veal skirt steak, just very flavorful! Lamb was delicious and very tender. But the yummy goodness didn’t end there, we had to have dessert! We all shared the Panino, a lemon gelato sandwich, and also the Gran Coppa Quartino. Presentations were nice but taste was even better. My sister who didn’t usually like to eat anything with lemon in it loved the Panino!

It was one of the better dining experiences we had. It’s usually hard to please both the kids and the parents when go out to eat, but Quartino’s managed to please both that night!

I liked Quartino a lot. We sat at a booth in the corner; it was cozy. The food is good and worth the price. The desserts are good, too.

I was a little hesitant about Quartino because their menu didn’t seem as extensive as the typical list of tapas you would encounter in the usual spanish tapas type of restaurants. However, if you look a little deeper into their menu, Quartino actually has quite a selection. They have a whole menu just for antipasta. We didn’t order anything from that menu but the table next to us did and it looked pretty good. Food comes out pretty fast here (something I always appreciate!) and the prices are very affordable. Their different sizes of wine carafes makes it easy to sample a lot of different wines. There wasn’t anything I had that I would be dying to go back for but since the menu is pretty extensive and affordable, I would definitely like to go back to try some of their other tapas and pizza.

Crowded on weekend evenings. Cozy and loud. Not romantic for dates. There’s TV in every corner, playing old movies. Fast service. Great food. Portions are little, tapas-style, but italian food. Pesto gnocchi is very good, or was it pesto risotto? I forgot, but their gnocchi, risotto, and pizzas are delicious! For dessert, you MUST try the profiteroles, or chocolate fondue, or zeppole (italian donute holes, with drizzled honey)..hmmm, delicious.

Quartino is the perfect place to go with a group. The food is delciious and comes ready to share. Try the pizzas, the risotto and the meats and cheeses they have at the charcuterie bar…

i came here on a friday night for dinner and the place was bustling & packed! luckily we made reservations (check out the nifty ‘reserve online’ link on the left), and got seated right away.

food: delicious & close to authentic. they have a policy where the food is shared, and comes out as it’s done so this is an excellent place to go w/your girlfriends or a large group to feast on fresh-tasting italian treats.

service: our waiter was so lively & peppy, it was contagious and very appropriate given the boisterous & loud atmosphere.

ambience: a cozy (but loud) italian feel, but still modern at the same time. since it’s not too far fr/the mag mile, there was definitely a strong tourist presence, but quite a nice mix of locals thrown in too. we noticed quite a large number of tables w/dolled-up girlfriends having a good time.

i’d definitely consider returning to quartino.