think I walked out of this place four pounds heavier. And you know what? It was totally worth it. <br />
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Yes, getting a reservation for a weekend night can be difficult, the space is loud and service isn't anything to rave about. The standout here though is the food. Fresh, delicious, and my god those portions are huge. <br />
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Our table of four decided to go gonzo with the Italian meal. Too much, much too much. Next time I will just opt for the pasta and maybe one appetizer to share. By time I was done with my amazing creamy red pepper sformato and had eaten the maority of my melt in your mouth tender waygu beef over polenta (and of course taken a sample of the delicious bolognese, light and tasty crab gnochetti, and mushroomy tagliatelle) I was nearly bursting. One bite of the delicate (dare I say, almost bland?) fish was all I could muster, leaving the breaised duck, brussel sprouts, potatoes and baked polenta untouched. I even turned down bread, and you know this girl loves her dough. <br />
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After all that, as good as it looked on the table next to us, we passed on dessert. I will definately be back but next time I'll do my waistline a favor and scale back, just a little.<br />

I and a group of 3 more friends went to the Terragusta looking for good food.It was 9 pm we had a concert to go and were ready to order some light food. The four of us were ready to order when one of my friend's date arrived saying that she just wanted to hang out a little bit before going to the concert and she had eaten already. The waitress, really polite btw, told us that if we were 5 people we would have to buy a “family menu” starting at $37…We explained that the 5th person was not eating and asked her to talk with the manager, as it was 9 pm, the restaurant was empty and closes at 10 pm. She came back saying that that was the “policy”. We asked to talk with the manager and he gave the same answer. My friend's date got so embarrassed that wanted to live and it was really an awful situation as we didn't want to spoil our friend's night! As we were about to live, a tall guy came to the table and said: “What is happening here?". We told him what had happened and he said:” I’M THE OWNER OF THE PLACE, AND THIS IS THE POLICY AND IF YOU DON'T AGREE PLEASE GET OUT!." At that point I was not in the mood to eat in the place at all...If the guy is the OWNER, he's not supposed to treat customers like this, he could have explained why the crazy policy or saying why he couldn't open an exception (the place was about to close AND it was empty).I asked him why he was being rude and he said we were being rude with the servers...The rudeness of the guy spoiled our night, my friend's date and our concert. I can't tell about the food, cause I was not able to try, but service is definitely not their strength. I suggest never to try the restaurant as the guy that is cooking for your can be as rude and disrespectful as he was with us.

A group of 8 of us went here on a Wednesday night. Given that we were 8 people, we had no choice but to go with the Chef's choice menu for either $38 or 46.50.
We chose the more expensive b/c it was a special occasion and were all intrigued by what they considered their "best."
We were not disappointed. Several of us are foodies, having been to some of the best restaurants in Chicago, and Terragusto far exceeded our expecations.
The dinner included bottled water and a 12 course meal! Yes, 12 courses! It was insane, but each dish was fabulous and just enough. We were all completely stuffed when we left but already planning our next trip back.
Thanks for an amazing night!

There are so many reasons to love this place. I wish it wasn't always booked...note you'll want to make reservations about two weeks in advance if you want a Friday or Saturday night. The prix fix menu is a great value and you get plenty of food...BYOB is also a nice bonus. I would eat here all the time if I could...great place to take guests to show off great Chicago atmosphere and food.

My husband and I walk by this place all the time since it's a block from out house. I was always intrigued -- it's off the beaten path but always full of people. So, we tried and tried for reservations -- always last minute and never able to get in. We finally planned ahead and success! Stepping in, the space was personal and inviting -- authentic Italian cafe style. But I must say it's really about the food. They are a BYOB restaurant and serve your wine in small cylindrical glasses which were informal but suitable. Unfortunately, I can't say much about everything on the menu, because I was only able to try a few things during my first visit, but I will be back to eat my way through after the meal we had there. We learned that the chef trained in the Bologna region of Italy. The homemade polenta with mushrooms, cannelloni beans, and housemade sausage was a symphony in my mouth -- each bite offering new discoveries -- rosemary, a cheesey crust, parsley, cornmeal, etc.. The mezzaluna filled with rainbow trout in a white wine sauce was so surprisingly full of flavor that I never wanted each bite to end. The bolognese -- behind words. Rated best bolognese in the city of Chicago and I can see why. It was truly one of those meals you never wanted to end. Savoring each bite was not enough. Lastly, we had a whole fish similar to sea bass that was paired with caramelized brussel sprounts and potatoes. Very rustic but extremely flavorful and moist. I have been to a lot of exciting restaurants in the city, but this one has won me over. I can't wait to sample what the chef has to offer in the changing seasons to come. I better start making my reservations!