Came here from a tiktok that said Elina's was created by someone who had worked at Carbone, and it was simply mouthwatering.. I would come back for the free garlic bread alone. The spicy vodka rigatoni could use some more sauce, but was still to die for. We were seated outside at first but it did get a bit cold despite the patio heating, but it was a very cozy and intimate environment. To top it off, it was extremely affordable and I was shocked when I got the check for only around $60-70 for a drink, 2 main courses and dessert.

First time at Elina's, and I loved it!!!! The ambiance was cozy and intimate. I was initially worried about how close the two-tops were to each other, but it didn't seem to take away from the experience. The food portions are large - so plan to share!! Our server was exceptionally friendly and helped us navigate the menu to create the perfect dinner for 2! I highly recommend the rigatoni alla vodka and the meatballs! I luckily got to enjoy the leftovers the next day. Can't wait to come back!

Is this the Carbone of Chicago? No? Yes? Yes it is! Food was immaculate and the spicy rig was miles better in my opinion than Carbone. Dishes were very reasonably priced for the quality. Spacing was limited in the restaurant but you get a tight intimate dining experience. The Dover Sole Piccata was one of the best plates of fish I've had in Chicago, no joke I could eat it everyday. The cook on the fish was perfection and although it wasn't crusted the depth of flavor from the cook made it taste as if it were fried with breadcrumbs. The baked clams casino were great, an old school dish packed with lots of flavor. The Italian fries were a good side although the marinara dipping sauce was quite watery, would pass on them next. The tiramisu was just like my grandpa made it, heavy with rum. A great treat to end the night. Service was great our server was awesome. Drinks were well made. The frozen whiskey sour was refreshing and surprisingly addicting.

This is hands down one of my most favorite restaurants in Chicago but I came to ask one question and one question only of Elina's (if they read their reviews)... Why do the meatballs always sell out? I can understand this happening with certain pieces of fish or more rare/ needing to be fresh menu items... but meatballs? What are you guys putting in them that you only can make a limited quantity every night? It's confounding to me... I have been to this place probably 20 times and have only had the meatballs maybe 5 times. I bring out of town guests here and we get there and bam, no meatballs. Are you guys running an Hermes Birkin scheme with the meatballs? Is there a rare beef in the meatballs that can only be sourced once a week? I need to know and I am kindly asking you to fix this please .

Loved everything about this dining experience and it is a MUST try. I'm not sure what to write, that anyone has not already wrote before. Elina's is a cozy Italian restaurant, great for any reason to go. It is super cute, cozy, and romantic! They have beautiful art, even beautiful plates. I love their melted candles decor. My friends and I came on a Sunday late evening. We were lucky enough to get a reservation. I was personally nervous about parking, and I am not familiar with this area, but parking was fairly easy. Once seated, you start off with complimentary garlic bread, focaccia bread, salami and pickled eggplant! These alone were all delicious and fresh. My nana is the only person I know who makes pickled eggplant soooo good, but Elina's is just as good!! I swear, I would go there just for this. The food portions is fit to your table. The menu options and drink selection is good and prices are fair. The waiter recommended to us to order 7-9 dishes for a party of 4, however, we only did 3. I won't lie, I still wanted more, but only because I love to always order a variety of dishes at any restaurants to try everything and it was delicious I wanted to continue to try their other dishes. (Just an excuse for me to come back). Anyways, as all reviews say, and all social media the Caesar salad is a MUST. The croutons similar to the complimentary bread is AMAZING and so fresh! We also ordered the chicken parmigiana and the famous vodka rigatoni. Chicken Parmesan was very good and I recommend this dish. For the vodka rigatoni, I thought this dish was good, but in my personal opinion, it is too "hyped" up on social media. The dish was good, but I would not say it's my favorite vodka pasta dish to try or I would not say it's a must. We also did get to end our meal with a cannoli, which again was very fresh and delicious. if you do like cannolis, this is also a must. Great customer service from the moment we walked in, until the moment we left.

We ordered: Rigatoni Alla Vodka - Calabrian Bread Crumbs Dover Sole Piccata Broccoli Carbonizado Caesar Salad I've never seen a garlic and pizza bread basket so that was a fun start. The flavor and portions of everything we ordered was top notch in my opinion. Dove sole was lean yet so tender. Rigatoni was made fresh. Broccoli was crispy and well spiced. Service was good. Not a fan of the dim lighting and loud music.

Holy cow. This place is worth it. Worth it all. I feel often times I walk away feeling underwhelmed. I literally cannot express how delicious this meal was. We started with the baked clams which I will say weren't the star but were great. You get all complimentary bread with your meal which is great. We were served a very shareable portion of the shrimp scampi and the rigatoni. And we almost couldn't finish. Oh I almost forgot we got the italian mojito and it was perfect. The ambiance is awesome so cute and cozy. The service was fine. Not show stopping by any means but definitely nothing to complain about. Parking was fairly easy as well. I will be trying to convince my fiancé to take me here weekly 10 out of 5 stars

My friend and I spontaneously checked out this place because not many restaurants were open at 9:30. The place is small, the ambiance is great, and it's a really cute spot for a date or for friends to get together for a celebration Our waitress was super personable, and we really surprised us with their complimentary garlic bread and starter bites What we ordered: Chopped salad: our favorite. It was perfectly citrusy, and the bell peppers and bacon really made it so delish Rigatoni alla vodka: creamy pasta. The lumache noodles cup the sauce in the noodle perfectly Chicken parm: yummy, but I thought it was a little dry Tiramisu: generous portion. Great for sharing. Not too sweet and very creamy Everything tasted great, and I will be coming back for the chopped salad!