Ummo

Overall, my girlfriend and I enjoyed our experience at this new restaurant. The food was good and the ambiance was amazing. The service was solid as well.

The only thing about the food that was that sometimes it would be slightly too salty or had slightly too much pepper. Oddly enough, only certain bites could be described that way.

Side note - the bar upstairs is an enjoyable relaxing vibe.

Food: 7.8
Ambiance: 9/10
Service: 7.8/10
Drinks: 7/10

Pre-dinner: Reservations were easy. Street parking.

Room: Stylish, modern. Comfy chairs. Dark with innovative table lamps great for pictures.

Beverage: Great cocktails and mocktails. Wine list was not reviewed in detail.

Food: Uneven. Great arancini and octopus. Egg raviolo carbonara was nicely cooked but missing the "pecorino punch." Savory donut with caviar was disappointing - don't waste your money on it. Pastas were ok. Lamb chops - excellent. Tuscan steak - good. Whole branzino - excellent. Dessert - none.

Service: Excellent!

Price: Expensive

Value: Low

Summary: Stylish and expensive Italian food, impressive on the surface but food could be better.

looooove this spot for the chic & sexy interior and the mix of classic, fun & unique dishes on the menu! i appreciate how everything has a complex flavor and the famous (infamous?) tomato dessert is truly ~weird~

the thing about new restaurants that open up downtown is that they can be hyped up too much.. and they end up not being good. BUT that was not the case for Ummo because it did really live up to the hype. i like everything i ordered in the pictures, and i also came here for a work dinner but didn't take photos of what i ate - so instead i starred below what i liked.

what we ordered:
- branzino arrosto
- cacio e pepe
- mortadella di pistachio e ricotta
- 22 w tiramisu

what i've tried (not pictured):
- ostriche di mercato (oysters)
- arancini al tartufo
- burrata e prosciutto (w/ gnocco fritto) *
- battuta di manzo (wagyū beef tartare w/ gnocco fritto) *
- polpette di carne (Italian meatballs)
- egg raviolo carbonara
- bistecca alla fiorentina (50-day-age steak) *
- asparagi
- maitake e rabiola *
- pomodoro e basilico (the tomato dessert)

A new Italian restaurant in River North that is beautifully decorated for a trendy night out!! Food was delish, especially the mushroom risotto and burrata. Decently sized portions and I highly recommend sharing. On the pricey side, but the excellent food and service made it worth it.

The place is very cool! Fun artwork and a huge downstairs and upstairs for seating! Was able to get a res the same day for 7pm.

Took awhile to get a waitress but once we did things started coming out very fast. Our waitress was very awkward, kind of lingered around. I had the strawberry cannoli cocktail and this was great, not too sweet!

For apps we had the olives, arancini and meatballs. My favorite was the marinated olives.the arancini was way too cheesy. Our main course was brought 3 minutes into eating our apps.

I had cacio e pepe. This tasted like buttered noodles, very average. Good vibes but would not come here for food again.

A friend wanted to check out this newish hotspot for dinner and they happened to be participating in the restaurant week program so we decided to go for it! How could we not? $59pp for a foodie's night out!

I cannot even remember what establishment used to be here (some say it was RockIt) but they really made it an eclectic vibe which matches the wide variety of the menu. I would not say it's Italian cuisine to be honest. Reservations were made for 7:30pm, we arrived on time it was jam packed in the foyer and we could barely push our way through to the hostess stand to check in, but up a few steps to the bar there was a little more breathing room.

We decided to order a drink because the host informed us it might be about 15-minutes before our table was ready. I feel the bartender was aloof and didn't seem too interested in taking our drink order right away. You'd think a friendly personality would be hired.

Once seated, our waitress was really conscientious to ask about allergies ahead of taking our order and went to talk to the chef about ingredients in one of the entrees before we cast our selections. Nothing ruins a a great night faster than a food allergy so I appreciate it so much that they take it seriously.

Then these warm puffy bread-like starters were brought to us and I might be slightly understating just how perfectly they went alongside everything.

We each had the beef carpaccio as an appetizer which was lovely, then we opted for two different entrees on the restaurant week menu and a third that wasn't part of it that we both were too curious about not to try out.

All we ordered ended up being quite a lot of food between us and literally everything was delicious!! Portion sizes are on the smaller size though and plated pretty. That said, it is a cool vibe so Ummo might just be my newest RN obsession and I will absolutely be back soon!

First Impression 4/10
Ambiance 9/10
Food 10/10
Service 8/10

I've been seeing the desserts from UMMO on my feed so obvs I had to stop by. A relatively new Italian addition in River North with a contemporary menu & trendy vibes. Really spacious too so great for groups!

Start with their gnocco fritto appetizers. We got the mortadella ones, stuffed with ricotta cheese and topped with pistachio shavings. Great savory & creamy combo but you could be fancier and order the beef tartare or prosciutto sampler options From pastas, I can never not order mafaldine. Made in house so has that light texture (kinda overcooked tho) that pairs well with the simple peppercorn flavor. But the standout is the branzino I love the way Italians do fish but also idk how they eat it bc it's so hard without chopsticks. Grilled perfectly, maintaining that juicy meat with salsa verde for a tangy kick. Finished with roasted tomatoes, pickled onions, and fresh radishes for textural variety. Strongly recommend!!

I know they're famous for the tomato dessert but I find sweet versions of tomato to be like eating ketchup...? I love ketchup (even on my Chicago dogs) but not as dessert. The tiramisu is almost as exciting and they pour a chocolate & amaretto sauce around the bean. The bitter undertone rly elevates the dish but the liquor flavor is a bit strong for me.

Mortadella di Pistachio e Ricotta $4 ea
Mafaldine Cacio e Pepe $20
Branzino Arrosto $45*
22 W Tiramisu $16

요즘 시카고 피드에서 자주 보이는 곳이다. 오픈한지 5개월된 신상 이탈리안 레스토랑인데 인테리어도 트렌디하고 맛도 낫배드!

애피타이져는 뇨꾜 프리토 옵션 중에서 먹기. 우린 심플하게 모르타델라 올린 걸로 시켰는데 타르타르나 프로슈토를 곁들여 먹을수도있다. 파스타는 당연히 마팔디네지~ ‍ 약간 오버쿡되었지만 그래도 부드러운 식감이랑 후추향이 맛남. 베스트는 농어!!! 알맞게 구워져서 촉촉한 생선살과 시콤한 살사 베르데가 매우 조화롭다. 약간 짭조름해서 밥이 생각난건 비밀

Where do I even start- our experience at Ummo was an excellent all around, taking into consideration the food, ambiance, and service. Our server (forgot his name unfortunately) was wonderful, attentive, and keen to answer any questions we had on the menu with enthusiasm. The place itself is very comfortable, artsy, and easy on the eyes. As for the food, we were stunned!

MUST ORDER: The Egg Raviolo Carbonara and the Battuta Di Manzo (Wagyu tartare). These two blew us away in flavor, and we all greed the tartare was the best any of us had ever had. Branzino was amazing, as well as the Arancini, but not quite as show stopping as the other two.

Possibly avoid the Tortellini- no one at the table enjoyed the cheese in this one and when we told them we didn't want it and that they could just toss it, they came back with it all boxed up for us (we could tell there was a bit of a language barrier so no worries!).

Tortellini aside, definitely worth the visit. We will for sure be back to dine again!

Incredible! Arrived here for my surprise birthday dinner. I've been wanting to check out this place for sometime. My friends and I came almost 15 mins early so we had to wait for sometime but as soon as we were seated, the service was quick and efficient. Our server explained how the portions were shareable which was nice as we were a big party of 9 people. The interior was cozy and classy. We ordered a bunch of drinks and some food: Cacio e Pepe, Arancini, Burrata e Avocado, Gnocchi e Patate, Pollo Rosso and some carrots dish to share. Overall everything was pretty good. Our server was patient throughout in taking care of a large party.
I was particularly impressed by the desserts. Every element of the dish worked so well together, so unique. I'm still drooling looking at the pictures of dessert. I will come back especially for desserts anytime!

Great restaurant! We loved the vibes, it's a little hidden away because of some scaffolding but such a great find. Our server was EXCELLENT (I don't remember her name but she was lovely). We had the arancini and the burrata avocado appetizers, both were delicious. We split the cacio e Pepe and the lobster ravioli pastas as well as the roasted chicken and the roasted carrots as a side. The lobster ravioli didn't totally hit for me but it DID come with this funny lobster head so extra points for presentation. The tiramisu also gets presentation points! Tiramisu is not always my favorite but this one was unique and a little more chocolatey than your typical which I enjoyed.