Due to some obnoxiously bad communication at Sabatino’s, our party of 24 will NOT be dining there on Sunday the 26th.
Yep. Party of 24
Which now has no reservation.
Help!
We’re looking for something Italian in the price range of Sabatino’s - $30-40 per person, good food and wine a must, liquor a plus, smoking somewhere inside (but not at the table) a huge bonus.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions you may have.
Wow. There’s lots of great Italian places around, but that “party of 24 on short notice” thing might be a problem.
I’d suggest going to www.metromix.com, and using its search engine to get a list of North Side Italian restaurants, and hitting the phones. (You can also filter for cost and alcohol.)
Said another way, I could give you any number of names of places, but the difficult criterion is the availability for your large party, and no one but the place can help you there.
My go to site is LTH forum A search for italian will get you some amazing reviews, many with pictures.
Have you considered the Italian Village ? I know it’s not up on the north side, but it shouldn’t take you TOO long to get there from where you are. And the bonus is that it’s huge, and they cater to large parties…even have a group menu you can order from.
If they have space for you, I highly recommend Francesca’s on Bryn Mawr, or any of the other Francesca’s locations. Good luck!
from just the title, it reads as though your looking to place a hit
Thanks, guys!
I know, nightmare all 'round. I just really, really hope I’m not cooking a full Italian dinner for 24 in my kitchen for MY birthday! (I mean, I will if I have to, but I was looking forward to not doing any work at all, so soon after Thanksgiving.)
Seconded, with vigor. The one on Clark St. in Lakeview is great too, except it gets insanely crowded and cramped, so a party of 24 would likely be unhappy. Also, there’s Francesca’s Forno, a relatively recent addition to that chain, which is located in Wicker Park and is also very good.
There’s Manzo’s on Irving Park and Kedzie. The decor leaves a little to be desired, but the food is great and reasonably priced. There’s a bar in the restaurant. I think smoking is still allowed in there… Oh, and the place is freaking HUGE!.
While it’s not really Italian, Leona’s does have some Italian food and I’ve seen large groups there (the one on Sheridan).
The best selling points of this place, however, are that they’re affordable and their portions are fucking HUGE. Almost certainly you will not be able to finish your meal.
Leona’s is a great idea…most of them are pretty big, and if there Sheridan Road one isn’t available, there are a couple others that I think aren’t too far away from you.
Thanks for all the suggestions (and I’m going to take my husband to every single one of these before the year is out!).
In the interest of space and time, the only place I was able to get a reservation for that many on short notice for a very popular holiday weekend was Maggiano’s at Old Orchard. Not too bad. Not quite the old-world feel I was looking forward to at Sabatino’s, but the food is decent (and plentiful!), parking is free (if distant - there’s always the garage and a nice walk), and, most importantly, they’ll book us!
But at least I’m not cooking, right! 
Dang, I was going to suggest Maggianos, and forgot. You are right, the atmosphere isn’t quite the same, but the food is good & they’ll get the job done (lots of room!)
Couple good places on Halsted with upscale Italian. Vinci and Trattoria Gianni. Both on a Sunday would possibly be able to accommodate you. Neither is really your traditional Olive Garden-esque pasta and marinara place. The menus trend towards the authentic with lots of seafood and shell fish, some eclectic items are common. Each is highly regarded for different regional Italian dishes.
Buca Di Beppo is a more mainstream option, there’s a handful of location, the one on Clark is probably closest to what you are looking for. Good place for parties and with family style dishes and will certainly have a option for all palates. They get rowdy and busy, not sure if a party that large would be possible on a Sunday. Certainly not on a Friday or Saturday, worth a phone call I imagine.
Sopranos is a less traveled place that I’ve heard good things about. It’s a little less expensive than the others but might be a good fall back as they aren’t as congested and popular as the others. I haven’t personally eaten there but friends have told me it’s good.
There’s tons more options I’m sure, but these and the other suggestions should be a good start.
You may be able to get into Mia Francesca’s on Clark Street (Clark & School) as they have a back room that can hold 30 +.
Also, the Basil Leaf on Clark street (just north of Fullerton and Clark) is a great little place and has a sister restaurant across the street. I bet one of them would be able to hold your party.