Giostra Restaurant in South Barrington: Opening Night Disaster

While paging through my Instagram, I noticed a post for a brand new Italian restaurant opening up in the South Barrington area. The owner, Fabio Viviani, is a well-known restaurateur with over 50 restaurants under his belt, including the famous Bar Siena. This brings me to my next review: Giostra in South Barrington.

breadPhoto bycfk

The restaurant had its grand opening this past Monday, October 14th. The reservation system was a mess, and no one answered the phones. I was going with my family, a party of six, and it was nearly impossible to secure a reservation. I made one last attempt through their online system and managed to snag a reservation for 5:15 PM. We raced over to the restaurant, trying to arrive on time. Unsure of the atmosphere or dress code, we opted for somewhat casual attire.

shrimp and calamariPhoto bycfk

They offered complimentary valet parking in front of the restaurant. Upon entering, we realized it was much smaller than the Instagram videos had led us to believe. They only had one table that could accommodate six people—a large, awkward round table near the bar. It was half booth, elevated about 3 to 4 feet off the ground, with the other chairs being high-top bar stools. These were uncomfortable, with no footrest, making it feel like we were constantly tipping forward. However, given the freezing Chicago weather, sitting outside was not an option, even though the patio looked nice for warmer days

aranciniPhoto bycfk

A manager stopped by to greet us and offered his assistance if needed, which was a nice touch. Our server, on the other hand, seemed inexperienced and unsure of how to take orders or ask what we needed. I understand it was their first day, but the restaurant was missing several essentials. They didn’t have ice tea or certain popular liqueurs like Kahlúa, and their selection of soft drinks was very limited. I stuck with water and luckily, they had Diet Coke.

carpaccioPhoto bycfk

The waitress asked if we wanted still or sparkling water, and we opted for still. There was no mention of complimentary water, so we weren’t sure if it was available. Our server poured only a couple of sips of water into each glass, and when I asked why she wasn’t filling them up, she said the bottle would run out. I told her we would order another bottle if necessary, but it was pointless to pour so little water. I’m not sure if she had ever served before.

berkenshire pork dishPhoto bycfk

We placed our appetizer order, trying the calamari and shrimp, carpaccio, a sliced pork dish, and Arancini. The portions were extremely small. Even for six people, I had barely half a bite of each appetizer, none of which were particularly memorable.

worst vodka sauce I have ever hadPhoto bycfk

My wife ordered her usual Caesar salad, which she gets at every restaurant. It was good, but again, nothing special. My sister tried a few of their signature cocktails, none of which tasted good.

linguini clam saucePhoto bycfk

For the main courses, I ordered the vodka sauce fusilli, my wife got the chicken parmesan, another guest ordered the braised pork shoulder with saffron rice, and we also had a chicken Milanese dish and linguine with clam sauce. Additionally, we ordered bread for the table, which came with truffle cream, prosciutto, and stracciatella.

shank with risottoPhoto bycfk

The food took some time to arrive. Although the restaurant was getting busier, it wasn’t as packed as I expected for opening night.

Chicken MarsalaPhoto bycfk

When our entrées arrived, all the pasta was undercooked and hard. My vodka sauce was one of the worst I’ve ever had—there was too much tomato and not enough cream or vodka. The pasta was clumped together, and all of the dishes were overly salty. We also ordered broccolini, which tasted like a salt lick. I was shocked that with over 50 restaurants under his belt, the owner would allow this food to leave the kitchen.

salty side dishesPhoto bycfk

We called the general manager over, who apologized. We made it clear we weren’t asking for free food but simply wanted to let him know how bad it was in the hopes of preventing future issues. He walked away without much more to say. I didn’t eat any of my dish—it was that bad. The pork shoulder was the only item one of my guests thoroughly enjoyed.

cannolisPhoto bycfk

Despite everything, my guests wanted to order dessert. I didn’t want to spend any more money, but we ordered cannoli, sticky toffee cake, tiramisu, and chocolate gelato.

best thing of the night sticky toffee cakePhoto bycfk

The only decent dessert was the toffee cake. The cannoli filling was warm, and it seemed like they had been sitting out for a while without being properly chilled. At this point, I was ready to leave. Thankfully, I wasn’t the one paying. My nephew picked up the $525 tab, after they had taken off the desserts.

bar areaPhoto byyelp

I’m not sure if I’ll ever return to Giostra. The prices were steep, the portions were small, and the flavors were completely off. I understand it was their first night, so I’ll give them a bit of leeway, but the staff seemed lost, and the kitchen and bar need serious adjustments.

I give Giostra in South Barrington a rating of 4.5 out of 10.

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