Gratto Italian Tapas

I’ve been hear many times. I don’t feel the need too express what everyone else has said. Very accurate!

Wish I could write a proper review, however, when we arrived for our reservation at 6pm the place was closed. So unbelievably rude that if they weren’t going to be open that they wouldn’t even give us a call. We weren’t the only group that showed for their reservation. It looks like they never even opened for the day. The bread was still on the front step. Thankfully Chianti next door well then made up for our disappointment. Their service and food was amazing!

We went on a Saturday night with friends and the service was horrible. We couldn’t get a drink and our waiter completely ignored us; he forgot to take orders from two of our party and we couldn’t get him to return. He threw our food down and left without asking if it was okay, which it wasn’t. Some of it was wrong. When he bussed our table, he made us pick up the dinner dishes and pass them to the end of the table so he didn’t have to walk around. He told me he was exhausted. Really?
To top it off, the food was awful.
How do places like this stay in business?

They have no idea what tapas is and the food and service was terrible. It tasted like regret.

If I could give this restaurant 3 ½ stars, I would. The service was excellent, especially considering that we were a large party and they had an otherwise full restaurant as well. I also appreciated the ability and willingness of the chef to cater to the needs of the vegans in our party, and the vegan dishes looked and tasted amazing.
However, I am not vegan so I had a caprese salad, a penne pasta dish with spicy tomato sauce and Italian sausage, as well as some other tapas that my table ordered. All the food was decent, but nothing special. The reason for retracting stars is that for the price, the food is not as plentiful or unique. The salad in particular was incredibly skimpy for 9 dollars. I would definitely try this restaurant again, but would skip the expensive tapas for a full entrée at the start of the meal.

Still love this restaurant! The food is delicious and I love the atmosphere. We have had a first communion party here too which was perfect!

Terrible terrible went in for lunch with my 92year old mother. Order 2 glasses of wine bruschetta and muscles. Ok brought the muscles no bread. Asked server for the bread her reply was we CHARGR $ 1.99 for bread DO you want it. They are rude and don’t know how they stay in business. Will never go there again toooo many good restaurants around.

The Grotto– as a restaurant!
The Grotto has been a delectable affair spanning the last year and a half. I went here on a first date and fell in love with not only the food, but also my date (we’re now living together– me and the date– not the food). Our server Nick, was extremely attentive– quiet but friendly. He didn’t seem at all bothered when we ordered off the menu, and we request him every time we go. This fabulous, secret off the menu item? The Pesto Gnocci. The pesto is thick and creamy, and the pine nuts delectable, while the Gnocci itself is always succulent and slightly aldante.
As a bar, I don’t know how it’d hold up, but as a little restaurant, it’s quite charming and certainly my favourite.

Had lunch here today. A humungus salad with a huge piece of seared salmon, dried cherries, feta cheese, spring mix, fresh croutons, and an orange/​balsamic vinaigrette. It was so delicious, I didn’t even need the vinaigrette. Great service and intimate, rustic atmosphere. Highly recommend

We had a great late lunch here during the Geneva Art Fair.
I can understand why some people are confused with the concept of Italian Tapas; the small plates seemed to me more like Cicchetti but using that word might confuse matters even more.
I enjoyed everything we ordered but was most impressed with the Quattro Formaggio (Four Cheeses) pizza. I would have never ever thought to use this particular mix of cheeses but they worked together beautifully. The crust seemed to have the right amount of caramelization for me also.
The decoration is casual but interesting, featuring classic black and white photos of actors and actresses of the 1960’s to 1970’s.
All things considered, we thought it was a great lunch spot, and was in a very convenient location.
Bottom line– Would definitely go back again.

I don’t know what happened to this place — it use to be so good and so enjoyable. Our server, Nick, seemed very unenthusiastic about serving us and gave us the impression we were an inconvenience. When greeted at the door with «how many and take these menus and go choose your table» should have been an indication that this was not going to go well. The calamari was either prepared earlier and left over from lunch or just not cooked sufficiently. It was barely warm. The bread we asked for twice — with the second time being told it will be on our table as soon as it comes out of the over — was really hard. In fact, the bottom of it was actually burnt. Definitely will not return until I see a positive review on Unilocal!Not many customers were having dinner here and right next store at Chianti, the place was full!

Came for lunch. Surprisingly, the restaurant was pretty empty. Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating.
I had the four-​cheese ravioli and my sister had the spicy Italian sausage and pasta lunch. Both were served hot and had a nice presentation. They have an extensive wine list and plenty of by-​the-​glass options.
Server was attentive and able to explain the menu well.
Looking forward to returning for something different!

Stay away! Where do I begin?
I came here with my boyfriend to have a few apps and drinks. We sat at the bar and I redeemed the free bruschetta voucher on Unilocal and we also ordered the meatballs.
I’m italian so i think I’m a pretty good judge of italian food.
The bruschetta was bland and the fresh mozzarella was crumbled almost as if it was ricotta salata? I don’t know it was pulverized and mushy.
The meatballs were soooo tough and tasted (and this is being harsh but very truthful) like spaghetti-O’s meatballs. The marinara sauce wasn’t even good. I can’t believe how disappointed I was. We ended up paying and going next door to chianti. THATS a great place to eat!!!

I’m typing this as I leave the Grotto where they would not honor my Unilocal check-​in offer for a free bruschetta because it’s during Swedish Days in Geneva. Keep in mind, the offer said nothing about holidays & it is most certainly not our server, Jessica’s, fault, but the owner made a poor call, if you ask me. To me, it’s not about the $, rather the gesture. It’s about honoring what you offer.
I’m looking at 4 open tables in my section and it seems the rush here is over. The food was… meh. My baked goat cheese was ok but a bit salty. The wedding soup was a little spicy for my taste, but not wholly bad. The wine list is decent, the server friendly, but with a storm outside and an empty lobby, I think the owner (guy in short sleeves) needs some improvement in his judgment calls.
Do I need to ever come back? I can’t think of a reason… What’s the point?

I came here with three friends last Sunday. The food was fine, the service was not so great.
We sat outside– which was busy, the inside was pretty empty. We ordered a few appetizers, a salad and some entrees. Our server was nice, but disappeared a number of times and was not attentive to our waters or how we were throughout our items being brought. We noticed the tables beside us all had different servers. One table had a man who didn’t come by often and did not bring their drinks until 10+ minutes later– after he went inside to ask where he was. The other table had a woman as their server and she seemed very attentive.
We kept having to ask the bussers/​helpers (not sure what their jobs were, but they were the most attentive at picking up dishes and bringing items we needed– THESE are the guys you should have as servers here).
All in all, I came here because my friends have been before and we spent the day in the area. The food was good, but I wouldn’t return because of this service.
*Also, we were told when we asked for bread that it would be $ 2.00 … my friends seemed to think this was new since they have come here a few times. I think it’s ridiculous that your entrees are priced anywhere from $ 12-​$ 40 and you are charging people for bread. We ordered three appetizers, two salads, and two entrees… are you serious?
Sounds like they’re hurting and they’re trying to make a buck. From the other reviews, I can see service is where they need to invest, charging your customers for bread and then forgetting to bring it for 20 minutes once they’ve agreed to pay for it. is bad business. I won’t be back.

Not impressed at all by the food. And «tapas» really just means appetizers to them. Its not really a traditional tapas place. Caprese salad tasted like they used grocery store tomatoes ’ very flavorless. Fried enocchi tasted like it was originally frozen and the bacon wrapped dates were unimpressive. Bar tender was nice but seemed to be running the whole place. Nice ourside seating with lovely water feature. Definitely a place for sitting outside for a drink. Just not to eat.

This place was really tasty! Calamari was good, not the best, but good. I got the linguini scampi asparagini which was great, just needed a little salt, but still very good! My bf got the rigatoni and he really enjoyed it. Wine was also delicious. Tiramisu did not taste fresh though. Pretty sure it had been sittng in the refrigerator for a long while. They also serve bread witg olive oil and parmasean. Yum! The atmospehere is nice too. Cozy but not too crowded. Our waitress was nice and very attentive. I am interested in trying their pizza next. Definitely coming back! :)

Horrible management. Ordered a bruchetta and got the bread was burnt black. I tried it anyway hoping it was just the edges and it was awful burnt toast so we returned it hoping to get it redone less burnt. The server told us that the owner said it was «rustic» and that they will not give us another one. REALLY??? That’s how you run your business. No wonder you didn’t last in glen ellyn. Needless to say we didn’t stay and as we were leaving we saw another customer complaining to the same woman owner. She could care less about service. The lady told me she was going to walk out on her tab. I hope she did!!!

Had a GREAT Time here last night with another couple. Service was fast, attentive and personable. Ambiance is cozy and intimate in the basement setting. Just a cool place.
We ordered a little bit of everything:
Gorgonzola Gnocchi — Does not look like much, but the flavor is awesome
House Risotto — Only complaint was a little runny compared to how we like risotto, but very good
Carpaccio — This is very citrusy, and it poaches the beef some like an italian beef. Great flavor, but deviates too far from carpaccio to call it that.
Whitefish was the highlight to me, and the appetizer shrimp.
Just a great meal, great drinks and a great to hang out with friends.

One of the very few basement venues in the world I can actually appreciate, the Gratto has a cozy and fairly intimate atmosphere, whether you are sitting in the dining room or bellied up to the bar. The Christmas lights incorporated in their décor may be inexpensive, but tiny overhead glows will get me every time. They also have a small but wonderful patio area in the summer time with great Third Street people-​watching, if you’re so inclined.
I’ve been the the Gratto three times, with significantly different experiences. For my first visit, I came with a group of 6 on a fairly busy Friday or Saturday night. We didn’t wait long, and decided we wanted to try the tapas. We picked out some favorites up front, and the waiter suggested that we could just continue ordering as we went along, deciding along the way how much food we wanted. This worked out splendidly, each of us sampling different options until we’d had our fill. Everything we tried was delicious, although I was a bit disappointed with the scallops, which were quite savory, but only included 4 pieces.
My second visit was unmemorable, but a different friend and I enjoyed the tapas that time as well.
My most recent visit was the most disappointing. I went on my birthday, armed with an e-​mail list birthday-​club deal. I ordered the Ravioli del Vericano, a basic cheese ravioli dish with mushrooms, green beans, and a brandy cream sauce. I added shrimp to the deal as well, which still fit within my $ 15 birthday-​dinner limit.
The portion was pretty small, although I don’t know if that was a lunch portion or not. The pasta itself was bland.
I was pretty sure I was supposed to receive soup with my meal, but did not. After I got my food, I asked about the soup, and the waiter asked «Would you like some? It’s chicken and rice,» implying that it was something he was going to charge me for. I even asked for clarification, saying «I thought it was included?» which he didn’t answer directly, instead just asking again if I wanted some.
They also seem to nickel-​and-​dime you for everything – $ 1 for salad instead of soup as a side, and $ 3 – «or more!” – for substitutions or plate-​splitting. I had called ahead to ask if my birthday certificate was good only on my birthday, or for the whole month of February, and they told me it was only good for November. However, when the bill came, no one bothered to ask whose birthday it was or request that I prove it in any way, which means that they took the cheaper entrée off the check. Had I known that was the game, I wouldn’t have added the $ 5 worth of shrimp (which definitely wasn’t worth it)!
The Gratto also takes a hit for their daytime traffic. Everyone knows that the places they most want to be are the ones that everyone else wants to be as well, and the Gratto seems to rarely fit the bill in the daytime. The two times I have visited during the day, I have been one of three or fewer patrons, which gives the place somewhat of a lonely air.
So to recap, the Gratto scores for location, overall atmosphere and tapas selections, but loses for waitstaff, prices, and overly toolish business practices. The place has hit-​or-​miss potential, but for the cost, it should score every time.