By far my favorite Italian restaurant! I'm very picky when it comes to Italian food (100% italian heritage may have something to do with that... used to home cooked meals that not many restaurants can compete with - in my opinion). But Capri is an exception! This place has it all - great ambiance, intimate setting, beyond delicious food from the apps to main entrees to dessert/cappucino. They make homemade pasta - which says a lot right there! It adds a whole new dimension to Italian dining that I simply cannot explain. :) The desserts are great too - my fave being the homemade tiramasu, although on our recent trip we deviated from the norm and tried the canoli with chips. YUMMM. My only dislike is the caesar salad. The dressing is not creamy ceasar, which is my preference. However that's a personal preference for me, so next time I'll opt for the soup or house salad. Try the Caprese salad!! Service is great. Host is always friendly. Call for a reservation, but you'll often wait a few minutes to be seated. It's worth it though! Grab a glass of wine while you wait.
(5)
Jessica B.
I cannot understand why anyone would choose to eat here. The food is lousy and the "service" is ridiculously bad. So bad in fact that several times the next day, at random, either my husband or I would just blurt out, "wow that was horrible. I mean - I can't remember the last time I was in a restaurant with service that awful..." etc. If we weren't there celebrating my husband's Great Aunt's 85th birthday and if it were free then we'd probably be able to just laugh it off, but sadly it was her birthday and the prices were anything, but cheap. Especially considering I only received half of my entree (chicken with side of pasta = just a hammered out piece of chicken dripping in a soggy, overly sour lemon sauce). It would take a long time to go through all the bizarre and sometimes rude service-related issues AND tell you how bad the food was, so I'll just do a "greatest hits" of some of the more memorable moments from our dinner last weekend: - All of our meals came with the standard soup or salad option to be brought out before the entree. Before my soup even had a chance to cool down, our entrees started coming out. This is a crowded table too so in addition to the annoyance of having to scarf down your appetizer to avoid your entree from getting cold, the whole stacking plates to find room circus came into play. My husband's aunt kindly asked if they could hold off on serving the entrees and I swear to everything they just ignored her and kept putting food down. She asked THREE times and the servers (we had several rotating in and out throughout the night) pretended not to hear her before stopping...clearly because they saw themselves that there was no more room. Rather than take everything back, they left a few entrees on the table (including mine) which was incredibly awkward. - The food. This is some bland food, folks. The lentil soup was watery, my husband's chicken/shrimp dish had zero taste and another family member said his dish's sauce tasted like it was reheated from a can. Mine, as detailed above, was also not good. At all. - Missing items. As I mentioned earlier, my entree (Pollo Limone) was supposed to come with a side of pasta (as did all of the others) and it didn't. Drinks were ordered that never came and it took two requests to get the coffees we ordered after dessert. Even more irritating is that we were charged for everything whether it was ever brought to the table or not...which reminds me of the production that was settling our check... - I know that splitting checks is super annoying. I've worked in restaurants. I get it. However, it was four bills and we clearly explained each of the orders, drinks, etc. that went with each check. The fuss that was made over an unclaimed diet coke (that my husband's uncle ordered but never received) was INSANE. At one point, I'm like - "just throw it on mine if that means we can wrap this up!" but again, ignored. The server then decided to stand over our table to loudly announce that they would not be charging us for the bread. How magnanimous of you, kind establishment, to comp our bread! I don't know what the purpose of that announcement was because I've never been charged for bread that is automatically brought to the table upon sitting down. They also loudly announced, "we are not charging you for one dessert as it's someone's birthday." It was just tacky and silly. When I say announced loudly, I mean - standing over the head of the table and reading through the whole bill for no reason...and wrongly, I might add. She just made up entrees because she couldn't remember what we actually did order. Needless to say, our checks were still screwed up, but at that point, everyone just wanted to leave. I'm sad that we went here and I'm sad that this place exists. Avoid.
(1)
Tiffany P.
I'm not sure why Capri has such a low rating overall. Service was great, and food was fresh and wonderful. I love the big, tall windows and large rounded corner of the restaurant. It brings in so much light, and dining there makes you feel like a royal. I came with a party of 8 and the server was very accommodating. He was checking up on us frequently, and was very polite and professional. For an appetizer, I would highly recommend the portebello mushroom. It came out hot and fresh with a wonderful vodka sauce, spimach, and shrimp! Flavor combination just screamed Italian. We also got the bruschetta which had some good fresh tomatos, but would have been better with some balsamic vinegar. I can recommend the Caeser salad and the vodka pasta. The itallian sausage and meatballs were good as well! The only thing that looked kind of meh that the whole party got was scallops & marinara dish. It just looked like there wasn't enough sauce, and the scallops were medium-sized and not big and fat. One last thing that gives Capri a big plus is the wine menu. Plenty of selection (as big as the food menu), and lots of greater Italian makers. I would definetly recommend going to Capri; afterwards, explore downtown Downers Grove!
(4)
Minh-An C.
My friend made reservation for a Friday dinner and that was a good idea because it was packed when we got there. We got seated about five minutes later because they had to set up our table. The table we got was a very awkward position, stuck in a "corner" of the room but it's not really the corner. I didn't enjoy the seating at all. The waiter brought out bread for us and they only had oil on the table for dipping, no vinegar. I ordered the spicy shrimp linguini and it came with a small salad. The linguini itself was good but nothing too spectacular. Service was a bit slow and I think they were understaffed because my waiter seemed exhausted running around. Parking can be easily found in the structure about a block down or there is also a lot of street parking. Ambiance was a bit more classy than a regular Italian restaurant. I was able to have a nice conversation with my friend without having to yell so that was a plus.
(3)
Eric S.
Excellent Italian food served in a charming atmosphere by folks who are attentive but not intrusive. Very impressed by the entire experience.
(5)
Jen M.
Impressive, swanky decor. Someone was really taking time here. Menu and food were ok. Service was swift, professional and thoughtful. I know I'm more sensitive to "background" music then anyone I'm hanging around with. But I just have to say...on Saturday, early evening April 4th, what was playing at an obtrusive volume was an album (I presume of) a man and woman making super cheezy duets out of otherwise awesome songs: U2, Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Tracy Chapman...all musically murdered, one after the other. It was dreadful. This REALLY didn't go with the Frank Sinatra portraits hanging on the walls. I wouldn't have been surprised at all to see Frank pull a scowl. Why not play Frank, if you're going for swank? The other 4-5 tables that were full were like my table: Parent or grandparent in their 70s or 80s and their children and grandchildren. Not sure what kind of audience the music was supposed to be pleasing. How about just play Frank? If someone doesn't like Frank, they SHOULD anyway.
(2)
Catherine S.
Wickedly yummie margarita and husband had a Peroni beer. Picture is of Becky the Bartender that greeted us as soon as we walked in and constantly checked up on us without being too intrusive. We primarily came for Delaney's performance yet had a great dessert of Turtle Cheesecake and Pistachio Vanilla Bean Ice Cream! Great crowd for a Friday night - busy but not chaotic. Thanks for a great time Capri!
(5)
Amy D.
This place has great food, but like most of the poor reviews on here - we had a dissapointing experience regarding the service. My husband called ahead and asked to put our name on the wait list, which we were told was 30 minutes long. A little over a half hour later, we showed up asking for our table. The hostesses told us it would be an hour wait. Excuse me? I explained that we were told a table would be ready for us when we arrived, but they stated they didn't have any record of the reservation (insinuating we were lying), and that we would be required to wait an hour. Frustrated, we left the building. However, we really wanted to try this place and had already driven there and found parking (no easy task on a weekend), so I decided to give the restaurant a call and ask to speak to the manager. When I did so, the hostess refused to let me speak to him, because he "was busy with customers." I insisted, stating I'd be happy to hold, and eventually was connected. I explained the situation to the manager (who had actually taken our reservation initially), and he apologized and kindly offered to remedy the situation, inviting us to come back for an immediate seating. I was grateful he took action quickly, and fixed the situation, hence the 3-star rating. The manager followed through on his promise, and we ended up having a great meal, though our server was painfully slow. It took a lifetime to get our bread basket, and each course after that. On a positive note, I ordered the vodka rigatoni, and it was some of the best I'd ever had. The homemade pasta is to die for, and truly makes a difference. We also got the chocolate molten cake, which was a perfect ending to our meal - not too sweet, yet wonderfully decadent. I was a little annoyed that they brought out bottled coke products, rather than fountain drinks. This isn't very Eco-friendly, and you don't get free refills. I think the server should have mentioned this when we ordered. Also, the garden salad was severely lacking - basically just lettuce with a few pieces of tomato and cucumber. Plus, they didn't offer ranch dressing. I would come back, but I will definitely plan for a non-busy time - like maybe 3:00 pm on a Tuesday. I wouldn't step foot in the joint on a weekend, because I'm almost positive I wouldn't get seated even with a reservation.
(3)
Scott S.
36 minutes past confirmed reservation and still no accurate time to be seated. Two 88*+ yr old standing. Confirm twice before coming. Crap service so far. * 50 minutes and waiting. The poor hostess working for a place with so little organization. No manager available to talk to.
(1)
M C.
We chose this restaurant by default as the original choice down the street was hosting a private party. Capri is a great restaurant. Beautifully decorated and the food was excellent. Service was great. Kinda pricey but it was worth it. We will come here again for sure. Great experience.
(5)
Justin C.
Capri, your food ain't bad. That obnoxious crooner (who I think is also the owner) needs to spend less time thinking he's Frank Sinatra and more time running his restaurant. We made a reservation and stupidly figured maybe the reviews were a fluke. They are not! We stood in a cramped, uncomfortable foyer for over an hour past our reservation time. I hate to critique service...I really do. But it seems at this point it is not a service issue. Figure out how to properly seat your restaurant. Will not be back.
I was somewhat surprised when I saw 2.5 stars for this place. That being said I now understand. We had 7pm reservation and sat down at 7:30- I can deal with that. Then my wife ordered lemon for her water and that never came. Then I ordered veal giuseppe and they brought veal saltimbocca. I appreciate the free tiramisu for the mix up but maybe not the best dessert when my wife is 7 months pregnant..... Staff was friendly and the food was good even if the dish was wrong.
(3)
Bruce B.
I have found the Capri to be either the best restaurant in the Western 'burbs or just mediocre. The last time, it was great! There was attentive and the flavorings to be exceptional. I truly enjoy their Chicken Vesuvio and of course the desserts..
(4)
Jennifer P.
The food was okay. Outside tables were nice. But the reasoning behind my bad review is the sneaky charge on our bill. The waiter told us salad was included with our dinner and would we like blue cheese on our salad. When the bill came, there was a charge for the salad. "Oh, that's not for the salad, it's for the blue cheese". An almost $4 charge for something we were offered without telling us there is a charge. Sneaky and dishonest. Also, our table asked for bread 4 times (twice from our waiter and twice from two other staff members). Nothing. I would not pick this restaurant again. Too many good/better Italian restaurants to visit with better honest service.
(1)
Robert S.
Go elsewhere! We had to wait almost an hour for chicken entrees. Won't be returning. Drove by downtown Downers Grove looking for a nice place to eat. My girlfriend pointed out Capri and said her Uncle had been there and said it was good, and her best friend and husband enjoyed Capri. So I decided we could give it a shot. I was clearly under-dressed and that was my fault for not being aware we were going to eat a late Italian meal. The menu looked promising. I ordered Pollo Francese and she orderer Pollo Limone. It took nearly an hour for us to get our meal. We watched tableS(yes plural) were being served each course of their meal before we saw our entree. It looked like they were serving a tables full courses before moving to the next table. Tables got their salads, entrees, desserts and receipts before we got our entrees. Luckily we did not order an appetizer. When we did get our meals my meal wasn't to bad, my side of pasta was over done. My girlfriend's was suppose to be lemony. There was no lemon in her sauce, excluding the slice of lemon on top of the chicken. The sauce was a heavy oil taste(I tasted it myself), her vegetables were very salty. When the check came the waitress did not remove the lemonade I never got, because they were out. So she removed it before running my card. When I got home I thought about what to write on my review. I then realized they charge me $3.00 more for one the entrees. I checked the menu online to confirm. I was considering calling the restaurant, but the damage was done. Our poor waitress was at the mercy of the chef(s). She got us a bread in the beginning. She offered to get a 2nd one but took forever to get a second bread order. At first I thought she was forgetful, I think the chef(s) had to bake it. I believe there was a guy who was working at the restaurant and working the bar who seemed to be a manager or owner. No one ever came by to check on us or how things were. That same guy did happen to talk several times to an older couple that was next to us because he did clearly know them. He never checked on anyone else. We were on the brink of leaving and paying for our drinks.
(1)
Lyndsey C.
If I could give this place zero stars, I would. My family and I tried to sit outside to enjoy a dinner on a warm, sunny, August evening. The weather stated it would be rainy earlier, however, no rain and everything cleared up. We specifically drove to this restaurant to be able to sit outside. I asked the hostess she said we couldn't due to weather, we all said it was very nice out and asked to speak to a manager. Even longer story short, the "manager," came up in an aggressive manner stating we could not sit outside. He came up to us, hands waving, wearing a servers outfit, did not ask anything about us, introduce himself, etc. Just comes out saying we can not sit anyone outside. I inquired why as other restaurants were and the weather was beautiful. He was adamant and basically said it was okay to lose customers that would buy full dinners and wine bottles due to this. He said the owner said this. Use your head and accommodate your customers. I will never go back there after the absolute rude treatment. It's one thing to try to figure it out or tell us a reasonable reason why, but to come out adamantly saying no for no good reason is absolutely unnecessary. We moved a half block down this is our view and the weather!
(1)
Maggie C.
I would really give 2 1/2 Stars...Had really great customer service and the food all came out at the right time, but the food was not so great. Mind you we were at a party for 20 ppl and note that they can only split up to 5 checks...oh and they had added 20% for tip. i normally see 18%, but it was my first time seeing 20%. We were first given unlimited complimentary toasty bread that were warmed up in the oven. There were also Olive oil, cheese, roasted garlic, and olives on the table. Next, we had received our soup and appetizers. I had picked the minestrone soup. The soup was seasoned fine, but the vegetables were too overcooked. For appetizers, I had the Calamari Capri and free Bruschetta (For checking into Yelp). Calamari was cooked great, but it sat in oil that seemed to be seasoned with a slice of Lemon on top. I didn't taste any seasoning, so it was like dipping into Oil. I would of liked to have a wedge of Lemon to drizzle Lemon juice on top and marinara sauce to dip the Calamari in. This dish you wanted to eat quick, otherwise the batter on the Calamari will soak up the oil. Then, the Bruschetta is your typical toast with tomatoes and olive oil. Nothing special, but I think it was the best out of everything I had ordered. Finally, the entree I ordered was Fettucine ala Gamberi Scallopini Alfredo. The Creamy Alfredo sauce was very thick, which made it hard to pull apart the noodles, and it was a bit salty for my taste. I had to add pepper to balance out the saltiness.The Shrimp and scallops i believe were cooked okay, but the shrimp had the tails at the end. So it was inconvenient to eat the shrimp, then use your fingers to pull the tail off. Overall, the staff were nice, our water were filled, and the food was served at the right time. I personally won't be coming here for Italian food. Oh I can't forget to mention the incident of a staff member photo bombing the birthday girl blowing out the Candles. While, the staff was grabbing an empty plate across from the cake. He almost got his sleeve caught on fire from the candles on the Cake.
(2)
Steven D.
Have been to Capri's a few times. Most visits have been good...a couple bad. Seems to be hit or miss for some unknown reason.But more good than bad. The homemade Rigatoni with Vodka sauce is very good as is the Gnocchi. You can't beat $5 martini night on Thursdays. Top shelf liquor of your choice. We will be back again.
(3)
Casey R.
This was a real disappointment for my wife, myself and our children. It was empty tonight. We really thought we going to have a fancy and good Italian meal and were very optimistic. Salads were good and bread/drinks were prompt. Service over all was slow for how empty it was. The meal was not good. We ordered the special butternut squash ravioli. It was a special so you would think they would have made the ravioli but it was heated from frozen (all of the ravioli was perfectly square and uniform) and had a very odd sweet sauce on top of the ravioli being 2 colors (black and orange). We ordered Jumbo shells with marinara. The sauce was good and the noodles were okay but the stuffing was not good at all. Usually I would expect ricotta cheese but this was something else. You shouldn't mess with a good thing. Finally I ordered the filet wrapped with pancetta. It smelled horrible (like fish? or meat that had turned) and the steak tasted like Omaha box steak (if you've had these you know where I'm at) The broccoli was okay but had no flavor. Overall, I was just really disappointed. It's not a cheap meal by any means. For something so expensive, I would expect the meal to actually be made there instead of being just heated from frozen... I'm pretty sure the steak was heated from frozen too. It was perfectly round and the pancetta bacon was extremely thin. There is a very definite regular crowd that goes there and the staff tends to focus on them. That's cool and all but it came across as over the top and I have to think they make their money off the regulars. We won't go there again and we won't recommend it to anyone.
(1)
Vanessa B.
What a disappointment! We made a reservation for 6 people and had to wait half an hour for our table. While waiting at the bar I asked the bartender for a drink menu. With attitude, I was told they don't have one. Ok. Strange, but ok. When the rest of our party arrived, they picked up a drink menu off the bar. When I asked the bartender, she replied 'well, it doesn't have ALL our drinks'. Jeez, really?! After we were seated at our very tight table ( I was amazed at how many tables they squeezed into this space to begin with), our waiter was very pleasant and knowledgable. The food took especially long, but was good though nothing extraordinary. All in all, I would not return to this restaurant. I love Italian food and generally find it hard to find a bad Italian restaurant, but this one made the list. Will go back to the burr ridge location next time!
(2)
Robin L.
Just meh, should be 2 1:2 stars at best. Best part of the meal was the salad, served on a very cold plate. Food was meh, as well as service. Note also (and I'm not basing my review on this at all) we took our 10 year old, no children's menu, or at least a small serving 'something' we could use from the appetizer section. I'll go to Clara's in Woodridge for the prices they charge here and a much better meal.
(3)
LOIS B.
It is a sad day that I can only give this restaurant 2 stars. We headed over knowing that this restaurant is no longer part of the family owned Capris. Consistency has been the main stay of these restaurants for the 20 years I have been eating at them. Today I could taste the difference. It is the first time we have ever had food to take home ~ EVER. We brought home more than we ate. At least the bread was very good and very hot. Maybe part of the sale of this restaurant was that the recipes had to be slightly tweaked since it was no longer family. I can remember when you could not get near this place on a Saturday night without a reservation, actually, even with a reservation. Tonight there were plenty of available tables. So, I will have to drive to Burr Ridge or Berwyn if I want that delicious Capri cooking. Bummers :(
(2)
Alejandra O.
We had a business dinner here last night. Everyone enjoyed the food and service very much. We had arancini (delicious!), calamari and bruschetta for appetizers. The entrees offered were filet mignon alla pancetta, pollo fiorentino and tilapia picatta, all very good. Would definitely bring the group back here for another dinner.
(4)
Merry D.
Had a reservation at 6:00 on Mother's Day, and by 6:45 we had still not been seated. Some people had reservations at 5:30 and waited for over an hour. Hostess was extremely rude and the owner was not helpful. After questioning the owner about our reservations, he said he would come back with an honest answer....and he never came back. Hostess kept on making excuses that it wasn't her fault and was getting very snappy with customers. If she can't handle her job, she shouldn't have it. Would have loved to try their food, but will NEVER be returning. There are far better Italian restaurants in Downers Grove and Woodridge.
(1)
Aaron R.
Jessica - bruschetta - meatballs - veal parm - side pasta - roasted garlic - napizzano - bread - table cheese - check in special - Sunday gravy - Caesar - chicken rice soup - seated promptly - OpenTable We were seated promptly by a very nice hostess, and told that our waitress would be right with us. Our waitress Jessica was very helpful on this, our first visit. I've served in "fine dining Italian" myself, so I was very familiar with the ins and outs of the menu items - but I wanted recommendations from somebody who knew the food here very well. She did a GREAT job. Recommendations were the bruschetta (fresh, simple, VERY good) and meatballs appetizers. We may not get both again - that's a lot of food - but either was a great starting choice. We then decided to go all-in and tried the Caesar salad, chicken rice soup, and had the roasted garlic with our bread and oil. All impressed us. The soup seemed homemade. At this point, I also opted for a lovely Napizzano wine. I got the veal parmesan - the best I've ever had - and a side of pasta, which has a nice chew and a very nice sauce. The table cheese had a wonderful sharpness, likely some romano in there. My wife tried the Sunday gravy, and absolutely loved it. I tried a couple bites, and it was pretty great - the flavor really had that slow-cooked richness. One of the better Italian meals we've had!
(5)
mei s.
We went on a night where apparently they were short staffed. We had reservations for 7:15 and our party of four didn't finish dinner until 9:45. Several times we flagged the hostess to get our waitress as she kept avoided our area of the room like the plague. When she finally came over after the first flagging, she didn't even acknowledged how she had been gone for 20 minutes after they had taken away our appetizer and how we still had not ordered our dinner yet. I was peeved. Then after the second time, she did acknowledge her inattentiveness and was overly effusive in trying to compensate for it. In any case, the service was poor from her but the hostess was nice and helpful and explained that they were short staffed that night. Despite this, the food was good. We started with some calamari, the spicy one that is flash fried. They have three versions of calamari on the appetizer menu, two are fried. This was delicious. Then we ordered a garbage salad and a caprese salad. Both were ok, I've had better. The main entrees of eggplant parmigiana and seafood risotto were excellent. The risotto was like buttery. The eggplant came with a side of homemade pasta with red sauce that was really delicious. Overall, the food is decent but the service was not good on this night. I would definitely come back for the risotto.
(3)
Marie B.
This isn't about the food -- we've been here a few times and the food is ok. Nothing spectacular, but ok. The frustration now, twice in a row, is making a reservation well in advance and the host paying no attention to our seating request, and being extremely dismissive when asked about it.. Not, "I'm sorry, we can't meet your request tonight,but if you'd like to wait, or sit over here..." -- just a nasty look and an aggravated response. Once again, stuck us at a crowded table in the tiny back room brushed up against another couple, next to the kitchen door, with no acknowledgement of our request to sit in the larger room. It was a special occasion for us and there were tables open where we requested. When we asked for a different table, he moved us to another equally uncomfortable location. In the meantime, he seated another couple in the area we'd requested. When we asked why he didn't seat us there to begin with, he had no explanation, pretty much saying fine, whatever, he'd seat us at a nearby table when it was cleaned. We were dressed nicely and in a good mood, looking forward to the night out. It was very disappointing, once again. The first time this happened (several months ago), we chalked it up to the host having a bad night. Twice in a row -- no thanks. There are plenty of restaurants nearby with better food who are way more respectful of their customers. If you have a good reason why you can't accommodate a request, say so politely, but don't completely ignore them, even after being reminded, and then make an attempt to fix it in a very fake, patronizing manner. It was too little, too late. We won't be going back.
Made a reservation weeks in advance. The restaurant called to confirm multiple times then later asked me to change the reservation time; I refused. The evening of, my party had to wait an hour for our "reservation". Service was awful. The food wasn't anything to write home about.
(1)
Vicky S.
CRUNCHY pasta ?!? Returned and got back only slightly better. Credit card was charged the wrong check. Mine was $35 and they ran my card through on the table next to me which was $298. They voided it but it's pending on my account till it clears. Ugh...
(1)
Tammy L.
The food here is not bad at all, but nothing to make me crave coming back. I came for a family dinner and we tried the grilled seafood plate, which was fine--the octopus was not boiled first, so it wasn't as outstanding as it could have been. However, everything was fresh. The fried calamari was well done--tender and not greasy. I ordered the special mafaldine, which came with green beans, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes. I liked the noodles, which are homemade. Their frilly shape and springy texture was really good. The other ingredients were nothing to write home about. The included house salad was very unremarkable. I also tasted the cannoli for dessert, and it was not bad. The service was very courteous and nice, and I enjoyed the roasted garlic and olives that they put on the table with the bread. The atmosphere is pleasant. Overall, I wouldn't mind coming here if in the area, but wouldn't necessarily make it a destination.
(3)
Scott C.
Went to Capri with a friend for the first time and I really enjoyed it. We were seated right next to the kitchen, so it was a bit noisy, but it did not ruin our experience. I thought the food was excellent and the service attentive. 4 drinks, appetizer, salads, two main dishes, and desert was $107+tip. Not bad at all. I would go back!
(4)
John O.
I really wasn't expecting to like Capri as much as I did, but in the crowded italian restaurant market of Downers Grove downtown, it stands out as consistently one of the best (but also, the most expensive). Good wine selections, consistent dishes and surprisingly accomodating to families if you get there on the early side.
(4)
Alisha N.
White table cloths and great food that is reasonably priced. Very nice menu! Our server Lindy was great! A few of us were confused on what to order and she guided us by asking some questions and put in an order for us and it turned out so great! This restaurant offers lots of unique and complex dishes that I have never had at an Italian place before. I got the 8 finger fungi dish and it was sooo good. The bruschetta is crazy good as well. They have a lot of special nights where they offer different menu items, entertainment, and specials. A must!
(4)
Lochin S.
the place looks sooooo very nice and promising... I wanted it to be so much more. What a fabulous location too. The service was bordering on bad. the food was okay to good. The price was high. They charge pastas about $16 and up. My salmon was $27. I guess I would not mind paying that if it was great, but it was so so. pastas were bland, we had to ask for red pepper flakes, 7 ladies, 6 pasta dishes, bland... NO I will not be back anytime soon....
(2)
Danny J.
Holly Crap! It was like a remake of Seinfeld's show with reservations. They know how to make a reservation, but have no understanding on keeping the reservation. The manager was a tool to top it off. I approached him after waiting 30 minutes past the reservation in the 25 sq. ft. front entrance. The dude replied to me "what do you want me to do? I can't make them leave!" I politely told him that he should know this is an ongoing issue( i read a review or two before I went) and maybe he should space his reservations out accordingly. He's a guy in his 30's who thought he was hot *&%$. Needless to say his reply was not to my liking. I told a few people who showed up as I was leaving about the stupid wait, so they didn't make the same mistake. If I was 10 years younger I would prank call this place and watch the hothead manager freak out. Don't go to this place hungry!
(1)
K D.
Food was really good. Pretty weak that they sell $2+ 8.5 oz "bottles" of soda. All tables seemed too close together and we were frequently bumped into while eating.
(3)
J H.
We'd purchased a giftcard for mother-in-law here last year, becasue we were told it could alos be used at the Capri in Palos. Well when she asked about it before making reservations, she was told that it was only good at the DG Capri. So she came here and we dined at Capri of DG. Food was nothing special. Though the calamari was very good, the chicken marsala tasted sweet, which was kinda weird. Eggplant parm. was fine, but the accompanying pasta was "ehh". We know plenty of other fine Italian restaurants with better food.
(2)
Margaret G.
Warm summer Friday nights in downtown DG fill up with viewers of the car show. My dad looks forward to the car show and this was the first Friday we were free to check it out. Although rain an hour before scheduled car show was to begin kept many classic cars in the garage , it definitely did not rain on our parade! We sat outside and enjoyed the cool weather along with the pretty legit singer/guitarist across the street covering hit 90's songs. The tables are located close to ongoing cars but traffic is slow so its not too bad. Thumbs up for the warm bread along with the plate of olives and GARLIC plus olive oil for dipping. I LOVE GARLIC. We began with the bruschetta which was satisfactory. As an entree, I tried the Square Noodle Bascaiola. It came with caesar salad which was lacking big time with dressing so I didn't eat much of it. The pasta entree tasted like lasagna noodles with ragu sauce and a dollop of goat cheese. The dish required a lot more spice and flavor. Towards the end of our meal I couldn't leave without checking in on YELP and realized a complimentary bruschetta was included. Our waitress, Angela originally did not want to accept the deal thinking we needed a paper printout and I calmly explained to Yelpless Angela how it worked. After speaking with the manager twice, we were able to get it removed from our bill (thanks Angela).
(3)
Betsey G.
Truly horrible from start to finish. We were seated 30 mins after our reservation, service was slow, food was average at best and totally over priced. There was nothing special about our meal and would never return.
(1)
Shradha A.
My best friend took me here for a quick dinner before I was supposed to catch the train. She said she had always walked past it and it looks busy with happy people all the time. We were in quite a hurry given the train timing, but all the staff members were warm and friendly. The atmosphere, lighting and overall ambiance were very nice. We only really got a chance to try their bruschetta, which is the by far the best-est bruschetta I've had! I hope to return and try their entrees, after which I may add that last star! It's also a little on the pricey side, so expect that when you go.
(4)
Lizzie O.
I have to agree, this place does not honor reservations very well... as Jerry Sienfeld put it - "It's not so much the TAKING of a reservation, as it is the HOLDING of it." We called early Saturday afternoon for a 7p.m reservation that night. We got there at 6:45 and were not seated until 7:20. That just doesn't cut it folks. I wouldn't recommend this place if you have plans and need to be somewhere. The food was decent, but pricey. Nothing too amazing. The servers were prompt and polite so the one star is justified. I just couldn't shake the feeling that this restaurant was all about image, and not so much with the substance. Try Clara's in Woodridge - the food is so much tastier, affordable, and they always get the reservations right.
(1)
Allan M.
A friend got a coupon for a free appetizer when she jogged by one day. So when we were looking for something a bit different to try we figured we would check it out. There is a small patio section which is extremely nice with a little fountain across the road and a very pretty Downers Grove. when I first sat down I thought... this is really nice and relaxing... I wonder how many trains come through... I lost track after the 7th, two of which were long freight trains and seemed to go on for ever and made talking less then pleasant. That aside it was everything I would expect of a fine Italian restaurant. From what i saw of the inside it looked gorgeous! Lots of dark woods and fine settings. In addition the wait staff were polite and prompt and the food was better then expected for the price. (thou closer to the $30 per person then $11 on the scale) All in all I would give it two thumbs up. Despite the train noise it's a great location as you can stop in before jumping on the train, or possibly catch a nice dinner to unwind before driving home. Just sit inside. :-)
(4)
Chris M.
Mediocre food. High prices for "attitude ". The server was nice, but management thinks they are running a "fine dining" establishment. Please. Three other Italian restaurants within two blocks provide better value and better food.
(2)
JK B.
I was really hoping that this would be better, as Downers Grove is lacking in finer dining. And, it does appear that there are many that actually appear to enjoy the food here, so please read my review that in mind. Perhaps it was that I ordered a bad choice, or it was just an off night for them. Maybe it was also due to the fact that I had just come back from a trip to France, and after eating in Paris for a week, anything eaten in the West Burbs was going to fall hopelessly flat. But whatever the reason, I found the food here absolutely atrocious, and certainly not worth the $$. Which is surprising, as while I certainly enjoy fine cuisine, I am not a food snob by any means. I'm usually happy in a wide variety of places (hole in the wall taco bars to Michelin Star restaurants) as long as it tastes good. I rarely find myself hating something the way that occurred in this restaurant. My wife, who ordered a different dish, had the same impression. Neither of us came close to finishing our plates. The positives were that the decor was nice, and the service was polite and attentive. But, in the end, we came there to eat something delicious, and that most certainly did not occur. Most certainly not.
(1)
Jeff G.
Hands down this is the best restaurant in Downers Grove. We have eaten here several times and had a wonderful experience every time. The homemade pasta, Veal and Lasagna are great! The Chicken Vesuvio gets my vote.
(5)
Shannon M.
Excellent food! The Chicken Visuvio is to die for!!! Service is impeccable and the atmosphere is very upscale yet unpretentious. Prices are high but Capri delivers on every aspect, so they are justified.
(5)
Sarah R.
My family and I have been to Capri's many times and this was the first time that our experience has been disappointing. We knew the restaurant was no longer family owned, but we didn't expect this big of a difference. We started off with the "Calamari Forget a bout it", which, was nothing special. The salads were cold, but underdressed. When our orders arrived, all were there except mine, the Square Noodle Bascaiola. Instead was a rigatoni. The order was corrected and I had my correct order in about 15 minutes, long enough for my family to be finished with their meals. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only problem. My mother's linguini and clams were extremely salty, almost like licking a salt lick. My father and brother both ordered the Veal san Guissepe, which they told me tasted like it was thrown in a microwave. We left very disappointed that night-except for one thing. Our waitress was great. Nothing that had happened was her fault, but she took it upon herself to fix everything. She knew that we had been coming in for awhile and she really wanted to help make our experience better. She took of the linguini from our bill and gave my mother a free dessert on her. She really didn't need to do that, but we're very thankful and tipped her well. Unfortunately, I didn't catch her name or I would have praised her. We will not be coming back for awhile based on the food. My family and I hope that one day the food will be back to tasting like it did before when it was family owned, but for now we will be taking a break from here.
(2)
Brian K.
I lived off of Taylor St. in Chicago for years and the food here is as good as I've had. Tuscan minestrone soup, homemade pasta, perfectly cooked chicken..all great. Very attentive service as well Would give 5 stars, but I think it's a bit over-priced. Would go more often if it were more affordable.
(4)
Ashley W.
Thanks to a work Christmas party, I found myself at Capri in Downers Grove, right across from the tracks on Main Street. I had passed this place numerous times, but the thought had never occurred to me to stop in and check this place out. Boy, was I missing out! I didn't look at a menu once because it was a preselected dinner, but everything we tried was absolutely delicious! The standout items were the homemade pastas. The Quattro Formaagi was insanely fresh and delicious, as well as the Rigatoni in a vodka cream sauce.
My boyfriend and I visited Capri for the first time on 12/10/11 and we were pleased. We were seated promptly and had a very attentive server. Our dishes were very tasty, stuffed shells for him and Chicken Marsala for me. The marinara sauce on my pasta side was incredible! I loved the location of the restaurant in beautiful downtown Downers Grove and the ambiance is wonderful, perfect for a date or any special occasion.
(5)
Amanda W.
Liked this place a lot. Noisy, but good atmosphere. Good food, good drinks. Dessert was a little too cold and hard to eat- had to take it home to thaw it out. But I'd go back.
(4)
Fred S.
This was my first visit to Capri. We had no reservations and it was a Friday night, so we were lucky to wait just 20 minutes for a table, as the place was busy. The crowd at the bar never let up and it seems like a place where lots of locals meet up. The fried calamari was very good, but the homemade Braciole was amazing. My girlfriend has the pasta special, which was also delicious and homemade. This is a "must stop" if you find yourself in Downers Grove.
(4)
Christina F.
I was so excited to try this place since it's right in my neighborhood and I wanted to support a local restaurant. The service was ok but the food was well... Embarassing. My arugula salad was drenched in so much dressing that my mouth immediately puckered up from how tart the acid in the dressing was. The sea bass I got was a special and it looked like someone had thrown the fish and potatoes into a microwave. The fish was so over-done and mushy that I didn't want to eat it. My boyfriend got the peppercorn ribeye steak and literally half of it was fat. Almost $100 later and I had buyers remorse. I will not be going back in there. The only reason I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 was b/c our server was decent.
(2)
Karen R.
NEWS YEARS EVE DINNER DISAPPOINTMENT!!!! I SENT THEM AN E MAIL THE NEXT DAY BEFORE POSTING ON THE WEB. I have not heard back so here it goes. We made reservations for the 5 o'clock seating. ( They had 3 seatings)...We were ok with that since we had plans for later that night...We have been here many times, along with a yearly purchase of gift certificates for our clients, and close friends. They had every table squeezed too close together to fit as many as possible, not thinking about comfort or pleasing the customer. They had a special menu, with very few pasta dishes.. ( 2 to be exact)... No chicken dishes at all...The dinner was rushed and the food was very spicy, and not what we have had in the past. WE ALL WERE SICK THAT NIGHT....UPSET STOMACH, NAUSEA , AND OVERALL NOT FEELING WELL... WE WILL NOT BE GOING BACK ANYTIME SOON..... Service was very good, and the wait staff could only do so much, knowing they had less than 2 hrs each seating to do it all. There was 6 of us...not a huge party, however I feel given that I sent them an e mail the next day, at least respond with an "I'm sorry" you had a bad experience. That would have been enough...Oh well I guess they must be doing so GOODl they don't have to worry about repeat customers...
(1)
Kevin O.
The food here was good, fancy Italian, but nothing to go crazy over. Granted, I'm probably a little bit spoiled after living on Taylor Street in Chicago for a few years. Part of what you pay for when you go out at a fancy place like this is the service and I don't mean just the waiters, which were fine. If you make a reservation you should get sat within 10 to 15 minutes of that time, and this place couldn't make that happen even early on a Saturday evening. I'd go to Clara's if you want good Italian food, Tuscany in Oakbrook if you seek fancy.
(2)
Robert D.
Never again! It was a horrible dinning experience. My wife had the four cheese gnocchi. The sauce was so thick you could not see the dumplings under it. No garnish. Not homemade pasta. Kit food at its best. I had the Pollo Saltimbocca. The chicken was boiled in whatever pan they cooked it in. (not hot enough) The Prosciutto should have been sauteed on the chicken an have a crispy finish to it, It was like eating uncooked bacon. The menu said "served with fresh sage" There was none to be found on the dish. It came with a side of pasta in a metallic tasting red sauce that was ice cold. It tasted like the sauce was cooked and held in an aluminium pot. The menu was huge and my guess is the kitchen is overwhelmed and the quality of the food suffers. This was an insult to Italian food. Along with the "Pollo For Get About It"... Yes that is a dish on the menu. I have $11 left on a gift card if you want it! I don't...
(1)
Christopher K.
I had a good dinner and the wait staff was helpful describing preparation of their house dishes. We didn't have anything that was particularly notable, but it was a good eating experience for the DG. It wasn't as filled with families as other local eateries, so it is a good place to spend and evening as a couple in relative peace.
(3)
Bob Z.
Have visited Capri twice and won't be back. My wife had the seabass for $35 and is was mushy and bland. I had the veal parm and it was tough and over cooked. The decor is nice and the service was OK but for the price this place is not worth it.
(1)
Nan D.
The place does NOT offer a fine dining experience. Hostess and staff are very disorganized. I had a reservation for 5. The place was empty when I arrived. Yet it took 20 minutes to be seated. And 30 minutes to see a menu. Why? " The staff is trying to set tables ! Come on ! They open at 4! It is crowded and very loud once dinner hour begins. Every bit of floor space is jammed with tables. You cannot even walk easily in the place. The food was very over-priced and OK- but no great meal experience. I am very disappointed. THe Berwyn & Melrose Park locations were fabulous.Shame on you !
(1)
Jason G.
The food we had tonight was all subpar and not even close to authentic italian. After waiting 15 minutes for a waiter to see us, it then took another 15 to get our drinks, and another hour after that to get our meals. We sat another 30 minutes waiting for our bill at the end of the meal. All of this service was done by a waitress that had little class and knowledge about how to treat guests, which was not what i would expect from her since she claimed to be there from the start. The other help were not even trained to recognize silverware positions on a plate to denote resting or completion, something basic when spending that kind of money on food. Based on my experience in the restaurant industry, it was blatantly obvious the the food had been sitting under heat lamps for far too long. The carbonara I ordered was basically an alfredo, authentic carbonara does not have any cream in it at all. All the food was far overpriced and the wine was beyond absurd. I would never go back and would not recommend them to anyone by any means.
(1)
Linda M.
Showed up on time for reservations but was made to wait 15 minutes or more though it appeared our table was ready. Very generous pour of wine though & great wine by the glass list. But it went downhill from there. Grilled calamarie overcooked. The veal in a dish with spinach & different colored peppers was equally overcooked. The veal was cut so thin that it would have been cooked in seconds & thus too thin for the dish in which it was intended. Normally one can rely on an Italian restaurant to know how to do veal & seafood - VERY disappointing & at those prices, one shouldn't be.
(2)
Kathy M.
Reservations obviously mean NOTHING. We had a dinner reservation for 2 for Saturday night - 7pm. We arrived at 6:50 and were told it would be a 10-15 minute wait. So we sat at the bar for a glass of wine. At 7:30 we asked the hostess when we might expect to be seated, again she said 10-15 min that they were accomodating a few larger parties. We were finally seated at 7:45. We met another couple there saying they had the same sort of long wait even with reservations - more than once! Food is great. Wait staff was ok and not too sympathetic to our lengthy wait for seating. Patrons were friendly. I think they take double booking way too far - it makes the dining experience VERY unpleasant.
(2)
Erica R.
First I must say I hate writing poor reviews, I only write reviews if I have had a great experience. With that said, we had a poor dining experience this past Friday Night. Yes I know its crowded, I made reservations, we were celebrating my husbands birthday. Just the two of us, but I called two weeks ahead of time, and the day of to confirm our reservations, and ask if it was OK that a cake be delivered. They were so accommodating. This is where it ended. We got to Capri, there were seats available, but the hosted said they were waiting for our table and to have a seat a the bar, we did had a drink, and were still waiting. Finally after about 30 min later I asked if our table was ready, she said yes and sat us. I had a feeling she forgot about us and if I never said anything I may still be at the bar. After we sat we waited another 15 min for water and another 10 minutes after that for menus, finally our waitress came. I wouldn't normally mind the wait, it was supposed to be a relaxing evening. However we noticed a table that was seated after us in front of us, received all the staff attention the whole night, we practically have to beg for someone to come and take our order. So we ordered and waited again, for our Brucutto to come out, and of course the people next to us go their very quickly. We continued to wait, finally got our order and it was OK, we were starving by the time our food came. After dinner my husband wanted to get the check, but I knew I had a special cake delivered. So I went to the bathroom, and on the way back talked to the waitress. She was so pleased, and excited, she say the cake it looked great, after another long wait we got our cake. The staff was so excited and greeted us, finally we got our waitress and managers attention, a little too late in my books. Now, I didn't go in there wanted a lavish dinner or be so over-ally attended to, however to see another guest being hand over foot the entire night and not until I brought this to your attention the third time do you act. Not good in my book. We had a nice night due to my doing, my husband loved his night out on the town, a stop at the humidor (right next door) his cake and gifts but dinner was some of the worst service i have had.
(2)
Diana S.
If you are a foodie, then you will be disappointed by Capri's. The food was average Italian. Nothing out of the ordinary and a boneless breast chicken entree that my husband ordered was overcooked to the point it was dry. My husband would have complained but we were with a group of people and he didn't want to make a fuss since we were there on a friend's recommendation. Portions are on the smaller size for Italian fare. About the only value feature I found is that Capri includes a salad or soup in the entree price which is rare in white tablecloth restaurant these days. Although we made a reservation, we had to wait about 30 minutes for our table. Seating is a bit cramped for large dinner parties of 6 or more.
(2)
E B.
I have been there two times with a small party (4 people) and each time it was horrible. Bad service, very rude staff and horrible food. We will never return.
(1)
David W.
We went for the 1st time, during the Downers Grove fest. They were not inclined to let us sit outside due to rain. We weren't going to even stay to eat but luckily the server came up to greet us, and told us he'd serve us outside but wanted us to be aware if it did start raining there may not be a table available. The food was excellent but more impressive was the level of service. Our server Dan (I think) was very passionate about the food preparation, and quick to meet our needs. I had baked clams, vodka pasta with sausage and tiramisu. All of the items were some of the best I've had .
(5)
John C.
Great meal, great people, feels like you are at a friend's for dinner
(5)
Marianne D.
Another visit to Capri for dinner with friends this week. Unfortunately, I was disappointed again. We were given roasted garlic and olives on the table with our bread. Usually, there is a nice cheese on the plate as well but either they forgot it or are not doing that anymore for costs reasons. We ordered four appetizer plates to share. Granted I knew they would be smaller portions, but the fried meatballs in an arrabiata sauce were very small...the size of a quarter and there were only three. Tasty, but certainly not worth the money. The arancini were good - three nice-sized portions. The caprese was good as always. The prosciutto and melon was very disappointing. The melon was hard and not ripe at all, no sweetness because it was served before its time. Needed a knife to cut through this. The delight of this dish is the sweetness of a juicy melon against the saltiness of the meat. Such a failure. The only reason I would come back to this restaurant is if friends suggest it. Otherwise, I will travel the extra 20 minutes and go the Capri in Burr Ridge. I always am happy with the quality of food there.
(2)
Hiep T.
Great customer service, however, the food was another story. My friend and I, we both got the chicken marsala and I was not a fan of the dish. The reasoning was really strong. The best dish of the day was the mushroom soup that came with the meal. I might come back here again and give this place another try due to that fact that the staffs were friendly and helpful.
(3)
Takis K.
Our waiter was Dominico. Seafood combo plate was my dinner choice. Really good. If you have an Italian, Greek, or in general Mediterranean background, you will enjoy this place. Service was fast. I m sure it will be a lil hectic and slower when the place is booming. Though again, service was fast, friendly and food delicious. You do nt want to drive...no worries grab the Aurora metra train or an UBER. Enjoy.
(4)
Smiling S.
Terrible Service, Terrible Mnagement. Made reservations for 5:30 pm. Arrived a few minutes early and was told there would be a short wait. After waiting over an hour! and being told repeatedly that 'we were next' we walked out. The manager, Brian, is unprofessional and rude. The hostess is incompetent. If I could give 0 stars I definitely would. This was not the first time we have been treated rudely. Will never walk through their doors again. Don't know how Brian keeps his job. I'm sure any of the 'good' reviews are from family members or bought and paind for.
(1)
Jillers J.
Popped into tonight for a drink while waiting for our train. Brian was our bartender and was FANTASTIC! The host was very friendly, the ambiance was great. My husband, who only knows DG from having to visit his in-laws, said this place will make him look forward to future DG visits. Can't wait to come back!
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Garage, Street, Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Dressy Ambience : Classy Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Dogs Allowed : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
Tricia T.
By far my favorite Italian restaurant! I'm very picky when it comes to Italian food (100% italian heritage may have something to do with that... used to home cooked meals that not many restaurants can compete with - in my opinion). But Capri is an exception! This place has it all - great ambiance, intimate setting, beyond delicious food from the apps to main entrees to dessert/cappucino. They make homemade pasta - which says a lot right there! It adds a whole new dimension to Italian dining that I simply cannot explain. :) The desserts are great too - my fave being the homemade tiramasu, although on our recent trip we deviated from the norm and tried the canoli with chips. YUMMM. My only dislike is the caesar salad. The dressing is not creamy ceasar, which is my preference. However that's a personal preference for me, so next time I'll opt for the soup or house salad. Try the Caprese salad!! Service is great. Host is always friendly. Call for a reservation, but you'll often wait a few minutes to be seated. It's worth it though! Grab a glass of wine while you wait.
(5)Jessica B.
I cannot understand why anyone would choose to eat here. The food is lousy and the "service" is ridiculously bad. So bad in fact that several times the next day, at random, either my husband or I would just blurt out, "wow that was horrible. I mean - I can't remember the last time I was in a restaurant with service that awful..." etc. If we weren't there celebrating my husband's Great Aunt's 85th birthday and if it were free then we'd probably be able to just laugh it off, but sadly it was her birthday and the prices were anything, but cheap. Especially considering I only received half of my entree (chicken with side of pasta = just a hammered out piece of chicken dripping in a soggy, overly sour lemon sauce). It would take a long time to go through all the bizarre and sometimes rude service-related issues AND tell you how bad the food was, so I'll just do a "greatest hits" of some of the more memorable moments from our dinner last weekend: - All of our meals came with the standard soup or salad option to be brought out before the entree. Before my soup even had a chance to cool down, our entrees started coming out. This is a crowded table too so in addition to the annoyance of having to scarf down your appetizer to avoid your entree from getting cold, the whole stacking plates to find room circus came into play. My husband's aunt kindly asked if they could hold off on serving the entrees and I swear to everything they just ignored her and kept putting food down. She asked THREE times and the servers (we had several rotating in and out throughout the night) pretended not to hear her before stopping...clearly because they saw themselves that there was no more room. Rather than take everything back, they left a few entrees on the table (including mine) which was incredibly awkward. - The food. This is some bland food, folks. The lentil soup was watery, my husband's chicken/shrimp dish had zero taste and another family member said his dish's sauce tasted like it was reheated from a can. Mine, as detailed above, was also not good. At all. - Missing items. As I mentioned earlier, my entree (Pollo Limone) was supposed to come with a side of pasta (as did all of the others) and it didn't. Drinks were ordered that never came and it took two requests to get the coffees we ordered after dessert. Even more irritating is that we were charged for everything whether it was ever brought to the table or not...which reminds me of the production that was settling our check... - I know that splitting checks is super annoying. I've worked in restaurants. I get it. However, it was four bills and we clearly explained each of the orders, drinks, etc. that went with each check. The fuss that was made over an unclaimed diet coke (that my husband's uncle ordered but never received) was INSANE. At one point, I'm like - "just throw it on mine if that means we can wrap this up!" but again, ignored. The server then decided to stand over our table to loudly announce that they would not be charging us for the bread. How magnanimous of you, kind establishment, to comp our bread! I don't know what the purpose of that announcement was because I've never been charged for bread that is automatically brought to the table upon sitting down. They also loudly announced, "we are not charging you for one dessert as it's someone's birthday." It was just tacky and silly. When I say announced loudly, I mean - standing over the head of the table and reading through the whole bill for no reason...and wrongly, I might add. She just made up entrees because she couldn't remember what we actually did order. Needless to say, our checks were still screwed up, but at that point, everyone just wanted to leave. I'm sad that we went here and I'm sad that this place exists. Avoid.
(1)Tiffany P.
I'm not sure why Capri has such a low rating overall. Service was great, and food was fresh and wonderful. I love the big, tall windows and large rounded corner of the restaurant. It brings in so much light, and dining there makes you feel like a royal. I came with a party of 8 and the server was very accommodating. He was checking up on us frequently, and was very polite and professional. For an appetizer, I would highly recommend the portebello mushroom. It came out hot and fresh with a wonderful vodka sauce, spimach, and shrimp! Flavor combination just screamed Italian. We also got the bruschetta which had some good fresh tomatos, but would have been better with some balsamic vinegar. I can recommend the Caeser salad and the vodka pasta. The itallian sausage and meatballs were good as well! The only thing that looked kind of meh that the whole party got was scallops & marinara dish. It just looked like there wasn't enough sauce, and the scallops were medium-sized and not big and fat. One last thing that gives Capri a big plus is the wine menu. Plenty of selection (as big as the food menu), and lots of greater Italian makers. I would definetly recommend going to Capri; afterwards, explore downtown Downers Grove!
(4)Minh-An C.
My friend made reservation for a Friday dinner and that was a good idea because it was packed when we got there. We got seated about five minutes later because they had to set up our table. The table we got was a very awkward position, stuck in a "corner" of the room but it's not really the corner. I didn't enjoy the seating at all. The waiter brought out bread for us and they only had oil on the table for dipping, no vinegar. I ordered the spicy shrimp linguini and it came with a small salad. The linguini itself was good but nothing too spectacular. Service was a bit slow and I think they were understaffed because my waiter seemed exhausted running around. Parking can be easily found in the structure about a block down or there is also a lot of street parking. Ambiance was a bit more classy than a regular Italian restaurant. I was able to have a nice conversation with my friend without having to yell so that was a plus.
(3)Eric S.
Excellent Italian food served in a charming atmosphere by folks who are attentive but not intrusive. Very impressed by the entire experience.
(5)Jen M.
Impressive, swanky decor. Someone was really taking time here. Menu and food were ok. Service was swift, professional and thoughtful. I know I'm more sensitive to "background" music then anyone I'm hanging around with. But I just have to say...on Saturday, early evening April 4th, what was playing at an obtrusive volume was an album (I presume of) a man and woman making super cheezy duets out of otherwise awesome songs: U2, Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Tracy Chapman...all musically murdered, one after the other. It was dreadful. This REALLY didn't go with the Frank Sinatra portraits hanging on the walls. I wouldn't have been surprised at all to see Frank pull a scowl. Why not play Frank, if you're going for swank? The other 4-5 tables that were full were like my table: Parent or grandparent in their 70s or 80s and their children and grandchildren. Not sure what kind of audience the music was supposed to be pleasing. How about just play Frank? If someone doesn't like Frank, they SHOULD anyway.
(2)Catherine S.
Wickedly yummie margarita and husband had a Peroni beer. Picture is of Becky the Bartender that greeted us as soon as we walked in and constantly checked up on us without being too intrusive. We primarily came for Delaney's performance yet had a great dessert of Turtle Cheesecake and Pistachio Vanilla Bean Ice Cream! Great crowd for a Friday night - busy but not chaotic. Thanks for a great time Capri!
(5)Amy D.
This place has great food, but like most of the poor reviews on here - we had a dissapointing experience regarding the service. My husband called ahead and asked to put our name on the wait list, which we were told was 30 minutes long. A little over a half hour later, we showed up asking for our table. The hostesses told us it would be an hour wait. Excuse me? I explained that we were told a table would be ready for us when we arrived, but they stated they didn't have any record of the reservation (insinuating we were lying), and that we would be required to wait an hour. Frustrated, we left the building. However, we really wanted to try this place and had already driven there and found parking (no easy task on a weekend), so I decided to give the restaurant a call and ask to speak to the manager. When I did so, the hostess refused to let me speak to him, because he "was busy with customers." I insisted, stating I'd be happy to hold, and eventually was connected. I explained the situation to the manager (who had actually taken our reservation initially), and he apologized and kindly offered to remedy the situation, inviting us to come back for an immediate seating. I was grateful he took action quickly, and fixed the situation, hence the 3-star rating. The manager followed through on his promise, and we ended up having a great meal, though our server was painfully slow. It took a lifetime to get our bread basket, and each course after that. On a positive note, I ordered the vodka rigatoni, and it was some of the best I'd ever had. The homemade pasta is to die for, and truly makes a difference. We also got the chocolate molten cake, which was a perfect ending to our meal - not too sweet, yet wonderfully decadent. I was a little annoyed that they brought out bottled coke products, rather than fountain drinks. This isn't very Eco-friendly, and you don't get free refills. I think the server should have mentioned this when we ordered. Also, the garden salad was severely lacking - basically just lettuce with a few pieces of tomato and cucumber. Plus, they didn't offer ranch dressing. I would come back, but I will definitely plan for a non-busy time - like maybe 3:00 pm on a Tuesday. I wouldn't step foot in the joint on a weekend, because I'm almost positive I wouldn't get seated even with a reservation.
(3)Scott S.
36 minutes past confirmed reservation and still no accurate time to be seated. Two 88*+ yr old standing. Confirm twice before coming. Crap service so far. * 50 minutes and waiting. The poor hostess working for a place with so little organization. No manager available to talk to.
(1)M C.
We chose this restaurant by default as the original choice down the street was hosting a private party. Capri is a great restaurant. Beautifully decorated and the food was excellent. Service was great. Kinda pricey but it was worth it. We will come here again for sure. Great experience.
(5)Justin C.
Capri, your food ain't bad. That obnoxious crooner (who I think is also the owner) needs to spend less time thinking he's Frank Sinatra and more time running his restaurant. We made a reservation and stupidly figured maybe the reviews were a fluke. They are not! We stood in a cramped, uncomfortable foyer for over an hour past our reservation time. I hate to critique service...I really do. But it seems at this point it is not a service issue. Figure out how to properly seat your restaurant. Will not be back.
(2)Emily R.
First off I have to say I love the location. There are a ton of really cute shops and restaurants around the area you can go to for lunch or dinner after shopping. However, this restaurant is not up to par. Really not impressed with this restaurant at all. The service was pretty bad considering we barely saw our waiter. He seemed very nervous and was not friendly or welcoming at all. Later it would appear to be one of his first nights, because really that is the only explanation for some of his mistakes. We were celebrating a birthday and booked a reservation about a week in advance. The host was very nice and seated us right outside the kitchen. Not an ideal location, but one of the only areas large enough to accommodate our group so it is understandable. Our waiter introduced himself in a very monotone and flat manner, not warm or welcoming at all. We ordered two things for appetizer and he only brought one, we asked for our appetizer so many times and he said it would be out shortly. Then he would come back seeing if we needed anything and we would ask for our appetizer again. The calamari was really delicious which made me wish we could have tried the portabella mushroom di parma. Finally he came with our entrees and we never saw that second appetizer. Most of our table complained about their dishes, saying it lacked flavor, however, I enjoyed my pollo fiorentino (chicken with baby spinach, tomato, and mozzarella). It came with a side of pasta with marinara sauce and that was truly plain and not good, at all. Certainly not worth the calories so I didn't eat it. Then when we said it was our friend's birthday, they brought us a cake, but the waiter just kind of threw it on the table and said he couldn't find candles. The only reason I gave this restaurant 2 stars instead of one was because I reserve one star for honestly terrible restaurants with no redeeming qualities and this place had a good appetizer and I really enjoyed my entrée. However, if they want to compete in this area they really need to step it up. I certainly won't be going back.
(2)Joe C.
I was somewhat surprised when I saw 2.5 stars for this place. That being said I now understand. We had 7pm reservation and sat down at 7:30- I can deal with that. Then my wife ordered lemon for her water and that never came. Then I ordered veal giuseppe and they brought veal saltimbocca. I appreciate the free tiramisu for the mix up but maybe not the best dessert when my wife is 7 months pregnant..... Staff was friendly and the food was good even if the dish was wrong.
(3)Bruce B.
I have found the Capri to be either the best restaurant in the Western 'burbs or just mediocre. The last time, it was great! There was attentive and the flavorings to be exceptional. I truly enjoy their Chicken Vesuvio and of course the desserts..
(4)Jennifer P.
The food was okay. Outside tables were nice. But the reasoning behind my bad review is the sneaky charge on our bill. The waiter told us salad was included with our dinner and would we like blue cheese on our salad. When the bill came, there was a charge for the salad. "Oh, that's not for the salad, it's for the blue cheese". An almost $4 charge for something we were offered without telling us there is a charge. Sneaky and dishonest. Also, our table asked for bread 4 times (twice from our waiter and twice from two other staff members). Nothing. I would not pick this restaurant again. Too many good/better Italian restaurants to visit with better honest service.
(1)Robert S.
Go elsewhere! We had to wait almost an hour for chicken entrees. Won't be returning. Drove by downtown Downers Grove looking for a nice place to eat. My girlfriend pointed out Capri and said her Uncle had been there and said it was good, and her best friend and husband enjoyed Capri. So I decided we could give it a shot. I was clearly under-dressed and that was my fault for not being aware we were going to eat a late Italian meal. The menu looked promising. I ordered Pollo Francese and she orderer Pollo Limone. It took nearly an hour for us to get our meal. We watched tableS(yes plural) were being served each course of their meal before we saw our entree. It looked like they were serving a tables full courses before moving to the next table. Tables got their salads, entrees, desserts and receipts before we got our entrees. Luckily we did not order an appetizer. When we did get our meals my meal wasn't to bad, my side of pasta was over done. My girlfriend's was suppose to be lemony. There was no lemon in her sauce, excluding the slice of lemon on top of the chicken. The sauce was a heavy oil taste(I tasted it myself), her vegetables were very salty. When the check came the waitress did not remove the lemonade I never got, because they were out. So she removed it before running my card. When I got home I thought about what to write on my review. I then realized they charge me $3.00 more for one the entrees. I checked the menu online to confirm. I was considering calling the restaurant, but the damage was done. Our poor waitress was at the mercy of the chef(s). She got us a bread in the beginning. She offered to get a 2nd one but took forever to get a second bread order. At first I thought she was forgetful, I think the chef(s) had to bake it. I believe there was a guy who was working at the restaurant and working the bar who seemed to be a manager or owner. No one ever came by to check on us or how things were. That same guy did happen to talk several times to an older couple that was next to us because he did clearly know them. He never checked on anyone else. We were on the brink of leaving and paying for our drinks.
(1)Lyndsey C.
If I could give this place zero stars, I would. My family and I tried to sit outside to enjoy a dinner on a warm, sunny, August evening. The weather stated it would be rainy earlier, however, no rain and everything cleared up. We specifically drove to this restaurant to be able to sit outside. I asked the hostess she said we couldn't due to weather, we all said it was very nice out and asked to speak to a manager. Even longer story short, the "manager," came up in an aggressive manner stating we could not sit outside. He came up to us, hands waving, wearing a servers outfit, did not ask anything about us, introduce himself, etc. Just comes out saying we can not sit anyone outside. I inquired why as other restaurants were and the weather was beautiful. He was adamant and basically said it was okay to lose customers that would buy full dinners and wine bottles due to this. He said the owner said this. Use your head and accommodate your customers. I will never go back there after the absolute rude treatment. It's one thing to try to figure it out or tell us a reasonable reason why, but to come out adamantly saying no for no good reason is absolutely unnecessary. We moved a half block down this is our view and the weather!
(1)Maggie C.
I would really give 2 1/2 Stars...Had really great customer service and the food all came out at the right time, but the food was not so great. Mind you we were at a party for 20 ppl and note that they can only split up to 5 checks...oh and they had added 20% for tip. i normally see 18%, but it was my first time seeing 20%. We were first given unlimited complimentary toasty bread that were warmed up in the oven. There were also Olive oil, cheese, roasted garlic, and olives on the table. Next, we had received our soup and appetizers. I had picked the minestrone soup. The soup was seasoned fine, but the vegetables were too overcooked. For appetizers, I had the Calamari Capri and free Bruschetta (For checking into Yelp). Calamari was cooked great, but it sat in oil that seemed to be seasoned with a slice of Lemon on top. I didn't taste any seasoning, so it was like dipping into Oil. I would of liked to have a wedge of Lemon to drizzle Lemon juice on top and marinara sauce to dip the Calamari in. This dish you wanted to eat quick, otherwise the batter on the Calamari will soak up the oil. Then, the Bruschetta is your typical toast with tomatoes and olive oil. Nothing special, but I think it was the best out of everything I had ordered. Finally, the entree I ordered was Fettucine ala Gamberi Scallopini Alfredo. The Creamy Alfredo sauce was very thick, which made it hard to pull apart the noodles, and it was a bit salty for my taste. I had to add pepper to balance out the saltiness.The Shrimp and scallops i believe were cooked okay, but the shrimp had the tails at the end. So it was inconvenient to eat the shrimp, then use your fingers to pull the tail off. Overall, the staff were nice, our water were filled, and the food was served at the right time. I personally won't be coming here for Italian food. Oh I can't forget to mention the incident of a staff member photo bombing the birthday girl blowing out the Candles. While, the staff was grabbing an empty plate across from the cake. He almost got his sleeve caught on fire from the candles on the Cake.
(2)Steven D.
Have been to Capri's a few times. Most visits have been good...a couple bad. Seems to be hit or miss for some unknown reason.But more good than bad. The homemade Rigatoni with Vodka sauce is very good as is the Gnocchi. You can't beat $5 martini night on Thursdays. Top shelf liquor of your choice. We will be back again.
(3)Casey R.
This was a real disappointment for my wife, myself and our children. It was empty tonight. We really thought we going to have a fancy and good Italian meal and were very optimistic. Salads were good and bread/drinks were prompt. Service over all was slow for how empty it was. The meal was not good. We ordered the special butternut squash ravioli. It was a special so you would think they would have made the ravioli but it was heated from frozen (all of the ravioli was perfectly square and uniform) and had a very odd sweet sauce on top of the ravioli being 2 colors (black and orange). We ordered Jumbo shells with marinara. The sauce was good and the noodles were okay but the stuffing was not good at all. Usually I would expect ricotta cheese but this was something else. You shouldn't mess with a good thing. Finally I ordered the filet wrapped with pancetta. It smelled horrible (like fish? or meat that had turned) and the steak tasted like Omaha box steak (if you've had these you know where I'm at) The broccoli was okay but had no flavor. Overall, I was just really disappointed. It's not a cheap meal by any means. For something so expensive, I would expect the meal to actually be made there instead of being just heated from frozen... I'm pretty sure the steak was heated from frozen too. It was perfectly round and the pancetta bacon was extremely thin. There is a very definite regular crowd that goes there and the staff tends to focus on them. That's cool and all but it came across as over the top and I have to think they make their money off the regulars. We won't go there again and we won't recommend it to anyone.
(1)Vanessa B.
What a disappointment! We made a reservation for 6 people and had to wait half an hour for our table. While waiting at the bar I asked the bartender for a drink menu. With attitude, I was told they don't have one. Ok. Strange, but ok. When the rest of our party arrived, they picked up a drink menu off the bar. When I asked the bartender, she replied 'well, it doesn't have ALL our drinks'. Jeez, really?! After we were seated at our very tight table ( I was amazed at how many tables they squeezed into this space to begin with), our waiter was very pleasant and knowledgable. The food took especially long, but was good though nothing extraordinary. All in all, I would not return to this restaurant. I love Italian food and generally find it hard to find a bad Italian restaurant, but this one made the list. Will go back to the burr ridge location next time!
(2)Robin L.
Just meh, should be 2 1:2 stars at best. Best part of the meal was the salad, served on a very cold plate. Food was meh, as well as service. Note also (and I'm not basing my review on this at all) we took our 10 year old, no children's menu, or at least a small serving 'something' we could use from the appetizer section. I'll go to Clara's in Woodridge for the prices they charge here and a much better meal.
(3)LOIS B.
It is a sad day that I can only give this restaurant 2 stars. We headed over knowing that this restaurant is no longer part of the family owned Capris. Consistency has been the main stay of these restaurants for the 20 years I have been eating at them. Today I could taste the difference. It is the first time we have ever had food to take home ~ EVER. We brought home more than we ate. At least the bread was very good and very hot. Maybe part of the sale of this restaurant was that the recipes had to be slightly tweaked since it was no longer family. I can remember when you could not get near this place on a Saturday night without a reservation, actually, even with a reservation. Tonight there were plenty of available tables. So, I will have to drive to Burr Ridge or Berwyn if I want that delicious Capri cooking. Bummers :(
(2)Alejandra O.
We had a business dinner here last night. Everyone enjoyed the food and service very much. We had arancini (delicious!), calamari and bruschetta for appetizers. The entrees offered were filet mignon alla pancetta, pollo fiorentino and tilapia picatta, all very good. Would definitely bring the group back here for another dinner.
(4)Merry D.
Had a reservation at 6:00 on Mother's Day, and by 6:45 we had still not been seated. Some people had reservations at 5:30 and waited for over an hour. Hostess was extremely rude and the owner was not helpful. After questioning the owner about our reservations, he said he would come back with an honest answer....and he never came back. Hostess kept on making excuses that it wasn't her fault and was getting very snappy with customers. If she can't handle her job, she shouldn't have it. Would have loved to try their food, but will NEVER be returning. There are far better Italian restaurants in Downers Grove and Woodridge.
(1)Aaron R.
Jessica - bruschetta - meatballs - veal parm - side pasta - roasted garlic - napizzano - bread - table cheese - check in special - Sunday gravy - Caesar - chicken rice soup - seated promptly - OpenTable We were seated promptly by a very nice hostess, and told that our waitress would be right with us. Our waitress Jessica was very helpful on this, our first visit. I've served in "fine dining Italian" myself, so I was very familiar with the ins and outs of the menu items - but I wanted recommendations from somebody who knew the food here very well. She did a GREAT job. Recommendations were the bruschetta (fresh, simple, VERY good) and meatballs appetizers. We may not get both again - that's a lot of food - but either was a great starting choice. We then decided to go all-in and tried the Caesar salad, chicken rice soup, and had the roasted garlic with our bread and oil. All impressed us. The soup seemed homemade. At this point, I also opted for a lovely Napizzano wine. I got the veal parmesan - the best I've ever had - and a side of pasta, which has a nice chew and a very nice sauce. The table cheese had a wonderful sharpness, likely some romano in there. My wife tried the Sunday gravy, and absolutely loved it. I tried a couple bites, and it was pretty great - the flavor really had that slow-cooked richness. One of the better Italian meals we've had!
(5)mei s.
We went on a night where apparently they were short staffed. We had reservations for 7:15 and our party of four didn't finish dinner until 9:45. Several times we flagged the hostess to get our waitress as she kept avoided our area of the room like the plague. When she finally came over after the first flagging, she didn't even acknowledged how she had been gone for 20 minutes after they had taken away our appetizer and how we still had not ordered our dinner yet. I was peeved. Then after the second time, she did acknowledge her inattentiveness and was overly effusive in trying to compensate for it. In any case, the service was poor from her but the hostess was nice and helpful and explained that they were short staffed that night. Despite this, the food was good. We started with some calamari, the spicy one that is flash fried. They have three versions of calamari on the appetizer menu, two are fried. This was delicious. Then we ordered a garbage salad and a caprese salad. Both were ok, I've had better. The main entrees of eggplant parmigiana and seafood risotto were excellent. The risotto was like buttery. The eggplant came with a side of homemade pasta with red sauce that was really delicious. Overall, the food is decent but the service was not good on this night. I would definitely come back for the risotto.
(3)Marie B.
This isn't about the food -- we've been here a few times and the food is ok. Nothing spectacular, but ok. The frustration now, twice in a row, is making a reservation well in advance and the host paying no attention to our seating request, and being extremely dismissive when asked about it.. Not, "I'm sorry, we can't meet your request tonight,but if you'd like to wait, or sit over here..." -- just a nasty look and an aggravated response. Once again, stuck us at a crowded table in the tiny back room brushed up against another couple, next to the kitchen door, with no acknowledgement of our request to sit in the larger room. It was a special occasion for us and there were tables open where we requested. When we asked for a different table, he moved us to another equally uncomfortable location. In the meantime, he seated another couple in the area we'd requested. When we asked why he didn't seat us there to begin with, he had no explanation, pretty much saying fine, whatever, he'd seat us at a nearby table when it was cleaned. We were dressed nicely and in a good mood, looking forward to the night out. It was very disappointing, once again. The first time this happened (several months ago), we chalked it up to the host having a bad night. Twice in a row -- no thanks. There are plenty of restaurants nearby with better food who are way more respectful of their customers. If you have a good reason why you can't accommodate a request, say so politely, but don't completely ignore them, even after being reminded, and then make an attempt to fix it in a very fake, patronizing manner. It was too little, too late. We won't be going back.
(1)Jessica A.
Went here last night and was a little nervous going in based in reviews--overall, I was pleasantly surprised. Food--overall very good. Bread was tasty and fresh (important for an Italian place!), I enjoyed my Caesar salad, and the pollo oreganato was very good (I swapped out the roasted potatoes for sautéed spinach, which was a little heavy on the oil but still decent). Wine--pretty nice list. We ordered a glass each at the bar and our table ordered two bottles. We were happy with our choices, and they were well priced as well. Service--this is where it goes south for me. While the host was very courteous and helpful (as he led us from the bar to our table, he carried our wine glasses for us, which I thought was a nice touch), service at the bar was mediocre at best (wine lists were basically tossed in front of us) and our server was...not rude, but not friendly. This is the type of place where you want to feel welcomed, and I did not.
(3)Aidan M.
Made a reservation weeks in advance. The restaurant called to confirm multiple times then later asked me to change the reservation time; I refused. The evening of, my party had to wait an hour for our "reservation". Service was awful. The food wasn't anything to write home about.
(1)Vicky S.
CRUNCHY pasta ?!? Returned and got back only slightly better. Credit card was charged the wrong check. Mine was $35 and they ran my card through on the table next to me which was $298. They voided it but it's pending on my account till it clears. Ugh...
(1)Tammy L.
The food here is not bad at all, but nothing to make me crave coming back. I came for a family dinner and we tried the grilled seafood plate, which was fine--the octopus was not boiled first, so it wasn't as outstanding as it could have been. However, everything was fresh. The fried calamari was well done--tender and not greasy. I ordered the special mafaldine, which came with green beans, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes. I liked the noodles, which are homemade. Their frilly shape and springy texture was really good. The other ingredients were nothing to write home about. The included house salad was very unremarkable. I also tasted the cannoli for dessert, and it was not bad. The service was very courteous and nice, and I enjoyed the roasted garlic and olives that they put on the table with the bread. The atmosphere is pleasant. Overall, I wouldn't mind coming here if in the area, but wouldn't necessarily make it a destination.
(3)Scott C.
Went to Capri with a friend for the first time and I really enjoyed it. We were seated right next to the kitchen, so it was a bit noisy, but it did not ruin our experience. I thought the food was excellent and the service attentive. 4 drinks, appetizer, salads, two main dishes, and desert was $107+tip. Not bad at all. I would go back!
(4)John O.
I really wasn't expecting to like Capri as much as I did, but in the crowded italian restaurant market of Downers Grove downtown, it stands out as consistently one of the best (but also, the most expensive). Good wine selections, consistent dishes and surprisingly accomodating to families if you get there on the early side.
(4)Alisha N.
White table cloths and great food that is reasonably priced. Very nice menu! Our server Lindy was great! A few of us were confused on what to order and she guided us by asking some questions and put in an order for us and it turned out so great! This restaurant offers lots of unique and complex dishes that I have never had at an Italian place before. I got the 8 finger fungi dish and it was sooo good. The bruschetta is crazy good as well. They have a lot of special nights where they offer different menu items, entertainment, and specials. A must!
(4)Lochin S.
the place looks sooooo very nice and promising... I wanted it to be so much more. What a fabulous location too. The service was bordering on bad. the food was okay to good. The price was high. They charge pastas about $16 and up. My salmon was $27. I guess I would not mind paying that if it was great, but it was so so. pastas were bland, we had to ask for red pepper flakes, 7 ladies, 6 pasta dishes, bland... NO I will not be back anytime soon....
(2)Danny J.
Holly Crap! It was like a remake of Seinfeld's show with reservations. They know how to make a reservation, but have no understanding on keeping the reservation. The manager was a tool to top it off. I approached him after waiting 30 minutes past the reservation in the 25 sq. ft. front entrance. The dude replied to me "what do you want me to do? I can't make them leave!" I politely told him that he should know this is an ongoing issue( i read a review or two before I went) and maybe he should space his reservations out accordingly. He's a guy in his 30's who thought he was hot *&%$. Needless to say his reply was not to my liking. I told a few people who showed up as I was leaving about the stupid wait, so they didn't make the same mistake. If I was 10 years younger I would prank call this place and watch the hothead manager freak out. Don't go to this place hungry!
(1)K D.
Food was really good. Pretty weak that they sell $2+ 8.5 oz "bottles" of soda. All tables seemed too close together and we were frequently bumped into while eating.
(3)J H.
We'd purchased a giftcard for mother-in-law here last year, becasue we were told it could alos be used at the Capri in Palos. Well when she asked about it before making reservations, she was told that it was only good at the DG Capri. So she came here and we dined at Capri of DG. Food was nothing special. Though the calamari was very good, the chicken marsala tasted sweet, which was kinda weird. Eggplant parm. was fine, but the accompanying pasta was "ehh". We know plenty of other fine Italian restaurants with better food.
(2)Margaret G.
Warm summer Friday nights in downtown DG fill up with viewers of the car show. My dad looks forward to the car show and this was the first Friday we were free to check it out. Although rain an hour before scheduled car show was to begin kept many classic cars in the garage , it definitely did not rain on our parade! We sat outside and enjoyed the cool weather along with the pretty legit singer/guitarist across the street covering hit 90's songs. The tables are located close to ongoing cars but traffic is slow so its not too bad. Thumbs up for the warm bread along with the plate of olives and GARLIC plus olive oil for dipping. I LOVE GARLIC. We began with the bruschetta which was satisfactory. As an entree, I tried the Square Noodle Bascaiola. It came with caesar salad which was lacking big time with dressing so I didn't eat much of it. The pasta entree tasted like lasagna noodles with ragu sauce and a dollop of goat cheese. The dish required a lot more spice and flavor. Towards the end of our meal I couldn't leave without checking in on YELP and realized a complimentary bruschetta was included. Our waitress, Angela originally did not want to accept the deal thinking we needed a paper printout and I calmly explained to Yelpless Angela how it worked. After speaking with the manager twice, we were able to get it removed from our bill (thanks Angela).
(3)Betsey G.
Truly horrible from start to finish. We were seated 30 mins after our reservation, service was slow, food was average at best and totally over priced. There was nothing special about our meal and would never return.
(1)Shradha A.
My best friend took me here for a quick dinner before I was supposed to catch the train. She said she had always walked past it and it looks busy with happy people all the time. We were in quite a hurry given the train timing, but all the staff members were warm and friendly. The atmosphere, lighting and overall ambiance were very nice. We only really got a chance to try their bruschetta, which is the by far the best-est bruschetta I've had! I hope to return and try their entrees, after which I may add that last star! It's also a little on the pricey side, so expect that when you go.
(4)Lizzie O.
I have to agree, this place does not honor reservations very well... as Jerry Sienfeld put it - "It's not so much the TAKING of a reservation, as it is the HOLDING of it." We called early Saturday afternoon for a 7p.m reservation that night. We got there at 6:45 and were not seated until 7:20. That just doesn't cut it folks. I wouldn't recommend this place if you have plans and need to be somewhere. The food was decent, but pricey. Nothing too amazing. The servers were prompt and polite so the one star is justified. I just couldn't shake the feeling that this restaurant was all about image, and not so much with the substance. Try Clara's in Woodridge - the food is so much tastier, affordable, and they always get the reservations right.
(1)Allan M.
A friend got a coupon for a free appetizer when she jogged by one day. So when we were looking for something a bit different to try we figured we would check it out. There is a small patio section which is extremely nice with a little fountain across the road and a very pretty Downers Grove. when I first sat down I thought... this is really nice and relaxing... I wonder how many trains come through... I lost track after the 7th, two of which were long freight trains and seemed to go on for ever and made talking less then pleasant. That aside it was everything I would expect of a fine Italian restaurant. From what i saw of the inside it looked gorgeous! Lots of dark woods and fine settings. In addition the wait staff were polite and prompt and the food was better then expected for the price. (thou closer to the $30 per person then $11 on the scale) All in all I would give it two thumbs up. Despite the train noise it's a great location as you can stop in before jumping on the train, or possibly catch a nice dinner to unwind before driving home. Just sit inside. :-)
(4)Chris M.
Mediocre food. High prices for "attitude ". The server was nice, but management thinks they are running a "fine dining" establishment. Please. Three other Italian restaurants within two blocks provide better value and better food.
(2)JK B.
I was really hoping that this would be better, as Downers Grove is lacking in finer dining. And, it does appear that there are many that actually appear to enjoy the food here, so please read my review that in mind. Perhaps it was that I ordered a bad choice, or it was just an off night for them. Maybe it was also due to the fact that I had just come back from a trip to France, and after eating in Paris for a week, anything eaten in the West Burbs was going to fall hopelessly flat. But whatever the reason, I found the food here absolutely atrocious, and certainly not worth the $$. Which is surprising, as while I certainly enjoy fine cuisine, I am not a food snob by any means. I'm usually happy in a wide variety of places (hole in the wall taco bars to Michelin Star restaurants) as long as it tastes good. I rarely find myself hating something the way that occurred in this restaurant. My wife, who ordered a different dish, had the same impression. Neither of us came close to finishing our plates. The positives were that the decor was nice, and the service was polite and attentive. But, in the end, we came there to eat something delicious, and that most certainly did not occur. Most certainly not.
(1)Jeff G.
Hands down this is the best restaurant in Downers Grove. We have eaten here several times and had a wonderful experience every time. The homemade pasta, Veal and Lasagna are great! The Chicken Vesuvio gets my vote.
(5)Shannon M.
Excellent food! The Chicken Visuvio is to die for!!! Service is impeccable and the atmosphere is very upscale yet unpretentious. Prices are high but Capri delivers on every aspect, so they are justified.
(5)Sarah R.
My family and I have been to Capri's many times and this was the first time that our experience has been disappointing. We knew the restaurant was no longer family owned, but we didn't expect this big of a difference. We started off with the "Calamari Forget a bout it", which, was nothing special. The salads were cold, but underdressed. When our orders arrived, all were there except mine, the Square Noodle Bascaiola. Instead was a rigatoni. The order was corrected and I had my correct order in about 15 minutes, long enough for my family to be finished with their meals. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only problem. My mother's linguini and clams were extremely salty, almost like licking a salt lick. My father and brother both ordered the Veal san Guissepe, which they told me tasted like it was thrown in a microwave. We left very disappointed that night-except for one thing. Our waitress was great. Nothing that had happened was her fault, but she took it upon herself to fix everything. She knew that we had been coming in for awhile and she really wanted to help make our experience better. She took of the linguini from our bill and gave my mother a free dessert on her. She really didn't need to do that, but we're very thankful and tipped her well. Unfortunately, I didn't catch her name or I would have praised her. We will not be coming back for awhile based on the food. My family and I hope that one day the food will be back to tasting like it did before when it was family owned, but for now we will be taking a break from here.
(2)Brian K.
I lived off of Taylor St. in Chicago for years and the food here is as good as I've had. Tuscan minestrone soup, homemade pasta, perfectly cooked chicken..all great. Very attentive service as well Would give 5 stars, but I think it's a bit over-priced. Would go more often if it were more affordable.
(4)Ashley W.
Thanks to a work Christmas party, I found myself at Capri in Downers Grove, right across from the tracks on Main Street. I had passed this place numerous times, but the thought had never occurred to me to stop in and check this place out. Boy, was I missing out! I didn't look at a menu once because it was a preselected dinner, but everything we tried was absolutely delicious! The standout items were the homemade pastas. The Quattro Formaagi was insanely fresh and delicious, as well as the Rigatoni in a vodka cream sauce.
(5)Chris F.
I recently went here and had the pork chop marsala. This came with some of the best mash potatoes i have ever had. (and I don't even care much for potatoes). This place is pricey but has some pretty good food. They also had seven daughters red blend on the menu which is a plus/ also went perfect with the entrée. Nice environment in DG. The tiramisu is good.
(4)Jennifer C.
My boyfriend and I visited Capri for the first time on 12/10/11 and we were pleased. We were seated promptly and had a very attentive server. Our dishes were very tasty, stuffed shells for him and Chicken Marsala for me. The marinara sauce on my pasta side was incredible! I loved the location of the restaurant in beautiful downtown Downers Grove and the ambiance is wonderful, perfect for a date or any special occasion.
(5)Amanda W.
Liked this place a lot. Noisy, but good atmosphere. Good food, good drinks. Dessert was a little too cold and hard to eat- had to take it home to thaw it out. But I'd go back.
(4)Fred S.
This was my first visit to Capri. We had no reservations and it was a Friday night, so we were lucky to wait just 20 minutes for a table, as the place was busy. The crowd at the bar never let up and it seems like a place where lots of locals meet up. The fried calamari was very good, but the homemade Braciole was amazing. My girlfriend has the pasta special, which was also delicious and homemade. This is a "must stop" if you find yourself in Downers Grove.
(4)Christina F.
I was so excited to try this place since it's right in my neighborhood and I wanted to support a local restaurant. The service was ok but the food was well... Embarassing. My arugula salad was drenched in so much dressing that my mouth immediately puckered up from how tart the acid in the dressing was. The sea bass I got was a special and it looked like someone had thrown the fish and potatoes into a microwave. The fish was so over-done and mushy that I didn't want to eat it. My boyfriend got the peppercorn ribeye steak and literally half of it was fat. Almost $100 later and I had buyers remorse. I will not be going back in there. The only reason I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 was b/c our server was decent.
(2)Karen R.
NEWS YEARS EVE DINNER DISAPPOINTMENT!!!! I SENT THEM AN E MAIL THE NEXT DAY BEFORE POSTING ON THE WEB. I have not heard back so here it goes. We made reservations for the 5 o'clock seating. ( They had 3 seatings)...We were ok with that since we had plans for later that night...We have been here many times, along with a yearly purchase of gift certificates for our clients, and close friends. They had every table squeezed too close together to fit as many as possible, not thinking about comfort or pleasing the customer. They had a special menu, with very few pasta dishes.. ( 2 to be exact)... No chicken dishes at all...The dinner was rushed and the food was very spicy, and not what we have had in the past. WE ALL WERE SICK THAT NIGHT....UPSET STOMACH, NAUSEA , AND OVERALL NOT FEELING WELL... WE WILL NOT BE GOING BACK ANYTIME SOON..... Service was very good, and the wait staff could only do so much, knowing they had less than 2 hrs each seating to do it all. There was 6 of us...not a huge party, however I feel given that I sent them an e mail the next day, at least respond with an "I'm sorry" you had a bad experience. That would have been enough...Oh well I guess they must be doing so GOODl they don't have to worry about repeat customers...
(1)Kevin O.
The food here was good, fancy Italian, but nothing to go crazy over. Granted, I'm probably a little bit spoiled after living on Taylor Street in Chicago for a few years. Part of what you pay for when you go out at a fancy place like this is the service and I don't mean just the waiters, which were fine. If you make a reservation you should get sat within 10 to 15 minutes of that time, and this place couldn't make that happen even early on a Saturday evening. I'd go to Clara's if you want good Italian food, Tuscany in Oakbrook if you seek fancy.
(2)Robert D.
Never again! It was a horrible dinning experience. My wife had the four cheese gnocchi. The sauce was so thick you could not see the dumplings under it. No garnish. Not homemade pasta. Kit food at its best. I had the Pollo Saltimbocca. The chicken was boiled in whatever pan they cooked it in. (not hot enough) The Prosciutto should have been sauteed on the chicken an have a crispy finish to it, It was like eating uncooked bacon. The menu said "served with fresh sage" There was none to be found on the dish. It came with a side of pasta in a metallic tasting red sauce that was ice cold. It tasted like the sauce was cooked and held in an aluminium pot. The menu was huge and my guess is the kitchen is overwhelmed and the quality of the food suffers. This was an insult to Italian food. Along with the "Pollo For Get About It"... Yes that is a dish on the menu. I have $11 left on a gift card if you want it! I don't...
(1)Christopher K.
I had a good dinner and the wait staff was helpful describing preparation of their house dishes. We didn't have anything that was particularly notable, but it was a good eating experience for the DG. It wasn't as filled with families as other local eateries, so it is a good place to spend and evening as a couple in relative peace.
(3)Bob Z.
Have visited Capri twice and won't be back. My wife had the seabass for $35 and is was mushy and bland. I had the veal parm and it was tough and over cooked. The decor is nice and the service was OK but for the price this place is not worth it.
(1)Nan D.
The place does NOT offer a fine dining experience. Hostess and staff are very disorganized. I had a reservation for 5. The place was empty when I arrived. Yet it took 20 minutes to be seated. And 30 minutes to see a menu. Why? " The staff is trying to set tables ! Come on ! They open at 4! It is crowded and very loud once dinner hour begins. Every bit of floor space is jammed with tables. You cannot even walk easily in the place. The food was very over-priced and OK- but no great meal experience. I am very disappointed. THe Berwyn & Melrose Park locations were fabulous.Shame on you !
(1)Jason G.
The food we had tonight was all subpar and not even close to authentic italian. After waiting 15 minutes for a waiter to see us, it then took another 15 to get our drinks, and another hour after that to get our meals. We sat another 30 minutes waiting for our bill at the end of the meal. All of this service was done by a waitress that had little class and knowledge about how to treat guests, which was not what i would expect from her since she claimed to be there from the start. The other help were not even trained to recognize silverware positions on a plate to denote resting or completion, something basic when spending that kind of money on food. Based on my experience in the restaurant industry, it was blatantly obvious the the food had been sitting under heat lamps for far too long. The carbonara I ordered was basically an alfredo, authentic carbonara does not have any cream in it at all. All the food was far overpriced and the wine was beyond absurd. I would never go back and would not recommend them to anyone by any means.
(1)Linda M.
Showed up on time for reservations but was made to wait 15 minutes or more though it appeared our table was ready. Very generous pour of wine though & great wine by the glass list. But it went downhill from there. Grilled calamarie overcooked. The veal in a dish with spinach & different colored peppers was equally overcooked. The veal was cut so thin that it would have been cooked in seconds & thus too thin for the dish in which it was intended. Normally one can rely on an Italian restaurant to know how to do veal & seafood - VERY disappointing & at those prices, one shouldn't be.
(2)Kathy M.
Reservations obviously mean NOTHING. We had a dinner reservation for 2 for Saturday night - 7pm. We arrived at 6:50 and were told it would be a 10-15 minute wait. So we sat at the bar for a glass of wine. At 7:30 we asked the hostess when we might expect to be seated, again she said 10-15 min that they were accomodating a few larger parties. We were finally seated at 7:45. We met another couple there saying they had the same sort of long wait even with reservations - more than once! Food is great. Wait staff was ok and not too sympathetic to our lengthy wait for seating. Patrons were friendly. I think they take double booking way too far - it makes the dining experience VERY unpleasant.
(2)Erica R.
First I must say I hate writing poor reviews, I only write reviews if I have had a great experience. With that said, we had a poor dining experience this past Friday Night. Yes I know its crowded, I made reservations, we were celebrating my husbands birthday. Just the two of us, but I called two weeks ahead of time, and the day of to confirm our reservations, and ask if it was OK that a cake be delivered. They were so accommodating. This is where it ended. We got to Capri, there were seats available, but the hosted said they were waiting for our table and to have a seat a the bar, we did had a drink, and were still waiting. Finally after about 30 min later I asked if our table was ready, she said yes and sat us. I had a feeling she forgot about us and if I never said anything I may still be at the bar. After we sat we waited another 15 min for water and another 10 minutes after that for menus, finally our waitress came. I wouldn't normally mind the wait, it was supposed to be a relaxing evening. However we noticed a table that was seated after us in front of us, received all the staff attention the whole night, we practically have to beg for someone to come and take our order. So we ordered and waited again, for our Brucutto to come out, and of course the people next to us go their very quickly. We continued to wait, finally got our order and it was OK, we were starving by the time our food came. After dinner my husband wanted to get the check, but I knew I had a special cake delivered. So I went to the bathroom, and on the way back talked to the waitress. She was so pleased, and excited, she say the cake it looked great, after another long wait we got our cake. The staff was so excited and greeted us, finally we got our waitress and managers attention, a little too late in my books. Now, I didn't go in there wanted a lavish dinner or be so over-ally attended to, however to see another guest being hand over foot the entire night and not until I brought this to your attention the third time do you act. Not good in my book. We had a nice night due to my doing, my husband loved his night out on the town, a stop at the humidor (right next door) his cake and gifts but dinner was some of the worst service i have had.
(2)Diana S.
If you are a foodie, then you will be disappointed by Capri's. The food was average Italian. Nothing out of the ordinary and a boneless breast chicken entree that my husband ordered was overcooked to the point it was dry. My husband would have complained but we were with a group of people and he didn't want to make a fuss since we were there on a friend's recommendation. Portions are on the smaller size for Italian fare. About the only value feature I found is that Capri includes a salad or soup in the entree price which is rare in white tablecloth restaurant these days. Although we made a reservation, we had to wait about 30 minutes for our table. Seating is a bit cramped for large dinner parties of 6 or more.
(2)E B.
I have been there two times with a small party (4 people) and each time it was horrible. Bad service, very rude staff and horrible food. We will never return.
(1)David W.
We went for the 1st time, during the Downers Grove fest. They were not inclined to let us sit outside due to rain. We weren't going to even stay to eat but luckily the server came up to greet us, and told us he'd serve us outside but wanted us to be aware if it did start raining there may not be a table available. The food was excellent but more impressive was the level of service. Our server Dan (I think) was very passionate about the food preparation, and quick to meet our needs. I had baked clams, vodka pasta with sausage and tiramisu. All of the items were some of the best I've had .
(5)John C.
Great meal, great people, feels like you are at a friend's for dinner
(5)Marianne D.
Another visit to Capri for dinner with friends this week. Unfortunately, I was disappointed again. We were given roasted garlic and olives on the table with our bread. Usually, there is a nice cheese on the plate as well but either they forgot it or are not doing that anymore for costs reasons. We ordered four appetizer plates to share. Granted I knew they would be smaller portions, but the fried meatballs in an arrabiata sauce were very small...the size of a quarter and there were only three. Tasty, but certainly not worth the money. The arancini were good - three nice-sized portions. The caprese was good as always. The prosciutto and melon was very disappointing. The melon was hard and not ripe at all, no sweetness because it was served before its time. Needed a knife to cut through this. The delight of this dish is the sweetness of a juicy melon against the saltiness of the meat. Such a failure. The only reason I would come back to this restaurant is if friends suggest it. Otherwise, I will travel the extra 20 minutes and go the Capri in Burr Ridge. I always am happy with the quality of food there.
(2)Hiep T.
Great customer service, however, the food was another story. My friend and I, we both got the chicken marsala and I was not a fan of the dish. The reasoning was really strong. The best dish of the day was the mushroom soup that came with the meal. I might come back here again and give this place another try due to that fact that the staffs were friendly and helpful.
(3)Takis K.
Our waiter was Dominico. Seafood combo plate was my dinner choice. Really good. If you have an Italian, Greek, or in general Mediterranean background, you will enjoy this place. Service was fast. I m sure it will be a lil hectic and slower when the place is booming. Though again, service was fast, friendly and food delicious. You do nt want to drive...no worries grab the Aurora metra train or an UBER. Enjoy.
(4)Smiling S.
Terrible Service, Terrible Mnagement. Made reservations for 5:30 pm. Arrived a few minutes early and was told there would be a short wait. After waiting over an hour! and being told repeatedly that 'we were next' we walked out. The manager, Brian, is unprofessional and rude. The hostess is incompetent. If I could give 0 stars I definitely would. This was not the first time we have been treated rudely. Will never walk through their doors again. Don't know how Brian keeps his job. I'm sure any of the 'good' reviews are from family members or bought and paind for.
(1)Jillers J.
Popped into tonight for a drink while waiting for our train. Brian was our bartender and was FANTASTIC! The host was very friendly, the ambiance was great. My husband, who only knows DG from having to visit his in-laws, said this place will make him look forward to future DG visits. Can't wait to come back!
(5)