Restaurant Review: Siena Tavern (Chicago)

by Anthony Losanno
Siena Tavern Sign

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Siena Tavern has been a great spot for upscale Italian since Top Chef alum Fabio Viviani and DineAmic Hospitality opened it in 2015. I live just two blocks over from its sister restaurant, Bar Siena, and I go there fairly often. I’ve been to Siena Tavern half a dozen times through the years and have always had a solid experience. After checking out Christkindlmarket, we stopped in for dinner.

Anthony’s Take: The restaurant feels elegant yet comfortable. This time of year it’s decorated for the holidays and is even more inviting. The food and service are solid. I’ve never had a bad meal here. This is the more serious, sophisticated sibling of the West Loop’s Bar Siena and a great place for a business meal or date.

Bar Siena Christmas Tree

Decor & Vibe

Siena Tavern is inviting with dark woods and lush banquettes. The environment is much more subdued than it’s sister restaurant Bar Siena and the crowd tends to skew a little older. A festive Christmas tree graced the lobby during our visit and it kept us in the holiday spirit after being at the Christmas market.

Siena Tavern Bar

The bar fills most of the dining room to the right of the host stand and provides a little more casual experience.

Food

The menu has a mix of antipasti, soup, salad, pizza, pasta, and entrees.

Coccoli Siena Tavern

We started with the Coccoli. The crispy dough was airy light and worked well with the Stracchino cheese, Prosciutto di Parma and truffle honey.

Wagyu Beef Meatball Siena Tavern

We also had the Wagyu Beef Meatball. It was sizable and great for sharing. I’m always a sucker for meatballs and enjoyed this one.

Baked Lasagna Siena Tavern

For mains, we each had a pasta dish. I chose the Baked Lasagna with ricotta, meat ragu, and parmesan. It was a little soupy, but the flavors were great.

Orecchiette Siena Tavern

My husband had the Orecchiette with Prosciutto sausage, watercress, chili flakes, and Pecorino. He loved the flavors and portion size.

Gnocchi Siena Tavern

Our friend ordered the Gnocchi with truffle cream, fried sage, and crispy pancetta. He was also happy with his choice.

Espresso Martinis Siena Tavern

Drinks

We started with a pitcher of white sangria and then shifted into wine. The espresso martinis above served as dessert for my dining companions. All of the cocktails and wine at Siena Tavern are made well and pair nicely with the food. They are a little pricey, but that is expected given the setting.

Overall Impression:

Siena Tavern offers a solid menu of upscale Italian fare. It’s a nice place to take the parents, a business associate, or a date that you want to get cozy with over some wine or cocktails.

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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.

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