Merlo on Lincoln

After several recommendation we ate here recently. I have to say the food was excellent. I had the lamb shank which was bursting with flavor but not overpowering. My friends with me also enjoyed the pastas. Now for a good way to ruin the evening. It became apparent that the restaurant was short one waiter and the host was pressed into duty. With this assignment, it became clear he was not happy. I have had bad service before and even understand that at certain times this can happen. However, I could not understand the arrogance and utter disregard for the service we were receiving. I have never had this happen before. The bad service I could get over, but comments such as "well chances I won't see any of you again so what does it matter," were incomprehensible. I am stunned that a restaurant this caliber would has this man as the face of their establishment.

Verdict: Excellent food. Horrible service.

Merlo Ristorante
2638 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614
773-529-0747

Nice report and welcome to LTH Forum.

In my small sample of experiences, I've also had poor service at Merlo on Lincoln, but never a bad experience at Merlo on Maple.

The last time I was at Merlo on Lincoln, we had a waiter who was clearly very inexperienced and rubbed us the wrong way on several occasions. The most glaring was that he (a guy all of 25 years old) insisted on calling my mother "young lady" every time he addressed her. There were two or three other woman -- actual young ladies, if you will -- at the table and the waiters' continual reminder that my mother was older got old quickly.

Anyways, give Merlo on Maple a try. The atmosphere is totally different.

The couple of times I've eaten at Merlo on Lincoln, the service was acceptable, although not noticeably great. It wasn't jammed either time I ate there, though.

Agreed that the food is quite good there. I also like the atmosphere quite a bit.

If you have complaints about the service you received at the Lincoln location, you should call and speak to one of the owners, who are always present at the Merlo on Maple location. I'm sure they would appreciate the opportunity to cure any service issues at the Lincoln location.

BR wrote:If you have complaints about the service you received at the Lincoln location, you should call and speak to one of the owners, who are always present at the Merlo on Maple location. I'm sure they would appreciate the opportunity to cure any service issues at the Lincoln location.

I would think this applies to any restaurant.

That's really too bad. I've only eaten at Merlo-Lincoln once, but it was excellent, and, come to think of it, marred very slightly by the service. Overall, my impressions were that the whole feel of the place was very, very Italian. The coziness, the fact that the bartender and some patrons were actually conversing in Italian, the menu, etc.
The spell was somewhat broken when our waiter unloaded one of those, "So, have you ever dined with us before?" openings, as if ordering dinner at an Italian restaurant was one of those exotic experiences that required a pre-qualifying tutorial. And I had to find a non-pissy way of saying that while I hadn't actually eaten in this very establishment, I felt I was up to the task.
The food that follows was very, very good, including house-made pasta that was correctly cooked and a rabbit ragu.
There was nothing in the service as absolutely outrageous as the OP described.

I too had horrible service at Merlo on Lincoln.

My parents took me a few years ago to celebrate turning in my thesis. First we got a bad feeling after a conversation I had with the waiter re: a wine rec. I told him what I was looking for, what I was thinking of ordering, and what the one quality in a wine that I couldn't stand was. Said I was looking at X and Y wines, what did he think? He said he needed to see my ID (I hadn't ordered yet). I showed him then asked what he thought. The response? "I don't know, whichever." Helpful, thanks.

After food coming not cooked/wrong dish and the waiter having a bad attitude about fixing it, my father asked to speak to the host. Explained it was a special occasion and the service was really abhorrent and ruining it. The host said WE must have been mistaken about what we ordered/not remembered what we ordered, which isn't the waiter's fault. Then he said if we didn't like the service we didn't have to return.

And we haven't.

It's a shame because the food really is phenomenal.

I was afraid of this.

We live very near Merlo on Lincoln and went there a few times before Merlo on Maple opened, and we liked it very much each time. (And, frankly, we were thrilled to have a place of its quality on a stretch of street not known for it.) But when Merlo on Maple opened, things I was reading gave me the impression that the owners were concentrating their attention on that new space. We didn't "write off" Merlo on Lincoln at that point; but on the other hand we didn't go there anymore either (too many other places to go), and the reason was this suspicion that with the opening of the new location, the old one was suffering from owner-neglect.

All this time, however, I've been thinking in the back of my mind that I was probably overreacting, that my suspicion that the original location had become a "second class citizen" was pure paranoia, that Merlo on Lincoln was probably as good as it ever was, and that we should go back. I'm sad to find this thread reawakening my original doubts.

We ate at Merlo on Lincoln about 5-6 months ago and really enjoyed the food. The service was good but nothing to write home about.

On the other hand, we love Merlo on Maple. The Tagliatelle alla Bolognese (with a quail's egg) is wonderful - we get it a first course, in the Italian style. The veal dishes are succulent and delicious. If you get Sam (from Venezia) as your waiter, you're sure to have a great dining experience - he's our favorite server in Chicago, both knowledgeable and charming. All in all, a much better dining experience than nearby Il Mulino, especially when factoring in price.

linutink wrote:We ate at Merlo on Lincoln about 5-6 months ago and really enjoyed the food. The service was good but nothing to write home about.

On the other hand, we love Merlo on Maple.

I'm now realizing that part of my negative feeling about revisiting Merlo on Lincoln after Merlo on Maple opened is that, since word was circulating that Merlo on Maple was better (which you also say), "we" (since Merlo on Lincoln was "our" Merlo, in our neighborhood) had been jilted for a trophy location. I wouldn't have felt that way if reports had indicated that both Merlos continued the high standard of the first one equally, but reports didn't indicate that. As the relative "jiltee," I've been in no hurry to spend my money at either Merlo.

Restaurants. They're personal!

Can somebody please explain to me why this place is not more crowded? I realize that there are more budget friendly places in the area (Rose Angelis/Tarantinos), but the food at those places is not in the same league. I recently moved about a block away from Merlo and have been a handful of times. The food is consistently of the highest quality. Last night I had a tasting of the tuna carpaccio, the involtini, the tortelloni with porcini mushrooms and finished with the stewed lamb shank. Each dish was outstanding. The capers and anchovies were a perfect complement to the fish, the tortelloni melted in my mouth and the lamb was the best I can remember having in quite some time. The wine list consists of some outstanding pours and the service was great. So, am I missing something? I really enjoy this place and have recommended it to others who feel the same. I just don't want to see it disappear in an area that so badly needs more quality restaurants as it is.

First time poster and long time lurker. I would be curious to hear others opinions. Thanks.

I'm glad to read this positive report on the Lincoln location (it seems like most lately have been on the negative side), which makes me want to try it again after a long (de facto) abstinence.

msandrew25 wrote:Can somebody please explain to me why this place is not more crowded?

While the food was good on my one visit there a few years ago, I'll never go back after being charged something like $32 for the pasta special of the day. It was a good dish that I would have guessed would be $20 at most. Upon getting the bill I felt like I'd been ripped off.

that is unfortunate RW. Most pasta dishes on the current menu were in the $15-$20 range if i recall correctly (granted those aren't the specials).

I would not chance going back after the service I received. They are way off my list with so many choices in Chicago to dine.