Gino & Marty's

Any Chicago restaurant associated with the words “West Loop,” “Italian,” and “bottle sparklers” is guaranteed to be busy. Such is the case with Gino & Marty’s, a buzzy Italian spot on Randolph. It’s also expensive, chaotic, and not very good. The dining room is cramped and crowded, overflowing with people waiting 40 minutes past their reservation time. Once seated, you’ll have an uninspired meal that’ll take way longer than it should, filled with overdressed salads, mealy pasta, and entrees like an overcooked $75 steak. Servers wander around like confused extras at the craft services table, and a terrible sound system plays everything from Chubby Checker to random show tunes. Skip this place and go to a sceney Italian restaurant that knows how to organize its chaos, like Bar Siena or Adalina. Or better yet, book a table at Monteverde—at least then the wait will be worth it.