Francesca's By The River

We came here for my moms birthday dinner. Francesca's used to be one of her favorite restaurants and she wanted to give 'Mio Modo' a try since they just rebranded and opened. The staff is lovely, as I noticed a lot of them because they worked at Francesca's for many years. What I will say the most, I miss the warm bread and butter, that was literally one of the best parts. They sit you down with a (2) bowls; a mixture of olives and then thick crumbled pieces of parmesan drizzled with like a balsamic reduction. Then they bring you a plate of what I called sourdough toast-toasted bread coated in butter and oil olive-with not topping to put ontop of it. It was just very strange and a weird combo. Bring back the classic bread and butter. We ordered carpaccio for an appetizer and it did not disappoint, although I think the presentation of the topping could have looked nicer. For the main courses, we ordered (3) Fettuccine limone, (1) Pesce Bianco al Limone and (1) of the daily specials (which happened to be the best thing we had). Out of all three people, none of us liked the fettuccine limone. It tasted like the noodles were egg noodles and it threw off the flavor of the dish. The fish was under whelming as well and the spinach was cold and not thoroughly cooked through. Overall, the food was not good and we will most likely not go back for this reason. With it being a birthday celebration, we were able to get a dessert and limoncello shots on the house-which was a very nice touch. The decor inside is stunning but more attention needs to be made to the dishes. Also-the restaurant only had (1) handicap parking stall. When we arrived, we needed a handicap spot for my grandma. Unfortunately, the (1) handicap parking spot was in use. The restaurants has about 3-4 parking spots designated to 'online order pick ups' or 'call aheads'. Overall, 2 of out of 5.

My mother, aunt and I had an amazing brunch at Mio Moda. Our waiter, Brian took great care of us and offered up perfect suggestions for each of us. Chef Peter’s crab cakes were a huge hit! The salmon and wild mushroom Italian crepes were cooked to perfection as well. Looking forward to coming back soon and trying a cocktail at the new bar.

Amazing addition to the restaurant scene in st charles. The food was flavorful and the pasta had a perfect texture. Service was nice and fast and the interior was romantic and homey. Would definitely reccomend this place and im happy st charles has a great new italian place.

Francesca's is our Italian haven away from home. We've been going there since I was a kid, and for every big occasion from homecomings to rehearsal dinners, and now, to new occasions for our own kids! There isn't any other restaurant we'd rather go. From service to the atmosphere to the menu, Francesca's has NEVER disappointed. (and this is saying a lot since my dad was born and grew up in Italy so he is very picky on his Italian food). Last weekend, we visited Francesca's for the first time since their renovations to Mio Modo, and WOW we were blown away. How could our favorite place become even more magical? But it did! The vibe has all its original comforts, but with an urban, modern twist (in both atmosphere and menu). My husband and I used to live in the west loop, and we immediately felt like we were back in the city. We were there for my cousin's confirmation, so there was multiple kids including my infant daughter and 3 year nephew, and the staff (shout out Brian) took care off of us all like it was nothing. We haven't had so much fun and eaten so grand in a long time (and I am GF). Also, table side tiramisu, yum! We are so grateful from Mio Modo and you will never be disappointed in sharing a meal there! 5 out of 5 starts every time!

We came here after our wedding and everything was perfect. What I love other than the interior decor, ambience, cocktails, and attentive service is the proper portion size of each meal. Exquisite dining overall.