Overview:

Nestled in Oak Brook, Illinois, Positano Ristorante brings a taste of the Amalfi Coast to the Chicagoland area. This family-owned Italian restaurant prides itself on authentic flavors, offering a menu filled with classic pasta dishes, fresh seafood, and traditional Italian entrees. With an inviting ambiance and warm hospitality, Positano provides a dining experience that feels both elegant and comforting.

Upon arrival, guests are welcomed into a cozy yet upscale dining space, featuring soft lighting and tasteful décor reminiscent of a charming Italian trattoria. The menu highlights include homemade pastas, wood-fired pizzas, and an extensive wine selection to complement your meal. Whether you opt for a rich plate of risotto, a flavorful seafood dish, or a decadent dessert, each dish is crafted with high-quality ingredients that showcase the essence of Italian cuisine.

For those looking to enjoy a leisurely meal, Positano offers both indoor and outdoor seating, perfect for any occasion. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, making it an ideal spot for a casual meal or a special night out. If you’re in the Oak Brook area and craving an authentic Italian experience, Positano Ristorante is a must-visit destination.

My Experience:

On March 26, 2025, my girlfriend (Sharlene) and I celebrated our two years of being together, and we had both agreed that we really wanted to go eat at an Italian restaurant. I work in the Oak Brook area, so after looking at many options of nicer restaurants to eat at, we settled on here, and thank goodness we did.

As soon as we walked in, we were highly impressed by the atmosphere and ambiance of the restaurant. The low lighting and the soft dinner music really set the tone for the restaurant of being higher quality and comfortable for the guests. I had put in a reservation ahead of time and put under that it was a special occasion, and the woman at the front was very friendly in congratulating us and making us feel welcome at the place.

Once we were at our seat, we immediately began to look at the menu because of the array of options that were available, and it was so hard to figure out what to eat. Our server was very polite and brought out water and bread for us to enjoy with some olive oil and parmesan cheese. The bread, I will say, was VERY hard to bite into, so much so that it was hard to eat multiple pieces at one time. However, I will not let the bread deter my rating for the restaurant because, as I will explain in a bit, the rest of the evening outweighed it.

After debating between five different options for my meal, I decided to order the ‘RIGATONI MELANZANE’, which was rigatoni pasta sautéed in a spicy tomato sauce with roasted eggplant, topped with fresh mozzarella. Sharlene ended up ordering the ‘GNOCCHI VODKA’, which was homemade potato dumplings in a house-made vodka sauce.

When I arrived at the restaurant, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t particularly hungry…I still ended up eating about 75% of my dish. That’s how good this pasta was. The noodles were fresh, the mozzarella on top was great to mix in, and the sauce had the slightest kick to it, but it gave it the perfect amount of flavor. I also am normally someone who, whenever I have some sort of pasta, I have to have a meat in it, so having roasted eggplant in there was a bit of change for me, but boy was I glad it was in there. The eggplant gave it that extra bit of flavor, but it wasn’t as filling, so I was happy that I was able to eat a good amount and not feel bad afterwards.

After our meal had finished up, we were talking for a little while and all of a sudden, our waiter brought over a plate for us with dessert on the house because it was our anniversary! The plate had a bowl of vanilla gelato and whipped cream on the side, with four mini cannolis drizzled in a raspberry chocolate sauce around the bowl. It was such a pleasant way to finish the night, and kudos to the staff there for all of their kind hospitality. I would highly recommend going here, and I for sure will be going back VERY soon.

My Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Sharlene’s Rating: 8.5/10