Most menu items, including side dishes, serve at least two. Several new items were added a few months ago, too. Serving groups as if they were a post-World War II Italian family in Chicago is what has made Maggiano's a success. The gargantuan two-story restaurant, richly appointed in brass, wood and generic but regal family portraits, has few tables for two. It's loud, but the white noise includes a ton of laughter.
Folks have fun, eat well and are treated courteously by the semiformally attired waitstaff.
Expect to wait for a table during peak hours if you don't have a reservation. The halved dinner portions we ordered were still much bigger than average. Initially we fit four comfortably into our semicircular booth. But we soon found that the table just wasn't big enough. The complimentary breads, plates, and the huge main menus left no room for the wine list, dessert menu and other table garnish, which we moved into a seat.