The Most Delicious Italian in Chicago

Pizano's Pizza & Pasta

★★★★☆ 3.7 (935) • $$

"We always get deep dish when we're in Chicago. But we have Lou Malnati's and Giordano's back home. Pizano's is a great, different choice in that vein. The deep dish was fantastic and service was great. The dining area is filled with hockey memorabilia of you're into that."

Miss Ricky's

★★★★☆ 3.8 (423) • $$

"A nice hidden gem in the Virgin Hotel with a range of options from salads to pizza to pasta to steak. The seating is comfortable with "couches" or traditional tables, and the staff are great. We had a well-paced, relaxed meal and every dish was quite solid. The seafood risotto was nice prepared and the truffle steak fries excellent - flavorful and not overly greasy and salty. It's worth a visit as the ambiance is great for a business or catch-up meal, and the service amazing."

The Del Rio Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.7 (112) • $$$

"This is my favorite Italian-American restaurant in the world. It's got everything you'll want to enjoy a nice date night or for a dinner out with a group of old friends. Fresh warm bread with butter and cold drinks are always a good place to start!A mix of amazing entrees and pasta sides with fresh seafood and the best chicken parm you'll find. Oh, and get the gnocchi. It's so soft and pillowy... you'll eat the full side by yourself and realize that everyone out with you was hoping you'd notice their hungry eyes. You know, you're welcome to get your own? Yeah.Everything here is good. The service is incredibly friendly and helpful. They will make you feel right at home even if you just landed a couple hours ago and are still jetlagged. It's just the best.TL;DR: If you are thinking about going out for food North of Chicago, eat here. I promise you'll love the experience."

Regalia

★★★★★ 4.7 (138) • $$$

"Just off the charts. Possibly one of the best meals I've ever enjoyed. I skipped right to the entree, skipping I've the apps, soup and salad. Though the couple we were dining with had had the mushroom soup, which they said was so good they couldn't share. I ordered the Fettuccine Mare Mare; assorted seafood in a tomato white wine sauce. The seafood to pasta was definitely on the seafood's side, all of which was just so perfectly prepared. My wife had one of the day's specials, Lobster Ravioli. Thankfully she shared some; again the lobster to pasta was very generous and delightful. The portions were such that we all skipped the dessert offerings though from what we saw going by our table they were all shareable. Our server, Dylan, was very attentive and entertaining throughout our dinner. The owner, Dejan, made several stops by our table to ensure that all was well."

Alla Vita

★★★★☆ 4.4 (581) • $$$

"Alla Vita is just east of the West Loop. Parking on the street is usually available right after 6pm on weekdays. The restaurant is modern with lots of lights and greenery. Very comfortable and classy. Service is great! Food is delicious and priced as expected. I had pasta bolognese. The portion was just right."

Orso's

★★★★☆ 3.7 (653) • $$

"Patio dining in May. Love that it's covered so in case it rains, we won't be affected. Calamari: really tender. Better than anywhere else. Also love the color of batter is light in color. Mixed Greens: got it split in half between me and my friend. Nice portion, perfect balance of sauce & greens. Strawberries, walnut, goat cheese with greens and balsamic vinaigrette-- it's my kind of salad! Risotto: it was on special menu. Got it split into 2 also. It was too salty though, but yet lacked flavor. I added Parmesan cheese to make it more tolerable. Sausage was also salty too. Skip risotto. Next time, pizza for me!"

Toscana Restaurant & Lounge

★★★★☆ 4 (273) • $$

"For years I have coming here for fresh pasta. Today I had the lobster risotto and it was great! The service is prompt and my server, Maya, knows exactly what I want. The ambiance is delightfully Italian."

Damenzo's Pizza

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (195)

"I was very leery of ordering because there's some tough reviews. I decided to give them a chance because location was important. Pizza was piping hot when I picked it up. Looked great, tasted good too. Workers were nice and friendly when I went in to grab it. I'd def order again."

Avanti Caffé

★★★★☆ 4.1 (174) • $

"Got some lunch at this unassuming cafe in the Loop. It didn't look like it would be that good, but it was much better than it appeared though. Avanti is basically like a deli with lots of salads and sandwiches, along with sweets such as cookies. For the location it wasn't that busy honestly. The prices are pretty okay for the small portions of salads. At lunch I wasn't that hungry. It turned out this was a perfect kind of place. The portions of the salads were just enough, and made a pretty healthy meal too. It's $4.50 for the small portions. There's a variety of salads. I got a couple of the vegetarian choices. The Italian Bean Salad was kind of like a typical one. Lots of beans. Making it better though was the addition of the Italian dressing along with the artichokes and carrots. Better than it looked to be. The Olive Salad also had some carrots in this. Lots of olives. This would make a great smorgasbord for parties. Come try the many salads they have. It has something for almost any taste. There's meaty ones with chicken and there's a few okay for vegetarians."

Ferrara Original

★★★★☆ 4.1 (229) • $

"I have been here several times and usually I order one of their pasta dishes which are usually good. This time around I decided to try one of their sandwiches. I ordered their Ferrara Special which is basically an Italian Sandwich. It was ok sandwich. Not a lot of meat...lots of lettuce on the sandwich. It kind of overwhelmed the flavor from Italian slices of meat. I also tried their Chicken Pastina soup. It was good, it had flavor and filling."

Southtown Sub

★★★★☆ 3.9 (46) • $

"The good: Generous portions, the food is pretty good, service is fast, there are lots of options, and the staff are super nice to you if you are at least polite to them. They are also happy to customize orders for you.The bad: this is in a somewhat sketchy part of town. I mean, the kitchen is behind a huge plexiglass (bulletproof?) screen. That being said, I've walked here more than once and never had an issue.I certainly haven't tried everything from here, but have had a couple different kinds of sandwiches, fries, pizza puff and chicken nuggets. I'd rate them from good to less good in that order too. The food in general has not blown me away, but it's a helluva lot better than chain sandwich shops! And as a locally-owned place, I gotta support them, so it's really a win-win.Like I said, give it a try, go in hungry, be nice, and these guys will seriously take care of you."

Sapori Trattoria

★★★★☆ 4.4 (2885) • $$$

"This is a really good restaurant! The service is kind and the ambiance is pleasant and comfortable, nice but family friendly. My husband, baby, and I came to eat here for an early dinner when we were in town. They were kind about our running late and let us keep our baby in his stroller so we could eat. The octopus is perfectly cooked and comes with a really good green sauce. The clam dish comes with a great red sauce I highly recommend getting more bread for to enjoy. The pesto gnocchi are wonderfully seasoned. The German Riesling was a pleasant surprise, since a lot of Italian restaurants stick to Italian wine. My husband really enjoyed his old fashioned. Great restaurant! Highly recommend."

Pizzeria Via Stato

★★★★☆ 3.8 (164) • $$

"HASTA LA PIZZA, BABYWarm up with a delicious thin crust at this intimate restaurant on the Near North Side.Located inside the Embassy Suites on north State St, Pizzeria Via Stato is tucked within Osteria Via Stato. Their specialties are Roman-style thin crust pizzas but they've also got a great variety of Italian appetizers and an extensive wine listing.We were seated around 7pm on 11/4/19 by a hostess who was downright delightful. She was upbeat and held a brief but pleasant conversation with us (the greeter at Rosemont's Bub City could learn a thing or two from the charming hostess here). Not long after, we placed drink orders.My cocktail of choice was their Farmer's Mule ($13) made with vodka, fresh pear, ginger beer and cinnamon. My fiancée enjoyed her Stella Rosa ($12), which had tequila, muddled strawberry, prosecco and thyme. There was no free bread service here, but I'm willing to cut them a break.She absolutely loved the burrata ($13) that came in a pool of olive oil with buttered crostini. The caprese salad ($13) had roasted tomatoes along with the usual fresh mozzarella and basil. It was expensive, and worse still, we spotted a small black hair hiding between the slices of mozza. Ooohhh no thanks.On the other hand, their pepperoni thin crust ($15) was one of the best pizzas we've had in a while. The red sauce was great and the small slices of 'roni had the perfect amount of spicy kick to them. It was really delicious and a pretty fair price.The 'prosciutto americano' ($18) was just as good. It had arugula, aged balsamic, and shaved grana (similar to parmesan). It was also excellent and we easily polished off the entire thing. I liked that it was more of a flatbread in nature and less of a "pan style" pizza, which meant we could eat more slices and not feel stuffed to the brink.Bread = 4.5Circuses = 4Our server did a fine job and took solid care of us during dinner. The atmosphere inside was perfect for an impromptu date night and the dining room was tidy. I didn't realize this place was part of Rich Melman's vast Lettuce Entertain You empire, until the check came asking for LEYE points. How 'bout that?* TL;DR *It's tough to stand out amid the deluge of deep dish that seemingly dominates the Windy City. Finding a worthwhile thin crust is no small feat, but Pizzeria Via Stato is up to the challenge.The food and service was fine but finding a short black hair in our antipasti tells me that someone in the kitchen needs to wear a hat. That's an automatic 1/2 star deduction (sorry guys!)I'd nevertheless recommend this place to friends and family seeking a pizza that won't put them in a food coma."

Boni Vino Ristorante & Pizzeria

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (150) • $$

"My boyfriend and I stopped in here after getting off the train. Delicious pizza! Comes with a drink as well! The staff inside was super nice! And it's extremely pretty inside! We'll have to be back here for dinner sometime!"

Rosebud Steakhouse

★★★★☆ 4.1 (490) • $$$$

"Food and Service....outstanding!We were visiting Chicago for the weekend and were looking for a place to grab appetizers as we had a super late dinner planned. This place had early reservations and we ended up pretty much having the entire restaurant to ourselves. Our server was delightful. He spent lots of time chatting with us about the history of the restaurant and was just overall so friendly. We sat at a table that had a tribute to a long time regular, Mr. George Burrows. It was fun to learn the history of this patron.We had the Lobster GOT, the Fork & Knife Bacon and a side of Cauliflower Gratin and OMG....these dishes were riiiiiiiiiiich!. The Lobster pieces were nestled in butter, gooey cheese and herbs. The fork and knife bacon was huge! This slab of pork belly was tender and slathered in a smokey sweet sauce. The cauliflower was extra cheesy.This really was the perfect meal and dining experience. Food and service were top notch."

Antico

★★★★☆ 4.4 (278) • $$$

"Yummmmm! Welcome to the neighborhood! Outstanding service, ambiance and food. We just moved to Bucktown and for our last date night without a child, we tried this place for dinner and it was incredible. We did not make a reservation and it looks like you should. They have limited hours and everyone knows it. No issue, they sat us inside but lots of people came in and were taken to the patio which we cannot wait to try. Service was outstanding. The hostess and waitress made you feel at home. And it was obvious this is normal because the number of regulars that cycled in and received hugs was incredible. Waitress recommended the scallops which were not on the menu and forever I want these scallops! They were buttery, herby, so tender. And she told us to save someOf the bread for dipping and oh man was that the move. Looking for just. Small meal, the pappadelle with wild mushroom was outstanding. Fresh pasta and ingredients was obvious. Lasagna had bechamel which is always great and portion was enough to make you happy but not go into a coma. It did have sausage or some type of meat that wasn't my favorite but my husband was in love. The pasta was super fresh too. We would have loved dessert or to try one of the secondi items but that is for next time. Ambiance is dim so pix don't do it justice. Simply wonderful and worth the price! Keep up the great work. We are looking forward to getting on the regular hug list!"

DeMarco's Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.9 (124) • $$

"I've lived in Addison half of my life and had never been to this place. And now i had a chance to try it on and it was a good experience. The food is so good and you wouldn't want to miss the bread pudding!!! I surely will come back here"

Francesca's Famiglia

★★★★☆ 3.9 (252) • $$

"Excellent! Food, service, atmosphere. All great!Ivan and the whole staff very attentive! Delicious food! 5 stars. *****"

Francesca's North

★★★★☆ 3.8 (284) • $$

"5 stars for food! 5 stars for service! We were seated promptly and greeted by our server Pablo. I already knew it was going to be a great night with Pablo as our server. He was enthusiastic and provided excellent service! The drinks came out SUPER fast as well as our food. All our dishes were timed perfectly and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal! It had been awhile since I got to see my girlfriend so we definitely got talking and Pablo never rushed us out. He encouraged us to stay as long as we wanted and we enjoyed more drinks and conversation through the night! He checked in with us at the right moments and always made sure everything was the way we expected. I'll definitely be back and I'll be asking for Pablo! Now for the food! I highly recommend the bruschetta, the mushroom ravioli AND the raspberry beret cocktail. I had 3 and wanted more! It was absolutely delicious! The mushroom ravioli was truly the highlight of the evening. It was absolutely delicious! Pablo treated us to a tiramisu for dessert for my birthday. It was more like a fluffy creamy chocolate cake more than your typical tiramisu coffee/espresso flavor but it was still delicious and the perfect way to end our evening. Definitely recommend Francesca's and I'm super glad it's so close to home. Can't wait to come back and try some of their other dishes. I'll be back Pablo! Thank you for a great evening!"

Victor's Pizzeria & Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (28) • $$

"Eat here all the time. Depends on the day if the delivery is going to take a while or not. No major complaints. Prices are fair. Will go back.. never really eat in, just do the majority of call ins or get it delivered."

Il Porcellino

★★★★☆ 4.3 (1494) • $$

"To say this place was a great dinner would be an understatement. We had reservations, which I highly recommend because this place filled up very fast on a Tuesday night. The menu was the perfect size and had a ton of options for everyone. We ordered a couple different salads so we could all try and I ordered the ravioli with prosciutto. The food was unreal, but the service was even better. Our server was around ever few minutes checking to see if she could fill our wine and water glasses. By the time we finished dinner the manager had come over to check to see how our meal and experience was. Ashley was so incredibly nice and very helpful in choosing our next lunch and dinner spots. The food was incredible and the service was top notch."

Pizano's Pizza & Pasta

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (1743) • $$

"It was good. Kelsi made the experience better. I've had better cheese curds. They were so garlic forward that I don't think I'll be bitten by any vampires any time soon. The thin crust pizza was a winner. They got the gold for having green olives on the menu. We turned down a different path and opted for the thin pizza rather than the deep dish pizza. The crust is the authentic Chicago crispy cracker crust. It was around lunchtime and they were swamped for a Thursday afternoon crowd. If you head downstairs to the bathroom, you will notice a private room that is perfect for parties."

Himmel's

★★★★☆ 4 (202) • $$

"We took our dad here for Father's Day. We had a good time with food and ambiance that did not disappoint. We arrived at opening and got seated right away. The weekend we went, they had entertainment with a live accordion player. Despite staffing challenges, the host and owners did their best to keep things moving. Most things ordered were outstanding especially the following:* Steak Tartare* Lachs Toast* Bayerische Platte - A charcuterie of meats, spread, pretzels and cheese* Champignon Rahm Schnitzel*Cherry StrudelThe house made bread was pretty good too. Parking in Lincoln Square is hit or miss but if you time it right and arrive at opening or off times, you can find a spot. Enjoy and Prost!"

Quartino Ristorante

★★★★☆ 4.1 (5630) • $$

"Came here because a family member was in town and were staying in the city. Someone recommended this place. It was a bit of a disappointment.The food is ok. It wasnt amazing or memorable. But sometimes the service would make up for that which in this instance it didnt. Our server was also the bartender and I cant really blame her for being busy since she was also mixing everyone else's drinks We had to request for our missing set of utensil 3 or 4 times to different people. They warned us that food comes when its ready meaning it doesnt come all together even though you order at the same time. Three people ordered the same thing the Fettucini Alfredo and they all came at a different time. One was even super late. Go figure right.One of our pizza got lost somewhere and was given to another table. The Tortellini also came when everyone was almost done eating. The upside is they did compensate us for these but if these are the only food you ordered your big intestines would be eating your small intestines because of hunger!As i said the food wasnt amazing that the poor service would compensate for. So i dont think I'd be coming back here anytime soon. Happy eating!"

Frantonio's Italian Deli & Cafe

★★★★☆ 4.3 (86) • $

"One of the best Italian deli in the area! We had the prosciutto mozzarella sub and some side dishes for lunch. The mozzarella reminded me of those from Eaterly! How I miss good fresh mozzarella! The Italian cookies were not to be missed! The orange slice one is sooo on point with the almond flavor and sweetness from the dried orange! I wish I had got more! The people there were friendly and nice! I saw locals would walk in and grabbed premade meatballs and other stuff to go! I am gonna try those premade items next time :)"

Exchequer Restaurant & Pub

★★★★☆ 3.8 (676) • $$

"I was staying right down the street at the Palmer House Hilton and wanted to try this spot. The exterior gave me a great vibe, see picture. The interior decor is old school, they have movie posters from Psycho on the wall and the mug shot of Frank Sinatra being arrested, great stuff to see all around the restaurant. The Exchequer Pub is right as you walk in the front door, the dining room is further back. They have great pizza, according to the person sitting next to me. For dinner, I got the Capone's Rigatoni with sausage and vodka sauce (A grade). This was a nice size serving, I could not finish everything. The service was very friendly, thanks Moe, who wore a Toronto Bluejays hat. The prices are great considering you are downtown in Chicago and you definitely get your money's worth. I washed it all down with a Zombie Dust - pale ale 6.5% ABV (Munster, IN)."

Il Milanese Ristorante

★★★★☆ 4.4 (90)

"Wonderful addition to the neighborhood! The decor and atmosphere is perfect. Bright, welcoming, large windows that open up to the patio out front, and lots of greenery. The staff was also fabulous! We were greeted and seated quickly despite not having a reservation. We started with the Mondeghilli Arrabbiati aka, fried meatballs! Rather than having the breadcrumbs in the meatballs, these seem to be rolled in the breadcrumbs and then fried. They were delicious, and the spicy marinara sauce it was served with was perfect, I wish there was more of it!For my main course, I ordered the Battuta. This pan seared chicken breast was served with herbed butter and garlic spinach. The chicken was extremely thin, but the actual flavor was a little lackluster. I did enjoyed the spinach which added some nice flavor to the meal. My husband ordered a pasta dish which was the right move and what I'll do next time! Overall we had a really nice time and I'm excited to come back and explore more of the menu."

Fat Ricky's

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (58) • $$

"Pizza was very good, I would go back for sure. I recommend the thin crust, it was crispy and tasty."

Alex's Washington Gardens

★★★★☆ 4.1 (182) • $$

"Alex's Washington Gardens is kind of like walking into your grandmother's house that she's raised all of her now grown children in. It's nothing fancy or updated. Kind of smells a little old timey. The lights are so dim you can barely read your menu. But it's oddly homey, warm and inviting. The dining room was PACKED when we arrived late on a Monday evening, but they were able to seat all 5 of us almost immediately without a reservation (we had a last minute change of plans, or we would have called ahead). Our waitress was a little short with us, which I didn't appreciate, but can also ignore, but it definitely rubbed one of my friends the wrong way. I'm not a huge fan of Italian food, so I played it safe with their chopped salad, which I enjoyed. I always appreciate a restaurant that has a solid salad list instead of offering basic iceberg with 4 tomatoes and some shredded carrots. Everyone else seemed to really enjoy their gnocchi, salads and ravioli. If you like a good, strong martini that'll grow some hair on your chest, look no further! I don't drink often, so I was definitely not able to finish my dirty martini, even after getting a little extra olive juice, bummer, because this place is NOT cheap. With the salad, martini and tip, my total bill was a little over $40.I do want to note that we did pretty much close out the place, and as we were exiting, there were two pretty intoxicated middle aged women by the bar showing each other dance moves or something. It definitely changed the entire vibe of the place, and made me a little uncomfortable. Not too sure if I'd ever bring my daughter here since it was pretty clear that people are easily over served. So to sum things up: the food is great, the atmosphere is like being at your grandmother's until after 8pm, when all of your crazy aunts have had too many gin and tonics, the service is good, but served with an attitude, but you'll be entertained and leave with your belly full."

Tocco

★★★★☆ 3.7 (97)

"I had a reservation for six people for dinner. Our party arrived early and we were shown a table for four, which they said could work for us if we sat 3 in booth for two and squeezed in a chair between another table which most definitely wouldn't fit a person. This was the only indoor option. A group of six. children wouldn't fit at this table. She says our other option is that we could sit in an outdoor tent with no AC or fan on a 95 degree humid day. There were no apologies about not honoring a reservation and we were not offered to wait for a table indoors. Since we were celebrating an occasion and were hungry, we were sat in the tent and started to sweat. Though we were the first parties sat in the tent and watched the entire tent fill up (about 10 tables), and ordered our dinner before anyone else, it was really unusual to note that we received our food after every single other table was served. Especially odd that we only ordered pastas and no meats.The burrata focaccia was very very tasty and the wine was really smooth, and the cacio pepe was delightful. Everything else was an absolute miss and everyone went unfortunately hungry. Tortellini was way way too sweet, all red sauce lacked any flavor or gusto, four cheese pizza was unusually rotten tasting but actually just had blue cheese as one of the four cheeses and dripped in added olive oil, gnocci fell apart when you forked it. I thought it could be saved by dessert. The ricotta cheesecake came out HOT, not a hot plate, the inside of the ricotta was hot. I thought maybe they gave us a piece that was sitting out in the 95 degree heat and asked if it's supposed to be hot, and they said yes. I've been to a thousand Italian restaurants and have lived in Italy and this seemed really odd too. Overall, odd, slightly offensive experience. Sorry to say, I hope this was a very, very off night for them."

La Villa Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4 (797) • $$

"Food was delicious! They give you some bread to start and then we shared an entree (comes with soup and salad) and pizza. We had a lot of leftovers too! The pizza was delicious - will be back for more!"

Bacino's of Lincoln Park

★★★★☆ 3.9 (468) • $$

"Ohhhh yum yummm! Had a piece of heaven in a pizza pie! Delicious! We also had the salad with pear & Gorgonzola...we ate it so fast & didn't get a pic of it. I know there are a lot of deep dish pizza places in Chicago but it seemed this was one for the locals (a bit away from big touristy sites) - they also won local food awards. Def a must when you make it to Chicago!"

Finuccio and Sons Italian Deli and Catering

★★★★★ 4.9 (84)

"This place is a gem!!It 1st caught our attention because of the very high 4.9 rating. it is deserving of the rating. The food is excellent and the service is off the chart. The husband & wife owners treat their customers like family! We go once a week. We would go a lot more often if it were closer to our home! We would also give it more than 5 stars if we could!!!"

Viaggio Ristorante & Lounge

★★★★☆ 4.4 (873) • $$$

"5th time coming here! celebrated my boyfriends birthday with his family. As always inside is stunning. Service is good. Our waiter was very nice! We got the baked clams to start and the sausage and peppers. Both of these were great! I loved the baked clams with a little Tabasco.For my main I got the fettuccini and my bf got the vodka rigatoni. This rigatoni did not tasted like vodka sauce. Something was very off about it. It was not good. Fettuccini was average. Seemed a bit overcooked the noodles stuck together and were hard. I want to love it here but lately it has not been hitting.The birthday celebration was nice. They brought out tiramisu with a candle and sang. The Tiramisu was amazing."

Tufano's Vernon Park Tap

★★★★☆ 3.9 (582)

"This is a classic chicago-Italian restaurant in Little Italy with a no frills, authentic vibe and experience overall. From the old time decor and classic chalkboard menus, cash/venmo only service, and Italian staff- this is what you come to Little Italy for! We had some drinks at the bar while we waited for the rest of our group to arrive - my espresso martini was creamy and tasty. We got a nice patio table by a beautiful fountain and enjoyed the delicious food.Portions are generous and amazingly priced. We got a bottle of montepulciano with the meal, and I loved the little wine cups instead of fancy glasses. The bread was tasty and warm. We also got fried calamari and bruschetta to share, and these were both delicious and huge. For my entree I got the half lemon chicken, which was huge! So much delicious and flavorful chicken with tasty potatoes. My side salad was also a big portion for just $6. My boyfriend's linguine with clams in red sauce had lots of delicious clams in a flavorful sauce. Everything was so scrumptious. Definitely recommend if you're in the area!"