The Most Delicious Pasta Shops in Chicago

Daisies

★★★★☆ 4.3 (555) • $$$

"My first encounter with Daisies was via the Logan Square Farmer's Market, where I picked up some fresh pasta and sauces from their stand. It was really good, both the pasta and the sauce; they make a brown butter sauce which is the best. The dude at the stand was super friendly and that combined with the quality of the pasta made me a fan. They did a pickup here in Andersonville and that made picking up their goodies even more convenient.My first visit to the restaurant was a couple months ago when they had a collaboration with one of the hot dog places in town (I think it was the Weiner's Circle). They made an elevated Chicago hot dog and I had to try it! It was delicious. It was a croissant-stuffed dog with all the Chicago-style fixings, including a little sport pepper on top as a garnish. I happened to come right when they were bringing an entire pan of fresh-from-the-oven ones to the display and I was next in line. Talk about luck! Their other pastries looked delicious as well, but this is what I came for and for once, it was all I left with.Parking is a disaster on Milwaukee here; I'm not sure if it's ever good. But there's a bus down the street, I believe. The interior of the restaurant looked really nice so I'm sure it would be a lovely place for a nice meal if you dine in."

The Warbler

★★★★☆ 4.4 (516) • $$

"Very much loved my time here and can't wait to come back! Came here for a ladies night dinner with my friends :) Crispy fried artichokes- yes. Actually, just go right ahead and order two of them because they are that good. Kale salad, deliciously balanced with sweet fruits, vinagrettes, and nut butter. Pastas- it was hard to pick because they all sounded so good. Buccatini was basic but delicious. Agnolotti was great too. I'd really like to try the mac and cheese or fusilli next time.Bacon and date flatbread was okay. I'd try the mushroom next time.Finished off with a carrot cake- very yum.The ambiance was beautiful and it was too cold to go outside, which was shortly followed by a storm, though there is covered patio. The dining room became quite full and there was a screaming crying toddler and the parents just kept slowly sipping their wine and eating their food as if the baby's shrill screeches were not impacting anybody else around them. This has nothing to do with The Warbler's staff, but it is a comment that the dining room can be quite loud inside, so maybe not the best place for a quiet intimate dinner or first date."

Tortello

★★★★☆ 4.3 (468) • $$

"I placed an online order for pickup here. The food was ready before the promised pickup time and the staff was great. I would say this place is more of casual Italian dining restaurant, rather than a fine dining place. The decor is simple and basic, and the dining room is very well lit. I wouldn't come here for a romantic dinner. None of that is bad in anyway. It's actually quite nice to be able to walk in to a casual place, enjoy some Italian food without a white cloth dinner and candles. The unfortunate part is, you will still be paying fine dining prices here. You won't be getting the "casual" discount here. The pasta here is priced high for the portions you get. But the quality is definitely there. They make their pasta in house. When I walked in to pick up my order, I could see them making the pasta at the front window. Which is always nice to see. We ordered their Cacio e Pepe and their Aglio e Olio. Both pasta dishes were good, but the Aglio e Olio was the best out of the two. The Cacio e Pepe came with the traditional ingredients, black pepper and aged pecorino with bucatini. The Aglio e Olio came with spaghetti, full garlic cloves, chili, parsley and olive oil. This one came with a little heat. Something I usually don't seek in Italian dining, but it's nice to have every once in a while. I eat way too much spicy food, so I try to avoid spicy dishes in certain cuisines. Italian is one of them, the other is South and central American. They don't like spicy foods down there. Overall I was really satisfied with the quality and flavors that we got out of these two dishes. I probably would do takeout again from here, but I can definitely see myself returning to dine in. Yes it's a bit pricey, but the quality is definitely there."

Passero

★★★★☆ 4 (469) • $$

"I visit Arlington Heights a couple of times a year and have never given it much thought. Chain establishments abound in this affluent suburb, and it's rare I have the chance to experience something even remotely local. So it was with great pleasure that I had the chance to enjoy a recent dinner at Passero.My wife and I picked it purely from a quick Yelp search, and I am really glad we trusted the locals. Passero's food is fantastic, unique while familiar, and perfectly framed by a welcoming atmosphere and extremely friendly service.I particularly enjoyed the Mussels Arrabiatta, which offered an epically high pile of mussels, served in a rich tomato broth, complimented by deep-fried peperonis, which added both a depth of flavor, but also just the right amount of textural contrast to the seafood. The oily, almost greasy slices of bread to dip were perfect, and my only complaint is how little came with the dish.I also REALLY enjoyed the 'It Aint Easy Being Green' salad, which was filled with an unexpected mix of green ingredients. Who knew apples went so well with avocado? This salad was eye-opening and delightful. And to be honest, I actually enjoyed everything, including the several bites of my wife's 'Fusilli Vodka' with a Calabrian cream sauce, that I quickly consumed while she was off to the restroom. While I'm sure she would have offered me a bite had I asked, there was something thrilling about sneaking a sample of the richly seasoned dish behind her back. If I lived in Arlington Heights, or if there was a Passero near me in Ohio, I would likely go at least once a week. It's a perfect combination of service and flavor. Highly recommended!"

Pasta Bowl - Wicker Park

★★★★☆ 4.2 (394) • $$

"a very popular italian restaurant in wicker park. TLDR; very busy (during peak times with dine-in and takeout orders) with not too much seating, reasonable prices given the huge portions of pasta (easily 2 servings), decent taste.we came at 7pm on a saturday and it was very busy but since we were a party of 2 we got a table in 15 minutes (otherwise 45+). recommend waiting near the restaurant because if other parties don't show up they will move down the waitlist pretty fast.service was decent, a bit rushed and took awhile because it was very busy so understandable. took awhile to get a waitress to order but our food came in ~20 minutes after.// signature farfalle pollo ($18.00) //signature cream sauce pasta with farfalle pasta, sliced chicken, and some sun dried tomatoes and mushrooms. came with one piece of bread and parmesan on top. as mentioned, very huge portions for italian restaurants. thought the pasta sauce would have more of a sundried tomato flavor but it's traditional cream sauce with some chunks of tomatoes. food was not the most hot, borderline lukewarm so it got cold really fast. // strawberry, walnut, and pear salad ($15.00) //good portion for a salad, could be an entree. really enjoyed the combination of strawberry, walnut, pear, and the goat cheese (which ties it together in my opinion).would say it's decent italian food, nothing extraordinary but i would definitely come here for the portion sizes (especially if u want some leftovers (: )"

Tuscan Hen Market

★★★★★ 4.6 (148) • $$

"Cheesy Deluxe Panini is really delicious! Nice place, very pleasant staff, great back patio. Will definitely come back."

The Pasta Bowl - Lincoln Square

★★★★☆ 4 (156) • $$

"We had a nice meal here Tuesday, and our service from Kaitlin was very good. It was my first time and I thought the place was pretty cute. They had some good-sized curved booths that could seat up to six, one of which we cozied into. The good was pretty good. We got a few apps, which were pretty inexpensive. I really liked the pear and strawberry salad, which we got with balsamic (normally it's raspberry vinaigrette, which none of us care for). The pasta servings are family size. You could easily get 3 servings from each, but I still found the prices to be too high. $20 for penne vodka? It didn't even come with a protein, and was the same price as seafood pasta. I wanted it, but got the pesto pasta for $16 instead. It was good, in particular the parts with cheese on top, but the leftovers required salt since the pesto itself was a little bland. The Alfredo smelled great and looked rich and creamy. Overall, not in my top 5 for Italian in Chicago, but I may check it out again."

Pasta Fasta

★★★★★ 4.6 (36)

"Outstanding!!!Love the concept , simple menu with excellent options and flavor!!You pick your box size sm, med, large , and bonus these boxes are microwaveable a 30sec spin and you have lunch for tomorrow !!Then you pick your pasta : penne , gluten free penne , farfalle, or spaghetti ...Then your sauce... there are 10 options and you can mix them up too .. also learned they will be adding more sauce options soon. Cold pastas are also available. And for that sweet tooth , cookies and brownies !!Family owned and operated , super friendly and accommodating!This place has only been opened since January and what I can say is that it's a must visit and return visits are also a must !!Really LOVE this place !!!"

Professor Pizza - Old Town

★★★★☆ 3.8 (44) • $$

"Yum!! I've been wanting to check out Professor Pozza for a while now and having out of town guests was the perfect excuse to make it happen! We got a cracker tavern pistachio and mortadella. It was heavy on the mortadella, and I don't think that's my fave, but I liked everything else about it. This was the first time I ever enjoyed a tavern crust. We also got a small detroit white pizza. The crust was a little bit overcooked for my liking (compared to Jets, so take me with a grain of salt lol), but the toppings were perfect. We also had the onion rings as an appetizer.Overall, entirely too much food for 3 people, but great for leftovers lol.I loved it, I'll be back. Pro tip: make a reservation! They're very busy, for good reason!"

Slice Express

★★★★★ 5 (2)