Best Italian Restaurants in Chicago

Even though I'm Greek, my absolute favorite food in the world comes from across the Ionian sea. Chicago has some fantastic Italian restaurants and even its own Italian neighborhood, Little Italy.

Whatever your budget or location, there should be something on this list for you. It comes from years of experience of eating way too much pasta.

This list only really spans from Lakeview to Little Italy. Please add a comment if you think I've left something out. Planning to update this post periodically. 

1. Prosecco (River North) - Prosecco is a beautiful upscale Italian restaurant in River North. They don't miss a single detail. The host takes your coat when you walk in, they treat you with a glass of bubbly prosecco when you sit down, and they always have delicious seasonal specials. Perfect spot for a date or to celebrate your parent's anniversary. There is a cozy room downstairs you can rent for parties and a small curtained area upstairs for intimate private dinners. My favorite starters are the burrata with prosciutto, the snails, and beef carpaccio. I always order the scallops but the lamb and veal are also delicious. Don't skip out on the tiramasu.

2. Topo Gigio (Old Town) - Good classic Italian in Old Town. Perfect dinner before a Second City improv or Zanie's standup show. It's always packed so make a reservation in advance. They also have a room for private parties. I usually start with the prosciutto de parma and fried calamari or you can visit their antipasto table for an assortment of meats, cheeses, & grilled vegetables. Love the tortellini soup on a cold night. If you're watching your waistline, Topo Gigio has a few nice salads with seafood. #1 item on the menu - tortellini alla panna (cream sauce, mushrooms, peas, pancetta). It's super rich so consider sharing or taking some leftovers home.

3. Coco Pazzo (River North) - I've never heard a bad thing about this place! Great food & service. Beautiful decor, antique bar, great for a date or a group of friends. 

4. Carmine's (Gold Coast) - If you want to see or be seen, this is the place. Located in the heart of the gold coast, Carmine's is in the viagra triangle (don't be surprised if the man next to you is accompanied by a girl young enough to be his daughter, maybe even two girls). It's my favorite of the Rosebud restaurants. They have beautiful lunch & dinner menus and the BEST rigatoni alla vodka in the entire world (ok probably better in Italy, but definitely the best in Chicago).

5. Francesca's (Little Italy) - Francesca's owns quite a few restaurants that are all great but the one on Taylor Street is my favorite. The inside is cozy and welcoming with a nice bar to grab a drink before dinner. It's very affordable with large portions that consistently taste great. Little Italy is close to the United Center, so expect to see people in Blackhawks or Bulls jerseys if there is a game going on.

6. Davanti Enotecca (Little Italy) - This is like the sex and the city of Italian restaurants. It's right by Francesca's, but a totally different vibe. You feel like you're in San Fran or New York. Trendy, limited seating, shareable plates. I love going here with my girlfriends or taking my hubby for a fun date night. Make sure you get the ricotta with roasted honeycomb. They serve it in adorable jars with tuscan toast and it is just divine. The pizzas are wonderful.They have an amazing Sunday brunch and plenty of options for vegetarians.

7. Piccolo Sogno (River West) - Piccolo Sogno is a really beautiful restaurant with something for everyone. The prices are pretty reasonable and they have an outside patio, which I just love in the summer. Great for business affairs, family dinners, or a romantic date.

8. La Scarola (River West) - You might run into Tony Soprano here. It's great for dinner parties and can get pretty loud. The food is fantastic. Nothing fancy, but comforting and delicious. You almost feel like you're eating at your Italian Nona's house.

9. Osteria Via Stato (River North) - Seasonal and rustic. I'd recommend the family style dinner if your table is up for it. Great for gatherings with friends & family.

10. Merlo (Lincoln Park & Downtown) - Gourmet Northern Italian. Great wines. Seasonal menu. The ossobuco is the best in the city - they slow cook it everyday for 8 hours. Locations in Lincoln Park & Downtown. You can definitely impress your date here.

11. Balena (Lincoln Park) - Balena opened earlier this year and was started by the owners of The Bristol & The Boka Group (G.T. Fish & Oyster, Girl & the Goat, etc.). They really did an incredible job revamping the old Landmark space - it is beautiful inside. It is "Italian Inspired" and the menu is very creative and always changing. The bar is pretty gorgeous and they serve really fun & unique cocktails. Super knowledgeable sommelier and upbeat atmosphere.

12. Lucia's (Bucktown) - What's better than Italian food and BYOB? Nothing! It's super cute inside and the owners are extremely warm & inviting. 

13. Spiaggia (Gold Coast) - Looking to impress someone? Take them to Spiaggia. Located in the trendy Gold Coast, Spiaggia has a gorgeous view of Lake Michigan and was even nominated for a James Beard award. You might remember the executive chef, Sarah Grueneberg, from Top Chef last season. I'm not putting dollar signs on any of these, but I'm going to give Spiaggia a $$$$$.

14. Quartino (River North) - Quartino is really fun, very loud, perfect for big groups, and very reasonable. You can get some great cheap wines and lots of small affordable plates to share. This is the perfect spot for girl's night out or large couple's dinners. The food was definitely better when it opened, but I've heard they're making a comeback. 

I live in Lincoln Park, so these are a few of my neighborhood go-to spots.

15. Via Carducci (they also have a location in Bucktown) - Classic Italian. All of your favorites. Good food, friendly staff, large portions.

16. Sappori Trattoria - The chef is always running coupons & deals, so you can probably find one online. They send me a card every year on my birthday with a $12 gift card. It's really charming and clean, and they have a small outside seating area in the summer. 

17. Rose Angeli's - Really cute place. Feels like you're in someone's home and they have two gated patios for the summer. The duck tortellini is my favorite and the specials are usually pretty good.

18. Soprano's - The food here is ok (very standard, nothing exceptional but nothing terrible) but the atmosphere is fun. It's really casual and they have live music on the weekends. Easy for big groups. My husband and I love going here on weeknights and sharing a bottle of wine and some pasta. 

Quinoa with Swiss Chard and Mushrooms

As you can see from my past few posts, I've been doing a lot of dining out and not so much cooking. Although I love a good restaurant, I don't always choose the healthiest options. I'm starting this week off with this super healthy protein-packed creation.

Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
1 bunch swiss chard, stems removed, roughly chopped
2 C sliced mushrooms
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
salt & pepper
4 t parmesan cheese (optional)
1/2 C quinoa
1 C water

Directions:
cook quinoa according to package directions.
while quinoa is cooking, heat olive oil in a large pan.
add onions and sauté until they start to change color (about 5 minutes).
add garlic and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are tender (about 5 minutes).
add chard and mix until it wilts.
season with salt & pepper to taste.
turn off heat.
add quinoa to pan and stir.
sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

found rainbow chard - so beautiful

remove the thick red stems

trim the stem down the middle of each leaf

remove stem

stems & stems 

saute onions in olive oil 

add mushrooms

it wilts to almost nothing!

tips & extras

Quinoa - You can use other grains here. Pasta, rice, or barley would all work.

Garlic - You can omit the garlic if you aren't dining alone.

Mushrooms - I used baby bellas, but whatever is available will work.

Swiss chard - Although the stems look really nice, they don't really get tender (especially the thicker parts). You need to remove the center stem and use just the leaves. You can substitute spinach for the chard if it isn't available at your grocer. It might seem like you are using a lot of chard, but it wilts away to almost nothing.

Bongo Room - Best Brunch in Chicago

I have tried almost every brunch spot in Chicago, and Bongo Room is by far my favorite. Bongo Room has 3 locations, but the one in Wicker Park is the best (and they have a liquor license - great bloody marys, mimosas, and beers). If you aren't having a boozy brunch, they have an excellent selection of teas, coffees, and juices. The only drawback is they don't take reservations, so you usually have to wait between 30 minutes to an hour for a weekend brunch.

The eggs benedict are always phenomenal, and they have some interesting combos like a BLT benedict or a spinach, red pepper, & feta cheese benedict. The house potatoes are divine.

The sweet menu is pretty amazing and there is always something unique like raspberry oreo flapjacks or chocolate pretzel french toast. However, I'd recommend ordering something savory for yourself and one sweet dish for the table to share. Today I went for a healthy choice: the tomatillo salsa scramble with egg whites, grilled chicken, spinach, and avocado (sooo good). My group split the sweet special: red velvet hot cakes with vanilla cream sauce and walnuts. It was perfect to share and too rich for an entire meal (unless you have a serious sweet tooth).

If you live in Chicago or are visiting the city, take a few hours and head to bongo room for the best brunch you will ever have!

red velvet hot cakes

tomatillo scramble

Bistrot Margot

We got together with my husband's family for dinner on Sunday night in Old Town (Chicago). We switched it up a bit from our typical Italian spot and tried out a French restaurant, Bistrot Margot on Wells Street. It was a great decision - what a beautiful dinner! I think I probably ate about a pound of butter throughout the meal, but it was totally worth it.

It's a cute little spot, perfect for a family dinner or date. I don't know if I'd make it a girls night out or swing in with a bachelor party, but it's great for a more formal or intimate occasion.

I started the night with french onion soup, which was very good (not the best I've had, but definitely an 8 out of 10). There's nothing like melted gruyere cheese over an onion broth with a big hunk of bread - yum. My brother-in-law ordered mussels and was kind enough to share a few with me. Covered in a white wine shallot sauce, they were quite possibly some of the best mussels I've ever had. Would definitely recommend these to start.

french onion soup - cheesy

For my main, I ordered Blanc de Poulet Au Moutarde. While I had no idea what that meant and could definitely not even pronounce it, the description caught my eye: Pan Roasted Dijon Basted Chicken Breast, Green Peas, Carrots, New Potatoes, Dijon Beurre Blanc. This is the type of dish that makes you want to return to a restaurant. They served a breast and leg quarter of chicken, bone in, skin on. The vegetables and potatoes were cooked perfectly and the sauce really made it something special.

It was so good, I almost forgot to take a pic!

My husband ordered the restaurant's staple, Steak Frites. While he wasn't crazy about the parsley butter (I thought it was great), the meat was cooked perfectly and the fries were thin and crispy.

steak frites - how can you go wrong with steak & fries?

Dessert was really out of this world. The table ordered profiteroles, but I went with my all-time fav, creme brûlée. The profiteroles were wonderful, but the creme brûlée was a creamy and smooth bowl of heavenly bliss. The custard had the perfect amount of sweetness and hint of vanilla.

creme brûlée - so good, definitely shareable

profiteroles - that's just one order!

Greek Meatballs or Keftethes

Keftethes are Greek fried meatballs, very similar to the middle eastern kefte (you may have had these in a middle eastern or Lebanese restaurant). Open the windows and get ready to clean your burners! However, the frying is totally worth it for these delicious little balls of heaven. You can serve them as an appetizer or a complete meal with Greek spaghetti or salad. They also taste great with some pita and tzatziki. They are even better the next day cold out of the fridge (if you like cold food...I am a sucker for cold pizza).

keftethes

Ingredients:
4 T olive oil + 1 T olive oil
1/2 lb ground chuck
1/2 lb ground sirloin
1 medium onion, grated (on a grater or food process0r)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 t ground cumin
1 egg
1 piece of french bread, crust removed
1/4 C grated kefalotiri cheese
1/4 C chopped fresh parsley
salt & pepper
1/4 C flour

Directions:
dampen french bread with water, squeeze to release water, and crumble in your hands.
combine the chuck, sirloin, 1 T olive oil, onion, garlic, cumin, egg, bread, cheese, parsley, and salt & pepper in a bowl.
mix with hands until ingredients are blended.
heat 4T olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat.
roll half of mixture into 1 inch balls and dredge in flour.
place in oil and fry until cooked through, turning occasionally (about 7 - 9 minutes).
transfer keftethes to a plate covered with paper towels. 
repeat with remaining meat mixture.

get ready to use your hands and mix!

get ready to roll

coat each meatball in flour

tester ball! 

batch 1

second batch

transfer to a plate with paper towels

yum

tips & extras

"tester" ball - Create a "tester" ball to taste the flavor. Roll one meatball, dredge in flour, and fry. Taste and adjust ingredients as necessary.

salt - The cheese has a lot of salt, so be careful how much you add to the original mixture. I like to create a tester and then see if it needs more salt.

cumin - Depending on the quality of your cumin, you might need more than 2 t. It really creates the flavor in these meatballs, so make sure you have enough (use the tester meatball to check). If you have a spice grinder, grind the cumin on your own and it will be even better!

meat - I combine sirloin & chuck to make it a little lighter. You can use all chuck or all sirloin (all depends on the amount of fat you want).

healthier keftethes - When I don't want to fry and want something healthy, I make these with lean ground turkey and grill them. You need to make the keftethes more into a patty-like shape to hold up on the grill, but they are still really delicious. 

frying - Use a splatter screen for easier cleanup. These don't need to be deep fried, but there has to be enough oil to coat the skillet.

bread - You can skip this step and just use some bread crumbs. 

mixing - Don't overmix the meatballs or they will be mushy.

size - Smaller meatballs (more work) for appetizers, large meatballs for a main course. Serve with toothpicks for apps.

Healthy Greek Yogurt Chunky Apple Muffins

Apples, apples, and more apples. I just can't get enough of them right now! I'm not an apple pie fan, but I wanted to make something sweet with a big bag of honeycrisps I picked up at the farmer's market.

While searching for apple recipes, I stumbled upon this great article for how to make healthy muffins from what you have available. With some additional inspiration from Martha, I created healthy greek yogurt chunky apple muffins. They are perfect for breakfast with a big cup of joe. 

greek yogurt chunky apple muffins

Ingredients:
1 C all purpose or whole wheat flour
1 C rolled oats
1 C honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored, and diced
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
2 eggs
1/3 C vegetable oil
1 1/2 C 2% Greek yogurt
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 t powdered cinnamon
1/2 t vanilla extract

optional: 1/4 C walnuts, chopped

Directions:
preheat oven to 350.
spray a 12-muffin pan with cooking spray.
peel, core, and dice apples.
combine dry ingredients in a large bowl - flour, oats, salt, baking powder, brown sugar, & cinnamon.
add apples and walnuts and mix to coat.
in a separate small bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, yogurt, and vanilla.
fold yogurt mixture into dry ingredients. 
fill each muffin cup with batter (about 75% - 80% full).
bake 22 - 27 minutes.
cool 5 minutes and serve.
store in an air-tight container and serve at room temperature.

dry ingredients

diced apples (also make a nice mid-recipe snack)

coat apples & walnuts with dry ingredients

get ready to whisk!

two bowls, get ready to fold

fold wet ingredients into dry

fill muffin cups ~ 80% full

when done, tops are golden brown

look at those chunks of apple - yum

tips & extras

brown sugar - You can use normal sugar to make these, but I felt the ingredients really went with brown. These are more of a breakfast muffin. If you want something a bit sweeter, double the sugar.

yogurt - You can use plain yogurt if you can't find Greek. Since there is no butter in this recipe, use 2% or full-fat yogurt. 

apples - Any apples will work! Something sweet is best. Dice them into as little or big pieces as you want. 

helpful kitchen tip - Annoyed with needing to use an ice pick to break up your brown sugar? Store brown sugar in a zip lock bag in your refrigerator. It will last forever and will stay soft & crumbly.

Greek Spaghetti

Greek spaghetti with meat sauce is the ultimate comfort food. I remember going to my Yiayia's growing up and eating plates of spaghetti while soaking up the sauce with heaps of bread. The ingredients are simple, but a tiny bit of cinnamon, parsley, and a bay leaf give it a unique and warming flavor. Perfect for a cool fall day. 

I made this for a family dinner the other night and my Yiayia gave me her stamp of approval. Enjoy!

greek spaghetti with meat sauce

Ingredients:
1 T butter
1 medium onion, shredded (with a grater or food processor)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 C red wine
1/2 lb ground chuck
1/2 lb ground sirloin
1 bay leaf
1/4 C fresh parsley, finely chopped
15 oz can tomato sauce
salt & pepper
1/8 - 1/4 t cinnamon
1/2 package spaghetti
1/4 C grated kefalotiri, mizithra, or parmesan cheese

Directions:
in a large pot or pan, melt the butter over medium-high eat.
add the onion and sauté until it starts to change color (about 5 - 7 minutes).
add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).
add the beef and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon.
cook the meat until there is no more pink.
add the red wine and continue to cook (about 3 minutes or until alcohol burns off).
add the tomato sauce, bay leaf, parsley, salt & pepper, and cinnamon.
stir and bring to a boil.
lower heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
with 15 minutes left, cook spaghetti according to package.
drain spaghetti and add gradually to meat sauce.
stir to coat spaghetti and disperse meat.
sprinkle with cheese and serve.

shred onions in a mini food processor (great kitchen gadget and pretty cheap)

cook onions in butter with garlic

brown the meat, mix with the onions

boil the mixture - look at all that parsley!

perfect bite

tips & extras

onions - Shredding the onion releases all of its flavor. I use a small food processor, but you can also grate the onions. Grating onions makes me cry like crazy, but it still works. 

cinnamon - Cinnamon is a very powerful spice and can easily overwhelm the sauce. I'd recommend starting with an 1/8 t (or even less) and possibly increasing it to 1/4 t after tasting your sauce. Greeks can't get enough of it, and even sprinkle cinnamon on spaghetti with just butter & cheese (another great quick recipe). 

salt - Watch how much salt you add to the sauce. Add just a bit to start and then taste the sauce while cooking and adjust where necessary. The tomato sauce has quite a bit of salt and so will the cheese.

cooking meat - Be careful not to burn the meat while cooking it. Stir it occasionally and loosen it from the bottom of the pot.

leftovers - You can double (or even triple) this recipe and freeze the sauce. Boil a pot of spaghetti, defrost the sauce, and you have an easy weeknight meal.

meat - Chuck makes this sooo good, but you can use all sirloin or even turkey for a healthier dish.

cheese - If you can't find Greek cheese, serve with parmesan.

wine - No biggie if you don't have this ingredient. The sauce is still delicious (but better with the wine of course).

sauce consistency - If you want a thinner sauce, add water or more tomato sauce. I like it thick and meaty, but you still want to be able to coat the spaghetti. 

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

There were so many green peppers at the farmer's market, I felt I just had to make stuffed peppers this week. I usually go with Greek stuffed peppers, but I wanted to try something new and healthy. A great little app I downloaded, Ziplist, recommended this gem of a recipe from an amazing blog, Skinnytaste. I made a few tweaks, and it was delicious. The best part of this recipe is you can make the filling the night before and bake the peppers the next day.

Side note - you have to download Ziplist. It is a grocery list app that turns ingredient lists from your recipes into actual grocery lists and even suggests recipes you'd like based on your shopping history. It organizes everything into aisles, so you never have to backtrack when you forgot tomato sauce and are already in the deli! Beyond that, the app lets you check things off your list so you can see how many items still need to make it into your cart. 

mexican turkey stuffed peppers

Ingredients:

filling

1 T olive oil

3/4 lb 99% lean ground turkey

3/4 C black beans, drained & rinsed

3/4 C frozen corn kernels

1 hot serrano, jalapeño, or banana pepper, diced (I used a banana pepper)

1 large tomato, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 C chopped onion

2 T fresh cilantro, chopped

1 t cumin

1 t chili powder

salt

1/3 C water

optional - scallions, sour cream, avocado

peppers

3 green or red bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed

1/3 C reduced sodium, fat free chicken broth or water

9 T grated Monterey Jack Cheese, reduced fat if available

Directions:

filling

heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.

add turkey and cook through, breaking up with a spoon.

season with salt.

add black beans, diced pepper, tomato, garlic, onion, cilantro, cumin, and chili powder. 

add 1/3 C water and mix.

lower heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

remove lid, add corn, and simmer for 5 minutes uncovered.

if you are making this the night before, transfer mixture to a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.

cover with saran wrap or put in tupperware and refrigerate. 

peppers

preheat oven to 400 degrees.

remove meat from refrigerator if you made it the night before.

place peppers on a baking dish.

spoon filling into peppers.

pour chicken broth or water into dish.

cover with aluminum foil.

bake 30 - 35 minutes.

remove and discard foil.

sprinkle cheese on peppers.

bake uncovered for 5 minutes. 

serve with a sprinkle of scallions, a dollop of sour cream, or some avocado (optional).

you can make the filling the day before and refrigerate (make your live a bit easier)

perfect plate

tips & extras

peppers - You can use red or green or any pepper you have available. I like the flavor of green peppers when they're stuffed

filling - If you hate turkey, use ground beef. 

cheese - I used Monterey Jack, but white cheddar or something similar would also work. 

heat - Add the jalapeño seeds and some cayenne pepper if you want to spice this up a bit.

serving size - If you want to make this for 4 people, add another pepper and up the turkey to a full pound. I'd add a bit more onion and cheese, but the rest of the ingredients should be ok.  I was good with 2 peppers, my husband went for 3. 

Greek Lamb or Beef Stew "Hilopites"

There are a few things we never learn to cook because we love the way someone else makes it. I'm finally making an attempt at my grandmother's hilopites! Hilopites are egg noodles and every Greek family and Greek restaurant has a different recipe for hilopites with some type of meat (beef, lamb, or chicken). 

This recipe uses either beef stew meat or lamb stew meat (if you can find it on the bone, even better). The lamb definitely has more flavor, but it is sometimes difficult to find. 

hilopites with lamb

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil

1 T butter

1 lb beef or lamb stew

1 15-oz can tomato sauce

1 C water + 1 1/2 C water

1 medium onion, diced

1 - 2 garlic cloves, minced

salt & pepper

4 C egg noodles

grated kefalotiri & mizithra or parmesan cheese

Directions:

meat

heat olive oil and butter in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. 

pat meat dry with paper towel.

when butter is melted and starting to sizzle, add meat and brown on both sides (about 3 minutes per side).

remove meat from pot and place on a plate.

with a spoon, skim off and discard any dark-colored fat from top of liquid in pot.

add onion and garlic and sauté until the onions start to brown (about 5 - 7 minutes).

add meat and juices back to pot.

add salt & pepper.

stir meat and cook with onions & garlic for another 5 minutes.

add tomato sauce and water to pot and stir.

cook on high heat until tomato sauce starts to boil.

reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2 - 5 hours. 

remove meat from pot with a slotted spoon.

turn heat up to medium-high until sauce begins to boil.

noodles

add 1 to 1 1/2 C water to sauce and bring to a boil. 
add noodles to sauce and cook according to package.
salt & pepper to taste.

serve beef over noodles and sprinkle with cheese. 

onions will thicken the sauce and add flavor

use butter & olive oil - best of both worlds

raw meat, pat dry before adding to pot

brown meat in oil & butter on both sides

remove browned meat and transfer to plate

add onions directly to pot after skimming fat

onions will brown and become translucent

add meat back to onion mixture and cook

simmer time! oh boy, it smells good in here 

this is my favorite shape of egg noodle 

sauce is a beautiful vibrant red / orange

tips & extras

cheese - If you can find Greek cheese (kefalotiri or mizithra), use one of those. If not, parmesan is fine. freshly grated cheese is always better.

noodles - Unless you are doing so for health reasons, do not use egg noodles without yolk. The ones with the yolk taste much better and have a nicer texture.

cooking time - The longer you cook the meat, the more tender it will become. For beef, I'd recommend at least 3 hours. Lamb is naturally more tender, so an hour or two is will work, but 5 hours is better.

water - Depending on the amount of sauce, you may need to add more or less than 1 1/2 C water to the sauce before adding the noodles. When the noodles are finished, the remaining sauce will be thick (you don't want it runny, so watch the water).

noodles - You can use any shape of egg noodle you want. Greeks often use mini squares.