Award-winning chef's handmade pastas, gluten-free options, Midwest bounty





























820 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60622 Get directions
"Monteverde in the West Loop is our highest-rated Italian restaurant in the city, and their pasta is a big reason why. All of their handmade pastas are incredible, whether you’re getting a plate of pillowy gnocchi with herby pesto for yourself or taking down a massive bowl of ragu Napoletana with friends (the carnivorous combo of massive osso bucco, meatballs, and sausages warrants reinforcements). Plus, if you’re at the bar, you get a front row view of the staff making ravioli, gnocchi, and other pastas that’ll inspire you to immediately plan another visit. The regular dinner service is booked out for months, but they serve lunch Tuesday through Saturday, and your chances of getting a table go up exponentially if you look for a reservation then. The bar is first come, first served, so come here alone and plan to take up an absurd amount of space for you, your pastas, and your pork shank." - john ringor, nick allen, adrian kane
"Monteverde is at the top of this list for one reason: it’s our favorite Italian restaurant in Chicago. Every dish here is fantastic, from the housemade pastas like cacio e pepe and tortelli di zucca, to the ragu alla Napoletana (with perfectly-cooked pork shank, sausage, meatballs, and fusilli)—which is one of the most delicious plates of food we’ve ever eaten. Come here on a date, with a group, or by yourself, and order every single pasta on the menu. The regular dinner service is booked out for months, but they serve lunch Tuesday through Saturday, and your chances of getting a table go up exponentially if you look for a reservation then. The bar is first come, first served, so come here alone and plan to take up an absurd amount of space for you, your pastas, and your pork shank." - adrian kane, veda kilaru, john ringor, nick allen
"Google “Monteverde” and try to make a reservation for some time over the next month. Did you hear that? That was Resy laughing at you. This is the best Italian restaurant in Chicago, and the first place we try (and often fail) to make reservations when we want to celebrate with someone from the East Coast. The menu is full of hits, from cacio e pepe to the ragu alla Napoletana—a tomato-braised pork shank with three soppressata meatballs, two cacciatore sausages, and a pile of fusilli we want buried with us when we die. The service is always great, and at no point during a meal here will you wonder why it’s so hard to get a reservation. The regular dinner service is booked out for months, but they serve lunch Tuesday through Saturday, and your chances of getting a table go up exponentially if you look for a reservation then. The bar is first come, first served, so come here alone and plan to take up an absurd amount of space for you, your pastas, and your pork shank." - adrian kane, veda kilaru, john ringor, nick allen
"It takes some serious scheduling Tetris to snag a reservation, even for a party of two, at this West Loop spot. Dining solo is the easiest way to get into Monteverde and eat some of Chicago’s best Italian food. Alone, you can fairly easily grab a bar seat and enjoy handmade pastas like cacio whey pepe with milky ricotta or zesty spaghetti pomodoro, all while observing the emotional dissonance between elated diners and disappointed walk-in groups that weren’t as lucky as you. The regular dinner service is booked out for months, but they serve lunch Tuesday through Saturday, and your chances of getting a table go up exponentially if you look for a reservation then. The bar is first come, first served, so come here alone and plan to take up an absurd amount of space for you, your pastas, and your pork shank." - adrian kane, john ringor, veda kilaru, nick allen
"Say, “Birth certificate be damned, I’m still 29, assholes” by having your birthday dinner at the best Italian restaurant in Chicago. Ok, please don’t say that. But every dish at Monteverde is fantastic, from the housemade pastas like cacio whey pepe and lamb tagliatelle to the ragu alla Napoletana with perfectly cooked pork shank, sausage, meatballs, and fusilli that is one of the most delicious plates of food we’ve ever eaten. Come here with a group, or just sit at the bar and celebrate by ordering every single pasta on the menu. The regular dinner service is booked out for months, but they serve lunch Tuesday through Saturday, and your chances of getting a table go up exponentially if you look for a reservation then. The bar is first come, first served, so come here alone and plan to take up an absurd amount of space for you, your pastas, and your pork shank." - adrian kane, veda kilaru, nick allen, john ringor