Creative Italian dishes with inventive twists and a European cafe vibe























1001 N California Ave, Chicago, IL 60622 Get directions
$30–40
"This low-key Humboldt Park Italian spot only has a handful of pasta dishes, but all of them are excellent. Their rich leek gramigne with short rib, mushrooms, dry vermouth cream sauce, and cured egg yolk is the type of pasta we might leave our significant others for (don’t tell them). Their freestyle lasagna might make purists cringe, but that just means more perfectly al dente ripples, savory sauce, and bechamel for us. The specials are also inventive and fun, like a summery sweet corn and crab roll-ups with poblano crema." - john ringor, nick allen, adrian kane
"The food at this casual Italian restaurant in Humboldt Park stands out in Chicago’s pasta and chicken parmesan landscape, because every dish has some kind of creative twist. The meatballs are filled with melted scamorza, offering the benefits of a Juicy Lucy without the risk of third-degree burns. The deconstructed lasagna is a pile of handmade garlic mafaldine, whipped ricotta, and a mushroom bolognese that would win in a steel cage death match against any meat version. The restaurant has the relaxed vibe of a European cafe, and is busy with couples on dates, small groups catching up, and people at the bar drinking wine and having oysters—all of whom are probably pretending they’re on vacation." - adrian kane, veda kilaru, john ringor, nick allen
"This Italian restaurant in Humboldt Park has the laid-back feel of a European cafe, filled with people laughing while pretending to be on vacation. Plus, Segnatore has friendly bartenders, and a long wooden bar that takes up almost half the restaurant. All of that makes this spot perfect for a solo meal to begin with, but the main reason we love coming here is because of the excellent pasta. Their “lasagna” is deconstructed into a pile of handmade garlic mafaldine, whipped ricotta, and rich mushroom bolognese that rivals any meat version. Delicate capellini is tossed with a black kale pesto, blue cheese, and walnuts—which sounds like a lot of bold ingredients at play but unlike your ex, it’s strong enough to hold up to the pressure." - adrian kane, john ringor, veda kilaru, nick allen
"This Italian restaurant in Humboldt Park has the laid-back feel of a European cafe, filled with people laughing while pretending to be on vacation. Plus, Segnatore has friendly bartenders, and a long wooden bar that takes up almost half the restaurant. All of that makes this spot perfect for a solo meal to begin with, but the main reason we love coming here is because of the excellent pasta. Each one has a creative twist that makes things exciting. Their “lasagna” is deconstructed into a pile of handmade garlic mafaldine, whipped ricotta, and rich mushroom bolognese that rivals any meat version. Delicate capellini is tossed with a black kale pesto, blue cheese, and walnuts—which sounds like a lot of bold ingredients at play but unlike your ex, it’s strong enough to hold up to the pressure. This place is begging to become your new forwarding address." - adrian kane, veda kilaru, nick allen
"The food at this casual Italian restaurant stands out in Chicago’s pasta and chicken parmesan landscape, because every dish has some kind of creative twist. The meatballs are filled with melted scamorza, offering the benefits of a Juicy Lucy without the risk of third-degree burns. The deconstructed lasagna is a pile of handmade garlic mafaldine, whipped ricotta, and a mushroom bolognese that would win in a steel cage death match against any meat version. The restaurant has the relaxed vibe of a European cafe, and is busy with couples on dates, small groups catching up, and people at the bar drinking wine and having oysters—all of whom are probably pretending they’re on vacation." - josh barnett, john ringor