![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1793396950_782_image.webp\")
\nPhotograph: Matt ReevesAdalina Italian <\/p>\n
With its deep Italian roots and sizable Italian-American population, Chicago is home to some of the country\u2019s best Italian restaurants.\u00a0Whether it’s handmade pasta,\u00a0wood-fired pizza,\u00a0traditional baked goods\u00a0or\u00a0gelato, there’s no shortage of Italian specialties to enjoy across the city.\u00a0To help you navigate the scene, we asked six local chefs to share their favorite spots for red-sauce classics, Italian markets, Italian beef and plenty more.\u00a0The picks span everything from swanky, white-tablecloth restaurants\u00a0to no-fuss\u00a0institutions that have been serving the community for decades.\u00a0Together, they offer\u00a0taste of the\u00a0flavors and traditions that make Chicago’s Italian\u00a0scene so special.<\/p>\n
RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in Chicago<\/p>\n
\nPhotograph: Matt ReevesAdalina Italian
<\/p>\n
A former professional golfer turned chef, Soo Ahn leads Chicago hospitality group Hospitality Included, the team behind glitzy Italian restaurant Adalina, globally-inspired steakhouse Adalina Prime and Mediterranean-Japanese rooftop restaurant Arla. After serving as executive chef at Michelin-starred Band of Bohemia, Ahn stepped into the national spotlight as a contestant on season 21 of Bravo\u2019s Top Chef.\u00a0His cooking style draws on his Korean heritage, childhood cravings, fast-food nostalgia and classical technique.<\/p>\n
Best pizza<\/p>\n
Red-sauce joints<\/p>\n
Elevated Italian<\/p>\n
Italian bakeries<\/p>\n
Italian markets or delis<\/p>\n
Italian beef
\n
\nMr. Beef
\nJohnnie’s Beef\u00a0
<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1793396950_248_image.webp\")
\nPhotograph: MADN AgencySapori Trattoria
<\/p>\n
Born in San Luis Potos\u00ed, Mexico, and raised in Chicago, Saul Ramos found his calling in the restaurant industry at age 13, bussing tables and lending a hand in the kitchen. He went on to help launch River North\u2019s modern Italian spot, Siena Tavern. where he\u00a0fell in love with the art of Italian cooking. Ramos now serves as executive chef at Sapori Trattoria, a Lincoln Park favorite for red-sauce Italian cuisine that he took over in 2020 with restaurateur Kosti Demos. He has preserved the original owner’s family recipes from Italy while breathing new life into the menu with a rotating selection of housemade pastas.<\/p>\n
Best pizza<\/p>\n
Red-sauce joints<\/p>\n
Elevated Italian<\/p>\n
Italian bakeries or gelaterias<\/p>\n
Italian markets or delis
\n
\nD’Amato’s Bakery
\nJ.P. Graziano Grocery
<\/p>\n
Italian beef<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1793396951_459_image.webp\")
\nPhotograph: Neil BurgerDaisies
<\/p>\n
Joe Frillman grew up in suburban Chicago in a family where food and gathering around the dinner table were central to daily life. After honing his skills at acclaimed restaurants including The Bristol, Perennial Virant and Balena, he opened Daisies in 2017. His vegetable-forward, seasonally driven cooking celebrates local farms, sustainable sourcing and housemade pastas.<\/p>\n
Best pizza<\/p>\n
Red-sauce joints<\/p>\n
Elevated Italian<\/p>\n
Italian bakeries or gelaterias<\/p>\n
Italian markets or delis<\/p>\n
Italian beef<\/p>\n
\nJohnnie’s Beef
\nJay’s Beef
\nBuona\u00a0
<\/p>\n
![\"Robert's](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1793396951_506_image.webp\")
\nPhotograph: Tim McCoyRobert Pizza & Dough Company
<\/p>\n
Giuseppe Tentori<\/p>\n
Giuseppe Tentori spent nine years at Charlie Trotter\u2019s, including two as chef de cuisine, before joining Boka as executive chef in 2007. He went on to open GT Fish & Oyster in 2011 and GT Prime Steakhouse in 2016, establishing himself as a fixture\u00a0in Chicago\u2019s dining scene.<\/p>\n
Best pizza<\/p>\n
Red-sauce joints<\/p>\n
Elevated Italian<\/p>\n
Italian bakeries<\/p>\n
Italian markets<\/p>\n
\n![\"Cacio](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1793396952_411_image.webp\")
\nPhotograph: Matt ReevesD\u0113liz Italian Steakhouse
<\/p>\n
With more than 17 years of professional cooking experience, Jakob Peterson is chef-partner at D\u0113liz Italian Steakhouse. A Culinary Institute of America graduate, he built his career in Chicago kitchens, including Michelin-starred Acadia and Etta. His cooking combines modern Italian flavors\u00a0and classic French technique, with an emphasis on seasonality and a less-is-more approach.<\/p>\n
Best pizza<\/p>\n
Red-sauce joints<\/p>\n
Elevated Italian<\/p>\n
Italian bakeries<\/p>\n
Italian markets or delis<\/p>\n
Italian beef<\/p>\n
![\"a](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1793396953_715_image.webp\")
\nPhotograph: Eric WolfingerTre Dita
<\/p>\n
Growing up in a family with Polish and Syrian influences, John Asbaty was inspired by his grandfather\u2019s bakery and his mother\u2019s strong work ethic. After transitioning from finance to the culinary world, he earned a degree from Le Cordon Bleu and honed his skills at acclaimed restaurants, including Trio, where he met Alain Uy, and Alinea, working under mentors Grant Achatz and Curtis Duffy. As the Culinary Director of R&D for RH Hospitality, he played a pivotal role in the success of the 3 Arts Club Cafe and greater RH Hospitality brand expansion. In 2025, he reunited with Uy to open Ox Bar & Hearth, a seasonally-driven restaurant centered on live-fire cooking.<\/p>\n
Best pizza<\/p>\n
Red-sauce joints<\/p>\n
Elevated Italian<\/p>\n
Italian bakeries<\/p>\n
Italian delis<\/p>\n
Italian beef<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With its deep Italian roots and sizable Italian-American population, Chicago is home to some of the country\u2019s best Italian restaurants.\u00a0Whether it’s handmade pasta,\u00a0wood-fired pizza,\u00a0traditional baked goods\u00a0or\u00a0gelato, there’s no shortage of Italian specialties to enjoy across the city.\u00a0To help you navigate the scene, we asked six local chefs to share their favorite spots for red-sauce classics,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":49282,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[39,49,50,40,8],"class_list":["post-49281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-italian-restaurants","tag-categories-restaurants","tag-italian-restaurant","tag-italian-restaurants","tag-news-eating","tag-restaurants"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49281"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49281\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}