There are few meals as comforting as a plate of pasta. It’s an extremely versatile dish, a date night classic (thanks Lady and the Tramp) that can also be enjoyed on the couch. It can be topped with summer vegetables and just a little olive oil for a light summer meal or a thick ragu for a winter warm-up. Chicago’s best pasta spots are just as varied, ranging from counter-service spots channeling traditional Italian pastificos to sceney restaurants offering dramatic presentations and spectacular views. Whether carb-loading before a marathon or looking for an affordable family meal, these are the best places for pasta in Chicago.
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Trattoria Demi
A popular date night destination for Evanstonians and Northwestern students since 1993, Trattoria Demi offers affordable and sizable servings of a wide selection of pastas including housemade spinach gnocchi and baked rigatoni topped with bubbling cheese. The interior is simple but cozy and the patio provides a perfect place to take advantage of their lunch specials. Make a reservation through OpenTable.
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Bar Roma
Giant beef cheek meatballs are the signature dish at chill neighborhood restaurant Bar Roma, served with spaghetti and Pomodoro sauce or as an add-on to any of chef Alfredo Ramos’ handmade pasta. Enjoy the contrast with the simplicity of the cacio e pepe or double down on meat with the bucatini in spicy pork cheek ragu. Add on a carafe of Italian wine and linger on the shady plant-lined patio. Book a table through Resy.
Sapori Trattoria
For more than 20 years, Sapori Trattoria has been serving comforting Italian fare in Lincoln Park centering on housemade pasta including lasagna, bucatini carbonara, and gnocchi served in a pistachio-basil pesto with chicken and sun-dried tomatoes. Service is quick and attentive and the dimly lit dining room makes for a great place for a date spent chatting and sharing a bottle of wine. Make a reservation through OpenTable.
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Daisies
Daisies moved to larger digs in Logan Square last year to allow more diners to enjoy Joe Frillman’s spectacular pastas. Frillman’s brother’s Michigan farm provides produce for the regularly changing menu of ravioli, gnocchi, pappardelle, and rigatoni, which are all meant to be shared. Those who don’t want to wait until noon for a plate can check out the new Sunday brunch for agnolotti with smoked trout roe and beets, or cavatelli carbonara. Make a reservation through OpenTable.
Tortello
Italian native Dario Monni brought the tradition of casual counter service pastificios to Wicker Park in 2019 and has earned a devoted following for his pastas. Made daily with imported flour, they look so good they were featured on season 2 of The Bear. Buy them by the pound to take home or dig into a plate of burrata-filled tortelli with toasted hazelnuts or squid ink bucatini with prawns while sitting on the Division Street patio.
Adalina
Low lighting, dramatic chandeliers, and jeweled tones bring plenty of charm to dining inside at Adalina, though the Gold Coast restaurant’s tree-lined patio is also a popular spot to sip spritzes when the weather permits. Any seat is good for twirling spaghetti alla vongole with pickled chili or biting into perfectly plump corn agnolotti, After dinner, head to the downstairs Rose Lounge for a nightcap. Make a reservation through OpenTable.
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Flour Power
Watch Instagram for a heads-up on when Flour Pour’s regularly changing menu is available via Tock. Chef and owner Wilson Bauer worked at Schwa and brings that DIY ethos to West Town with dishes featuring roasted heirloom tomatoes, Portuguese kale, or lobster claws. Bauer is committed to composting and producing zero waste. The space is a dive, as Bauer doesn’t focus on the interior’s aesthetics and customer service. The restaurant instead focuses on maintaining affordable prices by using premium ingredients with an eye on sustainable practices.
Torchio Pasta Bar
Family-owned River North restaurant Torchio Pasta Bar serves housemade pasta including fettuccine with pan-seared scallops, pappardelle with braised short rib, and bucatini with smoked bacon in a simply decorated space featuring small tables, booths, and a copper bar plus a covered patio. It provides a great option for a low-key night out with a bottle of wine and lemon olive oil cake for dessert. Make a reservation through Tock.
Quartino Ristorante
For nearly 20 years, Gibsons’ Quartino has been serving a highly affordable menu of Neapolitan pizza, salumi, and pastas including perfectly cooked linguine piled with clams and red chili and fluffy gnocchi served with ricotta and basil. The space is equally welcoming to boisterous groups looking to share plates and solo diners grabbing a quick meal at the bar. Make a reservation through OpenTable.
Piccolo Sogno
Piccolo Sogno offers appetizer portions of all its pastas, making it easier to try more of executive chef Tony Priolo’s fare including black spaghetti piled with seafood and spiced with a bit of red chili flakes or pappardelle with wild boar ragu with a glass or bottle from their extensive wine list. Make a reservation on OpenTable and hope to score a seat on their gorgeous enclosed patio.
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Gemma Foods
Chef Tony Quartaro started Gemma Foods during COVID-19 lockdown to provide customers with comforting meals they could prepare at home and after two years the West Town spot is now offering instant gratification with lunch service. Grab a stool and dig into seasonally rotating pasta such as bucatini with cacio e pepe, kale gnocchi, or canestri in vodka sauce, or place an order through Toast to pick up.
Ummo
River North newcomer Ummo has a flare for presentation, from the beef tartar served atop a giant bone ready to be stuffed into gnocco fritto to the whimsical desserts like tiramisu in the shape of a giant coffee bean. The pasta also stands out, from rich tortellini bolognese to bucatini with lobster to a cacio e pepe that’s best eaten as a side with the perfectly cooked New York strip. Make a reservation through OpenTable.
Il Porcellino
Lettuce Entertain You’s Il Porcellino exudes old-school charm with red and white checkered tablecloths, walls covered with pictures, and a giant menu filled with Italian American comfort food including their signature baked burrata lasagna, gnocchi bolognese, and penne tossed with pistachio pesto and parmesan. Start by splitting open a whole loaf of garlic bread covered with hot garlic butter at the table. Make a reservation through OpenTable.
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Nonnina
The next best thing to actually being invited to dinner at an Italian grandma’s house, Nonnina offers a casual space for comforting fare like ravioli filled with ricotta and corn, pappardelle with braised short rib ragu, and spinach orecchiette with housemade sausage. The plant-lined patio provides a great place to enjoy a meal with a spritz and pups are welcomed with their own menu. Make a reservation through OpenTable.
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Tre Dita
LA chef Evan Funke brings his spin on Tuscan fare to Tre Dita, Lettuce Entertain You’s sprawling restaurant within the St. Regis Chicago. On the way to the dining room, peek in the window of the pasta lab and watch the precise work that goes into crafting sweet corn tortelli, chestnut flour pasta for the lasagna, and pappardelle served with duck ragu. Then settle in and enjoy the downtown views from the 40-foot windows. Make a reservation through OpenTable.
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Rose Mary
Top Chef winner Joe Flamm brings the flavors of Italy and Croatia together in his sunny Fulton Market restaurant. While diners will find excellent spins on staples like cacio e pepe and rigatoni with heirloom tomatoes, the adventurous will be rewarded with bold flavors like the sweet and sour beef cheek pašticada gnocchi and the mafaldine with lamb ragu and sweet peppers. The drink menu offers spirit-free drinks and cocktails spotlighting the namesake herb. Make a reservation through OpenTable.
Alla Vita
Boka Restaurant Group’s Alla Vita welcomes groups with a casual space for family-style dining, with a menu of Italian-American favorites from executive chef Lee Wolen. Signatures include cacio e pepe ricotta dumplings, candy-shaped pasta stuffed with sweet corn and glazed with sweet corn sauce, and lasagna layered with Swiss chard and fontina bechamel. Housemade sorbet topped with prosecco makes for a sweet finish after all the carbs. Make a reservation through OpenTable.
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Gioia
Diners at Gioia whip out their cameras for the cacio e pepe, which is tossed tableside inside a giant wheel of parmesan where the cheese is melted with fire for some extra savory flavor. Those who care less about the show can opt to have it just prepped in the kitchen or choose one of the other dishes like linguine with seafood or rigatoni with vodka sauce. Those eating for Instagram will want to capture the cheese pull on the eggplant parmesan. Make a reservation through OpenTable.
Monteverde
James Beard Award-winning chef Sarah Grueneberg takes inspiration from her heritage, travels around the world, and the bounty of the Midwest for the hand-made pastas prepped throughout the day at Monteverde. The casual West Loop restaurant gives back by donating a bit of the proceeds from its spaghetti al pomodoro to PAWS Chicago and offers plenty of gluten-free pastas so everyone can indulge. Book a table through Resy.
Bacchanalia
Diners looking for a truly old-school Italian dinner should head to Bacchanalia in Chicago’s Heart of Italy neighborhood, which has been building a loyal following for nearly 40 years. The family-owned restaurant keeps things simple with classics like lasagna, rigatoni with vodka sauce, stuffed shells, and fettucini alfredo and sometimes hosts live music on their sidewalk.
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Nella Pizza e Pasta
Part of the Michelin Bib Gourmand list from 2020 through 2023, Nella Pizza e Pasta on the University of Chicago campus in Hyde Park serves up excellent Neapolitan-style pies along with a menu of pasta ranging from the light spaghetti with baby clams and cherry tomatoes to the hearty pappardelle with braised lamb ragu. The spot has become a staple for the whole neighborhood, not just students, thanks in part to its plant-lined patio. Book a table through Toast.