The Best Italian Restaurants in Chicago (2026)
Our ranked guide to six Italian restaurants in Chicago for 2026, from handmade-pasta Monteverde to red-sauce Formento's, with a note on which hold Michelin Guide recognition.
Why we wrote this guide
Chicago does not do one kind of Italian. It does all of them, and it does them well. On a single night you can eat fresh tortelloni pulled from an open pasta lab in the West Loop, work through a plate of Sunday gravy in a leather booth that could pass for 1955, or split wood-grilled Tuscan classics a block from the Merchandise Mart. Handmade pasta, old-school Italian-American red sauce, refined Tuscan cooking, and Mediterranean small plates all live inside the same city, and often within a few blocks of each other.
That range is the whole point of this list. We were not looking for the single "best" plate of pasta. We were looking for the rooms worth building a night around, sorted by what they actually do best. Every venue below is one we would send a guest to without hesitation, and every detail here (dishes, neighborhood, Michelin recognition) is drawn from what these kitchens are known for right now.
A quick note on the Michelin references you will see: we keep them honest. Monteverde and avec are both listed in the Michelin Guide, and the rest carry no Michelin distinction at all. A restaurant does not need a star to be worth your table, and we will tell you exactly where each one stands.
Last updated September 2026.
The ranked guide
1. Monteverde (West Loop)
Sarah Grueneberg's West Loop trattoria is, for our money, the most complete handmade-pasta experience in the city. The room is built around the Pastificio, an elevated in-view pasta station making fresh pasta throughout service, so the thing you came for is happening right in front of you. It is warm, it is craft-forward, and it is listed in the Michelin Guide for exactly the reason you would hope: seriously good cooking that holds up night after night.
Signature dishes: Cacio Whey Pepe, Ragu alla Napoletana with soppressata meatballs, and the Gnocchetti con Pesto.
See Monteverde.
Best for: the pasta pilgrimage, a date night with a view of the Pastificio, and anyone who wants the single best fresh-pasta table in town.
2. Coco Pazzo (River North)
When you want Italian that leans elegant, not casual, Coco Pazzo has been the answer since 1992. This is upscale Tuscan cooking in a warm, loft-style River North room one block from the Merchandise Mart. The kitchen turns out pasta such as tagliatelle bolognese and wood-grilled Tuscan classics off a seasonal menu, backed by an all-Italian wine list, led by Wine Director Tamra Presley Weiss, that makes it a genuine destination for the table.
Signature dishes: tagliatelle bolognese, wood-grilled Tuscan classics, and a rotating seasonal Italian menu.
See Coco Pazzo.
Best for: a polished dinner, a serious Italian wine night, and River North business or celebration dinners.
3. Nonnina (River North)
Nonnina is the newer-feeling River North option that still tastes like something your family made. Built from scratch and inspired by the partners' grandmothers, it puts housemade pastas at the center of a warm, retro Italian dining room that also happens to have a year-round enclosed heated terrace. It carries no Michelin distinction, and it does not need one to be one of the most reliably enjoyable pasta rooms downtown.
Signature dishes: Rigatoni alla Vodka, bucatini carbonara, and Pappardelle with braised short-rib ragu.
See Nonnina.
Best for: a comfortable group dinner, cold-weather seating on the heated terrace, and a from-scratch pasta fix in River North.
4. Formento's (West Loop)
For red sauce done right, Formento's is the room. It is an upscale take on a 1950s Italian-American red-sauce house, big leather booths and white tablecloths, and it plays the classics straight while backing them with a serious wine and reserve-spirits program. No Michelin distinction here, just Nonna-style cooking executed at a level that keeps the booths full.
Signature dishes: Canestri with Sunday Gravy, Chicken Parmesan, and the Veal Milanese.
See Formento's.
Best for: comfort-food Italian-American, a chicken parm craving, and a big-booth dinner with a good wine list.
5. RPM Italian (River North)
RPM Italian is the see-and-be-seen River North Italian, a high-energy room that pairs handmade pastas and classic Italian cooking with one of the buzziest crowds downtown. It is where you go when the night is as much about the scene as the plate, and it delivers on both. No Michelin distinction, but a room that consistently draws a full house for a reason.
Signature dishes: Mama DePandi's Bucatini, Spicy Dungeness Crab with squid ink spaghetti, and Bistecca Fiorentina.
See RPM Italian.
Best for: a lively night out, a group that wants energy with dinner, and River North people-watching.
6. avec (West Loop)
avec is the wildcard, and we included it on purpose. It is not a red-sauce house or a pasta temple. It is Paul Kahan's intimate wood-clad Mediterranean wine bar, listed in the Michelin Guide, and a West Loop fixture since 2003. If your table wants shareable southern-European cooking with an Italian accent instead of a full pasta blowout, this is the move.
Signature dishes: chorizo-stuffed bacon-wrapped Medjool dates, the deluxe focaccia with taleggio and truffle oil, and wood-oven Mediterranean small plates.
See avec.
Best for: small-plates grazing, a wine-bar date, and eaters who want Mediterranean range over a single big pasta plate.
How to choose, fast
- Want the best fresh pasta in the city, watched being made: go to Monteverde.
- Want elegant, wine-forward Tuscan: go to Coco Pazzo.
- Want a from-scratch pasta room with a heated terrace: go to Nonnina.
- Want classic Italian-American red sauce and chicken parm: go to Formento's.
- Want energy and a scene with your dinner: go to RPM Italian.
- Want Mediterranean small plates instead of a pasta feast: go to avec.
- Care about Michelin recognition: Monteverde and avec are both listed in the Michelin Guide.
How the booking works
Our job is to point you to the right room and hand you a direct line to book it. Monteverde takes reservations on Resy; Coco Pazzo, Nonnina, Formento's, and avec all book through OpenTable. Every venue page above links straight to that reservation platform, so you are booking direct with the restaurant, on the restaurant's own system, with no middle layer.
We curate the list, verify the details, and route you to the venue's own booking platform. Our Chicago team handles the nightlife side directly; for dining, the OpenTable or Resy link is the booking action, and the table is yours the moment you confirm it there.
FAQ
What is the best Italian restaurant in Chicago right now?
For handmade pasta, Monteverde is our top pick, and its Michelin Guide listing backs that up. If you want elegant Tuscan cooking, Coco Pazzo is the call. The "best" one really depends on whether you want fresh pasta, red sauce, or something more refined, so we ranked all six above by what each does best.
Which of these hold a Michelin distinction?
Monteverde and avec are each listed in the Michelin Guide. Nonnina, Formento's, and RPM Italian carry no Michelin distinction, which does not stop any of them from being worth a reservation.
Where should I go for classic Italian-American red sauce?
Formento's, in the West Loop. It is an upscale take on a 1950s red-sauce room, known for its Canestri with Sunday Gravy and Chicken Parmesan.
Where is the best fresh pasta made in-house?
Monteverde, where the Pastificio pasta station makes fresh pasta in view throughout service. Nonnina and Coco Pazzo also build their menus around housemade pasta.
Can you book my Chicago table for me?
Outside Las Vegas, no. We route you to each venue's own booking platform (Resy for Monteverde, OpenTable for the rest) so you book direct with the restaurant. We handle reservations directly only for Las Vegas nightlife and venues.
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