Hi I will be attending a conference in Chicago and staying at the Hyatt. Any recommendations for tasty not fancy spots near by? Especially looking for red sauce Italian ( can’t get that where I live) TIA
Welcome nice to see you adi.
@Amandarama might be able to answer that question for you.
She is also quite the cook her dishes are drool worthy.
I’m sure that she’ll also know some great restaurants to recommend.
I’m not in Chicago; I’m in Boston!
I’m sure there are others who would be happy to chime in though. Sorry!
It’s not exactly red sauce Italian, but I have had nice meals (though not super recently) at Coco Pazzo, which is fairly close by. My brother (a chef who until recently ran the kitchen at Pops for Champagne downtown) also recommends Monteverde, though again, it’s a bit more upscale, not a red sauce joint.
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I lived for a couple of years off Taylor Street (the little Italy section of Chicago) near UIC. Rosebud used to be the standard bearer for non-ironic red sauce Italian but now it looks ironic-ish. And my gawd, it has become a small empire of restaurants! I never ate there but I can never pass up a good rendition of a giant plate of pasta, particularly if it involves clams or other seafood and decent cheap voluminous red wine.
Actually, Rosebud is a good call for red sauce (though I agree with you that it has become ironic-ish). My sister had her rehearsal dinner at one of the more northern locations and the food was very good, even served family style to a big group.
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That statement seriously makes me hungry. I absolutely love big family-style pasta meals that are done well. Bet your sister’s rehearsal dinner was a blast!
To get back on topic, @adi, there is Rosebud on Rush, which is in walking distance of your hotel and now I remember going there. Probably going to be an s$!tshow, especially with all the other conference participants on top of the usual tourists. Are you going to be solo? The original Rosebud on Taylor is a 15-20 minute cab ride, which may not be worth your time.
Hopefully other Chicago HOs will chime in but I love a walk down memory lane!
Will you be at the River North Hyatt or the one downtown? I agree that for old school Italian, Little Italy is traditional (and Rosebud is solid). Downtown, most of our best Italian is a bit more on the modern side, though Gene & Georgetti’s might be a great option for you. It’s marketed as a steak house, but it’s really an old fashioned Italian restaurant, and it’s consistently on Best of Chicago lists.
If you’re in River North, there are lots of yummy places to eat near by, so just let me know if you’d like other recommendations. (I live in the neighborhood next door - Fulton Market/West Loop. Both neighborhoods are known for food.)
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Second Gene & Georgetti. N.B. We’ve never been seated until we ordered something at the bar after being greeted and shown to the bar.
