Little Italy
Food
Hidden Gems
Nightlife
Heartbeat
History
Little Italy is a quaint neighborhood located southwest of The Loop. When you stroll through Little Italy, you can’t help but feel like the neighborhood has always been a part of the city; It certainly has that warm nostalgic vibe. It’s also home to the University of Illinois at Chicago and is a beautiful residential area that makes this place always feel like home.
Our Favorite Places in Little Italy
Stax Cafe
Hawkeyes Bar & Grill
Arrigo Park
Al’s Italian Beef
Chilango
What We Like About Little Italy
Food is one of the best parts of Little Italy. We gave this neighborhood a 70% for food because it’s got everything you want, but nothing more. The food is quite appetizing and options are diverse, reasonably priced, and oh so convenient with most of the action happening along Taylor Street. Imagine tasty breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert all within 5 blocks! It’s a solid old fashioned reliable food network, like grandma’s home cooking. You won’t find anything too fancy here though, so prepare to venture out of Little Italy if you are in the mood for something more lavish, niche, or trendy.
Architecture and history make this a special place for both residents and tourists looking for some sweet fun facts about all the things that make Chicago interesting. We rated this a 60%. Although the history and vibes remain, recent gentrification left little remains of the past. There are still a few great Landmarks to check out if you’re interested.
We gave this neighborhood gets a 65% heartbeat score! It seems off in it’s own chill world, so it’s easy to feel far away from all that Chicago action. But Chicago is good food, rich history, and authentic culture and we can’t exclude Little Italy for all that it contributes to making this city wondrous.
