Eataly Chicago guide: reviews of 22 restaurants

Hidden around the corner from Vino Libero, the upstairs coffee bar Caffè Vergnano is everything we want Italian coffee to be. It’s the perfect last stop after gluttonous snacking, before heading home with your loot. Here there are no fussy drinks laden with chocolate, sugar and whipped cream like downstairs, just impeccably pulled shots of Vergnano espresso served in minimalist cups. For those less brave, a simple caffè macchiato is topped with a soft foam of milk. Stand at the bar and chat with the charming and knowledgeable staff, nibble on your foil-wrapped biscuit and try to pull yourself out of a wine- and-cheese-induced stupor. Opens at 10am.—RS

Trust me, head to this counter on a Friday. That’s when the brisket meatball sandwich is on special, and these soft, fatty, insanely delicious orbs of beef should not be missed. Certainly, the always-available prime rib sandwich is satisfying, too, and the take-home rotisserie chickens will have you tearing at the carcass to hunt down every last shard of meat, but that brisket meatball sandwich… it’s the stuff of dreams. Opens at 11:30am.—LB

The meat-focused restaurant La Carne is the underdog in Eataly’s vast new food wonderland. Ask anyone to join you there for lunch and they’ll probably ask, “But what about pizza?” Use this to your advantage. If no one wants to have steak for lunch, at least there’s a short wait, if any. The carne cruda, beef with olive oil and sea salt, was amazingly tender and light, while the heartier bone-in pork loin with fennel cream was so good we unabashedly gnawed on the bone for extra meaty bits. La Carne is one of the few places tucked away from the shopping masses, giving you some room to stretch out and avoid being smacked in the arm with a passing panettone. Our only complaint was that some dishes desperately needed a few curls of Parmesan (we know you have Parmesan, Eataly.) Opens at 11am.—RS

Were I Mario Batali, I might not have taken the two most popular Italian foods and put them in one restaurant. The result: a 45-minute wait for lunch on a Monday. But he of orange Crocs does know how to achieve consistently perfect pastas—the housemade tagliatelle is textbook al dente with a rich short rib ragù, and the pappardelle is so tasty it hardly needs the meaty mushrooms it’s studded with. The pizzas, which are cooked in a gold-tiled oven worthy of a maharaja’s palace, aren’t as consistent. The Verace’s Neapolitan buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil are ruined by a too-heavy dousing of (admittedly very high quality) olive oil. But the salsicciotta, dotted with housemade sweet Italian sausage, gets that trademark wet center and slightly charred crust of a Neapolitan pie just right. Opens at 11am.—LB

When you want to sit at a counter, but can’t commit to one of the specialized restaurants, there is La Piazza, located smack in the center of the second floor. There’s a wine bar in the middle and surrounding that are La Mozzarella (fresh mozzarella served with vegetables or prosciutto), Il Crudo (raw oysters, clams and crudo), Il Fritto (various fried items) and Salumi & Formaggi (charcuterie and cheese). This is also a good option for grazing and trying lots of items. Make sure one is the supplí, three fried risotto balls stuffed with cacio di roma, a rich, melted cheese. They’re crisp and perfectly salted. On our visit, the crudo—“Italian-style sashimi”—consisted of two buttery little scallops and slices of snapper lightly olive oiled and salted and topped with sea beans. While thickly sliced mozzarella, layered with roasted beets and olive tapenade, was tiring (an entire ball of mozzarella is a commitment), the grand platter of cheese and salumi was teeming with delights, like perfect folds of mortadella, a stunning example of Parmesan and honey. Opens at 11am.—AC

Beer is available at each restaurant, but there’s a separate brewery where you can pick up a pint to sip while wandering around, or grab a seat at the bar or tables. La Birreria is a collaboration between Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head and Italian brewers Teo Musso of Birra Baladin and Leonardo Di Vincenzo of Birra Del Borgo, and beers from each brewery are available, as are beers brewed right inside Eataly and local brews like Half Acre’s Daisy Cutter and Three Floyds’ Pride & Joy. Sticking to the local brews is fine, but you’re rewarded if you branch out—the first house-brewed ale is Thyme Pale Ale, an American pale ale laced with herbaceous bursts of Italian thyme. It’s extremely thyme heavy, but tastes like a hoppy beer. The Rubus Lamponi from Birra del Borgo, made with wild raspberries, is tart and fruity, but balanced. The draft menu changes frequently, and there are snacks like cheese and charcuterie, fried seafood and vegetables. Opens at 11am.—AC

Probably the shortest line I encountered while at Eataly belonged to Focaccia, which is quietly tucked away on the second floor and easy to miss (I walked by twice before asking for directions). The classica focaccia is flavorful, with just the right sprinkling of sea salt, but used so much olive oil that my hands were dripping with grease after the first bite. The flavor seemed to be missing from the squash, basil and ricotta slice, which could have benefitted from more of the sparingly used chili pepper. The best option seems to be the sandwiches—the prosciutto crudo di parma 18 months is the exact right balance of salt and flavor with complementing textures from the focaccia, prosciutto, arugula and tomato. Plus, it was more than enough sandwich for one person, which makes it perfect to share, so you can try more of Eataly's offerings. Opens at 11am.—ED

For those who don’t want to wait, there is the vegetarian restaurant. While other restaurants and counters often have lines, you can typically waltz into the veggie restaurant, where raw vegetables and overly cheesy dishes comprise most of the menu. The pinzimonio, a rainbow of raw vegetables, is served with anchovy dip, a creamy, salty, savory sauce that I’d happily eat on everything, ever. But the mashed broccoli bruschetta, tender spinach-filled cannelloni and thick circles of gnocchi with a mushroom ragù depend too much on cheese, and this is from someone who treats cheese as its own food group. They’re delicious, of course, but I was hoping for more dishes celebrating vegetables. Opens at 11am.—AC

Landlocked Chicago isn’t known for seafood, and Eataly’s fish counter proves to be an enchanting oasis (fresh razor clams? Yes, please.) The fish here is used in the dishes at Il Pesce, which is sandwiched in the middle of the sprawling second floor. We tried one of the daily specials from the chalkboard and were treated to seared sea scallops with fennel and lemon vinaigrette, tender and perfectly cooked. Save yourself the market price of an entire fish and order the fritto misto, a massive jumble of Italian beer-battered calamari, baby squid and shrimp with a bright spray of lemon juice. Pair it with the insalata mista, a chopped salad, and you’ll have more than enough for two. Opens at 11am.—RS

Vino Libero focuses on natural wines produced without chemical fertilizers or herbicides and with low levels of preservatives. We sipped glasses of a vibrant Vittoria Rosa, slightly sparkling and heavy with minerals, and Adriatico Friulano, an acidic wine from the Bastianich winery in Northern Italy that easily cut through our salty and fatty snacks. A plate of prosciutto di parma and hunks of Parmesan was served bare-bones, without even a crumb of toast. We begged for a handful of crackers, since even we don’t want to gnaw on an entire wheel of Parmesan. But most of the wines served across the Eataly space are natural, and overlaps abound on other menus. You’re better off elbowing your way up to one of the many other bars or restaurants to pair your wine with something special. Opens at 4pm.—RS