Fiorentino's Cucina Italiana, Chicago

Fiorentino's Cucina Italiana's menu brims with rustic soups and house-made pastas that have earned it recognition from several local news outlets, including WTTW’s Check, Please! Tender veal, chicken, and seafood sizzle atop heaping portions of traditional pastas—or gluten-free preparations—paired with Italian wines from small vineyards. Fiorentino's chefs also give occasional Italian cooking demos to share their secrets, digging into topics such as sauce-making.

The restaurant’s exposed-brick walls, artfully worn wooden floors, and tuscan orange and yellow hues capture the ambiance of the Italian countryside. Its outdoor patio brims with blossoming flowers and vines during the spring, and during the winter, a heating system powered by the love of Sicilian grandmothers and soft, piazza-inspired lights keep the space cozy.