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Chicago's Little Italy Comes With Extra Cheese

April 10, 2009 at 9:01 AM | by | Comment (1)

Chicago's Little Italy doesn't get as much travel play as some other Lit-Its, mostly because its West Side location is a bit of a hike from most of the downtown tourist sites (and because you can get a decent deep-dish pizza in just about any neighborhood here).

But that can be a good thing, since it means Chi-town's Little Italy, while gentrifying, isn't quite as commercialized as places like NYC's Soho-fied Little Italy. Just don't looks for a Roman-style pizza bianca – this place is less concerned with being genuine Italian than reveling in its Italian-American-ness, with heaping portions or pasta, super-cheesy pizza, and garlic, garlic, garlic. A couple of our favorite stops:

Lunch: Yes, the legendary Fontano's Subs is a chain with locations all over Chicagoland now, but you still can't beat this original Polk Street outpost, where it's worth waiting on the perpetually long line for mile-high subs stuffed with cured Italian meats and cheeses.

Dessert: The "Original" Ferrara Bakery hasn't changed much since it opened in 1908, which is just fine with the legions of passionate fans of their tiramisu and biscotti.

Culture: For a different kind of museum, baseball fans won't want to miss the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame, aka shrine to Joe DiMaggio.

Related Stories:
· Delizioso! San Diego's Little Italy, Just Like Mama Used To Make [Jaunted]
· San Francisco's Little (and Little-er) Italy [Jaunted]
· Chicago travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Zol87]

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NOT Little Italy

Interesting you have a photo of street sign reading "Chicago's Little Italy" but then describe the area by Taylor Street - Little Italy decades ago...the real and officially designated Little Italy (and where that street sign is located) is on the far north and west side of the city, along Harlem Avenue (La Corsa Italia). It, much like the Italian populations in places like NYC in Brooklyn or The Bronx, is hardly a tourist area or close to tourist traps. If you do make it out to Little Italy (not Taylor Street), you'll find lots of little shops, bakeries and places where everyday people work and live.
justmehere on May 25, 2011 at 12:09 AM #Permalink

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