Dining

Chicago’s only Aurelio’s Pizza, located in the South Loop neighborhood, closed in the spring. “It’s been a pleasure to serve you over the past 10 years,” the restaurant posted on Facebook. “Our lease has come to an end and we have chosen not to renew. We are excited to put our efforts into growing the brand with new franchise locations!” The first Aurelio’s Pizza opened its doors in 1959 in Homewood, Illinois. In 1974, Aurelio’s Pizza became the first Chicago-area pizzeria to franchise its concept. There are now 35 locations in the United States. For more, click here.

Nic + Junior’s, a new restaurant from James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist chef Junior Borges and chef-restaurateur Nic Yanes, is now open in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. The venue at 405 N. Wabash Ave. reflects the chefs’ diverse global influences, including their Brazilian and Italian backgrounds. Dishes like the Tapioca + Brazilian Cheese Fritter exemplify the blend of cuisines, with tapioca fritter from Brazil, mortadella from Italy and giardiniera from Chicago. The restaurant has a 53-seat bar, 32-seat dining room and intimate outdoor patio. Plans are in place to expand the patio area. For more, click here.

The owner and chef behind the first plant-based Italian restaurant in the United States shares all her secrets in a debut cookbook titled “Vegana Italiana.” A native of New York, Tara Punzone opened Pura Vita in West Hollywood, California, in 2018, focusing on transforming classic Italian staples into vegan dishes without sacrificing flavor. The cookbook offers more than 100 vegan Italian recipes inspired by her family’s meals and favorites from her restaurant. “When Punzone decided to go vegan when she was 12 years old, she learned how to follow a vegan lifestyle without compromising her traditions, heritage or love of …

The Italian restaurant Tortello, whose owner Dario Monni is from Venice, was named by Eater Chicago among the city’s best outdoor dining spots. Monni and his wife, Jill Gray, a native Chicagoan, opened the neighborhood counter-service restaurant and handcrafted pastificio in 2019. “Locals are known to frequently swing by for fresh pasta and jarred sauces, including a stellar cacio e pepe, to cook at home, but there’s a lot to be said for slurping freshly made pappardelle on its Division Street patio for lunch or dinner (or both),” Eater wrote. For more, click here.

After 54 years in business, My Pi Pizza — among Chicago’s most iconic pizzerias — announced it was closing in June. “From our first location on Sheridan Road in 1971 to our Bucktown home since 2000, My Pi has been a labor of love,” the restaurant wrote on Instagram. “We introduced deep-dish beyond Illinois, opened 25 locations across nine states and shared our family recipe with generations of pizza lovers.” Founder Larry Aronson, whose family came from Belarus, perfected his recipe using lower-acid tomatoes, a top-secret “spice pack” and dough built on generations of baking knowledge, Time Out reported. The …

Italian candy giant Ferrero plans to launch its first new flavor variety of Nutella next year, right from the Chicago area, the Chicago Tribune reported. Nutella Peanut was developed by Ferrero’s food scientists and will be made exclusively at the company’s factory in suburban Franklin Park. “We think it’s going to be big,” Seth Gonzalez, senior director of marketing for Nutella, told the newspaper. “We do plan on it becoming a significant part of the portfolio going forward, and so we hope that consumers will get behind it and come try it out.” The plant — which also makes peanut-packed …

Seven-time James Beard-nominated chef Cathy Whims published her first cookbook, “The Italian Summer Kitchen: Timeless Recipes for La Dolce Vita,” in the spring. Whims owns Nostrana, an Italian restaurant that celebrated its 20th anniversary this year in Portland, Oregon. Her cookbook features some of the restaurant’s most beloved dishes, along with some of her own from travels abroad, Axios reported. Recipes include fluffy potato gnocchi, zucchini Parmigiana, tuna-caper pâté, grilled shrimp with herbed remoulade, fennel Alfredo pasta, eggplant caponata and Nostrana’s famous Caesar salad. All are focused on “simple, veggie-forward Italian cooking.” “I think that’s a real tenet of Italian …

Elgin-based Cafe Roma is expected to open a second location by this fall inside Old Village Hall in Huntley, in suburban Chicago. The restaurant is owned by chef Frank Redisi, who lived and studied in Rome. His background includes Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago and extensive travel studying and sampling multicultural fare throughout Europe and Southeast Asia, according to Cafe Roma’s website. The restaurant at 2175 Point Boulevard in Elgin opened in 2009 as a lunch-only spot; over time, the lineup was expanded to include dinner hours and catering services. For more, click here.  

Celebrity chef and entrepreneur Giada De Laurentiis has partnered with PENN Entertainment to open upscale restaurants at the future Hollywood Casino sites in Aurora and Joliet in suburban Chicago. The new dining experiences will bring De Laurentiis’ signature fusion of classic Italian cuisine and modern California influence to Sorellina by Giada at the Joliet casino, expected to open later this year, and Sorella by Giada at the Aurora casino, expected to open in 2026. Each restaurant will have its own unique menu of pizza, pastas and more, according to a press release. “I am thrilled to partner with PENN Entertainment …

Having undergone a $4 million renovation over the last two years, Carmine’s on Rush Street in Chicago is scheduled to unveil a new look by June. Known for its classic Italian fare and vibrant atmosphere, the restaurant will feature “an upgraded dining experience, offering both traditional favorites and signature steakhouse selections in a revitalized setting,” according to a press release from parent company Rosebud Restaurant Group. The new 10,000-square-foot building will have a one-floor layout featuring indoor dining, a new private dining room, indoor and outdoor bars, and expansive terrace space, with a total seating capacity of 366. The menu …