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Chicago's Oldest Italian Restaurant

Located in the heart of Downtown Chicago, Italian Village Restaurants is home to three restaurants, each with its own chef, menu specialties and unique ambiance. As the oldest Italian restaurant in the city, Italian Village Restaurants is a third generation family business focused on traditional values and the highest standards of service. Also housed under the Italian Village roof is its world-renowned, award-winning wine cellar that features wines from all major regions and comprises over 1,100 selections for a total of 35,000 bottles. Whether it is the choice of restaurant, the menu itself, or even the wine list, our guests are never short on options.

Take a trip up the stairs to Tuscany at the turn of the century. Enjoy traditional Northern Italian specialties as you dine under the twilight skies of a recreated Italian village.

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3 Restaurants, 3 Kitchens, 3 Menus

in 1 Convenient Location

The Village’s origins began on September 20, 1927, when Alfredo Capitanini opened the doors to what would soon become a Chicago landmark. Alfredo worked hard washing dishes and cooking in other restaurants for three years, saving his money so he could open his own restaurant. His new restaurant would boast the most comprehensive Italian menu in Chicago, with many dishes such as: cannelloni, saltimbocca ala romana, fettuccini alfredo and so much more. Alfredo designed the restaurant to give guests a “tour” of Italy with different themes throughout the restaurant, as well as dishes from those regions to match the decor. It gave Chicagoans a true Italian experience right in their own back yard.

Keeping with true Italian tradition, Italian Village was kept in the Capitanini family, and in 1955, the second generation of Capitaninis opened the doors to their second restaurant, La Cantina, in the lower floor of the Italian Village building. This restaurant possessed many delicious Italian dishes served with a variety of premier wines. La Cantina was beautifully decorated with wrought iron gates, decades-old wine bottles and wooden wine crates to take you back to a historic time in Italy, where only the best food and wine were served to friends and family alike.

With business doing so well for the Capitanini family, they decided to open one more restaurant in their Italian Village building called The Florentine Room. This room became Chicago’s first gourmet Italian restaurant, being named by the Chicago Tribune “Chicago’s Best Italian Restaurant.” Several years later, The Florentine Room was remodeled. With its new architectural and theatrical decor, its name was then changed to Vivere. Vivere is located on the main floor, keeping all three unique restaurants in one convenient location.

No matter what you’re looking for in your next dining experience, the Italian Village Restaurants can offer a variety of dishes and wine selections for any occasion. Visit us today and see why Chicagoans have loved Italian Village for over 90 years.