COVID-19 Updates
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COVID-19 Updates
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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.

Important Updates

Welcome back! All of us at the Italian Village appreciate your continued support. We have trained all of our employees on the CDC’s sanitation and safety protocols regarding Covid-19.

We have some special procedures that we must follow to ensure the safety of our customers and staff:

We request that you do not come to our facility if any of the following apply:

  • You or any other member of your party has tested positive for Covid-19 and not been cleared by a physician as being virus-free;
  • You or any other member of your party are awaiting Covid-19 test results;
  • You or any other member of your party are exhibiting symptoms of Covid-19; or
  • You have a family member or other close contact who has tested positive for Covid-19 and not been cleared by a physician as being virus-free.

Learn about our New Air Filtration System

  • All reservations will be limited to 1 hour and 45 minutes starting at your reservation time.
  • If you are running behind, we will hold your reservation for up to 15 minutes past your reservation time.
  • If you need to make any changes to your reservation, please let us know prior to your arrival at the restaurant.

Thank you for your patience as we all try to get back to normal operations. We look forward to serving you soon – Thank You for continuing to support the Italian Village family!