Acanto

A quaint italian restaurant on Michigan in the heart of the loop. It’s really a 2.5…somewhere between «Meh, I’ve had better» and «A-​Ok».
First, the atmosphere is clean, with a good layout. On the evening we were there, the lighting was far too dim for what would be appropriate. The server was attentive, polite, and knowledgeable.
On to the food…
The wife went with a duck dish in a cherry sauce. The breast was slightly undercooked though the flavor was there. As for me, I went with the black peppercorn rigatoni. The presentation was good, but it was a bit saltier than I would have expected and the flavors didn’t terribly impress.
Overall, we were a bit disappointed. Maybe it was just a bad night (it was a mid-​week Wednesday) for Acanto but there were far too many imperfections for this caliber of place including placing us at a table with a mop bucket adjacent.

Very very good. Service was above and beyond. Food was simple but extraordinary. We really enjoyed our meal. Definitely will come back.

I was in Chicago for the night & staying at a hotel in the Loop. Unilocaled for an Italian restaurant nearby and Acanto came up with good reviews.
Unfortunately my experience was not on par. Quiet Tuesday night — lots of empty tables and an empty bat, which I decided would be the best for a quick but enjoyable meal.
Not long after I ordered, a couple who obviously work at Acanto sat a few seats away at the bar — which seemed to completely distract the bartender’s attention for the remainder of my time there. I’m not at all ‘needy’ but it does annoy me when Any form of attentiveness goes down the drain to impress peers. The manager didn’t have a clue as he was too busy checking his phone (in plain sight) to care about the dining room.
On to the food… I ordered the pan seared prawns to start, followed by the duck egg pasta, which I had read great reviews for.
The prawns were ok, but there was way too much oil to be enjoyable — the ‘panzanella’ was literally sodden and inedible.
The pasta was the true disappointment — the ‘Ragu’ is essentially just some pan fried pork sausage, caramelized onions and herbs deglazed and then destroyed with an absurd amount of heavy cream. The pasta itself is great… What a shame. I also had to ask for salt and pepper as my dish was horribly under seasoned. I ended up dredging the pasta from the sauce — leaving a large thick mass of cream in the bottom of the bowl. All completely unnoticed by the bartender (sorry — mixologist…).
I just paid and left — never to return.
Shame — it probably could have been a great experience if the staff cared.

My friends and I went here for NYE and were very impressed. The restaurant has a cozy vibe and wasn’t too overcrowded or loud. That was refreshing since it was a holiday.
We split a bottle of the pinot grigio, which was a little like a rose but was delicious! Probably a really good choice considering we got a couple bottles between all of us (cheaper then by the glass per person).
For the food, we split a bunch of the dishes. We shared the oysters, prawns, duck spaghetti and bigoli. Between the pastas, not one was better then the other. They were so different and yet both so good!
I would highly recommend this to friends.

Staff was friendly and attentive so 1 star.
Entrée was pan seared prawns. $ 18 bought me 4. Since I know how much prawns are, I’d skip this. No Star.
Entrée was Short Rib Marsala with celery root and mushrooms. It was too sweet. But It’s winter. So I’ll give them one.
Wine was over priced $ 15 a glass for a $ 19 bottle. So no star.
Wife had a the bigoli pasta, which was slighlty undercooked. So no star.
Tiramisu was cold and tasted like cheese cake. Basically bad. So no star.
So total it up to 2 stars.
The location is next to the park.
So might be worth another star for location but won’t go back there.
Bill was $ 190 for 2 people and a pecking toddler. I am not even drunk and still slightly hungry.
So 2 stars.
Saar

Huge wine selection.
Good cheese platter. The duck was really good. The duck egg spaghetti was also pretty nice.

After I had a very nice lunch at the The Gage I noticed the adjacent Acanto restaurant. It looked very inviting. I decided to reserve a table at Acanto for dinner later that evening. Acanto’s luncheon hostess confirmed my dinner reservation.
Acanto is a central meeting place for those who love Italian food and an approachable dining experience. As I was seated at my table I checked into Unilocal.Before you know it the owner Billy Lawless stopped by to greet and welcome me. I never knew or met Billy before. Some restaurants are smart enough to monitor Unilocaler check-​ins. Billy was happy I had lunch at The Gage. He told me he owned both The Gage and his newer Acanto. I did not know he owned both restaurants.
They had a daily special on Osso bucco, which is what I enjoyed for my dinner. The osso bucco was very tasty. I hit another home run in the same day.
Again service here was equally as good as The Gage. I would return to both restaurants.
I think Billy has a double header winner on his hands.

Great selection of wine, love their short ribs, noki with Brussels sprouts is divine! Cozy atmosphere the staff are knowledgeable of the menu and very attentive.

I had dinner here the night before the Chicago Bank of American Marathon because, as the saying goes, one has to «carb up.» It was, well, it was okay.
First, I had made a reservation as I assumed the place would be packed on a Saturday night. It wasn’t. Sure, there were quite a few there for dinner but overall, for it being 6:30 in the evening, it wasn’t filled to the brim.
I was here with my mom (she earned major «favorite parent points» for cheering me on from the marathon sidelines) and we were both slightly taken aback by the prices. After seeing the portion sizes of those around us, we were wondering if we would get our money’s worth.
Because I have IBD and am terrified of race day potty situations, I played it safe with a salad. Said salad was supposed to have roasted sweet potatoes but upon inspection, there was nary a sweet potato to be found. It was tasty nonetheless, okay, but nothing supremely amazing.
My mom had the duck egg spaghetti and loved it. Apparently that is THE item to order and a sure winner. Go with that. Keep with the trend.
We both order a scoop of gelato because I figured why the hell not. Mom had pistachio but I was feeling brave and went with the waitress’ recommendation of the caramel crunch. Again, it was okay. I can get better gelato in Tulsa for less cash. So there you go.
For a Michigan Avenue, located near The Bean, thousands of people walk past kind of establishment, it’s okay. And when you’re in Chicago, you don’t want okay. You want exceptional, which this is not.

Someone said is over price .
I believe that worth. a nice location, after dinner you can walking through the park.
Food is good, Everything is good. Reason for 4 is if not because the location then nothing special.

Went here for a friend’s birthday dinner. Cocktail list left a bit to be desired (seemed to be lots with the same flavor profile), but the wine was great. We all wound up with pastas that we quite liked: my favorite was the rigatoni, although the bigoli and duck egg spaghetti were also well-​loved. Desserts had stunningly huge portions: the cookie platter was easily dessert for four, but the budino was the favorite of the night. I’d definitely return if I was looking for a fancy bite to eat downtown.

Acanto at night is a beautiful, candle-​lit, high-​ceiling room with intriguing bottles shelved high and warm waitstaff who will praise you for your good choices and help you figure out your bad ones. The #9 House Cocktail had a bit of a fancy presentation as your server brings it to the table topped with a glass of smoke to give the drink a burnt cherrywood aroma without detracting from its sweet and herbaceous flavors. My friends and I did some order coordination, getting and sharing the Black Peppercorn Rigatoni, Duck Egg Spaghetti, Gnochetti, and Bigoli. I would say the flavors were somewhat muted, but all the pasta was cooked to just al dente, where I like it, and I enjoyed the Bigoli the most for its heartiness. I also loved my plate of assorted biscotti and cookies, plentiful enough to take home. The chocolate caramel budino was super-​rich and luxurious, like eating a bowl of cream inspired by Dove chocolate caramels.

Food isn’t bad. It isn’t special but it’s not horrible, but over priced as expected being on Michigan Ave.
Wine selections are over priced too, following suit. Anything even respectable is over $ 100.
All I heard from people was how they did magnum pours and it was decent but not as good as the predecessor.
All I saw was an absence of quality unless you wanted to pay through the nose.
Then again, it is on Michigan Ave.
Henri was here before. Was much better.
Forgettable and nothing special.

How in the world is this a 4 star? What an amazing dining experience! The service was impeccable and they had superb recommendations for both wine and dinner. I had the best bottle of wine and the best linguini clam pasta dish. The general manager even cane over to recommend a wine and he was spot on! The prices are high but for a reason so just go in and expect it. Yum, yum!

I came here for dinner at around 6pm on Mon. evening as a solo diner when in town for a conference. After having tried – and failed – to get a seat at the Gage on Sat. evening, and having encountered a huge crowd at Lou Malnati’s on Sun. evening, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get a seat here, either. Apparently, however, not every decent restaurant in town was packed to the gills with conference-​goers and locals, since there were plenty of empty tables here for the duration of my visit. Despite this, I opted to sit at the bar, which turned out to be quite pleasant, since it allowed me to make conversation with the bartender while waiting for my food, instead of awkwardly looking at my phone and listening to others’ conversations.
For my entrée, I ordered the gnocchetti ($ 21), which consisted of orecchiette pasta topped with basil pesto, truffles, and a duck egg over mashed potatoes. It’s important to note that this dish is like a deconstruction of gnocchi, so don’t expect gnocchi itself. The flavors and textures of the components married together well, making for a delicious dish. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente, and the presentation was quite appealing, as well. The dish was large enough to be sufficient in and of itself, but since I have a powerful sweet tooth, I decided to try the chocolate caramel budino ($ 11). This dessert was extremely rich, as I was warned, so those preferring more subtle sweets may prefer to try something else instead. While the dessert was delicious, it became to cloying even for me after awhile, such that I couldn’t finish it. Nevertheless, I’m glad I tried it, since the first several bites were delightful.
Overall, I was favorably impressed with my meal and the service here, distinguishing it as my best dinner in Chicago. I’m glad I decided to give Acanto a try, despite its emptiness in comparison to other local restaurants. If you’re in town for business and prefer a more relaxed and quiet, yet classy, environment, be sure to stop by Acanto and give it a try!

My sister and I came here on a whim before our show on Friday. We booked a reservation through Open Table, but we were running behind. They moved our reservation no problem. When we got there, everyone was very courteous and friendly. The waitress asked us if we were seeing a show and told us that we would get out on time (when we confirmed we were). She also was very knowledgeable about the menu and when asked could talk at length about the different items. For food we ended up getting the Fruit Plate (a special of the day), the Gnocchetti (which was amazing), and the roasted duck breast (which was very tender — cooked sous vide). We wanted dessert, but we were too full! For drinks we got the Cocchi Barolo Chinato and the Cappelletti, which were very flavorful.
Overall, the food was delectable and the service was great.

Stopped of for dinner on my first night in Chicago. I went exploring by foot as this is my first stay. Just started walking down N Michigan Ave until I was hungry and thirsty enough to stop somewhere. Unilocal provide a lot of guidance and I decided on Acanto as there were a few seats available at the bar.
Food: Great bartender, I described what I was in the mood for and left myself in his capable hands. I had just stopped off for a beer so was in the mood for a cocktail. I think he said it was #39 (no names here, just numbers). Great drink, infused the glass with real smoke which added another layer of flavor. For dinner I went with the Gnocchetti, the sunny side duck egg sold it for me as menu choice. Served with shaved truffles on top, the dish was very good. Don’t let the fact that the egg came from a duck instead of a chicken deter you. very good dish. They also have a very extensive wine list that I did not get to explore on this evening. maybe on my next visit!
Service: Sat at the bar and received great service. Friendly, great knowledge of cocktails and spirits, food came out quickly. Very good service experience.
Atmosphere: Trendy restaurant with a small bar area with a simple layout. Love the space, it was the perfect place to kick back and relax.
Value: Priced right for the quality of the ingredients and dishes. Not cheap but very reasonable in my opinion.
Overall: Good restaurant, great food, great staff. If I’m in the area in the future I’d definitely drop in again!

We ended up at Acanto almost unplanned, and boy was that a good decision! First off, Michigan avenue is a tourist trap, food dessert and I try to avoid going to restaurants here when you can get great food by just going a few blocks west or north.
However, for a quick business lunch– this turned out to be quite a nice surprise! Innovative Italian menu, not too heavy, and not your average Italian grandma’s cooking. The restaurant (inside and the patio) is beautiful, sleek and comfortable. Service was upscale but welcoming, and not too many tourists on this day (yay!). I took my fellow Unilocalers’ tips and got the Duck Egg Spaghetti– delicious! Creamy, good size and flavored perfectly. My colleagues got the salmon that was cooked to perfection and the chicken special was a huge portion.

Admittedly, enjoying meals on South Michigan was previously foreign to me. Absent the Art Institute, Millennium Park, a concert here or there and Congress Parkway, I have spent very little time exploring this vicinity. Until now. Fate would have it that within a week, I dined at two places in this block and I had the privilege of adding Acanto as a third.
The host decided on the venue and oddly enough, I paid no attention to the band or address until there was a need to navigate there. That said, I had no background knowledge or awareness of its existence but suspected it was a great place. While dining, I was told this restaurant used to be Henri’s. Same ownership but a new concept.
The three highlights of the evening was the attentive staff members, the décor and its view. The other aspects were enjoyable as well a/​k/​a I have no gripes.
The food portions were small which is expected given the course options displayed on the menu. Our group of five started with a fromage, prosciutto and salami sampler which included garnishments ranging from preserves, grapes and other recommended bites to enhance the flavor of each item. Loved every bite of it. The meat was thinly sliced, plentiful and fresh.
As an entrée, I enjoyed the lobster and crab ravioli which was really good. ⁴⁄₅.
My glass of sparkling Rose’ was good but not a favorite. ³⁄₅.

The service was great. Our waiter was very knowledgeable about the dishes. I was debating between the seafood risotto and the lobster and corn ravioli.
Menu and portion sizes are small.
The lobster and corn ravioli was tasty. The basil was a unique addition. I personally didn’t care for it but that didn’t detract from the overall taste. There were some small chunks of lobster in the sauce.
Overall good food but a little pricey given the portion size.
Outdoor seating is available. We opted for indoors given the humidity