Cocello

Cocello was amazing. I wish they could slice a bit off their prices so I could be there more regularly but overall I loved it. A great place in the neighborhood that deserved to stay. So sad it closed.

May I recommend that the business that opens next in place of Cocello’s is a breakfast place with good coffee and some delicious healthy, reasonably-​priced grab and go options.
Have peanut butter chocolate rice crispy bars and good brownies, good coffee, a killer mediterranean w/​salmon salad, yogurt parfaits, other snacky items. Price to sell volume.

I’ve never tried this place but I’m rating it two stars because it advertises classic European style coffees yet doesn’t open until 5pm. It’s also located in a busy working area where a good morning coffee would come in handy.
Note to owners: please open for a few hours in the morning if your coffee is good.

I live closeby and have loved watching this venue and menu evolve, from Dillmans Jewish deli to Cocello’s first slightly confused menu, to the menu that now (brilliantly) includes gourmet pizzas, due to much demand.
The latest menu, with pizza, pasta, meat dishes, and salads, has finally hit the sweet spot after months of fine tuning and slight misses. Before, you could come with two people, spend $ 100 – 150, and still leave slightly hungry.
Now, thanks to the menu composition, there’s a better balance of big salads, small pastas (they are all delicious but with the exception of the huge meatball and spaghetti to share, childs portions) recommended: the Alfredo, the simple greens salad (exquisite and HUGE) the complimentary fennel bread, and the margarita pizza.
Advice: Get a salad to start, a pizza and a pasta or meat dish if you come with two people. Well done, Cocellos. Looking forward to seeing how you specialize further with the opening of the Hamptons across the street this summer as well.

This review is for atmosphere and service only, both of which are pretty great. I love the dark wood and candles, which gives this place a romantic, intimate vibe. Feels upscale and hidden, this would be a great spot to come on a date.

Get the raviolo if you want a little taste of heaven. It is a single (but giant) cheesy pillow of deliciousness with an egg on top. ohhhhhh and the Garlic bread on its own was worth another trip back. So good!
Great service and the little patio was lovely on a warm spring evening. We will be back many times I’m sure of it.

Sodikoff is 100%! Like his other establishments that I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing, Cocello is awesome. I love everything about this place.
I took a dear friend here for her birthday which is the perfect place for it. We got a nice table where we could enjoy the décor, the music, and watch the people. Our waiter was awesome too. He was knowledgeable about the menu and would joke with us. We sort of left the decisions up to him and he was also 100%. We started with a couple of cocktails, some anchovies, Caesar salad, and burrata. He told us that we get various breads with the starters so no need to order more. They changed menus so I was not able to try the polenta that other reviewers were raving about. I’m sure I’ll be back in the fall when it returns.
Then we had the egg yolk raviolo, and the octopus with caper berries and potatoes. Both were outstanding. Its a great place to share dishes and they encourage it. Besides who can eat the raviolo on their own? Its quite rich!
For dessert they surprised us with the olive oil cake which I would have never ordered so I’m glad we got it. Once again our waiter make great picks! It was heavenly. Slightly warm with a hint of orange, and whipped marscarpone on the side.
We had a great evening. I highly recommend Brendan’s Italian restaurant.

This review is only based on their bar service, as I stopped in with a friend before heading to dinner at another establishment in the area. They have definitely got their game on when it comes to booze. The bartenders were knowledgeable and skilled, and their tasty cocktails were inspired and delicious. They also have an entire vermouth section on their bar menu… how cool is that?
Definitely need to stop in again for dinner, but happily will return just for drinks.

Wonderful gem in the city. We had the best off menu appetizer here, the polenta fritta. It’s amazing. We also enjoyed a cheeses plate and a fresh salad.
Very nice atmosphere and not loud. Good date night place. Comfy seating and great service.

We met friends who live in the city at Cocello recently — they had never been here but it was walking distance from where they live. The place is small and cozy — we had a nice booth in the back of the dining room — I thought it was a bit tight for six people but comfortable nonetheless.
Their menu is very European — limited appetizers but the pasta, fish and meat dishes can be an entrée or shared among the table. To start, we ordered the cheese/​meat tower which was very good. The bread they served was amazing — next time I would just order the cheese and bread and cocktails and I’d be totally satisfied.
The food was good — nothing outstanding or memorable, in fact we went there a few weeks ago and I can’t even remember what I had for my main course. A few of the guests at the table ordered the grilled octopus based on Unilocal reviews and didn’t like it — the chili spices it was cooked with were too overpowering. Our server was very accommodating and took them off the bill — in fact the service the whole evening was great from the hostess who greeted us to the buss staff that kept our table cleared.
Of the six people at our table, I think I enjoyed our experience at Cocello the most but I’m not sure I’d recommend it to others considering the many other great dining options in this area.

This place has impeccible service! I came here with my 2 girlfriends for a little catch up/​reunion. We started off with some Prosecco at the bar. Our table was delayed because the party took their time with the bill/​after the bill, so we got some more Prosecco for free! We tried the orecchiette, italian salad, and clam linguini. Everything was super fresh, including the pasta, and perfectly cooked. I hate when my pasta is overboiled, but they definitely did not do that here. I really enjoyed the pork bolognese over the orecchiette. We ended with a super delicious lemon panna cotta! This was a bite of refreshment, almost to the extent where we forgot we were in the middle of the Chicago winter.
The ambiance is super romantic — wood, candles, and chandeliers. Über chic!

My wife took me to Cocello with friends for my birthday. We have been to all of the other Sodikoff restaurants and as expected It was excellent.
Like all of his other places great cocktails. We ordered to share and had the Polenta Fritta, Gioia Burrata, Egg Yolk Ravioli, Truffle Rissoto, Roasted Chicken, Porchetta, Short Rib Marsala and Octopus. Excellent service, quality and presentation.
This is a five star place. The reason it is getting four is because while we booked the reservation on Open Table there was nothing available after 6:15PM for the night. When we left at 8:15 on a Saturday night. the place was half full. We like to watch college football, and prefer cocktails first and then dinner. If we had an 8PM reservation we could have gone to Reverie or Highline which are close by to watch the games before we ate.
I sent a message that we had a great time. but next time, I will call for a reservation instead of doing it online.

Absolutely lovely. Service, food, cocktails and setting were all fantastic.
I went last night with a couple of girlfriends and we were seated in a cozy banquette and served by a very nice, helpful, and attentive (and, to be honest, really hot) guy. Unfortunately I can’t remember his name, our receipt says Stacy but that doesn’t seem right.
We tried a few of their very creative cocktails and we’re happy with all of them. The vodka fizz in particular was good.
We shared four dishes for the three of us, which was perfect. Note: they will recommend you get two each, and unless you have an enormous appetite it will be way too much. The fritta, the cacio e pepe, the raviolo and the ribeye. The fritta was heaven, the cacio good if a bit watery, the raviolo was loved by two of us and hated by the third, who isn’t a fan of ricotta, and there is a ton of ricotta in it, and the ribeye was the best steak I’ve had in memory.
We finished the meal with amari and were too full for dessert. I wish they had limoncello on the menu, too.
I would be very happy to go back and likely will.

Sodikoff wins again! Cocello is the bomb, and I’m already dreaming of going back! In fact, it might just inch out Gilt Bar in my book.
From start to finish, this meal was actually perfect. I’ll start off by saying that I absolutely adore Sodikoff’s style of food and restaurant. This place matches his others– rich food, and really warm, old school interior. The front of the restaurant is a candle-​lit bar area, with a mix of some high tops and some round tables with big red velvet arm chairs. Very cozy. In the back is the formal dining area, which kind of reminds me of an old library. There’s an area in the center of the backroom where all the fresh bread is coming out of the oven and they cut it in front of you– very nice touch. The restaurant is spacious– tables are spread out and leave plenty of room for you and your date/​friend/​etc to have a nice intimate meal. I really appreciate this, as a lot of restaurants are squeezing tables in these days, or doing communal style dining.
We started off with two whiskey cocktails: the Improved Whiskey Cocktail and the Old Fashioned. Something I love that you can find lots of the same drinks on Sodikoff’s menus, and the old fashioned is always the same recipe. My favorite.
We started with the Bib Lettuce Salad and the Octopus, followed by their famous Egg Yolk Raviolo, the Pasta Amatriciana, and finished with the Short Rib Marsala. Every dish was as tasty and unique as the next (there were no flops here). I’ll give a special shout out to the Egg Yolk Raviolo, stuffed with egg and ricotta, along with the Short Rib Marsala, for being truly special and full of flavor.
I’ll also mention that service was incredible. I’ve seen some reviews that gripe on service here, and we were completely wow’ed by our waiter. His suggestions were right up our alley, and he came by at all the right times without being overbearing in the slightest.
I cannot wait to come back here.

Everything about this place is excellent. First and foremost, the quality of the ingredients and the distinctive taste of the pasta dishes are great. While they do have the italian classics like spaghetti and meatballs (the meatballs are some of the best in the city — tender and flavorful), Cocello truly shines with its unique options.
READ: get the Egg Yolk Raviolo. Creamy, rich, cheesy.
The prices are reasonable for the area (i.e. expensive). The décor is akin to a dark and fancy living room with plush sofas and pretty lighting. If you want delicious Italian pasta in the area on the fancier, more unique side — go to Cocello.

Oh Cocello. I wanted to love you. But my experience this past Tuesday night left me feeling just a bit flat. My friend and I had no problems being seated for our 8:00 reservation as the restaurant was relatively empty. The atmosphere is very classy — kind of a dark and relaxed vibe with a pretty hopping patio.
We were greeted by our server and asked for her opinions on cocktails before placing our orders: I went with an old fashioned and my friend chose the Cocello punch. I very rarely comment on service and very very rarely deduct stars due to service, but I have to say our experience was definitely dampened by the mediocre service and really long waiting periods. When asking for opinions on cocktails and food items, our server basically did nothing but just recite whatever the ingredients the menu listed. She was unable to offer any comments on the flavor of the food or recommendations on various dishes. And that’s fine… after all, that’s what Unilocal is for. But it was the long periods of absences on a relatively slow night that were most frustrating.
It took nearly 20 minutes before our server returned with our drinks and then before we had a chance to order our food, she plopped the drinks down and disappeared. The old fashioned was excellent — not too sweet, not too strong, just perfect. The Cocello punch was very unique — a bit tart and a bit sweet with a smooth white rum. Highly recommend for a warm day.
After another 10 minutes or so (after making eye contact multiple times while she wandered by) we flagged her down to take our order. Again, there was no helpful advice when we were debating between items, other than just reciting the menu descriptions. Since we were pretty much starving by this point, we asked for bread (noticing that everyone else had already gotten bread upon being seated) and a gentleman did bring that out just a couple minutes later. The bread is excellent — fennel seeds give it a great flavor and it’s just warm enough.
We decided to share a few plates and picked the salmon tartare, shaved broccoli salad, eggplant agrodolce, pasta pomodoro, and cacio e pepe. The salmon tartare and shaved broccoli came out pretty quickly. But then there was another 15 – 20 minutes of nothing. Then the eggplant dish arrived. But then another 20 minutes passed and we sat awkwardly waiting. Since the dishes are served by other people, we had not seen our server in about 30 – 40 minutes. She finally came by to check on us and I asked for a couple serving spoons (so we wouldn’t have to keep using our own silverware to serve items). I got a very nasty glare for this request but she came back with 2 spoons. The last two pastas finally arrived and our server arrived with a smirk and a platter of serving spoons for me to choose from to make some sort of statement.
The food itself was pretty great overall:
Salmon tartare — probably the most disappointing item. The salmon freshness was average and it was flavored very bland. Don’t recommend.
Shave Broccoli Salad — one of my favorite items. My friend found the dressing too tart, but if you like a bit of lemon flavor to your greens you’ll love this. Very fresh ingredients, a medley of flavors, and just overall fantastic. Highly recommend.
Eggplant Agrodolce — a very good item. The raisins were a nice contrasting sweetness and the pine nuts added a great crunch. Recommend.
Cacio e Pepe — the black pepper pasta. A little more bland than I was expecting. I had anticipated more of a pepper flavor. The pecorino was great, and the pasta was fresh and cooked to perfection. Recommend.
Pasta Pomodoro — my favorite dish of the night. Simple but delicious and full of flavor. Very fresh tomatoes, perfect angel hair noodles. Highly recommend.
Portions are pretty large for the price and I was easily full after the first 3 items (and we left more than half the tartare). For 2 people, I’d say 4 small items will be plenty.
I’d like to come back and try a few other dishes and give the service another try. Given how awesome the other restaurants are in this family, I have to assume this was a one-​time deal and not the norm.

Cocello’s location is somewhat in an understated area and I love it. It’s still just a stone’s throw away from the other Hogsalt establishments. I can get my usual Old Overholt Old Fashioned here just like from Bavettes and Gilt Bar.
The crudo items never disappoint. The handmade pastas are served simple and elegant yet delicious. Love x3 the vibe here as you would expect from the a Hogsalt establishment.

The former Dillman’s space is now an Italian restaurant, with a similar vibe and décor. Friendly service, attentive and polite. The food was excellent — we ordered the polenta & artichoke for starters and the tagliatelle & gnocchi for entrees. Their gelato was really rocking too!
The one less star is for the noise level! Everyone seemed drunk & loud, at least our neighboring tables were.

Well, I can say that, unlike what I’ve read in other reviews, the service I experienced was good. I was greeted very nicely by the hostess and our waiter was pleasant and helpful throughout.
I started with the abano smash (luxardo abano, gingerbeer, mint, lemon) and the drink was reasonably good and refreshing. We shared the polenta fritta, and it kind of tasted like French toast which is not a bad thing. The ricotta gnocchi, on the other hand, was a big letdown. When I eat gnocchi, I expect it to be light and pillow-​y. In this case, the ricotta weighed it down and made the dish feel heavy without adding anything beneficial to the flavor profile. The porchetta was good, and I enjoyed it though perhaps not as much as a similar dish that I ate at Bite Café. When my friend ordered the bay scallops, the waiter subtly suggested that she add a side dish. That’s because the portion size was extremely small — just an FYI.
On the whole, I’m glad I tried Cocello but I’m not sure about a return visit.

Adorable space. Reminds me of a mix btwn Bavettes & Gilt Bar with an classy Italian flair. Lovely ambiance and music. Cozy seats.
Attentive and warm service. We were given «the best most romantic seat». And it really was :)
Not loud. Love that!
Went sharing style with the hubs and had the following…
Homemade bread — Sift. Rye. Warm. Soft butter. 3 large pcs. Only finished 1.75.
Octopus — light heat and robust flavors. Get it!
Polenta fritter — Delicious rich goodness. One square polenta fritter filled w truffle and topped w a poached egg. YUM!
Spring veg salad — light & flavorful.
Raviolo — it’s trendy. I’ve had it at many places coast to coast. Many «noteworthy» dishes at some well known kitchens. That being said, it was very memorable. Pretty large raviolo (large ravioli filled w an egg & cheese). The unique part was the lemon zest to the perfectly nutty brown butter. Well done!
Scallops — HOLY SH** (see pic). These are amazing & so fun! Rich creamy well prepared & seasoned. Get it!
Can’t wait to return and share this marvel next door with our foodie friends! Actually a great pic for those non-​foodies too! Well done cocello. Well done!

Best way to describe this place is an Italian tapas restaurant and the best way to enjoy the food here, is to come with a small group (around 5 or 6 people) so you can order a bunch of items to share.
Some highlights of our night are the Scampi ala Scampi, which are broiled langoustines (a buddy described them to me as half shrimp, half lobster) with garlic and butter. Egg Yolk Raviolo was absolutely delicious, a runny yolk once you cut into it, can’t go wrong with that. To start, we had the warm garlic bread and the Avocado and Crab salad which we all loved.
We had a few other dishes, but the ones listed above were the standouts. the others were good too, but I would definitely order the above again. Overall, we had a great dinner and service was top notch.