Piccolo Sogno

Came here for lunch during restaurant week and had the soup of the day, the Ravioli Piccolo Sogno, and a cheesecake dessert. The service was efficient and prompt, although not super friendly or warm. The soup sounded amazing when the waiter described it (fennel sausage, white bean, escarole, etc.), but I felt the flavor fell short and it was a little bland. The pasta was good, although the portion could have been a little bigger for my liking. The cream sauce was light and very different from your typical white sauce.
Side note — The crowd inside was entertaining because it seemed like half of the restaurant knew each other, knew the owner, etc. Gave off a little Goodfellas vibe.
Overall I would say I might come back outside of restaurant week for a dinner and see how the food and service differs from my visit today.

What a gem. Restaurant week menu was such a great deal. For $ 33/​person, we had a filling starter, entrée and dessert.
We were greeted warmly by the staff, and immediately were waited upon, asking about drinks & giving bread. Which by the way, the focaccia is especially enjoyable, they were gone in a second.
Servers paid such close attention to our water cups & plates and were constantly cleaning, so nice to see, not lazy at all!
We both had a different menu item, started with the twice baked bread. Which is delicious and something I have never seen before and he had the ox tail which he said was very good. For dinner he had the Cornish hen and greens, which I’ve never tried and the skin was so crispy! The greens were actually very tasty too! My dish was the salmon, wonderfully made!
Dessert, I didn’t want it to end. I had the panna cotta, my god it was so good. And he had the flaky pastry with cream & chocolate chips. Like a deconstructed cannoli, but differently flavored pastry.
Reservations saved us, we were seated right away. From then on, dinner service was so speedy! Totally loved it here.

This was my first time visiting Piccolo Sogno, and restaurant week was the perfect time. Their restaurant week menu was spectacular. Including about 7 options in the appetizer and entrée categories and about 5 options for dessert. At $ 33 per person, the menu was well worth the money.
Entering the restaurant we were greeted by the host and were offered the pleasant option of a coat check. We were seated in their closed off patio, which did not have the same ambience as the rest of the restaurant but was not uncomfortable. Our waiter was excellent, paying close attention to our water and wine glasses throughout the night. The bread and olive oil was brought to our bread quickly, and the Focaccia bread in particular was delicious.
For appetizers we started with the La Ribollita which is essentially soup that has been soaked up by bread and then pan fried like a pancake. Sounds weird, but this was absolutely amazing. It was easily the best thing I ate all night and all the food I had was delicious. We also got the spinach salad which was good but nothing special.
For our main dishes we got pappardelle with boar Ragu and the salmon. Both were tasty, filling and well presented. For dessert the Panna cotta and Mille Foglie (similar to puff pastry with cream) were both excellent as well. Overall we did not have any food that we wouldn’t recommend, and the wonderful service made it a great experience. The great deal with restaurant week made it all the better. I will definitely be back with a healthy appetite!

Stopped in for restaurant week. Great value for 33 bucks for dinner if you ask me. I tried an arugula salad amazing and pappardelle pasta with ragu also good but needed a little pinch of salt and pepper. For desert I enjoyed the three layers light and fluffy not too sweet. I thought service was amazing and ambiance. I would return to try another pasta dish or salad. Yummy.

Came here last night for restaurant week and sat in the closed in patio area. As always the food was spectacular but I felt like our waiter was being so polite to everyone but us. He hardly came to our table but seemed to be enjoying the table beside us.
I had amazing service the last time I visited Piccolo Sogno so that’s what I was expecting. The host and other staff were very nice so maybe our waiter was just having a bad night. Either way, very great food and amazing service. I love the spaghetti Nero it’s my favorite dish. Highly recommend!

Wonderful girls night, and dinner, here with friends! We had a reservation and were seated right upon arrival. We started with warm bread and breadsticks, I enjoyed the crisp breadstick the most. Started off with Sangiovese wine which was so good I kept with it for the meal.
We started the meal splitting the chick pea fries and beet salad. Both were great. The chick pea fries had a great texture and perfect amount of cheese on it. The salad was on point. You can never go wrong with beets and fennel.
For my meal I had the spaghetti neri, appetizer size. Perfect amount of pasta for me to enjoy without feeling too stuffed to have dessert too. The seafood was great as well. Dessert we split the chocolate hazelnut and 100 layer pastry (forgot the name). We enjoyed them both. Definitely good to please those who like chocolate and those who don’t.
Will definitely be back again!

Had never been here before but always drive by it so finally decided to give it a go. Made reservations via OpenTable and later had to adjust them (adding on) which the host easily and nicely accommodated.
When we arrived the valet parked our car ($ 10; free if you’re there for lunch) and we waited all of 1 minute for our table. The hostess took us to the back room that adjoins the patio which in the summer I’m sure is nice and with the doors open, quiets down the noise. However, we went the day after Christmas and I’m guessing because we were a table of 5 we got seated with the big parties which became a competition to see who could be the loudest table. My poor in-​laws had a hard time conversing with us across the table. Honestly, I felt worse for the couple seated next to us at the only two-​seater table in the room. Deduct one star for ambiance — which Unilocal says is romantic. Maybe up in the front room, but not when you get seated in the back room.
As for the food, I felt it was a bit overpriced compared to some of the other local Italian restaurants that seem to serve up generous portions of amazing food for under $ 20/​entrée. The menu was also not as varied as I would have liked — the specials were mainly all fish-​based and from the main menu I found maybe 3 dishes I would be interested in trying. But again, for the price, not so eager to run back. Deducting one more star for that.

Went to dinner with some friends. We had been to this restaurant once before and did not remember how great it was. The food and atmosphere are great not to mention the fantastic service. Everyone loved there selections and we had a wonderful evening. We will be back soon.

Authentic italian food! I came here with 4 other couples and were looking for a place with outdoor seating. We found Piccolo and made reservations. The odor seating was beautiful with great lighting. The weather was prefect, and the food was delicious! Will definitely come here again!

800 reviews – everyone loves this place – EXCEPT ME. I just heard an interview on NPR with Wolfgang Puck who indicated that food social media makes everyone a restaurant critic. I am not grinding an ax, but i thought the place was overcrowded, overpriced and overrated.
Group of 8 with a Saturday nite reservation, seated immediately – but in an annex/​makeshift room to replace some of the lost outdoor space. Nice comp of foccica and bread sticks. Very, very crowded. Had an excellent antipasto of vegetables and some unwanted pork. Other dinners had Osso Buco (did not like) fish, pastas, duck. All thought food was good. I ordered a pepperoni pizza. I was served a pie with sausage, roasted peppers and onions. I told the waiter that there must be an error. He told me, that in Italy, pepperoni means roasted peppers. I just accepted this so as not to create a scene with the other guests, but my thought was where the fuck in Italy were you where I wasn’t?
I have been to the other location which I think is better. Place is a madhouse – they must be printing money – they have been in this outpost forever which is now, almost River North. Good on them. Just not for me

This is my second time to this place last week Saturday this place is amazing. And the food is so good and the wine wow!!!
Our server was amazing as well. anytime I come to Chicago this is the place I will be going to and the pasta and desert! !!!

The food: ²⁄₅. I was recommended this place as one of the best Italian restaurants in the city, but sadly it’s one of those places with a lot of pretense and little value to back it up. It’s definitely popular among the stuffy older crowd. We started our dinner with burrata and prosciutto, which was excellent and the only enjoyable part of our experience. The burrata was incredible actually. The entrees weren’t so much. The food came out so hot I actually burned my tongue. We had to wait 10 – 15 minutes for it to cool down. I had their fish and seafood stew, which had no fish in it, but 70% calamari. The shellfish wasn’t cleaned property, the sauce was good, but overall nothing to write home about. My foodie in arms had their veal meatball pasta, which was lackluster. The meatballs were good, but the pasta and the sauce were quite bad. We barely ate a half of our entrees, but were never asked if we liked them or wanted to take leftovers (which we did not).
The service: ²⁄₅. We were there to celebrate a birthday, which I informed the restaurant about beforehand. At no point during our dinner this was ever acknowledged. Moreover, we were constantly rushed throughout our dinner, so we decided to leave and have more drinks elsewhere.
Overall:2/5. Underwhelming Italian food with a lot of pretense.

I wanted to treat my Mom to a great Italian dinner while she was visiting Chicago and decided upon Piccolo Sogno. I had heard great things about Piccolo Sogno Due and thought I might as well try their original location first.
This is an excellent Italian restaurant, definitely one of the finest in the city. Service was outstanding throughout the night. Our waiter was very cordial, helpful and prompt. The gentlemen busing the tables and filling water glasses were on top of their game.
We started with the cannelloni as an appetizer. Great size to split as an app between two people. I’m not a huge fan of mushrooms but I couldn’t really taste it in this dish; it was very good. For dinner I ordered the gnocchi with broasted chicken. Incredible dish! The gnocchi had the perfect consistency and great flavor. I ate very slowly and took small bites just to savor the dish for as long as I could. My Mom ordered the tagliolini di castagna, which came with really tender veal meatballs.
For dessert we ordered the tartino, which was like a small chocolate cake with a melted center and a scoop of house gelato. A delicious end to a wonderful meal!
This is a true Italian gem in Chicago. Can’t say enough good things!

I went here for a dinner party with 7 other couples! Although the dinner started at 9pm, it wasnt a problem. Where else can you accomodate 14 people on a Saturday night in Chicago in the River North neighborhood?
Let me give you the condensed ratings:
The Pappardelle with Boar… FANTASTIC! Where else can you get boar? Short Ribs, Gnocchi, Proscuitto on the Pizza! AMAZING!
One of the better Italian Restaurants that I have dined at!

Gnocchi was excellent, service was top notch and the ambiance was very welcoming. We will be back. Very convenient right off the blue line off at Grand.

My father only takes me out once a year, which is on my birthday. I knew I had to pick somewhere upscale so I chose this place considering it has won some distinct awards. On top of that, I always have a craving for Italian on my special day. If you decide to check in, make sure to make reservations because it does fill up quickly.
For a table of six, we were seated at a room further in the back. The waiters were all dapper and attentive. For starters, we ordered a bottle of red wine called Primitivo Salento Sasseo 2011. It had a full body flavor with subtle hints of fruit and spices. Hands down the best red wine I’ve ever had. Each bottle is priced at $ 50, but if you truly have the moolah to spend, I’m pretty sure I saw a $ 900 bottle on the menu. Jinkies!
Furthermore, I ordered the Spaghetti Neri which contained a generous portion of seafood and pasta. The flavors were rich and the pasta was black, which I’m assuming is colored by squid ink. My stepmother ordered one of the listed specials which was the lobster ravioli. Since it was my birthday, I’ve received two plates of biscotti made two ways:
1.) Biscotti with almond and raisin
2.) Biscotti with chocolate and hazelnut
As long as you order a coffee on the side, dunk the biscotti like a beautiful basketball and feel the sparks fly as you take a bite.
As much as I wanted to give this place 5 stars, my deal-​breaker was finding a hair on my plate. It threw my appetite off just a tad bit. Overall, I would come back since the food makes up for the unintentional error. Whether you are taking your family or hot date out, this place is suitable for everyone.

Everything from the moment we walked in through the last bite was beyond. The service the food the wine all wonderful.
We sat outside on a beautiful evening and shared a series of plates. The Negronis were spot on and the wine was perfect. We had the kale salad, cannelloni, ravioli, and pizza.
The staff was perfect.
We will be back!

I LOVE this place. The patio is spectacular and the food is great as well. We had squash blossoms and a mix of seafood as appetizers, then I had the wild boar ragu for an entrée. Others in the party had truffle-​filled ravioli and soft shell crabs. All were amazing.
For dessert, we had the chocolate hazelnut cakes, a panna cotta, and the thousand layers dessert. While the other desserts were pretty tiny portions, the thousand layers was enormous, and the cream sandwiched between the layers was delicious.
This is definitely the place to spend a summer evening.

Service: 3
Food: 3.5
Value: 2
Overall for $ 60 pp, Restaurant Card voucher and no drinks, it is not worth a go-​around (inc. tax and tip).
The food is decent but falls short of very good. Service is average.
A friend and I ordered a starter, a pasta, and 2 mains.
3.5: Vitello tonnato: a very interesting take on veal loin, quite acidic but not overwhelming, with a delicious twist with the capers and tuna mayonaise.
4: off the menu black-​truffle pasta. It was indeed delicious and quite a rich complement to the more acidic veal.
3.5: rabbit. Hu n t e r s t y l e b r a i s e d r a b b i t, t o m a t o e s, p e p p e r s ‚
o l i v e s, m u s h r o o m s, s o f f r i t o, s o f t s e m o l i n a. I felt like I was at a game lodge. It was tender to the bone and well seasoned, although they could have added more semolina for a better carb-​protein balance.
3: My friend got a lemon juice and salt-​crusted (bass)?, the daily special. For $ 36, it was good taste and fresh enough, but not as good as the one I had in Socal. Borderline value.

I’ve been to both locations and each left a little to be desired.
I was always with a work function that had a limited menu and a lot of people ordering at once. So, I get that this is a harder task to pull off.
At this location, I got a short rib dish over polenta. The short ribs were very bland. The polenta was gummy.
Wine selection is great. Service is impeccable. I just never think the food is that great.