Wish we'd found this place before our last day in Chicago. The Ritz-Carlton concierge recommended it for a quick breakfast place since we were heading to John Hancock anyway (L'Appetito is in the basement of Hancock). Not sure of their hours but it would be a great breakfast, lunch, dinner and anything-in-between place. TERRIFIC selection of breakfast pastries, platters & sandwiches plus read more

We ordered two sandwiches and drinks. The sandwich fillings were great, and super flavorful, with vegetarian options, but we were a little disappointed by the plain white bread buns. Definitely willing to give this place another shot though. It feels like an authentic Italian deli. read more

It's just a good idea to idea to know where to get good imported cheeses and Italian products. They also serve Illy coffee. read more

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L'Appetito is in the heart of the Cathedral district. It is 2 parts Italian deli and 1 part convenience store. With its outside and inside dining areas, it is the perfect spot to grab lunch and escape the hustle and bustle of Michigan Avenue. We refueled with Italian iced tea and two scoops of gelato (strawberry chip and spumoni). The following day, we tried to go back for the some of the hot deli items- sandwiches and pizza. Fitting to its holy location, L'Appetito is closed on Sundays. We'll be back to pick-up some imported cheeses and homemade pastas and would love to try their catering services for a special event! You'll be blown away by their selection of Italian cookies!!! read more

I love this place. It's close to where I work and it's always good. There isn't a ton of selection but what they do have is good. They always cater to my requests at the deli counter. Good solid place to go for lunch, read more

L'Appetito is across the street from my dad's condo, so I usually manage to eat here for lunch at least once every time I visit Chicago. What can I say, I love this unassuming little deli! They have a wide selection of Italian sandwiches that they make from you on the spot, and not only are they cheap, they taste incredible. Furthermore, they have a wide selection of other salad, appetizer, and drink options, service is quick, and there's an outdoor seating area that's perfect in the summer. No doubt about it - If you're looking for a cheap lunch place in Chicago, L'Appetito is an incredible local find. I can't wait to eat here again! read more

Not the fastest service and a lot of the items are over priced, but overall not bad.

Good little spot in an area with very few cheap options for lunch/dinner. This is basically a little NY deli with deli prices. Picked up some pasta and a pastry for under $10 which seems unheard of in this area. If I were working in the area, I'd definitely be visiting everyday for lunch. I'd rate them 3.5 stars overall, but will give the bump up to four since it's the only game of it's kind in the area. read more

Okay. The Green Salad I grabbed off the shelf had a lot of lettuce and few of the extra veggies. Very crisp and fresh through! The eggplant and pesto sandwich I got was a regret. Barely any eggplant and a bit bland. Needed some garlic. The sandwich bread was great, as expected. The tiny outdoor patio is nice and they seem to be well staffed. read more

The best off the beaten path Italian bakery in Chicago. When working in the area i love to get out of the hustle and bustle and sneak away at my little place. With a sandwich and pistachio gelato!! Always perfect , never ever disappoints!! So affordable and so convenient!! Love it! read more

I had the Italian. It was yummy and $6. Having just come from New Orleans where every po boy seems to be around $11, it felt like a goddamn steal. I wouldn't go out of my way to come here but would certainly pop in if I was in the neighborhood. read more

Discovered this place right around the corner from my work. All the sandwiches are really yummy. The turkey pesto is probably my favorite. There is nothing fancy about it but it's quick and good if you're in a hurry or out to lunch. read more

The sandwiches here really aren't very good. Lots of stale flavorless bread, very little inside. Very. Little. I paid $9 for a sandwich here and threw the second half away. That is how not good it is. The two stars are for the serviceable salads. If you're desperate grab a salad. Otherwise, avoid. read more

Mmm...rice balls :) So good! I've had both the vegetarian and meat versions & I think I prefer the vegetarian. L'Appetito has awesome paninis (tostinos) too - my favorite is the Roma: fresh mozzarella, mushrooms & oregano baked warm & toasty on savory garlicky bread - very tasty! I haven't sampled much else on the menu (I like my standards too much), but it all looks really good and the grocery items are cute too. I only wish it was closer to my job - sigh... read more

This place is my favorite sandwich shop in Chicago (aside from Bari). It's quick, easy, and always hits the spot! Try the La Bamba if you're really hungry! read more

This store has a wonderful European charm, and offers excellent deli items and imported grocery items such as pastas, cheeses, sauces, and olive oil, etc. The deli meats and cheeses are high quality which make for excellent sandwiches. I also like their pasta and cuke salads which was very fresh when I ordered it. Up front they have a case filled with pastries such as kolachkis and choco-dipped almond cookies. They also have a good selection of gelato. Because it's imported gourmet, it can be pricey. The outside seating is partially covered by some trees and since it's at the corner of huron and wabash, it's relatively quiet. I am suddenly craving salami! read more

I love their chicken salad sandwiches and their tostinos. Everything I've tried from here has been really great. If I was downtown more I would eat here a lot more than I do because there are a ton of things I keep wanting to try. I've not even tried any of their desserts yet and that seems like a crime for how good they look. I always go to the location at the Hancock. The staff is always really nice and they are fast! Can get crowded on weekends but can usually always find a spot to sit and eat and stare at all the things I must eat in the future. read more

Good food fast with an Italian vibe. Great for a casual meal.

I tried the Parma sub, which had freshly sliced prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, italian seasoning and basil leaves. It was a very good sized sub. My boyfriend tried the pizza, however, and did not like it very much, so I would stick to the subs. This deli is very close to where I live so I am likely to go back in again to pick up a quick, fresh sub for lunch. read more

Love. I have been coming to this, the original location, for more than a decade. Even though now it is often more convenient for me to go to the Hancock location, this one is the one that started my obsession. Both locations offer my very favorite Italian sandwiches in the U.S. and as a bonus, they offer several meatless selections. Everything is so fresh and simple and delicious. The service is prompt and there are lots of other goodies to choose from, including bread, imported cookies and...some of the best gelato in the whole city! read more

This place is great! Sandwiches, salads, specialty foods, coffee and Italian cookies. Good food at a good price, and perfect if you want something quick. I've tried a couple sandwiches, and they were great and really big too, probably splittable if you want just a little something. I cannot wait to stop in for a coffee and cookie sometime! read more

outstanding this place rocks! The sandwiches and pasta is out of this world. Don't walk, Run!

At Cafe L' Appettito in Midway Airport. $24 for the worst panini I've ever had, one bag of chips and a crappy Blue Moon. Service mediocre at best...what a rip-off!!! read more

They have tables but no restroom. Besides that, its all great. Amazing location.

Awesome deli! I was hoping that I would find a great, authentic Italian deli during my Windy City trip, and L'Appetito definitely fit the bill. Sandwiches and paninis are fresh, and there is a wide array of cheeses, pastas, and other Italian goodies that are both picnic and cooking essentials. You can't go wrong with their sweets, especially the armerittis, but I only wished that I tried some of their gelato- it looked fabulous! Oh well, there is always next time... read more

Yummy casual sandwiches and coffee. The sandwich was huge (splittable) and reasonably priced. Not to mention -- delicious!!

It's where I go for a quick lunch. The coffee is good. It's a small business worthy of support, I can often get a cup of coffee faster and similarly priced at Starbucks. read more

I used to love L'Appetito, but things have changed over the past few years. Service is VERY spotty. For years, I'd call ahead for a sandwich and pick it up a few minutes later. One of the guys had suggested I do this to spare me from waiting in lines, which can sometimes be long. Now, I call ahead and maybe the sandwich will be made, maybe not. All I hear is "I forgot." Worse yet, they don't seem to know how to make their own sandwiches anymore. Today I ordered a Luino panini. It was served up on sourdough bread instead of panini bread and it was soaked in at least a half cup of grease (it was visibly greasy). There were only 2 slices of salami and the roasted red peppers that make the sandwich tasty and unique were completely absent. In other words, it wasn't food. It was...well...gross and inedible. This is the second time this happened in a week. I did complain but all I got was, "I don't know." Terrible, terrible customer relations. I'm done. read more

L'Appetito - 2 small slices on salami on non-panini bread for the luino paninin - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I am fortunate enough to have this as a work lunch stop. Panini's are amazing, the more italian sounding and salty they're the better. They also offer daily specials that are usually a little too massive, but extra good. Coffee is excellent too. read more

I like their imports. However I had a Panini and was not impressed. Hard (stale?) bread; oily and mediocre on the taste. Limited selection. I'd try' em again, but first impressions were not positive. read more

A friend of mine in Chicago brought me here, I was in lane and heard everybody here was for the meatball sub. I ordered one, great sauce, delicious meatball, love it!! Must order !!!! read more

Turkey on white bread (sliced, not the french roll) was great. I counted 8 thick slices of meat. $6.00. Tomatoes tasted like heirlooms. They had a lot of pastas I'd like to go back and try, as well as some beautiful deserts. Thursday around 6pm wasn't busy. No indoor seating - only a few small outdoor tables if you're lucky. Cute little Italian deli market place! I'll be back. read more

Excellent and fast service--and the sandwiches were DELICIOUS! It was a great find on our part and if I'm ever in that neighborhood again I'll be back! read more

I have been a customer of this shop:but in the Hancock building. I was near the Huron location so stopped in and spent $83.00 on take ot. The pizza was stale, the cheese crumbly, the tomatoes soft and mealy, the tuna brownish and soggy, the pasta old, the olives hard etc.....I wrote the place and complained and they did nothing...The person who helped me @ the rear counter was surly and when I asked for help to take the 9 cartons up front he said "take a basket" from behind you...I know they have closed Hancock and opened in Lakeview and soon @ Northwestern and if this is what one gets for as much as a sit-down meal, they need to close this place: their first. My suspicion is that they are too busy with their other locations and are ignoring the quality here...too bad they have lost a well paying customer... read more

i was walking home, and noticed this place on the corner. IMPORTED ITALIAN GOODIES? i'm in! it was smaller than i had hoped, but the stuff they had was really fun. i think it would be a really good place to buy gifts for people. ALSO i wish i had bought some desserts. next time i will get the gelato. but this time I GOT AN ARANCINI. i have not had a huge one like that since i was in italy. it was really good. it is going to be really hard to not get an arancini every time i walk home. oh and their sandwiches looked legit. read more

Hard to beat the sandwiches from L'Appetito. To me, it all starts with good bread and they hit the mark there. Next, the deli meats need to be of high quality (check mark earned again). If you have those two things, it's really hard to mess up, but some places do. Balance is the last thing - you need properly balanced ingredients (not too much meat, enough lettuce, etc). Just all around a solid sandwich place, and for what they're trying to do, I give it 5-stars. read more

Adorable little Italian deli that you could just pass right by and not even notice. But please notice it! They have every kind of imported snack you can think of, and two seating areas, one within the store secluded by the shelves and one in the outer corridor. And the sandwich counter in the back makes AWESOME giant sandwiches the must be enjoyed with their side salads. You have to go check this place out. read more

Disappointed. From outside the place looks appealing. Once inside I wanted to get something to drink. Sure, they have imported sodas and other refreshments, but these are placed on shelves in total disorder, with some price tags that don't show the name of the item the price belongs to, and lots of missing tags. The bottles are all of them mixed, so no way to guess. The shelves look like they have been gotten from a garage sale. And then my sandwich, the "Svizzera" (ham and cheese on toasted bread). It was lying on a baking sheet inside a glass showcase. Did not have a great look. The bread tasted and felt like cork. For the same money, $4.95, I could have had a better sandwich from the Starbucks one block north. Avoid this place. 2 stars because the food was not spoiled. read more

Wow is this place good!! My new favorite hidden gem. The sandwiches are huge and very tasty and fresh!

Cute place. Good sandwich. Wish I read the menu before ordering from the premade ones. It was still good though. Great for a quick lunch while touring around read more