I get so fascinated when I go to a restaurant and end up genuinely surprised -- in the best way. Let me explain. I was looking for a restaurant that could cater an event, specifically a wake. I came in and spoke directly with the person in charge, explained what I needed, and shared my budget. He immediately worked with me, and we were able to find a perfect middle ground that fit our needs. That alone made me happy. What truly impressed me was that he even added extra items at no additional cost -- which was incredibly kind. I chose to pay in full up front (even though he offered to let me pay half) because the pricing was already so economical and fair. After a long and pleasant conversation, he thanked me for my business, and I later learned he was actually the owner. When an owner personally takes the time to speak with you, handle a large order, work within your budget, and still go above and beyond -- that says everything about the type of establishment this is. The food was amazing. The crowd was happy. I was happy. Because of this experience, I will absolutely be returning. In fact, I'm hosting my mom's 80th birthday here, and the owner will be closing the restaurant just for this occasion. I couldn't be more pleased. Great food. Great service. Great people. And can i just add yhat the vintage (yet modern touches) of this restaurant, makes it special, i highly recommended coming in for a romantic experience. And the fact that the owner delivered the food to the location, you cant best that! read more

Unico Restaurante - The awesome table settings in vintage - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Lovely quaint little place. Came in for lunch and had perfect service. True Italian at its best. Parked along the street which was nice because it was 11 degrees out. Walked in and greeted by two friendly Italian Men who sat us at our table. First off: the homemade warm bread. We tried to stop eating it but could not. Calamari: woods have preferred a marinara sauce but we all enjoyed each morsel. My black seafood pasta: special on the weekend we came. Nice large shrimp, plenty of crabmeat and the scallops were cooked perfectly. Wished we had room for dessert but my pasta was loaded so not any space left. Can't wait to come back. Love this whole experience. Thank you for cooking with love! read more

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Awesome place, definitely check out Unico! We dined here at an odd hour on Saturday afternoon, we were the only patrons at the time. We brought our baby daughter, and the staff was very accommodating. The space is dramatic with the black walls and decorations, a nice bar area in front and a warm dining room in back. The menu had a great list options and we started with octopus, portabello with cheese, and a Manhattan. For our main courses, we ordered the special bone in short rib and seafood fettuccine. For dessert, we shared an apple strudel with caramel ice cream. Overall, the food was delicious, beautifully presented, and had solid portion sizes. The food varied on a spectrum of fusion Latin and Italian, which yielded some interesting flavor combinations. It was fun to see how the chef experimented and generally worked well. Manhattan was on the sweeter side, which I prefer, while my wife liked less, still solid. The bread was more cakey, thick, filling with a crispy, medium-thick crust. I ate a lot, using it soak up the delicious sauces of our dishes. Octopus was a hit, that plate was cleaned up. It had a nice salt char, and the squid was well cooked, playing well with the spicy hummus. I could have eaten this as an entree. The mushroom with cheese had a wonderful white sauce that was soaked up by the bread. A generous portion of polenta served as a vessel for sauce delivery. I'd eat this as a main course as well. The bone-in short rib was very impressive and fork tender. The rice and tangy green sauce was a delicious pairing. Seafood fettuccine was the tastiest dish. A sizable portion of crab meat, large, succulent shrimp, and well cooked noodles featured heavily. The shrimp were not over-cooked, the pasta also had a satisfying chew. Flavor abounded in the sauce, which cleaned up well with the bread. Our dessert, compared to everything else, was a little tame. It still tasted good, especially the caramel ice cream. However, it lacked the fanfare of the other dishes. Service was amazing, right amount of attentive and helpful with our baby girl. The even invited us into the back kitchen for her to look. Definitely check them out, we'll be back to try other dishes! read more

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Unico is a worthy successor to Il Vicinato which occupied this Heart of Italy space for many years. I'd been a frequent diner in the 90's and early 2000's when IV was in its heyday. We had a fabulous evening! Impeccable and friendly service set the table for a remarkable meal. We started with fried calamari in a spicy/sweet sauce--good not great--which was followed by superb entrees. My wife had a perfectly cooked branzino filet while I feasted on a massive melt-in-your-mouth bone-in short rib in a zesty avocado sauce. We finished with an apple torte with ice cream that looked nearly too good to eat; we got over it and practically licked the plate. $25/bottle corkage fee Un brindisi a un ristorante straordinario! Street parking is easy and a valet is available. read more

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Went back to Unico now they've changed their menu a bit. Their food just blew us away. It's pretty shocking since this quality of food you would expect it at a restaurant up in Gold Coast or West Loop. I have no idea what the chef's credentials are but this place needs more love! 1. Octopus with black hummus - the octopus was tender and flavorful but the black hummus stole the show along with the chipotle red pepper sauce. 2. Short ribs - my boyfriend had this and it fell off the bone. He devoured the whole thing in minutes haha 3. Scallops - the scallops were sweet and soft, not overcooked and the lemon sauce was a perfect balanced. The mashed potatoes were definitely homemade which were amazing. 4. Oysters - We originally didn't order this but then we overheard the next table that they have oyster Rockefeller and we had to order it! I love their take of using blue cheese and fresh leaves and herbs (I feel like most places use frozen spinach) the crumbs soaked up all the lemon butter and oyster juice, it was delicious! 5. Baked clams - it's our favorite and our go to! The cheese, clams and crumbs all mixed together is flavorful. read more

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Well, I am a bit late on leaving my review but I quickly remembered as I am making my second reservation there in a month! I went on Valentine's day with one of my fave gal pals and it was packed! Love was in the air ... upon arrival I was greeted and informed that they were a bit behind, the owner was really sweet and accommodating as he tried to get us seated as soon as possible. After about 10 minutes we were seated and he sent us wine on the house for the wait. Let's talk about the service and food, our server was very attentive and knowledgeable on the menu and made us feel like the only two in a bustling restaurant! The food was remarkable, we each had the chicken piccata and shared an order of the sausage and peppers ! Obviously it was amazing if we are now going back on Monday to celebrate a birthday read more

Absolutely amazing food. We have eaten at some of the nicest restaurants and this was 10/10. Couldn't recommend more. The short rib dinner was knockout, and the presentation was high end. Felipe and Sean are great people and we look forward to the next time we visit for the people and the food 10/10! read more

Bravo!! Everything was absolutely delicious! Standing ovation to the bartender, our gracious host, and the chef. I left completely satiated--and my husband didn't have a single complaint! The cocktails were spot on: my Paloma was bright and grapefruity with just the right touch of sweetness, and my husband loved his Mexican Old Fashioned. We started with the goat cheese and beet salad topped with candied walnuts. It was sweet, balanced, and so good we polished it off even though we said we'd save half for lunch! For dinner, I had the Osso Buco--fall-off-the-bone tender, seasoned to perfection, and reasonably priced. My husband enjoyed the Italian sausage pizza, generous in size and flavor (yes, I stole a few bites!). We came early, so the place wasn't packed--I hope that's not always the case, because this gem deserves to be full of people enjoying the experience. The vibe is classic old-school Italian with a modern twist, and we felt both comfortable and well-fed. Dessert was a sweet finale: he devoured the carrot cake, while I enjoyed the lava cake with ice cream and popcorn. I would have loved the popcorn crumbled instead of whole, but it was still a fun, creative touch. Thank you for a delightful evening! We'll be back. read more

Eight of us dined last night at Unico, and it was a wonderful experience! The food was amazing, especially the pastries made in house. The ambience is cozy, and the service was amazing. A five star experience! read more

Unico Restaurante - The owner and my sister-in-law with an amazing Apple tart. - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We were beyond thrilled to go in last night and see previous Il Vicinato owner Felipe is back at the helm with his partner John! Had some Vicinato favorites, vesuvio, ravioli, baked clams, Pasta Roger, and some great new items, stuffed melrose peppers and an amazing fig tart made by John, who is a pastry chef. We've been a Vicinato family for 30 years. If you are too, go back and support Felipe and John as they bring this special place back! read more

Unico is a gem. The service and food are amazing. We had the beet salad, fresh and topped with goat cheese. The tempura shrimp was delightful & beautifully plated. Crab cake was a nice size and sitting on a delicious sauce. Had the short ribs as an entree, was full of flavor. Beignets with carmel gelato and mango sorbet for dessert. Can't wait to go back! Music was good too! read more

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New concept in Pilsen near the Italian restaurants on Oakley. Came in with a group of 4 and everything was delicious! I would say the beef shank was my favorite. The shrimp tempura could use a little more crisp and a little more spicy. Service was on point. It was a slow night but I hope business picks up. At a time where I feel prices to go out are rising the pricing wasn't bad at all. Also it's BYOB with no corkage fee!!! We definitely will be back! read more

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Dined during lunch time Friday, Jan 9, 2026 and I must say the food and service were absolutely excellent. Had the chicken piccata and my friend has the chicken parmesan, both outstanding. The ambiance was great and street parking for free was available. Definitely going back! read more

Excellent food. Excellent service. Excellent decoration and ambiance. Good timing on serving the food. read more

Unico Restaurante - Hibiscus lemonade - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The original menu from Il Vicinato is back along with some outstanding chefs and some outstanding desserts.

Amazing! I have come here by myself and with a friend on several occasions. The drinks are fresh are delicious. This restaurant has a limited menu with the perfect amount of infusion with Italian and other popular items like grilled octopus over fennel hummus, calamari with sweet chili, paella and tempura shrimp. The menu is not overwhelming and has a dish to fit everyone's pallet. They bake their own deserts and rosemary bread. Everything is plated so beautifully i am amazed. Will definitely be coming back! The ambience has a really nice vibe, beautifully decorated for a solo date or with friends and family. read more

Food is amazing. Service is spectacular. Ambiance and attention are the best I highly recommend this place read more

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Unico is at the old Il Vicinato spot. Looks pretty similar inside to how it's always been, but the food was more elevated. Complimentary bread was delicious and the Italian Margarita was well made. I had the poached pear salad - it was excellent. Full of flavor, I ate the whole thing. Had the rigatoni in vodka sauce with burrata. It was solid, although I did need to add a little bit of salt to it to bring all the flavors together (also added crushed red pepper, black pepper, and Parmesan cheese but that was my own preference and not necessary). Ordered the carrot cake for dessert and thought that was solid as well. Service was good, although I wish they'd have waited for me to finish my salad before bringing out our main dishes. Would definitely go back. Hopefully more people start to check it out - on a Saturday evening at 6 pm it was pretty empty. read more

Amazing food, fresh ingredients and unique and very tasty dishes. The cauliflower appetizer was delicious as well as the branzino entree. Other guests in my party had the osso bucco, and seafood pasta and everyone enjoyed their dishes. Our waiter was knowledgeable and chef even came out to meet us. I will definitely be back! read more

Food was delicious. Service was great. Cool building and decor. Generous portions at a reasonable price.

Delicious food! Such a cozy vibe with super friendly staff. Will definitely be going back!

Had a delightful meal at Unico. Enjoyed talking with Chon, the owner, who is also a pastry chef. All food was delicious and beautifully presented, prices are reasonable, all desserts are homemade, and they aim to please. Service was good, too. The inside was nicely remodeled which made the meal more of an experience. Highly recommended! read more

We had a wonderful meal at Unico. Unico means unique in Spanish. The menu is a combination of tapas, Italian selections and specialty dishes. We had the crab cake appetizer, chicken dish and short ribs. All fantastic! Also, the owner is a pasty chef and offers homemade desserts. We had a small taste of chocolate truffle. Will definitely be back! read more

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Beautiful atmosphere and decor. Amazing food all fresh and well put together dishes. The Calamari and the Gnocchi were the star of the show read more

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This place is amazing! I will definitely be going back. The food was great! The service was wonderful. The short rib and chicken piccata were dynamite! read more

Ambiance is great, old Chicago style building with the old paneling still up, feels like walking into an old house. Have been here twice and had the same server, excellent service and conversation as well menu recommendations. And the food is some of the best Italian I've had recently, baked clams and the pear salad are phenomenal. Really loved the whole fish and rack of lamb! Can't wait to go back and try more. read more

great food and service. we asked for some special additions to our meal and they were very accommodating. had the angel hair chicken piccata and the shrimp bucatini. very well made and great portion sizes. right priced for the amount of food. read more