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    VinnyD's

    4.7 (203 reviews)
    InexpensiveGelato, Shaved Ice, Hot Dogs
    Closed Closed

    VinnyD's Photos

    VINNYD'S ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Classy
    Casual
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - VinnyD's

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    Shaved Ice
    Angelica S.

    This was my second time here, I was craving a cold sweet treat! The mini size even though a small cup, still had a good portion size. They have different types of food and drink options on the menu. I haven't tried their food but maybe next time. The staff is very welcoming, and the service was somewhat quick depending on the time of day! It a little hidden but I like the lights they have and the outdoor seating!

    Curly fries
    Lakeisha H.

    Back at it again! Love this place such a cool spot in the summer. Best Italian Ice in the city. The entire family loves it and they always provide great service.

    Italian Beef.  Juicy hot style.
    Scott S.

    Vinny D's may well have the best Italian Beef in Chicago. I've been to dozens upon dozens, but these folks have created something truly special. Let's break it down: Beef Of course it's thinly sliced like you would expect, but the tenderness is melt-in-your-mouth. A quality meat is used that's clearly cooked at the right temp for the proper amount of time. Easily pulls apart with your fingers; never mushy. Certainly never chewy. Not a sliver of fat or gristle shows up. Juice The juice features the exact right amount and type of herbs and spices. Sitting at the bottom of your sandwich container will be exactly what you want to see in terms of the Juice: Not too watery; with tiny oil slicks floating on the top here and there. It's a perfect balance. Getting that right is no easy task. The Giardiniera (hot variety) I'm doubtful that the giardiniera is Vienna Beef brand, and that's a good thing. I love the Vienna style but it gets old. I need to ask these guys, but this could very well be home-made. There's little cubes of cauliflower in theirs which, while it's a small detail, provides an amazing little texture crunch and taste to the experience. Inspired Bread As far as I'm concerned, this is what sets apart the 'okay' level from the 'spectacular' category. They have absolutely nailed the bread. It's never stale and chewy like so many places. Oh no. It's packed full of flavor. Most importantly, and I cannot stress this enough, it HOLDS TOGETHER from beginning to end. I've even taken their Italian Beef sandwiches home to eat. 10min of walking later, I break out the sandwich. That bread is not only still in one piece, it maintains its structural integrity until the last bite. Listen, if you know about Italian Beef and the bread....you know that's a serious accomplishment. Many places lately the bread is positively falling apart after 2 bites. Not here. Consistency Lastly, and most importantly, let's talk about consistency. Anyone can get a great sandwich going at least some of the time. Only a handful can knock it out of the part most or all of the time, and these folks do it. I've eaten quite a few at Vinny Ds at this point, and it's been the exact same quality every single time. It takes real discipline to not get sleepy and lazy and sloppy when making something as simple as an Italian Beef sandwich, so a huge round of applause for the staff. Staff Always friendly. Always cool. Final Bravo, Vinny Ds. Bravo.

    Italian cookie gelato was amazing!!! Creamy and delicious

    I stopped by and Carlos was asking people to try free samples. He was sooo friendly and sweet. So I got the Italian cookie gelato. It's sooo good! Highly recommend stopping by this family owned spot!

    Lemonade "slushy" Cherry slushy  Root beer float

    Imma give them 4 stars even though I was really disappointed they handled my concern when I had a question. We stopped at Vinny's around 7:30 PM on Sunday evening when it was very hot. We ordered two slushy's lemonade and a cherry and a root beer float. There was no slushy in the lemonade, It was all drink. When I went back up to the counter to let them know I got lemonade the lady behind the counter went on a tangent for a good 30 seconds and I couldn't understand a word she said except for "do you want to give it back?" After all that I said no thank you and took my slushy back and drank my lemonade. The cherry slushy was fine. It had slush in it and the root beer float was good. I won't let their rude customer service or failure to give me a lemonade slushy stop me from going back cause if I'm being honest, the lemonade was actually fire!

    Italian Ice (Kiwi and Strawberry)

    Cute little shop with fun summer options as well as good food options. I went for Italian ice the one day it was warm in Chicago miraculously and it did not disappoint.

    Beef!

    Incredible service, and the best Italian beef I've ever had. Carlos and Mary are both amazing! I'll be returning as soon as we're back in town.

    Supermam ice cream
    Savanah A.

    Amazing ice cream! The kids gots gelato and Italian ice everything was so tasty!! Super friendly service. They even give pup cups to the furry friends:) We will be coming back!

    Medium Oreo Gelato on Waffle Cone
    Mikei J.

    My family and I were walking up Division and stumbled upon VinnyD's. I'm glad we did. I'd never heard of it. The guys at the shop are super friendly. We were able to taste many different flavors prior to ordering. The Gelato is EPIC!! I hate to say that my husband got the chocolate milkshake and it was not good. None of us liked the milkshake but we all LOVED the Gelato. The shop being a walkup has a vintage feel and very welcoming. I definitely recommend.

    Italian Ice (kiwi strawberry + vanilla gelato)
    Julia Q.

    Lovely spot to try a variety of Chicago classics. We came here to try italian beef, but ended up ordering a scoop of Italian ice and a Chicago dog as well. The Chicago dog was by far my favorite item- great ratio of all the traditional toppings, great value for the price we paid. It may have been the best Chicago dog I've tried. The italian beef was also tasty, but the flavor was mostly coming from the giardiniera/pickled veggies rather than the meat itself (beware if you aren't a fan of spice! I am someone who loves spice and even I found myself picking out some of the jalapeños). The portion size was also pretty small. I would recommend ordering the Italian ice to enjoy out on their patio- make sure to add gelato (in my opinion, the best part!) Note: I went on a really nice Chicago summer day, and they only had patio seating available. The inside/restrooms seemed blocked off from customers.

    Nutella, coconut, Oreo , strawberry chip.

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    7 months ago

    Always friendly and accommodating and the shaved ice is impeccable along with the mini tacos

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    1 year ago

    Service is always great. Italian ice and dipped beef with their homemade giardiniera is always spot on.

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    1 year ago

    Great Italian ice great food and great conversation with the owner and employees! I recommend the pistachio gelato best I ever had!

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    2 years ago

    OMG, YUM! I forgot to take a picture before I ate it all! Coming back for Italian Ice very soon! Nice people, great service!

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    Lula Cafe

    Lula Cafe

    4.3
    (2.4k reviews)
    2.5 mi
    $$

    We had a reservation on a Saturday night, and it was my first time at Lula Cafe! I absolutely loved…read morethe casual and beautiful space as well as the lovely outdoor patio. The ambiance was perfect with background salsa and cha cha playing for a perfect upbeat mood. We ordered some focaccia, clams, and the Vichyssoise for smaller items and had the pasta yia yia, ramps & wild rice, and the chickpea and fennel tagine. Everything was spectacular, and the favorite dishes of the group were the clams, the super unique pasta yia yia, and ramps & wild rice. Each dish had such unique flavors and complemented each other very well. For dessert, we all got a scoop of the London fog straciatella, which may now be my favorite ice cream flavor of all time. The service was on point as well and very attentive! Definitely make Lula Cafe a destination when in the area.

    Most of our meals were of the run-and-gun type, so we figured we should make time for at least one…read moreclassic brunch. We'd heard good things about Lula Cafe, so we decided to pop over on a Saturday morning. It was just after 9:00 but the place was already hopping. After a short wait, we were shown to bar-type seating near the back of the restaurant. It was perfect. I can never say no to a breakfast burrito, so we decided to share their Classic Lula Breakfast Burrito ("avocado, tomato, potato, cheddar, green chile soffritto, and soft scrambled eggs") and holy moly was it ever good. Every ingredient was above average and placed with care, and I was impressed by the perfectly-cooked eggs. (There was nothing bouncy about these eggs, that's for sure.) Because we're pigs, we decided to also share the Lox Toast ("house cured organic salmon, gribiche, lula seeded rye") and it too was very, very good. Finally, we each got the Fruit Cup and somehow it was also amazing. The fruits were cut really well and there wasn't a bad bite to be had. Yeah, I can see why Lula Cafe is doing so well. It's a really cool place.

    Photos
    Inside. Lots of people!
    Inside. Lots of people!
    Classic Lula Breakfast Burrito avocado, tomato, potato, cheddar, green chile soffritto, and soft scrambled eggs
    Classic Lula Breakfast Burrito avocado, tomato, potato, cheddar, green chile soffritto, and soft scrambled eggs
    Oysters

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    Oysters
    Monteverde

    Monteverde

    4.5
    (1.5k reviews)
    1.7 mi
    $$$

    This place has a nice trendy sophisticated feel. The service at the bar was excellent. Very…read moreattentive, very helpful making suggestions and decisions. For my lunch starter I had the burrate E ham. Amazing combination of flavors. Had two pasta dishes the spaghetti AL Pomorro and sweet pea & sausage Gramigna. Along with the sopressata meatball. The spaghetti was delicious pasta beautifully cooked and the sauce just compliments the spaghetti. The sweet pea & sausage Gramigna another great combination of flavors . The meatball was bursting with flavor, highly recommend. For dessert try the strawberry shortcake . It's fresh lite, and phenomenal flavor. Don't forget the espresso martini and a glass of Nebbiolo cavalier.

    My boyfriend and I came by for a weekday lunch and, wow, it was packed. We were not used to this…read morecoming from SF, but we loved the vibes and energy. The servers were all really great as well. We ordered the burrata e ham, gnocchetti con pesto and lobster mezzaluna. We're both big eaters and we were both very full. I can't even pick a favorite dish because everything was so good. I usually find Italian food a bit too heavy and cheesy, but I feel like each dish we had was really balanced and refreshing. This place was definitely too expensive for me back in college, but now that I am working, I will definitely be back when I visit Chicago LOL.

    Photos
    Aesthetically pleasing flowers!!!
    Aesthetically pleasing flowers!!!
    Oma's Green Mountain Salad
    Oma's Green Mountain Salad
    Vanilla Panna cotta

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    Vanilla Panna cotta
    Pierrot Gourmet

    Pierrot Gourmet

    4.1
    (738 reviews)
    2.4 mi
    $$

    Literally the cutest café. This was my favorite breakfast spot while visiting Chicago…read more The second I walked in, I was obsessed. The green and white color palette immediately reminded me of Ralph's Coffee. It felt classic and polished but still charming. Everyone working there had a smile on their face, and the warmth felt so genuine and comforting, especially first thing in the morning. They had such a huge selection of pastries and cakes that it was honestly hard to choose. I ended up getting the cake shaped like a cherry because it looked so interesting. It was a black cherry cake and I paired it with a cappuccino. It was the perfect combination. The cake was beautiful and tasted just as good as it looked. We also ordered the breakfast burrito, which came with a small side salad. It was fine, but not the standout for me. If I came back, which I would, I would probably stick to the pastries and coffee and try more of their baked goods instead. Service was amazing. The ambience was adorable. I loved how all the silverware, plating, and dinnerware matched that perfect green tone. Every detail felt intentional. It was just perfect.

    We had a toddler date with a friend and her son here at the cafe at the Peninsula. They had some…read morelimited-time St. Patrick's Day specials that caught my friend's eye, including the Pot of Gold, a special dessert only available for the weekend. The food was really excellent, as was the service. But it was ridiculously priced. The reuben sandwich was $28. It was a great sandwich, very lean, but you could get a sandwich as good for half the cost elsewhere. They only have a couple of kid's items, but my friend requested buttered noodles for her kid rather than the cheesy noodles. I got the hibiscus drink and lavender lemonade, both non-alcoholic, and they were very good. My little one especially liked the hibiscus. And we ordered the appetizer of whipped ricotta and honey; my daughter liked this more than anything else we ordered. We didn't have dessert at the restaurant, but ordered to go. The pot of gold was really good. There were little "gold nuggets" on it and that was my daughter's favorite part; good thing since I didn't realize it had a layer with Bailey's in it. It was very rich, and the cauldron was really thick chocolate (and actually was a struggle to get into, a bit!). The restaurant is small but it didn't feel crowded. We never felt rushed or unwelcome, and we were there for a couple hours (longer than I realized; it took an unusually long time to make two reuben sandwiches). Their pastries are really nice but somewhat expensive, like the rest of the menu. It was a nice, sophisticated experience.

    Photos
    Pierrot Gourmet
    Pierrot Gourmet
    Pierrot Gourmet

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    Margie's Candies

    Margie's Candies

    4.1
    (655 reviews)
    4.0 mi
    $

    I had a super special date at Margie's with my 2 year old, and we had the best time ever. What I…read morelove about Margie's is that it's frozen in time. It's pretty small inside, there are only a few tables. A server comes to your table to place your order, which I feel like never happens at ice cream shops anymore! The menu is huge! There were multiple sections to banana splits, sundaes, and shakes. We decided to go with something simple. My son ordered 2 scoops of cookies n cream ice cream (with sprinkles of course) and I got moose tracks! The ice cream is the real deal. Our server was super sweet, and we were in and out of there in probably 30-45 minutes. We had the best time and will definitely be back this summer.

    We heard that Margie's Candies had some seriously good sundaes, so obviously we had to check the…read moreplace out. (The fact that the joint's been around for over 100 years doesn't hurt either.) It's a small restaurant but we managed to snag a cozy table near the back. We'd already spent most of the day eating, so we decided to share the Atomic Fudge Sundae. It's a fairly enormous concoction. I found it interesting that the hot fudge was served on the side, but it's actually pretty smart because you get control how much (or how little) sauce you get. The ice cream is the highlight. It's creamy and rich, and it's got a really nice flavor, too. The hot fudge was less impressive, but that might be because I had already eaten a Ghirardelli sundae earlier in the day and their hot fudge just can't be beat. The service was super friendly and the atmosphere was kitschy and fun. It's a cool place.

    Photos
    Margie's Candies.Montrose Ave,Chicago, IL .Old School (Since1921) Ice Cream /Candy Shop Great Staff Great Friendly Service.Cool!
    Margie's Candies.Montrose Ave,Chicago, IL .Old School (Since1921) Ice Cream /Candy Shop Great Staff Great Friendly Service.Cool!
    Mine
    Mine
    Inside seating

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    Inside seating

    VinnyD's - gelato - Updated June 2026

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