Pasta Palazzo

Recently, while walking down Halsted street from Armitage at around 1:30 PM, I've noticed through the opened French windows a very appetizing plate of gnocchi that an elegant young woman sitting at a table near that window seemed to enjoy.
Since I always been intrigued by that place, did not have any lunch yet, and had a craving for pasta for 2 days in a row, I went in, sat down at the counter facing the open kitchen, and ordered a some Capellini Pomodoro, a simple dish of angel hair-type spaghettini with olive oil, fresh Roma tomatoes, basil, and garlic ($8.00). I also ordered a side of meatballs ($2.00), and a glass of Italian red wine. I was amazed how decently prepared the pasta was, not overcooked, with nicely cooked fragrant tomatoes, not overpowering garlic and fresh basil. The meatballs, to my surprise since in most American-Italian restaurants they are quite often heavy handed with too much starch filling and dry herbs, were very delicate, moist delicately seasoned, in one word quite edible.
The very cheap (6 dollars a glass if I remember correctly) but quite good rustic and not acidic home Italian red wine was also a good surprise.
A good Italian bread was brought to me before the main dish.
I was wondering, since I could not find any thread on this restaurant that has been in business at that place for more than 12 years, but is rarely if ever mentioned in local newspapers or magazines, if other LTH readers or contributors had similar good experiences there.

Pasta Palazzo
1966 N. Halsted St.
Chicago

I'm fond of Pasta Palazzo & have eaten there several times, its a favorite of my friends who introduced me to it a few years ago because its consistently good, pretty inexpensive (for that area in particular) & its very vegetarian friendly. It can be a bit of a zoo on Friday & Saturday nights (they don't take reservations. IIRC) but turnover of the tables is always fairly fast. They seem to have a brisk carry out business too.

Whatever is on the specials board is usually also a good bet - I've had good luck with the ravioli special the last couple of times I've been there & a friend pretty much always orders the gnocchi.

They aren't trying to be Spiaggia or something similar, just serve a basic well-made plate of pasta with a glass of wine and a salad & if that's what you're after, they are a reliable bet.

I used to go here - or one of its locations - years ago. Like, ten years ago or so. I enjoyed it fine, though I seem to recall always returning home smelling of what I ate. Was it the grease? Garlic? Dunno.

Very fond memories from many years ago. Not expensive and fun.

We used to take out from them all the time. It was always fast, cheap and plenty of food. Not premium pasta, but definitely good enough for a quick weeknight meal.

I used to take out from Pasta Palazzo all the time, but when I moved to Lakeview, I have to admit that it fell off my radar. I just made a trip back there tonight for takeout. I was nervous that I wouldn't like it as much now that I'm no longer a student and am more savvy about Chicago restaurants. It didn't disappoint. I ordered my usual - housemade gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce. The sauce is rich. I once watched them make it and saw the cook pour a whole lot of heavy cream into the pan. But it's more than that - the gorgonzola gives it an earthy funk, which makes it stand out from any alfredo sauce. It tastes a little toasted too, like what happens when pasta sticks to a pan, even though there's no crunchy bits. The gnocchi is plump and chewy. I counted 13 gnocchi in my portion.


I got the tiramisu for dessert. For $5, you get a pretty massive portion. It's not as good as La Scarola's tiramisu, but I liked it better than Due Lire's. The tiramisu has a nice light espresso flavor, cream is plentiful and not too sweet, ladyfingers are a little too spongy for my taste.


The restaurant, located at the busy Halsted/Armitage intersection, is pretty small. It's an open kitchen with a bar around it along with tables along the wall. They don't take reservations, and it's cash only. The menu is comprised of simple $9-10 pastas where you can add meat, veggies, etc for a couple bucks more. It's seriously no frills Amer-italian place that is affordable good eats. It's got some neighborhood charm as well. Along the wall ledge are some pictures of who I can only assume to be the owner's kids. I think it's the owner who answers the phone and greets people from behind the cash register. After tonight's pasta, I'm definitely putting this back into rotation.

Pasta Palazzo
1966 N. Halsted St.
Chicago IL
773-248-1400
http://www.pastapalazzo.com