Ciao Amore, New Pilsen BYOB

Last night, on a friend's recommendation, we tried Ciao Amore, the new BYOB Italian restaurant in Pilsen.
It's a welcoming space in a funky storefront nestled among the taquerias, bars and liquor stores of W. 18th. We walked in quite hungry and, had we not noticed the generous portions on the next table, would have seriously over-ordered. As it turned out, we split a salad, soup and an entree (of which we took half home) and were amply full. Also, one of the owners, who introduced himself and chatted amiably with us, sent over a complimentary dessert which, though delicious, we struggled to finish.

Apologies for the low-light iPhone pics...

Salade della Casa:

Lettuces, bell peppers, black and green olives in a potent, garlicky balsamic vinaigrette. Oddly, no tomato.

Zuppa Barese:

I could have made a meal of this. Rich, creamy broth with chunks of potato and pasta. Plenty of good bread to sop it up, too.

Braciole:

Two big hunks of rolled flank steak stuffed with spinach, prosciutto and garlic. Served with homemade cavatelli in a hearty tomato sauce. More than enough for two.

Tiramisu:

Just too much enough. A nice, light rendition of the classic.

The food was terrific and our server was delightful. I can't think of anything about it I didn't enjoy. And, we left stuffed for about $35.00 plus tip. I really hope this place makes it.

Ciao Amore
1134 W 18th St
Chicago, IL 60608
(312) 432-9090

Tue-Thu 11am-10pm
Fri 11am-11pm
Sat 4pm-11pm
Sun 3pm-9pm

PaulSL, we're headed to Ciao Amore tomorrow or day after, so really appreciate this intel...and photos are not at all bad for a phone. I'm sure it's been mentioned, but it seems like there's a clear trend toward BYOB places, which reduces check and relieves restaurateurs of paying for a liquor license.

David Hammond wrote:PaulSL, we're headed to Ciao Amore tomorrow or day after

Looking forward to your impressions.

I should check this place out since I live all of 2 blocks away. I'm looking forward to David's take as well.

Ciao Amore? Stupid, stupendous, weak, strong, dumb, delicious.



I've never been a huge fan of soup, least of all cream soup, but we opened up with a knockout punch of zuppa Barese, a very light, milky broth with potato, pastini, a hardboiled egg and, I swear, garbanzos (though I think those are not usual for this traditional soup), perked with a little cut herb on top. I could have eaten another bowl of this.

I've got a deadline to hit, but I'll write more later. Suffice to say, this place is worth a trip, especially if you're in the neighborhood. Ciao Amore has a number of highly appealing dishes, and there are low points to be recognized, but overall it's worthy and promising.

Note: this place is where Real de Catorce used to be located...another place that held promise, getting good reviews from many here, including the lost and sincerely missed Antonius, though I was a little disappointed. I hope the neighborhood is now ready for a white table cloth place (though the flickering blue cop cams I spotted from my table suggest the area may have a way to go).

Any updated intel on Ciao Amore? I'm helping my boss find a place for a group of 10 before a show at Thalia Hall.