Acanto is one of “musts” when in Chicago! The food is fantastic, the service is 5 star and I wish I could import the ambiance to my home town. We enjoyed (again) the bruschetta, and their wonderful take on that dish. My wife's chicken piccata was a very generous dish rich in flavor and a side of perfect broccolini. My rigatoni was likely the best version I have ever had, anywhere, including in Italy. We will be back to Chicago in a few months, and look forward to dinner there again.
LoopDweller
Great food. There is nothing on the menu that is not delicious. Service was excellent and the staff clearly works as a well managed team. I had an Acanto Old Fashioned for my drink. I normally have one...well....
I felt a certain insecurity because the bag of a lady at the next table was stolen by people passing by on the street. The waiter said this happens frequently, but at no point is he told customers to be careful. I thought that the restaurant doesn't care about its customers and when this happens the customer has no support from the establishment.
I had the risotto of the day which happened to be pea. Cheese was perfect rice al dente was smooth and luscious. Wife had chicken picatta she thought the spaghetti was a little too chewy. It was our wedding anniversary and they treated us great. Nice and quiet. We will definitely be going back.
Desiree F.
Great location near Grant Park. I am an eminent visitor to Chicago and this was my second visit to Acanto. I attended a group business dinner. The service was great, the planned menu was delicious, and the services took great care of us! Thank you!
Mwine
When we walked in it was difficult to see as we had walked over in bright sunlight, and the restaurant is rather dark. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful. Our drinks and food were served promptly. It was very pleasant eating within a small somewhat dark space. Very enjoyable and the food was very good.
Gabe S.
Superb food, great service, lovely atmosphere. What's not to love? The cappelletti caccio e peppe pasta dish was soooo tasty, as was the broccolini side dish. Not sure which was better, tbh. Our server was wonderful and patient, answering many questions. The setting on Michigan Ave. was quiet with a nice view: just what we were looking for. If we lived in Chicago we'd be back again for sure!
Jill P.
Came here for a solo lunch date but was really disappointed by the food and the price. I mean the location is great and right across from the Bean, but food gave me a stomachache after (an almost $40 stomachache) Would not recommend
DAC2go
We celebrated a family birthday over lunch for four. Start to finish, food and service were excellent: cocktails, shared appetizers, main courses and dessert. The guest of honor was delighted, especially with the tiramisu. The restaurant, unlike so many others, has a cozy ambiance and is conversation-friendly. The host also very welcoming. Bravo!
Tex1219
My friend was visiting Chicago and we were looking for somewhere for dinner. We saw the 100% 5-star reviews and knew we had to try Acanto because who gets 5 stars from 3000+ people? Plus, we thought it would be an ode to our recent trip to Italy. It did not disappoint! Everything we had was excellent and I will definitely be back. We each had a cocktail since we had already started with drinks before dinner at Cindy's next door (also a great place to stop by before dinner at Acanto). I can't remember the names of the cocktails but we both loved ours. We shared the octopus and arancini as appetizers and the Lobster Fusilli for our main. The portions were perfect and we were satisfied with the amount. We didn't leave anything on the plates! Everything was so flavorful and rich without making you feel heavy. The braised octopus was fresh and tender and probably the closest we've had to what we had in Europe—definitely a must if you like octopus. The arancini was sizeable and the perfect mix of fried outside and gooey cheesy inside and we loved the pesto aioli that accompanied it. The Lobster Fusilli was a huge win and also a must try here! A well portioned mix of the seafood in it and the tomato flavors are so bright and rich. It has a light kick but nothing truly spicy. It was fantastic! We were too busy enjoying our food to take pictures but it all looked good too. We were still talking about our meal the next day. Can't wait to go back and try more!
Sat on the patio which is enclosed and heated at this time of year. However we found service a little hard to come by this time around on the patio. But when served it was friendly and courteous. Food was excellent as always - this time, pear salad, fried calamari and the lobster pasta were all winners wine list never disappoints.
KimB
Perfect place for a business team dinner. The staff were very nice and attentive to our needs. We enjoyed our food. One mushroom pasta dish had a little too much salt but it was not bad. The drinks were great as well. We had a party of 7. We will return again.
Absolutely amazing in every way. The bestI most amazing pepe e cacio, very good squid ink pasta and branzino. The risotto was interesting and the rigatoni was amazing with red wine. The team was outstanding - we had so many special requests and they were great
Great atmosphere for a work / client dinner or happy hour with friends! Amazing fresh pasta and inviting and comfy space - more intimate than most but perfect for a little Italian place!
BrendaT
Attentive, coordinated service, excellent wine, delicious side salad, perfect Mushroom Pappardelle, and heavenly finishing touch with the Strawberry Semifreddo. All extremely enjoyable.
Acanto is one of “musts” when in Chicago! The food is fantastic, the service is 5 star and I wish I could import the ambiance to my home town. We enjoyed (again) the bruschetta, and their wonderful take on that dish. My wife's chicken piccata was a very generous dish rich in flavor and a side of perfect broccolini. My rigatoni was likely the best version I have ever had, anywhere, including in Italy. We will be back to Chicago in a few months, and look forward to dinner there again.
Great food. There is nothing on the menu that is not delicious. Service was excellent and the staff clearly works as a well managed team. I had an Acanto Old Fashioned for my drink. I normally have one...well....
I felt a certain insecurity because the bag of a lady at the next table was stolen by people passing by on the street. The waiter said this happens frequently, but at no point is he told customers to be careful. I thought that the restaurant doesn't care about its customers and when this happens the customer has no support from the establishment.
I had the risotto of the day which happened to be pea. Cheese was perfect rice al dente was smooth and luscious. Wife had chicken picatta she thought the spaghetti was a little too chewy. It was our wedding anniversary and they treated us great. Nice and quiet. We will definitely be going back.
Great location near Grant Park. I am an eminent visitor to Chicago and this was my second visit to Acanto. I attended a group business dinner. The service was great, the planned menu was delicious, and the services took great care of us! Thank you!
When we walked in it was difficult to see as we had walked over in bright sunlight, and the restaurant is rather dark. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful. Our drinks and food were served promptly. It was very pleasant eating within a small somewhat dark space. Very enjoyable and the food was very good.
Superb food, great service, lovely atmosphere. What's not to love? The cappelletti caccio e peppe pasta dish was soooo tasty, as was the broccolini side dish. Not sure which was better, tbh. Our server was wonderful and patient, answering many questions. The setting on Michigan Ave. was quiet with a nice view: just what we were looking for. If we lived in Chicago we'd be back again for sure!
Came here for a solo lunch date but was really disappointed by the food and the price. I mean the location is great and right across from the Bean, but food gave me a stomachache after (an almost $40 stomachache) Would not recommend
We celebrated a family birthday over lunch for four. Start to finish, food and service were excellent: cocktails, shared appetizers, main courses and dessert. The guest of honor was delighted, especially with the tiramisu. The restaurant, unlike so many others, has a cozy ambiance and is conversation-friendly. The host also very welcoming. Bravo!
My friend was visiting Chicago and we were looking for somewhere for dinner. We saw the 100% 5-star reviews and knew we had to try Acanto because who gets 5 stars from 3000+ people? Plus, we thought it would be an ode to our recent trip to Italy. It did not disappoint! Everything we had was excellent and I will definitely be back. We each had a cocktail since we had already started with drinks before dinner at Cindy's next door (also a great place to stop by before dinner at Acanto). I can't remember the names of the cocktails but we both loved ours. We shared the octopus and arancini as appetizers and the Lobster Fusilli for our main. The portions were perfect and we were satisfied with the amount. We didn't leave anything on the plates! Everything was so flavorful and rich without making you feel heavy. The braised octopus was fresh and tender and probably the closest we've had to what we had in Europe—definitely a must if you like octopus. The arancini was sizeable and the perfect mix of fried outside and gooey cheesy inside and we loved the pesto aioli that accompanied it. The Lobster Fusilli was a huge win and also a must try here! A well portioned mix of the seafood in it and the tomato flavors are so bright and rich. It has a light kick but nothing truly spicy. It was fantastic! We were too busy enjoying our food to take pictures but it all looked good too. We were still talking about our meal the next day. Can't wait to go back and try more!
Restaurantji Recommends
Sat on the patio which is enclosed and heated at this time of year. However we found service a little hard to come by this time around on the patio. But when served it was friendly and courteous. Food was excellent as always - this time, pear salad, fried calamari and the lobster pasta were all winners wine list never disappoints.
Perfect place for a business team dinner. The staff were very nice and attentive to our needs. We enjoyed our food. One mushroom pasta dish had a little too much salt but it was not bad. The drinks were great as well. We had a party of 7. We will return again.
Absolutely amazing in every way. The bestI most amazing pepe e cacio, very good squid ink pasta and branzino. The risotto was interesting and the rigatoni was amazing with red wine. The team was outstanding - we had so many special requests and they were great
Great atmosphere for a work / client dinner or happy hour with friends! Amazing fresh pasta and inviting and comfy space - more intimate than most but perfect for a little Italian place!
Attentive, coordinated service, excellent wine, delicious side salad, perfect Mushroom Pappardelle, and heavenly finishing touch with the Strawberry Semifreddo. All extremely enjoyable.