Tocco

Stopped in for a quick drink. Love the elegant yet contemporary atmosphere. Joanna the bartender was so helpful and knowledgeable, she set us up with an amazing Italian beer.

We’ve lived in the neighborhood for years, and have always been intrigued by this place. Can’t believe it took us this long to visit! Thought the food was great!
–They have varying soups each day. The night we went, they had zucchini and potato. It was amazing! Topped with Parmesan and olive oil.
–I also thoroughly enjoyed my wine. I had the primitivo which had the perfect amount of dryness for me (I usually like Cabernets).
–I had the lasagne which I ordered because it does NOT have ricotta. I cannot stand ricotta in lasagne! The lasagne at Tocco had ground beef, light sauce, and the perfect amount of browning. I found it to be fabulous.
–My husband had the Neapolitana pizza. This pizza wasn’t for me, but he enjoyed it. It was topped with an anchovy purée. The crust was spot on, very similar to what you would get in Florence.
The décor is cool, albeit a little odd. A lot of pink, an attempt at higher end/​modern finishes. Definitely not anything I would expect in Wicker Park! I was annoyed by the four top tables because they had a huge base that left you no leg room. Service was cordial and efficient. While I found some of the pricing odd ($ 9 for soup?!) overall, I found the quality of the food and experience to be well above average.
I highly recommend checking Tocco out!

This place has really nice décor and very authentic ambience. Food was good, but over priced for the actual portion size. We were a large group, but we were the only ones there and service was kind of slow, especially towards the end.

Venture away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Chicago and find some other hidden treasures. We were headed to try a small theater on N Milwaukee St and felt the hunger pains ringing in the belly. So took out my good old Unilocal app and discovered TOCCO was a new Italian option in town.
The décor is very contemporary with a sleek look but is most inviting. We were escorted to a nice table towards the back of the restaurant. Here they had a large screen tv highlighting many famous areas of Italy. It brought me back to my most favorite vacations in that country.
Our server was straight from the mother country and most delightful. Although the menu is limited each dish sounded fabulous. Some even offering home made pasta options which is always enticing to me. My friend and I opted for the same dish of pasta, shrimp, mussels and calamari. Simply mouth watering. Although portions are a bit small the prices are very reasonable which allows you to enjoy more courses. Be sure to save room for dessert. You will be glad you did!!!

The food and the service were excellent! We felt right at home as soon as we entered and were greeted by Bruno the owner. Bruno talked w us about an amazing non-​profit he has started in which he brings cooking lessons and dignity to inmates at cook county. To top it off, pizza and lasagna were great. We’ll definitely be back!

After having dinner at Tocco with friends, I had to go shake hands and meet the executive chef, Bruno Abate. He is a man with a full heart of love and passion for the culinary arts, and does it with complete unselfishness. If you live in the Chicago land area or even outlying suburbs, I highly recommend you come visit Tocco for dinner. Not only was the food amazing and to absolutely die for, the service was stupendous. It was great to have Bruno not only be responsible for the food, but also responsible for making the customers feel like family. An experience with no regrets.

Great food and great service. Modern Italian food with reasonable prices. Must try the pizza. My favorite is the ham and mushroom. It’s light and makes a great appetizer to share. Pastas are fresh and homemade. The tortellini is heaven. And the lasagna never disappoints. Great drink and wine section. Great place for large groups or a date night. We will be back.

Tocco est vraiment l’endroit idéal pour un resto en groupe! Le patron est charmant et vous proposera de lui faire confiance pour amener quelques petits plats qui étaient tous très bons. Le plus de ce resto est évidemment. Son bar! Les cocktails servis sont délicieux. Malheureusement ce n’est pas ouvert jusque supra tard et il se peut qu’on vous fasse comprendre qu’il est temps de bouger à un autre endroit pour siroter de bons bourbons.

I’ve been to Tocco several times and decided I owe them a review. This is an excellent Italian restaurant with moderately high prices for the food quality. The décor is minimalist Milanese modern, beautiful and rather adventurous for a city where people think Italian means checked tablecloths and wine bottle candles.
We shared an excellent starter of roasted vegetables and then two fine pasta dishes – lasagna bolognese and tortelli al tartufo. Both were very good. Also had a ok torta di ricotta for dessert. I’ll definitely be back since this is a great pre-​theater place for the theaters on Milwaukee Ave.

Despite mediocre reviews, I think this place is awesome! I eat here regularly and always order pizza. It is some of the best wood fired pizza in the city– crisp and light. No mushiness and sogginess. Ingredients always fresh.
Owner is super friendly and staff attentive and helpful. Pasta is homemade and fresh too which is hard to find at other Italian restaurants.

The food quality matches the price. Servings could stand to be a little heftier. The décor seems to be set up for the not-​to-​distant future, depending which direction we go, as a society.
The bathrooms (men) are pleasant if you like black fixtures. They have a convenient tab on the seat for ease of lifting.
*WARNING: the sinks are a little touchy and can put out dramatic water pressure that can reach the front of your pants.

Pizza is excellent, salad fantastic! Bruno far exceeds your expectations! Atmosphere is trendy, very clean. Please open one on the NorthShore Bruno!

Great food, nice atmosphere. I’ve always passed Tocco driving down Milwakuee and wanted to try it. Overall a pleasant experience but fairly run of the mill authentic Italian for Chicago.
The wine menu is extensive — lots of different wines to try, both red and white.
The food is good — what I would expect from an authentic Italian restaurant. We ordered the Casereccia, a pizza with mozzarella and mushrooms — very fresh and light, reminded me of what I would eat in Italy, not the regular fake thin Italian pizzas that are served abroad.
For dinner, we ordered the Pappardelle Alla Norcina and the Linguini Di Giuseppe Cocco. The pappardelle was a little on the oily side — the truffle taste did not come through at all. It was either very mild or overpowered by the Italian sausage. The Linguini was delicious — light and fresh– but, again, heavy on the oil. The jalapeños described are not spicy by any means, they are more like pimiento peppers or green peppers.
The service was fairly good — the waiters are attentive and constantly servicing tables, so, if anything is needed, they are easy to get ahold of but they do check in frequently.

We made reservations for 5 pm on a Sunday (didn’t seem as though we really needed them). The waitstaff was incredible. Very accommodating, patient with our food choice, and willing to split our bill with three different cards. We are on the gorgeous patio, but the inside was opened up to the beautiful weather as well. We order the caprese appetizer and one of the pizzas. The caprese was probably the best I’ve ever had! Pizza was good, but I’d like to come back and try their pasta dishes!

This place delivers everything you would want from an Italian, which is great in a city that loves pizza and almost forgets the stripped back simplicity of what Italian really means. I implore you to visit. I don’t normally dine out for Italian but I will make an exception for this place.
We came by one Saturday evening and came across large families gathered celebrating and enjoying some quality together. This place is clearly a labor of love for the people working here and a pleasant escape from busy streets for many of the people visiting it.
There was also one man who seemed like a regular solo diner, which is probably the highest compliment a restaurant could receive. Here was a man requiring no other entertainment other than good flavors and a good atmosphere. It impressed me that this was not out of place either. I doubt there are many other Wicker Park establishments that would show all parties unique respect regardless of party size or situation. Everyone feels like they are having their own private shindig at this place. And with a lovely patio away from the road, there is an air of exclusivity about the place in what could otherwise be termed «the scruffy end of Milwaukee».
We had the caprese salad, which was delightfully served with fresh basil, gloriously red and ripe tomatoes and a soft voluptuous mozzarella.
Next up was a board of proscuitto, mortadella, parmesan cheese and grilled vegetables. This was one of the best I’ve ever had as the vegetables weren’t an afterthought. Delicately flavoured and grilled carrots, beets and zucchini helped bring color to the dish.
I saw an earlier comment on here about the calamari. I thought the batter was perfectly light, crisp and the calamari inside was tender and not chewy. Perfectly executed and I have eaten a lot of calamari! I normally use calamari as acid test; if a restaurant gets that right then the rest should follow… and it does.
We didn’t have time to explore the pizza, pasta or wine, but the cocktails and dishes we tried, we devoured! We will surely be back again soon and hopefully it will bump up my review up to five stars.

Tell me the outdoor patio with its laid back atmosphere tucked off a bustling street doesn’t transport you to Europe!
When my party of 3 arrived around 6:30, the restaurant only had a couple tables occupied, but business definitely picked up in the next hour and a half for couples on a date night, girls’ night gatherings, and the like. Service was friendly and attentive, though it seemed like the owner/​manager was walking around to talk to every table but ours.
We started off with the gnocco appetizer: fried donut pouches served with a selection of cold meats like prosciutto and mortadella. It was nice to try, and the donuts were crispy and fresh, but the dish was missing a dipping sauce or something to pull it together. I would have liked something crunchy (walnuts?) to go with it too, and it left me wanting some… cheese. I did my homework and was dead set on the pappardelle with sausage and truffle cream sauce for my entrée, and I wasn’t disappointed! The noodles were fresh and well cooked (not too al dente), and the sausage added the saltiness and meatiness the dish needed. Truffle cream sauce elevates everything and made me feel like I was indulging! I would recommend it!

Great authentic italian restaurant! They offer super tasty original italian food and have friendly service. The Furniture unfortunately is more like in a Bistro but overall the ambience is good bc they show pictures from Italian cities with an overhead projector, thats kinda funny :)

Wonderful Italian pizza!
Came here on a with some girlfriends on a Tuesday night. We had a travel zoo deal which included 4 pizzas, two appetizers, and 4 drinks. Normally $ 120, so a GREAT deal. They only allow $ 9 beverages, but since we all drink prosecco it worked well.
Pros:
1) great pizza! Does remind me of Italy!
2) the owner (?) was extremely entertaining! We were a little confused by how long the pizza was taking and asked how much longer. He explained that the pizza making process is like «love» and brought us back to see the pizzas cooking in the oven. My friend even was able to take one out of the oven herself!
Cons:
1) skip the appetizers. We had calamari (they were out of mussels) and the Italian cheese board. The cheeses were ok but I wouldnt recommend the calamari.
2) It DID take a long time for our pizza, especially given the small number of people on a Tuesday night.
3) service could be more attentive

The food was really good!!! The pizzas were amazing!!!
However the service was beyond slow! There was one waitress for everyone and I saw it was getting to be a bit overwhelming for her. She was also the bar tender wow!
The décor was trendy and nice… however there was a projector on screen doing a golf demonstrations… interesting. .
We came with a travelzoo voucher… this place is definitely worth a try! Good pizza and LQ…

The space is expansive. Modern chairs, art décor and wine displays, making this restaurant top-​notch. I enjoy coming here, especially when the owner is there.
I would have given the place its usual 5 stars, but Valentine’s Day was different. If I’m being honest, the hostess and waitress could have been at least pleasant. I get it. they must have been exhausted dealing with the crowds of hungry people, but that’s no excuse.
We arrived and trust me-​it was a cold Chicago night with chilling winds, and I was frozen. Of course we get seated next to the door… how come we couldn’t choose where we wanted to sit like the others did? There were plenty of open tables, we asked if we could move tables and the hostess rolled her eyes and reluctantly agreed. Wow, rude much?
Our waitress was below average. I was clueless on the specials– we were just given the menus and she ran off? I noticed that she informed others of the specials and actually chatted with them. I had no idea what her name was since she barely talked to us. only thing I knew was that it wasn’t our usual Italian waitress. It seemed as if she did not want us there… She kept informing us that she was exhausted, I get it. but please don’t tell us that.
The bussers did a fantastic job, they were great! Anytime my water was low, it was filled right away!
Food was great, fresh as it always is.
Next time, we’ll go when it’s not crowded and hopefully get our nice Italian waitress to serve us from now on.

Came to Tocco with a Gilt City deal and was pleasantly cheesed, I mean pleased.
I had seen this place open for a while and always wondered what was behind those pink lights. A club? Lady salon? When i walked in, I finally go to see its sleek, modern décor. Imagine dining at your rich friend’s dinner table.
Our deal included 2 glasses of wine, a starter, 2 pastas and a dessert. Wine was perfect, mussels were just ok but the pastas are what make you fall in love. I had the truffle filled tortelloni and he the sausage pappardelle. It was a burst of cheese and truffle in every bite. I wanted to hug this plate and never let go like Rose from Titanic. He liked his dish but knew mine was the winner. Tiramisu for dessert was also one of the best I’ve ever had. You can tell everything is made from scratch and with care.
While the service was great, the décor beautiful and the projector playing beautiful images of Italy was inspiring me to plan a Euro trip, the prices are a little cray for this area. I’m very happy I got to try it with the Gilt deal but I would only return as a rarity. I know it’s not Olive Garden nor would I expect it to be, but $ 25 but 9 squares of pasta is a little out of my league. If I see another deal for this place, I’ll jump on it without a doubt and you should too!