Tortello

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Pastificio Born from Memory

Tortello opened in 2019 on West Division Street in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood, and its roots run deep into Italian soil. Dario Monni, born and raised in Venice, learned to make handmade pasta at his grandmother's side and spent summers in rural Sardinia with relatives who worked as shepherds, cheesemongers, and butchers. His grandfather ran a specialty food shop in Venice in the 1960s. All of that — the ritual, the honesty of ingredients, the family-centered table — is what Monni and his wife, co-owner Jill Gray, set out to bring to Chicago.

After graduating from Instituto Alberghiero Giuseppe Maffiolo, one of Italy's most respected culinary schools, Monni spent years in London's world-class bar scene at institutions like Harry's Bar, Gritti Palace, and Cipriani, then helmed beverage programs across Dubai and Montreal before joining acclaimed Italian restaurant L'Anima alongside chef Francesco Mazzei. Gray, a native Chicagoan named one of Business Insider's "Top 30 Women in Advertising" in 2015, brought her own global experience to the partnership. When they relocated to Chicago in 2016, the idea of Tortello took shape.

Three Things Under One Roof

Tortello operates as three things at once. As a restaurant, it is counter service and entirely made in-house — casual in format, serious about quality. The menu moves through Italian starters (stuzzichini), a focused pasta list, and dolci, with a full Italian bar offering wine, beer, cocktails, and espresso. On weekends, bomboloni and cornetti extend the day into breakfast.

The pasta itself tells the story. The signature Tortelli — filled pasta with burrata, butter, sage, and hazelnuts — sits alongside Cacio e Pepe on spaghetti alla chitarra, a Paccheri all'Amatriciana with crispy guanciale and Calabrian chili, and the Aglio Nero, Olio e Peperoncino that Dario's own menu notes as "his midnight snack in Italy." The Tagliatelle Tina arrives with a natural grass-fed beef ragú. Every plate is rooted in a specific Italian tradition rather than a generic idea of it.

As a pastificio, Tortello sells fresh handmade pasta by the pound daily, along with meal kits and sauces. Custom pasta orders are accepted 48 hours in advance, and the pasta is available at grocery stores across Chicago and beyond.

The alimentari side — a nod to Dario's grandfather Alifer and his Venetian shop — offers imported wine, oil, honey, salt, aged parmigiano reggiano, mortadella, housemade butter, and housemade focaccia.

Recognized for What It Is

Gambero Rosso, the authoritative Italian food and wine guide, awarded Tortello a fork in its 2026 edition — recognition that carries particular weight for a restaurant whose entire identity is built on Italian culinary tradition. The award reflects not ambition for ambition's sake, but the kind of consistency and integrity that comes from genuinely knowing what you're cooking and why.

Tortello takes walk-ins only. No reservations. Come as you are.