Little Italy
Taylor Street, Arrigo Park, Blue Line
MEDIAN: $705,000
Get to know Little Italy
Little Italy is Chicago's oldest continuously Italian neighborhood, where family bakeries, delis and red-sauce restaurants have lined Taylor Street for more than a century. It sits on the Near West Side about two miles from the Loop, roughly between the Eisenhower Expressway and Roosevelt Road, from Ashland Avenue east to the UIC campus.
People move here for character, food and location. Green, white and red banners mark Taylor Street, handsome 19th-century homes line the side streets, and the Illinois Medical District, UIC and the Blue Line are all within walking distance.
Italian immigrants settled here in the late 1800s. Building the UIC campus in the 1960s displaced much of the old neighborhood, but Taylor Street's heart survived, and today its longtime Italian businesses share the street with newer spots from around the world.
Why People Love Little Italy
Residents and visitors describe Little Italy as a place where generations of history meet a welcoming, everyday neighborhood.
The food is legendary. Pompei has served Italian-American classics since 1909, Scafuri Bakery since 1904, and Tufano's Vernon Park Tap since 1930, while Mario's Italian Lemonade draws summer lines down the block.
The streets are beautiful. Blocks like Bishop and Lexington streets and the homes around Arrigo Park hold some of the Near West Side's most handsome 19th-century architecture.
History is everywhere. The Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii, Notre Dame de Chicago, Piazza DiMaggio and the nearby Jane Addams Hull-House Museum all tell the neighborhood's immigrant story.
Getting around is easy. The Blue Line stops at Racine and at the Illinois Medical District, buses run on Taylor, Harrison, Ashland and Roosevelt, and the Eisenhower is steps away.
It's close to work. The Illinois Medical District and UIC are next door, and the Loop is a short train ride east.
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What to do in Little Italy
In Little Italy, a good day is measured in meals.
Start with coffee at Two Shades Café or breakfast at Sweet Maple Café, then pick up bread and cookies at Scafuri Bakery. Take a walk through Arrigo Park or past the fountains at Piazza DiMaggio, across from the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.
Lunch is a Chicago classic: an Italian sub from Conte di Savoia, a beef from Al's on Taylor Street, or a sandwich from Carm's or Fontano's just off Taylor on Polk Street. In summer, finish with Italian ice from Mario's.
Spend an afternoon inside the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii or the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum. A new Italian-American museum honoring neighborhood activist Florence Scala is also planned for Taylor Street.
For dinner, settle in for a long family-style meal at Pompei, Tufano's or Tuscany on Taylor, try the modern red-sauce menu at Peanut Park Trattoria, or find the hidden patio at Chez Joël, a neighborhood French bistro.
Each August, the Taylor Street Little Italy Festa fills Taylor Street with live music stages, food from local restaurants and four days of Italian culture.
Housing Types & Architecture
Little Italy is a neighborhood of 19th-century rowhomes and brick flats, with newer townhomes and condos mixed in.
The oldest homes date to the 1880s: brick rowhomes, Italianate two- and three-flats and single-family houses on streets like Bishop, Lexington and Vernon Park Place. Many have been carefully restored, and some flats have been converted into condos.
Around Arrigo Park and on the blocks near Taylor Street, newer brick townhomes and single-family homes have filled in over the past few decades, designed to match the neighborhood's traditional look.
Condos are common, from units in renovated vintage buildings to newer mid-size buildings near Taylor Street and the medical district.
The quick read: a strong fit if you want historic character, Italian food at your door and a short walk to UIC, the medical district or the Blue Line. A harder search if you want a newer full-amenity high-rise or easy weekday street parking.
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Current selling trends, median income, recent sale prices, commute times, and walkability.
What People Are Saying
Here's how people who live in Little Italy describe it, summarized from public resident reviews:
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