Eataly Chicago

            It’s hard to describe Eataly in a few words. The Chicago location, at 43 E. Ohio Street, features a retail area that includes imported pastas, olive oils, balsamic vinegars, Italian sodas, chocolates, and a host of other grocery items. There’s a wine store, beer section, a meat store, a mozzarella bar, a bakery, seafood, and produce sections. There’s dessert stands that sell homemade cannoli and gelato. There’s even Italian beauty products. This cornucopia of Italian products opened in December 2013. Eataly has 63,000 feet of retail space. It is the second-largest Eataly in the United States. There are other locations in New York, Boston, and Los Angeles. 

The interior of Eataly 

            And there’s one more thing that we haven’t mentioned yet: the restaurants and food counters. Eataly Chicago has four restaurants. Sabia—an Italian seaside inspired restaurant. La Pizza and Pasta—featuring homemade pastas and Neapolitan style pizzas. Osteria di Eataly—a traditional Italian restaurant serving full Italian meals of antipasti, primi, secondi, and dolci. Birreria—Eataly’s microbrewery and beer themed restaurant. They brew the beer about 20 feet away from the restaurant. The food counters include Pronto—a grab and go panini and salad bar. Ravioli & Co.—a pasta bar. A focaccia bar and La Rosticceria—a roasted meat counter serving paninis and plates. 

            Eataly is the brainchild of Oscar Farinetti, an Italian businessman who founded the consumer electronics chain UniEuro. After selling UniEuro in 2003, he created Italy. The New York Times described Eataly as a megastore that “combines elements of a bustling European open market, a Whole-Foods-style supermarket, a high-end food court and a New Age learning center.” The first Eataly opened in 2007 in Turin, Italy in a converted vermouth factory. The first American Eataly opened in New York near Madison Square Park in 2010. It is over 50,000 square feet in size. The American Eataly locations are owned in partnership with Italian restauranteurs Lidia and Joe Bastianich (of Masterchef fame). In addition to the five American locations, Eataly has opened stores across Italy and in places like Tokyo, Moscow, Istanbul, and Sao Paulo.  

Eataly desserts 

            While we were in Chicago, we had the opportunity to eat and shop at Eataly. We loaded up on imported olive oils, balsamic vinegars, and imported dry pastas. We also bought a small—LARGE—number of pastries and cannoli. We also had the chance to eat at two of Eataly’s restaurants: La Rosticceria and La Pizza & Pasta. In the best traditions of Italian cuisine, the cooking was straightforward and allowed the fresh local ingredients to shine. 

Capricciosa pizza 

 La Rosticceria: We enjoyed sandwiches from La Rosticceria. The first was a thinly slice porcini-rubbed prime rib. The meat, nestled in a homemade baguette, is melt in your mouth tender. The other was a roasted and braised pork shoulder served with salsa verde. The shoulder had a rich pork flavor and soft, succulent texture. 

La Pizza & Pasta: Our meal at La Pizza & Pasta started off with a selection of mozzarella from the mozzarella bar and Pane al Forno—a focaccia style bread—with two types of prosciutto and speck. The focaccia style bread was heavenly little pieces of pizza dough crisped up in the pizza oven. The mozzarella was bright and fresh. In Neapolitan style, the capricciosa pizza with buffalo mozzarella, mushrooms, prosciutto, artichokes, and olives had a blackened and crisp outer crunch that became softer towards the middle. The remarkably fresh ingredients were the star of this dish. 

So if you’re ever in Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, or New York and you want an immersive introduction to Italian food and cuisine, stop at Eataly. You may enter hungry, but you won’t leave that way.