Chicago (American) - Cafe Fresco

Café Fresco
1202 W. Grand Avenue, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 312-733-6378
Date of Review: June, 2008

I am not sure how well known this relatively simple neighborhood storefront restaurant is to most, but it is well known to me and my friends and has one of the best outdoor dining areas in Chicago. Café Fresco is conveniently located on a busy section of Grand Avenue close to downtown. It is surrounded by one of the best small Italian grocers in the city (Bari foods) and one of the better Italian bakeries I have been to (Damato’s).

Café Fresco has a small and basic interior with a few high and low top tables in bar like interior. They have a downstairs area where larger parties and events can take place but the real gem of this restaurant is the patio area. You walk through the restaurant, past the kitchen into what seems like another world. Café Fresco looks like it used to be a small home and this was the backyard. There are wild grape plants and lots of trees and ivy covering the walls and garage door. When I sit in Café Fresco’s backyard, I feel like I am in an oasis of sorts.

Café Fresco has a menu that is half “high-end” bar food (e.g. excellent sandwiches) and half Italian. I have eaten here probably 20 times and have come to favor a few things. For appetizers, the artichoke fritters are great. I do not like artichokes usually but when they are peeled off like onion peels, lightly fried and served with a spicy remoulade dipping sauce, they are very good. The bruschetta is also an excellent way to start your meal.

They have a great burger that is served with fries. The burger is good size and is topped with onions and tomatoes on a sesame seed bun with a large portion of basic, but decent french fries. The chili ancho chicken sandwich and fresco club are also good bets. The fresco club is loaded will all sorts of Italian lunch meats and cheeses on a nice focaccia bun. The Steak Au Poive sandwich is also a winner. They do offer specials and on my last visit I had the Italian veggie sandwich. The sandwich was huge and had sautéed eggplant, squash, zucchini and onion topped with melted mozzarella and tomato sauce on an Italian roll. The sandwich was good, but not great.

There are some excellent pasta dishes with my favorite being the rigatoni. There are huge rings of thick rigatoni noodles with goat cheese, spicy red sauce and Italian sausage mixed in throughout the dish. When the dish arrived, I thought it was just one big ring of pasta because the noodles were so big. This is my favorite pasta dish on the menu. The gemelli pasta was the pasta special on my last visit and it consisted of gemelli pasta with grilled chicken, spinach and asparagus in a tomato sauce. The combination of ingredients went well together with the tasty sauce and the portion was large. Their entrees are also solid and they usually have a fish special that features tilapia or salmon.

The prices at Café Fresco are about average. Sandwiches are in the $8 to $10 range and most pasta dishes are anywhere in the $11 to $13 range. The specials and fish dishes can get up to $15 to $17. They do have a full bar. On my last visit, we had the Italian veggie sandwich, gemelli pasta and 2 lemonades (free refills) and the total price was $28.90 plus tax and tip.

This is a pleasant place to enjoy a casual meal. You could really salt away an evening in their fantastic garden area over some solid food and quite a few drinks. I know I have on many occasions.