“The Loop’s oldest Italian restaurant has opened an espresso bar to court morning commuters, Downtown residents and workers.
“Café Pisolino is open on the ground floor of the sprawling Italian Village Restaurant at 71 W. Monroe St. The espresso bar, inspired by the Italian tradition of a pisolino — a short nap or moment of pause — invites customers to slow down and enjoy the everyday rituals of Italian life at the center of the bustling neighborhood.
“Café Pisolino is our way of reimagining how Italian Village can serve the city throughout the day,” Jonathan Capitanini, president of Italian Village Restaurants, said in a press release. “As the Loop continues to evolve, we saw an opportunity to create something that feels both timeless and new, a place where people can step away, even briefly, and reconnect. It’s about honoring our family’s legacy while contributing to the vibrancy and everyday life of downtown Chicago.”
“Café Pisolino is the newest addition to the Italian Village enterprise, which has been in business since 1927.
“Italian Village is now run by fourth-generation siblings Jonathan and Giovanni Capitanini, who added the restaurant Sotto and cocktail lounge Bar Sotto to the building’s lower level in 2024 after an extensive renovation. Jonathan Capitanini previously told Block Club they added the two concepts after seeing an appetite for an after-work bar in the neighborhood.”
Read the full story at Block Club Chicago
- Café Pisolino Wants You To Pause For Coffee, Pastries At Its New Home Inside Italian Village, The espresso bar is the latest offering from the family-owned restaurant, which has operated Downtown since 1927, Melody Mercado, Block Club Chicago, 6/9/26
- History of the Italian Village, since 1927. A Chicago Legacy Business