Italian Village Restaurants
71 W. Monroe St., Chicago, IL 60603
www.italianvillage-chicago.com
(312) 332-7005

“Italian Village Restaurants is a fourth-generation, family-owned establishment that has been bringing Italian-American traditions to life for nearly 100 years in the heart of downtown Chicago.

“From the classic charm of The Village, with its timeless Chicken Parmigiana and freshly made pasta, to the relaxed yet refined atmosphere of Bar Sotto, where Italian-inspired bites and creative cocktails shine, they offer something for every occasion. Whether you’re enjoying a private event at Vivere or sharing globally inspired Italian dishes at Sotto, their award-winning wine cellar and old-school hospitality are at the heart of every experience!

“An immigrant from a small town–nestled in the picturesque, rolling hills of Tuscany–Alfredo Capitanini came to Chicago in 1924 with little money, but big dreams. He knew nothing about restaurants but was eager to work, so he took a job as a dishwasher and began to build his ‘Sogno Americano’. Just a few years later, The Village was born.

“Alfredo began his new American life as a dishwasher and ended up building a monumental restaurant paying homage to his Northern Italian roots with dishes inspired and adapted from his hometown of Lucca in the foothills of Tuscany. He found immediate success-opening his doors on September 20th, 1927 to a full house. Over the years, The Village constantly evolved, priding itself on always listening to the guests. Soon, the menu offered late-night fare and even breakfast omelets in addition to an encyclopedic array of traditional Northern Italian dishes such as manicotti, cannelloni, and chicken piccata, and eventually Southern Italian as well with chicken parmigiana, eggplant parmigiana, and chicken marsala.

“Four generations of the la Famiglia Capitanini later, The Village still stands, against all odds, as a bastion of Italian-American tradition, exuberance, and la dolce vita.

Italian Village History

“Sept. 1927: The real start of it all! Alfredo saw a restaurant lease available nearby, signed it, and opened Italian Village a few months later on September 20th, 1927. As the story goes, it was a full house from the start.

1930s: Despite the Great Depression, The Village continued to be popular with theatergoers, businessmen, and couples having a night on the town. With this continued success, Alfredo began to vacation back to Italy with his wife, Ada, and always made it a point to bring a few Italian recipes back home – cannelloni, manicotti, and chicken Vesuvio, to name just a few.

1940s:The Village’s landlord put the building up for sale, Alfredo negotiated a deal to purchase it and took ownership in 1945. He rented out the other two floors – the first floor to a bar and the small basement to a tobacco shop.

1950s: The second generation began to lend a hand, with daughter Ave designing the newest venture, La Cantina Enoteca – an intimate Italian wine & piano bar on the building’s lower level. Shortly thereafter, his eldest son, Frank, joined the family business and started to takeover his role as the ‘Capo di Cuochi’. Frank inherited most of his father’s talents – a natural operator, gifted in the kitchen as well as with guests. Lastly, the youngest, Ray, joined the business after graduating college. At first unsure of how he wanted to be involved, Ray eventually found his calling in wine and PR.

1960s: Building on the tradition of opening new restaurants in the building, the 3 siblings banded together to open The Florentine Room, one of the first high-end Italian restaurants in America, in 1961. With a palatial dining room, tuxedoed waiters, and an abundance of tableside service – The Florentine Room became beloved by the stars of the day – from Frank Sinatra to Barbara Streisand to Luciano Pavarotti, showing that Italian cuisine, up until that point considered to be humble immigrant cuisine, could be extraordinary.

1970s: With 3 restaurants, and the three-martini lunch in full swing, business was booming. Skyscrapers were going up all around 71 W Monroe and between the construction crews, commodity traders, and attorneys, there was a line out the door and down the staircase from open until close.

1980s: Ray, with the help of Tom Abruzzini (dubbed his “mentor and tormentor”), started to build a monumental wine list focusing on bringing the very best Italian wines and more to our guests. Over the course of many marathon tastings lasting into the wee hours of the morning, and thousands of wines, the wine list wins Wine Spectator’s Grand Award in 1984.

At the same time, the 3rd generation began to join the business – first with Frank Jr., then Gina and Al, as well. They each figure out their natural roles – Frank Jr. starts in the kitchen then moves to the front of house (much like his father) while Gina leads the administrative and host teams and Al organizes and leads the business functions from finance to HR to operations.

1990s: After almost 30 years of Italian fine dining in Chicago, The Florentine Room was replaced with a project led by the 3rd generation team of Al, Gina, and Frank Jr. In 1990, they opened Vivere (“to live”) and once again the fabled space became one of the hottest Italian restaurants in the city, except this time – for a new generation of guests.

2000s: As the world around Italian Village went digital, moving faster and faster, the days of taking half-day, martini-fueled lunches start to fade. Fewer traders and attorneys crowd the bars, but theatregoers, families, and tourists replace them.

Vivere continued to gain prestige, earning accolades left-and-right including 3 stars from the Chicago Tribune and top ranks on lists of the best Italian restaurants in the city.

2010s: The Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup three (!) times, and parade past our tiny building! Meanwhile, the 4th generation starts to grow up much the same way as past generations, surrounded by family and pasta.

2020s: With a global pandemic to contend with, Italian Village is forced to close Vivere and La Cantina Enoteca to concentrate resources on keeping The Village open. The 4th generation, Giovanna and Jonathan, begin to take on leadership of the family business.

Today, with the Loop headed towards recovery from the dramatic changes caused by the pandemic, the sibling pair focus on rebuilding the trio of restaurants known as Italian Village – starting with opening Sotto & Bar Sotto in Fall 2024, a replacement for La Cantina Enoteca. Much like a generation prior, they hope to introduce the almost 100-year-old Italian Village complex to a new generation of guests.

Learn more and book a reservation at www.italianvillage-chicago.com

Italian Village Restaurants
71 W. Monroe St., Chicago, IL 60603
info@italianvillage-chicago.com
(312) 332-7005

History of the Italian Village, since 1927. A Chicago Legacy Business