Chicago | The Smith Has Really Good Beef Ragù Pasta 🍝

Randomly stumbled upon The Smith — a spot I hadn’t seen many reviews for on social media. 📍 400 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654 Last night around 6 PM, we tried to visit the Christmas market but the line was insanely long — wrapped around the corner onto another street! We then aimed for Nonnina for Italian, but the host said the wait for a table of three was until 7:40 PM… so we walked out. Passing by The Smith, we glanced at the menu and thought, why not give it a try? 🍝 Braised Short Rib Mafaldine Pasta ✨✨✨✨✨ The star of the meal! The braised short rib ragù was perfectly cooked — tender, flavorful, and rich. The wide, curly mafaldine pasta soaked up all the sauce beautifully. So delicious, well-seasoned, not too salty or bland. 🦑 Crispy Calamari The calamari itself was fine, but it came drenched in goat cheese and lemon aioli — way too heavy and greasy. I picked around the sauce and enjoyed the plain pieces, but my friends got stuck with the saucy ones and found it really overwhelming. 🍔 The Smith Burger A burger with a flavorful patty, but the bun didn’t absorb any of the meat juices. Toppings (pickles, onions, lettuce) and bun texture weren’t my thing — though I admit I’m just not a big burger person 😅. The fries on the side were better than the burger — crispy and tasty, though they only came with ketchup upon request. 📄 Menu thoughts: The menu felt oddly short yet all over the place — oysters (the server said they’re famous for them, with daily specials from different regions), various steaks, pasta, and even some international dishes like what looked like a Thai-style fried rice with pineapple, green papaya, basil, and curry. 🪞 We sat with our backs to a mirror — made for some fun selfies with our reflections in the background 😄. #Chicago #ChicagoEats #ChicagoLife #CasualDining #TheSmith #PastaLovers #FoodFind