Chicago Italian Spot: A Seafood Lover’s Paradise! 🦞

Went shopping in Andersonville over the weekend and decided to try Calo Ristorante—a long‑standing Italian gem in the neighborhood! 📞 Reservations: Phone‑only 🕛 Opens daily at 12 PM 🅿️ Parking lot right across the street 📍 5343 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640 🏛 Background Calo has been in Andersonville since 1963—a multi‑generational family restaurant that’s become a beloved community staple over 60+ years. 🌿 Ambiance Exposed brick walls, hardwood floors, vintage murals, and a solid wood bar give it an old‑Italian‑movie feel. Large windows overlook Clark Street, and the warm lighting creates a cozy vibe—we lucked out with a window seat! 🍞 Complimentary Bread They brought out a big, pizza‑like bread right away—soft, warm, and delicious. 🍸 Cocktails We ordered two light, fruity cocktails—refreshing and low‑key on the alcohol. 🥗 Appetizer: Polipetti Alla Griglia Grilled octopus—and it’s not small at all! Served with white beans and sautéed broccoli rabe in garlic‑olive oil. The octopus was wonderfully chewy, and the bitter greens with garlic‑oil were addictive. So good we skipped ordering a salad! 🍝 Main: Linguini Frutti Di Mare Seafood pasta in white wine‑garlic sauce—loaded with shrimp, scallops, clams, squid, and mussels. Perfectly seasoned, not too heavy, and I cleaned the plate! 😋 Italian portions are famously generous—two dishes were plenty for two of us (otherwise we’d have needed doggie bags!). With the beautiful sunny weather lately, enjoying Italian food like this felt absolutely perfect. ☀️ #Foodie #Chicago #ChicagoLife #ItalianFood #ItalianRestaurant #ChicagoEats #SeafoodHeaven