Chicago Rat People Eat at the Mouse Restaurant 🐭✨

November 2024 — a friend from Pennsylvania visited Chicago and specifically asked to check out this classic Italian “mouse” restaurant: Topo Gigio. Then November 2025 — my college seniors came to town, so I took them there too. (Also — the real-life couple I’ve shipped for ten years — stay happy forever!! 💕) The restaurant sits in Old Town, a historic Chicago neighborhood filled with vintage buildings and quirky shops — just walking the streets feels nostalgic. 🐭 Topo Gigio opened in 1986, nearly 40 years ago. Its name comes from a beloved Italian cartoon character — the little mouse Topo Gigio, popular across Europe and the U.S. in the ’60s. You’ll see cute mouse-themed decor all around. 📍 1516 N Wells St, Chicago, IL 60610 🍷 The whole place has soft lighting, a cozy vibe, strong Italian flair — walls lined with wine collections, old photos, paintings, and the mascot Gigio the mouse peeking everywhere. 🦐🍚 Seafood Risotto (Patio Risotto) Highly recommend! Creamy and rich, with the sweetness of shrimp and scallops soaked into every grain — each spoonful is packed with seafood flavor. Silky texture, never dry or heavy… we always clean the plate! 🐙🍝 Squid Ink Pasta This one fell short. The squid ink flavor was there, but overall it felt a bit bland — sauce and toppings weren’t memorable. Edible, but wouldn’t order again. 🦪 Baked Clams Not whole clams — more like minced clam filling. Finely chopped clam meat blended with buttery aroma — smooth and savory. 🍋 Calamari alla Griglia Grilled squid! Firm yet tender, bouncy and juicy, with just the right salty-charred seasoning. 🍝 Linguine Alla Vic Damone A lighter pasta dish — linguine had nice chew, clams were fresh and flavorful. Only downside: a few tiny shell fragments snuck in. 🍗 Petti di Pollo alla Fiorentina Ordered for variety, but honestly not their strong suit. Chicken breast was a bit dry — this place really shines with seafood. 💖 Recently finished Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc — would you choose the country mouse or the city mouse? I think I’ll stick with the city mouse. #Chicago #ChicagoEats #ChicagoFoodFinds #ItalianRestaurant #TopoGigio #LifeInChicago