Sfera Sicilian Street Food — Restaurant in Lake View Township

Only opened now for a few months, this is quickly becoming one of my favourite small business restaurants in Edgewater! They started at farmer's markets and a ghost kitchen through the pandemic. So they've honed their recipes for quite awhile, which explains why they are able to hit the ground running even though they're a new business to Edgewater. My favourite thing is that they are now open to 6pm instead of mid-afternoon!

Sfra specialises in Scilian Street food and light fares! Having visited Scilily numerous times, this little slice of Italian comfort foods in Chicago is a gem!

I've already been to Sfra a handful of times and everytime I go I find another dish I enjoy!

For this review's post, I stopped in on a Saturday morning, what I'll talk about and post photos on are their morning options. I went with their vegetable frittata focaccia sandwich. On the side, I treated myself to one of their specialties, arancinis - fried risotto balls with a variety of delicious fillings! These are made in house and served with a side of their homemade marinara! Having been a few times, I've had them all and love every type they make! Today, I went with their classico and funghi this time! While this time, I had their breakfast items, previously I've gone for lunch. I love their Scilian style pizza and paired with one of their daily made salads made it a perfect lunch if you the good fortune to grab a seat (don't be afraid to ask to sit next to someone- which I'll go into more later in this review).

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention they also have fresh squeezed orange juice made-to-order (from I believe a Zūmex machine)! Check out how rich in colour and vibrant the OJ looks in the photo! And let me just tell you, the taste is bright and sweet that you can't get from store bought!

My only minor ding would be the lack of seating. They have a counter that seats 3, and a table that seats 4. I talked to one of the owners, Daniella and she told me they are working on getting a patio permit, so stay tuned..but for now, it is best to expect it to be grab-&-go for your Scilian Street noms.

Swing by and check them out! This is one neighbourhood favourite I'll be returning to for many...

Sfera serves Sicilian Street Food like arancini, sfincione (pizza), pane cunzatu (sandwiches), coffees, and more!

Located in Edgewater, their interior is bright and inviting, inspired by the coast of Sicily, and you’ll immediately notice the case of food drawing you in. Although the seating area is small, they package all their items with care to-go so you can take it with you wherever you go: back to work, home, or even a short walk to the lakefront for a picnic! They’re open daily from 10am-6pm and also sell retail items like house made caponata, chili and herb oil, and other curated products.

Chef Steven Jarczyk and Daniela Vitale have really created something special here and unique to the Chicago food scene. We were impressed by every item, and can’t wait to go back and try more. The classic arancini we tried was perfectly crisp on the outside and full of mozzarella and tasty ragu inside. Dipping them in their homemade marinara elevated the experience even more. Both sandwiches were also special, served on light flavorful bread, and packed with taste. Don’t skip out on their delicious desserts and specialty drinks!

See more details on everything we tried below:

PANE CUNZATO

PANE e PANELLE: crisp chickpea fritters, vegan lemon-caper aioli, roasted red peppers, on a sesame bun

ROASTED CHICKEN & RED PEPPER PESTO: chilled, roasted chicken breasts red pepper-almond relish, arugula, served on house-made focaccia

ARANCINI

CLASSICO: Crisp fried filled risotto balls Sicilian beef ragu, saffron risotto, mozzarella, served with house-made Sfera marinara

INSALATE

PANZANELLA: crisp toasted house made Brad mixed with fresh vegetables and other delights

DOLCE

ORANGE & PISTACHIO TORTA

BLOOD ORANGE CHOCOLATE CASSATA CUPCAKE: rich chocolate cupcake filled with blood orange jam, cannoli filling

DRINKS

A'Siciliana Aranciata Soda

A'Siciliana Limonata Soda

P.S. You can also look for Sfera Sicilian at the Logan Square and Andersonville farmers markets! They actually started selling their arancini at farmer's markets and using ingredients they would also find at...

TLDR: Sfera cares about their customers’ experience and will go out of their way to make things right when a perfect storm of unfortunate events happens.

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Update: I reached out directly to the owners, per their request, and they offered me my original order for free. The food was great and I appreciate the time and attention they gave to making sure I got a chance to try their food and have a great experience with them.

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I was so excited to try Sfera and really wish I didn't have to write this review. I ordered Sfera via DoorDash last night and upon arriving at the designated time for pickup, I was prompted to add my phone number as my order wasn't ready yet. Each minute my estimated pickup time adjusted to the next minute so I kept feeling like it was almost ready. After standing in the small entry area* and waiting for 30+ minutes, I finally asked the person working at Avondale's Food Pickup if my order might have been available without getting notified. She let me know that Sfera was closed today so there was no way to get my order. I'm not sure how I was both able to place an order via DoorDash AND check-in with multiple notifications saying that my food was being prepared. I had to wait two hours via DoorDash to report an issue since it was a pickup and I couldn't cancel without not getting a refund.

Part of this could be DoorDash's fault but I would think that they wouldn't allow ordering when they are closed. This was one of the most frustrating experiences because I didn't even get to try the food after waiting so long. I'm a bit too skeptical of trying again after having such a disappointing experience.

*I also wanted to note that there is no place to sit at Avondale's Food Pickup which likely wouldn't be an issue as they have a great system for quick pick ups. As someone with chronic back pain, it was difficult to stand for 30+ minutes in this...