Lincoln Park's Northern Italian Trattoria
Riccardo Trattoria on Clark Street is Lincoln Park's reference Northern Italian. A small, family-run room that has held its standard for two decades and continues to handle the neighbourhood's anniversary and birthday demand.
The cooking is traditional Northern Italian with restaurant-grade discipline: handmade pastas, considered regional preparations, careful seasonal mains. The wine list focuses on Italian producers; the by-the-glass programme is well-priced.
What to Order
Pasta first. Daily-rolled, the seasonal preparations are the strongest part of the menu. Risotto in regional preparations; osso buco when on; the secondi list rewards trust. The wine list rewards a Northern Italian bottle ordered with care.
The Format
The dining room is small and warm. Tables are well-spaced for conversation; the staff are unhurried; the regulars give the room a confident hum.
Best Occasion: Anniversary
An anniversary at Riccardo is one of Lincoln Park's quiet classics. The intimacy, the regional Northern Italian cooking, the considered wine programme. Combine into the kind of evening anniversary dinners are built around. The Lincoln Park context handles the longer evening.