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.