Piccolo Mondo
1642 E 56th St
(between Cornell Ave & Hyde Park Blvd)
Chicago, IL 60637 (773) 643-1106
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
13 reviews
Neighborhood: The Loop
"Atmosphere: Theatrical Price: Lunch expensive Bathrooms: Very Clean Food: Excellent We went here for lunch after a meeting in the area! No…" read more »
16 Reviews for Piccolo Mondo
During the short wait to get your fresh cut hunk of Parmesan cheese at the deli, it's fun to analyze the contents of the salads in the cooler so as to replicate them later at home. The food is good, the staff are nice, and the view, especially from the former smoking section way at the back behind the wall, is gorgeous. I recommend getting a window seat because that way you feel like a spectator rather than, as sometimes happens in the middle of the large and airy room, a goldfish being observed. Back in the day, you could eat outside (or just guzzle wine) on the Windermere terrace; they really should find a way to bring back that lovely institution. This is also a very useful place to pick up a last-minute bottle of wine for a party in East Hyde Park when you don't have time to pop off to somewhere cheaper several blocks away.
I had no idea what to expect when I went in here. It doesn't look like too much from the outside. When I stepped inside, the decor was minimal, and it looks like they sell food out of the front counter, like in a grocery store.
Considering it was a Monday around 1:30pm, it was a little crowded. They have a great selection of pasta. My friend and I ordered two different pasta dishes. I didn't think anything was better than my food until I tasted his and vice versa. It was so good. They had quite a few wine glasses for $5, which definitely appealed to me.
The wait staff was perfect. They weren't overly involved, but they didn't disappear after taking our order like most seem to do in every other restaurant. My water glass was full the whole time; I usually have to request water. After eating, the waiter promptly appeared to take our plates and box up the rest of my food. He wasn't overly friendly, but he was respectful.
I loved every minute here and I can't wait to go back!
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Piccolo Mondo is the best restaurant in Hyde Park. It's located at the 1923's Windermere House Hotel, across from the Museum of Science and Industry. The view is magnificient..!!
The food is great. Now they have Spanish Tapas.
Try the Empanadas, the best in town, are delicious, as well as Pollo al Curry or Canelones de Atun. The Croquetas de Papas are my favorites.
The pastas, pasta with seafood, chicken gourmet and veal dishes are great too.
They are famous for the Calamari Fritti and the Tirami Su.
Piccolo Mondo for me and my family is "the restaurant ", were you can eat with your family and have next to your table one of the nobel of economy, the president of the UofC, Obama's family (all Hydeparkers).
The most is that is very affordable. Great Piccolo..!!
Piccolo Mondo is one of the best restaurants in Hyde Park- home of a million restaurants.
Conveniently located, this place has much to offer. The food is delicious, the service is spectacular, and they deliver. They aren't too expensive but the menu does have wine and some exotic foods.
Piccolo Mondo is extremely fast! My food is usually done within 20 minutes of placing my order. I hate eating the same food but I order Calamari every time.
Piccolo Mondo is THE place for calamari! If you go- please, if at least the entree, get the calamari. But either way, visit Piccolo Mondo and you will not be disappointed!
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Stumbled upon this place by accident, what a nice find.
From the outside it looked like a little cafe, which would of been fine, we were doing house hunting in Hyde Park and I was a bit hungry. Much to my surprise this little spot had a pretty extensive menu, and as I read it over my mouth started to water.
I had the Chicken Vesuvio, which was very good, not great, but good. My husband had the Eggplant Parmigiana, which he liked so much, that he claimed this to be his place to go for Eggplant!
You get a choice of soup or salad with your meal, so prices are reasonable and a good value. They only have one salad dressing, the house Italian, which is more of a balsamic vinaigrette, which worked out better, since I'm not a huge fan of the standard Italian style dressing, but some people don't like balsamic vinaigrette, so if you come upon my review, you have some inside info.
We didn't have any wine, too early for it. Coffee this time of day, and their coffee is pretty darn good.
The real treat was dessert, actually I could of made this my dinner. A slice of some Fruit tart cake, a light pastry with a bit of cream with tart, tart, face puckering berries on it sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Service was friendly and quick for the most part, the main course did take a while to arrive, but seemed freshly prepared and hot.
The atmosphere was pleasant, not overly done, with beautiful views outside of their windows. You had the feeling you were dining just off of Central Park in NYC.
They have a small specialty store as you enter, olive oils and things like that.
The place seemed almost dark as we approached, we questioned if they were open. If it weren't for the one person I spotted dining, we would have turned around. As we were leaving quite a few people were coming in, so if you like it quiet, plan a early dinner.
Bottom line, we'll be back here for sure.
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I visited Piccolo based on the reviews I found on Yelp for a place to eat around the MS&I. It is sparsely decorated but the view of the MSI from the windows are beautiful.
The service was good. We just had some wine, a few caprese salads and their antipasto platter. It was at about 4pm on a Sunday. It was a pleasant time but I was disappointed in the shabbiness of the place and the stained menus. The lemonade wasn't fresh lemonade, it seemed to be some sort of mix. Maybe I'd try it for a sandwich the next time I'm in the neighborhood.
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Despite the unimpressive initial impression based on the minimal decor and the noticeable lack of loud and rowdy patrons I have come to expect in Hyde Park establishments, Piccolo Mondo won my instant favor at the first sip of cappuccino and the first bite of the house salad. The quiet atmosphere, enhanced by barely audible Italian background music and wait-staff who barely speak except to take your order, makes this place a fantastic find for Hyde Parkers looking to forgo the noise and bustle of more popular local restaurants.
As a barrista, I am very finicky when it comes to drinking coffee anywhere other than upscale coffee houses - their espresso drinks are spot on and made by hand and excellent. The wine selection is small, but all the selections are good standard options at reasonable prices.
The menu itself is a pleasant departure from the greasy and tomato-heavy fare that lesser Italian restaurants offer. The menu is predominantly comprised of pasta, chicken, and veal dishes - all of which are portioned generously and come with soup or salad to leave you completely full at the meal's end. The Lemon Chicken, a full chicken breast served in white wine with scallops and lemon butter, is particularly recommended!
Dessert is always a sticking point for me in evaluating a restaurant, and the tiramissu is the primary reason that Piccolo Mondo has moved to the top of my list for Hyde Park restaurants. The heavily rum-soaked ladyfingers give this dessert a fabulous flavor! The profiteroles and cannolis looked great as well, but I was too full to sample anything else.
The final bill for three people was $75 (which included 2 glasses of wine, 2 cappuccinos, 3 entrees, and 3 desserts), making the meal a bit more expensive than can be found elsewhere in Hyde Park - but you'd be hard pressed to duplicate the quiet atmosphere and high quality Italian food.
In short: I consider Piccolo Mondo the Italian equivalent to the French La Petit Folie - as close to upscale dining as Hyde Park gets.
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Nice Italian eatery in an old hotel. On our visit, we had excellent roasted pepper soup, very tasty gnocchi and and well prepared shrimp fettucine dish with high quality crustaceans. Nice and reasonable selection of wines by the glass. I am not a real veal fan but I did notice that the veal dishes were quite a bit pricier than the seafood ones -- it's usually vice-versa. Not sure whether this indicates something about quality or portion size.
As other reviewers mentioned, the atmosphere, though generally pleasant could use a few pick-me-ups: newer menus and slightly prettier lighting would help. Also, we were attending a concert afterwards and our server was a bit hard to find when we wanted coffee and a check.
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First off, the service here was very quick, even with almost every seat taken. We were able to get our soup & entrees very quickly. The food was very good for the price and I will be going back.
But as a person who has been searching for something a little more on the fine dinning side, I can't help but think how a few little improvements could make this a very rare & unique experience in the Hyde Park area.
Just replace the white xeroxed menus with some parchment type paper with the menu printed off of a computer. Get the wait staff out of the polo shirt with embroidered name and have them where an all black or black & white combo. Update some of the chalkboard signage so it looks more more restaurant and less deli. And if it's in the budget. Get rid of the drop ceiling. I'm sure there's some nice plaster under there than can be repaired and painted in a unique way. This could be a premier eating establishment in the area, especially given the fact that it's set up right on the park in a vintage hotel.
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My favorite Italian restaurant in Chicago and it's only 3 blocks from my apartment!
Amongst locals, Hyde Park has a reputation for bad service and slow, indifferent wait staff. This place is, happily, one of those that makes up for the bad service in other HP establishments. Waiters are quick and friendly, your food isn't delivered to you cold, and the food is very good. Prices are not extortionate, either.
The wine list is smallish, but what they do have is of good quality.
Check the back wall for the specials handwritten on the lightboard.
Bonus points for the fantastic view of the Museum of Science and Industry/Jackson Park from the front windows
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A little known secret is that the sandwiches they serve at their deli (think fresh mozzarella and prosciutto) are the best in Hyde Park. They even have Italian sodas to go along with your sandwich.
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Decent Italian eatery. Family owned.
The space in which Piccolo Mondo occupies has a beautiful view of the Museum of S&I through its large windows. Aside from the windows the decor is a little plain- not cozy.
The service was great, not overly involved, but the experienced staff knew exactly when to come to the table.
Large selection (12 or so) of wines by the glass below $7. That is a nice touch. The menu is tattered and could be better organized. I had the Scampi appetizers. The sauce was very tasty, shrimp was nice, but the scallops were few and far between.
Pasta entree was decent, but not overwhelming. Terimissou was pretty good.
The final bill was pricier than I was hoping. This might be the best for Italian in Hyde Park, but that doesn't warrant a higher rating.
You have to go here more than once. It's a tiny Italian hide out but you will like the cozy feel it give you. Bring some cash and friend.
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This is a pleasant italian place located in a quiet corner of Hyde Park. I think I'll have to visit a few more times to fully evaluate the food, but the appetizer & entrees I sampled were tasty & pretty reasonably priced. The restaurant is located in an old hotel which has been coverted to residences, I got a glimpse of the building's well-preserved vintage lobby on the way to the restrooms, which was an added treat. If you are looking to do a low-key, low-cost dinner in Hyde Park, Piccolo Mondo might be an excellent choice.
I used to live in the building that houses Piccolo Mondo, which means that I never had to go outside if I wanted to get something to eat on an oppressive winter day. While I never found the entrees to be worth the time, the subs in the takeout line are really great. Eggplant parm sub is my personal favorite...
What's interesting about this place is that it's the hangout of all the older UC intellectuals...not every restaurant can say that it hosts weekly meetings of Nobel Laureates, philosophers, and the like. Sometimes, I would just eat in the place, get a newspaper and listen to all of the big shots talk.
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