Red-sauce Italian restaurants, even the chains that I’ll duck into on a road trip or in an airport, always speak to my American soul. In fact, I’m so ready to suspend any critical assessment as I’m shoveling chicken parm and meatballs into my maw that it came as a surprise to find familiar mainstays at this new spot that were so dialed in. Yep, it’s a big-concept restaurant from the big-concept Boka Restaurant Group, but chefs Chris Pandel (pictured above, on the left) and Lee Wolen (on the right) have aced this menu. You can practically inhale the finely shredded kale Caesar with its flurry of toasted breadcrumbs, and the crisp fried calamari is one of the best versions you’ll ever try. Roasted carrot dip and marinated eggplant keep the app section of the menu classy, and both styles of pizza — a classic yeasty crust and a feather-thin tavern style — are so definitively exemplary that you’ll want to go with a big enough party to try one of each. 

Price: $$
Address: 531 N. Wells St.
Website: zarellachicago.com