Doug Psaltis and Hsing Chen know a thing or two about opening hit Chicago restaurants. Their Logan Square Greek spot Andros Taverna and River North Spanish-inspired steakhouse Asador Bastian are among the hottest restaurants in the city—both were named on Esquire’s best new restaurants list in the year they opened. Now the couple is turning its sights to Italy at brand-new Logan Square restaurant Mano a Mano in Chicago.
“We want to share some of the dishes and flavors we’ve had in our trips and discoveries to Italy,” says Psaltis, who handles savory, while Chen does sweet. “Italian restaurants there have always been our safe place.”
At Mano a Mano, that translates to comforting and unfussy regional dishes where just a handful of stellar ingredients are the stars of each dish. Plus, handmade dishes are all over the menu—mano a mano means “hand in hand” in Italian—from housemade pastas to focaccia to gelato.
Read on for all the details on Mano a Mano in Chicago, and make a booking on OpenTable.
What to eat
The concise menu is made up of appetizers, vegetable-forward dishes, pastas, and a tiny but mighty selection of desserts.
Start with focaccia di Recco, a dish Psaltis and Chen always order when they’re in Italy. Thin sheets of dough filled with creamy, funky stracchino cheese are baked until crispy and golden. “It’s the lightest little snack that leads you into a great meal,” Psaltis says.
Keep building on your dinner with one of the saucy pastas, like the pappardelle with braised rabbit, and pair it with the bright arugula and fava beans salad that gets a hit of saltiness from sliced parma ham and pecorino. Make sure to grab a slice of plain focaccia when servers come around the dining room with it—it’s perfect to sop up the pasta sauce.
This isn’t a skip-dessert kind of destination. A showstopping cheesecake studded with jellies resembles the jewel tones of terrazzo tile, while the spun-to-order gelatos, including a popcorn-topped one, are closer in texture to soft serve.
What to drink
Like the food, Mano a Mano’s drinks menu is easy to navigate. Choose from a selection of negronis and coffee- and amaro-based cocktails—kickstart aperitivo with a Montenegro sour if you stop by at 4 pm, when the restaurant opens. Or take your pick from a short bottle list featuring 20 of Italy’s signature varietals like Barbera and Sangiovese; Mano a Mano pours three wines daily by the quarter or half liter, too. “It’s a better version of a by-the-glass program,” Psaltis says.
Where to sit
The dark and intimate restaurant feels like you’re walking into a party from the ’70s. “We wanted it to be a place where you can leave the world behind,” Psaltis says. The hip mid-century modern interiors have dark wood-paneled walls and space-age light fixtures with spacious green leather booths for families and two communal tables for solo diners or walk-ins.
When to go
Like a true Italian trattoria, Mano a Mano feels different depending on when you go. Come when the restaurant opens at 4 pm, and you’ll see families tucked into the booths. Throughout the night, the communal tables function as the restaurant’s bar with some diners staying for a full meal, while others pop by for a drink and snack. And later in the evening, the restaurant becomes a terrific date-night spot. Mano a Mano in Chicago is open Sunday to Thursday from 4 pm to 10 pm and Friday and Saturday until 11 pm.
Lisa Shames is a writer focused on travel and food culture in Chicago, IL. She has covered Chicago’s restaurant scene for publications including CS, Chicago Tribune, and Time Out and is the U.S. contributor for Sogoodmag.
