Acanto Wine Bar
Wine Bar, Restaurant
Chicago, USA
Acanto Wine Bar Wine List
About Acanto Wine Bar
On the main Millenium Park drag in downtown Chicago, things can get eye-rollingly touristy pretty quickly. But, in a desert of chain restaurants, deep-dish pizza, and food-truck hot dogs, a cozy, charmingly Italianate, upscale wine bar like Acanto is an oasis. Honor dictates that I disclose this restaurant is a part of the group I work for personally, but it’s also the restaurant I visit the most in my free time, so reader, take that as you will.
With a bustling downtown clientele, Acanto’s buzz in their dimly lit dining room, their direct-from-Milan marble bar, or their lush sidewalk patio is exactly what one would want after wandering the park or seeing a show in the nearby theater district. The menu is all Italian, and quite traditional: Neapolitan pizzas available for lunch only, house-made pastas, and a bi-monthly “Passaporto” menu that tours the diners around the various regions of Italy.
The wine list is a university course in strictly Italian wine, covering all 20 regions with a commendable variety and a wide price range - one can snag many excellent, interesting bottles for around $50, in addition to many collectors-edition reserve wines. They have a unique glass-pour list that explores Italy’s indigenous grapes almost exclusively - you won’t find a by-the-glass Chardonnay here; try Roscetto!
In addition, they offer weekly wine classes (full disclosure: taught by yours, truly), wine flights, and a warm, well-informed staff, ensuring a great experience for any Italophile on Michigan Avenue.
Great for
- Italian
- Italian wines
The Gage
