Caffe de Luca

1721 N. Damen
Bucktown
773.342.6000
Italian
www.caffedeluca.com

This is a cute little Italian cafe that is a charming place to drink a cup o' coffee and study or dine in for a full meal. I was there for dinner and shared an Italian-style pizza and a chopped CDL salad. The pizza was not good. The crust was too bready and soft and really not worth what it costs. But the salad was so delicious! It consisted of mixed greens, avocado, green onions, crisp prosciutto, gorgonzola cheese and grilled chicken. (The grilled chicken was flavored to perfection!) The dressing was light and sweet but it had a kick to it.

I definitely would go back and get the salad again. They also have many varieties of grilled panini sandwiches that looked good-so maybe that would be a good thing to try next time.

I was disappointed in the dessert menu-I was hoping for my favorite Italian treat, tartufo, but they didn't have it. We ended up getting a chocolate cookie/pie thing that reminded me of a chocolate covered ho-ho. I didn't like it. We also ordered almond macaroons but they happened to be out.

The environment was casual and cozy. The decor was "faux Italy"-trying just a little too hard to be authentic. (Even including hanging clothes on a clothesline in the restaurant.)

I would recommend checking Caffe de Luca out. It is a nice place to just relax, chat with an old friend or go on a first date.