CHIReview
Testaccio
Editor’s Note: It has come to our attention by way of this Block Club Chicago article that Testaccio has been subject to allegations of mishandling sexual assaults on employees.
Testaccio is the name of a historical mound made up completely of ancient broken Roman pottery. It also happens to be an Italian restaurant and wine bar in Logan Square. And the relatively new Testaccio does a good job of delivering tasty Roman food that won’t make you throw your plate and add to that pile of broken dishes.
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
The menu is short: just some hot and cold small plates, a single pizza, and a few entrees among other things. It’s all good, but you’re here for the permanent fixture pastas, like cacio e pepe and lobster fettuccine. They’re wonderfully chewy, and available in half portions in case you decide to order more than one. You should—either by yourself with a glass of wine at the bar, or for a date night that doesn’t involve one of you tossing pizza dough that sticks to the ceiling. While the dining room is small (but not cramped), on weekend nights the place has the type of loud, chaotic energy you’d expect from your least stable friend. Instead, angle for a seat on one of the lovely patios (there’s a covered option for winter months) for a low-key dinner.
Food Rundown
Dishes change seasonally, but here’s an example of what you might find on the menu:
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Burrata
Burrata is hard to mess up. Fortunately, the soft ball of creamy cheese is better than usual because it’s balanced with a spicy Calabrian pepper jam, salty speck, and crusty thick-cut grilled bread that won’t cut up the roof of your mouth.
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Bucatini alla Carbonara
Like most of the pastas on the menu, the carbonara is great. The thick bucatini is cooked perfectly al dente and is swirled together with big pieces of house-cured pancetta.
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Fettuccine di Aragosta
This is hands down the best pasta here. The lobster is meaty and tender, and you’ll be begging the waitstaff to package and sell the ramp compound butter that sits on top of the dish. The hefty pat of butter melting into the rye breadcrumbs creates the effect of garlicky little Pop Rocks, which is way more pleasant than it sounds.
photo credit: Veda Kilaru
Pizza a Metro
At the moment, there’s only one Roman-style pizza available, but it’s a good one. The crust is nice and airy, has a decent amount of chew, and the lightly charred pepperoni and mushrooms aren’t drowning in tomato sauce.
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Porchetta
While pastas are the move at Testaccio, there are a handful of entrees that can be hit-or-miss. Like the porchetta, which has, on occasion, been so fatty that we needed Edward Scissorhands to find any meat. But other times this dish has proven to be a standout, thanks in large part to the combination of sweet-and-sour agrodolce and pickled mustard seeds.
