Amiga Amore

In case you haven’t heard, intimacy is over. The practice of good old-fashioned dinner conversation has been replaced with sharing TikToks of 3-year-olds Irish dancing in wigs. But on rare occasions our silly, little, human instincts for true emotional connection kicks in. That’s when we head to Amiga Amore. This teeny, tiny Highland Park spot is the kind of neighborhood fixture where knees touch, phones stay on the table, and dishes make boredom impossible. At this Mexican-Italian fusion spot, you’ll find one-of-a-kind cooking in an intimate, inviting space that seems specifically designed to lower your stress levels.

On a fairly quiet stretch of York Blvd, Amiga Amore is a pint-sized place with classic hacienda-style white stucco walls and clay roof tiles. Although the restaurant started as a pandemic pop-up, its current home feels as lived-in as a pair of vintage 501s. Everything from the colorful woven cushions lining the wooden chairs to the string lights casting a warm glow over the back patio exudes comfort and coziness. It’s somewhere you’ll want to sit, talking about your love language between sips of cilantro-infused negronis, for hours. But it’s not just the unusually charming atmosphere that makes Amiga Amore a restaurant worth repeat visits, it’s the delicious food with a story to tell.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

The Mexican-meets-Italian menu here comes from a husband and wife duo who met as young chefs. In 2020, they started serving mash-up, cross-cultural dishes in Highland Park inspired by the stuff they grew up eating. Now, with a proper brick-and-mortar under their belt, this literal fusion concept has reached its full potential. Unlike most so-called fusion restaurants, the dishes here taste like classics that were always destined to share the same plate. And even if you would never have thought to make pasta dough out of masa or make a caprese salad with nopales, you’ll leave here glad someone else did.

Our favorite dishes come from the section at the top of the menu, made up of smaller plates and pastas. In fact, we’d be completely satisfied sharing the scallop aguachile in pomegranate broth, chicken tinga arancini, and a plate of cavatelli at the four-seat bar. Pairing it all with a glass of lambrusco or a prickly pear paloma is the perfect play for date night. For a group dinner, you’ll want a big table under the gazebo out back. That’s where you can circulate generous portions of chorizo clams, zucchini bread, and potato panzerotti among friends who have more than a few questions about your new crush.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

As for the rest of the menu, everything from the juicy rabbit porchetta with crunchy skin to the braised barbacoa short rib over buttery mashed potatoes has been uniformly excellent—the experts in the kitchen know exactly when to throw in an extra dash of pickled chayote and when to pare back on the hibiscus salt. But know this: a meal at Amiga Amore is not complete without their elote agnolotti, a subtly complex plate of sweet corn-stuffed pasta set off with tart finger limes and housemade tajin. The rest of the pastas are good, but don’t hit quite the same high note—we loved the chile colorado cavatelli and huitlacoche cacio e pepe, but less so the goopy chile relleno manicotti and lobster pappardelle.

On paper, a restaurant dedicated to Mexican-Italian hybrids might seem like a gimmick. But Amiga Amore is, without question, an example of a fusion concept done right. Unexpected ingredients here flow together like the harmonized voices of Destiny’s Child and the versatile dining spaces serve as a breeding ground for burgeoning romance and seasoned friendships. Intimacy isn’t over—it’s a night of passing plates at Amiga Amore.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Elote Agnolotti

We rarely order doubles of any dish. But that rule was broken for this one. Each tender, hand-rolled agnolotti is stuffed with a creamy filling that tastes like Mexican street corn glazed with butter. Pops of finger lime and a dusting of housemade tajin on top help balance out the richness.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Arancini

Chicken tinga and fried risotto balls are the match we never knew we needed. They’re dusted with cilantro powder and served with tomato-y hot sauce for dipping, but you won’t even need it. They're another prime example of the high-level creativity happening in the kitchen—get at least one order of these on your table.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Scallop Aguachile

Scallop aguachile is up there in the pantheon of light, refreshing snacks to kick off a meal. The one at Amiga Amore is a delicate showstopper. The bright red broth is studded with pomegranate seeds and “tostada” on the side that’s made from fried pasta dough. It's perfect for scooping a few bites with drinks as you wait for more dishes to arrive.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Chorizo y Clams

Though Amiga Amore is a restaurant best suited for sharing, you could easily eat this solo and leave in a blissful state. The bright orange-colored broth—filled with chorizo chunks and tender fragola—smells like a spicy citrus and jalapeño bath. After you slurp down all the clams, you’re left with a rich, peppery soup and a side of toasted chile de arbol bread to sop it up.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Rabbichetta

Think porchetta, but made from two tender rabbit saddles instead of pork belly. The meat is juicy and flavorful, with the ideal ratio of ultra-crackly skin and tenderness in each bite. If you’re choosing one entree for the table, let it be this one.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Short Rib

This is a massive plate of fork-tender short rib, served on a bed of mashed potatoes with pickled and grilled chayote plus fried leeks for garnish (a nice touch). We didn't a ton of the "barbacoa spices" flavor mentioned on the menu though, so unless you're big shredded beef fan, or with a very hungry group, this isn't must-order.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Horchata Panna Cotta

If your date leaves any of this behind in the bowl, consider it a criminal act. And consider calling us so we can finish it for them. This is a creamy, cinnamon-packed contender for the finest vegan dessert around town. It’s made with rice milk, but still has the kind of jiggle you want in a panna cotta.