Sip Nutella Lattes And Scarf Italian Food Inside Richard Sandoval's New Cafe

Look around Il Tavolino and read the menu, now open in the Conrad Hotel Chicago in River North

by Ashok Selvam@Shokdiesel Oct 19, 2016, 2:03pm CDT

Il Tavolino, a new cafe inside the Conrad Hotel Chicago, is open.

Ashok Selvam is the editor of Eater Chicago and a native Chicagoan armed with more than two decades of award-winning journalism. Now covering the world of restaurants and food, his nut graphs are super nutty.

The Conrad Hotel Chicago has opened the first of three food and beverage concepts developed in partnership with restaurateur Richard Sandoval (Latinicity). It’s a daytime street-side cafe called Il Tavolino, and they’re serving Italian food and pouring Metropolis coffee. The cafe’s designed for efficiency with self-service kiosks with tablets to take customer orders.

The house coffee is an Ethiopian and Brazilian blend made exclusively by Metropolis for the cafe. Specialty drinks prepared by baristas include a Nutella latte. There’s also fresh-pressed juices and Italian sodas.

Read the extensive cafe menu (click the link) that includes sandwiches, pizzas, salads, pastas and more. Highlights included a starropreti and lamb ragu (peccorino, whipped goat cheese, mint) and the pazzette, a fold-over stuffed pizza sandwich. The latter comes in the tradition of the humble pizza puff, a finding a better way to enjoy pizza on the go.

For colder months, there’s two fireplaces, while patrons can enjoy sidewalk seating in the summer. Check out the photos below.

Il Tavolino, located on the ground level of the Conrad Hotel Chicago, 101 E. Erie St., (312) 677-6792, open daily 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hours to be extended in the future.