Dimmi Dimmi Is the Modern Italian American Joint Lincoln Park Needs

It’s a perfect neighborhood vibe.

Instead of splashy celebrity sightings and impossible-to-get reservations, Dimmi Dimmi is a cozy neighborhood spot that fosters a sense of community, and is already starting to build a group of loyal regulars. Portion sizes here are manageable, and prices are, too. “I want the restaurant to have a feeling of comfort and fun,” Eckfeld says. 

Don’t expect to see any replicas of Carbone dishes on the menu, but the parallels in style are certainly there.“I’ve learned techniques with [Major Food Group], but I want to do it my own way,” says Eckfeld. For example, the chef uses demi-sec tomatoes dried with salt and sugar, a technique he learned at Carbone, in his house salad and caponata sauce. “It basically makes your normal boring tomato into this sweet little jelly beautiful thing,” he says. 

While the menu is full of nostalgic comfort food classics like baked clams casino, spicy vodka stuffed shells, and eggplant parmesan, Eckfeld still shows off the occasional fine dining flex too, like an Italian beef-inspired carpaccio with giardiniera, parmesan and beef jus aioli.

Fresh mozz and sausage are made in-house.

There’s an impressive amount of housemade touches sprinkled throughout the menu, from garlicky pomodoro sauce and fresh mozzarella for cheese sticks, pizza, and chicken and eggplant parmesan; to Slagel Farms pork shoulder sausage ground and mixed with back fat, garlic, fennel and dried Calabrian chiles for pasta, pizza, and meatballs. 

Start your meal with sesame focaccia that’s been fermented for three days and served with olive oil and your choice of ricotta and honey, caponata, or creme di fagioli dips. Eckfeld credits his prep cooks for setting them up for success. “Our morning prep team is so passionate and when this much food is housemade, we really couldn’t do it without them.” Don’t be surprised if you receive a round of housemade limoncello shots after dinner when you’re celebrating a special occasion.

Takeout is a big part of the business.

Dimmi Dimmi started offering takeout a month ago and Eckfeld says 80% of the menu is available to go. He estimates that a sixth of their business is through takeout and he expects that number to rise once Chicago’s frigid winter settles in. This is his first time serving tavern-style pizza, but he tasted many competitors throughout the city, and used Pizz’amici and Kim’s Uncle Pizza in Westmont as his north stars. The four cheese pizza is a blend of mozzarella, parmesan, pecorino and Wisconsin brick cheese, while a vodka pizza features creamy vodka sauce, ‘nduja, sweet onions and Calabrian chile.

“I looked at it as a challenge,” he says. “We hit it on the head pretty quick with the dough. People don’t realize how much work goes into pizza. It’s a lot of planning and prepping the dough.” Their dough is made with Caputo blue pizza flour and fermented for 48 hours. While Eckfeld encourages diners to have it fresh out of the oven, it holds up and reheats well, too. “Turn the oven up real high and put it in there for a short time and it’s great,” he advises. 

Design inspo is “kooky nonna.”

Chicago’s Siren Betty Design redid the interiors, with Dimmi Dimmi’s fictional muse, a kooky nonna, in mind. The 78-seat restaurant is meant to reflect the eclectic taste and warm hospitality of a vivacious art-loving grandma, with bold colors, textured finishes, and hand-painted checkerboard trim by Susan Williams. The colorful space is layered with local art, including Chicago artist Natalie Osbourne’s vibrant semi-abstract portrait of Nonna to capture her eccentricity and charm, and a bar-height centerpiece table by local woodworker Navillus Woodworks.

Families and kids are warmly welcomed.

As the father of a three-year-old son, Eckfeld realizes how important it is for young families to have a nice place to have an early dinner. To that end, Dimmi Dimmi offers a dedicated kids menu with crowd pleasers like fettuccine alfredo, spaghetti pomodoro, cheese pizza and chicken tenders. “We open at 4 p.m. and most restaurants don’t open until 5,” Eckfeld points out. “From 4 to 5:30 pm you see a bunch of families and little kids and then they go on their way and we have our [child-free] diners in the evening,” he says. “The kids have really taken to the food, and they love the pizzas.” That includes Eckfeld’s son, who he describes as a “super picky” eater.

There’s a nod to the previous restaurant, Tarantino’s.

Dimmi Dimmi was previously another Italian restaurant, Tarantino’s, a Lincoln Park staple that had a 30-year run before closing in March 2025. Eckfeld has one menu item that honors the Tarantino’s legacy: a pasta with a rich, spicy tomato cream sauce with sausage, made not with Tarantino’s signature fusilli but with orecchiette instead. 

“My favorite noodle is the orecchiette because it’s big and a good kind of chewy,” Eckfeld says. “I wouldn’t call it al dente but it’s a very dense pasta.” The dish was a unanimous home run with all the partners from the very first tasting, and has gone on to become one of Dimmi Dimmi’s best-sellers. “A lot of people have fond memories of Tarantino’s, so I wanted to make sure we kept that and we can build new ones,” he says.