This Italian coffeehouse, restaurant and bar entices people for many reasons. How many places can you go with this group of friends: One person just wants an espresso, another is craving an Italian beef sandwich and someone else is ready for cocktail hour to kick off. Not many, at least in terms of places that exude more coffeehouse vibe than bar attitude.
In addition to that Italian beef sandwich, Caffe De Luca's lunch and dinner menu includes a vast and savory list of pizzas, salads and paninis. Homemade zuppa, cichetti (Venetian bar snacks) and stuzzichino (more substantial appetizers) provide grazing options for light eaters and lighter budgets, with cichetti running from one dollar to $2.50. You’ll pay a little more for that specialty martini, Italian wine or coffee cocktail like the decadent De Luca Bomber: coffee with Baileys, Kahlua and Grand Marnier, topped with whipped cream and a cherry.
A bustling Bucktown brunch location, Caffe De Luca provides obligatory mimosas and bloody Marys, as well as a range of fruit smoothies and Italian sodas. Any number of three-egg omelet combinations can be made upon request, and the spinach and goat cheese quiche at $7.99 is big enough and good enough to warrant asking for additional forks for your friends. The seasoned potatoes, an easily overlooked breakfast staple, were overwhelmingly popular at my table, some of the best that my potato-picky friends have had.
The high ceilings and weekend crowds make for bad acoustics, so you may not be able to hear that story at the other end of your table. However, you’ll stay visually engaged by the old Italian designs and crumbling walls, suggesting an abandoned post-war cafe rediscovered and brought back to life. Details like the embossed copper fleur de lis pattern will especially speak to those proud Italians (like one of my trusty dining companions) who have a matching fleur de lis tattoo, or at least to those with a strong family heritage and love of Italian dining.
Average cost: <$10
Centerstage Reviewer: Heather Blaha
