Hate Olive Garden? Express Your Love for 'Real' Chicago Italian

If you're looking to get North Siders chatting, just ask them about their favorite Italian eatery. 

Or, present a story about the popular chain, Olive Garden, making its way to the neighborhood. That's what we did.

READ: Chicago’s First Olive Garden to Land on Addison

Here at Patch, we've been getting feedback ever since we broke the news. Several commenters called it a "sad day", one saying, "There is an abundance of delicious and affordable Italian restaurants in Chicago without having to go to a chain!!! UG!"

Another reached out on Facebook, saying:

"With all the REAL Italian restaurants ... why in the name of all that's holy do we need this? Nobody is going to eat there except suburbanites after a Cubs game."

Luckily, there is a plethora of outlets on Patch where you can continue to share your passion for "real" Italian food. If you haven't had the chance to peruse our Places Directory yet, please take a minute to do so.

Not only does it offer our North Side Patch users a look at local restaurants, stores, parks, nonprofit organizations and more, but a place where business owners can showcase what they've created.

As an owner, you can claim an individual listing as your own by logging in as a user, finding it on the site and clicking "Claim It". As a customer, you can review a restaurant by awarding stars to its directory listing and leaving a comment.

So go on, take a look. While you're at it, consider leaving a review for what you consider to be the best food around.

Here are listings for a handful of popular North Side eateries, to get you started, followed by links to the directories on each of our Chicago Patch sites.

A Few Restaurants:

• Piazza Bella
• Browntrout
• Balena
• Pete's Pizza & Restaurant
• Camalgino's Pizza
• Pasta Palazzo
• Riccardo Trattoria
• Costello Sandwich & Sides
• Fiorentino's Cucina Italiana
• Frasca Pizzeria & Wine Bar

Site-Specific Places Directories

• North Center-Roscoe Village Business Directory
• Lincoln Park Business Directory
• Bucktown-Wicker Park Business Directory
• Lake View Business Directory
• Lincoln Square Business Directory

There are tons of ways to beef up your business listing and here at Patch, we're happy to help you.

Want an editor to show your chamber members how to get the most out of Patch? Let us know. Is a business missing from the directory? We can fix that, too. E-mail carrie@patch.com any time for more information.

What's your favorite Italian restaurant on the North Side? Tell us in the comments.