Eataly is massive. It’s two floors in the middle of downtown Chicago of just about everything Italian food you can think of.
Coffee, gelato, a Nutella bar, Cheese, bread, wine, seafood, cured meats, Italian liquors…it’s all here. It’s like Disney World for Italian food which is both a good and bad thing.
We stopped in for Gelato one afternoon and had an excellent pistachio gelato and a good watermelon sorbet. after that we strolled around a bit (go slow, it’s crowded) and had an espresso.
Want to buy some nice stemware, go for it. Fresh mozzarella, it’s there. Want a cookbook, as long as Mario is on the front you’re set there are a ton to pick from (we don’t talk about Mario anymore as he’s a bastard.) There is a ton of selection but it feels very “clean”
We did go back Friday evening before dinner for some wine and snacks…service was great – we stood at one of the bars and had a nice rose bubbly and some cheese and bread. Very good to say the least. I’d still prefer a place like La Prima for my coffee but in a pinch, Eataly will do just fine.