La Villa Restaurant

La Villa Restaurant has been in business since 1972. Salvatore Canale created his own family style restaurant from the ground up. Starting with his fantastic pizza, he added delicious ingredients from his personal family recipes to create the truly Italian-American Experience.

La Villa Restaurant, Banquets and Lounge in Chicago's Old Irving Park Area is a local favorite. Their Menu includes their famous pizza and a wide variety of dinner options. Since 1972, owner Salvatore Canale has served up top notch traditional Italian/American cuisine. Customers love the old school charm of the dining room, friendly staff and unforgettable food. Great for both dining in and delivery.

Chicken Vesuvio, a specialty of Chicago, is an Italian-American dish made from chicken on the bone and wedges of potato, sauteed with garlic, oregano, white wine and olive oil. The pieces of chicken (on the bone and with the skin) are baked and when the skin is crisp, the chicken is done and ready to be served. The dish is often garnished with a few green peas for color.

In Chicago, one also often finds the savory technique applied to other foods, like "steak Vesuvio," "pork chops Vesuvio" or even just "Vesuvio potatoes."

The origins of the dish are unknown, but some suggest it might have been popularized by the Vesuvio Restaurant, which operated at 15 E. Wacker Drive, Chicago, in the 1930s.

La Villa offers locals a neighborhood atmosphere of a gone-by era. La Villa also has a lounge located past the entrance in the left dining room. On some nights there is also live music here and locals meet to see some of the local sports games. There is always a family atmosphere and no matter what time you arrive, the staff will always greet you with a very warm welcome.

As you come in through the front entrance of the restaurant, you'll see this small bar area, which is centrally located between the north and south dining areas.

This cozy dining room is located opposite the lounge area on the north side of the restaurant and is definitely our favorite area where my husband and I enjoy our meals. You can still hear the music, but more softly and the lighting is dim and romantic.

This particular dining area is located on the south end of the restaurant, alongside the lounge.

La Villa has two parking lots plus additional parking on the street. This photo is of the south parking lot, which is located on the corners of Patterson and Pulaski.

This is the sign by the north parking lot, which is alongside the north end of the restaurant.