Nice option to go to for lunch if you work downtown. They have great lunch specials that change daily. I went yesterday and for $10.99 you get baked mostaccioli, a side salad, and bread. The pasta was tasty and a nice serving. The salad comes with Italian dressing, which was ok. I wish more dressing was available but I guess you can always ask for more. The bread was a slice of focaccia. They have plenty of seats available inside to dine in. Try to avoid the noon lunch hour rush as they get pretty busy. I try to go around 11:30 or 12:30 and get my food in less than 10 minutes. read more

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Great Italian sub/pasta and pizza joint in the Loop. Great service, the line goes quickly to order and pick up. Great pricing and portions for their subs, pastas, and salads! I love their turkey and Swiss sub. The mustard they use is a great touch. The 6inch has to be larger than they say because it's hearty! It's a very long restaurant that has seating along the wall so that you can eat quickly and get out without being around the counter space. It's lively and quick and there's already some great music in the background. I live coming here for lunch and supporting a small business. Their subs beat those chains! read more

This is one of the best catering places we ordered from. The food is great and the service is excellent.

Well this is a step up from eating at Luke's sandwich shop across the street ambience Wise It's not a hole in the wall it's more bougie and trendy. The service was much more friendly although I paid a little more and also I ordered a little more for my lunch. My main order was the meat lasagna which came with salad and drink but I didn't care for the salad I wanted a soup of the day. It was either minestrone or pasta fagioli soup. I went for the pasta fagioli soup which was tomato based light minestrone but had beans. It was actually delicious. I then moved on and ordered since I had a craving for arancini. It was good too I ordered the meat base one versus the spinached one. We separate the marinara or the tomato based sauce which tasted fresh. And it wasn't heavy. Most homemade arancini it's almost like a meal and it's heavy because I already ordered lasagna but it was delicious and light as an extra appetizer. The meat lasagna was actually very delicious but she's tasted fresh the sauces taste the fresh it's like a step up from Sbarro's lasagna from the mall. It comes with a complimentary bread. I was surprised how big the portion of tiramisu is but I guess if you paid $5.95 for tiramisu and can eat large portion . When I'm in the mood for Italian American I'll come back here instead of Lukes. four out of five stars because of how they separated just like ordering a lot of food into two trays but now I know how large their portions are so I'll be okay with one read more

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I really wanted coffee and Avanti Caffeé was on the way to the Sky Deck. The menu was pretty straightforward and simple. I order an espresso macchiato and my boyfriend got an Americano. The coffee was on the cheaper side, so you get your bang for your buck because it's the same quality as other coffee shops! It looks like this place is more known for their sandwiches/food, but since we already had lunch we didn't get the chance to try. However, all the other reviews seem to have great things to say about it! read more

Avanti Caffé - Espresso Macchiato and Americano - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Got some lunch at this unassuming cafe in the Loop. It didn't look like it would be that good, but it was much better than it appeared though. Avanti is basically like a deli with lots of salads and sandwiches, along with sweets such as cookies. For the location it wasn't that busy honestly. The prices are pretty okay for the small portions of salads. At lunch I wasn't that hungry. It turned out this was a perfect kind of place. The portions of the salads were just enough, and made a pretty healthy meal too. It's $4.50 for the small portions. There's a variety of salads. I got a couple of the vegetarian choices. The Italian Bean Salad was kind of like a typical one. Lots of beans. Making it better though was the addition of the Italian dressing along with the artichokes and carrots. Better than it looked to be. The Olive Salad also had some carrots in this. Lots of olives. This would make a great smorgasbord for parties. Come try the many salads they have. It has something for almost any taste. There's meaty ones with chicken and there's a few okay for vegetarians. read more

Avanti Caffé - Italian Bean Salad And Olive Salad - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Took my husband there today for my birthday. He was blown away. The food was so good and fresh. My calzone was clearly homemade and excellent. He got a 3" Avanti sandwich and the house salad. We only paid around $16 for our meal. He can't wait to go back. read more

I order for pickup. Whether dining in or picking up, the food was great! Focus was on time as they said, nor waiting. Staff was friendly.

Avanti Caffe is a great restaurant in the heart of the loop. Located less than a block from Willis tower, Avanti Caffe offers Italian classic sandwiches and plenty of other delicious goods. You cannot go wrong choosing this spot for a great bite in Chicago! read more

The cafe is nice. It has a nice ambiance for lunch. They menu has a big selection (I think) with a minute of warm and cold meals, salad, sides, desserts, etc. Customer service was friendly. She was patient as this was my first time here and recommended the chicken mix sandwich (warm for this nice cold day), I had a pistachio cannoli and a caramel macchiato. The meals came out pretty quickly. All was really good! I would recommend this place to a friend & its great for a working day lunch! read more

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Great spot for a breakfast sandwich or lunch....highly recommend! The croissants are delish!

So happy that this place survived during COVID! I haven't been back to the Loop in over a year because my office has been closed, but thankfully Avanti is still there! This is my go to place for lunch because they have such a great menu and I've liked everything I've tried. Salads, whole pizzas and pizza by the slice, great sandwiches, pasta, etc. If you're looking for a great non-chain spot for lunch in the Loop this is it! read more

Avanti Caffé - Diavolo Italian Sub (hot) on focaccia bread - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Needed a place to eat breakfast before our reserved time for Skydeck. Found Avanti among a sea of McDonalds & Starbucks. It is locally owned. Great place to grab a latte, smoothie, variety of pastries, or breakfast sandwiches. Their lunch offerings look really good. The items were also priced pretty well for the area. Good place for a quick breakfast or lunch! read more

Avanti Caffé - Chai latte - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Cute little place connected to my office building. The siciliano tostino is delicious and a good size for the price. I ordered online and it was ready within 10 mins read more

Avanti Caffé - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Nice cafe with lots of options to choose from! We had one of their paninis which was GIANT! Definitely shareable! We got the Calabrese, with had breaded steak. It was good, but I think there are better meals to choose from here! Watch the experience here: https://youtu.be/hFn38-YObeM?t=931 read more

No. I was craving a nice, crispy, buttery Panini sandwich. Maybe some salami, maybe a ham and cheese. Wanting to try a new place and wandered in here. Never. Again. I ordered the Ham & Cheese Tostino, anticipating melty cheese grilled goodness with delicious ham. First of all, on a bun?! No. A panini should be grilled BREAD. Probably Italian bread, packed with buttery goodness. Not this bready, thick BUN with a few char marks on it. And the cheese should actually be MELTED, not cold. And the ham was okay, but pretty standard deli sliced ham. Won't get fooled again. read more

Avanti Caffé - Grilled Panini?! Cheese not even melted! - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great service and food will be back more often for lunch, they have a lot of options and are vegetarian friendly.

This is definitely a gem of a restaurant in the loop. I've been avoiding it because I thought it was a small place, but it has tons of menu items that are amazing. I got the italian beef the first time I came here, and I thought it was probably better than Lukes, Maxs & Al's Beef around the area. The hot giardiniera was actually surprisingly hot and left a good burn with the beef. I had the chicken parmesan sandwich next, and that was definitely worth it as well (would've liked more chicken though). I just had the meat lasagna, and this thing was the size of a newborn baby. It came out steaming and was very delicious, several people made comments of the amazing smell. I was able to finish it, but the crazy part was that they included bread and a salad to go with it. I had to give the salad away to a coworker since I was too stuffed. Bright side is that it looks like they use romaine lettuce w/ their salad, so that's pretty awesome. Pretty excited to try their other menu items. read more

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Used to be my lunch staple when working downtown. Crave & miss it often. Family style service. The chicken parmigiana sandwich is my favorite. I also loved the soups and salads on occasion. read more

The vegetarian tostino is absolutely delicious. I ordered without tomato and onion (personal preference) and it had a ton of flavor. The portion is great and it was ready pretty quickly. Everyone is very friendly as well. read more

This place is wonderful. The parking was a little bit tedious but we had some help and that's always nice in this kind of place. You never expect to be helped at parking. The food was good; everything sort of tastes the same but since it's a good taste I guess it doesn't really matter. I recommend the pasta primavera. read more

Seems like the best option to stop in before or after the Skydeck. The menu is extensive and authentic. Everything sounds delicious! You can enjoy a nice lunch or a heavier dinner. Not that lunch is very light. This place is definitely Italian! My sandwich was very filling but delicious. I was tempted to take a dessert to go! read more

Avanti Caffé - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

First time trying this location and I was looking for a particular taste. For my first order I tried the (Avanti Classic Sub) I was excited the varieties of meat and cheeses. One positive thing the sub was loaded, and defintiely monies worth. The taste however wasn't it for me. When I think of classic Italian I think of herbs, fresh, seasonings etc. The sub for me was just a regular sub unfortunately. read more

Delicious! I moved from NYC over a year and a half ago and I have been having great difficulty locating a Chicken Parm hero sandwich. Avanti was able to deliver! I got the 6" which was HUGE and it was perfect. The cutlets were breaded nicely, the sauce was definitely homemade and had the sweetness of high quality tomatoes, and cheese was just perfect. Exactly the way I like it! With a side salad it was around $10 which is perfect for lunch. Place looked incredibly clean and staff was very friendly. Check them out! read more

Had a meeting Downtown on Friday next Avanti Caffe. I seen lot of people coming in and out so I had to try it. Glad I did you are Greeted when you come in and that doesn't happen to fast Pace Deli/ Caffe. The menu is on the wall also above the person who takes your orders. I checked out the before came in and knew what I wanted and GLAD I got it. 10" Smokey Joe Sub it came with pickles & pepper. I got the combo with Chips and Drinks ( Pepsi) . Nice stack of Meat Turkey and cheese, Ham nice to have Purple onions. There deli fridge fill with Great desserts, Salads and pizzas. I pick up 2 Limoncello cake and Pistachio Cannoli because they looked Great . Now next time am near there I have to stop. Also the Pasta I seen people ordering for Lunch looks old school from over in little Italy on Taylor street. read more

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Ordered lunch for my office. Had the baked mostaccioli, sausage, salad and bread. Everything was great. Taste, portion, cost, etc. Was actually, concerned about quantity as we are "good" eaters. Pleasantly surprised with the portions. Even had room for extra helpings. A big THANK YOU to Janet there who helped us with the ordering. Told her what we were trying to do, and she guided me to exactly what my group needed. Will definitely be adding Avanti to our office lunch rotation. Wendell read more

The place was flexible on what I ordered and able to customize my dish. Really tasty vodka sauce on the bowtie pasta. Bread that came with it was real good but too salty Bean salad was as expected. Food was really filling. read more

Avanti Caffé - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I stopped in for dinner before my train. The place is small and tucked into a building with a few other stores. There are many other chains in the area and this was a refreshing small business. The inside is clean, there are more seats than the average Loop lunch counter, and they stay open slightly later than the average place as well, which is good for accommodating people who are waiting for trains or looking to kill time downtown. I ordered an Italian sub and it came out quick. The sandwich itself was definitely larger than the average sub place. They were not skimpy on the meat at all which was very nice to see. The bread itself was good too, not too soft or too hard, and very bready as a sub roll should be. The sandwich was unique due to the addition of roasted red peppers. These made for a nice addition of flavor and I think without them the sandwich would have been pretty average. I thought there could have been a little more dressing, but that's just being overly critical. The guys working the counter were pretty cool. As I was waiting for my sandwich I overheard the manager/supervisor making some calls to customers who had made catering orders, checking in and asking how everything went. This didn't even pertain to me but really shows how despite being in the heart of a busy downtown area, Avanti is a small business that cares. Bravo! Tasty and ample sandwich for less than $9 in the Loop. I will be back to try other items! read more

I definitely go here for the convenience since I work in the same building. I've only ordered one thing from here, and that's the large pasta fagioli soup. The soup is okay/good, but nothing to write home about, does the job. The service varies depending on how busy it gets. If it's super busy, you better know what you want and know your number when it gets called. The best time to go is before noon if you're going on the weekdays. After the cashier starts to recognize you, you may get a 10% discount. read more

Pizza and large Calzone are delicious here, also they are not over priced like other places in the area. Friendly, you can order a huge cannoli for parties. read more

Avanti Caffé - Veggie pizza - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This is solid lunch spot in the Loop and probably a very underrated gem. it gets overlooked by the chain restaurants around the block. The prices are very reasonable and portions are big. It has mostly italian sandwiches, salads, and pastas. This may be very reason why I pass up on this when I walk outside for lunch...as i don't prefer pastas or sandwiches. I ordered a Diavolo (wrong spelling?) before and certainly enjoyed. This time there was line up to the door...it took a little time to get my order. I got an italian beef with hot peppers and veggies. My instant reaction when I opened up my to go box was "oh man!". The italian beef sandwich was huge... The bread is a chewy italian bread which fell apart from the juices. i had to eat it like a salad eventually. but so tasty and the nice kicker was that it was just around 5 bucks. Made me wonder why I don't go here more often. read more

Avanti Caffé - Italian beef. Picture doesn't do justice. This was huge portion of meat - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It is not A fancy place but they do serve good food. It I a help yourself place and the staff is very nice I ordered a veggie lasagna and an amazing tiramisu so huge that K had to take a pic ;) Very affordable place :) read more

Avanti Caffé - Homemade delicious tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I come here much more often once the weather starts getting colder. The soups are homemade and tasty. My only issue is that they can be a little on the greasy side at times. I've also tried the pizza here, and would recommend that you get a side of marinara...since the pizzas can be a bit dry. One of the better lunch options in the loop. read more

solid sandwich place in the loop, i've only been here for breakfast though and cant comment on the lunch menu, but i was definitely pleased with what I got, the house blend and columbian coffee are both good and cheap, the sausage egg cheese croissant was all right, nothing special, but the ham egg and cheese wrap was really good, it was really big and filling and only $3.50, i would definitely recommend that. Hopefully one day I can get here for lunch read more

Avanti Caffé - Sausage egg and cheese croissant - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Let me start by saying that the prices are very reasonable for the location. Every thing is very fresh and one can tell that the veggies were likely cut fresh that morning. Today, I ordered the meat lasagna. The sauce and the overall flavor was really good. It also came with a wonderful salad and a slice of pizza bread. My only complaint is that there were too many layers of pasta and not enough meat for my liking. I am one who loves meat, so take my comment on that with a grain of salt. The location is quaint and gets busy during the lunch hour. I did enjoy the food and the portion size, therefore I will be back to try something else. read more

Mmmmmm Avanti! Cheap. Fast. Mouth Watering. Friendly. Cozy. All of those words are what flood my mind whenever I think of Avanti Caffe in the Loop. This place is just perfect for a lunch in the city. Their prices are great, portions are huge, food is delightful, and the atmosphere is welcoming to say the least. I've tried multiple dishes from Avanti, and everything I've had was amazing. I've never had a bad experience here; believe me, I've been waiting to write this review to see if that changed. Their panini's are large enough for 2 people to share, the subs are super yummy, and their pasta is out of this world. I mean, there's not much else to say other than, I just don't understand how someone could not like this place. It's quick, no matter how long the line is. It's cheap, for large portions and great food. It's just great. Period. Oh, and Elsa G. wasn't kidding about the tiramisu. It's huge and delicious. read more

Avanti Caffé - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Very good Italian food at reasonable prices. Good atmosphere and popular with the locals. read more

Avanti Caffé - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Came really wanting a sandwich and wanted to try a local place. Based on reviews and some of the pictures decided to give a shot. When standing online, saw an order come out and it was huge. So I decided on a tuna sandwich. First the sandwich was huge so that was a definite plus...until I bit into it. The bread was stale, now this is around 10:30 in the morning. I am all for supporting local businesses...but the quality must be there. If you are a sandwich shop...main quality should be the ingredients...one of them being the bread. The tuna was delicious...but just can't get passed the stale bread. read more

Best sandwich I've ever had in my life. I had a turkey and swiss tostino sandwich and it was truly amazing! Friendly service, nice clean space. Couldn't ask for more. read more

Avanti Caffé - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Yes, I am so glad I tried this place. Definitely my new lunch spot in the loop. I was in the mood for a great panini, not a panera or corner bakery panini, so I check out yelp. Working only a few blocks from Avanti, I decided to check it out. The atmosphere here is wonderful. It feels cozy, has a decent amount of seating, and the workers were very friendly. Italian desserts filled the cooler up front, next to some freshly baked breads and bottled drinks. I grabbed a chicken mozzarella tostino (panini). It was priced right $7 after tax, and it filled me up. Food came fast and was absolutely delicious. Much much MUCH better than a generic "panini" from a chain. The chicken was tender, bread soft on the inside and not too crispy on the outside. Please do yourself a favor and try this place, I will be coming back right away! read more

Avanti Caffé - Chicken / Mozzarella Tostino w/ roasted red peppers - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois