Best Chicken Parm in Chicago, IL

Chicken parm in Chicago, IL: our top picks

Chicago’s Italian map has two old centers. Taylor Street, now Little Italy, was the city’s largest Italian settlement until the 1963 decision to build the University of Illinois campus cleared much of it. Some of what survived is still worth the trip: Tufano’s Vernon Park Tap, a cash-only family place a block off Taylor that has been open since 1930 and makes its eggplant parm with very thin slices, and Al’s #1 Italian Beef, whose family sold beef from a stand in 1938 and has been on Taylor since 1968. About three miles southwest, the Heart of Italy around 24th and Oakley was settled mostly by Northern Italians. Bruna’s has been on Oakley since 1933, and Ignotz, across the street, is known for its veal and for a chicken parm The Infatuation ranked among the city’s best in 2023. Up on West Grand Avenue, D’Amato’s, family-run since 1950, bakes its chicken parm sandwiches in a coal-fired oven.

The current picks run from old to new. Calo, on Clark Street in Andersonville, has been family owned since 1963 and still keeps a red-sauce menu. RPM Italian in River North comes from Lettuce Entertain You’s Melman siblings with Bill and Giuliana Rancic; it opened in 2012, and there are now RPM Italians in Washington, D.C. and Las Vegas too. Nearby on Wells Street, Torchio Pasta Bar opened in 2019 under chef-owner Bill Varley, makes its pasta in-house and is named for an old hand-crank pasta press. Bongiorno’s, on Wabash just north of the river, reopened under new owner Nick Ramos in 2025, keeping some of its old recipes.

Further south, Cafe Bionda on State Street in the South Loop opened in 2006, closed during the pandemic and came back in 2022 under 8 Hospitality Group. On the North Side, Tutto Fresco (the name means everything fresh) left its old spot on Broadway and now cooks on Ashland Avenue in Lakeview.

1. Bongiorno's Cucina Italiana & Pizzeria (Chicago) — Parm Score 89. Chicken parm comes up in 2 of the recent Google reviews we sampled, and the tone is positive. It is on the menu, too. 4.6 on Google across 1,884 reviews.
2. RPM Italian (Chicago) — Parm Score 86. Chicken parm comes up in 1 of the recent Google reviews we sampled, and the tone is positive. It is on the menu, too. 4.8 on Google across 9,248 reviews.
3. Calo Ristorante (Chicago) — Parm Score 84. Chicken parm comes up in 1 of the recent Google reviews we sampled, and the tone is positive. It is on the menu, too. 4.6 on Google across 2,725 reviews.

We ranked 20 restaurants within 10 miles of Chicago, IL. 7 of them have the parm confirmed, by reviewers or on their own menu, and Parm Scores run from 53 to 89. Confirmed places rank first; the rest are well-reviewed Italian spots where the parm is not yet confirmed, and pizzerias and steakhouses need a mention to appear at all. How Parm Score works.

More rankings: Veal parm in Chicago, IL · Eggplant parm in Chicago, IL