Suburban Favorite Piacere Mio Italian Restaurant Expands to Uptown's Wilson Avenue

By Socialhood News · Il/Chicago/Uptown · October 23, 2025

An Italian restaurant based in the suburbs is expanding to the city, opening a new location in Uptown. Piacere Mio appears to be opening soon at 1303 W. Wilson Ave., according to signs on the storefront. The restaurant, which opened in Forest Park in 2023, offers a variety of pasta dishes.

Construction has been underway for several months with a kitchen being built in the west portion of the space and a bar and tables in the eastern portion. Piacere Mio brings deep roots in Italian cooking, as co-owner and head chef Jose Marquez was for many years the head chef at former Forest Park Italian stalwart Gaetano's. Uptown diners can expect handmade pastas, wagyu beef meatballs, and delicious desserts. According to management, the Uptown menu will be almost identical to the original location. The new restaurant will be located near the corner of Malden Street, across from Uptown Taproom and a short walk from the Wilson Red and Purple Line station.

This new addition to Wilson Avenue fills a space that has seen several businesses come and go in recent years. The storefront was most recently home to Floreen's Chicken & Roost, which operated for only three months in 2023, and previously housed a vegan Mexican restaurant and a pizza establishment. Uptown residents are encouraged to follow Piacere Mio's social media for opening date announcements and to welcome this new dining option to our diverse neighborhood food scene.

Sources:
1. https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/20/devil-dawgs-opens-in-andersonville-la-parilla-adds-a-cafe-and-more-far-north-side-food-news/
2. https://www.uptownupdate.com/2025/07/welcome-piacere-mio-to-1303-w-wilson.html
3. https://whatnow.com/chicago/restaurants/piacere-mio-set-to-debut-second-illinois-location-in-uptown/