Pompei

Pompei has been making Italian food in Chicago since 1909. Named for their location near the Our Lady of Pompeii Church, the family lived above the restaurant making Italian foods. The business has stayed in the family and has continued making new dishes as well as old favorites in 5 locations around Chicago. We recently were in the Westmont area and decided to check it out. This was an old favorite of mine when I worked in Schaumburg they had a location that we’d go to often for lunch. That location had since closed, and I had to go gluten free. 

Pompei is like Fast Food Italian. You go up to the counter, wait in a line order your food, and it’s brought out to your table. For non-gluten free options, many are displayed in glass right in front of you and you can pick out exactly what you want to eat. 

We stopped in pleased to see a large gluten free menu, with lots of tasty sounding options! Turns out they are serving pasta made by Leo’s in Westmont, they also carry bread and offer a pizza option. Leo’s products are available in the grocery stores around Chicago as well. I had to try the Gnochi, in the creamy tomato sauce. They have a variety of sauces to choose from, as well as pasta dishes to mix and match. Another nice feature, they serve wine, so it was a nice “Classy” Italian meal with a more casual atmosphere. It was a nice find, and one that we will be going back for. My non-GF boyfriend even ordered off the GF menu cause he’s a fanatic for gnocchi, and he’s use to the Leo’s brand already. 

 

***After having stopped at their Taylor street location now as well they don't have the variety on their menu. They actually only have 2 pasta options, Spaghetti and mostaccioli.
 
I give them 4 dragonflies based on their options as well as the ability to mix and match to make more choices on the menu. It would be nice if they had GF garlic bread, or some desserts listed, but dinner and a glass of wine satisfied me enough.