Chicago Dining - One menu, two distinctive cuisines . . . never shall the two meet.

Variety of flavors. Variety is the spice of life at pan-italian Fornetto Mei, where the flavors travel from Northern Italy to the Far East. Fornetto Mei’s unique menu is an innovative fusion of foods of different cultures that awakens your appetite in a new way. Experience a culinary fusion of authentic Italian dishes and Asian inspired plates.

Fornetto Mei features Italian and Asian specialties from our culinary team and Taiwanese owner Su-Mei Yen. Serving delectable dishes prepared in a natural style, this creative pan-italian restaurant pays distinct homage to Neo-Milanese cuisine, the fusion of the art and spices of the Orient, and the influence of Marco Polo to Italian cooking. With the cuisines kept separate, this chic dining spot delivers a creative menu – from fresh thin-crust pizzas to homemade pot stickers to a delightful wine list. Some signature dishes include the Brodetto (shelfish stew), handmade Berkshire pork & cabbage dumplings from Mei’s kitchen, and smoky wood-fired octopus with white beans and braised fennel for starters.

At Fornetto Mei, you can also enjoy individual, 12-inch thin-crust pizzas from a wood-burning oven from the pizza bar. Hand tossed and created with gourmet sauces and the freshest ingredients, the popular Italian sausage, red grapes and Laurel Chenel goat cheese with fine herbs or the classical Margherita pizza with our homemade spicy chili oil are delicious departures from Chicago’s traditional pie.

To complement your cuisine, the restaurant offers a thoughtful, playful and frequently changing wine selection, as well as unique wine pairings that truly enhance the flavors of your dish. The Wine List features approximately 200 international and California “boutique” winery labels and over 40 premium by-the-glass wines. When the sun goes down over downtown, our signature martinis add a fun twist to an eclectic dining experience.

Chicago Cheers. “Half a block from Michigan Avenue, adjacent to the Whitehall Hotel, Fornetto Mei features Italian and Asian specialties from our Culinary Team and Taiwanese owner Su-Mei Yen. But this is no fusion spot - the cuisines are kept separate. It all makes for creative thin-crust pizzas, homemade pot stickers, and wine lists free of clichés.” - September 2005 Gourmet Magazine.

“This pan-Italian gem takes diners around the world for lunch and dinner. A wood-burning oven turns out deliciously fresh thin-crust pizzas made on the spot, and the menu of small and large plates features items like smoky wood-fired octopus with white beans and braised fennel and Szechwan spicy beef noodle soup.” - December 2005 Chicago Social.

To make online restaurant reservations click here