‘Absolutely amazing’: Il Mio in Clarendon Hills nominated for Banchet Awards’ Best Neighborhood Restaurant

Four suburban restaurants were nominated for the prestigious Banchet Awards, an annual celebration of culinary excellence in the Chicago area. Named after late Chef Jean Banchet, suburban restaurants are eligible but not frequently recognized in the only Chicago-based awards ceremony that honors both originality and talent within the region. We’re visiting each of the four suburban eateries before the awards are presented on Jan. 31, 2027.

When Il Mio owner Rich Ciota first heard his Clarendon Hills eatery was nominated as a Best Neighborhood Restaurant in the annual Banchet Awards, he did not believe it.

“I thought it was some sort of thing were they were wanting money for a nomination,” he said. “I had to ask my marketing team, ‘Is this legit?’”

It was legit. In a city full of neighborhoods, the Chicago-based Banchet Awards ventured out to Clarendon Hills to honor what they consider to be one of the four top neighborhood restaurants. Il Mio was nominated alongside Chicago spots Cerdito Muerto and Spice by CMB and Torizen in Schaumburg.

“It’s amazing. It’s absolutely amazing that I'm even thought about, let alone being a finalist,” Ciota said. “It’s something I’ll cherish forever.”

The seasoned restaurateur, who spent decades working in an iconic downtown Chicago steakhouse, opened Il Mio in 2022 in a spot that had seen four other restaurants close since 2000.

He said he “didn’t even know where Clarendon Hills was” when a friend purchased the building at 30 S. Prospect Ave. and asked Ciota if he would partner with him on a restaurant.

“But having the opportunity to partner with him was an easy decision and natural fit,” he said. “And It’s changed my life. It’s been awesome.”

They gave the space a major makeover, hiring a designer to brighten it up, including adding skylights and glass doors in the front that open up to the outside patio. Ciota said the face-lift was important to separate the new restaurant.

“I think years ago, service and food were the only driving factors. Now it’s a room as well,” he said. “I think your room and your vibe is as important as your food and your service, which has changed.”

Ciota said they developed the menu based on a few factors, including his family recipes from Northern Italy and what he thought was missing in the area and would fit the neighborhood.

While it’s Italian at heart, he said it’s a “neighborhood restaurant, not just an Italian restaurant.”

“What I want to be is approachable. What I want to be is an everyday place,” Ciota said.

Most of the menu’s signature items skew Italian. Featured starters include fried calamari, sausage peperonata and meatball polenta. A quartet of flatbreads include the margherita “daisy” and the pesto burrata. Arancini with short rib ragu is a fan favorite.

Pastas such as cacio e pepe, linguini white clam and pappardelle with short rib ragu are complemented by entrees including pan-seared branzino, chicken peperoncini and lamb chops.

But you can just as easily find a variety of handhelds such as the filet sliders served on brioche buns and topped with arugula and balsamic aioli. Fried chicken sliders are another popular alternative.

“We want people to come back as often as possible,” he said. “So we have wings and burgers and bar food. And it turns out people love it, so it’s perfect. We can still have the Italian feel and vibe, but what’s wrong with having a burger?”

To Ciota, a self-described “people pleaser,” it all comes down to hospitality.

“The guest experience is so important to me,” he said. “I could be serving steaks like I did, or Italian food or hamburgers. It’s about how people feel, how you treat them, how you take care of them.”

The restaurant will mark five years in Clarendon Hills in January 2027. When told that’s a milestone that he should celebrate, Ciota was thinking more about how to get through the next five years.

“I know how volatile the restaurant business is, right? One day people love you, the next day you’re old news,” he said. “So I’m always trying to do different things or think of different things to stay relevant, stay current and not be stagnant.”

As for the Banchet Awards, Ciota said it might be a cliche, but being nominated was victory enough.

“Just being a finalist, I feel like I already won,” he said. “Like, oh my God, if I win the award, would be icing on the cake. But the cake’s already made.

“I will hold on to this personally for the rest of my life.”

rwest@dailyherald.com