It was another year, and another cousin’s birthday dinner, when my two amazing cousins and I have to choose a place for our revered celebration. This year, we chose Osteria Langhe in Logan Square to catch up and raise a glass to another year around the sun. We dined here in August of 2026.

Osteria Langhe has a very cozy neighborhood vibe with wood floors and a minimalist bar anchoring the space in the front of the restaurant. It’s not a huge place, but is not super difficult to get a reservation. In the summer there is some outdoor seating, but this is the kind of place I want to come back to in the winter for a snug, intimate meal.

Awesomely, the restaurant offers a happy hour, I believe until 6pm, offering discounted small plates, cocktails, beer and wine. We opted to start with the Plin, which are exquisite pillows of cheese in a very light, buttery sauce. We split this dish as an appetizer, but I easily could have eaten the whole thing. Agnolotti is one of my favorite stuffed pasta shapes, and the cheese inside was divine.

We also opted to try the off-menu fried smelts as an appetizer. I don’t think I have had smelts since I was a child at Christmas Eve dinner, and while these were larger than I remember, they were prepared with a nice light batter. Good, but not super memorable.

For our mains, we must have all been craving carbs, as we ordered three different pasta dishes which we shared, and all three were out of this world. Having recently returned from Italy, I was really craving some high quality pasta and homemade sauces, and these dishes really delivered. For myself, I ordered the ragu, which was served with impossibly thin and fresh fettuccine. Typically I wouldn’t go for a ragu since I can make a pretty decent bolognese at home, but this dish made me feel as though I was invited to a family dinner at Nonna’s for homemade pasta and sauce. Nostalgia on a plate.

We also ordered the Gnocchi with morels and brown butter. These gnocchi are made the best way – with ricotta cheese and not potatoes, so they were delicate and practically melted in the mouth. The morels in the dish were massive and plentiful, and gave it a nice umami boost.

Finally, we had the risotto, which changes regularly. On our visit, it was saffron, and it was totally delightful. The photo makes it seem very heavy, and risotto most definitely can be a heavy dish, but somehow it felt light on the palate. A perfect blend of creaminess and a little firmness coming close to almost a crunch from the perfectly prepared Arborio rice. Really fantastic.

We had room to squeeze in a few bites of gelato, but I sadly had to skip trying other desserts. I’ve been going to a lot of Italian restaurants lately, and I keep mentioning in my reviews that Chicago really has some absolutely authentic spots. Osteria Langhe highlights food from the Piemonte region, and just makes me want to visit the real thing even more. The hospitality here is genuine, the neighborhood vibe is cozy, and I would highly recommend making the reservation!