Mystery Diner: Maciano's a relaxing oasis in the middle of Yorkville

Stepping into the cozy dining room of Maciano’s Pizza & Pasteria in Yorkville on a weekday at lunchtime recently, the Mystery Diner immediately felt like he had found a relaxing oasis.

The nicely appointed space has a distinctive Italian feel to it, with dark wood chairs adjoining tables with crisp tablecloths and soft accent lighting making it a perfect place for a mid-day break from work duties and a likely even better locale for an evening dinner date out with that special someone or a group of friends.

The Yorkville Maciano’s is one of nine Maciano’s restaurants in the Chicago area and has been a mainstay on Route 34 just east of Route 47 for more than a decade. Maciano’s website notes that the restaurant has thrived on “knowledge acquired from five decades of culinary traditions covering four generations of family ... specializing in mouthwatering pizzas and authentic Italian cuisine. ... Maciano’s makes pizzas and pasta that makes memories.”

The Mystery Diner wholeheartedly agrees with that description. Maciano’s offers a wide variety of tempting Italian specialties daily, including pizzas, pasta and lasagna, along with sandwiches, soups and salads.

For this lunch, the Mystery Diner and a co-worker decided to order off the shorter lunch menu, with the Mystery Diner opting for the angel hair pasta with marinara sauce accompanied by a crisp and tasty salad with – of course – Italian dressing. The Mystery Diner’s co-worker chose a chicken Parmesan sandwich, which came with a large cup of tomato soup, topped off with large croutons.

Awaiting our meals, we quickly devoured a small loaf of warm Italian bread that our friendly waitress placed before us on a small cutting board along with a bowl of a savory bread dip.

Our meals arrived at our table as if they were served up by the Italian mother the Mystery Diner always secretly wishes he had had (Sorry, Irish mom!). The freshly seasoned marinara provided the perfect complement to the light and soft angel hair pasta. Ask the Mystery Diner to describe this lunch in two words and his response would be: deliciously homemade.

Meanwhile the Mystery Diner’s co-worker’s chicken Parmesan provided a tempting sight across the table. The sandwich was served on fresh panini bread under a blanket of basil, melted mozzarella and marinara sauce.

As the classic music of Frank Sinatra and Jerry Vale played softly on the sound system, the Mystery Diner and his co-worker thoroughly enjoyed our meals.

The Mystery Diner highly recommends Maciano’s to anyone seeking to take a few moments out of their hectic life and enjoy an authentic Italian lunch or dinner in a calming, friendly atmosphere.

• The Mystery Diner is a newsroom employee at the Record Newspapers. The diner’s identity is not revealed to restaurant staff before or during the meal. The Mystery Diner visits a restaurant and then reports on the experience. The Mystery Diner is not intended to be a restaurant critic but does highlight the parts of a dining experience that he/she can recommend.

If you go

What: Maciano's Pizza & Pasteria

Where: 272 W. Veterans Parkway, Yorkville

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Information: 630-882-8388, macianos.com