A Coffee Shop Is Coming to Little Italy and the Timing Couldn’t Be Better
A Coffee Shop Is Coming to Little Italy and the Timing Couldn’t Be Better
ALDILÀ is preparing to open at 1040 W. Taylor Street, across from Little Joe’s. A permit record had already pointed to a coffee shop buildout months before the storefront announced itself.
On Sunday morning, October 11, I was standing on Taylor Street in the middle of Chicago Marathon day, ready to cheer on the people filling the neighborhood. I looked around and said what I’d been thinking: “You know what this block needs? A coffee shop.”
Then I turned around.
There it was: green window coverings, a bird logo and a sign that said ALDILÀ Chicago Coming Soon. We laughed at the timing. The coffee shop I had just wished into the neighborhood was already on its way.
The new café is planned for 1040 W. Taylor Street, directly across from Little Joe’s. Its Instagram account, @aldila.cafe, identifies the business with Little Italy and has introduced the name with a simple message: “A place beyond.” The first post describes a place “rooted in intention,” designed for connection, and “more than coffee” a place to belong. The business has not yet announced an opening date, menu or hours.
The permit trail was already there.
The storefront announcement may be new, but the public paperwork gives the project a head start. Chicago permit records show permit 101077495, issued January 22, 2026, for tenant improvements described as the construction of a new first-floor coffee shop, with associated electrical and plumbing work. The listed project value is $100,000. The city’s permit search portal allows records to be checked by address or permit number; the available record is also indexed in public permit databases.
That paperwork puts a real buildout behind the “Coming Soon” sign. The permit describes the planned work, though it does not tell us when the doors will open or what will be on the menu.
The space is part of a newer mixed-use building at 1040 W. Taylor. When construction permits were reported in 2023, plans called for first-floor retail with two apartments above. The address is across the street from Little Joe’s, a Taylor Street gathering spot, and close to UIC and the surrounding Near West Side community.
A new place for the in-between moments
For the marathon, Taylor Street was already a place to pause, watch and cheer. Soon, there may be a new spot nearby to meet before the day starts, take a break between errands, or sit down after a long walk through Little Italy.
That is the promise in ALDILÀ’s first words: a place for connection and for “the moments in between.” We don’t know yet what the coffee, food or room will look like once it opens. We do know the neighborhood has been asking for a new café and that the sign appeared at exactly the right moment for one of us to say it out loud.
ALDILÀ is coming soon to 1040 W. Taylor Street. We’ll be watching for the opening date, menu and first pour.
Reporting notes
● ALDILÀ’s Instagram profile and launch post identify the café as coming soon in Little Italy, Chicago, and provide its “A place beyond” language.
● Chicago building permit 101077495 was issued January 22, 2026. Its scope describes a tenant improvement for a new first-floor coffee shop with electrical and plumbing work and lists a $100,000 project value. Permit records are searchable through the City of Chicago’s permit portal; the record is indexed by ProjectsAhead and Open Permit Data.
● The 2023 mixed-use building plans were reported by Chicago YIMBY.
● The 2026 Bank of America Chicago Marathon took place Sunday, October 11, according to the official event site.
