Amici-Chicago

Review Highlights

Amici-Chicago is a one-man-operation arancini shop on North Broadway in Chicago, run solo by a single owner who puts a multicultural spin on the Italian rice ball — stuffing each one with flavours from a different country. Keith Lee ordered via DoorDash during his Chicago trip, spending $54 on six arancini varieties, each served with its own dipping sauce.

• ·L'Arancino (Italian) — meat sauce, beef, cheese, and peas; "this is like a homemade meat pie — a handheld lasagna, and it's goddamn delicious"; 9/10
• ·Jerky-Chino (Jerk Chicken) — jerk-spiced rice ball with high-quality meat and flavour-packed cheese; "it's spicy, it's flavorful... I love the ingenuity of it"; 8.7/10
• ·Curry-Chino (Indian) — curry chicken filling, moderate spice; "a really good introduction — if you're afraid of trying new cultures and new flavours, this is a great way to do it"; 7.9/10
• ·Masala-Chino (Indian) — masala chicken filling; lightest flavour of the six; "this just tastes like chicken and rice"; 6.5/10
• ·Doro Wati-no (Ethiopian) — Ethiopian berbere chicken filling with a chunky sauce; the most assertive of the set; "this covered my mouth immediately in spices"; noted it may not be for those unfamiliar with Ethiopian flavours; 4/10
• ·Birya-Chino (Mexican) — mentioned but not rated separately in the video

Keith's verdict: a genuinely original concept that should have a line out the door. "I from the bottom of my heart don't personally see why they're not around the corner." The Italian arancino was a standout 9/10 — "like beef stew inside fried rice" — and he praised the shop's ingenuity across the board. He also noted his sister's sharp suggestion: a flight box with all six cultures in one order. Keith left the owner $3,000 plus an additional $1,000, calling it exactly the kind of place he exists to support.

About

Amici-Chicago is a small, owner-operated arancini shop in Chicago's Lakeview East neighbourhood, putting a multicultural twist on the Italian rice ball. Each arancino is stuffed with ingredients from a different culinary tradition — Italian, Caribbean, Indian, Mexican, Ethiopian, and beyond — making it one of Chicago's more inventive small-format concepts.