Is La Scarola Still Open? Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Update (Chicago, IL)
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 34 Chicago, Illinois
Current status
As of October 2026, La Scarola is listed open on Yelp, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.
What the source shows: A Yelp review posted in April 2026 described attentive service and strong menu choices, and the Yelp listing itself carried an 'Updated September 2026' timestamp, indicating an active business at 721 W Grand Ave. How we decide a status →
- Episode Season 34, Episode 3
- Aired
- Address 721 W Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60654
- Website lascarola.com
- Show map
© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO
What happened after Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives?
La Scarola's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives segment (S34E3, 'Takeout: All Over the Menu,' aired June 4, 2021) highlighted the small West Town storefront's classic Italian-American cooking, including dishes like chicken vesuvio and housemade pasta that have defined the kitchen for decades. La Scarola opened in 1997 and is run by the Mondelli family, who also operated the longtime North Clark Street restaurant Kelly Mondelli's, according to Around the Town Chicago. The restaurant occupies a compact space at 721 West Grand Avenue with an open kitchen and a restored fireplace, and it accepts reservations by phone only, according to its website.
In April 2026, a Yelp reviewer described attentive service and strong menu choices at the restaurant, and Yelp's own listing carried an 'Updated September 2026' timestamp, according to Yelp. Restaurant Guru's aggregated rating for La Scarola stood at 4.9 out of 5 across roughly 8,000 reviews, according to Restaurant Guru.
The episode
Also in Season 34
Season 34: 46 of 57 still open · 2 renamed, moved or under new owners
-
Ep 2La Texanita
Open - Open
- Relocated
-
Ep 3Island Frydays
Relocated - Open
-
Ep 3Pies 'N' Thighs
Open - Open
- Open
Nearest restaurants
-
Food Paradise
Open -
Best Thing I Ever Ate
Open -
Best Thing I Ever Ate
Open -
Best Thing I Ever Ate · Food Paradise
Relocated -
Best Thing I Ever Ate
Open -
Best Thing I Ever Ate
New owners
Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.
Sources we checked
- Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/la-scarola-chicago
- aroundthetownchicago.com https://aroundthetownchicago.com/restaurant-reviews/la-scarola-real-italian-dining/
- lascarola.com https://lascarola.com/
- restaurantguru.com https://restaurantguru.com/La-Scarola-Chicago
We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.
Record ddd-1250 · checked by Cal Marchetti.