Little Italy expands Little Italy, an extremely popular family-style Italian restaurant with a chef/owner who long cooked in Chicago, is expanding after a major renovation project in Dyer. The restaurant on U.S. 30 temporarily closed for construction at the beginning of the year so it could remodel its space and grow a little bigger. The eatery, at 1155 Joliet St., is known for sumptuous pasta dishes like rigatoni a la vodka, fireside gnocchi and the side of baked ziti that comes with entrees like crispy pork shoulder, 16-ounce prime ribeye, and maple and balsamic glazed salmon. A date night staple for many Region couples, it serves creative contemporary fare like truffle-roasted garlic bread, brick oven pizza and baked goat cheese in a romantic courtyard-like setting with string lights hung overhead.