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Every holiday season, Bill Varley would always set aside time to make pasta from scratch with niece Maggie. One year, she expressed her love of the tradition by saying, “Uncle Billy, who doesn’t like pasta?!” Her statement ignited a long-smoldering idea in Bill’s mind to open his own pasta-focused eatery. He and wife Janice finally realized his dream a few weeks ago when they opened Torchio Pasta Bar in River North.

It took nearly a decade for them to design the space and do all the necessary research—namely, traveling across Italy to try pasta in different regions. Their hard work is evident in a menu that’s packed with creative pasta dishes, featuring noodles made from scratch right in the kitchen. Try the popular Giovanna’s bolognese, tagliatelle smothered with bolognese sauce and served in a parmesan “basket,” or the equally beloved cacio e pepe, spaghetti tossed with pancetta, parmesan cheese, and egg yolks.