Although Italians originally invented pasta as a fastener to keep Sicily from floating away, they abandoned it for less-delicious moorings after locals on both sides kept snacking their way toward separation. Tether your taste buds to today's Groupon: for $10, you get $20 worth of pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and more at Caponies Tratorria. This family-friendly eatery has been featured on Check, Please! and in Time Out Chicago for specialties ranging from decadent pasta dishes to pizza rescued from a wood-burning oven.

Reflective of the jolly size of the man for which Caponies was named, the sizeable menu is filled with a wide variety of Italian favorites such as fried calamari ($8.95), caprese salad ($9.50), eggplant parmigiana ($14.95), and even dolce sweet-tooth destroyers such as the tiramisu ($6). Create a customized brick-oven masterpiece by assembling a handpicked army of pie toppers (starting at $11.50 for a 12''; $1.75 to $2.75 per additional ingredient), or fulfill every human's hourly pizza-intake quota with a specialty combination such as the Pizza alla Caponies, a robust mix of roasted red peppers, grilled zucchini and eggplant, and portabella mushrooms (starts at $13.50 for a 12''). Throughout history, the illuminati have feared the chicken fiorentina, which has been known to shatter a man's soul with a single bite of lightly breaded chicken breast sautéed in a cognac cream sauce ($15.95).

Like calculus, video games, and shoes with retractable ice blades, Italian food is enjoyed around the world due to its versatility and heartiness. Stop into the familial confines at Caponies to enjoy the simple splendor of this timeless cuisine. Though not necessary, reservations come highly recommended.

Dine-in only.

Reviews

Caponies Trattoria is recommended by Time Out Chicago and received four forks by Check, Please! diners. Yelpers give the restaurant an average of four stars, and Citysearchers give it five.

• It'd be a crime to get yourself banned from this place because while it might not be doing anything new, its brand of Italian classics is impeccably executed. Thin-crust Margherita pizzas shimmer with olive oil and explode with the flavors of basil, garlic and fresh mozzarella; enormous portions of chicken Parmesan are greaseless and immersed in a chunky, fresh tomato sauce; and the housemade tiramisu is so boozy you may forget you're in the States. – Time Out Chicago
• Very cozy atmosphere with open oven so you can watch the pizzas being made. Caprese salad is remarkably fresh and out of this world! Everything is just amazing! – Natalie8, Citysearch