After you sop up a dripping Italian beef at Al's, there's nowhere else to go but across the street for the classic "Taylor Two-Fer" and wash it all down with an icy confection from this stalwart stand. You'll find yourself in line behind an odd assortment of old men in porkpie hats, neighborhood families, UIC students and Bugaboo stroller-toting parents, lit up by a garland of string lights. They're all here, gathered underneath this red brick walk-up, on the same mission: to order a cup, or a bucket, of snowy Italian lemonade, tinged with lemon slices or toothsome chunks of cantaloupe and watermelon.
Seasonal flavors like Augusts short run of peach turn Mario's into a madhouse. Tasty Italian Lupini beans are also available by the cupful for a healthy afternoon snack. Don't wait too long to visit this joint, because owner Mario "Skippy" DiPaolo, son of the original owner, likes to close for the season on a nice hot day in early September, making sure folks long all winter for another taste of his sweet ice.
Centerstage Reviewer: Michael Nagrant
