10 Restaurants Where Pope Leo XIV Has Dined

One day, he was a cardinal simply known by the name Robert Francis Prevost. The next, he was one of the most famous men in the world, succeeding Pope Francis to become the 267th Bishop of Rome, known as Pope Leo XIV. Before ascending to the role, the pontiff grew up in the shadow of Chicago in Dolton, Illinois, studied at Villanova University, partook in an Augustinian mission in Peru, and later became the Bishop of Chiclayo. Throughout his time in the church, the now-pope has visited several countries. This includes, of course, Vatican City, where he became a cardinal in 2023. In all his travels, Prevost sought to nourish those in need but also made sure he was well fed himself, often cleaning his entire plate.

As the world yearns to learn more about him, we're particularly curious about which restaurants Pope Leo XIV has graced with his presence. Thankfully, some of those lucky enough to have dined with the pope have come out of the woodwork to share their tales and even spill the tea about his eating habits. The reportedly unfussy eater is apparently always open to trying local delicacies but also loves hometown favorites such as pizza and Chicago-style hot dogs — without ketchup, of course. Here are the places the head of the Holy See has been spotted eating and drinking — and where you can, too.

When the future pope returned to his hometown in August 2024, he gathered with a large group of friends for some pies at the flagship location of Aurelio's Pizza in Homewood, Illinois. The chain got its start in the same town back in 1959, and 15 years later, it became the fifth pizzeria to franchise in America. Its original owner, Joe Aurelio, Sr., had an established relationship for decades with the Augustinians, who were served free pizza and drinks once a month. The group would sit in the same spot every time, which became known as the Tolentine Room. It's this very same place where the man now known as Pope Leo XIV munched on pepperoni pizza.

Out of all the restaurants the pope has been known to dine at, this location of Aurelio's is one of the most convenient to those already interested in his history. It makes a natural stopping point after curious tourists have visited his childhood home in Riverdale, where Pope Leo XIV attended the now-defunct Saint Mary of the Assumption Church. Diners can sit at the pope's table, which includes a chair donated from the nearby church. They can even order a Poperoni Pizza, which is a regular pepperoni pizza with a layer of spicy pepperoni. As Aurelio told Chicago Catholic, "We just feel so blessed and special that somebody right here from our backyard has become the pope of the world."

aureliospizza.com

(708) 798-8050

18162 Harwood Ave, Homewood, IL 60430

After Robert Francis Prevost was announced as the new pope, the media and world were eager to learn more about the earlier years of the first American to assume the position. His brother, Louis Prevost, was more than happy to let the world know more about his upbringing and deep Chicago roots. The Prevosts called the village of Dolton home and often took memorable family trips to downtown Chicago, frequenting landmarks like the Art Institute and the Field Museum of Natural History. Prevost recalled to OSV News that, during the festive period, they would ogle at the toy-filled decorated windows in Marshall Field's department store before wrapping up the day with a meal at one of the oldest restaurants in Chicago, The Berghoff.

The restaurant's founder, Herman Berghoff, was a German immigrant who made a name for himself brewing beer. After having a fair share of drinkers enjoying his suds at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, Berghoff found a more permanent home to serve them five years later. The Berghoff survived everything from Prohibition to COVID-19, and the fourth generation of the family carries on the legacy of this restaurant, bar, and cafe. The menu is almost as mammoth as its 45,000-square-foot space on West Adams Street, featuring classic German options like sausages, schnitzel, and, of course, pretzels, as well as typical American fare like sandwiches.

theberghoff.com

(312) 427-3170

17 W Adams St, Chicago, IL 60603

Housed in a Victorian home in Long Grove, Illinois, Enzo & Lucia Ristorante opened its doors in 2002. The restaurant was initially owned by the namesake Cavallino couple, but a few years later, duties were transferred over to Glenn and Renata Cardelli. Enzo stayed on as a chef for a decade, but even after his departure, his dishes are still served at the eatery.

In June 2019, Pope Leo XIV — then a bishop — flew in from Peru to lead the funeral service of a close friend. After the funeral, he joined family and friends for a memorial luncheon at Enzo & Lucia's. While it's unclear what he ate, the restaurant's house specialties include gnocchi, ravioli, and lasagna. Customers can enjoy the dish of their choice by candlelight or, when Chicago's long winters wind down, outside on the spacious patio.

Beyond Long Grove residents and future popes, many Chicago athletes make their way through its doors, such as soccer star Brian McBride and Chicago Bears Super Bowl legend Richard Dent, who is a regular. In general, the town of Long Grove is so charming that it has actually served as the film setting for several Christmas movies, including 2024's "Once Upon a Christmas Wish." This starred Mario and Courtney Lopez, whose family dined at Enzo & Lucia multiple times while they were in the area.

enzoandlucia.com

(847) 478-8825

343 Old McHenry Rd, Long Grove, IL 60047

Daniel B. Gallagher once worked at the Vatican's Secretariat of State — first under Pope Benedict XVI and then under Pope Francis. During his tenure, he met heads of state such as George W. Bush and Barack Obama, as well as titans of industry, including Mark Zuckerberg. While it didn't really leave a mark at the time, Gallagher also dined with the then-Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine, Robert Francis Prevost, at the restaurant I Quattro Mori Hostaria in June 2007.

Gallagher only remembers this chance meeting as he had jotted it down in his diary in Latin. Prevost sat across the table from fellow White Sox fan Gallagher and, along with the rest of their companions, discussed matters of religion in Italian. In a personal essay published on Medium, Gallagher recalled, "Anyone else in the restaurant listening in would have been bored to death, but I saw nothing but peace, tranquility, and a genuine joy in the face of that inconspicuous priest whom his confreres were addressing as 'Padre Roberto.'"

Sadly, what everyone ate that night — Pope Leo XIV included — has been lost to time. The restaurant is less than 15 minutes away from Vatican City on foot and offers a wide variety of Sardinian dishes and an abundance of seafood, such as calamari, prawns, fried squid, anchovies, and oysters. You can also find pasta dishes, such as lasagna and rigatoni.

(+39) 06-639-0195

Via di Santa Maria alle Fornaci, 8, 00165 Roma RM, Italy

In the same year that World War II began, a little coffee shop sprang up on the island of Malta, owned by Karmnu and Pawla Sammut. Initially, British servicemen stationed near the village of Mgarr were their main customers. After the war ended, Karmnu added a rabbit dish to the menu, which helped lure diners into the shop. It was then known as Charles Bar and Restaurant before being renamed after Karmnu's family nickname, Il-Barri, which means "the bull."

Over time, the one-room hot spot outgrew its small confines and expanded its physical footprint. Today, that also includes an underground shelter from World War II, which guests can visit to learn more about wartime life in the village, where the space was used as a home, refuge, and temple. When the Plenary Assembly of the Council of Bishops' Conferences of Europe took place in Malta in 2023, many of its attendees stopped by Il-Barri for a meal — including none other than Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost.

Father Claude Portelli, from the Malta Curia, set up the dinner, which was intended to be an informal affair to unwind after a day of meetings. The party was offered traditional Maltese versions of spaghetti, soup, rabbit, and bragioli, also known as beef olives (which, no, don't include olives). Prevost sat next to Archbishop Charles Scicluna and is thought to have ordered the rabbit. As Rita Vella, who served dinner that night, told the Times of Malta, "Most of them chose rabbit that night. They were really nice with us; we chatted with them a lot that night. It felt like a meal between friends."

il-barri.com.mt

(+356) 2157-3235

5, Jubilee Esplanade, Mgarr, Malta

In 1928, a chapel opened its doors to parishioners on North Hale Street, in Wheaton, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. Over the decades, the building reportedly served as a funeral home, a stationery store, and, eventually, a lofty restaurant space. It adopted its current identity in 2009 when Dick and Carole O'Gorman opened the chophouse Ivy Restaurant — named for the clinging vines that adorn the structure's south wall — with chef Brian Goewey. Today, the restaurant serves up seafood, fish, steak, and pasta.

After Loyola University Chicago established a relationship with the Vatican through its Building Bridges Initiative, then-Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost met with a group from the university in August 2024 to discuss expanding the initiative. Michael Murphy, director of Loyola University Chicago's Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, set up the reservation, choosing the restaurant as it was a centralized meeting point.

Murphy shared a few details about the meal with The Takeout, recalling that they shared a beet salad as an appetizer, and while Prevost debated choosing either salmon or steak, he ended up opting for the latter. The party also enjoyed a nicer California Cabernet from the wine list, but only shared a bottle, as they all had to drive separately after dining. When asked if he knew the restaurant was formerly a chapel before entering its doors, Murphy responded, "Nope. We laughed at this coincidence and made sustained jokes about it."

ivyofwheaton.com

(630) 665-2489

120 N Hale St, Wheaton, IL 60187

Some Roman restaurants date back centuries, but L'Isola della Pizza – whose name translates to "pizza island" — has been serving up classic Italian foods such as pizza, antipasto, pasta, steaks, and an array of desserts since 1985. It's a family affair at this cozy restaurant nestled in the Prati district, just outside of Vatican City, where husband and wife Vito and Adele have seen their culinary traditions continued by their children, Renzo and Laura.

Only an 11-minute walk from St. Peter's Basilica, L'Isola della Pizza has welcomed all kinds of travelers from around the world, including the likes of actor Matt Dillon, director Paul Feig, and tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams on numerous occasions. Locals are also fans of the pizza joint, including the cardinals of the Catholic Church. One such cardinal who actually dined there right before he was sequestered at the conclave to elect a new pope was none other than Robert Francis Prevost. Joined by another priest, he ate in a quiet side room of the restaurant, where the staff usually sit cardinals so they may eat in peace.

When the white smoke blew out of the chimney, and the announcement came over the television, Adele later told Il Messaggero that they were overwhelmed with joy. "I want to cry thinking that a few days ago, we welcomed the pope," she said. For one of his final suppers before becoming Pope Leo XIV, Prevost reportedly started with an order of artichokes and had pasta as his main course.

isoladellapizza.com

(+39) 06-3973-3483

Via degli Scipioni, 45, 00192 Roma RM, Italy

Sometimes the convenience of a restaurant's location near a place of work makes it a perennial go-to spot. While Robert Francis Prevost was the apostolic administrator and bishop in Chiclayo, there were several eateries just steps away from the Basilica and Cathedral of Santa María de Chiclayo. One of those was Las Américas Restaurant, where Prevost and his fellow members of the clergy stepped in for many meals.

Upon the announcement that Prevost was now Pope Leo XIV, Las Américas proudly posted on its chalkboard the Spanish equivalent of "The Pope has eaten here. Blessed food, food with faith" (via Reuters). The restaurant's manager, Rodrigo Cuoto, said that he "gave [him] a lot of advice" during his visits, imparting wisdom such as "always do good, always be thankful, thank God, and always be grateful." Cuoto's grandmother founded the restaurant, and the future pontiff was apparently close to her as well.

Cuoto also spoke to AP about the pope's visits to the restaurant. "Many times in the morning, he would come to eat fried pork, in the afternoons, he would have lunch, he liked the goat kid [cabrito] and the rice with duck, typical Chiclayo food," he said. "He always ate chicken chicharron in Las Américas sauce, which is something traditional in this restaurant."

(+51) 74-325514

Tahuantinsuyo 900 Intersección Con América, Chiclayo 14002, Perú

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost traveled the world for the Catholic Church, visiting the Philippines in both 2002 and 2006. Father Nelson G. Zerda, OSA, is the parish priest of San Jose Parish Placer in Iloilo City and fondly recalled his visits — which included a stop by the famed Filipino eatery Tatoy's Manokan and Seafood Restaurant – to the Philippine Information Agency.

The restaurant had humble beginnings. Fisherman Honorato 'Tatoy' Espinosa and his wife Consejo opened a three-table chicken barbecue restaurant on the island of Panay back in 1979 to boost their income. Its popularity forced it to expand, with the kiosk evolving into an oceanfront restaurant that can now seat up to 3,000 people. There are two other locations of Tatoy's, plus a convention center and resort under the same name.

While it's not clear what Pope Leo XIV ate at Tatoy's, it still specializes in Filipino barbecue. One of the most popular dishes at Tatoy's is Native Chicken, which is stuffed with lemongrass and tamarind leaves. Its seafood is also a big draw, with oysters, scallops, and shrimp all featured on the menu.

Multiple locations

During his stint as Bishop of Chiclayo, Pope Leo XIV enjoyed many meals at Trébol Café & Restaurante. The restaurant's head waiter, Carlos López, told América Noticias (via Trome) that he was a frequent diner, ordering items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Bishop Robert Francis Prevost would often start his day with papaya juice and traditional Chiclayano fried dishes, such as pork with sides of sweet potato and boiled yuca, a root vegetable that can easily replace mashed potatoes. For other meals, his favorites reportedly included goat and chicken broth with anise. Lopez spoke highly of the then-bishop, but also with humor, claiming that he didn't leave big tips but instead left his blessing.

Trébol Café & Restaurante is clearly proud of its connections to the pope, with a chalkboard enticing customers to order the same dishes enjoyed by the pontiff. For those who want to pull up a chair to eat in his footsteps, it's worth noting that Pope Leo XIV reportedly liked to dine at table three, which offered a view of the cathedral.

(+51) 960-421-877

Elías Aguirre 816, Chiclayo 14001, Peru