Restaurants Near Hala Kahiki in River Grove

Some friends are coming over and they really want to go to the Hala Kahiki Tiki Bar for some drinks.

Hala-Kahiki
2834 River Road In River Grove IL.

Are there any decent, not too expensive restaurants near there?
Can you tell I'm not familiar with the area? LOL

Eric,

I know you're looking for restaurants (meaning sit-down types of places), but if you spend all your money on Blue Hawaiis and Zombies, you might consider Gene and Jude's (right down the street from Hala Kahiki) or Johnnie's on North. Or maybe just go to Maywood Park for the $19.95 buffet...play some ponies (post times on Friday and Saturday night) and win back some more drinking money.

Pescatore Palace is also nearby: not terribly expensive nor terribly good.

Hammond

Hi Eric,

A great restaurant in the area is Armand's Pizza on Grand Avenue, not very far west of Hala Kahiki.

It's your above average pizza joint with a pretty expansive menu: pizza, Italian standards, etc. I would say their thin crust pizza is the stand-out (in my opinion one of the best around) and their entrees just average. What I love about the thin crust is the tomato sauce they use (not too sweet), and the cheese is right on the money with the edges cooked to a delicious golden brown along with a perfect crust. They have pizza "novas", which are individual 10" white pizzas, but I have never wanted to stray from their thin crust.

The pizza would be a good call after the tropical drinks. Plus, Armand's is located in Elmwood Park so there is usually some great people watching with the locals, and most of their waitresses have been there forever and can give you the lowdown on everything.

Armand's Pizza and Pasta
7400 W. Grand Ave.
Elmwood Park, IL 60607
708-456-5200

Not terribly far away (3 miles or so, a quick drive) is Caponie's, on Harlem. Also worth a shot, depending on who you ask, is Ristorante Agostino, also on Harlem. Both have been discussed a fair amount here, so you can search away. Caponie's turns out well above average wood-fired pizzas, Agostino more upscale (but still fairly inexpensive) Italian.

Caponies Cafe and Pizzeria
(773) 804-9024
3350 N Harlem Ave,
Chicago, IL 60634

Agostino's Ristorante
(773) 745-6464
2817 N Harlem Ave
Chicago, IL 60707

I've never been to Hala Kahiki but i know they don't serve food.Probably killer cocktails and Rosemont,Schiller Park and River Grove's finest on the watch.

If you're just looking for good food and not 'fine dining', I'd like to recommend the Elmwood Family Restaurant. It's an old style, probably Greek owned, diner.

If you are looking for something fancier, a little south of there is Tom's Steak House in Melrose Park. A good, old fashioned, neighborhood steak house.

Elmwood Family Restaurant
7725 West Belmont Avenue
Elmwood Park

Tom's Steak House
1901 W North
Melrose Park

I second Tom's Steakhouse. It might be the perfect place to go after some killer umbrella drinks. The Italian Bordello motif at Tom's would be a good counterpoint to an outing started with rumification in a Tiki bar.

Foods pretty good at Tom's, too.

I used to work in Franklin Park and like both of these places. I might have to replicate your event.

I'm thinking about going to Hala Kahiki for my birthday next month. Are there any recommendations for a restaurant nearby? I saw on their website, that the Carnivore food truck is there on Saturdays. Does anyone have any reviews or experience with their food truck?

Thanks!

Does Gene and Judes count?

jacketpotato wrote:I'm thinking about going to Hala Kahiki for my birthday next month. Are there any recommendations for a restaurant nearby? I saw on their website, that the Carnivore food truck is there on Saturdays. Does anyone have any reviews or experience with their food truck?

Thanks!

Anything from Carnivore is good. The truck has always been sandwiches when I've seen it, and hasn't always had what I wanted, but it will all be good for what it is.

Other options not too far away, beyond the ones already here:

Forno Rosso on Harlem, about 10 minutes away, for great Neapolitan pizza.

Mexican in Melrose Park is about the same distance. I like Los Tres Gallos for carne en su jugo, but there are plenty of options. Los Comales has good tacos, for example.

Short Fuse Brewing is about 10 minutes north. My wife ate there an enjoyed it - think pizza and pub grub.

Technically, you're probably only 20 minutes from Boston Fish Market in Des Plains.

Another vote for Forno Rosso. But if you overdo it on the tiki drinks stick with Gene & Judes.

All of the Rosemont stuff is only a few minutes drive away - like Giordanos, Gene&Georgetti's, I think there's a Mcormick and Schmitt's. All of that Rosemont airport / convention center stuff is pretty close, and generally not very far off of River Road at all.

Frankly, if you're going with some fish lovin friends, Boston Fish would be on my short list if it's in the 20 minute drive range. It's a great place for sharing a whole buncha good food. I always want far more ordering power when I go.

seebee wrote:Frankly, if you're going with some fish lovin friends, Boston Fish would be on my short list if it's in the 20 minute drive range. It's a great place for sharing a whole buncha good food. I always want far more ordering power when I go.

As a complete aside, I do tend to stick with a fairly narrow spectrum of ordering choices there. I've recently discovered the shrimp & feta appetizer; shouldn't work but is pretty fantastic - very shareable as an appetizer, enough for 2 as an entree.

jacketpotato wrote:I'm thinking about going to Hala Kahiki for my birthday next month. Are there any recommendations for a restaurant nearby? I saw on their website, that the Carnivore food truck is there on Saturdays. Does anyone have any reviews or experience with their food truck?

Thanks!

Carnivore’s primary focus at Hala Kahiki is their version of Spam Sushi and I am not sure how extensive their menu might be.

tazerowe wrote:Anything from Carnivore is good. The truck has always been sandwiches when I've seen it, and hasn't always had what I wanted, but it will all be good for what it is.
...
Short Fuse Brewing is about 10 minutes north. My wife ate there an enjoyed it - think pizza and pub grub.
...

Might be pub grub but it’s well prepared and you might find some other dishes that could wow you...


Besides they have an extensive beer list (14 of their own plus 7 guest brews).

I really enjoy Mia Passione on the corner of river and grand. I would, however, skip the pizzas and share one of their entrees which could amply feed 3-4 people.

But my recommendation for
Mia Passione has nothing to do with portion size. Their Frutta Di Mare is stellar, their Chicken Francese is great; really any of their entrees are phenomenal.

Kind of a weird scene, though. But sometimes you want to eat good Italian Food and watch Richard Dreyfuss movies. Still, food is beyond reproach.

Mia Passione
8347 W. Grand Avenue
River Grove, IL

Ended up eating from the Carnivore"food truck" ( a guy standing at the front bar with a cooler and a huge rice cooker). I got to try the tuna and steak (cooked) poke bowls. I'm certainly no Poke expert, but both were pretty tasty. I'm not sure that $12 is a good value, but it did soak up some of the sugar/booze.

After 2.5 rounds we did wander/stumble over to Gene and Jude's. I may have been impaired, but the dog was good (not the best ever). The fries were out of this world (maybe the best ever). Thanks to everyone for the tips on other places around there.