Rosebud Naperville - Back to the future

I drove by Rosebud in Naperville today and there's a big sign on the front of the building: "Back by popular and customer demand. Rosebud Italian Specialties and Pizzaria. Beginning early November."

For those who didn't know, Rosebud in Naperville re-made themselves back in April as a "Hamburger and Comfort Food" restaurant after some marketing study that said people were buying less pasta. I guess we're not buying many hamburgers in Naperville either, or at least not from Rosebud. The fact that they're a few doors down from The Lantern, which has a good burger, and a few more doors away from a newly opened Five Guys probably contributed to lack of sales.

Interesting, thanks for the update. I guess I was one of the few to order a burger there in the past couple of weeks, then. I found it to be one of the better burgers I've had in recent memory (excellent beef taste), and I was considering returning there the next time I was in the area. Hope it's still on their new menu, altho if they're changing their focus (again) it may not be the best choice.

As of last Monday, November 30, Rosebud Naperville is now open and Italian again.

We moved to Naperville this summer and went to Rosebud during their Comfort Food phase and LOVED it! They had one of the best burgers that I've ever eaten and my family loved the comfort food menu. We went again after they switched to Italian and were horribly disappointed. I ate the burger and the meat had clearly been frozen. It tasted terrible and the texture was remarkably squishy. (No, I can't really elaborate...it was...weird...) My wife ate the pasta and said it tasted exactly like Chef Boyardee. I tried it and I agree, the sauce tasted exactly like Chef Boyardee. We'll never go back there...there's no way that place will make it...

OLearyC wrote:We moved to Naperville this summer and went to Rosebud during their Comfort Food phase and LOVED it! They had one of the best burgers that I've ever eaten and my family loved the comfort food menu. We went again after they switched to Italian and were horribly disappointed. I ate the burger and the meat had clearly been frozen. It tasted terrible and the texture was remarkably squishy. (No, I can't really elaborate...it was...weird...) My wife ate the pasta and said it tasted exactly like Chef Boyardee. I tried it and I agree, the sauce tasted exactly like Chef Boyardee. We'll never go back there...there's no way that place will make it...

While Rosebud's has never been the best Italian food around, I think it's generally considered to be decent and certainly better than Chef Boyardee. Hopefully they haven't gone that far downhill.

The reality is that there was no way they would have ever survived in their comfort food orientation. There are just too many better places in Naperville to get a good burger. They were practically printing money for a long time as an Italian place and I believe they changed not due to a huge fall-off of business but because some marketing people said "there's a downturn in the pasta house market". Now that people have found other Italian venues in town, I'm not sure if Rosebud will get those customers back.

I agree with John D., above, on all points. I would add that, although it certainly is not the best Italian restaurant in the Chicago area (and essentially is a middle of the road choice in the red-sauce, huge portions category of Italian places), we have had some very good meals at Rosebud over the years. We were very surprised when Rosebud switched concepts, and I was not at all surprised to see it switch back to Italian after realizing, presumably, that it wasn't going to make it as a burger place. With the competition in town (and the economy, etc.), not sure if Rosebud will win its old customers back, but it used to draw very good crowds and serve decent to above-average renditions of red-sauce Italian classics and pastas.

I opened up the original Rosebud Naperville years ago(before I fled Naperville for the country). If I recall we made very little in house as far as sauces, they came from the company commisary I believe(it was a long time ago).

I was never really impressed with how Rosebud was run from the back of the house perspective. I wasnt suprised to see it fail. Kind of surprised when I heard they were becoming a burger place, and now amused they are making another run @ Italian.

To be honest, I am kind of shocked at these reviews. I have been in Naperville for 10 years and LOVE Rosebud, I was so dissappointed when they switched concepts and am excited they are BACK. I have been there 6 times since reopening and will say the service is the best its ever been. The food is great and I would say they are definately BACK. If you haven't tried the "New" Rosebud, try it and I am sure you will agree.

We were downtown Naperville around 12:30pm yesterday, and happened to see smoke, numerous fire trucks, and a lot of commotion in the area around the Rosebud restaurant. It was hard to tell whether the fire was substantial or if the local fire departments just were overreacting with a taxpayer-subsidized show of force. However, the news stories that I have seen this morning describe the fire as having been pretty significant. Suffice it to say, the restaurant probably will be closed at least temporarily.