Oak Park dinner recommendations?

Any restaurant recommendations for Oak Park? We're looking for a place for dinner. Mid-range prices would be perfect, any kind of cuisine so long as it's good. And we'll have about 8 people.

Thanks so much. Multiple suggestions are welcome.

Gaetano's.
It's in Forest Park, though. If you have a car and a few minutes, it's worth it.

Thanks. Yes--I've been meaning to make it over to Gaetanos. I'm sure it's terrific. We're actually trying to stay close to the Green Line stops (within walking distance), but there seem to be so few restaurants around Lake St.

Is Cafe le Coq really closed? I'm not enthusiastic about Grape Leaves. Is Papaspiros worth trying? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Your best bets in Oak Park are not technically in Oak Park, as suggested above: Gaetano's, Amarind, Cafe Laguardia West, Freddy's, The Depot, Wishbone, Xni-Pec.

Right in town (especially near the Green Line), Papaspiros or Hemmingway's [sic] Bistro may be your best bets. Papaspiros does some things very well (loukaniko, spanakopita, saganaki, gyros) and others very poorly (lamb shank, avgolemono, moussaka, dolmades). Hemmingway's is a sedate room with good service; go towards the Provencal or Moroccan offerings instead of the standards if you want some extra care from the chef.

Cafe le Coq is really closed, sadly. Your other options in that immediate vicinity are Maya del Sol (room is great and select dishes are good, see existing thread), Fuego Loco for Tejano corporate-Mex (but at least five house-made salsas and hot chips, can't go wrong), and maybe Pasta Shoppe if the new Neapolitan pizza is any good. Their pastas can be excellent; stay away from the main-dish meats and fish, through, as those are consistently overcooked and underseasoned.

If you wanted to do Blue Line instead of Green Line, Trattoria 221 is a thought. Wood-fired pizzas and grilled pork tenderloin and octopus are favorites there, but pastas, sides, and desserts are underwhelming. Good luck!

Maya del Sol (on the other side of the street from Grape Leaves) is certainly worthwhile and could handle a group of 8. It's priced between Cafe le Coq and Papaspiros. Both The Wife and I enjoyed dinner there a few months ago.

If La Bella is still around, it's a very short walk south from the harlem / lake stop*, as would be Philander's and Poor Phils. Of those three, I think I would go with La Bella 1st, Philanders 2nd, and Poor Phil's 3rd.

*Also, cab ride from Harlem /Lake stop to Gaetano's might EASILY be worth the few dollars. Honestly, it would be a 5 minute ride. Hate to sound like a broken record, but if you're not familiar with the area, Gaetano's is REALLY close, and REALLY worth it. If you plan on trying it out, I would suggest you go for it unless you are in the area often. It really would not add much effort to get there from the el.

seebee wrote:If La Bella is still around, it's a very short walk south from the harlem / lake stop*, as would be Philander's and Poor Phils. Of those three, I think I would go with La Bella 1st, Philanders 2nd, and Poor Phil's 3rd.

I would never argue that Philander's has food worth traveling for, but it has a magnificent old circular bar and jazz in the evening. I could see going there for a pre- or post-prandial pop. (John Mahoney used to hang there all the time, and I ticked him off a few years ago by pressing him to admit that Tracey Ullman was difficult to work with -- with the smoking ban, I don't think he goes anymore).

New Rebozo on Madison Street is always good, long walk from the Green Line though.

David Hammond wrote:

seebee wrote:If La Bella is still around, it's a very short walk south from the harlem / lake stop*, as would be Philander's and Poor Phils. Of those three, I think I would go with La Bella 1st, Philanders 2nd, and Poor Phil's 3rd.

I would never argue that Philander's has food worth traveling for, but it has a magnificent old circular bar and jazz in the evening. I could see going there for a pre- or post-prandial pop. (John Mahoney used to hang there all the time, and I ticked him off a few years ago by pressing him to admit that Tracey Ullman was difficult to work with -- with the smoking ban, I don't think he goes anymore).

Funny, I ticked off John Mahoney at the old La Bella, a group of us were there we were seated in the bar area, we wanted his picture, so we posed in front/on the side of him and he shouted "just go ahead and take my picture"

Topic: Papaspiros is a good choice, we love their family style dinner, reasonable and delicious. I think their spanikopita is some of the best out there.

Any recommendations closer to River Forest? I'm going to a show at Dominican and I'll be a little pressed for time.

Dave148 wrote:Any recommendations closer to River Forest? I'm going to a show at Dominican and I'll be a little pressed for time.

Johnnie's? They're fast and close to Dominican.

Dave148 wrote:Any recommendations closer to River Forest? I'm going to a show at Dominican and I'll be a little pressed for time.

Russell's?

Goldyburger (Forest Park) for an old-fashioned meatball-of-a-burger is another thought. The little garden in back makes up for the non-burger food.

I'd eat at Russel's anytime. Convincing my wife is another story. Maybe we'll hit one of the joints around North & Harlem.

Close to Dominican: Jim and Pete's at around 7800 North Ave. Been there forever. Great pizza and good, reliable red sauce Italian food in a comfortable setting with good service. Its about three minutes from Dominican.

Geppetto's on Oak Park Ave. Great pizza and Italian fare.

Great. Thanks for the tips.

Don't plan on going to Gaetano's without reservations. We thought we'd try early last weekend, but there wasn't anything available for two until after 9 or 9:30. You'll never walk in off the street with 8 there I don't think.

Gaetano's is very loud. We had a group of 9 for a Saturday dinner and couldn't hear anything anyone said, even if they were sitting next to you. Beware of ordering milk, we had two kids and rung up a milk bill of $12.

Beware of ordering milk, we had two kids and rung up a milk bill of $12.

Be glad they're not fans of Chimay Blue.

Marija wrote:we had two kids and rung up a milk bill of $12.

Reminds me of a night out a while back, though we had a $120 drink bill and wound up with 2 kids .

My bride and I have taken to stopping at local Oak Park or Forest Park establishments for a quick drink, some soup and appetizers after a long and grueling day at work and on a whim we decided to give Winberie’s Restaurant & Bar
another shot.

I have a long history with the restaurant. Used to frequent it a long time ago when it was The Cheese Cellar (loved the cajun inspired 'blackened' dishes and soups), several stops for their brunch buffet (a lot better in the past) and more recently our local church choir would visit after our weekly rehearsals (good appetizers, drinks and a cozy bar area) but after the latest remodeling the place lost it's warmth and the lighting was a bit bright.

After a late pickup at the Oak Park, Green Line stop we stopped by. Not stopping for dinner we made a quick scan of our offerings and placed an order.

French Onion Soup - A very good and rich broth! The mix of cheeses and a nice browning in the broiler had a wonderful flavor and the crouton just right.

Steak Quesadilla Appetizer - Tender beef, nice balance of roasted peppers, onions and cheese with a dollop of guacamole, pico de guillo and sour cream on the side. Juicy and flavorful.

Now a bowl of soup and a side of snack does not a restaurant make, but these items were designed and prepared with care and were some of the best I have had in a while.

Winberie’s Restaurant & Bar
151 N. Oak Park Avenue
Oak Park, IL 60301
(708) 386-2600

The place is still too bright though...

Winberie's has improved noticeably for me as well. I've always enjoyed their Caesar and Bloody Mary, but some of the entrees have evidenced a defter hand in the kitchen of late. Risotti seem to be lighter and fluffier, the salmon in parchment has actually tasted like fresh fish and herbs instead of frozen blandness and shaker spices, and they are making a really good steak sandwich with aged provolone and sharp horseradish, respecting rare and medium requests, which they weren't always good about.

Having had to stay closer to home with the little one and mom this month, we had a much lower-key anniversary this year than Moto, right at Hemmingway's, which I've always found to be solid and calm, if not polished. They were out of Pernod and Absinthe, both listed on the menu, and had no Peychaud's bitters in any case, but were eventually able to make a really nice pepper vodka martini with bleu olives. Salads and mains were quite delicious. Forgive me the low-light phonecam photos:





From top to bottom, a boar-confit ravioli (they have a different house-made ravioli appetizer every night for $7-9) in a slurpable port-butter reduction, crispy pork belly on a white bean cassoulet, and prawns on a seasonal root vegetable mash with lots of fresh herbs.

Does not eclipse Cafe le Coq at its best under Chiapetti, but is pretty reasonable in a pinch, affable, and conversation-friendly.

Hemmingway's Bistro
211 N. Oak Park Ave

Maybe someone can help me out here. I'm looking for a casual pizza place in Oak Park..thin crust, eat-in, kid-friendly. The other day it wasn't looking like dinner was going to get made and I said, "I wish we could just go get a pizza." Alas, we did not know of a place, so we stayed home. Armand's in Elmwood Park currently fills that role, but it is a little far for a last minute jaunt.

teatpuller wrote:Maybe someone can help me out here. I'm looking for a casual pizza place in Oak Park..thin crust, eat-in, kid-friendly. The other day it wasn't looking like dinner was going to get made and I said, "I wish we could just go get a pizza." Alas, we did not know of a place, so we stayed home. Armand's in Elmwood Park currently fills that role, but it is a little far for a last minute jaunt.

I really like the pizza at Jimmy's. Not quite Oak Park, but pretty darn close.

teatpuller wrote:Maybe someone can help me out here. I'm looking for a casual pizza place in Oak Park.....

Have you tried Trattoria 225?
225 Harrison St
(between Harvey Ave & Lombard Ave)
Oak Park, IL 60304
(708) 358-8555

Actually I have tried Trattoria 225 and have a favorable impression. But, I was thinking more a vinyl booth, square-cut pizza, pitcher-beer-specials kind of place.

I will definitely hit Jimmy's within the week and report back.

Ahhh, I like Pizza Pilazzo for my standard tv-watchin' za. I don't think they have beer though, I've never eaten in before, but it is cute, w/the appropriate vinyl checked table clothes and booths. It is not a cracker crust but they have a nice thin crust IMHO.
Pizza Palazzo
314 Madison St
Oak Park, IL 60302
(708) 848-6600

Vital Information wrote:

teatpuller wrote:Maybe someone can help me out here. I'm looking for a casual pizza place in Oak Park..thin crust, eat-in, kid-friendly. The other day it wasn't looking like dinner was going to get made and I said, "I wish we could just go get a pizza." Alas, we did not know of a place, so we stayed home. Armand's in Elmwood Park currently fills that role, but it is a little far for a last minute jaunt.

I really like the pizza at Jimmy's. Not quite Oak Park, but pretty darn close.

Seconded!

Often there are kids there when we visit. If the adults do not want pizza the menu has some nicely prepared dishes.

Jimmy's Place‎
7411 Madison St
Forest Park, IL 60130
(708) 771-7476

Jimmy's, Pizza Palazzo(BYOB) and Trattoria 225 are very good.
We also really like Mancini's thin crust. Mancini's is right on Lake St, near the movie theater. They offer beer and wine.
LO