Southwest Suburbs - good eats?

I am relatively new to this forum but quickly came to love it. I have abandoned Yelp since I have found it to be untrustworthy and instead come here for reliable food information.

That being said, I have noticed that there are very few Great Neighborhood restaurants in the Southwest suburbs - Orland Park area. Yes Top Notch and Vito and Nicks, but does anyone have a few more? Like someone who lives in the area and have developed a list that, while not making the great restaurants lists, are above quality?

I'm talking about any kind of food, just GOOD food. Thanks ahead of time for anyone who responds!

DKoblesky wrote: Like someone who lives in the area and have developed a list that, while not making the great restaurants lists, are above quality?

I'm talking about any kind of food, just GOOD food. Thanks ahead of time for anyone who responds!

Depends on what you think is good...<G>

For me, I like the Valley Inn ( http://local.yahoo.com/info-17295290-va ... s#overview ) for solid good chow. It's been a local favorite watering hole and restaurant for over 30 years. A bit more upscale and a nice "first date" kind of place for me would be Toby's. ( http://chicago.citysearch.com/profile/3 ... irits.html )

For top notched food, there is always of course Tallgrass. ( http://www.tallgrassrestaurant.com/menu1.html )

For additional possibilities, you might wish to also try this Forum's "search" function.

Ron

Gatto's in Tinley Park is good Italian. Lots of chicken dishes. Loud open room but has a friendly neighborhood feel. The Owner, Chuck, is among the nicest folks you will ever meet. The staff is also very friendly and helpful. Very good for spur of the moment groups.

DO NOT under any circumstances go to Nikos in Bridgeview. They serve the worst food I've had the displeasure to leave uneaten on my plate in a very long time. Bad service, too! This has been a public service announcement.

Nikos Restaurant
7600 South Harlem Avenue
Bridgeview, IL 60455
708-496-0300

I like Harrison's Restaurant and Brewery.
15845 S La Grange Road
Orland Park, IL
(708)226-0100

Excellent Burgers.. decent steak.
Nothing too fancy, but good pub food.

I also had a very nice visit to 94 West once.
It is a steak house similar to Ruth's Chris.

94 West
15410 94th Ave.
Orland Park, IL 60462
(708) 364-9494

hey steve niko's is now just banquets


chuck's on 79st burbank
grand dukes on harlem & 63rd st
copper hawk on harlem 159st
i have not been but here ok things about
bon a pit? harlem & 121 st?palos
keep searching lth & you will find them

Often overlooked but some of the best pan pizza in all of Chicagoland.

Louisa's Pizza & Pasta
14025 Cicero Ave
Crestwood, IL 60445
(708) 371-0950

Gatto's #1 suggestion
Tin Fish for great seafood and raw bar
Chef Klaus for German old school
Bartolini's in Midlothian. Incredible food
Ottimo on LaGrange
Jack Gibbons' for old school steak house
Fox's on Wolf (never been but hear nothing but good things)

philw wrote:hey steve niko's is now just banquets

Saying that is an insult to banquets everywhere!

niko's has went down hill sence they sold it , maybe 10 yrs ago

philw wrote:niko's has went down hill sence they sold it , maybe 10 yrs ago

Amen to that! I was there for a "banquet" on Friday and simply couldn't eat anything that was served. Plus the service was slow and terrible. Nice sized portions, though.

Middle Eastern:
The Nile Restaurant in Bridgeview, try the stuffed falafel
Hadramout Al-Yemen 90th & Harlem, great shawerma wraps and kebabs

Steak House:
Krapil's @ 111th & 294, great steaks at a fraction of downtown prices

I second Chef Klaus' Bier Stube, Chuck's Southern Comforts Cafe, and The Grand Duke!

For Hickory smoked BBQ and ribs http://exsenatorsbbq.com/ is great and not to far. A must try if you have not been there, tips and spare ribs is what ya need to try when ya go.
Open till 1am fry and sat night << thats good to know.

3349 W 159th St
Markham, IL 60428
(708) 333-121

Cuzzin's on 159th is worth a stop. Incredible chow.

Try Joe's Italian Villa in Bridgeview at 8807 S. Harlem for a classic Chicago style thin crust pizza with homemade Italian sausage. Their sausage is truly some of the best I've ever had on a pizza. Usually, at least one of the owners is there at any given time during the day making the pizzas. They take a lot of pride in their homemade sausage. Very good stuff. The Villa is just a good old fashioned neighborhood pizza place. There is a very good review of Joe's on the Slice Serious Eats website by Daniel Zemans. And no, I'm not Daniel Zemans or anyone related to anybody at Joe's Italian Villa.

Try :House of Hughs in Crestwood
Greco's in Willow Springs
Marconi's in LaGrange
Village Pub in Broadview
The Pit Bar-B-q in Hickory Hills

I am looking for a good lunch/brunch place in the suburbs within a 30 min. drive of Chicago Ridge. I would like to find something similar to Prairie Grass Cafe. I am open to different type of cuisines.

copper hawk in orland park,il. has good food ,big wine selection. harlem & 156th ?

xando cafe has great food. 88th ave & 96th st.

grand dukes is great 63rd & harlem

chucks in burbank,il. 79st i have been getting the cajun dishes or the mex.

there is a polish place at 93rd & roberts rd.- been 1 time ,it was very good forget the name.?

chi-tung is great 9560 s kedize thai-japanese

on sundays the brunch at william tell country side,il

philw wrote:copper hawk in orland park,il. has good food ,big wine selection. harlem & 156th ?

xando cafe has great food. 88th ave & 96th st.

grand dukes is great 63rd & harlem

chucks in burbank,il. 79st i have been getting the cajun dishes or the mex.

there is a polish place at 93rd & roberts rd.- been 1 time ,it was very good forget the name.?

chi-tung is great 9560 s kedize thai-japanese

on sundays the brunch at william tell country side,il

Thanks for the recs. I ended up going to Cooper Hawks. It looks like a pretty popular restaurant. The parking lot was completely full at 3:30 on a Sun. We liked sampling their wines.

they do get a great crowd most of the day(cooperhawks)
the chef there also gives classes on cooking through the lacol c.c.

Going to give thumbs down to two above recommendations then I will go ahead and add my recommendations:

NO to Harrison's. The beer is inconsistent and not being brewed properly. I had called the manager over once after experiencing "alka-seltzer" beer as it was so heavily carbonated it made my stomach hurt. She went to try the beer herself and she agreed that something was wrong with it and they would discontinue serving it (why did it have to be me to find out to stop it?). She offered a different beer and dessert- but at this point my stomach was hurting. I gave Harrisons about THREE more chances, skipping the beer and just going for dinner-dates. Cold food, over cooked food, soup served on a plate while my date had it served in a bowl. It's not how it used to be many years ago. The last time I got the steak bites - chunks of fat. The parking lot is empty a lot now. ROCKBOTTOM down the road blows them away.

NO to Tinfish. I went there my first time and last time. The entire restaurant smelled FISHY. It was unpleasant. I ordered a scallop special and they were very rubbery and did not taste right. My date offered me a taste of her cooked halibut which tasted very old and fishy. It was a very expensive and unpleasant experience.

The places I recommend:
Chuck's Cafe/Voodoo Lounge in Burbank. (jerk wings, cream of poblano soup, breakfasts are my favs)

Rockbottom in Orland Park (I've had rockbottom before but the brew master here impresses me and knows what he is doing - this is coming from a 3 Floyds and Revolution brewpub fan)

Flossmoor Station in Flossmoor (great brewpub, great beer and pub food/atmosphere)

Bartolini's in Midlothian. They were on outrageous foods on the food network. get the Meatball sandwich, it's the best. The pizzas and the pasta are fantastic. Breakfasts are classic and amazing. I've never had a bad meal here and I HIGHLY recommend it. This place should be slammed but it's not, not even after being on TV - I guess people just don't want to trek out to Midlothian... they have a bar too! It's down the road from hog Wild on Pulaski..

Hog Wild in Midlothian. Not a BBQ place by any means, but the best pork-based fast food joint I've ever been to.

Thai Smile in Palos Heights. My favorite Thai place. Everything is good and fresh, love the tom yum and the basil and curry dishes. Check out the Rama noodle curry dish. YUM!

Pita Oven in Orland Park. Middle Eastern Bakery, small grocery area both dry and frozen foods. Small dine-in area. Kabobs, lamb chops, falafel etc... extremely good, it's like a quick stop Steve's......

Steve's Shish Kabob in Palos Hills. Long-time well known sit-down and wait, stay and enjoy Middle Eastern cuisine. Many tell me it's the best...

Last time we went to Steve's Shish Kabob we were told Steve no longer owns the place but "might come back." The place was deserted and the food was definitely not Steve's.

Spy Thai is a great place. Had some soup and fish from there recent. Floosmoor Station and Hog Wild are great joints to! Just had some good baby backs from Chucks in Burbank.
Spy Thai is in the small mall as Al Basha and Mister Mo's bar.

Spy Thai has a gift certificate dealing going on now till 2/18/2011.
http://www.doubletakedeals.com/deals/il-oaklawn
$20.00 for $40.00 and looks like you can buy as many as you want.
Spy Thai Restaurant
7208 W College Dr # A
Palos Heights, IL 60463
708 923-6467
http://www.spythaibykoi.com/

For some of the best Chinese check out Hong Min. I was last there on NYE and had a great meal. The best egg rolls I have had in quite some time. Typical old school Chinese interior and an extensive menu with a lot of traditional dishes not found in similar restaurants in the area. I have also found the preparations to be much better than what the local competition offers.

Hong Min
8048 W 111th St.
Palos Hills

Yeah...it's pretty much a culinary/cultural wasteland out here. Here are my thoughts, FWIW. BTW, if anyone knows of anywhere that has GOOD fish & chips on the south side, please give me the heads up....I'm on a quest.

The Good:

Maple Tree Inn (Blue Island) - if you haven't been in a while, please try it again. Since Katie & Eric have taken over fully, we've noticed a marked improvement which delights the Mr. and me.
El Cortez (CC Hills Location) - it can be standard fare, but some things really stand out like the Whisky Chicken and Enchiladas Aguascaliente.
Chef Klaus (Frankfort) - great schnitzel. Skip the formal dining room and sit in the bar area - same great food, more casual, less expensive.
Francesca's (Frankfort) - I've heard some recent grumblings about this place, but we've always had great dinner and drinks. Especially love 1/2 priced martini night on Thursdays.
Taj Mahal (Orland) - I'm a novice when it comes to Indo/Paki cusine, but we really enjoy their buffet, especially their tandoori. Call to make sure you can BYOB.
Toyko Steakhouse (Tinley) - this is not downtown, but it suffices for being local and my kids actually eat their veggies here. Have also noticed a marked improvement in sushi.
Fuji's Steakhouse (Orland) - we go here for sushi only. Warning - when the menu says it's spicy - it's REALLY spicy - in a fabulous way.
Henie McCarthy's (Orland) - take out only. best fried chicken around. this is our go-to catering chicken.
Ed & Joe's (Tinley) - does a really good cracker thin crust. The best Taco pizza. Great music on weekends.
Gatto's (Tinley) - I'll echo everyone else. Not reinventing the wheel but just throwing out good standard Italian fare at a good price. Be on the lookout in spring/early summer for soft shell crab special - it's outstanding!

The Bad:

Flossmoor Station - Their food is atrocious. Service is terrible. Beers are just ok, in my opinion (I know that's not the popular one).
Harrison's - have been awful for a long time.
Tin Fish - really disappointing that this place went south as it was one of the more upscale dining options in the area.

Great spares and tips. They use no wood only charcoal but still put out very good Aquarium pit cooked BBQ.

George's Rib House
168 West 147th Street
Harvey, IL 60426
708 331-9347 ‎

Good taco/mexican joint. Really like the sauce. Old lady love'Z this joint. Cool area to sit and eat.

El Gallo De 'Oro
11400 South Harlem Avenue
Worth, IL 60482
708 448-5449

They do GREAT General Tso’s Chicken. If you like this dish you got to try it.

Hunan Inn
7222 West College Drive
Palos Heights, IL 60463
708 361-3633 ‎
http://hunaninnrestaurant.com/house_specials.html

Chicken and Lamb kabobs are good here. Rice, hummus, Kifta, lentil soup and even hand cut fries. Had many great meals recent there, Will have to get sum photos next run.

Pita Wrap
6905 W 159th St
Tinley Park, Illinois 60477
708 444-2222 ‎

luvdylan76 wrote:Francesca's (Frankfort) - I've heard some recent grumblings about this place, but we've always had great dinner and drinks.

A bit closer in, we were pleased with a visit to another member of the chain, Francesca's Vicinato in Palos Park. (12960 S. LaGrange.) I wish I could recall the details, but at this point all I remember is that all of us had salad courses followed by pasta courses, and all of us were happy. The martini was fine, too.

We have an elderly aunt who lives in Oak Lawn, whom we take out for dinner on a fairly regular basis, so we're always looking for decent choices within an "X" mile radius. (Value of "X" not exactly determined.) This is a valuable thread for us.

riddlemay wrote:

luvdylan76 wrote:Francesca's (Frankfort) - I've heard some recent grumblings about this place, but we've always had great dinner and drinks.

A bit closer in, we were pleased with a visit to another member of the chain, Francesca's Vicinato in Palos Park. (12960 S. LaGrange.) I wish I could recall the details, but at this point all I remember is that all of us had salad courses followed by pasta courses, and all of us were happy. The martini was fine, too.

We have an elderly aunt who lives in Oak Lawn, whom we take out for dinner on a fairly regular basis, so we're always looking for decent choices within an "X" mile radius. (Value of "X" not exactly determined.) This is a valuable thread for us.

There is a Francesca's in Oak Lawn on 95th Street as well. I've found it to be as good and reliable as I'd like from a chain.

Great Italian beef, dogs, burgers and grilled chicken. I really like the Italian beef sandwich.

Pop's
7153 W.127th Street
Palos Heights, IL 60463
708 361-0087
http://www.popsbeef.com/Menus/Menu-palos-heights/

Great thin crust pizza!

Mama Vesuvio
6361 West College Drive (also know as Route 83 and Cal Sag Road)
Palos Heights, IL 60463
708 371-2500 ‎
http://www.mamavesuvio.com/