fav restaurants in downtown Naperville?

Hi, Could anyone recommend some places to dine in downtown Naperville? I'm looking for a reasonably priced restaurant that has some atmosphere and a decent variety of entrees. The type of cuisine is less important than the quality of the cuisine if that makes sense. (i.e., I would rather have fantastic Americana over mediocre French, or very good Italian over a so so steak. . .) Unfortunately I'm on a somewhat limited budget--La Sorella di Francesca (which I like) would be on the high end of the budget. If there is a place just a little cheaper, that could be perfect.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Perhaps Bangkok Village (on Chicago, across the street from the parking garage) would meet your requirements. If you're willing to drive a mile or so, I'd suggest Angeli's, which is on the corner of Chicago and Naper Blvd.

I'm looking for a place in downtown Naperville to take an out-of-town guest. I don't know the dining scene there that well, so I would appreciate any suggestions. These are the things I care most about:

1. A varied menu w/ vegetarian options. i.e., there is something for almost everyone.
2. Good atmosphere (doesn't feel too corporate)
3. Quiet enough for conversation. Doesn't have to be entirely quiet, but we want to be able to converse.
4. Good food!--of course

The type of cuisine doesn't matter so much as long as there is a good range of choices on the menu.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

La Sorella di Francesca! I've never been disappointed. The food is great and the prices are wallet-friendly Ask for their mixed mushroom risotto! It's not on the menu anymore but they make it for whoever asks. Their menu has pastas sans meat. I think another reason why I go there is because I love their warm, crusty, soft bread with the herb-infused oil! Mmm...

The place is pretty casual and I like the service- friendly and efficient.

18 W. Jefferson Ave.
630.961.2706

I would agree with La Sorella di Francesca.

D.

There is a lot in downtown Naperville, but not necessarily a lot that meets your criteria. Also, many restaurants have come and gone in the last few years (Bistrot Margot, Samba Room/Timpano's, Clara's at the Square, Masala Yagu, Tessa's, 10 West and its predecessors).

IMHO, Hugo's is the best restaurant in downtown Naperville right now. But, it doesn't offer much (if anything) for vegetarians, and can be quite noisy. La Sorella di Francesca (the first Francesca's restaurant to open in the suburbs) consistently is good, reasonably priced Italian -- it is a good choice. However, it also can be very, very noisy and is extremely busy on the weekends. You may want to take a lot at Raffi's, which is in the 5th Avenue Station building just north of downtown...It may be more suitable, given what you're looking for.

From what I've noticed, the restaurants that tend to prosper in downtown Naperville are high-end steak and seafood restaurants (Hugo's, Sullivan's, Catch 35), bars/pubs serving bar food, Mongolian barbeque places and low-end, Americanized Mexican. There are chains like Ted's, and also a Heaven on Seven, that do quite well, but they are not what you're looking for. A lot of ethnic and high-end (non-steakhouse) places have not been able to make a go of it, for some reason.

Hugo's works fine if your vegetarian eats seafood. They have a good selection of seafood dishes that have made my vegetarian partner happy.

Raffi's is also a good selection. We had a wonderful lunch there but odd as we were the only customers the whole 45 minute lunch hour. The food was very good and we certainly got excellent service. Very nice setting in the boiler room of the old Kohler furniture plant.

What about Meson Sabika? It isn't exactly downtown, but it's quite close.

Meson Sabika seems like a good recommendation...A lot of vegetarian tapas and a very nice atmosphere. Like Raffi's, it is not downtown but close by. As an FYI, downtown Naperville is nice, but can be a bit crazy on weekend nights (which could be good or bad, I suppose, depending on what you are looking for).

The best two features of Raffi's and Meson Sabika is not having to deal with downtown traffic and parking!

Mason Sabika is a long favorite of ours too!

Thank you for all of the great suggestions. We ended up dining at Raffi's on Fifth, which was fabulous. Delicious food, great variety on the menu, terrific service, and very nice atmosphere. I'll definitely return. I also plan to try some of the other places recommended here.

jiahuo, Raffi's has a $25 certificate available for $2 on restaurant.com
(there is some fine print, I think you need to get four lunches), but thought you might want to take a look. Promotion code until April 6 is "chow".

had to spend the weekend in Naperville due to some frozen pipes, got a couple good meals out of it, surprisingly. Folks might know I grew up in Naperville, lived there for 35 years, small local places from back in the day are gone(we did get to Al's in Warrenville last night, one of the few old school spots left), replaced mostly by strip mall after strip mall of chain "food".

Had a craving for some curry, and thai food sat night, read up on a spot by the 5th ave train station, southern thai.

Thai Medallion Restaurant, walked in and ordered some carryout, thai egg rolls - chicken, beef fried rice, som tum, kang massamon - chicken. Ordered the Som Tum "hot" and the other dishes mild. Really dug the som tum - really nice heat level and a solid version even in carryout. The Kang Massamon was my favorite, i am not an expert on curries, but I am starting to crave them alot, especially ones with coconut milk., The sauce on this chicken dish was a bouquet of spices on the front end, then a nice back of the tongue heat. Potatoes and chicken cooked nicely. The thai egg rolls, - should have gotten the veggie as the chicken was more like a flauta, or even a chicken lumpia. I would have preferred some crunch inside as well. Beef fried rice was solid.. $35 for a pretty good supper.

Thai Medallion Restaurant
327 N. Center
Naperville, IL.

http://www.thaimedallion.com/mainweb/index.php