Northbrook Area Suggestions

Good Morning fellow foodies,

My wife and I will be staying in the Northbrook area this weekend. I am looking for dining options in the area.

I have already searched the forum and am definitely going to try some pizza from Barnaby's. I am looking for something casual and not worried about cost. Perhaps Japanese, Thai or Mexican recommendations.

I know that Bob Chinn's is nearby but that is where we usually go when in the area so was hoping for something new.

Looking forward to your recommendations and thanks in advance.

There is Kamehachi, good-quality sushi, in the downtown area, on Shermer Road. An AAdvantage dining restaurant, if you're looking for points.

Just up Skokie Boulevard a bit from Barnaby's, north of Dundee, is Prairie Grass Cafe, which has its own LTH thread.

Guildhall - relatively new place in Glencoe with contemporary American
Avli Estatorio - excellent Greek in Winnetka with nice patio.
Abigail's - nice place in southern Highland Park, but no reservations after 6:00.

May I ask where you're staying? The reason I ask is, there are two clusters of hotels in Northbrook. One is near I-294 (the west end of Northbrook) - close to restaurants in Wheeling and Lincolnshire, not so close to those further east in Highland Park and Winnetka. The other is along Skokie Blvd near US-41 (the east end of Northbrook) - convenient to places in Highland Park and Winnetka, but some distance from Wheeling and Lincolnshire recommendations.

I definitely prefer Guildhall and Abigail's to Prairie Grass. Both are not in Northbrook and may be a little out of the way, but worth it. Francesco's Hole in the Wall (not to be confused with Francesa's chain) has always been reliable old school Italian standby. Some people like Casa de Isaac (Highwood) and Isaac & Moishes (Highland Park) for Mexican....they are Ok.

Btw.....I really like Barnaby's.
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Jerry D wrote:Btw.....I really like Barnaby's.

You have good taste!!!

nsxtasy wrote:May I ask where you're staying? The reason I ask is, there are two clusters of hotels in Northbrook. One is near I-294 (the west end of Northbrook) - close to restaurants in Wheeling and Lincolnshire, not so close to those further east in Highland Park and Winnetka. The other is along Skokie Blvd near US-41 (the east end of Northbrook) - convenient to places in Highland Park and Winnetka, but some distance from Wheeling and Lincolnshire recommendations.

We will be staying near the intersection of Milwaukee Ave and W Lake Ave near I-294.

Thank you all for the recommendations! I will do some more research on the suggestions but have definitely decided that I will be eating at Barnaby's at least one time.

Sergio wrote:We will be staying near the intersection of Milwaukee Ave and W Lake Ave near I-294.

In which case there are a lot of things in a short distance that aren't Northbrook.
Not much at that corner that's worth talking about (Johnnie's is nothing special; North Branch is pretty good for burgers and pizza).

Due west is E+O (earth & ocean), at the Randhurst Village shopping center. Just be careful what you order -- many of the dishes have a sweet component, and you can over do it.

Southeast on Milwaukee between Central and Greenwood is a nice Greek place called Periyali -- nice outdoor seating. You can't miss it, the sign looks like a huge campaign poster. Immediately adjacent is Pita Inn: much more casual, but about the best ethnic bang for the buck in the suburbs.

Northwest on Milwaukee tucked behind a discount grocer is one of my favorites, Monica's. Great Mexican food, bright flavors. It's in the Palwaukee Plaza just south of Palatine.

East, tucked in a strip mall at Glenview Rd. and Harlem is Korean board favorite Cho Jung: Their soups are their best feature.

JoelF wrote:

Sergio wrote:We will be staying near the intersection of Milwaukee Ave and W Lake Ave near I-294.

In which case there are a lot of things in a short distance that aren't Northbrook.
Not much at that corner that's worth talking about (Johnnie's is nothing special; North Branch is pretty good for burgers and pizza).

Due west is E+O (earth & ocean), at the Randhurst Village shopping center. Just be careful what you order -- many of the dishes have a sweet component, and you can over do it.

Southeast on Milwaukee between Central and Greenwood is a nice Greek place called Periyali -- nice outdoor seating. You can't miss it, the sign looks like a huge campaign poster. Immediately adjacent is Pita Inn: much more casual, but about the best ethnic bang for the buck in the suburbs.

Northwest on Milwaukee tucked behind a discount grocer is one of my favorites, Monica's. Great Mexican food, bright flavors. It's in the Palwaukee Plaza just south of Palatine.

East, tucked in a strip mall at Glenview Rd. and Harlem is Korean board favorite Cho Jung: Their soups are their best feature.

Once you turn left on Milwaukee (going SE or towards Chicago) you will find about (at least) 10 Korean places. I can only speak to one*, but it was an excellent one, So Gong Dong Dubu. It's a mini-chain with locations in New Jersey and such too. There's only a few things on the menu, pretty much tofu soups and bibimbops. What they do especially well is the iron bowls. The bibimbop is served on a shallow metal dish that gets very hot and produces very crisp rice. The banchan assortment is not deep but what they serve is good.

Going the other way on Milwaukee is one of the most classic of Chicago classics, Superdawg. This location, in Wheeling, is new, but the offerings are the same as the original in Chicago.

So Gong Dong Dobu
1615 Milwaukee Ave, Glenview, IL 60025
Phone:(847) 257-7394

Superdawg
333 S. Milwaukee Avenue, Wheeling, IL 60090
847-459-1900
http://www.superdawg.com

*I can speak to another Woori Village in Niles, but I'm talking that immediate stretch in Glenview, there's a bunch of places that are new or newish that I have not tried.

Tuscany
550 S Milwaukee Ave, Wheeling, IL 60090
(847) 465-9988

Spears
723 N. Milwaukee Ave. Wheeling, Illinois 60090
P: (847) 353-8933

Just a few minutes south on Milwaukee is Café Lucci in Glenview:

Café Lucci
609 Milwaukee Ave.
Glenview, IL 60025
847.729.2268

http://www.cafelucci.com

Markauf wrote:Just a few minutes south on Milwaukee is Café Lucci in Glenview:

Café Lucci
609 Milwaukee Ave.
Glenview, IL 60025
847.729.2268

http://www.cafelucci.com

Best Veal Chop I ever had.

Spears in Wheeling as mentioned upthread is a new place that is very good. They have a killer app that is Nueske Pepper Bacon with a maple glaze - addicting.

If it's getting late and you want old school Chicago thin crust pizza that I think is GNR worthy - Joe's Pizzeria in Wheeling (open until 2am Fri and Sat). This is the real deal - oily flavorful cheese, sausage with fennel, paper thin, great and with good prices. You'd probably have to take it back to the hotel to eat it. They have a small dining area that closes earlier.

Joe's Pizzeria
57 N Wolf Rd (just north of Dundee and a couple blocks west of Milwaukee Ave)
Wheeling IL
847-537-1477
http://joespizzausa.com/

For breakfast/brunch, Walker Brothers (Original Pancake House). Top quality everything, from their enormous puffed-up cinnamon-y apple pancake, to the omelets, to, well, everything on the menu. Beware long waits to be seated on weekend mornings. The nearest location to where you're staying is this one:

Walker Brothers (Original Pancake House)
1615 Waukegan Road
Glenview, IL 60025
847-724-0220