A good, family place near O'hare

I don't often go north but I have my sister's family is coming into town this weekend and they are staying near O'hare. Where can I take them so the adults and kids will be satisfied?

It might help if you gave us some idea of the type of place/food you are looking for. There is a whole range, from coffee shops to hot dog stands to sit down fine dining.

This just popped in my head when I read your post. Pizza at Romano's where they have a great thin crust. Order the 'panless' version of the thin crust...it's to die for. Right in Des Plaines, very old school, kids will be able to have some fun and the adults can enjoy some beverages. Check out reviews http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=5365&highlight=romanos here.

Romano's
1396 E Oakton St
Des Plaines, IL

I was thinking of some place for dinner on saturday night.

A sit down place. Not a hot dog stand and not fine dining. Something in between, if that's any help. My nephews are not too adventerous when it comes to food so it has to be kid friendly.

Terrasini wrote:A sit down place. Not a hot dog stand and not fine dining. Something in between, if that's any help. My nephews are not too adventerous when it comes to food so it has to be kid friendly.

I think the Romano's recommendation is a great one. There are alos the touristy destinations along River Road (Harry Carray's, Gibson's, etc.) but if it were me making the choice, I'd go with Romano's over any of those style of places in a heartbeat.

how about Sweet Baby Ray's on Irving Park?
close to the airport. half decent food. just don't start mumbling "sauce is the boss" on the way out and you'll be ok.

Romano's! I used to go there in the 80s for the all-you-can-eat crab legs-- glad to hear they're still around.

If you want to venture a bit further north of O'Hare (about 10 minutes), Artemis Restaurant at Busse and Golf in Mt Prospect has something for just about every appetite.

Artemis Restaurant
912 S Busse Rd
Mount Prospect , IL 60056
Phone: (847) 437-3020

We had a family dinner at Cheese Burger in Paradise in Des Plaines recently that was almost as good as it had to be. Harry Caray's in Rosemont worked for upscale, non-stodgy, American (dammit) fare this past weekend. I'm sure you can find the menus on line which are always a hoot -- I love walking in with my order set.

You can do better than these two places, but for the un-adventurous, you could do a hell-of-a-lot worse.

Cheese Burger in Paradise
1472 Margret St
Des Plaines, IL
847-824-4680
http://www.cheeseburgerinparadise.com/

Harry Caray's Restaurant, Rosemont
10233 W Higgins
Rosemont, IL
847-699-1200
http://www.harrycarays.com/index.php

-ramon

Mj2 is a uniquely American place located in the same strip mall as Morningfileds at Devon and Cumberland. Very good food in a slightly upscale dining room. It is not so sophisticated that the kids won't go for it. |But, it is sophisticated enough that the adults won't suffer either.

Here's a little burb on it from CitySearch:

http://chicago.citysearch.com/profile/41596617

You may also want to give Basilico, again, in a strip center located near the intersection of lawrence and Cumberland. Basilico is a solid red sauce place ala Sabatino's where the waitresses call you "Hon" and the servings can be pretty huge. It is more east coast red sauce versus midwest red sauce.

The dining room is comfortable. The staff friendly. The food is very good and quite reasonably priced. Everyone can find something that they like there. The website is linked below:

http://www.basilico.net/

I second the recommendation of Sweet Baby Ray's in Wood Dale. It's a great place to bring kids for dinner, lots of choices for sides. They have started to add daily specials and have a lot of combo plates so you can try lots of different things. They also have homemade raspberry bread pudding and (just added) key lime pie, so save room for dessert. This place is usually packed at lunch but will be much less crowded at dinner.

Sweet Baby Ray's
249 East Irving Park Road
Wood Dale, IL 60191

Also, I have always heard excellent things about Basilico, mentioned above by YourPalWill. However if you are coming from the airport and are heading south on Cumberland, making the left turn into their parking lot will be most frustrating. (Keep an eye out for their sign on the east side of the street- they are across from Blockbuster and a mini mall). I recommend driving south to Montrose (East River Road) and turning around in the Red Lobster parking lot (!) so you are facing the right way. Just a tip from someone who's lived in this neighborhood for 23 years.