50 Best American Restaurants near Winnetka

“Wanted to love it more. Lots of rapport between staff and patrons so it’s clearly a real local regulars place. Tables are packed in tightly. Felt like I was in the space of the couple behind us especially when I stood up.Beef bourguignon was very pretty but underseasoned. No detectable red wine taste to the sauce or meat. Beet salad was declared “fine.” We started with the spring rolls which were good and the potstickers .. good except the sauce with ketchup and sweet chili notes was a bit overpowering. All the appetizers on the menu were Asian except focaccia and soup. Desserts were enjoyed. Cocktails were good.Funny to see menu highlights in google maps include tiramisu, scallops, and hangar steak, none of which were on offer during our visit.“

“First and foremost, the staff of any restaurant are the ones that truly keep an establishment running and thriving and are the heart and representation of the business.The hostess / order-taker and crew at Stacked and Folded, were super friendly to us and offered such great customer service!The atmosphere inside is very nice and offers an elevated casyal food experience.Even though the average taco is around $6.50, it is very large and offers a lot of the actual ingredients. This was the case with my short rib taco. The short rib taco did offer a little bit of that spicy hot but not too much which was good, and yes, was slightly sweet in the sauce as advertised. Overall, the flavor combination was very good and would rate it a 3.9 out of 5. It was just tender and juicy enough, but could even be a little bit more tender in the meat. I know it is not easy when it comes to short ribs and believe me they did a good job here! It is worth getting!We had also ordered the short rib sandwich, but I recommend to have the short rib in the taco form. It just taste even better with the corn tortillas!The sweet potato fries are a five out of five star! Some of the best I’ve ever had in my life. They are cooked perfection, and have that right texture on the outside and perfect on the inside. Amazing.Now as a cook, my (James’) critique is focused on the shrimp taco. Like every other item, Katherine and I had, the shrimp taco is made in a very fresh and flavorful, non-greasy and healthy tasting manner.What observations and what can be worked on from the creators of the menu is the following:The shrimp in your shrimp tacos-at least when we visited—was just plain cooked shrimp and was actually dry. My advice based on the best shrimp tacos I have ever encountered or made are taking thawed raw shrimp, then marinate them of course, and grill them briefly and just right so that they come out juicy and tender and with that amazing flavor profile.That would make your shrimp tacos a five out of five.“

“Came here with coworkers after a volunteer day and just randomly discovered this place. First the decor inside is so cute it's like a Texarkana gas stop off Route 66 vibe. Got the burger because I saw pictures on google and it did not disappoint. Their fries were great too. I only wish they had a slightly bigger menu.“

“Best al pastor tacos I've ever had, best bagels I've ever had, quick and friendly service. HUGE menu selection. Adorable spot worth visiting. I drive an hour to get here on occasion just for old time's sake, because that's how good this place is.“

“We came here for lunch with our two kids (4&7) and had the best time. The food was excellent and affordable given the high quality. I was surprised by the fact that this restaurant was both elegant and kid friendly. That never happens. They also had great vegetation options and handled our peanut allergy easily.“

“What can I say about this place that hasn't already been said or known to be true. Little bad wolf has the best Mac and cheese I've ever had in my life. I don't know what they do but it's liquid crack in those noodles and I just can't get enough of it.The burgers there are also top five in Chicago. Definitely try the bao buns and the tacos as well as they have tons of flavor and they never disappoint. One of my favorite appetizers is the elotes which is absolutely amazing.I love this place I just wish it was closer to me and they took reservations but I'll keep coming back as long as they got the liquid cheddar crack.“

“Gather is CONSISTENTLY fantastic. I’ve been 5+ times over the last year or two and have never had a bad experience. Tonight, they were able to fit us in for a celebration dinner - they’re so accommodating and the menu options change seasonally, but every option has been consistently delicious. The atmosphere is fantastic, warm, and inviting. Everyone who works here is friendly and helpful. They’ve been so accommodating of allergies and dietary restrictions. Will always recommend Gather.“

“Love to have this breakfast and bunch place at my neighborhood!Kid-friendliness: My son loves their pancakes, fish and chip and the welcoming cakes so much! They even made a watermelon juice out of the menu for him just because he asked for. Coloring, books and toys for their little customers too.“

“We came very early for dinner. The sevice person was very warm and accommodating. The food was served in a timely manner. The table had as a couple of the entrees, a beyond burger and a walleye dish. These 2 dishes were absolutely remarkable. The fish was prepared perfectly. The burger was juicy and flavorful. We will definitely be back.“

“Very good brunch spot. Small and cozy but they do take reservations, so we were able to get in with a large group with minimal wait. The food, especially the Spanish omelet was spot on. The potatoes that came with the dishes was excellent.“

“Small restaurant with modern american decor. Street parking around the area. The staff were amazing and so nice, knowledgeable about the food and drinks. We did the tasting menu with the spirit free pairing. I thought the food portions were acceptable. The appetizers were great as were the desserts. The drinks were great too. Although there were multiple savory courses, my friends and I thought it was still lacking. Overall a great night still.“

“"I had a wonderful dining experience at Everett Farm Food! The food was amazing, with fresh, flavorful ingredients. The service was excellent, with fast and attentive waitstaff. I highly recommend this restaurant for a great meal!"“

“I recommend this Denys, the attention received by Sandy is very cordial, a kind, friendly person, she is always aware of what we need and what we order, she tries to ensure that we are given the best attention that the food arrives hot and that it is what we One ordered correctly, Sandy is a person who always has a smile for us, she gives her best, she makes us feel like we are with family, her kindness makes us return to this same restaurant. I recommend her, a very good person, her contagious smile, it makes her happy. the day to anyone“

“Delicious food and excellent service! FRY CHICKEN ‘N FRIES catered our wedding, and their flavorful chicken and crispy fries were a crowd favorite. Guests couldn't stop complimenting the meal. Thank you for making our special day even more memorable!“

“The owner was so welcoming, the staff were very kind and attentive, and the food was amazing. We were given samples of the oatmeal shakes, and I regretted not ordering one because they were sooooo good…but I had already eaten my meal. Will definitely be back when we are back in town!“

“Haven't had Denny's in about 10yrs+ and gosh, has the menu expanded. Was around the area and popped in as there were no other breakfast diners open at 6AM. Pictured here is their Multi-Grain Grand Slam - my choice: eggs overeasy, pork sausage and bacon, which comes with crispy and delicious hashbrowns, and the pancakes were excellent in flavor and texture.“

“We've eaten there 3 or 4 times now, each time delicious food and very nice service. We were able to sit and chat without worrying about taking up table for too long. When offered a coffee refill we were leaving and I asked if I could have refill in a to-go cup, request received with a smile. Looking forward to our next visit!“

“Went here for my birthday tonight! Fantastic food (comes out quick, all plates are to be shared), great cocktails and excellent wine selection, and our server Arcee (RC? I’m not sure…) was delightful and provided excellent service. 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“

“Great place and a great addition to the neighborhood. I’ve been here a few times now and enjoyed everything I’ve had. Great cocktails too. The couple that opened it are wonderful people. The staff and owners are super friendly and attentive.“

“I rarely write reviews but after our meal from Cluckers, I felt I must. Our first time getting food from Cluckers/Wilmette and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The first impression was the very friendly and efficient staff. Lovely to deal with! Then the meal...no fast food flavors here, it tasted more like homemade! Every aspect of our dinner was delicious: chicken, cornbread muffins, slaw and Caesar salad. No doubt we will be back to try something else!“

“Just had lunch here to support a local restaurant and it was delicious! I started with an espresso which was phenomenal. Bit of a wait for the food but definitely worth it. Spinach feta bourek was fresh and perfect. Flakey pastry which wasn't overpowered by the filling. The sudjuk sausage sandwich was insanely tasty and so well priced for both. Highly recommend this place!!“

“I didn’t get a chance to take a picture because I ate my food so fast ?. This was my first time trying their chicken. Everything was absolutely delicious. The employees were so friendly. The restaurant was so clean inside and out. I really enjoyed eating here!“

“Thanks to Open Table, we made our first visit to Scotty's and we're glad we did. We were greeted warmly and well cared for by Jay and others. Food was delicious and beautifully presented. I had the Chicken Milanese, which will be even better once tomatoes are in season and my husband loved his Walleye and Mussels (a special) and his profiteroles.“

“My family and I absolutely love this spot!! Their daily specials are top notch. And their chicken noodle soup is one of the best out there. You can tell it's homemade. We have not had something we did not like from Sunrise grill. The staff here is so wonderful. Always so nice and accommodating. We love the staff there. We always feel so welcomed.“

“Super friendly, solid burger spot. Tried the normal burgers to get a sense of the baseline, but will be back to try the “L” burgers. Lettuce, tomato, and onion were really fresh- they’re not throwing trash veggies on top of their burgers! Curds were lightly battered and not too oily.“

“Ravenswood Breakfast House is a cute and quite small breakfast and brunch place. Good coffee, great breakfast dishes. My favorite is their Basil Omelette, but everything I have had on their menu has been delicious! Service is fast and friendly. Remember, the dining area is small. Not a place for large groups, but a great breakfast place nonetheless.Kid-friendliness: From my observations, Ravenswood Breakfast House welcomes children of any age. This is a small restaurant with a small dining area, so it's not great for kids who like to get out of the chair and run around, but they are otherwise accommodating for families with kids.“

“While the food is excellent and locally sourced, the prices are high. It's an a la carte menu. They even charge for bread. Soups are $8, salads $15+ and they're not entree size. I suggest sharing entrees to save money and enjoy the food.“

“How does one even begin to describe the diner? Everything about it is perfect. We’ve been coming here almost every weekend for the past year, and I guess I’ll start by saying that it has literally the best breakfast food I have ever had. No exaggeration. The best breakfast I have EVER had. Everything is perfectly cooked, fresh to order, and so delicious. I’ve been to some other places recently, and while they weren’t terrible, they did make me appreciate just how good the breakfast here is. Also, I’m not even sure how it’s humanly possible, but they always manage to get your order to you within minutes of it being placed. The quickest service I have ever seen. Drive thru speed, but at a sit down restaurant. The staff is wonderful; the environment is wonderful; we absolutely love this place! And we’ll keep coming back! 10/10“

“So good! Served up food for 5 people to go in about 20 minutes and every person was super happy with their food! Our favorite place in the neighborhood. Update: still the best place in the neighborhood. Update 2: still our fave, Burger of the week this week (2/8/24) was SO GOOD!“

“I love Lola's Diner! The price of the food is absolutely amazing especially for how huge the portions are. The food always tasted great as well. There are also a bunch of options and they're very open to supplementing foods. The diner itself looks super cute, it has a retro old diner look to it with teal booths and chairs, just a nice environment overall. The service is great, the waiters and waitresses are always kind and quick, especially Jose! The food also doesn't take a long time to come out even when every table is full and they're super busy!“

“From the moment you walk in to the moment you leave, the staff here are fantastic. Upon entering we were greeted with a warm good morning from the cooks and the waitresses, even though they were slammed. We took spots at the counter so we could watch the cooks work their magic. Those two were so much fun to watch while we ate. They’re very skilled and put out delicious food. Everything they made looked amazing, from the omelettes to the salads. We ordered a corned beef hash and two eggs with ham and hash browns. Everything was fantastic. We can’t wait to go back!Cash only.“

“Herm's Palace has delicious bacon cheeseburgers, French Fries, onion rings and Coke Soda Drinks.Vegetarian options: Herm's Palace has French Fries, onion rings, garden salads and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.Parking: Herm's Palace has a huge parking lot for buses, cars, trucks and motorcycles.Kid-friendliness: Herm's Palace has kid friendly people who chew cheeseburgers with French Fries, onion rings and drink Coke Soda Drinks.Wheelchair accessibility: Herm's Palace Is wheelchair accessible.“

“I'm from Atlanta Ga ,and was visiting family and friends and we stopped in for a hotdog ..delicious ? and the fries tastes like McDonald's fries ( although they are not )lol I ate mine and my friends..nice atmosphere, and the gentleman who took our order was great ?“

“Today was my first time trying this place, and after seeing the reviews, i was just expecting a generally good burger. I was genuinely surprised by the PHENOMENAL burger and fries! The shake was good as well. This was honestly the best burger i've had in a really long time. I will definitely be eating here again. I hate doing reviews, but they deserve the praise.“

“So sorry the pic tells it all.. the food was amazing ? nothing left and forgot to take a pic because when the food came out we didn’t stop eating lol ? the coffee and service was on point. Our waiter Julian paid attention to us and our creamer “

“LOVE NICKS! Great service, family owned, upbeat & inviting staff ? good energy all around, you can feel the mutual respect amongst the ranks & I love that. Happy employees = happy customers WHO COME BACK. *Nicks drive in* is the perfect example of this & my family always runs it back?NOW... FOOD? Nick's is known for their HOME-MADE GYROS & they are delicious by ALL accounts!! If you like gyros, you will LOVE theirs! Nicks makes burgers, hotdogs, mozzarella sticks, chili, popcorn shrimp, shakes & many more options, kids meals etc. Sit down & stay a while or drive-inn & drive out.I've been coming to nicks since I was a little girl getting lunch with my grandpa or grandma. Saturday night dinner out with dad. I think I may have even had a birthday party at Nick's in the mid 90s. Nick's is family. Iykyk & if you don't know.. GO FIND OUT.Yesterday I called in a pick up order& forgot my brother's milkshake on the counter. & instead of getting all the way home & changed out of my 'heavy snow storm--triple layered clothing' only to realize my mistake.. "NICKS" was calling me. AMAZING SERVICE !! Many wouldn't do that over a milkshake, thank you ?Anyway, TLDR..? Go to >> nicks drive -in chicago. You're welome ✨️?Parking: Alot of space to park unnless it's busy. NBut it's quickKid-friendliness: Alot of space for kids to be kids“

“Nice, friendly, warm welcoming Cafe. Staff was nice and lots of options on the menu. The food was really delicious and the pricing was cheap for what you get! This was my first time here and it seemed like there was lots of regulars which is always nice to see. Really enjoyed our time there.“

“We used to go to the restaurant in Edina MN and have been to the one in Chicago. Perfect breakfast restaurant. The 49er Flapjacks are fantastic, as is the waffle. The bacon is perfectly cooked. A great experience, which is why it is always crowded on the weekends.“

“We visited this amazing establishment last night and ordered the filet and the Manhattan strip for our entrées with a side of the mushrooms, and it was possibly one of the best steaks we had had. Our server and Jesse was wonderful, and when he wasn’t available home, there was another manager who came and brought items out, so there was no delay in service while he was attending another customer and socialized at the table. We dined outside on the patio underneath the heat lamp and lights. The Barn was the perfect atmosphere for our relaxing evening together. We were very pleased with all that we ordered as well as the service. We would highly recommend the Barn restaurant to others.“

“Allergy and celiac friendly. Some vegan options. Great old school high quality hot dogs. Unique retro home town and family shop vibes. They know their customers and take care of them personally if needed. My out of town family AND friends always schedule it into their chicago trips. Ken and Danny are caring heroes, too. Oh their stories of pulling women from burning cars, how they took care of their employees during lockdown, and more. Tell them I sent you.“

“Food was delish, felt super rushed by our waitress who kept constantly appearing to take our order while the ladies hadn’t reviewed menu or were trying to catch up. I did enjoy a cocktail at the bar solo and had a nice chat with the young bartender. Overall a little noisy. But good experience overall.“

“Sandy’s in one of our GO TO local favorites for breakfast! The staff is always friendly, and the food is delicious! It’s not a huge place so seating can be limited but it’s worth the wait or sitting at the counter! Their coffee mugs even say, “it’s all good.”10/10 for usParking: You can park on both sides on the street, there’s a parking lot next door, and a big lot across the street.Kid-friendliness: Definitely kid friendly. High chairs and booster seats available.“

“Great cocktails. On the stronger side. Tried 3, the French Quarter (amazing aroma and strong taste reminds you of a classic cocktail with a subtle flair), Winter Rendezvous (smooth, hints of spice notes, sought alcohol bite, and smokey rounded finishes each sip, not as aromatic as the first), and the Kentucky Tiramisu (imagine a tiramisu in the firm of a drink which a small slice of tiramisu)I love the place, just wish it was cozier, moodier lighting, couches. Carpet, tapestry up to block the outside, more speakeasy vibe.“

“This was the first time here and definitely will not be the last, starting off, our server was the best (Monica) she was attentive and was there each time we needed something, she was very personable and an assett to the restaurant. Next... the food (fairly priced)EVERYTHING was fresh, hot and DEELISH, and we were celebrating 2 birthdays, which each person got a birthday card signed by the staff, it was a nice touchI definitley recommend this place.“

“Just celebrated my wife's birthday. Food was fantastic. Some people in our party don't eat meat. The chef made up a vegetarian soup they said was great. The chef made a birthday cake that was wonderful. Great experience. Will definitely go back.“

“Very good ambience, great customer service. Ordered rare plus bone in ribeye. Slight smell and coldness noted to the meat. Not to a point that I had to ask to remake the steak but enough for me to be slightly disappointed with the steakhouse signature menu. I ordered. Rare plus. Might be because of it ? But I ALWAYS order rare plus in all of my steak. No inside steak was cold. But I am very happy with the staff. I would return any time. It is a minor thing . Too bad they don't have draft beers on tap. That would have been perfect“

“Located in the Rose Hotel, same proximity as Dave and Buster’s and Trulucks. If the parking is full, just park in the huge parking lot across the street by Dave and Buster’s. When you walk into the hotel, the Thorn restaurant is to your right. The vibe is semi classy and intimate. It can also be a casual place to hang out, eat, and watch tv. Service was fantastic, they really take care of you over here. Prices are reasonable given the atmosphere. I had shrimp tacos, hemp hummus, and the Westcoast smasher burger. Pro tip: when you check in on Yelp, you get the hemp hummus for free. It was big enough to share with two other people.-shrimp tacos 5 - these are good sized tacos. Easily shareable. The shrimp pieces were fresh and juicy. Shells were soft. Avocado pieces were large chunks. The corn tortilla chips were crunchy and did not break easily.-hemp hummus 5 - fresh ingredients and warm naan. Very light appetizer.-Westcoast smasher 5 - ordered it medium and it came out perfect. It’s a very clean burger. Your hands don’t get oily or greasy. Meat practically melts in every bite. Special sauce amplifies the flavor. French fries were crispy and they’re on the thinner side. Well seasoned.“

“We had a reservation for Easter Brunch for 11 and a high chair. When we arrived it was a bar height table. I mentioned it to them. They were very gracious apologized and corrected the problem within 15 minutes. This was my first time at the Oak at The Glen. Nice variety at the buffet, great omelets, crap cakes, paiella, lox and bagels, fruit, desserts. Nice selection for children. Everyone we had contact with was cheerful and seemed happy we were there. I highly recommend.“

“It was one of the best breakfasts I have had in a long time. Everything we ate was seasoned perfectly, and the sausage and bacon were delicious. They have huge breakfast sausage links that are incredible. The hash browns and pancakes were served in small portions. Wish they were served with larger portions on the plate. Service was on point, fast and different people kept checking on us. I'm definitely coming back.“