This was a nice old school Italian dining experience! The tables in the front/bar area are small, so if you're more than a party of two (in the booths) you might want to ask for a different seating arrangement. My food was solid and the wine was very afforable and tasty. Service was great! I'd like to come back and try more options on the menu. Parking was easy and free right out front! read more

Highwood is known for its old-school, often multi-generational ownership Italian restaurants (as well as its Mexican ones!). I hadn't been here in a while, but I was glad to check it out again. It is hard to get used to how loud it is at first, but it depends on where you sit. The louder people near us left early into our dinner reservation, so that was good. Our server was super nice and eager to ensure we had everything we needed! Things take a while here, and it's such a long-running restaurant that you'd think service needs would be "well oiled" more than they are. It took us 10-15 minutes just to get water, and for me to get a club soda, it took about another 15-20. (These are estimates - I didn't pull out a stopwatch! That would be weird.) I don't think it was our server's fault either; she was running around the place very intentionally. I was a bit worried that this restaurant was coasting on its reputation and would have staid, bland food, but no! The minestrone was some of the best I remember having, and my friend thought the same of hers. She liked her spaghetti marinara with meatballs, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed my spaghetti with what was basically vodka sauce. I didn't eat all of it, to say the least, because I was getting full, but I enjoyed what I had. It was very flavorful - recommended! (Just be prepared to wait a bit...don't go before a show.) read more

Highly recommended. Quality home style Old School Italian American cuisine. A little crowded but that's part of its charm. Delicious EVERYTHING. Homemade and served by focused staff. From soup to gnocchi to chicken to dessert, we loved it all. read more

Pizza was good and on time. Sadly no confirmation of order or any answer to our calls. Told it's an old established restaurant with great food and that they don't answer the phone or return messages. Not for seniors or technology challenged who like the human touch. But we'll give her another try. read more

Best Pizza in Highwood! Food great! Service great but the atmosphere is dark and old! I would recommend!

They rectified the soup situation. Great food. A bit cramped but you'll be enjoying your meal so well... you won't notice anything but fine service and the flavors. read more

We live in the Highwood area and Washington Gardens WAS our favorite restaurant. Tonight we saw them at their worst. 1. Half empty restaurant and they seat us in the back by the busboy station. 2. Got our pizza (had ordered entrees ) and then nothing. We wait and wait. Finally 20 min later I remind them of the entrees and then scramble to get them to us. We wanted to cancel the entrees but they never apologized or offered. 3. Wife's salad comes with dressing all over it after she requested it in the side. Waiter did tell us he'd take it off the bill, so there's that. 4. What makes this laughable is that the Calamari on the salad was funky!! Poor service and food quality are unacceptable for the $$ you're charging. This was a public service announcement for you, Washington Gardens, that you have some work to do. Win us back! read more

Trying to figure out where to order pizza from last night and settled on Washington Gardens. We ordered one sausage pizza and one spinach, onion & mushroom pizza with light cheese. It was a Saturday night , and they gave us a pickup time of 50 minutes. Once there, it was another 20 minutes before our pizzas were ready. Good thing the pizzas were excellent and worth the wait! An truly excellent thin crispy crust. And delicious ingredients. I will definitely be back and would order the same thing again. read more

Alex's Washington Gardens is kind of like walking into your grandmother's house that she's raised all of her now grown children in. It's nothing fancy or updated. Kind of smells a little old timey. The lights are so dim you can barely read your menu. But it's oddly homey, warm and inviting. The dining room was PACKED when we arrived late on a Monday evening, but they were able to seat all 5 of us almost immediately without a reservation (we had a last minute change of plans, or we would have called ahead). Our waitress was a little short with us, which I didn't appreciate, but can also ignore, but it definitely rubbed one of my friends the wrong way. I'm not a huge fan of Italian food, so I played it safe with their chopped salad, which I enjoyed. I always appreciate a restaurant that has a solid salad list instead of offering basic iceberg with 4 tomatoes and some shredded carrots. Everyone else seemed to really enjoy their gnocchi, salads and ravioli. If you like a good, strong martini that'll grow some hair on your chest, look no further! I don't drink often, so I was definitely not able to finish my dirty martini, even after getting a little extra olive juice, bummer, because this place is NOT cheap. With the salad, martini and tip, my total bill was a little over $40. I do want to note that we did pretty much close out the place, and as we were exiting, there were two pretty intoxicated middle aged women by the bar showing each other dance moves or something. It definitely changed the entire vibe of the place, and made me a little uncomfortable. Not too sure if I'd ever bring my daughter here since it was pretty clear that people are easily over served. So to sum things up: the food is great, the atmosphere is like being at your grandmother's until after 8pm, when all of your crazy aunts have had too many gin and tonics, the service is good, but served with an attitude, but you'll be entertained and leave with your belly full. read more

Alex's Washington Gardens - Garden's chopped salad - Italian Near Me - Highwood, Illinois

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My sister and bro-in-law recently moved to Bannockburn and on a recent visit, we had the rare opportunity to go out to eat. My sister chose Alex's (in nearby Highwood) and it did not disappoint! Symone was our server and she was fabulous - super attentive and engaging and had great recommendations when we were torn on what to order. We started with a round of dirty martinis and enjoyed their bread service. Next we had Caesar Salads and then our main entrees: Shrimp Disparagia (me), Lobster Fra Diavolo (sis), and Chicken Piccata (bro). We did end up switching the Lobster Fra Diavolo for the Shrimp Fra Diavolo as it didn't seem quite right, according to my sister, but the change out was smooth. Everything was super flavorful and we ate as much as our bellies would allow... We were too full for dessert and even had some leftovers as those pasta dishes are pretty large! If you're in the mood for Italian and in the area, you can't go wrong here at Alex's Washington Gardens. read more

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I had not been here for over a year. We had dinner last night and the food, the drinks and the service was awesome!! I had the White Fish Florentine and it was the best I've ever had. I highly recommend "The Garden" Peter H Nortbrook read more

I always enjoy the vibe and the food is great!! The parking is tough so that's the reason for the 4 stars. Pasta is delicious as well as all the appetizers! Friendly service and the restaurant is super clean! read more

If you come to Highwood and you want Italian food, this is the place. It's old school but it's what works. We came here on a busy night without reservations and they sat us with no hesitation. It was busy and I'm shocked we were able to take a table so quickly. That is customer dedication! As for the food...come on! It was nothing short of filling and excellence. I bleed Italian red white and green and the food was perfect. I love the Bolognese sauce and the lasagna was better than I remember as a kid coming here. The server was friendly and attentive and we couldn't ask for more! There's a reason this place has stood the test of time! read more

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Classic old school sit at the bar if you can best thin crust pizza my absolute fav Honest food honest wait staff The waiters (younger ones) tend to be a wee slow . Not complaining read more

Great place in downtown Highwood. The pizza is top notch and craft cocktails are surprisingly good

Delicious food, and the service is amazing!!. The ambiance is good, tightly recommended this place read more

Alex's Washington Gardens - Italian Near Me - Highwood, Illinois

I've been going to Washington Gardens for decades for good reasons. The food is consistently fantastic! Always cooked to order, always fresh ingredients, homemade everything, incredibly flavorful, never too salty. Handmade pizza is and outstanding for thin crust although not the deep dish I prefer. But that's a matter of preference! If you are a ravioli fan, you'll be in heaven. Just saying. I've had chicken and steak countless times and they're always cooked to perfection. Juicy, flavorful because of the quality of meat but also because of just enough and just right seasoning. If you've got room for dessert, have a cannoli. The perfect Italian dessert for an Italian dinner. The bar is always stocked with great variety of whatever you desire. Victor, the main bartender, and all of the staff are top notch. They're super professional, outgoing, polite, always customer-centric, always in good moods and happy you're there. They truly appreciate their guests. Most of the staff have been there for many years, and you can see their close-knit teamwork. Washington Gardens takes COVID safety seriously, and it's appreciated by customers. Parking is sometimes easy, sometimes challenging, and ypu may need to drop-off, park, walk, until valet service returns. read more

Alex's Washington Gardens - the outside of a restaurant - Italian Near Me - Highwood, Illinois

Somehow, someway, the great scornivacos recipe baton has been passed on successfully at this point in time, an amazing feat that is still such a quality Italian dining experience; every dish is so well made and delicious, a place that has never disappointed us since the mid seventies! I'm still Sean Logan and I approve this message and I hope you will make it here to have a great dining experience! read more

Wow! We had a bunch of food delivered for NYE and everything was amazing! I tried hay & straw and the gnocchi in vodka sauce. Both were cooked perfectly and both sauces were very flavorful! Can't wait to try in the restaurant! read more

Alex's Washington Gardens - Green pepper, mushroom, onion pizza - Italian Near Me - Highwood, Illinois

A group of 6 of us were there last evening for dinner. We noticed right away at our neighbors table that the portions seemed smaller than normal. When we received our chicken/pasta dishes we were surprised that the portions are indeed smaller, especially the pasta accompanying our chicken. Seriously, 1/3 of a cup or so. Pasta is inexpensive, why cut the pasta portion down. The chicken portion was also cut by half. The food is good, prices are ok. It's disheartening to see the change. read more

We had a big group so I was expecting some delays...service was top notch! They didn't miss a beat :). Wait staff was very polite, friendly and engaging. Food was incredible. Our group shared several plates from fish to pasta and I didnt taste anything that I would not order by itself. I recommend you give AWG a try. We will be back. read more

Stopped here for dinner while traveling for business. I searched yelp for a seafood or Italian place and this menu caught my eye. The staff was incredibly warm and friendly and introduced me to the regulars at the bar. The salmon oreganoto which came with rice, steamed broccoli and a soup/salad hit the spot for the healthy and tasty dinner I had in mind. Salmon was also cooked perfectly. Came in tonight when back in town for dinner and saw Victor again. Everything was amazing again read more

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Great atmosphere with a nice bar front room and a dinning room attached. The staff are friendly and welcoming, and the food is great.

I would say that the words "neighborhood gem" are over used in reviews, but in this case it describes Alex's Washington Gardens perfectly. This has to be one of the best restaurants in the Chicagoland area if not all of the midwest. When we have out of town guests that we want to treat, AWG is our go-to. To say that AWG has a perfect record of DAZZLING our guests is an understatement. Save room for Michele's fantastic cake that she tirelessly bakes every morning for the enjoyment of her diners. Just go- you will be glad that you did. read more

We've come here for decades. Atmosphere and food are great. Service can be slow, and it's sometimes a bit crowded (not a lot of space to move around, each table very close to the others). One thing they need to work on: Their customer service in regards to take-out. When you call and get a voice mail even though the restaurant is open (5:30 p.m. on a Sunday night - tried several times), it's very frustrating and not exactly friendly. We're trying to order online and have a special request, but it's not possible on their internet site, and we wanted to make sure a person could hear our request. No dice because they don't pick up. If they're open, why don't they answer? It's honestly something that might keep me from choosing them in the future. read more

Tried this for the first time and it was fantastic. Reminds me of the "mom and pop" Italian restaurants back in NY. Love the loud noise, table clothes, and the vibe. Appreciate being able to enjoy my meal and not rushed to order and get out. Veal parm, grilled calamari, and the chicken limon were all outstanding! We'll certainly be going back! read more

Excellent Diablo Shrimp pasta! Happy to see no tails left on the shrimp. Very good homemade Italian dressing. The free bread was a bit dry. I'll be coming back for more read more

Alex's Washington Gardens - Shrimp Diablo pasta sans tail... great dish! - Italian Near Me - Highwood, Illinois

Delicious food Great service Great bar tenders Love the old school vibe Feels like Cheers when you walk in! read more

The best Italian food since my momma and grandma were alive to make it on Sunday afternoons growing up as a young man Franny is the best and her staff are 2nd to none If you haven't been you must put this on your list of places to eat along the north shore read more

The food was excellent and the service top notch. We had the lasagna, rigatoni and tortellini Alfredo. No complaints at all! Great atmosphere too. read more

Very unassuming Italian restaurant. Not overly fancy but if you are looking for a great staff and incredible food look no further. Seriously some of the best quality Italian dishes for a very reasonable price without the upscale dress or fanfare. Just a great restaurant, wonderful staff (thank you Deborah!!) and even had some fun Halloween costumes to lighten the mood. Wonderful all the way around! Highly recommended!! read more

My wife and I have been coming to Washington Gardens for years and love everything about it. The food is absolutely incredible and the staff and atmoshpere are cozy and welcoming. The new owners had really big shoes to fill, but have done a wonderful job. Definitely give this place two very enthusiastic thumbs up. A must try if you haven't been before. - Rick S. read more

Great food and great service. Definitely the vibe when you want intimacy and also the everyone knows your name place. Been 6-8 times and keep wanting to go back. Recommend for all. read more

Food was ok. Pizza was better then the chicken Entre. The room which we have not been to in a few years was dark and dingy. Bathrooms are tiny. I doubt we will be back soon. Our friends picked it. read more

Solid Italian food, with outstanding thin-crust pizza. Good service and a "local joint" vibe. Reasonably priced, and comfortable ambiance. Always a good choice for couples and young families. read more

Awesome food, warmth and ambiance. Great staff. The pizza is the best in town. Salmon delicious.

Love the pasta dishes as well as soups and salad! Always great service too! Definitely a family and friends favorite!

Wow, what delicious tavern style, cracker crust pizza! Haven't eaten pizza that good since I lived on the northwest side of Chicago. The restaurant is a throw back in time. The boothes are very small...when people were smaller, I guess. I was even impressed by the busser. He was running around non stop and did a great job. The place gives off a very good vibe and worth a visit. read more

I've had mostly good experiences here over many years, but our last visit was really bad, and compelled me to post here. Our party of six was crammed into a tight corner in the southeast corner of the dining room, backing up to the bar. That space should never have been used for six people; clearly it was meant for four and they jammed an extra table in there, which also stuck out into the aisle, meaning waiters and bus people were brushing by us the whole night. Sitting there made the whole night unpleasant and uncomfortable. Plus they had the heat turned up too high and that, combined with being crammed in that tiny corner, had most of us sweating uncomfortably the whole night. After an appetizer, the food took well over an hour to come -- extremely long. Clearly the kitchen seemed to be having some trouble this night as in that hour little food was delivered to other tables either. One of the entrees delivered was wrong and we had to re-order, so one of us had to sit and watch the others eat for 15 minutes. Another entrée was nearly inedible due to garlic overload. And as is predictable when food takes forever to come, most of the entrees weren't very hot when they finally came. I wasn't going to post this because as said we've generally had good meals here over the years, and I wanted to give them a chance to respond. But they basically said the table was fine, we should've said something about the heat, and the wrong order was our fault not theirs. No accountability, no apologies. So here we are. read more

The vibes are unmatched, it's dark, cozy and should I mention all the drinks are doubles? The food is the star of the show, if you're looking for authentic recipes come here! It's delicious read more