Amazing experience! 1) The atmosphere was impeccable with its feel of being home to be served with homemade food. 2) Our waiter had an exquisite vocabulary and memorized my whole party's order, which impressed the 6 of us. 3) The food was reasonably priced with various options and multiple choices to custom your order! Highly recommend. read more

We Love Dave's! I grew up there, I had my first date with my husband there AND our Rehearsal Dinner there. We love the food and the family atmosphere. We were elated that Dave was able to stay in the community. Lasagna con amore continues to be one of my personal favorites. If you are looking a restaurant who's recipes have stood throughout the Decades Dave's is the place for you! read more

I first learned about Dave's shortly before the old location closed. A friend suggested them for a group outing and from the moment we arrived the love and admiration felt for the place was obvious. Conversation at our table was filled with stories about Dave's that spanned the years and glowed with praise about his establishment. Sitting at the table listening to these stories I immediately felt adopted into something much more than just a restaurant. Olive Garden is a restaurant. Dave's is a fixture in the Evanston community. When we heard about the closing and subsequent re-opening on Noyes we were excited to try out the new spot and give Dave our support. I had enjoyed the food and the environment at the old location and his new place has not disappointed. Our group of friends has regularly frequented the Noyes location since he re-opened and have watched his team successfully adapt to the smaller format. Some aspects have changed with this re-tooling but the heart of Dave's remains. The food is simple and delicious and the atmosphere is welcoming. I have had almost everything on the new menu and have found each dish to be flavorful and well-crafted. The space can be a little cramped when it's busy but that's what happens when you downsize. In my opinion the kindly clientele and helpful staff serve to shore up this minor shortcoming. I respect Dave for taking on the challenges that this new kitchen brings and I look forward to making memories there for years to come. read more

this place has the best italian food. i love their spicy marinara sauce. it's affordable and delicious. i bring all my friends and family here for special celebrations or a nice dinner. the restaurant is small, but has a nice atmosphere. servers are always genuine and welcoming. read more

Good pasta. Nothing too spectacular, just good, relatively simple old school tomato sauce based stuff, mostly. Great cheesy garlic bread, and their chicken parm is consistently good. Nice place for when you're in the mood for no frills Italian. read more

We were on the hunt for a local authentic Italian eatery and decided to give Dave's New Kitchen a try. I'll begin by saying they knocked customer service out of the ball park! Very attentive and accommodating given my husband and I had our 1 year old daughter dining with us. My husband and I are both vegetarians so we opted for the eggplant extravaganza and the vegetable cacciatore. The portion sizes, in my opinion, were certainly large enough for perhaps lunch the next day. I loved the marinara sauce but was originally a bit put off by the thick cut on the eggplant but it was yummy so I plowed right through it- lol! My hubs enjoyed his vegetable cacciatore and cleaned his plate- so no leftovers for him. All in all, although the space is small it's a nice, quaint family oriented atmosphere with pretty good food. Not so infant/toddler friendly but we made the best of it and faired out just fine. In fact, our waiter was kind enough to give our little one a small cup of butter noodles since they don't offer half orders. A small gesture that went a long way with us! And by the way, the prices were reasonable as well. I can't emphasize how great the service was... honestly we so appreciated the experience! read more

Went here with some co workers for lunch. The young man serving us was extremely polite, personable, and made good recommendations-a really nice guy. The food was cooked very well, particularly the vegetables, which many resturants can't seem to get right. I had the salmon and everything just tasted fresh and delicious. Definitely recommend this place. read more

I was scrolling through the reviews and noticed that nobody said anything about their pumpkin bisque - it's probably the best soup I've tasted in Evanston. I always order the bisque with their homemade pappardelle when I visit. I think their food speaks for itself (it somehow makes me feel less homesick even though I grew up in an Asian household LOL), but I want to stress that their dinner staff members are super friendly and warm. Prices are fair considering the quality and quantity of food you get. 5 stars! read more

I used to go here about 30 years ago when it was in a basement on Davis St. It was a great place to eat on a budget. Prices have gone up, to be expected. The place is small and cute. Everything we ordered was really good. However, the sauce is a little too garlicky. And I'm a garlic lover. read more

Imagine a marinara sauce so good that it inspires you to end world hunger, solve the energy crisis, and heal the political divide of contemporary America. Sadly, marinara sauce cannot do this, but if it could...it would taste just like Dave's! Seriously, the food here is so unbelievably good, it's scary. Their bread is amazing, as is any dish made with the aforementioned marinara. My personal favorites are the meatless lasagna, cheese and spinach ravioli, and chicken parmesan. This is my favorite food in Evanston. It's some of the best Italian food I've ever had, and I am an Italian food junkie. It's a tight space, but worth squeezing into! read more

I do love this restaurant, but I think I have to give up on takeout. Screwed up our order, again. Very nice about it, but, I think that is 3 or 4 times, simply getting the order wrong. Somehow, chicken parmesan became eggplant parmesan. Thankfully, I checked before leaving. Learned my lesson from the prior times. The food is the best. The takeout service, the worst. read more

Tiny place, awkward atmosphere. I ordered meetball pasta, unfortunately the meatball was rotten. Literally rotton meatball. My friend ordered calzone which was huuuge. Don't get the meatballs. Since the place is small the staff is basically standing and staring while you eat. Lots of 5 star reviews on Google makes you wonder if they are paid reviews. If you are curious go check it out and just avoid the spoiled meatballs, they are repulsive. read more

We absolutely loved Dave's Italian Kitchen before the move. Now the new place, not so much. First the good, the pizza still top notch. The service, top of their game, attentive quick, very good. Now the not so good. And take it with a grain of salt. Like I said, we loved the old place, this new venture is as stripped down basic as it can get. The menu seemed to have shrunk from a nice multi paged full restaurant menu to a card stock double sided eight and a half by ten sheet. Which was one shock to the system. The first one happened as we walked in. It's the size of my living room. We had hoped that there was a larger seating area in the back, but no. We arrived with a large group and that took up basically most of the room. The plain cesar salad isnt what I remember. Mine tasted like they dumped tuna on it. Or the dressing was very weird. Took three bites just to give it a chance but the granulated consistency didnt win me over. Friends also had the same salad they gave me a strange look. I assumed they experienced the same odd taste. Others had some plain pasta and Alfredo sauce at the table, no one finished it. Not very tasty. I mentioned the pizza. Still very good but as far as the other menu items, wow, all very scaled down. To be fair, for a neighborhood restaurant tucked smack in a psuedo residential area in the 'Northwestern' heart of Evanston, it's cute. And based on what issues the owners went thru with the big place I can understand wanting to be cautious and present something more manageable. But this is a far cry of an experience from what we remember the old Dave's Italian Kitchen to be. Sorry to say there are better places to visit. EDIT: Dave. The neighborhood comment was not intended as a jab. I only meant to say that it was different from it's previous location where it was more hustle and bustle. I'm sure the residents love the new addition to their neighborhood. We love Evanston. I realize my experience was based on expectation especially since we were regulars at the old location and enjoyed it very much. Hats off to you for this new venture in an industry that Im sure has unique challenges. It takes strength and fortitude. We wish you continued success. I'm having my leftover pizza for lunch. read more

This has been my favorite pizza spot for decades. I was so sad when I heard they had closed and then OVERJOYED when I read that they were returning at this new location. Amazing affordable food with a very nice staff. read more

We love Dave's New Kitchen! We were so sad when the old Dave's Italian Kitchen closed. I had been eating their delicious pastas, calzones, and pizzas since the early 80s. We were thrilled to hear they reopened on Noyes St. Dave's New Kitchen offers the same excellent quality, delicious homestyle Italian cuisine as the old location. Dave and his brother continue to run the restaurant, so it is exactly the same kitchen and preparation as before. The new location on Noyes is BYOB, which makes it a fun and cheaper dinner and the supermarket across the street sells wine/beer. It's also a quick and easy carryout location with easy street parking. The new place is considerably smaller, but is still comfortable and cozy and the menu has fewer items than the old location. They say the plan to expand the new menu over time. read more

It's good. I like that the Dave's Italian Kitchen favorites I like are there. I loved the chicken/bacon/jalapeno calzone and I love that I can still get it. Even better they're now open for lunch. I always wished the old Dave's would do lunch, and now New Dave's does. I wish they had lunch portions/prices though. I have a hard time justifying 13-14 bucks for lunch, but I consider it a treat once a month or so and just deal with it. The portions are normal for dinner, but I could probably get by eating a little less at lunch, and then paying a little less. I hate throwing food away, and it isn't enough for 2 meals, so I end up eating it all (making me fatter) rather than throwing it out. Dave should do a rotating lunch special, or something that hovers at about 10 bucks, and include some sort of vegetable matter. But putting that aside, I'm really glad to see Dave back on his feet, and I hope this place is really successful. read more

We were eager to try the new spot and were really let down. On the positive side the food is as good as ever. On the negative side the portions are very small especially the chicken Marsala and Eggplant Parm. But the prices remain the same. Our table for 4 was so small there was no place for our two entrees and one pizza so I ate holding my plate in the air. Ridiculous, right? My kids struggled to manage with small plates at the table as well. There simply was not enough room for us to eat there. Somewhere next to us a small speaker blared music. So depressing. The dining area borders on claustrophobic and there is zero charm in the new space. We were huge fans of the old space, staff and ambiance which was so family friendly and warm. The new staff (waiters) were nice and utterly clueless. I'm sad to write all this as I wanted to love it but truly I couldn't wait to pay and leave. The good feeling and dining experience at Dave's appears to be over. read more

The Best Thin Crust Pizza in Evanston! The Chicken Marsala is the best I've ever had. Everything Dave makes is terrific!

Smaller menu, smaller place but it's still Daves. Carbonara is still killer. Get your butts over there and support this gem.

Thank God Dave's reopened! Same great food just without the restaurant layout. If you are like me and my family we loved and were crushed when we heard they closed- getting take out is a small sacrifice for their amazing homeade pastas, sauces, and especially the salad dressings! read more

Dave's is a cozy, homey place with great service. The owners are solicitous and friendly. We were there on a Sunday night and were pleasantly surprised to find lots of young patrons enjoying themselves. The atmosphere was similar to any number of restaurants we have enjoyed in Italy. They were doing a big carry-out business as well; that traffic does not intrude into the dining area. The homemade bread was delicious, with the garlic bread among the best I've ever had. The pizza crust, also homemade, was the perfect blend of crispy and chewy. The lasagna con amore was a modern take on an old favorite, and I ended up taking about half of it home. The eggplant extravaganza was also big enough to take half of it home. Both were delicious. We had saved room for dessert and the tried both the chocolate mousse and the bread pudding. The mouse was light and airy, and the bread pudding was another instance of a modern take on an old favorite. It had just enough Marsala to be yummy, but not enough to overwhelm the flavor of the custard. Dave's is a great neighborhood restaurant - not fancy, but with reasonably priced and delicious homemade and fresh food. read more

I like the "New Dave's" better than the old Dave's. The dining room is very small, but the service is always good. I've never had to wait long to be seated. They are slowly expanding the menu and recently added a fresh pasta option which is very good. The pizzas and calzones are also excellent. The only criticism I have is the bolognese sauce is a little bland. read more

Just freaking awesome. There was nothing and I mean nothing, not to like. Generous portions, more than fairly priced and such rich flavor. The staff was incredibly friendly. You felt like you were eating at a friend's house. This isn't fine dining, but it's more than "fine" food. Will be back. read more

I love Dave's and his food. I've never had a bad meal. I always feel welcome like I'm going to moms for some home cooking. I wish I lived closer. I'd be a regular for take outs and dining in. You'll always leave with a full belly and a smile on your face. read more

Dave's New Kitchen is A-OK. People in Evanston are CRAZY about it, tho! They just love it! I moved to Evanston a little over a year ago, and everybody was head-over-heels about Dave's (then located a few blocks south). And I ordered some spaghetti there and it was A-OK. But people are deeply in love with this place on an irrational level! And I want to fall in love too! I have emotions, just like anybody else! I am a human, I swear! But I am still waiting for the thing that will make me fall in love, and trying to understand what made others fall in love. In conclusion, I got an order of spaghetti and some garlic bread, and it was just fine. $14 or so. I could have prepared it at home more cheaply. Now. . . CAST YOUR MAGIC SPELL ON ME, DAVE!!! MAKE ME FALL IN LOVE!!! I WANT TO JOIN THE CULT AND BE A PART OF THINGS!!! Maybe the magic spell is in the lasagna. . . read more

So small a room, but really great food. I never cared for the old restaurant as the pastas were below average and atmosphere, while family friendly, noisy and not fun for a group of adults. Well, it's noisy when this little place is packed... but is more upscale than it's predicessor and a more pleasant evening out. A bit slow for quick lunches (pizzas and calzones take a while to cook), but their online ordering makes take out easy. Order and pay online, and food is always ready for take out in 30 minutes. Place your order before leaving work, and pick up some of Dave's New dishes on the way home. read more

Small venue but the food is WONDERFUL. You will never find a better Carbondale and the spinach rocotta cheese lemon pie is to die for

My family had dinner at Dave's New Kitchen on Tuesday. It was our first time there. Great Italian food. Very nice, warm people. Excellent service. It was like having a homemade meal in a friend's home. I had minestrone and balsamic chicken. Both were outstanding. Very fresh ingredients. Wonderful combinations of flavors. Large portions, too. And the fresh baked bread is noteworthy as well. I'm told that it's also a great place for lunch. We will be back soon! read more

Im so glad Dave is back! Best pasta dishes. So good. The new place is much smaller so be prepared to wait for a table. Also they have byob. Still the same great portions. read more

I love to support local. Dave is a great guy who the community loves. Friendly environment with nice music playing! The food is affordable and simple. read more

Nice new spot. Small intimate location. Had the carbonara which was delicious. Attentive staff. ByOB is always nice. There is a liquor store on the corner if needed. read more

I hadn't been to the original place in a while but remember liking it so I thought we could give the new place a try. The calzone was really good. The pasta dishes were disappointing. The menu is small and so I would hope things would be done well. The spaghetti was over cooked and nothing special. If you are going to have a small Italian place I would hope to get fresh pasta. I wish them all good luck in the new place but I won't be back. read more

Not as great as the old place - maybe it's the ambiance or the equipment or my mind. I like that it's now open for lunch though. Worth a try, maybe you're not as sentimental as I am. read more

I tried their pasta and it tasted too plain for me. The sauces were not very flavory at all. Cozy environment though and conveniently located. Not sure if I will come back again. read more

Here for a soccer match at northwestern. Little hole in the wall that serves phenomenal food. Pizza and pasta and calzone. Everything was fantastic and service was outstanding. Thanks Yelp read more

OK--Our family are experts on almost the complete "New Dave's Italian Kitchen" Menu. We order takeout from Dave's once per week and vary our selection. The Calzones are fresh and ingredients tasty. All pasta sauces are excellent. You can watch the Chef make some of the cream sauces if you get these early. Chicken Marsala excellent. Eggplant parmigiana may be frozen but I love it. Really can not say enough about food. HOWEVER, RESTAURANT IS VERY SMALL AND LOUD AND CROWDED. Even takeout can be 1 hour wait prime time weekends for food, so, for now, plan ahead and enjoy your Dave's at home. read more

They used to have a nice spot and they delivered. Now they have moved to a spot where it is so small I have claustrophobia when I pick up. Customer service is no longer a priority, just the mighty dollar. They do not even offer delivery. When I complained about that they hung up on me. No wonder they had to move to a smaller location with only 20 seats, they have bad customer service. Too bad the food was good. Unfortunately I value customer service and loyalty to the guest over all. read more

I've been going to Dave's since they were at the old location. The food is always excellent, as is the service. The carbonara has always been my favorite but the pizza is a close second place. read more

Absolutely awful - food, service, ambiance. We loved the old Dave's. The only thing the new one shares in common is the name.

World's greatest marinara sauce (loaded with garlic) and calzones, parmigiana, diavolo, lasagne, marsala- all solid entrees. Really can't go wrong with anything on the menu! New location is about a tenth the size of the old location but has a quaint 'hole-in-the-wall' feel to it. read more