Had a fish sandwich. Nothing special. My old fashioned's were great. Rest of the group enjoyed their food

We love the Greek salad! I always order the angel on horseback. My husband loves their Italian beef. It's one of our favorite restaurants.

Food is the best. Bread is amazing. Pizza is some of the best thin crust in the area. Great chicken and pasta dishes as well. It's a gem from a different era. Small but comfortable. If you come a few times you'll be family. read more

Louie's was wonderful. We were able to get a reservation for 4:30pm on a concert night even though the restaurant was fully booked by 5:00pm. The owner and his son were so gracious and both our servers were enthusiastic and knew the menu inside and out. Our party of five ordered everything from the ribs special to broasted chicken to pasta and a meatball sandwich. Everyone was thrilled, portions are huge. Save room for the warm garlic rolls glistening with butter. We will hope to go to Louie's every time we attend an event at the Genesee; less than a mile away! Best part of the night was the owner saying thanks as we left and remembering our names. We'll be back. read more

Louie's - Louie's was nearly empty at 4:30, this is 5:05 on a concert night. Hopping! - Italian Near Me - Waukegan, Illinois

Louie's is and will always be our "Go To" place. It doesn't matter what you order, you cannot go wrong. The Italian beef, chicken dinner and of course their bread sticks are perfectly done every time! The staff ensures to go out of their way to make your experience enjoyable. Make sure you check them out, you will not be disappointed. read more

Old school! Doesn't get any better! The food, the service the drinks all outstanding!

Louies has been operating in waukegan for as long,if not longer ,that most any other place ( quonset maybe?) THAT ALONE should tell you everything you need to know! Actually, there IS one more thing you need to know.....they put beets on the salads, so if you don't like beets,let them know when you order! Enjoy the bread! read more

I just loved this spot. It was like walking back in time and having great food and service. I had the meat loaf special and it was just fantastic. And please don't remodel, the place looks just great. read more

Louise has great food me and my fiance went in there today and ordered a couple of meals and had some water it was great food love the place I knew this place there I've been there before it's been there for years they always had great food!.. read more

This was a great find! We usually try to go somewhere on the strip near the Genesee Theatre for dinner before the show but we did a quick google search and found Louie's. The staff is very friendly, helpful and courteous. They serve warm breadsticks on the table that melt in your mouth with butter (but they don't need it) and American style menu. The food and atmosphere is great! Reminds me of a family diner. This restaurant has been around since 1941 and I can see why. We will definitely be back and will spread the word to our fellow concert goers read more

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We love Louie's! From the warm service to the fresh, homemade breadsticks (not pictured because there were none left to photograph) to the delicious pizza, chicken, ribs and pasta, Louie's is a winner! This is a long-time family owned business that endures. There's a parking lot across the street for easy access parking for dining or to go orders. There's also an attached liquor store with an impressive selection of specialty sodas as well as beer, wine, etc. The old school interior is comfortable and makes you feel like a member of the Rat Pack might step out of the woodwork and join you at your table--which gives off a cool, retro vibe fewhile enjoying all of the wonderful food! read more

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I took my daughter here last night to share my memories with her. Her dad and I ate here frequently when we were dating and first married. They did not disappoint! My daughter ordered soup (chicken dumpling) that was wonderful. She considers herself somewhat of a soup connoisseur - it's the staple of her diet - and is very picky about what she likes. It was a hit and she brought a cup home for lunch today. Then ate it for breakfast. I ordered my favorite chicken parmigiana. I wasn't disappointed! Crunchy without being burnt or greasy, a generous topping of cheese, and sauce that didn't taste like it came out of a jar. And the garlic breadsticks were the best! Warm and light, buttered, with just a hint of garlic. They were tasty dipped in the soup and after mopping up my sauce. In honor of my dad, I gave them four instead of five stars because he couldn't get meat sauce the last time he was there. :p read more

Louie's - Ashe visiting one of her parents old haunts. - Italian Near Me - Waukegan, Illinois

Never been disappointed with this place. I have lived in Waukegan for 16 years and started to go to louies about 6 years ago. People said youll love it, and I was skeptical.. As a purebread Italian the test is the red sauce. It was like Nonni used to make. I loved it! I get the chicken parm whenever I am there and if they have veal parm I am all over it! The lasagna is amazing too! Their pizza never disappoints. They are attached to a liquor store and you often see people running in and out to pick up to go food. Lots of locals, great cheap drinks, and all around a good time! read more

One of my favorites this side of Chicago. I love the Poor Man's Lobster on Fridays. The bread is good. Spagetti, lasagna, pizza. Every time i go, i try something different. Never been disappointed. They have Stella Artois, and its cold.... no complaints. read more

Love the AOH and DOH sandwiches. Have been a customer for years! Friendly staff. Seating is unusual but very fast and functional.

Very good selection to pick out from, friendly staff, friendly owner. Overall I am satisfied on the service and food. I'm always looking for new places to try and as I was in town on call for a job, I happened to spot this restaurant and I wasn't disappointed. read more

Louie's was great. We were able to get a reservation for 4:30pm on a concert night even though the restaurant was fully booked by 5:00pm. The owner and his son were so gracious and both our servers were enthusiastic and knew the menu inside and out. Great Service and food read more

A Waukegan classic. Crab Louie salad is amazing. Pizzas cannot be beat. AOH or DOH are unique offerings you can find nowhere else. Then top it off with the famous breadsticks that pulls people in from across the country. Seriously y'all if you're within driving distance and you haven't eaten here, you're a damn fool. read more

GREAT! Classic old neighborhood Italian. Awesome lasagna. Try the veal. Best in the city. Terrific pizza. Really nice older servers. Kinda place Joe Pesci comes out of the back room with a bat. A true find! read more

Great food. Perch is awesome. The staff is great and there are a lot of locals that come in every evening, so that tells you it's good.

Not impressed at all after my ex took me and said this was the spot to come when he was growing up. $17 for kids sized portion of spaghetti or more accurately, over cooked noodles with bitter tomato sauce. Really disappointing, but their breadsticks were good and the staff was very nice. read more

Much like Hillary's one of the places everyone says you have to try and after several chances I have yet to figure out why. The sandwiches I have tried always left me thinking that they sounded better on the menu than they actually were. Some were average others just left me scratching my head and going back to the menu to make sure they got my order right. Always thought it was funny that their parking lot was across the street, and yes there is a sign for it, which made this place seem very old. Once inside you can understand how old it is, much like the now closed Madison Avenue, this place has not changed in 40 years. I personally find it very funny that they have only 1, yes 1, tap handle set in the middle of a large bar and that it is Miller Lite. A place to get a good Gin-n-Tonic. read more

This place is legit. Excellent food. Service was on point. These people were straight up busting there asses to make sure you had a great experience on a Sunday night. Well played Louie's crew. read more

I am only giving 2 stars of which is too generous. Hubby and I had not been at louies in 10 months or so. Last Thursday the 8/11 we both ordered and shared the fried mushroom's, and each had our own lasagna. Mushrooms were great, salads were great. Lasagna was &?!#@ awful... The bread was as thin as pencils and just as hard. I took 3 bites of lasagna and stopped. I couldn't eat anymore. It was so watery in the bottom of the container. NOT sauce water. The meat was different and almost grainy. Pasta yucky, no taste. I called and talked to a very nice male worker. I asked if they changed their recipe and he said no. I explained what the lasagna was like, he apologized. I said we do not want anything, just to please pass on our complaint to management he said he would. read more

I found this place by accident while I was out running. I saw that their parking lot was full and it looked like the kind of place/diner/dive I'd like to try. As it turns out... Louie's is an awesome little place! Menus selection is short and to the point, but their food is good. Definetly, worth checking out! read more

We thought this was an Italian place based off of the description but it's definitely got some Greek flare. Classy joint, nice crowd and no yahoos. Walked in and they had ESPN on, ordered a Bloody Mary and tried the famous breadsticks. We'll definitely go back! Hoping I'll be back by March madness. read more

4.5 stars. I'm taking away 1/2 because I'm not a fan of their sandwiches, a bit too saucy and heartburn inducing for me. Other than that... Louie's is a great hole-in-the-wall, family restaurant in Waukegan. I try to swindle my friends into visiting every time I come to town. Louie's has my favorite fried chicken, thin crust pizzas, breadsticks (!!!), and Greek salad. I'm not quite sure what they put in that dressing, but it's probably from Zeus himself its so good. I've also heard great things about their "poor man's lobster" and perch. read more

This is a cool old place. It is all paneled and retro and the people who work there are very very friendly. I would stop in again just for the charm and I'd probably try one of their pizzas for grins and giggles. For lunch, I had a sandwich that was toasted with roast beef, bacon, tomato and cheese. It was quite tasty and came with an interesting slaw that was vinegar based. It also came with their homemade chips which were quite good. Christopher had their beef noodle soup, which I tasted. It was a nice hearty soup and had a good flavor. I brought some home for Mom and she liked it a lot, in fact, she finished it in one sitting which is rare for her. He also had a pasta dish with Alfredo sauce, which was advertised as coming with fresh vegetables. Unfortunately, the vegetables consisted of mushrooms and Christopher hates shrooms, so the dish was a bit of a let down. Our lunch companion, Jack P. had a Chicken Parmesan sandwich which i gather from his review that he thoroughly enjoyed. I would say that apart from Christopher's pasta dish, everything else was a solid hit. It was Valentine's day (and also Jack Benny's birthday, which is what brought us to Waukegan) and our waitress was sweet enough to bring us a plate of homemade brownies to celebrate the day. Louie's the kind of place that makes you feel right at home. I'd say this place is 3 1/2 stars and worth a stop in if you are in Waukegan, just kinda pass on the pasta Alfredo. read more

So glad I came here while visiting from Dallas! My son was at Naval Sea Cadet training at the base here. I enjoyed the house lasagna, SO amazing...as was the bread and Italian dressing on my salad. It is the best red sauce I've ever had- VERY good! The best part about this place was the friendly service at the bar and meeting the owner- Tony. I also discovered that there is a Louie's in Dallas as well! Will be taking my family as soon as I get home! If you are looking for authentic Italian, great service and a warm atmosphere, you must put this place in the rotation! Loved it! read more

Louie's - Italian Near Me - Waukegan, Illinois

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Went to this place on Sunday (04/15/2018 with family for dinner and was not my usual experience as when I've gone with friends... Our waitress was not attentive at all; she kept rolling her eyes and doing unpleasant facial gestures when my sister asked her any question about food in their menu (hence she's never been to Louie's before). She was more attentive to her other tables (don't want to say she was racist) of elderly people and was frequently checking on them but always seemed to pass us by. We had to ask one of the young men working there for extra napkins, soft drinks, and to go containers because our waitresses never seemed to stop by to see how we were doing. But besides the unpleasant service the food as always was good kudos to the cooks. read more

A friend recommended this place to us and I have mixed feelings. The entrance is to the left, not labeled or anything. There is a small room to play slots in and then you walk into the restaurant/bar. We walked in and all 4 staff members looked right at us and just continued on in the empty bar. No greeting, nothing. The lady behind the bar was loudly discussing her family in prison and on drugs. $13 for a large pizza- you can't beat that...and it was pretty good! Ask for a sprite and they bring you a can though.... :-( Unfortunately, the service was too awful for me to want to come back. And the bleach smell coming from the bathroom was unappetizing. Maybe if the staff was a little friendlier and faster to refill the vase of water, I would consider coming back. read more

I've been going to Louie's for 20 years. I started when we kept our boat in Waukegan. 15 years ago we moved to Winthrop Harbor and there's still no place better than Louie's. I always order the broasted chicken which is over the top. The bread out of the oven is excellent ! The service is great, they poor good drinks and have a good beer selection. What else do you need!! PH Northbrook, il read more

Here's to how things used to be: good quality ; neighborhood place ; knowing who owns the place, who serves you, who you're sitting with. Great food! Italian, American, bread sticks, full service bar... even their salads with beets and onions are top notch... and all their own. Place is nostalgic...well run...fun to be in...fun to look forward to going to...and we drive about 35 minutes to get here several times a year. This is how things used to be and should have continued to be. Screw the corporate chains...you should have figured this out already...unless you want your food decided by the stock holders and board members. read more

The reviews on here do NOT lie. The warm, fluffy breadsticks are 'da BOMB! I enjoyed dipping them in the garlic sauce (it was like a garlicky ranch dressing). On a whim, I ordered a cherry Coke to drink; imagine my surprise when the waitress came out with a can of Coke and a glass with ice and cherry syrup. Talk about old school! It was YUMMY, though. I ordered the chicken parmesan and didn't think much of the entree itself. It was heavily breaded and the chicken seemed dry and lacked flavor. The marinara sauce was tasty, and the side salad that came out before the meal was AMAZING! I seem to remember there being pieces of beet on it, which struck me as odd. After giving them a shot, I picked 'em off (classy, I know!) and enjoyed the rest of the salad. The restaurant itself is relatively small. A very family-like atmosphere and everyone seemed to know each other. It is heartwarming to see a true neighborhood restaurant with "regulars." It also has elements of a New York diner because the tables have removable dividers so two groups of 2 can sit at one table (across from each other) with a divider between the two parties. This makes for a very intimate (and a tad cramped) meal. Our table neighbors gave us some entertainment with our meal, getting in a disagreement with another inebriated patron. The juicy post-dinner gossip / speculation ("Did you hear him say that?! WOW!") only added to our enjoyment. Looking back on this experience, the only thing I would change is my entree. I'd listen to other reviewers and order the pizza. read more

While in town for the fiance's Navy graduation, we found this gem. We were looking for a local spot, with local people, and good food. We found it. I have not had such good chicken parm since I left New York years ago. We even got an order to go for my friend who was back at the hotel, and they were very generous with their portions and wrapped it up nicely. Our waiter was polite, fast, and efficient. Everyone was very polite and courteous, shaking the fiance's hand, congratulating him, or thanking him for his service. It meant a lot. Space is rather limited. We got there a bit early, so we had no trouble getting seated, but by the time we left the place was utterly packed. So, you may want to call ahead. It reminds me of the good, old fashioned family owned places back in NY. I loved it. We will be stationed here for the next six to nine months, and I am sure it is going to become one of our regular spots. read more

FOUR STARS: this is a wonderful, family - owned restaurant. The food is good, well - prepared, and very reasonably priced. What it lacks in ambience it makes up for in charm. It is easy to root for a place like this, and the Patterson family who owns it. MISSING FIFTH STAR: Our waitress wasn't super pleasant. Since it was our first time visiting, we had questions about the menu. She wasn't particularly forthcoming. WILL WE GO BACK? Yes! read more

Best pub-style pizza in Lake County! Louie's is definitely a hidden gem in the Northern Chicago area.

Heard about this place and went for a late lunch! Chicken was so tough it was not funny! Almost impossible to find a good Italian restaurant! Next week will try Italian America club in Kenosha ! Some day maybe a good one! read more

The perch sandwich would have been really good if they would have put some tartar sauce on it. Who does that?

I love this place! They always have really great soup and daily specials that are delicious. Friday is my favorite because they have clam chowder, coming from a person that seeks out good chowder and has had it everywhere, theirs is in my top two. They always have great service too! Here are my "go to" faves: The Crab Louie salad which has a mound of crab and gets served with a house made dressing, the grilled ham and cheese with soup of the day, the spaghetti, the chowder and the chicken fingers. Also, everything comes with the best buttery garlic bread ever! I can't say no to the bread here. Definitely a great spot. read more