Such a gem of a place. Nite N' Gale has that classic, welcoming vibe that makes you feel right at home the second you walk in. Whether you're sitting at the bar solo or coming in with family, it just works. It's got that rare mix of comfort and character you don't find everywhere. Their tavern-style pizza is the best in town! crispy, cheesy, and full of flavor. But my usual go-to? The ribs. Fall-off-the-bone tender and packed with flavor, very meaty,always a solid choice. And the Caesar salad here is next level.... It's the best I've ever had, period. They also serve Homer's Ice Cream, which is the perfect way to finish the meal! Especially if you're feeling nostalgic. Whether you're grabbing a bite after work or bringing the whole crew out for dinner, Nite N' Gale is the kind of spot you keep coming back to. Just consistently great food, great vibe, and good people. read more

See all

Love this place and sorry to hear that they will be closing for good on 9/28/25. The boule bread is soft & warm on the inside and crispy on the outside. We started out with the grilled calamari which has really high quality squid and a parsley-butter topping. Delicious! I ordered the Moneybags pasta that I tried here on a previous visit. This time I had them with a vodka sauce and I honestly liked them a bit more with the marinara sauce. Others ordered the whitefish dinner & the shrimp de Jonge with creamed spinach. The spinach was thoroughly enjoyed by someone who rarely compliments anything. ;-) read more

See all

They are closing, so reviews are pretty meaningless. No gf options, but what I did have was delicious. Whitefish.

Well, I was here for dinner tonight. We came to celebrate my birthday, one of many I have celebrated here, because it is my favorite restaurant. I was disappointed for a few reasons. The salad had the core of the head of lettuce in it and some old shriveled lettuce that I picked out. * Not as bad as the time in the 90's my baked potato had a cockroach in it. The shrimp dejonghe only had four (4) shrimp in it! I have had MANY celebrations here in my lifetime ( grew up in Highland Park) but feel that they just don't care because they have changed hands and ate closing. Maybe this will be a good thing for me to have it be pretty mediocre at the end, I maybe won't miss it so much. I also would like to say that us old repeaters should not be ignored by the new person in charge WE MADE THIS PLACE WHAT IT IS! read more

Classic Italian restaurants are getting harder to find like this one in downtown Highwood. It's been around for many years and probably doesn't look much different than it was back then. Nite N Gale has pretty much the type of drinks and food you expect: spaghetti and whatever. Good for a nice time out together, or out with the family. The prices have gotten higher, but the atmosphere and the quality of food is good so it's reasonable. After thinking about going somewhere for dinner, we chose here. It's located in downtown where there's a lot of newer places around it. This place may look kind of dumpy from the outside, but it's a lot better inside though. Looks old but it's clean. We got seats at the bar and the bartender got us drinks first. It's about $9 for the cheapest cocktail. Kind of expensive but these were pretty strong. Food wasn't incredible but it was good. It's $18 for spaghetti. Again, it was kind of expensive. The portions weren't bad at least. Good place for a good night out even though it's not cheap or as good as many people have remembered it. It was actually pretty okay coming for the first time. The menu has few options besides the salad and spaghetti for vegetarians. read more

Nite 'N Gale - Gin And Spaghetti - American Near Me - Highwood, Illinois

Disappointing Experience at Nite 'N Gale I've been to Nite 'N Gale in Highwood a few times, and I really want to love this place because the food is always great. However, the management seriously lets this place down. The last couple times I've gone, there's been some sort of issue with the service or the way the restaurant is run. Whether it's the food not fully cooked, management (guy in a baseball hat) not having a friendly attitude it's honestly hard to enjoy a meal when the management is so poor. It's frustrating because the food is consistently tasty, but the way things are handled by the management team makes it hard to come back. I really hope they address these issues, because it's a shame that such good food is overshadowed by such poor management. If you want a nice meal and can deal with poor management , Nite 'N Gale might still be worth a try, but I don't think I'll be back anytime soon. read more

We were in town for our son's Navy recruit graduation and he wanted steak. As we are a large family we didn't want something too "fancy" and good for children. This place was awesome! The owner, the waitress, and the even the bussers made us feel welcome and at home. Every meal was excellent - from the NY strip, skirt steak, amazing soups (minestrone and beef barley), to the pizza. Children and adults like the food and the atmosphere. This is the place to stop by whether you're a local or just visiting! read more

Had another great family dinner at NiteNGale this evening. Good food, good service. We will certainly miss this spot. Sign says Sept 18 is the last day. read more

My family (including two grandchildren) really enjoy coming here. They love the ribs, especially. The service is always good--accomdating, fast, and understanding of dealing with little ones. The decor is a little dark and dated, but it's really not all that important. Parking is easy! read more

The ribs were incredible - as were the twice baked potatoes. I think the skirt steak was a little underdone for my wife's liking but our son ended up loving it so overall our time was great. Our server was super attentive and kind and the atmosphere of Nite N' Gale was exactly what we were hoping for: chill, old-school steakhouse vibes. read more

Nite 'N Gale - Dessert! - American Near Me - Highwood, Illinois

See all

Great restaurant with great vibes. I usually just sit at the bar and grab a few drinks and a pizza. Their pizza is thin and crispy. Super yummy. read more

This place has really gone downhill. On a recent visit, the pizza tasted like cardboard. We also ordered pasta with garlic and olive oil--but got mealy pasta with maybe margarine? As my brother said, if you want to lose weight come eat the pizza and pasta here. read more

The review may be a bit skewed since for me it's a fifty-year favorite of mine. Dad was bringing me here in the 70's and I've always ordered the ribs with the homemade bbq sauce. The only thing that's changed is they used to offer sourdough rolls on the table and have tried a few different breads since that. Please go back to the sourdough. Ribs are outstanding! So is the shrimp shrimp DeJonghe! And you can add anchovies to the side sale which offer all homemade dressings. read more

Nite 'N Gale - Over 50 years we've been coming here. Great times! Great ribs and everything else! - American Near Me - Highwood, Illinois

Food was tasteless unless it was fried. I used to go to this restaurant decades ago, and always loved it. It seems soon after the original family left, it just kept going downhill. The same dish can be different on different nights. Alcohol much more expensive. BTW, someone posted that a waiter had joggers on. The owner's response was he was trying it out. Most ppl own something other than joggers. If not, you can get pants and a shirt for under $10.00 at Salvation Army. I agree that being served by a slob, which is more and more today, is gross. The typical "uniform" today is all black anything, regardless of what it looks like, or has all over it, like hair and fuzz. It used to be a white shirt and black pants. And yes, there are a couple spots where the tables are WAY TOO CLOSE. If you have to pack them in to make more money because you can't stay afloat, then do something else. read more

Great ribs and amazing service! Get a lot of bang for your buck here. Love how all of the entrees come with a soup or salad and a side! $30 for a full slab of ribs is a great deal. read more

Nite 'N Gale - Ribs - American Near Me - Highwood, Illinois

They accommodated our party of nine with a last minute reservation. Thank you Mark. The food was great, service exceptional. Great Job. We had a wonderful time. read more

Haven't been here in years but my previous experience there was great!! Great Ribs & food with a quiet atmosphere!! Service was good and the ribs were amazing!!! read more

We have been driving by this establishment for years and finally decided to try it. Boy, were we disappointed, unfortunately. The ribs were tasteless, potato was dry and hard as tree bark and my wife's burger was burned beyond recognition. She took a bite and gave up on it immediately, saying that this is quite possibly the worst food she ever had. I would not go as far, but it's fair to say that going back is not in my plans. The service was OK , but you can't escape the feeling of being in a run down place that is way too "classic". I really wanted to like this place but.....meh. One star, and that is generous. read more

My last review was seven years ago so here's my update. This place has not changed in the many years I've been coming here. The crowds may be down a tiny bit but sitting in the bar area in either a booth or at the bar is the place to be, not the dining room at the other end of the restaurant IMO. This time we sat at the bar and had wonderful service from the very attentive bartenders. When you sit at the bar and have dinner at the bar, their policy is that you'll order drinks from the bartenders but not any food. The bartenders will summon a server to take your food orders. You will have two tabs to pay. I little quirky I suppose but it works for them. Our dinner server was a little crabby but you don't really see them, just when you order and then pay, food runners bring out the meals and drinks come from the bartenders. On this visit I had a blackened Walleye with a baked potato and minestrone soup. It was great, and I was very happy that I tried something other than the super thin pizza that I love here. We also had the grilled calamari off the appetizer menu, it was large enough for a meal and next time I'm here I'm going to get it with my pizza. We also tried the "Monkeybags Pasta" with Mariana sauce that I would not recommend. They were tiny pasta pockets stuffed with parmesan, ricotta, asiago, mozzarella and fontanelle cheeses. Sounded good but was blah. Other goodies are the bbq ribs, chicken,salads, burgers and more. They cover it all here. Another good thing here is their parking lot, since street parking can fill up fast. Don't think you can leave your car here and walk the streets after dinner they have a 'guy' monitoring the lot. read more

Nite 'N Gale - Grilled Calamari was excellent! - American Near Me - Highwood, Illinois

An old school gem. Met for a quick bite with some friends. They have a delicious burger and are happy to accommodate some requests like my buddy with a need for chicken fingers on his salad. I can't believe it took me so long to get here. read more

Amazing locals place! Can't love this place more. Generations have been coming here apparently. We just moved to HP and this will be our weekly spot for drinks and dinner. read more

We love this place--it is our hang out, but we really get disappointed at the clientele: no tips, bad tips, ex-large table of 10 guests all paying with separate checks, ppl leaving incredible messes in the bathroom, under their tables, etc. Who are these people? Folks where are your manners? The other guests would appreciate you and yours respecting the servers and other guests who put up with your demands, inconveniences and flat out rudeness. read more

Yes we talked to some friends and we're in the area. My wife and I had dinner there. The pork chops were out of this world. My wife's fillet was perfect. We met the owner. He said what did I think? I said first time here great dinner they were packed got us right in no wait. The owner also said he was buying dessert which I told him for me. Basic spumoni loved it will be back. this could be an every week thing for us moving forward. read more

Love this place! So glad new owner kept it the same. Now if he would only get rid of the mean new hostess. Sad she is the first contact and does not realize she is also the first impression. read more

One of our favorites. The Marvin's Shrimp is a great appetizer and the Meatball Sandwich and Scallops de Jonghe are my go-to entrees. Pizzas are very good too. Service is usually good. Atmosphere is fine - nothing fancy. read more

Nite 'N Gale has been around forever. And, there's a reason! Really good food and nice people.

Went there on a Saturday night which was a few days ago. The service was beyond horrible. We were seated and waited about 15 to 20 min just for waitress to greet us. Walked past table several times with no acknowledgement whatsoever Waited about 30 min after ordered to get food. That was just the salad. Ribs were burned and fill of grisle. Very hard to eat. We were basically ignored. She forgot to bring stuff could not remember the order. I used to go there all the time as a child and had nothing but fond memories on the 70s. Will no longer be coming back. When we did complain when leaving thry did mot seem to care. read more

Great neighborhood place in the middle of Highwood. One word stands out: family. A family runs it and they treat you like part of their family. Food is varied and well prepared, and the service always friendly read more

What happen? Jogging suit wearing waiters? I didn't know we were going to the gym? The quality of service and food is not so great. This saddens me greatly. read more

Love this place , and the vibe of the crowd at the bar area great old school clubby restaurant read more

Nite 'N Gale - NY strip steak was the bomb, I eat out a lot, and this steak and double bake was excellent - American Near Me - Highwood, Illinois

My wife and I went last night and had a great dinner. I had the ribs and my wife a salad with salmon-we both loved our meals. Old school vibe, we'll definitely be going back. read more

Moved up from the city, first time at this Gem this weekend. Amazing neighborhood spot. We sat at the bar, Brian was the bartender and a good fella. We didn't know that to eat at the bar you had to order from a waitress. Kate was the one who was our waitress & she was completely awesome!! The menu is great, lots of options. We started with money bags in a cream sauce and then the shrimp de johnge and more money bags. The prices are good and the Food is outstanding! The people in the bar were all so friendly we made new friends next to us. If you are up on the NorthShore and looking for a cozy place to meet great people and get a food hug, this is a strong option!! Will be back to try more things for sure!! read more

My husband and I and another couple ate in this restaurant on August 22 2023. The food was mostly ok. One dish was a bit spicy. We requested some parmesan cheese..more on service The ambiance was lacking. The restaurant was cute, except the tables were close together and the restaurant was at capacity. (It was a weekday night) The noise was overwhelming. To be honest, we are no longer as young as many of the guests which is why we chose to stay away on weekends. That's the good news. Service, well there wasn't any. Our waiter was in a hurry from the moment he handed us the menu. He literally "ran" to and from every table he went to. We eventually ordered and was served our food. We tried to order parmesan cheese and vegetables that were missing but never got them. Our waiter never came over again. I finally flagged down another water who brought our checks and to go boxes. I asked if they had wider boxes or if they could pack them as the sauce was heavy and red and I was wearing white pants. They said that wasn't their job. I requested the manager. He was gruff and unfriendly and unapologetic about the waiter. The coup de grace was when we got our credit card statement a couple of weeks later, and $12 was added for the tip. I called and got a lovely man on the phone who said he would check and call me back later. He did and apologized for the mistake and mailed the $12 back to me. I have never given a negative review like this one. This restaurant was recommended and I am sorry I didn't enjoy it. giving positive reviews is much more fun. read more

Katrina, our server, was phenomenal... She was accomodating & knowledgable. We had a really nice experience. We'll be back. read more

Don't go!!! We were all looking forward to a great dinner but we were so disappointed. We had a party of six and were put in a booth at at the with an extra table. This was very uncomfortable. The server was surly. Since it was early about 5:30 she was not over extended. She took the order with a true level of indifference. We had ribs which tasted like they had been cooked as dozen. Dry tasteless. The shrimp debone was a mess. The shrimps were small and the butter was more like oil. We had an order of chicken pasta and the chicken was slimy. That was sent back. The marinara sauce tasted like ragu. What a disappointment a waste of money. read more

Most of the food was overcooked and dry - shrimp, ribs. Not what we remember. And oysters were served warm-ish not chilled.

I have driven down Green Bay road for years and had seen the restaurant but never ate there, I was told it had an old fashioned supper club atmosphere from the 50' & 60's and that intrigued me. I was very disappointed with my experience, the food was ok but everything else reeked of cheap cost cutting measures. Entree pricing was not a good value, pasta in a cream sauce was $23 for just ok food. We had a grilled shrimp dish and the pasta with two ice teas, about $60 bucks. The bread basket was 70% empty with one average size piece of Italian bread, cut into two slices supposedly for two people and wasn't enough for one person, we and the table next to us each asked for additional bread. The salad was fine and the dressing pretty good The table setting was equivalent to a hospital cafeteria, the napkin was paper and about as cheap as you can buy, Walmart would have had trouble sourcing a napkin this thin and cheap. The place-mat was plain standard copy paper quality/thickness and the menu was a simple copy paper printed in B&W at about a #10 font. No tablecloth on the table. The booth was tight for a 6' 220 lb person, the booth table could be adjusted but then making it uncomfortable my partner. I don't think the value proposition of this restaurant is good at all. ... read more

Rude from the moment I called to make reservation for 8 ppl. The whole dinner took 2 hrs. The sitting was awful. Foods are omg bad. Prices are extremely high. Dinner for 8 with 6 drinks, $400+!!! U will get better foods at Sbarro. DO NOT WASTE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY HERE. read more

Old school. Rude waiter. Very dark atmosphere. Food was just ok. Would not return again.

BADA-BING!!! Howz u doin??? Say hi to to yah mudda for me!! These are all the phrases that immediately entered my mind as I entered this old school establishment In all it's glory. I have to say I love places like this and this place has been on my go to list for ages. It sort of was what I expected for the most part although lacked in many areas. The wine list is your basic wines you could walk down the aisle of any grocery store and purchase for $12-15 a bottle and then pay $40-55 for it. They could easily upgrade the list or add a few more interesting options for their bottle list. Next up the salads were disappointing..both the side salad and entree caesar were ur basic icebergs lettuce that obviously are pre-washed and soaking wet and sitting in a trough in back for the staff to scoop up and throw it on a plate. Watery soggy lettuce is not a good thing in my book. The blacked salmon on the caesar was well prepared but an old school joint like this should excel at making a classic caesar. The pasta dish I ordered came out cold as though it had been sitting in back for about 20 minutes... which it likely had been while we had our appetizers and was disappointing. So for me old school charm a 5, food a 2. Id come back for drinks but wouldn't likely make a point to return for the food. read more

See all